Hell...
Rias dismissed the thought in her mind. If this place were truly Hell, that would actually be a relief—going to Hell was practically a homecoming for her. Unfortunately, this was absolutely not Hell.
"In that case, if there really is a mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes, he's the only logical suspect?" Rias voiced her deduction, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Li Ke.
"Pretty much. And he's the one who gave me that piece of information in the first place," Kiri said, her lips twitching slightly. "To this day, we still haven't been able to test whether he's telling the truth or just spinning a yarn. This world is a pretty bizarre place, after all."
The explanation Li Ke had provided was honestly far too sketchy to believe blindly. She couldn't blame Rias for being suspicious; when she had first heard about it, her immediate reaction was also that Li Ke had to be the mastermind behind everything.
And that possibility had never truly left her mind.
For all she knew, Li Ke's helpless behavior could just be an act.
Her initial stance had been simple: if he was lying, she would beat him to a pulp and correct his attitude. If he couldn't be corrected, she would just put a bullet through him. If they could actually go back, then that would obviously be for the best, and at that point, it wouldn't even matter if Li Ke was the mastermind or not.
It was just that Tsunade unexpectedly forcing her way into the equation had made the whole situation feel completely convoluted.
"I see..."
Rias nodded slowly. She couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary from Li Ke; no matter how she looked at him, he seemed like nothing more than a completely average mortal. Still, she couldn't rule out the possibility that he might be some ancient entity playing a role.
In reality, Tsunade was thinking the exact same thing.
The only person present whose mind wasn't running down that cynical path was Lux.
"Eh?! T-That kind of method...?"
Having finally processed what "sleeping together" actually implied, Lux's face instantly flushed bright red. Even though she wasn't completely ignorant about such matters, the mere thought of actually doing something like that made her violently blush.
"Uh... Personally, I think you all are overthinking this way too much. It's really just a unique ability of mine... Forget it, trying to explain it is only going to make me look guiltier."
Li Ke let out a helpless sigh. From the very beginning, he knew that revealing his special ability would lead to a situation exactly like this. But if he wanted to truly establish a physical relationship with Tsunade and Kiri—and leverage the power of his Endless Traveler skill to escape this place—he absolutely needed a catalyst that would get them into bed with him.
No matter how he sliced it, laying his cards on the table had been his best option.
"So, could you guys untie me now and let me get to doing quests? If we don't level up and get stronger, there's no way we'll ever uncover the secrets of this world," Li Ke said, shifting his weight. "Plus, Kiri, you should have leveled up quite a bit by now, right? Take a look at your panel and see if you can accept quests yet."
Li Ke glanced at his own level indicator. He had already climbed to Level 70, but compared to when he was at Level 50, nothing had changed. He was still stuck exactly where he was, with absolutely no new features unlocked.
"Huh?"
Kiri blinked, caught off guard. She hastily opened her character status menu. The next instant, a wide grin spread across her face, and she playfully formed a finger-gun, aiming it right at Tsunade.
"Haha! Tsunade, I can finally accept quests now too! Hey, Li Ke, your theory was totally spot on! I've reached Level 54. This stupid system really does rely on that to level up and unlock content! Who knows, maybe we actually can go home just by grinding levels!"
Kiri's words brought a sudden glimmer of hope to the eyes of the two newcomers. Tsunade, however, simply shook her head. Whether leveling up could grant a ticket home was completely irrelevant to her for the foreseeable future because she still couldn't stomach the sight of blood. While it was technically possible to level up by mining and digging, it was obviously nowhere near as fast as Li Ke and Kiri's method of excavation paired with mowing down zombies during the Blood Moon.
Besides, digging tunnels aimlessly in a world like this was just asking for trouble.
"Ooh, let me test if these skill points are really as magical as you claim!"
With a grin, Kiri immediately dumped two skill points straight into Agility. The very next second, the expression on her face shifted drastically. She deftly spun her revolver around her finger before executing a lightning-fast draw-and-shoot motion.
She stared down at her own hands in utter amazement.
"Unbelievable... I'm easily twenty percent faster!"
Kiri found the sensation completely mind-blowing. Just from slaying zombies earlier, her neural reflexes and finger dexterity had already bounced back to her absolute prime. Yet this felt like an entirely new leap forward!
As a Ranger, she was already considered top-tier across the entire Lawless District. It wasn't that no one could surpass her reaction speeds back home, but those who could were few and far between.
Yet, by simply investing two measly skill points, she had instantly shattered her own biological limits—propelling her straight into the absolute highest tier of apex reaction times and sheer dexterity!
"This is absolutely incredible..."
Staring down at her hands, Kiri couldn't help but let out a fierce, exhilarated smile.
Rangers were a breed of people who constantly chased after their biological limits, obsessively pursuing pure speed and power. When presented with a definitive path to getting stronger, they would naturally hunt it down without a second thought. As for whether that power stemmed from some strange, external system—
A Ranger didn't give a damn about things like that.
"The power mechanics are definitely bizarre, but man, is it handy! If I can take this strength back with me, I might actually be able to contend for the title of the absolute strongest Ranger in history!"
Kiri beamed with pure excitement. She wasn't usually one to obsess over power for power's sake, but things weren't exactly looking great for her companions back home. If possible, she wanted to be strong enough to make a difference by the time she finally returned.
Personally, I feel like you're more suited to contend for the title of the absolute most scamming merchant in history, Li Ke silently roasted her in his mind.
Meanwhile, Rias and Lux grew increasingly bewildered. They had absolutely no clue what was happening, and Kiri was now entirely engrossed in her newly acquired speed. She began darting around, flipping, and rolling across the area to acclimate her body to the new reflexes.
For the foreseeable future, this wild woman wasn't going to be paying any attention to the rest of them.
As for Tsunade...
Li Ke glanced over at her. She was just sitting there, head lowered, completely tight-lipped. Recognizing his opening, he smoothly turned his attention back to the two bewildered ladies.
"If you don't mind, why don't I go ahead and explain how things work around here?"
Still wrapped up like a mummy, Li Ke naturally extended the invitation.
"I would appreciate that immensely," Rias replied, a polite smile gracing her lips.
"T-Thank you very much!" Lux squeaked, showing her impeccable noble manners.
Li Ke spent the next thirty minutes detailing the reality of this world, everything they had discovered so far, the terrifying threat of the Blood Moon horde, and the unique, game-like properties of the items found here.
"...So, to sum it all up, this is a horrific world," Li Ke concluded, pointing toward the ruins of the nearby town and the cratered terrain surrounding the trader outpost. "What's worse is that the countdown to the Blood Moon might keep accelerating. Your timing in arriving right now is honestly pretty unlucky."
He shifted his weight slightly, looking between them.
"If you're willing, you are welcome to stay here, work with us, and live alongside us. If you aren't, we won't force you. As long as you don't show hostility or actively sabotage our survival, you can go wherever you please. We won't interfere with your freedom."
Li Ke gave them the exact same spiel he had given Tsunade and Kiri back when they first arrived. Both Rias and Lux nodded, signaling their understanding.
However, after listening to Li Ke's breakdown, Rias looked at this otherwise unremarkable man—completely plain by the standards of Devils and Angels—and let out a brilliant, radiant smile.
"Since this world is so dangerous, count me in."
Rias smiled as she gracefully extended her hand, though only she knew what she was actually plotting. Beside her, Lux looked back and forth between Li Ke and Rias, nodding along, though she didn't quite have the courage to step forward and shake his hand.
"I would like to stay as well."
As the two newcomers stepped forward to untie the ropes binding him, Li Ke finally freed his hands. He took Rias's hand, gave it a gentle two-second shake before letting go, and then gave Lux a welcoming nod.
"Welcome to the team."
Li Ke flashed a bright smile, and then...
He pulled out two iron pickaxes and slapped one into each of their hands, causing Rias's eyes to widen in utter, jaw-dropping disbelief.
"In that case, let's have you two start from the very beginning—as miners!"
That was right. In Li Ke's eyes...
A glowing system prompt had just popped up above each of their heads: [Peon +1]