The disheveled woman Luoluowei had been watching left the room immediately after completing the ritual transmission.
Moments later, a faint layer of restriction spread across the entire house, sealing the room shut in an invisible lock.
Her residence was a rather plain-looking apartment within Kronoloya. Not everyone could afford a standalone house here—even in a vast world, the capital of the continent's greatest nation still commanded sky-high property prices. Detached homes were essentially reserved for adventurers of Level 4 and above.
The instant the woman left—
Kanzaki Rei arrived.
It took him only a few breaths.
At his current speed, there was nowhere in Kronoloya he couldn't reach quickly. The Skybridge was no longer necessary.
With a casual motion, he破解了 the restriction, then unlocked the door using his Decryption Scholar abilities.
After finishing, he couldn't help but feel—
Decryption Scholars really weren't that different from thieves.
Or perhaps… they were "thieves of knowledge."
Different classes, yet strangely overlapping in essence.
Healers, cultivators, gatherers…
Scholars, decryptors, thieves…
Warriors, assassins, killers…
Formation masters, hunters, archers…
Each class shared subtle connections in their underlying principles.
So what exactly was the true essence behind classes?
According to current texts, Origin bestowed different professions upon intelligent beings.
Each class corresponded to a different Origin.
…But that didn't fully add up.
The books of Rigan and Loren contradicted each other in many places. Errors existed everywhere. The world was too vast—classification systems, even monster ranks, were merely regional constructs based on the Secret Sea's conventions.
Far from the truth.
Rei paused briefly in thought—then dismissed it.
No point dwelling on it now.
He stepped inside.
The room was dim and cramped. At its center sat a medium-sized ritual array.
Aside from that—and the protective restrictions—there was nothing else.
A pure communication point.
Clearly, this place existed solely for contact. Nothing more.
Rei crouched down and touched the ritual array.
Shh—
His vision seemed to stretch instantly across vast distance.
[Creator: Reinhardt][Ritual: Far-Reaching Thought Transmission]
By placing identical arrays in two locations, one could transmit thoughts between them.
This world had no phones.
Long-distance communication either required sensory coverage… or carrier pigeons of the realm.
The person Luoluowei had been tracking likely belonged to the Living Furnace Church.
They had once maintained extremely close ties with the Death Church.
Many grim forging techniques—using living beings as materials—originated from them.
They were said to be enchanters and blacksmiths dissatisfied with conventional materials and methods.
Eventually, they collaborated with the Death Church, developing twisted, forbidden forging techniques—stopping at nothing to create powerful equipment.
Thus, they were branded as Evil Forgers.
…By that logic.
Uncle Aegis, you're one of them too.
Collaborating with the Death Church.
Studying forbidden crafting methods.
After tracing the ritual—
Rei pinpointed the second contact location.
It was close.
Very close to the main base of the Skin-Shedding Rose.
Good.
Maybe he could wipe out two nests in one strike.
After a brief inspection, Rei left.
Before departing, he restored the door and restrictions exactly as they were.
[Temple of Life]
Somewhere along the way, he had quietly become a core figure within the Life Church.
He held no formal title—but every priest treated him with utmost respect.
Inside the meeting room—
Luoluowei, Kiyomi, Kumironi, Chum, and Akagi were all present.
Iz had declined to join.
He had decided to remain in Kronoloya indefinitely, guarding it alongside Obades.
That decision came after meeting An Zheng again.
Something had changed.
Something… unsettling.
Without Iz, their combat strength was reduced.
But with Akagi and Kumironi present, this operation should still be secure.
Chum spoke first:
"Rei, you said you found the Skin-Shedding Rose's base?"
"Yeah. After killing them yesterday, I found some hidden files in their storage."
With a flick of his hand—
A stack of documents filled with incomprehensible symbols appeared.
"These?"
Chum stared at them, already overwhelmed.
Even normal text gave her a headache—this was hopeless.
Akagi? Same story.
Of everyone present, only Kumironi had any scholarly background—
And even she shook her head.
Decryption wasn't her specialty.
With a thought, Kumironi summoned a bespectacled scholar into the room.
She handed him the documents.
"Please decode these."
"Yes, Lady Kumironi."
This wasn't about distrusting Rei.
Information had to be verified through internal processes.
Otherwise, blindly trusting any source would be disastrous.
Rei wasn't "just anyone."
But procedures were procedures.
The system could run in parallel—while they listened to Rei directly.
"The documents indicate the Skin-Shedding Rose's base is in the chaotic states—within a country called Aelroth."
"Chaotic states?"
Aside from the two major kingdoms, there were indeed many minor nations.
Weak ones.
Insignificant to the great powers.
"Yeah. The location should be within the Qunoher Mountain Range."
"We passed through there before."
Between Circle City and Kronoloya lay a region of fractured nations—the Qunoher Mountains and Noher Plains.
"A lawless land… perfect soil for cults."
Even as minor nations, they were still sovereign entities.
Loren couldn't intervene easily.
If they acted under the banner of anti-cult operations, bureaucratic delays would allow the cult to vanish.
If they declared war outright—
Then it wouldn't be about cult suppression anymore.
A nation as a shield.
A perfect cover.
Akagi spoke bluntly:
"Well, if we know where they are, let's just go crush them."
Kumironi hesitated.
"Direct intervention… is problematic."
"But—"
A pale green document materialized in her hand.
Golden text began forming across its surface.
She produced a jade seal.
Thunk.
The seal stamped down.
A golden-green insignia formed.
[Life Church – Edict of Extermination]
Just like that—
The operation gained official legitimacy.
Rei couldn't help but think—
Having powerful backing really made things easy.
Even as Loren's Chief Mage, he couldn't issue something like this.
He lacked military authority. Political influence.
Getting that kind of power would mean dealing with Lothdan—far too troublesome.
Chum caught the document mid-air and looked around.
"With proper authorization—let's move."
Kumironi spoke solemnly:
"May all suffering in this world come to an end."
Normally, there would be more steps.
Decoding the files.
Verifying intelligence.
Planning strategy.
Confirming logistics.
But—
Rei refused to wait.
He had always been cautious.
How could he sleep peacefully knowing people were plotting to kill him?
Every drink.
Every meal.
Every dungeon exit—
The longer they prepared, the more dangerous they became.
No defense was perfect.
Better to strike first.
As the group traveled—
Rei and Kumironi suddenly stopped mid-journey, asking the others to wait.
They moved into the forest.
Nearby—
A Death Church outpost.
It also contained a promotion ritual array.
Rei hadn't forgotten.
He simply chose to complete his Death Priest advancement along the way.
Better than doing it under countless eyes in Kronoloya.
His Death Priest abilities were known only to a select few.
To the public, Loren's Chief Mage was simply a dual-class prodigy.
"Ridiculously strong."
That was all they knew.
Soul-light surged skyward.
The corpses of black ants rose like mist.
This time—
Rei sacrificed 33.3 billion souls.
Even Kumironi felt her heart skip.
If she hadn't stopped that earlier fight—
Would his next move have been a hundred billion?
Soul-light ascended.
Within Rei's dark pupils, a fleeting divine white glimmer appeared.
Gone in an instant.
He opened his eyes.
Now—
Every class except Mage had reached Level 4.
The difference was immense.
Even without conscious thought—
Answers came.
Problems unraveled on their own.
[Technique: Subconscious Mind-Core (LV.301)]
A second brain.
Constantly solving.
Constantly improving.
No need to think.
Just know.
And then—
The world changed.
[Death Eye (Supreme) → God-Tier: Fated End of Death]
Effect:See the death date of all beings. Manipulate the destined end. Accelerate death based on level difference. All damage hastens demise.
Rei looked at Kumironi.
…Nothing.
No death date.
He blinked.
Tried again.
Still nothing.
He checked himself.
Same result.
Strange.
Back with the group—
Now he could see it.
Luoluowei: 400 years
Kiyomi: 30 years
Akagi: 150 years
Chum: 30 years
Time.
Fate.
Death.
The scope of this ability…
It was terrifying.
But also—
Heavy.
Seeing the end of those around him.
Only Kumironi remained unreadable.
"Rei's ready," Chum said.
But her lips twitched.
That earlier soul eruption—
Impossible to ignore.
Kumironi smiled gently.
"You didn't see anything, correct?"
Chum froze.
Her thoughts clashed violently.
Her duty…
Her superior…
"…Yes, Lady Kumironi."
"I saw nothing unusual. The weather was clear."
Kumironi patted her shoulder.
"You've served well. I will report your merits to Lady Sophia."
"…Thank you."
They resumed their journey.
At full speed, they reached the Qunoher Mountains within hours.
Below lay the Noher Plains.
Cities scattered across the land—some enormous, others small.
The chaotic states.
They landed between cities and changed into plain clothing.
Rei only had a general location.
They needed more information.
Destroying everything was an option.
But then—
Who would be the real villains?
They entered a city.
Filth.
Disorder.
Crime everywhere.
"Quite the mess," Rei noted.
He glanced at Akagi—
No reaction.
Kumironi showed faint discomfort, but said nothing.
"Not intervening?" Rei asked.
"Intervene in what?" Akagi replied, picking his nose.
"Should I play hero and kill every criminal here?"
Kumironi added softly:
"We can't save everyone."
Rei nodded.
Good.
They understood.
He had no intention of playing savior either.
But then—
His gaze shifted.
From the shadows, several eyes watched them.
"Heh… outsiders."
"Those girls look good."
"More refugees lately."
"Yeah, since Pilow fell."
"Once they're in Aelroth… they pay tax."
"Let's see where they stay tonight."
"We'll 'welcome' them properly."
Rei's eyes narrowed slightly.
So—
This is how it begins.
...
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