Chapter 913
Chapter 913
Anton had a theory.
He believed that beings from other worlds had already discovered Earth.
After all, he found it difficult to explain why so many works of fiction—from ancient literature, paintings, and music to modern movies, television shows, anime, and manga—contained magic and fantastical worlds so similar to those that truly existed across the multiverse.
Of course, he recognized that it was probably nothing more than an amusing theory.
If beings as powerful as Invincible-Rank wizards or stronger had truly reached Earth, magic would likely have spread throughout the planet long ago.
Still, Anton enjoyed imagining that great artists possessed minds capable of reaching beyond the boundaries of their own world. Perhaps, through inspiration alone, they occasionally glimpsed distant realities where the laws of physics were shaped by a mysterious force called magic.
More likely, however, they were simply extraordinarily talented people blessed with limitless imagination.
Regardless, Anton believed the family's entertainment businesses were relatively safe.
To the truly powerful wizards of this world, the wealth generated by movies, anime, and other media meant very little. Gold earned from ordinary people was insignificant compared to the pursuits of those seeking greater magical power.
He knew the situation would change entirely if he ever managed to create a stable portal to Earth.
The powerful forces of the world would move heaven and earth to seize the resources of a realm completely devoid of magic.
If he ever succeeded in opening such a gateway, Anton resolved that no one else would ever learn of it.
He had no intention of bringing chaos to his former world.
After all, Earth was where all of his beloved otaku culture had originated.
Anton also recognized that his outlook remained heavily influenced by his youth. There was every possibility that centuries from now, after living far longer than any ordinary human, his priorities would change.
For now, however, despite all the power he possessed, he still loved Earth's anime, manga, movies, and games.
Anna continued enthusiastically describing everything she intended to do if she ever reached Earth.
Between her endless stream of excited chatter, she repeatedly urged Anton to hurry up and discover a portal—or at the very least, convince his Diablo System to grant her access to an internet browser like the one he used.
Eventually, Anton promised that he would continue submitting requests to his system on her behalf.
Only then did Anna finally stop pestering him.
After the monthly family meeting concluded, Anton returned to leveling his ladder Assassin.
A few weeks later, he finally reached level ninety-nine.
As usual, his Assassin's primary attributes were transferred to his real body, followed by the Chilling Grand Charm of Life that he had already prepared.
With that, Anton had successfully maxed out all seven Diablo II character classes, plus an additional ladder Sorceress, leaving him with six weeks remaining before the current ladder season ended.
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Based on his experience, he concluded that even if he devoted nearly all of his free time to the Diablo System, he could realistically level only eleven characters during a single ladder season.
If he became occupied with other responsibilities, that number would probably fall to eight—or perhaps even fewer.
Once the current ladder season ended, the voyage would continue for only another two weeks before the ship finally arrived in Izmorta.
Without hesitation, Anton deleted his ladder Sorceress and created another one.
Over the following weeks, he once again devoted himself to raising her to level ninety-nine.
Despite his focus on leveling, he made sure to maintain a healthy balance.
He still spent time with his friends aboard the ship.
Sometimes they gathered on one of the open decks to play music together.
Other evenings, Anton rented one of the ship's many halls so they could watch movies, television shows, or anime.
As always, he treated everyone to dinner at one of the ship's finest restaurants.
Fortunately, he wasn't paying from his own pocket.
The expenses continued to be covered by the joint fund established by Ormunda and the ship's management—Ormunda in exchange for the family's portal scrolls, and the ship in exchange for access to Anton's movies.
Meanwhile, both Paul's Barbarian and Eric's Amazon had reached high levels in the non-ladder multiplayer mode of Diablo II.
The two had begun farming for their ideal endgame equipment.
Anton spent some time explaining which unique items, runewords, and other equipment they should prioritize.
Even after reaching high levels, Paul and Eric still spent eight hours every day inside Anton's Diablo System—four hours each morning and another four each afternoon.
Anton eventually had to draw the line.
He still wanted everyone to spend the evenings together rather than disappear into Diablo II indefinitely.
Fortunately, neither Paul nor Eric complained much.
After all, Anton continued treating everyone to excellent dinners every night.
During those same weeks, Anton visited the ship's library once or twice every week, spending several hours there each visit.
Gradually, he accumulated a solid foundation of general knowledge about wizardry.
At the very least, he would no longer sound like an ignorant country bumpkin once he reached Izmorta.
Not that he particularly cared what others thought.
In his opinion, people who were overly concerned with appearances were usually nobles who understood very little about true power.
Besides, as a Supreme-Rank wizard, very few ordinary nobles would dare disrespect him.
Even so, Anton had no idea what truly awaited him in Izmorta.
He had already begun making plans.
Rather than immediately applying to one of the magical organizations, he intended to spend some time studying the situation first.
His schedule, however, was not unlimited.
Izmorta's magical organizations accepted new students only once every ten years, and each admission period remained open for just a single year.
The lengthy enrollment period existed primarily to accommodate applicants traveling from distant regions, including the Gale Continent.
When Anton's ship finally arrived, approximately ten months would still remain before admissions closed.
His priority would be researching which magical organization best suited his goals.
After deciding, he intended to purchase a house nearby and secretly establish a permanent portal linking it to Rose Manor.
That would allow his family to travel freely between the Gale Continent and the Izmortan Continent.
Once Paul and Eric completed the Rebirth Process and confirmed that his Diablo System remained unaffected, Anton would submit his own application.
Afterward, he would revoke their access to his Diablo II multiplayer system.
Eventually, the Diablo II ladder season came to an end.
Anton had successfully raised a total of eleven characters to level ninety-nine.
He had already transferred the maximum number of Grand Charms he could benefit from—eight in total.
Beginning next season, he would start bringing Small Charms into the real world instead.
A few days before the ship reached Izmorta, excitement spread throughout the passengers.
After such a long voyage, everyone eagerly anticipated finally reaching their destination.
Anton secretly smiled when he noticed Paul and Eric growing increasingly distracted.
The two often stared into space, clearly lost in thought.
He knew exactly what was on their minds.
Their access to his Diablo II System.
As expected, they approached him later that day.
Anton invited them to his suite so they could speak privately.
"We don't want you to revoke our access to your bloodline magic," Eric said first. "What do we have to do to keep it?"
Anton studied the two of them in silence for several moments.
"You both know why I granted you access to my family's legacy magic in the first place," he said calmly. "I needed to determine whether the Izmortans' Rebirth Process would interfere with it."
He leaned back slightly.
"I expected that, once you experienced the power it granted, you'd eventually ask to keep it."
Paul and Eric unconsciously held their breath.
"I've already thought of a solution."
The two friends waited silently for Anton to continue.