Chapter 6 — System
Pegasus galloped across the endless sea of clouds, its hooves striking the air as if it were solid ground. Each stride carried them farther away from the distant silhouette of Konoha, farther away from the Land of Fire that had nearly become Raizen's grave.
The wind howled around them at high altitude, cold and sharp, whipping Raizen's hair and clothes. Below, the world was obscured beneath layers of drifting clouds, turning the land into nothing more than a faint blur.
Only after they had traveled a considerable distance did Raizen finally allow himself to relax.
The tension that had been coiled tightly in his chest slowly loosened.
Then he opened the system. With a thought, the familiar interface unfolded before his eyes, visible only to him.
He entered the Master Interface.
The moment the panel appeared, he noticed something strange. The entire interface flickered faintly with a crimson glow, like a warning signal.
His gaze shifted downward.
His HP bar was displayed clearly—and only half of it remained.
50%.
Raizen let out a slow breath.
"…That's quite the damage."
While fleeing earlier, the danger and adrenaline had dulled his senses. Only now, when the crisis had passed, did the pain begin to flood back into his body. It was a sharp, biting pain, spreading through his muscles and bones like needles piercing his flesh.
At that moment, UU's familiar voice sounded in his mind.
"Master has obtained Magic Crystals due to Saber and Rider eliminating enemies earlier."
"Magic Crystals can be used to purchase items in the shop interface, summon Servants, enhance the Master, exchange Servant skills, and perform healing."
Raizen frowned slightly.
"Explain later. Heal me first."
Almost the moment he finished speaking, a warm current spread throughout his body.
It began in his chest and rapidly flowed outward through his limbs, like thousands of tiny sparks dancing beneath his skin. The sensation was both ticklish and soothing at the same time.
Raizen couldn't help letting out a soft, involuntary groan.
"…Mm."
Making the nearby, Medusa—Rider—raised one eyebrow slightly.
Raizen coughed lightly to regain his composure. Then he continued.
"UU, explain how Magic Crystals are acquired and used."
This information was extremely important.
Earlier, Saber and Rider had wiped out more than twenty Anbu members and over ten Chūnin, earning a total of 288 Magic Crystals.
Just from that number alone, Raizen had already guessed something. The amount gained likely depended on the enemy's strength.
UU responded immediately.
"Understood, Master."
"Magic Crystals are obtained by defeating enemies. The amount varies according to the enemy's strength."
"For example, most Anbu-level opponents yield ten Magic Crystals, while Chūnin-level enemies yield five Magic Crystals. Stronger or weaker enemies will provide correspondingly more or fewer crystals."
"This calculation only applies to enemies defeated by Servants. If the Master personally defeats the enemy, the Magic Crystals gained will be doubled."
Raizen nodded slowly.
"Hm… that's roughly what I expected."
The only difference from his estimate was the doubling effect when he personally killed an enemy.
That was good news. However, the implication behind it was obvious. If he wanted to grow stronger quickly, he would eventually have to fight—and kill—by his own hands.
This world was not peaceful. It was the brutal world of shinobi, where strength and bloodshed were inseparable.
UU continued explaining.
"As for usage, as mentioned earlier, Magic Crystals can be used for purchases, exchanges, enhancements, or healing."
"For healing, restoring one percent of HP consumes one Magic Crystal. If instant recovery is chosen, the cost will be doubled."
Raizen immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Which method did you use on me?"
This was extremely important. He had just escaped a battle. There was no urgent need for instant recovery. If UU had used the instant method, then 100 Magic Crystals would have been wasted.
That would be painful.
UU quickly replied, sounding rather proud of itself.
"Don't worry, Master! UU judged the situation independently and chose gradual recovery."
"After all, UU is very considerate!"
The tone sounded almost boastful. Perhaps it was subtly fishing for praise.
Raizen, however, was merciless.
"Continue."
UU's cheerful tone paused briefly before resuming.
"Alright. Regarding enhancement, the number of Magic Crystals required depends on the Master's current level. At present, all of Master's attributes are E- rank. To upgrade a single attribute requires 100 Magic Crystals."
"As Master's attributes increase, the required amount will also increase accordingly."
Raizen nodded.
"Good."
"I'll spend 50 Magic Crystals on healing. That leaves 238. I'll use 200 to enhance Strength and Agility."
The moment he finished speaking, UU immediately carried out the command.
A surge of power suddenly erupted within Raizen's body. It was as if some invisible limiter had been broken. His muscles tightened, his bones felt lighter yet stronger, and his entire body seemed filled with a newly awakened vitality.
Power surged through him like a rushing current.
UU's voice echoed again.
"Master enhancement complete."
"Current attributes:"
Strength — E
Endurance — E-
Agility — E
Mana — E-
Luck — ??
Noble Phantasm — None
(Note: Some readers complain why the luck is EX on the first chapter, so it'll just be [??] From now on. It ain't my problem anymore, MC be damned.)
"Master's current physical capabilities now slightly surpass those of an ordinary human."
"Please continue striving."
Raizen slowly clenched his fists. The sensation of leveling up was… intoxicating. His blood seemed to boil with excitement.
Even his heartbeat had accelerated.
"UU. How many Magic Crystals are needed for the next Strength upgrade?"
"Three hundred."
Raizen's gaze darkened slightly.
"Three hundred…"
If he personally killed enemies, the rewards would double. That meant a Chūnin-level opponent would give him about ten Magic Crystals. But the reality was cruel. Right now, personally defeating a Chūnin was unrealistic.
Even fighting a Genin would be extremely dangerous. For the moment, he still had to rely on Servants.
But Saber had already disappeared. Rider was only a temporary Servant, and her remaining duration was uncertain.
In other words— He could not rely solely on the system. He had to train himself and become stronger. Otherwise, he would eventually reach a dead end.
That covered the usage of Magic Crystals.
However, the Shop and Exchange interfaces were still locked.
It seemed he would have to wait. But UU suddenly interrupted him.
"No, no, no, Master."
"The Shop and Exchange interfaces are automatically unlocked once Magic Crystals are obtained."
Its tone sounded mischievous, almost teasing.
Raizen immediately opened the Shop Interface.
The first thing he saw nearly made his eyes widen.
The shop allowed the purchase of Servants.
However… The prices were absolutely horrifying. Even the cheapest Servants required far more Magic Crystals than he currently possessed.
He continued browsing. There were also Craft Essences.
For example:
Emiya Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet
Lunar Spirit Medulla
Each item was powerful—but again, the prices were outrageously high.
Raizen clicked his tongue. Then he noticed something else.
"…Rubies? Sapphires?"
His expression stiffened. The image of himself holding a magical girl staff while shouting—
"Mahou Shōjo Transform!"
—suddenly appeared in his mind.
Raizen shuddered violently. Goosebumps instantly spread across his skin.
"No. Absolutely not."
He quickly skipped past that section.
Then his gaze stopped.
His breathing slowed.
His eyes sharpened.
Class Cards.
These cards originated from the parallel world "Magical Girl Illya."
They were extremely valuable items. Each card possessed two functions.
Limited Deployment. This allowed the Master to temporarily wield the Noble Phantasm of a Class Servant.
And Fantasy Summon, this allowed the Master to obtain all abilities of that Class Servant.
Raizen's heart began beating faster. If he obtained something like the Saber Class Card or Archer Class Card, his combat ability would skyrocket instantly.
But when he checked the price—
His excitement froze.
Each Class Card cost around 5,000 Magic Crystals.
"…What a scam."
He almost cursed out loud. Suppressing his frustration, Raizen opened the Exchange Interface.
This section was different. Various exchanges were listed here, and no Magic Crystals were required.
For example—
Servant Replacement.
This could be done here. As Raizen continued scrolling through the list, something unexpected appeared.
His eyes widened slightly.
He could exchange for abilities belonging to the world he was currently in. In other words—Shinobi abilities. But the currency required was something called Rare Metals.
UU explained.
"Rare metals are mainly dropped by Bloodline Limit shinobi or shinobi possessing hereditary secret techniques."
"In other words, Master must defeat these enemies in order to obtain rare metals corresponding to the strength of their bloodline limits or secret techniques."
Raizen frowned slightly.
"So… it's basically stealing their abilities?"
"Yes. You may understand it that way."
Raizen slowly nodded.
Rare metals could also be accumulated to exchange for even more powerful abilities.
The more he explored the system, the more absurd it seemed.
This wasn't just a cheat. It was a complete cheat code. But the cost behind it was equally clear.
To grow stronger—He had to kill. Kill constantly, kill without stopping.
Raizen lowered his gaze slightly.
In his previous life, he had only been an ordinary urban otaku.
Could someone like him really adapt to such a world?
Even earlier, when he had calmly ordered Rider to attack, he had forced himself to appear composed. But in truth… At that moment, his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest.