Are these two putting on a double act?
I havenât even agreed to anything yet.
"Your Majesty, if I defeat him, then I should also have the right to decide whether or not I accept the position of Chief Mage, correct?"
"Haha... naturally, that would be allowed."
"But it seems you still havenât realized just how prestigious the title of Chief Mage of the Kingdom of Loren truly is."
Oh?
So the man standing before me... could he be the strongest mage in the Kingdom of Loren?
But the strongest shouldnât that Level 6 Archmage?
Rei had once met Lorenâs Level 6 Archmageâthe president of the Mage Association, Fizer.
Fizer was also a native of Loren.
The man standing here wasnât Fizer, yet he clearly had quite a reputation. That meant he was probably not a Level 6 mage.
Most likely... Level 5.
Rei spoke to the man before him.
"Iâm not purely a mage. I might use abilities from other classes."
"Being able to hold multiple classes is your own ability."
The Chief Mage known as Jiezhu replied calmly.
"I naturally wonât restrict you to using magic alone."
"The battlefield is here?"
King Lotdan smiled pleasantly.
"Thatâs right. Right here."
Rei drew out the Voidring Starwood Staff.
After its recent modification, the tail of the staff had been sharpened into a spear-like point. It was an adjustment made by Aizen, allowing it to barely function as a spear in close combat.
The mere thought of Rei using Void Starwood in melee combat had made Aizenâs heart ache a little.
"Very well then."
"Please enlighten me."
The moment the words left his mouthâ
Rei had already appeared directly in front of Jiezhu.
[Source Body ¡ Flashstep (4th Tier) (LV: 301)]
Rei hadnât spent this journey making no progress.
Under Izâs guidance, his improvement along the way could only be described as terrifying.
Invincible Style â Third Form: Army-Breaker Heavy Slash
At the instant he arrived in front of his opponent, Rei swung the Voidring Starwood Staff in a sweeping arc!
The staff moved with the crushing weight of a greatsword!
As the staff cut through the air, spell patterns lit up along its length!
But at that exact momentâ
Reiâs intuition screamed a warning.
Without a second thought, Rei immediately withdrew his attack.
At the same time he retreated rapidly backward while releasing a barrage of spells: falling boulders, towering walls, freezing water spheres, shadow swamps!
In an instant, the area around Jiezhu was completely engulfed.
"Fifth-Tier Origin Magic."
"All magic... is mine."
Whoosh!
Rei suddenly realized he had lost control of every spell he had cast.
Almost simultaneously, all the magic he had just released surged toward him like a collapsing mountain!
Tch...
No wonder he was so confident.
An Origin Magic capable of seizing control of another mageâs spells.
As expected of a mageâalways capable of surprising me.
But even though the control of those spells had been stolen...
The counterattack rushing back toward him looked like it was moving in slow motion.
Reiâs thought speed was simply too fast now.
For him, the vast majority of enemiesâ movements appeared like slow-motion playback.
He had already placed trigger-based spell traps directly ahead.
This danger couldnât threaten his life.
Still, if it could be avoided, he would avoid it.
That thin white membrane that had flashed across Jiezhuâs body just nowâ
Was that a reflective magic shield?
Truly insidious.
If his martial technique had struck directly just now, it would have meant hitting himself.
The white membrane had already disappeared.
Reflective spells like that only lasted an instant.
[Source Body ¡ Flashstep]
Crackâ
Reiâs body flickered with a sharp flash of lightâ
And he appeared behind Jiezhu.
All the spells under Jiezhuâs control were still surging forward.
Compared to Instant White Flash, the Fourth-Tier Flashstep was far faster.
Invincible Style â Army-Breaker Heavy Slash!
The heavy staff swept out once more!
CRASH!
The shield at Jiezhuâs side shattered like glass!
BOOM!
This time, the Void Starwood struck Jiezhu solidly.
The immense force erupted outward.
His body was blasted away, flying across the hall before smashing violently into a distant palace wall!
Rei stood where he was, staff in hand.
This wasnât a combat arena.
If someone died here, they died for real.
Rei had no intention of pursuing with killing intent.
So stopping here was enough.
As for the spells that had flown wildly toward the distance, Rei simply used [Source ¡ Flashstep], converting them into void consumption and swallowing the stray magic entirely.
"Itâs over."
The entire battle had been brutally direct.
The first close-range attempt had been blocked by a prepared trap.
The second time, he circled behindâ
And one swing of the staff sent the opponent flying.
Rei looked toward the figure sliding down the distant wall.
This guy...
Crude on the surface, but meticulous underneath.
He had deliberately provoked Rei to make him careless...
While secretly preparing a trap.
He had also anticipated that Rei would use martial techniques and physical combat, so he had pre-cast a reflective shield in advance.
A Level 5 mageâs characteristic was the ability to pre-chant spellsâcasting them ahead of time and holding them without releasing them until the right moment.
The length of time they could hold the spell varied from person to person.
Some could only maintain it for a few seconds.
Others could hold it for several minutes.
If Rei had truly believed the man to be reckless and smashed down with that strike...
The reflected force hitting himself probably wouldnât have felt pleasant.
Unfortunatelyâ
Reiâs intuition was simply too sharp.
He sensed danger before it arrived.
Which meant he would never fall into such a trap.
Being able to foresee all danger...
Was simply too overpowered.
"Haha! Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
"Lord Jiezhu, do you still have any objections?"
Two healing casters had already gathered beside Jiezhu, treating his injuries.
Sitting on the floor, he weakly shook his head.
"Your Majesty... have you truly decided this?"
"I have served Loren for many years."
"What do you mean by that, Lord Jiezhu?"
"Have you forgotten how you obtained that position in the first place?"
Lotdanâs smile carried a trace of coldness.
"Back then, didnât you challenge the former Chief Mage and force Aimon to step down?"
Perhaps it was because of the season of the Cold Moon, but the temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees.
Jiezhu opened his mouth twice, unable to say anything.
Finally he lowered his head.
"...Yes. I understand."
"Haha, Lord Jiezhu, thereâs no need for self-pity."
"Even if Rei becomes the Chief Mage, you wonât be left without a place."
"You can assist Lord Rei in the future. Naturally, yourĺž é will remain excellent."
Rei stood silently to the side, watching the exchange between ruler and minister.
Sigh...
What I hate most are scenes like this.
Power struggles.
Schemes and intrigue.
I have zero interest in any of it.
And it easily breeds jealousy.
Attracts unnecessary hostility.
Open attacks are easy to block, but hidden knives are hard to guard against.
Even I sometimes consider poisoning others.
Let alone people who are far more ruthless.
Once you become a thorn in everyoneâs side, youâd have to guard against enemies everywhere.
Lotdan turned to look at Rei again.
His eyes seemed to read Reiâs thoughts.
He simply smiled.
"Lord Rei, donât rush to refuse."
"Iâll have someone show you around personally so you can see the benefits you would gain."
"After that, it wonât be too late to make a decision."
Rei glanced at the Voidring Starwood Staff in his hand.
Even if that was how he felt...
He hadnât planned to reject the offer outright.
In the end, he would have to see everything carefully before deciding.
"Then I thank Your Majesty."
"Haha, no need to be so polite."
"When you grow as powerful as Izparut, the Kingdom of Loren will merely be a stepping stone for you."
"When that day comes, we can address each other as brothers."
Rei studied the king before him.
He looked only twenty-six or twenty-seven.
The history of Loren recorded that it had only been five years since the old king passed away and Lotdan ascended the throne.
Rei felt the gazes around him.
He didnât respond to the "brothers" remark.
Instead, he simply observed proper etiquette.
"Thank you for Your Majestyâs praise."
Lotdan didnât press the matter.
He simply waved his hand with a smile.
Soon someone came forward to escort Rei.
And led him out.
Watching Reiâs departing backâ
Only then did Lotdan produce several sheets of white paper from his sleeve.
They were filled with writing.
Records of everything investigated about Rei.
"Heh... itâs hard to imagine..."
"So many astonishing feats."
"And all accomplished by an eight-year-old child."
If early awakening truly granted such immense power...
Then forbidding it because of a small risk was simply too wasteful.
A case like Messer had appeared only once in so many years.
And Messerâs true goal had only been pursuing the Origin.
Not killing.
As king, Lotdan naturally knew many classified secrets about early awakeners.
In reality, after observation and control, those early awakeners only showed extreme obsession with pursuing their principles.
But such obsession could actually be managed to a certain extent with treatment and medication.
Moreover, that obsession didnât necessarily mean killing or extremism.
For example:
The principles of Guardians.
Or the principles of Healers.
Obsessively pursuing those principles had nothing to do with murder.
Rejecting early awakening entirely with a single sweeping rule was far too crude.
If Loren lowered its awakening age from 16 to 8â
How many geniuses like Rei might appear?
Perhaps Rei was already a genius to begin with, and early awakening simply amplified his talent.
But if billions of citizens in Loren awakened at age eight...
Within such a massive population, would they not produce another Rei?
Or ten?
Or even a hundred?
However...
Early awakening didnât only carry the risk of spiritual contamination.
There were also permanent bodily injuries, and many other complications at higher levels.
Until those problems were solved, it would be impossible to implement universal awakening at age eight.
Without the supervision of a Level 6 healer, performing a class change at eight years old was nearly equivalent to a death sentence.
Lotdan crushed the papers in his hand.
They burst into flames and burned to ashes.
This matter...
Could not be rushed.
It required long-term planning.
A minister below stepped forward with a report.
"Your Majesty, are the conditions you offered Rei perhaps too generous?"
"You already gave him the Void Starwood, our national treasure."
"And now youâre granting him so much authority while imposing almost no obligations."
"What if he enjoys the privileges and then simply leaves?"
Lotdan looked down at the advising minister.
"This childâs potential has been evaluated as comparable to Izparut."
"Do you not understand what that means?"
"And besides..."
"Havenât you noticed?"
Lotdanâs gaze shifted slightly toward the back.
But he said nothing further.
At that moment, Iz was speaking with An Zheng near the rear doorway.
Some things...
Could not be spoken openly.
A king must sometimes remain silent.
The deep crimson velvet carpet felt like walking on clouds.
The corridor was magnificentâtwenty meters tall.
Even giants walking through wouldnât feel cramped.
"This will be your residence."
Oh?
A residence within the royal palace of Loren?
It was an entirely independent palace complex, decorated primarily in red and white tones.
Noble.
Elegant.
"The king will assign you a butler and thirty-five servants to handle the affairs of your estate and daily life."
One butler.
Thirty-five servants?
"If you feel thatâs too few, more can be added. But for a palace of this scaleâgardening, feeding mounts, cleaning and maintenanceâthis number is already more than sufficient."
Rei suppressed his surprise and merely nodded.
"Understood."
After briefly surveying the palace with his perception, the attendant guided Rei through a forest within the palace grounds.
The royal palace of Loren was truly enormous.
There was even a small forest inside it.
Deep within the forest stood a heavily guarded structure.
After presenting a pass token, the soldiers stationed outside stepped aside in unison.
The seals on the door were lifted.
"This is the Forbidden Library."
"Most of Lorenâs sealed forbidden books are stored here."
"The only people permitted to enter and read them are the King, the Prime Minister, An Zheng... and you in the future."
"Does Izparut not have permission?"
"Hehe. Lord Izparut does not."
Probably because he wasnât a citizen of Loren.
Rei scanned the room.
There werenât many booksâjust over a thousand.
But many contained hidden knowledge.
And even those that didnât probably recorded extraordinary information.
Otherwise they wouldnât be classified as forbidden texts.
After the Forbidden Library, they visited the Royal Grand Library.
A towering spire filled with rows upon rows of bookshelves.
An ocean of knowledge.
"These books can only be borrowed by a very small number of members."
"They are the finest works Loren has collected over the past two thousand years."
"They contain deep knowledge across many fields."
Reiâs perception swept instinctively through the building.
He didnât find Pali.
And strangelyâ
He felt a bit relieved?
After the library came the Alchemy Tower, the Enchantment Hall, the Grand Forge...
With Reiâs status, he could freely request Level 5 alchemists to craft potions, Level 5 enchanters to enchant equipment, and Level 5 blacksmiths to forge armor.
Of course, the labor cost was waived.
The materials still had to be paid for.
But even then, part of the cost could be reimbursed by the kingdom.
Finally, they arrived at the Royal Mage Tower.
This was the massive tower visible from far outside the city before entering Knoroya.
Inside, the first thing Rei saw was the constant flow of mages.
All dressed in robes.
"This is the gathering place for mages."
"And the magical center of Loren."
"As Chief Mage, you would be one of the most powerful figures within this tower."
"One of?"
"Yes. The others with equal status are Fizer, president of the Mage Association, and Izparut, the strongest mage registered with the Adventurersâ Guild."
Those two.
It seemed the position of Chief Mage truly carried immense authority.
Which meant...
That man Jiezhu earlierâ
Was actually a strong mage?
But compared to Iz, the gap felt enormous.
How could they hold equal authority?
Rei thought about it carefully.
Among the mages he currently knewâ
Below Iz and Fizer...
There didnât seem to be anyone else.
Then againâ
Compared to Izparut, every other mage felt like they belonged to an entirely different generation.
Reiâs perception swept through the Mage Tower, examining the massive structure filled with scholars.
The academic atmosphere was extremely strong.
No wonder Loren was considered one of the greatest magical empires.
Oh?
Suddenly Rei sensed a familiar presence.
Hunmu?
Hunmu was inside the Mage Tower, teaching a group of students who looked around eighteen or nineteen.
His staff struck the board with loud cracks while he shouted angrily.
Something about "teaching you like teaching pigs."
So he really was in the capital.
Thanks to his Spatial Origin Magic, Rei had managed to defeat Luluvi.
Hunmuâs theories had actually been quite eye-opening.
Unfortunately, during the War God Cup, there had been strict time limits on battles, so they hadnât exchanged ideas deeply.
If the opportunity arose...
Rei would truly like to discuss things with him again.
His mastery of spatial magic was extremely high.
And spatial magic was notoriously difficult to conquer.
Even Iz had said that his own knowledge of spatial magic was only superficial.
"In the Mage Tower, you can accept research tasks to earn contribution points and exchange them for rewards."
"Many mages also come here seeking help with magical problemsâcollaborating on spell research."
"As Chief Mage, you will receive a monthly salary of 10,000 gold coins."
"You may also convert this salary into 1,000 Mage Tower contribution points."
Rei roughly understood the function of the Mage Tower.
It was indeed a great place.
He wouldnât have to rely on the combat arena just to find people to exchange ideas with.
Soon after, they moved to the 15th floor and above.
"This will be your office area."
"But ordinary matters will rarely trouble you."
"You are free to do as you wish."
"On the 16th floor are the collected insights of Lorenâs sages regarding the Origins."
"Some are organized manuscripts. Others are handwritten notes written during moments of inspiration."
"You have the authority to read them."
"Additionally, the king will provide you with a contact list."
"It contains the contact information of top experts across Loren."
"If you wish to communicate with them, His Majesty can arrange meetings."
Truly...
Everything had been thought through.
Rei couldnât find any good reason to refuse.
Basically, everything he might needâ
The Kingdom of Loren could provide.
"The king said you donât have to answer immediately."
"Knoroya is vast."
"You can explore the city and learn more."
"Lorenâs gates will always remain open to you."
Sigh.
Their hospitality really made refusal difficult.
"Alright."
"Please inform His Majesty that I will give my answer after some time."
The guide bowed respectfully.
Then left alone.
Rei stood inside the Mage Tower, overlooking the ring-layered architecture spiraling downward.
The scale of the building was almost a wonder of the world.
Yet it wasnât officially classified as one.
"Well... there will be plenty of opportunities to come here later."
Rei left the Mage Tower.
Outside, the streets were covered in snow.
Yet the roads were still busy.
Many pedestrians wore thick clothing.
Rei could sense strong fire-element fluctuations from their bodies.
Probably warming magic tools.
A world with magic really was convenient.
Without protection, weather like this could freeze even Level 3â4 adventurers to death in the wilderness.
Inside the city, however, the temperature wasnât nearly as harsh.
Rei could freely control fire elements, and his mage robe itself provided warmth.
So the cold didnât affect him.
Following the map, Rei quickly crossed the Heaven-Link Bridge and arrived at Knoroyaâs Grand Library.
The moment he stepped through the entranceâ
Rei immediately released his perception, scanning the entire building.
"...Sheâs not here?"
Pali wasnât there.
Rei had subconsciously assumed she would be waiting for him in Knoroyaâs library.
"Guess that was just wishful thinking."
He chuckled at himself.
Then began searching for books containing hidden knowledge.
Out of millions of volumes, he eventually selected twenty-something books that contained secret knowledge.
He didnât read them immediately.
Instead, he calmly stored them away.
Then he headed toward the Grand Cathedral of the Life Church.
Life Church â Hall of Healing
"Little Rei, you came to see me?"
"Yeah. I came to visit Sister Kumironi."
Because of the Death Church incident, after arriving in Knoroya, Kumironi first had to attend a meeting at the church.
The meeting had just ended.
Now she was helping treat patients the church had accepted.
Kumironi was one of the few healers capable of curing certain incurable diseases.
In a world with healing magic, most illnesses were easy to cure.
Most people were healthy.
But there were still extremely rare and difficult diseases.
"Lady Kumironi... if it werenât for you, I wouldnât know what to do..."
"Youâre our savior!"
The patient knelt on the ground, clutching her sleeve while crying.
Clearly they needed her deeply.
"Sister Kumironi."
"What do you think of Loren?"
"Hm... itâs pretty good."
"Most citizensâ lives are guaranteed, and they donât have to constantly fear foreign invasion."
"Sister Kumironi, if I join the Kingdom of Loren... what would you suggest?"
She thought for a moment.
"That would be great."
"You donât need to imitate Iz."
"He has his own strange principles."
"I think joining Loren would be good for you."
"You shouldnât think that joining a kingdom means being restrained."
"In this world, the only thing that can truly restrain someone..."
"Is not being strong enough."
Hearing that answer eased Reiâs mind.
He chatted with her for a while longer.
Learning more about Loren.
And watching the endless stream of patients she treated.
On this journey, Kumironi had barely needed to act.
After allâ
Iz and the others rarely got injured.
Even if someone got hurt, Obades would be the first to withstand it.
Only after that would Kumironi step in to heal.
So ironically...
The ones she treated most were small animals they encountered on the road.
Or injured adventurers from villages they passed through.
After saying goodbye to Kumironi, Rei spent the rest of the day wandering Knoroya.
The White Tower, the Mage Tower, and the Observatory Tower were the cityâs three great towers.
The Observatory was said to belong to diviners, full of astrologers.
The White Tower was the gathering place of scholars, a sacred ground for high-level research.
Many mages were also members there.
Meanwhile, the Life Church controlled a large stretch of land outside the cityâcalled The Soil of Growth.
A paradise for cultivators.
On his first day in the capital, Rei didnât rush to study.
Instead, he familiarized himself with Knoroyaâs culture and atmosphere.
The next day.
Rei returned to the royal palace.
This time he entered through the main gate.
"Haha! Lord Rei, you came back so quickly?"
"Are you satisfied with the conditions I offered?"
"If thereâs anything you dislike, feel free to speak!"
Rei maintained perfect etiquette.
"Your Majestyâs offer is indeed excellent."
"I only wish to confirm the obligations I would have."
"If I accept your terms... will I truly have the freedom you described?"
Lotdan nodded.
"Of course."
"You may do whatever you wish."
"As long as you do not deny your relationship with Loren, do not sell our intelligence to foreign nations, and do not leak our secrets..."
"Everything elseâdo whatever you like."
"Treat the title of Chief Mage as a position with privileges but no burdens."
The kingâs promise was extremely weighty.
Rei could hear the quiet swallowing sounds from those present.
Their eyes were filled with envy.