C009—Senri Kaidan (2)

The gentle wind was still blowing down the hill, but when Rein blinked again, a thick white fog suddenly descended upon the hill. Rein didn't have time to react as the fog descended quickly. The wind that had been blowing suddenly disappeared without a trace as the fog reached the Torii behind Rein.

"Did I enter Isekai? I mean...," said a confused Rein. Without knowing the cause, the thick white fog had already covered the entire area.

Rein couldn't see the hill plains covered in moss and shrubs anymore, they were swallowed up by the fog. Even the cherry blossom trees were half obscured by the thickness of the fog. The only exception was Rein, who was standing on the stairs, but he couldn't see the mound of stairs that led to the top anymore.

"Only three?" Rein said, turning his head in disbelief as he could only see the first stair, the second he was standing on, and the third stair in front of him, "Proceed or return, everything will have an impact on your future."

"I understand," Rein said after hearing the invisible woman's warning once again, "It seems like we're only given two choices."

"Then, I will stomp you until the end!" Rein stomped his foot harshly on the third step. He wasn't angry or anything else; he just wanted to lift his motivation that was starting to fade.

[Successfully reached the 3rd step of Senri Kaidan]

Rein was initially calm as he stepped on the stairs, as he had managed to release the stress in his head. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was still amiss.

" A sign of sharp courage! We're fortunate to have descendants like you in this place! "

Another voice spoke in Rein's ear, this time it was the voice of an old man who is usually sitting, enjoying a small garden in the countryside with a cup of warm drink.

" I wish you success on the Senri Kaidan and that you may be able to understand the purpose of life "

"THE ANCESTORS' VOICE! I KNEW IT!" Rein exclaimed.

Suddenly, another screen appeared in front of him...

[ You will be transferred to the 99th step of Senri Kaidan ]

"What does this mean? I'm on the third step, how come it's the 99th? Wait! Is this because of the ancestors?"

[ (2940) Mana will disappear in (60) seconds ]

Another harsh reality hit Rein as he was flabbergasted by the popped-up screen. His eyes widened and he began to shed tears of helplessness. The ancestors had come not to help him, but to kill him!

"Wait! My Mana... Oh!"

"Open Profile!" Rein spoke hurriedly, wanting to check how much mana he had.

[ (!) The Profile feature will be open on the Training Zone ]

"What? Locked?!"

Rein immediately tried to find a solution in his mind. He mentally urged his tissues and organs, suppressing himself until a memory flashed. "Right! Kiara once said something about this... what was it called?" A smile appeared on his lips, pleased that the time he spent listening to her lecture about the Crossover of Realms was something that could benefit him now - if he remembered it.

Yet, "Oh!" he exclaimed, "Open... Status? Yes, Status!" He said it happily and hopefully, though not too sure about it at the same time.

[ (!) The Profile feature will be open on the Training Zone ]

"Oh, stupid head," he spat on himself—what a gentleman.

Rein was lost. His sturdy shoulders suddenly dropped and his emotions changed. "Huh..." he sighed, his voice audible from 10 meters away. His brain was filled with complaints that he was too lazy to express himself aloud.

The only thing he could think to say was, "Actually, how much Mana do I have at Level 0? 200, right?"

[ (!) You have (591) Mana ]

"Wait... did you actually—Why didn't you tell me earlier, Suvice?!" Rein was furious, like a little boy who wants a toy but his parents said no, and throws a tantrum. He almost became depressed because of it.

Maybe you can blame AI, but did you know that AI stands for Artificial Intelligence?

[ (!) SUVICE ONLY PROVIDES FACTS IF SOMEONE ASKS! DID YOU ASK US BEFORE? ]

"No... but you helped me in a dying situation. I didn't ask for that."

Rein didn't want to lose the argument with the AI, he was ready to fight.

[ (!) Yes, but your soul is crying ]

Now, he regretted it. The two of them went into silent mode. The AI felt nothing, but the man standing there was sad.

"Yeah, I'm about to die again," Rein said, a hint of sadness in his voice after getting roasted by the AI. But the thing that made him the saddest person was how little knowledge he had. Another fact about Suvice came to his mind, "No wonder Suvice is useful for 99% of players."

"Suvice, what happens when my Mana runs out? I'll die, right?" Rein asked, trying to calm himself.

[ (!) There are many conditions

(-1%), your body will weaken

(-5%), you will feel Dizzy

(-10), you will become Paralyzed

(-35%), you will start Bleeding ]

After reading the list, Rein was shocked. His heart began to race as he quickly understood the consequences of his low Mana. "My Mana will disappear! Am I going to die from bleeding?" Rein asked, worried about his timeline in this game that would be cut off for a day due to the death penalty.

[ (!) Your Mana is still (591) ]

[ (!) If you get a bleeding effect from using too much Mana, Suvice would have warned you before that happened! ]

[ (2940) Mana will disappear in (30) seconds! ]

"Yes, I knew!" Rein said, feeling emotional and cornered. "If I have less Mana, I have to charge more than 2,000 Mana, right?"

[ (!) Rein has Mana Regeneration (+56.85/min) or (+0.94/sec) ]

[ (!) To replenish 2,000 Mana, it takes up to (40) minutes ]

"No wonder she always complains about her abilities being limited by that," Rein thought, recalling a story Kiara had told him a few months ago about her Mana Regeneration, which was also a big problem for other players.

"A real torment! I understand how she felt now. Bad omens come so fast to me!"

"I won't be able to endure it. Can I get out of here? Proceed or return, right?" He then stepped back down the stairs.

-Tuk

His limp left foot stepped on the second step.

"You can't back down while the ritual is being performed."

Access Denied]

[(2940) Mana will disappear in (20) seconds]

Rein lowered his head, speechless at this fact. All he wanted now was to leave this place, but they blocked it. Despite trying to handle everything that happened as best as possible, he made small mistakes that shouldn't have happened. Now he was trapped between death and death.

" The Senri Kaidan does look difficult. However, don't be sad "

" Don't feel alone, we are here with you "

Rein was struck by surprise at the sound of those voices, "Ancestors? Did you all come to this place to support me?"

" Indeed, we have always been watching you from a far place "