As time arrived, when Takeru regained consciousness, he found himself in a peculiar place with three unfamiliar faces nearby… two middle-aged men and one young man. Takeru didn't recognize any of them.
Following the usual pattern, a yellow translucent barrier appeared around the three of them. People walking outside seemed completely unaware of Takeru and the others but instinctively avoided them.
Ignoring the three still lying there, Takeru directly checked his Reincarnation Watch.
[World Introduction: This is a world inhabited by numerous Danger Beasts, with humanity as the supreme ruler.]
[Approximately a thousand years ago, the founding emperor, to maintain long-term rule, used the empire's immense wealth and power to gather the world's finest craftsmen. Using legendary super-dangerous species as materials, along with rare metals like Orichalcum and a large number of long-lost secret techniques, they developed forty-eight powerful, irreplicable weapons known as [Teigu].]
[Main Mission One: Survive for two months]
[Side Missions: Hidden...]
Looking at the brief information, Takeru noticed the term [Teigu]. According to the introduction, this was clearly the world of Akame ga Kill!, a world Takeru was very familiar with.
Recalling the original story, Takeru only had one thought: To send the author a box of knives...
Undoubtedly, this was a tragic world. Beneath the prosperous capital's facade lay deep-seated corruption, turning it into a living hell. The most dangerous things in this world weren't the so-called Danger Beasts, but the demons in human skin haunting the capital...
While Takeru pondered, the sleeping individuals also woke up. Upon waking, they instinctively surveyed their surroundings.
Seeing two familiar faces, all three breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Takeru. Not recognizing Takeru, and noticing his appearance, made them feel somewhat displeased. Of course, this displeasure was fleeting, quickly hidden. Then, they promptly checked the mission.
Finding they only needed to survive but had no leads, they could only give up for now. After exchanging glances, the two middle-aged men had a silent communication. One, with a hypocritical smile, approached Takeru.
"Hello, I'm Amaya Tetsu from the Shuryo Trading Company, also a D-Rank ability user from the Ability Institute. This world seems dangerous with those [Danger Beasts], and the mission requires us to survive a month. How about joining us? We have two D-Rank and one E-Rank ability users. We can definitely help you survive this mission world safely. Afterwards, you just need to give each of us 500 points." Amaya Tetsu looked at Takeru with a beaming smile.
Hearing Amaya's words, Takeru was momentarily stunned. It seemed their survival duration differed from his, likely because Takeru had already experienced five worlds.
"Just survive a month safely? But what if I don't even get a D-Rank rating by mission end?" Takeru played the novice, inquiring.
"Don't worry, with us, a mere D-Rank is nothing. Remember, we got a C-Rank evaluation in the last world. So, you're not losing out. Most importantly, you'll keep your life." Hearing Takeru's words, Amaya spoke nonchalantly. If Takeru agreed to sign a contract, witnessed by the Reincarnation Space, stating that if Takeru survived this world, he'd have to pay each of them 500 points, then Takeru couldn't back out later. As for whether they'd actually help Takeru, that depended on their mood.
"Is that so? What if I refuse?" Observing their expressions, Takeru continued.
"I think you should reconsider carefully. After all, being alone here, who knows if some accident might suddenly happen, right?" Hearing Takeru's words, Amaya's eyes darkened, seemingly advising but also threatening.
"Is that so? Then I guess I'm just unlucky." Hearing his words, Takeru spoke innocently, then directly headed in one direction as the barrier vanished.
"Damn brat!" Seeing Takeru leave just like that, Amaya's expression turned even darker.
"Whatever, dealing with him isn't the priority now. We'll teach him a lesson if we meet later. For now, let's gather information. And those so-called Teigu... I wonder how much they'll boost our strength?" Another middle-aged man spoke coldly. Although not yet clear what Teigu were, since becoming a Reincarnator, Kawano Ichiro felt he had become superior. Especially after sailing smoothly through the last two worlds and being recruited by the military with many promises, his ego inflated further.
He believed that if he wanted, he could easily obtain so-called Teigu.
As for Takeru, he roughly understood the trio's mindset the moment they woke up. Such people, having undergone some baptism of events and suddenly gaining power, likely had psychological issues. Takeru couldn't be bothered with them. If they had persisted earlier, Takeru wouldn't have minded letting them taste death.
For now, Takeru was unsure of the timeline.
Thinking this, Takeru closed his eyes, activating Observation Haki to its maximum.
Since reaching Advanced level and with continuously strengthening his Spirit, Takeru's Observation Haki range was nearly two kilometers.
Of course, Takeru usually didn't maintain such a large range, as processing so much information per second would dull his senses, and maintaining it for long would be a huge burden.
But now, for information gathering, bigger was better. After a minute, Takeru had a basic understanding of the situation and quickly reduced his Observation Haki range to just fifty meters.
At this range, Takeru could maintain it all day without much impact.
'So it's the start of the plot. But this capital is truly rotten, even in broad daylight.' Sighing, Takeru mourned for this world.
'But now, joining Night Raid seems best. However, rashly approaching Leone might make her flee or attack me.' Looking in a direction, Takeru pondered aloud.
Soon, Takeru thought of a method with a high probability of joining Night Raid without raising suspicion. Then Takeru looked towards a dark alley not far from Leone and headed straight there.
Meanwhile, Leone noticed the naive-looking Tatsumi. Trusting her intuition, she directly greeted him.
"Hey, you seem troubled, kid. Let big sis help you!" Leone pretended to be a caring big sister, striking up a conversation with Tatsumi.
A gentle smile, exquisite features, and bold attire instantly captivated the country bumpkin Tatsumi.
"This... this is the capital?!" Looking at Leone's... indescribable area, Tatsumi blushed.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Noticing Tatsumi's wandering eyes, Leone's eyes sharpened briefly before hiding it.
"You, kid, came from the countryside seeking fortune in the capital, right?" Leone spoke directly.
"How did you know?!" Hearing Leone's words, Tatsumi looked at her in shock.
"It's easy to tell after living in the capital long enough. Plus, I know a quick way to become an official." Leone continued.
"Really?" Hearing this, Tatsumi's eyes lit up excitedly.
Then, using the excuse of making Tatsumi buy her a drink, after some conversation, Leone told him that with money, he could quickly become a captain. Tatsumi, simply, handed over all his gold coins to Leone.
Leone told Tatsumi to wait for her at the tavern while she left with the coins.