Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

That's right. Even as a user of magic, Wood couldn't have remained unscathed from that close-range magical attack.

However, compared to Reinhardt, who was blown up at point-blank range, Wood's injuries were significantly less severe. Strictly speaking, it was a case of injuring the enemy by a thousand while suffering eight hundred of his own.

No, it should be said that if Wood hadn't had the healing magic circle engraved on him and hadn't activated his healing ability in time, that attack might have resulted in a thousand casualties on his own while injuring eight hundred on the enemy.

Because Reinhard has the ability to be immune to 80% of fire magic.

This is also why Wood didn't use a stronger Emperor-level fire magic to cast at point-blank range, but instead chose a Saint-level magic.

Because if not controlled properly, one could be severely injured in the process. Another reason is that Wood didn't want to kill Reinhard directly, otherwise Reinhard's "Phoenix Blessing" would be activated, allowing him to be resurrected at full strength.

The most effective way to defeat Reinhard is to severely injure him, and then use other methods to trap or seal him.

According to Wood's previous predictions, even if it only caused 20% damage, a Saint-level magic bursting at point-blank range should have been enough to render Reinhard unable to move.

But now Reinhard stood unharmed in front of him, and even had the strength to launch a counterattack.

To say he was completely unharmed wouldn't be entirely accurate, since Reinhard's injuries weren't much better than Wood's. However, Wood hadn't actually seen what kind of damage the previous Saint-level magic had caused to Reinhard.

In other words, the other party lied before, and they also concealed other protective powers?

Looking at the other person's handsome and gentle appearance, Wood thought that the other person was not the kind of person who liked to play tricks.

A first-rate swordsman can communicate through his sword. Through their previous duel, Wood had also vaguely come to understand what kind of person Reinhard was.

Reinhard did not hide anything from Wood's doubts, but directly gave Wood the answer he wanted.

Under normal circumstances, everything should indeed have happened as Wood had predicted.

But just as Wood grabbed Reinhard's face and cast a spell, Reinhard received a new blessing.

The blessing he received this time is called "Blessing of Battle," which grants him immunity to magical attacks released upon contact with his body.

That's right, this guy not only received another blessing, but a new blessing that perfectly countered the crisis situation he just faced.

It's as if this blessing didn't originally exist in the world, but Reinhard needed it at the time, so the world bestowed this blessing upon Reinhard.

This is the true "favored son" of the world. Reinhard didn't use any cheat codes because he was already a cheat-like being.

The true blessing belonging to Reinhard, in fact, from the very beginning and in its core, has always been only one, and this blessing is called "Love of the World".

This "blessing" is probably the strongest blessing in the world, bar none.

The World's Love: He can receive the blessings he desires, but even without those blessings, his innate physical constitution makes him the strongest in the world by birth.

When he is serious, the mana (magic) in the atmosphere will blindly follow him. Although he cannot use magic, the micro-sprites will actively help him, and even the great sprites will be affected by his constitution.

It is because of this blessing that Reinhard became the only being able to obtain the blessing later in life.

After explaining why he had just escaped death, Reinhard gripped the Dragon Sword Red tightly once more, preparing for the second half of his duel with Wood.

Wood, who was his opponent, raised his hands in surrender.

Having fought this far, Wood has a full understanding of his own strength, and continuing the fight would be pointless.

Although he still has a technique like the "Heart of God" that he hasn't used yet, burning his life force is a last resort, and it would be too foolish to use it to spar with others.

Even if he used the power of the 'Heart of God', his chances of defeating Reinhard were slim.

The logic is simple: although Wood is also a cheater, he's still far inferior to Reinhard. Reinhard's cheats are created on the spot, while Wood's are useless.

Previously, long-range attacks were ineffective, but now even magic that touches the body is immune; magic is almost completely blocked in front of Reinhard.

Wood was worried that if the fight continued, his opponent might gain some kind of "sword protection" or something, making them immune to even the most ordinary slashes. In that case, there would be no way to play anymore.

Moreover, unlike Reinhard who mistook him for the assassin "Bowel Hunter," Wood knew from the beginning that Reinhard was a guard hired by Subaru Natsuki, because the knight's attire on the other party was too obvious.

As for why Wood chose to fight Reinhard even though he knew Reinhard was an ally, there are reasons for that.

On one hand, Wood wanted to find a strong person to test his level in this world.

Another reason is the mechanism of "Life Simulator".

As is widely known, the power Wood gained in this body will be added to his body in the One Piece world after the simulation ends.

In addition to this inherent reward, there is also a random reward from which you can choose one of three options.

Based on previous experiences in The Sims, the reward options that appear when Wood chooses one of three are usually abilities and items from people he has encountered in the alternate world.

The stronger the opponent you encounter and fight, the better the quality of the random reward options.

It was for this reason that Wood took the initiative to challenge Reinhard, because from the first moment he saw the other party, Wood could feel that the other party was very, very strong!

Chapter 344 Wood: Come be my meat... my lackey!

Now that Reinhard has made contact and even fought with Reinhard, whether the final reward options will be good is entirely a matter of luck.

If he had a choice, Wood would naturally want the outrageous ability of "love for the world".

If things go too far, giving him a "phoenix blessing" wouldn't be unacceptable.

Of course, these are all just thoughts. What kind of ability rewards one can actually obtain depends mainly on luck.

"Is this the end? But you haven't lost yet. Are you planning to let me arrest you like this?"

Seeing Wood raise his hands in surrender, Reinhard was honestly a little disappointed. He hadn't encountered an opponent as strong as Wood in a very long time.

Although the other party was a notorious assassin, Reinhard had to admit that the other party was indeed one of the strongest people he had ever seen.

"Arrest me? So you must have got something wrong? I'm a law-abiding citizen."

"I stopped the assassins from committing their crime, and instead of giving me a Good Citizen award, they're arresting me? What kind of logic is that?"

Reinhard felt like his brain had short-circuited, and his expression showed a look of utter bewilderment.

"So, you told me to leave it to you and that you'd come later, and that's why things turned out like this?"

Because Wood and Reinhard stopped fighting, Subaru Natsuki finally had a chance to chime in.

Through Felt's explanation, Subaru Natsuki also understood that Wood was about to defeat the Bowel Hunter, but it was Reinhard's sudden intervention that led to the current situation.

"So... you're not the Gut Hunter that Ang mentioned?" Reinhard finally understood the situation and asked with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"He is certainly not the Bowel Hunter. The Bowel Hunter is a sexy older woman wearing black stockings."

"That guy you saved before, who knows where he's gone now!"

If Subaru had known Wood was this strong, he wouldn't have sought Reinhard's assistance.

What kind of knight among knights is he? He didn't help at all, and even made things worse, allowing the real assassin to escape.

The Bowel Hunter had indeed run away long ago. She had originally planned to sit back and reap the benefits, but as the battle between Wood and Reinhardt intensified, she changed her mind.

Even when the ice field and meteorite crater were blown up, the woman in black stockings decisively chose to run away.

The reason is quite simple: she felt that the two guys in front of her were definitely monsters.

Even if one side is defeated, the severely injured other can easily kill her.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, the fight could not continue. Although Reinhard invited Wood to spar again when he had the chance, Wood simply ignored the invitation.

Felt was taken away by Reinhard for theft, but Emilia still paid Felt the fee that the Bowel Hunter had paid for her when she retrieved the badge.

The reason is that Ferut received the money not for herself, but for the orphans in the slums who had no parents.

It's worth mentioning that the one who paid Emilia's fees was another cute girl named Rem.

The other person had shoulder-length blue hair, with bangs covering one eye. She wore a black and white maid outfit and had a baby face, but a more impressive bust than Emilia.

Because she was very grateful to Wood and Subaru for helping her find her badge, Emilia warmly invited them to visit her home.

Subaru Natsuki, who had been eager to get closer to Emilia, naturally wouldn't pass up this opportunity, so he gladly accepted the invitation.

Wood wasn't particularly interested in seducing beautiful girls, and after learning that Reinhard was a member of the so-called "Royal Guard Knights," he became even more determined to visit the capital.

Emilia was somewhat disappointed by Wood's refusal. Through the previous battle, Emilia could tell that Wood was a very strong mage, and she had some questions she wanted to ask him.

But if the other person has important matters to attend to, then she naturally cannot force them.

As for Natsuki Subaru and Rem, they both breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Wood refuse.

The former is because Wood is just too outstanding. Natsuki Subaru is worried that if Wood keeps following him, he, the true protagonist, will seem to have no highlights, and the difficulty of winning Emilia will increase dramatically.

As for why Rem breathed a sigh of relief, it's because, as a member of the Oni race, Rem is different from Subaru Natsuki; she can clearly sense Wood's danger and power.

Bringing such a powerful stranger to Roswaal's mansion would only bring unknown risks to the others in the mansion.

She was just a maid and didn't have much say. The other party was Emilia's benefactor, so she had no choice but to accept. Now that the other party had declined the invitation, that was the best outcome.

As for Subaru Natsuki... well, although he has a strong witch aura, his combat power is not threatening at all. Rem could easily take on ten of them at once.

"Don't just hang up on me again, or I won't mind finding a place to seal you away for a hundred or two hundred years."

These were the words Wood said to Natsuki Subaru before he left, and the latter clearly shuddered upon hearing them.

First, he encountered a beautiful girl, and now he's been invited to her home. Overall, Subaru Natsuki is quite satisfied with this other world.

Of course, it would be even better if he were the only protagonist.

Natsuki Subaru felt that Wood's words before leaving didn't sound like a joke...

But as a modern-day otaku, he was utterly useless in this other world. If he had a choice, he naturally wouldn't want to die, but things never go as planned.

After everyone parted ways, Reinhard took Felt back to the capital, because he felt that Felt, who possessed the "Blessing of the Wind," seemed to have a more than simple identity.

As for Subaru Natsuki, he followed Emilia back to the mansion of Borozwain on the border.