Thinking about this, Shin's excitement spiked.
He didn't care much about most things, but exploiting a loophole for a free ride? That was an absolute delight. Most of the time, earning rewards through blood, sweat, and hard work provided a solid sense of accomplishment.
However, the joy that came from pure effort was fleeting.
Gaming the system, on the other hand, was an entirely different beast.
It didn't matter what the item was—getting something for nothing always felt incredibly satisfying. And doing it repeatedly? That was pure ecstasy.
His System was exactly that: a glorious cheat code that allowed him to infinitely game the universe.
In other words, it guaranteed a permanent winning streak.
The thought almost made him want to kiss the damn interface.
Since arriving in the Main God Dimension, his freedom and very life had been restricted. Yet, from what he gathered, outright executions by the Main God were surprisingly rare.
According to Sakamoto Kenji, across dozens of missions, he had only ever seen one person erased—and that was because the guy suffered a mental breakdown and blabbed classified information about the dimension to the natives.
Other than that, Kenji hadn't witnessed a single execution.
This revelation put Shin's mind at ease.
He valued his life above all else. How else could he have survived the deadly perils of so many unpredictable worlds?
Now that he was free from the constant threat of random system teleports, and with the Main God's execution penalty hanging far out of reach, a heavy burden lifted off his shoulders.
His mood brightened considerably, and the lingering guilt of leaving Kushina behind began to fade.
Of course, he still missed her terribly. She had been by his side for years, never wavering.
Yet, he had hurt her time and time again, constantly leaving her behind.
It was always out of necessity, leading him to feel like he owed her a massive debt.
But that wasn't the immediate problem. With enough Reward Points, he could eventually pay for a ticket back to his original world and spend time with her.
Right now, his top priority was stocking up on survival gear. Staying alive came first.
However, without any side-quest tokens, a lot of the premium items were firmly locked away.
Spatial equipment, for instance, required side-quest tokens. Without them, acquiring something as basic as a spatial ring was impossible.
There were budget options available, of course.
Like the "Spatial Pocket" originating from some obscure fantasy world.
It looked like an ordinary satchel and held about a cubic meter of space. It could shrink items to fit inside, but there was a massive catch—it was agonizingly slow to open.
Once you channeled energy into it, the bag would slowly "boot up."
The opening of the pocket would gradually expand until you could finally withdraw an item. Unfortunately, this entire process took a full three minutes.
It was a complete joke. The design flaw made it worthy of endless complaints.
Because of this delay, the item was only good for long-term storage; relying on it in the middle of a frantic firefight was a death sentence.
Worse yet, the item had a fatal security flaw.
It was unbound and didn't recognize specific energy signatures.
This meant that absolutely anyone who pumped energy into the bag could open it. It was practically begging to be stolen.
If a thief swiped it, your gear was as good as gone.
And even this piece of junk cost 1500 points, a price that made Shin wince in pain.
He glanced at Yoshida Haru's portable hospital setup—Rank C+ and 3000 points. Haru had spared no expense on that front.
Next, Shin purchased five Energy Potions. At 100 points each, they restored a fixed amount of energy.
Based on the item description, one vial would replenish about a third of Shin's reserves.
The effect was highly practical, mainly serving as a safety net to prevent him from burning out mid-battle.
His combat power skyrocketed when he activated Super Saiyan 2, turning him into a powerhouse.
However, the energy drain was severe. Often, after just three to five minutes of high-intensity fighting, he'd run dry and be forced to drop the transformation.
From that point on, he had to rely on defensive brawling, using pure physical grit to clash head-on with his enemies.
Finally, he shelled out a whopping 1000 points for a Senzu Bean. This item didn't require a side-quest token, and its healing effects were miraculous, hence the exorbitant price tag.
Knowing its value, Shin considered it points well spent.
Having just come from the Dragon Ball universe, he was intimately familiar with the life-saving magic of the Senzu Bean.
Seeing the 1000-point price tag, realization hit him hard—he had missed out on a massive payout.
If he had used his reputation as a world-saver to borrow a handful of Senzu Beans while he was in the Dragon Ball world, he would have made an absolute killing.
Talk about a missed opportunity to game the system.
But looking back, he had walked away with zero physical loot.
He had literally saved that world, right?
Yet he walked away empty-handed, leaving only with the System's standard rewards.
Anyone would feel a sting of regret over such an oversight.
But crying over spilled milk was pointless now.
Not everyone possessed the mind of a cold, calculating mastermind who planned a dozen steps ahead.
He shifted his focus, pondering his exact role within this new squad. Raw combat power wasn't always the most critical factor; teamwork and synergy were paramount.
Shin wasn't just a pure damage dealer lacking utility. His combat trajectory and skill set closely mirrored those of a seasoned lone wolf.
He wondered if Kenji's squad was prepared to integrate a lone wolf into their ranks and what that dynamic would look like.
These questions fueled his curiosity, but answers would have to wait. Their team combat mission was about to begin.
With Shin on board, Kenji seemed to discard his usual extreme caution.
Even without proper time to synergize and train as a unit, Kenji confidently ushered everyone directly into the next world.
Back in the ZXC town, Ryuta's squad might have held an edge over them.
But with Shin's addition, everything had changed.
A pillar of white light engulfed the six of them, and their figures slowly faded from Purgatory Plaza.
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