ALL NOVEL Chapter 196: Kai’s Extremities – The Three Contrasts!
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Following are the points that a Contestant must consider after the reincarnation:
1. The Contestant will not have access to the Stats while in the reincarnated body. Everything that makes a Contestant, a Contestant, will be locked
Note: Accumulated experience does not come under this point's purview
2. The Contestant will replace the main storyline Character's inner self entirely
3. The Contestant can transfigure to their Original Self for 3 hours, called the Identity Period
4. For these 3 hours, the Contestant will have complete access to their Stats
5. The Contestant can return to the Reincarnated Self only after the Identity Period's end
6. There will be a 48 hours Cooldown between any two Identity periods
WARNING: If any main storyline Character relates the Reincarnated Character to the Contestant's Original Self with absolute certainty, then the Main Mission will be deemed as failed
7. A Crisis Timer of 7 days will be imposed on the Contestant as well
Crisis Timer: If the Reincarnated Contestant were to not use the Identity Period in 7 days, including the Cooldown, a forceful transfiguration of the 3 hours would be imposed
8. Every use of the Identity Period will reset the Crisis Timer
]
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Kai paused, looked at Meg, and asked, "Noticed something?"
She pressed her brows, looking thoughtful. It took her a few minutes, but when she answered, there was no hesitation in her voice. "Gender!" she told him. "It says nothing about gender."
Kai grinned. "Exactly," he said, his eyes landing on the notification again. "I remember the System's instructions before my Initiation Mission. A Contestant can't change gender before teleportation, but that point isn't valid when the Contestant is Reincarnating into the Random World, as, in a way, the appearance will remain the same. It's the replacement of the two inner selves, from the main storyline Character to the Contestant."
Meg looked confused. "I understand, master," she said, frowning. "But I am not getting the point."
They had already decided upon reincarnating as Harry Potter, which was an obvious choice given his privilege.
However, that was then; this was now.
Kai took a deep breath and then told Meg everything that had happened in the House of Black and White, keeping the knowledge and the Saying shared by the Chief Bishop to himself. He also told her about the Clue, and then what he had seen in the Soul-Blood drop before passing out.
As there was no limitation on letting her know about his Comprehension based on the Saying, Kai told her about the realization he had come up with.
"NO!" Meg cried, her eyes horrified. "This is madness, master. You…"
Madness, it may be, but Kai knew it was the only way. "Yes, there are Contestants with Glitches in the Primordial Tower other than me," Kai declared, in a tone that demanded no objection. "But in the Chaos' Valley, there is only one. And there is only one Contestant with a Glitch who knows the Saying of the Many-faced God as well. This will be a Multiverse Interdependency unique to me.
"I will Reincarnate in the body of the opposite sex. This will be my first Contrast, the primal conversion of Yang to Yin.
"I will let her know every answer doesn't lie in slaughter. This will be my second Contrast, the quintessential conversion of inner selves.
"I will let her live a life with her own personality, thoughts, and goals. This will be my third Contrast, the ultimate conversion of existence.
"In this reincarnation, I will open the gates to the True Essence of Facelessness. By pursuing these three Extremities… I will become a Faceless Man."
A light breeze entered the hut, lifting the end of Kai's hair, and a drop of sweat trickled down from his brows. Everything failed to match the glint in Kai's eyes — The glint of unwavering determination.
"Also," Kai said, narrowing his eyes, "didn't you mention the main storyline Character, Arya Stark? She could Act as opposite sex, wearing their faces, and yet not face any struggle whatsoever. My reincarnation will be equivalent to me wearing the face of the opposite sex as well, but it will also be on a much deeper level."
Meg sighed. "You aren't aware of the dire consequences of the things you have just said, master," she told him, her expression pained. "I remember hearing about the journey of Comprehensions of the Contestants above the 4th Set. And based on that, I can tell you this.
"One moment. It would take one moment for you to lose yourself. If even for once you were to accept that you and the Character you would reincarnate into, while comprehending the essence of facelessness, are the same people, then all of your work will crumble down to nothingness, and your mind will shatter.
"Such Comprehensions and practices bring with them inexplicable and unknown dangers with irreversible consequences. I beg you to reconsider. Why the need for these absolute restrictions?"
Kai narrowed his eyes. Another row of words kept coming to his mind like an unforgettable horror scene.
"In restriction lies freedom…" he mumbled, hoping to find some elusive meaning. What was the intention of the user of Byakugan behind saying these words in the Tale of Two Brothers? Was there more to these words than their literal meaning?
Kai, for the first time, felt something hidden in these words.
"Huh?!" Meg leaned towards Kai. "What?"
"Nothing." Kai shook his head. There was no going back now. Meg could never comprehend what it had taken for him to come to this realization. If he were to let go of this opportunity, then he might not find another way in the next thousand years. Or worse, he might not find it ever again.
"I have decided," Kai said, standing up. "This will be my path, and if the time comes to face the consequences, I will welcome them with open arms. There is nothing to worry about. I will not be hasty about it. If time can be compressed, then it can be stretched as well.
"I will stretch the time limit of the Main Mission as far as possible using the remaining Mission Credits and then reincarnate into a child of about 4-5 years old. Then, it will be easy to mold her personality and other traits, garnering no unwanted attention towards her. Now, let's go.
"She's about to come. We need to welcome her."
Meg and Kai walked out, and the entire hut exploded in tiny paper insects, straw raining down on the empty ground where once he was living the oddest dream.
Their destination was the 1st Set. With the incident regarding the gaze of the Deep One, it was yet to be seen what changes it had brought within her.
To welcome or… To kill… Kai let out a demonic grin, feeling the excitement over the unknown.
