Chapter 4: The Free Bird

"The Samsara Game actually prompted that my game time has ended and I need to spend Reward Points to purchase more?"

A logistics Chunin had a strange expression on his face as his body gradually became illusory, glowing with white light, about to leave the game world.

Asuma felt the mystery of this game more and more.

At the beginning, this was a special experiment where a mysterious person forced them to play the game, but he did not expect that there would even be a set game time.

On the contrary, they had not yet collected enough intelligence and wanted to continue staying in the game.

【Purchase game time. The higher the level, the more Reward Points it costs. Level 1 players can purchase 1 hour for every 1 Reward Point.】

This was also one of the means of gathering wealth.

A "Leopard Head Zero-Charge" player?

That simply did not exist; this Novice Village had cost Fang Yi a full one hundred thousand Reward Points, so the venue fee had to be paid—if you wanted to keep playing the game, you had to spend money.

Asuma thought for a moment and said, "You two go back first and report directly to the Hokage Building; we will leave later."

These two logistics Chunin, in a state without chakra, were even slightly inferior to Uzumaki Naruto in the speed of hunting ghosts.

There was little use in staying, so it was better to go back and report first.

The two nodded and chose to exit the game directly.

Asuma thought to himself: "Yakushi Kabuto should be a Genin skilled in combat, his strikes are sharp and decisive; Hyuga Neji is truly the genius Might Guy mentioned, his speed in hunting ghosts is actually on par with mine; what surprises me most is Uzumaki Naruto..."

When he first encountered a ghost, the other party was so scared that his legs went weak and he stood frozen in place, but he unexpectedly adjusted his state quickly and was actually able to fight back and forth with the ghost.

Furthermore,

Asuma, who was experienced in combat, discovered that Uzumaki Naruto would become slightly stronger after every battle ended.

It was not about physical fitness, but combat awareness in the face of crisis; this was an indispensable quality for growing into a powerhouse.

Should one say, as expected of Minato's child?

【Ding, Experience Value has accumulated to the maximum, do you wish to level up?】

After Hyuga Neji killed two ghosts in a row, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

Only then did he notice that at the very bottom of the Player Panel, there was a light green experience progress bar.

Killing one ghost could earn 5 points of experience.

He had killed ten ghosts in total, satisfying the 50 Experience Value points required for leveling up.

【Level up successful, rewarded with Free Attribute Point *2】

After Neji studied it slightly, he understood the effect of the Attribute Points, and after a moment of hesitation, he added them to Strength and Constitution.

【The Caged Bird】

Level: 2 (1/100 experience)

Attributes: Strength 2, Agility 1, Constitution 2, Spirit 1

Equipment: Novice Short Sword

In an instant.

Neji clearly felt the growth of this body, just like the change in physical fitness after several days of training.

In the Ninja World, even chakra requires long-term cultivation; the great Hyuga clan, possessing various secret medicinal bath recipes, also requires slow nourishment of muscles and bones to achieve the effect of strengthening the body.

This feeling of strength skyrocketing in an instant is something perhaps only the Uchiha's Sharingan could experience.

It was intoxicating.

But Neji quickly sobered up; after all, it was the Samsara Game, not a real increase in strength in reality, so it did not have much significance.

After a period of time,

Asuma and Yakushi Kabuto also leveled up one after another, and until Uzumaki Naruto finally raised his level, no other special features were discovered.

He said: "The system prompts that after exiting the game, you can enter the Samsara Game at any time if you wish, so don't worry about being unable to continue entering. Let's return to the real world first."

"Everyone, after returning to the real world, go directly to the Hokage Building. This is an order!"

"Yes!"

After the white light flashed, the team led by Asuma exited the game.

Successively, ninjas from various countries chose to exit the game after leveling up or saving enough Reward Points to purchase an item from the Mall.

"Omoi, what a useless brat, actually getting killed by a gargoyle twice. Fortunately, it's a game world where you can resurrect; if it were reality, someone with your strength would have been chopped into minced meat by enemy ninjas long ago."

"I was ambushed! Who knew that a stone statue could move!"

"Exit the game first. The matter of the Samsara Game must be reported to the Raikage."

Mabui sensed the unusual nature of the Samsara Game, and she used all her Reward Points to purchase an item from the Game Mall.

A bottle of Red Potion capable of healing wounds.

Samui, who was skilled in combat, had already raised her level to 2.

Mabui did not hunt gargoyles at all, but chose to stay in the Novice Village to record most of the items in the Game Mall.

"The secret body-training methods of the successive Raikage, the seven famous Ninja Blades of Kirigakure, precious Bloodline Limits like the Sharingan and Byakugan..."

"Potions that can restore life, the magical Devil Fruit..."

The more she looked, the more shocked she became; as long as one possessed enough Reward Points, even the legendary God's Eye or Rinnegan could be exchanged!

If these things could be brought back to reality, it would trigger an earthquake in the Ninja World.

Hyuga clan grounds.

Within a remote courtyard, Hyuga Neji, who had been standing blankly in the center of the training ground, suddenly slumped to the ground.

He had a feeling of being in a dream, yet not in a dream.

"I'm back?"

As his first reaction as a member of the Hyuga Branch House, it was not to head to the Hokage Building as Asuma had instructed.

Instead, he wanted to report this matter to the Main House Clan Head.

However, Neji quickly reacted, walking slowly back into the room, staring at the pair of white eyes in the bathroom mirror, and tearing off his forehead protector to reveal the Caged Bird seal pattern.

He clenched his fists involuntarily.

Having just entered the Samsara Game, while others were panicked, he was the only one who felt a different emotion.

Freedom!

The Caged Bird on his head had vanished; even if he lost the Byakugan, it did not matter, for that body within the game was a truly free bird.

If one has never tasted it, there is no sense of loss.

"So painful..."

Neji looked at the dark green pattern on his forehead, which seemed to writhe like disgusting maggots, causing him to experience hallucinations of pain throughout his body.

He gasped violently and smashed his fist into the mirror.

Fresh blood dripped down along the shattered fragments.

"My fist has become stronger?"

Neji suddenly widened his eyes, veins bulging, staring fixedly at the fist cut by the shards.

It was not an illusion; his strength had actually increased slightly.

He hurriedly recited "Samsara Game" in his mind, and the Player Panel popped up.

【Hyuga Neji (Ninja World)】

Level: 2 (1/100 EXP)

Attributes: Strength 9 (+0.2), Agility 9, Constitution 11 (+0.2), Spirit 8

Equipment: None

Hint: The game character's attributes will be linked to the real world; for every 10 points of attributes, the real-world attribute increases by 1 point.

Hint: To bring game items back to reality, Certification Points must be submitted.

Neji opened his inventory, and after submitting the Certification Points, he took out a lump of grayish-black viscous substance.

【Ghost Essence】

Type: Material

Note: An inferior soul crystal dropped by a ghost, can be used to craft items.

Neji's eyes were filled with surprise as he growled, "Items from the Samsara Game can be brought back to reality!"

Just like a bird thirsting for freedom, while others studied the Game Mall, they only noticed powerful items, equipment, and similar exchangeable goods.

But he had noticed a very special item.

【Hyuga Tenin's Ninja Scroll (Fragment)】, recording the seal and removal method of the Caged Bird, 1000 Reward Points.

"Killing one ghost grants two reward points."

"This means as long as I kill five hundred ghosts, I will be able to possess the technique to remove the Caged Bird!"

Neji had never felt that fate was favoring him so much; freedom was so close to him.

(End of this chapter)