This world… was indeed vastly different from Earth.
If two thousand years had passed on Earth, who knew what it would have become?
From the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties to the modern era—the transformation would have been earth-shaking.
And yet—
The people here were clearly from two thousand years ago.
But they looked no different from those in the year 5026.
From that alone, it gave the impression that this world's rate of progress… wasn't particularly high.
Kanzaki Rei's gaze settled on a mage in the distance.
"Spells mastered:First-Tier Fireball — Proficiency Level 3Lightning Strike — Proficiency Level 4…Second-Tier Thunder Burst — Proficiency Level 5Third-Tier Storm Ring — Proficiency Level 7Fourth-Tier Flesh Magic: Blood Cocoon — Proficiency Level 3…"
This mage only knew ten spells in total.
Four first-tier spells.Two second-tier spells.Three third-tier spells.One fourth-tier spell.
A lightning-type mage, by the look of it.
But that last spell—
Why was it suddenly Flesh Magic?
Strange.
Kanzaki Rei's thoughts shifted.
「God-Tier · Beacon of All Spells」 activated.
A faint glow peeled away from the mage's body—
And drifted toward Kanzaki Rei.
Whoosh—
In just over ten seconds—
Kanzaki Rei obtained:
「Fourth-Tier Flesh Magic — Blood Cocoon」
At the same moment—
The mage, who had been casually eating skewers, suddenly froze in horror.
He felt… empty.
Instinctively, he checked the spells he had mastered—
And discovered—
One was gone.
Gone without warning.
Fourth-Tier Flesh Magic — Blood Cocoon.
He could no longer remember how to cast it.
Not a trace remained.
Magic was knowledge.
Just like Sei—who possessed memories from a previous life—could cast spells without studying them, simply by remembering.
As long as one remembered, one could cast.
But now—
He clearly remembered that he had once possessed a spell.
Yet he couldn't recall how to use it at all.
Panic surged through him.
Unable to sit still, he quickly paid his bill and left.
He had to confirm whether he had truly lost it.
Kanzaki Rei watched him calmly.
He could see it clearly—
The mage now had one fewer spell.
Stealing mastered magic…
This was true theft.
Not duplication.
And the difference between stealing and copying—
Was absolute.
"In that case… Origin Magic should be stealable as well."
Directly stealing someone's Origin Magic—
Just imagining a mage losing their Origin Magic…
The despair would be unimaginable.
Even more terrifying—
The process itself was nearly impossible to detect.
When Kanzaki Rei stole the spell just now, the mage had no reaction whatsoever during those ten-plus seconds.
Only after the spell was completely taken did he realize something was wrong.
And even then—
He never noticed Kanzaki Rei's presence.
During the entire process, Kanzaki Rei hadn't even concealed himself with Unsolvable Enigma.
If the mage had been capable of perceiving him—
He would have been discovered.
But clearly—
The concealment of this talent alone was already top-tier.
Combined with Unsolvable Enigma—
He could steal anyone's magic without restraint.
With this talent—
If he encountered someone like Sei again, an enemy he would normally have to kill…
There would be no regret.
No need to lament missed opportunities.
No need to regret losing access to their Origin Magic.
Kanzaki Rei vanished.
As a Level 5 Mage, the world now felt vast and open—
There was nowhere he couldn't go.
「Stolen Spell — Ninefold Radiant Day (Fifth-Tier)」「Stolen Spell — Summon: Crimson Magma Lord (Fifth-Tier)」「Stolen Spell — Snowfall Freezing Surge (Fifth-Tier)」…
One spell after another—
Was taken.
It almost felt like a sin against heaven.
After all, mages spent years mastering a single spell—
And in just ten seconds, it was erased.
Cruel.
…Truly cruel.
Still—
In the future, there would be no need to steal spells in reality.
Stealing them within future simulations would likely yield the same results.
But now—
With this talent—
Izar would never be able to defeat him again.
He was now—
The natural enemy of all mages.
As he continued stealing spells, Kanzaki Rei constantly shifted his position across the city.
At the same time, he kept thinking.
What exactly was going to happen here?
What kind of event could cause the entire world to feel regret?
So far—
Nothing unusual.
He had gathered bits and pieces of information from different locations.
If he could locate the source of this so-called global tragedy—
Then perhaps destroying the entire city wouldn't be necessary.
Another possibility crossed his mind—
A world-spanning regret didn't necessarily mean a catastrophic evil event.
It could be—
A groundbreaking discovery cut short.
A genius who should have been born… dying prematurely.
If he truly couldn't find any clues—
Then he would destroy the city.
At this point—
Kanzaki Rei already had a plan.
「Divination: Fate Revelation Cards」
He shuffled the deck in his hand and drew several cards from his self-crafted Fate deck.
"…A dark place. Isolation. No light…"
He then observed the threads of fate—
A massive vortex of destiny was gathering.
In this Month of Chaos—
Divination accuracy was greatly reduced.
There was a high chance of receiving distorted results.
So Kanzaki Rei didn't place much hope in it.
Still—
Following the reading—
He arrived before a dark castle.
Within a five-kilometer radius—
There was nothing but barren land.
Inside the castle—
A young vampire.
Vampires could not endure daylight.
Under the sun, weaker vampires would be burned within seconds—killed almost instantly.
Even powerful vampires could not remain in sunlight for long.
If it were June—
During the Eternal Day phenomenon—
An entire month without night would be pure torment for them.
"…If the divination isn't wrong, this should be the place."
Inside the castle—
There was only one vampire.
He stood at an alchemy station, working with potions.
An alchemist.
Kanzaki Rei didn't approach directly.
Instead, from outside the castle, through layers of perception-blocking walls—
He observed the process.
The potion's tier was clearly high.
As a Level 1 Alchemist—
He couldn't understand it at all.
It resembled chemical research.
Glass tubes of varying lengths connected into intricate apparatuses.
Beakers and flasks were inscribed with magical arrays—
Water control. Flame temperature regulation. Freezing…
All basic enchantments.
They allowed even non-mages to operate the setup.
After all—
More advanced magic couldn't be used without the Mage class.
Even without understanding the full process—
It was clear.
The work was nearing completion.
And then—
BOOM!
A terrifying aura descended!
Kanzaki Rei snapped his head upward—
A man with golden eyes stood in the sky.
He made no attempt to hide his power.
Thunder roared across the heavens.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky.
His gaze fell upon the castle below.
Without a word—
He simply raised his hand—
Intent on erasing the vampire.
"…Tch."
"So that's how it is."
Kanzaki Rei raised his own right hand at the same moment.
Buzz—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thousands of sealing spells unfolded simultaneously—
Instantly enclosing the man!
BOOM!
But in less than half a second—
An overwhelming force erupted!
All thousands of seals—
Shattered instantly.
"…So sealing doesn't work."
Were seals really just meant to be broken?
This—
Was a powerful enemy.
Kanzaki Rei's aura surged.
In just one second—
His physical strength had already increased tenfold again.
Since his advancement—
Two hours had passed.
In that short time—
His physique had long surpassed the natural limit of a Level 5 Warrior—
And was repeatedly breaking into higher thresholds.
Back at Level 4—
His body had already rivaled a Level 7 class holder.
Now—
Could he match a Level 8?
If not—
Then what about after a hundredfold increase?
A thousandfold?
Kanzaki Rei rose into the sky—
Floating opposite the man.
Layers of magical shields surrounded him, radiating impenetrable strength.
At this point—
He could already use Sixth-Tier Magic.
And every Sixth-Tier spell—
Could shake the heavens and earth.
"…Senior."
"Why act here?"
"What crime has he committed that warrants death?"
Though he spoke calmly—
Kanzaki Rei had no idea who the alchemist below was.
He was stalling for time.
As long as he remained in combat—
Every second meant more power.
The man's voice was deep.
"You're an accomplice of that vampire?"
Kanzaki Rei smiled faintly.
"I'm simply kind-hearted. I can't stand senseless killing."
"Then get lost."
"This is a personal grudge. It has nothing to do with you."
Kanzaki Rei chuckled.
"If it's truly a clear-cut grudge…"
"Why not explain it?"
..
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