After Kanzaki Rei arrived directly at that location—
Other class-advancers had already surrounded the outside of the room from every direction.
The moment Kanzaki Rei made any suspicious move, they would immediately subdue him.
Beside the blindfolded man who had guided Kanzaki Rei here, the woman wearing the green flower crown asked in confusion,
"You mentioned Phase…"
"How is he able to use Phase on his own?"
The blindfolded man replied,
"How would I know?"
"And he seems to know everything about us. He even walked straight through our restrictions."
Off to the side, a female elf dressed in luxurious silk garments wore an unpleasant expression.
The blindfolded man turned toward her.
"Hikari, was it you who let him inside?"
The elf woman answered irritably,
"Why would I let in some suspicious person with an unknown background?"
"You mean he broke through the restrictions you set up?"
Her expression darkened even further.
"That's right. As much as I hate admitting it, the instant we met, he already破解—no, he had already completely dismantled my restrictions."
Hearing that answer, the blindfolded man inhaled sharply.
"You're saying he broke through the restrictions of an Eighth-Tier Array Master in less than a second?"
The elf rolled her eyes at him.
"Wasn't I clear enough already? Do I need to repeat myself?"
"Where exactly did you find such a dangerous monster?"
"In the Moonsea. Remember the Land of Moonwatch?"
The moment she heard that name, the elf's gaze faltered slightly, and a trace of sadness surfaced on her face.
"Of course I remember."
"We failed that place."
The blindfolded man scratched his nose awkwardly.
"The situation isn't as bad as you think, Hikari. The Land of Moonwatch is perfectly fine."
The elf stared at him in shock.
"Perfectly fine?"
"How is that possible? We all know how dangerous that place is! Forget the ordinary people of the Land of Moonwatch—even you and I, even our entire squad, wouldn't have ended well if we stayed there."
The blindfolded man sighed helplessly.
"But that's the truth, Hikari."
"The guy I brought back—that man killed every single monster around the Land of Moonwatch."
"All of them?"
"Mm. Every last one. You probably still haven't seen the aftermath there. Those were the remnants of Ninth-Tier magic."
"Not just extermination either. It was an extinction-level seal."
Hikari still could not believe it.
"There were hundreds of Eighth-Tier monsters there. He really killed all of them alone?"
"I can't believe it either. But the facts seem to point that way."
"That's why I brought him back."
"He may very well be a one-of-a-kind existence. Like the heroes from certain legends."
"And besides, letting him enter wasn't solely my decision. The Great Sage instructed me to bring him in. Honestly, the moment I saw him walk into the restricted area, I already wanted to stop him—but the Great Sage told me not to interfere."
Hikari lowered her voice.
"He understands Phase magic… can break through our restrictions… and despite the extreme secrecy surrounding us, he knows far too much about our organization."
"If he truly has ulterior motives, he could drag us into irreversible ruin."
The blindfolded man rested both hands behind his head.
"Who cares? That's the kind of thing the smart people should worry about. People like us who fight and kill for a living don't think that deeply."
"Besides, could the situation really get any worse than it already is?"
"In any case, let the thinkers negotiate a conclusion. We'll just listen."
Hikari pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly.
"Can you have even a little independent judgment…"
…
"I only have one question. Izparut is also part of this organization, isn't he?"
The fishman sage leaned on his cane.
"Starting with a question that confidential, hm? Heh."
"Yes. He is."
Kanzaki Rei spoke directly without bothering with pleasantries.
"Good. Then I won't waste time going in circles either. Tell me exactly what you're planning to do."
In truth, Kanzaki Rei already knew everything.
Still, these exchanges were necessary.
The fishman sage paused briefly before speaking.
"One of our teams ventured deep into the interior of the Fallen Abyss. We lost contact with them several days ago."
"You want me to bring them back."
"The Fallen Abyss… isn't it supposed to be a place where you can only descend, never return?"
"You've already seen the situation. A massive rupture appeared somewhere within the Fallen Abyss. That rupture directly connects to the surface of the Moonsea."
"That's why countless monsters from the Fallen Abyss have been falling downward. After passing through the rupture, they escape the Abyss and enter the real world."
"And what we intend to do is enter through one of the normal entrances of the Fallen Abyss."
"We'll explore the Abyss during the descent, then eventually return through the fissure connected to the real world."
"If we can discover a method to close that fissure, then the Abyssal invasion into the Moonsea can be sealed completely."
"But now, the team sent to investigate the Fallen Abyss has gone silent."
"Every Level 8 class-advancer is extremely valuable."
Kanzaki Rei nodded slightly.
"I understand. Then what can you offer me?"
"You're a mage, correct?"
"More or less."
"I wonder… would the Eighth Forbidden Magic, Fate, be enough to interest you?"
Kanzaki Rei shook his head.
"Honestly, not quite enough."
"But for the sake of world peace, I'm willing to take the job."
"Still, what makes you think I can accomplish it?"
The fishman sage's bulging eyes fixed themselves on Kanzaki Rei.
"Heh heh heh… young man, you're wrapped in mysteries from head to toe."
"The truth is, I can't see through you at all."
"But there is one thing I'm certain about."
"You're different from the others."
"This world operates under a form of balance. As long as that balance hasn't been completely shattered, then even in a desperate situation like this, there should still be hope somewhere."
The Theory of Equilibrium.
Kanzaki Rei had heard of it before.
According to the theory, everything in this world existed in balance.
When destruction flourished, vitality would inevitably surge forth as well.
When catastrophe descended, hope and miracles would also be born alongside it.
Of course, this balance existed only on a macro scale across the world itself—and often with an enormous delay.
The destruction and disasters accumulated over centuries might require thousands of years afterward before balance was slowly restored.
Perhaps it was merely a grain of sand within the flow of history.
Yet when that grain landed upon an individual—
It became a crushing mountain.
Perhaps only after complete annihilation—
Would a new world finally be reborn.
Such balance held little meaning.
"You said the balance hasn't been completely broken yet. Does that mean the equilibrium itself is collapsing?"
The fishman sage nodded.
"That's correct. It hasn't shattered entirely yet, but I can clearly feel it continuously unraveling."
"I suspect it won't be long before the world's balance is completely destroyed."
"And when that happens… disasters will remain disasters. Hope may never appear again."
Kanzaki Rei asked,
"Why is the equilibrium breaking?"
The fishman sage slowly shook his head.
"That is the domain of gods. Wisdom like mine cannot窥探—cannot peer into such a realm."
Kanzaki Rei replied calmly,
"Understood. I'll go into the Fallen Abyss and bring them back."
"In return, you'll give me the Eighth Forbidden Magic."
The fishman sage answered,
"The Eighth Forbidden Magic is not in my possession. I'm not a mage, nor do I have the qualifications to safeguard something that precious."
"That Forbidden Magic lies within the Fallen Abyss itself. I can provide the route and the records."
"You'll need to retrieve it personally."
As he spoke, the fishman sage pushed a map toward Kanzaki Rei.
The instant Kanzaki Rei's gaze landed upon the map—
His pupils dilated slightly.
His consciousness had already traced forward into the future once again, projecting the very day he would obtain the Eighth Forbidden Magic.