On the morning of the third day after returning from the black market, Sylvar Crowe stepped out of his room.
The moment he did, he ran straight into Asta.
And his mood immediately worsened.
Because—
Asta said angrily, "Why don't you clean up? And Noelle doesn't clean up either. We're all new here, you know!"
It seemed the real source of his anger was Noelle, the royal troublemaker.
Sylvar put on the most sincere expression he could manage and said, "Asta, I have something very important to take care of. Could you help clean for the next two days? Once I'm free, I'll handle it myself. Please."
Asta sighed, hearing the sincerity in his voice.
"Forget it. We're partners, after all."
Crisis resolved.
After dealing with Asta, Sylvar wandered around the base. In the main hall, he found the person he was looking for.
Gray.
Sylvar walked up to her and spoke directly.
"Senior Gray, could you lend me your Transformation Magic?"
Gray let out a quiet breath and said nothing.
Sylvar continued seriously, "I need it for something important. You only need to cast it once and not resist. I'll seal the magic. When needed, I'll release it myself. Is that okay? If you agree, please nod."
...
After a long silence, Gray's massive form exhaled again.
She nodded.
Her grimoire floated up, and Transformation Magic activated. A stream of magic surged toward Sylvar.
Sylvar immediately used sealing magic.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Three uses of Transformation Magic secured.
A massive boost to his sense of security.
Previously, he had sealed wind-attribute attack magic borrowed from Yuno. But now that Sylvar had sufficient offensive capability, survival mattered more.
Staying alive came first.
After sincerely thanking Gray, Sylvar returned to his room.
The plan officially began.
Sylvar never forgot that he was not originally from this world. He was a soul reborn from another world entirely.
What enabled his travel was a white cloud—or more precisely, the bead suspended at its center.
Even after fifteen years, he remembered that day vividly.
He had jumped from a building under stormy skies, yet amid the darkness, there had been a patch of pure white.
After reincarnating into an infant's body, that white light lingered in his mind. He dreamed of it often.
Fifteen years ago, he discovered that it craved energy.
He experimented, channeling ambient magic into it.
Eight years ago, it finally responded.
The message was clear.
A treasure capable of traveling between worlds.
The Boundary Bead.
At the time, Sylvar had only one thought:
Please, let this cheat actually work.
Finally, something to rely on.
The first world he thought of—
Hunter × Hunter.
The name engraved itself onto the bead.
Then appeared an energy tank. Empty.
Sylvar's mind went blank.
A charging system?
It looked painfully familiar. Like a scam.
It reminded him of an unfinished mobile game purchase from his previous life.
Eight years of effort had earned him a single chance.
Whether it was worth it… only the future would tell.
The bead existed inside his mind. Even if it was a scam, there was nothing he could do.
You can't install an anti-fraud app in your brain.
Besides, fraud adapts faster than prevention.
Five years ago, Sylvar had already filled the bead to ninety-nine percent.
He refused to complete it.
What if filling it activated transport instantly?
What if he spawned midair? Deep underwater? Buried underground?
Game over on arrival.
At fifteen, he finally had some combat ability.
He also intentionally avoided performing too well during the Magic Knights entrance exam. Being rejected by the Black Bulls would have ruined everything.
So he delayed.
He nearly forgot about the bead entirely.
Until now.
The upcoming mission to the Demon Palace was dangerous.
So Sylvar used a month's salary to buy two healing potions on the black market.
Expensive. Ineffective. Trash.
But better than nothing.
After thorough preparation, Sylvar activated the bead.
He poured in just 0.1% of his magic.
The energy tank filled instantly.
Light exploded.
When his vision returned, he found himself standing in a modern city of steel and concrete.
After steadying himself, Sylvar planned his route.
First step: money.
He picked up a stone, activated Transformation Magic, and turned it into gold of equal weight.
Then he went looking for a "lucky" shop.
After searching endlessly, he found a gold shop that screamed illegal.
He presented the gold and casually brushed the owner's hand during negotiation.
The boss confirmed it was real.
Lowballed him.
Sylvar smiled and walked away.
Behind him, the owner sneered and made a call.
"Showing off with that much gold? You're asking to die."
Startup capital secured.
Sylvar swaggered into an alley.
Footsteps followed.
He grinned.
Chains snapped out, binding everyone instantly.
He recited the classic line.
"This road was opened by me.
This tree was planted by me.
If you want to pass,
Leave money behind."
Incredible satisfaction.
After stripping valuables, he found only about 200,000 Jenny.
Barely enough.
He discarded everything else.
Crying echoed behind him.
Music to his ears.
He selected one ordinary-looking man, knocked everyone out, and transformed into his appearance.
Identification solved.
He asked for directions, took transport, and bought a ticket to Sky Arena City.
Two possible paths existed.
One: follow the protagonists, take the Hunter Exam, learn Nen from Wing.
Two: go straight to Sky Arena, reach the 200th floor, and get hit by Nen.
Sylvar chose the second.
Fastest.
A timer appeared next to the bead.
Ten days.
After that, forced return.
He needed money, Nen, and gifts.
Weighted gear for Asta.
Medical texts for Vanessa.
Electrical theory for Luck.
Water-blade manuals for Noelle.
Fire studies for Magna.
Optics for Gauche.
Dating books for Finral.
A mask for Gray.
And laxatives for Yami.
Perfect.
Sky Arena loomed ahead.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/RagingBladeSeer
If you're enjoying the series and want to read ahead (or just help keep it going), consider checking it out — every bit of support means a lot. Thanks for sticking around and being part of the journey!
Supporting my patreon will help me out a lot, and will also give you 15 chapters ahead!
(the support helps me out with school as well)