Whoosh!
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The greatsword whipped through the air in a frenzy.
Kanzaki Rei could feel it clearly—around the monster's body, waves of force were condensing into something almost tangible.
Everywhere the heavy blade swept, an extremely viscous gravitational field formed.
If someone stepped into it, their body would instantly freeze in place, locked by the crushing weight.
Sixth-tier monsters possessed many troublesome abilities.
They were innate bloodline talents.
Rei's body twisted and flowed like a fish through water, weaving and darting through the battlefield.
My battle intent…
My own battle intent—
The War God's battle intent came from an unbreakable belief in victory.
But Rei's own fighting style was different.
He won through thought.
He killed through intelligence.
Exploit strengths. Avoid weaknesses.
Magic, sacrifice, rituals—even deciphering techniques—
All of them were tools he used for offense and defense.
He refused to be confined to martial techniques.
He refused even to be limited to combat skills.
Knowledge.
Environment.
Every external factor.
Even the companions beside him—those willing to help him.
All of it was part of his strength.
SWISH!
Rei dodged a sweeping strike aimed at his waist.
He retreated beside a cluster of mushrooms.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
The monster suddenly lunged forward, sprinting like a meteor toward him.
WHOOSH!
The greatsword rose high above its head—
Then slammed down at Rei's position.
BOOM!
Dust exploded outward.
Yet the instant the blade struck—
Rei had already vanished again.
Where the sword had landed, however, thick brown smoke erupted.
[Stench Mushroom]
Its foul odor disrupted the sense of smell.
By the time the smoke spread, Rei had already moved behind the monster.
His staff tapped lightly against the ground.
[Resonant Thunder Zone]
[Mind-Disrupting Drone Mix]
[Soul-Shocking Detonation]
BOOM!
Three sound-based spells detonated simultaneously, instantly throwing the monster's hearing into chaos.
"My battle intent… doesn't necessarily require martial techniques."
"Just like Origin Magic, endless variation in combat methods—that's the battle intent I pursue."
A mist spread across the battlefield.
Smell—disrupted.
Hearing—shattered.
Those were the monster's primary hunting senses.
Now both were gone.
Its perception dulled.
THRUST!
Within the mist, Rei lunged forward.
The Astral Ring Void-Spirit Staff drove straight through the monster's skull.
[Staff Combat Style — Form Two: Shattering Circular Dance (LV 301)]
BANG!
Mana surged through the weapon.
Layers of binding magic flooded into the monster's body.
Then Rei exerted force—
Swinging the staff in a full arc.
BOOM!
The enormous monster was violently slammed to the ground—
Its head smashing into the floor.
The instant its head struck—
Magic circles ignited across the ground.
Spike spells burst upward.
BOOM!
The spinning slam drove its skull directly into the spikes.
The head exploded apart.
Its soul scattered.
Rei immediately collected the soul.
The monster was completely dead.
The mist dissipated.
Not that strong after all…
A sixth-tier King-rank monster.
Rei realized something.
His strength had already grown to such a degree.
A sixth-tier King-rank monster was probably slightly stronger than a fifth-tier Nation-Destroyer class.
Yet during the fight, Rei had clearly seen every one of its movements.
If relying purely on physical speed, dodging its attacks would have been impossible.
But with [Origin Body · Flash Step]—
Avoiding them was easy.
And with Final Perception, it was nearly impossible for any dirty trick to catch him off guard.
Rei looked at the soulless corpse.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
So… I've really become one of the world's top-tier powerhouses.
If he looked across the entire Ruilen Continent, he could probably walk sideways without fear.
Knowing he had finally secured a place for himself in this world filled Rei with a deep sense of stability.
Being cautious about every danger.
Studying tirelessly every day.
Thinking, analyzing…
It had all been for this feeling of accomplishment.
But across the entire world—
Where exactly did he stand?
Upper tier?
Among the known high-level professionals, one was An Zheng, but he was already old and close to death.
Another was Roya, seemingly Level 8 as well—though his condition was unclear.
And then there was the rumored Level 9 Architect Di Fu, a legendary figure whose existence itself remained uncertain.
Aside from those three, the next strongest were people like Iz Parult, Fizer, and Akasei, along with the three publicly known Level-6 professionals of the Regal Kingdom.
Eight Level-6 professionals in total.
Luluvi?
She had already been defeated by him.
Not worth mentioning.
As for the gods—
Rei didn't even bother including them in the comparison.
Not truly invincible yet…
But perhaps slightly invincible.
Once he raised his Mage class to Level 4, he might not be far from true invincibility.
Still—
Power wasn't the only goal.
He also sought immortality.
Even an eighth-level professional like An Zheng could only live around 500 years.
But becoming a god meant nearly eternal life.
If possible, Rei intended to aim for godhood.
Otherwise…
Even if he became invincible, dying after only 500 years would feel like a waste.
Meanwhile, Iz and the others had no idea about the long train of thoughts that had just flashed through Rei's mind.
They only saw him defeat a sixth-tier King-rank monster with relative ease.
Rei's combat style had already reached a level of near perfection.
Martial techniques flowed seamlessly into magic.
Magic fed into martial techniques.
Attacks chained together in flawless succession.
"Kanzaki Rei, can you unlock these chains?" Kumironi asked.
Rei touched the chains.
[Decrypt Scholar Technique: Transparent Deciphering]
The ability activated instantly, deconstructing the chains' structure along with their trigger and disarm mechanisms.
"There's a curse on these chains. If I remove them, I'll probably be infected by the curse."
"Big Sister Kumironi, can you dispel it?"
Kumironi placed her hand on the chains as well.
"That shouldn't be a problem."
"We can let Obadus take the curse in your place. I'll cleanse it afterward."
"Alright."
Golden vials floated around Rei's body.
They were Purification Elixirs.
Rei had purchased many different potions and items beforehand for emergencies.
Using Water Manipulation, he controlled the liquid.
The purification water flowed across the chains, producing sizzling white smoke.
The restriction slowly dissolved.
CRACK—
SNAP!
Suddenly, one chain broke.
Then two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
A cascade of breaking sounds echoed as every chain snapped apart in sequence.
At the same moment—
A terrifying black shadow condensed above Obadus's body.
Obadus had taken the curse for Rei.
The stone giant remained completely motionless.
Above his head, however, the shadow clutched its head and writhed violently.
It desperately tried to control Obadus's body—
But received no response whatsoever.
Kumironi raised her hand.
A soft green light poured down from above Obadus's head.
The writhing curse shadow slowly dissolved into wisps of smoke.
Its painful existence vanished.
Still…
This all felt far too easy.
Rei turned toward the hanging corpse.
Iz and Akasei stepped forward.
The corpse radiated an extremely evil and terrifying aura.
Even Luluvi tightened her grip on her bow.
Everyone stood ready.
Obadus stepped forward as well, shielding the group.
Iz raised his staff.
Akasei assumed a combat stance.
Kumironi stood firmly in place, her emerald staff planted before her.
Rei noticed something.
Everyone present had become serious.
Completely alert.
Luluvi spoke, her voice carrying a trace of tension.
"A sixth-tier… Continental-Sinking class monster…"
"How could something like that appear here?"
Continental-Sinking class.
A level above Nation-Destroyer.
Rumor said even a fifth-tier Continental-Sinking monster could destroy an entire continent.
Creatures of that level had never been witnessed directly.
Only stories existed.
Stories describing power so great that no one could stop it.
Akasei laughed.
"Haha… Iz."
"Looks like we've hooked a big fish."
Kumironi spoke calmly.
"Everyone—maintain mental focus."
"I'll purify the contamination."
"It specializes in spiritual corruption."
"Prepare for battle."
Rei realized something.
Kumironi was actually the team's commander.
Apparently the leader wasn't Iz after all.
But while everyone talked about how powerful the monster was—
Rei felt… nothing.
The soul inside the corpse seemed incredibly unstable.
In fact—
Its soul wasn't even inside its body.
Rei simply needed to…
He raised his hand toward the hanging corpse—
And pulled.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
A shrill scream erupted from the corpse.
The agonized sound tore through the cavern.
Damn!
So loud!
Rei frowned deeply as a barrier instantly formed around him.
He sacrificed a large number of souls to strengthen his [Soundproof Barrier].
Almost immediately afterward, Kumironi's healing magic arrived.
The irritation and soul-tearing noise vanished instantly.
Rei looked at the violently convulsing corpse.
A long soul was being dragged out of its body.
The creature struggled desperately.
Trying to break free.
But the soul was completely outside its control.
Rei could feel it clearly—
He possessed absolute authority over that soul.
He pulled harder.
SWOOSH!
The entire soul was ripped out.
The corpse released a final dying whimper.
Its body spasmed violently.
Its mouth opened in one last scream—
But the sound quickly faded.
Iz had already cast powerful soundproofing spells on everyone.
The creature caused no real harm.
The sixth-tier Continental-Sinking monster's soul now rested entirely under Rei's control.
Rei examined the soul floating in his hand.
Even though it still carried the instinct to struggle—
It couldn't move at all.
He held it firmly.
So this is…
[God-Tier Talent · Soul Sovereign]
Any exposed soul—
Any soul not fused with its body—
Could be controlled instantly.
Extracted.
Claimed as his own.
Which meant…
In theory—
Even a Level 9 monster could be killed instantly, as long as the conditions were met.
When Rei had first gained this talent, he hadn't fully understood its power.
He had only guessed.
Now—
It seemed his guess had been correct.
"I've already taken care of it."
Rei stored the soul.
The Continental-Sinking soul was enormous—far larger than the souls of those black ants.
Even among Supreme Souls, the quality difference was obvious.
Rei felt this soul could be used for something far more meaningful.
Luluvi stared in shock.
"Y-You… took care of it?"
"Yes. A new ability I just awakened seems to counter it quite well."
As a practitioner of the Principle of Life, Kumironi could clearly sense it.
The monster before them was completely dead.
Without its soul, it was nothing but an empty shell.
"Brother… that was insane!"
Akasei burst into laughter.
"Even I couldn't guarantee killing a sixth-tier Continental-Sinking monster that quickly!"
"And you did it instantly!"
"As expected of my brother!"
Iz turned back toward Rei.
There was a hint of surprise in his expression, though he didn't appear overly shocked.
"Well done."
Kumironi smiled warmly.
"Kanzaki Rei, that was far more than 'well done.'"
"You just saved our team from a crisis."
Iz shrugged.
"Crisis? Hardly."
"That should've been my chance to demonstrate my brilliance as a teacher."
"What a shame. Rei has still never seen my magnificent combat style."
Kumironi sighed.
"If possible… I'd actually prefer you not join the battle."
Because every time Iz became truly excited—
It was a disaster.
Kumironi had no desire to watch this dungeon collapse.
Fighting while avoiding a cave-in was troublesome enough.
"Then this Continental-Sinking monster corpse should belong to Rei, right?"
"After all, he did all the work."
Rei scratched his head awkwardly.
"But Big Sister Kumironi also helped cleanse the contamination…"
Akasei waved his hand dismissively.
"What are you muttering about? That's how our team distributes loot."
"If someone lands the killing blow—"
"The spoils belong to them."
A simple and brutal system.
This was actually Rei's first official participation in team loot distribution.
Previously, the others had simply handed him materials they didn't need.
Low-tier materials were useless to them anyway.
"As for Kumironi," Akasei added, "don't worry."
"No matter who kills the monster, if she needs something, she gets priority."
A simple system.
And perfectly reasonable.
"Cursed Flesh Vessel…" Akasei muttered while collecting the corpse.
"It looks artificially refined."
Layers upon layers of skin.
Inside those skins was the true soul.
Every layer carried its own curses and restrictions.
Those curses intertwined and mutated—
Eventually forming a twisted and powerful evil monster.
Akasei stared at it thoughtfully.
"If this thing had reached the outside world…"
"With its corruption ability…"
"It might have twisted everyone on the Ruilen Continent into monsters."