10 years ago, a strange inverted castle appeared over Tokyo. After that, dungeons started popping up across Japan, and people awakened mana-based abilities. Those with powers, the awakened ones, were judged by the color of their mana.
Most had a single mana color that showed their specialty. However, a few rare ones had two colors. Kurasaki Kai is one of those dual wielders, controlling blue and red.
He's confident and strong, and known as the purple king. He's considered one of the top mages. We see him face a monster that charges in to tear him apart.
But he fires off demonic lance, a spear of his magic energy, and drops at the monster in one hit. He walks up, pulls the monster's stone, and tosses it at his older brother, Kiraasaki Ray, and tells him to gather the rest. Kai, who is level 89, treats his older brother like trash.
He is incompetent, level one, and colorless, a rarity, but in the worst way. He's stubborn, though. Even so, our boy Ray couldn't give up on becoming a mage, which is why he works as a porter for Kai's party thanks to his pity, hoping that one day he'll awaken.
The party reaches the boss room and expects an easy clear. The door opens and they step into a dark hall. Before them stands someone who looks human at first spoiler.
He's not. It's Kronos, the god of time and space, staring at them like he's bored. Kai thinks it'll be a quick clear.
He pours energy into a bunch of spears and launches them straight at Kronos, who draws a dimensional blade and slices them out of the air like nothing. And Kai's left stunned. Kronos locks his eyes onto him, steps in, and drives his attack through Kai's skull.
Kai collapses on the spot. The party is stunned, and Ry can't process that one of the strongest mages, the purple king, just died in an instant. The rest of the party tries to run, but Kronos cuts them down in two and stands there unimpressed.
Ry drops to the floor, crushed. Then the god finally speaks. He realizes he's found a completely colorless human among them and asks Ry to confirm.
Ray, however, refuses to let it end there. He forces himself up, shaking he hasn't achieved anything yet, and he doesn't want to die like that. He points his weapon at Kronos, who is amused that a colorless human dares to face him.
While Rey is still shaking, he refuses to give up, and Kronos decides to test the kid's resolve. Kronos summons black magical spheres, and with that, he gives him the holo purple Toji treatment. Ry screams and he is immediately out.
Then realizing he went too far, the god casually says, "Oops" and rewinds time. Ry can't believe it. All of a sudden, he stands there without a scratch.
Kronos unleashes the hellfire flames of despair, sealing Ray inside a ring of fire, watching to see how he'll respond. Ray knows basic attacks won't work, so he grabs the same blade Kronos used to kill his brother earlier. Maybe this will work.
He lunges forward, cuts through the flames. He gets burned all over, screaming out as he pushes through. Even his skin begins to burn off.
Kronos just watches, looking entertained. Then his face freezes when he feels a blade in his chest. Ry actually landed a clean hit on a god right into his heart.
Kronos only smiles and rewinds everything again, dropping Ry back at the start and even says he's impressed. Ry sinks to the floor and drops his weapon, accepting that there's no chance he'll beat this guy. He wonders if this is really how he is going to die.
And then Jin Wu Sun calls and a system window pops up. Bless the UI. Krono's presence has released the seal on Ray's black skill.
Even Kronos looks confused. Ray receives his first ability, skill drain, and steals Krono's rewind ability. Ray stares at the screen while the gods start sweating.
He realizes it, but too late. Ray fires off rewind immediately. No hesitation.
Kronos still tries to stop him, but too late. He doesn't just go back a few moments. This one's a full regression.
The system drags time back years. Ry opens his eyes and has no idea what the fudge happened. He checks a mirror and sees a younger version of himself.
During regression, a mysterious person told Ry he wasn't strong enough to defeat Kronos. And that's why he entrusted this power to Rey so he could eventually bring the god down. If it is really you, you should be able to defeat Kronos, the person said.
Then he goes on to explain. But Rey can't remember a thing past that. Back in the present, Ry still wonders if he's dreaming.
Then looks out the window and sees the inverted castle still white. Yesterday, it was black and it hadn't been pure white since seven years ago. Back then, it slowly turned fully black.
The doors opened and that's when they went in and met Kronos. He realizes that he has stolen Krono's rewind power and it sent him 7 years back. He checks his phone to confirm and his suspicions are confirmed.
He then opens his skill window and sees skill drain is there, but the rewind ability is gone. He doesn't care though. After 10 years of failing to gain a single skill, he finally has one.
With skill drain, the possibilities are limitless. He glances at his phone again. Today's the mage exam.
Cut to Kyota Ward, the mage association headquarters. Ray walks in and notices the place looks brand new, which makes sense if he really went back in time. Right away, God and O get in his face and call him a colorless nobody with no reason to be here.
Ry remembers them from when he used to be in their party. They are his brother's minions and they mock him for taking the exam. Even though he has no talent, he knows they're not wrong.
He's retaken this exam over and over and just kept failing. He swats the guy's hand away and walks off, which actually shuts them up for once. The exam proctor is Hinata Rian, a B- rank mage, and she is not happy to see him again.
She warns he's going to get himself killed if he keeps trying, even though it's just an exam. But Rey says this time is different. They head to the site and she skips the explanations.
He already knows the drill. Collect three mana stones from goblins. For anyone with a basic skill, it's usually the easiest exam.
But today's the day that infamous incident happens, just like in his past, a red cap shows up. Way above this level one dungeon, he is level 37. Hinata freaks out about the monster.
Something like this shouldn't be here. And she tells Ry to run. Ry knows she can't beat a red cap with that level gap.
And in the original timeline, she fought to protect him and ended up retiring because of how bad her injuries were. But not this time. Rey won't let that happen.
He stands his ground and charges, telling himself that it was his fault for being weak. This time is different. The red cap closes in and Ry tosses his weapon at the same time.
He remembers red caps buff their bodies with a skill and normal attacks can't even touch them. So, he goes in bare hands to smack the guy in the face. His punch only makes it mad and it moves to finish him.
But Ry had a completely different goal. The system flashes. Ry has stolen the monster's body enhancement skill and his stats shoot up.
With that boost, he picks up his sword and drops a clean vertical slash. And with only one swing, he cuts the red cap down. Hinata just stares stunned by this weak guy, killing it in a single strike.
Ray keeps it cool on the outside, but he knows this skill drain ability is huge. Hinata starts asking questions and he panics. He can't admit he has a black skill, so he shrugs it off as Bro's best excuse.
It was a coincidence. He says she clearly doesn't buy it and says the exam is cancelled because of the irregular. She'll log the incident and report it to headquarters.
Ry picks up the Mona Stone. He knows irregulars shouldn't be showing up yet and he still needs two more mana stones to pass. Hinata say it's not the right time to say that it's dangerous.
Then two more goblins approach like they own the dungeon, then jump them from the shadows. Ry notices them and slices both weaklings in one swing, which actually impresses her more than him, defeating the red cap before. And with three stones collected, he meets the requirement.
She can't believe it. Cut to the entrance of the association where Hinata hands Rey his official mage license. He stares at the card and lets it sink in.
After 10 whole years of failing and being treated like trash, he never gave up. He's a real mage now. Hinata also gives him the exchange rates for the monster drops.
They are a valuable power source and can therefore be sold for cash. Because he took down an A- rank monster, his balance sheet is insane, about 3 million. He's shocked at how good mages can have it, and even the home girl ends up cheering for him.
Ry then asks her for one last favor. Ry arrives at a unique-l lookinging dungeon gate. He stops to admire his name and rank.
Before this, he couldn't enter dungeon solo, but now he feels like he can finally change his path in the future he knew. That's when a mana hand clamps down on him. It's Kai's minions.
They laugh at him for trying to go in alone and say he's breaking rules. Ry tells them he passed the exam, so he's allowed, but they tell him to stop lying. One clown grabs his head and tells him to prove he has a talent.
The mana hand is compressed mana shaped into a hand, which is why Rey can't pry it off. Even with his enhancement, it's not enough. But his legs are free.
He bursts forward, headbutts the guy in the nose, and the man starts bleeding. With that contact, Ry copies the skill, and slips out. He fires off his own mana hand and restrains the same guy and they're stunned about him really awakening a skill.
The other flings a basic ass fireball and Ray pops extreme body enhancement swats the attack aside then drives a punch that sends the guy flying into the wall. They freak out that he has more than one skill and guess he's a dual color user. Ray tells them they are wrong, forms a fireball stolen from the guy and says he's got one more color on top of that.
The guys are shocked. They never even heard of having a third color. Ray tosses the fireball past them as a warning, drops the bind on the other guy, and asks if they still want to fight.
The two losers trade a look and run. The real problem is his brother Kai. If Kai hears Ray awakened, he'll hunt him down like before and have him follow his orders like a dog.
And right now, Kai's already level 50 and one of the strongest around. There's more coming, too, like the dungeon that's about to unlock. Ray needs levels fast, so he dives in solo to build skills and expand his mana pool, which are both based on level.
As he walks, a monster appears. A flame wizard, level 38. Ray has limited mana.
He can only barely form one fireball for now. The flame wizard can cast several at once. That's the level gap.
It fires them at him, and Ray, our boy, launches his shot to meet them head-on. His fireball only cancels one of the incoming shots, so he has to dodge the rest. and he admits a head-on clash won't work.
Still, there's always an opening. A 2 seconds delay. After using a skill, he closes the gap on the wizard and he goes in hard.
On the first contact, he steals the fireball skill, the wizard's only way to attack. The monster tries to cast again, raising its weapon to start the spell, but it's too late. Ry already took it.
He fires the same skill around the wizard and burns it to a crisp, ending the fight. Beating the opponent makes him go four levels up at once from level 8 to 12. Stronger monsters give more experience and with skill drain, they're not as much of a problem.
He sets a goal, hit at least level 30 before he leaves this dungeon. Then he gets back to grinding. Another fire wizard, a red cap, and a lizard warrior go down.
After a while, he climbs to level 27, but the pace slows to push to 30. He needs tougher targets, so he heads for the deepest room, the boss chamber. He opens the door and inside the empty arena, a warrior steps out of the shadows.
The skull demon with highlevel imps under its command. Ray knows taking on multiple high-level enemies head-on is a bad idea, but still stealing skills gives him a chance. He activates his body enhancement and rushes the boss with a heavy punch, but the hit never lands.
A mana barrier stops it cold and he backs off, realizing that shield blocks skill drain too, which makes this a rough matchup. The demon roars and rushes in with scary speed. Its strike almost gives him a new haircut.
Seeing how this is going, Ry switches to his fallback plan. He'll have to deprive the monster off something useful, so he goes after the imps. He dashes to a flying imp, smacks it out of the air, and skill drain grants him Ice Needle.
He finishes the other imps with fireball and ice needle. With the distractions gone, he turns back to the boss, and the skull demon immediately resummons an imp with summoning magic. That's fine.
This is what Ry wanted. He cuts down the imp and hits level 28. And the system tells him he now qualifies for skill synthesis.
That was the plan all along. The skull demon gets angry and Ry starts casting ice needle and fireball together, triggering the synthesis. The two merge into a new unique skill.
Armed with that, he launches himself into the air and dives at the skull demon, ready to land the hit. Just like before, the skull demon throws up its mana barrier to block the strike. Ry dives in regardless with the Firelance.
The lance hits hard, overloads the shield, and shatters it. Ray breaks through and even picks up the mana barrier skill for himself. He boosts himself again and charges.
He steals the boss's body enhancement skill, leaving it wide open. He fires a second Firelance and drives it through the demon's chest. The monster goes up in red flames and gets finished off.
It drops a green mana stone and Ray levels up four times in a row again. He's level 33 by the end of one fight, then finally takes a breath. He needed that.
Skill synthesis takes separate skills and combines them into stronger ones, and you often get access to it around level 30. Ry wasn't sure he could pull it off, but he was glad he managed to do it. Right after the system pops up, he now meets the requirement to upgrade skill drain.
He used to hold three skills. Now he can store five, making it even more convenient. At the headquarters, Ray turns in the skull demon's mana stone.
Hinata's stunned. and he soloed a highle boss and shot up to level 33 in just a day. Ry tells her the gotlucky excuse and she tells him to stop the cap.
Nobody farms that much in a day. She does have good news though. He can be ranked B with no strings attached.
Then a familiar voice cuts in Kai, the so-called purple king. He refuses to believe this loser brother, his colorless little brother, is a B rank and calls it a fluke or a mistake. Hinata backs Ray up, although nervous, and says he took down both the red cap and the skull demon by himself.
Kai turns to Ray and gives him the death stare, asking if he really did, then throws an enhanced punch right there. The impact shakes the room, catching everyone's attention. The punch didn't reach Ry and he nonchalantly glares behind his defense and calls him out, telling him what he is doing is dangerous.
Kai realizes the rumors were true. Ray's awakened and Rey confirms it. Kai lowers his fist and says one skill doesn't change anything.
He declares he'll see how capable he is and basically announces a fight between them. Hinata looks worried and asks Kai if he means it. Kai says if Rey is a true B rank, it won't be a problem.
But even so, he'd beat Ry even if he really is a B rank and accuses him of cheating his way up. Kai's rage bait trash talk works and Rey agrees to the match. Ry knows if he backs down now, it'll only get messier later, so even with the level gap, he stares Kai down and accepts, which Kai clearly didn't expect.
They move to the Mage Association's arena. Ry prepares himself. He knows he's 30, which means compared to Kai, who is at level 50, he has to be way more cautious about his mana usage.
Kai can run around five skills at a time, and in a straight brawl that Edge wins. The fight starts fast, and Ry needs to close that gap somehow. He charges an ice needle while Kai spins up four fireballs.
They slam together and explode midair. Kai is surprised that a single ice needle was enough to match his fireballs. Then Rey is already charging in with body enhancement on, making Kai realize he must be a dual wielder.
Ray closes the gap fast, knowing Kai must only have one skill worth of mana left. Ray activates skill synthesis and combines a blue and red colored skill, making Kai realize he can use three colors, but he doesn't panic. He actually smiles and right as Ray's attack is about to land.
Kai pops a single fireball, which overpowers the synthesized attack and launches Ray back. Ry can't believe a mere fireball matching his skill. Meanwhile, Kai gets why Ry looks so confident.
He can use multiple elements, but that doesn't matter when Kai is on a whole different level. He charges up more fireballs and fires them at Ray, who sprints out, puts some distance, and fires another fire lance, but Kai doesn't flinch. One fireball erases the lance, and even keeps going.
Ray throws up a mana barrier, but even that cracks under the hit and sends him flying. At this point, Kai's overpowering him without even trying. and Ray's skills aren't getting through.
Certain he's got it in the bag, Kai offers forgiveness if Rey kneels and admits he was wrong to challenge him. Ray's frustrated. He can't change his skills or expand his mana pool midfight.
And for a second, surrender feels like the only move. Then he remembers the future he lived through, 10 years under his brother as a slave, and that snaps him back. He yells that he's not kneeling.
Hearing that, Kaijus gets angrier, and he decides to kill him if he has to and goes all out. He triggers overclock, cranking his fireball to a much higher output at the cost of a lot of mana. With that boosted fireball burning in his hand, Kai shows what a king- level mage can do.
10 fireballs pop up around Kai, and it is clear Ry hasn't got a chance. He sees it for what it is, the same overwhelming output that makes his brother one of the strongest. He can use the largest amount of mana at once out of all the other king ranked mages.
Even with the odds stacked against him, Ry says he was waiting for this. He sprints straight at him. That 10 fireball barrage needs overclock to run and overclock has a cooldown.
Ray jumps and Kai calls him an idiot for putting himself in the worst spot midair where he can't dodge and fires the whole barrage at him. Ray was waiting for that moment. He finally reveals Mana hand, a skill he'd kept hidden, and slams it into the ground.
Kai stunned at Ray for having another new skill. Ry figures it doesn't matter if it's 10 or 20 fireballs. If they don't hit, it doesn't matter.
Using the anchored Mana hand, he yanks himself down and gets behind Kai, who even as a king can't avoid the cooldown. In that tiny window, Kai's wide open. Ray steps in and cracks his face, sending the king smashing into the ground.
On top of that, Ray steals Kai's overclock for himself. With that, Kai stands no chance anymore. Kai gets up cursing and Ry can tell he's not done whole.
Kai is furious at Ry and wraps his purple power around an icicle and reveals strongest power, demon lance. Ry freezes. It's the strongest skill of the purple and he didn't think Kai would have it this early.
Kai launches it at Ray who barely slips past. The thing is fast and hits hard and Kai can spawn more whenever he wants. That earlier punch only landed because Kai was careless with him.
Once the purple king goes serious, Ray realizes he'll be stronger than him. The lances keep chasing him down and Ray dodges them by inches until his back hits the wall and Kai's got plenty of mana to finish it. Ry fires a fire lance in desperation, which Kai answers with another demonic lance.
They collide in a blast that slams Ry into the arena wall and leaves a crater. Ray's barely standing while Kai talks him down midfight, reminding him why he's the purple king and one of the strongest alive. Ry can't argue.
Kai also mocks him for acting cocky only because he can use a lot of skills. That sparks an idea for Rey. He can't beat him on raw power or sheer number of skills.
But what if he can find the true potential of the purple skill? Until now, he's only managed two color synthesis due to his limited mana. So, he flips on overclock and pushes past the limit.
Kai's stunned that Ry can use the same technique, and with it, Ray doubles how much mana he can use. He unlocks an upgraded synthesis no one else has, a skill called skill synthesis black. That's exactly what he needed.
Ry grins and Kai finally looks worried, realizing Ry just boosted his mana capacity. Ry gathers power in his hand, about to pull off something no one's ever done before, a threecolor synthesis. Ray merges his red fireball, blue ice needle, and yellow enhancement all into one, and he unlocks a purplish black power.
Kai stunned. Obviously, no one has ever heard of black mana in this world. It comes in blue, red, and yellow.
And Ry used to think he couldn't handle even one of them. Turns out he was wrong. His body can swallow all three, and he now stands there as the dark mage, ready to end Kai's career.
Kai starts sweating and fires a purple lance right at Ray's head, trying to stop him before it gets out of control. Ry doesn't flinch. He crushes the attack with his dark magic and rushes in.
Kai feels cornered with Ry rushing him with his newfound power, so he charges a huge icicle to intercept the dark sphere forming in Ray's palm. Ry does not hesitate and fires abyss flame. It collides with Kai's massive purple lance.
Kai looks at the two attacks colliding and realizes his attack is losing. A massive explosion takes place and when the dust settles, Ray is the only one standing. He looks around and sees Kay cold on the floor.
Ry can't believe it. He actually beat his brother. Then a system window pops up.
New skill acquired. Abyss flame is officially in his inventory, and that alone means he stepped up. Hinata rushes in and checks on Ray first, asking what kind of an attack that was.
Ray signals he's okay, and he decides to flex in front of the baddy, knowing he can't hide this forever. So he shows a hint of the black power and says it's basically a black skill. Hinata's eyes go wide.
He's the only person in the world, the world's first with that kind of skill. Rey asks if he needs to report it to the association. He'd rather keep it quiet and not cause a scene.
Despite showing her the skill just now, Hinata just tells him that's not what she meant. Burr rather him about to pass up a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. He still doesn't get it.
So she explains the strongest user of each color gets the title of king. Since Ray is the only black mage, they could name him the black king on the spot. He thinks about it, but that's not what he wants right now, and his level is way lower than the other kings anyway, so he passes.
Then Ray casually mentions, "By the way, is my brother dead or what? " And Hinata responds, not worried at all, saying, "Kings heal fast. " and says she'll take him to the medical room.
Then both their phones buzz. It's a critical alert. A dangerous dungeon just appeared with a recommended level of 70.
Ry is eager that it is finally here. the Ibukuro dungeon. The current kings are only around level 50 right now.
In the original timeline during the first week, all the kings realized how powerless they were against the dungeon. So, the Ibukurro dungeon was left abandoned. That opened the door to disaster.
Red monsters started pouring out. That event is a dungeon collapse. It happens when a dungeon isn't cleared within a set amount of time after it appears.
Right now, no one knows collapses are a thing or that leaving a dungeon alone lets monsters spill outside. Back then, Iukuro became the first recorded collapse and break, resulting in many casualties. Tokyo was overrun by highle monsters, and only a few people survived.
This time, Rey is set on stopping it and says it's on him to prevent the collapse. He tells Hinata he'll clear the dungeon, which alarms her. Even with his skills, she says it's too dangerous.
On top of that, only A-rank mages and above are allowed into a dungeon with a recommendation this high. Good thing there's still time before the collapse will hit. The next A-rank evaluation is in a week, isn't it?
Rey asks, and she confirms. In that case, Rey is determined to ace it and shoot a rank at the next examination. Upon hearing Ray's ambitious plans, Hinata almost jumps when she hears it.
An A- rank promotion. With your skills, you might even pass the exam, she says. Ry stays calm and asks what the problem is.
Hinata explains that in order to take the A- rank exam, you have to clear a B-rank dungeon with a party first. In other words, Rey needs to form a party within a week and clear the dungeon on top of that. Hearing that, we next see Ray slumped over sitting on a bench staring at his phone.
"I completely forgot," he mutters. His messages are full of people mocking him. Word that he's colorless has already spread and no one wants to team up with him.
Still, he knows he needs to find a way to clear the dungeon. Wondering what he should do, he overhars a group of girls talking. Three girls are standing before another girl, and the leader isn't pleased with her.
I only let you in because you're a dual color, but your fire is weak, the leader says. The girl bows her head and apologizes. Ray sigh as he stands up.
He has come across something he didn't really want to see. It brings up past memories being treated like dead weight. He knows that too well.
The leader then straight up calls the girl trash. Ray's eyes widen. It is Ichinas A.
She's the one who will be called the Scarlet King someday in the future. However, right now she's getting bullied by her own party for being incompetent. Still, Rey can't believe the way she is being treated.
Ichinas's voice shakes as she says if she gets kicked, she won't be able to pay her sister's hospital bills, and she promises her leader to do better next time. The leader tells her to prove herself in today's raid or she's out. Ichinasi nods and says she'll do her best.
As they head off, Rey watches and wonders if she will be all right. Later that day, he thinks it through. Ichinas becomes the Scarlet Queen in a few years, but before that, something bad will happen.
If he remembers correctly, right around this time, she gets badly injured in a boss fight and ends up in a coma for years. Then a realization hits him. Maybe that's today.
He isn't sure about it, but he felt like she wasn't acting normal back there. Rey immediately gets going. He knows he has to hurry.
Meanwhile, and her party arrived at the boss room. Their party is up against a level 45 Dullahan. The leader grins and says she's got an idea, then shoves Ichinasi forward without a warning.
Fight it alone, she says. Ichinas looks startled and tells her there is no way she could beat a dullahan alone. And the leader casually responds, "In that case, she'll be kicked out.
" She then goes even further and says, "You're doing this for your little sister, right? " Ichinasi lowers her head and says she understands. and she faces off solo against the dullahan while her party smirks behind her and watches.
Ichinasi casts a fireball and fires it toward the dullahan. It hits, but nothing happens. The dullahan stands there without moving an inch.
It's not working. She panics. The dullahan steps forward and launches at her.
She barely dodges and gets thrown back. It doesn't give her any time to rest and closes in a second time to finish her. It is about to strike and thinks to herself, "I knew it.
I'm useless. " And she shuts her eyes. Ray bursts in and shouts extreme body enhancement.
He blocks the blow andchinas watches in surprise. Ray then charges his attack, sending the Dullahan flying back with one strike. He turns to Ichinas and asks if she's okay.
The party stares. Who is that? The leader asks Anode.
Dullahans are known for being very heavy monsters and yet he blew it away with a mere sword. They stare in disbelief. The Dullahan roars and stands back up.
As expected, that wasn't enough. Dullahan's armors are buffed with a strengthening skill. Normal hits won't be able to pierce them.
Knowing that he dashes in, the Dullahan swings sideways and he slips past. "Then I'll just steal it and turn it off," he says and reaches out while activating skill drain. He touches the dullahan, but nothing triggers.
Its protection isn't activated. The dullahan counters. Ray blocks as he's shoved back.
Ichinasi calls out, "Are you okay? " "Yeah," he says, catching his breath. He looks the monster over.
The armor is just the outer shell. He needs to touch its real body in order to steal the skill. The Dullahan drives its sword into the floor, sending a green shock wave at them.
Ray steps in front of Ichinas and shouts for her to stay behind him. He throws up a barrier just in time. The shock wave is so strong it blows the party behind them away, and only then does the party leader fire an ice needle at the Dullahan, but it shrugs it off and counters, dropping her attack with ease.
and at the same time he sends another shock wave across the arena, but this time aimed at the party leader directly, which hits her good. Ry watched and learned that ice needle won't work. If that's the case, he she sword and says he needs something stronger than the Dullahan's strengthening skill.
He charges in order to break through and gasps at the site. Ry charges up his abyss flame and the Dullahan rushes in again, sending another shock wave towards Ry, but Ry counters and casts his spell. It blows through it, reaching the monster with alarming speed.
It connects the monster engulfed in the black mana and a massive explosion occurs, dropping the monster in one hit. The monster vanishes and a mana stone falls. Ichinas, even more stunned for dropping the monster in one hit, calls out for him and thanks him.
Ry says he's glad she's okay. As he stares at the crystal, it was just like he read in his original timeline, and he is delighted to having changed the outcome. The party leader gets up and even more annoyed than before.
She wonders what's happening. She grumbles that he's strong, but the reward should be hers. And she almost salivates at the thought of snatching their crystal.
She then yells that the mana stone dropped in their dungeon they applied for and to hand it over. Ichinas pushes back, saying he saved them, while Rey doesn't care. He'll give it to them if he can recruit Ichinas in exchange.
Everyone freezes, including Ichinas. Ry looks at her and says that's only if she's okay with it, of course. The leader laughs and agrees right away.
She doesn't like Ichinasi anyways and presses her to accept. Ichinas clenches her fist and says, "Understood. I'm in your care now.
" The leader snatches the stone before anyone can blink and walks off. She can't believe trash like Ichinas could be sold for that much. Ry watches her go, knowing isn't just dead weight.
Ichinas thanks him for inviting her and asks if it is really fine. She worries she'll drag him down while he offers his hand and tells her she'll get stronger than the ones who ditched her. She's surprised and wonders what he means by her getting stronger.
He adds he saw her at the association earlier and overheard their conversation by chance. Her mood drops thinking back to that moment, but Rey thinks he can support her and reaches his hand out and she nervously contemplates his words, then flips her mood and confidently agrees, telling him that she'll count on him from now on. And Rey tells her the same.
The next day at the dungeon gate, Ry says, "Let's clear a B- rank dungeon. " Ichinas asks if that means they can take the A- rank exam after. he confirms.
And not only that, there's also a key inside that'll make her stronger. A key, she repeats, then thinks if she gets stronger and ranks up, she can pay her sister's medical bills. Ry says, "All right, let's go.
" She nods and they head in. Inside the dungeon, a crystal cave, Ichinas spots something. They run into black wolves whose eyes are already locked onto them.
With confidence, Ry says to leave it to him, then activates extreme body enhancement and cuts through them with ease. Ichinasi watches, stunned her old party with Ayama was strong, but Rey is in a whole different league. They can't even be compared to him.
They go deeper and Rey tells her they have arrived. "I'll support you do it like we planned," he says, and steps forward. The plan is for her to clear many monsters to level fast.
She currently only has basic attacks, but she has to try anyways. The monsters approach and she casts a fireball as Rey watches from behind, calling it a test for whether she will realize her own power or not. Meanwhile, a monster tries to sneak attack from behind, but he spots it and shuts it down.
He won't let them interrupt her. Ichinas keeps fighting and takes a hit to her left arm. She starts to worry about her mana.
No matter how many she defeats, they just keep coming at her. At this rate, she'll run out of mana. She glances back and sees Rey holding off a pack of red hats to make her fight easier, so locks in and decides to stop complaining.
She has to live up to his feelings, she says. Then, as she levels up, she realizes her mana isn't running out. Ry notices two long fights suitchanas.
Her big mana pool is her greatest weapon. A system message pops up. She has unlocked blast furnace.
At the boss room, a level 52 huge slime waits. Ray charges and yells for her to use the new skill. Ichinasi immediately casts Blast Furnace, although unsure.
Flames surge around her and she stares amazed. She can't believe this is her power. Blast Furnace is a skill that boosts firepower but eats a lot of mana and it suits Ichinas's skill set perfectly.
She fires a powerful spell at the slime boss. The hit is huge. Ry watches, surprised.
It's even stronger than he expected. With her big mana pool plus blast furnace, he thinks she will become the Scarlet Queen for sure. After wiping out the boss, Ry tells her, "Nice work.
" Catching her breath, Ichinasi smiles and blushes, saying she's surprised, too, and that it's all thanks to Rey. And as they are about to depart, we see a huge crater left over in the wall by her attack. Back at the association, Ichinas says they've met the requirement to enter the A-rank exam.
Ry agrees. Finally, it's time for the promotion test, and he'll pass no matter what. They head down the hallway and is fired up when someone steps in front of them, her old party leader, saying with a sneer that she never believed an incompetent like Ichinas would even take the exam.
Ichinas freezes, unsure how to answer, so Rey steps up, playing the alpha male, and basically tells them to [ __ ] off. Ichinas won't lose to people who made her fight alone. The girl scoffs and says she has better party members anyway.
And then a total baddy steps in, Janu Yuri. She claims Ry andchinasi could never beat her. Ry recognizes her by the size of her cannonballs and less importantly because in his past life she soloed highle dungeons whenever she felt like it and became famous.
Back in the present, she analyzes Rey. Rey figures she's probably a rank around now. After analyzing him, she says, "Young man, you look interesting.
" And Rey has just hit the jackpot. Ichinasi asks Rey what's wrong and why Yuri is flirting with him. Yuri pauses then clicks.
Kiraasaki Ray. He must be Kiraasaki Kai's brother. She's heard Kai was defeated by someone and asks if it was Ry.
Ichinasi can't believe it and asks him if that's true. Yuri turns to leave and adds that even so, Rey still couldn't beat her. There's a rumor about the purple king and she doubts he compares to her.
As she walks away, Ry stares after her, already hyped for what's coming. At the training ground, an examiner explains they'll test combat ability with an artificial golem, tougher than a normal stone golem, because why not? Ry is called first.
He faces the golem, which draws its blade, also prepared. Ry then charges fire magic. The other examinees whisper that he's an idiot for using fire on a golem.
Ray darts in, skimming past the golem's strike, then uses the synthesis skill to form a fire lance and drives it into the golem's body. One shot, the golem collapses and smoke rises from it, including the examiner. Everyone stares, stunned that he destroyed it in a single hit and that he used a dual color attack.
Even the baddy takes notice. She mutters, "Not bad," and keeps watching. Then it's Ichinas's turn.
They test her mana pool by having her place her hands onto a crystal. Her old leader glares and says she should be ashamed for trying. Ichinas touches the crystal and a huge burst of fire erupts around her.
Everyone is shocked. People ask who this girl even is. Her old leader, Rattled, insists she must be cheating.
Finally, it's time for the mock battles. First match, Ichinasi versus her former leader, Aceyama. Ichinasi calms herself down.
Whileyama is fuming and ready to tear her apart. The signal goes off. Aceyama immediately launches three ice needles.
As they are about to hit, Ichinasi answers with a single large fireball that swallows the needles and detonates in a huge explosion. Ayama staggers back, stunned that Ichinasi has that much firepower. Unable to process what's happening, Ichinasi doesn't let up and starts charging another fireball.
Isyama throws up a mana barrier, tells not to underestimate her, calls her an idiot for such a simple offense, and lines up a counter, but the fireballs keep slamming into the barrier and don't fade. Ayama starts sweating. Why won't the attack stop?
Ichinas's mana pool is massive so she can keep firing one after another and the barrier won't hold forever. It finally shatters. A fireball nearly tagsyama as she scrambles away only for a chunk of stone blown skyh high to bonk her on the head.
Goofy as it is, she's out cold. The examiner declares Ichinasi the winner. Ry congratulates her.
She thanks him and wishes him luck in his match. Then Ry locks eyes with Yuri and sees her already waiting. Ry and Yuri step into the arena.
No surprise, they're matched. What a coincidence. Both are grinning.
This one's going to be fun. Yuri asks why he's taking the exam, saying he seems way more prepared than the others. Ry keeps it vague.
He has something he must do, so he can't stop here. Yuri goes silent, thinking about his answer, and she warns. I'm strong, you know.
Ry agrees and says he'll win anyway. Interesting, she says. The fight begins.
Yuri opens with Mana conversion, summoning a storm of mana swords, more than fit on screen, and fires them at Rey. He blocks and dodges. shocked she has this rare and busted skill that lets you manipulate Mana freely.
Ray then notices something's wrong. A massive blade drops from above. He jumps away at the last second.
She praises the dodge and Ray already rushes in with his sword. She won't let him do that though, denies him with another barrage. Ray throws up a mana barrier, fending off the attack and slashes back, barely missing.
Yuri jumps into the air to avoid him. Ry seizes the opening and fires his dual color fire lance. She shields with mana conversion and barely blocks it.
Ray calls her defense flawless and her strength expected while Ichinasi roots for him from the sideline. Yuri powers up again, launching multiple mana spears and asks what he'll do about these. Ray keeps dodging and closes the distance but admits the situation's getting troublesome.
You can't win by running, Yuri says, then calls checkmate, surrounding him with spears from every direction. They're about to hit. Ray glances back and at the last moment activates body enhancement, shredding them to pieces.
Yuri freezes, then grins wide. She's never seen someone wield three colors of mana. She says she can use body enhancement, too, and tells him to settle it now, conjuring a mana scythe.
She dashes forward and appears behind him. Barely able to react, Ray spins and meets her weapon, noting her speed. They trade a flurry of blows.
Yuri drives him to the edge, then dives in with a crushing swing that forces him to evade. Her power is ridiculous, and Rey knows he needs to change tactics. He attacks from below, grabs her left arm, and she scoffs that it's shallow, even if he caught her hand.
Then she feels it. He's stolen her extreme body enhancement. She can feel her strength fading away and wonders what is happening.
Ray plants a flat palm into her stomach. It lands hard. The impact even ripples through her.
She coughs and staggers and barely manages to mutter about him hiding his gem and then collapses. Rey is declared the winner. The next day in a hospital room, Yuri wakes to Ray andchinas visiting.
She admits she never expected him to be that strong and says she was completely defeated. She asks what he wants. Surely he didn't come to brag about his promotion.
Ry, blunt as ever, asks if she'd join their party. No warm-up at all. She just stares, shocked.
They explain she was promoted to A rank 2 based on the match and they need her strength to clear high difficulty dungeons. Yuri bursts out laughing, even tearing up, calling Ry truly interesting. She says following him sounds even better, so she'll be in his care and officially joins the party.
Then the room starts to shake. Ichinasi wonders if it's an earthquake. Ry looks out the window.
The sky has turned red and he realizes it's much worse. Somewhere in a dim cell, the god Kronos hangs in chains. The time has finally come.
He just needs a little more.
