Chapter 83: The Fifth Element
[In this world, you can obtain and unlock the following Milestones. Milestones will affect your final mission rating and potential Title acquisition.]
[Spirit Toucher (Rare) - Successfully touch a spirit and survive.]
[Curse Apprentice - Trigger over 5 different curses and survive.]
[Exorcism Trainee - Exorcise a minimum of 10 Cursed Spirits.]
[Lucky One - Participate in a certain spiritual disaster and successfully survive.]
[Black Flash (Rare) - Successfully trigger Black Flash at least 3 times.]
…
Tsk. Just by looking at the milestones, you could tell how ominous this world was.
Kaito Shirogane stood in the shadows, his heartbeat slow and steady. The giant arm retracted back into the ruined wall, revealing the vague shape of a massive, twisted ball of flesh. The oppressive feeling from this monster was far greater than what he had felt from the Hand Demon. Most importantly, this creature was undoubtedly a spirit—a Cursed Spirit—an invisible monster that ordinary people couldn't even see.
Kaito looked at the curse mark on his left hand. Although he could currently see these Cursed Spirits, his ability to fight them was somewhat lacking. Cursed Spirits were not demons; they wouldn't die just from being exposed to the sun. While a positive energy like Hamon might have some effect, it wouldn't be a hard counter. Cursed Spirits were special life forms born from negative emotions and cursed energy; they could walk and kill in broad daylight.
Kaito confirmed that his best weapon against them was, without a doubt, the [Secret Rite - Strike of Inari]. An ability from a Shinto god would surely have a strong affinity against such profane creatures.
Kaito turned and walked toward the other side of the plaza. A tattered piece of paper drifted toward him. He caught it, and clear text appeared before his eyes.
[Main Quest Initiated]
[Main Quest Stage 1: Within three days, successfully escape the Dead Silent Capital - Tokyo.]
[Success Reward: Unlock the next stage of the Main Quest, 1 E-rank Singularity, 1000 Dimensional Points.]
This main quest only listed rewards, no failure penalty. In Kaito's eyes, this was a clear warning. It meant that something terrifying was going to happen in Tokyo after three days, and the Nexus considered that just being in Tokyo after that time was the ultimate penalty.
Kaito leaped lightly onto a wall. His movements were swift, light, and made almost no sound. In just a few steps, he had reached the edge of the plaza. The surroundings were eeriodically silent. On the wide main road, cars were abandoned, and the concrete was cracked and decaying.
Suddenly, Kaito looked up. Several figures emerged from a building across the street. At the same time, two others appeared to his left. These people were clearly Reincarnators, all wearing distinctive custom avatars. Because "avatars" were invisible to plot characters, they served as a reliable way for Reincarnators to identify each other. Of course, some Reincarnators went against the grain and deliberately disguised themselves as plot characters.
These newcomers, seeing that everyone was moving silently, understood that no one here was a fool.
From the three-man group across the street, the leader pointed to a spot in the middle of the road, far from any buildings that could provide cover. In a place like that, even if a Cursed Spirit appeared, everyone would have time to react.
Both the three-man team and the two-man team began walking toward the spot, clearly intending to exchange information. Their gazes, however, kept drifting toward Kaito. They had all noticed that a "lone wolf" had gotten mixed into this dangerous mission.
Because of the existence of [Crimson Drop Cards], it was almost impossible for Reincarnators to truly trust one another. But the high-risk nature of the Nexus forced many to team up for survival. Over time, these teams would slowly weed out those who couldn't adapt. Lone wolves were usually the first to be eliminated. The moment someone had ill intentions, a team could always kill a solo player.
But conversely, any lone wolf who managed to survive long enough to enter a high-difficulty mission like this—one that was tough even for the [Mortal]-tier—was definitely no simple character.
"Looks like everyone here is smart, so I'll be direct. This world has clearly been wrecked by other Reincarnators. Gojo Satoru is dead. The plot is unrecognizable. Our intelligence advantage has been drastically reduced," the leader of the three-man team said.
"Given the danger of our current situation, infighting right now is not a wise move."
The speaker was a muscular, middle-aged man with a thick beard, wearing a black leather jacket. Kaito noticed several silver rings on his hands, guessing they were some kind of special equipment. Behind him, a tall, thin young man with a ponytail wore a monocle and carried a sniper rifle on his back—a classic shooter build, and an extreme threat to other Reincarnators. The third member wore a hood, obscuring their face, but they held a short staff topped with a ruby. A spellcaster.
This looked like a standard, balanced team: a melee frontline, a caster, and a high-damage shooter. A setup like this usually implied a stable team with a high degree of mutual trust.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the captain of the [Last Hit] team. Codename: Reed. All three of us are [Mortal]-tier Reincarnators, and we possess abilities specialized in fighting Cursed Spirits."
This man, Reed, was clearly a strategic thinker. As the largest and most powerful group present, he had taken the initiative to propose a truce. This was a move that would almost always win the support of the weakest party—the lone wolf. Whether his intentions were good or evil, seizing control of the temporary alliance was never a bad move.
The two-man team exchanged a look and agreed. "My codename is [Mai]. This is [Sakurako]. We are also [Mortal]-tier, and we also have abilities specialized against Cursed Spirits." The two-man team didn't reveal much, but Kaito noted that they were two men using female codenames, guessing they were likely young otaku types.
Everyone now looked at Kaito. He was just about to speak.
BOOM!
A massive explosion made everyone's expression change. In the distance, several large buildings seemed to awaken at once. A dark aura began to spread, and swarms of bizarrely shaped Cursed Spirits began to pour out of them. The source of the sound was a signal flare. It exploded in the night sky, forming a strange pattern: four small points of light surrounding one large, central light.
"Run! It's [The Fifth Element]!" Reed shouted, his voice filled with panic. "That crew is summoning their teammates!" He clearly recognized the signal.
Kaito, having been a Reincarnator for such a short time and having no connections in the Nexus, had no idea who [The Fifth Element] was.
The group didn't bother waiting for Kaito's introduction. They instantly scattered and fled. The "alliance" that had been proposed just seconds earlier had shattered. In the face of true danger, a loose alliance was often worse than just running for your life. Who knew if someone would stab you in the back at a critical moment?
Reed's team ran to a nearby car. He tore the door off its hinges with his bare hands. The sniper got into the driver's seat, fiddled with the ignition for two seconds, and the engine roared to life.
The other duo, Mai and Sakurako, pulled two skateboards from their inventories. The moment they stepped on them, thrusters on the bottom ignited, and they shot off down the road at over eighty miles per hour.
Kaito now realized what he was missing. Mobility. While he was incredibly fast in close combat, he lacked a convenient mode of transportation for large-scale missions. He couldn't always rely on plot characters or public transport.
He thought for a moment, then called out to the three-man team as their car was about to peel out. "Yo! Mind giving me a lift?"
Kaito, who had always been a law-abiding citizen, didn't possess the skill to hotwire a car.
The members of Team Last Hit were stunned. They couldn't believe this guy, with his unbearably ugly avatar, was this audacious.
"Are you sure you want to get in our car?" Reed asked, his voice low. He was certain that any sane lone wolf would never get into an enclosed space with a three-man team in a world where Crimson Drop Cards were active. That was tantamount to placing your life in the hands of their so-called "morality." But Reincarnators were a pack of interdimensional pirates, plundering worlds to strengthen themselves. Looking for morality in this group was like looking for a millionaire under a bridge.
Kaito answered with his actions. He walked over, got into the back seat, and closed the door. "Don't worry," he said. "I don't usually attack people without reason."
Reed was about to say something else, but the hooded spellcaster spoke first. "Just go. We can talk later." It was a woman's voice.
The car shot forward. The man behind the wheel was clearly an excellent driver, weaving through the abandoned vehicles at a high speed as they fled the city center. Reed sat in the back, his entire body tensed, watching Kaito. In his opinion, Kaito's behavior meant one of two things: he was either an idiot, or he was extremely skilled. A lone wolf who had lived this long could not be an idiot.
As the car sped on, Reed gripped his right hand. Kaito noticed that the silver rings on his fingers were glowing faintly.
"So, it's your turn to introduce yourself, Mr. Lone Wolf."
Kaito was observing the surroundings. It was hard to see much in the darkness, but since the main quest was to escape Tokyo, they were likely still deep inside the city. "Mercenary Tao," he said. "Melee specialist, I guess."
Click-clack.
As he spoke, a shotgun suddenly appeared in his hands, and he racked it.
Reed's nerves exploded. He instinctively threw a punch.
"Look out! Hostile approaching from behind, fast!" the spellcaster in the passenger seat shrieked.
Kaito tilted his head, dodging Reed's fist, and shoved the barrel of his shotgun against Reed's shoulder, using it as a brace as he fired out the back window.
BOOM!
The car door was blown off its hinges. Reed, deafened by the blast, reacted instantly and looked back. He saw a Reincarnator, arms spread wide, spinning through the air from the force of the blast before vanishing from view.
"It's a scout from The Fifth Element! Turn into the commercial district! Now!"