After the two groups of people left Tropical Land, the child lying unscious in the alley was discovered by the police.
The boy's head injury and fever were apparent, and the officers quickly tacted the hospital. They carefully transported him, along with his oversized clothes, to receive medical attention.
---
Thirty mier, Ren arrived back at his home.
The first thing he did was turn on the air ditioner.
Despite the temperature not being particurly low, the house always seemed to have a chilling atmosphere. Thankfully, sier aricity were free, there was o worry about utility costs.
, he grabbed a fresh ge of clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash off the day's sweat and fatigue.
After a quick shower and ge, Ren sat down in the living room, freshly ed and looking posed. He retrieved his diary and began to add to the day's entry.
---
[Diary Entry]
[ Shinichi Kudo, Shinichi Kudo, why did you have to provoke those killers?]
[Well, now your fate is sealed.]
[You were knocked out with a baseball bat and forced to drink a drug developed by the anization. If you weren't the protagonist, you'd probably be dead in Tropical Land right now.]
[For anyone curious, here's a video of Shinichi Kudo shrinking into a grade schooler. Enjoy it, but don't spread it around.]
Ren ied the video of Shinichi's transformation into the diary. The se was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
[For those who might have been in that alley, don't worry. Shinichi Kudo, Beika City's walkih god will ensure murders happen wherever he goes. He's the root cause of the city's frequent cases.]
[He loves meddling in other people's business, basking in the spotlight, and solving cases. But in his obsession with mysteries, he often s the people around him.]
[Shinichi isn't a bad person. He's just like any ordinary 17-year-old, reckless and impulsive. Unfortunately for him, his recklessness led him to smash headfirst into a steel pte, turning him into a child.]
[ stop: Teitaary School. For now, Teitan High School will be safe.]
[I finally rex a little.]
[By now, you've probably figured out who I am. While I personally find it frustrating, I had a feeling this diary exposure would work like this.]
[My identity being exposed and the lottery mention must have made some of you sider capturing me, right?]
[Well, you're n to think that way.]
[If I were in your position, I'd want to do the same. But I'd also stop to wonder: why did this fool expose himself?]
[If you've been p that question and think you've guessed my motives, gratutions—you're wrong.]
[I truly had no reason at all.]
[Well, today's entry ends here. Sweet dreams to all.]
---
With the diary plete, Re his pen down and exhaled slowly.
"Now, it's time to verify my theory."
---
[Diary pleted for Day 2]
[You have earned otery spin.]
As expected, the rge roulette wheel appeared before him.
He reached out and lightly tapped the wheel, watg as it spun rapidly.
When the wheel slowed and stopped, the pointer nded on a name.
[Lord of Mysteries]
[Obtained: Sefirah Castle(Source Castle)]
"Yesss!"
Seeing the words "Sefirah Castle," Re a wave of relief wash over him.
"My guess was correct. This diary operates on specific rules."
"The more people who read my diary, the greater my ces of drawing somethiraordinary."
Staring at the words "Sefirah Castle," Ren was certain now that the "Wild Card" trait he had obtaihe previous day wasn't a ce. It was a deliberate setup by fate.
"Wild Card" erfectly patible with the Lord of Mysteries' magical potion system.
And now, with Sefirah Castle the protagonist's ultimate cheat from Lord of Mysteries in his possession, Ren knew his steps were clear.
His path of power had been decided: the sequence system from Lord of Mysteries. It was as if fate had id everything out for him.
"If I think about it, this might align with Lord of Mysteries' philosophy: the influence I've created is simply fate's way of bang the scales by gifting me power."
Though the thought intrigued him, there was o dwell on it. What mattered now was how much of Sefirah Castle's power he could use.
"I remember something about needing a ceremony…"
Ren frowned. It had been over sixteen years since he'd st read Lord of Mysteries, and the details were hazy.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head, and he instinctively closed his eyes. When he reopehem, he found himself in another world.
---
The air was thick with mist, flowing like water. Everything around him was shrouded in a hazy gray, as though he stood at the dawn of creation itself.
Ren's heart raced as he surveyed the ethereal se.
He reached out with his hand, and the mist began to coalesto solid forms.
One by one, massive white stone pilrs rose from the ground. The misty sky above shifted, revealing a star-filled os.
At the ter of it all, a long table over teers ih appeared, apanied by exquisitely crafted chairs.
Walking along the edge of the table, Ren trailed his fingers across its surface before taking the mai.
Crossing his hands to support his , he smirked.
"Am I the perfect cospyer now?"
He chuckled at his own joke, shaking off his brief pse into ibyou antics.
"Let's see what this pce do."
---
Sefirah Castle held power far beyond the sequences, and it could also grant access to individual sequence abilities.
Ren recalled how Klein had once borrowed the power of the Miracle Io resurrect himself. If Klein could do that with limited access to Sefirah Castle, what could Ren achieve now?
Taking a deep breath, Ren focused his will.
A small fme appeared in his palm, flickering steadily.
"It works! It really works!"
His excitement, however, was tempered by realism.
"This is only a tempift, though."
"The current power is equivalent to Sequence 7: 'Magi.' It's short-term and borrowed. But I feel Sefirah Castle establishing a deeper e with me. As that e strengthens, the power I temporarily borrow will also grow."
For now, though, Re reassured.
"I finally have a power I rely on."
