The next morning, when Kushina woke up, Shin was already gone.
While she slept, Shin had quietly used Instant Transmission to leave the room.
After getting dressed and ready, he opened the interface on his watch and selected 'Yes'.
In an instant, Shin vanished from this world without a trace. As he entered the Reincarnation World, a pop-up window appeared before him.
Team ID 1069, Captain Sakamoto Kenji. Invitation confirmed. You may join.
Team Members: Sakamoto Kenji, Domon Kyouji, Kisaragi Rei, Ishigami Mamoru, Yoshida Haru.
Newcomer, please confirm your name.
Shin glanced at it and typed: Shin.
Newcomer Shin has joined the team.
Suddenly, Shin materialized in a strange, empty space. He felt an immense pressure bear down on him for a split second before vanishing.
A man in a simple white outfit walked up to him. "Welcome, our new friend, and our old friend—Shin!" Sakamoto Kenji said.
The five team members applauded, making Shin feel a bit awkward. He quickly composed himself and addressed them. "Thanks for the welcome. I'm a total noob, so I hope you veterans will show me the ropes."
Domon Kyouji let out a huff of laughter and gave Shin a friendly punch on the shoulder. "You're no noob. You're a heavy hitter."
He continued, "My strength probably ranks in the top thousand in this whole Reincarnation World, but you beat me like I was a little kid. I can't even begin to imagine how ridiculously strong you are."
Shin smiled. "It's not that I'm that strong, I just know a few more tricks. And I got to that world before you, so I knew more. In a fair fight, who knows?"
Domon Kyouji laughed heartily. "A fair fight? I'd still lose for sure. The five of us, with a surprise attack and all our preparations, still failed. It was pretty embarrassing."
Kisaragi Rei, however, who was one of the team's top fighters, spoke up with a calm, analytical tone. "It wasn't that simple. For you to put it so lightly... does that mean you're even stronger now?"
Shin nodded. "A little stronger, yes. If I had prepared beforehand, my ninjutsu would have been very effective, but I never got the chance to use it. You guys were just too strong."
Yoshida Haru looked at Shin's apparent age and said with envy, "You're way stronger than me. This is my sixth run, and you, on your first, could probably take on six of me without breaking a sweat."
Everyone laughed at Yoshida Haru's joke.
Although the team had a new member, his strength was more than guaranteed. The original five, even with all their planning and every trick in the book, couldn't hold a candle to him. Now that this powerful ace had joined their team, their combat effectiveness would naturally skyrocket.
But they still needed to work on their teamwork to unleash their full potential.
—
Sakamoto Kenji led the group to a small cafeteria. "The Mainframe's all-you-can-eat buffet. Eat as much as you want, no take-out."
He chuckled. "The amount I get from one mission would be enough to feed me for years in any other world. Even risking your life doesn't pay this well."
Shin just smiled. He hadn't come to this world because he was bored with life, but because his system had forcibly transported him, making him fight his way through different worlds.
Speaking of which, Shin suddenly thought of his system. He wondered if it would still work here. He called out to it in his mind. The system's voice was as crisp as ever, but it offered no real answer, only a single sentence:
This system is being suppressed by a mysterious power and is temporarily offline. It will resume normal function once the suppression is lifted.
Shin understood immediately. The system had its limits. In this Reincarnation World, under the power of the Mainframe, it couldn't be used. But the system itself was powerful enough that once he left this space, he could use it freely again.
He was actually quite happy about this news. It meant he could get one and a half, or even double the rewards of others. His strength would increase much faster.
With his own personality, he never would have had the confidence to make a name for himself in this dog-eat-dog infinite world. Not even with Sakamoto Kenji's veteran team. After all, Kenji's strength was nowhere near his own.
But since he was here now, he shouldn't worry too much. With his rapid progress, he should be able to gain enough benefits and return to his own world soon.
At that thought, he asked Sakamoto Kenji, "Captain, do you know how to return to a previous world?"
Sakamoto Kenji nodded. "For you, it's actually quite simple. You just need to find the world in our team's mission records—the one with the ID AXC12315. That's it."
He sighed, a wistful look on his face. "If we wanted to go back to our own world, it wouldn't be so easy. In all these years, we've never encountered a similar world. We can't find a place that can accommodate us."
"I've been trying to save up," Yoshida Haru said unhappily. "I save 100 points every world. I'll need thirty missions and a C-rank Side Quest just to go back."
At this, Sakamoto Kenji slapped the back of Yoshida Haru's head. "Stop dreaming. C-rank Side Quests are life-or-death. Even if you save up the points, you won't have the quest."
He looked at Shin. "You know what a Side Quest is, right?"
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