The project is named: [Heroic Spirit Summoning Project].
If the heroic souls of the Heavenly Realm are too powerful to summon, then one can simply summon ordinary people with strong personal wills and train them into heroes. In any case, the body summoned by Shaka's magic is similar to a heroic spirit death merely means returning to the real world, which can serve as the basis for the Fourth Calamity.
As a long-time bookworm and self-proclaimed "plagiarist," Shaka has read quite a few novels featuring the "Fourth Calamity" Genres Perfectly, the world of DanMachi is a perfect fit for a Western fantasy RPG worldview.
So...
"I have a general idea, but how do I explain my situation to the group members?"
While pondering, Shaka had already mobilized his mental energy and opened a portal to the [Anime Crossover World].
Location: My home.
The portal was still only the size of a pinhead but it was much easier and more stable than connecting to the Heavenly Realm. Shaka could also try to enlarge it, with a limit of about the size of a thumb. In that instant, he vaguely sensed that the world itself contained many similar small gaps.
"My guess was right; it turns out that mysterious world really does exist."
This meant he needed to be more careful in what he did.
According to Shaka's understanding, if Kobayashi's world exists, then there must be at least one world with Thor connected to it and angels, demons, demon kings, and heroes couldn't be ruled out.
Shaka considered a solution, took out his phone, and turned it on. The signal strength on the screen gradually increased, eventually reaching full strength. Wi-Fi connection successful. He opened QQ and pulled up the chat group.
[Shaka: "I, Gate master, has returned!"]
[Blank (offering incense): Shocking!]
[Thunder Hammer Wielder (Offering Incense): "The missing person has returned?!"]
[Kotoko Iwanaga (offering incense): "Ghost?! Monster!"]
[Guitar Hero (Offering Incense): "Waaaaah! Ah waaaah! My hair!"]
[Shaka: "What's with all those incense-burning emojis?!"]
Shaka was stunned when he finished typing. The entire group member list was now decorated with candle and panda incense burner suffixes.
[Thunder Hammer User: "Wow, Gate Master, you've been missing for a week! Everyone thought you'd perished while exploring the Impenetrable Boundary!"]
Dekomori was so frightened that he even forgot his usual death catchphrase.
[Chiba's Fallen Saint Black Cat: "It's alright. I've said it before, I will take action! Even if I fall into hell, it will only be to return to my kingdom."]
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "You're hopeless. The editorial department almost posted a missing person notice. Now that everything's alright... well, Sonoko asked me to ask you, when will the new volume of Demon Slayer be finished?"]
Shaka: Stunned!
He'd already time-traveled, and people were still coming to urge him to finish his work! Are they some kind of demon?! Who would time-travel and become a writing machine to update content?! You bastard!
...
"I hate you, Fatty utaha!"
Feeling touched by the group's enthusiasm, Shaka didn't forget his purpose. The magic's duration was limited, so he had to act quickly. He first scrolled through the chat history to catch up on the past week's major events and finally got drawn to one message: someone in the group had snagged a closed beta test qualification for SAO!
Many people were interested in the world's first fully immersive game and felt regretful about not getting a slot. Shaka thought to himself, "Oh no, if SAO is already involved, then I'm doomed! Maybe I should just confess."
At that point, people in the group started asking where he'd been for the past week.
[Shaka: "I know everyone is curious about what's been going on with me over the past week..."]
[Shaka: "If I told you I accidentally traveled to another world and was assigned the task of summoning heroes to defeat the world-destroying dragon, would you believe me?"]
[Thunder Hammer User: "Shock! Really? Death!"]
[Blank]: "Heh, I think we should call the police. If you said Qin Shi Huang asked you to help him restore his country and gave you an elixir of immortality as payment, maybe you could fool people."
[Guitar Hero: "Shaka-san, if you're being kidnapped, just blink!"]
[Shaka: "To be honest, I dont expect you guys to believe me. But once you receive divine blood and get a Falna, I can teleport you all here for a genuine otherworldly adventure. And you'll start with a Falna—once you achieve great things and level up, even eternal youth won't be a dream."]
Shaka took a selfie to prove he wasn't lying.
[The Sadistic Hero: "Oh, you're actually making it sound quite convincing. Why don't you say you're running a brand new game? That would pique our interest. Another world adventure? Only a fool would do that."]
[Chiba's Fallen Saint Black Cat: "SAO really is a second world—it's just that closed beta slots are so rare. But could it be that Mr. Descendant is involved in making a brand new game? Knowing that company, a high-quality copy is probably coming soon."]
Shaka felt somewhat discouraged. Honestly, nobody believed him. So, should he try what Kazuma suggested? Anyway, he'd originally planned to recruit using the SAO model.
He continued thinking: If he claimed he was invited by a game company for a secret test, that could cover up his week-long disappearance. Why not give it a try?
[Shaka: "If there really were a second world similar to SAO, one that could 100% replicate reality, would you be interested?"]
...
An apartment in Sakura City.
Hiding in the closet, Gotoh hitori uploaded her daily guitar solo and looked at the chat group. Her head was buried between her legs, her chin reflecting the phone's light.
"In the second world, online, I can still stand up. Does that mean I can make friends too?"
Bocchi (her online name) was socially awkward in real life but surprisingly outgoing online even boasting about her guitar skills in the comments. But a fully immersive game still made her uncertain. That day, while watching TV with her family, a sudden SAO advertisement changed her world, which had previously revolved only around guitars.
If only I could start a completely new life in another world! When Bocchi heard from her first fan online, she felt a glimmer of confidence.
...
In the mountains of Sakura City.
A girl with a prosthetic eye and foot sat on a tree. Kotoko Iwanaga had been chosen by yokai when she was young; at the cost of one eye and one leg, she became their goddess of wisdom. Her duty was to handle supernatural incidents in the city and explain anomalies using common sense.
She put away her phone, with a monster who had returned with news standing beside her.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Your Highness, there's a strange spiritual reaction at that person's residence. It's possible he's become a spirit after death."
Before the girl stood a blood-soaked samurai ghost.
"Is that so? We can't rule out the possibility he's causing trouble as a spirit." Kotoko covered her face. "They're all such a handful."
"These kinds of incidents have been happening more often lately what's going on...?"
The samurai chimed in: "The monsters have noticed too; their demonic energy has become more active."
Upon hearing this, the girl jumped down from the tree and headed toward the city.
"Ugh, why did things have to become as complicated as deflowering someone..."
The samurai was speechless at her lewd joke.
"Go back and keep a close eye on the Descent."
"Yes."
...
Meanwhile, Shaka far away in another world felt helpless seeing the awkward silence in the group. Ultimately, most members were online friends he'd never met in person, apart from a few companions who'd searched for the Impenetrable Boundary. For example, he'd never met Kazuma or Blank face-to-face; if he hadn't played so many games with them, he wouldn't have been able to recruit anyone. Staying at home is terrifying.
Shaka pondered:
He didn't have many test slots available. Even if Ryu received the letter in a few days, he could only increase his stats through his skills. Given the high mana cost of summoning heroic spirits, he couldn't launch a large-scale operation yet.
Thinking this over... Shaka's fingers flew across the keyboard, leaving a message:
[Shaka: "I have two spots available for the test. DM me if you're interested."]
After that, he secretly opened a private chat with his old friend [Shadow].
[Shaka: "Are you there? Are you there? Shaking you!"]
[Shadow: "? You're still alive?"]
[Shaka: "?"]
When I type a question mark, it's best if you have a good answer.
Without wasting time, Shaka typed rapidly:
[Shaka: "I have a stealth game here that's completely realistic claims 100% realism. Are you interested?"]
[Shadow: "Can you let me withstand a nuclear bomb with my own body?"]
[Shaka: "No."]
[Shadow: "No interest."]
[Shaka: "..."]
Smash the phone! That's not how the story goes!
Shaka picked up his phone, feeling frustrated. He'd thought Shadow would believe in the other world and be easy to persuade.
[Shaka: "Games can't do that, but becoming an adventurer might. Want to come to another world? Let's have some exciting duo matches!"]
His message disappeared without a trace.
In a mountain forest somewhere.
Shadow stared intently at the chat group, repeatedly watching the video Shaka had sent. In the video, Shaka blinked sincerely.
"The video is live, but it's dusk suggesting the location has a significant time difference. Add the surrounding environment..."
"Hmph, that idiot, he actually used such a clumsy method to remind me."
He turned off his phone, pulled up his collar, hid a heavy crowbar in his sleeve, and casually booked a plane ticket.
"Just wait, your Shadow Daddy is coming to save you right now."
...
The World of Danmachi.
Shaka stared at his phone screen, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"This guy could he have gone to a non-existent kidnappers' hideout to rescue me?"
If anyone in the group matched his initial character, it was the ever-training [Shadow Master]. This ultimate chuunibyou, who trained to counter nuclear bombs, was at least above special operations soldier level and much more reliable than the cute Guitar Hero. But he could be incredibly headstrong.
Shaka quickly sent a message, trying his best to persuade Shadow not to act impulsively.
"Sigh." He sighed.
...
At this moment, in a room completely sealed by heavy curtains on the top floor of a high-rise building, the chat window was turned off.
Sora looked at the white-haired child in his arms with mixed feelings and said, "Hey, there's a lot to unpack here."
"Um."
"He actually said it's just like garbage reality."
"I see."
Sora lay sprawled on the ground, dazed, sucking his thumb and nodding slightly. He hadn't slept in ages.
"Wouldn't that mean..."
"En."
Shiro shrank back, trembling: "Terrible."
How scary, how scary, how scary.
Reality is terrifying. The world outside the room is terrifying!
"But..." Shiro rubbed his eyes and raised his head: "Full stealth, I want to play!"
"Eek," Sora clutched his head tightly: "No way!"
"But..." Shiro pondered: "It's just a game, so it doesn't matter."
"..."
"But his story sounds too much like a scam. But because it's so clumsy, it doesn't seem fake. Maybe we should wait and see."
"En."
BONUS CHAPTER FOR THE 1 POWER STONE :(
PS. the "Fourth Calamity" (or Player/System Calamity) often refers to the chaotic arrival of modern-day gamers or system-users into a fantasy world, disrupting traditional power structures and causing unpredictable, game-like destruction
Drop more power stone for bonus chapters