Kanzaki Rei held the test tube containing the synthesized potion in his hand.

If he remembered correctly—

At this point in time, he should have been refining the Extreme Perception Potion.

Using the eyeball of the Abyssfall Eye as a catalyst.

But just moments ago—

He had been practicing Seventh Forbidden Magic — Element.

And yet the state of Future Simulation had been forcibly terminated.

There had been one previous time when he couldn’t tell whether he was inside a simulation or outside it.

But that had been in the Deep Earth.

Back then his condition had been muddled.

Reality and illusion had blurred together.

But now—

He was fully in the real world.

The instant he exited Future Simulation,

He recognized it immediately.

After all—

It was his talent.

Reality or simulation—

He could tell with a single thought.

But to have his simulation state directly cut off—

That was completely beyond Rei’s expectations.

Mystery Scholar Level: 5

At this moment—

His Mystery Scholar level was no longer 6.

Because advancing to Level 6 happened after this point in time.

And accordingly—

The corresponding talent no longer existed either.

"No way..."

Rei lowered the test tube.

He no longer had any heart to continue brewing potions.

If what he was seeing was real—

Then perhaps not just this once.

Time...

Might continue resetting forward.

"Kid, what’s wrong?"

"You look almost terrified."

Without that talent—

Rei was beginning to lose track of which thoughts in his mind were foreign...

And which were truly his own.

The contamination.

Lottie’s interference.

His own will.

All mixed together.

"Ansu."

"My time is resetting forward..."

"What do you think?"

Though Rei spoke only briefly,

Within moments he transmitted a flood of information through the sea of consciousness into Ansu’s mind.

Ansu pressed against his shriveled temples.

"So you’re saying..."

"You’ve already been to that ruin."

"And the temporal reset effect you mentioned..."

"Is still attached to you?"

Ansu let out a cold laugh.

"Heh. That’s a blessing ordinary people couldn’t enjoy even if they begged."

"Time is actually rewinding for you?"

"If I were you..."

"I’d treasure the opportunity and see if I could return to the past and affect certain events."

"But if you ask me..."

"I believe time cannot truly be altered."

"The past you think you’re re-experiencing..."

"Is actually a future that hasn’t happened yet."

"Though I’ll admit..."

"The mechanism behind it is stranger than I imagined."

"But by now it should be obvious."

"The source of this phenomenon..."

"Is that door."

"Go back."

"Open it."

"Maybe this ends."

"Or maybe..."

"Something happens that you’d rather never see."

After hearing Ansu’s analysis,

Rei fell silent for a while.

It seemed...

There was no real choice.

This reset had already returned him to before he advanced to Level 6 Mystery Scholar.

His strength increased alongside time.

Which also meant—

The farther back time rewound,

The fewer methods he possessed.

The weaker he became.

And Rei had no idea—

When would the resets stop?

Worst case—

They never would.

Until the beginning of time.

The beginning of his own life.

Entirely possible.

Worst of all—

He could simply die.

How could he allow that to continue?

Looks like the only option...

Is finding a way to open that door.

From any angle—

Preserving himself came first.

"Understood."

He calmed himself again.

And resumed compounding the potion.

Even though time had returned to this point—

The necessary process still couldn’t be skipped.

Every step still had to happen.

Enhancing perception was essential.

Advancing Mystery Scholar afterward—

Also essential.

Only after reclaiming that talent

Would he have more confidence re-entering those ruins.

...

Another day passed.

This reset...

Had actually sent him back this far?

An entire day.

Finally,

The potion was complete.

This time there was no waiting.

No hesitation.

Rei drank it immediately.

After waiting in place for some time—

He once more felt that roaring sensation—

Like tens of thousands calling his name.

The feeling of imminent advancement.

Time to ascend.

The process afterward was mostly the same...

During the wishing phase,

Rei chose the same wish again.

To unravel the mysteries of the ruins.

But this time—

Unlike before—

His first wish slot was already empty.

The wish that had not yet been fulfilled at this point originally—

Had already been completed the moment the reset occurred.

Bzzzz—

As the Mystery Scholar advancement ritual concluded—

The class mastery and talents Rei obtained

Were exactly the same as before.

Once the advancement finished—

He headed directly for the ruins.

The third time returning here...

Still the same spiral entrance.

Though the entrance remained motionless in the same place—

Rei somehow felt it inexhaustible.

As if the ruin itself kept actively seeking him out.

Three visits already.

Like paying three visits to a thatched cottage.

Shhh—

Rei stepped in once more.

He passed through the First Region with ease.

And when he entered the Second Region again—

All that remained before him was emptiness and darkness.

Iz Palt did not appear again.

This place didn’t seem to be the Realm of Secret Knowledge either.

It felt more like a fault line in time.

He had questions he wanted to ask Iz—

And now Iz was absent.

Troublesome.

Every passage through the Second Region—

Changed.

Rei confirmed with Ansu.

This truly was a temporal discontinuity.

Meaning—

If he moved toward that distant light—

He would once again find the entrance with the great door.

Tick—

Time passed second by second.

The search went smoothly.

Soon— 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Rei once more reached the corridor.

And once more saw the mysterious gate at its end.

From behind the door seemed to come a girl’s voice.

And ghostlike wails.

Crying.

Whispering.

Sorrow.

Rei stood before the door again.

He didn’t know what it would release.

But it still had to be opened.

He pressed the Core against the gate.

Previously—

Even trying to force it open had left it unmoved.

Who knew—

At full power—

Whether it could be shaken.

But this time—

He hadn’t given souls to Ansu at all.

He had souls to spare.

"Ansu."

"What do you think this door is?"

Rei didn’t immediately use brute force.

He asked first.

"What else could it be?"

"Just open it."

"But..."

"If your strength can’t do it..."

"You might as well leave it to me."

"With just a few souls..."

"I should be able to open it for you."

...

Want to unlock up to 60+ early-access Chapters with NFSW Content and exclusive novels ?! Join my Patreon today and dive deeper into the adventure!

patreon.com/denji21