A matter not so trivial... and something theyâd already heard of?
The way it was phrased was maddeningly vague.
And this so-called final stageâ
There was no choice involved at all.
From the looks of it, everyone present was being forced to participate.
And more importantly...
Where was the reward for the second stage?
Had it just been swallowed?
Kanzaki Rei didnât speak. Instead, he glanced toward Rhein.
But this time, Rhein didnât question anything.
He simply closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.
Kanzaki Rei extended his perception toward the others.
He could feel itâ
Yeliaâs aura had grown noticeably brighter. From her presence alone, it was clear she had undergone significant transformation.
In factâ
Everyone present had changed.
Whatever they had experienced... it hadnât been simple.
Within the gray mist, a faint trace of madness began to spread from Aegmissa.
Kanzaki Reiâs brows furrowed further.
"Ansu... what do you think is going on?"
A sense of unease surged within him.
Both instinct and intuition screamed danger.
Even within his Sea of Consciousness, a faint red mist began to spread.
The Sea of Consciousness represented the mindâand the subconscious.
Its reddening meant that even his deepest instincts were sensing danger.
Ansu replied lazily:
"Youâre asking me? How would I know?"
"But if I had to guess... youâre about to get dragged into something you canât avoid."
"If this involves gods... youâd better think carefully about what methods you have to stay alive."
At that, Ansu let out a quiet sigh.
If this brat dies, I might fall into another godâs hands... Hah. Compared to that, sticking with him is far more interesting. If I end up with someone else, things probably wonât go so smoothly...
Kanzaki Rei sensed the thought clearly.
Heh... so being in my hands counts as âeasy,â does it?
Over the past seven days, his understanding of Ansu had deepened significantly.
Ansu had lived for far too long.
In every life, it treated existence seriouslyâ
But also as something to experience.
It explored countless perspectives, embodying different roles, interpreting life in its own way.
Unlike beings like Helberzio, who clung fiercely to prideâ
Ansu seemed utterly indifferent to such things.
It had been a king.
It had been humiliated.
It had lost battles.
There were even beings that had defeated itâ
Such as the White One of Death and Destruction.
Not every life had reached Level 9.
Sometimes, Ansu would deliberately avoid leveling altogetherâ
Living out an entire lifetime as an ordinary low-level class holder.
It had been a mayor.
A villager.
A lawyer.
A judge in a great city.
It had experienced the full spectrum of life.
It had evenâ
Served others in submission.
Heh.
All for amusement.
To Ansu, personality and dignity were irrelevant.
This was all just a grand experience on the road to death.
Which was why, when Kanzaki Rei captured itâ
It hadnât cared.
If anything, it had found it interesting.
A Level 9 entity, captured by a Death Priest who hadnât even reached Level 5?
That was amusing.
Not threatening.
At leastâ
Not until Kanzaki Rei revealed the ability to truly kill it.
Only then had Ansuâs attitude changed.
But after forming a contractâ
And confirming Kanzaki Rei wouldnât kill itâ
It had returned to its usual carefree demeanor.
Ansu paused.
As if recalling something ancient.
Then it spoke again:
"The worst-case scenario... you might end up directly involved in a war between gods."
"Be careful."
Kanzaki Rei nodded faintly.
"...Understood."
Before entering this place, his divination had predicted opportunityâ
And a small amount of danger.
If that danger wasnât just Ansuâ
Then perhaps...
This was it.
At that momentâ
Another voice sounded.
Rhein spoke:
"Um... is it not possible to withdraw?"
From within the gray mist, Aegmissaâs voice no longer carried its earlier lightness.
Instead, it was heavy.
Distant.
Like a cryptic prophet speaking truths beyond comprehension.
"When you passed the second trial, you had already made your choice."
"To save the world from ruin."
"That was your decision."
"You have already responded."
What kind of twisted logic is that?
So participating in the second stage meant being forced into the third?
And without even receiving a reward?
Donât tell me the "reward" for the second stageâ
Was the right to enter the third?
Kanzaki Rei sneered inwardly.
But he didnât argue.
Arguing with it would be like reasoning with a madmanâ
A madman capable of killing him.
Aegmissa was classified as an evil god.
And classifications like that didnât come without reason.
For nowâ
Observation was the better choice.
But just as suddenly as it had spokenâ
Aegmissa vanished.
Its figure dissipated like a note cut short.
Its once-condensed gray form unraveled into thin mist, dispersing outward.
Tapâ
Kanzaki Rei abruptly felt it.
Time... was moving again.
With his heightened spirituality, he could almost see itâ
The flow of time itself, like color returning to a frozen world.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Flowing once more.
It was still April 1st.
And yetâ
That single day had felt impossibly long.
Whooshâ
The gray mist that had sealed off the surroundings began to ripple outward like waterâ
Gradually dispersing.
For the first timeâ
Everyone could see the full extent of the area.
The plaza they stood onâ
Was actually an island.
Rising to an altitude of around ten kilometers would reveal its entirety.
A radius of roughly 1,000 kilometers.
Tiny, compared to the continents Kanzaki Rei had seen.
He looked up at the blazing sun.
It hung high in the sky.
Midday.
The warmth of sunlight touched the ground.
The environment felt vivid.
Alive.
Was this...
The real world?
His heightened perception told himâ
The restrictions that had previously concealed everythingâ
Were gone.
Along with themâ
Aegmissa had completely disappeared.
Kanzaki Rei turned his gaze toward the distant ocean.
With his extensive knowledge of oceanography, he could identify a sea simply by analyzing its waterâ
Assuming it had been recorded.
Unlessâ
It was an uncharted sea.
The vast ocean before him...
Caused his heart to skip.
This place...
Could it beâ
The Secret Sea?
On April 1st?