Chapter 372

From this moment onward, reality itself might undergo extremely subtle changes—shaped by his understanding of the world.

Though, the degree of change wouldn’t be excessively distorted.

That was what Lottie had told him.

The transformations of all things in existence were, to a certain extent, influenced by mental observation.

The theory felt somewhat similar to the Schrödinger’s cat he had heard about back on Earth.

But far more complex.

It even extended to the Deep Earth itself—serving as an explanation for it. Lottie’s theory represented a kind of answer rooted in the mind.

That was—

Regardless of what was real or false, reality or illusion—

As long as falsehood wasn’t exposed, as long as illusion wasn’t shattered—

If you believed it to be real, then it was real.

And if you believed everything to be false—

Then even if it was truly real... it would still become false.

If an ordinary person had said something like that,

Rei Kanzaki would have dismissed it outright as sophistry.

But the one who said it was Lottie—

A being revered as a god in this world.

So... he had no choice but to believe it.

...

A night had passed.

Dawn broke, pale light spilling across the horizon.

Rei Kanzaki sat by Luluwi’s bedside.

He hadn’t slept at all that night, while Luluwi had fallen into a deep slumber.

Not because she had the peace of mind to sleep after everything that happened—

But because he had administered a sedative poison, forcing her into unconsciousness.

"Any lifeform close enough to me will also be affected by the Deep Earth."

"Their imagination will subtly influence themselves... and reality as well."

"The influence of the Deep Earth radiates outward from me as the center."

"The closer something is to me, the more easily reality is altered by my perception... my imagination."

"I myself... am a representative of the Deep Earth."

An apple appeared in his hand.

Without probing its interior, he simply formed a thought:

This apple had probably already been eaten through by worms.

After all, the old vendor who sold it to him looked sharp and calculating—exactly the type to pass off rotten fruit as good merchandise.

With that thought in mind—

He broke the apple open.

Inside, it was indeed riddled with wormholes.

...Mm.

So that’s how it works.

Rei Kanzaki picked up a piece of fire-ink paper from nearby.

Written on it were the words:

"The apple is perfectly intact."

Memories surged back into his mind like a tidal wave.

Ah...

So I already performed a future simulation once—and just forgot about it.

Seeing the recorded note, he recalled the previous simulation.

In the next simulation, when he split the apple open directly—

It was perfectly intact.

But after ending the simulation—

His impression of the apple worsened.

And when he split it again—

It became rotten.

Now, even though his memories had returned, the apple in his hand did not revert to its intact state.

This was the manifestation of his imagination influencing reality.

Rei Kanzaki rose from the bed.

In his hand was a book bound in black.

"Black Secret"

This book... truly existed.

It wasn’t merely something hidden within his imagination.

And yet, from this moment onward, his imagination was gradually influencing reality.

He couldn’t even say for certain whether this book existed because of his imagination—

Or if it had always existed to begin with.

"...Sigh. Hard to say whether gaining this ability is a blessing or a curse."

Turning imagination into reality seemed like a good thing.

But if one could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality—

Could that still be called a blessing?

He had no desire to become like Li Huowang.

Becoming stronger was fine.

Becoming insane was not.

Using "Hidden Origin," the information he extracted from Black Secret was identical to what he had obtained within the illusions of the Deep Earth.

It was still related to Elya Yumi.

That Hidden Archivist—

A Level 9 Illusionist.

As for the anomalies surrounding Luluwi, there were quite a few.

But the strangest one, in Rei Kanzaki’s eyes, was this:

When he had touched the Luluwi within the sea of consciousness, the feedback he received still identified it as Luluwi.

That was feedback produced by his God-Tier Talent.

And yet—

The final result had been wrong.

Only after learning the truth from Lottie did he realize—

The "Luluwi" outside had been fake, a construct formed by Filth Worms.

Completely at odds with the information indicated by his Hidden Origin.

And that brought him back to one thought—

The Hidden Archivist.

That title.

Was it possible that Luluwi’s true information had been concealed by that Level 9 Illusionist?

If it was a being of that level...

Then even a God-Tier Talent failing under certain conditions might be understandable.

After all, he wasn’t the only one in this world who possessed a God-Tier Talent.

Though rare, others did exist.

He flipped through the book again.

This time, in the real world—

The moment he opened it, a dense aura of filth surged toward him.

Outside his sea of consciousness, black mist swirled—

Attempting to invade.

But now—

Rei Kanzaki’s sea of consciousness was no longer what it once had been.

It was no longer a calm ocean, dotted with islands, palaces, arenas, and altars scattered across them.

It had been completely reconstructed.

The "sea" itself was no longer water—

It had become a Sea of Consciousness Clouds.

And within that vast cloud sea—

Stood countless golden towers and jade palaces, an array of magnificent structures.

Figures appeared within the mist—lifelike, flickering in and out of view.

Upon closer inspection, each figure was someone Rei Kanzaki had encountered before.

Not just familiar figures like Izparut or Kumironi—

But also passing strangers he had seen only once.

Even people he disliked or had no interest in.

All of them appeared vividly, drifting through the clouds.

Above it all—

The sky had become vast and radiant.

Eight primordial projections hovered across the heavens—

Each representing the origin tied to one of Rei Kanzaki’s classes.

Beyond the cloud sea—

A boundless expanse of stars stretched endlessly, like the cosmic night sky he had once seen on Earth.

Infinite.

Vast.

This—

Was his current sea of consciousness.

Constructed using Lottie’s method.

In one corner of a dark palace, Ansu sat, gazing upon this transformed inner world with astonishment.

Rei Kanzaki’s sea of consciousness was no longer fragile.

Previously, despite his overwhelming strength, his mental domain had been comparable to that of an ordinary class-changer of the same level.

Even with deliberate training, it had only been slightly stronger than average.

But now—

It could only be described as impregnable.

Even Ansu himself might not be able to construct something superior.

Not because his understanding of the mind was inferior—

But because the blueprint Rei Kanzaki had obtained was, quite simply, perfect.

Thus—

No matter how Black Secret attempted to corrupt him—

The contamination lingered only beyond the starry dome above his consciousness, forever unable to reach its core.

Besides—

His "God-Tier · Perfect Method" already rendered him immune to knowledge-based corruption.

He flipped through it a few more times.

The contents differed slightly from what he had seen in the illusion.

What he now saw was far more sinister... far more depraved.

After a moment’s thought—

It would be better to seal the book away.

He didn’t dare carry it with him. Prolonged exposure might subtly influence him without his awareness.

"...Perfect. There’s a Dark Church nearby."

With a single thought—

He vanished.

In the next instant, he appeared outside the forbidden barrier of the Dark Church.

Another instant—

And he was inside its forbidden hall.

With a casual motion, he placed Black Secret onto an empty slot on a bookshelf.

After doing so, he paused.

...Would something unexpected happen?

What if the book vanished once it left his control?

Or if someone from the Dark Church happened to take it by chance?

...Would it be safer to keep it with him?

Or perhaps destroy it entirely?

But if he destroyed it, he might never uncover the secrets behind it.

No matter which choice he made—

There were reasons it could be wrong.

...Forget it.

He would leave it here for now.

...

After settling the matter of the book, Rei Kanzaki reappeared on the streets of Falling Moon Isle.

The morning sun of May 1st rose gently.

The arrival of the Month of Purity was... silent.

Every other month bore the influence of its Moon Sovereign, loudly proclaiming its presence to the world.

Only May—

Was quiet.

The sun rose as it always did, without anomaly or change.

All he felt was warmth—

And ease.

Rei Kanzaki couldn’t help but think—

If every day could be as peaceful as this... that would be enough.