Konoha's Mission Master

Until he stood alone in the void... gazing at the entire pure white space.

Suddenly, Yakumo felt a sense of loneliness deep within his heart.

Black text slowly appeared before my eyes, a scene from the past challenge arena, everything was like a slideshow playing slowly, as if a final farewell was being made.

[Note: The player has attempted to challenge the Arena 1834 times.]

[Hint: Odin defeated the player 332 times.]

[Note: The player was instantly killed 54 times.]

[Hint: The player lost their temper 89 times.]

Yakumo looked at his challenge record and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

At the last minute, could you please not bring up embarrassing past events... Hey!

From Hyuga Toshiro, representing ice, to Miyamoto Musashi, the embodiment of sharp sword light, and Nasus, who manipulates the aura of death, to Odin, who sits atop Pegasus and wields divine power through lightning.

From the swordsman who controls the wind, pouring a clear, transparent stream of wine from the flask at his waist, to the nearly immortal Buu letting out a wild laugh, and that figure as dazzling as a star.

That was... that nameless person.

The projection of the supreme ruler, the strongest being in the universe.

"Hyōrinmaru, sit atop the frosty heavens!"

Unparalleled in the world.

"The cycle of life and death never ends."

"Mundo can go wherever he wants."

"I am the Emperor of Magic, the Father of the Gods."

"Let's go with the wind, with only countless admirers behind us."

Yakumo's smile froze as he realized that some strange words seemed to have been mixed in, but before he could even complain, the scene in front of him quietly changed.

The gaunt old man waved at the sun, but he himself gradually turned to ashes.

The swordsman, who wielded the power of the wind, was exhausted amidst the enemy's siege.

Buu's frantic attacks could not stop the enemy's advance.

Until, a man as majestic as a star appeared in the universe, and unleashed an incomparably dazzling golden fist towards the massive blood-red planet in the starry sky. The terrifying gale spread wildly into the distance like a solar storm.

Countless ethereal beings were thus reduced to ashes.

Before Yakumo's eyes, everything returned to its initial pure white state, the images frozen in mid-air, like the curtain falling on a grand epic.

But that powerful figure, as brilliant as a star, still paid with his life.

Black characters appeared before Yakumo's eyes.

The younger generation hopes that those they cherish will not fail the sword in their hands.

Ultimately, everything succumbs to an indomitable will.

Wishing you great success in your military endeavors!

I came, I fought, now it's your turn.

Always keep hope in your heart!

[Mundo says: The people upstairs are right.]

In the void, twelve pure white figures appeared. These were the bosses who had once been enemies and caused Yakumo so much trouble. Their faces were no longer ferocious, but filled with warm and sunny smiles.

They differed in height and build, and there were also huge differences in age and appearance. The aura they exuded when standing together was also vastly different.

Among these people, some are as majestic as mountains, some are as warm as spring breezes, some carry the heat and brilliance of stars, while others are as reserved and deadly as silent ninjas.

Yakumo noticed that the lone warrior Sonic rarely spoke.

Perhaps as someone from the "Egg-Break Planet," I feel out of place with everyone else present.

There were even a few people among them who disliked each other. For example, Yasuo, the Unforgiven, hated Kid Buu, and Toshiro Hitsugaya was somewhat afraid of the old man, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and his gaze was very evasive.

Yakumo gradually pieced together the dialogue in his mind.

"Hey, you died too?"

'—Hehe, I'm several hundred years younger than the old man.'

Their gazes toward Yakumo were full of goodwill.

At this moment, even the usually mad Mundo resembled a hero, his entire body draped in pure white light of hope, like a dress or armor, while the crazed young Buu wore a sincere smile.

Though they didn't speak, their eyes conveyed their blessings to Yakumo.

No, Yakumo immediately realized his mistake. These phantoms before him were heroes; they had all chosen to fight to the death against the ethereal beings to protect life in the universe, even the evil incarnation of Kid Buu was no exception...

Several minutes passed, as if it were a final farewell.

Hitsugano Toshiro took a step forward, transforming into white light and merging into Yakumo's soul. Immediately, a special energy was born from the depths of his soul, gradually making Yakumo's will stronger.

Behind Yakumo, the golden figure of Toshiro Hitsugaya appeared.

This is the will to protect. The seventh form of the Source Blade Technique is rapidly growing stronger at a visible speed. At the same time, his own will is also growing stronger. He can feel his own will undergoing a rapid transformation, as if it has been infused with some kind of powerful tonic and is rapidly improving.

Gradually... Enel, Sonic, Miyamoto Musashi, Nasus, Mundo, Odin, Yasuo, Buu, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni...

These powerful beings all turned into specks of light and completely merged into Yakumo's soul. This energy circulated continuously within Yakumo's soul, forming its own cycle.

The strength of one's own will was suddenly elevated to an incredibly exaggerated level, seemingly without end, and continued to grow stronger.

Yakumo slowly closed his eyes, experiencing this power.

Soon, at a certain moment, the light belonging to that nameless person entered Yakumo's soul. The feeling of continuously growing stronger was no longer comfortable, as if the core of his soul had been stuffed with the sun.

Infinite light and heat burst forth, without end and unstoppable.

In an instant, all the points of light briefly came to a standstill under the influence of this energy. Yakumo's soul seemed to accelerate and split, and many phantom images of Yakumo's soul appeared in the void.

The light spots formed by the phantoms of the others gradually dimmed, as if they had completely merged with Yakumo's soul.

They disappeared, but they still exist.

The golden phantom rose higher from behind Yakumo, as if slowly being poured from an extremely high position, making the barrier built by the will of protection even more resilient.

Yakumo could sense the souls of everyone, strengthening their will to protect in ways he couldn't comprehend. Perhaps... they themselves died protecting others, and thus possessed an incredibly terrifying will to protect.

They became miracles through the power of hope.

They were neither alive nor dead, existing like spirits possessing their bodies.

At a certain moment, everything stood still.

Yakumo could feel that the scorching energy was still driving his soul to transform, and his own will seemed to be consciously imbued with the dual attributes of fire and earth.

hiss!

Finally, all the fluctuations of his soul returned to stillness.

[Hint: Calculations show the player's success rate is 98%]

[Hint: After recalculation, the player's success rate is 100%]

This stagnation lasted only a very short time. The fluctuations of the soul disappeared from this space, and were replaced by an extremely special new energy that seemed to be born from the soul but also transcended the soul itself.

Black crystals appeared on his forehead, recklessly absorbing the special energy newly born within his soul. Yet, Yakumo felt a burning will in his abdomen that seemed endless, driving change without limit.

Finally, all the soul energy completely disappeared, transformed into a special energy that existed between the intangible and the tangible.

[Hint: The player's soul has undergone a metamorphosis, granting them immortality.]

Yakumo felt the core that was still releasing high temperatures; even one percent of the Overlord's energy was beyond his current capacity to absorb.

In addition, Yakumo also sensed the many heroic spirits sleeping within his soul, and felt the unique qualities that filled his entire soul.

He understood that this was the arena's final gift.

[Notice: The Arena will soon be permanently closed.]

Yakumo did not choose to quit. He stood quietly in place, watching the pure white space gradually fade into nothingness, while golden phantoms kept emerging from behind him... all of them were bosses that he had spent a long time defeating.

These people, along with Yakumo, witnessed the closure of the arena.

In a daze, Yakumo felt his soul sink and realized he had been teleported. When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the secret base of the ninja world.

That night felt like half a month to him.

The scorching heat that existed in the soul actually detached from the soul and fell into the abdomen of the body... The scorching energy rose and spread, and the entire body underwent continuous transformation.

Yakumo immediately opened the game panel and found that his constitution attribute had become blurred, as if it was in a state of transformation. It would occasionally increase slightly, but the display showed that it was a temporary increase.

[Physical fitness: 101 (109)]

...

[Physical fitness: 101 (110)]

Yakumo explained some points that were still unclear to him, and only then did he finally understand.

[Note: The Arena's Final Gift is a special status effect. While it continuously boosts various player attributes, it lasts for a maximum of one hundred days.]

This is a gift from the arena or the game system, but it only lasts for about a hundred days, another hundred days.

In a sense... this is equivalent to the game system urging him to proceed to the final instance.

Now he finally understood why the conditions for the final instance were learning the Source Blade Technique and clearing the twelfth floor of the Arena.

Because... this is to obtain powerful gifts and buffs.

Yakumo hesitated for a moment, then withdrew all his shadow clones.

Standing still, he pondered quietly for more than ten seconds before creating another shadow clone to notify his teammates to prepare for battle.

Although it seems that the choice is in Yakumo's hands, this special buff, which only lasts for 100 days, is in a sense a silent threat.

Yakumo could, of course, choose to follow the established plan, first going to the One-Punch Man world, and then to the final dungeon world to carry out the ultimate mission.

But the price is losing this strongest state.

The scorching energy source in his abdomen continuously enhanced the strength of his body, raising Yakumo's overall strength to an extremely exaggerated level.

So... the countdown is on, one hundred days.