Still buzzing with excitement, Nanashi didn't close the roulette just yet.
"You girls are amazing!" he grinned, placing a kiss on each of Yukino, Megumi, and Eriri's cheeks.
They didn't know why he was so happy, but they could feel the joy radiating from him.
Settling down, Nanashi took a moment to focus on his newly upgraded vector manipulation.
As expected, the nature of the ability hadn't changed—but its magnitude had increased dramatically.
First, the range.
At Lv6, vector manipulation had surpassed skin contact, evolving into a full vector field—an invisible domain. He could influence vectors on a planetary scale.
Now at Lv7, that domain had expanded beyond Earth. Beyond the solar system.
Within the bounds of the solar system—and well beyond—vectors and energies were now his to control!
One kick could destabilize the solar system.
One thought could alter gravitational axes and create a black hole centered on the solar system—a true black hole, not a fake one. One that could expand infinitely and devour everything.
Second, the depth.
He could now instinctively grasp the essence of energy. His understanding of it had deepened, though it might still grow further.
These upgrades were within his expectations.
After all, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception had set a precedent.
But what truly captivated him now… was the Space Stone.
He reached into his inventory and retrieved the gem.
It was an oval-shaped gemstone glowing with an ethereal blue light.
The moment he held it—
Woosh.
He vanished from sight.
"Wah!"
Without Nanashi's lap for support, Eriri toppled over and hit the ground with a thud.
"Where the hell did he go?" she growled, rubbing her sore backside.
"Another world again?" Marin blinked, wide-eyed.
"Maybe," Yukino replied, uncertain.
But Nanashi hadn't traveled to another world.
The scene around him was utterly alien—nothing like Earth.
There was no blue sky, no clouds, no greenery. Only a silent, desolate, gray wasteland.
Under a sunless light, metallic rocks shimmered with an eerie glow, casting a cold, harsh atmosphere. The ground was pockmarked with holes, and the temperature was completely different.
Still, he was elated.
Fortunately, he no longer required oxygen. The Power of Faith and the Power of Sin were more than enough to sustain his life—even in space.
He looked down at the glowing blue gem in his hand—the Space Stone.
And at that moment—
A surge of clarity flooded his mind.
He instinctively understood what he could do with it.
The Space Stone granted absolute control over space. He could instantly teleport himself—or anything else—to anywhere he desired.
He could bend space to his will:
Separate it.
Slice it.
Twist it.
Reorder it.
Even create entirely new dimensions.
It was also a wellspring of energy.
With it, he could wield space-related abilities like spatial teleportation, distortion, or stasis as easily as breathing.
Just moments ago, he'd used it to teleport himself instantly—to the moon.
He now knew with certainty: his teleportation range was vast.
Crossing galaxies was a simple task.
In fact, the only thing he couldn't confirm was whether the universe itself had an end.
If he grew stronger... maybe one day, he could find out.
Even now, he sensed that the Space Stone's true power hadn't yet been fully tapped.
Different individuals manifest the power of the Infinity Stones in their own unique ways.
Take Ronan, for example—his use of the Power Stone was vastly different from how Thanos wielded it.
Or consider how the Ancient One used the Time Stone, compared to Doctor Strange.
Clearly, the extent to which someone can harness the power of an Infinity Stone depends heavily on their physical constitution and innate talent.
Nanashi could already travel across vast regions of the universe and even create new space using the Space Stone—but he knew this wasn't its limit.
And yet…
"Using it this way feels... off," Nanashi muttered, pinching the glowing gem between his fingers with a look of irritation.
He wasn't pleased with the fact that he could only use it as an external item.
Physically, his body—now reinforced by raw, unfiltered energy—could likely shatter the moon with a single strike. Combined with his other abilities, there was no concern about the strain from wielding the Space Stone.
The gem's power was fully within his tolerance.
If only I could integrate it into myself…
The thought had barely formed when a new notification popped up from the Doomsday Chat Group.
[Ding! Member count in the Doomsday Chat Group has reached 25!]
[New features unlocked: Doomsday Furnace & Doomsday Battlefield!]
"New functions?"
His eyes lit up. For now, he set aside thoughts of the Space Stone and opened the group interface.
Sure enough, two new functions were now listed.
He clicked on the Doomsday Furnace first.
Using his administrator privileges, he reviewed the feature details:
[Doomsday Furnace]:
Capable of smelting any item in the universe.
Smelting Options:
Essence Smelting: Refines the essence of an item's ability into a pure ability essence, enhancing related powers.
Note: No energy loss occurs during essence smelting.
Ability Smelting: Extracts the item's core ability and converts it into an ability crystal, which can be fused to gain that power.
Note: Some energy loss occurs during this process.
Note: Smelting cost varies based on the item and requires Doomsday Points.
Nanashi's gaze immediately locked onto Ability Smelting.
His thoughts turned instantly to the Space Stone. If he could convert it into an ability crystal… he could make space manipulation his own.
After all, the gem was still an external tool—useful, but ultimately limited.
And Infinity Stones did have limits.
Forged from the essence of six singularities that existed before the Big Bang, their power was inherently tied to the universe they came from.
But if he could internalize the stone's abilities as his own—if he could evolve it into something even greater—then maybe, just maybe, that limit could be broken.
"The only uncertainty is how much energy will be lost… and what kind of result I'll get from the smelting."
It was a risky move. There were no guarantees.
He stared at the glowing gem in his palm, deep in thought.
And then, he made up his mind.
"Let's do it."
With a determined breath, Nanashi tossed the Space Stone into the Doomsday Furnace.
[Ding! Smelt Space Stone for 500,000 Doomsday Points?]
"Yes."
There was no hesitation now.
[Ding! 500,000 Doomsday Points consumed.]
[Please choose the smelting method.]
"Ability smelting."
The process began.
Nanashi waited impatiently as five long minutes crawled by.
Then, a notification chimed at last.
[Smelting successful!]
[Congratulations! You've obtained an SS-level ability crystal: Source of Space (Lv8)!]
[Would you like to proceed with fusion?]
"Lv8?!"
Had he misread it?
No—that's what it said. Lv8!
He inhaled sharply, heart pounding.
Even after the gem's energy loss… this was the result?
"Fusion!"
He didn't need to think twice.
This was a rare opportunity. A spatial ability at Lv8 must be integrated without hesitation.
The fusion process was swift.
In mere moments, the overwhelming spatial control he'd felt while using the Space Stone was no longer channeled through an object.
It was now part of him.
This power was no longer external—it was woven into his very being.
And it was strong. Just as strong as the Space Stone, if not more refined.
He raised his hand.
The space around him rippled. It seemed like nothing had changed…
Then—
The surrounding space twisted and shifted.
He was now on Earth.
More precisely, at Eden High School.
But the school grounds were deserted.
In fact, there was no life anywhere on the planet.
"Incredible…"
He hadn't just teleported—he'd created something entirely new.
This wasn't Earth. Not the original one.
It was a parallel Earth—a mirror world, a perfectly crafted duplicate of the planet.
Everything that happened in this space would remain isolated, unable to affect the original.
But more than that—this wasn't just a parallel Earth. It was a parallel Milky Way galaxy.
That was the true scope of his ability.
He had created space itself!
And with a single thought—
Crack!
The fabricated space shattered like glass, dissolving instantly.
Nanashi reappeared inside the Paranormal Research Club.
"Why didn't Yui come to school today?" came a voice.
Miura Yumiko stood in the doorway, curiosity written on her face.
Despite rarely speaking to Nanashi or Yukino during class, she'd grown more familiar with them since joining the club.
"Hmm? Where's Nanashi?"
Yumiko had originally come looking for Nanashi—Yui's boyfriend—to ask about her whereabouts.
But at a glance, the research club room was empty.
"I'm right here."
A voice came from behind her, followed by a light tap on the shoulder.
Startled by the sudden contact, Yumiko let out a sharp yelp.
"Ahhh!"
She jumped, practically shaking all over. Spinning around, she found Nanashi standing behind her like a ghost.
"Why do you walk so quietly?!" she snapped, clearly embarrassed.
"Huh? Why's Nanashi-senpai outside the room?" asked Miko, scratching her head in confusion.
"Nothing major," Nanashi replied casually. "Just testing a new ability."
"Tch."
Yumiko clicked her tongue, still annoyed.
"Since you're Yui's boyfriend, do you know why she didn't come to school today?"
"She's not feeling well—needs to rest for a day." Nanashi shrugged nonchalantly. He had no intention of going into detail.
He was the reason she wasn't feeling well in the first place.
"Fine."
Yumiko didn't press further. Since Yui had told Nanashi about it, it probably wasn't anything serious.
But as she turned to leave, she suddenly realized something...
In her moment of fright, she'd leaked a little.
With a flustered glare at Nanashi, Yumiko hurried off—clearly rushing to the restroom.
She looked very anxious.