Inside Anzheng's Manuscript, there were no hidden secrets.
It felt more like a journal.
Moreover, almost every entry was dated in January.
[January 3rd, Year 4997]
"Some of the gods known to the world were once mortals."
"Yet the true path by which they ascended to godhood remains unknown…"
"Level 9 may not be the true endpoint. Perhaps ascension requires other conditions."
[January 6th, Year 4997]
"The path to godhood may not overlap with the path of leveling. There may be another road to becoming a god."
"I have set out on a journey to search for that path."
…
[January 16th, Year 5005]
"I've found it."
"I believe I have discovered the path by which a mage ascends to godhood. My heart is filled with joy."
[January 30th, Year 5005]
"This path is completely different from what I imagined… Denying the Origin? Why must a mage deny the Origin?"
"We have spent our entire lives pursuing the Origin, yet in the end we must deny it?"
"No. I cannot accept such a result."
…
[January 4th, Year 5012]
"I am only one step away from reaching the final Origin."
"But these years of attempts have already corroded my mind too deeply… Can I still maintain my sanity?"
[January 19th, Year 5012]
"I think I have glimpsed the ultimate end of the Origin."
[January 28th, Year 5012]
"No!"
…
[January 9th, Year 5018]
"In Ainvar, I encountered an unprecedented magical genius."
"Perhaps he will be the one capable of witnessing the Origin."
[January 20th, Year 5018]
"My time is running out. I still have more important matters to handle—at the very least, I must leave behind my research."
"Damn this Moon of Forgetting. What important thing have I forgotten?"
[January 30th, Year 5018]
"I wish I could record everything… but why?"
Many pages in the manuscript were completely blank.
Between two recorded entries, entire stretches of pages were missing.
[January 2nd, Year 5020]
"Deny the Origin… The truth I spent my entire life proving—how could I possibly deny it?"
"It is so perfect. So real! Even now, I cannot believe my proof is wrong. It is flawless—without a single error."
"Why must ascension require denial?"
"Does reaching Level 9 Mage actually contradict the conditions required to become the God of Magic?"
[January 25th, Year 5020]
"No!"
"Another failure!"
[January 30th, Year 5020]
"I have thought of another possible path…"
"The Second Origin."
[January 10th, Year 5025]
"No… I cannot do it."
"The First Origin has taken root too deeply within my mind. I cannot accept any explanation of reality other than it."
"Everything has been denied. I should not have realized this so late."
"The method for creating a Second Origin should have been developed earlier. The earlier, the better!"
"And the magic of the Second Origin must be a theory that contradicts one's own First Origin magic."
[January 30th, Year 5025]
"I can already see the end of my life."
"This body can no longer accomplish anything."
"Heh… It seems the path of a mage is an abyss from which there is no return once a single step is taken wrong."
The manuscript ended there.
Rather than a manuscript, it truly felt like a diary.
A diary written only during the Month of Forgetting.
Large amounts of content seemed to have been removed. At least, judging by the layout, the journal looked extremely strange.
If the blank lines were compared with the formatting of the existing entries, one could roughly infer that every day of the Month of Forgetting once had an entry.
Yet what remained now were only scattered records from certain years and certain dates.
Was it caused by the Month of Forgetting itself?
Did the month erase records?
Or had Anzheng erased them himself?
Or perhaps Iz…
Or someone else entirely.
Rei flipped through the manuscript.
There were no hidden mechanisms inside it.
Which meant the missing information had truly disappeared, not hidden through some special trigger or concealed layer.
Rei frowned.
One must pursue the Origin—
Yet also deny the Origin.
What a ridiculous profession.
Second Origin…
Did that mean creating an entirely new Second Origin Magic?
If Iz had asked him to read this, it probably meant that he was now ready to advance to a Level-4 Mage.
As for whether he should actually advance…
She was leaving that decision to him.
"Comprehend the Second Origin as early as possible."
"Easy for you to say…"
Rei muttered quietly.
"Just comprehending a single Origin Magic already takes all my brainpower."
"And it even has to contradict the first one."
"What is this—forcing the left and right sides of my brain to fight each other?"
Rei felt mentally exhausted.
He had spent the entire day deciphering codes and studying.
And now, right before going to sleep, he had learned this kind of information.
Honestly, it would have been better not to know.
If he hadn't known, he could have advanced to Level-4 Mage without hesitation.
Now that he knew…
Sigh.
He would think about it after waking up.
Tomorrow, after advancing his Decrypt Scholar class to Level 2, perhaps the new knowledge would give him additional ideas regarding this mysterious concept of the Origin.
The Origin transformed into countless spells, countless phenomena—ever-changing.
What contradicted that…
should be something singular and unchanging, perhaps.
At least he had one possible direction.
…
When Rei woke up the next morning, his mind felt refreshed.
He met Kumironi at the Advancement Hall.
Returning here again, Rei's exceptional memory recalled the approximate appearances of the staff from the last time he had visited.
But now—
They had all been replaced.
It seemed an entire batch had been purged.
This time, Kumironi didn't speak with anyone.
She directly obtained permission to open a private chamber.
From the outside, others could only see Kumironi leading a gray-robed man wearing a mask—roughly her height—into the chamber.
Once inside, Rei canceled Flesh Reshaping.
He had already taught this spell to Iz.
Sharing magical discoveries had long become a normal practice between the two of them.
"Rei," Kumironi said.
"Advancement has no turning back."
"Are you certain you want to advance to Level-2 Decrypt Scholar right now?"
Rei nodded.
"Yes. I'm certain."
He had already double-checked the advancement formula.
And after yesterday's massive amount of decryption and study, his Decryption Points had exceeded the requirement by three extra points.
Receiving his confirmation, Kumironi nodded slightly.
The ritual circle on the floor lit up.
Rei stood at its center.
The advancement ritual for a Decrypt Scholar wasn't complicated.
At the moment of advancement, countless fragmented patterns appeared around Rei.
He needed to use these fragments to construct the correct answer.
It wasn't difficult.
Rei immediately discovered the key to the puzzle.
Combined with the burst of inspiration provided by his high Spirituality, it took him less than five seconds after the puzzle appeared to assemble the solution.
The fragments combined into pieces of text.
The hidden information within that text was extracted—
And its deepest meaning instantly deciphered.
At that moment—
The advancement ritual was complete.
Rei could feel that his answer had been recognized.
Assembling the fragments was the first stage.
Finding the hidden information was the second stage.
Translating that information and extracting its deepest meaning was the third stage.
The rating likely depended on how thoroughly each stage was completed.
Rei had completed all stages within five seconds.
…
At that moment, Rei clearly sensed it.
He had completed the advancement of Decrypt Scholar.
He was now a Level-2 Decrypt Scholar.
[You have obtained Decrypt Scholar Mastery: Clever Solver (Exclusive)]
Effect: While solving puzzles, you can also obtain fragments of the puzzle creator's thoughts and reasoning.
Decrypt Scholar Mastery only granted one ability.
However, the additional knowledge obtained upon reaching Level 2 was quite substantial.
The knowledge covered many different fields, though all were related to decryption.
It seemed Rei would no longer need to search for books to learn these things manually.
He also gained a Decrypt Scholar technique:
"Deep Analysis."
This technique allowed him to see through the internal structure of mechanisms, quickly analyze how they worked, and even directly alter their internal structure to dismantle them from within.
Even certain traps that would normally become unsolvable once triggered could be shut down using this technique.
Additionally, it could analyze the internal structures of magic arrays and rituals.
Its applications were extremely broad.
And then there was the talent he had gained:
God-Tier Talent — Information Reconstruction
Effect: Reconstruct the original structure and appearance of an object within your mind, restoring the information once recorded within it.
A shattered stone tablet.
A burned book.
Even a destroyed magic array or ritual.
Rei could now reconstruct their original form and structure in his mind, learning their composition, materials, and recorded text.
"…That's incredible."
Rei muttered softly.
"Do you want to advance to Level-4 Mage now?"
Kumironi's voice sounded beside him.
Rei shook his head lightly.
"For now… I won't advance."
"Oh, right. Kumironi-nee… could you help me change my class to Warrior?"
Rei had made his decision.
The Mage path had no turning back.
And from what he had seen, there were many dangers awaiting at higher levels.
It was better to prepare another reliable combat profession early on.
As for the Death Priest class…
No matter what, it remained a forbidden and extremely dangerous profession on the continent.
Rei only treated it as a support class for his Mage abilities.
For him, balanced development was important.
Now that he possessed the War God's inherited combat techniques and had comprehended the Essence of Battle, it would be strange not to become a Warrior.
It would also compensate for his physical weaknesses.
Combining warrior and mage cultivation meant he would essentially have no major weaknesses.
Kumironi sighed softly.
"If this had been earlier… I might have refused on Iz's behalf."
"But since it's you…"
The talent Rei had displayed wasn't limited to magic.
Kumironi could see that clearly.
Perhaps Rei possessed extraordinary talent in every profession.
She also knew about Rei comprehending the Essence of Battle.
He had even taught the Demon-Tempering Combat Method to Sekisei.
And Sekisei had responded generously—
As long as Rei became a Warrior, he would teach him his Invincible Combat Style.
…Was this influence from that reckless warrior?
Kumironi thought briefly.
"If you're certain about becoming a Warrior, I will conduct the class-change ritual."
"But remember—upholding the principles of so many professions simultaneously is extremely difficult. You must be cautious."
Rei nodded.
"I will."
Kumironi began chanting:
"Life boils within hot blood!"
"A simple youth stands ready to undergo the trials of battle."
"I guide him onto this thorn-filled road."
As the chant concluded—
The light of class change erupted.
RUMBLE—
Rei's keen Spirituality sensed a strange shift in the air.
Perhaps outside the chamber, heaven and earth phenomena had appeared again.
Unfortunately, the chamber blocked the view.
Rei was actually quite curious what kind of phenomenon accompanied the awakening of a Warrior.
He felt his blood and flesh growing wildly.
His Spirituality did not increase much, though his reaction speed seemed to improve slightly.
So Warrior advancement didn't increase Spirituality.
But…
Rei clenched his fist.
A solid, dependable power had already begun gathering within his body.
His muscles hardened, firm as iron.
The class change granted no immediate skills, just like when he first became a Mage.
Back then, he had gained only mana, nothing else.
Similarly, becoming a Warrior merely allowed him to feel the flow of blood and vitality inside his body.
[You have obtained Talent: God-Tier · Physical Limit]
Effect:• Efficiency of physical tempering increased 100ו Maximum physical strength limit increased 1000ו When performing limit-breaking breakthroughs, improvement is also multiplied 1000×
What a simple and straightforward talent.
At that moment, Rei's blood and vitality began circulating through his body in a special rhythm.
He could feel his strength increasing every second, his body becoming stronger and stronger.
This was only the most passive flow of vitality.
For ordinary warriors, it would barely make a difference.
"What astonishing vitality."
Kumironi stared directly at Rei as waves of blood energy rose from his body.
This was supposed to be the vitality of a Level-1 Warrior?
With her ability to perceive the structure of life itself, she could clearly see the strength of Rei's body.
He had only just changed classes—
Yet his physical strength was already approaching that of a Level-3 Warrior.
And that seemed to be merely the starting point.
He was still becoming stronger.
Rei's thoughts shifted.
He immediately began circulating the first form of Demon-Tempering Combat Method.
Blood and Mana Tempering (LV: 301)
After evolving through proficiency growth, every form of the Demon-Tempering Combat Method had evolved as well.
Rei's mana merged with his blood, washing through every limb and organ.
Under the cleansing of mana, his flesh grew stronger and harder—
Yet retained its natural flexibility.
The sensation of growing stronger was incredibly strange.
Rei could feel his power erupting explosively.
It was increasing every second.
He casually took out the carapace of a Tier-4 King-class monster.
Using only pure physical strength, he squeezed it.
CRACK—
The carapace emitted a sharp fracturing sound.
Countless cracks spread across its surface.
In the short time since awakening, his physical strength had already approached that of a Level-4 Warrior.
Of course, part of the reason was that Blood and Mana Tempering increased the body's strength limit based on Mage level and mana intensity.
Kumironi showed a somewhat helpless smile.
Whether Rei as a Level-1 Mage could surpass Iz was uncertain.
But now it seemed clear—
As a Level-1 Warrior, Rei had already surpassed Sekisei.
What kind of warrior could possess such terrifying physical strength at Level 1, master such high-tier combat techniques, and also comprehend the Essence of Battle?
Just standing at the starting line, Rei had already reached a height that ordinary people could never hope to touch.