Chapter 2
Inside the laboratory, the two old schemers were each making their own calculations.
But the center of all their plans, Kiriya himself, was struck by an unexpected change.
[Ding! System loading complete. Congratulations, you have become this system’s host.]
The voice in his mind was cold and mechanical, but to Kiriya at this moment, it sounded like music from heaven.
’System, you damn thing, you finally showed up!’
Kiriya was almost moved to tears.
In his current situation, the system was probably the only thing that could add even the slightest certainty to his future.
The overwhelming joy was so intense that it even allowed him to temporarily ignore the bone-boring pain ravaging his entire body.
’Quick! Where’s my beginner gift pack?’
Kiriya called out urgently. That was how it always worked in novels, so it definitely could not be wrong.
[There is none.]
The system’s voice remained cold, and Kiriya felt his heart turn icy.
’Then... what about a lottery?’ He asked carefully.
He was not greedy. Just give him some kind of temporary powerhouse experience card so he could kill the two old schemers outside.
[There is none.]
’Then... then what about an exchange shop? I’m willing to pay. No, I’ll pay with my life!’
Kiriya made up his mind. As long as the system dared to give him a life-payment button, he dared to press it.
[There is none.]
The system’s answer was still that straightforward.
Kiriya nearly wanted to cry!
No beginner gift pack, no exchange shop, and not even a chance to pay money or sacrifice lifespan...
’This doesn’t work, that doesn’t work. What can you even do? Trash system!’
The pain tormenting his body was driving Kiriya insane, and he could not help cursing the system in his mind.
This was such a scam. Was he really about to become the shortest-lived system host in history?
[This system can lead the host through the worlds beyond, allowing the host to obtain endless resources and explore endless mysteries.]
As the system spoke, a list that only Kiriya could see opened in front of him.
Jujutsu Kaisen world, One Piece world, DanMachi world...
The long list of worlds dazzled Kiriya’s eyes.
Under normal circumstances, Kiriya would definitely have studied the list carefully, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each choice.
But right now, danger was burning right at his eyebrows.
He did not have the leisure for that. He had to find a world that could solve his current condition in the shortest time possible.
Under that extreme sense of crisis, Kiriya pushed his brain to its limit, and his gaze locked onto one particular world.
’System, can I choose the exact landing point when I travel to another world?’
To be safe, Kiriya still asked.
[Yes.]
’Good.’
Kiriya clenched his teeth so hard they creaked.
’Target world: DanMachi.’
’Transfer location: Orario.’
[Transfer function will now activate. Next transfer available in twenty-four hours. Host, please confirm whether to transfer.]
’Confirm.’
Outside, the two old schemers were closely observing Kiriya’s physical condition while also keeping their guards up against each other.
Both of them were prepared to make a move and seize him the moment he survived the experiment.
But at that very instant, a blinding white light flashed before their eyes.
By the time their vision recovered, they discovered that the cultivation chamber where Kiriya had been floating was completely empty.
Kiriya...
Was gone.
"What—?!"
...
"Is this... Orario?"
Kiriya looked around.
Crisscrossing alleys, side streets, and corridors connected the surrounding buildings together, forming a complicated maze-like cluster of structures.
Even so, Kiriya still saw it.
Babel.
The great tower that pierced heaven and earth like a pillar holding up the sky.
Only then was Kiriya finally certain that he had arrived in Orario, the famous Labyrinth City.
Turning his head, he saw a handsome face reflected in a glass window.
Of course, that was not the important part.
What drew Kiriya’s attention most was his eyes.
They were as red as fresh blood, with two black tomoe in each eye, swimming like dark fish.
"The Sharingan? I actually awakened the Sharingan?"
Kiriya was overjoyed.
But before that happiness could last even two seconds, the abnormal sensation in his body swept over him like a tsunami.
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
Suddenly, Kiriya began coughing violently, as if his lungs were being torn apart.
Blood poured from his mouth in large mouthfuls.
Kiriya knew that this body was already approaching its limit.
"I have to find a goddess as soon as possible," Kiriya muttered.
If his body ultimately failed to adapt, then forget the Sharingan. His life would be gone, and everything would become meaningless.
Just as he was about to get up and leave, he heard a burst of suppressed, malicious laughter beside him.
"Kekekeke, Boss, today’s our lucky day. We just stepped out and already found a top-quality piece of goods. Look at that body... that face... tsk, tsk."
"Exactly. Plenty of women would scream over this one."
"Tsk, sure, but doesn’t he look a little weak? Can he really survive being toyed with by those female adventurers?"
"You’ve got a point... Then we’ll send him to those noble ladies instead. They love this type."
"Good idea."
"What’s with those eyes? They’re red. Is he sick?"
"That makes it even better. Rare eyes will raise the price."
The words were filled with undisguised malice, making Kiriya frown. He turned his head and saw five people walking toward him.
The one in front looked to be around thirty, nearly two meters tall, with a face full of beard.
A scar stretched from his left eye all the way to the corner of his mouth, and he carried a huge axe on his back, wider than his own head.
A fierce, battle-hardened aura surrounded him.
The men behind him either carried longbows or had daggers at their waists. Their bodies were still stained with quite a bit of blood, making it obvious that they had just gone through a fight.
They were all seasoned fighters.
The burly man carrying the giant axe noticed Kiriya’s cold gaze, but he did not care in the slightest.
Kiriya was completely naked.
With their eyesight, they could naturally tell that there were no sacred letters on his back.
What did that mean?
It meant this boy had not received a Falna yet.
He was a weakling even worse than a rookie adventurer.
To someone like him, a Level 2 adventurer, this boy was nothing.
He was practically a great figure looking down on an ant. Why would he need to worry about a rookie’s glare?
In fact, the angrier and more humiliated the boy looked, the more pleasure he felt, until it became almost addictive.
So the man strode forward, stopped in front of Kiriya, bent down, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Kid, you’re lucky you ran into us. We brothers are famous for our loyalty. Next, we’ll send you to a noble household, where you’ll eat and drink better than ever. When you rise in the world one day, don’t forget us, all right?"
"Hahahaha, exactly. Kid, you’d better thank us properly."
The lackeys behind him laughed wildly, their arrogance completely unrestrained.
Kiriya’s body was trembling.
Not from fear, but from pain!
Even so, he still clenched his teeth and forced out each word.
"Then I really should thank you."
"Mm-hm. Good, good. You understand your situation."
Seeing Kiriya’s "unwilling but helpless" expression, the axe-wielding man’s mood improved even further.
He could not help planting his hands on his hips and laughing loudly.
Yes, yes, that was the flavor.
That look of humiliation, of someone unwilling but forced to submit, was simply too wonderful.
However, while he threw his head back and laughed, Kiriya, who had his head lowered, suddenly lunged forward.
At some point, a sharp wooden spike had appeared in his palm. It slipped through the gap in the man’s armor and stabbed into his abdomen.
Puchi—
A blade pierced flesh, and blood sprayed out.
The burly man froze.
The lackeys behind him were also stunned.
No matter how hard they thought about it, they could never have imagined that this pretty little bean sprout of a boy would actually dare to launch a sneak attack.
And worse, that sneak attack had succeeded.
A wooden spike kill a Level 2 adventurer?
What kind of joke was that?
But shock was shock. They were not particularly worried.
It was just a wooden spike. It had not struck a vital point, so it would not be enough to take their boss’s life.
The one who truly needed to worry was that pretty boy.
Now that he had angered their boss, his ending would be miserable.
"Why bother? Wouldn’t it have been better to just cooperate obediently?"
The group looked at Kiriya with pity.
Sure enough, in the next instant, the axe-wielding man flew into a rage. He raised a fist as large as a pot and smashed it toward Kiriya’s abdomen.
He did not dare hit the face. After all, that was the most valuable part of the merchandise.
But he could still teach this brat a lesson he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Kid, you’d better enjoy this punishment from your uncle!"
The burly man grinned viciously. The force behind his punch was so strong that it stirred the air.
Yet no one expected that when the fist was about to reach Kiriya’s stomach, it would suddenly stop.
The man’s entire face twisted from extreme terror.
"Huh? What’s Boss doing?"
While the lackeys were still wondering what had happened, they saw sharp spikes drilling out from inside their boss’s body, one after another.
In the blink of an eye, their boss had been turned into a human hedgehog.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique."
This was the power of Wood Release born from the Hashirama cells.
After surviving the initial adaptation period, Kiriya had finally awakened that power!