For a moment, the entire plaza fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at Kanzaki Rei.
He could faintly sense the different emotions directed at him.
But because everyone was still concealed, the impressions were blurred, lacking any real detail.
"Hmm..."
"Would you like to become my disciple?"
Suddenly, Aegmisa blurted out that question.
...Huh?
Am I really that sought after?
Why does everyone keep asking if I want to join under them?
Kanzaki Rei replied, "My apologies. I am already a devoted successor of the War God."
Ansu let out a dry chuckle.
"Heh..."
Ansu had seen through him long ago.
A devoted successor of the War God? Nonsense.
The War God was nothing more than a convenient shield he used whenever necessary.
When trouble came, he was the War God's successor.
When there was no trouble...
Who knew whether they were even acquainted?
"What a pity."
"Is there anything in particular you desire? If you make a request, perhaps I can grant a portion of it."
Soft gasps rose from the surrounding crowd.
A promise from one of the Twelve Moon Sovereigns.
That was no trivial matter.
"If possible, I would like to obtain some unique classes."
"Some?"
"There aren't many left."
"I already gave away the Chaos Trickster class before. As for unique-class secret scrolls, there is only one remaining."
Unique classes were exceedingly rare in this world.
So rare that even a Moon Sovereign could not casually hand them out.
With a casual motion, a long and intricately crafted secret scroll appeared in Aegmisa's hand.
"This class is called Creator."
"It is a class born alongside the opening of the world itself."
"If this is what you desire, then it is yours."
"It was one of my personal treasures."
"But I can think of nothing else that would satisfy your request."
Creator...
Kanzaki Rei asked inwardly, "Ansu, what kind of class is Creator?"
Ansu's voice remained calm.
"If this is genuine..."
"Then it truly is worthy of you."
"Even among unique classes, there are vast differences."
"Each unique class has its own extraordinary origin and represents a branch of an Origin Authority."
"I have heard that all classes evolved from earlier classes."
"And all classes can be traced back to a single primordial source."
"This Creator class should be one of the legendary Origin Classes."
An Origin Class...
That certainly sounded impressive.
Ansu continued,
"This is not the sort of thing you can obtain by killing more monsters."
"Even if you slaughtered a thousand or ten thousand."
"Even if you destroyed an entire sea region or eradicated a complete nest."
"You still might never acquire something this valuable."
Kanzaki Rei's expression remained perfectly neutral.
Neither reverent nor flattering.
He simply addressed Aegmisa's projection in an even tone.
"Thank you for your generosity."
He deliberately revealed no emotion.
That was the best way to prevent the other party from changing its mind.
Suppress any possible outburst of chaotic whim.
If he displayed the wrong attitude and Aegmisa became displeased, deciding on the spot not to hand it over...
That would be troublesome.
Whoosh—
A faint light drifted through the air.
The long secret scroll landed in his hands.
[Class Secret Scroll: Creator (Unique)]
A unique Creator class.
[Secret: Creator Scroll]
[Hidden Information: Creator Advancement Method]
[Activation Requirements: Obtain any undifferentiated primordial substance; achieve Grandmaster-level Material Science; achieve Grandmaster-level Structural Science; possess three or more manufacturing-type classes at Level 6 or above; and create at least one Perfect Creation.]
The activation requirements were absurdly complicated.
As expected of a unique-class scroll.
The conditions were excessively demanding.
After handing over the scroll, Aegmisa flashed a bizarre grin.
"Hehehe. But now that the scroll is yours, you'll have to discover the activation method yourself."
"The value of this scroll far exceeds the worth of this event."
"Heehee~ You'd better consider carefully whether you can hold on to such a scorching hot potato."
"Of course, now that it has been given to you, there is naturally no possibility of exchanging it for a different reward."
Why does it feel like it wanted to get rid of this hot potato and simply tossed it to me?
At the same time, Kanzaki Rei sensed the gazes around him.
Right.
His identity had already been exposed.
And only after revealing his identity had he received this reward.
Which meant that once they left, everyone would know exactly who possessed what treasures.
He would become a target.
If he had no means of concealing himself, then the moment he left the ancient ruins, others would likely divine his location immediately.
From the sound of it, this class would attract the attention of countless powerful figures.
It might even lead to endless pursuit and assassination.
Fortunately...
With Unsolvable Mystery, no one could lock onto him.
Next came the reward ceremony for everyone else.
Kanzaki Rei glanced at the rankings.
Kumironi's name was displayed clearly.
Her final score was only 1,000.
She had probably killed around ten Level 6 monsters and padded her score with a handful of Level 5 creatures.
That was likely all.
The distribution process itself was chaotic and random.
Aegmisa selected recipients entirely according to its mood.
Whoever it chose, it rewarded.
At last...
When the final-ranked Kumironi was called forward—
Her figure finally became visible to Kanzaki Rei.
The first thing Kumironi did was look toward him.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
Whew—
Only then did Kanzaki Rei truly relax.
Kumironi looked unharmed.
That single smile was enough to assure him that everyone was safe.
The last thing he wanted was to see worry written across her face.
Since Kumironi had only scored 1,022 points, her reward was nothing remarkable.
Aegmisa gave her a small tree seed as compensation.
Whoosh—
In the next instant, Kanzaki Rei used spatial magic to appear at Kumironi's side.
Now that the restrictions had been lifted, they could finally speak.
"Kumironi!"
"Little Rei!"
"Why are you here?" they asked simultaneously.
Kanzaki Rei gave a light laugh.
"We reached the Moon Sea. I was exploring an ancient ruin when I happened to encounter a special event from the Moon of Chaos, so I entered."
Kumironi nodded.
"Mmm... We dealt with Samu of the Death Church. As for the other Chaos Trickster, Roya, he was far too slippery. His methods were too strange, and we couldn't pin him down."
"When that man named Roya saw that Ansei had already died, he immediately left without continuing the fight."
"After that, we teleported directly to Boundless Mountain."
"Not long after arriving, we happened to discover a nearby ruin. Iz suggested we investigate it."
"When everyone else passed through the ruin, I ended up here instead."
...I see.
So each person's random event was different.
Another random-transmission mechanism.
It sounded genuinely dangerous.
If the doorway had led to something malicious rather than a beneficial trial...
The consequences could have been disastrous.
Watching Kanzaki Rei walk directly over to speak with Kumironi, Yeria folded her arms and said to Rein beside her,
"Did he just ignore us?"
"Who is this Kumironi?"
Rein scratched his head.
"Maybe... they know each other?"
Once Kumironi received her reward, the ceremony was effectively complete.
Aegmisa paused for a moment.
"Everyone, the first stage has now concluded."
"I assume each of you has obtained rewards you are satisfied with and has gained a great deal."
"Now, it is time to eliminate some participants and send them out of this game in regret."
"The next stage is the challenge round."
"Anyone who believes they are strong enough may challenge any opponent they wish."
"If you win, you will claim all of that person's points."