An Easy Mission and Generous Rewards

"I'm sorry, I overstepped. Thank you for saving him."

After barely managing to close his jaw, which had dropped in shock, Lin Qiye apologized to Li Jiahao, who looked like he was saying, "Just look at how awesome I am."

But even the thickest skin couldn't withstand so many people staring at him strangely, and Li Jiahao's expression soon returned to normal.

Putting on an aloof air, he nodded at Lin Qiye, as if to say, "Oh, I don't mind. An apology is enough."

"By the way, I'd also like to thank you and Uncle Uchiha Madara over there for accepting my rescue mission and coming to my world to save me. There's also someone I haven't met yet. I'll thank him in person next time we meet."

He Lingxuan smiled as he thanked Li Jiahao and Uchiha Madara. Li Jiahao reacted as if to say, "It was nothing," while Uchiha Madara looked indifferent.

"Oh, and to thank you, if you ever need my help, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can. Also, I'm pretty strong now."

As he spoke, he released some of his aura. The sheer force of it immediately surprised Uchiha Madara, disbelief showing in his eyes.

After all, back in the Dragon Ball World, He Lingxuan had been only a little stronger than an ordinary person. Apart from the fact that he was indeed powerful as a Great Ape, his human form had been too weak to even mention.

He never would have expected He Lingxuan's strength to have changed so drastically in such a short time—not even a full day. It truly astonished Uchiha Madara.

Even Li Jiahao's eyes held a trace of surprise. He hadn't expected He Lingxuan's strength to have grown so much in barely a dozen hours.

Even a Saiyan couldn't cheat like that, could he? He wasn't Son Gohan, whose strength exploded whenever he got angry.

Li Jiahao grumbled inwardly.

Clearly, the anime Dragon Ball existed in his Spirit Awakening World.

Though he had plenty of complaints in his heart, he still put on a smile and nodded at He Lingxuan to show that he understood.

"All right, let's introduce ourselves to each other. Apart from Li Jiahao and Uncle Uchiha Madara, who already know each other, the rest of us are new members, right?

"Let's all introduce ourselves. I'm He Lingxuan, a Saiyan. It's nice to meet you."

He Lingxuan looked kindly at everyone present as he introduced himself.

"Hey, everyone! I'm Arataki Itto, the boss of Inazuma's number one gang, the Arataki Gang! If you run into trouble, come to me!"

Arataki Itto patted his solid chest and grinned at everyone as he introduced himself.

The others nearly burst out laughing at the sight. He Lingxuan hadn't expected Arataki Itto to be so funny in person.

"Li Jiahao, an unremarkable Awakened in the Spirit Awakening World. I look forward to working with you."

A hint of incongruity appeared on Li Jiahao's usually aloof face as the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile. He introduced himself to everyone.

By then, Lin Qiye had recovered as well. Looking at the people around him, each with their own distinct style and an incredibly powerful aura, he introduced himself too.

"Lin Qiye, a blind man and mental patient who just recovered."

"My name is Thanos. Call me whatever you like."

A bald man with purple skin—purple potato guy.

Almost everyone introduced themselves, except Uchiha Madara, who had been standing with his arms folded and watching the whole time.

At last, Uchiha Madara, under everyone's gaze, spoke.

"Oh? You don't look like you've just recovered from a serious illness."

"Uchiha Madara. That's my name."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black of Uchiha Madara's eyes transformed into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and the aura of a powerful warrior burst from him!

He stared at a little boy on top of a nearby building. A small black dog stood beside the boy, yet somehow the child posed a tremendous threat to Uchiha Madara!

"What's wrong with Madara? Why did he suddenly unleash such a powerful aura?"

Li Jiahao looked at Uchiha Madara, who was staring intently at a building. Following his gaze, Li Jiahao seemed to spot something unusual too. The aura around him grew ethereal, as if he might drift away at any moment.

Suddenly, Li Jiahao spoke in a serious voice.

"Hey, Ling Xuan, the mission should be complete now, right? If it is, submit it quickly. I think we should leave early. We might be in trouble if we stay."

Uchiha Madara remained silent, continuing to watch that direction. The pair of Mangekyō in his eyes seemed on the verge of transforming into the Rinnegan.

He Lingxuan didn't ask any questions. He simply submitted the mission through the Chat Group in his mind.

Ding, mission submitted successfully. Calculating results...

Binding successful. Rescue mission completed. Chat Group members may return to their respective worlds at any time. Calculating contribution rewards...

Calculation complete. For this rescue mission, the member Saiyan from Earth contributed 90% and received one Mysterious Gift Pack as an additional reward. The member Lord of Time and Space Awakening contributed 5% and received 500 points as an additional reward. The member Ninja World Asura contributed 2% and received 200 points as an additional reward...

Thanos and Arataki Itto, who hadn't joined the fight, each contributed 2% and received only 200 additional points.

That was because they had merely watched the whole time and hadn't provided any practical help during the mission. But the reason they had earned more than 2% contribution was that the mission's danger had been far from ordinary.

"I keep sensing an ominous presence on this planet. It gives me a bad feeling."

Thanos, who had remained silent ever since introducing himself, spoke up. As someone cursed by Mistress Death, he was practically immortal. Even in the Marvel World, he was an anomaly. Having witnessed all manner of wonders and strange things across the universe, he was exceptionally sensitive to such sensations.

"Yeah, there may be some special beings on this planet... gods, for example."

He Lingxuan spoke calmly. Hearing this, the others' furrowed brows relaxed a little. Knowing what they were dealing with was better, at least; it meant they weren't completely in the dark.

But He Lingxuan's next words made them tense up again.

"Most of the gods in this world are bizarre. Some can cause mental disturbances and physical mutations just by looking at you. Most importantly, the vast majority of them don't have a favorable attitude toward humanity."

The Chat Group members weren't panicking, but they all felt trouble was coming. Uchiha Madara withdrew his aura and fixed his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan on Lin Qiye.

"I see. Since the mission is over, let's all return to our own worlds so nothing unexpected happens. Hey, kid over there.

"Your name's Lin Qiye, right? Us outsiders might attract the attention of the gods, so be careful. We don't want the Chat Group issuing another rescue mission later, even if the rewards are pretty good."

A flash of light passed, and Uchiha Madara returned to his world.

"See you! Hope you'll be able to stand on your own next time, Qiye."

After Li Jiahao said goodbye to Lin Qiye, his figure flickered with a silver glow and disappeared from this world.

"Goodbye."

Looking in the direction they had left, Lin Qiye murmured to himself.

Only Arataki Itto stood there, bewildered, looking from side to side. Then he noticed that the mission in the Chat Group was marked complete.

"Aw, I didn't even get to fight! But no matter. I'll head back too. My underlings must be waiting for me."

After choosing to return, Arataki Itto disappeared from where he stood.

Watching the Chat Group members leave one by one, Lin Qiye suddenly let out a sigh, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Just then, a large hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and gave it a pat.

"Keep it up, Qiye. I believe in you. I can sense that the partner of the man lying on the ground is on the way here, so I'll head out first. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

After speaking, He Lingxuan vanished from this world and returned to the Dragon Ball World.

"Actually, this feels pretty nice. Having friends..."

In the pouring rain, a woman wearing a dark-red cloak stood in the street, soaked to the skin. A long black case was strapped to her back, and she bent over, gasping for breath.

"Xiangnan! I'm in the old residential district. Where is Old Zhao?!"

"He's in an open area, two buildings ahead of you."

Wu Xiangnan's voice came through the earpiece. He paused, his voice weighed down.

"Hong Ying... You need to prepare yourself."

"Prepare for what?"

"We lost contact with him a few minutes ago, and Old Zhao's tracker hasn't moved for several minutes..."

Hong Ying's pupils contracted. Her body trembled slightly before she shot forward like an arrow, racing ahead!

"Don't say things like that!! Maybe... maybe he's just tired..."

Hong Ying gritted her teeth, her voice already choked with tears.

"Hong Ying..."

"Don't speak!!" Hong Ying roared.

Thunder rumbled across the sky. Rain poured down like a curtain of water, streaming everywhere and washing over the earth...

Suppressing her emotions, Hong Ying hurried onward. Before long, she spotted the expanded [Forbidden Airspace]. But as she reached the broken sign outside it, her rapid steps slowed, one step at a time...

When she finally stepped inside, she saw a young man.

A long saber was strapped to his back, and he held a sleeping middle-aged man in his arms, seeming about to leave.

At the sight, Hong Ying couldn't stop her tears from falling. Thank goodness... Thank goodness he was all right!

In the Dragon Ball World, a silver light flashed, and He Lingxuan appeared in a hotel room.

He glanced at the clock, which was still ticking, and saw that only half an hour had passed.

"Whew, that mission really opened my eyes. It ended pretty quickly, though."

After a moment of reflection, He Lingxuan seemed to remember something. His expression turned a little grim.

"Even the world's protagonist nearly died. That abnormal crisis was seriously dangerous. Was it because I joined the Chat Group, or because the world itself changed?"

Thinking about the abnormal events in Godslayer in the Mental Hospital, He Lingxuan felt a chill of fear.

It had originally been only a minor opening-arc boss, and the protagonist had even managed to defeat it alone. Yet it had become terrifyingly powerful. Judging by the power levels in that world, its mental strength was probably at the Boundless or even Klein level.

And this had happened for no known reason. Before the mutation, it had been at most at the River level. The realms in that world were broadly divided into six stages.

When mental strength was like the water in a cup, scarce and still, it was called the First Realm, "Cup";

When mental strength was like the water in a pond, abundant and still, it was called the Second Realm, "Pond";

When it was like flowing river water, abundant and moving, it was called the Third Realm, "River";

When it was like the vast waters of the ocean, it was called the Fourth Realm, "Sea";

When mental strength was nearly endless, vast and immense, it was the Fifth Realm, "Boundless";

When mental strength was inexhaustible, never running dry, and able to break through spatial dimensions, resembling a Klein bottle, it was the Sixth Realm, "Klein."

Even after its mutation, its strength had been nothing to He Lingxuan.

But the most important thing was that it had suddenly leaped several major levels and nearly killed that world's protagonist—Lin Qiye.

After all, who knew whether something similar could happen in other worlds?

Especially in Dragon Ball, where a dark transformation could cause one's battle power to skyrocket to a ridiculous degree.

The thought made him shudder. He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. With both a system and the Chat Group as his cheat abilities, he would surely grow quickly. Once he was strong enough, he wouldn't have to fear any danger!

Next came checking his gains from the mission. First were the Chat Group's rewards.

Five hundred basic mission points, the Talent Skill Gift Pack from the Godslayer in the Mental Hospital world, and a Mysterious Gift Pack for his 90% contribution.

Those were the rewards he had received from the Chat Group.

Then there were the rewards from the system for killing creatures in that world.

Ding, a new world has been detected. Update the world-level assessment?

"No!"

At the time, when he saw that message, He Lingxuan had nearly panicked. This wasn't his main world. Did that mean he'd have to travel here just to level up in the future?

So he immediately rejected it. Then the information the system sent next nearly made him grin from ear to ear.

Ding, algorithm update received. The current world has been detected as highly unusual. Killing creatures in this world will grant special drops, and the mental strength template will be unlocked!