"Thoma, what reward did you get?"
Ayaka asked softly.
Since they had read the same manga, she was curious about his reward.
"Miss, I got the Kamehameha—the technique Goku uses all the time."
Thoma smiled and even struck the familiar pose.
"So it was that move."
Ayaka immediately recognized it.
Both Master Roshi and Goku used it frequently.
It was arguably the most commonly used technique in the entire manga.
And it was quite powerful.
Thinking of that, she smiled.
"You were pretty lucky. That's a great reward."
"I think so too."
Thoma nodded.
With this technique, his chances of escaping if he encountered the Raiden Shogun again would be much higher.
He didn't expect it to defeat Her Excellency.
He only needed enough time to run away.
"No, this Kamehameha is a bit different from the one in the manga. Its power depends entirely on the user's own strength."
Han Feng shook his head.
"In other words, however strong you are, that's how powerful the Kamehameha will be."
"There's a restriction like that?"
Thoma's expression immediately stiffened.
He wasn't weak compared to ordinary people.
But compared to the Shogun?
The gap was enormous.
If that was the case, then having the technique didn't really change much.
His excitement instantly faded.
"So the strong become stronger, while the weak remain weak?"
Ayaka fell into thought.
If that were true, then the person most suited to this reward would probably be the Raiden Shogun herself.
"Well, it's still better than nothing."
Thoma sighed.
His mentality was fairly positive.
And objectively speaking, the reward wasn't bad.
The problem was simply that he himself wasn't very strong.
Realizing that only made him feel even more depressed.
"By the way, Miss, what reward did you get?"
Thoma looked toward the object beside her.
It looked like some sort of sleeping pod.
Could it be a special bed?
"This is a Virtual Pod. It's similar to the VR headset from the manga, but much better. Once you lie inside, your consciousness can enter the Oasis world."
Han Feng explained with a smile.
Then he added:
"Oh, and it's bound exclusively to you. No one else can use it."
"I-I can really enter the Oasis?"
Ayaka became visibly excited.
If that were true, then she could finally be herself in another world.
"Not the Oasis from the manga exactly. You'll understand once you try it yourself."
Han Feng smiled mysteriously.
"But one thing worth mentioning is that there are rewards for successfully clearing stages."
"A different Oasis? And there are rewards?"
Ayaka's curiosity had been completely ignited.
She wanted to try it immediately.
Turning to Thoma, she said:
"You should head back first. It'll be troublesome if Her Excellency finishes reading and comes out."
The Shogun had only told them to behave while inside the manga shop.
Outside the shop, things might be different.
It was better for him to leave quickly.
"But, Miss..."
Thoma hesitated.
He still didn't fully understand this virtual world.
Most of what they were talking about made little sense to him.
"I'll stay here and try it. If I don't understand something, I can ask the owner directly."
Ayaka shook her head lightly.
It felt safest to test this kind of reward inside the manga shop.
As long as Han Feng was present, no one would disturb her.
"All right."
Thoma nodded.
Before today, he would have insisted on stopping her.
Leaving the young lady in the hands of a supposed fraud would have been unacceptable.
But after personally experiencing a reward himself, his perspective had completely changed.
This manga shop owner was definitely some hidden master.
Since Ayaka was safe, it was time for him to leave.
The thought of remaining in the same building as the Raiden Shogun made him uneasy.
He felt as though he might get struck down at any moment.
"Boss, how do I use the Virtual Pod?"
After Thoma left, Ayaka turned to Han Feng for guidance.
"Just lie down inside. It'll automatically adjust to fit your body."
Han Feng smiled.
With a wave of his hand, he moved the pod behind the counter.
That way, other customers wouldn't disturb her.
"Thank you, Boss."
After expressing her gratitude, Ayaka carefully lay down inside.
"Automatic adjustment in progress."
A mechanical voice sounded softly.
The pod immediately began adapting to her body shape.
Within moments, it settled into the most comfortable configuration possible.
"How fascinating."
Feeling the pod conform around her, Ayaka's eyes filled with curiosity.
The sensation reminded her of the excitement she had felt when she first began learning swordsmanship.
Her anticipation for the mysterious Oasis grew even stronger.
She slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she found herself standing inside a bright, spacious realm.
Above her floated dozens of spinning manga volumes.
They were all manga from Han Feng's shop.
"So this is the virtual world? And what do those manga represent?"
Ayaka looked around in confusion.
Everything here was new to her.
At that moment, a stream of information resembling a beginner's tutorial flowed into her mind.
"So that's how it works."
After a while, Ayaka opened her eyes in understanding.
This virtual world was composed of the manga worlds from Han Feng's shop.
By selecting a manga, she could enter its corresponding world.
As long as she completed the main objective and cleared the scenario, she would receive a mysterious reward from the shop owner.
"Boss Han is incredible. To think he came up with something like this."
Understanding the rules only deepened her admiration.
Soon, she began considering which world to enter.
Since she wanted to clear a stage, it made sense to choose a world she already knew.
At present, she had only read two manga.
That left her with only two options:
Dragon Ball and Ready Player One.
Compared to the complexity of Dragon Ball, Ready Player One was obviously the easier choice.
More importantly, Ayaka was deeply interested in the Oasis itself.
After making up her mind, she looked up and said:
"I choose Ready Player One."
The moment the words left her lips, a brilliant beam of light descended and enveloped her.
Moments later, the light faded.
And Kamisato Ayaka vanished from the space entirely.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer