Three days later.
Kei had finished crafting the entire new ring.
The silver frame was completely re-forged, with complex magical patterns interwoven across its surface, and the new space stone had been fixed securely at the center of the ring. The final fragment of the old stone lay beside it, just waiting for the most crucial step: using the new space to devour the old one.
Kei held the ring in his hand and slowly closed his eyes.
Unlike the magic power stored in a mage’s brain, the energy of hunters in this world is stored in the abdomen.
Kei focused his mind and channeled the energy from his abdomen outward. The energy flowed through his blood vessels, ran along his arm, and reached his fingertips. Little by little, it entered the inside of the ring.
Immediately, a three-dimensional diagram appeared in Kei’s mind.
Two spaces were overlapping each other.
One space was clean and complete, like a room that had just been built. The other space was constantly collapsing, with invisible walls continuously cracking and vanishing into darkness.
These were the spaces inside the new stone and the old stone.
Kei did not panic. He carefully controlled the energy flow, guiding the two spaces to merge together bit by bit.
If he went just a little faster, the old space would collapse before being replaced. If he went a little stronger, both spaces would shatter at the same time. Kei had to keep the energy flow stable to an almost absolute degree during this period.
Time passed slowly.
The light outside the window gradually shifted. The sun passed overhead, then slowly descended toward the horizon.
Cold sweat dripped down Kei’s temples. His complexion grew paler and paler, but the hand holding the ring never trembled.
-1 Energy...
-1 Energy...
-1 Energy...
In his mind, the three-dimensional outlines of the two spaces gradually aligned perfectly. The new space enveloped the old space, and the disintegrating fragments were pulled inside, dissolved, and became part of the new structure.
By the afternoon, when the sunset had dyed the horizon red, Kei suddenly sensed the change.
The old space had disappeared and was completely replaced by the space of the new stone. At the same time, all the remaining items of the owner of the broken space ring had been neatly placed inside the new space.
Kei’s energy was also nearly depleted. If he ran out of energy before successfully repairing the ring, it would have been a failure. Fortunately, he had succeeded.
Kei released the ring from his hand. His whole body relaxed as he sat down on the chair behind him, lifting his head to watch the sun slowly setting.
On the table, all the fragments of the damaged space stone had turned to dust.
"It worked..."
Kei murmured, a smile spreading across his lips.
But just a second later, Kei suddenly jolted. He quickly withdrew his smile and looked down at the ring in his hand.
He shouldn’t rejoice too early.
This was only an F-rank space ring. He was still very weak, and Kei’s journey on the path of a Craftsman had only just begun.
After calming down, Kei checked the energy remaining in his body.
10/100.
He silently stared at that number for a while, then suddenly had an idea.
If hunter energy could flow through the body, could it replenish his magic power?
Kei tried channeling the remaining ten points of energy upward, passing through his chest, running along his neck, and entering his brain.
The area that once held the massive magic power of an SSS-rank mage now only remained as a cold emptiness. Kei carefully guided the energy into his brain.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, Kei suddenly opened his eyes wide.
The ten points of energy had disappeared, but in the deepest part of his brain, a faint glimmer of light had appeared within the formerly empty region.
Magic power: 1.
Kei stared at that number, stunned for a long time.
One point of magic power could only cast the weakest basic F-rank spell. For an SSS-rank mage, this number is no different from a joke.
But at least, it’s no longer a round zero; he had seen a chance to regain his own strength.
Kei lowered his head, his hands clenching the ring tightly.
If only he could restore his mana sooner... if only he could use a C-rank [Heal] or an E-rank [Recover]...
Maybe Mrs. Kim wouldn’t have died.
The room was so quiet that Kei could hear his own breathing.
Grief welled up in his chest again, heavy like cold water flooding into his ribcage. He remembered Mrs. Kim’s kind face, her gentle voice always calling him down to eat, and the wrinkled hand that used to rest on his head.
Kei bent forward, his hair falling down to shroud his eyes.
He had once thought he could save everyone because he was an SSS-rank mage, because he possessed power that countless people looked up to. But in the end, he couldn’t even save the one person who had sincerely opened their arms to accept him.
Kei closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He couldn’t keep grieving any longer. Mrs. Kim was no longer here, but his life had to go on. If he kept drowning in the past, he wouldn’t be able to do anything for the future.
Kei looked at the new spatial ring on the table.
He had to focus on his present life, he had to become stronger, and if he could, he had to protect the people who were by his side now. To do that, Kei had to work hard to regain his mana and his power.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, the door to the room opened, and Kim Sora poked her head inside and asked:
"Kei, are you still here?"
Kei turned his head to look at her.
"What’s going on, Sora?"
Sora stepped into the room, still holding her phone in her hand. Her expression was a mix of excitement and tension.
"The owner of the broken spatial ring is here."
Kei was slightly startled.
"Here to pick up the ring?"
"Yeah. They’re waiting on the first floor. They seem really anxious to know the result."
Kei picked up the ring and gently placed it back into the box where the guest’s damaged silver ring frame still remained.
"Then let’s go."
He stood up, his complexion still somewhat pale, but his eyes no longer empty like they were three days ago.
For the first time in a very long while, Kei walked down the stairs with a clear feeling that tomorrow might be just a little better than today.