Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World Chapter 12: "Source Castle"

After the two groups of people left Tropical Land, the child lying unconscious in the alley was discovered by the police.

The boy's head injury and fever were apparent, and the officers quickly contacted the hospital. They carefully transported him, along with his oversized clothes, to receive dical attention.

---

Thirty minutes later, Ren arrived back at his ho.

The first thing he did was turn on the air conditioner.

Despite the temperature not being particularly low, the house always seed to have a chilling atmosphere. Thankfully, since water and electricity were free, there was no need to worry about utility costs.

Next, he grabbed a fresh change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash off the day's sweat and fatigue.

After a quick shower and change, Ren sat down in the living room, freshly cleaned and looking composed. He retrieved his diary and began to add to the day's entry.

---

[Diary Entry]

[ Shinichi Kudo, Shinichi Kudo, why did you have to provoke those killers?]

[Well, now your fate is sealed.]

[You were knocked out with a baseball bat and forced to drink a drug developed by the organization. If you weren't the protagonist, you'd probably be dead in Tropical Land right now.]

[For anyone curious, here's a video of Shinichi Kudo shrinking into a grade schooler. Enjoy it, but don't spread it around.]

Ren inserted the video of Shinichi's transformation into the diary. The scene was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

[For those who might have been in that alley, don't worry. Shinichi Kudo, Beika City's walking death god will ensure murders happen wherever he goes. He's the root cause of the city's frequent cases.]

[He loves ddling in other people's business, basking in the spotlight, and solving cases. But in his obsession with mysteries, he often neglects the people around him.]

[Shinichi isn't a bad person. He's just like any ordinary 17-year-old, reckless and impulsive. Unfortunately for him, his recklessness led him to smash headfirst into a steel plate, turning him into a child.]

[Next stop: Teitan Elentary School. For now, Teitan High School will be safe.]

[I can finally relax a little.]

[By now, you've probably figured out who I am. While I personally find it frustrating, I had a feeling this diary exposure would work like this.]

[My identity being exposed and the lottery ntion must have made so of you consider capturing , right?]

[Well, you're not wrong to think that way.]

[If I were in your position, I'd want to do the sa. But I'd also stop to wonder: why did this fool expose himself?]

[If you've been pondering that question and think you've guessed my motives, congratulations—you're wrong.]

[I truly had no reason at all.]

[Well, today's entry ends here. Sweet dreams to all.]

---

With the diary complete, Ren set his pen down and exhaled slowly.

"Now, it's ti to verify my theory."

---

[Diary Completed for Day 2]

[You have earned one lottery spin.]

As expected, the large roulette wheel appeared before him.

He reached out and lightly tapped the wheel, watching as it spun rapidly.

When the wheel slowed and stopped, the pointer landed on a na.

[Lord of Mysteries]

[Obtained: Sefirah Castle(Source Castle)]

"Yesss!"

Seeing the words "Sefirah Castle," Ren felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"My guess was correct. This diary operates on specific rules."

"The more people who read my diary, the greater my chances of drawing sothing extraordinary."

Staring at the words "Sefirah Castle," Ren was certain now that the "Wild Card" trait he had obtained the previous day wasn't a coincidence. It was a deliberate setup by fate.

"Wild Card" was perfectly compatible with the Lord of Mysteries' magical potion system.

And now, with Sefirah Castle the protagonist's ultimate cheat from Lord of Mysteries in his possession, Ren knew his next steps were clear.

His path of power had been decided: the sequence system from Lord of Mysteries. It was as if fate had laid everything out for him.

"If I think about it, this might align with Lord of Mysteries' philosophy: the influence I've created is simply fate's way of balancing the scales by gifting power."

Though the thought intrigued him, there was no need to dwell on it. What mattered now was how much of Sefirah Castle's power he could use.

"I rember sothing about needing a ceremony..."

Ren frowned. It had been over sixteen years since he'd last read Lord of Mysteries, and the details were hazy.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head, and he instinctively closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he found himself in another world.

---

The air was thick with mist, flowing like water. Everything around him was shrouded in a hazy gray, as though he stood at the dawn of creation itself.

Ren's heart raced as he surveyed the ethereal scene.

He reached out with his hand, and the mist began to coalesce into solid forms.

One by one, massive white stone pillars rose from the ground. The misty sky above shifted, revealing a star-filled cosmos.

At the center of it all, a long table over ten ters in length appeared, accompanied by exquisitely crafted chairs.

Walking along the edge of the table, Ren trailed his fingers across its surface before taking the main seat.

Crossing his hands to support his chin, he smirked.

"Am I the perfect cosplayer now?"

He chuckled at his own joke, shaking off his brief lapse into chuunibyou antics.

"Let's see what this place can do."

---

Sefirah Castle held power far beyond the sequences, and it could also grant access to individual sequence abilities.

Ren recalled how Klein had once borrowed the power of the Miracle Invoker to resurrect himself. If Klein could do that with limited access to Sefirah Castle, what could Ren achieve now?

Taking a deep breath, Ren focused his will.

A small fla appeared in his palm, flickering steadily.

"It works! It really works!"

His excitent, however, was tempered by realism.

"This is only a temporary gift, though."

"The current power is equivalent to Sequence 7: 'Magician.' It's short-term and borrowed. But I can feel Sefirah Castle establishing a deeper connection with . As that connection strengthens, the power I can temporarily borrow will also grow."

For now, though, Ren felt reassured.

"I finally have a power I can rely on."