Makoto’s thoughts raced.
With Making Fake Become Real, he didn’t particularly care even if he gave up all his mission rewards.
He had just manifested a Talent capped at C-rank out of thin air.
As long as he became good enough at lying, he would never truly lack abilities or rewards.
But could Chen Guohao actually be trusted?
This was the Shibuya Incident.
Even Makoto, a transmigrator who had watched the original anime, couldn’t immediately think of the safest place in Shibuya.
Could Chen really know?
More importantly, Chen had an escape card.
He could flee this world whenever he wanted, losing little more than one mission’s rewards.
The others weren’t nearly as fortunate.
If things went wrong, death was their only way out.
“Hurry up and answer me!
I don’t have time to waste on you!” Chen raised an eyebrow and slammed his cane against the floor with a heavy thud.
Makoto quickly raised both hands to make himself look harmless.
“I can agree, but how exactly do you plan to keep us alive, Captain?
Do you know anything about this world?” Chen’s eyes flickered briefly before he answered with complete confidence.
“Of course I do.
It’s Jujutsu Kaisen, a famous world filled with constant deadly combat.
Even its lowest missions start at Nightmare-rank.” “Plenty of Elite-rank players even use defeating Sukuna as a personal advancement challenge.
Information about this world is readily available if you’re willing to pay.” Everyone else visibly relaxed.
Makoto only grew more tense.
What did the affairs of Elite-rank players have to do with a mere veteran like Chen?
And if this world started at Nightmare-rank, could someone at Chen’s level really afford detailed intelligence on it?
More importantly, why would Chen have bought information about this particular world in advance?
Makoto wasn’t the type to doubt someone for no reason, but this was a matter of life and death.
He had no intention of following an ignorant fool straight into the grave.
“Then, Captain, can you at least tell us what’s going to happen next?
It’d help if we knew what to prepare for.” Makoto pressed him again.
Chen’s expression darkened.
Instead of answering, he snapped, “All you need to do is follow me!
I get more rewards if you survive, so why would I deliberately hurt you?” “Keep wasting time here and every last one of you will die!” Even Li Huizhen, who had already begun acting like Chen’s loyal lackey, immediately joined in.
“Exactly!
If you want to die, don’t drag the rest of us down with you!” Makoto took a deep breath.
“Then I’m leaving the team.” Everyone stared at him in shock, as if they couldn’t believe he’d actually dared to say it.
Chen tightened his grip around the revolver.
His index finger settled over the trigger, as though he might shoot Makoto on the spot to make an example of him.
At that life-or-death moment, Makoto suddenly smiled.
“I trust that you won’t kill me, Captain.
Right?” As Makoto spoke, he deliberately tried to activate Making Fake Become Real.
A soft notification immediately sounded in his ears.
[Making Fake Become Real activation failed.] [The probability that Chen Guohao will personally kill you is 0%.
Established facts cannot be manifested through Making Fake Become Real.] Makoto’s heart gave a violent thump before he immediately understood.
Chen was serving as the Newcomer Mentor for this mission.
It wouldn’t make sense for him to be allowed to freely slaughter the newcomers under his supervision.
If Newcomer Mentors could simply kill recruits whenever they wished, how could the Main God Space continue bringing in new players?
Chen could threaten them, pressure them into surrendering their rewards, or perhaps even force them into suicidal situations.
But he couldn’t personally kill them.
That didn’t mean Makoto was safe.
The system had been very specific.
Chen Guohao merely couldn’t kill him personally.
Chen’s mouth twitched as his gaze shifted toward Jack, seemingly considering whether he could have Jack do the killing instead.
Makoto spoke again before he could act.
“Captain, if I leave, all you’re losing is one uncooperative burden.
If we start killing each other now, will anyone have the strength left to survive a Hell-rank world?” “How about this?
If I somehow survive, you still get my mission reward—one C-rank Side Mission Token and 10,000 Mission Points.
Deal?” Chen’s expression finally softened.
He looked Makoto up and down, apparently wondering where a complete newcomer had found the confidence to believe he could survive alone.
At that moment, a violent crash sounded from outside, followed by someone’s scream.
The frozen atmosphere in the room shattered.
Chen immediately turned toward the window.
A man riding a small scooter had apparently crashed into an invisible wall.
The front of the scooter twisted sideways, throwing him onto the pavement while the boxed meal in his hand scattered everywhere.
The man cursed angrily and walked toward the invisible barrier.
He immediately slammed his head into it again and doubled over with a scream, clutching his forehead.
Similar incidents were happening all along the edges of the barrier.
The festive mood on Shibuya’s streets quickly faded as people began wondering what was going on.
Surely this many people couldn’t all be performing some bizarre piece of street art at the same time.
The crushing pressure of survival made everyone temporarily forget their anger over Makoto leaving the team.
Chen swept his gaze across them.
“We sign the contracts now.
I’ll pay the 1,000 Mission Point contract fee.” With a wave of his hand, he tossed out six sheets of parchment he had clearly prepared long beforehand.
A system description immediately appeared before everyone’s eyes.
[D-rank Fair Contract: Once both parties agree on the terms and press their fingerprints onto the contract, the Main God Space will enforce its fulfillment.] [Any party that breaches the contract will suffer a penalty equal to three times the agreed transaction value.] Only then did everyone read the words already written on the parchment.
[If I survive this Mission World, I voluntarily and unconditionally transfer all mission rewards issued by the Main God Space for clearing this beginner mission to Chen Guohao.] Even Yuu understood what this meant after seeing a contract that had obviously been prepared in advance.
Their captain was nowhere near as trustworthy as he’d tried to appear.
Every newcomer in this room had been Chen Guohao’s prey from the very beginning.
Perhaps leaving with Makoto really was the better choice.
But Makoto was only another clueless newcomer.
Chen, at least, was a veteran.
Following him offered some chance of survival…
Everyone’s expressions shifted repeatedly as they struggled with the decision.
Makoto, however, calmly took one of the contracts and pressed his fingerprint onto it without hesitation.
Seeing Makoto take the lead so decisively, Chen relaxed as well.
Why would he refuse a reward that was practically being handed to him for free?
He waved dismissively.
“Get lost.
Don’t let me see you again.” Just as Makoto was about to leave the small group, Togawa Sakiko suddenly spoke.
“Wait.
I’m going with you.” Her words instantly made the atmosphere tense again.
Veins bulged across Chen’s forehead.
“Don’t mistake my mercy for permission to act however you want, little girl!
Want to find out what a bullet tastes like?” Sakiko calmly raised one hand toward him.
“Want to find out what an A-rank Talent feels like?” Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.
Even Chen’s grip around his revolver tightened.
An A-rank Talent?
Was she serious?