As someone who had long been in collusion with Razan, Fuken was privy to a number of the kingdom's darkest secrets.That mutual knowledge was precisely one of the reasons their "friendship" had been able to endure for so long.
Razan, hailed as the strongest mage of the kingdom, had in truth already lived for more than a hundred years.
The reason he had been able to protect the Kingdom of Falmuth for a full century was not because his lifespan exceeded that of ordinary humans—but because he possessed an extremely special secret art.
As a human, Razan's natural lifespan should have been no different from anyone else's. Living past a hundred would already have been considered extraordinary.
And yet, despite having guarded the kingdom for over a century, Razan did not appear aged or decrepit in the slightest. He looked no more than a man in his late thirties or early forties—something that defied common sense.
The reason he had been able to cling to life for so long was entirely due to a profoundly sinister forbidden technique known as "Possession Rebirth."
This evil art allowed him to destroy another person's soul and seize control of their body.
More importantly, once Razan claimed a body, he did not merely occupy it. He also stole everything that came with it—lifespan, memories, talents, skills, and abilities—all of it became his.
This was how Razan had survived for so long. Over the years, he had repeatedly used Possession Rebirth to take over the bodies of exceptionally gifted magical prodigies.
The accumulated memories of countless geniuses, layered over decades of time, were what ultimately forged him into the kingdom's strongest mage.
And ever since learning about the existence of Travelers from Fuken, Razan's ambitions had grown even darker.
In the field of magic, Razan believed he had already reached the pinnacle of human achievement. Even if he continued stealing the bodies of magical prodigies, his power would no longer increase in any meaningful way.
If he wished to grow stronger—to go from the strongest mage in the kingdom to the strongest mage on the entire continent—he would need another path.
That was when Fuken told him the truth.
Travelers, upon arriving in this world, were often granted incredibly powerful Unique Skills by the Voice of the World.
And that revelation was enough to make even Razan's heart stir.
Fuken's own Unique Skill, "Commander," was something Razan knew well. In certain respects, it rivaled forbidden spells.
To wield power on par with a taboo art—without paying any cost at all—how could Razan not be tempted?
In fact, when Razan first learned that Fuken possessed such a skill, he had seriously considered seizing Fuken's body for himself.
Unfortunately, Fuken was no fool. Though their relationship appeared cordial on the surface, he had always remained wary of Razan, never giving him a chance to strike.
Left with no other option, Razan paid an enormous price and used his own knowledge to summon three Travelers from another world—just like Fuken.
They were:
Shogo Taguchi
Kyoya Tachibana
Noa Mizutani
Two boys and one girl.
Shogo Taguchi was a spiky-haired black-haired youth with a violent temper and an arrogant attitude. His Unique Skill was "Berserker."
Berserker:Weapon Destruction, Adamantine Body — In addition to vastly enhancing physical abilities, the user's power increases further whenever people around them die.
Kyoya Tachibana was a silver-gray–haired boy who always wore a gentle, smiling expression with half-closed eyes. In truth, he was even more violent than Shogo and possessed extreme arrogance. His Unique Skill was "Executioner."
Executioner:Slash Enhancement, Accelerated Thought — Grants control over spatial attributes and allows the creation of simulated blades.
In addition to Executioner, Kyoya possessed a rare extra skill known as "Heavenly Eye," enabling him to perceive flaws in an enemy's techniques.
Noa Mizutani, the only girl among them, had originally been nothing more than a student. She was just as arrogant and willful as the others. Her Unique Skill was "False Speaker."
False Speaker:Allows the user to compel others to act according to spoken words and subtly manipulate their thought processes.
When the three Travelers were first summoned, they were naturally terrified by the unfamiliar surroundings.
But once they realized they had arrived in another world—and had been granted overwhelming power unique to themselves—their attitudes changed completely.
They began to see themselves as the protagonists of this world's story.
With their powerful Unique Skills and their status as Travelers, they quickly came to regard the people of this world as backward natives.
To them, this so-called other world was nothing more than a fully immersive game.
Despite their arrogance and stupidity, Razan had to admit one thing—the Unique Skills possessed by Travelers were undeniably powerful.
Berserker. Executioner. False Speaker.
Any one of those abilities, even if given to a frail or dying person, would instantly elevate them to the pinnacle of human strength.
Where natives of this world had to train for years—sometimes decades—these Travelers had simply gone to sleep and awakened with extraordinary power.
The world was profoundly unfair.
And yet, those blessed with such power were nothing but conceited fools.
Still, Razan found joy in that fact.
Because it was precisely due to Shogo and the others being so arrogant—and so stupid—that he had an opportunity.
No matter how strong their Unique Skills were, they would soon belong to him.
Though they were Travelers like Fuken, their caution and cunning were worlds apart.
Even now, the three idiots believed they had been summoned as "saviors."
They had no idea that the only reason they were here was because Razan's current body was nearing its limit—and he desperately needed a new vessel.
If Razan wished to act now, their pitiful level of vigilance meant he could easily complete Possession Rebirth.
But humans were greedy creatures.
Though he could choose any one of them immediately, Razan found himself dissatisfied with gaining only a single Unique Skill.
Berserker. Executioner. False Speaker.
Any one of them, combined with his magical talent, would place him at the apex of humanity.
But Razan did not desire to be merely the strongest human mage.
He wanted to be the strongest mage on the continent—no, in the entire world.
Travelers' Unique Skills were powerful—Razan fully acknowledged that.
But Possession Rebirth allowed him to seize only one body, one complete set of abilities.
Children chose one.
Adults took everything.
And Razan was not only an adult—he was a sage who had lived for over a century.
His ambitions were far greater.
The only reason he had not yet turned the three into vessels was because he was devising a way to acquire all of their Unique Skills perfectly.
Choosing one of them now was possible, but if one person's personality changed suddenly, the other two—even idiots—would eventually notice.
And to be honest, despite his title as the kingdom's strongest mage, Razan was not fully confident he could defeat all three in a direct confrontation.
It was precisely while he was agonizing over this dilemma that a servant came to report:
Knight-Commander Fuken had arrived to visit.
Fuken's reason for coming was, of course, Ren Kuroda.
Razan's intention to use the three Travelers as vessels was something Fuken knew well.
But Fuken was confident that even if Razan gained one of their Unique Skills, he would still pose no threat to him.
And now that there was another option, Fuken believed Razan would finally stop eyeing him.
As for why Razan had not acted yet, Fuken suspected he was hesitating over which Unique Skill to choose.
This visit was meant to offer Razan a favor.
Ren Kuroda being a Traveler was, by this point, almost beyond doubt.
And judging from the fact that Ren had slain a Special-A–rank Red-Winged Wyvern alone, his strength clearly surpassed that of Shogo and the others.
Wasn't this perfect?
A stronger Traveler had appeared. No need to hesitate anymore.
Moreover, while Shogo and his companions were arrogant, they were still—at least nominally—assets of the Kingdom of Falmuth.
If Razan chose Ren Kuroda as his new vessel instead, the kingdom could avoid unnecessary losses.
Of course, from Razan's perspective, Fuken had misunderstood completely.
He wasn't choosing which one to take.
He intended to take all of them.
Still, Fuken's words intrigued him.
Shogo and the others were already powerful in Razan's eyes—yet Fuken claimed an even stronger Traveler had appeared?
"I only discovered him today," Fuken said calmly."He possesses the strength to kill a Special-A–rank monster alone, and he's about the same age as Shogo and the others.At first, I thought he might be a Hero—but the moment he gave his name, I knew he was a Traveler."
"Of course, to avoid raising his suspicions, I didn't interact with him too much.He seems to have business in Maris and likely won't be leaving anytime soon.As long as he's in the city, he won't escape my eyes."
Fuken's report genuinely delighted Razan.
He had been struggling to find a way to act without alerting the trio—only for another Traveler to fall into his lap.
And according to Fuken, this one's Unique Skill was likely exceptionally powerful.