A 4th-tier, nation-destroying monster… it had been a long time since Kanzaki Rei had fought something this weak.
Thinking about it carefully—
The reason he had pursued strength in the first place…
Was for moments like this.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river.
Kanzaki Rei raised one hand, not even bothering to use a staff.
「5th-Tier Spatial Magic — Grand Ring Spatial Sever (LV: 401)」
Shhk!
A storm of blood erupted into the sky!
In the instant of contact alone, each and every 4th-tier, nation-destroying monster was sliced from top to bottom into countless fragments.
The severed layers slid apart along clean planes—
BOOM!
Dust exploded across the ground.
Aurelia stared up at Kanzaki Rei in disbelief, then down at the field of dead 4th-tier monsters.
On the way here, she had heard that Kanzaki Rei had become the strongest in Loren.
But what did "strongest" even mean?
Yes, he was strong—but almost no one had actually seen the current Chief Mage fight.
He had never publicly hunted monsters.He had never publicly clashed with anyone.
The only time… was that single battle against Kael Dreadspire.
And so, this title of "strongest"… had always felt uncertain.
Like a figure that only existed in legend.
They said he had cleared the 100th floor of the War God Tower, won the War God Cup, defeated Lillia Veyne…
But those were all things from before he became Chief Mage.
No one knew what level he had reached now.
"Done."
Kanzaki Rei spoke casually.
"We'll split these monster corpses evenly."
He didn't say the rest aloud—
This should solve your housing problem too.
No matter how you looked at it, ending up homeless was just miserable.
Handing over money or a house directly would feel strange.
So the best approach… was simply letting her earn it herself.
Aurelia…
I can't help you forever.
If you manage to waste this much gold too… then no one can save you.
Out of respect for old ties, Kanzaki Rei was willing to give her a push.
"Th-this… we're really splitting it evenly?"
Kanzaki Rei smiled lightly and nodded.
"Yeah. No need to be polite. I don't really need these monsters."
No wonder Iz and the others kept tossing materials his way.
After all, farming 6th-tier abyssal monsters daily—
4th-tier materials were practically trash in comparison.
Aurelia's cheeks flushed slightly.
Being… "taken care of" by a kid—
The feeling was… oddly complicated.
BOOM— BOOM BOOM BOOM!
They cleared eighteen 4th-tier dungeons in one go.
Kanzaki Rei didn't reveal Calamity Source in front of Aurelia, so all of these were pre-existing dungeons.
In one sweep, they gathered over a hundred 4th-tier, nation-destroying monsters.
Half went to Aurelia—already a massive profit.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki Rei planned to visit the Merchant Guild to convert some materials into liquid cash.
He only had about 1 billion gold left on hand.
A large portion came from the treasury of Regia, and another chunk from selling monster materials.
Ninety percent of his wealth was stored in the Life Church's treasury, bound by contract.
A globally connected organization like that—
Safe.
If he stored it somewhere like the All-Goods Merchant Guild, and the entire continent got wiped out one day—
There'd be nowhere to recover his money.
On Earth, that would sound absurd.
But in this world…
Anything could happen.
Still, storing money in the Church wasn't just for safety.
It also granted blessings.
For example, depositing funds in the Life Church granted passive healing effects through the contract.
The more you deposited, the stronger the effect.
With 900 million deposited, Kanzaki Rei was essentially under the constant effect of a 4th-tier healer.
…Granted, for that amount, the effect was honestly mediocre.
But better than carrying it all around doing nothing.
After all—when would you ever need to suddenly pull out a billion gold?
[All-Goods Merchant Guild]
"Chief Kanzaki, welcome!"
The guild master greeted him with a warm, practiced smile.
"Mm. Price these nation-destroying monsters and transfer it to my contract."
"Half goes to hers."
Kanzaki Rei sat down on the sofa like a regular.
Aurelia, however, stood awkwardly.
This kind of place…
Was usually reserved for major business deals.
Kanzaki Rei… had truly become someone else.
In just a few short months…
He had reached this level.
Even someone as carefree as Aurelia could clearly feel the gap—like clouds and mud.
Afterward, Kanzaki Rei accompanied Aurelia around Krenoria for a while.
He exchanged a few words with the Adventurers' Guild Master, securing her position there.
As for the scammers selling insurance, supplements, and fake tea—
Once word got out, they'd likely avoid her.
Old friends reunited in a foreign world…
But in the end, everyone had to return to their own lives.
After two days of rest, Kanzaki Rei returned to the familiar royal palace.
But this time—
Not home.
He entered the King's Hall.
"Oh? Kanzaki, my dear subject."
King Lothar sat upon the throne as always, attendants at either side.
"What brings you to morning court today?"
Kanzaki Rei recalled their first meeting.
To his credit—
The king had truly kept his promise and never interfered with him.
"Looking for something?"
Kanzaki Rei shook his head.
"No. I'm here to see my master."
Lothar half-lidded his eyes and waved lazily.
"Oh? Then go ahead."
Behind the throne—
Lay that massive sealed door.
Kanzaki Rei had always found it strange.
Why here?
Why not a separate palace?
Every day, court was held outside—
Didn't it feel… off?
Strange. Illogical.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Shhk!
His body turned into faint white light—
And in an instant, he stood before the door.
"Iz. I'm here."
Thrum—
At the slightest touch, ripples spread across the door.
It slowly opened a narrow gap—
Inside, only darkness.
Barely enough for one person to pass.
Kanzaki Rei stepped through.
Beyond the darkness—
He saw him.
An old man, his skin sagging unnaturally.
His eyes were open—
But within them…
Nothing.
Only endless black.
His mouth hung slightly open—
But inside was not flesh, not tongue—
Only void.
Not darkness.
But emptiness.
As if beneath his skin—
There was nothing at all.
Opposite him sat Iz Paralt—
Vibrant. Radiant. Alive.
Two extremes.
That must be…
Aureon.
The only other person in the room.
He sat on the bed, staring directly at Kanzaki Rei.
His neck turned slowly as Kanzaki Rei moved.
Creepy.
Especially knowing—
Kanzaki Rei might not be able to beat him.
That made it worse.
So he sat down beside Iz—
As far from Aureon as possible.
"Iz. You called me?"
"Mm."
"Aureon wanted to see you."
You're really throwing your disciple into the fire…
"He said he wanted to see me, and you just called me over like that?"
"A remarkable… seed for magic."
Aureon spoke.
His mouth opened and closed like a hollow shell.
Kanzaki Rei bowed slightly.
"Senior Aureon."
「Remaining Lifespan: 43 Days 16 Hours 55 Minutes」
…Forty-three days?
That's… the end of next month.
April.
March was the Month of Wisdom.
April—
The Month of Chaos and Madness.
So… early April 1st.
He really was going to die.
"What did you want to see me for, Senior?"
"My time… is nearly gone."
"I heard… there is a junior… who thinks similarly to me."
"May I… see your thoughts?"
Kanzaki Rei glanced at Iz.
Iz crossed his arms, thought briefly—
Then nodded.
Kanzaki Rei didn't hesitate.
A Core of Absolute Unity appeared in his palm, spinning gently.
"Beautiful… magic."
Aureon sighed.
"If only I had seen this ten years earlier…"
"You… and him… both have greater potential than I ever did."
"I heard… you walk multiple paths?"
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"I use other classes to comprehend the Root. So I need multiple professions."
"I see…"
Aureon chuckled faintly.
"Are you… interested in my Root?"
Kanzaki Rei paused—
Then nodded.
Of course he was.
This might be the only Level 8 Mage in the world.
His experience was priceless.
And now—
Kanzaki Rei could learn Root Magic.
That temptation was irresistible.
What followed—
Was a story.
From a genius who reached Level 7 at 34…
But took 60 years to reach Level 8.
And then—
Spent centuries unable to reach Level 9.
"The Root… is incomplete."
"No matter how you prove it… it remains flawed."
"To reach Level 9…"
"I must carve out a fragment of my Root… and make it mine alone."
Iz immediately objected.
"If it's incomplete, you complete it—not mutilate it."
"That's not the path of a mage."
The atmosphere froze.
Magic surged.
"I am the strongest mage of this era."
Iz's voice was cold.
"If I want to stop something—no one can do it."
Kanzaki Rei's lips twitched slightly.
Should I… leave?
Eventually, the tension subsided.
Aureon sighed.
"If I were in my prime… I would not fear you."
"But now…"
"If I kill you… I won't have the strength left to reach Level 9."
Silence.
Then—
He turned to Kanzaki Rei.
"Listen carefully… about the Root…"
Ten days passed.
Then more.
Time blurred.
Until—
Suddenly—
Clarity.
Everything aligned.
March.
Month of Wisdom and KnowledgeCelestial Sign: Yog-SothothPhenomenon: Fragments of Knowledge
「Leap-Year Blessing: Comprehension」
For today only—you can understand everything.
In that instant—
Everything Aureon had explained—
Clicked.
Fully.
「5th-Tier Root Magic — Eternal Immutable Existence」「All cast magic gains permanent existence」
A terrifying ability.
Unlike his own Root—
This required no maintenance.
Every spell—
Permanent.
Self-repairing.
Unless destroyed faster than it could regenerate—
It would never vanish.
Kanzaki Rei concealed it.
He didn't reveal that he had learned it.
Instead, he simply bowed.
"Thank you, Senior. I understand now."
Aureon chuckled hollowly.
"I only ever had one disciple…"
"In a way… you are my grand-disciple."
A storage pouch flew into Kanzaki Rei's hands.
"My legacy… continues."
"…Your disciple is named… Maseer."
Kanzaki Rei's lips twitched.
…Hell no.
So—
Iz killed his disciple.
And now blocked his path to Level 9.
Yeah.
That's… blood feud level.
Aureon spoke again:
"You will live… to see the day Iz reaches Level 8…"
"And fails to reach Level 9."
"When that day comes… stop him."
Kanzaki Rei glanced at Iz's lifespan.
「Remaining Lifespan: 951 Years」
…Yeah.
No.
You're wrong.
Iz will succeed.
And you—
Won't live to see it.