But then, a problem arose!
Hayashi, Erina, and Hisako weren't originally from the Konosuba world, so they could abandon the Konosuba power mode—which had a high floor but a low ceiling—without hesitation. But Yunyun was a native, purebred Konosuba resident. What should she do?
If Yunyun chose the Konosuba mode but later decided to continue adventuring with Hayashi and the others, she would eventually fall behind as their strength grew, constrained by the limitations of the Konosuba system.
If she chose the normal mode but later returned to the Konosuba world to become the Crimson Demon clan's leader, she would find her power system incompatible with the world—unable to learn others' skills through skill points or teach her own skills to others.
'Ugh, what do we do?' Hayashi rubbed his head in frustration, and his sudden distress naturally caught the attention of the three behind him.
Erina couldn't help but ask, "Hayashi, what's wrong?"
"There's been a change in the situation." Hayashi looked at Yunyun, and from his expression and gaze, Erina and Hisako immediately realized the "change" likely involved her.
"M-me? What about me?" Yunyun, who had been full of excitement just moments ago, suddenly tensed up.
"Well, how do I put this…"
Hayashi rubbed his head and said, "Hmm, where we come from, people can't learn skills through skill points."
"Huh?" Yunyun was taken aback and asked, "Then how do you learn new skills?"
"Through normal learning, just like how you learned to walk and talk," Hayashi said, looking at Yunyun. "By understanding the principles behind skill activation and the flow of magical power, then practicing repeatedly, you can master new skills."
Yunyun stared blankly at Hayashi, utterly confused. As a native of this world, she simply couldn't comprehend what he meant by "learning new skills through study"—how could skills be acquired without skill points?
This was entirely a matter of ingrained perception. It was like how ancient people could never have imagined that one day, humans would invent devices that could be controlled remotely via smartphone apps.
Such deeply rooted beliefs couldn't be overturned by Hayashi's brief explanation, nor did he intend to make Yunyun fully grasp the underlying principles. He only needed her to understand the pros and cons of both options and their subsequent consequences.
"...That's the gist of it," Hayashi concluded succinctly before saying to Yunyun, "If you want to leave yourself a way out, the skill point system is undoubtedly the best choice."
Under the gazes of Hayashi, Erina, and Hisako, Yunyun felt like she was about to cry—W-what kind of choice is this!? Why do I have to make another decision??
"Don't rush. You can take a day, even a week, to think it over," Hayashi reassured the flustered Yunyun. "We're not in a hurry—you can take your time."
"I-I understand—" Yōyō nodded, still somewhat dazed.
...
...
Hayashi slumped onto the sofa and shrugged. "What a mess."
Hisako took a sip of tea and remarked, "Actually, this is normal, isn't it? The skill point learning method in Konosuba's world is convenient, but you're left helpless without skill points."
If they stuck to Konosuba's system, it would feel bizarre—knowing full well that condensing magical power in your hand and converting it into flames should release a fireball, yet being unable to do so simply because you hadn't "learned" the skill.
Erina chuckled. "Isn't that how most game-like worlds operate? Spend skill points to learn abilities, and without them, you can't learn anything."
Games like Diablo or Borderlands all followed this skill tree setup, didn't they?
"True," Hayashi nodded in agreement, sighing. "Still, game worlds are great places to power up."
Too bad the Interdimensional Gate could only access animated 2D worlds. Otherwise, a trip to DNF to obtain a class legacy would make them unstoppable—first awakening to destroy cities, second awakening to obliterate stars, and third awakening reaching universal-level combat power, right?
As for game-based anime worlds...
'Sword Art Online? With our current martial skills, we'd steamroll through it...'
'Accel World? Pointless—it's just a mess without programs and cameras...'
'Log Horizon? Doesn't seem particularly strong either...'
'What else is there? Wait—Overlord!?'
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Hayashi's mind. He abruptly raised his head and exclaimed, "I just thought of a place where we can rapidly increase our strength!"
"Where?" Erina asked curiously. "Which world has got you so excited?"
"Overlord," Hayashi replied as he pulled out a laptop from his backpack. "While Yunyun is still contemplating her choices, you all should catch up on the anime!"
After their experiences in the Konosuba world, Hayashi had largely figured out the Interdimensional Gate's rules for recognizing power. Simply put, it rejected free rides and valued genuine effort.
If Hayashi attempted to gain universe-level power by snatching the Infinity Stones, or purchased a top-tier account in the Overlord world when prices plummeted during server shutdown, all he'd obtain would be Infinity Stone-style anal beads and combat prowess that only worked within the Overlord world—enough to destroy a country at best.
If Hayashi were to study the rule power within the Infinity Stones or steadily create an account, level up, participate in dungeon raids to obtain items, he could assimilate the knowledge and strength gained through his own efforts and take them with him.
'Damn it, is this the retribution for all those times I pirated content creators' videos?' Hayashi lamented, leaning back on the sofa. If he could only gain strength through training, it meant that his previous ideas—like "wishing for Saiyan bloodline with the Dragon Balls"—were basically pipe dreams.
...
...
Erina and Hisako were catching up on Overlord, Yunyun was contemplating her future plans.
As for Hayashi? Hayashi found himself with nothing to do.
So, he idly began observing Kazuma Satou and Aqua—keeping a diary of sorts. Honestly, Aqua was truly a disaster, the epitome of "live for today." Every bit of money she earned went straight into buying alcohol.
Impressive.
'Only Kazuma could possibly tolerate her, right? If it were me, my blood pressure would skyrocket, and I'd go full berserk—dual blades, bloodlust, rage, XXX combo into Cross Slash, then finish with a Big Crush Blood Sword to send you straight to heaven!'
While watching the anime, Hayashi could laugh carefreely. But seeing Aqua's series of ridiculous antics in real life—even if they didn't directly affect him—made his temples throb.
Unbearable. Absolutely unbearable.
'I can't take it anymore! Kazuma Satou, even though you're a pervert, I respect you as a man.' Hayashi clicked his tongue. He had originally planned to secretly slip Kazuma a few million gold coins—after all, the currency of this world was useless to him. But after a glance at Aqua by Kazuma's side, he reluctantly abandoned the idea.
Aqua wasn't worth it!
The only thing Hayashi could do was clasp his hands together and pray for Kazuma… Wait a minute, this guy had Aqua, Eris, Darkness, and Megumin around him…
Why should I feel sorry for him?
Damn you, you lucky bastard!
...
...
"Finished watching it. What do you think?" Hayashi asked curiously, looking at Erina and Hisako, who had just finished the first season of Overlord. "In my world, this anime is pretty popular in my country."
"Well…"
Erina made a complicated expression. "The protagonist's intelligence seems entirely focused on outsmarting imaginary enemies."
Hisako nodded in agreement. "He clearly doesn't understand Demiurge's plans at all, but just nods along to save face."
Hayashi couldn't help but chuckle. "Exactly! Battling wits with thin air is Overlord's signature charm!"
If they watched the next two seasons, they'd probably encounter hilarious moments like the "Shame of the Succubi" or Sebas' "universe at his fingertips." Of course, there was also the discomfort of the 70,000 deaths at the end of Season 3.
"However, there's one thing that bothers me," Erina frowned and said, "The Undead race has skills to suppress their emotional fluctuations, right? So we definitely shouldn't choose non-human races." She analyzed seriously, "If that emotion-suppressing skill carries over, that would be terrible."
"Right, right," Hisako quickly nodded in agreement. "And the appearances of heteromorphic species are just too strange! If we got stuck like that—I absolutely don't want to become a slime or a skeleton!"
"Ahem, don't worry, I've considered this aspect too," Hayashi coughed twice and explained. "I also don't want to turn into a slime, a bird-headed person, a skeleton, or some other bizarre creature."
Or rather, if Suzuki Satoru knew he was going to transmigrate, he probably wouldn't have chosen a skeleton as his race either, right? At the very least, he'd pick a slime, wouldn't he? If he could become a slime and tightly envelop a beautiful girl, enjoying her... ahem!
No, no! That kind of play is way too lewd!
Hayashi quickly shook his head, banishing all images of slimes x beautiful girls from his mind, and hurriedly said, "Originally, my next destination was going to be a world where humans and gods coexist, but now that we have a better target, making a trip to the Overlord world first is actually a great choice!"
Hisako clapped her hands happily. "Yay! I want to be like Ainz Ooal Gown and create lots of cute NPCs too!"
Erina's eyes lit up with a hint of anticipation. "Our own Pleiades?"
Hayashi silently nodded beside them—this was absolutely not the time to speak up. They had to keep quiet and strike it rich!
This was the best!