A System That Starts You Off with Three Years

"You damn system, you're absolutely shameless and have no bottom line.

Shion's still so young, and you're asking me to do something like this. Just how shameless are you?

And another thing: when I failed missions before, the penalties were at least covered by a mosaic, so I could get the general idea. Now the whole thing's just a mosaic. What the hell is that?

Are you trying to make me imagine whatever so-called punishment you've come up with for when I fail a mission?"

Hearing the new mission, Chen felt that his understanding of the system's bottom line had been shattered all over again.

"What are you getting so worked up about? I'm only trying to help you. Isn't it good to start them young?"

"Get lost. Just how shameless are you?

Besides, I don't want to get thrown in jail. Is starting with three years really that fun?"

"I only said to kiss her. I didn't say anything else. You're the one with the dirty mind.

Kissing her hand counts as a kiss, too."

The system's smug voice rang out again, and Chen nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.

In just a few words, this unscrupulous system had managed to pin the blame on him? Was there any system more pitfall-ridden than this one?

"You win!"

Chen didn't want to talk to that shameless system anymore. It really had no bottom line.

Ignoring the system, Chen saw that Shion was gradually accepting what he'd said.

"I want to see Mother."

Shion finally said what was on her mind. Chen wasn't particularly surprised.

"Then let's go. If we get there early, you might really be able to see your mother."

"All right."

As she spoke, Shion hastily packed her things and pulled Chen outside.

The samurai standing guard outside all looked astonished. Ever since the former Shrine Maiden, Miroku, had died, Shion had been gloomy all the time.

The samurai hadn't been scolded, but they hadn't seen her look happy, either.

Now, although Shion's face was streaked with tears, she had actually managed a rare smile.

"Lord Shion, where are you planning to go?"

"To the Shrine, of course. Make the arrangements at once. He and I—"

"Just call me Blood Moon."

"Blood Moon? That's your codename, isn't it? I want to know your name."

"I'm a ninja. I can't just reveal my identity while on a mission.

Besides, only the two of us are going to the Shrine where Moryo is sealed. Those samurai would only slow us down."

"Hmph. I'll find out your name sooner or later. Let's go."

With that, Shion headed straight outside. Chen could only shake his head helplessly and follow after her.

The samurai looked completely at a loss. They glanced at the one who had just brought Chen over. When he merely shook his head and made no move to stop them, they said nothing more.

And so Chen took Shion to the Shrine.

The journey wasn't very long, but Shion was just an ordinary person. Though she was the Shrine Maiden, her physical abilities were no different from anyone else's.

At four years old, she didn't have much stamina. She was already panting heavily not long after they set off.

"I'll carry you. Otherwise, we'll still be on the way to the Shrine next year."

Seeing Shion standing there, gasping for breath, Chen spoke up.

Shion wasn't happy about it, but if she wanted to see her mother as soon as possible, she had no choice but to agree.

Chen hoisted Shion onto his back, and their speed immediately increased. Instead of walking, he started leaping from tree to tree, covering in a few minutes the distance Shion had taken an hour to walk.

Shion, on his back, stared at him curiously and reached out to take off his mask. Chen caught her wrist before she could.

"If you don't behave, I'll throw you off."

"Hey, I'm your client, at least. Is that any way to treat a client?"

"First of all, the one who commissioned the mission was the daimyo of the Land of Demons. And even if it were you, the mission is only to make sure you stay alive, not that you come through without a scratch."

"You!"

Chen's words made Shion bristle. She tried to get back at him, but nearly fell off instead.

Looking down at the dozen or so meters between her and the ground, Shion decided that staying alive was more important.

"Hey, what's your name?"

She didn't stay quiet for long before speaking again. She was terribly curious about what Chen looked like.

"Blood Moon."

"I mean your real name, not your codename."

"Didn't I just tell you? Ninjas don't casually reveal their names while on a mission."

"Hmph, then don't tell me. As if I care."

"Whether you care or not, I know we've got trouble."

As he spoke, Chen suddenly stopped.

"Come out. Has following us this long been fun?"

Chen called out, but the surroundings stayed perfectly quiet. Nothing changed.

"Hey, are you stupid? There's no one around!"

Shion looked around in confusion.

"Do you think I'm bluffing? Yomi?"

Chen spoke again, this time calling out the other party's name outright. Hearing this, the enemy hiding nearby realized that he really had been discovered.

"Ding! System notification: Hunting mission activated. Kill Yomi and his subordinates Kusuna, Banner, Shizuku, Setsuna, and Yoshitai. For each person killed, you can gain one hundred points of Great Fireball Technique proficiency."

The system's voice rang out. Chen wasn't surprised by their appearance; after all, they were all Moryo's subordinates.

"Interesting, kid. You can actually sense us.

Hand over the Shrine Maiden, and you can leave."

Yomi spoke, his eyes full of contempt.

"That won't do. I'm planning to complete every mission with a hundred percent success rate. Besides, I can't bear to let so many experience points get away."

"You're asking to die."

Yomi waved his hand, and Kusuna, Banner, Shizuku, Setsuna, and Yoshitai charged straight at Chen.

"Hold on tight and don't let go. If you fall, I'm not saving you."

"Ah!"

As Chen spoke, he sprang into action. Shion hurriedly clung to him, too scared to open her eyes.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball appeared and shot straight toward Banner.

Banner hadn't expected a child to be so powerful.

In the original story, the five of them had been very strong, but that was because they'd received Moryo's power. Now, Moryo was completely sealed, and Yomi hadn't found a way to break the seal.

As a result, the five of them were far weaker than they'd been in the original story.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

Water Release countered Fire Release. Every ninja knew that.

And with a stream nearby, Banner thought the Water Formation Wall would be enough to block the Great Fireball Technique.

However, Chen's Fire Release had Fire Style Mastery, which completely ignored elemental advantages.

And so the Water Formation Wall lasted for less than a second before being evaporated. The next moment, poor Banner was swallowed by the flames.

"Ding! System notification: Banner successfully killed. Received one hundred points of Great Fireball Technique proficiency."