Chapter 186

Day Two.

Kanzaki Rei contacted Kumironi.

He raised his Decrypt Scholar class to Level 4.

The advancement process itself went smoothly—nothing unexpected occurred. Once Decrypt Scholar reached Level 4, the plan was to advance Warrior next, and finally Death Priest. This order ensured that none of his classes would become bottlenecked.

If he reversed it...

If he advanced Death Priest and Warrior first, the required score for Decrypt Scholar advancement would likely skyrocket to an absurd level.

Level 4 Decrypt Scholar — Specializations

«Decrypt Scholar Mastery: Restriction Reclamation (Exclusive)»— Recover portions of materials used in already-triggered restriction arrays.

«Decrypt Scholar Mastery: Enhancement (Exclusive)»— Strengthen restriction arrays already under your control.

«Technique: Subconscious Decryption»— Once a puzzle has been considered, the subconscious will continue solving it automatically. Even without active thought, answers will gradually emerge through continuous subconscious processing.

This technique wasn’t limited to puzzles—it was equally effective for comprehension and insight.

After all, Kanzaki Rei couldn’t consciously think about everything at once.

But with Subconscious Decryption, even when he wasn’t actively thinking, his mind was still working—quietly, persistently.

A Level 4 class... the improvement was undeniable.

God-Tier Talent Acquired

«God-Tier Talent — Hidden Origin»

Hidden Origin:Upon touching an object, gain knowledge of its creator, owner, holder, and any who have lost it, along with key information and its location. Additionally, extract a small portion of hidden knowledge from each without detection, provided it is compatible with oneself.

Kanzaki Rei tested it immediately.

He touched himself.

Shua—

In an instant, his perception expanded.

He saw them.

His parents.

«Creator: Lu Zhenghang → Hidden Knowledge: Ordinary male from Earth»«Creator: Li Youxiang → Hidden Knowledge: Ordinary female from Earth»«Location → Earth»

«Self: Kanzaki Rei (Lu Cang) → Hidden Knowledge: Male randomly teleported to the Ruilen Continent»

Shua!

The vision snapped shut.

Kanzaki Rei stood there, stunned. It took several seconds before he shook his head and came back to himself.

...He could still see them.

He could still recognize the concept of Earth.

Location — Earth.

A thread.

An impossibly fine thread had appeared in his perception.

It didn’t point anywhere. It simply existed—suspended within his awareness.

And yet...

He could feel it.

That location... existed somewhere in this world.

A storm surged within his heart.

He had thought Earth was gone forever—nothing more than a memory.

But now...

Here, in this world...

He had sensed its existence again.

Even if it came from a God-tier talent...Even if the direction was unclear...

A possibility had reappeared.

Could there... be a way back?

And then—

Another realization struck.

"Randomly teleported to the Ruilen Continent..."

Not reincarnation.

Teleportation.

That meant—

Time might still align.

He hadn’t been gone for years. Only months.

If Earth truly existed somewhere...

Then returning home...

Might still be possible.

Kanzaki Rei took a deep breath, forcibly calming himself.

If Earth existed, it had to be somewhere beyond even the reach of the Lunar Authority—far beyond the Secret Sea, the Turbid Sea, even the Moon Sea.

Blindly searching was impossible.

But since he had been sent here...

There might also be a way to send him back.

The fields for "owner," "holder," and "loser" were empty.

Naturally—he was a person, not an object.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

He looked up at the falling corruption in the sky.

"Big Sister Kumironi!"

Kumironi turned toward him, her expression serious.

His 3→4 advancement had already drawn in terrifying levels of corruption.

At this rate... his 4→5 advancement might not be containable through conventional means.

"Can I touch the corruption again?" Kanzaki Rei asked.

"When I advanced to Level 2 as a mage, I was already contaminated, right?"

"Afterward... you can cleanse it again. Is that possible?"

Kumironi’s voice turned solemn.

"That’s far more difficult than simply blocking it."

"...But a very small amount should be manageable."

"Little Rei, did you think of something?"

He nodded slightly.

"Passive resistance isn’t a solution. Eventually, something will break through."

"With what I know now... I might be able to decipher part of its nature."

Kumironi looked at the countless polluted tadpoles writhing outside the barrier.

She frowned slightly.

"...Only a very small amount."

Shua!

The purification barrier opened briefly.

Three or four corrupted tadpoles shot forward—

And plunged into Kanzaki Rei’s body.

«Creator»

Buzz—

His perception exploded outward.

He saw it—

A colossal, planet-like mass formed from countless polluted tadpoles.

«Filth Origin Nest»— Hidden Knowledge: The source of all corruption. Can descend into reality through corrupted vessels.— Location: Origin’s Dark Side

Shua!

The connection severed almost instantly.

No further details.

But—

More information flooded in.

«Filth Parasite»— Invades spiritual essence, converting the host into a corrupted vessel; an extension of the Filth Origin Nest’s manifestation.— Will dissolve upon contact with complete purification power.— Can be blocked by substances originating from the same source as the Filth Origin Nest.— Emerges through channels of origin power; attracted by the development level of spiritual essence.

"...So much information."

"...This is a major breakthrough."

Exhale—

The advancement concluded.

All corruption was completely cleansed by Kumironi.

And Kanzaki Rei finally understood one of her abilities:

Complete Purification.

"Big Sister Kumironi... I feel... weak."

"Can you... take me back?"

He feigned exhaustion.

Kumironi immediately stepped forward, scooping him into her arms.

Shua!

In just a few flashes, they returned to her residence.

Kanzaki Rei had already touched her before.

Her information surfaced clearly.

«Kumironi»— Talent: God-Tier · Life Origin— Inheritor of Sophia— Unrestricted access to Tier 1–5 Life Magic— Exclusive Divine Arts: • Life Revival • Life Purification • Life Extension • Second Life

So Life Purification really existed...

And so many exclusive divine arts.

Unfortunately, the details were incomplete—just fragments.

Still, he now knew the location of her parents within Kranolia City.

That same thread-like guidance appeared again.

Within a certain range, direction would automatically be indicated.

But Earth... was clearly beyond that range.

Seven Days Later

After advancing Decrypt Scholar, another week passed.

At the base of a barren mountain—

Kanzaki Rei stood alone.

«Sky Vault Style»

First Form: Source Tempering of Body and Law

A technique designed to refine the body in conjunction with his fundamental principle: Body as Magic.

There were already countless body-tempering methods.

The Life Abundance School from the Life Church could repeatedly break physical limits, blending offense with regeneration.

Arcane-Magic Tempering refined mana purity, enhancing both magic and body.

The Invincible Style’s Living Body simply strengthened the physique—brutally and effectively.

Most people trained only one method.

Because proficiency mattered.

A Level 20 technique vastly outperformed a Level 1.

But Kanzaki Rei...

Had no such limitation.

"Second Form..."

Second Form: Fusion Break Techniques— Sky-Shattering Kick / Final Law Cleaving Strike / Elemental Burst Impact

All magic compatible with kicking techniques was fused into a single devastating strike, massively amplifying both magical and physical output.

"Third Form."

Third Form: Phantom Strikes

Magic and martial techniques intertwined, unleashing multi-hit attacks at extreme speed—far faster than conventional casting.

He thrust his spear to the right.

BOOM!

Dust exploded.

The mountainside collapsed into tens of thousands of puncture holes.

A hundred spells detonated simultaneously within a single instant.

Fourth Form: Void

A movement technique.

Inspired by Izz’s Void Mana and an assassin’s void-integration method—

Kanzaki Rei converted his body into pure mana for a fraction of a second.

Entering the Void.

Extremely dangerous.

Too long—and he might never return.

Final limits:

Normal: ≤ 1 second

Absolute max: ≤ 2 seconds

Cooldown: 5 seconds between uses

Repeated use accumulates prior void-time

Fifth Form: Bind

Grabbing an enemy instantly triggers all restraint and sealing magic—no casting required.

Control equals opportunity.

Sixth Form: Apex

A burst technique.

Instead of relying solely on soul sacrifice—

He split the explosion into two phases:

Initial strike (no soul cost)

Follow-up detonation (consumes souls)

One explosion became two.

Six forms complete.

Standing beside the barren mountain, Kanzaki Rei felt a shift in his state.

These techniques—

Were entirely his own.

Perfectly aligned with his path.

Advancement Hall

Back in Kranolia—

He arrived at the Advancement Hall.

But Kumironi wasn’t there.

Instead, a priest from the Life Temple approached.

"Lord Kanzaki Rei."

"Lady Kumironi asked me to inform you—she has urgent matters to attend to."

"...What happened?"

"It’s Lady Chum. She is suspected to have perished during a mission."

Chum.

The pink-haired Level 5 battle priestess.

Strong—even among elites.

Without Kumironi, advancement was impossible.

Izz was at the palace.

Akagi was gone—likely with Kumironi.

He didn’t like unnecessary trouble.

But—

That unease in his chest wouldn’t go away.

"...Where did they go?"

Moments later—

Shua!

He appeared outside Luluwi’s window.

"Wah!"

She jumped—wearing only thin sleepwear.

"Luluwi. Come with me."

"Use the front door!"

Soon—

They flew through the sky.

Kanzaki Rei had already analyzed her.

«Luluwi»— Talent: Supreme · Sight-Piercing Bow

A talent that expanded perception range—and with it, attack range and damage.

A perfect synergy of scout and archer.

Before long—

They sensed it.

Kumironi.

Kneeling in a pool of blood.

Her expression focused.

A green barrier enveloped—

A severed arm.