"Takeru!" At that moment, Tsumugi, who had also appeared in the Reincarnation Space, excitedly called out to him.
The man beside them, seeing Takeru was acquainted with Tsumugi, paused, then awkwardly withdrew. He did not know Takeru, but he was well aware of Tsumugi, who had appeared on television.
The bat invasion had not only revealed the existence of Ability Users to ordinary people but also given some ordinary Reincarnators a glimpse into the power of top-tier Reincarnators.
"What is it? You seem so happy." Looking at Tsumugi, whose smile was utterly unrestrained, Takeru said with amusement.
"I received an S-Rank evaluation!" Achieving an S-Rank evaluation for the first time, along with generous rewards, left Tsumugi genuinely unable to contain her excitement. She clearly understood this was all thanks to Takeru.
Exploring the Jura Forest, preventing the Orc tribe, befriending a Demon Lord, and subsequently assisting in slaying one… the latter few, at least, were absolutely impossible without Takeru.
"Congratulations." Hearing her words, Takeru smiled and nodded.
"Yes. And you, Takeru? Did you achieve an EX-Rank evaluation?" Tsumugi then looked at Takeru expectantly. If she could achieve S-Rank, then Takeru achieving EX-Rank should not be difficult.
"Yes." Hearing her inquiry, Takeru did not conceal it and directly nodded.
Though anticipated, receiving Takeru's definitive confirmation still caused her to gasp.
"Takeru, Tsumugi!" Before long, Yui also arrived and directly greeted Takeru and Tsumugi.
"Well, Yui, who were you with in this world?" Seeing Yui's arrival, Takeru inquired curiously.
"Ui and Ritsu, and also Shinka!" Hearing Takeru's question, Yui directly replied.
"Oh, all familiar faces. How were your gains?" Hearing they had been together in the same world, Takeru asked curiously.
"Not bad. We encountered a special slime!" Hearing Takeru's words, Yui spoke excitedly.
"Rimuru?" Hearing her words, Tsumugi directly inquired.
"Eh, you encountered him too?!" Hearing Tsumugi's words, Yui was surprised.
"Yes, we happened to meet him. Oh, it seems they are selling something over there. Let's take a look." Looking at the two, Takeru directly suggested.
"Sure!" Hearing Takeru's words, both nodded earnestly, and the three proceeded together to a nearby stall.
"Take a look! Longswords and armor here, prices fair and square!" Seeing Takeru and the others approach, a man quickly spoke.
Hearing the man's words, Takeru calmly glanced at him, then began inspecting the equipment's attributes. After a brief look, Takeru lightly shook his head. The prices were reasonable, but the equipment was too inferior.
Not even Takeru, but even Tsumugi and Yui glanced briefly and shook their heads.
Subsequently, Takeru, Tsumugi, and Yui continued examining the adjacent stalls. One was selling a special item: an item slot expansion card. Yet the seller had priced it at one B-Rank evaluation and 5000 points. Seeing this, Takeru found it somewhat amusing.
After a full circuit, nothing useful was found. This was unsurprising. Any item useful to Takeru and his group would be equally precious to its owner.
Moreover, the Reincarnation Space did not enforce class distinctions. A mage could wield a sword against enemies. Thus, desirable equipment was prioritized for personal use.
Takeru himself possessed numerous weapons but had no intention of selling them. One, he doubted many could afford them. Two, he did not lack points. Perhaps in the future, he could manufacture and sell weapons.
Just as Takeru was about to depart, he noticed a girl not far away, also attempting to sell something. Yet, unlike conventional items, hers appeared to be a special fruit?
"Tsumugi, Yui, it seems there is something over there. Let's take another look." Takeru addressed the two.
"Eh, okay!" Hearing Takeru's words, they noticed the seemingly shy girl.
"Are you selling this? May I see its description?" Approaching the girl, Takeru observed a seed-like object beneath her, seemingly containing special energy.
"Ah, yes. Please." Hearing Takeru's words, the girl looked up. The moment she saw Takeru, she was briefly stunned. Takeru's appearance was exceptionally striking.
Recovering, the girl, deeply embarrassed, hastily handed the fruit to Takeru.
Seeing her proffer it, Takeru accepted it and examined the item's information.
[Star Soul Fruit Seed: Plant to harvest Star Soul Fruit. Consuming Star Soul Fruit greatly increases Spirit attribute and slightly increases other attributes. (Note: Requires over ten years of growth to bear fruit. Can be catalyzed. Older fruits yield stronger effects.)]
Reading the seed's description, Takeru paused. He had not expected such an item to exist. Noting the annotation, requiring over ten years to bear fruit, explained why she had not cultivated it. The timeframe was excessively long.
"You wish to sell this? What is your price?" Recalling the annotation mentioned catalysis, Takeru was confident he could catalyze this fruit, whether through Wood Release or the plant magic learned in the Slime World.
"Eh, y-you wish to purchase it?!" Hearing Takeru's words, the girl stammered.
"If the price is reasonable. Also, might I ask how you obtained this?" Hearing her words, Takeru spoke calmly.
"I drew it from a chest. Aside from this, I received nothing else." Hearing Takeru's inquiry, the girl bit her lip.
She knew this item was valuable. Yet she could not utilize it. Though catalysis was mentioned, how to achieve it, whether her abilities were sufficient, was uncertain. Previous interested parties had simply shaken their heads and departed.
"I see. Then, your price?" Hearing her words, Takeru nodded understandingly.
"One B-Rank evaluation and 5000 points, or exchange for a special item or equipment." Hearing Takeru's words, the girl hesitated, then spoke firmly.
Hearing her words, Takeru nodded. Though lacking a comparable reference, this price was, frankly, not high.
If he could successfully catalyze it, producing ample Star Soul Fruits, even a single trade would easily recoup the cost.
"I accept this price. Let us trade now." Hearing her words, Takeru nodded and directly stated.
"Eh?!" Hearing Takeru's immediate agreement, the girl was bewildered.
[Ding! Reincarnator No. 3 has initiated a trade request with you: 1 B-Rank evaluation and 5000 points for Star Soul Fruit Seed.]
As the girl hesitated, Takeru directly initiated the trade.
"A-accept!" Snapping back to reality, the girl hastily accepted. She was somewhat stunned. She had not expected Takeru's number to be 3, meaning he was among the earliest Reincarnators.
Takeru, glancing at his remaining evaluations and points, casually stored the newly acquired Star Soul Fruit Seed in his item slot.
"Oh, let us exchange introductions. I am Nara Takeru. Should you obtain similar special items in the future, you may contact me." Finally, Takeru addressed the girl.
"N-nice to meet you. I am Fujimiya Konomi," The girl quickly replied.
Subsequently, Konomi felt a flicker of confusion. Takeru's name seemed familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere, yet she could not recall.
"Fujimiya Konomi, understood. This is my contact information. Should you obtain any special items, you may use this number to reach me." Hearing her words, Takeru spoke calmly.
"Yes. Thank you!" Hearing Takeru's words, Konomi quickly nodded.
"It's just a trade. We shall take our leave." Hearing her words, Takeru waved casually, then departed with the curious Yui and Tsumugi.
"Onee-chan! Takeru-nii! Tsumugi-nee!" Soon, Ui arrived at the Reincarnator Hall, excitedly greeting Takeru and the others.
"Ui, you're out as well!" Seeing Ui's arrival, Takeru smiled and greeted her.
Soon, following Ui's emergence, Yukino and others gradually appeared. However, Takeru did not see Mio, Ritsu, or the others… perhaps they had already returned.