The moment the ruler of the Sixth Nest was instantly killed—
The once-arrogant soul immediately became dispirited.
What kind of existence… was this?
Why was it that no matter who it encountered, Rei could pull out their soul in a single exchange—extracting it effortlessly, leaving them utterly incapable of resistance?
By now, Rei and the others had already approached the Tower of Skin and Bone. Akagi soon caught up with them as well.
This time, Rei didn't immediately reach out to touch it.
His instincts warned him—
Touching it directly would be dangerous.
Akagi, however, had no such hesitation.
The moment his palm touched the tower, Rei noticed a cluster of dark, ominous light swirling around Akagi's hand.
Yet Akagi paid it no mind.
"This thing really resembles that leather monster from earlier."
"These monsters all look so bizarre… mirrors, towers… what's next?"
"There's no need to dismantle it."
"Every part of its body is valuable."
Kumironi observed the corpse from a distance, analyzing its internal structure through his perception.
"If I'm not mistaken… this probably isn't its most complete form."
"Its body structure suggests it can undergo another transformation."
"And it still contains a massive number of unused souls… which means it likely had other transformation methods."
So it had Phase Two… maybe even Phase Three?
Too bad.
It never got the chance to use any of them.
Rei had simply one-shot it.
If the creature had possessed intelligence, it would probably have felt extremely frustrated.
…Wait.
Did it really lack intelligence?
After all, when Rei and the others first entered this world, it hadn't attacked them immediately.
Instead, it only appeared to block them when they were preparing to leave.
"Too bad," Akagi muttered.
"We didn't get to see its true strength."
"No way to confirm whether it was truly above the Sinking-Continent tier."
Akagi took out a pure-black bag.
The moment he opened it, the entire corpse was absorbed inside.
The bag was specifically designed to seal curses, preventing them from leaking out.
The corpse radiated such overwhelming curses that it couldn't be stored in an ordinary spatial container.
Rei himself didn't own any specialized containers capable of suppressing curses.
Items like that were extremely rare—you didn't choose them based on price.
You simply bought them whenever they happened to appear on the market.
Akagi clapped his hands.
"Let's clean up the remaining Sinking-Continent monsters."
"Such a shame… we didn't get to farm a few more rounds."
Next came a straightforward hunt.
Akagi and Isabelle scattered throughout the dungeon, searching for the remaining Sinking-Continent-tier monsters and eliminating them one by one.
Creatures that ordinary people would avoid at all costs—
To them, they were handled as easily as lifting weights.
Perhaps it really was a pity they couldn't keep farming.
When they finally exited the dungeon, it was already deep into the night.
The wilderness was pitch-black and bitterly cold.
Rei estimated the temperature to be roughly –50°C.
Through Luluvi's perception, he glanced into the distance.
The battle between Loren and Riga had already ended.
The ground was littered with the corpses of Loren soldiers, while prisoners had been captured and dragged into enemy camps.
Looks like Loren had lost.
Rei only glanced at the battlefield once before ignoring it.
Once the dungeon had been completely cleared, it rapidly collapsed after they left.
Soon, it sealed shut and vanished entirely.
"Eleven Sinking-Continent monsters, plus the so-called Sixth Nest Ruler…"
Akagi slapped Rei's back enthusiastically.
"What an ultimate harvest!"
"Brother, if you hadn't been here, we probably would've only gotten one Sinking-Continent monster as a snack!"
Cough—!
Akagi… please control your strength when patting people.
Even a Level 2 Warrior like Rei couldn't handle that.
"I'm glad I could help."
From the Cave of Despairing Wails, they had killed two.
Another had been sacrificed later.
Then, in that vast open world that seemed endless, they found eight more Sinking-Continent monsters, including the Nest Ruler that Rei had personally one-shot.
Would that have major consequences?
Hard to say.
But during the later hunts, they had finally found suitable materials for upgrading the Void Star-Ring Staff.
If possible, Rei hoped future dungeons would include more [Evil Nests].
Soul-type enemies were abundant there.
Insect nests, sky nests, growth nests…
Those sounded like places where souls probably wouldn't have issues.
If you possessed a counter ability, naturally you should bully enemies you countered as much as possible.
"Heading back?" Akagi asked.
"Yeah. Let's return."
Not much time had actually passed.
Everyone moved incredibly fast.
Killing those Sinking-Continent monsters hadn't even required real battles.
In fact—
It was closer to instant kills.
Akagi and Isabelle themselves were also nearly one-shotting them.
Rei couldn't help wondering how Feyser would fare in comparison.
He was one of the few Level 6 combat-class professionals Rei personally knew.
Others like Parli and Aizen clearly weren't combat types.
Better not even consider them.
Kronoria
After returning with their enormous harvest, the group decided to gather at Isabelle's residence to divide the spoils.
This was actually Rei's first time visiting Isabelle's home.
Wait…
This was her house?
On the first day Rei arrived in Kronoria, he had spent the afternoon wandering around—visiting the White Tower, the Astrology Platform, and the Grand Library.
While crossing the Bridge of Celestial Passage, he had seen a massive azure palace-like structure several times.
Rei had assumed it was some kind of public facility.
Who would've thought it was Isabelle's personal residence?
Rei had thought his own home was luxurious.
But compared to this…
It wasn't even close.
Isabelle, you really live far more extravagantly than most people.
A massive palace stood before them, accompanied by an enormous rear garden.
Isabelle activated the magical arrays embedded throughout the palace grounds.
Obadus also deployed a protective domain.
This prevented the curses from leaking outward.
Otherwise, the curses emitted from those corpses alone might have been enough to kill every person in Kronoria.
"Materials for upgrading the Void Star-Ring Staff will all go to Rei. No objections."
"The Myriad-Forged Evil Bone will also belong to Rei."
The Myriad-Forged Evil Bone came from a monster Akagi had slain earlier.
It was a creature that refined its body through slaughter—using the souls of its victims to temper its flesh and bones until they surpassed normal durability.
Even Akagi had struggled to cut through that bone.
In terms of hardness, it was more than sufficient.
And since Rei was a Death Priest, he could even nurture the bone further, strengthening it over time.
It was indeed a material perfectly suited for him.
"Kumironi will take the Condensed Soul Dew and the Heart-Stabilizing Seed."
"Obadus wants the Soul-Fixing Iron and the Black-Blood Battle Bone."
Rei suddenly asked,
"Akagi… how do you know the names of all these materials?"
These monsters were unfamiliar, yet Akagi seemed to recognize every body part and name them fluently.
Akagi shrugged casually.
"What do you mean? I made those names up myself."
Rei: "..."
Right.
So I thought you were knowledgeable.
Turns out you just looked at a bone and said, 'Let's call this the Myriad-Forged Evil Bone.'
Saw a puddle of blood and said, 'Condensed Soul Dew sounds good.'
Saw a chunk of metal and went, 'Soul-Fixing Iron!'
Still…
Setting that aside—
The names actually sounded surprisingly convincing.
The distribution process went smoothly.
The rule was simple:
Kumironi and Obadus picked first.
After that, whoever killed a monster owned its materials.
However, if someone else wanted a specific item, they could buy it directly.
Later, when the remaining unwanted materials were sold for gold, the money would be divided.
If two people wanted the same material?
Then it simply went to the person who killed the monster.
Simple.
Their team composition also made conflicts unlikely.
After the healer and defender picked their items, the warrior and mage usually wanted completely different materials anyway.
"Luluvi… even though you didn't participate in combat, you helped quite a bit. Want to pick something too?" Akagi scratched his head awkwardly.
Luluvi's fists tightened slightly.
What do you mean 'even though you didn't participate in combat'?
But thinking about it carefully—
Even the weakest member of the team, Rei, had killed three Level 6 Sinking-Continent monsters.
Meanwhile, Luluvi's contribution during those battles had been limited to vision support.
"…Forget it."
"You killed them. They're yours."
"I'll hunt my own later."
Luluvi turned her head away.
Rei sighed internally.
Akagi…
Do you seriously have zero conversational awareness?
"Big Sister Luluvi," Rei said gently,
"If it weren't for you, we might never have discovered the Nest Ruler."
"We might have ended up in a prolonged battle."
"You deserve a share of that kill as well."
"And without your perception, we wouldn't have found so many monsters."
Her vision had indeed been a huge help.
Although Rei wondered how Isabelle's detection magic compared.
Still, a Level 5 Observer naturally had tremendous observational advantages.
Detection magic might not even reach as far as Luluvi's sight.
"…Then…"
Luluvi thought for a moment.
She selected several thick vines from the base of the massive flower-shaped monster.
"These should be enough."
Although Akagi had killed that monster, he readily agreed.
With a single swing of his sword, he severed the durable vines.
Luluvi's eyes shone faintly.
Materials from a Sinking-Continent monster were far superior to her current bow.
Despite her strength, powerful monsters were extremely rare on the Rellen Continent.
She rarely encountered Nation-Destroying monsters, let alone stronger ones.
Even the materials for her current bow came from a Tier 5 King-class monster.
Now—
Her equipment could finally be upgraded again.
Dividing the spoils took an entire hour.
Everyone carefully considered which materials suited them.
Normally, most monster materials were simply sold.
But this time was different.
This was a treasure haul.
Most items would be crafted into equipment or magical tools by trusted artisans.
However, another problem soon emerged.
On the Rellen Continent, there were extremely few Level 6 crafting professionals.
Level 5 craftsmen simply couldn't fully utilize Tier 6 Sinking-Continent materials.
"I'll go find Aizen and bring him to Kronoria," Isabelle proposed.
Kumironi nodded.
"That might be the only option."
It wasn't that Aizen couldn't travel.
But during this freezing season, long-distance travel across the wilderness was extremely dangerous.
After all, he was just an Enchanter, not a combat class.
If Isabelle personally escorted him, the trip would be far faster.
It would probably take less than a day for a round trip.
Soon, everyone took their share of the spoils and returned home.
Flash.
Rei descended like a streak of white light before his own palace.
The moment he appeared, a maid hurried forward and draped a warm fur coat over his shoulders.
Another opened a white snow umbrella above him.
Rei glanced upward.
They're thorough.
"Lord Rei, your bath has been prepared."
"After bathing, would you like us to relieve today's fatigue?"
Rei rotated his neck and shoulders.
Although he hadn't taken damage, spending the entire day facing Sinking-Continent monsters had exhausted him mentally.
Even under protection, their oppressive aura constantly reminded him how small he was.
He sank into the bath.
It was a medicinal bath.
But the moment he relaxed—
Rei suddenly remembered something.
Wait.
Outside his palace… beyond the city wall…
Was Luluvi secretly watching him?
"Yunxi."
Rei called softly.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
"Lord Rei, you called for me?"
"Does our residence have any perception-blocking formations?"
"Yes, it does," Yunxi replied.
"Activate them."
"As you wish."
She left.
Soon, Rei felt a massive barrier of perception suppression rise around the estate.
Whether it could block Luluvi's senses was uncertain.
But at least it served as a symbolic curtain of modesty.
The meaning was simple:
I don't want to be watched.
Whether it actually worked…
Probably depended on whether Luluvi was secretly a pervert.
Regardless, Rei decided he absolutely needed a stronger anti-detection formation tomorrow.
After bathing, the maids carefully dried him with soft towels.
He changed into a silk night robe and entered a room filled with faint incense.
Lying on the bed, two maids began gently massaging his muscles.
Their slender fingers pressed along his muscles and acupoints.
Rei could feel vitality flowing through his body.
It felt like floating in clouds.
Loren…
What a wonderful place.
Being a noble in Loren truly was a beautiful life.
Becoming a Loren citizen had been the right choice.
After his fatigue melted away, Rei quietly drifted into sleep.
In his dream—
He seemed to see countless elements rearranging themselves.
Then he saw the transformation from Origin into elements.
This was his Origin Magic.
The magic shifted again.
Rei felt as though he had entered the Void, observing the world from a higher dimension.
Then suddenly—
He stood somewhere else.
There, he saw a massive fire element particle.
No… was it really just one particle?
Deep inside, a voice seemed to whisper:
This is actually every fire element in the world.
Rei woke up.
His head felt hazy.
The memories of the dream were already fading.
Morning had arrived.
He sat up in bed and rang a small bell beside him.
A knock sounded immediately.
He rang the bell again, and the door opened.
A maid entered carrying water and breakfast.
After finishing breakfast in bed, he was dressed by the attendants.
He didn't have to lift a single finger.
Today—
He would advance his Level 3 Warrior class.
He had already arranged the time with Kumironi.
This time he didn't have to perform the advancement secretly.
Rei actually wanted to see what phenomenon would occur during his advancement.
Counting the Level 3 Warrior, he would soon possess ten God-Tier talents.
Heh.
Even if his highest level never reached Level 100—
As long as he had enough professions, reaching 100 total levels seemed entirely possible.
Obtaining 100 God-Tier talents might not be impossible after all.
All he needed was 11 professions reaching Level 9.
Then one additional Level 1 profession would complete the total.
Advancement Hall
Rei arrived at the hall as scheduled.
Kumironi was already there.
The hall was mostly empty.
After verifying Kumironi's identity, the entire advancement ceremony was entrusted to him.
Having undergone advancement so many times already—
Rei was confident that he now understood class advancement better than most people in this world.