Chapter 505: The Galaxy Rangers' Most Reasonable Gathering, Rappa's Past Exposed!
The players who were still able to send bullet comments marveling at this were already the ones with good mental resilience.
Even more players,
were simply stunned in front of their screens.
Some gasped in cold air.
Others held their heads tight!
All of this was so bizarre and outrageous!
Yet thinking carefully about it,
it seemed entirely logical!
Everything clicked into place!
Turning a corner,
they arrived at the operation area outside the laboratory.
Two researchers were standing there, talking.
And the middle-aged man among them,
the name above his head was precisely—Master Kucha!
Rappa stepped forward.
She said respectfully, "Greetings, Master Kucha. The secret incantation… has been unraveled by this one."
The middle-aged man immediately showed a look of astonishment: "Wh-what… It hasn't even been two system hours…"
"Master Kucha, do I now… count as a ninja apprentice?"
The middle-aged man quickly composed himself.
Lowering his voice, he spoke in the tone of a senior elder: "…Ahem, of course!"
"Young maiden newly entering the ninja path, this old man acknowledges your resolve. From this day forth, you are the successor of the Dazzling Ninjutsu."
"Thank you, Master. This disciple… is deeply honored."
…
"Holy shit! This is Master Kucha?"
"This Kucha is a researcher??"
"Damn it! I was wondering why the name sounded so weird—how could a master be named 'Kucha' [ Underpants ]? Turns out this guy just made it up on the spot!"
"Little Rappa, you cracked the code and still went back to report? Run! What kind of godforsaken place is this!"
"Without a doubt, this must be the laboratory of the AtaviSearch Forest."
"Master Kucha is a researcher monkey. Who knows, maybe he was the one who sent Rappa in with his own hands, and yet he's still acting like some grand master here!"
"It's all just to trick Rappa into obediently undergoing the experiments here!"
"These people deserve to die a thousand times over, seriously!"
"[ A past filled with blood, tears, and heartlessness ]"
…
At this moment,
Master Kucha spoke in a slow, deliberate tone: "Look upon this city-state shrouded in gloom! Suffering, hatred, and sorrow all fester in soil steeped in sin; the surging waves of blood and tears shall swallow all hope."
"It is all because of the heartless, tearless Evil Ninja Osaru, who cast foul sorcery to drag the people into ruin and indulged malevolent specters to bully the weak, rousing the shared wrath of the world."
"You shall inherit the legacy of the Ninja Hero, settle the score for the evil shinobi's crimes, end the long night of the Ninja City, and restore a peaceful, pure world to the people."
Rappa wholeheartedly agreed: "I will cultivate diligently, and one day… become the Dazzling Ninja Hero of whom Master speaks."
"What admirable resolve! To contend against the evil shinobi, you still require a new name—a name belonging to a ninja."
"A name…? Is AK-A- 3 a name?"
"I do not know, ninja apprentice. A name carries your ideals, engraves your convictions, and heralds your destiny. It is your very own ninja title."
"—Therefore, you must decide it for yourself."
…
"I'm shocked! I was wondering why these words sounded so familiar—these are the lines from the first act of the recap in [ Galactic Ninjutsu Scrolls ]!"
"Stripping away the filter of her past memories, this is the reality of the past."
"The foreshadowing has come full circle."
"Holy crap, my own gameplay just reached Act One, and I got goosebumps all over instantly!"
"So AKA was actually an experimental code name?"
"Wuwuwu, my heart aches so much for Rappa…"
"Living in a lie the entire time—who wouldn't break down from that?!"
…
Hearing what the master said,
Rappa pondered earnestly for a moment.
She replied, "Then… Rappa. 'An undisturbed mind, smiting evil and revealing justice'. These were Master's earliest teachings, and I wish to name myself after them."
"Good! A pleasure to meet you, Dazzling Ninja Apprentice AK-A-Rappa! What follows is the bitter cultivation to become a ninja. Can you keep up?"
"Of course. Pain is ordinary for a ninja; this one shall never shrink back."
The laboratory corridor opened.
[ The path of a Ninja Hero is never an easy one.
A Ninja Hero must possess a body of bronze sinews and iron bones.
First Ascetic Trial: Ninja, Diamond Body. ]
Ahead,
stood a combat ape.
Rappa explained to herself: "It is an evil spirit… but it is a dazzling evil spirit that likewise detests the Wicked Ape Shinobi and belongs to Master Kucha's sect."
The Battle Ape uttered a voice: "Number Three… take the medicine…"
"The murky secret elixir contains an excessive amount of Ninja Energy. Swallowing it means enduring the agony of broken bones and torn intestines."
"But to become a Shinobi Hero, one must take it daily… to forge a macrocosm of Ninja Energy within the body. It is a discipline to temper body and mind."
…
"Waaaah, little Rappa, DON'T SWALLOW IT!!!"
"The medicine here is a genetic drug meant to shatter and reconstruct cells all over the body. You can imagine the pain yourselves…"
"Don't take it, NOOO!!!"
"Holy crap! So this is what the 'training' actually was…"
"Damn you, AtaviSearch Forest! Deceiving an innocent child like this—do you monsters have no humanity left at all?!"
"I'm so furious my teeth are grinding!"
"I can't take this! I'm going to find the base of the AtaviSearch Forest and slaughter these beasts a hundred times over!"
"The single episode where I understand the Galaxy Rangers the most."
…
Even Little Gui couldn't watch any longer!
Two options appeared on the screen:
[ Swallow the Ninja Medicine ]
[ Refuse to Swallow ]
She decisively chose the second option!
However,
Rappa was rationalizing it to herself!
"Do not fear… A Ninja Hero must know no fear!"
[ The moment you swallow the drug, intense pain overwhelms your senses. ]
[ Skin, muscle, bone… You feel every part of your body being eroded, destroyed, and rebuilt… ]
In the background,
the sound of shattering bones echoed.
Yet Rappa still endured, refusing to let out a single cry.
Gritting her teeth, she instilled belief in herself.
"Ossu! After three thousand nights of this arduous training, this one shall become invulnerable like a Ninja Hero…"
The following Second Asceticism was [ Ninja Hyper-Senses ]!
Waiting for Rappa ahead was a female Research Ape.
"She is the Master of the Dark Cloud Pavilion, the head of the dojo and the support for our Dazzling Cadre."
"She uses the Ring of the Thunder God to awaken a ninja's potential. Through the enlightenment of the Lightning Style Ninjutsu, the body gains extraordinary ninja senses."
The Master of the Dark Cloud Pavilion said coldly, "Number Three, I'm going to dial up the intensity. You'd better hold on; the future of the laboratory depends on you."
"Indeed… The future of the Ninjutsu Capital shall be forged by the Dazzling Ninja Hero. This one will surely fulfill the promise."
…
"Thunder God…"
"Holy shit, this is electrocution! Electrical stimulation!"
"This is straight-up electrotherapy!"
"The Ring of the Thunder God turned out to be a collar that discharges high-voltage electricity. That's fking insane!"
"Sob sob, Rappa, MY HEART HURTS SO BAD FOR HER!!!"
"I don't even dare to keep watching."
"What kind of hellish laboratory is this?!"
"There's a line in the quest description here: [ AK-A- 3, from the day you were born, you knew you were just an experimental subject, right? ]"
"Huh? If she knew, why didn't she run away?"
"If it were me, I would have broken down long ago…"
…