Within the special domain known as the “Gap,” the rift between spaces.
The blonde great youkai looked at the upgrade prompt that had been triggered from within the [+], taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling a few seconds later.
A very subtle smile appeared on her face.
It turned out that humans aren’t the only ones who laugh when they are truly speechless; youkai do it too.
*Hiding something this important behind a trick like this, huh?*
Instead of using her mind as she had before, Yukari Yakumo raised a hand.
Her slender index finger tapped firmly on the [Yes] option, consenting to upgrade the Super-Dimensional Mutual Aid Group to the Official Version.
[Group Notification: With the consent of all members, the Super-Dimensional Mutual Aid Group is now upgrading to the Official Version.]
[Group Prompt: Upgrading Super-Dimensional Mutual Aid Group…]
[Group Prompt: Upgrade complete.]
[Group Notification: Group function [Red Envelope] has been upgraded.
Group function [Live Stream] has been upgraded.
Group function [Enhancing] has been implemented.
Group function [Mission] has been implemented.]
Byakuya examined the changes brought about by the upgrade one by one.
First were the two existing functions that had been upgraded along with the group—Red Envelope and Live Streaming.
The [Red Envelope] function, which previously could only send points, now included an option to “send items whose ownership is clearly defined as one’s own, or those entirely under one’s control.”
Simply put, if you owned a house—from the main structure down to the foundation—you could send it directly.
Or, if you bent over to pick up a pebble from the ground, you could put it in a red packet.
However, the idea of sending the entire Earth to a group member just by standing on your head was a fantasy.
To actually fit a planet into a red envelope, only two possibilities existed: either the planet belonged to you in an absolute sense of ownership, or you were actually capable of holding a planet in your hand as if it were a small pebble.
As for the [Live Stream] function…
The upgrade added an “Immersive Experience” option to the existing feature.
Previously, whether in third-person or first-person perspective, viewers could only watch the stream through a screen.
But after the upgrade, if the streamer enabled the immersive experience, viewers in third-person perspective could enter the live scene as if they had traveled there.
Their movement was limited to the area captured by the camera, and they could not affect anything within that space.
Furthermore, no one other than group members could see, hear, or perceive the viewers’ presence.
In first-person perspective, the viewer’s senses were synchronized with the streamer’s.
Whatever the streamer experienced in terms of sight, hearing, touch, or spiritual perception, the viewers felt it as well.
Then came the two newly implemented functions.
First was [Enhancing].
Just as Chika Fujiwara had speculated not long ago, since the Super-Dimensional Mutual Aid Group included a check-in feature that granted daily points, there inevitably had to be a way to spend those points.
The enhancing function was the answer to that hypothesis.
Through this feature, group members could spend points to strengthen any object or entity in any way.
They could enhance themselves, a specific item, or even other people and intelligent lifeforms.
Excluding points received from red envelopes sent by other members, there were two primary ways to acquire the points needed for strengthening.
First, a daily check-in granted 1 point—a straightforward process that required no further explanation.
The second channel was the other newly implemented feature: [Missions]!
Missions would refresh randomly in the task bar of the interface.
Completing them earned points, and occasionally, additional rewards provided by the task issuer.
Furthermore, members didn’t have to wait passively for tasks to refresh.
If they were in need, they could proactively post their own tasks through the interface to seek help from other members.
However, for these request-based tasks, the issuer had to provide the reward themselves.
『Cancer of the Earth』: Hehe~ Now it’s finally starting to look like a “Super-Dimensional Mutual Aid Group.”
『Cancer of the Earth』: That point-based enhancing…
have you guys tried it yet?
『Esdeath』: I have.
It feels great.
『Esdeath』: I’ve only been in the group for about six months.
Just using those two hundred or so points from my daily check-ins, I can clearly feel a significant boost in my strength.
『Esdeath』: If the current me were to fight the me from before the enhancing, I’m confident I could kill my former self in three moves at most!
『Utako Kasumi』: Although Esdeath, your example is a bit…
subtle…
『Utako Kasumi』: [GIF of snapping a corner of a one-centimeter-thick solid wood tabletop with bare hands]
『Utako Kasumi』: The effect is indeed wonderful.
And this was using only a fraction of the points I’ve saved from checking in over the past year.
If I used all my points to enhance my physical fitness like this, the improvement would be even more staggering.
『Utako Kasumi』: What’s most amazing is that despite such a huge increase, I don’t feel any signs of losing control—like the trope in fantasy works where you accidentally snap a pen or crush a glass.
『Youkai Sage』: It is indeed a remarkable new feature.
『Youkai Sage』: While it’s simply called “enhancing” on the surface, this enhancement covers every aspect one could possibly imagine.
If there’s any drawback, it’s simply that there aren’t enough points.
『Youkai Sage』: What do you think, Byakuya?
@Newbie
『Newbie』: It’s alright.
『Cancer of the Earth』: Oh, right!
I almost forgot that Mr.
Byakuya just joined today.
How about I lend you a hundred points, or something, so you can experience the effect of enhancing?
『Newbie』: No need.
The 1 point from today’s check-in is enough for me to gauge the approximate value of a point.
『Youkai Sage』: It seems you have a very precise command over your power?
『Newbie』: Fairly standard.
『Newbie』: Besides, for something like this, I don’t need to be precise to the last decimal.
As long as I can confirm how much growth time these points save me, that’s enough, isn’t it?
『Youkai Sage』: That is true.
『Newbie』: I’ll stop here; I have some things to take care of.
『Cancer of the Earth』: Sure, sure.
Go ahead and get busy, Mr.
Byakuya.
We’ll chat later~
『Newbie』: Yeah, later.
After bidding farewell to his new acquaintances in the group, Byakuya exited the chat interface.
While he had been chatting, the man in the red suit standing before the Matou Residence—the head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi Tohsaka—had finished his conversation with the elderly man leaning on a cane, the head of the Matou family, Zouken Matou.
Tokiomi turned and walked toward the two figures standing a short distance behind him.
As for the little girl who had stood beside Tokiomi during the exchange—Tokiomi’s youngest daughter, whose surname had changed from “Tohsaka” to “Matou” due to her adoption—Sakura stood frozen in place.
She watched blankly as her father—or rather, her *former* father—walked toward her former mother and sister.
Only after the family of three had completely vanished from sight did she move.
Under the call of the “grandfather” behind her—a man who gave her an overwhelming sense of unease—she walked with hesitant steps through the gates of the “new home” she had only seen from a distance a few times before.
Seeing this, Byakuya knew it was no longer appropriate to keep watching.