The undead wearing Elvorn's skin stepped forward and dropped to one knee before the child seated upon the throne, his posture flawless, his tone utterly respectful.
"Lord Seiichi."
"There were indeed significant discoveries."
"Last night, to the southwest of Atlant City, an enormous monster tide suddenly began converging in that direction…"
"Numerous high-level experts rushed over to investigate."
"It turned out to be a newly formed Tier 7 dungeon. The monsters inside… can only be described as extraordinarily dangerous."
"I made exhaustive preparations before entering to scout, yet I still nearly lost my life."
As he finished speaking, "Elvorn" cast a glance to both sides—toward the two individuals assigned to guard him.
One was a Level 6 Warrior. The other, a Level 6 Archer.
"Yes. Lord Elvorn speaks the truth."
"That dungeon is like a vast forest of trees—filled with plant-type monsters…"
"Even before we entered, quite a few experts had already gone in to scout. Some of them came back heavily wounded."
"A typical Level 6 class user… might not even survive a single minute inside."
Seiichi stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"So… it's truly that dangerous, huh."
"Elvorn" lowered his head again.
"Yes. Extremely dangerous."
"But… I may have uncovered something related to our Church."
Seiichi raised an eyebrow.
"Related to us?"
"Elvorn" nodded.
"Yes."
As he spoke, he established a shared sensory link with Seiichi.
Though now an undead, he still possessed the abilities of a Level 6 Observer. Coupled with the concealment of the skin suit, and with Seiichi harboring no suspicion, there was no way for him to detect anything amiss.
Scene after scene streamed directly into Seiichi's mind.
Endless stretches of tree-sea.
And within them—scattered, intermittent markings tied to reincarnation.
Those markings were none other than the emblem of the Church of Reincarnation.
As an Observer, "Elvorn" didn't understand their deeper meaning—but discovering identical symbols to his own Church within a dungeon was, without question, something that had to be reported.
At the same time—
The stone monument standing in that open clearing was also clearly recorded.
The text engraved upon it… he could not read.
But Seiichi, as a Level 6 Scholar with vast knowledge, undoubtedly could.
"Lord Seiichi, these are all the findings I obtained from within the dungeon."
"That so many symbols resembling our Church appear inside… could it signify something?"
"At present, all major Churches are competing for exploration rights to this Tier 7 dungeon. It's likely that more high-level reinforcements will arrive soon."
"Lord Seiichi, if this matter is of importance, I ask that you make a decision swiftly."
Seiichi fell silent for a brief moment after absorbing the images.
Then, slowly, he spoke.
"Elvorn… you've done well."
"This dungeon—our Church of Reincarnation will claim it."
"Offer the other Churches some compensation. Have them withdraw."
Though the Church of Reincarnation was not the strongest among all factions, its influence within the Moonsea region was immense.
Especially now—
Seiichi himself was in Atlant City.
The leader of the Church.
The very "god" worshipped by its followers.
With him present, unless the top figures of other Churches personally intervened—or unless their true gods issued divine decrees—none of them could challenge the authority of Reincarnation.
As for the struggle over this dungeon—
By paying a certain price and offering concessions, Reincarnation could secure it with relative ease.
After all, claiming a dungeon always came at a cost.
And this was a Tier 7 dungeon.
Even Level 7 adventurers couldn't guarantee a clean clear.
As for Level 8 existences… they were exceedingly rare, and not easily summoned.
This made the dungeon both an opportunity—
And a burning-hot liability.
If Reincarnation wanted it, the other Churches were more than willing to step aside and let them take the risk.
Seiichi nodded faintly.
"…This time, I will personally enter the dungeon."
He glanced at the two figures standing at his sides.
"Black Left, White Right."
"You two will accompany me."
The two figures bowed slightly.
"As you command."
...
From the street outside, Kanzaki Rei watched the entire scene unfold with calm indifference.
Mm. Smooth. Completely successful.
Next… a few more preparations were needed.
He manipulated Elvorn to collect the reward, then used the excuse of prior arrangements to withdraw after completing the report…
Afterward, Kanzaki Rei recalled Elvorn into the Minor Underworld.
Then—he vanished.
Mm…
Next step—
Kiyomi slipped into the target's private chamber and dripped a few drops of blue liquid into his wine flask.
The liquid dissolved seamlessly into the wine, leaving no trace of color.
Meanwhile, Kanzaki Rei returned once more to the vicinity of the dungeon he had created.
At this moment, the area was heavily fortified.
Numerous powerful figures had already arrived and set up camps—various Churches standing in opposition around the dungeon.
Kanzaki Rei swept his perception across the area and noticed several particularly noteworthy figures.
A white-haired girl with golden eyes stood within the camp of the Church of Light. The aura she emitted was so overwhelming that it eclipsed even the Level 7 elites beside her.
Mm…
She was the inheritor of Zhuya, God of Light and Daybreak—someone he had already encountered during earlier future simulations.
Elsewhere, within the Church of Fortune's camp, stood a black-haired man in a wool coat. His presence seemed unremarkable at first glance…
But through prior probing simulations, Kanzaki Rei knew—
He was the inheritor of Yakatikto, God of Fortune and Harvest.
Additionally, among Atlant City's stationed forces, there was a young man engaged in conversation with others.
This one…
Likely possessed a God-tier talent—and had been an early awakener.
All of them were candidates bound for the 「Ascension Realm」.
But with a Tier 7 dungeon appearing, they had naturally come to observe the situation.
Mm…
Because his priority was to set the trap for Seiichi, Kanzaki Rei had deliberately avoided clashing with these individuals during his simulations.
Otherwise, the entire sequence of events could spiral out of control.
First—kill Seiichi.
As for these people… he could assess their strength afterward.
Just how powerful were these so-called inheritors?
Kanzaki Rei recalled—
Kumironi was supposedly a successor of Sophia.
If Kumironi and Iz were considered equals…
Then these inheritors were definitely not to be underestimated.
This was no longer the early stage where only a handful of prodigies stood out.
Now, true monsters were emerging everywhere.
Around the dungeon, every major Church had established its own layered restrictions.
At this moment, however, the guards stationed at the entrance were relatively sparse.
Kanzaki Rei slipped inside with ease—and entered the dungeon once again.
Upon stepping in, he immediately noticed—
The crimson trees near the entrance had already been mostly cleared.
Deep gouges and radiant scars marred the ground.
Residual light shimmered throughout the space.
Clearly… the work of that Light Church inheritor.
But she hadn't advanced deeper.
Farther ahead, towering trees still stretched endlessly.
Kanzaki Rei scanned the surroundings, then summoned Elvorn once more.
With the shared perception of a Level 6 Observer, his sensing range expanded significantly.
Then—he pushed deeper into the dungeon.
Dodging the relentless attacks of the massive trees—
Within mere dozens of seconds, he arrived at a relatively open clearing with fewer monsters.
"Mm…"
"This will do."
Kanzaki Rei raised his hand.
Countless stones lifted into the air, stacking and fusing together through magic.
Though he wasn't an architect—
With magic and materials alone, constructing a structure was trivial.
Immediately afterward, he scattered more materials across the surroundings.
「Level 4 Decryption Scholar Proficiency: Restriction Recovery (Exclusive) — Recovers a portion of materials used in previously triggered restrictions.」
This proficiency allowed him to reclaim materials after dismantling restrictions.
Having broken through countless barriers along the way, he had accumulated a substantial stockpile—enough to establish powerful new restrictions here.
Before long—
A Hall of Reincarnation took shape.
Modeled after his own memories.
Kanzaki Rei reconstructed, as closely as possible, the hall he had seen during his inheritance of Reincarnation.
It wasn't perfect—
But then again…
No one had ever said that a second Hall of Reincarnation had to look identical to the first.
Next, he engraved a symbol within the hall.
On the stone pillars, he etched cryptic clues—paired with deliberately obscure phrases:
"Where there is reincarnation, there is rebirth."
"Endless cycles—why should one alone possess them?"
"Eternal life is no mere dream… when, then, is the return?"
...
Kanzaki Rei hovered in the sky, looking down at his completed work.
A masterpiece.
Not bad at all.
Finally, he descended to the entrance of the hall.
Within the entire structure, he layered powerful entry-restriction barriers.
And on either side of the gate, he inscribed:
"Cast off the vanity of this life, and you shall attain reincarnation and rebirth."
Whether the other party would understand his intent…
That remained to be seen.
What he meant was simple—
Strip away all equipment.
Abandon everything of this life.
Only then could one enter the Hall of Reincarnation.
Mm.
But relying on that alone… probably wasn't enough.
If Seiichi followed the instruction, all the better.
If he didn't—
It didn't matter.
The moment Seiichi entered this dungeon—
He would already be a turtle trapped in a jar.
Within this dungeon…
This was Kanzaki Rei's domain.
Like a scam—
If you trick someone out of 100, you've already succeeded.
Anything further depends on how deep they're willing to go.
But…
Kanzaki Rei's gaze darkened slightly.
That root magic of Seiichi's…
He wanted it.
If possible—
He would learn it after killing him.
And truthfully, the thousand-year-old Church of Reincarnation…
He wanted that too.
Building a power from scratch was far too troublesome.
If he could eliminate Seiichi…
Would it be possible to seize control of the Church?
After all—
He himself truly possessed Reincarnation.
It all depended on one thing—
Did they worship Seiichi the individual…
Or Reincarnation itself?
After a moment of thought, Kanzaki Rei began placing additional magic arrays throughout the dungeon.
Using his eternal, undying root, he ensured these formations would persist indefinitely.
When Seiichi arrived and sensed these arrays—
He might feel a hint of suspicion.
But not enough…
To make him turn and leave.
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