The fifth day since the start of the Reincarnation Game.
Most players remained enthusiastic, while a few had gone mad.
Especially the civilian players who were initially fearful, once they realized they wouldn't die and could buy food and gold from the game shop, their levels quickly caught up to the ninja players.
Lacking combat awareness, they often exchanged their lives for monster kills.
Resurrection also required deducting reward points.
The soulless artificial bodies had no concept of death. Like precision machines, they would simply reinstall lost limbs or remold severed heads.
Thus, Fang Yi's cost for restoring artificial bodies was negligible.
Upgrades and enhancements were bound to the player's soul, so even strengthened artificial bodies required minimal reward points.
On the bustling commercial street of the capital,
A white-haired loli clutched a skewer of candied hawthorn and some fried chicken, her mouth smeared with grease. She asked, "If resurrection costs reward points, won't that discourage players?"
A hand reached into the paper bag. The white-haired loli instinctively clutched it tighter, but it couldn't stop her fried chicken from being taken.
Fang Yi, chewing on the sauce-covered chicken, replied, "You don't get it. Most players have already reached the threshold of becoming professionals. Even after deducting gameplay time, they earn at least 50 reward points per day."
"The ninjas are even more extreme. They've all become professionals, and their daily hunts bring in hundreds of reward points from polluted monsters."
Glancing at the last piece of fried chicken in the bag, Fang Yi continued, "The resurrection fee scales with level. Five reward points per revival, expensive?"
Reality was different from games.
Eventually, real battles against pollution sources would take place in the real world.
Charging for resurrection discouraged players from exploiting death-based hunting strategies, forcing them to develop their combat skills while generating extra revenue.
The white-haired loli, acting quickly, didn't use her hands, she dunked her head into the bag and stuffed the last fried chicken piece into her mouth.
Nearly choking, she pounded her flat chest and, after recovering, asked, "But in-place resurrection costs ten times more! That's way too expensive!"
Fang Yi smirked. "I never said you had to resurrect on the spot. Regular resurrection will teleport you back to the beginner village."
The white-haired loli munched on a candied hawthorn and asked curiously, "Then doesn't that make in-place resurrection useless?"
As they reached a lively street stall, the white-haired loli tried to peek inside.
Too short, she couldn't see a thing.
Noticing this, Fang Yi grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, letting her see the stall's offerings.
At the same time, he chuckled and explained, "Think about it. You encounter a rare elite monster in the wild. If you die, will you choose to respawn in the city?"
The white-haired loli thought for a moment and immediately realized Fang Yi's sinister intent.
Fang Yi grinned maliciously. "By the time you run back, the elite monster might be gone. Worse, if you had spent valuable potions and expensive items to bring it down to a sliver of health, would you really return to town?"
"And imagine this, after reviving, you rush back, only to find another player has stolen your kill. Could you bear that pain?"
"So, I generously offer an in-place resurrection option."
"I don't care about reward points. My happiest days were when I was a businessman, everything is voluntary."
The white-haired loli felt lucky that she was Fang Yi's world consciousness and not one of the players being exploited.
Otherwise, she wouldn't just lose her fried chicken and candied hawthorn, Fang Yi would probably scam her out of her underwear too.
Despite the disapproving looks from onlookers, Fang Yi remained calm, squeezing his way to the center of the crowd.
"I pick number nine!"
A tall, mature woman with long golden hair and a voluptuous figure shouted.
A purple diamond mark adorned her smooth, white forehead, and her luscious red lips gave her a charming allure.
"Congratulations! You've won a Minotaur clay sculpture."
The stall owner had a collection of ceramic jars, each labeled with a number. When the woman smashed open her chosen jar, a finely crafted Minotaur figurine lay inside.
She took a deep breath and slammed her fist onto the table, nearly breaking it.
"Another Minotaur! I wanted the grand prize!"
Beside her, a short-haired woman holding a piglet covered her face and tugged at the taller woman. "Lady Tsunade, stop gambling. If you blow all our money, we'll have to sleep on the streets."
Tsunade pouted, gripping the Minotaur figurine, clearly dissatisfied. "But I want the Bunny Teemo plushie…"
She reached out toward an inconspicuous ceramic jar in the corner.
Before she could speak
"Congratulations! You've won the grand prize, the Bunny Teemo plushie!" Fang Yi announced, snatching up the jar.
The atmosphere turned tense.
Tsunade turned her head, eyes locking onto the white plushie now in Fang Yi's hands, which he handed to the white-haired loli.
As the crowd saw the grand prize claimed, they gradually dispersed.
Tsunade clenched her teeth and glared at the young man who had swooped in and stolen her prize. "Hold it right there!"
"Me?"
Fang Yi glanced at the furious Tsunade.
He had recognized her immediately, the famed female ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, Princess Tsunade.
That was precisely why he had rushed to buy the jar first.
He knew it contained the grand prize Tsunade had been eyeing.
This lottery-style game was one of Fang Yi's businesses in the capital.
In his second year after arriving in the Naruto world, lacking funds, he had written two novels based on League of Legends. In a ninja world with little entertainment, they became bestsellers.
Seizing the opportunity, he began selling character-themed merchandise and even offered high buy-back prices for rare plushies, artificially inflating their value.
A limited-edition Bunny Teemo plushie could sell for as much as two million ryo.
Tsunade, who had spent all her money buying jars and had nothing left for lodging, watched as her two-million-ryo prize was snatched away.
No wonder she was furious.
Tsunade gritted her teeth. "I had my eye on that jar first! You stole it!"
"Well, here you go."
Fang Yi casually tossed the plushie to her since the white-haired loli didn't seem interested.
Tsunade caught it, stunned. She had been ready to argue, but now she was at a loss for words.
This guy wasn't following the script.
She had just wanted to vent her frustration, not actually demand the plushie. After all, it was rightfully his. She had her principles when it came to gambling.
But…
He just gave away a two-million-ryo plushie?
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, unable to figure out Fang Yi's thought process.
Who wouldn't like a blonde bombshell?
Fang Yi smirked.
Of course, that was a shallow way of thinking.
As the owner of the Reincarnation Game, he valued Tsunade's potential far more.
A ninja capable of reaching Kage level had exceptional combat instincts and a strong soul, prime qualities for an elite player.
Meeting her here was an unexpected fortune.
While mass recruitment of ordinary players helped generate reward points, a game needed elites, sharp blades to conquer high-level dungeons and final bosses.
Tsunade had what it took to be an elite player.