Why did a pillow have to arrive exactly when I was about to sleep...

He had already decided to leave this behind.

To give up on obtaining this Primordial Forbidden Magic.

Yes, that might mean being unable to release those two Wishes for a very long time—

but that was still better than facing unknown danger.

And yet...

Why had this intelligence fallen into his hands at precisely this moment?

It was as if some invisible destiny was pushing him forward.

But if the ruin truly wasn’t that dangerous...

Then Rei really did feel the urge to try.

Ordinary methods probably couldn’t resolve the predicament hanging over him anymore.

What he needed now—

were extraordinary means.

Aside from continuing to level up and gain more God-Tier talents...

Primordial Forbidden Magic belonged in that category.

And if he could release those two Wishes—

he could even use wishing itself to eliminate the hidden dangers on him.

"...Fine. I’ll take a look," Rei agreed.

Ewinri smiled.

"If you’re planning to explore that ruin too, I can introduce you to some Cryptic Scholar expedition teams. They can protect your safety."

An adventuring party...

That made sense.

Cryptic Scholars themselves likely didn’t have exceptional combat ability.

If they were exploring dangerous places, hiring adventuring parties was necessary.

And in truth, Cryptic Scholars often maintained close ties with adventurer groups.

Many dungeons contained sections requiring deciphering.

Within a team, Cryptic Scholars were highly valued.

They could substitute for professions like Observers or Erudites during expeditions.

"No need for an adventuring party."

"I already know an adventuring group."

Ewinri stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Alright. Then I’ll give you the rest of the intelligence on the ruin."

"When you return from exploring it... could you write down your observations too? Let me keep a record."

Rei nodded.

"Mm. No problem."

Easy enough to promise.

And if he later decided not to bother, Ewinri probably wouldn’t even remember.

Still—

unless there was something especially worth concealing,

Rei intended to honor the promise.

Compared to those cold, towering white spires—

the Mystery Enthusiasts Association felt strangely approachable.

At least the figure before him, almost like the local guildmaster, enthusiastically explained everything.

Rei swept his perception across the room.

With one hand raised—

scroll after scroll floated to his side.

Rustle—

Multiple records opened at once.

His perception spread across all of them simultaneously.

Absorbing all the knowledge at once.

"The Hole of Time."

"Echo Corridor."

"Realm of Enigmatic Time."

...

Everyone called the ruin something different.

Its name changed according to the visions they encountered inside.

Upon entering the first puzzle—

every person faced something different.

But one thing was shared.

Everyone entered a corridor from which there seemed to be no escape.

Some found the exit by reading the clocks lining the corridor.

The exit would appear on a certain wall—

at a specific time—

in a specific position.

Walk through the correct wall at the proper moment,

and one could leave.

Others simply waited in place for a corresponding amount of time—

then moved, and found the way out.

Different people had different methods.

Yet all of them pointed to one thing.

Time.

The puzzles were all different.

But after reading these accounts—

Rei felt they weren’t difficult.

If this was the level of challenge—

he could solve it easily.

During the process of leaving the first corridor,

everyone reported hearing a call from far, far away—

and glimpsing a vague silhouette.

Only a small number of records described leaving the corridor at all.

And in the second region—

once again everyone’s experiences differed.

Only three people had ever reached the second area.

One of them was the Diviner he had just read about.

Rei began looking for patterns.

Was the second region a test of will?

Combat power?

Pure puzzle-solving?

But since it involved Primordial Forbidden Magic—

it was most likely related to magic.

He began mentally deducing.

Of those three—

one entered a desert.

One an icefield.

One a prosperous city.

Only the one in the icefield reached the third region.

The other two never even found where the puzzle truly was.

And the sole person who reached the third region—

was Ewinri’s friend.

That Diviner.

In the end, the one who solved it and entered the third region...

wasn’t a Cryptic Scholar.

It was a Diviner.

Yet ironically—

her record contained the least information.

Instead of clues, she wrote mostly about scenery.

Travelogue-like impressions.

Regional customs.

Heh...

Diviners really are bastards.

Still—

if Diviners had an advantage,

then as a Prophet,

he should have advantages too.

The third region—

was an endlessly repeating span of time.

That Diviner had remained there for some time...

and then simply left the ruin.

No reason recorded.

...

In the end—

it was still all mystery.

But at least these records revealed something.

It was a place you could enter when you wished—

and leave when you wished.

So many people had been there.

At least my arrival alone won’t change it.

And the ruin seemed to have existed for decades...

which made it unlikely to be a trap designed specifically for him.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Footsteps approached.

Ewinri returned carrying an enormous armful of books and scrolls.

"Ewinri, why don’t you use a storage bag?"

Ewinri grinned.

"Don’t you think seeing this much information physically stacked together looks magnificent?"

Rei paused.

"...I suppose."

Several evil thoughts flashed through his mind—

but almost immediately,

opposing thoughts rose and suppressed them.

The impulse to kill the man,

seize all the secrets he controlled,

and monopolize everything—

was pushed down.

Rei accepted the materials Ewinri had warmly brought him.

...

So only two people had truly reached the third region.

It seemed to require extensive knowledge of temporal theory.

Mastery of history—

and mastery of the future.

Mastery of the future...

That was usually a Diviner’s field, wasn’t it?

No wonder that Diviner reached the third region.

She really did have an advantage over ordinary Cryptic Scholars.

Curiously—

there seemed to be very little direct testing of magical power.

And after learning all this,

much of the terrifying unknown had been swept away.

"Ewinri."

"When I return, let’s continue researching how to turn monsters into humans."

Ewinri lit up.

"Good! If you want to study that with me, you’re always welcome!"

His enthusiasm stirred something in Rei.

Since leaving the Secret Sea,

he had constantly been on guard,

always wondering whether someone meant him harm.

...Sigh.

Those carefree days really were worth missing.

He sighed inwardly.

Then his figure vanished from where he stood.

In only a few brief moments—

he had already reached outside the city.

And little more than ten minutes later—

he stood once more at the entrance to the ruin.

This time—

the ghostlike figure was nowhere to be seen.