[Tallying results. Evaluating player's performance in the instance... Evaluation complete.]
[Overall Score: S (Maximum possible score for this instance).]
[Basis for evaluation: Single-handedly resolved all three of the instance's crises, perfectly protected yourself and your teammate, and carried two players who would have otherwise died.]
[Player level up: Lv3 (20% EXP) → Lv3 (50% EXP).]
[Distributing rewards now.]
[Notice: As the player's level is far above the instance's average level, and entry was forced via unauthorized means, the rewards for this instance will be greatly reduced. Please enter the game through normal means to participate in suitable instances and receive appropriate rewards.]
[Reward 1: Class Skill - Sharpness Combustion (Purple).]
[Skill Description: This skill can be activated when using any skill belonging to the 'Degenerate Tachi Shrimp' class. It burns a certain amount of Controllable Sharpness to enhance the skill's effect.]
[If the enhanced skill is a charge skill, you can choose one of two effects upon activation: 1. Increase the move's power. 2. Use a certain amount of Controllable Sharpness to instantly substitute for some or all of the charge time.]
[This skill has no cooldown. The burned Sharpness will be deducted after the skill is released and will not affect the damage output of the current attack.]
Fumiya Jin was slightly surprised.
Seeing that the rewards were greatly reduced, he hadn't held out much hope. After all, the main purpose of this instance was to protect Kei-chan. Now that she was safe, he could accept it even if the rewards weren't great.
But he hadn't expected to still get a Purple skill, and a rather useful one at that.
Burn Sharpness to increase power?
That wasn't actually very useful.
Fumiya Jin's damage output was already more than sufficient. Whether it was the extraordinary cutting power from his Controllable Sharpness, the inherent strength of his Iai techniques, or the massive boost from "This next strike is gonna be cool!", his damage had already reached an absurd level.
Even if that wasn't enough, he still had his teammates. Nijika's war drums and Yuki Suou's Fervent Taunt, when stacked, would surely elevate his damage to a whole new level.
In short—he already had enough damage multipliers; this one wouldn't make much of a difference. Adding another one would have minimal impact.
However...
Burn Sharpness to substitute for charge time?
Now that was a complete game-changer!
Fumiya Jin's strongest core output was his Iai.
But Iai's damage increased with charge time. To even unleash a 2.0 version, he might need to charge for ten seconds, which was far too long. In a complex combat situation, he'd rarely get the chance to use it.
But if burning Sharpness could replace charge time, wouldn't that mean he could instantly cast a 2.0 charge like a basic attack?
He could even release a 3.0 instantly?
Wasn't that basically cheating?
Even hacks weren't this broken.
Of course, Fumiya Jin considered that Controllable Sharpness was an extremely precious resource that directly affected his weapon's cutting power, so he couldn't just use it recklessly. And besides, he didn't know the skill's consumption rate yet. The amount of Controllable Sharpness needed to release a 2.0 or even a 3.0 attack could be astronomical.
But even so, the ability to instantly release a charged attack was still incredibly significant.
Even a 1.0 version, if cast instantly, would be devastatingly effective in actual combat.
In any case, he would have to test this skill thoroughly after he got out. It had the potential to completely change Fumiya Jin's future combat style.
[Reward 2: Soul Sand x50.]
It was that same translucent sand again. This time, however, there was much less than before—just a small, thumb-sized clump.
Fumiya Jin had actually been quite curious about this stuff and had taken it out to examine after the last instance.
But aside from its unique appearance, he had no idea what it was used for, and there was no descriptive text. It was stable in his hand, neither melting nor changing in any way.
[Reward distribution complete. Tally will now conclude.]
[The next game will begin in one week at the latest.]
"Is that it? The rewards really were cut down a lot..."
The last time he got an S-rank, he received a Gold skill, a Purple item, and 200 Soul Sand. In comparison, this time's haul was severely diminished.
[Special Notice: As you have participated in the game multiple times and have accumulated 3 S-rank evaluations, you have been designated a high-quality player and have earned the right to form a Samsara Squad. You may now create your own Samsara Squad and participate in the Samsara Game.]
[Samsara Games entered as a squad will be more diverse and complex. An instance may involve only one squad or have multiple squads competing against each other. Additionally, after participating as a squad, the rest period is generally longer than when entering as a solo player, with the specific duration depending on the instance's difficulty and scale.]
Hearing this, Fumiya Jin felt another surge of delight.
A Samsara Squad?
If queuing as a duo or trio before was just considered casual grouping...
Then the size of a squad should be much larger than that.
Maybe he could bring four, five, or even more girls in with him?
This would instantly solve Fumiya Jin's problem of not being able to queue for instances with Nijika, Yuki Suou, Shiina Mashiro, and Kei-chan all at the same time.
This was, one might say, absolutely crucial!
Not to mention the longer rest periods after participating as a squad.
[The Samsara Squad function has been unlocked on your terminal. Please explore it at your leisure.]
[Tally concluded. Exiting settlement space...]
...
He opened his eyes...
...to the familiar entryway.
Before him was a beautiful girl who, like him, was slowly opening her eyes as if waking from a dream.
"Uh..." Kei Shirogane stared blankly for a moment, then looked at Fumiya Jin. "Are we... back?"
Fumiya Jin nodded. "Yeah, we're safe for now. But you probably heard it too... there'll be another game."
Hearing this, Kei Shirogane's face fell slightly. "That game is too hard... One wrong move and you're dead. It's all thanks to you, Fumiya-san, that I survived this time. If you're not there to guide me in the future, I..."
"Then why don't we just always team up?" Fumiya Jin said with a relaxed expression, raising his hand to gently pinch the girl's soft, pale cheek.
"Eh??"
Kei Shirogane froze.
She looked up at Fumiya Jin, her gaze timid.
"But... you're so strong, Fumiya-san. Bringing me along would just be carrying dead weight..."
"I don't think so," Fumiya Jin said, shaking his head. "Kei-chan has her strong points too."
"I do? Like what?"
"For example... Kei-chan is obedient, incredibly cute, and soft to the touch. She's very comfortable to hold, and..."
"Wait, wait, wait!!" Kei Shirogane's face flushed red as she held up a hand to stop him. "What is all this! Does any of that have to do with the instance???"
_____
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