What? I Actually Reincarnated As Stepping Stone In Another World?



Rian's voice rang out in astonishment, his body involuntarily springing up from the sofa.

"What do you mean?!" he demanded, his disbelief evident in his tone.

However, upon witnessing this, Arthur simply offered a faint smile and gazed at Rian playfully.

"No need to put on an act, Rian," he remarked.

"I'm well aware of who you really are." Arthur calmly took a sip of his tea, savoring the flavor, while Rian's face turned ghostly pale.

Rian's heart raced, and a chill ran down his spine, causing cold sweat to trickle down his back.

He felt as though the teenager standing before him had seen him in his most vulnerable state.

Rian's expression hardened as he locked eyes with Arthur.

"Why are you saying this?" he demanded.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically, transforming the ambiance entirely.

As Rian fixed his gaze on Arthur, an overwhelming surge of power, akin to that of a mid-level elemental saint, emanated from his very being.

Despite sensing this remarkably intense pressure, Arthur's countenance remained impassive, displaying neither concern nor fear.

Yet, deep within his heart, Arthur couldn't help but admire Rian's unwavering display of strength.

"As expected of the legendary former Black Swan leader," Arthur acknowledged, a note of reverence in his voice.

"Despite his diminished power, the sheer force of his mid-level elemental pressure is still formidable."

He couldn't help but commend himself silently as he observed Rian's transformed appearance, no longer resembling the disheveled figure of the past.

"But that alone is insufficient to intimidate me," he scoffed inwardly, for he had already experienced the unimaginable might of David and Emperor Alex, as well as the formidable Duke Noah.

Furthermore, there was the enigmatic woman, whose strength likely surpassed his comprehension.

In comparison to the pressure before him, he sensed nothing at all.

Rian's current power, significantly diminished from its former glory, bore the scars of betrayal inflicted by his once-trusted partner.

Nevertheless, even at the height of his power, Arthur understood that Rian would be effortlessly overpowered in the presence of formidable figures like David or even the Balka Emperor.

However, there was something within Rian that David himself lacked—a quality that kindled a longing within Arthur to have Rian as a friend rather than a foe.

After a brief pause, he took a composed breath and uttered, "Relax, Rian. If my intention was to harm you, it would have been accomplished long before now."

"With the might of Duke Asvold's mansion, even a mid-level elemental saint such as yourself could be swiftly eradicated." Nonchalantly, he savored his tea, observing the shifting expressions on Rian's face.

As soon as those words left Arthur's lips, Rian's expression momentarily froze, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain composure.

Gradually, he lowered himself onto the couch, but his mind was besieged by a multitude of daunting thoughts that consumed his innermost being.

"He's right!" Rian acknowledged it with a tinge of dread.

"Indeed, given the formidable might of Duke Asvold's mansion, harming or eliminating me would be a simple task," he pondered, contemplating Arthur's statement.

"Yet, how could he possibly be aware that my power is that of a mere mid-level elemental saint?" His heart pounded rapidly as he opened his eyes, aghast, and beheld the serene and audacious teenage boy before him.

It was as if the teenager standing before him had anticipated this very outcome!

"Well, you've won, young master Arthur," Rian sighed, shaking his head with a sense of resignation, as if acknowledging his inevitable destiny.

Arthur chuckled in response, crossing his legs and reclining against the sofa.

"Rest assured, I had no intention of threatening you," he reassured, shaking his head lightly as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Rian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and inquired, "What do you mean, young master Arthur?"

With a slight narrowing of his eyes, Arthur responded promptly, "I desire to collaborate with you."

Taken aback, Rian questioned further, "Collaboration? Collaboration on what, young master Arthur?"

As Rian heard Arthur's intention to cooperate, a wave of relief washed over him, eradicating his initial fear of being blackmailed by his past as the former leader of the notorious Black Swan organization.

The weight of his former identity as the leader of the Black Swan organization was a constant thorn in his side, especially now that he was being relentlessly pursued by the very person who had betrayed him with the intent of immediate execution.

Observing Rian's expression of relief, Arthur couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy toward him.

Rian was once a formidable individual who should have commanded a position of power and authority.

However, due to the treachery of his trusted confidant, who seized control of the Black Swan organization, Rian's circumstances took a drastic turn.

The Black Swan, renowned as an assassin organization within the eastern Saka Empire, was notorious for accepting contracts to eliminate any target, regardless of their power or influence, as long as the payment was sufficient.

Rian, once the leader of the organization, eventually met betrayal from within his own ranks and found himself relentlessly pursued until he reached the Balka Empire.

If the traitors within the Black Swan organization were aware of Rian's presence in the Balka Empire, they would stop at nothing to unleash their full strength in order to eliminate him.

Unperturbed by the potential consequences for the Balka Empire, the traitors within the Black Swan organization disregarded any fallout as they perceived Rian's danger level to be exceptionally high.

This was due to Rian's distinctive concept of mana control theory, which diverged from the conventional theories held by others.

In the Balka Empire arc, the novel alludes to the fact that Abel, having fortuitously encountered Rian, who was being pursued by the Black Swan organization, promptly came to his rescue.

However, the story does not explicitly reveal Rian's perspective on the matter.

In a display of gratitude for Abel's benevolent actions, Rian wasted no time in aiding him by imparting the unique theory he had developed regarding the manipulation of mana, which diverged significantly from the conventional understanding.

This knowledge would serve as the bedrock for Abel's remarkable progress in his journey.

Now, Arthur harbored a burning curiosity about this very theory, as his thirst for knowledge remained unquenched despite his mastery of the existing common theories.

Furthermore, if the theory that Rian had uncovered was truly as extraordinary as described in the novel, he would spare no hesitation in sharing it with Runa, Alicia, and those closest to him, enabling them to attain strength and power.

Returning to his senses, Arthur gazed deeply into Rian's eyes and spoke with a serious tone, "There are two matters for which I require your assistance."