Debating principles, unraveling riddles, reading books, and practicing combat techniques.
Kanzaki Rei felt that his life lately could only be described as… remarkably refined.
If this were ancient China, he thought, he would probably count as one of those elegant scholar-gentlemen.
Time slipped by, and before he knew it, it was December 5th.
During this period, Rei's routine had been extremely stable.
In the mornings, he would borrow Yuna's Scholar knowledge. In the afternoon, he attended a class. And after class, he would head straight to the Forbidden Library.
With the temporarily borrowed Scholar ability, he devoured knowledge with exhilarating efficiency.
Thanks to the Scholar's knowledge-extraction capability, Rei's reading speed had increased significantly compared to before.
Although he spent less time physically sitting in the Forbidden Library, his overall learning progress had actually accelerated.
By now, Rei had already read nearly three hundred books from the Forbidden Library.
At this pace, he estimated that by the end of the month, he would finish every forbidden tome in the entire collection.
And it was on this day—
The city gates swung open.
Celebratory cheers and ceremonial cannon fire echoed outside the walls.
"They're back! Iz and the others have returned!"
Rei had already known they would be arriving today.
In fact, he had received word as early as the 2nd.
Their mission had already been completed by then, but they needed extra time to handle the aftermath.
Which made sense.
From the reports, the destruction seemed… rather extensive.
Naturally, cleaning that up would take quite a bit of effort.
Rei stood atop the walls of Kronoa.
Ever since the Month of Death and Destruction began, he hadn't approached the wilderness at all.
Safety first.
That principle was firmly engraved in his mind.
Soon, he saw the familiar Dragon-Rhino carriage racing across the wasteland.
Rei finally relaxed.
Another peaceful day.
Within Kronoa, ceremonial cannons fired in succession, and cheers shook the city.
Rei transformed into a streak of light and landed directly inside the Dragon-Rhino carriage.
The familiar faces were all there.
"Yo!"
"Brother! You have no idea what we went through!"
The Tavern Celebration
Boom!
Boom boom boom—
The fireworks and celebratory cannon fire hadn't stopped all day.
Inside the tavern, Akagi raised a mug of white ale high.
"You guys have no idea! When we first arrived at the Deepfall Valley, nothing happened for the first few days!"
"But on the day when the Lunar Cycle Shifted—thank the heavens for Luluvi's sharp eyes!"
Akagi suddenly paused dramatically and took a long drink.
"Say it already!"
"What did she notice?!"
"Damn it, just spit it out!"
The listeners were nearly driven mad with suspense.
"You know what?"
"The Bishop of the Death Church… wasn't in Deepfall Valley at all."
"He was ten thousand meters up in the sky!"
"Ten thousand meters!"
"It was the end of the Cold Moon, snowstorms everywhere! Who would think someone would hide in the freezing sky above?"
"And the moment the Lunar Cycle shifted!"
"Luluvi sensed something wrong and fired an arrow straight into the heavens!"
"She interrupted the ritual the Bishop was performing!"
"That's the only reason his ritual didn't reach full effect!"
"But even so…"
"He still summoned a terrifying White Phantom!"
"It turns out he carried a holy relic of the Death Church—a fragment of the White Hair of Death and Destruction!"
"With that relic, he communicated with White and summoned a descending projection of Pure White!"
"If that phantom had fully manifested in this world, the destruction would have been unimaginable!"
"Thinking of how the continent might have drowned in blood, I was enraged!"
"Even facing a god, I drew my sword without hesitation!"
"I raised my blade to the heavens and fought the divine itself!"
"Ah, Iz?"
"He just threw a few spells from the back."
—
Pfft—
Rei nearly spat out his drink.
A few spells?
You mean sixth-tier Origin Magic?
Rei didn't defend Iz.
Because Iz was already doing that himself.
The Argument
"Akagi, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"If it weren't for my Origin Magic disrupting that World-Death Ritual, do you know how many people on this continent would have died?"
Akagi snorted.
"I'm just asking—who suppressed the Pure White Phantom head-on with their physical body?"
Iz replied coldly,
"You expect a mage to physically suppress it?"
"And magical suppression doesn't count as suppression?"
"If not for Obades protecting you, you'd have died dozens of times."
"Hmph. The final killing blow was mine."
"You only care about the final strike? What about battlefield contribution?"
"My battlefield contribution was obviously the highest. Is your sustained suppression stronger than mine?"
"Are you questioning the suppression power of my magic?"
Heh…
Rei had seen this scene countless times before.
He turned to the person beside him.
"Sister Kumironi, everything should be resolved now, right?"
Kumironi smiled faintly.
"Yes. We've already confirmed it."
"The Bishop sacrificed his life to summon the Pure White Phantom."
"And Iz obliterated that entire region."
"There shouldn't be any remnants left."
Rei blinked.
Obliterated…
That sounded exactly like Iz.
He still remembered the way Iz erased that Continental-Tier monster.
Reduced to absolute nothingness.
"The leader of the Death Church is dead. The remaining followers shouldn't pose much of a threat."
"After this month passes, we'll conduct another purge."
"At last… the thousand-year scourge haunting the Life Church will finally be gone."
Kumironi took a calm sip of tea.
There was unmistakable relief in her voice.
Rei felt a headache coming on.
How exactly was he supposed to tell her…
that a few days ago, some so-called "remnants" had come looking for him?
And that they even wanted him to become the new leader of the Death Church?
Could he say that directly?
…No.
Definitely not.
Better tell Iz and Akagi first.
Then bring it up to Kumironi indirectly.
Because right now—
looking at her relieved expression, believing the Death Church had finally been eliminated—
Rei had the strange feeling that revealing the truth would cause an explosion.
Still…
The legendary adventuring party had once again saved the continent.
They really were legends.
It felt like they were either saving the world—
or on the way to save it.
A Quiet Conversation
"Of course, little Rei deserves some credit as well."
Kumironi smiled gently at him.
"It's a pity that your deciphering of the final sacrificial cipher is classified as a top secret within the Life Church."
"We can't announce it publicly."
"It would place you in great danger."
Rei nodded slightly.
Although his fame was rising rapidly, in terms of actual combat records…
he still looked like a bystander who hadn't participated in any major battles.
Any grudges people held were mostly directed at Iz and Akagi.
As for Rei—
he was just the talented young mage who happened to be Iz's student.
People who couldn't beat Iz might try to cause trouble for his disciple.
But someone petty enough to do that probably wouldn't be a true Level 6 powerhouse anyway.
And against anyone below Level 6—
Rei was already confident he could deal with them.
As for winning?
Honestly, he believed he probably could.
Though he preferred not to sound too arrogant.
After all, someone like Luluvi, who was Level 5…
Rei still couldn't beat her.
The reason was simple.
Range.
Her effective attack range now exceeded three thousand kilometers.
If this were Earth, that would be like shooting across half the planet.
From that distance, Rei couldn't even detect where her arrows came from.
Let alone chase her.
Imagine walking down the street—
and suddenly hundreds of thousands of arrows rain down from the sky.
From every direction.
At that point…
where exactly would you even begin looking for the shooter?
On the City Wall
Later that night, after the feast and endless bragging continued until midnight, Rei finally left.
He wasn't the protagonist of tonight's celebration.
Which meant he successfully avoided being forced to drink.
In truth, with their physiques, Akagi and the others shouldn't even be capable of getting drunk.
If they wanted, they could probably sober up instantly with a single thought.
Rei decided the matter of the Death Church could wait until tomorrow.
Luluvi wanted to take a walk.
The two drunken heroes were sprawled unconscious across the table, leaving only Rei and Luluvi heading to the city wall.
After showing his Chief Mage credentials, the gate captain respectfully stepped aside.
Rei couldn't help thinking—
This Chief Mage title was becoming more useful by the day.
Having authority really did feel good.
Being able to act freely was… refreshing.
Standing atop the wall again, Rei finally had the leisure to observe the scenery of the Month of Death and Destruction.
Outside the city, what should have been lush green grasslands had become barren wasteland.
In the distance, dead trees resembled the last embers of a burned-out fire, slowly disintegrating into drifting ash.
During the Month of Death and Destruction—
diseases became more lethal.
Wounds became extremely difficult to heal and easily turned into fatal injuries.
Healing effects were drastically weakened.
And once matter was damaged, it decayed rapidly toward annihilation.
Even a small crack in a tree trunk would spread like burning paper, widening until the tree completely disintegrated.
Not only trees.
Equipment.
Buildings.
Shields.
Guardian barriers.
Everything behaved the same way.
Equipment broke easily.
Defenses were easily penetrated.
This was why the Month of Death and Destruction had the highest mortality rate.
Any small accident could become a fatal disaster.
"Luluvi?"
She leaned against the wall, gazing into the distance.
"Rei… do you think I can become an adventurer like Iz and the others someday?"
How exactly should he answer that?
Was he supposed to say no?
He wasn't some tactless child.
"Of course you will, Sister Luluvi."
"You'll become a great adventurer."
She sighed softly.
"After the battle a few days ago… I realized how far I still am from them."
"I still have so much to improve."
"If I stay like this… I'll never catch up."
She turned to him.
"Rei, do you think you'll become as strong as them someday?"
Rei answered without hesitation.
"Of course."
"My talent is even stronger than Iz's."
"It's fine, Luluvi."
"Your talent might not be as high as mine, but compared to ordinary people you're already incredibly strong."
"And honestly, I don't see Iz and the others as some unreachable mountain."
"As long as you keep the determination to surpass them, that's enough."
Luluvi fell silent.
…That wasn't what she meant.
Still, Rei's confidence was almost contagious.
"So even when facing danger, your first thought is still to run away?"
"That's different."
"I believe that as long as I survive, someday I'll become invincible."
"Everyone has a process of growing from weak to strong."
"Recognizing your own shortcomings and facing every opponent with humility—that's the mindset a true strong person should have."
"When you know the enemy is stronger than you, you just train until you become stronger than them."
"I firmly believe I will become strong."
"What about you, Luluvi?"
She looked at the boy floating beside her in midair.
His eyes were clear and unwavering.
There wasn't even the slightest trace of doubt.
After a moment, she nodded firmly.
"I will become strong too."
"I believe that as well."
Rei smiled brightly.
"Then that's settled."
Luluvi suddenly felt lighter.
Perhaps whether she was strong right now wasn't important.
What mattered was believing she would become strong.
Iz must have believed the same.
So did Akagi.
None of them had ever wavered.
Luluvi felt something inside her heart transform.
"Rei… have you ever lost?"
"Lost?"
"If we count when I first became a mage and sparred with Iz… then I suppose I did."
She laughed.
"Want to spar with me in the arena tomorrow?"
"No."
She tilted her head playfully.
"Oh~ so avoiding battle is also a way of not losing?"
Rei replied bluntly.
"If a Level 5 archer challenges a Level 3 mage and still has dignity."
"But I can recommend an opponent for you."
The Aftermath
Later, it was said that Luluvi absolutely demolished Sayuri Aoi in the battle arena.
Sayuri was stubborn.
Even knowing the opponent was one level higher, she still insisted on fighting.
Meanwhile, Luluvi experienced for the first time the thrill of bullying the younger generation.
That particular kind of thrill wasn't easy to come by.
It required someone who was:
A young prodigy
The strongest in their field
Confidently challenging you
Only to be utterly crushed.
Seeing the humiliation, frustration, and regret on Sayuri's face…
The satisfaction reached its peak.
Luluvi realized something important.
Level suppression was still suppression.
A higher level meant overwhelming advantage.
No one would say that An Zheng at Level 8 was weak.
And even a single level difference could mean a world-shaking gap.
Worrying now about not matching Iz's Level 6 strength was pointless.
Once she truly reached Level 6—
the world might look completely different.
Anyway…
It was worth congratulating Luluvi for regaining her confidence.
Although Sayuri Aoi seemed a little pitiful.
The reason Sayuri insisted on fighting Luluvi?
Because she had heard that Rei defeated Luluvi despite being one level lower.
So she wanted to replicate that feat.
A Level 4 challenging Level 5 Luluvi.
Sigh…
Young geniuses really had no idea how vast the world was.
Loinz Magic Academy
Iz flipped through a spellbook.
"Oh?"
"So you're saying… you're now the legitimate leader of the Death Church?"
A smile curled across Iz Parut's lips.
"How interesting."
"I wonder what Kumironi's reaction will be."
Rei sighed.
"That's exactly why I came to discuss it with you first."
Iz closed the spellbook.
"Coffee?"
"Yes please, thanks."
With a casual gesture, coffee beans floated from a nearby bag.
Water condensed in the air, heated instantly by fire elements.
The beans shattered into powder under a vibration spell.
Water and coffee mixed.
The fragrant liquid separated perfectly from the grounds.
It poured smoothly into a cup.
Mage life really was convenient.
The cup floated through the air and landed on the table before Rei.
Iz spoke calmly.
"This might actually be an opportunity."
"The Death Church hides in the shadows."
"Even if we dig three feet into the earth, we can't uproot them completely."
"But if we had an insider…"
"That would make things much easier."
Rei took a sip of coffee.
"By insider… you mean the leader, right?"
Iz smiled.
Rei sighed.
Honestly, he had already expected this conclusion.
Killing the visible followers only treated the symptoms.
The real solution was infiltration from within.
Iz continued.
"To be honest, I'm not particularly interested in eliminating the Death Church."
"I'm only helping Kumironi."
"She follows the doctrine of Life, which naturally conflicts with the followers of Death."
"Akagi and I are just assisting her."
Rei understood.
Without Kumironi, they probably wouldn't bother with the Death Church at all.
"I think Kumironi will understand."
"She might even support the idea."
"I'll call her here."
"We can discuss it together."
Rei nodded.
A spark of light appeared at Iz's fingertip and flew out the window.
Not long after, the door opened.
A figure in an elegant emerald High Priestess robe stepped inside.
It looked like Kumironi had just come directly from her duties at the Life Church.
"Iz said there was something important to discuss?"
She looked puzzled.
Iz rested his chin on his hands and spoke solemnly.
"Kumironi… listen carefully."
"Rei…"
"…is about to become the Archbishop of the Death Church."