Chapter 151: Advanced Milestone - Rakshasa Demon
"The 'Ziying Immortal Plant' you're looking for is actually Dendrobium officinale. It's a type of orchid, praised as the chief among all immortal herbs."
"Legend has it that when the alchemist Xu Fu went to sea to find the elixir of life for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, this was the very herb he was searching for."
"It generally grows in the Dabie Mountains region in the south of Japan, and also in parts of India. If you want it, you should be able to find it."
Kaito listened to the old professor's voice on the phone and nodded at Lin. Lin immediately thanked the old Traditional Chinese Medicine expert. He had been searching for this herb all over Southeast Asia with no luck. He had finally paid a large sum to a merchant guild owner who had pulled some strings to contact this professor.
While he knew an herb with a name like "chief among all immortal herbs" would not be cheap, for Kaito, who was now the master of an entire estate, as long as it could be bought, it wasn't a problem. He waved his hand, signaling Lin to go and acquire it.
He planned to spend the next few days making a tour of the region, letting the other local powers "recognize their new master," and establishing a home-field advantage for his future paradise. At the same time, the [Secret Trove: Cursed Blood Origin] had been sitting in his inventory for a while. He needed to gather the herbs and use it as soon as possible. A treasure that could purify his bloodline was best used early.
Now that he had a lead on the Ziying Immortal Plant, only the [Immortality Grass] remained. He suspected that it, too, was an ancient name for a plant that was now known by another name. He had Lin ask about it while sourcing the orchid. He couldn't be sure that the real-world herbs would satisfy the formula's requirements, but since the herbs he had bought in The Boys world had worked, he guessed that these derivative worlds, though separate, all shared a common origin. A world set in "Japan" was likely to have a high degree of commonality with the real world.
Just as he suspected that the real world had its own hidden forms of cultivation, perhaps the line between the "real" world and the "derivative" worlds was not as absolute as he had thought.
Kaito lay on his second-floor balcony. After Lin had left to arrange for the herbs and gather intel, he listened to his footsteps fade, and then, with a thought, he returned to his private space. He had already opened the Crimson Drop Card from Grinder's weak shooter subordinate, [Observer]. As expected, he had received +1 Agility, but the item draw had yielded nothing useful. In Kaito's opinion, the gap between that man and Grinder had been too large for them to be on the same team. He was more like a personal subordinate. As for why a "tank" would need his own followers, Kaito didn't know.
His private space hadn't expanded by much, still hovering around two hundred square meters. He did, however, find a ledger in Grinder's space. It was written in Chinese, which he could easily read. It was a record of all the protection money payments from the local factions. Kaito put it away. He now had a road map to completely take over the man's territory.
After returning to the public space, he saw that the offers on his stall had grown to several hundred. Aside from a few meaningless curses from people angry that the [Gene Targeting Optimizer] was no longer available, most of them were serious offers.
He returned to his stall and began to sort through them.
First, he sold [The Butcher's Leather Coat] for two C-rank Singularities and 3,000 DP. The item's stats were a bit redundant for him, but its quality was high, so the price was decent. Then he traded [Stormfront's Cape], a Black Iron-grade Story Equipment, for one C-rank Singularity and 5,000 DP. The bids on these two items weren't that high because their stats weren't exceptional. But as Story Equipment, they had a high [Information] content, which meant they had high potential for repair and enhancement. In the Nexus, these were known as good "bases."
The item that had received the most offers, by far, was the [Compound V].
[Compound V]
[Quality: Scarce]
[Description: A gene-altering drug created by a Nazi scientist from the world of The Boys. Can cause relatively stable genetic mutation in humans.]
[Effect 1: If injected into an infant under 30 days old, has a high probability (85%) of causing a stable mutation, turning them into a Supe. Failure may result in deformity, genetic defects, or death.]
[Effect 2: If injected into a being with fully-formed genes, it will force a temporary mutation, granting a temporary superpower. This state is unstable. The ability will disappear after a period, and will cause severe side effects, including but not limited to, genetic necrosis, and a drastically reduced lifespan.]
This was likely the most convenient way for a Reincarnator to gain a superpower. A single injection, and you could instantly find out what ability you'd gotten. Although the ability was temporary, Reincarnators were a group of "short-lifers" who lived on the edge of death. Few of them thought about the "future." If you were lucky enough to get a powerful ability, and the accompanying physical boost, you could potentially make a huge haul in a mission world and then pay the Goddess to repair the genetic damage or even make the power permanent.
Kaito had obtained 10 vials of the drug. This was far more than the normal drop rate. Items brought out of a world required an [Information] attachment. You couldn't just go into The Boys world, rob a black market, and bring out a pile of Compound V to mass-produce Supes. The 10 vials Kaito carried were, in essence, a bonus reward tied to the devastating events he had caused. They were saturated with the "information" of Homelander's death, Maeve's death, Butcher's death, and so on.
The bids were of two types. The first were solo players, bidding on a single vial. The offers ranged from 10,000 DP to a B-rank Singularity. The one who had offered the B-rank had the codename [Show] and had left a message saying he was willing to negotiate in person and wanted to buy more. Kaito judged that this [Show] was likely a skilled lone wolf. Anyone who could casually offer a B-rank Singularity was no fool.
The second type were team buyers. These all wanted to buy all 10 vials at once. Their offers were mostly item trades. Kaito saw several Exceedingly Rare quality items and pieces of equipment. The one that caught his eye the most was a Devil Fruit.
[Unidentified Devil Fruit]
[Quality: Exceedingly Rare]
[Description: A product of the world of One Piece and its derivatives. A secret treasure of the sea, the incarnation of a sea devil.]
[Effect: When eaten, the user will gain a certain ability.]
For a Reincarnator, a Devil Fruit was one of the cheapest ways to get strong. If you were lucky enough to get a Logia-type, you could breeze through many mission worlds. Zoan-types were a massive boost for physical combatants, and Paramecia-types often had game-breaking effects. It was truly a "secret treasure." While it was worth over 100 million Beri in its home world, in the Nexus, it was priceless and was usually snatched up the moment it appeared.
Kaito considered the offer from the [Far East Magic Society] for a moment, then sent an invitation to several of the teams to begin a bidding war. He noted that the Magic Society was being tricky. An unidentified Devil Fruit's value was inflated by the mystery. Once identified, its value could plummet.
But it was precisely because of their "tricky" nature that Kaito didn't just trade with them. Dealing with people who were too clever was always risky.
Kaito then sold off all of his other items: the [Precious Gemstone], [The Terminator's Grip], [The Debt Collector]. His resources exploded.
Singularities: 4 B-rank, 3 C-rank, 3 D-rank.
Dimensional Points: 31,400 (after spending 13,500 on his robe).
With this unprecedented wealth, Kaito was ready to enhance himself again. He first went back to the Rank Management Office. Knight-chan saw the familiar face and gave him an energetic smile.
"I'd like to inquire about [Milestone Synthesis]," Kaito said.
Knight-chan nodded, looking him over as if she were reading data. "To have completed so many milestones in such a short time… you are quite obsessed with power, Reincarnator."
She expertly went through the pleasantries, then began to arrange something in the air with her hands. At the same time, a notification appeared before Kaito.
[Detected that you simultaneously possess the Milestones: Villain, Genocider, and Savior (Exceedingly Rare). You have unlocked the following synthesis options for an Advanced Milestone and a Title.]
[Rakshasa Demon (Scarce): Pay 1 D-rank Singularity + 3000 DP to fuse [Villain] and [Genocider]. When equipped, gain a special suppression effect against human-type creatures and the ability of short-range flight. This ability can be enhanced by killing humans.]
[Title - The Villains' Savior (Exceedingly Rare): Pay 1 B-rank Singularity + 10,000 DP to trigger a quest. When equipped, gain a unique ability.] (Note: Activating this quest will open a special battlefield and summon qualified Reincarnators for a deathmatch. Difficulty is extremely high. Cannot be activated below [Strong]-tier.)
"A very rare title," Knight-chan said. "But you cannot enter that realm yet."
As she said, the Title option was grayed out. "If I fuse the Rakshasa Demon milestone now…" Kaito began.
Knight-chan smiled. "Of course, you wouldn't spend a price to get weaker. Even if you become a Rakshasa Demon, you will still retain the characteristics of a Villain."
Kaito nodded and held out his hand.
[You have lost 1 D-rank Singularity, 3000 DP.]
[You have obtained the Advanced Milestone: Rakshasa Demon. Equip?]
"Yes."
Kaito lightly leaped into the air. He felt a fierce, baleful aura radiate from his body, and at the same time, a faint feeling of lift. Combined with his martial arts mastery, he guessed he could now achieve a short-range glide.
[Message from TT65562877 (Black Butler): Someone has made a special offer for your Compound V. You should consider it.]
A new message. Attached was the information for an ability scroll.
[Ability Scroll: Shun Goku Satsu (?)]
[Quality: Exceedingly Rare]
[Description: The ultimate, secret art of a terrifyingly powerful warrior from the world of Street Fighter. Contains the mystery of the true secret art, 'One Moment, a Thousand Kills'.]
[Requirements: Strength and Agility must be in the Second Tier. Must have mastered the 'Satsui no Hado'.]
[Effect 1: If requirements are met, gain Shun Goku Satsu (A).]
[Effect 2: If special conditions are met, gain True Shun Goku Satsu - One Moment, a Thousand Kills (S-).]
Kaito landed. This ability was a perfect fit for him. Even the "Satsui no Hado" (Killing Intent Wave) was not out of his reach. He had already used the negative energy from the spirits within him to simulate a similar energy. He now possessed both the positive energy of Hamon and the deathly energy of his new body. He didn't care about the energy's alignment.
He sent a message. [Who wants to trade?]
[Message from TT65562877 (Black Butler): The leader of the [Fatal Fury] team, Rose Tiger!]
Kaito had heard the name. They were one of the most famous low-tier teams. Rose Tiger was the rival of [Kai], who had used the Hadoken. Their strength was likely similar, around the [Strong - Middle/Upper] tier. He thought for a moment. He remembered what the [Intestine Hunter] had said about the Titled Reincarnators fighting amongst themselves, not just personally, but also through their subordinate factions.
He looked at the high-priced offers from the other teams and suddenly understood. Perhaps the mid-tier teams of the Nexus were currently in a very unstable situation.
The stormier the sea, the more expensive the fish. Kaito's lips curled into a grin. He sent a message to Black Butler, then turned and entered the Goddess's Sanctum.
[Message from XX53562211 (Mercenary Tao): Tell them to come to my private space in half an hour. The vials are in high demand. We'll have an auction.]
"So?" [Fleur], the Flower Fairy, asked.
The pink-haired Rose Tiger's face was dark. He didn't want to sell his [Shun Goku Satsu] scroll, especially not to a rising star like [Mercenary Tao], who could one day become his rival. But [Fleur] had wanted to buy all the vials herself, and he had seen the unhealthy ambition in her eyes. He had to keep her under his thumb, to cut off that ambition.
Black Butler could feel his anger, but he just shook his head. "Mercenary Tao wants to hold an auction…"
BOOM!
A geyser of energy erupted in Rose Tiger's private space, punching a hole through the white jade floor.