Yeria frowned slightly.
"If it's dangerous… shouldn't we go save him?"
Kanzaki Rei shook his head and let out a quiet sigh.
"That place is…"
He almost said the Heavenly Realm—and a dead end.
But then he remembered—
Yeria was a successor of Jua.
If she heard "Heavenly Realm," she might rush in without hesitation.
He changed his wording mid-thought.
"…the Abyss."
"And there's no return."
"The secrets behind the door told me so."
In truth, the door had revealed nothing.
There had been no puzzle to unlock—just walk through it.
But the others only knew he possessed the ability to peer into hidden truths.
They didn't know the actual mechanics of his talent.
Just like he knew the names of others' God-Tier talents—
But had to infer their effects.
Because God-Tier talents were never listed in any known system panel.
"…The Abyss…"
At the mention of that name, disgust flickered in Yeria's eyes.
Kanzaki Rei concluded calmly,
"Looks like… he's not coming back."
Yeria turned to the remaining three doors.
"What about the others?"
This—
This was exactly why a deciphering specialist was indispensable in ruins.
Too many unknown risks.
Without knowledge, you wouldn't even know where you stepped into a trap.
Kanzaki Rei glanced at the remaining doors and sighed inwardly.
I only get four simulations a day…
You throw four doors at me at once—what, am I supposed to burn them all here?
Impossible.
At least one had to be reserved for survival.
The Month of Chaos…
Truly unbearable.
If he simulated all four now—
What if eight more appeared later?
No logic. No pattern.
Completely deranged.
…Fine.
Then use divination instead.
A deck of cards appeared in his hand.
Fate Cards.
Personally crafted.
As a Seer, relying on a single method of divination would be foolish.
He had mastered multiple techniques—
All pushed to LV: 401.
Shuffle.
Draw.
Flip.
Yeria blinked.
"You can do divination too?"
"…Yeah. I'm actually a Seer."
She froze.
…You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?
Kanzaki Rei didn't care much about revealing it now.
Once they parted ways, she wouldn't retain this knowledge anyway.
As for his other classes—
He revealed them when needed.
Otherwise, he simply didn't mention them.
No need to hide obsessively.
But no need to expose everything either.
Maintaining a thin veil of mystery gave him far more flexibility.
"…This one—'Gate of Ascension to Godhood'—we should avoid."
He tested that door first.
It radiated danger.
The kind that meant certain death.
The cards he drew—
"Destruction""Death""Decay"
And when he traced his own fate—
Death.
Immediate.
No need to simulate.
Skip.
Next—
"Gate of Chaos and Disorder."
Just looking at it made him uncomfortable.
The cards read—
"Chaos""Disorder""Unknown"
The future he glimpsed?
Fragmented.
Incoherent.
Everything and nothing at once.
Even if simulated—
The outcome might diverge wildly.
Butterfly effect at its worst.
"…This one too. A trap. Don't enter."
Finally—
"Gate of Ascension."
The only one that felt… relatively stable.
Shuffle.
Draw.
"Harvest""Danger""Opportunity"
Danger—but not death.
Kanzaki Rei could accept that.
"This one… has risks. But also something worth fighting for."
"Of course, we could also ignore all four doors and continue forward."
Rhein nodded immediately.
"If it's risk and reward… worth trying."
Kanzaki Rei's lips twitched slightly.
You're not even suspicious?
We barely know each other.
If I were you, I wouldn't trust me at all.
And yet—
Rhein showed zero doubt.
Far too trusting.
Or… something else?
"Shall we go in?"
Kanzaki Rei raised an eyebrow.
"Our objective was to explore the ruin itself."
Rhein laughed.
"Haha! Exploring side paths first—that's basic RPG logic, isn't it?"
…You a transmigrator too?
Without hesitation—
Rhein touched the door.
FLASH!
Gone.
Kanzaki Rei paused.
Then sighed softly.
He closed his eyes briefly—
Then opened them and turned to Yeria.
"Yeria… let's go in too."
She pressed her lips together.
What is wrong with these people?
But—
There wasn't really another option.
If she didn't follow—
She'd be alone in the ruin.
And the darkness around them was growing thicker.
…Alone felt… unsettling.
"…Alright. Together."
Kanzaki Rei glanced at her.
Afraid of the dark.
A successor of the Light Church—
Afraid of darkness.
How ironic.
He stepped forward.
Crossed the gate.
—
Gate of Ascension
Creator: Aegmisa, of Chaos and Madness
Description: In this month of chaos and madness, Aegmisa spreads disorder across the world. Beyond this gate lies either supreme fortune… or a funeral for your life.
—
BOOM!
Thunder roared across a dim sky.
Rhein stood not far ahead.
And—
They weren't alone.
Figures appeared one after another.
"Where… is this?"
"A ruin that leads to a place like this…?"
Rhein waved.
Kanzaki Rei and Yeria moved to his side.
The three grouped together.
Around them—
Others stood alone.
No teams.
No allies.
And—
Their faces were obscured.
Not sensory interference—
But cognitive masking.
A high-level concealment.
Only those who entered through the same gate could recognize one another.
Rhein muttered,
"…You know, us sticking together while everyone else is alone… kinda makes us look weak."
Kanzaki Rei stared at him.
Do you hear yourself?
Yeria crossed her arms.
"So, Seer—do you know what this place is?"
Kanzaki Rei tilted his head slightly, looking up at the sky as if observing something unseen.
"This place…"
"A trial ground."
"A trial?" Rhein asked.
"What kind?"
Kanzaki Rei didn't answer.
Instead—
Tap.
A faint echo sounded.
At the center of the floating island—
A shadow emerged.
Blurred.
Chaotic.
Like a smudged stain.
"Welcome, explorers of the ruin…"
A distorted voice echoed.
"I'm delighted you chose chaos… chose disorder."
"Chaos—one of the most mysterious, most delightful forces in existence."
Yeria scanned the crowd.
Around fifteen people.
Including themselves.
All silent.
Except—
Rhein burst out laughing.
"Haha! True! Chaos is full of surprises!"
Yeria's lips twitched.
Why are you talking?
The shadow's form shifted—
A wide grin appearing.
"HAHA! I like you!"
"+100 million points!"
DING!
A number popped above Rhein's head.
+100000000
…What?
Kanzaki Rei froze.
This…
Was not in any simulation.
In those—
This entity had been structured.
Predictable.
A rule-giver.
But now?
Completely unhinged.
"Anyway~ congratulations to all of you—various successors and whatnot—for randomly stumbling into my Chaotic Gate!"
"And congratulations again!"
"You've unlocked our SSS-tier reward—"
"CHAOS CARNIVAL!"
"Congratulations!!!"
Clap clap clap clap clap—
The shadow formed hands—
Clapping wildly.
Then—
Someone else joined in.
Clap clap clap—
Instantly—
The shadow's face twisted into anger.
"I'm clapping—why are you interrupting?"
"You! Out!"
"No carnival for you!"
FLASH!
Gone.
Erased.
…
This thing was insane.
Chaos.
Top of his most hated list.
The natural enemy of a Seer.
"Anyway~"
"As you can see, you've all been selected for a grand carnival game!"
"I've already discussed this with your superiors—they fully approve!"
"As a reward for embracing chaos—this game has only rewards, no penalties!"
"After all, if I accidentally kill their successors, they might get upset~"
"Oh right!"
"I borrowed a tiny bit of divine authority from Sofia!"
HUM—
Green light enveloped everyone.
"In this game—no matter what happens—you will not die."
"Even if that guy named Bai kills you—you won't really die!"
"You'll just return to where you came from~"
"Nice benefit, right?"
"Of course—if Bai himself personally decides to kill you… well, I can't help with that! Haha! Isn't that funny?"
Silence.
…What part of that was funny?
"Haha… HAHAHA!"
Someone laughed.
Kanzaki Rei turned—
Of course.
Rhein.
"GOOD! You get my humor!"
"+100 million points!"
DING!
+100000000
Total: 200,000,000
…
Just hand him the win already.
The War God valued combat.
The God of Chaos—
Valued chaos itself.
This entity—
Was clearly an incarnation of Aegmisa.
Gods in this world…
Had a disturbingly strong presence.
Still—
The overall structure wasn't too different from his simulations.
And—
Kanzaki Rei's gaze drifted toward a distant figure.
Slender.
Feminine.
But completely obscured by mist.
No details visible.
"Anyway~!"
"In this carnival, everything you seek in the ruin will appear!"
"It's like exploring multiple grand ruins at once!"
"Let's see…"
"The first round…"
"…Eh, let's just decide randomly!"
The shadow extended an arm.
"For chaos' sake—let's have the highest-scoring player decide the first round!"
…What kind of reasoning is that?
"For example—YOU! The 200 million guy!"
A roulette wheel materialized.
Covered in Chaotic Script.
"Go ahead! Spin it!"
Rhein grinned.
"Alright~"
WHRRRR—
The wheel spun wildly.
The pointer stopped on—
"World Slaughter"
The shadow stared at it.
Then tilted its head.
"…Hmm."
"Oh! Actually—we'll use the short end of the pointer!"
"So the first round is—"
"Nest Invasion!"
"Go forth! Invade the nests recklessly!"
"Pierce them! Tear them open until they bleed!"
"From now on—every monster killed will drop random items from ruin exploration!"
"And will count as points!"
"Tier 5: 1 point."
"Tier 6: hmm… random, 50 to 100 points!"
"Below Tier 5? Too weak—no points!"
"Tier 7… hmm…"
"…20 points!"
"HAHA! Perfect!"
Kanzaki Rei's eye twitched.
Tier 7 worth less than Tier 6?
Are you serious?
"Hehe~"
"Enjoy… chaos."
TAP.
A leaderboard appeared.
Rank 1—
Rhein: 200,000,000 points