SCIAW: Chapter 269: The Door Opens in the Dead of Night

Sure enough, just as I had imagined, it’s not only those holding the diary who receive surprises when encountering major turning points—I do too. No, to be precise, the surprise I received was greater than any of theirs.

The appearance of the Chaos Sea confirmed Ren’s suspicions.

This time, his accidental intrusion into Klein’s Tarot Club truly was unplanned, but even so, it brought both psychological and material surprises.

It was truly a double blessing.

And what he gained was the Chaos Sea, a massive source of corruption buried beneath the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

It’s just that Ren didn’t fully understand why the Chaos Sea was considered a great source of corruption. Likely, it was due to his initial lack of understanding regarding the Lord of Mysteries.

But that was fine. He would come to understand it gradually, starting from “July 17.”

Because he had already sensed it beforehand, Ren didn’t need much time to adjust his state of mind. He simply stabilized his breathing and allowed his consciousness to sink deep within.

Plop!

His consciousness plunged into dark, lightless seawater.

The water was icy cold, like the frigid ocean around the Arctic Circle, as if it could freeze both body and thought.

Ren slowly opened his eyes underwater.

The dark and lightless sea appeared dazzlingly blue in his vision. Though he could barely see the bottom, the endless light illuminated the entire expanse, allowing him to see clearly no matter how deep it was.

The vastness of the deep sea could easily induce thalassophobia.

In truth, Ren wasn’t a strong swimmer. He even harbored a mild fear of the deep sea.

But in this sea, he felt nothing but unparalleled safety.

Fear of the deep sea usually stemmed from the darkness, but how could he fear the Chaos Sea that was so open and devoid of shadow?

He could even feel the sea’s unconditional acceptance of him.

It was like the warm sensation beneath the sun.

The cold seawater gradually absorbed his body heat, slowly warming.

Ren felt as though his eyes could take in the entirety of the Chaos Sea, that every part of it was laid bare before him.

So he saw that this place lay deep underground.

All he had to do was look up, and he could see the River of Eternal Darkness flowing above the Chaos Sea, with Sefirah Castle standing on its edge.

The three Sefirot were arranged in the same realm in an incredibly orderly fashion.

Through the Chaos Sea, Ren also witnessed this hybrid world.

This place was intricately linked to his spiritual world. Or rather, it seemed to be his conscious world.

All three Sefirot existed in orderly harmony within it.

Everything felt so seamless.

He retracted his gaze.

Ren let himself slowly sink into the Chaos Sea.

Even this nearly bottomless Chaos Sea had a deepest layer made of silt and sand.

When stepping on it, it felt a bit odd and sticky, but upon closer inspection, it was just ordinary mud and sand.

Ren raised his hand, and the black silt at the bottom quickly gathered around it, morphing into creatures of various forms.

Sharks, octopuses, manta rays, dolphins—even small whales.

It seemed like it could turn into any living creature.

“So, is this what they mean by corruption?”

Ren didn’t quite get it, but he still reached out to touch the dolphin-shaped mud. The dolphin looked pleased, repeatedly nuzzling his hand.

“It feels like the so-called corruption doesn’t come from the bottom, but from perception.”

He patted the dolphin, which immediately turned back into the dark, sticky silt.

Ren didn’t think this was corruption. He believed the true source of corruption in the Chaos Sea was its gaze that could perceive everything.

But that was just his guess.

Ren shook his head and pulled himself out of the ocean of consciousness.

The Five Sources could enhance his ability to grant powers and broaden his range of methods.

Ren’s attitude toward the Sources had always been consistent.

Maybe they weren’t that useful for now, but it was definitely better to have them than not. In his previous life, one of his favorite things in games was hoarding. Even if something was useless, he didn’t mind. The most reassuring thing was to have everything in the warehouse.

I’m a hoarding rat.

After a round of reassurance and confirmation, Ren felt his day was completely fulfilled, and he could rest in peace.

But before that, he looked toward the door.

“Hayasaka, it’s so late. You’re not going to bed yet?”

The air door opened, and Hayasaka, wearing a bathrobe, stepped into the room.

Her snow-white bare feet and the thighs peeking out from beneath the bathrobe were eye-catching.

Her hair wasn’t tied up, just loosely draped over her shoulders—probably already getting ready for bed.

Hayasaka looked at Ren sitting on the ground. She walked over with a smile, gently adjusted her robe to cover her legs, and sat down next to him.

“Because I saw Master’s diary, I knew you hadn’t gone to sleep yet. So I came to pay you a visit.”

Ren looked at her in surprise.

“At this hour?”

“Yes, that’s right. And Master should be curious whether I might draw something good based on your experience, right?”

Ren thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.

“I’m a little curious about that, but honestly, it’s unlikely you’ll draw anything better.”

“Based on what I know about the power systems you and Kaguya come from, Devil Fruits and the Six Styles are already top-tier abilities in that world.”

“The Door-Door Fruit you obtained, and Kaguya’s Ice-Ice Fruit, are both extremely practical. There aren’t many fruits that can outclass them.”

“And since each person can only have one Devil Fruit, your next step is likely mastering its power, further developing it, and then mastering the Six Styles. That’s the path to dominance.”

“What you and Kaguya really need is individual growth. Too many outside elements will only distract you both.”

(To be continued.)