Frez found a relatively clean crate in a damp Lungmen alleyway, resting his weight against the brick wall as he studied the holographic interface of the Chat Group.
Text cascaded across the translucent screen.
The members were already deep in conversation, completely ignoring the grime and neon-lit poverty of his physical surroundings.
[Kiana: Human, you must offer today’s tribute to the great Queen!]
[Handsome Big Liar: Actually, today’s tribute has already been paid, Queen.
Did you not notice?]
[Furina: Here we go again, the daily routine.
But is the life of a has-been idol really that difficult?
You actually need to ask us for tribute every day.]
[Wiš’adel: If you have tribute, you might as well give it to me.]
[Quantum Beheading Barbarian: No supplies, feeding myself is a problem, don’t even think about asking me!]
Frez rubbed his chin.
The names painted a very specific, multiversal picture.
He just wasn’t sure which exact timeline this Kiana belonged to.
Then there was Yixuan, the Void Hunter-class combatant and owner of Yunkui Summit from Zenless Zone Zero.
Furina, the theatrical Hydro Archon of Fontaine.
Wiš’adel, who was undoubtedly the explosive mercenary W from his current world of Terra.
And finally, Seele from the Belobog Underworld, sporting a chat nickname that perfectly described her ultimate attack.
[Kiana: I didn’t notice your tribute.
Also, I am not a has-been idol.
My plot has just wrapped up.
I am Schicksal’s designated advertising star!]
[Furina: But when I went to your place before, I didn’t see your advertisements.
And Master Yixuan checked your ranking.
You can’t even squeeze into the top five among Schicksal’s advertising stars.]
[Kiana: That’s because I disdain to compete for it.
Why hasn’t Himeko returned yet?
She wouldn’t be drunk again, would she?
I’m starving to death.]
Frez sighed.
It sounded like her situation was genuinely miserable.
How did a Herrscher end up begging for food online?
Unable to watch the pathetic display any longer, Frez pushed off the crate, bought a few hot meat skewers from a nearby street vendor, and uploaded them directly to the interface.
[Dump Truck Hater sent an exclusive red envelope to Kiana]
[Furina: We were chatting so happily, I didn’t even notice a newcomer arrived.]
[Kiana: Newcomer?
I allow you to become my most loyal follower.]
[Quantum Beheading Barbarian: Newcomer, don’t mind Kiana.
She is just a bit…
what did Master Yixuan say?
Oh right, tsundere plus chuunibyou.
Introduce yourself.]
Frez tapped the air, sending a brief response.
[Dump Truck Hater: My name is Frez, nineteen years old, living in the Lower District of Lungmen, Yan.]
[Wiš’adel: Yan?
Isn’t that east of Kazdel?]
[Quantum Beheading Barbarian: W, you and Mr.
Frez are from the same world.]
[Dump Truck Hater: Kazdel is still in civil war.
I don’t know much about the specific situation.]
[Wiš’adel: The Demon King siblings started fighting.
They’ve been fighting for several years.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with me.
Just make money and survive.]
[Furina: Miss W, have you never thought about leaving once you’ve earned enough money?]
[Handsome Big Liar: The battlefield is ultimately not a good place.
Sinking into it, accompanied by slaughter day and night, is damaging to the heart and spirit.]
[Wiš’adel: Yes, yes, yes.
But where can the Sarkaz go?
Everyone hates them no matter where they go.
You can ask the newcomer, what is everyone’s attitude toward the Sarkaz?]
[Dump Truck Hater: It’s not that everyone shouts to beat them in the streets, but you could say people hate them and dogs dislike them.
Most ordinary folks just call them ‘demon spawn’.
Sarkaz born in Kazdel cannot avoid three things in their lifetime: war, Oripathy, and death.]
[Kiana: The snacks taste very good.]
[Furina: Isn’t this the treatment of monsters?
How did they end up like this?
But Frez, do you hate W’s race?]
[Wiš’adel: Definitely hate, I am a Sarkaz after all.]
[Dump Truck Hater: Not at all.
I don’t care about race.
What I care about is strength.]
Hate?
How could he possibly hate her?
In the future, she would become the noble Lady Wiš’adel, a sniper so overpowered she made enemies evaporate on sight.
Just thinking about her future meta status made Frez’s gamer instincts act up.
Ever since pulling her alter form in his past life, he had never needed another sniper.
‘I just need to wait for enough deployment points, and then drop my invincible Wiš’adel.jpg,’ he thought, amused.
Far away in the barren, ash-choked wastelands of Kazdel, W snorted.
The two red ahoge on her head twitched with her movements, looking remarkably like cockroach antennae.
Her golden eyes carried a cold, lively beauty, masking a history of blood and survival beneath a cynical smirk.
She swiped through the chat interface, feeling a flare of annoyance.
She didn’t buy Frez’s diplomatic answer for a second.
The newcomer was just another one full of lies.
She was a Sarkaz mercenary infected with Oripathy; there wasn’t a soul on Terra who wouldn’t look at her with disgust.
[Wiš’adel: Just talking big.
How many people in this land don’t hate the Sarkaz?
Strength?
A ridiculous excuse.
Nothing is more important than the mission.
That guy Entelechia is calling me, like a death-chaser.]
“W, the target for this assassination is a rather troublesome fellow.
Don’t do anything reckless, and stick close to the team.”
The sharp, urging voice of her companion Entelechia drifted over the wind.
W slung her weapon over her shoulder and strolled casually toward the voice.
“Yes, yes, yes.
Why the rush?
It’s not like I’m not coming.
If you’re so capable, don’t eat my dry rations; go eat roasted potatoes instead.”
Entelechia shook her head and quickened her pace across the rocky terrain.
Their current contract was to wipe out a rival Sarkaz mercenary group—a particularly vicious bunch.
She only hoped W, the chaotic newcomer who had recently joined their squad, wouldn’t blow the entire operation to pieces.
[Quantum Beheading Barbarian: W’s life over in Kazdel isn’t doing so well.
What about you, Frez?]
[Dump Truck Hater: It’s alright, I guess?
I’m in a gang.
I just sent my third boss to the slammer.]
[Furina: Frez, you’re in the underworld?
Wait, what do you mean you just sent your third boss in?
Are you an undercover agent?]
[Kiana: A boss killer?]
[Handsome Big Liar: So you’re an undercover?
That’s a job like dancing on the edge of a blade.
If you run into trouble, feel free to call me for help.]
[Furina: An undercover…
that’s truly exhausting work.
Some cases in Fontaine indeed require undercover help, and that kind of job is always super tough.
It’s not easy for you.
Since I’m free right now, let me introduce the functions of the chat group to you.]
[Dump Truck Hater: Sure.]
Frez resumed his walk down the neon-lit streets, switching the chat interface to text-to-speech mode.
Furina’s theatrical voice echoed in his earpiece as he handled the winding, crowded alleys of the slums.
According to the Hydro Archon, members could physically travel to each other’s worlds, provided the host agreed.
Bringing extra people along required spending points.
These points were the lifeblood of the group, earned through daily check-ins and system-issued missions.
Daily check-ins yielded anywhere from a single point to a hundred.
As for missions, Furina proudly recounted the last one: a request to help her defeat a Local Legend in Fontaine.
Only W and Yixuan had participated in that particular raid.
Points also served as currency for the system mall.
The inventory refreshed daily, offering a bizarre mix of multiversal currencies, exotic foods, and random trinkets—small scythes, Celestial Jade tiles, Kiku-ichimonji swords, Tinman Coffee.
Nothing game-changing, but mildly amusing.
Finally, there was the Arena.
If tensions boiled over, members could enter the virtual battleground to settle their differences.
Attacks in the real world couldn’t harm fellow members, making the Arena the perfect place to blow off steam.
It was a flawless sparring ground; any injuries sustained inside vanished upon exit.
Even death was temporary, ending in an immediate, painless resurrection.
Frez tapped the daily check-in button.
A golden number flashed on his screen: 100 points.
He smirked.
His innate luck—rivaling a certain tracksuit-wearing adventurer named Kazuma—was truly invincible.
It was just a shame that the most he had ever won from a physical lottery ticket in Lungmen was a measly thousand coins.
Grabbing a cheap dinner from a noodle stand, Frez headed back to his cramped rented room.
He spent the rest of the evening chatting with the group, slowly piecing together the current timelines of his new multiversal acquaintances.
Hours bled away.
Just as the clock struck midnight, signaling the quiet arrival of a new month, a crisp chime echoed directly in his mind.
[Ding!
Character Template has been refreshed]
[Character of the Month: Satoru Gojo (Nah, I’d win)]