A matter not so trivial... and sothing they’d already heard of?
The way it was phrased was maddeningly vague.
And this so-called final stage—
There was no choice involved at all.
From the looks of it, everyone present was being forced to participate.
And more importantly...
Where was the reward for the second stage?
Had it just been swallowed?
Kanzaki Rei didn’t speak. Instead, he glanced toward Rhein.
But this ti, Rhein didn’t question anything.
He simply closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.
Kanzaki Rei extended his perception toward the others.
He could feel it—
Yelia’s aura had grown noticeably brighter. From her presence alone, it was clear she had undergone significant transformation.
In fact—
Everyone present had changed.
Whatever they had experienced... it hadn’t been simple.
Within the gray mist, a faint trace of madness began to spread from Aegmissa.
Kanzaki Rei’s brows furrowed further.
"Ansu... what do you think is going on?"
A sense of unease surged within him.
Both instinct and intuition scread danger.
Even within his Sea of Consciousness, a faint red mist began to spread.
The Sea of Consciousness represented the mind—and the subconscious.
Its reddening ant that even his deepest instincts were sensing danger.
Ansu replied lazily:
"You’re asking ? How would I know?"
"But if I had to guess... you’re about to get dragged into sothing you can’t avoid."
"If this involves gods... you’d better think carefully about what thods you have to stay alive."
At that, Ansu let out a quiet sigh.
If this brat dies, I might fall into another god’s hands... Hah. Compared to that, sticking with him is far more interesting. If I end up with soone else, things probably won’t go so smoothly...
Kanzaki Rei sensed the thought clearly.
Heh... so being in my hands counts as ’easy,’ does it?
Over the past seven days, his understanding of Ansu had deepened significantly.
Ansu had lived for far too long.
In every life, it treated existence seriously—
But also as sothing to experience.
It explored countless perspectives, embodying different roles, interpreting life in its own way.
Unlike beings like Helberzio, who clung fiercely to pride—
Ansu seed utterly indifferent to such things.
It had been a king.
It had been humiliated.
It had lost battles.
There were even beings that had defeated it—
Such as the White One of Death and Destruction.
Not every life had reached Level 9.
Sotis, Ansu would deliberately avoid leveling altogether—
Living out an entire lifeti as an ordinary low-level class holder.
It had been a mayor.
A villager.
A lawyer.
A judge in a great city.
It had experienced the full spectrum of life.
It had even—
Served others in submission.
Heh.
All for amusent.
To Ansu, personality and dignity were irrelevant.
This was all just a grand experience on the road to death.
Which was why, when Kanzaki Rei captured it—
It hadn’t cared.
If anything, it had found it interesting.
A Level 9 entity, captured by a Death Priest who hadn’t even reached Level 5?
That was amusing.
Not threatening.
At least—
Not until Kanzaki Rei revealed the ability to truly kill it.
Only then had Ansu’s attitude changed.
But after forming a contract—
And confirming Kanzaki Rei wouldn’t kill it—
It had returned to its usual carefree deanor.
Ansu paused.
As if recalling sothing ancient.
Then it spoke again:
"The worst-case scenario... you might end up directly involved in a war between gods."
"Be careful."
Kanzaki Rei nodded faintly.
"...Understood."
Before entering this place, his divination had predicted opportunity—
And a small amount of danger.
If that danger wasn’t just Ansu—
Then perhaps...
This was it.
At that mont—
Another voice sounded.
Rhein spoke:
"Um... is it not possible to withdraw?"
From within the gray mist, Aegmissa’s voice no longer carried its earlier lightness.
Instead, it was heavy.
Distant.
Like a cryptic prophet speaking truths beyond comprehension.
"When you passed the second trial, you had already made your choice."
"To save the world from ruin."
"That was your decision."
"You have already responded."
What kind of twisted logic is that?
So participating in the second stage ant being forced into the third?
And without even receiving a reward?
Don’t tell the "reward" for the second stage—
Was the right to enter the third?
Kanzaki Rei sneered inwardly.
But he didn’t argue.
Arguing with it would be like reasoning with a madman—
A madman capable of killing him.
Aegmissa was classified as an evil god.
And classifications like that didn’t co without reason.
For now—
Observation was the better choice.
But just as suddenly as it had spoken—
Aegmissa vanished.
Its figure dissipated like a note cut short.
Its once-condensed gray form unraveled into thin mist, dispersing outward.
Tap—
Kanzaki Rei abruptly felt it.
Ti... was moving again.
With his heightened spirituality, he could almost see it—
The flow of ti itself, like color returning to a frozen world.
Seconds.
Minutes.
Flowing once more.
It was still April 1st.
And yet—
That single day had felt impossibly long.
Whoosh—
The gray mist that had sealed off the surroundings began to ripple outward like water—
Gradually dispersing.
For the first ti—
Everyone could see the full extent of the area.
The plaza they stood on—
Was actually an island.
Rising to an altitude of around ten kiloters would reveal its entirety.
A radius of roughly 1,000 kiloters.
Tiny, compared to the continents Kanzaki Rei had seen.
He looked up at the blazing sun.
It hung high in the sky.
Midday.
The warmth of sunlight touched the ground.
The environnt felt vivid.
Alive.
Was this...
The real world?
His heightened perception told him—
The restrictions that had previously concealed everything—
Were gone.
Along with them—
Aegmissa had completely disappeared.
Kanzaki Rei turned his gaze toward the distant ocean.
With his extensive knowledge of oceanography, he could identify a sea simply by analyzing its water—
Assuming it had been recorded.
Unless—
It was an uncharted sea.
The vast ocean before him...
Caused his heart to skip.
This place...
Could it be—
The Secret Sea?
On April 1st?
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