He set out in the morning, soaring high above the Secret Sea.
It was said that more than two thousand years ago, the skies had been almost entirely restricted. The vast majority of people weren't qualified to fly at high altitudes. The sky belonged completely to monsters.
If ordinary humans tried to ascend, they would only become food.
Fighting aerial monsters in the sky was like battling sea monsters in the ocean—you were at an innate disadvantage. Mages had to constantly consume mana just to remain airborne. Warriors and similar classes needed to sustain their movement through control of their own energy.
Flight itself meant increased consumption.
And because of the existence of sky monsters, travel between continents became extremely difficult.
Sailing the seas invited attacks from oceanic monsters. Flying through the sky meant being hunted by aerial predators.
There was no path above, no path below.
In the end, most people would spend their entire lives confined to a single continent, never knowing what lay beyond.
Never knowing what existed on the other side of the sea…
Kanzaki Rei's perception swept downward into the ocean.
"So many sea monsters…"
However, most oceanic creatures couldn't survive long outside the water—let alone in the sky. Once removed from their environment, their combat strength dropped drastically.
Boom!
In an instant, Kanzaki plunged into the sea, sending up a massive splash!
His war spear thrust forward—
Piercing straight through a ten-meter-long sea monster!
Whoosh!
The next moment, he was already back in the sky, lifting the spear.
A massive fish, the size of a small truck, was skewered on its tip.
"Creatures of the Secret Sea…"
"They say the name 'Secret Sea' comes from the countless mysteries hidden within it—and that it's the ocean richest in magical energy."
"Monsters born here are said to be far stranger than ordinary ones…"
Kanzaki glanced at the fish impaled on his spear.
"Doesn't look that strange to me."
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
With a thought, seawater rose into the sky from all directions, forming floating cubes high above!
Crash—
The water cascaded back down into the ocean.
But the sea creatures remained suspended midair.
「Fifth-Tier Origin Magic — Spatial Transposition」
It didn't just allow him to move himself—it could reposition other beings according to his will.
Sea monsters were forcibly transferred into the sky.
Whoosh!
At the same time, countless sharp ice spikes formed directly beneath them.
「Immutable Eternal Technique」
Each spike hung frozen in place, as if it would never melt.
The monsters fell—
Impaled instantly.
Kanzaki moved through them, placing a hand on one after another, extracting information.
This really was his first time actively venturing out to sea.
Before, it had always been for advancement—or simulated crossings of the Moon Sea.
He had never once personally stood alone above the vast expanse of the Secret Sea.
Now it was already afternoon.
The two continents—Rylan and Takuya—were distant to the point of absurdity.
Calling them continents felt generous.
From here, they looked no larger than sesame seeds scattered across the ocean.
He had already flown tens of millions of kilometers…
This sea was terrifyingly vast.
Could it already rival the size of a solar system?
How far apart were the planets back on Earth?
At this distance… even if he had started from Earth, he'd probably be near Venus or Mars by now.
Not that he actually knew the precise distances between planets.
Gazing at the calm, gently rippling sea, Kanzaki felt something strange stir within him.
This ocean…
It had a kind of… unity.
He couldn't explain it—no theory, no concrete reasoning.
It was pure intuition.
Midway through his journey, he suddenly had an idea.
Whoosh—
Hundreds of thousands of souls appeared around him, swirling in orbit.
The souls gathered by the Death Priest had many uses.
However… when used outside the Death Priest class's primary functions, soul sacrifices had limits.
For example, strengthening monsters with souls—
Beyond a certain threshold, additional sacrifices yielded no further enhancement.
Excess souls would simply be expelled.
A pity they didn't explode.
If they did, Kanzaki wouldn't mind overfeeding a monster with souls until it burst apart.
That could've been a powerful method for defeating stronger enemies.
Even without explosion, though, prolonged reinforcement led to overload.
During overload, a monster's attributes would plummet, sometimes even leaving it completely immobile.
Still, the application was limited.
Before reaching overload, the target would enter a berserk state.
If he actually tried to kill something this way…
He'd never allow it time to rampage.
But this ocean…
It gave him a strange feeling.
Whoosh!
Kanzaki raised a hand—and released hundreds of thousands of souls into the sea.
They vanished instantly.
No sound. No trace.
Like stones sinking into the abyss.
Could souls even enter the Secret Sea?
No…
This felt like sacrifice.
Not passage—consumption.
It felt like feeding a monster.
And also like offering tribute to a dungeon.
Strange.
No reaction.
What if he increased the quantity?
Kanzaki didn't act rashly.
Instead, he immediately performed a divination.
His vision pierced through layers of mist…
He saw—
A massive vortex.
Buzz—
In the next instant, his consciousness snapped back.
"Tch… not enough."
Level 1 Prophet abilities were still limited.
He could glimpse fragments of the future—but only vaguely.
The more significant the matter, the blurrier the vision, the greater the cost, and the shorter the duration.
He could simulate the future to test it…
But using it on this alone would be wasteful.
Better to try during a future simulation—pass by the Secret Sea and experiment casually.
For now…
He looked north.
That was enough rest.
With a casual motion, spatial slashes carved off chunks of bloody monster flesh.
Fish-like creatures…
Wonder if they taste good.
Many monsters were edible.
Even in Chronoa's restaurants, there were entire menus dedicated to monster cuisine.
There were even Gourmet Hunters—specialists who hunted monsters purely to find the most delicious ones in existence.
Legend spoke of a warrior who could cut with invisible blades using only his bare hands.
His kicks were equally formidable.
A powerful Gourmet Hunter.
Known as "Blackfoot Aru."
He was said to be searching for a dungeon called [Divine Banquet]—where the most delicious monsters in the world resided.
…
Would that even exist?
Am I just background for some gourmet protagonist?
With 「Spatial Transposition」, Kanzaki brought a massive chunk of fish meat before him.
Fire magic ignited from within, heating the entire piece evenly.
At the same time, he sent a raw chunk directly into his mouth.
Parasites existed in this world.
But with strong constitutions—and facilities like Life Halls—getting sick from food was nearly impossible.
The meat melted in his mouth.
Rich, fatty, fragrant.
Juice burst forth with a gentle bite.
Even the blood carried a sweet, aromatic flavor.
As it slid down his throat, a lingering sweetness spread through his senses.
"Delicious!"
What was this monster called?
Didn't matter.
He stored it all.
Thankfully, the Cold Church's storage containers preserved freshness.
Then he bit into the cooked meat.
The aroma was even richer.
The once-red flesh had turned white—soft yet firm.
"Holy—!"
Mana surged violently.
His shirt exploded apart.
Now he understood.
Why Gourmet Hunters existed.
Some things… were worth pursuing.
…
After replenishing his energy, his fatigue from six hours of continuous flight vanished.
He stored the remaining monster meat.
Then continued north.
The sun sank.
A full moon appeared—not rising, but simply manifesting high in the sky.
Kanzaki looked down at the ocean.
No reflection.
So the rumors were true.
Only the Moon Sea reflected the moon.
By nightfall, he finally arrived at the shores of Takuya Continent.
This was his first time physically stepping onto a new continent.
Simulations didn't count.
It was around 6 PM.
But in his simulation, it had been after midnight.
To avoid deviations, it was better to follow the same timing.
Flash—
He arrived near a mountain range.
In the simulation, he hadn't just looted restricted church vaults.
That had taken mere seconds.
The remaining 24 hours had been spent exploring the continent.
Right now—
Ahead lay a Death Church stronghold.
Boom!
The mountain exploded instantly.
Blood splattered among shattered rock.
Kanzaki gripped his Void-Star War Spear.
Normally, enemies at this level didn't even require a staff.
But this wasn't a simulation.
Even a lion hunts a rabbit with full strength.
A figure tried to escape upward—
Thunderclouds gathered instantly.
「Shattering Thousand Thunderstorm (Fifth Tier) (LV: 401)」
Boom boom boom—
A thousand thunderclaps merged into one.
The fleeing figure was struck by fivefold amplified lightning—
Reduced instantly to charred remains.
Kanzaki layered himself with a hundred thousand shields.
Then floated forward.
He harvested every soul.
Collected all storage items.
They didn't even get to ask "Who?"
His perception swept again.
No survivors.
No traces left behind.
Then—
He summoned a monster tide ritual.
Monsters surged toward the area.
He didn't use them to form a dungeon.
He simply left.
The tide would erase traces.
Under monster erosion, human evidence faded rapidly—making divination far more difficult.
「Dark Magic — Veil of Obscurity (Fifth Tier) (LV: 401)」
This concealed his identity.
Even if divined—only a shadow would appear.
A forbidden tome he had stolen from the Dark Church.
Perfect.
Even if discovered, suspicion would fall elsewhere.
As for effectiveness against high-level seers…
Any protection was better than none.
Among the spoils—
"Codex of Death Reincarnation"
Just touching it revealed its contents.
Thanks to Yuna's Level 3 Scholar abilities.
A secret technique.
Sacrifice enough souls—
And in the next life, fragments of past memories could be awakened.
Which memories?
Completely random.
Crooked path.
Kanzaki vanished again—
Boom!
He appeared in a crimson chamber.
"The Shedding Rose."
"Who—?!"
Boom—
The man was slammed against the wall by invisible force.
"I represent the Death Church."
Kanzaki raised a hand.
「Death Spell — Soul Rend (Fifth Tier) (LV: 401)」
"AAAAAA—!"
The man collapsed.
The other two died before making a sound.
Souls extracted.
Then—
Three identical figures appeared beside Kanzaki.
「Divine Talent — Necrotic Rebirth」
Not just monsters.
Humans too.
He rarely killed people.
Mostly cultists. Wanted criminals.
Weak compared to high-tier monsters.
After the battle with Eltharim, he had gained some Level 7 Skinstealer souls.
But without proper skins—
They were weaker than lower-tier monsters.
Now—
These cultists stood as undead.
Leaving Death Church traces.
Not perfect.
But enough.
Kanzaki moved again.
Arriving at Peace City.
His body grew taller.
His eyes dulled.
Blending into the crowd.
Takuya was far more central than Rylan.
Pilgrims came endlessly.
He was just another traveler.
[Peace City]
[Special Rule — All violence is forbidden. Violators will suffer rule backlash.]
Even Level 7 couldn't break this.
In a past simulation—
Kanzaki had nearly died from the backlash.
Now he knew.
As long as he didn't attack—
It was safe.
Flash—
He appeared deep underground.
A prison.
Layered with over a dozen seals.
Click—
Unlocked instantly.
Inside—
A white-haired old man.
"You—?"
Flash—
The scenery changed.
Forest outside the city.
"Who I am doesn't matter."
"What matters… is that you owe me."
"Take this. Go to Loren."
A storage bag fell into the man's hands.
Kanzaki vanished.
The old man frowned.
Why open the door…
If you don't use it?
And why not close it?
Wouldn't that expose the escape?
From a nearby hill, Kanzaki watched.
A Root Mage.
His magic was valuable.
But 24 hours wasn't enough to learn everything.
Better to release him.
Learn later.
Then let fate decide.