I Gain a God-Tier Ta Chapter 391

Chapter 391: Chapter 391

"It’s actually fine this way. Since Lottie has no intention of harming me, I should focus on other things first."

A thought that did not belong to him surfaced again in his mind.

Yet Kanzaki Rei still felt no irritation at all.

It felt like something utterly ordinary, a trivial matter, no more significant than sesame and garlic. If he chose not to pursue it now, he had the strange sense that before long he would dismiss the whole thing as nothing at all.

His perception spread outward like countless tendrils.

Perception was the extension of awareness.

It expanded in every direction across the Land of Hollow Valleys, wrapping not only around the City of Silent Darkness, but also the towns and villages nearby—large and small alike—even reaching into another nation beyond.

Then his senses brushed against a broad, powerfully built man.

"This seems to be a Level 7 Defender. If I kill him, his bones would be exceptional materials for forging armor."

That thought formed in Rei’s mind.

But unlike the thoughts concerning Lottie, this one was different.

"There’s more?"

He felt something else emerge in his mind.

"I could take another look. If I use a fated death as cover, even if I kill him, no one would know it was me."

"And in the end, he doesn’t seem to be pure human. Those outside our kind must have different hearts. Killing him might not even be a bad thing."

"Maybe if I investigate, I’ll uncover evidence of wrongdoing... If I find he’s corrupt, it would count as eliminating evil for the people."

So many thoughts like these.

And just as Rei was about to suppress them—

"No... if I do that, how is it any different from a monster? Killing someone without cause—is that really something I should do?"

...Huh?

Two streams of thought began fighting inside his head.

And what made Rei’s skin crawl most was—

Neither thought belonged to him.

Both had arisen from nowhere.

Fabricated thoughts.

Whoosh—

A tide of malice surged upward.

Yet at the same time, an immense spiritual force pressed down, suppressing the evil thoughts rising within him.

The two canceled each other out.

And when their effects finally reached his soul, they manifested only as gentle ripples...

Leaving behind nothing but faint, subtle distractions.

"Pollution cannot be purged."

"Fortunately, you weren’t contaminated. Otherwise it would have been real trouble."

"Contact with her should have been dangerous, but your case was special. You awakened in the Deep Earth, so luckily you weren’t polluted."

"The Deep Earth can turn fantasy into reality. As long as you believe something exists, it truly exists."

"The fantasies of the Deep Earth ignore all world laws. If you believe Luluvia’s contamination can be healed, and she herself believes it too, then she will absolutely recover."

Rei recalled what Lottie had told him in the Deep Earth.

As those memories resurfaced, everything connected.

And Rei thought of the lightning mage he had killed... on Falling Moon Isle.

Should I really have killed him?

Ever since leaving Earth and coming into this world, he had killed people.

But Rei had always believed he had never killed anyone who should not have died.

He had killed cultists.

Bandits.

Even when he had sought Aizen for wicked transmutations, he had used only cultist death-row prisoners.

He had killed Aelthymia’s flesh vessels.

Killed Saint One, an inevitable mortal enemy.

But those who held justice in their hearts—

He had never killed such people.

Even when Elia had opposed him, it had only been a misunderstanding...

Just weaklings who had misunderstood him.

Driving them away would have been enough.

At most, he could have taught them a lesson—break an arm, sever a leg, let them crawl back and have themselves restored at the Hall of Life.

Perhaps it was the mercy of a fool.

But...

That is who I am.

I’m not someone who kills whoever I please.

If life and death lose all boundaries... if killing has no line...

Then how am I any different from a pure cultist?

Rei thought back on what he had done.

Thought of Indra, whom he had slain.

Thought of... the Church of Life judgment squad he had slaughtered on Falling Moon Isle.

He lowered his head and looked at his own hands.

...

Coming back to himself—

I’ve killed so many ordinary people.

At last, he recognized his mistake.

And yet...

No regret arose.

Nor did he feel he had truly done anything wrong.

Was I really not contaminated?

Or...

Rei felt the two conflicting currents of consciousness clashing within his mind.

Lottie...

She was helping him offset the formation of malicious thoughts.

He stood once more within his Sea of Consciousness.

Looking down over the entire mindscape, everything he saw was real scenery.

Not a trace of illusion remained.

It was a Sea of Consciousness like dreamlike bubbles.

Very different from the Cloud Palace Consciousness Sea he had constructed himself.

And within it—

There were black tender sprouts hidden everywhere.

"Ansu."

"Do you think... I’ve been contaminated?"

Ansu replied, "Kid, if you ask me, your temperament has definitely changed from before."

"But if it’s contamination, your symptoms are too mild."

Rei asked again,

"But what if Lottie is suppressing the contamination for me? Is that possible?"

At the question, Ansu paused and considered.

"If it’s Lottie..."

"That might actually be possible."

"She could twist your thoughts and make you appear normal."

If that guess was true—

Then Lottie had actually been acting in his favor...

But now another problem was born.

Once this thought appeared, Rei could no longer fully believe he was uncontaminated.

Originally, if he were contaminated, perhaps the Deep Earth’s influence would continue deepening, fantasies becoming reality, and the contamination itself might gradually vanish.

But now that he had become aware of the issue—

He could no longer believe so firmly.

A true double-edged sword.

Rei opened his eyes again, thoughts returning to the real world.

There was no point fantasizing.

These thoughts could not simply be expelled from his mind.

Meanwhile, the advancement to Level 6 Cryptic Scholar was complete.

Everything was ready.

There was no rush to help arrange Lottie’s ritual yet.

What should I do now...

Go to the ruins?

Two wishes were already piled up there.

And the divination result concerning the ruins had been—

Three blank cards.

Not death.

Not battle.

And no gain.

Just three pure blank cards.

Though he had intended to attempt an expedition into the ruins after completing the Level 6 Cryptic Scholar advancement...

Was he really going to enter a dangerous, unknown place?

That violated his principles of action.

He opened his eyes fully and saw Ewinri before him.

"Haha, looks like your advancement as a Cryptic Scholar went smoothly."

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a grand advancement phenomenon."

Rei had been so focused on the battle inside his mind that he hadn’t even noticed any phenomenon.

"Starting today, you’re the seventh Level 6 Cryptic Scholar in our Association."

"How about taking a look at the secret lore our Association has collected?"

"These are secrets only our Association can know. Only Cryptic Scholars with the highest authorization can access them."

Highest authorization...

Without even realizing it...

He had risen to become one of those beings who held the highest authority within some great Association.