After reaching the maximum level, my "soft rice system" finally arrived.

?

Tevez looked up at the light screen and immediately noticed the difference.

All that could be seen were layers of jet-black rings surrounding the sun, enveloping it completely.

The sun's originally dazzling light was obscured by these layers of ring-shaped objects, and it dimmed considerably.

What is this?

This wasn't mentioned in His Highness Charles's popular science book.

Just as Tevez began to sift through his memories, racking his brains to recall if he had ever seen that dark, ring-shaped object—

A clear and peaceful voice suddenly rang in the ears of everyone in the arena.

Chapter Twenty is just a contest of imagination, isn't it? (Two-in-one)

"In the Western Continent, extraordinary individuals are divided into nine ranks."

"Taking the profession of knight as an example, there are many different professional ranks such as knight apprentice, squire knight, junior knight, great knight, sky knight, and knight captain."

"However, if we don't measure the strength of superhumans by their rank, but rather by their destructive power—"

"So, a newcomer who has just obtained their initial profession, or who has just completed their arcane enlightenment and has just stepped one foot on the path of the extraordinary, can shatter bricks with their physical strength or the power of a first-circle spell. They can be roughly called the 'brick-breaking' level."

Within the light screen, a bluish-gray brick quietly appeared, only to be swiftly shattered by a blurry figure.

The clear, gentle words echoed in the ears of everyone in the arena.

As the voice rang out, many people who were initially terrified and preparing to flee towards the arena's exit calmed down once again.

They returned to their seats and focused their attention on the light screen.

"And those extraordinary individuals who have undergone years or even decades of training and cultivation, crossed the threshold of the middle rank, and are qualified to be called Grand Knights, Arcane Masters, or Elite Warriors—"

"If we were to exert our full strength, it would be no problem to reduce a multi-story metal building to ruins in a certain amount of time."

"Therefore, it can be generally referred to as the 'building explosion level'."

Within the light screen, the robust knight clad in knight's armor reappeared, wielding crimson sword energy and leveling one low building after another.

"Upon reaching this point, one hones the skills of a particular profession to their utmost, integrates the knowledge and experience left by predecessors, and then strives for even greater heights, reaching the pinnacle in a certain field and forging a truly unique path that belongs only to oneself—"

"Such powerful individuals are all masters and titans in their respective fields. They are the protagonists of heroic epics told by bards, and legends regarded as benchmarks and paths forward by countless followers."

"This is what is called a legend."

The scene on the light screen shifted again, revealing the same majestic and ferocious pure-blooded black dragon that had turned most of the city into scorched earth.

"The breath of a legendary dragon is enough to melt gold and iron into the most basic elemental particles."

"Once a legendary mage casts a forbidden spell, it wouldn't be difficult for him to bombard a small town into a million holes—"

"If we were to measure it by power, then a legendary powerhouse would be what is known as the City-Exploding level."

"The legendary rank is also the ultimate level recognized by all extraordinary beings in the Western Continent. It is the highest point that the beings of the Western Continent have been able to reach in the past few thousand years."

"If you want to climb higher and seek even greater views—"

"According to the records in the ancient books, one must acquire divinity, ignite the divine fire, and take control of the powers of the gods in order to embark on the so-called path to godhood and become a demigod, a god, an angel, or even a true god."

"But--"

The calm words paused slightly.

"Is this really the only path to surpassing legends?"

"Do legendary powerhouses necessarily have to pursue that elusive path to godhood, whose very existence is uncertain?"

The next moment, the scene on the light screen changed abruptly.

A huge crater appeared before everyone's eyes.

This is a huge crater, or you could call it a basin.

The basin is surrounded by a lush forest, which appears pitifully small compared to the pit.

"The Land of Divine Punishment!"

Some knowledgeable viewers recognized the location shown on the light screen.

According to historical records, the area where the Land of Heavenly Punishment was located a thousand years ago was once a prosperous principality.

But one day, this prosperous little country suffered a great calamity.

A meteorite fell from the sky and transformed the entire principality into the basin it is today.

This matter was so horrifying that many legends and rumors circulated among the people.

The most widely circulated version is that the tyrant of this principality triggered the wrath of the heavens by acting perversely, and thus the heavenly order, which maintains order, sent down divine punishment.

A thousand years have passed, and it is impossible to verify whether the king of that principality was a tyrant or a wise ruler. The logical flaw in the rumors about why divine punishment would destroy the entire country in order to punish the king is no longer mentioned.

However, the name "Land of Heavenly Punishment" has been passed down.

"A meteorite several hundred meters in size is enough to flatten a kingdom; it can be called a 'nation-exploding' meteorite."

"So, what if we could take control of the meteorite and turn it into our own power?"

"Meteorites of this size are not even the smallest specks of dust in the vast sea of ​​stars."

The screen changed its view again, returning to the vast and dazzling starry sky, where a crimson sphere surrounded and covered by countless black rings stood out.

"Many of the skills and magical items of extraordinary individuals are related to the sun."

"For example, the legendary weapon Sunbow, which is kept by the High Elves, can be enchanted by sunlight, making it the nemesis of all undead monsters."

"For example, the legendary armor, the Shield of the Sun, which has been lost, can continuously provide buffs to the user as long as there is light."

"So, since we're both borrowing the sun's power anyway, why not be even bolder—"

The perspective within the light screen shifted, focusing on the sun.

Around the crimson sphere, rings of dazzling flames rose and fell as if breathing.

With each rise and fall, those dark rings would expand and contract.

It engulfs all the light and heat overflowing from the surface of the sun.

"These jet-black rings, which I call Dyson spheres, are a colossal magical artifact that is still in the realm of imagination."

"It is a connected whole that, under ideal conditions, can capture more than 70% of a star's energy output and convert it into magic with high efficiency and store it."

"Just imagine, if such an energy source were used to provide magical support for an offensive magic circle, just how powerful it would be—"

"Even if the true efficiency of the Dyson Sphere doesn't reach 70%, as long as one-tenth or even one-hundredth of it can be utilized, it will still be a far superior existence to the forbidden spell."

Within the light screen, the bright star dimmed slightly.

The next moment, intense flames erupted from the surface of the sun.

The dazzling light, shining through the light screen against the dim sky, illuminated the eyes of every audience member.

The planet closest to the sun was silently engulfed by the erupting flames and disappeared without a trace.

"Regarding this..."

I usually refer to it as—

The calm voice paused slightly, then added a hint of teasing laughter.

"Star-level explosion".

……

The images on the light screen continued to shift and change in a fleeting manner.

There were airships that looked like they belonged to the western continent, but were able to navigate freely in the sea of ​​stars. The blazing exhaust flames from their thrusters illuminated the originally dark and desolate deep space.

There are magical armors that look like those of goblins, but the mechs are several times larger. They are ordinary people who seem to be powerless, but once they enter them, they can easily control the mechs to smash rocks and even go into space.

There is also a city with a dreamlike appearance, constructed of pure metal, floating among the stars, just like the floating city described by bards, which only the Skywing race can enter and leave.

……

Clang.

Clang.

In the VIP room, the previously composed cardinal's hand trembled.

The teacup slipped from his hand with a crisp sound.

Brown tea and ceramic shards were scattered all over the ground.

The cardinal adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with trembling hands, looked at Archmage Tevis, and subtly took a half-step back to create distance between them: "Is this how people from the Black Tower usually act?"

With the cardinal's insight, it was certainly understandable to borrow the power of the sun, moon, and stars.

Within the Dawn Church, there is a high-level divine spell called "Radiant Blessing," which can only be activated by the power of sunlight. Its effectiveness is greatly reduced or even rendered ineffective when used at night.

However, using sunlight to activate divine magic—

Could the Dyson sphere described in the light screen, capable of enveloping and covering the sun, be the same thing?

Is this a bold question?