Reborn as an Extra Chapter 538: To The Tower of Sea Gazers! Part-2.

Rio spent the whole night at Kehrid's home alongside Kifrid.

They shared a meal as the three of them, and because Kehrid permitted his stay, Rio chose the couch for slumber and enjoyed a deep, prolonged rest.

The path forward promised immense hardship, and it was possible he wouldn't find another moment to unwind for months on end!

Replenishing his strength while the opportunity existed made perfect sense.

Silence and tranquility enveloped the night. As dawn's rays filtered through the panes and touched Rio's features, he stirred awake and prepared for departure.

"I'm uncertain if your venture will triumph, but I wish for you to return alive, young one..."

"Your prospects shine brightly; avoid rash actions and pull back if that realm overwhelms you..."

Kehrid struggled to see a gifted youth like Rio venture into such peril, yet he held no authority to halt him.

Therefore, offering words of caution was all he could manage.

Kifrid had risen by this point too; he wiped at his drowsy eyes while he uttered.

"Swing by to see me again, big brother Rio, whenever you can! Mom whips up delicious meals! I'll let you taste her amazing dishes next time!"

Grinning, he waved farewell to Rio as the latter stepped out of the dwelling.

Rio gave them both a nod and a warm smile, called forth his flute and secured it at his side before he replied.

"I owe you deeply for all your help; lending me that artifact to aid in rescuing my companion during this quest puts me in your favor..."

"I'll return with gifts from the spirit realm!"

Though worry gnawed at Kehrid, Rio felt little concern for his own well-being.

In the worst case, he simply wouldn't locate Liam; the miasma posed no threat to him regardless, leaving him utterly untroubled.

He merely had to steer clear of the formidable wicked spirits capable of wounding him.

After a final wave to the pair of dwarfs, Rio's form flickered and vanished completely.

No traces of mana stirred, nor did any elemental ripples disturb the surroundings, and his departure occurred so quietly as though he'd never been there at all.

Kehrid himself marveled at how Rio evaded the sensing scope of an SS-ranker.

'That boy... he's a freak. How could humans produce such a fearsome creature...'

Kehrid rubbed the nape of his neck and at last allowed some tension to ease.

From the moment he'd glimpsed 'Vinash,' Kehrid had remained wary and constantly alert.

He handled Rio with utmost care and yielded to nearly all his demands, not out of innate generosity, but due to 'fear.'

Indeed, Kehrid felt 'afraid.'

'Fear... how many years since this sensation last gripped me?...'

Kehrid had encountered no stranger individual than Rio.

Not only did Rio restrain 'Vinash,' that wild blade of utter devastation, but his form brimmed with overwhelming sword intent!

Kehrid wasn't a fighter by trade, and despite his SS-rank status, his actual battle prowess might lag behind a typical SS-ranker.

Yet his mana perception and instincts as a top-tier SS-ranker rang true without fail.

Deep in his core, he sensed something profoundly off about that 'odd' youth.

'I caught on the news lately that some prodigy was Ashtel Rex's offspring... But who's this one? His name rings no bells for me...'

Kehrid drew in a steadying breath and composed himself.

'Never mind... I've stepped away from it all in retirement; best to steer clear of this chaos. I've already withdrawn from worldly affairs...'

'Getting too tangled in this could shatter my quiet days... Not worth the risk...'

Bearing that in mind, Kehrid led his young grandson back to his folks and pushed Rio from his thoughts, eager to avoid any complications.

'Who would've thought he'd be so approachable; looks like fortune smiled on me this round, crossing paths with such a modest SS-ranker...'

Rio remained oblivious to how his presence had unnerved Kehrid or the reasons behind Kehrid's composed demeanor toward him.

He attributed that poise to simple benevolence.

"I wonder if someday ahead... I too might embrace a serene, tranquil existence in seclusion like his..."

Kehrid had severed ties with society, dwelling in calm isolation distant from global strife.

Rio yearned for that same fate once his burdens lifted.

'Sea of miasma... someday I may need to confront that horror...'

Present SS-rankers and the rest assumed the 'Sea of miasma' lay remote, irrelevant to their lives.

But Rio viewed it differently; his grasp of the world's destiny surpassed all others.

'Plus, one of those 'fragments' might lurk within too... I'll venture there once I ascend to SS-ranker...'

Dreadful, mighty demons probably infested the sea of miasma; to challenge them, Rio required demigod status.

"Enough of that, Rio; future woes can wait for the future. Concentrate on the task at hand now..."

Wasting no more time on the objective, Rio gazed southward and sped off at full tilt.

He'd moved cautiously before, unaware of the nation's concealed SS-ranker, but with Kehrid's location known, such wariness proved unnecessary.

Rio hurtled toward the tower's position at breakneck pace, maximizing his concealment abilities.

He avoided space-based techniques to prevent lingering spatial echoes that could betray him, opting instead to expand his sword and soar atop it.

'Encountering Kifrid proved truly advantageous; my drain on mana and mental energy has lessened greatly...'

'My sword intent's potency has surged remarkably... handling souls and subtle elements like the sea of consciousness comes far more readily now...'

Already viewed as a terror by many, word of Rio's further gains might drive criminals to abandon their ways and turn upright.

'Pity I can't flaunt my potent abilities to the world any longer...'

In his weaker days, displaying his gifts freely posed no issue, but as an S-ranker with world-threatening powers, restraint seemed wiser.

He'd confided his 'soul manipulation' talent only to Raji and Ashtel, sparking doubts of demonic ties; better to conceal anything that could stir greater alarm.

Amid a whirl of musings, Rio dashed toward the far-off 'Tower of Sea Gazers.'