"How much did you even take… and who exactly is supposed to care?"
Even though he held the title of Chief Mage, Kanzaki Rei had absolutely no interest in managing a nation like Loren. Naturally, he had no desire to go around cracking down on corruption either.
At the end of the day, even if this guy embezzled a hundred million, it had nothing to do with him.
But now that you've panicked and confessed everything on your own, you've made things really awkward for me.
Aren't Root Mages supposed to be more composed? At least pretend a little.
"Enough talk. Come with me."
Kanzaki Rei's expression turned cold. He grabbed the man by the shoulder, and darkness instantly enveloped both of them. In the next moment, they vanished without a sound.
The students gulped hard.
Their renowned instructor… had just been taken away like that?
...
[Loinz Magic Academy]
Kanzaki Rei arrived at his office. Despite teaching here for so long, he had barely ever set foot inside.
With a casual lift of his hand, a protective barrier enveloped the entire room.
With Hummer's spatial root magic, escaping should still be possible.
Of course… he wouldn't get far.
After advancing to a Level 4 Mage, Kanzaki Rei's perception range had undergone a qualitative leap—now reaching 600 kilometers.
The radius might have only tripled, but in terms of spatial volume, that was a full twenty-sevenfold increase.
After all, he didn't exist in a one-dimensional line.
As for the root spell Spatial Shift Exchange, it also had a limit—the maximum distance was bound by the caster's spell range.
Kanzaki Rei estimated Hummer's limit to be no more than 50 kilometers.
If he tried to run, he could be dragged back effortlessly.
"You've already said it out loud. I can't just pretend I didn't hear it."
Kanzaki Rei lifted a teacup, chilled the water to the perfect temperature with an ice spell, and took a sip.
"Go on. Tell me everything."
Hummer struggled internally, but in the end, he confessed quickly.
Thirty million.
Impressive.
Publishing research papers for students, manipulating departmental evaluations, helping students cheat in exams, favoring those who paid him…
Just doing that earned him thirty million?
Not everyone made money as easily as Kanzaki Rei.
A typical Level 4 adventurer might earn around 10,000 gold per year on average—and with significantly higher mortality rates.
In Tier 4 dungeons, King-tier monsters appeared far more frequently than in Tier 3. Most Level 4 parties encountering one would suffer casualties.
While it wasn't as extreme as Tier 3 parties being wiped out entirely, losing one or two members was practically inevitable.
And this guy?
He'd embezzled thirty million.
"I didn't want to take it! They forced it on me!"
"If I refused, I'd stand out from the others! They've ruined me!"
Kanzaki Rei simply sipped his tea.
"If that were all, you wouldn't be this terrified when I came for you."
"Speak. What's the real reason?"
As a Root Mage, he was capable of tracing things back to their essence—there was no way he lacked rationality.
There had to be more.
Hummer froze for a moment, then quickly explained everything.
Rumors of arrests had already started circulating back in late December. He'd been on edge ever since.
Recently, investigators had been regularly taking people away from the Mage Tower.
And now, with Kanzaki Rei's overwhelming reputation… perhaps the higher-ups wanted to use him to establish authority.
After all, capturing a Root Mage usually required another Root Mage.
So the moment he saw Kanzaki Rei, his heart had already seized.
And when Kanzaki Rei insisted on taking him away so forcefully… he completely broke down.
"Oh."
"Well, that has nothing to do with me. If you want to confess later, go find the investigators yourself."
"I came to see you for one reason only—your root magic."
Kanzaki Rei casually gestured, and a chair slid behind Hummer.
Hummer's expression twitched.
Just… for root magic?
Then why ask me all that?
"Sit."
"Yes…"
Hummer began demonstrating his root magic, explaining his understanding in detail as he exchanged insights with Kanzaki Rei.
From their last discussion, he already knew how deep Kanzaki Rei's comprehension ran—and why he could use others' root magic.
But using it was one thing.
Learning it was something else entirely.
As Hummer spoke, Kanzaki Rei felt something within his mind begin to fill in—a missing law, a gap in the world itself being completed.
A vast, empty ocean of magic.
While listening, Kanzaki Rei flipped through ancient texts.
The academy held countless records on ancient spatial magic, accumulated over a thousand years.
Their discussion deepened.
Gradually, both entered a state of complete immersion.
And now, Kanzaki Rei's understanding of magic left Hummer utterly shocked.
Compared to before, it was a qualitative leap.
Back then, during discussions with multiple mages, Kanzaki Rei's theoretical depth had still been somewhat peripheral.
Now?
His thoughts had gone so deep Hummer could barely follow.
They talked for two full days and nights.
When Kanzaki Rei finally emerged from that state, a profound realization surged within him.
Everything Hummer had described about his root magic was now etched into his mind—becoming part of his own understanding.
「The root corresponds to space. It is a substance with real coordinates. Everything in the world has a one-to-one mapping within space—even thoughts have corresponding spatial coordinates within the domain of mind.」
A true genius…
Even with such a vast power gap, Kanzaki Rei couldn't help but admire the brilliance of Hummer's thinking.
And now—
It was his.
「Ascension: Root Magic — Spatial Transposition (Fifth Tier)」「Swap multiple regions of space without dividing living beings; rotation is also possible」
No longer limited to marking two points and swapping them—
Now he could exchange entire regions of space in large-scale transformations.
Shing!
With a single thought—
The entire room's layout flipped instantly.
Where Kanzaki Rei had been on the west side and Hummer on the east—
Now space itself had split and swapped their positions.
Hummer's pupils shrank violently.
His jaw trembled as he stared at the shifted space, unable to form words.
"Ro… ro-ro… ro…"
Kanzaki Rei chuckled softly, stepping behind him in an instant and patting his back.
"Thanks."
Shing!
Another thought—
Kanzaki Rei appeared 100 kilometers above Konoia.
Finally…
A spatial root magic he had personally mastered.
Shing!
Another thought—
He returned to his residence.
No longer relying on raw speed—
But directly swapping space.
Previously, he had to send a "Source" to a location before swapping with it.
It was far too cumbersome.
While "Source" could replicate others' root magic, there were still discrepancies in behavior.
Especially for spatial exchange—it consumed a "Source" slot. If he wanted to teleport to a pre-marked location, it occupied usage capacity.
"However…"
Kanzaki Rei's perception extended downward.
At that moment, Jethro stood below with a group of black-robed investigators, waiting in the academy.
Looks like Hummer was still getting arrested.
But in a world where strength was everything, if he returned most of the stolen money and paid a heavy fine…
Loren likely wouldn't punish him too severely.
After all, a spatial Root Mage was still a national treasure.
...
Shing!
In an instant, Kanzaki Rei appeared beside Jethro and tapped his shoulder.
Seeing his face—
Though he looked like a child, his presence was suffocating.
"Kanzaki… my lord?"
Back then, when Kanzaki Rei dethroned him as Chief Mage, Jethro had been full of resentment.
Now?
He addressed him with full respect.
The investigators behind him all bowed in unison.
Kanzaki Rei stood with his hands behind his back, nodding slightly—every inch the image of a superior.
"Mm. After you finish here, come see me. I have something to discuss."
...
Kanzaki Rei paid no attention to state affairs, focusing solely on strengthening himself.
His perspective was vast.
There were countless continents, countless kingdoms.
Once strong enough, a place like Loren was insignificant.
In fact, even now—
He could likely conquer Loren alone.
After spending three more days learning Jethro's root magic—
He confirmed once again:
Root magic was far harder to master than ordinary magic.
Regular spells could be learned at a glance.
Root magic?
It took him five days to master just two.
During this time, he barely saw Iz.
The man seemed to be staying in Ansel's room constantly.
Playing the role of an executioner? The moment Ansel shows any abnormal intent, he'll be suppressed.
Fize wasn't in Konoia either.
He had gone to war.
With Riega's collapse, Loren had begun a full-scale military campaign across the continent.
Frankly speaking, after Riega fell, the remaining nations on the Ruilen Continent stood no chance against Loren.
With a Level 6 Mage like Fize leading the charge, sweeping the entire continent was inevitable.
It wouldn't be long before Loren unified everything.
The continent itself might even be renamed.
And Kanzaki Rei…
Had just witnessed history in the making.
...
[Battle Arena]
Since no other Root Mages could be found in Konoia—
Kanzaki Rei came here instead.
"Bro, you hit Level 4?"
Void Zhou appeared before him.
It had been a while since they last met. There had been no mention of him during the Month of Forgetting—whether because he had nothing noteworthy or simply wasn't seen.
"Yeah. Just recently."
Kanzaki Rei smiled faintly.
"I've gained some new insights into root magic. Want to exchange ideas?"
Void Zhou grinned confidently.
"Perfect timing! I just figured out my Tier 4 root magic!"
"Let me see what you've got!"
He issued a duel request!
[Battle Start]
Boom!
The elements around Kanzaki Rei trembled—collapsing inward into shrinking voids!
But in the next instant—
Kanzaki Rei vanished.
Appearing directly before Void Zhou.
Void Zhou raised his hand—
Dozens of black chains erupted from all directions, locking onto Kanzaki Rei!
Tier 4 Void Magic—Void Pierce!
He had already mastered silent casting.
His growth was astonishing.
But—
Kanzaki Rei didn't dodge.
「Fifth-Tier Root Magic — Law Follows My Will」「Gain control over all non-root magic not exceeding this spell's tier」
This was Jethro's root magic.
Despite being instantly defeated before—
His root magic was undeniably powerful.
In truth, Jethro himself was strong—the strongest Level 5 Mage in Loren.
He just happened to meet Kanzaki Rei.
The dozens of void spikes—
Turned instantly.
And shot toward Void Zhou.
Void Zhou retreated rapidly, casting spell after spell!
Void lightning! Void waves! Void slashes!
But the moment they were released—
They were seized by Kanzaki Rei and redirected back at him!
"Root magic? Again?!"
Shing!
Kanzaki Rei appeared before him once more.
Lightning flickered across his body.
A "Source" formed in his left hand—
A "Core" in his right.
Root magic.
Again.
And not borrowed this time.
Void Zhou could tell—
These were truly his.
Are you even human…?
"Rasengan."
Kanzaki Rei pressed forward.
A multicolored core slammed down—
Void Zhou exploded instantly.
...
After the battle, Void Zhou reformed.
Looking at Kanzaki Rei—
He felt as though he were staring at a god.
The gap hadn't shrunk.
It had grown immeasurably wider.
So wide—
He couldn't even see his back anymore.
Even using him as a goal felt impossible.
"Those root magics… are they all yours?"
Kanzaki Rei smiled casually.
"Yeah. Picked up a few insights from discussions."
Void Zhou's eye twitched.
"Insights… meaning you learned root magic?"
Kanzaki Rei shrugged.
What do you think?
"…What kind of talent is that?"
He hesitated, then asked:
"You came today… to learn mine too, didn't you?"
Root Mages shared freely because root magic couldn't normally be learned by others.
If it could—
No one would teach their trump cards.
But now…
Someone who could learn it had appeared.
Kanzaki Rei patted his shoulder.
"We're brothers. If you don't want to teach, I won't force you."
Brothers…
Once, that felt natural.
Now?
The gap was too vast.
Kanzaki Rei felt distant.
He didn't even need his root magic.
If he missed this chance…
He might never catch up again.
Catch up?
To think he—once the one others tried to reach—would feel this way.
Void Zhou steadied himself, then smiled openly.
"It's just root magic. The path of a mage is to pursue the root. If I can help you take one step closer… that's my honor."
Kanzaki Rei would shine across the world.
But in that moment—
Void Zhou felt his own pursuit growing distant.
The higher stage…
Wasn't meant for him.
"Don't say that. You're being too formal," Kanzaki Rei replied.
Void Zhou chuckled.
"Let me explain my understanding first."
...
They stood in the arena, just like their first meeting—
Discussing from day to night.
This time, Void Zhou spoke.
Explaining everything.
Filling in the gaps.
Until finally—
Kanzaki Rei reproduced the magic himself.
Void Zhou froze.
「Fifth-Tier Root Magic — Void Collapse」
"You've mastered it…"
"Yeah. This is your root."
"No… it's already beyond mine."
Stronger than his own.
Void Zhou sighed.
The gap was insurmountable.
"Brother… since you've learned it… I have matters to attend to in the Void. I'll be going."
His voice was heavy with loss.
"You're leaving already?" Kanzaki Rei asked.
"You haven't even asked about my understanding. That's not like you."
"No need."
Kanzaki Rei could see it—
His resolve was wavering.
"Has pursuing the root… become unnecessary to you?"
Void Zhou asked quietly:
"Do you think you can reach the root?"
"Yes."
Kanzaki Rei answered without hesitation.
Void Zhou laughed bitterly.
"I don't think I can anymore."
"So many mages have fallen chasing it."
"I thought I was different. A one-in-a-million genius. Someone who could stand at the peak… who could glimpse the root."
"I thought even if others were ahead, I could catch up."
"I believed I was special."
"But now I understand."
"I'm not."
"I'm just one among countless mages."
"Those who grasp the root are rare… but across the world, they're like stars in the night sky."
"Even if I shine, I'm just another fleeting star."
"I'll fade into the void like the rest."
"The root… isn't meant for someone like me."
"It's meant for you."
"You might truly reach it."
"But no matter how I try… I never will."
His voice fell still.
The brilliance in his eyes faded.
What remained—
Was only ordinary calm.
He had lost his path.
"Goodbye, brother."
"If you ever come to the Void… and still remember me…"