ã€ŠSecond Draft - Reincarnated Into a Game in Impossible Modeã€‹


 Prologue

    On a late summer night, strong winds from the ocean blew forcefully inland. With each gust, the air grew increasingly colder.

    In a deserted street, a couple walked side by side. However, something about them seemed off¡ªthey didn¡¯t look pleased. The clearest sign was in the eyes of the beautiful young woman.

    Suddenly, she stopped, stepping into the glow of a streetlight.

    Before the weary-looking young man could fully turn around, he was met with a shocking statement from the girl behind him.

    ¡°Ryoshu¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ let¡¯s break up.¡±

    The night air was already freezing, yet her words did nothing to ease the cold. On the contrary, they sent an even deeper chill down his spine.

    A sudden shiver ran through Ryoshu. He swallowed hard, but his throat was so tight that he could barely breathe.

    All he could do was stand there, stunned. But before the silence could drag on, he let out a deep sigh, breaking the stillness of the quiet street.

    Ryoshu forced a smile, though he couldn¡¯t completely hide the sorrow on his face. After struggling to find the right words, he finally spoke, offering the most heartfelt¡ªand final¡ªwords of love he could muster:

    ¡°I see¡­ then I hope you find someone who deserves you more. It¡¯s getting late, so I should head home now. Goodbye.¡±

    He had already sensed this coming, which was why he seemed to accept it so quickly. Too quickly.

    Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving the girl standing alone in the dim light, feeling abandoned and guilty.

    But Ryoshu wouldn¡¯t know that. He was too caught up in his own storm of emotions.

    ¡®Should I look back at her one last time?¡¯

    Like a gust of wind cutting through the night, he dashed away¡ªlike an arrow, sharp with pain, yet unable to shed a single tear.

    ¡®This is the last time¡­ right? But¡­ why?¡¯

    Eventually, he could no longer hold back. He ran faster and faster, as if he had never run before in his life. His breathing grew heavier, and the tears streaming down his face only made it harder to catch his breath.

    Finally reaching his apartment, Ryoshu stopped in front of the door with his full name on the name tag¡ªAmemiya Ryoshu.

    Despite his turmoil, he opened the door gently and shut it just as softly.

    His tear-filled eyes blurred his vision, but he could still make out the state of his room¡ªan absolute mess.

    There were no trophies, no certificates¡ªnothing on the walls or shelves to suggest any accomplishments. It didn¡¯t take long to realize that he was unemployed.

    This run-down apartment was nothing compared to the mansion he had sold just a week ago.

    A hint of regret lingered, but he had long been accustomed to poverty.

    His gaze landed on a fallen picture frame on the bookshelf¡ªjust like always.

    ¡®This is starting to feel like a habit,¡¯ he thought, picking up the frame and setting it upright.

    The photo showed four people: a father, a mother, and two children. Just an ordinary family portrait¡ªone that could be found in any household.

    But to Ryoshu, this was his most precious possession.

    A memory that made him both happy and unbearably sad.

    This was his family. Or at least, it used to be.

    Now, only the two people in the center were still alive, having grown into respectable citizens.

    His parents, however, were gone.

    And this photo was the only thing he had left of them.

    Their deaths had been so sudden that they never got the chance to write a will. As a result, all their assets fell into the hands of the children''s legal guardian.

    That guardian had no conscience, no mercy. They took every last cent his parents had left behind, and then, with a fake smile and an ice-cold voice, they threw Ryoshu and his younger sister out of their home.

    "We can¡¯t afford to take care of you anymore."

    Even a child could tell it was a lie.

    Just thinking about it made Ryoshu¡¯s blood boil.

    But he had loved his sister too much to let her suffer.

    So, he swallowed his pride and begged those heartless people to at least provide for her.

    ¡®Did I really bow my head to them?¡¯ he recalled bitterly. ¡®But¡­ you can¡¯t eat pride, can you? And thanks to that, my sister had food and shelter! It was worth it!¡¯

    Trying to reassure himself, he shook off the shame of his past.

    He had dropped out of high school to work and support both himself and his sister.

    Now, as a result of his sacrifices, his sister¡ªtwo years younger than him¡ªhad a stable job at a reputable company.

    ¡®She doesn¡¯t even care about everything I gave up to get her here. Not that I need anything in return, but¡­ couldn¡¯t she at least ask how I¡¯m doing? Show a little respect?¡¯

    Still, Ryoshu couldn¡¯t blame her.

    It had been his choice, after all.

    He thought back to the day they were separated.

    His sister had clung to his shirt, refusing to let go.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He had turned around, hugged her tightly, and whispered in her ear:

    "I¡¯ll come back¡­ I promise."

    That day was burned into his memory as if it had just happened.

    The loss of his parents had left a deep, unfillable void in his heart.

    It had shaped him into the lonely, melancholic person he was now.

    ¡®Maybe she hates me for breaking that promise¡­ or maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m already 22 and still unemployed¡­ Who knows? Haha.¡¯

    He let out a dry chuckle, a sound filled with exhaustion and unshed tears.

    Most people go drinking with friends after a breakup.

    But Ryoshu?

    He turned on his computer¡ªthe only expensive thing in his messy room¡ªand launched his streaming software.

    It was a habit.

    A secret job he had done to earn money for his sister.

    Looking at the familiar interface, memories of his past success flooded back.

    ¡®What am I even doing? It¡¯s all over, Ryoshu. Stop clinging to the past.¡¯

    With a heavy sigh, he closed the program and opened a game instead.

    The game that had changed his life.

    Rainfall Disorder.

    Or at least¡­ it once had.

    The day Rainfall Disorder launched, it took the gaming world by storm.

    A hardcore 3D open-world RPG set in a modern fantasy world, where players had to grow stronger alongside the main characters and progress through the Main Storyline.

    Ryoshu navigated the game effortlessly, engaging in a fierce battle against a notoriously difficult boss.

    The NPCs fought beside him with stunning realism, reacting like real people rather than artificial intelligence.

    That was the game¡¯s greatest feature¡ªan almost perfect simulation.

    But in a single careless moment, the boss unleashed a devastating attack, wiping out both Ryoshu and the protagonist, Haruki.

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    He slammed his already worn-out desk.

    ¡°I¡¯ve played for six years and still make rookie mistakes?!¡±

    He was an experienced player¡ªnot a genius, but not terrible either. His viewers often described him as ¡®average¡¯.

    Ryoshu immediately exploited a game glitch to reverse the outcome.

    Unlike players, in this game, once a character¡ªmain or supporting¡ªdied, they were permanently gone.

    It was one of the reasons Rainfall Disorder was considered nearly impossible to beat.

    For two years, no one had cleared it¡ªuntil a legendary player finally did, making global headlines.

    After that, more and more people began finishing the game.

    Ryoshu himself had been the 69th player to beat it.

    ¡°Done!¡±

    He slammed the homemade button that stopped his speedrun timer.

    He checked the final time:

    ¡°17 hours¡­ 24 minutes¡­ 15 seconds¡­ and 5 milliseconds! A new personal best!¡±

    Proud, he uploaded his run to the official speedrun site.

    But when he checked the leaderboard, he frowned.

    ¡°The top player cleared it in 14 hours now? How are they getting faster?!¡±

    Feeling dejected, he switched to social media.

    His notifications? Zero.

    With a sigh, he turned on the TV.

    "Just next week, we''ll get to experience the Virtual Reality version of the game that has taken the world by storm¡ªRainfall Disorder."

    Ryoshu started paying closer attention, even though he had known this information for quite some time.

    "Here with us, we have the CEO of the multimillion-dollar game company, Ber Productions. Welcome, sir."

    The company''s CEO was a young man, yet he carried himself with remarkable composure, exuding the aura of a successful businessman. And the truth was, he indeed was one.

    "Hello. Today, I am honored to represent my company on this program to share more about what you just mentioned."

    The female host smiled brightly at his politeness and eloquence.

    "We¡¯re all eagerly anticipating this game. Can you share some of the major changes in the upcoming version?"

    "Haha." He chuckled lightly, covering his mouth in a natural manner. "We believe it¡¯ll be much more exciting if players discover those changes on their own. But there is one thing we can confidently say."

    He paused, looking straight at the camera, making even Ryoshu curious about what he was about to say.

    "This game will completely change the world."

    Suddenly, the TV screen glitched out amid his excitement. Then, the familiar black-and-white static appeared.

    "Damn, I forgot to pay this month¡¯s cable bill. Just when it was getting good..."

    Though frustrated, Ryoshu quickly turned back to his computer screen, which was still on.

    "VR version... huh?"

    Only one more week until the VR version was released. But he barely had enough money to cover his own living expenses, let alone afford a VR headset to play.

    As much as he regretted everything that had happened in the past, Ryoshu felt like this was the perfect time to let go of that miserable past and change for the better.

    Everything¡ªbeing unrecognized by others, losing his parents early, and now even his younger sister, who had her own job and worries¡ªhad shaped him.

    "I don¡¯t want to bother her anymore. No, from now on, I won¡¯t bother anyone. I¡¯ll just focus on making money. Nothing else."

    But honestly, he found that pretty ironic. The game Rainfall Disorder had given him everything, and now, it had taken it all away¡ªhis money, his wealth, his relationships.

    Yet, despite all the misfortunes, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate the game. In fact, he could never hate it.

    Ryoshu simply loved the game, not because it once helped him financially, but because every time he played it, he felt genuinely happy and at peace.

    And after a few sleepless nights, he had finally completed the game¡ªone last time.

    "And this will be the final time."

    It left him feeling nostalgic, yet oddly satisfied. But playing for several days straight was enough to let sleep finally take over.

    He visited his channel one last time and deleted it, feeling a pang of regret as he recalled his golden days.

    "And finally..."¡ªHe opened his computer¡¯s drive and deleted the game, preparing to sell his PC so he could focus entirely on work.

    "That¡¯s it... time to sleep."

    And then...

    There was no then.

    When he woke up, Ryoshu found himself in a completely unfamiliar room. At first, he reacted like any normal person¡ªpanicking, afraid he had been kidnapped or something. But he quickly forced himself to stay calm and examine the room for clues¡ªor, if he was lucky, a phone.

    Yet, the room was eerily empty, making him even more anxious. Perhaps his survival instincts were kicking in¡ªbeing in a place with nothing meant he was easily observed.

    "Damn it, I¡¯m done for. Did I really get kidnapped?!"

    He carefully pulled back the curtains and looked out the window, which was far more modern than the one in his old apartment. As he surveyed the city outside, something immediately caught his attention.

    The entire city was incredibly futuristic¡ªso advanced that it felt like he had stepped into an era far beyond his own time. But there was one detail. One very interesting detail.

    "Why does this city look so familiar?"

    A sudden ding rang out, and he noticed a message appearing on a watch he had just realized he was wearing.

    "What the hell is this?"

    The message displayed itself before his eyes. Ryoshu squinted and read the bold text on the floating notification.

    "Invitation to Spiral Academy¡ª"

    And he realized it. He should have recognized it earlier when he looked at the cityscape.

    "How could I not realize it? I¡¯ve spent over a thousand hours staring at this city."

    "Oh, Spiral Academy... huh?"

    Looking at the world outside, Ryoshu finally came to a conclusion:

    "Yeah... this time, I¡¯m really screwed."

 Chapter 01: Chaos

    Ryoshu was still trying to piece together what had just happened¡ªone more time. For some reason, he now found himself in the world of <i>Rainfall Disorder</i>, the very game he had spent over half a decade playing.

    The first thing he did was try to recall when his last memory had ended.

    ¡®If I remember correctly, I deleted the game last night and went straight to sleep. And when I woke up¡­ I was already here. Does that mean I was kidnapped in my sleep?¡¯

    He rubbed his chin, thinking carefully. Eventually, Ryoshu came up with another, rather foolish, hypothesis.

    ¡®Or maybe¡­ I got reincarnated into this world?¡¯

    Realizing how ridiculous that sounded, he immediately gave himself a slap.

    ¡°Ow! Well, at least I know I¡¯m not dreaming¡­¡±

    While rubbing his now reddened cheek, Ryoshu continued thinking.

    ¡®Even if I assume that theory is true¡­ it still doesn¡¯t make sense! Not that anything about this situation makes sense in the first place. Could it be that I had a stroke or something?¡¯

    That theory seemed somewhat reasonable to him, given his unhealthy lifestyle¡ªhe rarely exercised and had terrible eating habits. The idea became even more plausible when he recalled how he had just spent an entire day and night binge-playing <i>Rainfall Disorder</i>.

    He had only taken a break because his ex-girlfriend had called him to go to the closeby beach.

    ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d get played like that?¡¯ Ryoshu recalled how she had posted a picture with her new boyfriend barely an hour after breaking up with him.

    ¡®She must have been cheating on me for a while.¡¯

    Shoving aside that bitter memory, he considered other possibilities, like falling into some kind of space-time rift. But when he looked in the mirror, all he saw was a completely unfamiliar face. That alone was enough to disprove his second theory.

    However, regardless of whether his theory was correct or not, Ryoshu couldn¡¯t help but notice one thing¡ªsomehow, he had become¡­ handsome.

    His skin was no longer tanned but fair and smooth. His hair, once short, was now slightly longer. His new face had an innocent look, with soft, baby-like cheeks. And instead of his former chubby build, he now had the lean frame of a scholarly young man.

    ¡®Damn, this is the body I always wished for in my past life¡­ wait, no, I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m dead or not. And I look pretty young¡­ probably around 15 or 16 at most.¡¯

    Ryoshu stood up and started pacing around the apartment. The place was practically barren, as if no one had ever lived there. It was so plain and lifeless that everything felt surreal. Even the bedroom looked brand new. The only thing that stood out was a rusted steel katana lying in the middle of the living room.

    After making sure no one else was around, he cautiously spoke out loud.

    ¡°Hello? System? Status screen?¡± His deep, slightly raspy voice echoed in the empty room.

    ¡®The raspiness makes sense¡­ My body is still going through puberty. Weird¡­ I get to experience voice cracking twice in one lifetime¡­¡¯

    But no robotic voice responded. No game-like status window popped up. If he were a <i>Player</i>, the system should have appeared by now to guide him.

    Ryoshu turned back to the mirror, staring at his reflection with deep thought. After a moment, he stepped closer and touched the glass.

    ¡®I¡¯m¡­ not the protagonist. Not the villain. And I don¡¯t resemble any of the side characters either¡­ I¡¯m¡­ nobody¡­¡¯

    A terrifying hypothesis started forming in his mind¡ªone that could mean an early death for him.

    ¡®No, no, please don¡¯t tell me¡­ I¡¯m just an NPC.¡¯

    The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Because, to his horror, he could recall the faces of every major and minor character in <i>Rainfall Disorder</i>¡ªbut generic background characters always had randomized appearances and names with every new playthrough.

    ¡°I¡¯m a background character¡­ Damn it! As if this game wasn¡¯t hard enough already?!¡±

    But that realization only led to more questions.

    ¡®So, did I transfer into this body¡­ or, more realistically, am I playing an altered version of the game? Who could possibly have created a VR version of <i>Rainfall Disorder</i> and even bypassed one of the best anti-modification security systems out there?!¡¯

    Frustrated, he clutched his head and slumped down against the wall.

    ¡®What the hell have I gotten myself into?¡¯

    Ryoshu sat there for a while, reflecting on his dull, unremarkable life. Eventually, he stood up and rushed to the desk.

    He was convinced that he was inside a game that had been altered in some way. But who had trapped him here, and why, remained a mystery.

    ¡®My next priority is figuring out how to log out¡­¡¯

    He swiped his hand down, hoping for a menu to appear. Nothing. Then, he tried giving voice commands.

    ¡°Log out? Exit game¡­?¡±

    ¡®No response, huh? Well, it was worth a shot¡­ So, someone intentionally removed the logout function? That makes the kidnapping theory even more plausible¡­ What the hell is going on?¡¯

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    A shiver ran down his spine at the implications of his own theory. He immediately collapsed onto the desk, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of dread.

    ¡°Am I¡­ going insane?¡±

    ¡®Back to the main issue¡ªwhat should I do now?¡¯ Ryoshu chewed on his thumb, deep in thought.

    Being reincarnated into this world was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to him. He knew better than anyone just how dangerous this place was.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know what I want to do yet, but there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m absolutely sure of¡­¡¯

    Closing his eyes, he focused on his strongest desire. Somewhere deep inside him, a small spark ignited.

    ¡®I want to survive.¡¯

    He had no idea if he had extra lives in this world. And given how insane and serious this situation seemed, he wasn¡¯t willing to test that theory.

    ¡®If this was just some elaborate scam, no one would go to this extent¡­ I can¡¯t afford to die just to find out. I still want to hold on to my pathetic little life.¡¯

    He had never wanted to die as some miserable failure who had achieved nothing in life. Especially not when he had just resolved to change his fate.

    ¡°This is still just a VR game! Even if I don¡¯t know how to log out yet¡­ If I were the one behind this, I would want¡ª¡±

    His gaze drifted toward the window. Dark clouds were rolling in, signaling an approaching late-summer drizzle.

    ¡°It¡¯s about to rain¡­ Of course¡­ It¡¯s <b><i>The Ending</i></b>, huh?¡±

    Something inside him was telling him to move faster.

    ¡°If I need to survive, I can use some speedrun tricks to plan my next steps. Not to mention¡­ I have knowledge of the Main Storyline.¡±

    For once, he felt lucky to have such an extensive understanding of a game. Whether it was a gift or a curse, he couldn¡¯t tell.

    Noticing the rusty katana in the living room, Ryoshu assumed his character must have been a swordsman. And judging by his living conditions, probably a poor one.

    ¡°And there¡¯s a high chance this kid was an orphan too¡­ Typical trope, huh?¡± He scoffed as he rummaged through the desk drawers.

    Inside, he found some unimportant documents¡ªand a few others¡­ interesting things. Choosing to ignore them for now, he grabbed an old notebook and a short, stubby pencil.

    ¡°This should be enough for now. I¡¯ll invest in a phone later.¡±

    But first, he needed to check his <i>Status Screen</i>. Without knowing his stats, he couldn¡¯t properly plan for the future.

    Fortunately, while not as advanced as the <i>Player System</i>, every character in this world could check their own stats through a government-issued wristwatch.

    ¡®I almost forgot about that.¡¯

    Fiddling with the hour hand, he pressed down on it. A translucent window popped up before him, similar to the admission letter that had appeared earlier.

    ¡°The first line should be my name¡­¡± Ryoshu muttered, preparing to take notes.

    <b>[Name: Amemura Ryoshu]</b>

    His eyes widened in shock.

    ¡®Wait¡­ That¡¯s my <i>Rainfall Disorder</i> username. Why did they use this instead of my real name?¡¯

    A million theories flooded his mind.

    ¡®Whoever did this¡­ knew my in-game name? But I never made any enemies, did I¡­?¡¯

    Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus.

    ¡®No point overthinking it now. I need to check my stats.¡¯

    <b>[Mana: Null]</b>

    "I knew it," Ryoshu let out a loud sigh but didn¡¯t forget to jot it down in his notebook.

    For speedrun players, Mana is a necessity¡ªwithout it, they would immediately reset the game. But in this case, Ryoshu didn¡¯t have that option, or at least he assumed so, since he wasn¡¯t about to risk killing himself to find out.

    ''Luckily, there are still ways to work around this issue, though they take some time.''

    He wrote down both solutions in his notebook, knowing he would definitely have to go through with both.

    ¡®First is utilizing the scarce resources available. This is a long-term solution. The second method works immediately, but¡­ it involves exploiting game glitches, and¡­¡¯

    Ryoshu leaned back in his wooden chair, staring at the ceiling.

    ¡®I¡­ am not a Player¡­¡¯

    If he couldn¡¯t use glitches, it would heavily impact his plans since most speedrun strategies relied on exploiting game bugs, whether big or small. If he couldn¡¯t take advantage of them, his chances of either completing the game or surviving in this world would drop significantly.

    However, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure yet.

    ''Who said only Players could use glitches? I have to test it myself. But first, let¡¯s check my stats.''

    The second crucial thing was the <b>Primary Stats</b>.

    <b>[Primary Stats]</b><b>

    </b> Strength: (F-)

    Endurance: (F-)

    Agility: (F-)

    Intuition: (F)

    With stats this terrible, he was only slightly above an average person and wasn¡¯t strong at all, even compared to other kids his age. Typically, children around his age would have stats around F+ or E-, making his character seem utterly worthless in comparison.

    Thankfully, <b>Primary Stats</b> could be improved relatively easily through diligent training.

    Next, Ryoshu glanced at his <b>Secondary Stats</b>, though he wasn¡¯t expecting much.

    <b>[Secondary Stats]</b><b>

    </b> Charm: (Unranked)

    Regeneration: (F-)

    Intelligence: (F+)

    "Perfect...! It¡¯s not amazing, but at least it¡¯s good enough to use a trick."

    A common early-game strategy was to purchase passive skills that increased <b>Skill Experience</b> gain, helping to level up combat skills faster. However, those skills had requirements¡ªsuch as having an <b>Intelligence</b> stat of F+ or higher.

    Ryoshu¡¯s watch was a low-quality model, so he couldn¡¯t check his current skills. He planned to buy a better one later.

    For now, he will visit the <b>Adventurers¡¯ Guild</b> tomorrow to have his skills appraised.

    "I¡¯ve cleared the hardest requirement! Now I just need enough money."

    <b>[Account Balance: 103.5 RC]</b>

    RC, short for <b>Reunion Coin</b>, was humanity¡¯s official currency, managed by the <b>Reunion Corporation</b> in cooperation with the government. In the real world, 1 RC was equivalent to 1 USD.

    Ryoshu could only let out a long sigh in response.

    "Even inside the game, I¡¯m broke as hell."

    ''100 RC... that''s just 100 dollars... But I need way more¡­ a whole lot more.''

    Now that he had confirmed his poverty, Ryoshu quickly jotted down plans to make money in the future.

    Because there was one thing he understood better than anyone else¡ªthe tuition fees of Spiral Academy were far from cheap.

    To put it into perspective, a loaf of bread cost around <b>1¨C2 RC</b>, while basic rent was about <b>1,500 RC </b>per month.

    Most people would assume the academy¡¯s tuition would be similar to real-world standards¡ªmaybe 10,000 RC per year, or at worst, 25,000 RC.

    But the real number?

    <b>80,000 RC per year.</b>

    Eight times the expected amount.

    An absolutely insane figure, especially for someone like him, who barely had a single cent to his name.

    Fortunately, students weren¡¯t required to pay the full tuition upfront. The academy split it into two payments¡ªone at the beginning and one at the end of the year.

    However, if a student failed to pay, they would end up in debt to the school. And if the debt dragged on too long, they could potentially face legal consequences.

    Ryoshu had no financial backing, meaning if the government forced him to sign a loan contract he couldn¡¯t repay, he would go to prison for fraud and financial misappropriation. An 80,000 RC debt carried a 12 to 20-year sentence under the law.

    ¡®Though, let¡¯s be honest¡ªI wouldn¡¯t even survive long enough to finish my sentence. But prison is one of the last places I¡¯d ever want to end up¡­ based on my experience.¡¯

    Factoring in expenses for food, living costs, and housing, Ryoshu would need to earn nearly 100,000 RC within the next year.

    If he managed to get a scholarship, he could potentially cut down the tuition by 30% to 50%.

    But securing a scholarship was no easy feat¡ªSpiral Academy was filled with monsters. Without talent, getting a scholarship was nothing more than a delusional fantasy.

    ¡®This money situation is a real problem. If I don¡¯t pay, I might actually end up in prison¡­¡¯

    Just thinking about it gave Ryoshu a headache.

    He had no clue what the previous owner of this body had been thinking.

    ''Why the hell did my character apply to the world¡¯s number 1 academy despite having zero talent and zero money? What kind of delusion was he living in? Or was he actually from some ridiculously wealthy family¡­?''

 Chapter 02: Distinct City

    The more Ryoshu thought, the more questions he had rather than answers, so he decided to return to his preparation work. The first thing he needed to do was buy skill books because they were one of the most important things. However, to buy the books, he needed at least 150 RC.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even have 150 RC, let alone that 80 thousand lump!¡±

    Ryoshu thought for a long time and finally came up with an alternative solution.

    ¡°How about the black market?¡±

    The black market was a place for illegal transactions without government approval. It usually dealt with the trade of forbidden items like cocaine, body parts, and tons of other illegal things only the gods knew about.

    Ryoshu didn¡¯t like the atmosphere of places like that at all. But it seemed he had no other choice.

    And as he mentioned earlier, the map of this game was vast, possibly as big as the real world. While the game mainly took place around the Spiral Academy, it didn¡¯t limit players from entering other areas. Players could still participate in the main storyline even if they weren¡¯t studying at the Spiral Academy.

    Ryoshu would think about these things later. For now, he had to go to the black market.

    He quickly switched out his dirty short-sleeve shirt for a plain black hoodie.

    ¡°This kid I¡¯m controlling actually has decent taste in fashion.¡±

    Then Ryoshu walked out of his apartment, grabbed the key from the shoe rack nearby, and opened the door.

    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m forgetting something...¡± he thought, but shrugged it off and slammed the door shut.

    ----0w0----

    As Ryoshu stepped onto the street, the scene of a futuristic city immediately hit him. He seemed overwhelmed and couldn¡¯t tell if it was real or a fantasy. Tall buildings with modern architecture reached up into the blue sky, covered in layers of glass and metal that reflected the sunlight beautifully.

    Ryoshu had thought he¡¯d only see such things in famous sci-fi movies, but now they were standing right in front of him, even more vivid than ever.

    As Ryoshu walked, he felt the lively rhythm of city life. The urban landscape shimmered with thousands of people, and flying vehicles soared in the sky. Occasionally, he saw someone flying too. The dynamic atmosphere was indescribable.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe there was a war here before. Humans really have progressed quickly.¡±

    Right before him was a nearly 100-story building with a white and golden design surrounding it. This building was the focal point, drawing thousands of gazes around. Everyone was staring up with faces of awe and amazement.

    ¡°Right, that building is the pride of Distinct City, or rather, the whole United Kingdom, isn¡¯t it?¡± He recalled the NPCs¡¯ dialogues about the bright building.

    The voices of the people around him filled the corners of the narrow street.

    ¡°Is this the famous Solar Guild?¡±

    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know, but my nephew works there! He¡¯s a B-Rank Hero now!¡±

    ¡°You must be so proud! That¡¯s a lifetime of good fortune.¡±

    Ryoshu wasn¡¯t here to admire the shining building. He had more important business to attend to.

    He walked over to the police station near the street corner.

    Just then, a tall young officer walked past the station. Ryoshu didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately approached him to ask for directions.

    ¡°Excuse me, officer, can I ask something?¡±

    Getting closer, Ryoshu saw that the officer was quite fit. The young cop also had shiny blonde hair and striking light green eyes that were oddly captivating.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s an Awakened too?¡± Ryoshu thought for a moment, then quickly dismissed the thought.

    Hearing someone speak to him, the officer turned to see who had asked. When he saw it was a scrawny boy, he immediately softened his tone and asked with concern:

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, kid? What can I help you with?¡±

    Being called ¡°kid¡± made Ryoshu feel a bit strange, as he briefly thought of himself as the failed 22-year-old he used to be.

    ¡°I guess I have to get used to being called that...¡± he sighed internally, trying not to show his frustration.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Uh, I wanted to ask where the West Soul district is.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... if I¡¯m not mistaken...¡± The officer seemed a bit flustered by the question.

    ¡°I thought police officers were supposed to know all the places in the game... Or have they changed the system?¡±

    Another officer came out from the station, slinging his arm over the flustered cop¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Sorry about that, kid. This young man has been forgetful lately. Let me help you out. Just keep walking straight down this road, and you¡¯ll reach the West Soul district.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Ryoshu bowed and thanked the officers.

    Seeing his politeness, both officers adjusted their caps and smiled, feeling somewhat proud of their small act of assistance.

    ¡°No problem, kid.¡±

    ¡°Sorry again for not being able to help. Guess I¡¯ll have to go back and study the city map,¡± the flustered officer added with a smile.

    The two colleagues began chatting while Ryoshu walked away from the station.

    ¡°I swear, Justin, you forget the smallest things...¡±

    ¡°Probably because I¡¯ve been drinking too much lately... I need to straighten up.¡±

    The fit officer scratched his head, looking quite helpless.

    Ryoshu paid no attention to them and continued walking. He walked to save his most valuable resource¡ªmoney.

    He¡¯d deal with financial issues later, but for now, he needed to get stronger so he wouldn¡¯t be expelled from the academy once he entered.

    Although he could drop out to save money, the benefits of staying near the main characters were immeasurable.

    Luckily, at Spiral Academy, they provided enough money for students to buy food and other necessities. And even though there were dormitories, the academy ensured students had a variety of options and felt as comfortable as possible.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I say these academies are filthy rich...¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here!¡±

    After walking and thinking about his plans, Ryoshu arrived at a modest bar compared to the grandeur of the city he had just seen. But this made it stand out even more.

    The outside was decorated with vines, emphasizing its ancient charm. The entrance was made of solid ebony wood with intricate carvings of twisting crosses.

    ¡°Here it is! Angels'' Whisky!¡±

    This was one of the main entrances to the Black Market. Ryoshu had changed into a more discreet outfit back at his ¡°apartment¡± to prepare for entering one of the most dangerous places in Distinct City.

    Ryoshu slid his hand into his pocket and entered the bar. As the door opened, the humid air and the scent of old ebony wood filled the space, reminding him of the buildings in the forest when he used to visit his grandparents.

    That nostalgic feeling came with a hint of bitterness because that house now belonged to his greedy relatives.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the smell in the game, but it feels so real... Makes me miss my grandparents. I haven¡¯t visited since they passed. I really don¡¯t want to see them, but I should¡¯ve gone to visit... I feel so unfilial now...¡±

    Thinking about this, Ryoshu felt even more motivated to escape from this damn game.

    Inside, the room was decorated in Victorian style, with high ceilings and old pillars that made the place feel spacious and nostalgic.

    In contrast to the solemn atmosphere, there was an eerie tension as most of the people there stared at the newcomer. Ryoshu felt a bit uneasy under their gaze but forced himself to remain calm.

    He gently walked over and sat down at a nearby chair. The server, wiping a glass, glanced at him quickly before asking,

    ¡°What would you like to drink, sir?¡±

    Ryoshu remembered the first code, which was almost like a password to begin the conversation regarding the Underground World:

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a glass of Joel¡¯s Madam.¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The server didn¡¯t flinch or react excessively, which made Ryoshu admire his professionalism.

    ¡°Thank goodness, the password hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Ryoshu felt a little relieved.

    The server picked up a bottle of expensive-looking wine and poured a glass for him. Afterward, he continued,

    ¡°Would you like anything else with that?¡±

    Now that he knew everything was on track, Ryoshu felt more at ease.

    ¡°Give me a plate of Sweet and Sour Dragon Ribs.¡±

    Suddenly, the atmosphere in the bar grew darker. The server remained calm as ever, but the young, naive Ryoshu could sense the hostility in the server¡¯s suspicious gaze.

    Two men in suits stood at the entrance, blocking the way. Something was wrong.

    ¡°Sorry, sir, but we¡¯re out of that dish today.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Damn, did I mess up?¡±

    It had been a long time since Ryoshu had been here in the game, so all the codes were jumbled in his head. Invisible sweat began to form on his forehead. One more wrong word, and he would be kicked out of the bar for good.

    And not to mention, he could be suspected and have an assassin sent after him by the Black Market.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll have a plate of Sichuan Tofu.¡±

    Though his voice sounded calm, inside, he felt like he was on a battlefield. The two burly men at the door were glaring at him, making the situation even more tense.

    ¡°Those two must be at least rank D... They could probably punch through a concrete wall without getting a scratch. And surely... I¡¯m not a wall.¡±

    In this world, Ryoshu was practically an ordinary person. But this feeling of powerlessness and weakness wasn¡¯t new to him¡ªhe had always been weak and shameless in the real world.

    He had always begged others for help. Coming into this world, he was no different¡ªstill a weak, cowardly person.

    But there was one small difference: In this world, one mistake and he would truly die without being able to do anything.

    ¡°Begging might even get me killed... Nobles here really hate commoners...¡± Ryoshu shuddered at the thought of bumping into a noble and imagined the brutality of this new world.

    Though there were laws, commoners like him had little standing in society.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t mess this up!¡±

    Ryoshu silently prayed, and it seemed like the gods had heard his plea. The server¡¯s expression had lost its hostility.

    ¡°Will you be paying in cash or via bank transfer?¡±

    Ryoshu sighed in relief, his voice no longer as worried.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay in cash.¡±

    The server waved his hand, and another female server arrived to bow before Ryoshu. Her movements were very professional, and from the intuition of a 6-year experienced gamer like him, she seemed to be at least rank C.

    All employees in the branches were Awakened above rank E and equipped with skills to kill quickly.

    Ryoshu restrained his fear and lightly nodded to the woman¡¯s greeting.

    ¡°Please follow me, sir.¡±

    He got up and followed the server down the hallway. After walking for a while, she stopped and opened the door.

    ¡°Please enter this room.¡± She gestured for him to go inside.

    Ryoshu didn¡¯t hesitate and entered the room, noticing a free mask on the table nearby.

    This mask had a Kitsune design, like the ones he had seen at Japanese festivals. But it wasn¡¯t just any mask; it seemed enchanted, just like in the original game.

    ¡°Safe travels, sir.¡± The server bowed to him as he stepped into the room, and that was the last thing Ryoshu heard before being teleported.

 Chapter 03: Black Market

    The space around Ryoshu suddenly became eerily silent. He guessed that everything had turned pitch black because no light touched his tightly shut eyes.

    ''Is this the teleportation process?'' He wanted to open his eyes, but this felt exactly like the sensation of riding a roller coaster.

    This made him too afraid to open his eyes. Ryoshu could only feel a dizzying sensation.

    He thought it would only take a few seconds, just like in a game, but perhaps the game developers had simplified many things in the original game, and now, with more investment, they paid attention to every small detail. As soon as the teleportation ended, he heard the noise of a bustling crowd, including footsteps, voices bargaining, and people yelling at each other.

    The Black Market attendants would randomly teleport customers into the middle of the crowd and cast an invisibility spell on them when they arrived so they wouldn''t be tracked.

    When he opened his eyes, a slum appeared before him. It wasn''t so bad that trash was everywhere, but the way the small shops were decorated looked very chaotic and poorly planned, making it feel like a slum. Customers moved past each other in a hurry, though no one showed their faces. Everyone wore a mask that the Black Market management had provided. Some even wore black cloaks around their bodies.

    Like the fox mask Ryoshu wore, it was also enchanted so it couldn''t be easily removed from someone''s face. This was one of the protective methods the Black Market management used for customers.

    Just looking at the surroundings proved that he had teleported underground. Ryoshu had officially set foot in one of the many branches of the Black Market.

    ''This place has such a depressing color scheme, it''s so bad that it makes me want to puke.''

    It made him feel so unsafe that he couldn''t even breathe normally. His heartbeat was so loud that it seemed like he could even hear it. Ryoshu tried to acclimate quickly before anyone noticed anything odd in the crowd.

    ''I need to hurry up.''

    While hastily searching for the skill book store, Ryoshu happened to pass by a stall selling some rather strange jewelry.

    At the first level, there wouldn''t be anything too illegal like human organs or anything like that. There would only be items sold to help vendors avoid paying taxes to the government.

    ''Oh, is there a beautiful mask at this rundown stall?''

    The white mask was simply designed with a slight smile and black lines on a white background. Ryoshu bent down, picked up the mask, and asked the old woman vendor standing there.

    "How much is this mask, ma''am?"

    The old woman, a little hard of hearing, took a while to respond, and when she did, her eyes were still tightly closed.

    "That one costs 5 RC."

    "Here, 5 RC," he said, pressing his wristwatch against the automatic payment system, and it deducted 5 RC from his account.

    [Account Balance: 98.5 RC]

    He took the mask and examined it for a while, then placed it over the mask given to him by the management. For some reason, after wearing it, Ryoshu felt even safer. Maybe it was because he was wearing two masks instead of one.

    Afterward, he tried not to linger around any more stalls, no matter how tempting they seemed, and intended to stick to his original plan. But despite his efforts, Ryoshu was easily drawn in by the allure of the weapons and high-end items.

    The game had many beautifully designed weapons, so much so that players wanted to own models of them. Ryoshu was no exception, having a considerable collection of 1:5 scale models in his old mansion.

    He even caught a glimpse of a sword that looked like it was at least rank C or higher. But the price would definitely be astronomical. So

    Ryoshu quickly backed away before the vendor could pitch the sale.

    Since opportunities like this didn''t come around often, he took the chance to glance at some other items. But suddenly, someone from behind grabbed his neck tightly as if they were trying to choke him to death.

    "Hey, this mask looks familiar, little mouse!" A hoarse voice shouted directly into Ryoshu''s ear, nearly making him deaf.

    An old man, at least a head taller than him, grabbed his neck and dragged him through the crowd ruthlessly. Many people in the Black Market watched as Ryoshu was dragged across the ground.

    ''At least I still have the mask on. It''s less embarrassing, but who is this guy? I bought this mask properly, didn''t I?''

    ''Wait, why does he look so familiar?''

    ----0w0----

    "So that damn old woman stole from me again?!"

    The old man sighed, clearly lost for words. Then he turned and scrutinized Ryoshu''s body suspiciously. After a moment, he slapped his hand to his face and said,

    "Sorry for dragging you like this."

    He had dragged Ryoshu to his shop, where weapons were displayed. At the far end of the room was a furnace, still working, its heat quite intense.

    "It''s okay, sir. What''s your name?" Ryoshu asked, but his attention was focused on the calico cat lounging on the chair for customers. Ryoshu couldn''t resist the cat''s cuteness and started petting its smooth fur.

    The blacksmith didn''t seem to mind what he was doing.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I''m... Enomoto Atsuta."

    For a moment, Ryoshu''s pupils dilated and his hand stopped petting the cat. He quickly resumed petting it, though, trying to cover up his reaction. He seemed to recognize the name. But he quickly said something to hide the truth.

    "I''m Amemura Ryoshu, a first-year student at Spiral Academy." Ryoshu introduced himself with his game name. That was probably the strangest feeling he''d had so far, aside from being in this virtual reality world.

    Atsuta stared at him, as if calculating something. Perhaps he had seen the strange action Ryoshu just made. Ryoshu tried not to look into his eyes and focused on buying skill books, but that only made things worse.

    "Is there anything special about this mask?"

    When Ryoshu asked, Atsuta stopped glaring at him and looked at the mask in his hand.

    "Oh, this mask I''m working on. If you channel Mana into it, it will make you invisible."

    Then he took the mask from Ryoshu and put it on.

    "Like this. Pretty cool, right?"

    Suddenly, Ryoshu lost track of where the old man was.

    ''Huh, no, is he still in front of me? I''m not sure... it''s like he''s just appearing out of nowhere, I can''t focus on him¡­''

    Ryoshu had a few ideas on how to use this feature, but it wasn''t something most other men were thinking about.

    "I was making this hat when I noticed it had disappeared."

    The blacksmith paused to catch his breath and muttered.

    "Dammit, that old woman!"

    But then he tossed the mask back to Ryoshu. He caught it and examined it again.

    ''This mask... has some potential, especially when I''m still so weak.''

    When he looked up, he saw the blacksmith rummaging through his chest.

    ''I wonder if he has more backstory than what I''ve seen in the game?'' Ryoshu''s curiosity rose as he thought about the changes the game might have gone through since its original version.

    "Do you sell skill books, sir?"

    Atsuta widened his eyes in surprise.

    "Of course, you blind kid. This is a skill book store, after all."

    Now it was Ryoshu''s turn to be shocked. He had clearly seen all the weapons outside. He was about to point to them when Atsuta interrupted him with words he hadn''t spoken.

    "I also sell weapons. Never mind that, what skill books do you want?"

    "Do you have any books on Good Memory and Quick Reflexes?"

    Both skills seemed useless and only really helpful in other areas. But Ryoshu had played the game long enough to know that these skills would be very important for him later on.

    "Good Memory and Quick Reflexes, huh? I''m old, so I forget things easily, so let me check my storage." He didn''t even ask why Ryoshu wanted these books.

    ''As expected, a professional. Atsuta is over a thousand years old, so he really must be a pro¡­ though admittedly, he is a little old and forgetful.''

    "Okay, I''ll wait outside."

    "But the question is, do you have enough money?" He looked Ryoshu up and down with a look that clearly said, "Someone like you wouldn''t have enough money."

    Although Ryoshu was irritated, he didn''t object to the old man''s sharp gaze. He sighed and quietly replied.

    "I have about 100 RC."

    "Well, that''s not enough to buy a single book. Each book costs at least 120 RC. Go home." The blacksmith brushed his hands dismissively, signaling Ryoshu to leave.

    Ryoshu knew he wouldn''t have enough, but he still wanted to ask. In Rainfall Disorder, there were two ways to learn new skills:

    The first, the hardest but completely free way¡ªtraining.

    Repeating an action over and over would create new skills. But if you had a teacher, the skill would be created faster and leveled up quicker.

    But for Ryoshu, time was more valuable than money, especially since he didn''t have much time left. So he chose the second method.

    The second way was to use items. Skill books could be bought at skill book stores, but the prices were always high because the only way to get them was from dungeons.

    However, there was another type of item that could be consumed to acquire new skills. And this was the initial goal of Ryoshu when he came to the so-called Black Market.

    "How about [Memory Orb]?"

    By using the Memory Manipulation magic to transfer part of someone''s memory to another person, one could learn new skills like reading a skill book.

    However, Memory Manipulation was a forbidden magic due to the dangers it posed to its user. In return, the price of a Memory Orb was much cheaper than a skill book since it could only be used once.

    Atsuta stared at Ryoshu for a long time, making the atmosphere feel much different from before. This time, he sighed deeply, perhaps because the Memory Orb was a forbidden and rare item, not something you''d hear about every day. It was only available from organizations outside the government.

    "I have it."

    He hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand at Ryoshu and said,

    "Follow me."

    After walking for a while and seeing that the kid wasn''t following him, he grumbled in a low, angry voice like an annoyed tiger,

    "Hurry up."

    Just that one sentence made Ryoshu''s heart tighten to the point where he thought his blood had frozen. But he quickly followed behind the blacksmith. Along with him was the fat cat struggling to climb onto his shoulders.

    Ryoshu picked it up into his arms and tried to keep up with Atsuta.

    They walked down into a secret basement of the shop. Without the lanterns hanging around, Ryoshu would have hardly been able to see anything. But from time to time, he felt the tail of the cat brushing lightly against his cheek.

    Enomoto reached out to a secret wall and pushed a lever down. The wall next to them immediately shattered with the sound of metal parts moving and colliding.

    Inside was a hidden warehouse, separate from the above ground area. It was several hundred meters wide with various rooms used to store select items. This was also where Enomoto hid his special items in the game.

    The cat, after successfully taking advantage of its human companion, immediately jumped off and latched onto its owner. The blacksmith went into one room, and after a while, he came out holding two glowing blue orbs. The orbs flickered on and off, and they felt a little unreal.

    "These two cost 110 RC."

    "Right now, I only have 98 RC."

    Atsuta stood there, looking at Ryoshu with surprise.

    "I give up, kid... How about this?"

    The blacksmith thought for a while and began muttering. Ryoshu had seen scenes like this many times in the game, so he didn''t say anything further.

    "Kid, you owe me one favor."

    Atsuta looked Ryoshu straight in the eye and said in a serious tone.

    "In exchange, I won''t take a single cent from you."

    An unspoken quest had been triggered. Ryoshu felt a burst of adrenaline pumping through his body. His heart was so excited that he felt like his body was about to explode. The cat looked at him with a completely indifferent expression.

    "I can''t believe I just made a deal with a kid like this."

    Atsuta whispered, seemingly regretting what he had just said.

    "Do you agree, kid?"

    Still, Ryoshu thought that the price was far too cheap considering his life was on the line. He started to negotiate, as he knew that if he took on the task unprepared, he could easily lose his life.

    "Alright, but I want to add a few conditions."

 Chapter 04: Reality

    ¡°What is it?¡± The man started to mutter under his breath. However, Ryoshu didn¡¯t care at all and just smiled smugly.

    The fat calico cat looked at him without any special reason, making him want to pet it more. But he managed to suppress his instinct to love animals and focused on the task at hand.

    ¡°My condition is simple¡­ I just need some basic materials. You can take a look here.¡± Ryoshu took out a piece of paper from his bag, where he had already written down the items he needed to buy.

    He had written it down to buy later, but since the opportunity had presented itself, he took advantage of the old man¡¯s wallet.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you need all these strange, random things, and on top of that, they don¡¯t even fit into any specific category,¡± Atsuta said, looking at him with a somewhat pitying gaze.

    ¡°You probably didn¡¯t get a proper education, huh? But¡­ since they¡¯re pretty cheap, I can accept your condition,¡± he said, rubbing his chin as he calculated the total cost.

    ¡®Does he really need to insult me before agreeing? But I must admit, the mindset of the rich is different. This pile must cost at least several hundred thousand RC, if not more. But considering how much he has, that¡¯s probably nothing to him.¡¯

    It took him a while to search through the massive storage room. Ryoshu followed along to speed things up and also to take a look around.

    The blacksmith stored part of the materials he had in a spatial storage ring and then handed it over to Ryoshu.

    ¡®I¡¯ll give you the rest next time we meet,¡¯ he added.

    The storage device could hold many things in a separate dimension. The more expensive the device, the larger the space. But these were so convenient and easy to use that there was no reason not to buy them.

    ¡°That¡¯s one condition done. Anything else you need, kid?¡±

    Despite his grumbling, Atsuta was a man of his word. Of course, Ryoshu wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of that.

    ¡®Still, I should probably have a mid-range weapon, right? But if I reveal my identity carelessly, he might kill me on the spot since I¡¯m not exactly in a safe place.¡¯

    He looked around the dark, pitch-black basement. The escape route had been sealed off as soon as he stopped paying attention. It seemed that the old man was being extra cautious with him because he wasn¡¯t exactly normal.

    ¡®The only thing I can trust here is that fat cat¡­ but it seems pretty busy with its nap.¡¯ He looked over at the plump cat curled up in the corner of the room. Ryoshu had hoped to draw some mental strength from it, but it seemed like that was asking too much.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d like to borrow a weapon from you, the short one with the Legendary Blacksmith class ¨C Enomoto Atsuta.¡±

    Enomoto Atsuta was one of the most important characters in the game if players wanted the highest-quality weapons.

    He belonged to the Dwarf race, but his height was no different from that of a human, which remained a mystery. However, he used this height to live among humans without anyone suspecting his true identity. Of course, his name wasn¡¯t real, but that would be revealed later.

    In the game, Enomoto Atsuta was known to be stubborn and hot-tempered, so Ryoshu had assumed he was a fake when the old man apologized earlier.

    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m just a weak little kid? I¡¯m not sure... Or maybe I have the potential to trigger a hidden quest?¡¯

    But hidden quests for this special blacksmith usually appeared later in the game, so that didn¡¯t seem very likely.

    Ryoshu had met him many times in the original game, but it usually happened later on, around the middle of the game.

    ¡®It would usually be in the second or third year of the game. This is before even the early game stage?! Or¡­ is that the reason? Because I haven¡¯t experienced what happened before the game¡¯s early stages?¡¯

    The blacksmith¡¯s face turned pale, almost like he had seen a ghost. If Ryoshu were in his shoes, he¡¯d probably be just as shocked to have someone reveal his secret identity that he¡¯d hidden for decades.

    ¡°Who¡­ who are you? Which family sent you here?!¡±

    Enomoto Atsuta was a blacksmith who had been hiding for many years in the human world, so his true identity was nearly unknown until he revealed it halfway through the game.

    ¡®Except for those who played through it once¡­ because by then, everyone would know.¡¯ Ryoshu thought back to the first time he met him in the game. When he introduced himself as a legendary blacksmith, it surprised Ryoshu.

    Seeing that Ryoshu remained silent...

    It had been too long, so the blacksmith felt something suspicious pushing him to hurry even more:

    ¡°Who are you!? Answer quickly!¡± - The blacksmith¡¯s face turned pale, with beads of sweat from fear dotting his wrinkled forehead.

    Ryoshu pushed aside his wandering thoughts and continued speaking as if the blacksmith didn¡¯t exist here at all. And maybe that was exactly why his face had turned so pale.

    ¡°When I came down here, I felt that these weapons were crafted very meticulously and skillfully.¡±

    Atsuta breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that at first, he thought Ryoshu was a member of some demonic delegation. But the blacksmith¡¯s suspicion wasn¡¯t completely dispelled yet, so now he carefully reached out for a nearby sword.

    ¡°But how could that alone make you sure that I¡¯m a Legendary Blacksmith? That still seems too ridiculous.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡®It¡¯s true, it¡¯s completely ridiculous. Any seasoned blacksmith can make weapons as exquisite as these. But what sets apart an ordinary blacksmith from a Legendary Blacksmith is the true nature of a blacksmith...¡¯

    ¡°Because I can see the souls in each weapon. Each of them has its own emotions and voice. It reminds me of those mythical stories where weapons evolve alongside their masters.¡±

    In the past, before Mana began invading Earth, Enomoto Atsuta had forged the famous Kusanagi sword and contributed greatly to the creation of the legendary Excalibur sword alongside other legendary blacksmiths. But all those stories were just legends to humans.

    The person standing before him was one of the very few capable of forging weapons with souls¡ªweapons that could evolve with their masters. These weapons had the potential to be bound to their masters.

    But there was one thing Ryoshu lied about to him. He couldn¡¯t actually see the souls hidden in the weapons here, simply because Ryoshu didn¡¯t have a single trace of Mana in his body. That made it even harder to bond with gods and spirits, so seeing or communicating with them was impossible. But he fabricated this reason so the blacksmith wouldn¡¯t kill him immediately.

    ¡®A Legendary Blacksmith¡¯s ability to wield weapons like a sword would definitely be on par with, or even surpass, a Holy Sword. I shouldn¡¯t poke a hornet¡¯s nest...¡¯ Ryoshu tried to cover his throat, fearing there might be a stab wound there from some time ago that he wasn¡¯t even aware of.

    But Ryoshu kept his composure and continued with the act. He casually touched a sword randomly hanging on the wall, caressing it while deliberately avoiding eye contact with the blacksmith to act like he knew it all. The blacksmith seemed speechless.

    ¡®Because one thing is certain¡ªnothing is certain.¡¯ Ryoshu recalled something his teacher once said in class. He hadn¡¯t been impressed by that lesson except for that day.

    It was an obvious statement, but it had helped him become a bit more cautious about everything around him. Ryoshu had become more alert and noticed many dirty, unfair aspects of life that he hadn¡¯t seen before.

    ¡®Back then, I was truly naive. And now, I¡¯m still quite foolish...¡¯

    Ryoshu felt a bit bitter when he remembered how innocent he had been in the past.

    ¡°You¡¯re completely right,¡± ¨C The blacksmith¡¯s words brought him back to the present.

    ¡®Oh, right. I¡¯m in a game. A hardcore game. That¡¯s my reality right now.¡¯

    He took a deep breath, feeling it deeply in his lungs. That was a very real sensation. And this was the reality that Ryoshu had to accept. Everything in this world was a game, and he only had one life.

    ¡®So, that means this is almost like time travel, right? But... the only difference is I can break the game and return to the real world... Or maybe not, since the kidnapper has full control... But if my little sister calls the police, I could be saved earlier, right?¡¯

    ¡°Haha.¡±

    That was when Ryoshu realized that the chances of him being saved from this ¡°reality¡± were higher than he had thought.

    ¡®I just need to survive until then.¡¯

    ¡°Are you crazy, kid? What are you laughing about all of a sudden!?¡± ¨C The blacksmith¡¯s face was even paler than before, but this time it was because of the smile that escaped Ryoshu¡¯s lips for a moment.

    ¡°Sorry, I just got excited because I met a Legendary Blacksmith...¡± ¨C He smirked, looking quite proud of having successfully convinced the blacksmith.

    Atsuta turned away and began looking for something else.

    ¡°That title doesn¡¯t mean anything. Back to what we were talking about, I can only lend you a weapon. If I give it to you, it¡¯ll ruin my business.¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s all I needed. I¡¯ve achieved my goal,¡¯ Ryoshu almost said aloud, almost ruining his plan again. But luckily, he held back just in time.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to say.¡±

    The blacksmith sighed, as if he had realized he¡¯d been fooled by a kid with boogers still on his nose.

    ¡°So, which weapon do you want?¡±

    Ryoshu had thought a lot about the different weapons, but he hadn¡¯t really chosen one before coming here. He had planned to decide after working with some Mana.

    A sword is not a bad idea, since he knew many strong sword techniques in the game. However, he didn¡¯t really want to engage in close combat, especially since he had no experience.

    A staff is also a pretty good idea as well. Even though his Mana was currently zero, he would fix that soon, so it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. However, becoming a mage could be a bit difficult for someone like Ryoshu who liked mobility. Casting spells took time and you had to stand still, so it was too restrictive for him.

    A spear isn¡¯t exactly his specialty either, so that was out of the equation.

    Ryoshu walked around, examining each weapon. Some were familiar game items, but others were new to him.

    Suddenly, he noticed a beautifully designed bow. The bow had a color like butterfly wings and many golden, swirling patterns on it.

    ¡®A bow seems like a reasonable choice.¡¯

    Ryoshu took the bow from the wall. However, he couldn¡¯t tell if it was good or bad, because he didn¡¯t have a system to evaluate its stats.

    ¡°The Formless Bow,¡± ¨C Atsuta grabbed the bow from his hand. ¡°Your eyes aren¡¯t bad.¡±

    But Ryoshu was caught off guard and said, ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°This is a weapon that my friend made a while ago. It¡¯s a great weapon, but it¡¯s without a master. I contributed a little to it,¡± ¨C Atsuta picked it up with a self-satisfied smile on his old face.

    ¡°But he only made about half of it and said he got bored, so he stopped. Haha. Then he just threw it at me. That damn guy...¡±

    Atsuta looked at it with a melancholy smile. Ryoshu¡¯s heart tightened, as it seemed like he had realized the sad truth. The blacksmith handed the beautiful bow to Ryoshu with great care, gently.

    ¡®Is this bow not in the game? Or am I going to be an archer now?¡¯

    After all, he didn¡¯t have close combat experience, so fighting from a distance would be much more effective. He wouldn¡¯t face too many risks either, as he could shoot from far away. And even if he missed or ran into trouble, he could just run away.

    ¡®Besides, a bow could be quite flexible and mobile, so it also meets my second requirement. But learning how to handle and shoot arrows properly... That¡¯s not an easy task either.¡¯ ¨C Ryoshu took the bow and tried to pose with it to see if it suited him.

    ¡°Have you decided yet?¡± the blacksmith asked.

    Ryoshu remained silent, tightening his grip on the bow more than ever.

    ¡®Alright, why overthink this? I¡¯ve made up my mind! This time, I¡¯ll be an archer.¡¯

    Ryoshu started walking towards the old man with the Formless Bow in hand. Suddenly, he tripped over something and fell to the floor.

    ¡°You should watch where you¡¯re going, kid. You¡¯ll ruin all my weapons now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sorry...¡±

    ¡®I should¡¯ve been more careful. I¡¯ve lost all my dignity now.¡¯

    While cursing his life, Ryoshu wondered, ¡®But what the hell did I trip over?¡¯

    He grabbed the object he had tripped on.

    ¡®This is a chain, right? Why is it here in this secret room?¡¯ ¨C He pulled it out from a pile of broken weapons in the room, but it was stuck tightly in place.

    Ryoshu put more force into it to pull it free. Suddenly, he managed to pull it out easily. And at the same moment...

    A sharp knife flew out of the pile of weapons and sped straight toward him.

    It came so fast that he couldn¡¯t react in time.

    Everything seemed frozen at that moment.

    Ryoshu seemed to see the knife about to take his life right before his eyes.

    ¡®Am I really going to die like this?¡¯ ¨C Tears hadn¡¯t even had time to fall.

    ¡°No!!¡±

 Chapter 05: The Fortuitous Fate

    Clink!

    The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the underground chamber. The knife flew out of his eye and landed among the weapons on the ground, creating a cacophony of jarring noise. That sound was enough to jolt him awake from a death-like state that wasn¡¯t real.

    Then, Ryoshu felt his heart tighten, as if a fresh breath of life had been pumped into his seemingly exhausted body. Only then did he realize that old man Atsuta had appeared beside him without him even noticing.

    And somehow, a large, three-colored cat was sitting on his shoulder. Before Ryoshu could fully process what was happening to him, the voice of Atsuta filled his still body.

    ¡°Do you know how to handle a weapon properly?¡±

    ¡°Uh?" Ryoshu was still dizzy from the rapid sequence of events, and before he could even comprehend what had happened, Atsuta was standing directly in front of him.

    Ryoshu looked into the cat¡¯s eyes, searching for some answers, but its indifferent gaze wasn¡¯t much help. ¡®Well, at least it¡¯s cute¡­ even if a bit fat.¡¯

    Somehow, Ryoshu noticed the cat¡¯s eyes became more intense after his thought.

    ¡®You¡¯re so fat...¡¯ Before he could finish his thought, its sharp claws extended from its chubby paws.

    ¡®So it''s not just a regular cat¡­ huh?¡¯

    The arrogant calico cat turned away, no longer paying attention to him, and jumped back to its previous resting spot.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I trusted you, you idiot.¡± Atsuta muttered again, his face as calm as ever, as though nothing unusual had just happened.

    Compared to his original version, Atsuta¡¯s personality seemed a little more irritable in this virtual reality. Ryoshu couldn¡¯t help but admire the developers of Rainfall Disorder, whose game was more realistic than the previous one. Even though the previous version had been praised by many game critics for its character depth in the main storyline.

    While Ryoshu was still lost in his thoughts, Atsuta interrupted:

    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s over now. The weapon that almost killed you is quite a rare one nowadays. You might¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±

    Atsuta pulled on a chain, and it flew smoothly to him. But unlike Ryoshu¡¯s amateurish handling, the blacksmith swiftly grabbed the blade with two sharp edges attached to the end of the chain. That very knife was what had almost taken Ryoshu''s life, but instead of feeling fear, Ryoshu was impressed by how Atsuta controlled this strange weapon.

    But that wasn¡¯t all. The blacksmith started to dance with it. The blades flew around him as if guided by some kind of magic. Even Ryoshu, who had never used a weapon in real life, could feel that the blacksmith was at a level far beyond his own.

    ¡°Ancients used to call this weapon the Dart Rope.¡±

    As he spoke, Atsuta continued his mesmerizing display. Ryoshu remained silent, mesmerized by the performance, trying to absorb every movement of the martial art with greedy intent. But of course, his mortal body could never replicate such mastery.

    ¡°It¡¯s a powerful and deadly weapon, in the right hands.¡±

    After saying that, Atsuta controlled the blade to stab into the wall. But instead of bouncing back as Ryoshu had expected, the blade pierced through the wall and slowly cracked the surrounding stone. It was as if the blade was puncturing Ryoshu¡¯s limited thoughts, expanding his perspective.

    The cat, who was nearby, suddenly leaped up in fright and ran behind a door. It stared at its owner with a glare full of distrust.

    ¡®Hmm... Forget the cat for now... What the hell was that? How could the blade be that sharp?¡¯ As Ryoshu pondered the weapon¡¯s potential and usage, it was now Atsuta¡¯s turn to monologue.

    ¡®Maybe he¡¯s still mad about earlier.¡¯ Ryoshu thought about the time he had monologued like an idiot. His ears burned with embarrassment for not realizing that he had done that in front of someone else. His thoughts became a reality when he was now witnessing someone else¡¯s monologue firsthand.

    ¡°This weapon is powerful, but its practicality is low. It¡¯s very difficult to use, requiring great dexterity and stamina.¡±

    Ryoshu sat deep in thought.

    ¡®This weapon uses centrifugal force or direct impact on the knife to inflict damage... But it¡¯s quite easy to predict since its trajectory is fairly obvious. On the plus side, its reach is longer than a spear, making it useful for close combat, but...¡¯

    ¡°And there¡¯s another major disadvantage. Once it¡¯s launched, it¡¯s hard to retract quickly.¡±

    The blacksmith had already figured out what Ryoshu was thinking.

    Brushing aside his earlier embarrassment, Ryoshu swallowed. He furtively eyed the Formless Bow, then asked Enomoto:

    ¡°Uhm... Could I borrow both weapons...? Is that alright for you?"

    The old man picked up the bow that was placed on the ground and, with the other hand, he held the dart on a string that he had just demonstrated.

    "This dart rope, I don''t mind giving it to you because it''s nothing special. It''s just a weapon I made for practice. And this bow, it''s not even a perfect bow to speak of. Moreover, what I want you to do is difficult, so when I give you these not-so-good things, you might end up dying in some corner for no reason."

    He sighed and then stretched out his arms, reluctantly saying:

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    "So I can give you both of them."

    Especially the Formless Bow, he gripped the beautiful weapon tightly. Ryoshu couldn''t guess what emotions were on that aging face, but he also felt a bit sad because it was the first time he was learning the story of Atsuta''s friend.

    "And don''t return them, just take good care of them for me." - He emphasized each word, particularly the words "take care" and "really well." But Ryoshu didn¡¯t even notice that he also clearly said, "Don¡¯t return them."

    Even though that weapon was really good, his conscience tried to stop him from accepting it. However, his hand still couldn¡¯t help but grasp the weapon as if unable to resist the desire.

    "But, Mr. Atsuta, this..."

    "Don¡¯t change your mind!" - Atsuta firmly pushed the weapons into Ryoshu''s arm and then released them so he wouldn¡¯t try to return them. Since Atsuta was so strong, his push nearly made Ryoshu fall over.

    Despite still feeling hesitant, Ryoshu subconsciously held onto them.

    "Take them, and give me your phone number so I can contact you. When I call, you must come immediately!"

    "Yes, sir."

    ¡®This is amazing! At first, I just wanted to learn the skills of Good Memory and Quick Reflexes, but now I¡¯ve even been lucky enough to get some extra gifts.¡¯

    But the most important thing was that he had met a very influential character in the game¡¯s storyline and obtained quite a bit of resources, and even two high-quality weapons.

    ¡®Maybe this is one of the best starts I''ve had in a game¡­ if only I had Mana¡­ It was almost perfect.¡¯

    But whether these things would help him was... the answer was very little. With six years of experience playing games, Ryoshu could identify the locations of rare items. However, they didn¡¯t help him much in completing the game.

    ¡®But if I didn¡¯t have these small advantages, the early game would have been much harder for me¡­¡¯ - Ryoshu shuddered as he remembered the powerful bosses he would encounter later.

    "Hey... take this too... consider it an extra gift."

    Atsuta then surprisingly handed him three identical scrolls. They were scrolls imbued with teleportation magic, and of course, they already had Mana in them, so Ryoshu only needed to speak the incantation to use them.

    ¡®Perfect for someone like me who doesn¡¯t have Mana!¡¯

    The old blacksmith wasn''t finished with his instructions:

    "Now you can use this teleportation scroll to leave. It¡¯s safer than wandering around in this godforsaken place. I don¡¯t want my investment to fail for no reason..." His voice lowered to the point that Ryoshu had to strain his ears to hear.

    "Although it¡¯s already risky trusting someone as unreliable as you..." After a small cough, Atsuta tried to cover up his discomfort as Ryoshu stared at him with piercing eyes. "Ahem, but anyway, don¡¯t worry, this place is free, because it''s cheap."

    Although he called it cheap, it was still worth over a thousand RC. But compared to buying a teleportation gate, it was fairly cheap. Ryoshu refrained from looking too eager and stored the two scrolls in his spatial ring, then borrowed the blacksmith¡¯s pen.

    At first, he was planning to go home to check if he could use a game glitch, but he realized he didn¡¯t know his address.

    ''Damn it, no wonder I keep feeling like I¡¯m forgetting something. How the hell am I supposed to get back?¡¯

    After thinking for a moment, he came up with an even better idea. Ryoshu, like a child learning to draw, eagerly started scribbling the coordinates of the place on the paper.

    "Thank you so much, Mr. Enomoto! Goodbye." - Ryoshu waved goodbye to the blacksmith with his usual irritated expression. But this time, the old man¡¯s lips curled up into a slight smile. Even though it was just a tiny one.

    Soon after, the cat arrived to join in and bid farewell to the weak boy. It slowly climbed up behind its owner and then sat on top of the blacksmith¡¯s head as though sitting on a throne.

    However, Enomoto Atsuta didn¡¯t care at all and just let out a deep sigh.

    ¡®He¡¯s probably used to it by now. Haha.¡¯ - Ryoshu instinctively reached out and scratched the adorable cat¡¯s chin. The corners of his mouth unconsciously formed a bright smile.

    The blacksmith just remained silent and let him play with it for a while before pushing his hand away.

    ...and reminded him once again before he left.

    "Be careful and remember what I¡¯ve told you."

    Ryoshu looked at the old man one more time to make sure he wouldn¡¯t forget his face. Although that was impossible, since he was very good at remembering people¡¯s faces. It was one of the abilities he was extremely confident in.

    And of course, he didn¡¯t forget to turn his attention to the suspicious oversized tricolor cat sitting proudly on top of the blacksmith¡¯s head.

    ¡®Next time I¡¯ll ask him about this... But for now, I¡¯ll make sure to remember this old man, Enomoto Atsuta. I¡¯ll never forget his favor.¡¯

    Though the old man couldn¡¯t hear his thoughts, he nodded as a gesture and waved his hand to signal Ryoshu to leave quickly.

    ¡®Even at the last moment, still like this. What an irritable old man... Take care, old man... We¡¯ll meet again soon.¡¯ - Ryoshu smiled at the old man and nodded at him, then quickly tore the paper into two.

    From space, magical characters suddenly appeared and flew around his body. After a while, they started to glow, forming different circles. These circles gradually contracted and enveloped his body, the light growing brighter and brighter until it became blinding to others.

    ----0w0----

    And immediately after, Ryoshu felt nauseous once again. After a short while, he found himself standing in front of a gate to some temple. Right now, he was in a rocky area, with sunlight streaming through the leaves of the forest and wild grass.

    The rotten smell from the Black Market was soon replaced by the scent of a cave and wet wild grass. Ryoshu¡¯s sense of smell had somehow become unusually sharp.

    ¡®Must be because I¡¯m used to the filthy smells at the Black Market... so this fresh air feels completely different.¡¯

    In the game, temples were places where players fought monsters, overcame challenges to receive rewards, and gained experience to level up faster. Although Ryoshu didn¡¯t have levels because he wasn¡¯t a Player, anyone could still receive rewards from the temple after completing its challenges.

    Earlier, in the blacksmith¡¯s basement, he had written down the coordinates of this Hidden Temple. There were many bugs in the game that could be exploited using the temple¡¯s gate.

    First, Ryoshu took out two Memory Orbs and used them to interact with the temple gate. In this case, interacting meant rubbing the orbs against the gate for a while. But what happened afterward completely stunned him.

    == [New error detected!] ==

    == [Assessment: potentially serious impact on the Grand System!] ==

    == [Starting the error correction process immediately!] ==

    ¡®Is the system talking about me?¡¯

    == [Error has been completely deleted!] ==

    ¡®What the hell?¡¯

    == [System has detected an entity not belonging to this world] ==

    ¡®What the hell is happening?¡¯

    == [Unable to access specific information about the entity!] ==

    [...]

    Ryoshu felt as if someone was staring at him from nowhere, like a child being caught breaking a neighbor''s window with a soccer ball.

    == [You have been granted a new Authority: "System"!] ==

    == [You now have access to a very small portion of the Player System] ==

    ¡®So it¡¯s good... right? Because now I¡¯m sort of a Player¡­ right?¡¯

    However, he still felt something was off about the so-called System. It felt more like a living entity with intelligence than a simple, mindless machine. But it definitely couldn¡¯t be an ordinary creature. The System controlled and maintained the balance of the universe.

    ¡®Don¡¯t think too much about it, focus on the task at hand.¡¯

    "Status screen"

    == [Your information has been added to the World Data] ==

    A blue window appeared in front of Ryoshu, but it didn¡¯t come from his wristwatch.

 Chapter 07: The Challenge of Cleverness

    Ryoshu knelt down on the ground then rolled over clutching his head, looking truly miserable. In desperation, he rolled around with his eyes tightly shut, hoping the pain would subside. But all his efforts were in vain as the pain he felt grew increasingly unbearable.

    His senses were becoming abnormally sensitive, causing all information Ryoshu received to be greatly magnified many times over. Taking his hearing as an example, normal sounds like the wind or birds chirping that Ryoshu wouldn''t normally pay much attention to now felt as if they were being broadcast through a super-loud speaker.

    After rolling around and groaning for a while, he had somewhat adjusted to the incomparable pain. But he still couldn''t control his limbs and could only move his fingertips.

    "Thank God, it''s finally over."

    This time Ryoshu tried to move with his arm. His hand began to move gently forward and then swayed back and forth very slowly. In his eyes, Ryoshu''s arm split into multiple different versions as if a multi-frame mode had been activated.

    ''This feeling is so strange... this must be the ability of Godspeed Reflexes, huh?''

    He thought his eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets.

    And not just his senses, but his brain was also replaying all the old memories buried deep in his subconscious. Ryoshu felt like he was reviewing all of his experiences simultaneously.

    ''I should have absorbed them one by one... I was too greedy...''

    After resting for a moment, Ryoshu''s senses returned to normal. Or more accurately, he had grown accustomed to this new sensation where everything became tens of thousands of times clearer and brighter. His eyes could see farther, specifically from here Ryoshu could still see a leaf gently swaying a hundred meters away.

    ''I never thought I could see that far... have I become a monster? My five senses have truly been upgraded... but it doesn''t feel familiar at all.''

    Visual acuity seemed like it would be the most noticeable change, but it wasn''t. It was Ryoshu''s sense of smell and hearing that had improved to the point where he thought he wasn''t human anymore.

    Every now and then, he could hear the footsteps of grazing animals nearby. Along with that came the smell of mud and wild grass growing thickly around the gate area, rushing straight into his nose almost suffocating him to death.

    Ryoshu tried to breathe slowly to regain his composure and stay clearheaded. When he began to walk, his feet experienced sensations he had never noticed before. Each step made him feel as if someone was tickling his feet.

    Ryoshu ignored this by trying to forget the existence of those senses. He stepped out onto the grassy area near the gate and fumbled around for a while looking for something.

    During his search, he found some mushrooms and various herbs that could be quite useful later. Whatever he picked up, he conveniently stored all of them in his space ring without fear of it getting full.

    ''Poisonous mushrooms, Forgetfulness Grass, Echidna Flowers... all items that have no meaning until they''re combined with other items... But it''s strange, I remember that item was somewhere around here? Or has the game changed its location?''

    "Oh! Here it is."

    Ryoshu picked up a small, pretty four-leaf clover. Even holding it created a strange feeling for him. Every pore on his hand that touched it made Ryoshu feel quite nauseated.

    In real life, four-leaf clovers were extremely rare, but thanks to Mana, which had been integrated into Earth several decades ago, normal creatures from before had evolved according to Darwin''s theory and become more "exotic and unique."

    "Identify."

    --------

    [Lucky Four-leaf Clover] (A)

    Description: Legend has it that whoever finds it will be granted one wish. Is it simply a legend or not?

    --------

    "Now that I''ve found it, I''ll tackle my first dungeon challenge in this world!"

    He stretched out his hand to open the stone gate. Since the gate was made of stone, Ryoshu struggled quite a bit to lift it even slightly. But shortly after it moved a small distance, he used that momentum and pressed his entire body against the gate.

    The gate opened "quickly" and a cave hidden deep underground was revealed. The gloomy and dark atmosphere gradually replaced the sounds of birds and the smell of wild plants. Torches hung on the walls to help explorers see better. He could clearly hear the crackling of burning fire, like a sign that Ryoshu had entered a completely different world. But he knew well that it was just his own silly thought.

    Instead of appearing as gates like dungeons in other games, the Temples were integrated right into the desolate places in Earth''s geological layers. And that was exactly why monsters could invade Earth because if the challenge wasn''t completed after a certain time, the monsters inside would be able to leave the Temple and devastate human lives.

    He had been to this place hundreds of times in the game, but experiencing it with realistic graphics like this gave him a feeling that was both fresh and creepy.

    The challenge of this temple was simply to solve puzzles and avoid traps. But it wouldn''t be easy at all if this was the explorer''s first time. And that wasn''t the case with him because Ryoshu had memorized all the shortcuts and traps.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ''I just don''t know if the information I have... is really reliable.''

    The Virtual Reality version was said to have quite a few changes compared to the original PC game version. That was also what worried him most. But the reward for completing this challenge was too good to pass up.

    ''Alright, finish early and head back. Normally I would only take about 10 seconds if I used movement speed exploits with wall-clipping bugs. But if I can only use shortcuts, it should take about 3 minutes to finish, right?''

    Ryoshu started to accelerate his run when suddenly there was a sound from the right wall that surprised even himself with how clearly he could hear it.

    "God! I almost forgot about it-!"

    Whoosh. A sharp arrow suddenly shot straight out from the wall, nearly hitting his face. If not for Ryoshu''s Godspeed Reflexes talent, this poisoned arrow would have grazed his cheek.

    The arrow was so powerful that even a slight cut on his skin would have killed him instantly. And although Ryoshu had a way to cleanse abnormal status effects from his body, saving it for another time would be much better than making such a stupid mistake.

    Ryoshu carefully picked up the poisoned arrow, examining the arrowhead where he saw some strange liquid that he was certain was poison. After examining it, he quickly stored it in his space ring before making any foolish mistakes.

    ''This might be quite useful in the future.''

    Running a bit further, he fumbled around pressing an invisible button on the stone wall and a door suddenly appeared. This was the shortcut to complete this entire challenge.

    ''Now I just need to go through this tunnel and it''s done... I just hope it hasn''t changed too much...''

    While the challenge looked very easy, before the trick to overcome it was discovered, this used to be one of the most unfairly difficult challenges. Up to hundreds of millions of Players had died here while attempting this challenge.

    But one day, a gamer had discovered that invisible button while randomly right-clicking and accidentally pressed the invisible button. And from the next day, one of the game''s most challenging puzzle temples became a joke.

    ''That was the glorious past of this damn Temple...'' - Ryoshu grinned smugly because he too had once been a victim of this wretched challenge.

    ----0w0----

    After a few minutes of walking, Ryoshu had reached the end of the challenge. Everything was so easy that he felt almost no emotion at all.

    ''But soon I won''t be able to complete challenges so easily anymore.''

    When completing a challenge, a gate would appear and it would connect to the gate at the exit. But that would only apply to normal Temples; if it was the gate of a Hidden Temple, it would close permanently. Therefore, its exit would lead to another random location.

    And of course, there would be a Reward Chest too. That had been his goal all along. The higher the rank of the challenge, the better rewards it would give.

    ''Not to mention there''s an additional bonus reward for completing it well... and with this timeframe, I hope I''ll receive that reward...''

    Ryoshu opened the chest and a series of items appeared before his eyes.

    --------

    [You have completed the Challenge of Cleverness!]

    Difficulty: A+

    -Clear Reward: [Gold Bar] x5, [Protection Necklace] (A)

    --------

    ''The rewards are quite standard... I''ll probably sell those gold bars to make some money, right?'' - He stored the five gold bars in his ring along with the necklace without caring much about them.

    Then a ring appeared in mid-air and fell into the palm of his hand.

    ''This ring... I''ll deal with it later.''

    He immediately put it away without giving it another thought. Ryoshu had taken it hundreds of times and its function wasn''t that great, so he didn''t even bother to read the description again.

    Because Ryoshu knew full well that it wasn''t the entire notification yet. And as expected, the next line of notification immediately appeared before him.

    --------

    [Because you completed the challenge in 3 minutes 47 seconds, you receive an additional Bonus Reward fitting your excellent performance!]

    Rating: S

    Note: How did you know about that invisible button?!

    -Bonus Reward: [Extra Stat]: [Adaptation] [Seven-year-old Ginseng Root] (A+)

    --------

    "3 minutes 47 seconds? Not bad. But... still far from the world record."

    The world record for this A+ Temple was 1 minute 30 seconds when a Player used the Speed Run and Wall-Clipping bugs, but he was trying to save game exploits so he couldn''t just use them recklessly or Ryoshu would have used them without restraint.

    [Alteration: 1 (Unranked)]

    ''Perfect, exactly what I needed.''

    Ryoshu walked up to stand before a statue near the end of the room. It had the shape of a giant eye that looked very frightening. According to the game, this was the symbol of the God of Fear - Phoborias.

    "I hope I won''t regret what happens next."

    He took out the four-leaf clover he had just picked up. Then Ryoshu bit his finger for a long time with nothing coming out.

    ''Biting my finger to make it bleed is harder than I thought... and quite painful too.''

    Ryoshu took a deep breath and tried to hold his finger firmly to prevent pulling it back. Then he bit his finger very hard. The tangy blood began to flow.

    At first, Ryoshu didn''t feel anything particularly special. But just a moment later, the pain began to hit. And it was his newly enhanced senses that now made the pain nearly ten times worse.

    He suppressed the pain and began using his own blood to write strange characters on the statue.

    ''QWYUOPLKJHGFDZXCVM.''

    And then, Ryoshu quickly took out the four-leaf clover, tore it into pieces, and dropped exactly 3 leaves on top of the statue.

    [You have received a new temporary effect!]

    [All your current stat points will be added to one specific stat of your choice for 1 minute] [You choose Extra Stat: Adaptation]

    [Warning: All other stats will temporarily change to 1 to keep you alive]

    Suddenly Ryoshu''s body went through what seemed like a degenerative process; he became strangely weak. The already dark cave now seemed even gloomier, creating a very uncomfortable feeling. His legs lost almost all strength and collapsed suddenly.

    For a moment, Ryoshu could barely clench his fist anymore. The feeling of helplessness now was worse than when he was dumped by his girlfriend. Remembering that made him feel chillingly disgusted. Especially when Ryoshu remembered the photo of her with her new boyfriend on the very night they broke up.

    [Adding 89 units to the Extra Stat Alteration!]

    "My calculation was pretty spot on."

    After the System issued that notification, Ryoshu somehow gradually became accustomed to the feeling of having all his strength stripped away. The speed at which he adapted to it wasn''t natural at all.

    ''Such a strange feeling... adaptation speed more terrifying than monsters...'' - He raised both hands in front of his face and clenched and unclenched them. Even the newly enhanced senses that seemed impossible to get used to had now become a part of Ryoshu''s body.

    [Alteration: 1 (Unranked) ¡ú 90 (SS+)]

    Immediately afterward, Ryoshu took the remaining leaf piece and put it in his mouth. He chewed it eagerly as if afraid the effect would wear off. But Ryoshu couldn''t hide his face that looked as if he had just eaten straw. One of the most terrible things he had ever put in his mouth.

    [Secret condition has been fulfilled!]

 Chapter 08: Alteration

    [You have received an additional effect!]

    [Additional effect: Temporary stats will become your Official stats]

    [Secondary stat "Regeneration" has been increased by 40 units due to the influence of the extra stat "Alteration" (SS+)!]

    == [New error detected!] ==

    == [Assessment: potentially serious impact on the Grand System!] ==

    == [Starting the error correction process immediately!] ==

    == [Error has been completely deleted!] ==

    ''So it really does delete all the errors it sees...?'' Although Ryoshu already knew this, he was still contemplating ways to circumvent the rules of this damn system. But so far, he hadn''t found any.

    After reconsidering his plan while taking out the seven-year-old ginseng root that he had just received along with the Alteration stat from the Reward Chest earlier.

    ''This reward is probably best at the beginning of the game like this.''

    --------

    [Seven-year-old Ginseng Root] (A+)

    Description: This super rare, high-quality ginseng root can only be found in areas near dense Mana concentrations. It can be made into medicine or absorbed directly.

    -Enhancement

    When consumed, it removes all impurities from the absorber and increases "Main Stats" by about 1 to 5 points depending on the absorber.

    -Limit Break

    Increases the ability to "Absorb" Mana to D+ rank, meaning it creates 0 to 12 Mana Circuit depending on the absorber.

    --------

    ''Since coming to this world, I''ve eaten so many strange things but still can''t get used to this feeling.'' Ryoshu thought about those two vague spheres and the mutated four-leaf clover from earlier. He felt a bit regretful that the first thing to enter his mouth wasn''t some delicious food.

    "I wonder what it will taste like?" Ryoshu tremblingly put the ginseng root in his mouth and took a bite. After chewing a bit, his face turned pale and somewhat purplish. Perhaps the taste was too bitter for him to chew anymore. But because he had been too greedy and took too big a bite, he couldn''t swallow it whole and had to chew slowly to break it down first.

    ''I should have cooked it properly.'' As he thought this, tears streamed down his face. ''Next time I swear I''ll definitely cook properly...''

    Ryoshu felt so disgusted that he could vomit immediately, but on second thought, it would be too wasteful. After chewing for a while, he finally managed to swallow it completely. But the disgusting bitter taste of that damn ginseng still lingered on Ryoshu''s tongue. Just remembering it made his skin crawl.

    As horrible as it was, he felt his body become much healthier. His weak muscles from earlier had now become many times stronger. Normally, such a huge amount of strength would take a lot of time to stabilize body transitions.

    But now Ryoshu was no longer an ordinary human with his SS+ Alteration stat.

    ''Just needing to possess a stat above SS rank alone is already almost enough to become a god. And here I am with SS+ rank...''

    Ryoshu suddenly felt quite chilled at the thought of becoming a god. Although he wasn''t a religious person, offending the gods was still one of his personal taboos. Ryoshu dismissed those blasphemous thoughts and focused on something else.

    And at the same time, a stream of Mana suddenly appeared in Ryoshu''s body and flowed gently into him and then flowed out immediately as if he hadn''t closed the water valve inside. That amount of Mana somehow made him feel a hundred thousand times stronger, but when it left his body, Ryoshu lost that powerful feeling.

    Those Mana streams were like liquid but also very similar to gas, he could feel it flowing on his body while somehow also flying and breathing onto his face.

    "This feeling is pretty good! System, show me the Mana stats."

    [Mana: 12 (F-) (!)]

    The reason his Mana stat didn''t reach D+ rank as described in Limit Break is because the Mana stat doesn''t just depend on Mana Circuits.

    ''The exclamation mark is like in the computer version... it''s used to mark some kind of change.'' He clicked on the line of text that appeared and suddenly it expanded to display full details.

    [Mana: 0 (Null) + 0 (Null) + 12 (D+) (!)]

    Ryoshu pressed again to confirm some of his information,

    [Mana: "Storage"x3 + "Processing"x2 + "Absorption"]

    Mana has another name that only humans use, which is Potential Limit. Potential Limit uses the Mana stat to assess a person''s potential. It evaluates the percentage of Mana in the air that humans can Absorb, Process, and Store inside their bodies.

    And that is also the basic standard to separate ordinary people from Awakeners.

    Potential Limit will determine the highest rank a person can reach and the growth rate of stats and skills, so Ryoshu still has stats reaching F rank even though NOW he is at Unranked level because of the stat change.

    But to level up doesn''t just depend on the Mana stat alone but also depends on other factors. That''s why Ryoshu, despite not having any Mana, is still at Unranked level rather than Null like his Mana stat.

    So now Ryoshu can use Mana. Although he can''t do too many things with it, just that alone is already a miracle for a trash extra character like him. And from now on, he can use functions that require Mana like Hidden from the Hidden Mask and Transform from the Formless Bow.

    But compared to the Potential Limit of main and supporting characters, F- rank is nothing. Because most of them have Mana stats ranked from B upward, even the male and female protagonists are both at S rank.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    But their current ranks at this point are only around E- rank. All the main characters were born almost at the finish line, some were born as princesses and princes already. Among the main cast, there are even two princesses.

    But the only resource he currently possesses that is more valuable than all of the above is information. Ryoshu knows all the plot events, important details or influential characters, and most importantly, the items, rewards, and game bugs. If used intelligently, he will later become a character with more influence on the world than even the main character.

    Ryoshu thought about a bright future after he had conquered the game. ''I wonder if I''ll be able to go home after completing it?'' He suddenly felt a bit uneasy when thinking about that.

    ''Anyway, my sister will report to the police... it''s just a matter of time... so forget it! Now let''s check the status bar and go home.''

    "Show me the stats, System."

    --------

    -[Mana]: 12 (F-)

    Core: 0 (Null)

    Circle: 0 (Null)

    Circuit: 12 (D+) (!)

    -[Main Stats]

    Strength: 12.25 (F-) ¡ú 6 (Unranked) (!)

    Endurance: 11 (F-) ¡ú 6 (Unranked) (!)

    Agility: 11.5 (F-) ¡ú 6 (Unranked) (!)

    Perception: 15.3 (F) ¡ú 6 (Unranked) (!)

    -[Secondary Stats]

    Charm: 10 ¡ú 1 (Unranked) (!)

    Regeneration: 10.15 (F-) ¡ú 41 (C-) (!)

    Intelligence: 18.8 (F+) ¡ú 1 (Unranked) (!)

    -[Extra Stats]

    Alteration: 90 (SS+) (New!)

    --------

    The most notable thing is Ryoshu''s new secondary stat, the Alteration stat, and it''s marked with "New!".

    And currently, it''s his highest stat and perhaps it will be the thing that carries him all the way to the Epilogue.

    Although all his stats have completely returned to 1, thanks to the effect of the Seven-year-old Ginseng Root, all main stats were increased by another 5 units. Normally it wouldn''t be as effective, but because Ryoshu was at a very low rank earlier, or rather the lowest, the ginseng root exerted its maximum effect.

    Ryoshu was also very pleased that the added extra stat Alteration had greatly increased his Regeneration stat. The Alteration stat itself is also one of the extremely good stats, especially now that Ryoshu will have to go through many more painful experiences. So it will help him "adapt" faster.

    Ryoshu clicked on the statistics to see more explanation about the newly received stat.

    [Alteration: the ability to familiarize or adapt to changes in environment and circumstances]

    ''Pretty similar to the original... one of the secondary stats that is quite suitable at the beginning of the game. Later if there''s anything else, I''ll get more.''

    The reason Ryoshu only raised it to 90 is because that bug required meeting specific conditions as follows: maximum of 90 stat units and eating the remaining leaf after tearing apart the four-leaf clover in front of the God statue at the end of the trial.

    ''I could only raise it by 89 more... but that''s quite good already.''

    Before leaving the gate, Ryoshu closed his eyes and tried to absorb Mana from the surrounding environment. Those Mana drops had a white color with a hint of blue. At first, the stubborn Mana flows refused to enter his body, but later they flowed freely into that trash human body.

    Ryoshu took the Mana he was absorbing and transferred it into the Shapeless bow of that old blacksmith. Or more precisely, from another perspective, he was trying to throw that Mana to the bow in a messy and highly irresponsible way.

    The jasmine-colored bow with pale gold patterns gradually transformed into a pile of golden sand. Then, that sand flew into his hoodie and gave the jacket some unique patterns. Ryoshu was quite panicked for a moment because he was afraid he wouldn''t be able to use the bow again.

    But when he transferred Mana back into that mischievous pile of sand, all his worries immediately subsided. Because immediately that pile of sand gathered on his hand and formed the familiar Shapeless bow in his hand.

    It felt like the sand was flying around Ryoshu to tease and interact with him like a newborn child. In his already cold heart, somehow it had been warmed up a bit. He immediately felt an affinity with that naive bow.

    ''Seems like this bow has a soul...? And it''s quite childish? I don''t know either. But it''s quite cute.'' Ryoshu played with that pile of sand and then let it wrap around his clothes again. He could even decorate it according to his wishes, but Ryoshu still liked the original pattern that the child had made for him earlier.

    ''Quite convenient, like this I don''t need to put it in the ring anymore.'' The space in the ring wasn''t infinite, for his F-rank space ring it was only about 12 cubic meters, so he would have to save space for other materials.

    He approached the gate and suddenly came up with a stupid idea. Ryoshu put his hand on the gate and said: "Appraisal."

    [Gate ??????]

    ''Seems like it''s still quite limited because the level is still quite low... but how to level up this skill, I don''t know yet...?'' - Ryoshu was quite surprised but upon careful consideration, it was quite reasonable.

    ''Because I only have a part of the Player''s power...'' But what he was most curious about at the moment was the one who gave him this system:

    ''What does this bunch of characters ?????? mean? He... or she is who? In the description it says... gave it to me for curiosity.... And that person only knows my fake name... because it doesn''t write Amemiya but Amemura...''

    [Description: ?????? gave it to the entity Amemura Ryoshu for his curiosity]

    His mind was really confused before what just happened. But instead of coming up with more nonsensical hypotheses, Ryoshu dismissed it from his mind and went through the gate.

    Stepping out of the gate, it was now evening outside. The city at this time was really attractive and vibrant. Being under a bridge, the scent of the stream with rocks hit him straight in the nose. Ryoshu could also hear the sounds of nature and traffic in the city.

    ''So I''ve returned to human civilization.'' He walked out from under the bridge and admired the cityscape at dusk. Ryoshu closed his eyes and enjoyed this moment. This is what he truly loved about this game.

    ''But this version is much more realistic, I can experience it with all five senses too. So this is virtual reality technology?'' Ryoshu admired this poetic scene for a while longer. And then he suddenly remembered a very urgent issue.

    ''Oh but I still don''t know what my home address is.''

    ----0w0----

    Somehow it was the Super Memory talent, something Ryoshu never expected, that helped him remember details that he wasn''t even sure he had seen before. But that wasn''t its only effect, besides helping him remember other miscellaneous things in life, it also helped Ryoshu learn combat techniques faster through the muscle memory mechanism.

    Especially because Ryoshu used to have a goldfish brain, when he first entered this world, he already knew he had to choose this skill first. Not to mention that he had many tactics that he hadn''t used for a long time so he was afraid they would be forgotten.

    ''However, I still wasted a very good game bug.'' - Sighing, but after admiring this beautiful sunset scenery, that negative emotion also subsided a bit.

    Ryoshu went to buy a lighter and some candles at a convenience store with a total value of 2.5 RC. And after that, he immediately went home to prepare for the Mana Core ritual.

    Mana Cores have many design types with different purposes. Each type will have different effects, usage speed, transformation ability, and power. For example, 5 out of 6 people in the most famous team from decades ago - the Six Great Heroes - were people who developed based on only one specific magic.

    However, they weren''t the strongest heroes. The First Hero was the strongest even though he used the most basic type of Mana Core. However, he adjusted the cores, circles, and circuits according to his fighting style, and that made him the most special Hero.

    Ryoshu would also follow that direction because simply he wanted to use different powerful spells to combine them with his own fighting style.

    As excited as he was, when the elevator door just opened, what caught his eye was his stuff scattered in front of the door. Ryoshu quickly ran over and saw a note stuck on the door. He removed the paper and read it carefully:

    "You''re late on rent for nearly half a year, violating the contract for over 3 months, so I''ve decided to evict you. I''ve been lenient with you for too long, so now you have no more chances. Signed: Landlord Fakuyu."

    ''I haven''t even been in that room for more than an hour... I hope no one saw me in this humiliating situation...''

 Chapter 09: Moving Out

    Suddenly the elevator made a sound, and Ryoshu froze, pulling his hoodie over his head. The footsteps were getting closer, growing louder. Or rather, it was the sound of his own heartbeat.

    "Amemura, are you moving out?"

    A clear voice came from behind the boy. He turned around to identify the owner of that voice.

    ''This girl is Japanese... like me.''

    A slender figure in a school uniform with brown hair flowing in the breeze. Her pink cheeks complemented her playful brown eyes. Her oval face seemed somewhat melancholic, at least Ryoshu thought so.

    "Ah, yeah, I mean no, I... got evicted..."

    "Oh, I''m so sorry..." - She was quite surprised by his words.

    Now it was Ryoshu''s turn to be surprised, perhaps because the petite girl was treating him quite nicely. This was completely opposite to Ryoshu''s previous life before he came to this game world.

    "No, it''s not your fault at all."

    ''Maybe because she''s a fellow Japanese that she''s being so polite... but does my character know this cute girl? She looks about the same age as my character, so it''s quite possible.''

    While he was thinking about the girl in front of him, she asked:

    "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

    Out of pride, he lied outright.

    "I do."

    "Are you sure?" - She raised an eyebrow, looking rather doubtful.

    "You can come to my place if you need help. My parents would be happy to help you."

    Seeing that things were getting complicated, Ryoshu quickly gathered his things and prepared to leave.

    "I''ve got a place already. Anyway, thank you very much. Goodbye!" - His voice sounded hurried, matching his hasty actions.

    "Oh... well, goodbye then."

    Ryoshu quickly walked to the elevator without looking back. Meanwhile, the curious girl kept watching him.

    ''Somehow, Amemura seems different today?''

    The beautiful young girl kept looking at the boy carrying a pile of belongings until the elevator door closed completely.

    ''Normally he avoids eye contact and gives very short answers. But today he even greeted me?'' - The girl tilted her head to one side, recalling the hurried and somewhat clumsy actions of her neighbor.

    The cute girl opened her door, not forgetting to glance at the elevator one last time.

    "How strange... But I hope I''ll see him again at the academy."

    In the elevator, Ryoshu was putting all his belongings into his spatial ring. Although there wasn''t much: clothes, personal items, the notebook he had written in earlier that day, and a rather rusty sword from the living room.

    ''Luckily there''s still room for other things... Who was that girl anyway? She looks familiar somehow, but I just can''t remember who she is? A new character I accidentally glimpsed? Or... just an NPC?''

    Ryoshu couldn''t figure it out, so he gave up and moved on to the more pressing problem at hand.

    ''Whatever, the important thing is that I no longer have a place to stay... Where am I going to go for the next week? There''s still almost a week before the class placement test, and I''ve already lost my place... But looking on the bright side, I don''t have to pay back the rent I owe...''

    Ryoshu found it increasingly unreasonable that his character could rent an apartment when he didn''t have much money.

    "But I still need to find a place to stay tonight or I''ll be on the streets. Just one core and I couldn''t even get that done properly."

    But suddenly he came up with a rather crazy idea. Ryoshu checked the elevator for cameras. Seeing that it was fairly safe, he took out the teleportation scroll the blacksmith had given him and bent down to scribble some messy lines on his knee.

    After finishing, Ryoshu stood up to read the incantation and then tore the paper in half.

    His body was once again enveloped by ancient text and then disappeared from the elevator.

    ''Goodbye, humans! Suck my ba-''

    ----0w0----

    Currently, he was in the middle of a primeval forest, and nearby was another Temple Gate.

    After gathering dry branches to one side and lighting candles around, Ryoshu sat cross-legged. After a while, his steady breathing was the only sound in the quiet forest.

    ''Now I have to imagine the shape of a sphere.''

    Then, he tried to absorb the surrounding Mana and tried to circulate it in the shape of that sphere, but Ryoshu''s face unconsciously wrinkled at the action. But each time the pale blue Mana stream entered, it automatically flew right back out.

    "This feels so uncomfortable!"

    He got frustrated and lay down on the ground. Looking up at the bright stars in the sky, he sat there and felt the cool air of this forest called the Whispering Forest. Ryoshu felt less discouraged and enjoyed the scenery a bit longer.

    "How long has it been since I last looked at stars like this?"

    And unconsciously, Ryoshu remembered his loved ones:

    "I wish my parents and sister could gather together under this beautiful starry sky. And if she could be here too..."

    Ryoshu quietly gazed at the seductive night sky. And suddenly he sat bolt upright.

    "I still have my sister! I must try to get back and apologize to her!"

    He closed his eyes again, but this time focused only on that sphere.

    To understand how Mana works, one can compare the human body to a cup of water.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    The Mana Circuit would be the size of the cup''s mouth; the larger it is, the more water can be poured in at once, determining the circulation speed. This is the Absorption ability.

    The Mana Circle is the Mana Processing ability. It would be the water funnel, and the better the funnel, the less water spills out. It also acts as a water filter that can filter and transform the basic properties of water.

    The Mana Core is related to Mana Storage, which would be the amount of water that the cup can hold before overflowing.

    More simply, the Core is quantity, the Circle is quality, and the Circuit is regeneration.

    And currently, Ryoshu doesn''t even have a cup or a water filter. But the Mana Core was the most necessary thing for humans to store Mana directly in their bodies like other races or monsters.

    It was also an important part of the equation that created the Potential Limit - the ability to Absorb Mana. Everyone is born with different abilities to absorb Mana; some people are more favored by Mana than others. And of course, humans can improve their Absorption ability in various ways.

    For example, eating ginseng root will remove most impurities in the body to increase the number of Mana Circuit connections. Therefore, although he currently cannot store any Mana, he can still use Mana with very, very low efficiency.

    So while all three factors are very important, if you cannot store Mana, you cannot use Mana as desired. That''s why he was trying his best to create his first Mana Core.

    ''Try to maintain breathing rhythm and stay as calm as possible, just like when meditating.''

    Despite the continuous flow of pale blue Mana pouring into him, his mind became calmer than ever. Evidence of this was that his face was less wrinkled.

    ''The mind must be as empty as possible.''

    Just a few minutes later, his mind was completely empty. Even his past failures, the reason why he was here, or what he was doing here were gone. Now he was thinking about only one thing: letting the Mana flow into his heart.

    When his body was filled with Mana, he began to make it flow in a spherical shape again, but this time he wasn''t hasty but quietly kept trying again and again despite failing.

    For talented characters in this world, this would probably take only a few minutes to complete their first Mana Core. Subsequent cores would take increasingly more time to create.

    After several minutes... or perhaps tens of minutes of repeatedly absorbing Mana and letting those Mana streams flow in to form a spherical shape, Ryoshu finally heard a mechanical and cold sound that he had been waiting for all this time.

    [Congratulations, you have created your "First Mana Core". Keep trying to create more Mana Cores!]

    [Unlocked trait "Mana Core" (Basic)]

    [Unlocked potential "Mana" (F-)]

    Ryoshu slowly opened his eyes and looked at the new notifications. But quickly closed his eyes to focus on the next task. Next, he imagined the image of Mana being pushed out from his palm and then tried to maintain it there.

    Of course, at first he couldn''t hold it for even half a second. Because as soon as he released the Mana, it immediately lost its shape and flew back into the air. But the more he did it, the more proficient he became, as later he could extend it by another half second or so.

    ''Maybe it''s because my Mana control is too poor? In the game, you just press buttons, so I''m not really clear. Or maybe I''m using the wrong method?''

    The feeling of concentrating Mana in one place was like looking for a needle in a haystack. All the concepts here were too abstract for Ryoshu. Even though he searched online, people in this world still explained things too vaguely for his limited understanding.

    ''This time I have to try a different approach.''

    Ryoshu absorbed Mana into the core he had just finished making and then imagined the Mana flowing out through his Mana Circuits to appear in his palm.

    Fortunately, he already had 12 Mana Circuits, so the step of absorbing and letting Mana pass through the circuits was relatively easy. But the next step was the hardest, when he had to release Mana into his palm and keep it from saturating with the Mana density in the surrounding space.

    Ryoshu would push it out only for it to evaporate after just one second, so he had to do it over and over until he used up all the Mana in his Mana core. Then he just kept repeating the process.

    Although it was quite frustrating that progress wasn''t as lightning-fast as other characters in the Isekai shows he used to watch in his old body, Ryoshu still maintained an impressive focus on his task.

    This time it took over an hour before he could hold Mana in his palm for about 5 seconds, but he still had to close his eyes and imagine. In this aspect, Ryoshu became proficient much faster than other characters in this world.

    ''Takahashi once said it took him two hours before he could hold it like me.''

    Takahashi Haruki is the main character of the game Rainfall Disorder, the one who holds the fate of protecting the world from the apocalypse. It would be very soon before Ryoshu would meet the main characters directly, and the Main Plot would begin then.

    [Talents "Super Memory" and "Godspeed Reflexes" have accelerated the process...]

    [Acquired Skill "Mana Focus" (Level I)]

    ''This skill is one of the branches of Mana Potential.''

    Now he could gather Mana more easily and a bit faster. Most importantly, just by having the new skill, he could easily hold Mana in his palm for another quarter of a second while his eyes were open.

    Additionally, he also had a better imagination related to Mana. Normally he would imagine Mana particles gathering at a point on a 2D plane; now that 2D plane had a bit more depth but wasn''t quite 3D yet, more like 2.5D.

    And thanks to Super Memory, Divine Speed Reflexes, and not to mention the SS+ Adaptation stat, in just over an hour, he could almost focus mana on any part of his body.

    ''But that''s just the beginning... Now that I have Mana, next I''ll learn Magic...''

    Ryoshu helplessly took out the newly purchased lighter from his spatial ring. The lighter had a rather common design with nothing special about it. But it was quite cheap, so he bought it anyway since he would only use it once.

    ''I''m really crazy; before I wouldn''t have dared to do such things in real life. Who would have thought that one day I''d burn my hand... just to learn Fire Magic?''

    He started to light it up. The flame from the cheap lighter lit up and illuminated a bit of this pitch-dark forest.

    "No pain, no gain... Hope it''s worth it."

    Ryoshu held his finger near the flame but very slowly, and he was almost prepared to pull back.

    At first, when he held it close, he didn''t feel much except that it was quite hot, but just a moment later, Ryoshu regretted that foolish thinking.

    "Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

    A scream echoed throughout the forest, causing a flock of birds to fly out from upstream. The burning sensation seemed to spread throughout his body, not just his finger. The flame from the lighter was too hot for him to touch it again.

    Ryoshu threw it aside while moaning and rolling on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. He tried to engrave the feeling of his burnt finger deep into his body.

    ''Who knew it would hurt this much... Fortunately, the relatively high Recovery stat has helped me feel a bit less pain...''

    But because Ryoshu still hadn''t unlocked the skill he needed, this was just the first attempt. He picked up the lighter again weakly and lifelessly.

    ''...It''s going to be a long night.''

    ----0w0----

    [Your body is beginning to develop characteristics to resist high temperatures]

    [Unlocked Trait "High temperature Resistance" (Low)]

    His hand was completely blistered and looked awful. Ryoshu tried to hold his finger to the flame from the cheap lighter, but this time less hesitantly than before. The painful sensation had lessened considerably compared to before, but it didn''t completely disappear, just subsided a bit. Although he was happy, he still let out a sigh.

    After what seemed like an eternity had passed, Ryoshu finally successfully unlocked the desired skill that he had been desperately seeking. Each failure made him become more numb to the burning sensation.

    ''I don''t know if that''s good or not...? In the game, the process was much, much simpler...''

    Next, Ryoshu focused Mana in his palm while burning his fingers. But because the sensation was still quite painful, he kept losing focus. It wasn''t until Ryoshu''s entire hand was deformed into the black color of charcoal that he began to sense how the flame worked.

    "I''ve got the feeling now... let''s practice right away..."

    While burning his other hand, Ryoshu transformed pure Mana into fire. But his efforts only transformed it into a hot gas.

    ''That''s half done. Now I just need to try to change its color to the color of flame.''

    Mana control is related to imagination, so the more familiar the image, the easier it is to transform Mana. And because Ryoshu already had a fairly clear image of fire, this time it only took a few minutes before he succeeded.

    Whoosh.

    The flame on his hand blazed and just a few seconds later it went out completely, much to Ryoshu''s disappointment. But even that short display made him sense the unlimited potential of Mana. He tried again and observed it very carefully.

    "So this is Magic... It''s beautiful." - Ryoshu''s eyes sparkled under the flame. The eyes that had once lost hope in everything seemed to light up again.

    Although the flame was still very small and could be extinguished at any moment, Ryoshu would always rise again as long as his life force remained.

    ''I must believe in myself... or at least I must believe in the information I possess...''

 Chapter 10: The First Night

    Ryoshu was a strange person; since childhood, he had been fascinated by watching fire burn because it looked magical to him. Perhaps that was also why he enjoyed watching fireworks during New Year''s Eve celebrations.

    ''But next, I need to change its properties to make it more flammable.''

    This was much harder than what Ryoshu had just accomplished because now he had to directly affect the way Mana works.

    Typically, pure Mana has no special properties, except that it''s invisible and can exist in multiple states simultaneously: liquid, solid, gas, yet not actually being any of these three states. Therefore, Mana is a resource that is both concrete and abstract, so not everyone can use it skillfully. And it would be even more difficult for someone like Ryoshu, who had just arrived in this world and only heard the concept without having a deep understanding of it.

    But not giving up, Ryoshu continued to make Mana rub against itself and gradually increased the speed to create friction. However, because his ability to control Mana was so poor, the results didn''t look very promising.

    Sweat dripped from his forehead like a waterfall. Moreover, his hoodie was hot and uncomfortable, so instead of helping, it absorbed his sweat, making Ryoshu''s entire body wet like a drowned rat.

    "Well, I''ve failed again." - Ryoshu was completely exhausted, so he lay flat on the ground while his body tried to absorb more Mana. Through the painful training process, he had managed to concentrate Mana on his fingertip for about 10 seconds.

    [Skill "Mana Concentration" upgraded to level II!]

    Ryoshu nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with this progress.

    ''Well, although it took quite some time, at least I''m still heading in the right direction.''

    "System, show me my Mana potential."

    --------

    [Mana] (F-)

    Description: This is the first time you can sense the Mana streams surrounding you, despite having been exposed to them for nearly twenty years. Although it''s quite late, everything has to start from zero!

    -Mana Concentration (Level I ¡ú II)

    Increases 5 ¡ú 7.5% efficiency of your Mana concentration ability.

    --------

    "An additional 2.5%... that much?" - Ryoshu said in a rather sarcastic tone, but he knew better than anyone that even 1% could completely change the outcome of a battle.

    Since Ryoshu could currently only maintain it for about ten seconds, he couldn''t feel the change. But later, if he could maintain it for 30 minutes, this passive ability would help him keep it for at least 2 more minutes.

    And this skill was only at level II, so its effect was still quite poor, but later it could go up to 50 or even 100%. Just thinking about that made him feel much more encouraged.

    "Come on, me, finish this and then I can go to sleep!"

    Ryoshu sat up to continue, but this time with much more vitality.

    ----0w0----

    The sky was getting darker; it must be around midnight now. But there was still a diligent cockroach trying every minute, every second, not to be crushed by its swarm.

    That cockroach was deep in thought, recalling the feeling of being burned earlier and trying to transform mana so it could self-ignite.

    After a while, deep within the cockroach, a ring began to form and rotate around a white ball of Mana. The ring was created due to its good habits from its past life and helped transform the pure Mana streams, changing them to a brilliant bright red in just a moment. This was perhaps its most successful transformation.

    [Congratulations on creating your "First Mana Circle." Keep trying to create more Mana Circles!]

    [Unlocked skill "Mana Transformation" (Level I)]

    The system''s sound made the cockroach jump up.

    "Excellent, I''ve finally got this skill!"

    With this skill, he could easily change the properties of Mana according to his wishes. Ryoshu immediately tried again. The pure Mana stream concentrated on his blackened palm that had been burned, and after a moment, it gradually transformed from the familiar white-blue color to orange-yellow.

    Ryoshu held it a bit longer, then tried it on the candle that had gone out earlier. And contrary to what he expected, the candle lit up.

    The flame burned weakly but was extremely persistent and full of the desire to live.

    [Unlocked Potential "Magic" (F-)]

    "LET''S GO!!!!"

    [Potential "Mana" (F-) automatically merged into a branch of Potential "Magic" (F-), causing Potential "Magic" to rise to rank F!]

    [You have learned the first step of "Fire Magic" (Apprentice)!]

    Finally, Ryoshu had unlocked a new skill. This gave him additional motivation to eagerly try creating another flame on his finger and try to maintain it. Now he could transform it quite quickly and neatly without having to go through each step.

    Contrary to his expectations, it only lasted about 4 seconds before returning to pure Mana, far inferior to his current Mana concentration ability.

    "I wonder where I went wrong?"

    Ryoshu searched online to learn more and wrote notes for future reference:

    "Most effective Mana transformation process:

    Step 1: Extract natural Mana from the Mana core through the Mana channels in the body. Note: The rougher and more disorganized the Mana channels, the less effective.

    Step 2: Convert pure Mana into other types by imagination.

    Note: Will change the properties of Mana particles so they have the properties of a specific element according to your wishes.

    Step 3: Continue transforming and maintaining that Mana flow."

    It turned out that all three of Ryoshu''s steps were extremely inefficient, which was why it was so poor.

    He blamed his poor Mana Storage ability. So when he transformed Mana, the transformed Mana flow not only consumed more mana than normal but also couldn''t last long.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Ryoshu looked at the clock and saw it read 01:23. He stretched, and his spine made continuous cracking sounds. Hearing the sound, Ryoshu tried even harder to stretch his body.

    ''I''ve probably been sitting longer than I should have...''

    Looking around and seeing the pitch-black surroundings, he felt quite creepy thinking about being the only one in a vast forest without even a hint of human presence.

    "Alright... that''s enough for today. Tomorrow I''ll stabilize my Mana Core."

    Ryoshu was quite proud of what he had achieved on his first day in this Virtual Reality world. Tears flowed from his eyes as he unconsciously yawned widely.

    ''Now I have to take care of other things... before I can go to sleep.''

    The moonlight in this world was certainly much brighter compared to real life, so Ryoshu could still see quite easily, but with additional candlelight, he would see even more clearly.

    "I''ve used up almost all the candles. Save a little for taking a bath." - Looking at the number of candles in his bag, he abandoned that idea.

    But before he could go bathe, Ryoshu remembered he needed to make a tent for sleeping later.

    ''But before that, shouldn''t I prepare a sleeping place first?''

    "Yes, and this is Survival with Amemiya Ryoshu. Yes, what are we doing today? That''s right, we will learn how to survive, and I am the cameraman and survival expert - Amemiya Ryoshu." - He started rambling to fight the overwhelming sleepiness after staying up and working hard all day.

    First, Ryoshu took out a couple of sets of clothes from his space ring:

    "Oh, what do we have here? That''s right, those are clothes! If you can''t find anything to tie things together and have extra clothes, don''t hesitate to tear off a part of them. The human body can''t withstand extreme cold for too long, so think about survival before thinking about your ego!"

    Then he began tearing them into large fabric pieces. Ryoshu threw half on the ground and temporarily stored the other half in his storage.

    "Next, you''ll need to build the spine of the tent with wooden sticks that are roughly the same size."

    Ryoshu pointed to the pile of large branches he had just found earlier, as if performing for a camera, perhaps a habit from his previous career as a streamer.

    "To build a tent, first, you need a very sturdy center pole and," Ryoshu said while demonstrating with actions. Then he used all his strength and stuck it firmly into the ground. But since his Strength stat was only 6 units, Ryoshu had to repeatedly stab it down to loosen the soil. "There, stick it deep into the ground like this. Huff huff"

    Ryoshu paused briefly to catch his breath after that exercise. Then he suddenly stood up again and got back to work.

    "Next, take more long and sturdy wooden sticks and prop them against each other to form the shape of a tent, just big enough to lie comfortably inside."

    But that stage was quite difficult as they kept collapsing, frustrating Ryoshu. Despite his frustration, when he thought about lying on this dirty ground tonight, his hands unconsciously continued working.

    "You''ll need to try repeatedly until these damned branches stop falling down."

    It took a while to fix them in place, and once that was done, Ryoshu took the torn fabric pieces and tied the ends of the wooden sticks to secure them together.

    "Now that the hardest part is done, it''s time to make the floor. First, add plenty of leaves and spread them evenly throughout your room."

    He took the pile of leaves he had gathered while cleaning earlier and threw them inside. Then Ryoshu brought out another batch of clothes and threw them on top of the leaves.

    "Throwing clothes on top will make it less dirty for the mattress you plan to add for a comfortable bed."

    And to complete that mixed "cake," he spread a bed sheet he had saved until now as the cherry on the top. When finished, Ryoshu pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. But since there was actually sweat on his forehead from the previous exercise, his hand inadvertently got dirtier.

    Ignoring the unpleasant stickiness on his body, he sighed and then said quite proudly:

    "I''d make a pretty good commentator, wouldn''t I?! If I had switched to making this kind of content before, I might have become famous. Or I could even have become a real survival expert. Haha."

    Looking at his accomplishment for a moment longer, Ryoshu unconsciously yawned again while his eyes occasionally closed by themselves.

    "This is good enough. Although I''m quite sleepy, I still need to take a quick bath. I can''t be this dirty and lie on this clean, beautiful bed sheet."

    ----0w0----

    ''Luckily, the map ratio in the PC game version is quite similar to the virtual reality version, so it only took a few minutes to get here.'' - Ryoshu was bare-chested under the open sky and gathering dry wood on his way back to the campsite.

    At his home for the next week, Ryoshu dropped the pile of dry wood in the middle of the circle he had marked with some nearby rocks. He had chosen a spot near a boulder to turn it into a seat.

    He was planning to make a campfire to warm his body a bit. And this was precisely why Ryoshu had to desperately learn Fire Magic as quickly as possible.

    Ryoshu began to feel so cold that his body wouldn''t stop shaking. The forest temperature had been dropping steadily since the moon rose. To make matters worse, his freshly washed shirt wasn''t dry yet, so Ryoshu had to sit shivering with no shirt on. He quickly tore a piece of paper from the pages he had already written on, then repeated the processes from earlier.

    Pop.

    A small flame appeared on the tip of his trembling, cold index finger.

    ''This feels a bit easier than before, doesn''t it?''

    Ryoshu held the paper close, and when it caught fire, he quickly threw it into the pile of dry wood. At first, he thought it had gone out, so he was about to tear another page to light again when suddenly some of the wood at the bottom began to catch, then spread to the dry wood above and grew larger.

    "Much warmer now. Nomadic life is quite interesting, so I should probably try it for a whole month sometime." - Ryoshu thought as he threw more dry wood into the flickering fire.

    Next, Ryoshu put his shirt up on a second boulder nearby. That was the guest seat, according to him. Then he took out the notebook that he proudly called his diary.

    ''I''ll use this notebook to write down important things in the future to avoid forgetting, although that''s difficult since I now have the Super Memory Innate talent...''

    Despite thinking that, Ryoshu instinctively took out a pen and wrote furiously in it. Occasionally while taking notes, he would spend some time looking at the surroundings without thinking much about anything.

    After a while, he heard his somewhat round belly growl. Ryoshu thought he couldn''t satisfy its demands yet, so he could only sigh.

    Instead, he assessed his body. Having seen his body while bathing, Ryoshu recalled feeling quite disappointed:

    ''This is the most ordinary human body I''ve ever seen in my life... neither too fat nor too thin... Before, I remember I had a beer belly that looked quite terrible.''

    Ryoshu pinched his belly and found it quite loose.

    ''Looks pretty funny, but I guess I''ll have to start going to the gym soon.''

    He took notes for a while longer while waiting for his black hoodie to dry, occasionally touching around the shirt to see if it was still wet. If any part was still wet, he would turn that specific part closer to the fire to dry it.

    Finally, after about five minutes of sleepy waiting, the shirt dried as expected. Having waited too long, Ryoshu hurriedly put away all his belongings into the ring and then didn''t forget to extinguish the fire. The last thing he wanted to experience was the feeling of being burned alive.

    ''Better safe than sorry. Time to sleep! I''m so sleepy my eyes are almost closed.''

    Ryoshu crawled into the tent he had worked so hard to build. Next, he took out a pillow from the storage room shaped like a very convenient ring. Ryoshu then sprawled out on the "bed" and enjoyed the feeling of warm blankets and soft bedding.

    "Perhaps because it''s the first day, I still feel quite unfamiliar with... everything... literally."

    Ryoshu still couldn''t believe that he would have to play the Virtual Reality version of Rainfall Disorder, a game for which he had mixed feelings of love and hate, with his very life.

    "Wait, that sounds like some Light Novel with a black-sword swordsman, doesn''t it...? It''s just that I don''t know what will happen when I die... and... I''m all alone in this world." - Ryoshu said, feeling strangely empty.

    ''This game saved me during my most difficult time, but... it also took everything away from me afterward. Money, possessions... those two aren''t that different... but it also took away my girlfriend... But if I look on the bright side, I might be able to meet the main characters I love?''

    Ryoshu felt quite excited thinking about the character he had come to love from the bottom of his heart, and he couldn''t wait to talk to them, especially after seeing how much the AI had improved. Particularly after talking with the blacksmith Enomoto.

    Thinking about his crush in this game also made him feel more excited and eager for the moment when he could meet her directly in this Virtual Reality version. In the past, he had perhaps been one of the biggest fanboys of Katia, the one he liked most in this game.

    ''Now I feel like a child. Nervous about meeting a crush... Come on, I''m 22 years old, not a 7th grader! For god sake.''

    Ryoshu quickly dismissed those silly thoughts. But the body of an adolescent like him now was still very sensitive, so unconsciously, something else arose.

    Ryoshu couldn''t help but feel embarrassed by his improper thoughts, so he smashed his face into the pillow and tried to cover himself completely with the blanket to quickly fall asleep. Since entering this world, somehow he felt like he was gradually forgetting his ex-girlfriend.

 Chapter 11: Fumiya

    Chirp chirp. The sound of birds singing in the morning awakened the young boy lying in that ideal hut. The youngster opened his eyes slightly and looked around. Before him was a pile of wooden branches placed close together, with only a little light coming through the gaps to illuminate the inside of the hut, helping him observe more easily.

    ''Ah, I''m still in the hut... that means... I''m still in this damned world?'' - Ryoshu realized this undeniable truth and looked quite disappointed.

    Yesterday was Ryoshu''s craziest day when he discovered he was in the virtual reality world of the game Rainfall Disorder. He had thought that if he just slept, when he woke up, he would realize everything that happened yesterday was just a dream.

    Ryoshu felt rather frustrated, so he lay there lazily and tried speaking into the empty space as if he were actually begging.

    "System, can I log out?"

    But contrary to his expectations, no one, or rather, no System here, responded to his words. Ryoshu sighed and sat up from his bed, carefully crawling to the entrance of the hut as if afraid it might collapse.

    Ryoshu opened the hut door slightly, and the morning light from outside took the opportunity to enter the hut. Inside, the previously dim hut was now illuminated in every corner.

    He stood up and immediately put the pillow and bed sheet into his ring as if tidying up his bed like he would in the real world. Ryoshu looked around the camp he had made last night.

    Perhaps waking up had helped Ryoshu realize how bad the current situation was. But his not being fully alert, instead of making him panic, made him rather dazed. Ryoshu dismissed unnecessary thoughts and tried to focus on what needed to be done now.

    "I''ll brush my teeth first." - Ryoshu opened his mouth and sniffed, so he decided that brushing his teeth was most essential.

    He went to the stream where he had bathed yesterday to brush his teeth. He had walked this path thousands of times in the game, so it felt more like a habit than him trying to remember and follow it.

    Approaching the stream, Ryoshu suddenly remembered something extremely important, which made him quite cautious about getting close to that stream.

    "I... must face the present only. I can''t hide forever."

    Ryoshu went to the bank of the stream and looked down at the reflection instead of a mirror. There he saw the face of his character.

    "To be honest, my face doesn''t look much different from yesterday, or rather, it''s perhaps gotten a bit worse?"

    He pondered thoughtfully: ''Perhaps the Charm stat doesn''t directly change my face but rather some atmosphere or aura around me. Yes, that makes more sense, otherwise what would my Intelligence stat be evidence of?''

    "I hope so, otherwise when I enter the academy, I might get driven away."

    Ryoshu took out his toothbrush and applied toothpaste. Once done, he brushed his teeth and took the opportunity to look at his status panel once more, especially focusing on the Charm stat.

    [Charm: 1 (Unranked)]

    Ryoshu recalled his previous Charm stat and felt quite envious. Because if it were in the old era, he would have been almost like famous movie stars.

    But in the new society where Awakened ones could advance in rank, anyone could become more beautiful. Therefore, social standards had changed a lot more: from rank F to D would all have potential to be models, from rank C to B would all be ordinary idols like before the war, and from rank A to S would all be movie stars of this world. But from rank SS upward almost didn''t exist.

    Although the Charm stat wouldn''t affect the outcome of battles too much, when thinking about having to interact with others with this much of a stat, Ryoshu couldn''t help but be afraid.

    ''I think I should increase my Charm stat quickly. Because at the academy, the lowest person must have at least 15 units of stat, and the highest is 68... I''ll definitely encounter unnecessary troubles... Perhaps I should complete that dungeon challenge sooner than I thought?'' - Ryoshu pondered and looked toward the Temple gate while his right hand was rapidly brushing back and forth.

    From afar, it looked quite discreet, but since he had unlocked his Magic potential, he could sense a terrifying magical aura emanating from it and spreading to the surrounding areas as if it were releasing sound waves.

    ''Should I do it? It''s a C-rank, not a joke... But I don''t have many options right now when I only have one Teleportation scroll left.''

    Ryoshu still couldn''t help feeling fearful about having to go in there to fight. The Temple before was purely about solving puzzles and avoiding traps, so he just needed to remember shortcuts to pass easily, but here he would have to fight real monsters.

    ''Just being overgeared won''t be enough to get through the Finale... I need to learn how to fight properly.''

    Ryoshu had originally chosen this area because although the monsters inside were C-rank, they were only Slime species. Slimes are liquid-like, sticky monsters with a Mana core in the middle of their bodies, so they''re quite weak depending on how he handles them. And of course, most importantly, Ryoshu remembered the positions of all those chests too.

    ''But now is too early for me to go in there... I don''t even know how to use either of the two weapons I have.''

    "Then today I''ll practice archery. My goal now is to quickly advance to rank F... oh, System, what''s my Mana stat now?"

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    --------

    [Mana]: 17 (F) (!)

    Core: 1 (Unranked)

    Circle: 1 (Unranked) (!)

    Circuit: 12 (D+)

    --------

    "Good, I''m at the final stage of rank F and about to reach F+. If all goes well, just making two more Mana Circles will raise me to rank E- in the next few days."

    Thanks to Ryoshu''s gaming habits, when he absorbed Mana into his core, he also automatically created temporary Circles to help himself transform Mana more easily.

    "But this way, I''ve already completed one prerequisite to advance to rank F."

    To advance to a higher rank, many conditions must be met, and Ryoshu had already completed the hardest one. Additionally, he had just completed another condition last night, which was creating a Mana core.

    Of course, other things were also difficult, but they required diligence more than talent.

    Another criterion was to get all Primary stats to rank F- or above, which would take quite some time, but he had some ideas to speed up the progress.

    After finishing planning, Ryoshu summoned the pale white bow from his outfit. A bunch of sand flew around him, looking quite pleased. Ryoshu couldn''t resist its adorable innocence, so he tried to caress its "body."

    "At least... I still have you... thank you very much."

    Although not knowing if this weapon could understand what he just said, Ryoshu felt much relieved to still have someone to share this loneliness with. Somehow, the weapon''s soul seemed to understand what he said, so it clung around him even more.

    "Come on, now we have to practice..." - While speaking, he paused and thought about what to call it. And while Ryoshu was pausing mid-sentence, the sand showed confusion by drawing a question mark.

    "Hmm... Fumei?"

    The sand shook its head vigorously... at least that''s what Ryoshu was seeing.

    "Tough, huh? Well... I''ll call... you Fumiya, okay? Because my family name is also Amemiya...?" - Ryoshu tried to explain it somewhat hopelessly because he was just a child and might not even be Japanese.

    Just hearing the name Fumiya, it rushed to him and hugged him tightly.

    "So, Fumiya, today I will learn how to use a bow properly before starting to enter this Temple..." - Ryoshu pointed to the distant Temple from his camping area and then continued.

    "Can you help me a little? We''ll play more after training... but now I want to focus a bit. Because just one mistake, and I''ll be done in that place."

    Ryoshu had quite a bit of difficulty choosing appropriate words to communicate with the childish soul of his weapon. But it didn''t misbehave at all and obediently transformed into a bow and fell into his hands.

    Ryoshu gripped the bow firmly in his hand and didn''t forget to admire it from different angles.

    ''It looks so beautiful. Should I try the Archer profession?''

    Archer is also quite a good profession, but after thinking carefully, that wasn''t the direction he was pursuing. Ryoshu needed skills to help him survive longer in this game world.

    And he immediately thought of a profession that was both powerful and mobile. Moreover, it met the requirements to help him survive and escape quite well.

    ''How about... assassin?''

    A profession that''s not the strongest but has quite many benefits; skills like Stealth or Ambush are very powerful skills that belong exclusively to the Assassin profession.

    But Ryoshu still had Enomoto''s strange mask, so the Stealth skill wasn''t that necessary anymore.

    Concealment: When "Mana" is channeled into the mask, the wearer will have part of their existence erased.

    With this ability, he would be able to survive longer. Of course, only for the early stages of the game. Because no matter what, one of the first disasters would strike quite soon.

    So having the ability to conceal himself, he wouldn''t need the Assassin profession anymore.

    ''Choosing just one profession is so difficult... I''ll think about it more.''

    Now Ryoshu''s top priority was to improve his combat ability. Because not always can one run away when they want to, and sometimes situations force one to fight to survive.

    "Alright, whatever, let''s practice, Fumiya." - Ryoshu looked at the bow and unconsciously smiled. The bow also trembled in his hand as if supporting what he had just said.

    Ryoshu stood about 7 meters in front of an oak tree where he had used a red pen to draw a rather crooked target. And it would be his main target today.

    First, he used his wristwatch to go online and watch some videos teaching how to use a bow with titles claiming even an idiot could learn. That hurt his self-esteem quite a bit.

    After watching for about 10 minutes, Ryoshu felt like he understood the basic steps, partly because whenever he wondered about something, they would automatically explain those details quite thoroughly, as if they could read his thoughts.

    ''Surely they can''t read thoughts... right?''

    Next, Ryoshu stood in position and assumed the correct posture while trying to adjust the areas they specifically noted. He raised the bow to his shoulder level and held it there with his non-dominant hand, then used his right hand to take an arrow he had just summoned from his ring and placed it across the middle of the bow.

    Then Ryoshu used his thumb placed on the bow to hold it firmly so it wouldn''t fall down and used his other hand to place the bottom of the arrow in the correct position on the bowstring.

    Next, Ryoshu pulled it back, and the more he pulled, the tighter the bowstring became, making pulling increasingly difficult.

    ''Yet on TV they can hold it for several minutes... I''ve only held it for a moment, and my arms are already exhausted.''

    Although it was quite simple to perform the action, sometimes he encountered quite a few difficulties with this process of pulling the bowstring. Ryoshu pulled the bowstring as tight as possible and tried his best to hold that posture, but it seemed just holding it was quite strenuous for him.

    Next, Ryoshu had to aim at the target in front of him. Aiming is an important step that requires focusing on the target and maintaining his archery posture. Focus was perhaps one of his only strengths.

    He aimed carefully and reviewed his archery posture. Then he made some adjustments here and there to make it more in line with what the video had said.

    "The expansion during the release is very important because it allows the archer to shoot better by letting the string move smoothly." - He mumbled while trying to recall what the person in the video had taught him.

    Ryoshu released the arrow but accidentally relaxed and lowered the bow right after shooting, so he unintentionally shot straight down to the ground.

    ''Oh. I lowered the bow a bit too early, didn''t I? That''s why my arrow weakened quite a bit there.''

    Then it was a repetitive process. After shooting 12 arrows, he went to pick them up and shot again from the beginning.

    ''I hope the arrows won''t break too quickly... because I''ll need them for the Temple challenge too.''

    Ryoshu even spent quite a lot of time before he could hit the tree, let alone the target. Mostly because he made many mistakes typical of beginners learning to shoot a bow.

    But thanks to his SS+ rank Alteration extra stat and Super Memory and Godspeed Reflexes skills, his familiarization process was much faster. It seemed like with each mistake, he remembered more clearly how to adjust his archery posture.

 Chapter 12: First Time

    After just about an hour, the familiar cold and monotonous voice of the System proved the usefulness of the skills that he had bought and upgraded.

    [Unlocked potential "Archery" (F-)]

    --------

    [Archery] (F-) (!)

    Description: Archery is one of the most powerful and mobile combat arts. This is the first time you''ve touched a bow in your life. But everything has to start from zero!

    --------

    "Oh, we did it, Fumiya!" Ryoshu cheered with his favorite bow pet thingy...

    Anyways, Ryoshu channeled Mana into it, and the sand flew out to embrace his hair. ''Perhaps it''s even happier than I am... Haha.'' He tried to hug it to express his intense love for cute things. But since it had no physical body, that was impossible, so instead, Ryoshu decided to praise it: "You did great, Fumiya."

    Getting a new potential made him much more excited. Because when playing games, what Ryoshu wanted to see most was the process and numbers becoming larger. Perhaps that''s why most people really like genres like idle or clicker games and RPG leveling games.

    ''It wasn''t a waste to buy these two skills.'' While thinking to himself, he aimed at the target. "Just from the first two basic skills, I''ve unlocked three¡ªno, two new skills. This is what you call a good investment! System, show me my Magic potential." Ryoshu spoke into the void while the sand was still coiling around him, making it look puzzled by his sudden monologue.

    --------

    [Magic] (F) (!)

    Description: You are on the path of a mage. Just starting out, you''ve already achieved very admirable accomplishments! Continue to pursue the path of a mage!

    -Mana Concentration (Level II)

    Increases the effectiveness of your Mana concentration ability by 7.5%.

    -Mana Transformation (Level I) (!)

    Increases the effectiveness of your Mana transformation ability by 3%.

    -Fire Magic (Apprentice) (!)

    Description: Fire is the most common element, but its power cannot be underestimated. With the intelligence of a mage, the flame will burn even stronger. And you are just beginning to grasp how to create that flame.

    --------

    ''Everything is going in the right direction.''

    Ryoshu smiled proudly at his progress.

    ----0w0----

    Whoosh. Ryoshu released his grip. The arrow immediately flew out, slicing through the wind smoothly. It drew a straight line to the target he had drawn on the tree.

    Thunk.

    The arrow pierced straight into the tree trunk, landing just below the center and only about two or three centimeters away from it. This was the first time he had shot so close to the target.

    [Potential "Archery" has ranked up to rank F!]

    When the Archery skill rose to a new rank, Ryoshu''s mind seemed to sink into the void, and a quantity of new knowledge entered his brain. That enormous amount of information almost made him faint on the spot.

    ''That was just reaching rank F... and it''s already like this...'' Ryoshu thought about the scenario of the potential reaching a whole new rank, meaning rank E in his case, and wondered how much more it would be.

    ''When I reach rank E, what new skill will I unlock?''

    Ryoshu was very excited, imagining that he would receive a new skill. Because it was a reward for those who continuously strive to rise to a new rank. And usually, that skill would be quite related to what Ryoshu had done at the previous rank, so it would be even more suitable for his fighting style.

    Despite being eager, he knew better than anyone how difficult the process of reaching a new rank was.

    After practicing all morning, he was quite tired, so Ryoshu rested for a while and took the opportunity to get more water from the stream to quench his thirst. "Fumiya, you did well, now let''s rest a bit." At the same time, he didn''t forget to summon the soul of his weapon.

    The sand flew out, not as energetically as in the morning, so Ryoshu guessed it was quite weary. It just lay lazily on his pitch-black hoodie, before his laughter, which was no less tired than the sand.

    "I guess we''re not too different from each other. Haha. Let''s eat something." Ryoshu made the suggestion based on his stomach''s demanding rumbles.

    ''Come to think of it, since yesterday I haven''t put anything in my mouth... I mean food, not a bunch of... that stuff.'' Ryoshu recalled eating the seven-year-old ginseng root and felt so disgusted that it gave him goosebumps.

    "Today I really crave meat... How about hunting some wild animals? It''ll be like practicing archery too, right?"

    Ryoshu took the Hidden Mask from his space ring and put it on. And taking the opportunity to use the reflection on the water''s surface to look, he couldn''t help but marvel at the beauty of the mask.

    It made the aura around him look much less terrible. Ryoshu tried taking it off while still looking down at that natural mirror.

    "Ugh, it looks much more horrible. I didn''t used to look this bad... but at least I know the mask works pretty well."

    Ryoshu put the mask back on again and this time looked at the stat panel to see if there were any changes.

    [Charm: 6 (Unranked)]

    But as soon as he held or revealed his face even a little, the mask would immediately lose its effect and no longer add stat points.

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    ''So it can''t be exploited that way... What a pity.''

    Ryoshu put it back on properly and began to search for his target, or rather, both his lunch and dinner. Ryoshu remembered the location of some unranked mutant rabbits around here.

    As he approached the spot, Ryoshu had already spotted his first victim in this world... including the real world outside. A brilliantly white rabbit with cherry-colored eyes was enjoying the lush green grass peacefully with no one to disturb it... At least until soon.

    Although it was regrettably quite cute, his stomach completely opposed the idea of giving up the next meal. Ryoshu immediately channeled Mana into the mask he was wearing to try out its invisibility function.

    Right after that, Fumiya transformed back into a bow in Ryoshu''s hands as he got into an archery stance. But this time, he did it very quickly and efficiently without having to make many corrections.

    ''Almost no unnecessary movements... Is this the effect of Super Memory, right? Doing things so smoothly feels somehow satisfying, doesn''t it?'' Ryoshu felt quite excited about his rapid progress.

    This time, Ryoshu tried to concentrate Mana into the arrowhead to increase its damage. At first, the Mana stream refused to go, but later it gradually enveloped the bow and emitted a bluish-white color around the arrow.

    Although he wanted to try this feeling a little longer, Ryoshu''s hand was getting more tired, so he had to release the arrow. The arrow drew a straight and decisive line, but instead of hitting its head and causing instant death, it pierced straight into its leg.

    ''Oh no! I missed the shot!''

    But contrary to his panic, the rabbit, although crying out in great pain, couldn''t escape because the arrow had pierced its leg and penetrated quite deeply into a portion of the soil underneath, acting as a stake in the ground.

    The snow-white bunny that had been enjoying its breakfast deliciously was suddenly disturbed by an inexperienced hunter. It didn''t know what to do other than writhe in pain as blood flowed from its leg more and more, painting a deep red of fresh blood around its favorite grassy patch.

    Ryoshu felt quite sorry for it because, due to his incompetence, he had to endure this unnecessary and somewhat inhumane pain.

    "I''m really sorry." Ryoshu quickly went to the rabbit and pulled out the slightly rusty katana. Then he used all his strength to reach out while the rabbit was still crying out in pain.

    And just a second later, it was cut in half. Fresh blood splattered onto the already crudely painted picture, making it look chaotic. But fortunately, those blood drops didn''t splash onto Ryoshu, so his clothes remained safe.

    Looking at the blood scattered everywhere made Ryoshu feel quite nauseous. However, Ryoshu still forced himself to look at the rabbit''s corpse for a while with that terrible mood, as if wanting to pray for its soul to be at peace.

    His hands, when clasped together, shook like a trembling leaf. Even Ryoshu himself could see his own cowardice and couldn''t contain it anymore.

    But then Ryoshu''s hungry stomach betrayed his emotions. His instincts had almost completely suppressed the remorse for that rabbit. Ryoshu took off his hoodie to prepare to process it.

    He picked up the knife while his hands were still shaking with fear.

    Just in a moment when he let his guard down, something flew out from the bushes and delivered a direct blow to his chest.

    Ryoshu was thrown back several meters. He rolled miserably on the ground.

    And only when his back hit a tree trunk did he stop shifting on the ground.

    Ryoshu clutched his chest tightly and tried to breathe desperately. His tears didn''t obey him and kept flowing uncontrollably. Perhaps that kick had directly impacted both his heart and lungs at the same time.

    But it seemed that the owner of that sudden kick didn''t really intend to aim at his stomach. It was more like it accidentally kicked that spot. The evidence was that it could have completely attacked his head directly, the most important part of a human.

    Ryoshu struggled to find his breath while writhing to sit up to see who had kicked him.

    And what caught the terrified boy''s eye was another rabbit, though it was a head larger than the other rabbit but a thousand times fiercer. It was standing in front of its fellow''s corpse as if trying to protect its child.

    "Damn it, does the game need to be this realistic?!"

    Finally, Ryoshu regained his composure. He quickly took rapid breaths, filling his lungs that were extremely deprived of oxygen.

    Ryoshu angrily summoned the bow again and aimed to shoot at it as quickly as possible.

    The monster, seeing this, became even more ferocious. It charged straight at him.

    ''How is it so fast?!''

    Its Agility stat must be at rank E or higher. Ryoshu couldn''t aim at it.

    Especially when it both approached and dodged from side to side to continuously disorient him in a dizzying manner. And his mind right now wasn''t very clear either.

    But even so, Ryoshu still formulated a proper plan in his head. He stubbornly kept aiming straight at it while the rabbit was getting closer and closer.

    6 meters, 5 meters, 3 meters, It activated the Speed Dash skill, the special move it had used earlier to kick him. In just a moment, it had shortened the distance of 3 meters to half a meter and was proudly charging right in front of him.

    But before Ryoshu could do anything, it launched a kick aimed straight at his stomach again.

    Thud.

    Once again, fresh blood splattered everywhere and onto both opponents. But those bloodstains weren''t his, but the rabbit''s. It was motionless in mid-air, and what held it was a short knife that Ryoshu had ready in his hand just now.

    The rabbit seemed to have realized its inevitable end. It looked at him with hatred. And perhaps love is a much stronger force than hatred when, in its final moments, it still tried to turn and look at its fellow despite the fact that this action would further open its wound and cause more bleeding, leading to a quicker death.

    Ryoshu did nothing but stood frozen, observing them. He had completely regained his composure after his lungs had received enough oxygen. Ryoshu''s mind gradually became clearer, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

    But he realized that he had been a spectator for quite some time and began to move his bruised body.

    Instead of holding the knife, Ryoshu lifted the rabbit up so that its wound wouldn''t tear any further. The white rabbit, having lost too much blood, couldn''t do anything anymore and ignored him to focus on finishing its unfinished business.

    Ryoshu carried it very gently and walked to where the young rabbit he had mercilessly killed was. Then, he knelt down and placed the dying rabbit so they lay next to each other.

    The mother rabbit realized his intention, and now it looked at him with a gaze that held some gratitude. But he thought it was looking at him with pity. Because now he still had to continue living in this world full of death and fear.

    Next, it looked at the other rabbit, and something was flowing from its eyes, but it wasn''t very clear. Later, its tears became more apparent. No, those were Ryoshu''s tears that accidentally fell on its body.

    Ryoshu realized this and immediately wiped his face so they wouldn''t fall on them anymore. But he still didn''t close his eyes and let the remaining tears flow down his cheeks.

    Ryoshu was still kneeling before them with both hands gripping his knees. His body trembled violently with his chaotic emotions that couldn''t be expressed in words. Ryoshu''s lips stammered as he tried to say something but couldn''t.

    "I-I... s-sorry." Finally, Ryoshu could only whisper what he wanted to say, fearing that if he spoke louder, his voice would shatter completely like his current emotions.

    The sky had turned pitch black without notice and was now releasing its first raindrops. The ground around the two rabbits began to turn dark brown as if it was softening before his pain. Ryoshu strained his voice at the current scene and repeatedly apologized in words that the rabbits couldn''t understand.

    "I-I''m s-so sorry."

    But the mother rabbit was no longer alive. It had closed its eyes and died while embracing the body of its child, which was no longer intact. Now the two rabbits had completely passed away peacefully. That''s what Ryoshu wanted to believe, but it was hard to lie so blatantly.

    He could no longer control his tears and let them pour down along with the sound of rain. Ryoshu screamed, and with that, the rain began to pour harder.

    It started to rain much harder.

    And the sound of the late summer downpour drowned out the extreme screams of the boy but... couldn''t soothe his crying heart.

    For the first time in over two years, Ryoshu had finally rediscovered his human side.

 Chapter 13: Stagnation

    ''Ah, why must I suffer like this? I''ve always tried my best, so why isn''t anything working out the way I want?'' - Ryoshu lamented while using his hands to dig up soil to make a grave.

    Fortunately, because it was raining, the soil had become moist and looser. That''s why he could scrape up the dirt without scratching his hands too much.

    Afterward, Ryoshu gently placed the bodies of the rabbit family, whom he had killed himself, into the grave as if afraid their bodies would be damaged. His hands trembled like a drilling machine, perhaps due to disgust at his own actions. Ryoshu had originally intended to eat them, but... things don''t always go according to plan.

    ''I could have not killed them... what have I done...''

    The little rabbit''s body had already begun to decompose, so Ryoshu had to bury it quickly before its condition worsened.

    ''...I took the lives of a mother rabbit and her child... With these blood-stained hands.'' - Ryoshu looked at his hands covered in mud and some blood, feeling nauseated as he recalled the scene.

    Though he was very hungry, he felt terrified at the thought of taking another life. This was the first time Ryoshu had directly taken the life of a living animal.

    The feeling of guilt flooded his entire body. His eyes looked empty and lifeless, as if the Grim Reaper had just taken his soul.

    Ryoshu bent down to look at the two of them for a moment, then raised his hands in prayer. Those hands, though filthy, were filled with sincerity.

    He returned to camp in a daze, despite the raindrops hitting his face.

    "A sad person cannot enjoy a beautiful scene..." - Never had Ryoshu found this saying so accurate...

    The rain grew heavier, making each splash more intense. Puddles of various sizes quickly formed on the ground.

    He walked through them and accidentally fell, getting completely covered in dirty mud. Instead of getting up quickly, Ryoshu lay there exhausted for a while to rest.

    ''... Just a little bit more.''

    ----0w0----

    Boom.

    "It''s been more than three days now..." - Ryoshu said absentmindedly while lighting a campfire. His hands were calloused after the grueling training of the past few days.

    [21:50 Monday, August 21, 2023]

    This was Ryoshu''s fourth night in the virtual reality game world Rainfall Disorder. Since killing the mother and baby rabbits, he had eaten nothing except some fruits and vegetables that had passed his Identification skill. Even the weapon soul he named Fumiya felt anxious for him.

    Occasionally, it tried to embrace Ryoshu to comfort him. Thanks to those loving actions, his heart quickly calmed down.

    Although Ryoshu''s body desperately needed protein, he still refused to kill animals. Instead, he tried to find vegetables that could supplement protein in place of meat.

    Perhaps the raincoat Ryoshu found was the biggest and most proud change in his campsite.

    He accidentally found it near the stream when hunting rabbits. Ryoshu used it to wrap around his tent so that when it rained, he could sleep peacefully without getting wet.

    But because Ryoshu returned a bit late, when he got back, the inside of the tent was already flooded with soaking wet clothes, forcing him to do everything again.

    ''I shouldn''t have lain in that muddy place for so long... feels like I got sick from bathing in the rain.'' - Ryoshu breathed while trying to stop his runny nose.

    Additionally, Ryoshu had found a grill at the bottom of the river while drinking water at that stream. It helped him easily place the small pot he had from home on it to make vegetable broth. And somehow, Ryoshu managed to find joy in cooking, so he prepared all three meals a day.

    That inadvertently helped him unlock the Cooking Art at Apprentice rank. Ryoshu was quite surprised, but it wasn''t too bad because being able to cook for himself meant he wouldn''t have to worry too much when stuck at the Temple.

    Ryoshu was currently chopping water spinach he had found yesterday.

    ''And most importantly, I''ve become stronger in many aspects... though not by much.''

    "System, show me my Mana stat."

    --------

    [Mana]: 19 (F+) (!)

    Core: 1 (Unranked)

    Circle: 2 (Unranked) (!)

    Channel: 12 (D+)

    --------

    Mana was what he had trained most diligently and had helped Ryoshu gain another Mana Circle.

    ''Now I''m officially a 1-star Awakened.''

    Stars and ranks are two different things. Rank refers to a person''s overall strength, while stars refer specifically to the ability to control Mana in general and Magic in particular.

    Therefore, although Ryoshu had reached the 1-star level, he was still an Unranked Awakened. Simply because the two don''t have a close relationship.

    But this terminology was created by the Magic Council, not the System. They created it just to divide the power levels of those above and below in the field of Magic.

    Of course, that''s not without basis because they had observed and researched Mana for quite some time. Thus, they discovered that Mana has some relationship with the stars. But that still hadn''t been discovered until nearly halfway through the game.

    The condition to become a 1-star Awakened is to have 1 Core, 2 Circles, and 3 Mana Channels; for 2 stars, it''s 2 Cores, 4 Circles, and 6 Mana Channels, up to 10 stars which would require 10 Cores, 20 Circles, 30 Channels, meaning the Mana stat would reach exactly 100.

    But in the game, no one had ever reached the 10-star level. And the number of those who reached 9 stars could be counted on one hand. This applied to both in-game characters and Players.

    --------

    -[Main Stats]:

    Strength: 6 ¡ú 6.5 (Unranked) (!)

    Endurance: 6 ¡ú 6.8 (Unranked) (!)

    Agility: 6 ¡ú 6.3 (Unranked) (!)

    Perception: 6 ¡ú 6.4 (Unranked) (!)

    -[Secondary Stats]:

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Charm: 1 (Unranked)

    Regeneration: 41 (C-)

    Intelligence: 1 ¡ú 6.8 (Unranked) (!)

    -[Extra Stats]:

    Alteration: 90 (SS+)

    --------

    ''Despite training quite a lot, it''s somewhat disappointing. Back then, in the early game, stats were much easier to increase, weren''t they?'' - Ryoshu looked at his stats with frustration.

    "But at least the Intelligence stat increases really fast. Perhaps it''s because of this skill?"

    Ryoshu unconsciously looked at the Super Memory innate ability on the blue screen. He read the skill description again to better understand it.

    "That makes sense... Having a good memory is a type of intelligence. In real life, people who can memorize quickly are considered intelligent, right?"

    But besides the stats, Ryoshu had also unlocked skills and leveled up his existing ones.

    --------

    [Magic] (F)

    -Mana Concentration (Level III) (!)

    Increases the effectiveness of your Mana concentration ability by 10.5%.

    -Mana Transformation (Level II) (!)

    Increases the effectiveness of your Mana transformation ability by 5%.

    -Mana Transmission (Level I) (New!)

    Increases the effectiveness of your Mana transmission ability by 1%.

    --------

    Now Ryoshu could maintain Mana shape for up to twenty seconds or more. Not to mention, the time it took him to transform pure Mana into fire was no longer nearly ten seconds as before. Now Ryoshu only needed about seven seconds to recreate the flame.

    But what Ryoshu had practiced most in the past few days was trying to transmit Mana into utilities or weapons. For example, into arrows or, more strangely, into clothes.

    ''Now I can control Mana according to my will rather than having it automated like in the old game version... However, because of that, I''ve come to know other properties of Mana... I certainly wouldn''t have known if I couldn''t play this version.''

    For instance, when Ryoshu tried transmitting Mana into the Katana, he could easily pierce through tree trunks. Or when trying to enhance his clothes, they would protect him more effectively even though the fabric''s properties didn''t change.

    And having a skill purely for Mana transmission also helped him a lot in learning how to perform better.

    --------

    [Archery] (F+) (!)

    --------

    Due to practicing archery a lot, his archery ability quickly ranked up. But there was one thing Ryoshu hadn''t tried in the past few days.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to try. More accurately, Ryoshu hadn''t dared to try.

    Ryoshu planned to transmit Mana into an arrow and then transform it into Fire-type Mana to create what''s commonly known as a fire arrow in games. But doing so would be very risky, as he might accidentally burn down the entire forest without realizing it.

    And in the past few days, besides practicing archery, Ryoshu had broken 4 arrows. Meanwhile, the condition of the remaining 8 arrows wasn''t good either. On top of that, in the next few days, he intended to challenge the Temple, which made him increasingly anxious.

    ''Can I do it?''

    Thanks to this, Ryoshu had also handcrafted additional crude arrows to have in reserve when the quality arrows broke.

    ''They can only be used once before breaking... and the day after tomorrow, I''ll enter the Temple. This time, no matter what happens, I will go in there.''

    Ryoshu looked at the gate from the stone bench while stirring the soup pot. His eyes displayed an unwavering determination.

    "Since that day, I''ve become hesitant and procrastinated a lot..." - Ryoshu could never forget that day. That was also one of the drawbacks of having an almost unforgettable memory. Sometimes, the ability to forget something is one of mankind''s greatest blessings.

    Ryoshu closed his eyes and immediately recalled the scene from that time. Every detail of that day appeared vividly as if he had recorded a 4K quality video.

    Ryoshu felt quite sad when he killed them. But what truly hurt him most was witnessing the maternal love of the mother rabbit.

    That very thing made him realize... how pitiful he was.

    "Am I... inferior even to a rabbit? Even an animal I thought had no soul showed so much love... while..."

    Ryoshu contemplated deeply and looked up at the starry sky. It reminded him of a timeless masterpiece. The impressionist painting by the Dutch genius, Van Gogh.

    ''Somehow he could create a painting that captivates even an art-blind person like me? I still don''t understand it...''

    But besides that, unpleasant memories from the past also began to flood back. Especially now that he could remember almost everything, those memories became clearer than ever.

    Those memories related to being bullied, assaulted, beaten, and looked down upon. Ryoshu clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced through his skin.

    Bright red blood flowed from his hand and dripped onto the ground.

    "It''s been so long since I''ve known what love is... and what it feels like..."

    Somehow today, it looked even more poetic than before. Those stars began to fall from above as if confiding in him down here in the mortal realm.

    "Ah, a meteor shower."

    Ryoshu unconsciously spoke into the silent and cold night air.

    "This is probably the first time I''ve watched a meteor shower like this... before, I had never even seen a shooting star."

    And he suddenly realized something quite interesting.

    "Ah... and this is also the first time I''ve experienced situations like this. The first time camping. The first time setting up a tent... In the future, there will certainly be many more firsts." - Ryoshu recalled his early days in this game world.

    "Later on-"

    Ryoshu hesitated quite a bit before what he was about to say. But he knew it was unavoidable.

    "Later on, I''ll definitely have to... kill... people too..." - Towards the end of the sentence, Ryoshu''s voice sounded more like it was being strangled. As if someone was choking him while he spoke his last words.

    After saying it, he suddenly realized his hands were trembling. The boy raised his hand in front of his face to see more clearly the unconscious fear within himself.

    "With hands shaking like this, what kind of assassin could I be? Hahaha."

    Ryoshu clapped his hands together, trying to comfort himself. Somehow by saying it out loud, his heart felt less constricted than before... if only a little.

    But he knew that avoiding it would be much harder.

    In the future, Ryoshu would definitely have to kill very formidable enemies, including humans. That was certainly unavoidable whether he wanted it or not.

    But it would be a long time before then, as the story hadn''t even begun yet. And it wouldn''t be until Chapter 2 that the organization of all the villains would start initiating their sinister plans.

    "Let future problems be dealt with in the future. Now I need to survive first, then think about killing... people later... Come to think of it, the villains probably deserve death more than the rabbit family."

    His stomach then seemed to growl, reminding Ryoshu to eat. He immediately ate to satisfy the needs of his hungry stomach.

    "Anyway, finish eating... then sleep early."

    The quiet night was silent except for the steady breathing of a teenage boy sleeping deeply in his tent.

    ----0w0----

    Boom.

    A sound like thunder tearing the sky in half. But there wasn''t any lightning here? So what could that phenomenon be?

    The Temple gate, the target the young man had chosen to raid the day after tomorrow, was emitting Mana shockwaves spreading everywhere, signaling something ominous was about to happen.

    But after that, it fell silent.

    A moment later, the Temple door was flung open, fell to the ground, and shattered into pieces. It turned out the sudden silence earlier was just the phenomenon people often call "The calm before the storm." Monsters from within the temple began pouring out in droves. A monster shaped like a green slime jumped happily as it emerged.

    Some random Slime began going everywhere following its ambition. However, when it reached an empty plot of land, it suddenly saw a strange object containing a small amount of Mana through its characteristic Mana eyes.

    The Slime felt quite curious, so it lunged forward forcefully, and in an instant, that cheap, tattered tent was completely destroyed.

    That made the Slime feel quite disappointed.

    But suddenly it sensed the Mana of a human standing not far from it.

    Since when had that human moved all the way over there? Moreover, that person had red liquid all around their body. These were things its tiny brain couldn''t figure out.

    But its consciousness was intensely telling it that it must kill this human.

    Without wasting any time, the Slime began shooting a stream of acid from what could be considered its mouth.

    But somehow that human could avoid it.

    It began to panic and fired continuously. But the human avoided every time, getting closer and closer to it.

    Instinct urged it to run away.

    When it was about to follow that thought, the terrifying human was already standing in front of it, blocking its path.

    So it had to lunge at that human with all its might.

    Thwack!

    But before it could stab that inferior human, its Mana core had already been completely shattered.

    That was the core it had just shown off to its friends and parents a few days ago.

    Now it had been pierced by a rusty sword. After that, everything began to gradually vanish into nothingness. The Slime was dead and would never return.

 Chapter 14: Desire to Live

    Keng!

    The sword in Ryoshu''s hand fell to the ground along with his collapse. His body was now covered with fresh, messy blood stains.

    But this time... those blood stains were his own, not from something else.

    Ryoshu''s leg bones were also broken. Currently, he could hardly stand up anymore. Ryoshu used his blood-covered arm to shield his abdomen. It seemed his internal organs had been crushed as well.

    Ryoshu''s face was completely lifeless. Pain beyond endurance had killed his emotions.

    The flying performance Ryoshu just displayed was merely due to adrenaline pumping through his body. That''s why he could run and jump so energetically and dodge its acid attacks.

    "Unbelievable..." - Ryoshu recalled the scene that had just occurred. Everything happened so quickly that he couldn''t react in time.

    While Ryoshu was sleeping deeply, suddenly the Death Sense skill activated. He immediately woke up and saw his tent collapsing in slow motion.

    But because the large, fat Slime came in from the main entrance, Ryoshu couldn''t escape outside. However, he didn''t lose his composure because of that.

    Ryoshu waited calmly.

    Really calmly.

    He was just waiting for an opportunity... or rather, the right moment to act.

    --------

    [Death Sense] (New!)

    Can sense sudden death before it happens, increasing the "Intuition" stat by 20 units for 1.5 seconds.

    --------

    It should have only increased by exactly 20 units, but because Ryoshu was still in a situation where he could "die suddenly," his Intuition stat continued to increase steadily... at least until he escaped... or died.

    ''It must have reached SSS+ rank by now. I can sense things I''ve... never experienced before...'' - Ryoshu couldn''t help but be amazed that even his thoughts were still flowing at normal speed.

    Ryoshu immediately absorbed Mana into his body at the speed of light and surrounded himself densely with it. This was the first time he had created something so dense, which surprised even himself.

    But that wasn''t all. He continued to channel Mana into the surrounding air while simultaneously absorbing Mana.

    That Mana armor grew increasingly dense, gradually becoming a virtual shield surrounding his body.

    But at the same time, the Slime was getting closer to him. Ryoshu took a deep breath. Then he rushed through the gap between the wooden bars that the Slime had crushed.

    Despite being covered with such thick Mana, when the Slime accidentally touched his leg lightly, the force that seemed very gentle immediately shattered his left leg like a crushed butterfly. Along with his leg, some of Ryoshu''s important internal organs like his liver and lungs were also crushed by the Slime.

    His tears welled up instead of screams. Ryoshu felt his limbs grow cold, becoming paralyzed. If not for his survival instinct, he would have passed out long ago.

    But fortunately, Ryoshu had managed to squeeze outside... just in time. So when he hit the Slime, he bounced outside instead of being flattened into a pile of internal organs.

    Ryoshu rolled for a while, but this time much longer than before.

    ''The difference between Unranked and rank... F? Or is this Slime rank E...?'' - Ryoshu''s mind wasn''t clear at all right now. His worldview continuously flipped back and forth, up and down.

    And then Ryoshu''s two legs instinctively stood up while his body trembled violently, as if just a child''s push could make him fall and die right there.

    The Intuition stat had returned to normal, so the Mana in the air that he had sensed earlier had now disappeared. But at least thanks to it, Ryoshu had understood more about how Mana works, if only a little bit.

    The "Nearly Cannot Forget" skill from his Super Memory talent helped Ryoshu engrave this knowledge deeply into his brain and body.

    And that included the terrible pain currently enveloping his body.

    [Skill "Mana Focus"...]

    [Skill "Mana Transmission"...]

    Ryoshu could barely hear any sound anymore. Instead, there was a buzzing and popping noise.

    Beep.

    The amount of oxygen in his lungs was leaking out uncontrollably.

    At this very moment, Ryoshu was using all his strength just to keep his body standing like this.

    The slimy monster didn''t spare him and continued shooting acid balls.

    Each acid ball fired was as large as his body.

    [Acquired trait "Resist..."]

    The Death Sense skill operated at full capacity again. Ryoshu immediately repeated his previous action. But this time, he surrounded his body with Mana to increase his physical strength to the maximum possible.

    Ryoshu jumped to the side to dodge the huge Acid ball hurtling toward him like a moth to a flame.

    Sizzle.

    When the ball hit the ground, it created a pool of acid that dissolved even the soil and rocks. If this thing fell on him, his weak body would certainly melt away completely.

    But Ryoshu wasn''t afraid at all.

    His body still moved according to his survival instinct.

    [Skill...]

    Despite his legs desperately begging him to stop moving, he moved even more forcefully, almost causing his nerve fibers to crack open.

    But the monster didn''t know that this was just one of fourteen all-out jumps it had to endure.

    Ryoshu rushed forward and couldn''t hear any sound anymore. Whether it was the sound of his body being torn apart from the pressure of the Mana-filled jumps. Or even the cold sound with the monotone voice of the entity called the System.

    [Skill...]

    The more he moved, the more Ryoshu''s body gave up protesting. And instead, they began to transform into a series of desperate screams.

    [Ski...]

    At first, he could still faintly hear the System''s sound. However, now Ryoshu''s ears had completely lost their normal hearing ability. He could only hear a beeping sound like when sitting on an airplane.

    [...]

    And after a while when Ryoshu could no longer hear anything, he had unconsciously stood close enough to that damn Slime without realizing it.

    The slimy monster, no less determined, began to gather its strength and charged at him. This time it charged with an abnormally fast speed. If one wasn''t focused, they would completely lose track of it.

    The moment the Slime charged in, it had fallen into the young boy''s trap.

    Ryoshu pulled out his sword, which was now extremely powerful, filled with an enormous flow of Mana. He gained momentum and thrust the sword into the giant Slime''s body while shouting his least-used skill.

    "STAAAAAAAAB!!"

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    Ryoshu screamed while simultaneously his exhausted muscle fibers produced a horrific sound. If someone could hear that sound right now, they would think they had just heard the song of the ninth level of hell.

    When the sword pierced the monster''s body, it was pushed back under the enormous pressure of the Slime''s strength.

    But immediately after that, the rusty sword accomplished something that even they couldn''t have anticipated. And now Ryoshu could hear the sounds of everything around him. And the first thing he heard was the sound of the System.

    [You have dealt a Critical Hit!]

    [Damage dealt increased by half!]

    The blade suddenly became miraculously sharp. It advanced slowly into the core of that fat Slime as if cutting a juicy apple.

    [You have killed a normal E-rank Slime!]

    The Slime exploded into a mess of slime all around instead of blood, announcing his victory.

    [You have accomplished something impossible with your current strength!]

    [Received Title "One Who Desires to Survive"!]

    ----0w0----

    Currently, Ryoshu was hiding temporarily on top of a fairly tall tree somewhere in the middle of the forest.

    He was wrapping cloth around a wooden stick placed on his leg. The raggedly torn pieces of fabric were taken from his spatial ring.

    After securing it, Ryoshu absorbed Mana and channeled it directly into his almost deformed legs.

    Since it was Holy type Mana, it wouldn''t help recover quickly in a short time. But at least he felt somewhat less pain.

    "I... I''m still alive... somehow?"

    His body was exhausted with no vitality left at all. But Ryoshu always had to remain vigilant because he knew that the gate of that Temple had been broken. Outside, hundreds of monsters had been released freely with nothing to control them.

    ''This is completely unreasonable. In the game, was it still normal?! I didn''t do anything to affect it... most importantly... the main storyline hasn''t even begun yet.''

    Ryoshu looked around and decided not to use Mana anymore. He tried to temporarily close his Mana Core so it wouldn''t let Mana into his body anymore.

    ''Closing it feels itchy. It''ll take a while to get used to the feeling from before.''

    Earlier, Ryoshu had forgotten the fact that Slimes don''t have eyes or other senses. Therefore, they can only sense Mana and sound waves around them.

    Now things would be safer because they wouldn''t be able to detect him anymore. But if they decided to wreck this place... even if they couldn''t see him, he would still be collateral damage.

    Ryoshu recalled the battle earlier and tried to draw lessons from it.

    ''Death Sense is a perfect skill for fighting enemies stronger than oneself...''

    But if that monster decided to beat him to a pulp before killing him, then... things would have turned out completely differently.

    So this time Ryoshu won entirely based on luck... because the opponent was a not-too-intelligent monster.

    ''But... saying that, I''m badly battered too. If I don''t do something soon, I''ll die for sure. Oh, there were quite a few notifications earlier, right? Nothing can really surpass Super Memory.'' - Ryoshu tried not to think about negative things anymore and shifted his attention elsewhere.

    "System, show me my status..."

    He didn''t expect too much from what he had just received.

    --------

    [Magic] (F+) (!)

    -Mana Focus (Level III ¡ú VI) (!)

    Increase 11 ¡ú 22.5% effectiveness of your Mana focusing ability.

    -Mana Transmission (Level I ¡ú V) (!)

    Increase 1 ¡ú 10% effectiveness of your Mana transmission ability.

    --------

    "One battle worth ten supplements? No wonder I felt using Mana was smoother and faster." - Ryoshu recalled using Mana skillfully.

    And among those things was the scene where Mana flow appeared everywhere as if watching the aurora borealis from the world''s highest peak.

    ''That must be how... 5-star class mages see things, right?'' - Ryoshu grew increasingly eager.

    "Oh, and there was also a Title, wasn''t there? System, can you show me that too?"

    --------

    [Title] One Who Desires to Survive (Growth)

    Rank: Excellent

    Description: You have done something that no one has ever done in the world! You survived in the state closest to death and even defeated a monster of higher rank than you! Just one rank higher would be difficult enough, but it was two ranks higher than you! Although we don''t know how you did it, thanks to your intense desire to survive, you''re still here. ?????? sends congratulations to you!

    -??? (New!)

    ??????

    --------

    "The System likes to tease people too? Why is it covering so much?!"

    In the game, Ryoshu had fought monsters three or four ranks above him, but he had never received any Titles.

    "Oh, I forgot, Titles are Unique items."

    Unique items are things that only the first Player to discover them can possess. Although Rainfall Disorder is a single-player game, once a Unique item permanently belongs to a Player, that item will automatically be permanently deleted from the worlds of other Players.

    Even if that account is deleted, it will still be in that Person''s inventory.

    There are many types of Unique items, from Titles like he just achieved to equipment or tools. But Unique items also have various characteristics.

    And what Ryoshu received was one of the extremely rare ones, to the extent that these types of items when possessed almost break the game balance. That is a growth-type Unique item, a number known to be countable on the fingers of one hand.

    ''Excellent right away? Probably because I eliminated a monster two ranks above me and was ambushed by it first, so I received Excellent instead of just Impressive.''

    After analyzing for a while, he realized something was off. Rainfall Disorder is a hardcore game, and all mechanisms in the game had been planned, fine-tuned, and balanced perfectly by the developers.

    What he just accomplished was indeed almost impossible.

    Because the strength gap between ranks gets increasingly larger. Meaning the distance between Unranked and rank F is already very far. And furthermore, the distance from rank F to rank E is even farther than the previous two ranks... almost double.

    "Wait, so shouldn''t I have received the Phenomenal rank?! This is too unreasonable!"

    After saying that, Ryoshu quickly covered his mouth. He had momentarily forgotten about the existence of Slimes around here. Another frightening thing about Slimes is that they can sense sound waves in the air, like bats.

    Although he knew quite a bit already, in his last play, Ryoshu still nearly died almost a hundred times before he could defeat the super difficult final bosses.

    In the entire world, very few people had completed 100% of the Main Story without dying once without using any exploits. However, only one person hadn''t lost a single drop of blood in an entire playthrough.

    Even the game developers were amazed by this fact. Ryoshu still remembered clearly what the founding director of Rainfall Disorder said at the press conference:

    "Completing this game without losing a single drop of blood is almost impossible. I would like to send my congratulations to the Player who accomplished that." - He paused to catch his breath before continuing, but his mouth was grinning broadly.

    "And that is also why we have added a new mode. Much more difficult than the normal mode. You can only unlock this mode when you have completed the game for the first time-"

    That was three years ago, and by the time Ryoshu entered this virtual reality version, no one had done the same in that difficult mode.

    ''I''ve played it too but haven''t completed it, let alone attempt that challenge.'' - He sighed but then unconsciously smiled when remembering that period.

    ''Back then I was still at my peak... Ah.. that was really fun.''

    Ryoshu looked at the blue panel floating in front of him.

    ''Thinking about it, these rewards aren''t the most important thing. It''s what I learned from them.''

    Ryoshu suddenly remembered a quote from a favorite web novel character:

    ''A real battle is more important than a thousand hours of practice.''

    But it couldn''t be denied that the original plan had been completely destroyed.

    Initially, Ryoshu just intended to sneak attack them and use tricks only. Because when entering the challenge, he would have two advantages: the linearity of the Temple and initiative.

    All Ryoshu needed to do was follow an almost straight path to the destination. And on the way, no monster could attack from behind. That would help him shoot them with arrows from a distance.

    Not to mention Ryoshu already knew the entire map of this Temple. Therefore, he could snipe all the Slimes from appropriate positions.

    Besides, his goal wasn''t the main reward of the Temple but the hidden treasure chests within it. So if Ryoshu took the items he needed, he could just leave without having to complete the challenge.

    But when the Temple''s time limit expired and the monsters came out, his plan had completely failed. Because now Ryoshu would have to fight the Slimes while monsters from outside could sneak in and ambush him.

    ''...Should I give up?''

    In Ryoshu''s hand now was the last Teleportation scroll. He could leave here anytime. Because no one forced him to stay here and no one forbade him from running away, everything was just his choice.

    Now Ryoshu was surrounded by Slimes, so he was in a passive position.

    ''I have two choices: stay and raid the Temple as originally planned in the worst condition, or leave here like a coward.''

    Thinking so, he had already started writing the coordinates of Distinct City on it. When finished, Ryoshu stared at it, about to recite the spell to activate the teleportation magic, but he stopped immediately.

    ''High risk comes with high reward... Now I don''t have much money and I don''t have any power or strength at all. Continuing like this at the academy, I''ll certainly get expelled...''

    Ryoshu gripped the scroll tightly and put it aside, trying not to think about it anymore.

    ''Alright, I''ll stay here for two more days. If anything dangerous happens, I''ll use it later. I still have the advantage of being able to leave anytime I feel in danger. Or... I could try to enter that Temple... at least I should get the Reward Chest, right?'' - Ryoshu kept hesitating about his decision while his heart screamed that this was a terrible decision.

    And it kept urging his hand to grab the teleportation scroll as quickly as possible.

    But Ryoshu tried to think about the benefits he would gain by staying to fight a little more and collecting more materials for the future.

    ''Think about it, just because of that near-death experience, I''ve gained so many things already?''

    Thanks to that Title reward, all of Ryoshu''s wounds had passed the critical stage. Now with the Recovery stat at rank C-, it would help him heal quite quickly.

    ''With rank C-, I just need to rest until morning and the bones will heal. But what about my internal organs?''

    Ryoshu''s body was exhausted after the difficult battle earlier, so after just a moment, his eyelids were already prepared to close completely.

    ''Damn it, so sleepy...! I want to sleep... but... if I''m attacked, I''ll die.''

    Though wanting to escape his ordinary instincts, this time sleepiness had defeated the young boy.

 Chapter 15: Carelessness

    Boom!

    Ryoshu''s eyes opened immediately when he felt the vibration from the tree trunk. The sound quickly reached his newly awakened ears.

    His senses worked vigorously as if this was the final moment.

    Ryoshu felt the air flowing upward, pushing his limbs toward the sky.

    ''I''m in free fall!'' - His hands flailed in the air, trying to grab onto something, but couldn''t.

    Ryoshu summoned his bed sheet. Then, he quickly rolled it up and threw it forcefully to the ground.

    Next, he quickly turned his back while still falling at a dizzying speed.

    And just half a second later, his body landed hard on the sheet. The soft bed sheet reduced part of the falling force.

    Ryoshu hurriedly got up and saw a Slime hitting the tree trunk. But this monster was much smaller than the previous one.

    ''It''s probably just F-rank.'' - Ryoshu analyzed its strength through brief observation.

    This time he clearly remembered two weaknesses of the Slime species.

    ''First, they can only sense sound waves and surrounding Mana; second, their Core is hidden inside their transparent bodies!''

    Ryoshu immediately took out his Hidden Mask, put it on quickly, and transferred Mana directly from the environment into it.

    After activating its Hidden function, he reopened his Mana Core.

    Ryoshu drew his sword and ran quickly to where the Slime was completely unguarded.

    It heard his sound but couldn''t determine his location. Therefore, it became confused while searching around. A satisfied smile appeared on Ryoshu''s lips.

    "Stab!"

    The sword pierced through its core before the Slime could react. A moment later, its body exploded into a puddle of slime.

    [You have killed a normal F-rank Slime!]

    Ryoshu''s body felt drained of strength after using so much Mana.

    ''The strategy is decent for now. Except for the fact that the amount of Mana I can use is quite limited.'' - He took the opportunity to rest as much as possible to prepare for the next unexpected battle.

    Ryoshu began to collect his bed sheet and pillow.

    But suddenly he felt like something was missing.

    Something very important.

    Suddenly from afar, Ryoshu saw the teleportation scroll on the ground.

    His face distorted in an instant. His legs had already been running toward it for some time. Ryoshu desperately rushed to grab the scroll as if his life completely depended on it.

    And when he felt that time seemed to be slowing down, he treasured that small scroll even more.

    Ryoshu knew why everything was happening so slowly. Because just yesterday it had saved him once.

    But the last thing he wanted to happen right now was when the Death Sense skill activated. Ryoshu pulled his hand back quickly but also hesitantly at the same time. And when he had completely withdrawn his hand, time began to flow quickly again.

    The teleportation scroll, in just a moment, was dissolved by the acid into a pile of shredded paper, just like his heart at that moment.

    ''I should have put it in the ring right after taking it out without using it...'' - Ryoshu began to blame himself.

    Just when he thought that was the worst thing, a dozen Slimes of various sizes suddenly jumped out from the surrounding bushes as if they had planned it from the beginning.

    Each of them stood at almost equal distances from each other.

    ''Damn it... I''ve been completely surrounded by... these damn Slimes.''

    Now that Ryoshu thought about it, he realized everything had been part of their plan from the start. One would act as bait for him to attack, then the others from around would shoot acid from all directions.

    But instead of panicking, his gamer instinct helped Ryoshu become calmer than ever. His heartbeat began to stabilize.

    ''Hope they can oneshot me...''

    That was the limitation of this skill - only when opponents could ensure killing him in one hit would Ryoshu benefit from the skill. But he couldn''t do anything else... except bet with his life.

    Before they could shoot, he first quickly observed all the Slimes there, missing none, in less than a blink of an eye. He closed his eyes and quickly counted what he had just seen.

    ''There are 30 Slimes in total...''

    A frightening number.

    Even in the game, being surrounded by monsters would significantly reduce survival rates. Because Rainfall Disorder focused on combat that mostly involved evenly matched forces fighting each other.

    Simply because the movements and attacks of just one monster were already complicated enough. But they became even more terrifying when four or five gathered to attack one person.

    ''And now I have thirty of them... while I''m as weak as a snail. Pretty balanced game... isn''t it?''

    But among those 30 Slimes, Ryoshu had maximized his Super Memory innate ability. In that brief time, he had found what he needed for his strategy.

    ''There are 2 of them! Then prioritize plan B!''

    A moment later, as if they were singing the Slime national anthem to prepare for firing, the largest Slime, twice his size, fired the first shot.

    And that was when the battle broke out, all the smaller Slimes also started shooting something.

    The Death Sense skill worked at full capacity and time began to slow down like a movie. Because its acid bullet was so large, Ryoshu had to use all the Mana absorbed from the environment and transfer it to his body to enhance it.

    He jumped to one side but didn''t forget to look around. Ryoshu also began to use his otherwise useless ears in the battle.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    He listened to the sound of acid balls being fired and tried to determine their relative positions.

    ''2 more have fired... but where are those two acid balls?''

    Ryoshu waited for a moment and saw one gradually appearing in his field of vision.

    He quickly lowered his head and didn''t forget to look for the remaining ball.

    ''The other one... where is it? Hurry up and appear!'' - Just as he wondered, from the acid surface, Ryoshu could just see the reflection of his ugly face. And behind his face was an acid bullet approaching at a rather turtle-like speed.

    Ryoshu immediately fell backward to the other side to avoid both bullets simultaneously.

    Time passed seemingly like centuries for Ryoshu as he kept straining his eyes to search for the fired projectiles.

    And at the same time, he channeled Mana to enhance his body to keep up with his observation ability under the influence of the Death Sense technique.

    But contrary to Ryoshu''s increasingly perfected evasion ability, the Slimes were also getting closer to him, causing the number and speed of each bullet to increase accordingly.

    Somehow he had held out until now without getting hit. However, the landing spots for Ryoshu were becoming fewer as the acid they shot formed deadly puddles on the ground.

    ''I''m dead!''

    The still-wet ground from days before had become a deadly weakness, causing him to slip and lose control of his body. Meanwhile, the acid bullets were still heading towards him.

    But the smile on his lips right now was the most satisfied smile in the past four days. Ryoshu channeled all his Mana into his supporting leg.

    Then he lifted his right leg high.

    "Deploy plan B."

    No sooner said than done, he stomped forcefully on the ground. The tremendous bouncing force made Ryoshu fly up into the sky.

    But of course, it wasn''t completely favorable. Some parts of his body were still hit.

    That acid, when it hit his body, immediately corroded Ryoshu''s skin. But he still tried not to be distracted and focused on the task at hand.

    Ryoshu took out some homemade arrows from the ring. He continuously channeled Mana into them. And they received so much that they broke into many wooden splinters.

    But instead of being disappointed, Ryoshu became happier because everything was still going according to the original plan.

    Next, he quickly transformed the pure Mana on those wood pieces into fire. The fire on the wood pieces began to spread to each other and created a larger flame.

    Thanks to the High Temperature Resistance trait, Ryoshu could easily hold them.

    Next, Ryoshu channeled all Mana to his arm. And then turned around and faced the thirty Slimes staring at him.

    He searched for the positions of the 2 notable Slimes among them.

    And Ryoshu saw one of the two standing very close to other Slimes. The other one stood opposite at a distance that wasn''t too far either.

    He began to use all the power of that weak body to throw the small wood pieces that were smoldering.

    Those fiery wood pieces turned into a large-scale rain of fire attacking those Slimes. And especially, it hit both of those special Slimes.

    The reason Ryoshu noticed them from the beginning was because there was a flickering electric current surrounding their bodies. And if there was one thing he learned most from Rainfall Disorder, it was the great power of elemental reactions.

    When a spark from the wood piece lightly touched the electricity enveloping that lightning-type Slime.

    [You have killed...]

    Boom.

    The reaction occurred quickly and the Slime turned into a wide-range electric bomb, spreading slowly with his maxed Intuition stat. Nearby Slimes also quickly vaporized, though he couldn''t see anything because the light intensity of that bomb was blindingly bright.

    But thanks to the System sound next to his ear, which was getting smaller and harder to hear because of the explosion sound.

    [You have killed...]

    [You have...]

    [You...]

    Then that electrical explosion expanded to the second Slime.

    But the effect of the Death Sense skill lasted longer than Ryoshu thought. That made Ryoshu gradually feel uneasy.

    He could almost guess that what happened next would certainly kill him in an instant.

    [You...]

    Boom.

    The next explosion from the next lightning Slime occurred to his surprise. But Ryoshu had quickly absorbed the expanding Lightning Mana into his own. Then he tried to stretch it into a plane wide enough to cover himself.

    If two elements have interaction reactions, they will have different effects. If he had Earth Mana, Ryoshu would be completely immune to that electricity. But he didn''t have that option, so he had to use Mana of the same element.

    When two elements of the same type interact, they don''t cause any reaction but rely on pure power. The stronger one will neutralize the other.

    [You...]

    ''Although I don''t know if it will block it completely, at least it will reduce the damage a bit.''

    [You...]

    And just as Ryoshu thought, time had begun to return to normal. The sound from the System completely disappeared as his ears were filled with the sound of the large explosion.

    ----0w0----

    Crack crack.

    ''I think I broke some ribs or something...''

    Ryoshu had woken up after the biggest explosion he had ever directly seen in his entire life. Currently, he was facing down, so he guessed that he had landed with his whole body.

    Ryoshu was still feeling a bit dizzy after what he had just experienced. The last things he saw before were the vast sky with nothing else.

    ''I probably fell from a height... Ugh... no wonder I''m sore all over.'' - His body was almost purple and scratched all over.

    Ryoshu wondered how long he had been lying there. Especially when he looked down at the skin hit by the acid ball. Although they had been corroded by acid, now they had almost fully recovered, leaving only small scars.

    Ryoshu looked around and tried to figure out where he was. Behind him was a steep mountain up to the sky.

    ''Wait, that means-''

    A loud explosion shook the entire area and transmitted to where he stood.

    "Damn it..." - Ryoshu cursed silently as if he had guessed what was happening.

    He took out that beautiful mask while absorbing Mana fully into his core.

    After putting it on his face, he immediately activated its Stealth function. Ryoshu ran to where the vibration was and discovered at least a hundred Slimes jumping out from the Gate.

    If Ryoshu was discovered now, he would definitely die without even having time to gasp. He swallowed and held his breath. His body didn''t move at all, seeming to be frozen.

    Only after they had gone did Ryoshu dare to breathe normally again.

    ''Walking back to the city... not impossible... I think that''s a pretty good idea...'' - He began to retreat elsewhere.

    Click.

    Before he realized it, Ryoshu had accidentally stepped on something. When he bent down to look, he saw a branch. His face turned purple again as he realized the noise from earlier was not in his head.

    ''Oh no...''

    A fire Slime nearest to him shot a fireball straight at the source of the sound.

    Fortunately, Ryoshu had already moved away from there, so he wasn''t hit again. But the unfortunate thing was that now all the Slimes in the entire area came to him. All thanks to the sound of the exploding fireball that drew them.

    ''This is bad... I''m about to be exhausted, and now this happens...''

    And just a moment later, he had used up all the Mana he had stored.

    So once again, Ryoshu was surrounded by Slimes. This time not just 30. That number was already nearly impossible.

    But compared to over a hundred, that number of thirty was just like a joke.

    His head began to calculate at the speed of light. Ryoshu had thought of some exploits he could use. But most of them were either very necessary or would be most effective later.

    ''...What about Plan C?''

    Plan C was a plan that Ryoshu had thought of quite a long time ago. And it would definitely save him from the current situation.

    But... it was also a gamble that could kill him.

    However, Ryoshu was too tired, so he had no other reasonable choice. When Death Sense activated, that was when Ryoshu executed the plan. He began to run urgently to the necessary location first.

    But the number of Slimes was growing faster than he had expected.

    Still... He had to finish this plan quickly if he wanted to escape!

    However, Ryoshu was too tired, so he had no other reasonable choice. When Death Sense activated, that was when Ryoshu executed the plan. He began to run urgently to the necessary location first.

    But the number of bullets reached hundreds, with all kinds of elements¡ªfrom fire, water, lightning, and earth¡ªpouring on him like a missile rain. That''s why Ryoshu was even more confident that his skill would work at full capacity.

    He tried to look at each trajectory and dodge to one side, then repeat that process thousands or tens of thousands of times. And once again, because Ryoshu''s time perception was almost at its highest level, he didn''t know how many seconds or minutes had passed.

    ''How long has it been?'' - The fatigue was clearly visible on his face.

 Chapter 16: The Gamble

    The longer Ryoshu stayed under the skill effect, the more information he received per second. This pressure weighed down on his brain to the point where his neural pathways felt like they could snap at any moment.

    ''Just a few more meters... that''s all.''

    One might think that getting closer would make things easier, but somehow the monsters seemed to understand his intentions. They quickly doubled the number of projectiles and aimed them at the approaching Ryoshu.

    The bullets scattered around so densely that there were practically no gaps. This forced him to do something very dangerous.

    Ryoshu rapidly channeled Mana into his two exhausted legs, which felt as if they were no longer part of his body.

    If someone were watching from outside, they would surely witness a scene straight out of a sci-fi action movie, where the protagonist could dodge every bullet in a brief moment of time.

    [Acquired Skill...]

    Though the cold voice of the System rang out, he had no time to deal with it, especially at this moment. Ryoshu used every ounce of his strength and leaped toward the Gate, which was now only two or three arm''s lengths away.

    The bullets were approaching him closer than ever. It was particularly difficult since he was in mid-air and couldn''t fully control his body.

    Dozens of acid bullets hit Ryoshu again, but this time they were fired by Slimes ranked E and above.

    As a result, the destruction of his body progressed at a frightening pace. They had corroded to the point of leaving wounds that exposed the flesh beneath.

    But today, it seemed the god of luck was on Ryoshu''s side as he successfully made it inside the Temple.

    ''That''s three-quarters of the plan done... Now just one thing left...'' Ryoshu tried to speak but realized his throat was bone dry.

    He felt a terrifying current of air emanating from inside the Temple. It seemed even more frightening than the A+ ranked Hidden Temple he had completed before.

    ''Ah, I''m probably going to... regret this a lot.''

    All Ryoshu needed to do was say nine simple words.

    However, the weight of the next sentence was anything but simple. Just thinking about the consequences was enough to make Ryoshu fearful and trembling uncontrollably.

    The more he hesitated, the sooner death would come as the Slimes approached him.

    Ryoshu gripped his throat tightly as if trying to find his voice again. After uttering the first few words, he felt slightly relieved.

    "I... want to increase..."

    Perhaps because he feared the Temple wouldn''t hear him, Ryoshu tried to repeat it once more, this time more assertively.

    "I want to increase... the difficulty of THE CHALLENGE!" His voice grew louder toward the end of the sentence, despite his cracking tone.

    A new gate was immediately created. Then it slammed shut before the Slimes could enter. A few unfortunate ones were crushed flat as the gate closed. Now, Ryoshu was completely safe from the outside forces.

    After checking his surroundings and seeing that he was quite safe, he examined the Temple''s challenge location.

    It was still the familiar cave that he had entered countless times before.

    The reason Temples often used cave settings was because most Temples were created in places with existing caves. Some Temples, however, were born and forced to create caves that didn''t exist before.

    "I escaped one hell only to enter another," Ryoshu realized his situation was more tense than a string about to snap.

    But worse still, his skin was decomposing deeper and deeper. The acid had eaten away to the flesh, making it look terribly ragged. Ryoshu tried to swallow the pain that felt like his skin and flesh were being cut.

    Ryoshu sat down, leaning against the rock wall to rest after a period of intense activity. Each time his lungs filled with air, the pain became more apparent.

    ''Maybe I''ll die from acid before dying from monsters here...'' Ryoshu felt humiliated by this helplessness. His corroding body left him completely exhausted.

    Ryoshu tried not to move much to somewhat reduce the pain. But those efforts were useless as blood flowed from the open wounds, painting his body with a fresh red coat.

    Ryoshu''s breathing grew weaker. It seemed his life could now be measured in minutes.

    A familiar cold sound echoed in his ear.

    [Acquired trait "Acid Resistance" (Low)]

    The decomposition rate from the acid visibly slowed down.

    ''Perhaps because this acid is so strong, the effects of the newly received skill can be seen with the naked eye...''

    Ryoshu pondered this while his mind was dizzy from the lack of blood to his brain.

    Just when he thought that was all, another series of sounds rang out like fireworks on New Year''s Eve.

    [You have accomplished something impossible with your current strength!]

    [Title One Who Desires to Survive is evolving!]

    [Title One Who Desires to Survive upgraded to Extraordinary level!]

    Now his skin was no longer decomposing.

    ''Seems like my skin is regenerating? Though the pace is so slow I can barely notice.''

    Ryoshu began to doubt the effect of the newly acquired Unique growth-type item:

    ''Perhaps this title has the ability to help me recover faster. Or maybe it makes my body more resilient? Not sure... especially when I can''t check its description.''

    --------

    [Title] One Who Desires to Survive

    Rank: Extraordinary (Growth) (!)

    Description: Once again, you''ve done something that no one in this world has ever witnessed. You survived in a state closest to death and surrounded by hundreds of enemies! What''s more, this time one of them was even three ranks higher than you! Once again, thanks to your strong desire to survive, you''re still here. ?????? congratulates you!

    -??? (!)

    ??????

    -??????? (New!)

    ??????????

    --------

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Ryoshu was surprised by this reward. He had just received this Title last night... and now it had reached a new rank.

    Perhaps it would help him in this challenge with increased difficulty.

    ''One function has been upgraded... Perhaps it helps me become more resilient... or recover faster. As for the other function... no idea.'' Ryoshu rubbed his chin and thought deeply.

    "Maybe it''s related to the ability to help me survive longer? After all, its name is One Who Desires to Survive, right?"

    Ryoshu waved his hand and temporarily put the issue aside. Now he had a more urgent problem than ever.

    That was the command he had just given. It had affected how the Temple operated.

    Now, although he didn''t have to worry about those Slimes from outside breaking in and ambushing him from behind, the disadvantage was that he couldn''t escape from here until completing the challenge. Teleportation items would also become useless during the challenge.

    That was the "increased difficulty" part of the Temple: either complete the challenge set by the Temple or die in here.

    "Looking on the bright side... at least I''m not dead yet... instead I''ll die slowly in this damn place."

    But Ryoshu couldn''t spend too much time as the class placement test was coming soon. He raised his hand to check the time.

    [14:03 Tuesday, August 22, 2023]

    "By Thursday, I need to be there for the class placement test. So I have less than 2 days to complete this challenge. If I don''t show up, I won''t be accepted into the school anymore..."

    Although this challenge was ranked C, quite low compared to the A+ ranked Hidden Temple like last time, it''s worth noting that it had no puzzles, just pure combat.

    ''And that means the final boss will be rank C. Damn... don''t even mention rank C when even an E+ Slime could accidentally kill me.''

    But in the prolonged battle earlier, he had unlocked many new skills. He noticed his skin was still decomposing a bit, but he probably had unlocked a new skill already.

    Ryoshu sat down, leaning against the Temple''s new door, and called up the System.

    "System, show me the status panel."

    --------

    [Status Bar]

    -Name: Amemura Ryoshu

    -Race: Human

    -Rank: Unranked

    -Stats

    +[Mana]: 21 (E-) (!)

    Core: 1

    Circle: 3 (!)

    Circuit: 12

    +[Main Stats]

    Strength: 6.5 ¡ú 7.3 (Unranked) (!)

    Endurance: 6.8 ¡ú 8.8 (Unranked) (!)

    Agility: 6.3 ¡ú 7.8 (Unranked) (!)

    Intuition: 6.4 ¡ú 9.6 (Unranked) (!)

    +[Secondary Stats]

    Charm: 1 (Unranked)

    Recovery: 41 (C-)

    Intelligence: 6.8 ¡ú 10.1 (F-) (!)

    +[Extra Stats]

    Adaptability: 90 (SS+)

    --------

    Ryoshu was so surprised he couldn''t say anything.

    ''My stats increased by half, even more than double in just one day compared to two days of self-training?!''

    This was the benefit of fighting monsters of higher ranks. Thanks to using his entire musculature to move, dodge, and... a bit of fighting, he had increased his Agility stat by over one unit. And Ryoshu was nearly one full Strength stat higher.

    ''The Endurance stat must be from when that Slime attacked me while I was sleeping and the times I got hit by acid attacks from those others.''

    But what Ryoshu benefited from most in combat, or more accurately from using the Death Sense skill for quite a long time combined with Super Memory, was that his Intuition stat increased by three whole units.

    In the computer version, increasing a stat by one or two units in a day of just fighting or training (not to mention using items or exploits) was already very difficult. Yet here, Ryoshu increased by three units, putting him in the world''s top 5 for the largest stat increase from fighting in a single day.

    ''The person at the top increased by 5 units! But that guy keeps his methods so secret... making me quite curious about what he had to go through to achieve that.''

    But the most important thing was his Mana stat, also known as Potential Limit, which had increased to rank E-. This meant Ryoshu could now reach rank F a little more easily. Because the rate of stat increase also depended on the amount of pure Mana that could be absorbed.

    --------

    [Magic] (F)

    -Mana Concentration (Level VI ¡ú VII) (!)

    Increases your Mana concentration efficiency by 22.5 ¡ú 27.5%.

    -Mana Transformation (Level II ¡ú IV) (!)

    Increases your Mana transformation efficiency by 5 ¡ú 10.5%.

    -Mana Transmission (Level V ¡ú VI) (!)

    Increases your Mana transmission efficiency by 10 ¡ú 13.5%.

    -Mana Maintenance (Level I) (New!)

    Increases your Mana maintenance efficiency by 3%.

    --------

    Ryoshu''s Magic potential had developed beyond normal levels. So when looking at his Sword potential, he couldn''t feel as excited as before.

    --------

    [Sword Skills] (F-)

    -Thrust (Level I ¡ú II) (!)

    When activated, the first attack will consume "Stamina" and increase "Critical Rate" by an additional 10%.

    --------

    ''This is still quite an increase... later on, as you reach higher levels, it will become much harder to level up.''

    Like with stats, the higher the rank, the harder it becomes to level up. Later, it might take months for a skill to gain just one level. That''s assuming Ryoshu only trains normally. If he fights stronger monsters, skills will level up much faster.

    "And next, show me the new skills that I just unlocked, System."

    --------

    [Traits]

    +[Pain Resistance] (low) (New!)

    +[Acid Resistance] (low) (New!)

    [Potentials]

    +[Archery] Time Bullet (Level I) (New!)

    --------

    "Time Bullet..."

    Stunned speechless, Ryoshu tried to keep his breathing normal. Because if he shouted out in excitement now, monsters would surely trace the sound waves and come here.

    --------

    [Time Bullet] (Level I) (New!)

    Description: When activated, time will slow down 3 times for the next 3 seconds. Uses: 3 times/hour. (3/3)

    --------

    "Are you kidding... one of the must-have skills... I was planning to buy it on the Black Market next time. And now it''s already in my hands...?"

    He almost thought he was seeing things and looked wrong. Ryoshu repeatedly opened and closed the menu to verify if it was correct.

    ''But... I didn''t do anything...? Or was it because the recent battle was almost indistinguishable from that skill...''

    However, Time Bullet was an active skill. Ryoshu could activate it anytime rather than just relying on the Death Sense ultimate skill with its strict requirements.

    ''Excellent, this increases my survival chances significantly. And the reward for completing the challenge is a teleportation scroll... now I just need to defeat the boss...''

    Ryoshu looked deep into the cave and felt as if wind from inside was blowing all the way out here, making his skin crawl suddenly.

    "Complete this challenge to return to the academy..."

    ''Hmm. Speaking of which, why does the class placement test day coincide with the VR version release date of the game... The main storyline will take place right at that test.''

    A small realization made him feel something wasn''t right here.

    ''Is that a random coincidence or what...? Very suspicious indeed...''

    Ryoshu looked at the path he had to take next. The darkness from deep within the cave seemed to be staring right into his eyes. A sense of unease invaded the dark, bone-chilling cave space.

    ''Now... I need to survive first.'' He swallowed, but it got stuck in his throat rather than going down smoothly.

    Ryoshu tried to stay calm and think carefully about his Temple raid strategy again. He planned to try sniping from a distance to test his shooting skills. After all, that would be what Spiral Academy would test him on.

    Ryoshu wanted to verify how effective that cowardly tactic would be. Although doing so would take quite some time and reduce the chance of receiving additional rewards. But speed and time weren''t the only criteria in the challenges.

    Each different type of Temple challenge would evaluate Awakened ones based on different criteria. For example, the Cleverness Challenge would test the speed of solving puzzles.

    In this Courage Challenge, it would test how he fought. Could Ryoshu eliminate all monsters in the challenge... or find the rewards scattered throughout the Temple. Basically, it would test the percentage of completion of the entire challenge.

    ''I shouldn''t be careless anymore and should use all the items or equipment I have.''

    --------

    -[Hidden Mask] (D)

    -[Protection Necklace] (A)

    --------

    Ryoshu put on the familiar mask, but this time he also wore a necklace with a platinum chain adorned with a blue gem.

    ''Although this item isn''t worth using like this... I''m still weak so I can''t demand much.'' He sighed at his carelessness and underestimation of the enemy.

    Suddenly Ryoshu felt strangely lonely. It seemed that in life-threatening situations, people often craved interaction with others. But he had no one to accompany him... except for Fumiya.

    "Maybe... I should bring out Fumiya to play with it a bit... it must be a bit lonely too, right?"

    Ryoshu immediately summoned the Formless Bow in his hand. And after that, he activated its Reduction function. The bow instantly turned into sand and surrounded his hoodie, which was tattered from contact with acid.

    "Ha... you wouldn''t believe what I just went through... dear Fumiya..."

    It couldn''t say anything, so it hugged him instead of speaking. This action was no longer strange to him. But now its embrace felt even warmer than before. Ryoshu''s eyes kept closing and opening again.

    ''Ah, I''m so sleepy...''

    And after that, Ryoshu unconsciously drifted into a peaceful sleep in the arms of his friend.

 Chapter 17: The Challenge of Courageous (1)

    The sound of steady footsteps echoed back and forth in the cave, making the already dark atmosphere even more gloomy.

    The deeper they went, the farther apart the torches on the wall became. As a result, the dark spaces grew more numerous and terrifyingly large. In the game, Ryoshu could adjust the lighting... but here, there was nothing similar to settings.

    ''If there were, I would have already adjusted it to the brightest level possible...''

    But this time, Ryoshu successfully utilized 100% of his foolish brain. He took a torch from the wall and carried it with him to feel less afraid.

    "I should have done this from the beginning. How embarrassing... fortunately, no one saw it." - Ryoshu covered his face with his remaining arm while Fumiya was still floating around him. It looked at him as if it was giggling.

    At least that''s what he thought. His eyes tried to avoid his best friend and looked to another corner of the cave. Fumiya then climbed onto Ryoshu''s head, looking quite tired.

    After walking a bit further, he suddenly encountered the first obstacle - the first slime monster.

    Ryoshu immediately held his breath and signaled for the weapon soul on his head to transform into a bow. A pure white bow with golden yellow intricate patterns gradually formed on his two arms, which were already in position to shoot.

    Right after that, an arrow appeared as the bowstring was being pulled taut. All of Ryoshu''s actions were performed under the influence of the Stealth ability of the brilliant white mask. Last time, he had tested it with that F-rank Slime, so he knew that the Stealth mask could completely conceal sound as well.

    And Ryoshu didn''t want his target to hear... even the slightest sound. Because the cave was already naturally echoing.

    The reason he pulled the bowstring first and then inserted the arrow was due to his previous training. Ryoshu found that inserting the arrow this way would be much quicker and quieter than putting the arrow in first and then pulling.

    After preparations were complete, he quickly crouched down. Ryoshu then stealthily approached the monster while maintaining a sufficient distance from it.

    Getting closer, he began to observe the Slime more carefully. Ryoshu could confirm that this species was probably a non-elemental Slime based on its small size and pale bluish-white color.

    ''So... it''s definitely F-rank... if the game still maintains most of the mechanics from the old version.''

    Monsters in the challenges always start at F- and increase as you go deeper. For example, in this C-level Temple, only the Boss is C-rank, D-rank monsters would be Elite monsters, and monsters below E-rank would be common monsters and make up the majority of the challenge.

    But common monsters have a huge advantage, which is their number and herd mentality. And they become even more terrifying when there''s a monster leading them. Those leader monsters are called Elite monsters.

    They possess formidable strength and are much more special than common monsters. Additionally, an Elite monster always has the ability to call monsters under its command from a very wide distance. And as mentioned before, the number of monsters can clearly affect the outcome of a battle.

    Therefore, Elite monsters can often be considered mini-bosses... although that''s not entirely true. Because a mini-boss has many special moves that don''t necessarily include the ability to summon herds and has more phases.

    ''If I encounter a large herd of Slimes, I''ll have to use elemental reaction... or if that''s not available... then I''ll probably have to split them up to make them easier to defeat.''

    Ryoshu took a breath and focused on his shooting stance. Though it seemed like a long time in position, this time he entered the stance even more smoothly than before.

    ''Maybe it''s because my Adaptability stat is high, so I can control my body more easily...? Or maybe it''s also due to increased Strength and Agility stats... so the bow isn''t as heavy as before...'' - Ryoshu thought about the factors affecting his improvement rate but quickly dismissed it.

    Calmly adjusting his aim, but the longer he held it, the more his hands trembled. So he aimed at the tiny Slime and immediately released the arrow.

    But because Ryoshu''s hands were too slippery, it caused the arrow to deviate slightly to the right.

    Clang!

    The arrow grazed past the slime monster. Then it struck straight into the ground, creating a piercing sound.

    This caused the dazed Slime to suddenly become panicked.

    Strangely enough, the person more frightened than anyone was the one who had missed the shot.

    The monster turned toward the direction of the arrow and charged at it.

    ''Stay calm... I can shoot again.''

    Ryoshu''s heart began to race as the monster rushed toward him.

    It came at him faster and faster. He tried to stay calm by breathing evenly and getting into position again.

    Whoosh.

    The arrow flew in a straight line. It hit right at the core of the slime.

    [You have killed a normal F-rank Slime!]

    Immediately after, the Slime exploded into a puddle of water as usual. But this time, it dropped something bright like a light stone.

    Ryoshu''s hands were drenched in sweat as if he had just taken a bath. Not because of fear but because he was excited. That stone contained a lot of pure Mana, and its official name was Magic Crystal.

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    It was something many people would willingly buy at quite a high price. However, at F- rank, it could only be sold for 1 RC per piece.

    ''Well, this will appear more in the Temple than when eliminating them outside the temple.''

    Because inside the Temple, the dense Mana concentration will increase the drop rate of Magic Crystals from monsters after elimination. Outside, the rate would only be 10%, but inside, it would rise to about 50% for common monsters, 70% for Elite monsters, and 100% for the final boss.

    Besides selling them, Ryoshu could do many other things. But that wasn''t a priority now when time was still passing very quickly.

    Ryoshu placed them in his space ring and continued his journey.

    Along the way, Ryoshu encountered and eliminated several F-rank monsters using that method. The distance between the two sides wasn''t as significant as when he battled that E-rank Slime.

    As in the previous version of the game, near the first half of the path, only one Slime appeared at a time. So he took advantage of that and just shot them from afar. Therefore, they couldn''t get close enough to attack him.

    In addition, thanks to his excellent memory, the more Ryoshu shot, the faster his archery skills improved. It felt as if archery was something he had practiced for months.

    ''But my stats are still quite low... so if I get attacked or have to engage in close combat now, I''ll definitely die instantly.''

    Since they couldn''t one-hit kill Ryoshu, the Death Sense skill wouldn''t activate until he was near death.

    Although the newly acquired skill - Time Bullet - could compensate for Death Sense. But he could only use it three times within an hour.

    So if Ryoshu became overconfident, it would lead him to death quite quickly. Because soon, E-rank or D-rank Slimes would start appearing in the latter half, and they would come in herds instead of standing alone.

    Ryoshu was more aware than ever of the truth that he still wasn''t strong at all, so he moved and observed more carefully than ever before.

    At a fork in the road, he chose to go to the right. Deep inside that passage was a trail leading to a dense garden. Ryoshu took quite some time to enter because he couldn''t see the path to where he wanted to go.

    Ryoshu walked a bit longer, and it began to appear larger and larger in his sight. Standing still in the center was a marble house with moss covering the walls.

    Ryoshu almost didn''t recognize that this was the place he needed to enter. His hand rested on the rusty doorknob, which had changed to a charred brownish-black color.

    He tried to open the door, but it seemed quite stuck.

    ''So I have to break it... this hasn''t changed compared to the computer version...'' - Ryoshu thought about the similarities between the two games.

    "So far, almost everything hasn''t changed much in terms of gameplay or design. Except... this gate opened earlier than usual... and the appearance of that old blacksmith Enomoto... Why could I meet them at this pre-game stage?"

    And perhaps the strangest thing he just realized was:

    "Why wasn''t I summoned at the beginning of the game?"

    There were too many strange things that couldn''t be answered. The more Ryoshu explored, the more complicated everything became.

    He let out a long sigh.

    Then Ryoshu kicked the door hard; the door hinges, receiving too much force, immediately fell off. And then the door also fell onto the wooden floor, accidentally collapsing the wooden beam under the floor.

    Ryoshu stepped over it and looked inside the house. A dusty wooden room appeared before his eyes. The room smelled damp and moldy as if it had been situated here for hundreds of years. Dust flew all over the room, and some particles made their way to him.

    Cough, cough.

    Ryoshu turned outside the door and coughed violently. His tears also involuntarily flowed due to coughing too much.

    Going back in, he walked around the house and found some ancient books. Ryoshu found "The Encyclopedia of Mana" and "All About Human History" to be perhaps the most interesting ones. He took them along with some other old books.

    Upstairs, he found a wooden chest that didn''t look very fancy. He guessed right away that this was the most common type of chest but still opened it.

    A potion bottle with a pink-purple liquid inside appeared in his hand.

    "Jackpot... Appraisal!" - Ryoshu immediately became excited when he saw that potion bottle.

    --------

    [Charisma Enhancement Potion] (D)

    Description: Created by an anonymous alchemist. For ugly people.

    -Beautifying

    After consumption, immediately increases "Charisma" permanently by 1.5 stat points. And afterward, each day, the "Charisma" stat will increase by 0.1 stat points until it reaches 30.

    --------

    "This is exactly what I need... With this, I''ll be less discriminated against! Although the potion is directly calling me..." - Ryoshu was quite upset when reading the description of the potion he had just found.

    But he ignored that and raised the potion bottle up as if showing it to someone.

    ''I''ve always wanted to try holding up an item like this... it seems more awkward than I thought...''

    Fortunately, there was only one judge here. That was Fumiya, who had come out from somewhere unknown.

    "How did you get out? I don''t remember summoning you."

    But it seemed like it didn''t hear anything and just looked at the potion bottle in his hand with excitement.

    ''Maybe it''s wondering why I''m excited about finding this potion.''

    This was one of the quite rare items. On the market, it would cost thousands of RC. If the quality were higher, the price could go up to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.

    "Alright, since you''re out, watch me drink this. Then you''ll understand." - Ryoshu licked his lips and without hesitation, opened the potion bottle.

    But after trying repeatedly, the potion bottle wouldn''t open, so he became a bit irritated and used more force. But using more force still had no effect.

    ''Why is that...? Normally in challenges, I could drink it?''

    However, Ryoshu momentarily forgot an important detail. In challenges with increased difficulty, he also wouldn''t be able to use stat-enhancing potions, health recovery potions, or antidote potions...

    Besides not being able to escape, there were quite a few other things banned or restricted to make the challenge harder. But they weren''t very important, so he completely forgot.

    "Well... after escaping from here, I''ll drink it later." - Ryoshu stored it in his space ring with regret.

    He looked at where the pile of sand had disappeared. It had gone out to the balcony sometime earlier and was enjoying the view.

    "... I''ll show you next time." - Ryoshu sighed with a bit of disappointment.

    But afterward, Ryoshu''s lips curled up while observing the child playing. Fumiya came into the room and led him out to the balcony.

    "H-hey! Calm down! How are you so strong?"

    Ryoshu was helpless against his weapon soul''s childishness and had to enjoy the view with it.

    ----0w0----

    After leaving that abandoned house, he didn''t forget to look back one last time. In the previous version, no Player had found its owner yet. And it was just one of the many, many secrets of this Rainfall Disorder game.

    ''I''ll have to come back to this place later to learn more.''

    Ryoshu turned his face toward the dense garden in front of the house that he had struggled through earlier. And this time, he also spent quite a lot of time, no less than the previous time. But this time, Fumiya also helped, so it was a bit less difficult.

    The sound of plants being parted grew quieter. After that, the silent atmosphere was returned to the hundred-year-old house once more.

 Chapter 18: The Challenge of Bravery (2)

    ''There are 10 of them and they''re standing quite close to each other...''

    Observing more carefully to see if there was anything he could exploit, Ryoshu suddenly saw what he had been hoping for.

    ''Just as I thought, there are two rank E lightning Slimes!''

    The electric current around the slime was so intense that even from 50 meters away, he could still feel its shock waves.

    ''According to the game, the intensity of the electric current they emit is twice as strong as a rank F one, so the explosion they release must be nearly 8 times stronger than before...''

    Ryoshu looked at a huge Slime standing furthest from him. It gave off the exact aura of a miniboss. But in this case, it was just the leader of this small gang of Slimes.

    However, for him, fighting a rank D Slime one-on-one with pure strength was nearly impossible. Confronting it directly was simply not feasible.

    When literally every attack, even its weakest, could shatter his bones and tear his flesh... and worse, kill him.

    But death was not an option for Ryoshu. He came here to win and return home.

    ''With two of them, the explosion killing that Elite Slime... will definitely work... if based on my six years of knowledge.''

    But that''s where the problem arose. Ryoshu couldn''t get too close. Because the explosion would certainly spread at least to where he was standing. At worst, he would be completely obliterated.

    So he couldn''t cheat like last time at such a close distance.

    ''What should I do now? They''re too far from me...''

    Ryoshu looked at the bow in his hand and pondered deeply:

    ''I could try shooting an arrow... But that''s also my only chance.''

    He swallowed hard when thinking about the terrible consequences.

    ''If I miss, that Elite boss will immediately chase me until death. And in this case, the chance of me dying before it is higher. Not to mention the other Slimes that would also support their leader.''

    Ryoshu''s hands trembled at the thought while those Slimes were still bouncing around carelessly.

    The straight path design with no hidden turns would accidentally make the chance of victory almost zero if they chased after him.

    Fumiya emerged from behind and patted his head. Only now did Ryoshu notice his forehead was drenched in sweat.

    ''Fumiya... seems more special than I thought...?'' - He turned to look at the floating sand.

    Ryoshu spread his arms wide. Fumiya immediately jumped into his embrace.

    ''Its soul must still be very childlike... That''s why it''s so proactive. Most other soul weapons would usually be more arrogant.''

    "But that''s right, after all, it''s not the Awakened who chooses the soul weapon. Instead, soul weapons will choose for themselves masters they deem worthy." - Ryoshu muttered the words of a sage from the game while hugging Fumiya close.

    He looked at the young soul hugging him tighter and thought:

    ''I wonder... Do you think I''m worthy to be your master? As cowardly as I am, you might never evolve.''

    Although Ryoshu was terribly cowardly, there was one thing he feared above all else. That was losing a loved one permanently. Experiencing it twice was more than enough for him.

    ''A weapon that doesn''t evolve becomes a dead weapon...''

    That was what the blacksmith Enomoto Atsuta in the old game had told him. At that time, Ryoshu didn''t understand what it meant at all. And even after searching online, it didn''t bring any useful results.

    Although he didn''t understand the old man''s meaning much, now Ryoshu was "borrowing" Fumiya from Mr. Atsuta. And he was very fond of his cute and innocent friend.

    So Ryoshu decided to help his friend evolve.

    ''I... have to take a risk. That''s the only way Fumiya can evolve.''

    Last time, Ryoshu had hit the bullseye from a distance of about 15 meters. However, this time the distance increased more than three times. And according to natural law, the further away, the difficulty increases exponentially.

    Because his sustaining ability was still weak, his Mana was very easy to fluctuate. Therefore, Ryoshu''s flame died out faster than normal. This was quite a headache because if he wanted to trigger the reaction, his flame had to last longer. While shooting from afar was already difficult enough.

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    Ryoshu hit his head with his fist, just hard enough to do what people jokingly call "brain stimulation." It looked rather funny, but somehow he came up with a pretty good alternative solution.

    ''What if I set the arrow on fire... that way I don''t have to worry about maintaining it anymore!''

    It was an idea both good and risky because if he didn''t shoot it fast enough, the arrow would burn itself before reaching its destination and waste an arrow meaninglessly.

    And if he shot too late, he would be the one foolishly harming himself and still lose an arrow, but this time even more meaninglessly. However, this was also the best way currently under such time-constrained training conditions.

    The careful observation process is always the longest because their behavior and movement positions are quite random.

    Ryoshu observed for half an hour before gradually understanding how they moved. Then he had to wait until the lightning Slime stood in the middle of that herd. While the other one had to stand right next to the leader, only then would it be the signal to act.

    After waiting another five minutes, the signal came. Ryoshu immediately activated the first mask to reactivate his Mana Core without them detecting it. Then Fumiya quickly transformed into a bow shape within his reach.

    "You seem even more ready than I am, huh?" - Ryoshu chuckled at the soul weapon''s eagerness.

    First part done, he then got into position to draw the bowstring while trying to transfer as much Mana into the arrow as possible. This way, the arrow would fly even faster. Partly to increase power, partly because Ryoshu feared they would be discovered if the arrow moved too slowly.

    Fumiya was no longer passive but also helped him draw the string tighter. The pressure weighing on Ryoshu''s arms had now lightened considerably.

    "Thank you, Fumiya."

    Then came the familiar process of transforming pure Mana into fire-elemental Mana. He lit a dry stick he had picked up from before.

    But this time, Ryoshu''s movements were much quicker than two days ago. That made him feel more confident.

    And then the flame quickly burned the arrowhead resting on the bowstring.

    Fumiya perhaps was a bit afraid of fire, so suddenly the pressure on his arms became twice as heavy.

    "Fumiya... c-calm down! I''m right here. Everything will be fine."

    The pressure still didn''t lighten at all. His arms felt like they were being broken.

    "I trust you, Fumiya... do you trust me?!" - Ryoshu raised his voice, afraid his words wouldn''t reach through its fear.

    The bowstring became lighter again. Fumiya had temporarily overcome its pain and was helping him again. Ryoshu felt that pressure reduced by three times. Fumiya had somehow become even stronger than before.

    "Almost done... trust me... just three seconds."

    Finally, after everything was properly prepared, Ryoshu activated his newly acquired skill for the first time.

    "Time Bullet." - Ryoshu whispered these four short words.

    In an instant, time almost stopped after he activated it. But time was only slowed down by 3 times. To compare visually, this feeling was still much less intense than the Death Sense skill.

    ''Perhaps because one relates to the Intuition stat while the other forces the brain to work 3 times faster... I''m guessing?''

    He aimed directly at the Slime in the remaining time. The flame was still smoldering and spreading very quickly to other parts of the arrow. If not fast, it would burn to charcoal before reaching the Slimes.

    ''I hope I won''t miss it.'' - Although Ryoshu didn''t believe in himself, he had absolute faith in Fumiya''s ability.

    On Ryoshu''s face now was not the usual fear. Instead, it was absolute calmness. Waiting until his mind began to show slight ripples like a drop of water falling into a still lake, he released the arrow.

    The arrow shot out immediately.

    But due to the Time Bullet effect still being active, it moved slowly as if he was watching a film in slow motion.

    ''I''ve done my best... now it''s time to enjoy the show.''

    The arrow moved gradually faster as it reached maximum speed. It cut across the dark space of the cave. The sound of the fire arrow whistling reached where he was standing.

    ''Die miserably or survive and return home... which one?''

    Swoosh.

    The distance between the arrow and the Slime was quickly closing. And by the time they realized there was something strange flying toward them, it was already too late.

    ''And if I survive, Fumiya and I will become stronger than ever!''

    Especially the lightning Slime in the middle standing still and watching. While it still didn''t understand what was happening, suddenly its electricity grew more intense. Before anything else happened, it only had time to glimpse a bit of Mana far away.

    The arrow suddenly pierced through the Slime. And half a tick later, its body began to glow as if it was ascending to a new level of power. But unfortunately, that moment quickly faded like a firework.

    BOOM!

    Before he could hear the System''s notification finish, the reaction between the fire element of his arrow and the rank E electric Mana surrounding Slime had occurred. Immediately, a light illuminated the entire dark cave. Fortunately, Ryoshu had turned away and covered his eyes to avoid this.

    [You have...]

    Not yet finished, because there was still another electric Slime standing next to their leader. That explosion was just the ribbon on the gift he gave them.

    [You...]

    Ryoshu was running away from that explosion with all his strength. But it seemed like the sound wasn''t diminishing but instead growing louder over time.

    BOOM!!!

    The sound of the next explosion was even louder than before. It immediately drowned out all sounds in the cave. The System''s voice had completely faded. Ryoshu could feel his fragile ears bleeding from the deafening sound.

    "It''s already 50 meters!? Why is it still spreading FURTHER!?!"

    The sound of rocks and soil collapsing nearly a hundred meters away was getting louder and louder. It was so loud as if the cave itself was collapsing.

    ...

    And when the world around Ryoshu slowed down a bit, he knew that the consequences he caused were not small at all.

    Ryoshu tumbled and hid behind a huge rock. Thinking he was safe, a shock wave hit the rock directly and spread to where he was standing.

    He lay down and covered his head, hoping everything would stabilize again while the tremor was trying to shake him violently.

    A moment later, everything was quiet again.

    Ryoshu stood up and dusted off his clothes. He looked around and peered behind the rock he was hiding behind.

    The path Ryoshu had just run from had now become a wasteland, pockmarked everywhere.

    ''Is this... the path... I walked on just now?''

 Chapter 19: The Challenge of Bravery (3)

    Returning to the room from earlier, Ryoshu found that everything had completely vanished, including the Elite D-rank monster. The surrounding rock and soil structure remained intact. This was the Temple''s passive ability to prevent anyone from escaping.

    Ryoshu discovered crystals scattered on the ground that were even brighter than his own F-rank Mana Crystals.

    The lower-grade Mana Crystals had been blown away in the explosion. In total, he had pocketed two E-rank crystals and the most valuable one¡ªa D-rank Magic Crystal.

    Each E-rank Mana Crystals could sell for about 5-15 RC depending on its quality. In the case of E-minus, it would only fetch around 5 RC.

    ''But this D-rank magic crystal can be sold for up to 50 RC!''

    For a hardcore gamer like him, 50 RC was almost enough to buy a new AAA game.

    ''But many would say it''s too little compared to the effort or risk they took to get one... But this world isn''t meant for the weak. The Temple''s challenges were created with the purpose of producing strong Awakened ones... not for them to make profit.'' - Ryoshu stored the crystals in the ring on his hand.

    This inadvertently created class divisions in the game''s society. Those who were already strong would become even stronger, while the weak would always serve the powerful.

    That was one of the many obstacles Ryoshu needed to overcome if he was determined to follow the main storyline and enter the academy with the main characters.

    [You have completed the Condition: Hit a target from 50m distance when "Archery" potential is above E-rank]

    [Unlocked skill "Sniping" (Level I)]

    This was the first time Ryoshu had heard of this condition mechanism. Perhaps when creating this new version, they came up with additional rewards to keep Players constantly trying their best.

    "System, show me the newly acquired skill." - He quickly opened it to check right away.

    --------

    [Archery] (F+)

    Description: You are more familiar with using a bow. But there''s still a long way to go before you become a master.

    -Sniping (Level I) (New!)

    Assists the User in targeting.

    When the User hits the designated target, increase "Critical Rate" by 10% for that attack.

    --------

    "A rather useful skill. But I wonder if it has any use other than sniping?"

    Ryoshu raised his hand to check the time.

    [00:28]

    More than half a day had passed since he entered this place. Ryoshu''s body was now in a state of complete exhaustion. He really needed a proper day of rest... But perhaps that wish was still too far away.

    Ryoshu sighed when thinking about the unfinished tasks. He temporarily pushed them out of his mind and took out a plastic water bottle from his ring. Then Ryoshu poured the water straight into his parched throat.

    ''Must eat to keep going... huh?'' - Thinking and doing, Ryoshu got right to work.

    "Let''s go find some food, Fumiya."

    Ryoshu summoned the sand form of his beloved bow. Fumiya appeared and floated in the air. But it looked quite tiring.

    He looked at the child lacking vitality and couldn''t help but smile helplessly.

    "Hungry? Then let''s get some food and sleep."

    He took Fumiya around the cave for a while to find more food. Fortunately, in the old game version, Ryoshu had learned a lot about foraging.

    "What the heck is this? Carrots... and potatoes growing naturally in a cave?" - Ryoshu was crawling into a tiny crevice and accidentally found a rudimentary field.

    ''Perhaps this dungeon was created on top of an old village or something?''

    Normally he would also encounter various fruits. But perhaps, at least within the Temple, carrots and potatoes were the first he had seen.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Suddenly Fumiya brought something to the face of its astonished master.

    "Shiitake mushrooms too... this is excellent." - Ryoshu picked it up and inspected it to be sure.

    The reason he was gathering food like this was because cooking in the game was very important. It played a quite significant role in battles both big and small. Because food in the game would temporarily boost stats and provide unique effects for Players.

    ''Previously, cooking was also a strategy to help complete the game faster, right? But later they used game exploits instead so cooking wasn''t necessary anymore...''

    Although exploits were good for speedrunning, now that every bug was important, Ryoshu increasingly saw that he should utilize more unlimited resources. And food was one of those resources.

    Ryoshu set up a campfire quite quickly as if he was already familiar with it. His hands swiftly took out firewood and lit it skillfully. Next, he took out the iron pot and placed it on the cleaned grill.

    Then, he poured water in to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, he peeled the potatoes and cut the carrots he had just collected. And of course, there would be a spectator observing his every move and action.

    Fumiya moved around its master looking quite energetic.

    When the sound of boiling water continuously bubbled, it was also when Ryoshu finished slicing the carrots. He put the two ingredients he had just prepared straight into the pot.

    Then Ryoshu finished the meal by adding some shiitake mushrooms to the pot. Finally, he just needed to wait for ten minutes for the broth to be filled with flavor.

    --------

    [Ryoshu''s Stewed Potatoes] (F-)

    Description: A delicious potato stew in Amemura Ryoshu''s "unique" style.

    -Relaxation

    Will fall asleep a little faster than normal.

    --------

    "Not too bad, huh? First time I''ve cooked something that comes with an effect like this..." - Ryoshu looked at the dish he had just made with pride.

    "Thanks for the meal."

    He clasped his hands together and said grace, specifically here just to Fumiya.

    "By the way... what do you eat?" - Ryoshu looked straight at the sand swirling above his head and asked.

    It seemed not to understand his question much. He already knew that but still asked just in case.

    "Or... do you eat my Mana?"

    Ryoshu raised his index finger. After a moment, a flow of Mana appeared and surrounded his finger.

    Fumiya, upon seeing the Mana, looked quite curious. It approached him slowly, seeming quite cautious. The pile of sand touched the bright green Mana flow.

    "Stop for a bit, Fumiya... I''m about to pass out..." - Ryoshu almost collapsed and fainted.

    It stopped immediately. But Fumiya still looked quite hungry.

    ''So... Fumiya needs to absorb Mana?'' - Ryoshu looked at the hungry kid with great curiosity.

    Usually, each soul weapon would have a different consumption method, such as scrap metal or monster carcasses. But the rarest would be Mana, not because the weapon would be stronger than other weapons. Simply put, nurturing such a weapon would be much more costly.

    Ryoshu could use Mana Crystals to feed Fumiya. But since he was too poor, that option was certainly impossible.

    "Maybe in the future, I''ll find another way for you to eat your fill."

    ----0w0----

    Ryoshu had lain down and was watching the fire and the cave environment around him. He was thinking about something else while looking into the void.

    ''Although I''ve been shooting the bow all day today, the Archery potential is still stuck at F+ rank. I know that advancing to a new rank will be difficult... but if possible, the chance of defeating the boss tomorrow would increase significantly... at least 1%.''

    Fumiya was lying and hugging his body while receiving warmth from the campfire that was about to go out.

    ''But the unlocked skill must truly be able to connect with what I currently have... That can completely determine my life or death...''

    Although Ryoshu could choose to stay longer and increase the survival rate as much as possible, the monsters in the Challenge would not respawn, so the only option was to practice dry.

    But practicing without targets would take a lot of time and effort while food and water would soon be depleted.

    ''Stop overthinking, I''ll deal with it after meeting the boss tomorrow.''

    He dismissed all the meaningless thoughts and tried to quickly fall asleep.

    ''Come to think of it, this is the first time I''ve slept in a cave like this. It''s been a long time since I''ve felt this relaxed.''

    Some wonderful memories from the past surfaced.

    "I miss you so much, Mom and Dad."

    Ryoshu really missed them; when he learned they were gone, the legs of that child that should have been very active instinctively lost all strength.

    The world at that time had lost two sources of light more important to him than the sun.

    "I wonder how you two are living in heaven? Still arguing over childish reasons?"

    Ryoshu recalled how they used to quarrel with each other a lot for all kinds of reasons that were so silly that even a child like him knew it. His tears unconsciously flowed, soaking his pillow.

    "I-I''m so sorry, Mom and Dad..." - Ryoshu felt as if his voice had broken when saying those words.

    Suddenly he could feel the embrace of his companion growing tighter. Ryoshu sniffled and stopped the tears from flowing.

    "Fumiya, you''re still awake? Sorry for waking you up. Let''s sleep together... we have a lot to do tomorrow." - Ryoshu turned toward where Fumiya was hugging him to make it easier to fall asleep.

    "Good night. And... good night Mom and Dad too."

    He tried to say the good night wishes with the most affectionate tone possible to the people he loved most in the world.

    And very quickly, the cave returned to its usual peaceful and quiet state, with only the sound of his even breathing. After a while, the campfire went out completely and brought darkness to all the surrounding space.

    That night both Ryoshu and Fumiya had a very good sleep.

 Chapter 20: The Challenge of Bravery (4)

    "..."

    Ryoshu woke up.

    He realized he was floating.

    The surrounding space had no characteristics whatsoever.

    It wasn''t hot. It wasn''t cold. But despite this, goosebumps involuntarily rose on his skin.

    Ryoshu wasn''t just floating aimlessly. He was sinking deeper into what looked like the bottom of a deep, silent ocean.

    Ryoshu didn''t know how much time had passed anymore. An hour? A day? ...Or perhaps several years had already gone by?

    He wasn''t even sure if this thing called "time" was still flowing. But if time didn''t exist, how could his consciousness continue?

    Ryoshu tried to move his body only to realize his helplessness. He couldn''t control even his fingers or... his eyes, as if his body had been completely taken away. The only things that still existed here were his vague thoughts and partial sensations.

    Suddenly, from the water''s surface above, a blinding light pierced through hundreds of layers of water to reach him. Accompanying it was a voice both familiar and strange, very gentle:

    "M-master..."

    Since when has Ryoshu been anyone''s master? His curiosity began to peak.

    "Master! Wake up! You''re about to die!" - But when Ryoshu heard the content of that desperate call more clearly, he finally realized where he was.

    Ryoshu jolted awake.

    ''Time Bullet!'' - He instinctively activated that technique by reflex.

    Time, which was already flowing slowly thanks to the passive skill Death Sense, was now covered with another effect.

    Ryoshu opened his eyes and tried to understand what was happening.

    But contrary to his expectations, in front of Ryoshu now was a pile of sand standing upright. It looked as if it was trying to shield him from something.

    Fumiya was that sand protecting him.

    Although he was very grateful, its efforts were truly quite useless. Because basically, how could a pile of sand block an attack from a high-level monster?

    But Ryoshu couldn''t do anything either because the cave he was in was too dark and quite narrow. If he jumped out to avoid it, he might create even more trouble.

    All the Mana that Ryoshu could see was quickly absorbed into his body. A dark blue Mana quickly covered his blood vessels and made his heart beat three or four times faster.

    Unfortunately, that Mana wasn''t meant for Ryoshu. However, he didn''t regret transferring all the Mana that had just been pumped into his body to Fumiya.

    That pile of sand, when catalyzed with an enormous amount of Mana, immediately became stronger.

    Its shape transformed from that pile of sand to a large Mana wall surrounding his body. It was certainly stronger than the makeshift shield Ryoshu had made himself last time.

    When time flowed normally again, he suddenly felt an enormous pressure.

    It pushed against the sturdy shield standing in front of him. And right after, his body slammed into the stone wall behind him. Ryoshu''s face turned pale and looked as if he was in great pain.

    On his right side, a sharp rock pierced through his flesh. If it had been just a bit off, his vital organs would have been punctured.

    Despite the pain, Ryoshu still tried to stay calm. Waiting until the force weakened, he took the opportunity to take out his Hidden Mask.

    "Fumiya! Get into my shirt!" - Ryoshu didn''t forget to remind his friend who had just taken the full brunt of the attack to hide.

    The space around was pitch black, so he couldn''t identify which Slime monster it was. But that wasn''t the most important issue at this critical moment.

    The sand had merged onto his hoodie in the form of unique golden outlines.

    He then transferred Mana into the Hidden mask and ran as fast as he could away from the monster.

    The sound of Ryoshu''s footsteps grew heavier with each second as he ran.

    ----0w0----

    ''Phew... I bandaged it in time. God... it hurts so much...''

    Ryoshu was lying flat next to an antique wooden chest. He tried to control his breathing as if afraid that the Slime would find him again.

    ''Why was I attacked anyway? Clearly, I had cleared all the Slimes before...? Or... don''t tell me they now have patrol features?'' - He smacked his hand against his face. Perhaps Ryoshu had set up camp too close to the next wave of monsters.

    After running desperately while continuously losing blood, Ryoshu was now completely exhausted.

    But he didn''t forget to check the time before preparing to take another nap.

    [13:01 Wednesday, August 23, 2023]

    ''...''

    ''Damn it.'' - Ryoshu began to tear at his hair over his stupid mistakes.

    This was the first time in many years that he had become so angry. Perhaps it was because Ryoshu always had to live with a cool head.

    "I forgot to set an alarm clock..."

    Only 18 hours left, less than a day, until the exam day.

    But that''s not counting the time Ryoshu needed to rest before the exam day. So if he subtracted about 8 hours, he only had 9-10 hours left.

    Meanwhile, he had only gone through just over half of the first section. What''s more, the first half was much easier than the second half.

    ''But finding these gloves is also quite... decent, right?''

    --------

    [Hunter''s Gloves] (E-)

    Description: These specialized gloves were used by hunters from ancient times. Somehow they ended up here?

    -Dexterous Hands

    Increases attack accuracy by 5%.

    -Hunter''s Instinct

    The less preparation time for an attack, the more Damage increases.

    Maximum: 1 second will multiply base damage by 2.

    Minimum: 10 seconds will multiply base Damage by 1.1.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    --------

    Ryoshu quickly put them on his hands. He tried making a fist to see if they fit properly and then quickly continued on.

    He tried to speed up and do everything faster. For low-level monsters like F-rank, he would use the bow to increase experience for his Archery potential.

    But if they were E-rank or higher, Ryoshu would use the Hidden Mask and skip them entirely. Because of that strategy, he was getting closer and closer to the boss. But he still had no way to defeat it with his current combat power.

    Since Ryoshu remembered all the moves and movement patterns of most bosses in the game, along with the help of the passive skill Death Sense and the active skill Time Bullet, his evasion ability was now almost unmatched, except for a few missteps.

    But what he lacked most now was penetrating power. Ryoshu lacked an attack strong enough to pierce through the C-rank Slime. If he used all the power he currently had, that is, using both Stab skills now at level II and the newly acquired skill - Sniping, he still couldn''t pierce through even half the way to the boss''s core.

    If it were other types of monsters, he might be able to use the strategy of slowly whittling down their health. However, for monsters without blood, that strategy would be completely useless.

    "So the only way to turn the situation around now is the skill that will be unlocked when Archery potential reaches E-rank..." - Ryoshu sighed as he opened his status panel to check the skill upgrade situation.

    But perhaps the results still weren''t very promising. Nevertheless, he still had to continue moving forward.

    He only hoped the next wave of monsters would help his Archery skill reach E- rank.

    ''I must admit, thanks to the Sniping skill, shooting arrows from farther distances has become much easier.''

    If shooting from over 50 meters was previously a miracle for him, now Ryoshu could easily repeat that feat continuously.

    But the most regrettable thing was that he hadn''t gotten any Critical Hits from those shots.

    "A whole 20% Critical Rate if you include the 10% from the Formless Bow... and still nothing!" - Ryoshu could only lament his bad luck.

    And suddenly, from afar he saw another Slime, but this time it was much stronger than the other Slimes.

    ''But it''s not as strong as the Elite ones... so it''s probably around E+ rank... like the first one that ambushed me... And if it''s like last time, I definitely won''t be able to pierce through its slimy shell easily...''

    But thinking again, besides combat experience and new skills, Ryoshu''s stats had also increased quite a bit. Though still not equal to before he performed the Permanent Stat Change bug.

    --------

    [Main Stats]

    Strength: 7.4 ¡ú 7.8 (Unranked) (!)

    Endurance: 8.8 ¡ú 9.2 (Unranked) (!)

    Agility: 8.0 ¡ú 8.3 (Unranked) (!)

    Perception: 10.2 ¡ú 10.3 (F-) (!)

    --------

    ''Not to mention these newly acquired gloves, I''m sure I can defeat it!'' - Ryoshu encouraged himself.

    This time, Ryoshu didn''t use the Hidden function of the mask anymore. He just transferred Mana into his hoodie, and immediately a bow appeared in his hand. He pulled the string as fast as possible and then his mouth muttered the skill name:

    "Sniping."

    In Ryoshu''s view, a bright red dot appeared pointing straight at the core of the E+ rank Slime. This was the exact spot where his arrow needed to hit. If he hit it, he would achieve the 10% Critical Hit rate effect.

    And there was another difference compared to before. Fumiya was becoming more and more proactive. That helped Ryoshu a lot in increasing the arrow''s power. To speak more specifically and clearly about the benefits it provided him, it probably made the attack about one and a half times... or even twice as strong.

    He felt very happy that it gave him so much attention.

    "Thanks Fumiya as always!"

    Ryoshu''s hand released the arrow.

    The arrow went in a clean line to the exact red spot. It penetrated through the slimy layer without stopping even a bit and pierced straight into its core.

    The Slime exploded, signaling his easy victory. Ryoshu couldn''t help but feel satisfied with what he had just accomplished.

    "Looking on the bright side, if I escape from here, I''ll become much stronger than before."

    That was also the reason Ryoshu chose this Temple from the beginning... although things didn''t go exactly as he thought.

    From the void, the cold sound of the System rang out to his anticipation.

    [Potential "Archery" has risen to rank E!]

    An abundant source of power and information was continuously pumped into him as if he had just used doping.

    ''So this is what it feels like when you level up...''

    His bow knowledge had been partially perfected. Now he was confident that he could shoot from a distance of... at least 100 meters. Ryoshu raised his hand and clenched his fingertips tightly. A completely new sensation that he himself could feel in his hands.

    [Based on what you have done at F rank, you have unlocked the skill "Charged Attack" (F-)!]

    ''Huh? How are Charged Attack and Critical Hit different?''

    Ryoshu was curious, so he immediately opened the status panel to check.

    --------

    [Charged Attack] (level I)

    Description: When activated, each second spent preparing an attack will consume "Stamina" and "Mana" to increase "Attack Power" and "Critical Hit Rate" by 0.5%. Maximum: 20 seconds.

    --------

    ''Ah... so it''s like a charged attack mechanism?''

    "Wait a minute... this is exactly what I''ve been needing all this time?! It will solve the Attack Power problem while these gloves will take care of the Damage issue."

    The two concepts of Attack Power and Damage look somewhat similar but have some differences.

    Attack Power is the maximum Damage potential that can be inflicted, while Damage is the harm that the opponent receives after factoring in Defense and some environmental factors.

    Therefore, if Attack Power is higher, then Damage after being doubled will be even higher. And if Attack Power is lacking, even if Damage is doubled or tripled, it still won''t cause much harm.

    Excited to have solved part of the problem, Ryoshu immediately wanted to test himself against higher-ranked monsters like the Elite Slime.

    ''I''ve collected tons of Magic Stones, and after this trip, I''ll have some money to invest in stocks.'' - He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips in a rather unsightly manner.

    Ryoshu continued to a section of pitch-black corridor. Fortunately, he had a torch so he could still see.

    Even without a torch, Ryoshu was confident he could pass through here without any light. Simply because he had walked here many times in the previous version.

    However, when Ryoshu reached the end of the corridor, he suddenly found no way forward, only a large wall blocking the path.

    ''How strange? Why is there a dead end here?''

    He began to explore this strange wall. On the wall was a painting that felt like it was drawn from ancient times.

    The image of a thunderstorm along with the appearance of terrifying, horrible monsters was the disaster lurking for humans.

    Those humans tried to fight back, but they couldn''t win.

    ''Is that their fate...''

    He couldn''t help but shudder at this horrific plot.

    Ryoshu noticed an ancient text, very scrawled, which he had never seen before.

    But shortly after, he guessed. No, Ryoshu was almost 100% certain that the ancient text written here was the two phrases he hated most, and at the same time, loved the most.

    Rainfall Disorder - the name of the game and also the name of a series of phenomena about to happen in this world.

    Since finishing this game, he had become even more uncomfortable when it rained, whether in the game or in real life. Each time rain came, it made him feel not safe at all.

    ''So this exists?'' - Ryoshu touched the wall and rubbed it.

    But when entering the main storyline, everything would become clear.

    ''I must become stronger... Right now I''m still too weak. If I don''t try harder, I won''t be able to protect the protagonist.''

    Ryoshu unconsciously clenched his palm. This was like a warning bell that the coming disaster was no child''s play.

    ''This is Rainfall Disorder, after all? It''s not a game for children to play after stressful study hours.'' - He was very angry at himself for being so careless.

    At least in the game, Ryoshu could respawn after dying. But here, he only had one life... Though that was just a hypothesis he had never dared to test.

    ''After all, who trapped me here? And why this game? A hardcore game... and even the hardest among them. Surely many characters will die in this disaster if I don''t do anything.''

    And when important characters die, that means his own death. But the worst hasn''t come yet, Ryoshu still has time. If he knew how to make use of it, he could win this damn game with help from the main characters.

    ''I have to admit that the fate of the characters here is unfortunate. Suddenly forced to live in this harsh world....''

    Ryoshu hated those who took away the freedom and happiness of others the most. He despised those called slave masters.

    ''And coincidentally, I''ve also become one of those forced into this world...''

    And now, Ryoshu had realized the truth he had been trying to avoid for days.

    ''Ironically, I have become a slave.''

    A slave to entertain the person who put him in this damned virtual reality game.

    A slave to the harsh fate ahead.

    A weak slave, powerless, voiceless before the busy current of life.

    Ryoshu could no longer contain his anger and punched the damn wall as if it was the thing blocking him from freedom and happiness.

    The wall shattered into pieces and revealed another cave.

    ''This is the next path in the game...'' - Ryoshu recognized immediately in astonishment.

    Although many details had changed, most things still remained the same as the original game version.

    ''I will maximize all my knowledge to survive and eventually defeat this damn game!''

    Ryoshu had found a new purpose for himself: to survive in the hardest game while taking revenge on the person who put him in this situation.

 Chapter 21: First Boss Battle (1)

    The dark cave scene gradually disappeared and was replaced by an open space with light illuminating every corner. The light source came from a gap, somewhere in the middle of what could be called a room, enormous and incredibly high.

    ''Perhaps the light in this place is coming in from outside.''

    Ryoshu was standing on a fairly spacious rock ledge compared to the narrowness of the cave from earlier. He felt like just walking from one end of this ledge to the other would take at least 10 minutes.

    He couldn''t help but marvel at the magnificent scene of this cave. Even in the game, it wasn''t as insanely wide as this.

    But one thing remained unchanged. Ryoshu looked down from the rock ledge. This ledge, in contrast to the length and width of the cave, was quite modest. It was only about as high as ten grown adults standing on top of each other.

    ''But if I accidentally fall from up here, it would be enough to break a leg...''

    And in the middle of the open ground below, emanated a massive energy source that he had never faced before. Just the fact that Ryoshu was breathing normally was already an impressive achievement when in front of him now was the thing that had killed him countless times in the past.

    Every nerve in his head was now taut as a bowstring. The instinct of a primate was telling every part of his body to leave this place as quickly as possible.

    But somehow he was still standing here. Was it courage or stupidity?

    Ryoshu looked straight at it without averting his eyes once. It was the thing he was looking for - the Boss of the Challenge of Bravery.

    The boss, as he had mentioned many times before, was a Lightning Slime of C-rank. The gap between ranks E and D compared to ranks D and C was almost like the difference between heaven and earth.

    Although the boss was also a Lightning Slime, unlike normal Slimes, it couldn''t die from its own explosion. Therefore, if Ryoshu used an elemental reaction, that C-rank explosion would be the thing that would dig his grave.

    And there were more special things about it. First, its size was enormous. Second, both its physical attack and Lightning Magic were extremely powerful. But most frightening was that it could launch wide-area attacks covering almost the entire territory.

    That was why the game was dubbed the hardest among hardcore games, as the bosses were absurdly strong but not impossible.

    Seeing it up close in this virtual reality version made it much more terrifying. It was about four meters tall and its width was more than a dozen times that of the small F-rank slimes.

    ''After defeating it, I can finally go home...''

    Ryoshu had been looking forward to this moment for a long time. But of course, not for the boss fight but for something else:

    ''I miss human civilization so much.''

    Now Ryoshu had the height advantage, so as long as he stayed up here, he could avoid many of its close-range techniques.

    First, he chose a good spot to perform what he called sniping. Ryoshu planned to follow the old steps to fully utilize all stats with the cumulative effects of the Hunter''s Instinct function from the equipment he had just received.

    --------

    The less preparation time for an attack, the higher the Damage.

    Maximum: 1 second will multiply base Damage by 2.

    Minimum: 10 seconds will multiply base Damage by 1.1

    --------

    He tried to aim for a time as close to 1 second as possible, so he used the Time Bullet skill to make it as precise as possible.

    But that was just an idea because Ryoshu realized a flaw in his new plan.

    ''Damn, the Charged Attack skill doesn''t go well with these gloves...''

    Because the longer the preparation, the more the Charged Attack skill could demonstrate its full power. Meanwhile, the gloves required less preparation time to be stronger, with a maximum of 1 second.

    But if he only charged for 1 second, he would only get 0.5% of Attack Power and Critical Rate, not as effective as charging for the full 20 seconds.

    ''Quite an annoying problem... Now I can only choose one of two things, either Damage or Attack Power.''

    Between automatically doubling damage to the opponent and increasing attack by 10% along with a 10% Critical Rate that could increase damage by half.

    ''If my Attack Power were higher, would it be more worthwhile? Or... somewhere in between?''

    Ryoshu began to calculate which timing would be most reasonable.

    ''Like if I charge for about 10 seconds, I''ll still maintain the minimum effect of the Hunter''s Instinct function. But I''ll only get an additional 5% Attack Power...''

    But certainly, in the long run, the Charged Attack skill would be better for Bosses, while the gloves would help him easily handle simpler monsters.

    Suddenly Ryoshu''s view shook.

    The next moment, when he realized it, he had already felt the wind blowing against his face.

    Ryoshu was in free fall. But this time he was falling very fast down to the boss''s battlefield. However, he didn''t know what had caused this.

    Ryoshu quickly turned around. A Slime was stuck to him like a leech. At first, he had ignored them to save time, but now it seemed like it would turn all his plans to dust.

    Ryoshu''s face turned pale at this deadly surprise.

    Just when everything seemed bad enough already. But no, that Slime was also an electric type that he had once been very excited to see.

    Now Ryoshu just wanted to stay as far away from it as possible.

    He flung it off his body.

    Fumiya followed his thoughts and tensed up. It aimed directly at that Slime without any hesitation.

    Then Ryoshu put in one of his last arrows.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    But this time Ryoshu couldn''t use Time Bullet because then he would lose an opportunity to save himself from the boss.

    He released his hand from the arrow. The arrow drew an absolute straight line to where that charging Slime was.

    But it was too late.

    It had already accumulated enough electrical energy to kill an elephant. The energy glowed like a movie reel from the 80s.

    A lightning bolt immediately flew towards him at divine speed. The lightning followed a winding path.

    And when it was close to him, time slowed down, but not because of the Time Bullet skill. It was the effect of Death Sense.

    Ryoshu quickly absorbed Mana from around him as an instinct and created something in the shape of a shield, but this time he transformed the pure Mana flow into fire-type Mana.

    But because he was still very new to the concept of Mana and almost everything related to Mana, Ryoshu was still quite clumsy with it. However, due to much practice, he had become more familiar. And thanks to his proficiency, the blue shield quickly changed to the bright red of fire.

    The arrow flew so fast it seemed like it was tearing through the air, and when it had gone halfway, it met its opponent. The lightning passed through the arrow without touching it.

    And right after that, a loud explosion echoed throughout the room.

    Of course, the boss had known from the beginning when he entered inside because of its sensitive Mana perception. But it was the sound, or rather the sound waves of the explosion, that made it more alert.

    Around it, electricity had charged up its entire body.

    That arrow had pierced through the core of the E-rank Slime, so it immediately evaporated, leaving slime as a mark.

    Meanwhile, Ryoshu was affected by the explosion and had been pushed another ten meters in the air. Smoke from the explosion rushed into his face as if slapping him.

    He felt quite disoriented because the scenery changed too frequently. His body couldn''t control itself normally. A small part of this was because the lightning from earlier had hit him directly.

    No matter how strong his body was, if he didn''t land properly from this fall, forget about the boss, gravity itself would send him to heaven immediately.

    Ryoshu tried to rotate his body. Because the stupidest thing he could do would be to land on the most vulnerable part of the human body, which is the head and neck.

    Better to let his legs or arms break than have his head smash directly into the ground... that was probably something he had learned from his own life experience, not from any game.

    Ryoshu held his two legs firmly out to prepare for landing. Then he extended his arms in front of him, but not too wide, just enough so he could support himself comfortably.

    During that time, Fumiya transformed from a bow shape into a pile of sand and rushed down toward his feet. It turned into a cushion quite similar to his bed sheet.

    Ryoshu immediately took it out of the ring and dropped it right away.

    Thud.

    As soon as Ryoshu''s feet felt a pain, he immediately pulled himself in and rolled on the bed sheet in a complete circle.

    Although the pressure on his legs was still very great, at least he hadn''t broken his precious legs to continue fighting.

    ''Now comes the real challenge.'' - Ryoshu raised his vigilance while withdrawing the bed sheet.

    Although he hadn''t had time to rest much, Ryoshu had to immediately stand up. Fumiya simultaneously quickly transformed back into a bow in his hand.

    He tried to observe very carefully the whereabouts of that C-rank Slime. Ryoshu looked at that grayish-white smoke without taking his eyes off it for a moment. But the smoke from the explosion was still very thick, so he couldn''t find it anywhere.

    Ryoshu still tried to stay calm, but in his heart now it was like a level 8 storm about to happen. The pain from the electric shock, the fall, and the previous wounds accumulated. And now it came back to avenge him once more.

    He realized he was losing his composure a bit, so first he turned off his Mana core so it wouldn''t see him first. Sweat poured down from his mask chin as if he were vomiting... or perhaps that was actually the case.

    Ryoshu''s vestibular system was spinning like a top. His world view was turned from top to bottom, from left to right and vice versa. The directions constantly switched positions.

    After the smoke cleared a bit, he began his observation even though he was still quite dizzy. Somehow the boss had vanished into thin air.

    ''It''s definitely not dead because the System hasn''t notified me... but where is it?!''

    Ryoshu didn''t remember the boss having any invisibility-like skills, so he felt quite confused. But his eyes kept searching for some sign.

    Just one unusual sign and he would have to avoid it.

    At all costs.

    Ryoshu couldn''t be hit... not even once.

    His nerves were stretched taut like a string about to break.

    And just a moment later, the air around was almost choked down. Ryoshu suddenly looked up. A mass of slime was falling down at a speed faster than an out-of-control truck.

    ''But... how did it know my position... or can it sense even the smallest sound waves!''

    His breathing and heartbeat were the most obvious explanation.

    Death Sense began to work strongly. But that seemed not enough because its shadow was getting bigger and not slowing down at all.

    ''Time Bullet.''

    Time that was already slow now slowed down even more. This was perhaps the first time he had used two similar skills overlapping like this.

    In just a moment, Ryoshu had accumulated a huge amount of Mana into his legs.

    ''It''s your turn to sacrifice again, sorry, after this I''ll let you rest properly.''

    Ryoshu took a powerful leap away from that spot.

    Very quickly, the distance between the boss and him had widened.

    BOOM.

    The boss''s landing made the entire room shake as if there was an earthquake. But by some miracle, he was still standing steadily, if you subtract the legs that were shaking like a dryer, it could probably be considered steady.

    One thing to know is that if Mana is used to increase physical strength, rather than supporting it, the action of pumping Mana into his body like that is more like pushing it beyond the body''s limits rather than simply enhancement.

    That''s why with just one jump of over twenty meters in about 2 seconds, the condition was already so bad, the second use would certainly be worse.

    However, Ryoshu was confident that the next section would only involve dodging techniques because he had remembered all its attack patterns.

    Around the boss appeared small lightning bolts like earlier. But this time he counted nearly a hundred at least.

    ''Bullseye!''

    Ryoshu took a deep breath and prepared his mental strength.

    Zap.

    The first lightning bolt was released, and that was also the warning signal for him.

    Ryoshu quickly ran fast horizontally relative to the boss. Then he just kept his head down and ran while getting closer and closer to the boss.

    ''In the game it wasn''t this tiring... I should have trained my physical fitness more...''

    He was so tired that he couldn''t say anything, and all that could come out of his mouth now was his own panting breath.

    The closer Ryoshu got, the more he felt that sound getting closer to his behind, so he had to increase his running speed while his legs were already exhausted.

    After a while when it had finished those deadly lightning bolts, it then accumulated a lot of electricity into its body again.

    He had stopped running at some point and had collapsed to the ground.

    ''How long has it been since I had to be this fast and tired?''

    But Ryoshu knew all too well that this was just the beginning of this "training" trip. He took out a bottle with a bright green liquid with a bit of purple inside.

    This was one of the rare medicine bottles that could be used in the Temple that had increased difficulty. Simply because it didn''t directly increase stats but instead increased the speed of stat growth.

    --------

    [Main Stat Growth Potion] (D-)

    Description: Created by an anonymous alchemist.

    -Promotes Growth

    The drinker will receive a 100% increase in training speed for the "Main Stat" for 5 hours.

    --------

    ''There are some quite good items to speed up training, but using it now is probably one of the most effective ways...'' - He gulped, looking quite disgusted at the color of this strange liquid.

    The Slime was still absorbing a towering amount of Mana. It was recovering its strength to prepare for the next wide-area attacks.

    Seeing this, Ryoshu drank the entire bottle of medicine.

    His head began to spin as if the earth itself was spinning. Opening his eyes, he began to see hallucinations appearing around. Waving his hand in front of him to observe, Ryoshu saw at least 3 arms appearing at the same time with three skin colors with different outlines.

    "Did I just drink a growth potion for real?!" - He tried to calm down and prepare for the boss''s next attack.

 Chapter 22: First Boss Battle (2)

    ''To the right... Turn left and then run ten more steps....'' - Ryoshu recalled and performed the necessary actions rather slowly.

    But his physical strength was almost depleted after more than 10 minutes of continuous running, rushing as if being chased by a ghost. And in his case, it was more accurate to say he was being chased by a C-rank Slime.

    Thanks to his good memory, Ryoshu easily avoided the Boss''s attacks. However, he had used up all of his Time Bullet skill charges to give his mind some extra rest time.

    Fortunately, when transitioning to the virtual reality version, they hadn''t changed the boss''s attack patterns. Otherwise, he would have died long ago.

    Ryoshu was currently timing when the boss would jump up, and he would jump as well to avoid the lightning that would spread from the boss throughout the entire room.

    ''Strangely, since biting... I mean, drinking that potion, the more I run, the more energetic I feel.'' - The more he thought about it, the more tired his body became over time.

    Soon now. Ryoshu had been running not just to practice, but also because he was waiting for the right moment to counter-attack.

    ''If everything happens exactly as I remember, it should be soon...'' - He sat down to catch his breath as if it was the last time he would have to jump.

    ''3...2...1'' At the command, Ryoshu used all his speed to rush straight toward the boss. Lightning bolts scattered chaotically around the area below where he had just stood.

    The normally large, powerful Slime now seemed to have shrunk by more than half. Around its body, there were no longer crackling electric currents. Instead, there was a dark aura, indicating it was entering a state of Mana depletion. Its body no longer had the familiar yellow color of a Lightning-type Slime.

    And this was its weakness. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

    ''It will remain in this resting state for about a minute... and I''ve spent nearly... 20 seconds getting here.'' - Ryoshu stepped onto its slimy body, almost falling flat.

    The bow formed hastily. And the arrow was loaded quickly. Both Ryoshu and Fumiya''s movements were becoming increasingly synchronized, with almost no wasted motion.

    Then he used Charged Attack immediately without any hesitation.

    ''If I charge for the full 20 seconds, I''ll still have about 20 seconds left over.''

    If this attack failed, he would try again until it worked. That was Ryoshu''s new plan after being pushed down here by the damned Slime earlier.

    If he had enough strength, he wished he could climb back up there. Because at least if the first plan didn''t go smoothly, he could run away to make more arrows and come back to ambush it a few more times.

    But climbing a full seventeen meters was completely impossible for someone like him. Ryoshu hadn''t even succeeded in climbing onto his study desk to change a light bulb.

    ''If I miss, then next time will truly be my last chance... because this is my last arrow... I should have spent more money and bought dozens more arrows...'' - He regretted his own stinginess.

    But Ryoshu knew better than anyone that self-blame wouldn''t help now.

    Now he had to put all his strength into this shot. Ryoshu would have to increase his Attack Power and Critical Rate as high as possible.

    "Time Bullet" - After waiting almost 20 seconds to charge the Charged Attack skill, he activated this technique to prepare for the next attack sequence as carefully as possible.

    ''Sniping.'' Then Ryoshu channeled even more Mana into the arrow to strengthen it further.

    With this skill, he had gained a total of 15% "Attack Power" and 30% "Critical Rate."

    If this attack was a Critical Hit, he would be able to reduce half of its Defense. If he failed this time, he could counter-attack again next time and would definitely succeed.

    But that was only an "if," because 30%, although high, was not 100%, so success depended greatly on pure luck.

    In a moment, Ryoshu accidentally slipped due to the Slime''s slippery surface. He fell completely into that slimy mass.

    ''Damn it... Of all the stupid mistakes that could happen, why did I make this damned one...? Everything... is completely over now.'' - Despair filled the dark atmosphere around him.

    But suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind like a fighting instinct.

    ''Wait, I still have this move... If I''m already falling, then... this skill will work!'' When the Time Bullet''s effect ended, he activated the last technique he had just remembered.

    "STAAAAB!" A red light appeared on the arrow. This was the first time he had seen the effect of this skill become so powerful.

    The souls of both him and Fumiya, for a brief moment, had completely linked with each other. The arrow flew straight into the Slime''s surface but still didn''t seem strong enough to pierce through it.

    But then a miracle happened. Although 40% was a fairly high rate, both he and the weapon''s soul had been blessed by the goddess of luck today.

    [You have landed a Critical Hit!]

    [Damage dealt is increased by one and a half times!]

    The arrow suddenly seemed to be equipped with a rocket and pierced through its surface layer, heading straight for its Mana core.

    Suddenly, the Slime began to rejuvenate and jumped up, sending Ryoshu flying backward.

    [Armor Break activated!]

    [The Defense of the boss is halved for 2 minutes!]

    So he only had one final arrow left. But now the damned boss had its Defense reduced by half for the next 2 minutes.

    These would be the final two minutes that determined his life or death.

    But for some reason, after the Boss woke up from its resting state, it activated its ultimate technique as if it were a last resort - Electric Matrix.

    It was a skill that covered every part of the battlefield. Even jumping or whatever couldn''t avoid it.

    ''But usually it only uses this if it''s at a significant disadvantage?''

    But now no matter how much he complained, he was already hit by that skill. The electric shock was strong but not enough to kill him.

    ''I''m paralyzed again.''

    But the scariest thing was what it would do next.

    The giant Slime didn''t hesitate to rush straight at Ryoshu, whose entire body was paralyzed.

    Even Death Sense was activated, but even so, he couldn''t avoid it.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Because Ryoshu was paralyzed and his physical strength was too weak to move fast enough to escape its giant body.

    So all he could do was try to dodge as far away as possible from where it could cause the most damage to him.

    After regaining feeling in his legs, he immediately channeled an excessive amount of Mana into his exhausted legs, not sure if they would still obey him.

    He jumped once, but the distance between him and it was still very close. But he had avoided the most critical spot possible. However, even so, the ramming force from a C-rank monster was no different than a steel truck moving at the speed of a Japanese bullet train.

    Ryoshu was thrown backward and slammed straight into the wall. He only managed to protect his nape, hoping not to die instantly.

    It felt as if all of his ribs had just been crushed into powder. Blood in his mouth flowed uncontrollably.

    He gasped, or more accurately, was desperately trying to breathe.

    ["Protection Necklace" automatically activates "Excessive Protection" function]

    [This function will not be available again today]

    Fortunately, an item he wore this morning - the Protection Necklace. Now it had saved him from death.

    ''I was too careless because it was quite peaceful from the start.'' And he hadn''t even entered the Main Story yet, and it was already this difficult.

    ''However, who would have thought that an item I accidentally obtained in that A+ Rank Temple would now become so useful?''

    --------

    [Protection Necklace] (A)

    Description: An ancient necklace worn by the most powerful woman of that time.

    -Excessive Protection

    When the User receives an attack that could kill the User instantly, this equipment will nullify 60% of the "Damage" from that attack.

    Usage: Once/day (0/1).

    --------

    But now he had truly lost his "first life." And now he only had one left.

    His severely damaged flesh had somehow been restored at a dizzying speed, but the wound there still hurt badly. Although it had crushed his bones and muscles a bit, don''t forget that the necklace had reduced the damage he received by 60%.

    And not to mention that he had tried to avoid it. That''s when he realized how terrifying the difference between various ranks truly was.

    Although not completely accurate, if rank E was about 2 times stronger than rank F, then rank D must be 4-5 times stronger than rank E. But here he was fighting a C-rank monster while he was still just an unranked person.

    Therefore, it must be at least ten times stronger than him.

    But fortunately, he still had an advantage. Its Defense had been halved thanks to the Armor Break attribute from the Formless Bow. So now the chance of defeating it has increased significantly.

    So of course, he wouldn''t run away. Because even if he wanted to, it would be difficult to escape from this situation at the bottom of the pit.

    Ryoshu had never even thought about running away at his most desperate moment.

    ''So what''s there to fear about a boss whose every move and technique I have memorized?''

    He then continued to fight the Slime monster by waiting for it to enter its resting state again. Since it had just activated its strongest move, soon it would be depleted of energy and return to its previous state.

    Many people think Slimes are weak starter bosses... but actually, it''s only because it''s the weakest among dozens of other terrifying monsters.

    Plus, in this game, the slimy monster - Slime - also has many versions. The species we usually consider weak doesn''t focus on combat ability.

    But some slime species are very powerful and ranked S or above, that''s the Slime King.

    The slime boss he was fighting was very good at status effects and high damage. But it was still much weaker compared to the Slime Kings.

    It saw him approaching and summoned random trajectory lightning bolts to try to kill him.

    Although he tried to dodge everything, he was still occasionally hit by some small lightning bolts that caused mild paralysis.

    This was also why few players recommended going to this Temple when starting the game without skills.

    But unexpectedly, he tripped on a rock and was hit by a large lightning bolt, causing his entire body to be paralyzed again and unable to move.

    Ryoshu lay sprawled on the ground.

    Taking this opportunity, the boss rushed toward him again. It charged at him like a moth to a flame.

    A familiar feeling occurred again, time naturally slowed down.

    ''Time Bullet.'' - He quickly activated another skill to extend the rest time for his mind.

    ''Is this the end?'' For a moment, he truly intended to give up.

    But then he thought about the consequences after his death.

    ''Humiliation? Sure, but it doesn''t affect me much.'' ''I''ve already tried my best.'' ''I still have many regrets... but I''m really tired...''

    Ryoshu sighed in his own mind.

    ''But if I die, he will laugh, right...?'' - He imagined the damned smile of the person who had kidnapped him. He punched the ground in uncontrollable frustration.

    ''Damn it, get up, me, I still have to kill him! What''s Slime? Damn it, it''s not over yet!''

    He used all the little strength he had left to raise his body that had almost given up.

    ''I still have this trump card!''

    Ryoshu channeled Mana into the first equipment he used when coming to this world.

    "Hidden!"

    His Mana started being consumed faster and his body became partially invisible.

    The Slime suddenly became confused because it couldn''t see him anywhere, while he was still standing there without changing position.

    Partly because he was too tired to stand up properly. Ryoshu was breathless, yet it still couldn''t sense him.

    ''I must admit that I almost really forgot about it... Good thing that I suddenly remembered it somehow.''

    It looked around and tried to sense him with its superior mana control ability but still couldn''t find him.

    Then it tried to attack randomly around, luckily he had run to another corner.

    ''So the mask really can erase part of my existence. Last time I just thought it would simply make me invisible, perhaps I underestimated Mr. Enomoto''s craftsmanship.''

    He smiled at the thought that he might get out of here.

    ''I must thank the blacksmith the next time I see him.''

    He staggered to his feet and quickly came up with a plan. First, he took some materials from the ring and tinkered a bit.

    ''God... This equipment is even better than I thought!''

    A plan appeared in his mind within 0.1 seconds.

    It wasn''t the most perfect plan... but it was the best possible plan in the worst conditions he had ever encountered.

    Ryoshu began to draw his bow and use Charged Attack.

    But after charging for only about 14 seconds, Ryoshu felt his Mana was almost depleted, so he turned off the Hidden mode of the mask.

    ''Perhaps the Hidden function consumes more energy than I thought.''

    He charged for six more seconds.

    Then combined by channeling Fire Mana into the final arrow.

    The arrow began to emit a bright red-orange glow that illuminated the entire cave. It seemed strong enough to defeat any opponent... if it were in another game.

    ''But this is Rainfall Disorder so... I can''t predict... But if what I remember is correct...''

    The boss almost immediately realized he was standing behind it all along after he turned off the Hidden function.

    And then it began to charge straight at him.

    ''Just like the movement pattern set in the game.''

    "Sniping."

    Ryoshu stopped and looked straight at its core. When the Boss nearly touched him, he released the fire arrow.

    A C-rank explosion, something that could erase his existence since an E-rank Slime''s explosion was already larger than 50 meters, was about to happen.

    Death Sense worked as always and helped him sense everything around, especially it would help him sense the position of its current core behind that disgusting light.

    ''Time Bullet.''

    Everything happened slower as if he was in acceleration mode.

    Ryoshu pulled out the rusty Katana sword and tried to channel as much Mana as possible into his bruised legs.

    Perhaps this was the most he had ever used.

    And when the skill time was over, he flew straight into the Slime that was still preparing for the big explosion. Because at times like this, its body was almost completely transparent.

    Although the electric shock was very strong, he still tried to ignore the current pain and focus on what he had to do.

    And when only 15 centimeters away from the boss''s core, he activated his new favorite technique again.

    "Stab!"

    And of course, there was one more trump card that he had been saving.

    When Slime''s body exploded, Ryoshu took almost the full blast.

    His body was immediately burned over most of his body, as if he was still waiting for the right moment.

    [00:02]

    [00:01]

    The Formless Bow''s Armor Break effect only had one second left.

    However, thanks to both the Time Bullet skill and Death Sense, it felt ¡°almost like¡± a century.

    ''The moment has come.''

    When the sword pierced the outer shell of the core, the hardest part of its body, possibly harder than its entire body combined.

    People often say the moment before death is always the quietest moment.

    And to break that silence, Ryoshu called out the name of his new trump card with a cold tone.

    "Reflection."

 Chapter 23: The Grave

    [21:06 Wednesday, August 23, 2023]

    "I''ve been unconscious for that long... Well, at least I''m not late..." - Ryoshu checked his watch after waking up.

    His body ached all over. Even moving a single finger was excruciating for him.

    Ryoshu endured the pain and tried to stir himself to sit up. It felt like every bone in his body had broken, making even just sitting quite difficult.

    Ryoshu curiously examined his body. Every part of him had severe burn marks, looking quite horrific. These burns would heal soon. But it would still take a long time before his skin recovered.

    His clothes had been completely burned away, leaving Ryoshu''s body exposed. Except for the ring, everything on his body had been damaged.

    "No wonder I feel so exposed..."

    Ryoshu let out a long sigh. Perhaps he was also quite tired after those near-death experiences. Ryoshu''s life had never been so close to the boundary between death and life before.

    He put on another set of clothes. The reason Ryoshu was still proudly here was thanks to the ring.

    ''If I had activated the skill a moment later, I would have been dead.'' - He tried to recall the outcome of that battle.

    Fortunately, the ring that he chose to upgrade using the Equipment Upgrade exploit had worked immediately. And of course, he also lost that nice exploit.

    But at that time, Ryoshu had no other choice. It was one of the exploits he was willing to sacrifice. Other exploits were too valuable to use against an ordinary Slime. The result was completely worth what he gave up.

    Now the ring Ryoshu was wearing had almost transformed completely into a different ring.

    The previous ring was already quite powerful, but after he combined it with an F-rank Magic Crystal with the Echidna flower that he had combined while using Hidden to avoid the boss.

    Before, the gem had a calm blue color, while now it had changed to a deep red like a ruby.

    ''Revenge Necklace... so it belongs to the super rare Revenge set? Previously it belonged to someone who didn''t share any information...''

    He lifted the necklace, letting it dangle as he observed it carefully.

    "At that time, thanks to the Reflection function, I was able to pierce through its hard defense."

    --------

    When activated, increase your "Attack Power" for your next attack by the amount of Damage you have received.

    And if that attack is a "Critical Hit", recharge Energy by one-fourth of the energy consumed.

    Energy: 69%.

    --------

    Thanks to the new function, the electric field explosion of the Slime was partially pushed back, just enough for him to survive. That function was truly too powerful to simply belong to a set of equipment.

    ''It''s almost more like a skill than a function.''

    Moreover, it had an additional new function called Protective Shell, the new name for Excessive Protection but much more powerful as it could reduce damage by 65% instead of 60% and could be used up to three times a day.

    Ryoshu put the necklace back on and staggered step by step as if he was becoming a child again. Each step caused his body to ache terribly. The expression on his face wasn''t pleasant either.

    But by some force, Ryoshu continued to stride steadily without stopping.

    The gate was fluctuating up and down constantly. It seemed to be rewarding.

    A bright golden chest had been standing next to the gate for some time. He didn''t hesitate to approach the chest that was shining with the color of prosperity.

    The lid of the chest followed Ryoshu''s hand movement and slowly lifted.

    --------

    [You have completed the Challenge of Bravery]

    Difficulty: C

    -Completion Reward: [Silver Bar] x10, [Book of Lightning Magic] (C)

    --------

    "Finally, I''ve got the book I need." - Ryoshu held the ancient book decorated with a blue lightning bolt in the middle of the cover.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    --------

    You have completed 91% of the Temple, so you will receive an Additional Reward fitting your excellent performance!

    Rating: A+

    Note: Quite lucky, but skillful and cleverly strategic and quick-witted!

    -[Additional Reward]: [Black Dragon Elixir] (S-)

    --------

    "Wait.... This is a Reward...? Appraisal!" - He quickly wanted to learn about the power of that elixir.

    --------

    [Black Dragon Elixir] (S-)

    Description: This is the perfect elixir made from the heart of a mythical Black Dragon. Unlike other inferior elixirs, this unique elixir is crystallized from both the blood of one of the most powerful dragons and the dark essence of the most ancient Death God.

    -Revive

    After absorbing the elixir, the muscles and magic channels in the body will be released and expanded. From then on, it accelerates the development rate of the person who absorbs this unique elixir. Additionally, excess impurities in the body will be completely eliminated.

    -Dark Heart

    The heart will carry the dark essence that no human or other race besides Demons and Dragons can possess. The limit of strength and magic capacity will double. The growth rate and magic recovery rate will increase by one and a half times.

    -?

    --------

    "But... Why is it here...? Is it too unreasonable?"

    Originally this elixir was supposed to belong to a mysterious boss from the Eclipse guild.

    If he consumed this elixir, he might luckily unlock Dark Magic. And of course, not the common dirty dark shadow magic that could wither humans, which demons often use. The true Dark Magic that he would unlock would be the power of death god magic. Not darkness as humans often misunderstand as belonging to demons.

    The dark power of the Death God is extremely pure and sharp. It can even do many interesting things like existing for a very long time without losing its properties. Additionally, it can move very quickly, unlike ordinary dark magic.

    And there''s another difference compared to ordinary dark magic, which is that this dark magic doesn''t have weaknesses like being countered by light or divine magic.

    However, to absorb it would require many complex stat conditions. The current Ryoshu would die instantly if he absorbed it now.

    "But in the game, I only got a poorer version of this elixir... Because it was already absorbed, I only got the remnants." - Ryoshu recalled the battle with the first person who absorbed this black dragon elixir.

    That was perhaps one of the "nicest" bosses in the entire game. Its pure strength was somewhere around S-rank along with countless skills that could one-hit kill players and other NPCs, including the main character.

    "At least I''ve eliminated a stronger version of that boss... I just need to keep it a secret." - Ryoshu carefully put on his familiar mask. Then he stepped through the gate and vowed in his heart never to return here again.

    He returned to the campsite. Now everything was in ruins. Only wooden fragments of the tent and the remains of the campfire remained.

    "Although the experience here wasn''t the best... I even almost died several times..." - Ryoshu looked at the remnants of the small camp distantly. On his lips still shone a weak smile.

    "But... I''ve become so many times stronger... and can fight... against almost the weakest monster... And most importantly, I''m still alive. Isn''t that the most miraculous thing in this damn hardcore game?"

    Ryoshu sat on the familiar rock beside what used to be the campfire to rest his legs for a moment. Taking advantage of that time, his hand busily wrote his next destination on the Teleportation scroll.

    ''The alley right next to Angels'' Whiskey.''

    After writing, Ryoshu looked out into the endless void. That distant gaze was at the place where he had taken the life of a being for the first time in his life.

    Those hands hesitated somewhat when wanting to tear the scroll.

    Ryoshu felt some motivation pushing him to that place. He decided to follow his instincts and stood up.

    After walking for a long time, Ryoshu still hadn''t seen any Slimes.

    ''Perhaps they''ve moved somewhere else?''

    He ignored his instincts and continued walking. An ugly grave gradually appeared before Ryoshu. This was the makeshift grave he had created to show deep respect to the two rabbits, the family he had ruthlessly slaughtered that time.

    The closer he got, the clearer the memory of that day became. But the first thing that appeared in his mind was blood. The drops of blood that had splattered when he killed them. A disgusting feeling crawled all over him as if spiders or cockroaches were running all over his body.

    Ryoshu unconsciously scratched his left wing. But suddenly realized that the more he scratched, the more serious the burn became. He tried to stop the self-harming action.

    Drops of sweat began to pour like rain on his face from who knows when, even Ryoshu himself didn''t know.

    "I-I thought that after transferring to a different body... I would be less afraid of blood." - His voice was somewhat trembling.

    Even Ryoshu didn''t know when he developed the blood phobia... but he also didn''t know if it was a real syndrome.

    If he saw his own blood, there were no signs at all. But as soon as he saw other people''s blood, Ryoshu would begin to experience some symptoms.

    "Perhaps that''s why I could mercilessly kill Slimes without feeling anything..."

    "My syndrome is really strange..." - Ryoshu sighed deeply while placing a bright blue forget-me-not flower on that small grave, as if it could illuminate the whole pitch-dark sky.

    It was a bit strange that it could bloom in summer. Because usually forget-me-nots bloom in spring.

    ''Perhaps... it''s because Mana has affected even plants... not just animals?'' - Ryoshu came up with a fairly reasonable hypothesis. And he didn''t complain about such a gift either.

    Since this would probably be the last time he would be here, before leaving he wanted to respectfully give the rabbit family something quite meaningful. And most importantly, Ryoshu wanted to remind himself not to forget the first experiences here.

    The first time directly killing a... oh no, two beings at once.

    ''Don''t forget us...'' - Perhaps that was the meaning of the mother rabbit''s gaze in her final moments, like the message of the bright blue forget-me-not flowers.

    She hated him to the core.

    She didn''t forgive him at all.

    But... she was still grateful that he had let the mother and child reunite in the same place.

    ''Sorry... I guess the only thing I can do... is to never forget you. Many apologies...''

    Ryoshu clasped his hands and knelt down to pay tribute one last time.

    "What mischief are you up to?" - A powerful, booming voice suddenly sounded from behind him, breaking the emotional atmosphere.

    Every word of that person carried a hint of killing intent directed straight at Ryoshu.

 Chapter 24: Karma

    "What the hell are you doing standing in the middle of nowhere with your hands clasped in prayer?" The frightening man shouted with authority. The Mana flow filled with killing intent completely dominated the surrounding space.

    The forest had instantly turned pitch black to the point where the only thing he could sense was that absolute presence.

    Ryoshu turned slowly to look at the person. A tall man like a stick with distinctive purple hair. His English seemed rather awkward with a deep, rumbling voice.

    ''Is he... a Russian?'' Ryoshu stared at the noble gentleman. The clothes he wore belonged to the royal family of the famous Russian Empire.

    His aura was like that of an emperor, making anyone who looked at him want to bow before him.

    ''But I already know the king''s face... Perhaps he''s a prince? But... does Katia have a brother? In the game, I''ve never seen any mention of him.''

    "What are you looking at, you lowly commoner?" He warned when he sensed the gaze from behind the mask.

    His eyes lit up fiercely like a tiger looking at its prey.

    "Have I given you permission?"

    Ryoshu¡¯s body jerked involuntarily. Every living cell in his body was screaming for its owner to bow his head before this prince.

    "Don''t think that a worthless mask can protect you. Listen to me now and I''ll give you a chance to live."

    Ryoshu was too frightened to speak.

    "Hey... are you mute?" The death gaze of his eyes looked straight into his soul.

    By now, his instinct was telling him to say something before dying a horrible death.

    "N-no, Your Majesty, this lowly one is just surprised by Your Majesty''s absolute presence."

    "Good... at least a commoner like you still has some manners. You''re the one who completed the challenge of the Temple right there, correct?" He continued to stare at Ryoshu with those terrifying scrutinizing eyes.

    "Y-yes, Your Majesty."

    Ryoshu felt like he couldn''t tell even a single lie.

    The self-proclaimed prince kept probing his words to check if they were true... as if he had a specialized skill for it. After examining for a moment, he continued:

    "Hand over that unique item right now. And don''t even think about lying to me..." His entire body was filled with such murderous intent that the atmosphere around them changed drastically.

    The gravity around Ryoshu seemed to have increased a hundredfold, causing him to immediately drop to his right knee. His throat could barely take in any oxygen.

    ''That unique item... he means the Black Dragon Elixir, right?''

    Ryoshu immediately understood the true plot that had happened with the boss he had remembered earlier.

    ''So that demon boss... was this person... I mean his original form. But he didn''t mention the name of the elixir... That means there''s a high chance he only knows about the existence of a unique item.'' Ryoshu swallowed hard at the crazy hypotheses in his mind.

    He timidly held up a random book he had found in the Temple.

    "You mean this, Your Majesty?"

    He froze, looking cautious. He seemed to be suspecting it was a fake.

    "Your Majesty, this is just an ordinary Thunder Magic book..."

    The Russian prince didn''t look very satisfied. Then, he threatened him again:

    "If you think you can fool me so easily... I''m afraid you won''t survive with me."

    The prince immediately muttered something to activate some kind of technique. His eyes flashed with a red lightning outline.

    But suddenly he looked quite surprised. He involuntarily stepped back.

    ''That skill... Perhaps it''s the highest level "Scan"... but somehow it doesn''t work?''

    Ryoshu seized the opportunity immediately and threatened the confused prince back:

    "If you don''t take it, I''m leaving." After saying that, he threw the book between them. A smug smile appeared on his face.

    ''You stupid prince, it''s just a history book for idiots. Why would I trade such a good book?''

    He waved to him and tore a Teleport scroll with the destination already written. Looking at him with a somewhat mocking tone:

    "Thanks for sparing me! Goodbye and hope to never see you again! Stupid prince!"

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "I swear on the name of House Volkov... I will find you... you garbage thief." He came closer and picked up the book.

    Realizing it was a fake, he immediately rushed toward him.

    "You lowlife! You tricked me!!!"

    Boom!!!

    Around Ryoshu, he was still surrounded by ancient characters.

    But it was too late, his speed was like the speed of sound. But he didn''t use any Mana at all.

    ''Is this his true physical strength...?''

    The Death Sense activated from who knows when had slowed down time. Now Ryoshu could see each of his movements.

    He was getting closer and closer.

    ''But now even if I wanted to do something, it''s too late. I''ve been too foolish.''

    Ryoshu wanted to use the invisibility function of the mask but his body was already too exhausted.

    Just standing, breathing, and hearing the words of that madman was already a great achievement for him.

    ''Who would have thought I''d meet the final boss in the game this early...? If I had left earlier, I would have survived...'' He closed his eyes and gave up completely.

    Suddenly, as the prince tried to punch him with a deadly aura, a giant Mana wall appeared and surrounded him.

    Eyes from somewhere far away met him. Time, instead of just slowing down as before, had now completely stopped. The air around gradually changed to a dazzling pure white that hurt his eyes.

    After just a blink, Ryoshu realized he was in a completely different dimension.

    His body, somehow, although still freely controllable, felt as if it wasn''t entirely his anymore. And Ryoshu''s body was somewhat vague... as if it was dissolving at a very slow rate.

    "Hello... Amemura Ryoshu..." A voice almost identical to the System echoed from that white void. But instead of speaking in a monotonous tone like a machine, the voice was full of vigorous life... along with the aura of a deity.

    "For now, you still cannot communicate directly with my real body... and I temporarily don''t have enough power to take on the enormous Karma to appear in that universe... So for now, just listen to my monologue for a while... I hope I will help you answer some questions."

    The voice grew weaker over time.

    "First... Let me introduce myself... I am the entity ?????? that you often wonder about. I am the one who gave a weakling like you a part of the System."

    Ryoshu''s eyes widened in astonishment. This was something that even he, who had played this game for over 6 years, had never encountered in the game.

    "I cannot say too much information... because of this thing called Karma. I might be fine but... an ordinary human like you would completely die if receiving too much Karma."

    ''Karma...? What is that?'' Ryoshu was dazed by the amount of information he had just received. He had more questions than answers for seemingly everything.

    He thought deeply about what he had just obtained and rearranged it again. But mostly Ryoshu was trying to rationalize it.

    ''Most likely this is... the update that the game developers have added?''

    That tone rose again from that infinite white space.

    "I''m running out of power to bear the Karma effect... I announce in advance that for a long time to come... The authority I gave you, the System, will temporarily disappear. To protect you, I had to intervene directly in the human world. That has drained a large amount of my power... Along with some other deadly punishments that... you don''t need to know about."

    It seemed the power of that voice was growing weaker. Perhaps everything was about to return to normal.

    [Just keep trying to survive... I will observe your every action as before.]

    [Just that I won''t be able to save you anymore... so don''t make stupid mistakes again.]

    That entity had now switched to using the cold, mechanical sound of the System.

    == [These are the last lines you can read] ==

    == [Your information has been secured by Entity ??????] ==

    == [Your "System" authority has been turned off] ==

    [Goodbye Amemura Ryoshu]

    ''What the hell... no way...? System!!!''

    Then his status panel appeared as if a final gift before disappearing.

    --------

    [Status Bar]

    -Name: Amemura Ryoshu

    -Race: Human

    -Rank: Unranked

    -Stats

    +[Mana]: 21 (E-)

    Core: 1

    Circle: 3

    Circuit: 12

    +[Main Stats]

    Strength: 8.2 ¡ú 10.3 (F-) (!)

    Endurance: 11.4 ¡ú 12 (F-) (!)

    Agility: 9 ¡ú 10.2 (F-) (!)

    Perception: 11.2 ¡ú 13.5 (F-) (!) (+1% Critical Rate)

    +[Secondary Stats]

    Charm: 1 (Unranked)

    Regeneration: 41 (C-)

    Intelligence: 10.1 ¡ú 15.3 (F) (!)

    +[Extra Stats]

    Alteration: 90 (SS+)

    --------

    The lines of his stats and skills gradually disappeared. And until even that usual blue system panel of his completely vanished. Ryoshu now, no matter what method he tried, could no longer call it back. His System had completely gone silent.

    ''Soon... I''ll need to buy a new digital watch...'' Ryoshu let out a long sigh.

    The white space around him, after he blinked again, had been completely replaced by the dark scenery of the city.

    "I''m back in Distinct City...¡±

    He felt nothing more but confused and hollow.

    ¡°Time to go home."

    Ryoshu pulled his hoodie over his head and began to walk out of the alley. His face still wore that mask without removing it.

    In a pitch-black neighborhood, people around were walking about, creating a bustling atmosphere breaking the usual silence. The light from advertising signs on huge buildings shone down onto the streets.

    He still felt quite dizzy with the modern technology. Especially after days without contact with the urban atmosphere here.

    Ryoshu walked with his face down, trying to hide the third-degree burns on his body. His body was still in terrible pain after the recent battle. His skin was still involuntarily rising after meeting that damned prince.

    ''Will he hunt me down as he said...''

    No, he will definitely hunt him. Ryoshu knew that. The hunters of the Eclipse guild would search day and night for clues about him under the orders of that Volkov prince.

    ''If discovered... Awakeners from rank A and above... or even S or worse, SS will come directly to me. Then even if I could hide to the ends of the earth... I would have to live in seclusion for a very... very long time...'' While thinking deeply and walking, Ryoshu accidentally bumped into someone.

    When the two collided, they both fell at the same time.

    But it seemed that person had someone to catch them, so they didn''t fall completely to the ground like him.

    "Are you okay, Esther?" That clear voice full of concern reminded Ryoshu of someone.

    But the most important and strange thing... was the name he had just accidentally heard.

    It belonged to the main cast of characters.

 Chapter 25: Main Character

    Ryoshu raised his face to look at the person he had just bumped into. It was a pretty girl with snow-white hair. Her face was rosy with dimpled cheeks. But what accentuated her doll-like beauty was her fiery red eyes.

    The young girl was being supported by a boy with blue hair and eyes the color of a clear sky. The boy''s figure looked more delicate than the typical muscular build.

    Ryoshu recognized these people immediately. He had seen them too many times over the past 6 years.

    "H-Haruki... Thank you so much." The girl''s face turned bright red, seemingly embarrassed by the careless action of the blue-haired boy.

    In contrast to the girl''s flushed face, the boy named Haruki, whom Ryoshu often mentioned, appeared completely normal. The boy asked his friend:

    "It''s nothing, what''s important is whether Esther is okay?"

    Esther looked directly at Ryoshu, but because he was wearing a mask, she couldn''t see his face. Her expression quickly became irritated. Then, she pointed at Ryoshu, who was still sitting on the ground, and berated him:

    "You lowly person, what are you wandering around this area for!?"

    He seemed quite surprised by what he had just heard. ''Ah... I forgot that she looks down on commoners like me...''

    Ryoshu struggled to stand up due to the severe wounds on his body. Now he could see the entire cast of main characters before him. Besides Haruki and Esther, Charlotte was also standing there. Charlotte was a girl with light blonde hair who looked very gentle. And that blonde hair perfectly matched her gentle personality.

    ''Charlotte also carries a very noble fragrance... truly a genuine princess. Not just a noblewoman like Esther.''

    And speaking of princesses, there was still another princess in this group of friends. But instead of being an English princess, Katia, his real-life crush, was a Russian princess.

    ''She''s the sister of that madman... right? But in the game, she never mentioned that prince...'' - Ryoshu glanced over at Katia.

    The elegant and cold princess was leaning against the wall while waiting for her friends. The beautiful girl''s dark purple hair with a hint of pink at the ends fluttered in the wind. Her eyes were a purple shade, somewhat emotionless and cold as ice.

    ''Ah, why is she even more beautiful in this version? It''s so unfair for a fanboy like me... calm down... For now, I can''t associate with Katia...''

    Ryoshu was stunned by the girl''s beauty. His heart seemed to stop beating for a moment.

    "Hey! Did you hear what I said? Are you deaf and dumb too?"

    His veins popped as the shallow girl named Esther interrupted his beautiful one-of-a-kind moment. He let out a long sigh and then frankly told the noble girl:

    "I didn''t intentionally bump into you."

    Esther seemed quite surprised that someone dared to face her.

    "You don''t know who I am, do you?" Her red eyes emitted an angry glow.

    "And moreover, what is that bizarre mask? You probably think wearing it makes you less ugly."

    Esther gradually moved toward Ryoshu while trying to do something to him. Perhaps she wanted to point directly at him to teach him a lesson.

    "Calm down a bit, Esther." Haruki tried to persuade her. Perhaps the boy also felt that things were getting a bit too complicated.

    People around were also starting to focus their attention on their group. Gradually, the lively chatter in the urban area began to rise.

    Charlotte was also quite confused by the current situation, but she didn''t know what to do except stand still and bear it. Meanwhile, Katia was still leaning against the wall, but this time she closed her eyes.

    Seeing Haruki''s advice, Esther became a bit calmer. But out of pride, she still stubbornly continued:

    "Haruki, step aside a bit so I can finish talking to this fool."

    Perhaps the most exhausted person at this moment was Ryoshu. He had just returned and was still drained after defeating that boss. Moreover, the pressure of being hunted by a prince had also left him mentally exhausted.

    Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind a helpless Charlotte in the current situation:

    "Esther, stop it."

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    The quietest girl in their group of friends, Katia, spoke up. This somewhat surprised the whole group.

    "We''re standing in the middle of the road," she continued, "Don''t try to pick fights with those weaker than you anymore, Esther."

    Esther was still quite upset. But she could only sigh and gestured for Ryoshu to get lost quickly.

    "Whatever. You, get out of here now."

    ''Finally, it''s over... now I''ll go somewhere to rest.''

    Ryoshu quickly slipped away. But Charlotte had somehow come to his side from the middle of their group without him even noticing. She dusted off his clothes and asked him:

    "Are you okay... I''m sorry you had to deal with my friend like that. Esther is a kind-hearted person... it''s just that sometimes she''s a bit hot-tempered... Please don''t think badly of her."

    Ryoshu felt touched by Charlotte''s friendliness. Even though she was a princess, a person with great power in this country. Yet Charlotte always treated everyone fairly and without bias. She especially cherished her friends.

    Charlotte possessed a beauty that was more innocent and cute than just pretty.

    ''No wonder Haruki is head over heels for her. Charlotte is indeed kind and polite. Thank you... when I''m strong enough, I''ll help you later.''

    But now Ryoshu has decided to stay away from the main characters for a long time. Because both Katia and Esther were deadly dangers. The former was the sister of that psychotic prince, the latter despised commoners and might eliminate them just because they annoyed her.

    "I''m fine," he replied with a voice that he tried to alter by a few tones.

    But then suddenly, Charlotte said the next sentence that surprised everyone there.

    "You are... Ryoshu?"

    Time seemed to truly freeze, but not due to the influence of any skill. They stared at him.

    Esther suddenly rushed toward Ryoshu. Then she yanked off his Stealth mask so quickly that he couldn''t react.

    He tried to cover his face with his hands, but her eyes had already seen everything.

    "Why does your face look so hideous? No wonder... you just wanted to run away from here..."

    But then Haruki tried to salvage the awkward situation at that moment.

    "Are you okay, Ryoshu? You look... really different... a lot... no, just a bit. I mean... two weeks ago you looked very different from now."

    After that, she came up with an idea to humiliate the person standing in front of her by telling Charlotte:

    "I can''t believe this fool confessed to you last week, Charlotte."

    Once again, Ryoshu became more surprised. Strange things continued to happen to his astonishment. Like how his character had previously known the main character''s group of friends... and even confessed?

    ''I wonder if my current face will make them misunderstand anything else... of course, a lot more... Wonderful...''

    "So after being rejected, you... had to go to this extent?"

    ''For God''s sake... do you need to spell it out like that?'' He seemed speechless.

    More and more people on the street were gathering to observe them while murmuring unfounded rumors.

    ''I should get out of here quickly... I''ll make this girl lose face later!''

    After deciding on his vendetta, Ryoshu said to Esther:

    "No... why would I do that?"

    "You''re such a bad actor." But the girl didn''t seem to believe his words anymore.

    ''But I wouldn''t believe it either... who would ever dare to fight monsters four power ranks higher than themselves?''

    However, Ryoshu was that exception. The wounds on his body... or in this case, his face... were battle scars from risking his own life.

    But even so, he wouldn''t be able to convince anyone. Realizing he was wasting time for nothing, Ryoshu immediately ran from the place:

    "If there''s nothing else, I''ll be going."

    He pulled his hoodie back up once more. Then, he quickly stepped away from the crowd, not forgetting to leave a polite goodbye.

    "Farewell."

    ''Ah, damn... I haven''t gotten my mask back.'' Ryoshu was quite hesitant at the thought of having to go back again.

    ''This is so humiliating... but that mask is something I can''t leave behind... And what if Katia''s brother sees...''

    He was quite terrified of that insane prince, so he immediately turned around.

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned back, Ryoshu encountered Esther''s face once more. She had just grabbed his arm with a rather confident smile.

    ''Anyway, Esther is now an E-rank Awakened, so this confidence is completely understandable.''

    She seemed quite surprised by Ryoshu''s turtle-like reflexes:

    "W-where are you going? I''m not done with you yet."

    He didn''t care and just quickly reached for his mask while she was surprised. Ryoshu put the mask back on and looked straight into the eyes of that arrogant girl.

    "Esther White."

    Hearing her full name, the white-haired girl couldn''t help but feel chills.

    "Do you want... to pick a fight with me?" Ryoshu said coldly while his hand gripped her arm tightly.

    Esther was so scared that she couldn''t move or say anything back.

    ''I didn''t expect my acting skills to be this good...?''

    Seeing her fear, he threw her arm aside. Then Ryoshu turned around and walked straight ahead without looking back.

    Out of the crowd, he immediately activated the Stealth ability of the mask he had just put back on his face. After that, Ryoshu casually walked into a deserted alley.

    After walking for a while, he suddenly heard Esther''s familiar screaming from afar.

    "Where did you run to? You bastard!!!"

    The corner of Ryoshu''s lips turned up slightly. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he had communicated with humans again after a seemingly endless period in that deadly silent place.

    ''Ah... although I haven''t fully avenged myself after all these years of torment... but I will soon make you lose face... Esther, just you wait.''

    Thinking about the fun tricks he could play to tease the person who had tortured and humiliated him for over half a decade, Ryoshu felt quite excited.

    "Side quests are the best!"

 Chapter 26: Wanted

    Ryoshu had finally returned to the bustling city. It had been almost a week since he had experienced the modern conveniences of human civilization. From basic needs like food to other necessities that normal people take for granted.

    ''Just great, I barely get back to the city and immediately run into the main characters. What terrible luck!''

    Ryoshu sighed deeply as he recalled the recent encounter. Esther was still an arrogant, hatefully haughty character. But her contempt seemed reserved only for ordinary people like him.

    With her friends, especially Haruki and Charlotte, she was quite pleasant. Though even from that brief encounter, he could see some underlying tensions in their friendships.

    And the person who first came to his mind was the appearance of Volkov Katia.

    ''How can she be so beautiful... my heart nearly stopped beating!'' - After this thought, Ryoshu placed his hand on his chest to feel his wildly beating heart.

    Walking through a dark corner of the street, he deactivated his Stealth function. Then, Ryoshu temporarily stored his mask in his spatial ring. After that, he glanced at a completely shattered mirror that looked as if someone had punched it.

    Ryoshu''s ugly face appeared in the mirror, fragmented into multiple reflections of different sizes. He could see the burn marks from the explosion of that Lightning Slime boss.

    He rolled up his sleeve and secretly examined his blistered hands after directly rushing into the explosion of that C-rank Slime.

    ''I look truly hideous...''

    The longer Ryoshu looked, the more unbearable it became.

    ''From their perspective... It must be even worse because of my rock-bottom Charm stat...''

    He quickly rolled down his sleeve, covered his face, and hurried away from the dark alley. Now he had to find a place to spend the night.

    ''Staying there for one night seems reasonable, right?''

    ----0w0----

    Approaching the reception desk, Ryoshu encountered a muscular young clerk lazily scrolling through his phone.

    Seeing him arrive, the clerk merely glanced up and returned to his slothful task without bothering to ask anything. Ryoshu inwardly sighed and said:

    "I''d like a room for tonight."

    The clerk languidly pointed to a panel with a code. Understanding, Ryoshu swiped his watch against it.

    [Account balance: 1 RC]

    Ryoshu felt dejected looking at his bank account while taking the room card from the rude employee. With that done, he immediately headed toward his room.

    ''Luckily I still have just enough money to pay...''

    He took the elevator to the third floor and searched for room 310. Finding it, he swiped the card to open the door. Immediately, a high-end computer in the middle of the room powered on, as if waiting for someone to use it.

    ''Is there any better place than this?''

    Ryoshu had decided to rent a room at an internet caf¨¦ for the night. As soon as he got to the room, he started thinking about how to increase his Charm stat quickly. Especially after the humiliation of being pointed at and bad mouthed by the female protagonist on the street.

    He knew there were two ways: one was the traditional method of diligently working out and improving his appearance, which was effective but slow compared to the second method.

    The second method was obviously herbs, or in other words, beauty potions. These would have immediate effects, and some potions could enhance beauty for extended periods.

    In his hand, he now held two high-quality beauty potions. The one with the poorer design was D-rank, while the other was C-rank. Both had immediate and sustained effects.

    He only remembered the effects of the D-rank potion.

    ''It will immediately increase Charm by 1.5 points when consumed... and then increase by 0.1 points daily until reaching 30... so based on experience, the C-rank should be 2... points and 0.2 points daily until 40, right?''

    These were two of the rewards from the C-rank Temple that he had successfully conquered. Only now could Ryoshu use them because the restriction of the challenge had been increased in difficulty.

    After drinking both potions, his body felt some changes. The transformation was rather quick... and left Ryoshu feeling somewhat disappointed. But he was still eager to see how much he had changed.

    Suddenly, a pile of sand appeared behind him, nearly scaring the fragile maiden heart out of Ryoshu.

    ''Fumiya... you almost killed me, you rascal!''

    Though he thought that, he didn''t want to yell at the innocent kid. Ryoshu tried to stay calm while interacting with it.

    "Fumiya? Did fighting wear you out? You''ve been fast asleep for hours. Haha. Anyway, I''m going to take a shower now. I''m really dirty here."

    He then left the room after temporarily storing some unnecessary clothes in the cabinet.

    After that, he went down to the bathroom on the first floor to get ready for a shower. Ryoshu hadn''t bathed with shampoo or conditioner for many days. At the bathroom, there were two signs with two color schemes: dark blue for men and light red for women.

    ''I have the ability to turn invisible, right...? That pattern looks... somehow familiar... but I don''t want to go to jail... at all.''

    Taking off all his clothes and putting them in the basket, he took the opportunity to look in the mirror. Ryoshu saw that his face had become slightly less horrific. To be precise, it looked slightly more appealing than a trash can... So he still needed to return to his previous stats before he could look considerably better.

    All over his body were scratches, bruises, or third-degree burns, but his wounds had healed remarkably quickly compared to before.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ''Definitely due to my high Regeneration stat and that Title... especially after it leveled up again because I defeated that damn boss. It must be Glorious rank now, right?'' - Ryoshu still had no information about the two functions below, but he guessed the top one affected his miraculous Regeneration ability.

    But without the system panel, tracking skills was truly difficult. And there might not be any technology that could assess his Title.

    ''But with that Title of mine... I should heal quite quickly. And if it''s hopeless, I''ll find healing potions... though they''re rather expensive.''

    But after calculating the days needed, it would take nearly twenty days to return to his former stats.

    ''Well, I''ll just have to wait. Later I''ll get more potions beyond D and C ranks... F and E would work too, but they''d wear off quickly. If possible, B and A would be perfect.'' - Ryoshu pondered while putting his clothes in his ring.

    He got into the bathtub, which was completely empty. Perhaps it was too late, and no one else was awake to use the bath at this hour.

    Ryoshu stretched out in the tub and enjoyed this peaceful atmosphere. Of course, Fumiya also took advantage of this rare quiet moment to come out and relax with its master.

    After bathing, he left the room and bought a bottle of milk with half of his remaining money. Now he had only 0.5 RC left.

    Ryoshu walked back to his room, drinking milk and thoroughly enjoying himself after days of intense fighting. He was about to let Fumiya try the milk when suddenly a voice called him from behind.

    "Ah, Amemura! Good evening."

    Fumiya, though quite surprised, immediately burrowed into his shirt and transformed into a normal pattern. After the sand had finished its task, he slowly turned to look at the person who had called him. A series of memories ran through his head again.

    It was the girl he had met the morning he was evicted from the apartment.

    "Um, hello..." - Ryoshu replied with some hesitation.

    ''Why is she here? Especially at this time?!''

    Then she suddenly asked him.

    "You''re staying here too?"

    "Yeah, I''m staying here until the school opens the dormitories."

    "I suppose..." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully, "it''s tough out there?"

    "I''m fine, a few days ago I was even living in the forest." - Ryoshu boasted with an extremely proud face.

    "Are you joking?" - Her eyes widened as she laughed.

    But then she suddenly realized her action was a bit impolite, so her face immediately showed regret.

    "Ah, sorry. I just found it a bit funny when you said it so proudly. So... was it fun out there?"

    ''She''s quite cute, isn''t she? But I''m 22 years old, for God''s sake, don''t be fooled by appearances again, you idiot.'' - Ryoshu restrained himself from acting like a girl-crazy fool.

    He silently thought for a moment, then continued:

    "It was a great experience. But I think I need to go to sleep now. That adventure has completely exhausted me."

    "That''s too bad. Well, we''ll talk again sometime. Goodbye, I''m heading back to my room too."

    The petite girl waved gently at him with a pretty smile on her lips. That made Ryoshu feel a bit regretful that he would likely not see her again.

    "Yeah. Goodbye, see you next time."

    "We''ll see each other at the academy next time, right? It''s coming up soon."

    "Alright."

    "Huh? What? How do you know where I study?"

    She impressed the young man with her suddenly radiant smile.

    "I just guessed, but why are you reacting so surprised? You''re very obvious, Amemura."

    "What''s going on?" - He stood frozen in place.

    She ran ahead of him and before going up the stairs, didn''t forget to look back at him with a beaming smile and pink cheeks.

    "Amemura!"

    Looking at such a cute scene made him blush. However, he had to respond quickly before being exposed.

    "What is it?"

    "Sleep well, okay?"

    Then she disappeared like a mischievous child, leaving a dazed Amemiya in the hallway.

    His small heart had been teased by a girl to the point where he could feel it thumping loudly.

    Ryoshu leaned against the wall to hide his face, which had turned as red as a gac fruit.

    ''That girl... is just too damn bold...''

    ----0w0----

    After returning to his room, Ryoshu began to research stock market services online to prepare investments for the future. Meanwhile, Fumiya was flying around the room, admiring something.

    ''I remember some promising Guilds for the future... with a bit more capital... paying that 80,000 RC wouldn''t be so crazy anymore.''

    He immediately found their official website and looked through their shares. Ryoshu kept scrolling while writing down the names of those Guilds in his notebook.

    ''Good... I''ll need them later. Now I need investment capital to buy shares first.'' - He immediately thought of his valuable Mana Crystals.

    Ryoshu accessed underground websites to search for black markets. When selling to the black market, there would be no taxes or fees. But it was quite risky if the police discovered he was trading with illegal websites.

    While browsing an illegal site looking for buyers interested in Mana Crystals, he suddenly saw an urgent wanted poster. On it... was a face concealed by his own Stealth Mask.

    And it was insane that his head was being offered for a price that was far from cheap.

    ''500 million RC...? Is everyone in the Volkov family crazy?''

    Even his favorite character, Volkov Katia, he couldn''t deny that she had some issues.

    ''500 million RC could pay tuition at the prestigious Spiral Academy for 6,250 years!!! Or more simply, it could pay one year''s tuition for all students in the school with over 1,000 scholarships left over!''

    His head began to spin at the enormous sum. But what Ryoshu found even crazier was:

    ''And all 500 million is just for a unique treasure... I probably shouldn''t stand out too much for a long time. I need to hide my white mask identity. But the main character group already saw it, didn''t they...? Katia has seen it too...''

    Ryoshu began to pull at his hair in frustration. He blamed himself for being so careless. Picking a fight with a prince would never come cheap. He just didn''t expect it to be this expensive.

    ''I can only gamble on the relationship between the two cousins... for now, I need to continue preparing.''

    He returned to the business of selling crystals. And after some trading, he had earned a bit of money.

    [Account balance: 199.2 RC]

    ''Excellent,'' Earning nearly double the amount he had ever possessed in just a few days was quite an achievement for him. Ryoshu couldn''t help but feel proud of himself, ''But this alone isn''t enough... I need to earn much more money in a short time.''

    However, this amount of money wasn''t worth risking his life for. Adventurers at all levels must accept risks, but lower levels receive less money. And originally, without the ring, he would have died twice already.

    That was just with C-rank monsters, and he had already struggled so much. What about B, A, or even S ranks and above? He absolutely dared not think about it.

    ''That crazy prince must be at least B-rank... no, A-rank at minimum.'' - Ryoshu shuddered again at his faster-than-sound speed. If not for the entity that had been watching over him all this time, he would now be a pile of ashes.

    ''It further proves that... to survive in this harsh world, I need to become even stronger. And now, to grow quickly, I need money... no, a lot, a lot of money to be precise.''

    Spinning in his high-end gaming chair, Ryoshu pondered methods to make money without risking his life. At times, he even considered robbing a bank with his invisibility ability.

    However, upon reconsideration, it was quite risky and mainly unethical, so he immediately dismissed the idea.

    Spinning a while longer, Ryoshu stared into empty space and continued thinking. But the more he spun, the more foolish he became, and started muttering nonsense in his head.

    ''Spin... spin... spin... Wait, spin?''

    "Ah! I''ve got an idea! But I can only implement it tomorrow. Time to sleep, Fumiya!!!"

    Upon this command, Fumiya, who had been flying playfully around the room, lay straight down on the bed.

    He also followed suit and lay on that large bed. And according to his description, the bed was extremely comfortable. Fumiya also wrapped around him as usual. After that, Ryoshu buried his face in the soft mattress and didn''t forget to turn on some music to help him fall asleep more easily.

 Chapter 27: Spiral Academy

    [06:24 Thursday, August 24, 2023]

    Renggg.

    Ryoshu suddenly woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He quickly turned it off before it deafened him. After turning it off, he lay back down on the bed and continued hugging Fumiya.

    ''Just 5 more minutes...'' But suddenly remembering that today was an important day, Ryoshu forced himself to sit up to become more alert.

    Then he noticed his bed was a complete mess.

    A pile of blankets on the floor was the result of his night''s sleep. ''My sleeping posture... is really bad. Maybe that''s why I''m still a virgin?'' Ryoshu was just making excuses for his own messiness. That was definitely one billion percent not the main reason.

    He stood up and stretched out long. The pitch-black window from last night had been replaced by the sight of dawn breaking. The early morning light shone into part of the room and echoed everywhere.

    "Hello world!" - He stood with his arms stretched toward the sky and shouted loudly. Fortunately, this room had soundproofing or he would have died from embarrassment. "So I''ve been in the game for a week now, huh."

    And finally, the placement test he had been looking forward to had arrived. Today was the day when the Main Storyline would officially begin.

    ''I don''t need to be in the same class as the protagonist... but at least the closer the better. That way it''ll be easier for me to observe and act.''

    First, he needed to take another thorough shower to try not to make a bad first impression with others.

    ''I wonder if this is a futile effort?''

    He sighed and examined his body in the mirror. His body had become much firmer, and he could see some muscles beginning to form.

    This was because his Main stats had increased significantly compared to before, the result of his efforts fighting the boss plus using growth potions. However, Ryoshu still had three potions left, so he would soon have to experience that strange feeling again.

    "Although effective, I almost died. I''ll definitely never risk using the potion unnecessarily again." Ryoshu swore to himself he would never use the potion in such situations again.

    Strength and Agility hadn''t increased as much as he''d hoped, probably because he hadn''t practiced those as much as Endurance and Perception.

    Thanks to the intense and prolonged training process, his endurance increased rapidly, and Perception improved thanks to archery practice and the "side effect" of the Death Before Eyes skill.

    The higher the Perception stat, the more he could sense his surroundings. Additionally, it affected Ryoshu''s quick reflexes, allowing him to react more swiftly to the boss Slime''s attacks last time.

    And thanks to reaching rank F in Perception, he had unlocked something new. Fortunately, before the system shut down, he caught sight of that text.

    It was a permanent 1% Critical Rate, meaning he could inflict Critical Hits without needing to activate any additional skills or equipment. Ryusho would just need a lot of luck, that''s all.

    Moreover, thanks to his critical hit, his attack had enough force to penetrate the steel-hard inner body of that boss.

    ''Perhaps... this time I could try raising the Critical Rate to 100%? A playstyle I''ve never tried before...''

    That was a rather crazy idea for a Rainfall Disorder gamer like him. 100% Critical Rate was something almost all professional gamers had considered. But achieving it was nearly impossible; weapon and item stats could only increase to a maximum of 70%.

    ''But 70% is quite high already.''

    Ryoshu took out all his belongings from the ring and discarded unnecessary things, like broken arrows he''d kept for reuse in the worst case or self-made arrows. He had used up all the good arrows in that Class C Temple.

    ''Later when I get to the academy, I''ll definitely remember to get lots of new arrows.''

    Ryoshu looked back at himself in the bathroom mirror. He decided to change the outfit he had worn when meeting that prince to something completely different.

    This time he chose a pristine white t-shirt with some black patterns.

    Then he put on a light brown jacket over it. To complement the bright top, he wore loose pants with many decorative pockets.

    ''Not bad, huh? I look pretty handsome!'' - Ryoshu admired himself in the mirror with self-praise.

    ''The potion''s effect is quite good, huh? Into the new day it increased... if I''m not mistaken, by 0.3? I''m still a bit uglier than before... but not as bad as the day before yesterday... I just need to be patient for the first few dozen days at the academy and I''ll become one of the most handsome people.''

    He picked up the razor unconsciously, forgetting that he was now in the body of a fresh-faced 15-year-old boy.

    Ryoshu had forgotten this many times. ''Perhaps that''s why I''m a bit more impulsive than before? Even having a crush on a girl my age? But my real age is 22... wouldn''t that make me a lolicon?''

    Ryoshu shook his head, dismissing these silly thoughts. He finished his morning bathroom routine by taking care of his skin. He applied moisturizer and serum to his face. Fortunately, this internet caf¨¦ had basic supplies for customers.

    Afterward, he went back to the computer room and deleted all browsing history as a precaution. Now these traces were extremely dangerous for someone unofficially wanted like him.

    High-level assassins would continuously search different places until they found him. That made entering the academy an urgent priority for Ryoshu.

    ''It''s not always that a simple target like me is worth half a billion RC...''

    He packed his belongings, or in this case, stored them in the ring. Ryoshu looked around the room one last time with a regretful expression. ''Time to go take the test at Spiral Academy, huh?''

    ----0w0----

    Enjoying the softness of the seat on the vehicle, hearing the conversations of other pleasant passengers, smelling a rather soothing scent from the automatic fragrance sprayers. And all these sensations only enhanced the scenery outside his window.

    The buses here didn''t run on gasoline like before; they had been modified to use Mana to fly. More precisely, they hovered about half a meter above the ground to prevent shaking and to keep passengers from getting dizzy or nauseous. Ryoshu used to be prone to motion sickness, so this was one of the first advantages since coming to this world.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Suddenly, several passengers on the bus looked up toward him, or rather, behind him.

    "Is that Spiral Academy?!"

    "It looks so impressive."

    Some young people came to stand close to the windows to get a better view of the academy campus. So after a difficult week, Ryoshu had finally reached the territory of Spiral Academy.

    The school actually sat atop Oliver Pigeon Hill. Normally, no one would be able to see it from afar like this. However, because the structure was enormous and extremely magnificent, everyone could see the academy from where they stood. Moreover, the school grounds were so vast that they had to take a bus from the main gate to reach the school entrance.

    ''Traveling in the game is fun... but because the scale is so realistic, it''s incredibly tiring to move around.'' - He recalled the torturous time when he had to walk around the academy. That was one of his worst experiences playing this game.

    The passengers beside Ryoshu meanwhile were still discussing that world-class school. It was no wonder that getting into this academy was the dream of most young Awakened, with a bright future ahead.

    "Oh my god, I want to study there so badly, man."

    "Stop dreaming! Are you crazy, do you think someone like you could get into one of the world''s top academies? Only the best have a chance to enter the school."

    "You dog, do you have to rub salt in my wounds like that?!"

    Ryoshu looked at the two peers arguing passionately about the place he was about to enter.

    ''Actually, getting into the school isn''t that difficult... I remember that besides a letter of recommendation, there are only two fairly simple conditions: one is to have a government Awakened certificate and two is to take the school''s entrance examination.''

    As long as you have two stats at rank F or higher, you''ll be recognized as an Awakened. Previously, he didn''t even have Mana, but he could still enter this school as usual. ''The entrance exam here seems to only require a fairly easy theory test... Besides normal subjects like Math, Literature, and English, there will be additional special theory tests like Magic or History of the Third War.''

    But those subjects only required memorization rather than a deep understanding of nature. Therefore, if you study properly and review frequently, you''ll definitely secure a place at the school. That''s why a trash character like Ryoshu could also get into the school without needing extraordinary skills.

    But the harsh part was when you were already inside the academy. First-year students would always have a quality assessment test. Each year, Spiral Academy usually expels at least 10 students due to poor quality or insufficient performance.

    ''Perhaps my character also belongs to the type of character who would soon be expelled because of my terrible skills and stats. I wonder why that kid tried so hard to get into this damned school with such poor combat abilities? Maybe it''s... admiration, delusion, or... because of love?''

    According to what Ryoshu remembered from yesterday''s encounter with the protagonist, Esther had said that the boy whose body he was occupying probably liked Charlotte quite a bit. That was probably the main reason that boy transferred to this school.

    ''But who would have thought he would also fail at confessing.'' - Ryoshu felt somewhat sorry for his own character.

    So that answered some of the questions he''d had since arriving in this world. Knowing a little more about the character he was controlling wouldn''t hurt. On the contrary, if he knew nothing and met characters who were already acquainted like Esther or Haruki as before, Ryoshu would look even more suspicious.

    ''But probably because of my injury, they didn''t think too much about it... or maybe they weren''t that close and were just acquaintances.''

    "Hey, I heard the annual student quality assessment test is extremely difficult!"

    "That''s right... What''s important isn''t whether you can get in or not. It''s whether you can handle the pressure of studying there."

    Suddenly, two more girls appeared from behind those two boys. One black-haired girl looked quite ladylike, while the other was an energetic type with short brown hair. They chattered away, seeming quite knowledgeable about Spiral Academy.

    "At an academy where most students are either prodigies or talents trained from a young age, you''ll be nothing special. So naturally, all the best things are already in the hands of those elite students. Including scholarships!"

    "Not to mention you''ll be under extreme pressure when studying alongside such brilliant people. You should know that many times, even before the entrance examination, weaker students will voluntarily withdraw from the academy!"

    After hearing this, the face of the young man who wanted to enter the academy turned pale. Perhaps this was the feeling when one''s dream was continuously crushed like that.

    Ryoshu, seeing this scene, could only laugh inwardly. What those girls had just said was completely accurate. And he would have to go through all of that continuously in such a terribly competitive environment for the next few years. But most importantly, he would face those challenges as the weakest student in the academy.

    Back to today''s meeting, this was the first gathering of first-year students in the Combat Department, which of course included Ryoshu.

    But it was also the exam day to divide the 500 students into different classes, specifically from Class E to Class A. Class A included the highest quality students, while Class E was the lowest.

    Although there were other departments, combat ability was the most important factor in becoming a Hero or at least a powerful Awakened.

    ''If you want to save others, first you must have the ability and strength to save yourself. Otherwise, you won''t be able to save anyone.'' - That was the famous motto that Ryoshu really liked from the principal of Spiral Academy - Thomas Oliver, the official owner of that hill.

    "Next stop is Spiral Academy." - A clear voice sounded from somewhere in the vehicle. And a moment later, Ryoshu could already see the destination.

    After reaching the bus stop, the bus stopped to let the students out. The stop was placed quite close to the academy gate.

    Students streamed into the grounds of Spiral Academy. And some of the passengers from earlier on the bus were also first-year students in the Combat Department. Ryoshu also got off the bus but seemed more timid than the other students.

    The rich kids who had been whispering near him now looked at Ryoshu with what appeared to be admiration. But they couldn''t look for long as the face of the prettiest lady-like girl wrinkled up, seeming quite disgusted by his ugliness. And of course, Ryoshu saw everything that was happening. ''You don''t need to... make that face. My confidence will hit rock bottom.''

    The students walked to the school gate together but didn''t greet or talk to each other. Perhaps partly because they didn''t know each other and partly because of the tense feeling. He didn''t care much about that either since he belonged to both categories.

    Entering the grand, antique-designed school gate, Ryoshu could immediately see some supporting characters along with hundreds of nameless crowd characters. However, he couldn''t find the main characters. ''Ah... there''s Esther and Haruki... No wonder I felt a chill down my spine.''

    The crazy girl who cursed him on the street last time - Esther White - was currently several dozen meters away at his ten o''clock. They were standing together near the cherry blossom trees that were blooming brilliantly.

    The falling cherry blossoms further accentuated the beauty of the two main characters. They were talking and laughing very charmingly.

    ''She does have many beautiful features... but quite an unpleasant personality.'' - Ryoshu could clearly see her glance in his direction.

    There was no denying it when talking about Esther White, the second-ranked student at the academy with smoky white hair and the red eyes characteristic of the White family. Her limitless arrogance also came from belonging to one of the Five Great Families.

    ''I think in the game she likes the male protagonist Takahashi Haruki, right? Ah... youth and springtime and all that...'' - Ryoshu looked at the person standing next to Esther.

    After spotting Ryoshu, Takahashi Haruki, the male protagonist of the game Rainfall Disorder, turned and waved at him with a bright and friendly smile. ''With such a beautiful smile, no wonder so many girls fall head over heels for him. They fall like dominoes.''

    He also waved back and didn''t pay much attention to his own expression. After greeting, Ryoshu turned away and continued his market research: ''Let''s see... are there any potential characters... whom I could get to know later to benefit- utilize them?''

    After all 500 students had arrived and were standing somewhat disorderly, he had also found some key characters for the future. While thinking, suddenly, he heard the sound of fingers snapping, echoing from nowhere to here.

    In the blink of an eye, each student including Ryoshu was sitting on a chair. Around them it was dark until suddenly there were stage lights. The stage lights pointed to a tall figure.

    That person stepped onto what could be considered a podium. Each step they took emitted a strong aura and felt like it could kill ordinary people if not restrained further.

    "Welcome, students, to your first year at Spiral Academy! I am Thomas Oliver and somehow I am the principal here." - He finished speaking and smiled at the first-year students, the promising future generations of Spiral Academy.

 Chapter 28: Class Placement Test

    The weight of the Spiral Academy principal''s words was so heavy that no one dared to utter a word. Some students even held their breath.

    After pausing just long enough to ensure all students had heard clearly, he continued:

    "Today is not the opening ceremony, so I don''t have much to say. I only hope you will find a class worthy of your skills and talents."

    He began looking from the back row to those in the front. At one point, Ryoshu seemed to feel the teacher''s gaze lingering on him.

    "We have quite a few promising students here... perhaps this year will be very interesting." The principal looked at the people around him, mainly focusing on some special individuals.

    ''He must be looking at the protagonist, right?''

    But then Ryoshu thought it was probably just an illusion, with five hundred people sitting there. There was no reason the principal would look at someone as unremarkable as him. Unless it was his "distinctive" appearance...

    "I''m very much looking forward to your performances today. Shine your brightest... my rough gems." After observing all the students, he continued. Suddenly, the principal raised his left hand to check something that looked like a watch and said:

    "The class placement test will begin..." He paused again, perhaps he was someone who liked to make things more suspenseful. And the longer they waited, the denser the Mana around this space became.

    His right hand slowly raised toward the sky under everyone''s observation. Then, his middle and index fingers touched and held there for a moment.

    "Right now."

    As soon as the principal finished speaking, once again the sound of a finger snap echoed loudly. Not only Ryoshu but all the students there felt an enormous amount of Mana like Mount Everest appearing around them. And when they blinked, they were already at a completely different location.

    It was an abandoned apartment building, looking like a square letter O from above. The middle of the building was empty. And now they were all in the middle of a forest. The forest stretched to the horizon. No matter how much he squinted, he couldn''t see what lay beyond.

    And perhaps he wasn''t the only one wondering about that.

    They were on the rooftop of that high-rise building. It must have been thirty stories high, with the wind blowing through eerily cold.

    ''That high? If someone slips and falls, they''ll die instantly?'' Ryoshu tried to look down before quickly abandoning that crazy idea.

    But in doing so, he inadvertently noticed a white rectangular badge on his shirt with the number 500 written in black ink.

    ''When did I start wearing this...? I think I saw Esther and Haruki wearing something like this earlier, right? Who put this on me? Or is this automatic?''

    At first, his memory betrayed him, so Ryoshu couldn''t immediately remember, but when he looked around and especially at the girl with smoky white hair standing with her group of friends, Esther White.

    Unlike him, she had the number 001 on her chest. And when he looked at her other friends, there was 002 on the protagonist Haruki''s uniform, 003 on Charlotte''s. And finally, Volkov Katia with the number 004.

    Katia suddenly turned her eyes toward him unintentionally. Ryoshu was lucky to have turned away before their eyes met.

    ''That was close...''

    Ryoshu now realized the meaning of this damn thing.

    ''I knew this body was weak before... I just didn''t expect the theoretical knowledge of this body''s original owner to be equally terrible...'' He let out a heavy sigh.

    Ryoshu could feel a strong current of air powerful enough to kill someone. A figure appearing in the middle of the crowd suddenly caught his eye.

    And some random boy standing right there was startled when he saw that powerful appearance before his eyes. The background character fell to the ground and seemed quite terrified.

    But contrary to the suspicious appearance of the newcomer, he extended his hand and helped the boy sitting on the ground.

    "I''m sorry for giving you such a scare. Haha. I''ll be more careful next time."

    The self-proclaimed teacher had a rather common scholarly appearance with a square pair of glasses. His hair was black with a slight blue tint.

    ''Looks bookish... but familiar...'' Ryoshu felt this action was somewhat familiar. Usually, teachers weren''t very friendly with new students, except for the gems.

    But among those teachers, there was one who was different. Only now did he realize who that person was.

    ''Ah... this is the homeroom teacher of Class A-1 from my batch?''

    That supervisor was Takagi Kenzo, a hero from Japan. He is currently teaching at Spiral Academy to learn more about English heroes.

    "Alright, hello everyone. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Takagi Kenzo, one of the only ten SS-rank Awakened in the world. Sounds a bit boastful, huh? Haha."

    The students nearby were terrified when they heard that name. Before them now was one of the absurdly powerful existences in the entire world. It''s not every day you can meet an A-rank Awakened, let alone S-rank or higher...

    Moreover, Takagi Kenzo, an SS+ rank Awakened to be precise, is widely known for his overwhelming power against monsters of varying strengths through his lightning sword technique, Kaminari. Each of his strikes has a wide range and is lethally dangerous.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    But the most special thing was his age. He was only in his early thirties.

    Usually, it takes people decades and they still might not reach rank A. Yet he effortlessly reached SS+ rank, making Takagi Kenzo the youngest person in the world to achieve this feat.

    "Seems like some of you know my name already? Hello everyone, I''m here today as your examiner and evaluator. That''s right, today''s test is a Combat test."

    The teacher''s cheerful expression suddenly became much more serious. This made the atmosphere around them fall silent. Seeing that no one asked anything, the supervisor continued:

    "Some of you students here must have won against an E-rank monster or higher. Because of that, you''ve become quite arrogant about your combat abilities. But in reality, you''ve only fought against weak monster species like Slimes or at most Goblins. You''ve never encountered higher-grade monster species. For example, like Trolls or Hobgoblins."

    Suddenly, images of a Troll and a Hobgoblin appeared towering before Ryoshu''s eyes. Each of these species was three to four times taller than humans.

    ''Is this an illusion?'' He stood closer to look more carefully. Meanwhile, the more timid students had unconsciously taken several steps back.

    The teacher carefully scanned the reactions of the students. Then, he returned to his task:

    "The power gap between weak species and mid-tier ones is almost like comparing grass to the vast sky. And remember... in the future Temples, there will be many completely new monster species. The combat experience with monsters now can be said to be useless if applied there."

    Those images quickly changed to strange monster species that no one had ever seen before. Except for Ryoshu, who recognized those monsters.

    ''Voidwalker...? Are they appearing this early?'' He rubbed his chin while pondering something.

    But the teacher continued his explanation, interrupting Ryoshu''s train of thought:

    "And humans are no exception. There are E-rank awakened who are weaker than other E-ranks. In fact, the power gap between them is very large. So from what I''ve just said... Can you draw any conclusions?"

    Some students began to think deeply. Some people guessed answers but they didn''t quite match the teacher''s expectations. Some discussed with friends to reach a conclusion. But it was too late when Esther, the number 1 student in the entrance exam gave an answer.

    "Sir... is it that... Stats are not the decisive factor in determining the strength of a person... or creature?"

    Takagi Kenzo listened with a smile. He seemed very pleased with the white-haired girl''s answer.

    "That''s right, stats aren''t everything... your combat ability lies in other things as well. Combat experience, strategy, advantages, disadvantages, equipment, and skills. And as for skills, you must already have one or two skills. Potentials, Traits, or even rarer, Innate Abilities."

    The teacher summoned floating swords in the air. Then they began to move according to his will.

    "This is my Talent, ''Master of Swords''."

    Each sword moved smoothly as if dancing. They didn''t simply move mindlessly. They were cooperating with each other and creating different sword techniques as if they had souls.

    "Talent can be present when we are born... like destiny. Or they will appear from a Potential or Trait that we have honed for decades. But even I don''t know the exact conditions under which an Talent will appear. So just keep training your hardest." Kenzo finished speaking and put away all the swords. They disappeared as if they had never existed.

    "But I''ve digressed a bit. Today you will be tested on your combat abilities. First, please take a weapon of your choice."

    A series of different weapons appeared for each person to choose from. The weapons were all of identical quality, none better than the others. Because of this, Ryoshu didn''t hesitate and immediately chose a bow for himself.

    If properly compared, the design of this bow fell far short compared to Fumiya. But that comparison was also somewhat unfair because his weapon was a soul weapon while this weapon was mass-produced for 500 students.

    ''Thankfully... Fumiya has listened to me and doesn''t appear randomly anymore.''

    Before getting on the bus, he had carefully instructed Fumiya that it could only reveal itself when he gave permission.

    After all the students had chosen their weapons, Kenzo suddenly pointed at everyone present and continued:

    "All 500 of you... will fight against me."

    "WHAT!!!" All the students exclaimed in unison.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll wear a ring that reduces all my main stats to F-rank, the rank of most of you here."

    True to his word, Kenzo immediately put the ring on his finger. His enormous power had now been downgraded to a tolerable level. Before that, Ryoshu would have almost been unable to breathe just because of the teacher''s presence.

    "You can do whatever you want. You can fight alone or in groups. I don''t care. But I also advise fighting in teams with proper strategies. However, remember that this test still doesn''t grade by group. It''s based on individual performance. Please keep that in mind." The teacher carefully emphasized each word as if afraid someone would overlook them.

    And right after that, Kenzo added:

    "Your goal is to try to hit me... as many times as possible. Although I rather doubt you can do that. So whoever hits me will immediately enter Class A-1!"

    Everyone around him simultaneously gulped. That was almost everyone''s goal when coming here.

    A-1 was the most special class in the A block. Students in this class were the most talented and received the most privileges in the academy. Rare resources were also poured into Class A-1 more than regular classes. It was also the place where main and supporting characters occupied more than half the class.

    "You feel more excited, don''t you? The requirement is so easy. Hit me once and you''ll enter Class A-1!"

    Hearing this, Ryoshu also felt a bit greedy. Initially, he only intended to enter the A block... and that was already a super difficult challenge for an ordinary person like him. From the beginning, he just needed to be close to the main characters, not necessarily in the same class...

    Teacher Kenzo was about to begin when he suddenly remembered something.

    "Oh, and I forgot, you''re probably wondering where we are right now, right? This is a virtual space created by the principal. So feel free to go all out! And also remember this. You will be eliminated immediately if the weapon in your hand is destroyed or if you are knocked out or killed." His words brought him and all 500 students back to the harsh reality.

    Ryoshu could clearly see the caution of the students here. They gripped their weapons tightly as if afraid the supervising teacher would destroy them. Because even though he had been reduced to F-rank, his skills were still there.

    "Why are you all so scared... alright. I will only use the first two forms of the Kaminari sword technique. I''ve been reduced to F-rank, so my sword technique isn''t as strong as before."

    Some people became a little more relaxed. Perhaps even a bit too relaxed. They became contemptuous of this challenge because it seemed too easy.

    Ryoshu also didn''t know what the challenge would be like because this part belonged to before the game''s plot began. So this was his first time taking on a challenge without any specific information about it.

    ''I''ll just do my best... try to score enough points to enter Class A... that''s enough.'' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

    "Alright! The challenge begins in 5 seconds. But I''ll give you an extra minute to run away and form groups. But if you attack right away, I won''t hesitate to retaliate."

    The teacher raised his hand to the sky and tried to stabilize the chaotic atmosphere.

    "5... 4..."

    While he was counting, people began to scatter like a broken market. Some ran down the stairs, others jumped directly down. He didn''t have any particularly notable reaction but just continued with his job.

    "3... 2..." Kenzo emphasized for a moment and then gave the final command.

    "1!"

 Chapter 29: Absolute Power

    The countdown had just ended. All students quickly ran away from that place. Suddenly, the teacher jumped down into the empty space in the middle of the building, to everyone''s amazement. A moment after Kenzo jumped, a loud sound echoed through the sky.

    Their faces turned pale purple. Perhaps they knew that the abnormally strong teacher was below ground and still unharmed after that fall.

    ''Let''s see... I have the Sniping skill... I should choose a spot that''s just within range to snipe him and also enough to retreat in time.'' - Ryoshu thought while running down the stairs with all his might. His physical condition was originally not good, so just running had already made him feel tired quickly.

    Evidence of this was that he was panting like a dying horse. Others who passed by Ryoshu looked at him with quite a bit of pity.

    The students were very agile and "united" with each other. They formed groups according to class and status. And most of them would form according to their race rather than with other races. For example, just now, an Elf deliberately bumped into Ryoshu''s shoulder with contempt and then walked away as if nothing had happened. He went to join a group of other Elves.

    Most Elves would use bows or Elemental Magic. Dwarves would tend more toward close combat. Meanwhile, humans would not favor any particular style; most of them would choose common weapon lines such as bows, spears, or swords.

    ''People from the nobility will be in a separate faction... and still segregate between this noble and that noble. But most of them are still privileged children of the elite.''

    A girl ran past Ryoshu''s face. He didn''t recognize who she was.

    ''Maybe she''s an NPC?''

    The girl ran to a place where a crowd was gathering. That must be someone very powerful and easy to approach and talk to.

    In his mind, there was only one such person. A central figure who holds extremely important connections for the future...

    "Alice, can I join your group?"

    Just as he had predicted, Ryoshu looked toward the leader of that noble crowd.

    "That would be great. My group really needs people." - The pretty girl with a full figure and blood-red hair smiled kindly at the female friend asking... or rather, her pawns.

    ''That''s the darling daughter of the Scarlet family, one of the Five Great Earls.''

    If compared to Esther, Alice Scarlet was not much different except that she was purely evil. She played the role of a fake nice girl in front of all her classmates. And when alone, she would run several major branches of the Underworld.

    In his first playthrough, Ryoshu had not noticed anything unusual about her. But later when he realized, it was already too late.

    That boss had quickly destroyed his good storyline.

    ''I can use her. But I also have to be extremely careful... because I don''t have any power at all, except for knowing some of her fatal weaknesses.''

    After nearly a minute, only Ryoshu was left alone by himself. Perhaps it was due to his weak physique... or more accurately, the number 500 on his shirt.

    That was the rather painful truth because no one would need the help or cooperation of the person at the bottom of the ranking.

    Moreover, he didn''t belong to the noble class either. And despite belonging to a lower class, he was too weak, so he was despised.

    ''Maybe it''s also because of my appearance... because normally, someone like me could still be used as a meat shield.'' - Ryoshu waited for a long time, but no one bothered to approach him.

    In fact, on the contrary, people increasingly stood further away from him and began to discuss strategies with their groups.

    Although they were divided like that, only the main characters formed a completely separate group. He had been observing them and felt that something was quite strange:

    ''According to the main plot, that Ryan guy had met the main cast in this event, right? So where is he?''

    Ryoshu looked around searching for the scholarly figure with ginger hair. But no matter how much he looked, he couldn''t see any trace of him.

    ''Perhaps this is another small change in the plot?'' - He began to form another hypothesis about it.

    But the time left before the teacher started hunting was quite limited. Ryoshu began to formulate a strategy to defeat him.

    ''Although the teacher''s rank has been reduced to rank F... surely hitting Kenzo will not be easy at all. Because his experience and combat skills are still there... this is difficult.''

    Finally reaching a good spot to shoot, Ryoshu immediately crawled into a gap under the staircase of that building. He was still scratching his head thinking about what he needed to do to score enough points for class A. Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to open the window facing Kenzo for easier shooting.

    ''I must hit him... even if just once. If so, I''m sure I can get into class A!'' - Ryoshu put the arrow in the bowstring and pulled it taut.

    Takagi Kenzo, the Hero of Japan, was standing in the center of the entire building. He just stood there with his eyes tightly closed, as silent as a stone statue. It seemed as if the teacher had been frozen.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    All archers near him also began to panic more than ever because of the strange things happening.

    ''Wait a minute... Snipe.'' - Ryoshu realized something wasn''t right, so he immediately activated his skill to see further.

    He could see that the man was still mumbling something that he himself wasn''t quite sure about.

    ''What is he mumbling...?''

    Ryoshu tried to look more carefully and realized what the teacher was whispering.

    ''3... 2...''

    ''1.''

    He stopped whispering and opened his eyes. At the same time, the fools who underestimated this challenge appeared on the ground where teacher Kenzo was reigning.

    He recognized some of those who had just said that this challenge was easier than eating porridge. But Ryoshu already knew the fate of those fools who were face to face with a king.

    "Although I deeply respect what you''ve done for the world and Japan... but I also want to get into class A! So please allow me to defeat you, teacher!"

    "Me too! I also want to get into class A!"

    "With all due respect, I will fight with my full power!"

    The madmen stood down there in overwhelming numbers. They quickly surrounded all four sides and eagerly awaited moment by moment to rush in for points. But they had no idea that,

    Before absolute power... everyone''s the same. Death is what awaits them at the end of the road.

    The teacher still hadn''t reacted to the mockery and teasing of those fools. Kenzo''s hand instead just gently rested on the sword at his hip.

    And when the battle broke out, all nearly 100 students there charged at the teacher like a storm.

    Small lightning bolts rose around him. They created pleasant crackling sounds. However, the size of the lightning bolts grew larger and covered the teacher''s entire body.

    Kenzo''s glasses flashed once before a soft sound was heard from the teacher:

    "Kaminari Sword Technique, First Stance."

    Lightning began to separate from his body as the sword was gradually drawn from its scabbard. His head looked up as if being shocked by his own electricity.

    But in Ryoshu''s eyes, the reason he did this was to look at the fate of those in front of him. And before he could take another breath,

    "Flashing Tornado." - He whispered the rest of the skill.

    And then in just the blink of an eye, a whirlwind full of power like the god of lightning appeared.

    In an instant, hundreds of heads had separated from their bodies and flew into the air. A scene so horrific it made one want to vomit. But quickly, their bodies immediately vanished as if they had never existed.

    Long sword marks like bear claws appeared on the building. They extended from one floor to another, looking like some kind of strange decoration. But it wasn''t for decoration, which is why Kenzo became even more terrifying in the eyes of the children.

    To the astonishment of all the surviving students, Kenzo just sheathed his sword again.

    "0 points for all students who just disappeared."

    Once again, the indifferent attitude, the refusal to explain anything from that terribly strong teacher only made the horror of the other students clearer. And that terror was clearly visible on their faces.

    "So... only 396 students left."

    Some students on the same floor as him suddenly fell to the hard cement floor. Perhaps after that display, they had become so desperate or frightened that they could no longer stand.

    ''Did they really die? Surely not, right? Because their bodies vanished? And what teacher would kill students???''

    Ryoshu began to sweat profusely at his own thoughts. He turned to look at the faces of the other kids. Some of them were so scared that their pants were already soaked.

    ''I can''t blame them when my legs are trembling like this...'' - Ryoshu hit his quivering legs very hard.

    Although it had no effect, at least he would feel like he still existed. He gradually became calm again and pulled the bowstring taut once more while still aiming toward teacher Kenzo.

    Fumiya also sneaked out and somehow merged with the bow given to him by the student. But its timely help would make his bow a little stronger than all the other bows.

    Another group appeared, but this time it was the Dwarves. They appeared with great caution. Although they had witnessed what had just happened, they did not become discouraged. On the contrary, they became more excited than ever.

    ''Is this what people often call the courage of the Dwarves? They will never give up regardless of the challenge and value honor more than their own lives.''

    Ryoshu began to feel a great respect for this race that seemed crude and gruff. They reminded him of his cranky benefactor at the Black Market, Enomoto Atsuta.

    They charged forward with a formation that had a proper strategy already in place. The front line used shields to defend the lines below. While the lower lines would use weapons of appropriate length, such as spears or swords.

    Kenzo, instead of overwhelming them with the crazy technique just now, only began to counter the spears pointing at him. The shield line also began to advance, perhaps to corner him to create situations where he could not react in time.

    That tactic worked quite effectively. But against Kenzo''s defensive abilities, it was more like a child''s play. The teacher hit hard into the shield of the top line.

    A shock wave erupted, causing the defensive line to be unable to stand firm and only able to accept their miserable defeat.

    "20 points... very good strategy. 387 people left."

    The archers waiting on the floor also quickly contributed their efforts.

    ''Especially when the defensive line still has some people, there''s no reason not to lend them a hand.'' - Ryoshu, with Fumiya''s help, released the arrow.

    The arrow flew in a straight line to him. And not just his arrow was fired. Hundreds of other arrows appeared from all directions and pointed straight at where the teacher was standing in the midst of the Dwarves'' battlefield.

    But Kenzo somehow only focused on Ryoshu''s arrow. He looked toward the arrow. Then teacher Kenzo sheathed his sword once more and grabbed the hilt.

    "Kaminari Sword Technique, Second Stance." - He again muttered the name of his sword technique very softly.

    Lightning appeared around the teacher again. But this time, it didn''t feel like the first sword stance. The lightning quickly gathered at one point instead of spreading out like before. And very quickly, Ryoshu knew the name of that ultimate technique.

    "Lightning Tower."

    Before he could react, he felt a straight line of lightning flash past him.

    The place where the lightning had just flashed was immediately split in two.

    Even the glass window was cut so cleanly as if it had never been affected.

    After that, Ryoshu could feel a slightly contemptuous gaze directed at him.

    "Your arrow had something special about it, so I focused on it first."

    Kenzo continued with a somewhat regretful smile.

    "But you''re quite lucky, because I originally intended to cut both at the same time, but I accidentally missed you."

 Chapter 30: The Prince of Great Britain

    "40 points... The archers have used the situation very wisely! But they''re still not completely unified. 315 people remain."

    That slash had taken dozens more lives in the blink of an eye.

    "Damn... I accidentally used both sword stances at once... Everything''s been revealed." - Teacher Kenzo said with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

    Whether revealed or not, the fact remained that he could eliminate hundreds of candidates with just one slash. That alone increased the difficulty of the challenge by hundreds of levels.

    And that''s not even mentioning that he had reduced his main stats to F rank. Meanwhile, some candidates here were already E-rank Awakened, meaning their raw power should theoretically overwhelm the teacher. But his technique and combat experience alone were enough to shatter any preconceptions about rankings.

    Ryoshu touched the area around his right ear to check.

    ''W-where is it...?'' - He began to panic when he couldn''t feel his precious ear anymore.

    When he raised his hand in front of his face, he saw fresh blood dripping onto the building''s cement floor.

    Only then did Ryoshu realize his ear had been sliced clean off.

    He felt a terrible humiliation when he realized something:

    ''He deliberately missed me...'' - Ryoshu felt his face burning with anger. His blood-covered hand clenched tightly while trembling.

    The reason it was trembling wasn''t because he was afraid. It was because he felt overwhelming disappointment in himself.

    "Now my stats are too weak, so the power and number of times I can use the Kaminari sword technique have decreased significantly. You should take advantage of this weakness and charge forward before I have time to recover." - Kenzo began to feel bored with the new students'' lack of initiative.

    And his words only rubbed salt in Ryoshu''s wound. He unconsciously bit his lower lip so hard it bled.

    Before, when he was weak, Ryoshu had only one goal: survival. But once he became strong enough to fight a C-rank boss, his confidence had increased somewhat.

    ''I thought I could easily survive with all these useful skills.''

    But when he encountered Kenzo, that half-baked confidence was completely shattered.

    ''I still haven''t... gotten any stronger at all... I''m still just a weakling.''

    While it was true that the teacher''s main stats were still superior to his, Ryoshu didn''t want to comfort himself with that fact when the road ahead was still thousands... no, millions of times more difficult.

    ''I need to try harder! I can''t make such stupid mistakes anymore.'' - Ryoshu remembered the fatal error of returning to the grave of the mother and baby rabbit.

    If he hadn''t gone there, he probably wouldn''t have gotten involved with that Russian imperial prince.

    If he hadn''t gone there, he wouldn''t have lost that useful system.

    If he hadn''t gone there, he wouldn''t have been wanted with a bounty of half a billion RC.

    ''I''m just an unranked nobody. I''m disgustingly weak. I can''t even save myself, let alone save this world...''

    The more Ryoshu reflected, the more he realized how naive he still was:

    ''I need to map out each step and check for any flaws in the plan. Only then should I execute it as precisely as possible...''

    He closed his eyes tightly while blood continued to flow. Ryoshu tried to internalize these life-changing lessons into his very bones.

    ''I... remember it now.'' - He slowly opened his eyes and perceived the world from a different angle.

    Suddenly, his worldview changed rapidly. Now he could sense everything, even the finest details or the sound of a drop of blood landing gently on the building floor.

    Ryoshu clearly remembered the feeling of those lightning-fast sword strikes grazing past his ear.

    ''I know how to time my dodges now... I just hope he won''t use skills to temporarily boost his stats.''

    Normally, humans would need quite a long time to adapt to such things. But for someone with SS+ Adaptation stats, those things were nothing.

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    Ryoshu took less than a second to make it a part of his body. After getting used to this new sensation, he stood up and tried to bandage the bleeding part with some tattered clothes from inside his spatial ring.

    ''Though I adapt quickly... only these kinds of pains are impossible to get used to.'' - Ryoshu tried to suppress his screams while tightening the bandage.

    Now his face was completely covered, leaving only space to see and breathe. Fortunately, no one paid attention to the problems of an anonymous pawn like him. Especially when there was a formidable threat standing in front of them.

    After waiting for a long time with no response, Kenzo said with a somewhat weary expression:

    "If you don''t do anything, I''ll have to hunt you down one by one. At that point, there won''t be any bonus points. Ineffective hiding will only counteract the power of numbers. The more I whittle down your forces, the more your chances of getting high scores will decrease."

    Ryoshu was quietly going up to the next floor. And of course, as a habit from when he was in the forest full of Slimes, he didn''t forget to turn off the Mana flow naturally entering his core. Even though only a few hundred people had been eliminated, he couldn''t see anyone.

    ''These characters are hiding really well, huh? Whatever, now I need to get to the main characters... I think in the game, Esther said she had some plan that helped them earn enough points to enter Class A. I might get lucky with them too. Hahaha.''

    Ryoshu rubbed his hands together with a nasty smile.

    Suddenly, a familiar crackling sound appeared again.

    "Kaminari Sword Technique, Second Stance."

    Lightning from the sky shone down, illuminating a large space. And right after that, the lightning bolts gathered in one place with an ear-splitting sound.

    "Lightning Tower."

    This was the second time he used this ultimate move. But since Ryoshu had already seen him point the blade elsewhere, he was just waiting to see which unfortunate souls would be hit by that sword strike.

    But this time, instead of a thin flat cut like before, this sword strike was crude and so large that it created a huge gap in the middle of the building where he was standing. The gap between the two sides was nearly ten meters long, making it very difficult for a normal person to jump across.

    "20 points for knowing how to use the terrain. But some of you haven''t completely hidden your obvious Mana flow, so it becomes a fatal weakness in your concealment."

    "So I''ll only give 10 points to those who revealed their Mana. Because I just need to use a wide-range technique in places with many people not hiding their Mana, and your formation will immediately fall apart. Now only 219 people remain."

    ''There must be a separate system to calculate points, right?'' - Ryoshu felt curious, so he tallied up his own points.

    ''Let''s see... 40 points for archery... and 20 points for hiding Mana. That''s 60 points already! And Classes E, D, C will soon be filled. So at the very least, I have a chance to enter Class B... and if I''m lucky enough, I might even get into Class A!''

    He felt proud of his abilities. But at the same time, Ryoshu became more cautious.

    ''But my goal is Class A-1... I need a safe number of points to enter the best class! And to do that, taking advantage of the main characters is the easiest thing.''

    He immediately continued searching for the main cast. But he had to use a different path because of that huge gap.

    ''Damn... the stairs are on the other side of the building... if I jump across now, I''ll reveal my position right away.''

    But before Ryoshu completely turned back, he heard a weak moan from behind him.

    "H-help me..."

    He saw a hand gripping tightly to the floor that had been somewhat destroyed by the ridiculously strong teacher''s sword technique.

    Ryoshu immediately grabbed that hand instinctively. He tried to lift the body up before it was too late.

    A honey-blonde head of hair appeared before his eyes. A balanced face with a perfect V-shaped chin. And meeting Ryoshu''s gaze were those golden-brown eyes that looked somewhat world-weary.

    ''Ah... this guy is Charlotte''s younger brother, right? I think his name is...''

    "Alan Williams...?"

    The boy didn''t seem very surprised that someone knew his name. After all, he was a real prince, so having people know his name was all too normal for him. In the middle of the boy''s chest was a rather deep wound bleeding profusely through his clothes.

    Ryoshu felt a bit dizzy when he saw Alan''s blood. But he couldn''t reveal such an obvious weakness... because someone might exploit it later.

    ''Perhaps he fell from a higher floor, because if that teacher had struck him directly, he would have been done for.'' - He thought about something else to divert his fear a little.

    Seeing such a large wound, Ryoshu couldn''t help but ask him:

    "Are you okay?"

    Alan suddenly froze and didn''t answer. The atmosphere was quickly enveloped by a deadly silence.

    ''I think Alan is shy about talking to strangers, right? Or is it because I''m too ugly so he''s scared?''

    While thinking randomly, Alan''s clear, distinctly British voice sounded in Ryoshu''s ear:

    "I''m fine. Thank you very much for helping me."

    Those polite words seemed somewhat more social than sincere. And this wasn''t just heard but could be understood just by looking at his cold, expressionless face.

    ''Alan''s circumstances are also somewhat special, so that''s quite understandable...''

    Ryoshu didn''t say anything more and just quietly stood up to leave before Teacher Kenzo discovered any movement here.

    He looked out at the empty space and only saw another group of students who had appeared below with the teacher and were struggling to deal with that monstrously skilled swordsmanship.

    Another familiar voice suddenly echoed behind him:

    "Alan, are you alright?"

    He instinctively turned back and saw a pretty girl with hair the same color as Alan''s rushing towards him. And behind that girl were other familiar friends approaching.

    ''My luck isn''t so bad, huh? Suddenly meeting the main characters right here.''

    Very quickly, the room became crowded with the appearance of the male protagonist Haruki, the female protagonists Esther and Katia. Of course, including the Williams siblings as well.

 Chapter 31: The Plan

    "Um, who are you...?" - Esther''s eyes met Ryoshu''s.

    Those deep red, captivating eyes made his fragile heart flutter a little.

    ''Oh, I forgot I''m covering my wound... Should I temporarily hide my identity? Even if I told them, it wouldn''t make any difference... I might even get driven away.''

    Without hesitation, he began chattering away as if trying to create a completely different identity:

    "Ah, hello everyone. I don''t think this is the best time for introductions. But I''ll introduce myself anyway. My name is Aisti-"

    "§¥§å§â§Ñ§Ü." (Idiot)

    Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind the girl named Esther.

    The person who had just spoken that incomprehensible language was the Russian princess, Ryoshu''s in-game crush, Katia Volkov.

    ''Oh... so that''s the Russian language? What does it mean? I only know English and Japanese...''

    And according to the world of the game Rainfall Disorder, those were the two most common languages.

    Because England and Japan were the only two countries that still developed strongly during the period when the gates dominated most of humanity.

    Therefore, these two languages naturally became more common for those wanting to trade with the thriving economies of these two countries.

    Everyone seemed to agree with what he had just thought and turned to the girl with the dreamy purple hair.

    They looked at Katia, hoping she would explain what she had just said.

    "This guy is Ryoshi or something like that."

    She spoke so slowly that others might think she was soliloquizing.

    Ryoshu felt as if a knife had been plunged straight into his fragile heart without mercy.

    ''So this is what it feels like when your crush doesn''t even know you exist?''

    After hearing those words spoken in a monotone voice, they turned back to carefully examine the person whose face was bandaged, revealing only his eyes and nose.

    The one who started the conversation was once again that energetic girl named Esther.

    "Why is it that every time I see you... you cover your face so carefully? I know you''re ugly... but covering it won''t help."

    An unethical smile gradually appeared on the playful girl''s plump lips.

    Ryoshu couldn''t help but feel irritated.

    But he could only suppress his anger and reply to her:

    "Teacher Kenzo accidentally cut off one of my ears."

    The atmosphere grew somewhat quiet after he said that.

    Esther didn''t say anything more and just silently turned away to where Alan was.

    Katia had always been quiet as usual, but somehow she looked even more beautiful than usual today.

    "Really?"

    Charlotte was the first to break the silence and moved closer to Ryoshu with a worried look.

    Next was Haruki, who examined the bandages quite carefully.

    He looked shocked as he tried to imagine what Ryoshu had gone through.

    Especially the severe burns on his face.

    "With bandages like these, the bleeding won''t stop... let me rebandage it for you, Ryoshu?"

    While saying this, the blue-haired boy had already removed the makeshift bandage covering Ryoshu''s right ear.

    Then, he took out a more proper medical bandage.

    Haruki bandaged it as gently as possible, as if afraid of hurting Ryoshu.

    ''These kids are so presumptuous...''

    Although Ryoshu grumbled internally, he still felt somewhat heartwarmed.

    Charlotte also became less worried and proceeded to bandage her brother''s wound.

    While being re-bandaged, Ryoshu tried to recall Katia''s sweet and cute voice from earlier.

    And of course, besides reminiscing, he didn''t forget to admire the fairy-like beauty of the girl leaning against the wall.

    ''She looks quite sleepy, huh...? Some things don''t change even in the virtual reality version, do they?''

    Meanwhile, Alan was discussing some plan with Esther, looking quite secretive.

    "Alan, with my wound like this, can we continue with the original plan-?"

    "Just stay calm, sis. Either way, I couldn''t have helped much from the beginning. But I still have Plan C."

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    Alan calmly replied as if he had read the girl''s mind.

    She just gaped for a moment.

    Perhaps she felt offended being interrupted mid sentence like that.

    But Esther couldn''t do anything about it.

    ''Because simply put, how could the title of Grand Duchess of the White family compare to the Prince of Britain?''

    Seeing this rare silly scene of the arrogant girl also warmed his heart a bit.

    Haruki tied the bow for the third time and then placed his hand on Ryoshu''s shoulder:

    "All done, Ryoshu. Remember to move carefully! Otherwise, it will come loose."

    ''I need to get involved in their plan... because if I just solo, it''ll be too difficult.''

    "Haruki, does your group have a plan yet?"

    "What if we do? I know full well you''re just looking to freeload off us."

    As usual, Esther would always be the one to bluntly rebuff Ryoshu like that.

    Haruki also thought quite carefully, not as carefree as usual.

    Only Charlotte tried to convince her friend to let him join:

    "Come on, Esther. Either way, we need more people to increase our chances of success."

    Ryoshu was also quite surprised to see the sweet princess helping him.

    Although he didn''t know why she would do so.

    ''From their perspective, my strength is too weak to be of any help... plus we''ve already had quite a few arguments before. Why is Charlotte helping me?''

    "Anyone but this piece of trash."

    Esther flatly rejected the unappealing proposal.

    But the girl didn''t give up and continued to negotiate with Esther.

    "Please, Esther. Ryoshu also has pretty good reasoning skills. Who knows, he might be able to do something."

    At this point, the arrogant girl seemed to waver a bit.

    But he was quite sure it wasn''t because of the persuasive words that she changed her mind.

    The persuader was the most important factor in this case.

    Partly because Esther greatly respected and cherished Charlotte.

    The rest was because she trusted her friend''s intuition.

    She let out a sigh and replied rather reluctantly:

    "Whatever. I''m only agreeing because you asked, but I still haven''t forgiven him yet."

    ''You''re in the virtual reality version and you''re still a Tsundere, miss?''

    In the gaming community, Esther White was known as the "Tsundere Queen."

    Sometimes she was the sweetest person in the world, sometimes she treated those she cared about extremely coldly.

    ''Typical hot and cold, sunny one minute, stormy the next... Haruki will have quite a challenge with this girl in the future. Haha.''

    The British princess with blonde hair rushed to hug Esther.

    And of course, the white-haired girl didn''t hesitate to catch her clumsy best friend.

    "Thank you so much, Esther."

    Ryoshu just sat watching them talk without making any movement.

    "So Alan... would you please explain the plan again for this guy?"

    "No, I''m too lazy, sis."

    Alan refused immediately without even thinking.

    Seeing this, she could only sigh:

    "Alright, then let me recap the plan again for the whole group. Especially Haruki and Charlotte, you two try to remember for me, okay?"

    "Hehe. Sorry..."

    "I''ll try to remember..."

    The two who were just mentioned suddenly jumped.

    But they had to listen to every word from the girl.

    "That''s the entire plan and contingency measures for different scenarios."

    ''...''

    After hearing the entire long-winded speech, Ryoshu grasped some things.

    He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, thinking carefully as if trying to find a flaw, whether big or small.

    Esther noticed this.

    She also became a bit curious about his reaction, so she asked:

    "How does a piece of trash like you pretend to understand anything?"

    Ryoshu didn''t try to add anything more and just silently ended the pointless conversation right there:

    "Shut up."

    "..."

    The girl''s smile was instantly extinguished.

    "Although the plan isn''t perfect... I''ll support you from a distance."

    Ryoshu stuck the academy''s bow into the cement floor to lean on it and stand up.

    With his other hand, he summoned Atsuta''s Invisibility Mask.

    He put it on his face as if completely ready for what was to come next.

    ''My goal isn''t to help each other... but to thoroughly exploit your main characters to become a Star student.''

    Star was a noble title given to the top student in the first-year placement exam.

    Those with this title would receive quite a lot of support from the school in terms of finances and "materials."

    If this were a normal test, Ryoshu would give up right away... but because this wasn''t a "normal" test, he was fueling this intention.

    Partly because he was still quite upset with the teacher who had made him feel quite humiliated, and partly because he had found a way to outdo all the students here and come out on top, including the main characters.

    "What do you mean the plan isn''t ''perfect''? Does a weak commoner like you have the right to judge the plan made by Alan and me?"

    Alan had no opinion and just silently observed Ryoshu.

    The blonde prince''s eyes, though not emitting killing intent, had pupils as sharp as bullets that could pierce through anything.

    Meanwhile, those not involved in the argument remained silent and seemed unwilling to get involved.

    ''I can''t lose to them either.''

    Ryoshu didn''t waver but closed his eyes slowly.

    Then, he opened his eyes wide and looked carefully into the hostile eyes of both Alan and Esther.

    For a brief moment, Esther somehow stepped back.

    And Alan was slightly better as the boy''s eyes wavered a bit, but quickly returned to their usual sharpness.

    The atmosphere was already deathly silent, and now it became so heavy that it felt like a bomb was about to explode.

    And they were the unfortunate ones listening to every tick of that time bomb.

    Boom!

    A loud thunder rang out, severely damaging Ryoshu''s ears.

    Without needing lightning-fast reflexes, he knew the sound just now definitely had some intention behind it.

    "CHARLOTTE!!! PLAN B!!!"

    Esther used all her strength to call out to her friend who was also in a state of bleeding ears.

    Fortunately, the blonde princess could still faintly hear it and immediately summoned earth from around them.

    Those pieces of earth quickly formed a solid wall, covering all the gaps in the room that had been split in half.

    "The teacher is really disappointed to know that you still have so much energy left."

    The sound of steady footsteps came from within the thick smoke and dust.

    A dark figure emerged from the dust cloud and became increasingly clear.

    "You even argue with your own teammates in the moment of life-and-death battle."

    The scholarly figure stepped out and stood before a group of teenagers with somewhat worried faces.

    Only Katia and Alan''s expressions weren''t very clear.

    And besides them, there was also a madman smiling in a disgusting way as if he had found a treasure chest.

    That person was Amemura Ryoshu.