Two other girls, dressed as students and looking about seventeen or eighteen years old, remained silent throughout the scene.
One of the girls had her right eye covered by her hair, with headphones around her neck. She wore black stockings, which complemented her delicate features, giving her a pure and innocent appearance.
Upon closer observation, Vegeta recognized her. If he remembered correctly, she was one of the Nakano quintuplets from "The Quintessential Quintuplets," specifically, Miku Nakano.
Initially, he hadn't paid much attention, so he hadn't recognized her.
Vegeta then turned his gaze to the last girl. She had long, straight black hair and looked quite attractive, but there was one notable feature: she had severe dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she hadn't rested well.
Vegeta quickly identified her as well.
If his memory served him right, she was Miko Yotsuya, the protagonist of the manga "Mieruko-chan." She possessed powerful spiritual sight, capable of seeing powerful spirits and ghosts that ordinary people couldn't.
However, since she had no other special abilities beyond her sight, she often chose to ignore these entities to avoid attracting their attention.
Since the spirits and ghosts in her world only harmed those who could see them, Miko had to suppress her fear and scream reflexes daily, living in constant tension.
Perhaps due to her exposure to countless spirits and ghosts and her steely resolve, Miko maintained a calm demeanor despite suddenly finding herself in this unfamiliar place.
Instinctively, she moved closer to Miku, feeling that Miku was the least threatening and their shared student status made her feel a sense of kinship.
Miku responded similarly, instinctively moving closer to Miko.
Noticing Vegeta's gaze, both girls felt their hearts skip a beat but relaxed when they saw he made no move.
## Rising Tensions
"Due to the presence of non-newcomer participants, this scenario's difficulty has increased by 30%. Rewards will also increase by 30%," a mechanical voice announced in Vegeta's ear.
It wasn't just Vegeta; all the conscious participants showed signs of confusion, evidently hearing the same information.
"What the hell?" the man dressed as a delinquent shouted.
"Shut up!" barked Joshua Hills. His sharp gaze scanned the group, finally settling on the delinquent.
"Kid, don't think you're hot stuff just because you've got some muscles. Do you know who I am?" Joshua sneered, his voice dripping with menace.
Startled by Joshua's outburst, the delinquent felt humiliated and responded with a dark look, instinctively reaching for something, possibly a weapon.
"Looking for a weapon? Want some help with that?" Joshua taunted.
"You're dead!" The delinquent, provoked by Joshua, lunged at him with a fist.
Bang!
A deafening noise filled the air, startling everyone.
Joshua stood there, holding a black pistol, a wisp of smoke curling from the barrel.
The delinquent, now clutching his bleeding thigh, sat on the ground, bewildered and in pain.
The crowd looked at Joshua in terror, not expecting him to pull a gun and attack so suddenly.
"Consider yourself lucky. If killing you here didn't result in punishment, you'd be a corpse already," Joshua said, savoring the fear in the others' eyes.
"Listen up, everyone!" Joshua commanded, feeling a rush of power.
Used to being at the bottom and controlled by other participants, Joshua relished his newfound dominance.
"Yes... yes, sir. We're listening," stammered the middle-aged office worker, dropping to his knees, followed by the flamboyantly dressed woman.
Even Miko and Miku, frightened, collapsed to the ground.
The only ones still standing were Joshua and the calm, composed Vegeta, who watched Joshua's display like a spectator at a circus.
From Joshua's words, Vegeta gleaned useful information: killing other participants here would result in punishment.
Joshua soon noticed Vegeta's calm demeanor and raised an eyebrow, but decided against acting rashly.
"First, recall the invitation you received from the Reincarnation Space before you ended up here," Joshua began.
"Are you saying that wasn't a hallucination from overworking? But... I clicked 'NO'," the office worker said, confused.
"Hah! That invitation was binding. Whether you chose 'YES' or 'NO', you'd end up here," Joshua explained.
"Consider yourselves fortunate to be here. In this place, you can gain unimaginable wealth, women, and power beyond your wildest dreams, even extending your lifespan," Joshua declared.
----------------------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Want to dive deeper into the adventure?
Unlock advanced chapters ahead on my P*tr eon ! Your support helps me keep the chapters coming. Plus, you'll get early access, exclusive content, and more!
Join the journey today and help shape the story by becoming a patron.
patreon.com/NovelsWorld