Asuna was the first to respond, her tone gentle yet filled with expectation. She expressed that they would be relying on him from now on and asked Ryujin to guide them, calling themselves weak members in need of help.
Eriri followed immediately after, far less reserved. Her message carried an exaggerated enthusiasm, thanking him loudly and even jokingly calling him a "big shot," tossing in a playful "love you, boss" without a hint of embarrassment.
Linglong joined in as well, though instead of words, she sent a cheerful sticker—an image that radiated gratitude in the most straightforward way possible.
Ryujin glanced at the flurry of responses, his expression calm as ever before replying simply, telling them there was no need for such titles. He introduced himself properly as Uchiha Ryujin and asked them to just call him by his name.
To him, chakra extraction was nothing remarkable. In the ninja world, it was the most fundamental concept—something even academy students learned early on. It held little value in his eyes.
But for the others, it was entirely different.
Chakra, ninjutsu, genjutsu, clones—these weren't merely unfamiliar ideas. They were concepts that didn't exist in their worlds, things that completely defied their understanding of reality.
And yet, Ryujin had shared them without hesitation.
Utaha was the first to comment on that, her tone measured as she noted that he was surprisingly generous. Eriri crossed her arms—figuratively speaking—and agreed, though she made it clear she was agreeing for Ryujin's sake, not Utaha's.
Asuna's response came next, soft and sincere, describing him as both kind and considerate.
Linglong, however, tilted her head in confusion at the shift in tone, questioning why everyone had suddenly started calling him "Ryujin-kun" instead of just Ryujin.
Asuna patiently explained that, in her culture, adding "-kun" after someone's name was a polite way of addressing them, something rooted in etiquette and upbringing.
Ryujin didn't comment further on that. Instead, he continued exploring the guild's functions. Before long, he discovered another feature—item uploading.
Curious, he navigated through the options and selected all four members—Asuna, Linglong, Utaha, and Eriri—before uploading the chakra extraction method.
The system responded immediately.
A notification appeared, informing the guild that Ryujin had uploaded a valuable item and that selected members could receive it. At the same time, another message followed, awarding him two hundred reputation points.
Ryujin paused slightly.
Reputation points?
A new concept.
Linglong was the first to react, openly admitting she had no idea what it meant. Asuna echoed her confusion, saying she had only seen Ryujin receive such points since joining the guild.
Utaha, as expected, approached the situation analytically. She suggested it was likely a reward system, where the guild evaluated the value of an uploaded item and granted compensation accordingly.
Eriri, however, had already moved on from speculation.
Theory didn't matter.
Action did.
Without hesitation, she decided to download the chakra extraction method immediately, her excitement barely contained. But beneath that excitement was something else—
Competition.
Utaha was here.
Which meant she could learn it too.
And if Eriri managed to get ahead this time, even just once—
Then maybe, just maybe, she could finally win.
The thought alone was enough motivation.
The moment she accepted the method, information flooded into her mind. It didn't feel like reading or memorizing—it felt like something being directly imprinted, like knowledge she had always possessed.
"…This is amazing…"
But that feeling didn't last long.
After trying for a short while, reality caught up to her.
Even with the method, chakra didn't just appear out of nowhere. It required time, effort, and a level of focus she wasn't used to maintaining.
Her enthusiasm dimmed slightly.
At that moment, the chat lit up again.
Utaha spoke first, noting how fascinating it was that the guild could transmit knowledge directly between worlds. Ryujin responded simply, admitting that even he hadn't expected it to work so seamlessly.
Asuna then raised a new point, her tone thoughtful as she considered the broader implications. If items and knowledge could be transmitted between worlds, then theoretically…
Could people be transmitted as well?
The idea lingered.
Utaha responded almost immediately, confirming that she had been thinking the same thing. In the future, she suggested, it might be possible for them to meet—across entirely different worlds.
Linglong's eyes widened at the possibility, her excitement immediate and unfiltered.
Utaha, however, remained calm, clarifying that it was only a theoretical possibility for now.
Eriri suddenly returned to the conversation, eager to shift the topic.
She asked how everyone was progressing with chakra extraction.
Utaha answered first, stating that it wasn't particularly difficult and that she had already begun practicing. Asuna followed, explaining that although it had taken her some time to understand, she had also started extracting chakra, albeit slowly.
Ryujin added that such progress was normal and that they would improve with time.
Asuna responded with gratitude, thanking him sincerely.
Eriri stared at the screen.
Something felt wrong.
Why were they progressing so quickly?
Utaha's next message came like a blade, casually asking if the "blonde" hadn't even started yet.
Eriri panicked instantly.
She denied it immediately, claiming she had already begun and even exaggerated, saying she had extracted a large amount of chakra.
Linglong, completely unaware of the tension, praised her enthusiastically.
Utaha's response was simple.
"Really?"
That single word was enough.
Eriri froze.
Her lips twitched, her expression stiffening.
Without replying further, she exited the guild.
Then, for the first time, she sat down properly—actually focusing.
Because this time, she understood.
Chakra extraction required concentration.
Real concentration.
That was why Asuna and Utaha had made progress so quickly. They were calm, disciplined, and capable of focusing without distraction.
Eriri… was not.
But after being pushed again and again—
Something snapped.
Her eyes hardened with determination.
"Today… no matter what…"
"I'm extracting chakra."
"Even if it's just a single strand."
Her voice carried stubborn resolve.
"I refuse to lose just because I'm blonde."
And for the first time—
She got serious.