_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Faced with the sudden invitation, Rosen froze for a moment before his mind caught up.
"A chat group?"
As a certified transmigrator from the Celestial Empire, he knew this trope well. Chat groups were the overused little maiden of web novels—so overworked they were practically worn thin.
Yet meeting one for real still felt oddly… nostalgic.
Finally, a golden finger he actually recognized.
And judging by the feel of it, this "chat group" was completely separate from his Tree of Life.
Two different golden fingers?
After sixteen years of quiet mediocrity, was he finally about to hit his stride?
He couldn't tell yet whether the chat group was better than the Tree of Life, but an idea quickly formed in his mind—what if he could contract people from other members' worlds through this group?
Definitely worth testing. If it worked, he'd have a lot more paths to power.
He was still wondering what would happen if he clicked "No" when, as if reading his thoughts, the panel updated itself.
[Registering identity. Nickname generated.]
[Welcome, member "Shepherd," to the Dimensional Chat Group! Here you can find like-minded friends and partners, and kick off an exciting new future. Hurry and say hi to everyone~~~]
Rosen blinked.
What the hell?
He hadn't even hit confirm yet. Was this forced entry?
Still, he didn't bother protesting. Instead, he examined the chat group's interface with interest.
It was a lot like the chat apps he'd used before: clean dialog window, sidebar icons for different functions—group files, video chat, voice calls, even… stickers.
They really kept up with the times.
Meanwhile, the group, which had been quiet, stirred at the "new member" notification.
[Blizzard of Hell]: "A newbie at this hour? Welcome~"
[Shut-in Angel]: "Ah! We've spotted a newbie! His protein content is six times that of beef—let's sneak up behind him, grab him in one swoop! strangle.jpg"
[Shut-in Angel]: "evil_grin.jpg"
[Saeko]: "Welcome."
[Bad Woman]: "Welcome, newbie~ If you don't understand something, feel free to ask anytime."
[Old Mage]: "If you're lost, just learn from your seniors—you'll avoid a lot of detours that way."
Rosen glanced at the member list—just five people besides him.
So the group hadn't been around long.
And the nicknames… some he recognized.
Blizzard of Hell was straight from One Punch Man, the B-class rank one esper and leader of the Blizzard Group.
Saeko was almost certainly Saeko Busujima from Highschool of the Dead—a familiar face in countless fanfics.
The others—Shut-in Angel, Bad Woman, and Old Mage—he couldn't place right away. Too many possible matches in the anime world.
Not that it mattered. Identities could be figured out later.
[Shut-in Angel]: "Why isn't the newbie talking?"
[Saeko]: "Maybe you scared him. If you don't get the joke, it's easy to misunderstand."
[Shut-in Angel]: "Eh? I thought it was funny. Never mind, I'll just explain it later."
[Blizzard of Hell]: "By the way, your nickname's interesting—'Shepherd.' Is that literal?"
[Old Mage]: "A shepherd? Sheep are soft to touch. Once slaughtered, their wool can make warm clothes, and the meat makes great stew for the cold. Dried mutton works too, but fresh cuts need to be eaten quickly."
[Old Mage]: "So, newbie, can you get a few sheep? Preferably already butchered. I'll trade you gold or points—points are really valuable, you know."
[Blizzard of Hell]: "And suddenly you say something terrifying with a straight face."
[Old Mage]: "Did I?"
"..."
______________________________________________________________________________________________________