Chapter 421: Yellow Springs Quest – The Titan Who Will Soon Break the Wall
"Master, what's the point of issuing a [Yellow Springs Quest]?"
Afu looked puzzled. "That Konoha player who died already had Tier 2 strength. Even if you throw him into the Attack on Titan world, he won't grow much from it."
Attack on Titan is a Tier 1 world.
A looping tale along the river of fate.
A world suddenly plagued by an apex predator of humanity—Titans—mindless, massive, and driven solely by the urge to devour.
In fear of extinction, humans built three great concentric walls to imprison themselves and fend off the Titans.
The world's strength and its core essence,
as Afu said, were quite low—comparable at best to Demon Slayer.
A Tier 2 player in the Titan world would earn little in contribution points.
Afu added,
"Instead of issuing Yellow Springs Quests to help the restless spirits of other worlds, why not just let players pay points directly to buy Underworld Flowers?"
These Yellow Springs Quests essentially resolved the lingering regrets of the dead.
From countless worlds came spirits with deep obsessions.
If not resolved, they were devoured by the King of the Yellow Springs.
Seeing Afu's curious look, Fang Yi didn't keep her in suspense.
"The [Path of Yellow Springs] is special.
Though part of the Corrupted World, it is completely neutral.
It doesn't interfere beyond guiding spirits whose regrets prevent them from moving on."
Afu nodded. That much made sense.
"These spirits come from countless worlds. Their regrets run so deep, they refuse to vanish even in death.
Helping them let go allows us to guide them into the Reincarnation Game."
Fang Yi's eyes sparkled. These spirits were premium player material.
Resurrection tokens could revive players, but the cost in world origin was immense.
For Tier 1 it was manageable, but as more players reached Tier 2, the price kept rising.
Reviving a player with a token was like paying the King of the Yellow Springs for their life.
But Yellow Springs Quests were a way to bypass the King.
A clever way to "steal" those souls into the game—saving massive costs.
So—
Fang Yi simply canceled the old system where reviving cost contribution points,
and replaced it with this:
"Bring in new players from the Yellow Springs. One successful recruitment equals one free revival."
That way, he didn't have to keep traveling between worlds to find candidates.
The game would gather exceptional souls on its own.
…
Narrow streets, packed tightly with low-roofed houses.
Familiar, thick, enclosing walls towered like shields around the district.
The blurred vision gradually cleared.
"Didn't I… die?"
Eren's eyes flew open. He lifted his hands and stared at his unharmed body in disbelief.
The streets were filled with onlookers.
The great wall's gate lowered. A bell rang solemnly,
and a ragged squad marched slowly through the wall opening.
It was a scene he remembered well.
The Survey Corps.
Wait… wasn't this after Wall Maria had fallen?
"Mikasa?! You're alive?!"
Eren turned his head sharply.
There she stood, the dark-haired girl. He shouted, tears welling up.
But she didn't respond.
Didn't even look his way.
He tried to reach for her—
Bam.
An invisible wall blocked him.
"The quest countdown isn't over yet. Don't waste your energy, kid."
Eren looked up.
The man speaking was dressed strangely, with white hair and a steel-plated forehead protector.
"Who are you?"
Despite his low EQ, Eren had sharp instincts.
No one else in the busy street noticed him—
but this man could see and speak to him.
And he wasn't from around here.
A stranger.
"Instead of asking who I am, maybe check your head.
The Reincarnation Game should've told you already."
Jiraiya hadn't expected Yellow Springs Quests to be so unusual—
to actually partner with the soul in question.
If he could complete the main quest and keep the spirit alive,
he could earn not only an Underworld Flower but also a massive reward.
"The Reincarnation Game…?"
Before Eren could think, a flood of information surged into his mind.
"I… already died?"
He no longer doubted it.
A Colossal Titan shattered Wall Maria. Countless Titans swarmed in.
He, Mikasa, Armin…
All of them were devoured.
"But I… I wasn't supposed to die…"
That thought kept echoing in his head.
Something felt wrong.
"The Titan World's will has been corrupted.
Its looped fate shattered.
This is what we call 'narrative collapse.'"
Fang Yi observed the pair, taking notes.
In the original timeline,
Eren, the Chosen of Fate, wielded the power to control all Titans—past and future.
He survived every crisis, joined the Survey Corps, and eventually triggered The Rumbling, ending the war.
But now, with the world corrupted,
the chosen one had been devoured from the start.
No wonder his spirit was so restless.
"The Reincarnation Game… If I complete the main quest, I can really revive? Return to the real world?"
Eren felt like he was dreaming—surreal and bizarre.
Jiraiya looked at the dazed youth and smiled.
"Got it, kid? All we need to do is finish the mission."
Eren stared at him, eyes burning with emotion.
"So everything in my head is real? I really died… and the Reincarnation Game brought me back?"
Right now,
everything around him—
the intact Wall Maria, the calm citizens—
meant he had returned to the moment before the Colossal Titan would appear.
Jiraiya took a mental note and said,
"Seems so. When I found you, you were already dead."
He'd activated Seer's Insight and chosen Eren's spirit as his quest target.
Now he understood—
the Path of Yellow Springs wasn't just punishment.
It was a unique way to recruit players.
Like the shinobi who'd received game invites,
Jiraiya himself was now a special kind of invitation—
a guide.
If Eren survived and completed the mission,
he would become a player too.
"That's a good thing!"
Jiraiya weighed the risks and rewards.
Unlike those chosen by the clan system,
souls summoned through Yellow Springs quests were often exceptionally talented.
If he could guide them into the game,
it would be a huge boon for Konoha.
But—
The danger was real.
Jiraiya could feel it—his power was sealed.
He was now weaker than an average citizen in the shinobi world.
He was like a civilian from Demon Slayer or Claymore.
"So this is what Fang Yi meant…
The baseline for these quests is the native body strength of the spirit's world?"
This kind of quest was extremely difficult.
If it failed—he would die.
He remembered the option to spend Yellow Springs Points on temporary gear.
Opening his player panel and store,
he stared at a strange device.
"Hey kid—what's this vertical maneuvering equipment?"
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