Inside the hotel.
Kane rubbed his tousled silver hair and got out of bed with a complicated expression.
Wearing only a thin bathrobe, he headed to the bathroom to wash his face.
The shock of the cold water cleared his groggy head quite a bit.
He could feel it…
Something about his body had changed…
As well as the memories carried in his mind…
And the bonus effects brought by those talents…
…
In the bathroom…
Looking at the mirror in front of him, Kane activated the talent he had just obtained.
Goddess's Blessing…
In an instant…
His smooth, long silver-white hair was dyed by water-elemental mana and turned into a pure water-blue.
Hero…
Archmage…
Those two yet-unopened talents also activated on their own.
Even the aura he gave off underwent a startling transformation.
In this form, he gave people a gentle, water-like sense of warmth, a closeness that felt like he could embrace everything.
Yet deep inside, he was as unfathomable as the ocean, harboring power enough to shatter heaven and earth.
Yes.
This form—
Terrifyingly strong.
It could serve as a trump card for a decisive victory.
…
"Water Goddess…"
"Don't tell me… it's that one…"
"This hair color is way too similar…"
The corner of Kane's mouth twitched slightly. He had a faintly bad feeling.
In the dream, his own intelligence had dropped in a straight line at a terrifying speed.
Surely that wasn't because of "her"…
Thinking of this…
Kane decisively deactivated Goddess's Blessing and switched his form back to how he normally looked!
Just then…
The phone resting on the sink started ringing.
It broke Kane's train of thought and dragged his attention back to reality.
He glanced at the screen.
The caller was Old Man of Jewels.
"Hello?"
Kane picked up, asking in puzzlement.
"Do you have any idea what time it is? Why aren't you home yet?!"
The old voice on the other end was tinged with anger.
Although the Old Man of Jewels doted on this child, he was also very strict.
Curfew was one example. Kane had to be home by nine o'clock sharp.
"I'm at a hotel. I'm not going back tonight."
Kane curled his lip and answered casually.
But the moment his words fell, Old Man Jewel's furious roar exploded out of the receiver.
"What?!"
"That little Einzbern brat made a move on you?!"
"Arghhhh!"
"The little cabbage I painstakingly raised just got snatched by her!"
"I'll go destroy the Holy Grail right now! I'll wipe out her whole clan!"
The Old Man of Jewels howled hysterically, the sound of him pounding the table echoing in the background.
"Let's put that aside. I want to ask you something."
"What is Ultimate One?"
In order to change the subject, Kane tossed out an even heavier question.
However…
On the other end of the line, the Old Man of Jewels fell completely silent…
Even the anger from earlier vanished in that instant…
Only a heavy, trembling breath came through the receiver, enough to prove his current shock.
After a long silence…
"Who told you that?"
The Old Man of Jewels finally spoke again, his voice cautious.
"That has nothing to do with you."
"By the way, I've more or less grasped the Second Magic."
Kane didn't answer the question. Instead, he threw out yet another bombshell.
"Is that so…"
"If you don't want to say, I won't pry."
"My child has finally grown up. I can't control you anymore."
The Old Man of Jewels let out a complicated sigh of a laugh, but his tone was utterly calm.
As if…
Kane being able to comprehend the Second Magic was something that was bound to happen.
As natural as breathing, or falling asleep when one is tired.
"You still haven't answered my question."
Kane's little face stiffened. He kept feeling like the Old Man of Jewels was hiding something from him.
For example, those parents he had never once seen, who felt like they had been fabricated from the very beginning.
"Ultimate One…"
"Is also called the planet's strongest combat force."
"It refers to the strongest species on each celestial body in the solar system."
"Every celestial body, every planet, nurtures its own UO."
"The mission of a UO is to protect the planet itself from being destroyed."
"Each UO possesses invincible power, and in itself, lacks the very concept of death."
"Even a Grand Servant, or a god, even a Beast, cannot rival it."
"Therefore, the only option is to inflict 'physical destruction' and force it into dormancy."
"I once fought the weakest UO—the one belonging to the Moon…"
"The kind of power that terrifying, enough to drive one to despair, still makes my back go cold even now."
The Old Man of Jewels spoke in a heavy tone.
He had long since foreseen that this day would come.
So from the moment he had adopted this "child," he had already prepared what he would say today.
"So what you mean is… I'm a UO too?"
Kane's voice was thick with disbelief.
According to the lore he'd known in his previous life…
Earth had no "UO." There were only the consciousness of the planet and the consciousness of humankind—two collective unconscious entities.
They were called the Counter Force.
Their very purpose was to protect the planet.
When something attempted to destroy the planet, they would, by some means, purge the dangerous factor.
But their priorities were different…
The planetary consciousness—Gaia—focused on the planet's ecosystem and the natural propagation of species.
The human collective consciousness—Alaya—protected humanity, that infinitely potential race.
However, the civilization built by humans constantly consumed the planet's resources, which gave the planetary consciousness—Gaia—a sense of crisis.
So…
The relationship between the two sides of the Counter Force was not very good…
It couldn't quite be called love-hate, but plotting against each other had long been the norm…
…
"Sigh…"
Feeling complicated, Old Man Jewel sighed and continued answering Kane's doubts.
"To be precise…"
"You, who come from an unknown elsewhere, are a gift to this planet."
"You are the miracle of the third planet, the only hope to save the world."
"You are a UO in its growth phase, under the planet's protection."
"You are weaker than your sisters and need the outside world's protection."
"The two sides of the Counter Force entrusted me with looking after you in their stead, raising you."
"In return for that goodwill, you must protect this planet."
"Now, do you understand what I mean?"
The Old Man of Jewels said with emotion.
From the day he had started raising this "child," he had already thought through this explanation.
"More or less…"
"This is my second homeland…"
"It holds the things I cherish, so it's only right I protect it."
Kane spoke thoughtfully.
He finally understood where "Lifeform from Beyond the World: EX" on his class template had come from.
"I see…"
"Then I can rest easy…"
Even over the phone, hearing Kane's answer made the Old Man of Jewels smile in relief.
But his tone quickly turned cold again, snapping back into that earlier, furious demeanor.
"As punishment for you staying out all night, forget about next month's allowance!"
"And you—go stand facing the wall and reflect! You're not allowed to have any further contact with the Einzbern family!"
"You'll be the death of me!"
"As for the Einzbern family, this old man will never—"
Before the Old Man of Jewels could finish his roar, Kane was already rolling his eyes and hanging up.
The weak follow the rules; the strong make the rules.
Even if his allowance got cut…
He still had the Einzbern family's support!
He still had Morgan, that ultra-rich lady who was pining for him!
And in the magic world, he had fertile territories under his name!
Worst comes to worst…
He still had Frieren, and his Mentor…
And his good brother's offerings were worth eating too…
With heaven and earth so vast, could a dignified UO really starve to death?
(End of Chapter)
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