"Manager."
The moment they realized they had acquired this new, shared unique skill, all four of them immediately abandoned the idea of lying down and resting. Their corporate instincts kicked in. They needed to quickly analyze the exact parameters, limitations, and potential benefits they could extract from this ability!
"But the name is strange," one of them muttered, crossing his arms. "It sounds like a mid-level corporate position, not a magical fantasy cheat."
"Hey, it's better than nothing."
"A beggar can't be choosy!"
"Guys... I think this skill is infinitely more amazing than we initially thought."
Yes, 'Manager' sounded incredibly mundane, but depending on its actual function, it could be the ultimate weapon.
"Is it? How can you tell?"
"How about we just ask it directly? It has a voice."
"Can we do that?"
The four of them looked up into the infinite white space. "Manager, what exactly is your primary ability?"
[Report. This skill operates on the fundamental principle of absolute efficiency. We treat reality like a comprehensive project management dashboard, actively visualizing all "work" and "goals" as tasks to be aggressively optimized.]
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...In other words?" one of them asked, breaking the stunned silence. "It's a literal AI?"
[Correct. We will continually analyze the most efficient pathways to complete any "work" or "learning," ensuring the users can achieve the optimum result with the absolute least amount of effort.]
"..."
At this point, the four of them just stared at each other. A strange, incredibly complicated feeling washed over them. Yes, they were overwhelmingly excited to finally have a cheat ability, but it also felt so painfully ironic. The universe had reincarnated them to escape the corporate grind, only to literally hardwire a Corporate Project Manager directly into their souls.
"...Why did we get this specific ability?"
[The skill is born directly from the deepest, resonant desires of the users. Based on the system's psychological analysis, it was deduced that the collective user base overwhelmingly wished for this outcome.]
"Did we?"
The four of them looked at each other, and instantly... they completely understood. Their unified, burning wish just moments ago had been incredibly simple: "We want to work less." And because of that profound, lazy desire, this hyper-efficient skill was born to streamline their suffering.
Still, was this ability truly that overpowered?
"...So, let's say I have a massive textbook, and I theoretically need a full week to study and memorize the subject. What then?"
[We can optimize your cognitive processing and streamline the learning vectors, condensing the required study time from one week into exactly one hour, Sir.]
"...."
Yes. This ability was absolutely godly!
Still, because they were currently lingering inside this shared mental space, it was impossible for them to initiate their first project right now. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time that their minds hadn't fully processed the sheer scale of their new reality. They were in a state of momentary shock, trying to figure out which skill or subject would be the most beneficial to tackle first. Since they hadn't actually returned to the realities they had been reincarnated into, they didn't know what immediate threats they were facing.
"By the way," one of the figures suddenly asked, "Is it possible for you to effortlessly transfer my knowledge of modern middle school education directly into the minds of the other three?"
[Report. It is absolutely possible.]
[Do you wish to initiate the data transfer of "Modern Middle School Education" to the connected network?]
[Yes / No]
"..."
"...Honestly, with this specific feature alone, I feel like this skill is more than enough to let us survive," the orphan murmured, his eyes shining.
"That's right," the other three agreed instantly.
With this targeted knowledge transfer, they could securely share what they learned—martial arts, magic theory, history, or modern science—with their alternate selves, without forcibly merging their souls. They could securely send the "data" without exposing the others to any personal trauma, shame, or private memories they desperately wanted to keep hidden.
"How about we try the knowledge transfer right now?"
"Wait a moment. Let me ask the Manager something first."
"What do you want to ask?"
"I mean, if we just blindly accept years of dense knowledge directly into our heads all at once, will our physical brains be alright? Won't it cause a massive physiological problem when so much raw data is crammed into a child's brain instantly? I feel like... we might get a fatal aneurysm or suffer intense psychological stress from the sheer volume."
It was a highly pragmatic, normal concern. While the instant transfer of knowledge sounded amazing, aggressively downloading a decade of schooling in a single second felt incredibly reckless.
If they had to make a comparison, it was exactly like water.
If a man drank a cool glass of water, it was perfectly healthy. His thirst would be comfortably satiated. But if that same man was suddenly hit by a raging, ten-foot flash flood, the water wouldn't just erase his thirst—it would instantly erase his life.
[Correct. It is highly unadvisable to instantly download massive datasets directly into the conscious mind. It will cause severe neurological trauma, causing the user to be violently overwhelmed by the stress of the sheer informational density.]
"..."
"...Let's absolutely not do it all at once, then."
[It is a wise decision, Sir.]
Still, it was exactly like transferring heavy data from a laptop to an external hard drive, or downloading a massive game from the internet. While some might possess a high-speed fiber connection that allowed them to access the data instantly, most people had to wait. Depending on the quality of the hardware—in this case, their physical, reincarnated brains—the processing time could be fast or slow. They just needed to pace themselves and download the skills overnight while they slept.
Regardless, their primary goal at this moment was obvious: to learn, adapt, and survive.
"Before we go back to our respective realities, how about we formally introduce ourselves and the specific worlds we were reincarnated into? That way, if two of us are somehow stuck in similar fantasy or sci-fi settings, we can divide the labor. We can study entirely different subjects and share the data later, so we never waste our time."
"Agreed."
No one refused. Wasting time was the ultimate enemy of the salaryman.
Efficiency was absolute.
As men who had literally worked as middle managers in the past, they knew the brutal truth of the world. Programs, AI, and machinery were dead—meaning they were consistent, predictable, and reliably flawless. But humans? Employees? They were the ultimate unpredictable variables. Everyone was fundamentally different.
If a manager found subordinates who were genuinely loyal, hardworking, smart, and talented, he would practically weep tears of joy, showering them in bonuses just to ensure they never left. But they all knew those people were incredibly rare. The vast majority of people were lazy, incompetent, ruled by their lust, consumed by greed, blinded by envy, and simply... unfit to work.
Frankly, they used to wonder why people could end up so drastically different despite receiving the exact same standardized education.
Yes, people possessed different innate talents and learning curves. But even so, if an employee was simply willing to try, a good manager would bend over backward to help them succeed. Yet, so many people simply refused to put in the effort. They remained rooted in place, bitterly expecting a higher power to magically save them, or choosing to act as parasites draining the resources of the successful people around them.
Some argued that it was impossible for society to change. But the four of them firmly believed those people were just lazy and cowardly. If you started with absolutely nothing, what was there to fear in failing?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Even if the four of them were now reincarnated into vastly different worlds, their core philosophy remained exactly the same: to live with quiet dignity, to secure an unshakeable, comfortable lifestyle, and to possess enough power to protect their loved ones.
"By the way, random question," one of them suddenly asked, breaking the serious mood. "Have any of us lost our virginity in our new lives yet?"
"Nope. What about you?"
"Not yet."
"Me neither."
[Would you like me to draft an optimized, highly efficient project plan on how to lose your virginity as quickly as possible, Sir?]
"NO!" the four of them screamed in unified horror.
Yes, they knew the "Manager" was just trying to be a helpful AI, but there were some things you simply should not optimize like a corporate spreadsheet! Furthermore, as mature adults, they knew the reality of romance. Most high-quality women naturally fell in love with men who offered profound stability and demonstrated quiet competence. Instead of acting like desperate teenagers chasing skirts, they knew they just needed to focus entirely on drastically improving themselves. Frankly, even if they did nothing proactively, they felt certain that romance would naturally follow as they climbed to the top of their respective worlds.
Especially now that they had the ultimate "Manager" backing them up.
Still, before they could conquer the multiverse—
"Should we finally go back to reality?"
"Let's do it."
No one wanted to wait any longer. They all desperately wanted to return to their physical bodies, especially now that they knew this System was absolutely necessary to survive the brutal adversity waiting for them on the outside.
Whoosh.
The infinite white space violently shattered, replaced instantly by the blinding glare of the afternoon sun, the smell of dry dirt, and the loud, echoing chatter of children.
"Suzuki Tanaka! It is your turn! Step up onto the stage and face Uchiha Sasuke!"
"....."
Suzuki Tanaka stood frozen in the dirt of the Konoha Ninja Academy training grounds, the loud voice of his Chunin instructor ringing in his ears.
"Hmph."
A few feet away, Sasuke Uchiha merely snorted. The dark-haired boy casually walked toward the center of the sparring ring, his hands stuffed aggressively into his pockets. He didn't even bother to look at Suzuki. His dark, brooding eyes stared blankly ahead, completely ignoring the boy as if he were preparing to step on an insignificant flea.
Yup, Suzuki thought, feeling a cold bead of sweat slowly roll down the back of his neck.
After returning to reality, the sheer gravity of his situation hit him like a physical blow. He had to face this aggressively emo kid. A kid who possessed one of the most broken bloodlines in human history. A kid who had a psychopathic, S-Rank older brother who had recently slaughtered their entire extended family in a single night. A kid completely wrapped in a dark, twisted destiny that would eventually swallow the entire world in a catastrophic, apocalyptic war.
Meanwhile, he was just "Suzuki Tanaka." A completely irrelevant, background-character orphan in a brutal, militaristic village where the lives of ordinary ninja were tossed away as cheaply as rotten vegetables.
Manager, Suzuki thought desperately, stepping onto the stage. Please tell me you have a plan to optimize my survival.