Chapter 261

Indeed... they were all stray thoughts.

"Maybe luring him into a Forbidden Zone of Life could work...""I shouldn’t have come here... damn it, I really fell for this one...""This life is actually quite interesting... I never expected to encounter someone like him."

Kanzaki Rei could feel countless thoughts surfacing within Ansur’s mind.

Each one fleeting—

Yet each one etched with absolute clarity into his own consciousness.

The ritual...

Was genuine.

He had gambled correctly.

This was one of the few true gambles he had taken since arriving in this world.

But he understood—

If he didn’t take this gamble now...

He would only be forced to gamble again and again in the future.

"...Mm."

Kanzaki Rei lightly patted Ansur on the shoulder.

"From now on, we’re friends."

Ansur’s mummified face curved into a faint smile.

"My pleasure."

Kanzaki Rei paused briefly.

Then, with a single thought—

Whoosh!

Ansur’s soul vanished.

Within Kanzaki Rei’s Sea of Consciousness, a figure appeared—

A soul resembling a withered corpse, yet radiating an unnaturally powerful vitality.

At Level 5, every class advancement granted a mastery ability tied to the Sea of Consciousness.

For the Death Priest—

That mastery was:

「Soul Sanctum」

From now on, certain rituals could be constructed directly within his Sea of Consciousness—

Yet still take effect in the external world.

In practice, this ability was most useful in combat.

When one couldn’t spare the attention to set up rituals—

But still needed them activated.

Though in truth—

Its most ideal application might be advancement rituals themselves.

From now on, advancement setups could be completed entirely within the mind.

Even in critical moments—

Breakthroughs could occur mid-battle.

...Though Kanzaki Rei had no intention of relying on such desperate methods.

A reckless breakthrough would only leave regret.

His Sea of Consciousness was no longer the hazy fog it once was.

Now—

It was a vast, tranquil ocean.

The surface was still, mirror-like.

Beneath it lay the manifestations of his countless thoughts.

And rising above the sea—

A palace of memory.

Ansur had been directly absorbed into this domain.

As a soul, it could naturally exist here.

"You’re the first one here," Kanzaki Rei said calmly.

Ansur chuckled.

"Then I am truly honored."

At the same time—

In the external world—

Kanzaki Rei saw everything begin to collapse.

The event...

Had ended.

With a final score of 3.2 billion points, Kanzaki Rei stood at the top.

As for second place—

It was still Gale.

Kanzaki Rei found himself somewhat curious about him.

What method did he use?

To erupt so explosively in just three days—

And in the final day alone—

Earn 5 million points in a single burst?

That translated to slaughtering seventy to eighty thousand Tier-6 monsters.

How was that even possible?

Without sufficiently pure souls to sacrifice to the dungeon—

There should be no way to influence its structure.

But then again—

There wasn’t only one method in the world.

Perhaps there existed ways to reach deep into high-tier nests—

Without relying on soul sacrifices.

For example—

During the war between the Dark Church and the Hive—

When Kanzaki Rei occasionally sacrificed souls—

He would sometimes discover battlefields within the nests.

Most were ruins left after great wars.

But some—

Were still ongoing conflicts.

Which meant—

There must exist a method to enter deep nests—

Without offering souls.

Crack—!

Shatter—!

As the agreed time limit expired—

The entire space fractured.

"Ansur," Kanzaki Rei asked mentally, "what do you think of this space?"

Ansur responded through their connection,

"This space is unique—an independently constructed dimension."

"It even alters the laws of time."

"Whoever created it clearly didn’t want this day to end."

"Why?"

"Because that being can only appear on such a day."

"April 1st... in a leap year."

Kanzaki Rei asked again,

"Is it dangerous?"

"Dangerous?" Ansur replied lightly. "Not particularly."

"I’ve encountered that being before."

"Chaotic, yes—but trustworthy."

"Even chaos follows a form of order."

"Just like death—one must first pass through life."

Whoosh—

As their conversation continued—

The world completely shattered.

Kanzaki Rei reappeared on an ancient platform.

But this time—

It had transformed into a far more magnificent plaza.

"Everyone..."

"Three days have passed."

"The first phase of our grand carnival... has come to an end!"

"Did you all find what you were looking for?"

Kanzaki Rei scanned his surroundings.

Shadowy figures filled the area—

But compared to the original fifteen participants—

Only fourteen remained.

One was gone.

What happened?

An accident? Eliminated?

As for gains...

Kanzaki Rei’s lips curved faintly.

A complete harvest.

Longevity Flowers.

Immortal Spring Water.

Both exceeded ten thousand units.

Elixirs of Ascension—

370 bottles.

Other rare treasures—

Each in the thousands.

Under normal circumstances—

Exploring ancient ruins would never yield such wealth.

Before entering this relic on April 1st—

Kanzaki Rei had used Future Simulation.

At that time—

His final result had only been five bottles of Elixir of Ascension.

Enough for just five advancements.

...Not nearly enough.

If that had been the outcome—

He wouldn’t have pursued the Apothecary class strategy at all.

"Haha! Not bad at all!" a familiar voice rang out.

Kanzaki Rei glanced over—

As expected, it was Leon.

"Rei," Elia also looked toward him.

Her final score—

1 million points.

She had hit her limit.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight—

But she felt uncomfortable constantly relying on Leon’s monster pulls.

Even though Leon scored more—

The loot came directly from monster drops.

Taking too much from him felt wrong.

So in the end—

She chose to farm solo.

Leon respected her decision—

Though in truth, he stopped farming entirely.

Instead, he wandered around—

Picking up leftover loot from monsters others had killed.

Still made a tidy profit.

But what he truly wanted—

Was a shortcut like Kanzaki Rei’s.

He never found one.

Meanwhile—

Elia, without Leon’s support—

Struggled to find monsters.

Hence her low score.

"Congratulations! Once again, congratulations to everyone!"

The central figure continued speaking.

"Oh right—special thanks to our sponsor, Rona!"

"Let’s give a big thanks to that guy!"

"...?"

Wait.

Wasn’t that glossed over way too quickly?

A sponsor?

Someone named Rona—

That didn’t sound like a minor figure.

Kanzaki Rei asked internally,

"Ansur. Do you know Rona?"

Instantly—

He sensed memories stirring within Ansur.

"...Heh."

"Know her? That’s putting it lightly."

"She’s an extremely shrewd merchant."

"Even I suffered heavy losses dealing with her."

"A merchant?" Kanzaki Rei asked.

"Yes. That is her class."

"There’s a Merchant class?"

"In ancient times, yes."

"Now... she may be the only one left."

"She is a Level 9 Merchant."

"...If you ever meet her," Ansur added, "never buy anything she offers."

"No matter how tempting it is."

Kanzaki Rei felt a silent alarm ring in his mind.

"...Understood."

A Level 9 Merchant.

So—

Level 9 Architect.

Level 9 Death Priest.

Level 9 Merchant.

This world...

Had far more peak-level existences than he initially thought.

"Ancient times?" Kanzaki Rei pressed. "She’s from that era too?"

"Does she use reincarnation?"

Ansur let out a cold laugh.

"Don’t be so narrow-minded, child."

"There’s more than one way to achieve longevity."

"Reincarnation is only one path."

"As a Level 9 Merchant—"

"Trading lifespan, exchanging time... is nothing unusual."

"Buying years from those who value them little..."

"And selling them to those who value them greatly."

...Having a "resident ancient expert" really was convenient.

Questions that would take days to investigate—

Were answered instantly.

Meanwhile—

The chaotic host continued:

"First... let’s start with thirteenth place."

"That guy with ten thousand points."

He pointed.

The shadow in that direction materialized.

[Rank 13 — Xie Chen → Renamed: Cain]

A human male.

Bare-chested.

His body was covered in intricate markings—

Reminiscent of ancient, serpentine patterns.

His physique—

Explosive.

Every muscle sharply defined.

Clearly a body-refinement specialist.

Kanzaki Rei observed carefully.

His physical strength...

Might even surpass his own.

At present, Kanzaki Rei’s body—

Though not enough to withstand a Level 8 attack—

Was certainly above average among Level 7s.

Yet this man—

Looked stronger.

As expected...

Those chosen by the gods weren’t random.

"Ten thousand points—not bad."

"Hmm... what you lack most is full-domain comprehension."

"I’ll give you tea that aids in perfect-domain deduction."

A box materialized—

Falling from the air.

Cain caught it calmly.

Gave a slight nod.

No extra words.

...Trying to act cool, huh.

In truth—

These rankings didn’t reflect actual combat power.

Most participants could kill Tier-6 monsters.

The real challenge was:

Efficiency.

And finding targets.

This wasn’t a test of strength—

But of hunting capability.

Even at Rank 13—

He could very well rival the top ranks.

"Next—"

"...Actually, let’s go straight to first place."

The host suddenly pointed at Kanzaki Rei.

"That first-place guy... uh..."

"...uh..."

He froze mid-sentence.

...Ah.

Time to loosen Unspeakable Enigma slightly.

"Lu... uh—Rei."

Finally remembered.

Light enveloped Kanzaki Rei.

At the same time—

The faint mist concealing him was stripped away.

His appearance—

Was now visible to all.

"3.2 billion points."

"How did you even farm that?"

"Wait... you’re full of mysteries."

"...No, how did you even get in here?"

Only now—

Did the host seem to notice him.

As if—

Kanzaki Rei had never been part of the participant list.

Yet suddenly appeared at the awards ceremony—

And took first place with an absurd, overwhelming score.

Like a ghost.

The host stared at him—

Confusion swirling endlessly.

But soon—

That confusion turned into delight.

"...Forget it."

"This is what makes it fun!"

"Chaos is the most entertaining outcome!"

"An unknown anomaly invading my carnival—"

"Perfect!"

"3.2 billion points!"

"First place!"

"I’ve hosted this event for so many years..."

"But this is the first time I’ve seen such a ridiculous score!"

"I must give you something worthy—"

"At least something unique... to match your achievement!"