March 1st was not only the turning point of the Month of Knowledge and Wisdom—it was also Izu's birthday.
To Kanzaki Rei, Izu was both mentor and friend. Alongside Kumironi, he was one of the most important bonds he had in this world—whether as a teacher or as a companion.
Rei had already examined Izu's information using [Secret Origin].
Izparut Izu
Creator: Origin Spirit of Primordial Essence
Hidden Knowledge: The War God Kaiga was born from the Spirit of Combat Origin, a warrior by nature
After joining the White Tower, Rei gained access to deeper knowledge related to the divine—and learned fragments of Kaiga's past.
It was said Kaiga was born surrounded by monsters. His mother had been encircled by wolves, yet still gave birth under those circumstances.
The moment he was born, Kaiga picked up a nearby branch… and charged straight into the wolf pack.
When Rei first read that record, only one thought crossed his mind:
What kind of monsters even exist in this world?
After learning that Izparut Izu's origin wasn't much different from that of the War God, Rei found Izu's overwhelming magical prowess… completely reasonable.
The spiritual origin pointed nowhere else—it resided within Izu himself. The essence remained inside his body.
Izparut Izu
Class: Level 6 Mage
Talent 1: God-Tier · Source of All Laws
Talent 2: God-Tier · Void Construct Casting
Physique: Transparent to Origin
6th-Tier Origin Magic: Essence Stripping
6th-Tier Origin Magic: Aggregation of All Elements
The information wasn't complete.
The God-tier talent [Secret Origin] leaned more toward tracing connections than fully revealing all details of a target.
Two God-tier talents…
No wonder he was so strong.
After all, even Rei himself only possessed talents on the level of a 4th-tier mage for now.
Back when he was Level 2, losing to Izu wasn't unfair—it had essentially been two God-tier talents versus two God-tier talents. A fair fight.
Now that he understood Izu better, Rei felt far more assured of his strength.
Unfortunately, because Izu had to monitor Ansei constantly, there would be no time to celebrate today.
Rei handed Izu a stack of ancient books.
"These are ancient spells I found. The texts were incomplete—but I restored the missing portions."
"Happy birthday, Izu."
Izu broke into a bright, carefree smile.
"Mm."
"…That's nice."
"Decades ago, during that time, Mase would also celebrate my birthday."
"I still remember what he said back then… 'Old man, you're practically in the grave already. When are you going to pass on all your knowledge?'"
"'Once I inherit everything, you can die in peace.'"
Rei: "..."
That… counts as a celebration?
The 1st of the month was when the influence of the Month Spirit was at its peak.
Only the very end of the 31st could rival it—and even then, the moment midnight passed, the shift would occur instantly.
Under the influence of the Month Spirit, March 1st was nothing short of a feast of knowledge.
Rei's innate spirituality was already high.
Combined with the amplification of the Month Spirit, his comprehension ability surged dozens of times over.
Problems that had plagued him for days…
…were now being solved one after another, automatically, through his second mind.
His thoughts became clear—crystal clear.
To the point where it felt like… he was running out of questions to solve.
Ever since arriving in this world, unanswered mysteries had never decreased. If anything, they multiplied as his level and understanding grew.
But now—
They melted away like snow under sunlight.
Rei realized he had almost instantly digested massive portions of temporal theory.
Maybe… today… I can fully master time studies and become a Prophet.
But then—
He glanced at Izu beside him.
If he didn't take this chance to learn Origin Magic from Izu now… he might have to wait until April.
Damn it… why does the Month Spirit only last one day?
"Izu," Rei transmitted mentally.
"Mm?"
Through prior testing, Rei had confirmed that Ansei could not eavesdrop on their mental communication.
After all, Izu was someone capable of matching him—there was no way it would be that easy to spy on him.
"I want to understand your Origin Magic."
"Oh?"
"Didn't you already?"
"…Or do you mean—you want to learn it?"
Rei grinned.
"Hehe… I suddenly feel like I understand the differences between Origins. I think I can learn other people's Origin Magic now."
Izu chuckled.
"That's not hard to notice."
"However, most of my current Origin Magic leans toward higher tiers. What I can teach you now are only the earlier ones I comprehended."
Earlier ones?
Rei suddenly realized something subtle.
Izu had always referred to opposite Origins, not just a second Origin.
"Izu… how many Origin Magics do you know?"
"Currently? Nine."
"Four pairs of opposites. The remaining one… is a bit more complicated. Still incomplete."
Rei clenched his fist.
This guy… he was holding back?
…Fine.
Soon enough, Rei would reach Level 6—and then Izu would learn who the true strongest mage in this world was.
"Izu-sensei, please enlighten me."
Under the Knowledge Month's influence, learning efficiency was terrifying.
What should have taken days…
…was mastered in a single day.
One day here was worth over ten days elsewhere.
Perhaps it was the first-day bonus—but regardless, the efficiency boost was absurd.
Miss one month of learning here…
…and it was like losing an entire year.
2nd-Tier Origin Magic: Elemental Void3rd-Tier Origin Magic: Fifth-State Magic4th-Tier Origin Magic: Duality of Void and Reality
Rei finally understood Izu's thought process.
From the very beginning, Izu had been focused on the incompleteness of Origin itself.
At Level 2, he approached it through whether elements could be devoured by the void—resulting in Elemental Void.
At Level 3, he realized that was flawed—and instead considered the possibility of an unobservable state—leading to Fifth-State Magic.
At Level 4, he refined it further into Duality of Void and Reality.
Rei had once believed Izu's foundation lay in elements or void—
But in truth…
He had always been exploring the missing pieces of Origin.
Only now, with his own level catching up, could Rei truly comprehend Izu's path.
"When did you learn so many Origin Magics?" Rei asked.
"Most of the concepts were formed at Level 5," Izu replied calmly.
"It took me half a year to complete them—during that 7th-tier dungeon."
"That's how I reached Level 6."
So that was it.
He hadn't been stuck at Level 5—
He'd been building his second Origin.
"But at the time," Izu continued, "my second Origin wasn't the opposite of the first."
"It was only after hearing your analysis of Ansei's manuscripts that I confirmed the theory of opposing Origins."
"After coming to Konoia and exchanging ideas with Ansei, I thought—if one can comprehend a second Origin, why not a third? A fourth?"
"If each Origin is a piece of proof toward the truth… then approaching it from multiple angles should bring us closer."
"And you," he added, glancing at Rei, "gave me quite a bit of inspiration."
"The abilities you demonstrated sparked many ideas."
Rei forced himself to keep a straight face.
Izu… you're disgustingly strong.
Still—
Rei himself had also drawn inspiration from others. His second Origin came from observing Aerthemi's laws.
Master and disciple alike… borrowed from the world.
But one thing was certain—
If pushed into a corner, Izu would absolutely break through mid-battle.
If he were an enemy…
He'd be a nightmare.
Still—
Rei had learned Izu's Origin Magic.
"That's enough for today," Izu said. "We'll discuss your insights later."
"For now… I need to speak with Ansei alone."
The atmosphere instantly grew tense again.
Rei sighed inwardly.
Yeah… I should leave.
He still had ideas about completing Origin—but he would never share them with Ansei.
Not when the man stood on the brink of death.
If Ansei learned Rei might hold the key…
There was no telling what he might do.
Rei never gambled on best-case scenarios.
Even a 1% risk… was too much.
After bidding farewell, Rei left the chamber.
A thin layer of cold sweat coated his back.
Thank god they're mages.
If they were warriors…
They would've already started fighting.
March 1st, Year 5026.
Half a year had passed since Rei arrived in this world.
The throne room was now empty—Lotdan had already left.
Monthly Combat Insights:
Momentary Deep Thought:Grants near time-stop level thinking during battle.
Enlightenment:Greatly enhances learning and insight during combat.
Monthly Intent: "Resolve"
Last month's intent had been Life.
Rei had infused it into:
First Form — Source Body Tempering
Now—
He infused Resolve into the same technique.
Stacking intents into fewer techniques yielded greater long-term growth.
Quality over quantity.
Now, his First Form carried two Monthly Intents.
His body grew stronger with every passing moment.
At this rate… my physical strength might already rival a Level 6 warrior.
It was still night.
March 1st hadn't ended yet.
Rei wouldn't waste a single second.
With a spatial exchange—
He instantly arrived inside the White Tower.
And the first thing he saw…
…was Pari, slumped lazily over a desk.
"Pari."
It had been a long time since they last spoke.
Rei instinctively checked her death timer.
[Time of Death: 4980 years]
"…What?"
Are you immortal or something?
Even Izu only had around 900 years.
And this girl?
Nearly 5,000?!
Rei smiled brightly.
"Pari."
CLANG—
Instantly, she clad herself in impenetrable armor.
"…Armor!?"
So you really don't want me touching you?
That just made him more determined.
"Pari-sis, want to visit my place?"
Before she could respond—
The space shifted.
She was already inside Rei's residence.
"I'd advise against that," Pari said calmly, sipping tea through a small opening in her helmet.
"Against what?" Rei played dumb.
"Your perverted thoughts."
"Hey! Don't say that in front of my maids!"
"I'm just curious about your physical structure!"
Pari turned her gaze toward him.
"Sorry. Family rules. No physical contact with men before marriage."
Rei: "..."
Where did that even come from?
"And by the way," she added, "when I touched your forehead before—that was a prosthetic."
Rei froze.
I didn't even say that out loud.
Pari continued calmly:
"I have no combat ability."
"But if you try anything forceful…"
"This armor is a self-destruct anti-pervert cursed armor."
"If you break it or forcibly remove it…"
"I die."
"You'll get my body—but not my heart."
Rei's brain short-circuited.
What kind of insane equipment is that?!
He gave up.
Killing her just to revive her later?
Impossible to explain.
Pari suddenly removed her helmet.
Soft purple hair swayed gently.
She leaned her cheek on her hand, looking at him.
"…Or," she said lightly,
"do you want to marry me?"
...
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