Mages did not compete over victory or defeat in battle.
All of them walked the same road—the pursuit of the Origin.
This was the first time Kanzaki Rei had discussed insights about the Origin with someone of his own generation.
But things were different now.
Rei was no longer the ignorant magic apprentice who had first heard the word "Origin" and understood nothing about it.
Now, Rei already possessed his own thoughts and interpretations regarding the path of the Origin. For a long time, he had wanted to exchange ideas with someone about it.
Unfortunately, people capable of discussing the Origin were extremely rare.
While conversing with Xu Zhou—
Two different understandings of the Origin collided with one another, yet each theory was internally coherent and could explain the principles of reality.
The clash of ideas produced an entirely new level of understanding.
Xu Zhou claimed that the Origin devoured everything.
Throughout the evolution of magic, the eliminated were consumed by the Origin. Ultimately, what the Origin pointed toward was likely a method leading to finality.
When Xu Zhou proposed this theory, it was supported by the history of the Void and the history of magic itself.
The Void was a land of ruin and remnants.
According to legend, the Void had once been an extraordinarily prosperous realm of higher dimensions.
But now, it had become a desolate wasteland—a place of exile and decay.
The legend said that during the evolution of the Origin, other laws were gradually devoured and assimilated into it, becoming part of the Origin itself.
Magic followed the same pattern.
Countless spells had been lost to history and were no longer passed down.
The Origin guided the creation of magic… yet it also consumed the magic created by mortals.
Xu Zhou's theory was not empty speculation or baseless imagination. Instead, he cited numerous historical records and classical texts.
The most famous example was—
The vanished magic of space.
In ancient times, there had once existed Grand Teleportation Magic.
It could transport living beings across unimaginable distances, even spanning the vast seas of stars.
But now, that teleportation magic had completely disappeared.
According to Xu Zhou, the reason was simple.
The Origin had devoured it.
Thus, a type of magic had vanished entirely from the world.
Was magic the food of the Origin?
Did that mean the Origin itself was some kind of special living entity?
These were perspectives Rei had never heard before—angles he had never even considered.
Many of Xu Zhou's arguments and lines of reasoning were astonishingly elegant. Again and again, Rei felt the sudden clarity of realization.
Yes…
If it weren't so, how could things have turned out like this?
And if it really were true…
Then it would be utterly terrifying.
Xu Zhou's ideas and thought process opened a brand-new door in Rei's mind—revealing a completely new and expansive path.
At the same time, Rei also discovered numerous pieces of evidence within Xu Zhou's reasoning that aligned with his own thinking.
It only strengthened Rei's conviction in his own path toward the Origin.
The Origin evolved all things.
All magic manifested from the Origin.
Meanwhile, Rei's own explanations and demonstrations deeply shocked Xu Zhou.
Using magic itself to prove the existence of the Origin—
Indeed, all magic was fundamentally intertwined with the Origin, each law linking together in a grand chain.
And magic itself was simply the manifestation of all things.
Water, fire, earth, wood, wind…
The elements were the foundation of existence.
If all things were born from the elements, then it was entirely possible that the Origin itself gave birth to all magic and all phenomena.
It was an idea of exquisite elegance.
But even if one could conceive such a theory… how could it be proven?
Between an idea and proof lay an enormous distance.
Without proof, it would remain nothing more than speculation.
Then Xu Zhou listened as Rei began explaining through deconstruction.
Layer by layer, Rei dissected various spells.
He explained them with clarity and precision, moving from the surface mechanics of spells to the deeper essence of magic itself.
Xu Zhou could feel the terrifying depth of Rei's understanding.
Rei's mastery of spells had already reached the pinnacle.
Even elderly archmages who had spent their entire lives studying a single spell might not understand it as thoroughly as he did.
More astonishingly—
Rei connected different spells together, forming a vast and intricate theoretical network.
The scope and depth of his theory shook Xu Zhou to his core.
Was this really a human child?
How could someone possess such profound comprehension?
This had to be some thousand-year-old monster disguised as a youngster.
"Origin Magic."
Simply thinking about the Origin did not produce magic.
Instead, one had to combine their understanding of the Origin with all of their experiences with magic—every insight, every manipulation, even life experiences themselves.
Only then could one form a unique Origin Magic that belonged solely to them.
After hearing Rei's explanation, Xu Zhou could only sigh.
If he did not possess Rei's profound understanding of spells, then even if he followed the same path of Origin enlightenment, he still would not have been able to comprehend an Origin Magic like "Origin · Myriad Laws."
The two continued discussing for a long time.
They even exchanged many of the spells they had personally learned.
Both had completely forgotten why they had come to the arena in the first place.
Only after Rei finished learning the final spellbook—"Magic: Piercing Black Chains"—did Xu Zhou finally sigh in admiration.
"Meeting Brother Rei today has been my greatest gain."
"I've spent a year and a half pondering alone. Yet it cannot compare to this single day of discussion."
"But I'm ashamed. My understanding of magic is too shallow. I can no longer provide Brother Rei with further inspiration."
"If one day Brother Rei visits the Void, I, Xu Zhou, will certainly offer you the finest hospitality."
Rei smiled.
"Of course. If I ever travel to the Void, I'll come find you."
Xu Zhou laughed as well.
"The Void is not a place ordinary lifeforms can enter. If you truly intend to come someday, make sure you're fully prepared."
Rei nodded.
The two performed the ceremonial farewell of their respective races.
A faint reluctance lingered between them—like two kindred spirits parting ways.
Then Xu Zhou surrendered.
He admitted defeat and departed.
Rei looked around the now-empty arena.
For some reason, he felt a faint sense of loss.
Xu Zhou was the first "peer" who could truly discuss magic with him.
For the first time, Rei felt that on the path of pursuing the Dao of magic… he was not alone.
Iz was simply too far ahead of him.
The gap between them was too large.
Rei could hardly consider him a fellow traveler.
Most of the time, Iz simply answered his questions rather than discussing ideas as equals.
But today—
For the first time, aside from Iz, Rei had encountered someone who pursued the Origin with such purity.
It was hard to regard someone like that as an enemy.
After leaving his personal arena space and returning to the Combat Void, where countless rooms floated in endless dimensions, a notification suddenly appeared within Rei's consciousness.
[Xu Zhou wishes to become your Arena Friend.]
[You may invite them to battle again at any time.]
Oh?
You could add friends here too.
This combat arena truly was a wonder.
A grand structure capable of linking countless regions and spaces together for battle…
Was this the work of a Level 9 Architect?
After leaving the arena, Rei checked his record.
400 consecutive victories.
Perhaps because he had defeated so many powerful opponents, his coefficient had now reached an astonishing 52.
That meant 52× the base points.
Outside, the sky was dim and gray.
But before Rei could take more than a few steps—
Whoosh!
A figure appeared beside him.
"Rei."
It was Kumironi.
"Where did you go? You didn't come back all night."
Kumironi glanced at the Gate of Combat, then at Rei.
"You… fought here the entire day?"
Rei nodded, then shook his head with an apologetic smile.
"Uh… the situation was a bit special."
Kumironi scanned Rei's body with her senses.
"Well, as long as you're safe."
It seemed she had truly been worried.
"Sorry for making you worry, Sister Kumironi."
Kumironi frowned.
"Of course I was worried! You disappeared without saying a word!"
"Not to mention—you're currently a Death Priest."
Rei noticed the shift in her tone.
"A Death Priest? What happened?"
Kumironi lowered her head slightly.
"…Yesterday's investigation revealed that the Advancement Hall has connections with the Church of Death. They secretly help their followers complete job advancements."
"We also discovered they were performing unauthorized advancements for children."
"Now we're tracking those illegal advancement recipients."
"We also found a hidden chamber… full of cages. There were signs that humans had been living inside them not long ago."
"They were probably prisoners of the Church of Death."
"But they've already been moved."
"I'm worried they're preparing some kind of dark ritual that requires living sacrifices."
"Chi Cheng is helping me investigate this as well."
The situation sounded extremely serious.
Just uncovering a small clue had led them down a trail that revealed a massive network of darkness.
"So when you disappeared at a time like this… it made me very worried."
Rei felt genuinely guilty.
"I'm sorry, Kumironi…"
Now that she had found him safe, Kumironi finally relaxed.
On the way back, Rei told her everything that had happened in the arena.
There was nothing he needed to hide.
"Void creatures?"
"Mmm… Little Rei is really amazing, defeating opponents like that."
"So you were discussing the Origin? You're becoming more and more like Iz. Back then he would also disappear for days like this."
After hearing that Rei had been studying the Origin, Kumironi became much more at ease.
Truthfully, she had been worried.
Rei was still a child.
What if he wanted to play with children his own age?
Although Rei always behaved maturely and sensibly, children were naturally playful.
Had he been suppressing himself all this time?
But now it seemed that researching magic truly was his passion—not an act to avoid worrying others.
That was good.
The sun was sinking.
Flames of sunset flowed across the sky.
It was already nearing evening.
Rei had spent almost an entire day discussing magic with Xu Zhou.
This was the fifth day since arriving at the City Within the Circle.
Which meant his magic staff should be finished the day after tomorrow.
The War God Cup Tournament would begin the day after that.
Perfect timing.
His strongest opponent was probably someone named Luluvi.
5000 victories. 0 defeats.
If she had also fought other races…
Then that win rate was terrifying.
Another undefeated existence like himself?
Interesting.
Along the way, Rei and Kumironi talked about many things.
When she heard he had deciphered a ritual capable of gathering a monster tide, she was shocked.
Kumironi examined the ritual diagram Rei provided.
A faint green glow flashed in her eyes.
"It's real. The description matches."
"By sacrificing souls, the ritual attracts monster tides toward the ritual site."
"This is the first time I've seen something like this."
In the end, she only reminded Rei of one thing:
Do not leak the book.
And do not reveal the ritual.
If he ever used it, it must only be for righteous purposes.
Beyond that, she said nothing else.
With Rei's intelligence, she knew he didn't need constant reminders.
By the time they returned to the hotel, Rei felt extremely exhausted.
He had overused his mind.
He had spent hours deciphering puzzles as a Decipher Scholar, fought numerous high-intensity battles, and then spent nearly thirty hours discussing the Origin with Xu Zhou.
He hadn't slept for more than forty hours.
The moment Rei lay down on the bed—
The bedding's sleep-enhancing enchantment immediately pulled him into deep sleep.
Void — Land of Eternal Dusk
"Xu Zhou, you lost too?"Tongye laughed.
"Yeah. I lost."
"Haha! What did I tell you? You definitely couldn't beat that human kid."
Xu Zhou nodded calmly.
"I truly am inferior to him. Losing was only natural."
Tongye scratched his head.
"When did you become so humble?"
"No… I simply recognized my own shortcomings."
Tongye frowned.
It felt like that battle had completely shattered his friend's confidence.
"So tell me… what level do you think that guy Rei is at?"
Xu Zhou thought carefully before answering.
"Based on my knowledge… no one can compare to him."
"Stronger than those so-called invincibles across all worlds?"
Xu Zhou shook his head.
"I don't know."
"…Perhaps."
He murmured quietly.
"Comprehending the Origin is already the ultimate achievement for ordinary mages."
"But in truth… that's only the threshold to pursuing the Origin."
"Seeing a corner… is not the same as seeing the whole."
When Rei woke up again, dawn light was filtering through the window.
He had fallen asleep so quickly last night that he hadn't even closed the curtains.
Sunlight poured onto the bed.
His Level 3 Mage strength had now stabilized.
Iz still hadn't returned?
Was he still chasing Merce?
Rei went downstairs and saw Obades sitting in the restaurant.
Immediately, a sense of security returned.
Chi Cheng and Kumironi were investigating the Church of Death.
At least Obades was still here.
Otherwise, the sense of safety would have dropped dramatically.
While eating breakfast—
Suddenly the ground trembled.
RUMBLE—
The shaking lasted only a moment before stopping.
Rei remained calm.
He stayed seated and extended his perception outward.
Obades was here.
If a Level 6 defender couldn't protect him, running would be useless anyway.
Within his sensory range, nothing unusual appeared.
Only then did Rei walk outside the hotel.
The sky had darkened.
Violent winds were rising.
In the distant northwest, multicolored lights gathered in the heavens.
An overwhelming surge of magical energy filled the world.
BOOM—
The tremor clearly originated from far away.
It wasn't targeting the City Within the Circle.
Was it war?
The Kingdom of Loren was currently fighting another nation.
Because of this, none of Loren's territory suffered the negative effects of the monthly disasters.
And the City Within the Circle wasn't even near the front lines.
War shouldn't reach here.
Rei checked today's weather forecast.
Apparently the Thousand Army Ant Mountain region would experience a stronger monster tide today—but not strong enough to produce Tier 5 monsters.
"…Forget it."
Since it wasn't here, there was no reason to worry.
If the sky collapsed, it wouldn't be his problem to fix.
Small ability, small responsibility.
While he was still weak, he might as well enjoy the freedom of being weak.
Once he became strong… responsibilities might start piling onto his shoulders.
As for the Death Priest class—
It wasn't convenient for him to level it right now.
He needed to go to the capital and obtain an official license first.
Only then could he advance to Level 2.
His Level 1 advancement had been an emergency measure.
Leveling an illegal class without permission would be problematic.
Since he lived in this world, Rei preferred to act as a law-abiding citizen.
Sure, as a genius under Iz's protection, he might receive exemptions.
But abusing that privilege would damage his credibility.
Iz and the others had already helped him so much.
Rei didn't want to cause them unnecessary trouble.
Fortunately, once a Mage reached Level 3, leveling was no longer restricted by other professions.
That meant his multi-class path became much more flexible.
The Puppeteer Secret Scroll he had bought earlier for 500,000 gold was tempting him strongly.
Still, changing classes was a major decision.
It would be better to discuss it with Iz once he returned.
If he acted recklessly and made a mistake, regret would come too late.
Besides, secret-scroll classes were merely rare—not necessarily stronger than conventional classes.
If given the choice, he might even consider Warrior or Assassin classes.
Of course, he would have to respect the principles of those professions.
After all, Rei wasn't planning to leave them at Level 1.
He intended to level every profession to the highest tier.
If he wanted the ultimate ceiling… true invincibility…
Then he had to take everything seriously.
Cutting corners wouldn't do.
As Rei wandered through the streets, he restocked many consumables.
Most importantly, he purchased large quantities of [Demon Blood] and [Copy Paper].
The ritual for summoning a monster tide required Demon Blood to draw the formation.
As for souls—the hardest component—
He already had those.
Copy Paper allowed a page of a book to be copied directly.
But it was extremely expensive.
1 gold per sheet.
Being relatively wealthy, Rei bought 1,000 sheets in one go, clearing out the shop's entire stock.
The main purpose of the paper?
To copy other people's spellbooks in the future.
Next stop—
The Combat Arena.
He still had to finish his final 100 consecutive victories.
Yesterday he had gotten distracted by philosophical discussion, otherwise he would have already reached 500 wins.
Rei stepped through the Gate of Combat.
[Quick Match]
As always, he selected the simplest option.
Quick Match.
The speed truly lived up to its name.
He had no idea how many powerful individuals were training inside this arena.
Nor how vast the world actually was.
But ever since he switched to Quick Match—
Matches started instantly.
[Opponent: Mino]
…
Perhaps because it was still morning and people hadn't fully woken up yet—
The opponents today were slightly weaker than yesterday's.
Among fifty matches, he encountered only one opponent with a special title.
Most battles ended in instant kills.
He encountered only four mages in total.
When facing fellow mages, Rei was happy to converse with them.
After meeting Xu Zhou, he realized something important:
The Combat Arena wasn't just for fighting.
It was also a place for information exchange and learning.
So that was another meaning behind "growing through battle."
Still, learning this now wasn't too late.
Truthfully, when he had previously matched within the City Within the Circle, the mages he encountered were mediocre.
There had been nothing to learn from them.
500 consecutive victories.
The final match had actually posed a slight challenge.
His opponent was an assassin who had been invisible from the very beginning.
The opponent didn't even have a name.
Everything was blank.
If the countdown timer hadn't started, Rei might not have realized the enemy had already entered the arena.
Against such a completely invisible opponent—
Rei immediately cast "White Daylight."
Normally, anything hidden under its illumination would be revealed.
Yet this time—
The enemy still did not appear.
Rei had no choice but to bombard the entire battlefield with magic.
Seas of fire spread across the arena.
Thunder roared and shattered the air.
The Void creatures he summoned rampaged wildly across the surroundings.
In the end, he still won.
But the victory felt strangely inexplicable.
So there were enemies who could remain completely invisible like that.
The world truly was vast and full of wonders.
He would need to research that race carefully and stay cautious.
That was an incredibly insidious ability.
[500 Consecutive Victories Achieved]
Fortunately, there was no suspense in reaching the milestone.
Now—
Rei quietly waited for the mysterious grand reward.