"Just like us?"
The hippie seemed unimpressed. He didn't think a deserter could be anything special.
Even if the guy was talented back in the day, years of peaceful living must have worn down Number Seven's will.
Sure, dodging bullets just now was pretty slick, and his sensory abilities were decent among the test subjects, but unfortunately for him, today's opponents were far stronger.
The hippie captain didn't even need to step in—his subordinates could easily take care of the target.
Bang!
Sure enough, after a few gunshots echoed from inside, a signal came through indicating the mission was complete.
Looking at the walkie-talkie in his hand, the hippie yawned, his eyes full of disdain for those commanders. "All this time wasted on a worthless runaway experiment. I could blow their brains out for this."
Just then, the hippie captain saw his team members, covered in blood, supporting each other as they staggered out of the building.
"What the hell happened to you? Just a little—" He was about to mock their sorry state when his face suddenly changed, and a faint blue electric current began to arc over his body.
In the next moment, Kiba, who had been in disguise, suddenly looked up, his black eyes glinting with silver light, as if some invisible force was gathering within them.
**Psychic Blast, activated!**
Suddenly, blood spurted from the hippie's ears, mouth, and nose, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to his head.
He staggered, struggling to stay on his feet, and even the electricity coursing through his body began to go haywire.
Seeing this, Kiba, now fully recovered, immediately fired a shot, hitting the man in the knee. The terrifying destructive power of the Black Star pistol instantly shattered the hippie captain's right leg.
"Possessing strange abilities, but your physical defense is no better than an ordinary person's." Confirming that the man wasn't a Reincarnator, Kiba walked over, stepping on his left leg as he slowly moved the gun's muzzle to a spot that made the man's face change drastically.
"You've got three chances to please me. Your life depends on how well you do." Kiba's tone was especially cold.
However, the other man still didn't take him seriously, his attitude full of arrogance from start to finish.
"I'm telling you, beating us isn't—"
Bang!
A searing pain tore through him. The man looked down at his bloody abdomen, letting out a gut-wrenching scream.
"You've got two more chances." With that, the gun moved to his intact leg.
It was at this point that the hippie captain finally recognized the situation on the ground and began to explain the details of the operation.
According to him, they were all part of a research organization codenamed "Orphanage." Kiba and the others were experimental subjects born there.
Everyone who survived had superpowers that outsiders couldn't understand—for instance, the hippie could generate high-voltage electricity out of thin air.
As for why they were hunting Kiba, he didn't know much, only that the target was a runaway experiment from years ago.
If they could bring him back, they would; if not, they were to destroy him on the spot. Under no circumstances could he become a test subject for another research organization.
"This sounds like a real pain." Kiba sighed inwardly, realizing this was trouble left behind by his predecessor.
But there was no way around it—he had already taken over the man's body, so he had to accept his fate.
The so-called "Orphanage" was essentially a human research facility conducting illegal superpower experiments on children.
Since Reincarnation Spaces existed in this world, it wasn't surprising that superpowered individuals existed in reality. Kiba accepted this pretty easily.
Of course, acceptance didn't mean he planned to waste much time on them.
With a single shot, he shattered the hippie's head and turned to head for the top of the building. As long as he found a secluded spot, he could return to the Reincarnation Space at any time.
He still hadn't accumulated enough resources. Once he became stronger, he would actively seek out the Orphanage. There might be something there that could evolve his abilities.
Back in the Reincarnation Space, Kiba suddenly realized he didn't have much to do.
He had just over fifty plot points left—not nearly enough to further his training, let alone buy anything to enhance himself.
Being idle was a bit boring, so he decided to start the next plot world a little earlier.
Every time he entered a plot world, the minimum interval was a day, and the maximum was a month. To catch up with the leading group as quickly as possible, he needed to compress his power-up time as much as he could.
**Just as Kiba was about to contact the mark on his wrist, a notification suddenly came from the space, informing him that someone had requested to enter his personal room.**
He opened the information of the applicant and immediately recognized the face of the guide, Tiger.
"Let him in."
Kiba had a favorable impression of this man. If it weren't for his own unique circumstances, joining Tiger's team wouldn't have been a bad option. But for now, all he could say was sorry.
Tiger's figure soon appeared in the room. After some casual chit-chat, he extended an invitation to Kiba.
"The atmosphere within the Vanguard Team is pretty good. There's not much scheming or backstabbing. You're smart, so you should understand what it means to have a group of trustworthy teammates by your side."
His words were short but hit the mark. It was clear that Tiger had done this sort of thing many times before.
"I'm sorry, my friend." Kiba shook his head slowly, his gaze filled with unwavering determination. "I can't join the Vanguard Team. I have my own plans."
"I see," Tiger replied, flashing a relaxed smile. After a brief pause, he added, "I admire you, so what I'm about to say is just a bit of personal advice."
"Your perception attribute is very high, possibly far above average. It won't take you long to reach a base value of 20 after just a few more worlds."
Kiba glanced at his own base perception of 13. He knew that barring any surprises, it would take no more than two worlds to reach the peak value for a difficulty level.
Seeing Kiba remain silent, Tiger continued, "When your base stat reaches 20, you'll have a chance to draw a special trait."
Oh?
This was news to Kiba. He only knew that once any single attribute reached 20, you had to challenge the Golden Main Quest; otherwise, you couldn't continue to increase your attributes.
Even the rewards from story missions would be significantly reduced, and the difficulty of the missions would be much higher than normal.
"The traits you draw are usually very useful, but I must warn you: don't attempt it lightly. If possible, aim to have two attributes reach the world's peak value simultaneously."
With that, Kiba immediately grasped what Tiger was implying.
"Are you saying that if two attributes reach 20 at the same time, the trait drawn will be even more powerful?"
His "Heart of Steel" was already a legendary trait, and its effectiveness was beyond question. If he could obtain a few more, the boost to his strength would be extraordinary.
Moreover, another thought echoed in Kiba's mind.
What if I could raise Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit, and Perception to 20 at the same time? The trait I'd gain would be—
**Next World Initiated—**
**The final episode of the *Attack on Titan* anime is out. Don't forget to watch it if you haven't!**
**I used to really dislike Armin, but seeing him wailing in grief while holding Eren was truly heart-wrenching.**
(End of Chapter)