Once again, it proved that one truly had to travel and see more of the world.
Separated by nothing more than a single continent, yet the culture and scenery differed so drastically.
If he hadn't personally made this trip to Tenge, Kanzaki Rei would never have imagined… that such a place could exist.
Unlike Loren.
Here, gears and pipelines were everywhere.
Massive pipes transported steam, while thinner conduits carried a refined energy known as "Pure Fluid."
Even along the streets, finely crafted mechanical attendants served customers like living beings.
If this had been the first place he arrived after crossing into this world—
He might have believed this was the world's true baseline.
Like blind men feeling different parts of an elephant—after visiting only two continents, one still had no real grasp of how vast and magnificent this world truly was.
"A nation of mechanists…"
Mechanists could be considered half-combat classes. Through intricate components, they created unique constructs vastly different from mages or warriors.
In theory, even high-tier constructs could be operated by low-level mechanists.
That made their combat power extremely unstable.
Some low-level mechanists could wield terrifying strength through powerful constructs.
Others, even at high levels, could become weaker than lower-tier warriors or mages if deprived of their machines.
"…It's in that direction."
Buzz—
A ripple in space.
One moment, Kanzaki Rei stood on a bustling street.
The next, he appeared inside a dimly lit room.
Before him sat an utterly ordinary middle-aged man, focused on repairing a clock.
"Customer, this month's reservations are already full."
"If you have valuable items for repair, you'll need to schedule for next month."
He looked up.
Seeing only a child, confusion flickered across his face.
But Kanzaki Rei's expression bore none of a child's innocence.
He hadn't disguised himself—there was no need in a future simulation.
Instead, his voice came out low and cold.
"Oh? So you're saying… the Secret Sand Isles will still have a next month?"
"…Mokri."
The moment that name was spoken—
Mokri's hands froze.
"…Customer, you're quite young. Where exactly did you hear that name?"
Swish—
Without answering, the environment shifted.
They now stood inside a dark dungeon cell.
A place Kanzaki Rei had casually found through his perception—and repurposed.
"You—"
Mokri's pupils shrank.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter."
"What matters is… what you're trying to do."
Kanzaki Rei raised his right hand.
A projection appeared—a golden scroll inscribed with a prophecy of apocalypse.
"You wrote this, didn't you?"
"How did you—"
"No… how did you even know this was mine?!"
He had left no trace.
Hidden himself far from Loren.
So why had he been found?
Why now?
But there was no time to dwell on that.
He had to subdue this child first!
Swish!
His right arm instantly turned black—
Countless components assembled in an instant!
「Mechanical Armament—Executioner Type VI」
Bang!
Before he could even move—
A spear of ice pierced through!
Boom!
His entire mechanical arm was obliterated, the spear embedding deep into the wall and freezing everything around it!
Clack—
Kanzaki Rei hovered midair, gripping his throat with one hand.
「Mokri」「Level 5 Mechanist / Level 1 Doomsday Prophet」「Foretold the destruction of the Ruilen Continent, guiding its calamity into existence」「Equipped Constructs: Phantom Slayer VI Arm, Titan Force VI… Floating Cannon Array, Magnetic Base, Lightburst Base…」
Quite the arsenal.
Kanzaki Rei's gaze turned cold as he looked behind Mokri.
Swish—
A cloud of black sand surged forward.
「Micro-Mechanical Swarm」
They could burrow into a target's body and destroy them from within.
Whoosh!
With a mere thought—
Flames erupted.
A blazing inferno sealed off the surroundings, instantly incinerating every single mechanical insect.
Not one remained.
"I suggest you stop trying anything clever."
His grip tightened.
Mokri's eyes bulged as he struggled.
"W-What do you want to know?!"
"How did you create this disaster?"
"Did you already know Roya and Samu would come?"
Kanzaki Rei's tone was icy—probing.
A Level 5 mechanist coordinating Level 8 entities?
Impossible, under normal logic.
"I—I don't know those people!"
"Then why did you predict the destruction of Ruilen on April 1st?"
"Don't tell me you just made it up."
「Dread Intent (Tier 5) (LV:401)」
A crushing mental pressure descended.
Fear seeped into his very soul.
With Kanzaki Rei's mastery over soul, death, and mental magic—
This was absolute domination.
"It—it was the King!"
"He made me take the Doomsday Prophet class!"
"He said he would carry out the destruction—I just had to issue the prophecy!"
"That's all! I didn't have to do anything else!"
Kanzaki Rei observed his mental fluctuations.
Fear, desperation—but no deception.
"…The King?"
"Why would he make you become a Doomsday Prophet?"
"I don't know! I swear I don't know!"
Kanzaki Rei snorted coldly.
"Think carefully. If you're hiding anything…"
"Your life ends here."
A child's face—
Yet utterly terrifying.
"I—I… there's more!"
For the next half hour, Kanzaki Rei interrogated him thoroughly.
The truth unfolded.
Mechanists required immense resources to advance.
The kingdom controlled those resources.
To reach Level 5, Mokri had accepted the King's conditions—
One of which was becoming a Doomsday Prophet and issuing the prophecy.
Once a prophecy was declared—
That location would become a "destined convergence point."
Disasters would gradually gather there.
An absurdly terrifying class.
Simply predicting destruction… would cause it.
However—
If the prophecy failed—
He would forever lose the chance to advance to Level 2 Doomsday Prophet.
As for why the King targeted Loren—
Or how he intended to execute the destruction—
Mokri didn't know.
He had only wanted to advance.
After reaching Level 5, fear consumed him.
But he couldn't tell anyone.
So he hid—living as a humble repairman.
Waiting for the prophecy date to pass.
"…So the true mastermind is the King of Tenge."
Crack!
Kanzaki Rei's grip tightened.
Ice exploded.
Mokri's body shattered into countless fragments—
Only the head remained barely intact.
"W… why… I told you everything…"
Kanzaki Rei ignored him.
The storage device floated into his hand.
A sweep of perception—
Then he vanished.
Inside were numerous valuable constructs.
Type VI models—crafted by Level 6 mechanists.
Mechanical naming conventions were simple:
Types I–VIII corresponded to Levels 1–8.
Only Level 9 constructs were different—
They were simply called "Perfect."
"…The King of Tenge should be a Level 6 mechanist."
Over a century ago—
A Level 7 mechanist had visited Tenge, leaving behind powerful creations.
Those became the kingdom's trump cards.
Within decades—
Tenge conquered the entire continent.
Now, only one kingdom remained.
The Kingdom of Tenge.
Swish—Swish—Swish—
Kanzaki Rei blinked through space repeatedly.
Instead of magical barriers—
This kingdom relied on precision engineering.
Massive doors.
Biometric locks—face, fingerprint, iris scans.
Technologically—
It rivaled his previous world.
Yet—
In a world with magic, rituals, and combat arts—
Technology was just one of many viable paths.
Not the only one.
Barriers meant nothing.
He simply bypassed everything with spatial movement.
Inside the palace—
Mechanical guards patrolled, armed with light blades and rotary cannons.
Their eyes could detect invisibility.
He casually destroyed two.
「Royal Guard Automaton」「Tier: 4」「Weapons: Light Blade, Rapid Cannon, Radiant Eye…」「Functions: Boost Thrusters, Translation, Humor Module, Stealth Detection, ID Recognition…」
Even included… joke-telling.
Mass-produced Tier 4 combat units.
Equivalent to mid-tier adventurers.
"Mechanists… truly impressive."
Unlike Loren's sprawling palace complex—
This was a single colossal structure.
Nine hundred ninety-nine floors.
A fortress.
A dungeon boss lair.
Swish—Swish—Swish—
Floor after floor.
He paused occasionally at interesting locations.
A sealed black chamber—
He entered instantly.
Inside—
A server room.
「Tenge Central Information Server」「Manages all citizen data, automaton registration—high encryption」
"Even servers exist…"
Yet no phones or computers.
A strange tech tree.
「Creator: Zilbar — Chief Mechanist of Tenge」
Level 6.
Attempting decryption—
Level 7 difficulty.
Required knowledge far beyond Loren's.
"…Not enough."
He left.
Next—
A chamber filled with artificial organs.
"Mechanical heart… optical implants… alloy jaw."
"…Cyberpunk, huh?"
He shattered a tank.
Took the mechanical heart.
Swallowed a pain-dulling pill—
Rip!
He tore out his own heart.
Installed the mechanical one.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Power surged.
"…Not much."
And—
Some skills became unusable.
Rip—
He removed it again.
"Trash."
Regeneration restored everything instantly.
Next—
Floor 666.
"…Mechs, huh?"
Makes sense.
Higher-level mechanists were basically living machines.
"Who goes there?!"
Boom!
A towering mech charged—
A massive blade descending!
"Even killing children… ruthless."
Boom!
Before impact—
Kanzaki Rei vanished.
Appeared behind it.
「Spatial Shock (Tier 5) × Arcane Refinement — Fifth Form: Extreme Combo」
Bang!
The mech disintegrated instantly.
He glanced back—
Boom!
Spatial fractures tore through everything.
Over a dozen mechs—
Destroyed in an instant.
"…That's it?"
Stylish.
But weak.
His hands never left his pockets.
Swish—
Floor 999.
The top.
"…Why do kings always live at the top?"
He appeared directly in the throne room.
No alarms.
No barriers triggered.
"Who are you?!"
Kanzaki Rei replied calmly:
"If everyone asks that, I'll get tired of answering."
"I only want to know one thing."
"About you ordering Mokri to predict the destruction of Loren."