Digimon: I reached the top using the Knight item.

Bai Yu stood outside the door, listlessly looking up at the magnificent mansion before him.

The long wall and the glimpse of an exquisite courtyard through the gate revealed the owner's wealth. He once again marveled at the wealth of the Ruki family. When would he be able to own such a house? No, what he should be thinking about now is how to make money in this world.

Given his current status with the [Knight Item System], becoming a freelance mercenary might be a good option.

After all, troubles are endless in this world, and crises that could destroy the world keep popping up one after another. If you really want to be a mercenary, you will never have to worry about not having employers.

Just as Bai Yu was envisioning his future wealth, Ruki walked out of the mansion with a thick wad of banknotes in her hand.

Liu Ji walked up to Bai Yu and handed him the stack of money: "Here you go, we're even now."

Bai Yu took the money; it felt heavy in his hand. He counted it, and the amount of the banknotes was exactly the same as what he had told him before.

"Wow, they really brought out so many!" Bai Yu thought to himself in amazement once again.

Although he knew that Ruki came from a wealthy family, he was still just a student, and it really surprised him that she could use such a large sum of money.

Shiraha didn't know that this was several months' worth of pocket money for Ryuki, and that Ryuki would probably have to live frugally for the next few months.

Having received the money, Bai Yu had no intention of staying any longer. He put the money in his pocket, nodded to Liu Ji, and said succinctly, "Farewell."

Watching Bai Yu turn and leave, a complex emotion flickered in Liu Ji's purple eyes. She suddenly spoke again and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

Ruki is now 100% certain that Shiraha is definitely not a beast tamer. His fighting style and the abilities he displays are completely different from those of a beast tamer.

Bai Yu stopped and turned around, a faint smile on his face. His gaze fell on Ruki's inquisitive face as he said, "You can call me... Demon King for now."

Chapter 6: Account time

After parting ways with Ruki, it was already late at night. Shiraha found a small hotel that looked fairly clean and planned to make do for the night and then look for a cheaper place to stay the next day.

The hotel room was small, filled with a subtle smell of disinfectant mixed with a slight dampness. Bai Yu casually tossed the room key onto the bedside table, then fell heavily backward, sinking into the soft mattress.

He took out the lynx dial and played with it, feeling the cool metallic touch and the ferocious lynx relief on the dial.

Although he defeated the demon fox beast, Bai Yu knew in his heart that his current strength was still very weak.

The system's strength evaluation system, like a cold ruler, constantly reminded him.

D-level strength.

This rating roughly corresponds to the growth stage in Digimon. Below that is the E-rank, the juvenile stage, which has almost no combat power.

Above that are the mature stage of C-rank, the complete stage of B-rank, the ultimate stage of A-rank, and then there is S-rank, which represents the top combat power and is usually the best among the ultimate stages, or even stronger.

In fact, the evolutionary stages of Digimon are only a general framework and cannot be completely equated with their actual strength.

Just like that lynx, as an armored Digimon, most of them should be at the C-rank level on average. However, the one that Bai Yu encountered was only rated D-rank by the system, which was undoubtedly a poor performance.

In contrast, there are also powerful armored warriors, such as Magnamon from the Royal Knights, whose strength is definitely at the S-class level.

Even more extreme are beings like Lucemon, who, even in their growth stage, possess terrifying S-rank strength.

In contrast, some Ultimate-level beings, such as MarineAngemon, are also Ultimate-level, but their actual combat power is probably not even comparable to that of a C-level being. However, when it comes to support abilities, that's another story.

Bai Yu understood from the beginning that a Digimon's level does not fully represent its strength, which is also part of the complexity of this world's power system.

The system that Bai Yu obtained is called the [Knight Item System], and its functions are relatively simple.

The system will provide Bai Yu with various blank Kamen Rider items. These blank items do not have any power on their own. Bai Yu needs to kill Digimon himself and then use these blank items to absorb their data in order to transform them into usable Kamen Rider items, just like the Lynx Watch in his hand.

As mentioned before, Bai Yu has already gathered some information and gained some understanding of this world.

This world is not simply the world of Digimon 3, but a fusion world.

According to the scattered information Bai Yu found online, that "unforgettable summer" remembered by countless people is now two years in the past.

Just a year ago, a live stream with an uninterrupted signal appeared online, and the content of the stream was a thrilling Digimon battle.

Bai Yu knew that it was the first battle of Omegamon's birth, a fusion of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, which was the plot of "Our War Games".

So, there's only one year left until the "three-year promise" for the second generation of chosen children to appear.

According to the timeline of the third installment, this year should be the year the main story of the third generation takes place. Based on this, the story of the second generation should actually take place after the third generation.

In addition, Akiyama Ryo, who is known as the "legendary beast tamer," has been missing for ten months, according to news reports. Shiraha is well aware of this, and Akiyama Ryo should be traveling in the vast digital world at this moment.

Although these incidents were somewhat controlled and did not spread on a large scale, Digimon have entered the human field of vision since the Odaiba Incident, also known as the Myotismon rampage, and children with Digimon partners have appeared sporadically around the world.

The reason they are not called the chosen children is because these children do not possess the power of the badges; it is a result of the constant wide-net casting.

Furthermore, six months after the Odaiba Incident, the Digimon game was designed, but the source of information about the Digimon in it is unknown.

Then, in just three months, the digital card game became a huge hit, and various competitions were held one after another.

About a month later, around this time, the first Beast Tamer appeared. It is said that this Beast Tamer was a fan of digital card games, and one day, he obtained the [D-Ark Tyrannosaurus Rex] through digital cards.

Later, several other people obtained the D-Ark Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Around that time, wild Digimon that occasionally materialize in the real world begin to appear. These Digimon do not come directly from the Digital World to the real world. The 'gate' between the two worlds is now closed and cannot be opened easily, not even by the Chosen Children using the Divine Plan.

These digital beasts transform themselves into data and enter the special space of cyberspace.

Because cyberspace is a space that connects the digital world and the real world, Digimon are digitized and enter this space, and then materialize in the real world.

This is why the 'digital domain' exists, because it comes from cyberspace.

Whether it's because of Digimon partners or some other reason, trainers often hunt physical wild Digimon to gain data and become stronger by killing them.

Because the D-Ark Tyrannosaurus Rex can be used by everyone, some people were separated and the title of "tamer" came into being.

After a night's rest, although the hotel bed wasn't exactly comfortable, it was enough for Bai Yu to recover her energy.

The next morning, Bai Yu quickly washed up, checked out of the hotel, and began his search for a new place to stay.

Although he had "extorted" a sum of cash from Ruki, he couldn't afford to squander the money.

Bai Yu didn't plan to rent an expensive apartment; her target was houses with relatively cheap rent.

Moreover, in order to save on agency fees, Bai Yu decided to do it himself and search the streets and alleys.

Bai Yu weaved through the slightly dilapidated streets, her eyes carefully scanning every corner where rental information might be posted.

Whether it was by chance or not, Bai Yu actually found a rental listing that looked quite suitable after only half a day of wandering around.

It was a handwritten notice, the handwriting was a little messy, but the key information was clear and concise.

Without any hesitation, Bai Yu immediately took out his phone from his pocket and dialed the number left on the notice. As for whether the other party was a scammer, Bai Yu was not worried at all.

If any fool dares to try and trick him, Bai Yu wouldn't hesitate to turn that house into a complete ruin overnight.

The phone rang a few times before being answered quickly. A young man's voice, clear and melodious, came from the other end.

"Hello."

Bai Yu succinctly stated his purpose: "Hello, I saw the rental information on the bulletin board and I'd like to rent a house."

When the person on the other end of the phone heard that Bai Yu was there to rent a house, their tone immediately became much more positive.

"Oh! You're looking to rent a place? May I ask which bulletin board you saw it on?"

Shiraha announced the name of the street where the notice board was located.

The other person seemed very familiar with the area and immediately said, "Okay, okay, just wait there for a moment, I'll be right there!"

Chapter 7: First Encounter with Mitsushiro

Bai Yu didn't have to wait long.

A slightly immature yet composed voice rang out from behind.

"Excuse me, was it you who just called to say you wanted to rent a room?"

Bai Yu turned around upon hearing the sound.

What came into view was a slightly immature, yet refined-looking young face.

That iconic orange hedgehog head, and that composed expression that belies his age.

Bai Yu's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

That familiar face, that unique hairstyle.

Almost instantly, he matched the person in front of him with a figure from his memory.

A slight ripple stirred in Bai Yu's heart, and he thought to himself: What a coincidence.

The newcomer seemed to have noticed something from Bai Yu's subtle changes in expression.

He tilted his head slightly, a hint of inquiry in his eyes, and asked, "You seem to know me?"

Shiro gave a friendly smile, extended his hand, and said, "Hello, Izumi Koushiro. My name is Shiro. We're... in the same circle."

That's right, the boy in front of you, who looks no more than twelve or thirteen years old, is none other than Izumi Koushiro, the one who embodies wisdom and skill among the first generation of chosen children and the holder of the Crest of Knowledge.

Upon hearing Bai Yu reveal his name and mention "a circle," a knowing glint flashed in Koushiro's eyes behind his glasses.

He reached out and gently shook hands with Bai Yu.

"Hello, Mr. Baiyu."

Then, tentatively, he asked, "Are you also one of the chosen children?"

Although only the eight of them who possess the badge are the true chosen children.

However, in their own understanding, they categorize those who possess divine plans and Digimon partners as "the chosen children."

Bai Yu shook his head slightly, his smile unwavering as he replied, "Not really. I'm a bit special; you can think of me as a digital mercenary."

"You can write down my phone number. If you have any trouble with Digimon in the future, you can contact me. My fee is not high."

"Digital mercenary?" Koushiro was visibly taken aback when he heard this novel term.

Does this mean henchmen?

It sounds a bit...

Forget it.

Koushiro didn't dwell on the issue too much, but instead steered the conversation back on track.

"Let me take you to see the house first."

Bai Yu naturally had no objection to this; his main purpose for this trip was to rent a place to stay.

"Thank you for your help."

The house is not far from the location of the notice board.

Koushiro led Shiroha across a street, and after walking for about five or six minutes, they stopped in front of a two-story building that looked quite old.

Koushiro took out his key, opened the door, and led Shiraha inside.

The house was furnished very simply, with almost no extra furniture except for the most basic hard furnishings.

The simple arrangement made the already small house seem a little empty.

With a slightly embarrassed expression, Koushiro explained, "I originally rented this place to use as a studio, but due to some other circumstances, I haven't been able to use it for the time being."

"Although it's a bit empty inside, the water and electricity are all working properly. You can just add some furniture yourself."

Bai Yu didn't really care about the lack of furniture.

Given his current situation of being all alone, a bed and a roof to shelter him from the wind and rain are enough.

He was more concerned about the rent itself.

Surprisingly, Shiraha was a little taken aback that Koushiro was actually a sub-landlord.

Of course, this is not a big problem either.

He can accept the condition of the house, but he should still try to negotiate the price.

Bai Yu looked around, then looked at Koushiro and said, "The house is indeed a bit too spacious, and there's almost no furniture. Koushiro, could you possibly lower the rent a bit?"

Upon hearing this, Koushiro gently touched his chin with his index finger and pondered for a moment.

A few seconds later, he looked up at Bai Yu and said seriously, "How about this, Bai Yu-kun, I won't make money off you. I'll rent this house to you at the same price I paid back then."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu's eyes lit up.

Subletting at the original price is already quite a bargain.

You can't really let the other party lose money by renting the house to you.