Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

After seeing off the guests, Kaguya and Hayasaka, Ren sat down and began his daily diary.

[Today was full of surprises. The diary holders I had been observing finally revealed themselves.]

[I originally thought they wouldn't take the same straightforward approach I did, but they used the most direct and revealing method possible.]

[Shinomiya Kaguya. Hayasaka Ai.]

[VIP students at Shuchiin Academy and part of the prestigious Shinomiya family.]

[I didn't expect them to expose themselves so soon.]

[But because they revealed themselves so early, I didn't take the initiative to reach out at school.]

[And yet, just as I arrived home, they came looking for me.]

[As I suspected, it was a test.]

[A test of me, and a test of the diary itself.]

[Not that I mind, it's actually good to test the diary's rules early on.]

[What caught my attention most, though, was that Shinomiya seems to have escaped her family's control.]

[During our conversation, I ruled out the possibility of her using force to gain her freedom from the Shinomiya family.]

[And then I got a surprising answer.]

[Sanzenin!]

[It turns out this isn't just a world where three stories overlap, there are far more narratives woven together here.]

[Sanzenin Nagi… Hearing this name reminded me of four familiar characters from the past.]

[Shana, Nagi, Louise, and Taiga.]

[They share the same traits: short stature, fiery temper, and, well, modest figures.]

[They're the quintessential "Kugimiya-type" characters. I didn't expect to encounter one so easily.]

[So, Sanzenin Nagi, I assume you're reading this diary too.]

Ren paused after writing this.

There's no limit to how much can be written in the daily diary, what matters is recording everything clearly.

But today's entry was a little different. At the bottom of the diary, black text appeared:

[Achievement Unlocked: Found the Diary]

[Congratulations! You've received a special reward: "Accumulation."]

[Accumulation: You can stockpile lottery draws. The more you save, the higher your chances of obtaining high-quality rewards.]

"A pretty useful feature," Ren remarked.

"If I want better rewards, I can save up draws, kind of like combining treasure chests to make higher-level ones."

He didn't dislike this new mechanic.

However, it wasn't particularly useful during the trial phase.

He decided to draw immediately.

From the moment he initiated the draw, a massive roulette wheel spun in his mind. The pointer gradually slowed, finally stopping.

[Lord of the Mysteries]

[Obtained Sequence 9 Potion: 'Apprentice.']

A bottle of potion appeared on the table, filled with a pinkish liquid.

"Another potion reward…"

He reached out and picked up the bottle, examining it closely.

Then, he pulled a 500-yen coin from his pocket.

"I shouldn't have any trouble drinking this Apprentice potion right now."

He flipped the coin. It spun in the air before landing back in his hand.

Heads.

"Looks like I'm good to go."

"It must be thanks to the effect of 'Wild Card.'"

After confirming it was safe, Ren uncorked the bottle, put it to his lips, and drank the potion.

The liquid was thick and had a disgusting texture. This one tasted even worse than the "Seer" potion he'd taken before.

"Ugh, drinking these potions is such a miserable experience. Can't they at least make them taste better?"

He grimaced at the lingering taste but knew his complaint was pointless.

The risks involved in consuming potions were far greater for most extraordinary individuals, especially for those without the "Wild Card" trait.

For someone without that safeguard, taking an "Apprentice" potion could lead to hearing the ominous whispers. That voice could shatter the mental stability of anyone already teetering on the edge while consuming potions.

Because of this, the Door Pathway was widely regarded as one of the most dangerous among the three paths tied to the Lord of Mysteries.

But for Ren, who possessed "Wild Card," none of those concerns applied.

In fact, the Door Pathway, Fool Pathway, and Error Path—all adjacent to each other—were key to becoming the "Lord of Mysteries."

Typically, an extraordinary individual would follow a single path to its end, only incorporating traits from adjacent paths after reaching the pinnacle.

Of course, there was also the option of pursuing all three paths from the start, but that was almost guaranteed to end in disaster.

For most extraordinary individuals, taking potions from other sequences early on would almost certainly lead to a loss of control.

Ren however, could bypass those risks entirely, thanks to his "Wild Card" trait. He could freely tread multiple paths without consequence.

He glanced at the now-empty bottle in his hand and smiled.

"As expected, there aren't any exploitable loopholes."

"Meeting with Kaguya and forming our mutual-benefit arrangement… It seems the rewards reflect that."

Today's lottery results made everything clear.

The reward was on par with yesterday's, meaning the diary imposed certain restrictions.

"Mutual-benefit actions aren't so easily rewarded."

"It looks like the diary evaluates the impact I have on other holders before determining the reward quality."

"It's not as simple as finding loopholes in the rules."

"I wonder if Kaguya tried her luck with the lottery too."

Thinking this, Ren pulled out his phone.

[Amamiya Ren: How did it go?]

[Shinomiya Kaguya: …A bottle of strong liquor.]

[Amamiya Ren: Seems like exploiting loopholes won't work.]

[Amamiya Ren: Don't try to cheat the system again. The diary's rules are probably airtight.]

[Shinomiya Kaguya: What a pity.]

Kaguya put her phone down and eyed the bottle of liquor on her desk, sighing quietly.

"It seems the diary really doesn't leave any loopholes."

"If it's like this for me, it must be the same for Amamiya too."

"It's a shame, though. That draw was such a waste."

Still, Kaguya wasn't too disappointed.

This discovery was crucial, it proved the diary's rules were likely watertight.

With that knowledge, she resolved to save her lottery chances for later.

By accumulating them, she could aim for higher-quality rewards down the line.

The Ice-Ice Fruit ability she received as her initial reward was already exceptional.

Kaguya wasn't the type to let greed cloud her judgment.

Sometimes, it's best not to take unnecessary risks. Otherwise, you might lose even more.

***

For every 100 PS = 1 bonus chp

Support this book with your PS and review if you enjoy it.