Chapter 213: Gate of Truth

Perfect?

This was Nate's first time seeing a task rating labeled as "Perfect." He'd encountered "Good" and "Excellent" before, but never "Perfect."

So, what would the reward be?

Nate looked at the reward details with eager curiosity.

[Reward: Gate of Truth]

[Detecting that this is not the Fullmetal Alchemist world; reward conversion in process…]

[Gate of Truth → Gate of Truth]

Wait, what? Is the system glitched?

What does it mean to convert the Gate of Truth… to the Gate of Truth? Was it supposed to be magic? A magical item?

It was neither.

Nate rubbed his forehead, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction.

This time, it wasn't simply magical knowledge streaming into his mind, but rather the essence of the Gate of Truth itself, infusing his very soul.

"So that's the kind of conversion it was…"

Nate gradually understood. The system hadn't glitched. It was more like the system had rewritten the "source code" of the Fairy Tail world, embedding a new "program" named the "Gate of Truth."

Its purpose could be described in just eight words: "Equivalent exchange, and witness the truth!"

By offering an adequate price, one could open the Gate of Truth and glimpse the truth of anything in existence. The greater the offering, the more profound the truth revealed.

That was the theory.

However, as a newly embedded "program," the Gate of Truth seemed like an infant, brand new and devoid of knowledge. Even if he opened it now, it would reveal nothing behind its door.

"Should I summon it and take a look?"

Nate slowly extended his hand to summon the Gate of Truth, black sparks crackling in his palm. But he quickly withdrew his hand, realizing that summoning it here might cause too much commotion. It was better to test it somewhere quiet.

With a thought, he closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to drift into his Deep Web space.

…

A void-like realm.

In front of him, a massive orb of soft white light glowed warmly.

This was the Deep Web's magic reserve.

Nate stood before this mass of light, his Six Eyes swiftly calculating its "star level."

"Roughly 1,700 stars of magic power."

Currently, Nate's magic level was at seven stars, which was around the average for a Wizard Saint. Fully draining his own reserves, he could use the stored magic here to replenish himself two hundred and forty times over.

He hadn't had to draw from it much since his battle with Jose Porla from Phantom Lord, only tapping into it twice since.

"Magic should work as payment to the Gate of Truth, right?"

The Gate of Truth's law of equivalent exchange was absolute—at least, for now, Nate couldn't bypass it. He would need to offer something to open it, whether it was magic, life force, emotions, body, soul, knowledge, or something else. Compared to other costs, magic seemed like the simplest option.

"Summon: Gate of Truth!"

Once again, Nate activated the power, and black lightning crackled in his palm. A solid stone gate appeared before him.

Nate approached it, placing his hands on the gate's surface and pushing it open.

Beyond the door lay the realm of Truth.

"As expected, there's nothing here."

After a moment's thought, he posed a question to the empty space beyond the gate. "What is 1 + 1?"

Immediately, the Gate of Truth responded in his mind.

2.

"Ah, so it can handle simple math questions?"

But the instant that thought arose, a far more extensive flood of knowledge rushed into his mind.

It was a proof for "1 + 1 = 2."

The answer might have been childishly simple, but the proof behind it was incredibly intricate.

Nate's heart skipped a beat.

"Alright, I'll pay in magic."

Instantly, all his seven-star-level magic was consumed.

Still not enough?

Nate was startled. Was proving "1 + 1 = 2" really that complex?

Well, apparently, yes!

He quickly tapped into the reserve magic, bringing himself back to full power.

The Gate of Truth continued to draw energy, ultimately consuming ten stars' worth of magic to complete the proof process.

In an instant, a surge of knowledge flooded Nate's mind.

He now fully understood the mathematical proof for 1 + 1 = 2 as if it had been ingrained in him from birth.

Then, another response from the Gate of Truth emerged.

1 + 1 ≠ 2!

Proof process...

"Stop! I don't want to know!" Nate was stunned; the Gate of Truth was telling him 1 + 1 ≠ 2?

This must be some deeper truth, right?

But clearly, answering that would require an even greater cost than 1 + 1 = 2 had demanded.

Pure mathematical exploration? Nate wasn't interested in that right now.

Well, it wasn't that he wasn't curious. He actually would like to know why 1 + 1 might not equal 2. But with his limited magic reserves, he couldn't afford to waste them recklessly.

"So even in its infancy, the Gate of Truth has this kind of capacity?"

"But if it costs 10 stars of magic for just 1 + 1 = 2… who can afford that?"

Nate couldn't help but grumble internally. He might have 1,700 stars of reserve magic, but if a regular Wizard Saint tried this, they might find themselves physically paying the cost with a limb.

How much magic equals a leg?

The moment he wondered that, a response came from the Gate of Truth.

"No, I don't want to know."

Nate quickly shut down the Gate, feeling thoroughly unnerved by its nature.

This place was dangerous—just thinking about things here could prove costly.

With a turn, he left the pale realm of the Gate of Truth, and as he exited, the massive door gradually closed.

On a whim, he struck it with a fist, unleashing his Tremor magic.

Boom! His super magic strike didn't budge the Gate of Truth even slightly.

"Good as a shield, I suppose."

Nate thought, realizing that this thing had just been introduced into the Fairy Tail world's very "source code." It would need time to mature.

How long would it take for it to become a "source of all answers"?

He had no idea.

"In a way, this door might as well be a 'god.'"

"No wonder it's a reward for a perfect rating... It's extravagant!"

Nate was quite satisfied with the reward. Sure, the door might not be immediately useful, but at least it was sturdy. He could use it as a shield if needed.

But…

Thinking about the price required by the Gate of Truth, Nate realized that 1,700 stars of reserve magic was likely nowhere near enough.

"How to become a god?"

If he were to ask the Gate that question, what kind of price would it demand?

Or rather, how much magic would it take?

"Originally, I hadn't planned on launching this so soon, but I'd better hurry up and implement the Magic Net Bank."

This Magic Net Bank wouldn't store real-world currency.

Nate had no real need for money at this point; he'd made a fortune selling Magic Net Rings.

The Magic Net Bank would store Magic Coins.

These wouldn't be virtual or digital currency but magic power itself.

The monetization of magic itself!

~~~

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