"There’s one thing I should tell you," Kanzaki Rei said calmly. "Kumironi didn’t awaken for because she thought I had talent."
The mont he finished speaking—
A violent burst of lightning exploded beside him.
Thunder roared across the battlefield.
Montier—defeated.
So this... was the so-called Level 2 mage who claid he had begun to comprehend Origin Magic.
Rei felt genuine disappointnt from the bottom of his heart.
After that, he continued matching into battles.
Still, he encountered no opponent capable of challenging him.
He breezed through another series of fights, casually securing a 50-win streak.
A radiant crystal descended from the sky.
[Amplified Mana Crystal]
An item that increases the maximum Mana capacity.
It was the reward for the win streak.
Fifty matches had taken just over twenty minutes.
With an average of six seconds per battle, how could it not be fast?
Ironically, the most ti-consuming part was the matchmaking itself. As the win streak grew, the system required longer to find opponents.
Rei glanced at the rankings.
To his surprise, he had already climbed into the Top 50.
The rankings used a point-based system.
The longer the win streak, the more points awarded.
Normally:
Win: 1 point
Loss: –1 point
After 5 consecutive wins, a victory beca 2 points.
After 10 consecutive wins, a victory beca 4 points.
After 100 consecutive wins, every win granted 20 points.
Therefore, if your streak never exceeded five wins, maintaining a 50% win rate would keep you hovering around 0 points.
There were also additional coefficients based on battle performance and the score difference between opponents, slightly adjusting the final score.
Rei’s current coefficient: 1.2
His base score: 178
Final score: 213.6
Among Level 2 professions, he ranked #44.
Among Level 2 mages, he ranked #3.
Rei took a pocket watch from his spatial ring and checked the ti.
Still early.
Might as well grind a bit longer.
The next fifty matches went exactly the sa.
No real opponents appeared.
He did encounter the #9 ranked assassin, but unfortunately for that player, he couldn’t even break Rei’s shield.
The entire arena was instantly covered in a sea of fire, and the assassin burned to death.
[100 WIN STREAK]
Total score: 567
Rank #1 among Level 2 mages.Overall Rank: #3.
Of course, the person in first place had fought over 4,000 battles, losing only 16 tis.
Even ignoring streak bonuses, that alone would give them more than 4,000 points.
And soone who had only lost sixteen tis surely had many win streaks as well.
"Whatever."
Rei had no intention of reaching Rank #1 in a single day.
Today’s battles hadn’t given him much inspiration...
Was it because he was killing opponents too quickly?
Akase had said that experiencing many battles might trigger inspiration related to Origin Magic.
But it seed... more difficult than expected.
Rei had only decided to try the arena after seeing Montier’s promotional flyer, hoping to find so inspiration.
Still—
At least he had obtained the win-streak rewards.
100-Win Reward:"Notes of an Ancient Origin Mage"
Rei opened the notebook and skimd through it.
Then he realized sothing.
He couldn’t even read the text.
Apparently, being transported to this world didn’t automatically grant him mastery over every written language.
After reaching this ranking, he also began to feel a little hungry.
Might as well grab sothing to eat first.
Leaving the Gate of Battle, Rei stopped by the front desk to officially record his match results.
Just over an hour ago, he had registered as a new arena competitor.
One hour later—
He had achieved a 100-win streak and climbed to Rank #3 in the City of the Circle.
The receptionist’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
Kid...
Don’t you think your record is a little too terrifying?
The City of the Circle was enormous.
Compared to a small town like Rain Town, where you could see the town limits at a glance, the scale here was incomparably larger.
It was said that the city’s population was fifty million.
Even Chongqing—one of the most populous cities in China—had only around thirty million people.
By comparison, the population here was truly staggering.
Yet despite the huge population, the city didn’t feel crowded at all.
That alone proved just how vast it was.
For dinner, Rei tried a local specialty of the City of the Circle—
Charred Fragrant Beast Roast.
The flavor was genuinely good.
The only downside was the price.
25 copper coins.
Still, the portion wasn’t ant for one person.
He packed the leftovers to take back.
If the others wanted so, they could eat it.
If not, it could serve as his midnight snack.
By the ti Rei returned to the hotel, night had already fallen.
After thinking for a mont, he decided to visit the library.
The library in Rain Town had been clearly outdated.
Many of the books were editions from the previous century.
The collection here should be much newer.
With that thought, he headed up to the 30th floor library.
The mont he arrived—
He saw a young girl sitting behind the front desk, quietly reading a book.
"...."
Rei made no sound.
But a staff had already appeared in his hand.
"How are you here?"
"They were hiring a Level 4 Scholar as a librarian here. So I ca."
Pali.
The librarian from Rain Town.
She had appeared here.
Given that she possessed the Diviner profession, and possibly a high-level one, Rei absolutely refused to believe this was just coincidence.
He turned around and walked away imdiately.
"Iz."
"Pali has appeared. She’s in the 30th floor library of our hotel."
Rei spoke quietly to the air.
Iz had once said that as long as Rei called his na within his perception range, he would be able to sense it.
BOOM!
Almost instantly—
Iz appeared beside him.
Iz, your existence is truly reassuring.
Even though this behavior felt a little like calling a parent to complain, dealing with a mysterious class like Diviner was not sothing Rei wanted to do with his limited experience.
However—
When Iz arrived and saw the girl reading in front of him, his expression suddenly beca complicated.
"Biddy?"
"You two... know each other?"
Pali closed her book and calmly looked at Iz Parult.
Iz Parult took a deep breath, as if suppressing his emotions.
Then he turned to Rei.
"This... is the friend I told you I was looking for."
Friend.
The word was practically gritted through clenched teeth.
Rei had rarely seen Iz show such emotion.
Iz’s face darkened slightly as he recalled the events earlier.
When he had gone to her residence—
There was a note on the door:
"Out right now. If you’re looking for , go to 1224 Moonplain Street."
He teleported there instantly.
Another note on the door:
"If you’re still looking for , go to 52 Old Harbor Street."
Heh...
He chased location after location.
Just when he was about to give up—
Another note appeared:
"If you stop looking now, you’ll never see ."
And the final note said:
"This really is the last one."
No address.
And then suddenly—
He heard Rei calling him.
When he arrived beside Rei—
The person he had been chasing was standing right here.
Pali waved casually.
"Yo, Paru."
Iz Parult: "Can I blow you into the sky?"
Pali: "Probably not. This is a library."
They clearly seed very familiar with each other.
Iz took a deep breath.
"So you were in Rain Town from the beginning."
Pali nodded.
"You knew sser would go after Rei."
She nodded again.
"Why didn’t you warn ?"
Pali replied calmly:
"A Diviner is rely a spectator of fate."
"You didn’t co looking for , so naturally I wouldn’t go looking for you."
Diviners do not interfere with the fate of others.
Unless soone actively requests their help.
Once soone makes the request, that action itself becos part of their fate.
Iz sighed.
He really couldn’t argue with that.
It was indeed the code of conduct for Diviners.
"Fine. I need a divination."
A slip of paper appeared in Iz’s hand.
"Help locate sser."
The paper was the note sser had left for Rei.
"Fifty million gold," Pali said.
The outrageous price even shocked Rei.
Fifty million?
Are you trying to buy the entire City of the Circle?
Yet Iz paid without hesitation.
He tossed out a pouch.
The pouch was clearly a spatial magic item.
Pali caught it, weighed it briefly, then took the note from Iz.
She glanced at it.
Without using a crystal ball, tarot cards, turtle shells, or any ritual tools—
She returned the note.
"Northwest direction. Valley of Dusklight."
"Follow that path directly. Eventually you’ll encounter him in the Secret Sea at the western edge of the Ruilen Continent."
She looked up.
"Do you want to know how the fight will end?"
Iz chuckled softly and shook his head.
"No need."
Pali shrugged.
"Too bad. That’s lost inco."
"He’s probably already realized he’s been divined. If you wait any longer before chasing him, the pursuit will take much longer."
Iz nodded.
Then he looked at Rei.
"Akase and Kumironi will protect your safety."
"I’ll be leaving first."
This ti, Iz departed in a hurry.
At last, Rei understood Pali’s identity.
A Level 6 Diviner.
So the "friend" Iz had ntioned earlier... had been Pali.
His plan had been to find her, locate sser, and eliminate him.
Normally, finding sser would be extrely difficult.
There were no objects strongly connected to him.
Even a Diviner would struggle to track him.
But now—
Rei possessed the note sser had personally written.
It even contained traces of his Origin Magic.
The connection was extrely strong.
That gave divination a clear channel.
So in the future...
If Rei didn’t want to be easily located, he would have to make sure that items strongly connected to him never fell into soone else’s hands.
No... perhaps he shouldn’t call her Pali anymore.
Her real na was probably Biddy.
Though just as Rei was about to say sothing—
"Just keep calling Pali," she said.
"That’s the na I’m using right now. And I’m not aligned with anyone."
"Low-level Diviners might have personal biases, but at my level, a Diviner must remain neutral."
"Those who know fate can only observe it. If they step onto the stage... like a butterfly flapping its wings, the known becos unknown."
But helping Iz find sser—isn’t that disadvantageous for sser?
Rei thought this, preparing to ask.
Before he could speak—
Pali answered.
"Being found is simply his original fate."
Rei frowned.
If it weren’t for you, how would sser be found?
Before he could say it—
Pali continued.
"Diviners are not beings outside of fate."
"We are also part of this world."
Rei had to admit—
Everything she said sounded ridiculously pretentious.
Like speaking entirely in riddles.
So... you can hear everything I’m thinking?
Rei didn’t say it out loud.
Pali replied anyway:
"I only know the things you intend to say out loud."
Not having to speak really was convenient.
Rei thought of asking:
If I request a divination, will you answer?
Pali said calmly:
"I never refuse a divination."
"As long as you can pay the price."
"When will I beco a Level 3 mage?" Rei asked.
"Five thousand gold."
"...."
Forget it.
Too expensive.
And knowing the timing wouldn’t change much anyway.
"What will my next profession advancent be?"
"Five thousand gold."
...
Rei’s mouth twitched.
Back when she told him about the monster tide and the secret scroll, she hadn’t charged anything.
"Fine."
Rei paid 5,000 gold.
Pali answered:
"Cipher Scholar."
Rei instantly felt like he had wasted his money.
Now he finally understood why people hated Diviners.
"What if I insist on not advancing into Cipher Scholar?"
"Then my divination was wrong."
...
For a mont, Rei was speechless.
He had expected so explanation about destiny or inevitability.
Instead—
The divination was wrong?
"Then do I get a refund?"
"No."
Diviners...
This profession really deserved to be cursed.
"Want to ask sothing aningful?" Pali asked.
Rei nodded.
"Knowing the exact answer to sothing isn’t as aningless as you think."
Rei understood that.
Now that he knew he would beco a Cipher Scholar, he had many questions.
For example—
Why had sser prepared all those things for him?
But still...
It felt like a loss.
"Don’t you want to ask about your future?"
"Or... your holand?"
Thump.
That single sentence struck Rei’s heart like a hamr.
His holand...
"...That can be asked?"
"Of course."
"But the price isn’t the sa."
"How much?"
Pali replied calmly:
"1.5 billion gold."
You’ve got to be kidding .
"You think I’m joking?" Pali said lightly.
"That’s the price of knowing your own fate."
"In other words—the cost."
Rei carefully considered the questions he wanted to ask.
He did have many doubts about this world.
But when he thought about it carefully...
There wasn’t actually much he wanted answered.
As for the mysteries surrounding Origin Magic—
She probably couldn’t answer those anyway.
And even if she could, the price would probably be astronomical.
In the end, Rei asked the question he cared about most.
"Why did sser choose ?"
"Fifty thousand."
...Your mother...
Do you think earning money is easy?
Rei suddenly felt tempted to switch professions and beco a Diviner.
Just sit here all day talking and money would pour in.
Fifty million here.
Fifty thousand there.
Rei rembered what Loth had said—
Learning legitimate divination cost 10,000 gold.
Now he understood.
There was a reason it was so expensive.
No combat risks.
Just open your mouth and money appears.
Even more outrageous—
No refunds if the divination is wrong.
Is that even reasonable?!
Could Iz get these answers after catching sser?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Even if he killed sser, the man might never reveal the truth.
Iz might have spells capable of uncovering the truth.
But—
This "neutral" Diviner standing in front of him...
Was far more likely to give the real answer.
"I might be traveling to another city soon," Pali said casually.
"You might not find again."
Rei’s eyelid twitched.
Are you a dog?
Now you’re doing artificial scarcity marketing too?
You don’t look like a spectator of fate.
You look like a fortune-telling scamr.
"Fifty thousand..." Rei handed over the gold.
His heart was bleeding.
The fortune he had earned that morning at the magic item shop was disappearing just like this.
Pali accepted the paynt.
She even checked the gold to verify it.
Then she spoke in a comforting tone.
"Don’t be sad. Your money hasn’t disappeared."
"It’s simply changed its form to accompany you."
"Just give the answer," Rei said flatly.
Pali didn’t perform any visible divination.
She simply answered:
"sser doesn’t have much ti left."
"His path has already reached its end."
"He wants to find soone to inherit his legacy."
"So he chose you."
Rei frowned.
"That unforgivable criminal... would really act out of kindness?"
Pali shook her head.
"You misunderstand sothing."
"He doesn’t kill people for the sake of killing."
"He kills in pursuit of Origin."
"If random slaughter could lead to Origin, this world would have already fallen into chaos."
"If he wanted to pass down his legacy... why not choose Iz?"
"Iz’s magical talent is publicly recognized as the strongest, isn’t it?"
Pali spoke slowly.
"Who said... he didn’t intend to?"
That single sentence jolted Rei awake.
Rei turned and looked toward the northwest.
"...And that’s worth 50,000 gold?"
"Isn’t it?"
Rei felt speechless.
After all—
This was only the Diviner’s word.
He had no way to verify whether it was true.
No wonder Iz had said that Diviners’ words should usually be ignored.
"I also want to know the fastest way for to earn money."
"And how to obtain large quantities of monster souls."
Pali paused.
"These two questions—I can answer for free."
Rei looked puzzled.
"Didn’t you say divination has a price?"
"These fall under the domain of a Scholar," she replied.
"No divination required."
"Consider them a bonus for the divination you just paid for."
Ah.
Right.
Besides being a Diviner, she was also a Scholar.
"As for making money," she said, "there’s currently no better thod for you than farming dungeons."
"I suspect you already know that better than I do."
"And regarding souls..."
"To the east of the City of the Circle lies a region called the Thousand Hollow Expanse."
"It frequently spawns large numbers of ant-type monsters."
Rei suddenly rembered sothing.
"By the way—if you’re not supposed to interfere with fate, why did you tell about the monsters back then?"
Pali looked up.
"A Scholar observing those celestial signs would naturally know that monsters were approaching."
"As for the warning afterward—didn’t you ask ?"
"If you ask, I can divine for you."
"For small matters like predicting good or bad fortune, charging a fee isn’t necessary."
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