"Luluvi meow."

"That kid you brought along... is he really that amazing, meow?"

Shumi strolled down the street with both hands behind her head, carefree as ever.

Luluvi patted her chest and answered with complete certainty,

"Of course. Everything I said is true."

"He’s really incredible. At this point, I honestly have no idea how strong he is anymore."

"But one thing’s certain—even Level 7 class-holders probably aren’t his match now. If it were him, he’d probably solve this easily..."

"Level 7... meow..."

The higher the level, the more monstrous the genius.

Level 7 class-holders were, in their youth, figures hailed as heaven’s chosen.

To challenge such people across levels was practically impossible.

And yet Luluvi was saying that Kanzaki Rei, a Level 5 class-holder, could deal with Level 7 opponents with little pressure at all.

It sounded utterly absurd.

But...

Maybe it was actually a good thing Kanzaki Rei wasn’t coming along.

Otherwise, how were they supposed to divide the spoils afterward?

If his contribution were too overwhelming—

Giving him too little would feel shameless.

The reason Shumi had invited Luluvi and Reina Frost was because this Abyssal Rift might be too much for their group to handle alone.

Hunting zones were divided into territories.

Once a Rift was opened, one could only hunt Abyss creatures within the designated region.

Any Abyss creatures escaping outside that area had to be surrendered publicly.

And during the process, powerful overseers would supervise everything.

Which meant letting as few prey escape as possible maximized the value of the hunt.

That was also why Shumi had wanted to share the opportunity with Luluvi and Reina Frost.

The seven of them were chatting—

When suddenly, from the distant White Tower, a sorrowful wave of consciousness spread in all directions.

Shumi looked toward it, narrowing her eyes slightly.

The moment that mental pulse washed over them, everyone immediately felt a strange empathic resonance.

"Indra?"

A Level 8 Erudite...

had committed suicide inside the White Tower.

Even those who had never known Indra now instantly understood his identity.

And entering their minds at the same time were countless fragmented pieces of information related to the Abyss.

Like a flood,

Indra’s knowledge dispersed outward.

Luluvi stared toward the White Tower as well, though she could not see through its restrictions into its interior.

"A Level 8 Erudite... was actually in this city."

"And he died."

A being who had once shaken the world...

had died so suddenly.

"Kanzaki Rei..."

Luluvi instinctively tried to reach out to him through perception.

But she couldn’t find his presence.

He was already gone.

Indra’s death had nothing to do with Luluvi’s group.

It was only that a desolate atmosphere seemed to spread over everything.

At the White Tower, scholars continuously moved in and out through the entrances.

Though unrelated to her—

Seeing that scene, even Reina Frost unconsciously clenched her hand.

Indra’s death gave her an inexplicable sense of oppression.

As if something deeply unsettling was about to happen.

...

Kanzaki Rei placed a hand on the ruins’ entrance before him.

It was a spiraling, twisted gateway like the shell of a snail.

The entrance extended inward, growing narrower the deeper it went.

Through the Lighthouse of Ten Thousand Laws, he could perceive the magic hidden within.

[Primordial Forbidden Magic — Time]

One of the Ten Forbidden Magics.

Of the forbidden magics confirmed to exist so far, only these were known:

[Elements]

[Mind]

[Space]

Beyond those, the other seven had only existed in speculation and embryonic forms.

Now, upon arriving here—

Kanzaki Rei learned of the fourth Primordial Forbidden Magic.

Time.

"Kid."

"The aura inside this place is anything but ordinary."

"How did you even find this place..."

"Luck."

"That’s all."

Kanzaki Rei said no more to Ansu.

He simply stood before the entrance.

[Future Simulation]

Bzzzt—

Back at the ancient ruins, Kanzaki Rei had already used Future Simulation before to view the futures he would experience inside ruins.

Future Simulation could only simulate one day at a time—

But the fully projected horizon covered thirty days into the future.

But...

This ruin was unlike any dungeon he had encountered before.

Whether he simulated Day One...

Day Ten...

Or Day Thirty...

Everything that happened inside was exactly the same.

As though he had just entered on the first day.

That was why, back on the ship, he had originally planned to use simulation to directly obtain this Primordial Forbidden Magic—

Yet because of this bizarre property,

He gained absolutely nothing.

And even stranger—

If he tried entering the ruins,

Even after simulating thirty days ahead—

He still never obtained the Primordial Forbidden Magic.

Which meant—

At present, there was not a single future in which Kanzaki Rei acquired this Forbidden Magic.

All he knew so far was this:

Inside lay a corridor shaped like a square frame.

No matter which direction he walked—

There was no way out.

This should be a puzzle requiring an answer.

And based on his experiences within simulations, Kanzaki Rei had formed a hypothesis.

That was—

This ruin did not exist within simulated time.

If one truly wanted to witness the ruins in their entirety—

One had to enter through real spacetime.

That was Kanzaki Rei’s answer.

But it also meant—

He could not foresee the dangers inside.

Kanzaki Rei slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again—

He had entered simulation once more.

And as expected—

The same corridor.

Unchanged.

Once inside,

There was no exit.

...

He opened his eyes again.

Today’s Future Simulation had consumed another use.

Only two uses remained.

Even standing physically before the gate—

Simulation had still provided no help whatsoever.

In a few days,

He should advance to Level 6 Cryptology Scholar.

Better to be cautious.

Wait until preparations were complete before attempting something this dangerous.

The reason he was willing to risk it at all—

Was because he still had Wish uses remaining...

And because he had already made a wish to obtain the Primordial Forbidden Magic.

Which meant he was fated to emerge from inside.

And on top of that—

There was the power from the Deep Earth.

The power to make fantasy become reality.

As long as he firmly believed he could come back out—

There should be no problem.

Wish.

Plus fantasy becoming reality.

Two absurd metaphysical guarantees of "what is desired shall come true."

They gave Kanzaki Rei considerable confidence.

What he lacked was only more stable preparation.

But just as he finished surveying the site in person and prepared to return temporarily and rearm—

He turned—

And discovered a black shadow brushing past him.

A black shadow?

It wore a hood.

And in that instant as it passed—

Kanzaki Rei, whose reaction speed was monstrous and whose perception was razor-sharp—

Only noticed it at the very moment of contact.

Shua!

His senses instantly focused to the extreme.

At the same time—

Kanzaki Rei entered combat state in a flash.

His body tightened violently.

BOOM—

Even the earth sank slightly under the pressure.

Yet in the corner of his perception—

He saw the black figure walk directly into the spiral snail-shell-like ruins—

And disappear into the depths.

He stared at the now empty entrance.

No one else was around.

That black shadow from moments ago—

Had felt almost unreal.

Like a ghostly apparition.

"Ansu."

"Did you see that?"

Ansu paused for a moment before answering.

"I did."

"What was that thing?"

Something that could appear silently beside him.

Without warning.

Without leaving him any awareness until the instant it passed.

Even a Level 8 class-holder—

Couldn’t do that in front of him.

"You couldn’t see clearly, so how would I?"

"But if you insist on my opinion..."

"I’d say..."

"It felt like the place is haunted."