The members of the Church finally departed—most likely to begin dealing with the impending apocalypse of the Secret Sea.
Kanzaki Rei turned to the figure beside him."Kumironi… how many people do you think the Church can save?"
Kumironi shook her head lightly."I don't know…""But the Church of Life follows the doctrine of preserving life. I believe… they'll try their best to save as many as possible."
The Church of Life had always stood for healing and salvation.So far, Rei's impression of them remained positive—at the very least, he hadn't uncovered any deeply rotten corruption within their ranks.
Yes, there were still power struggles… but compared to other Churches, they were far cleaner.
—
Shhk—
A ripple in space appeared, and Izpalt materialized beside Rei.
Iz's movement relied on spatial magic.Only after advancing to a Level 4 Mage and gaining the ability to perceive spatial elements did Rei finally understand how Izpalt moved.
Every level truly revealed an entirely new layer of the world.
"Yo, you finally made it back."Izpalt's tone carried a relaxed edge."You left after dropping a few messages. Kumironi was actually pretty worried about you."
Rei glanced at Kumironi.
Even he couldn't predict how long he would be gone each time.Every future simulation could uncover something new—like restarting a game again and again, exploring unfamiliar regions. Who knew when something unexpected would require more time?
It felt like he could foresee the future… yet not completely.
"Kumironi, sorry…" Rei said."To better verify my predictions, I had to visit other places. It helps me understand the flow of fate more clearly."
A complete fabrication—yet delivered flawlessly.
Kumironi smiled gently."It's alright. I was just worried you might have been in danger."
…Sigh.
Kumironi, you're far too kind.
It only made Rei feel that what he had been doing… was somewhat dark and unscrupulous.
Rei turned toward Iz again."Master Iz, have you come up with anything regarding the Secret Sea's apocalypse?"
Izpalt nodded."Yes, I do have some ideas. Those translated ancient spatial magic texts you gave me were quite inspiring."
"Random teleportation magic allows a person to be sent to a random location.""But if I expand its scope—treating a group as a single entity—then I can perform group random teleportation."
"And because they're treated as one whole, they'll all arrive at the same destination."
"If I expand the scale even further…" Izpalt's tone grew increasingly excited."I might even be able to teleport the entire Secret Sea away!"
Rei had been listening calmly—until that last sentence.
His lips twitched slightly.
Iz… what are you even saying?
That's not how it went in the simulations.
But… he was used to it by now.
Izpalt was the type driven by flashes of inspiration. The moment he saw or realized something, it could completely reshape his ideas.
Even in future simulations, Rei could never accurately predict what Iz would say or think.
"Master Iz… teleporting the entire Secret Sea sounds a bit too difficult, doesn't it? Is that even possible?"
Izpalt shook his head calmly."If I were an 8th-tier Mage, then yes—it would be possible."
Rei replied flatly,"So… not right now, then."
Iz paused, his expression serious—yet utterly candid."Mm. Not right now."
"Although, strictly speaking… I could advance to a 7th-tier Mage right now. I might even be able to go straight to Tier 8."
"But I won't do that."
Iz glanced at Kumironi.
"Because if I do… I'll never reach Tier 9."
Rei froze for a moment.
He didn't understand why Iz would say that out loud.
Iz could have simply said it wasn't possible yet.Instead, he openly admitted that he could reach Tier 8—and potentially save the entire Secret Sea.
But he chose not to… for the sake of reaching Tier 9.
"Iz… if others heard what you just said," Rei remarked,"you'd probably be criticized."
Iz nodded."Yeah, I know."
He crouched down and patted Rei on the shoulder.
"What I mean is… your master is selfish too. So you don't need to trouble yourself over things beyond your ability."
"We might be able to save many people… but we can't save everyone."
"Being able to foresee fate… might actually be a painful thing."
"So no matter what happens in the future, I don't want you to blame yourself."
Rei met Iz's gaze.
"Iz…"
…Was this his way of comforting him?
These past few days, Rei had felt a growing disconnect—constantly shifting between present and future, uncertain of what role he should play.
Save them? Or remain indifferent?
Rationally, he should prioritize himself.But emotionally… the conflict remained.
Iz laughed lightly, still patting his shoulder."I just figured you might struggle with this, so I thought I'd remind you."
Then he turned to Kumironi."Kumironi, I'm sorry…"
"I have my own path to pursue."
"I'll do everything I can to help as many people as possible—but when it comes to the Root, I won't compromise."
"This time… I can only do what's within my power."
Kumironi nodded softly."Mm… Iz, just be yourself."
Izpalt sighed faintly."Even so, within my limits—I'll do everything I can."
Then he looked at Rei."Rei, we might not have much time left."
"Come with me."
Rei nodded slightly, then glanced back at Kumironi.
"Kumironi… I think… there will be many more people who need our help in the future."
Perhaps among all of them, Kumironi—who always wished to save others—would suffer the most, knowing what was coming.
Shhk—
The two vanished from her sight.
Kumironi looked up at the statue of Sophia, lost in thought.
"Sophia… I feel like I'm losing my way more and more. How am I supposed to uphold… the doctrine of life?"
—
Loinz Magic Academy
A vast, brightly lit laboratory.
Magic crystals were embedded throughout every corner of the academy.
Three Root Mages—Haze, Calamity Pillar, and Fize—were present as well.
When Rei arrived, they all stopped what they were doing.
"Rei?"
Calamity Pillar snorted."You disappeared for so long—I thought you ran for your life."
Rei replied dryly,"Is that really the impression I give you…?"
Iz spoke up instead."I've already constructed the prototype of a large-scale continental group teleportation spell."
"But there's still a lot of room for improvement."
"At this rate… completing it in time might be cutting it close."
As Iz explained, Rei casually picked up over a dozen sheets of draft paper.
They floated before him.
Each sheet contained a highly intricate magic array.
This was spatial magic—its foundational roots incomplete—making its construction far more difficult than ordinary spells.
Even when successfully constructed, there was a high chance it would still be flawed and unusable.
Even a genius like Iz, who could casually create entirely new spells, had invested immense effort into this.
"Iz," Rei said.
"While I was out these past few days, I gained some insights into spatial magic."
"For example… the core of this array—what if you modified it like this?"
He tapped lightly.
The ten layered triangular sigils at the center instantly transformed into nine interlocking rings.
"And over here, you could stack another layer—top to bottom—forming a chained structure."
Rei grabbed a blank sheet.A new magic array instantly formed on it, which he overlaid atop the original.
"What do you think?" he asked.
The room fell silent.
Calamity Pillar, Haze, and Fize were all frozen.
…What is this guy even suggesting?
You just got here, didn't you?
You haven't even sat down yet, and you're already proposing changes to Izpalt's design?
Iz's mastery of magic was unquestionable.His constructions were practically flawless.
In the past four days, only Haze—who had grasped spatial root magic—had managed to find a single improvement.
And now this guy… made a core modification at a glance?
"Hmm? Let me see."
Iz stepped forward, examining the drafts.
"…Oh."
"…This is actually a brilliant modification!"
…Wait, what?
It's actually valid?
We couldn't find anything in four days—and he fixed it instantly?
Iz murmured,"I never thought of using the Apochiel Rune here…"
"If I were working alone, it might have taken me days to realize this…"
Calamity Pillar and the others exchanged blank stares.
Apochiel Rune?What the hell is that?
Rei glanced at Iz, who had fallen into deep thought.
…You're not wrong, Iz.
This is the version you come up with ten days later.
Rei himself didn't understand any of it.
The problem? Incomprehensible.The solution process? Incomprehensible.
But copying answers? That he could do.
Through future simulation, he had already seen the completed version of the "Continental Random Teleportation" spell.
He had memorized every draft.
All 15,000 of them.
Including 900 core diagrams alone.
A spell of this magnitude… constructed in just over ten days.
It was absurd.
"Rei," Iz asked,"How did you come up with this?"
Rei replied calmly,"Instinct. It just felt right."
Instinct?
Felt right?
The three in the background stood there, utterly stunned.
If magic could be done by feeling, then what had all their years of training been for?
"Excellent instinct!" Iz laughed."Looks like your talent in magic really is exceptional!"
"…Even better than your warrior talent!"
Rei chose not to question why Iz believed him.
Instead, he waved his hand.
A massive wall of draft papers rose before him.
His gaze swept across them one by one.
The complete version of this spell required 15,000 spatial magic arrays.
But currently… only 3,000 existed.
"Iz."
"This section… and here… and here—what if we adjust them like this?"
With a flick of his finger, mana surged across the papers.
The diagrams changed instantly.
…Wait, slow down!
Those are original drafts!
We haven't even figured them out yet!
And you just rewrote all of them?!
Iz stood beside him, scanning the changes.
After a moment, he nodded seriously.
"Not bad… these are all solid improvements."
"This part aligns perfectly with Rellon's geographical attributes…"
"And here—you've incorporated a concept of structural unity, which stabilizes the entire formation…"
"The rest also improves inter-array linkage…"
"With these changes, the teleportation range could double."
"Add a few more composite arrays… and it might actually be enough."
"…We might even finish ahead of schedule."
Double?
…What?
You just got here and doubled the range?!
Rei continued scanning more drafts.
Sheets floated upward, while blank pages filled themselves with new diagrams.
"Iz, these past few days, my understanding of spatial magic has deepened significantly."
"Looking at your arrays… it feels like inspiration is just pouring out endlessly."
Whoosh—
New drafts formed.Existing ones were revised.
Right before their eyes—
Rei completed the remaining 12,000 drafts in one continuous motion.
…Wait.
What the hell are you doing?
A moment ago, it looked like a flash of inspiration.
Now you're drawing ten thousand arrays in one go?
You're not even pretending anymore?
Even copying wouldn't be this fast!