The forest was alive with nature's sounds. Sunlight filtered through the dense Layers of trees, casting dappled golden light on the forest floor. Birds chirped melodiously, their songs filling the air.
But there was no time to appreciate the scenery for the six exhausted figures in the woods.
Mana, the group leader, leaned heavily against a tree, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Despite his calm exterior, his legs trembled, and he eventually collapsed to the ground.
The others, including a girl named Yume, turned at the sound. Their eyes widened in horror as they saw the arrow embedded in Mana's back, blood soaking through his clothes.
"Mana!"
Yume, who had been lying on the ground, scrambled to her feet. The rest of the group rushed to Mana's side, their faces filled with panic.
"Mana! What happened?!"
"Use your healing magic! Quick!"
Haruhiro, one of the group members, cradled Mana in his arms, urging him to heal himself. Mana tried, but the magic in his hand flickered and died. He was out of energy.
The group's hearts sank.
"What do we do?!"
"Mana, tell us what to do!"
Haruhiro kept asking, but Mana was too weak to answer. He had hidden his injury to keep the group safe while escaping the goblins in the ruined city. Now, he couldn't hold on any longer.
Mana's hand trembled as he reached for Haruhiro, but he passed out before he could say anything.
"Mana!"
Yume stared in shock. She had no idea how to help. Their training hadn't covered first aid, and Mana's chances were slim without healing magic.
*What do I do? What do I do?*
Just as panic set in, something strange happened.
A small bottle filled with white powder appeared in the air, floating right in front of Yume. A blue, semi-transparent screen appeared beside it, showing details about the bottle.
Name: Healing Powder.
Effect: Quickly heals wounds.
Usage: Apply to the injury.
Condition: Join the group chat.
Below the description, a prompt appeared:
[System Message: Join the group chat? Yes/No]
Yume didn't hesitate. She tapped "Yes."
[System Message: Welcome to the group chat.]
The screen disappeared, and the bottle dropped into Yume's hands. She quickly opened it and ran to Mana.
"Move aside!"
She tore open Mana's shirt and poured the powder on his wound. The bleeding stopped almost instantly.
Meanwhile, in Another World
Lü Ji, who was leading Shiina Kazuko through the wilderness, suddenly stopped. Kazuko, who had been following closely, bumped into his back.
"Lü Ji-sama?"
"Let's rest for a bit," Lü Ji said in a calm tone.
Kazuko smiled, feeling warm inside. Lü Ji-sama is still the same kind of person.
But Lü Ji had stopped because of a system notification:
[System Message: "Yume" has joined the group.]
At first, Lü Ji thought it was Yuu Tokiomi Aya, the Witch of the Books, who had finally accepted his invitation. But the name "Yume" surprised him.
*Yume? Just a first name? Who is this?*
The system didn't provide detailed information about the new member, leaving Lü Ji puzzled. However, his second identity as a group member allowed him to interact without losing face.
He quickly sent a message in the group chat.
[LvJi]: @Yume"
[LvJi]: "Hello? Can you see this? If you can, reply with a '1.'"
Almost immediately, another member responded.
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "1!"
A few seconds passed with no response from Yume.
[LvJi]: "Not here, huh…"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "What?! I'm here! I'm here!"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "1! 1! 1!"
Lü Ji sighed. Yoshiko, the group's first member, had fully recovered thanks to the weekly supply of Healing Powder he provided. She now contributed nearly 4,000 points daily.
But after two days of interacting with her, Lü Ji had given up on meaningful conversation. Yoshiko's thought process was so bizarre that he feared prolonged exposure might affect his sanity.
He decided to ignore her and wait for Yume to respond.
Fortunately, it didn't take long.
About ten minutes later, a new message appeared that wasn't from Yoshiko.
[Yume]: "Um… what is this place?"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "!"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "Is this a cosplay game?!"
[Yume]: "Cos… cosplay…"
[Yume]: "It sounds familiar, but what is it?"
[LvJi]: "Don't mind her. Talking to her might make you dumber."
[Yume]: "Huh?"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "??? Another person?!"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "Ah! I get it!"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "It must be the weekend. I'm still in bed, dreaming!"
[Hanabatake Yoshiko]: "Goodnight~ (falls asleep.jpg)"
[Yume]: "??"
[LvJi]: "Don't mind her. You'll get used to it."
[Yume]: "This…"
In the forest, far from the goblin-infested ruins, Yume stared in shock at the messages on the translucent screen. She had no idea how to continue the conversation.
Hanabatake Yoshiko was extraordinary, and her words made no sense. But what puzzled Yume even more was the screen itself.
It felt oddly familiar, even though she was sure she had never seen anything like it.
"Strange…"
Just as the conversation was about to end, Lü Ji intervened to keep it going.
[LvJi]: "Mind sharing your location and current situation? @Yume"
Seeing this message, Yume instinctively felt a sense of caution. She glanced around, scanning her surroundings.
But then she reconsidered.
Suppose this person could provide such a powerful healing potion to save Mana. Why would they have ill intentions toward a group of rookie adventurers like hers?
[Yume]: "My team was hunting goblins near Damuro. One of our members got injured, so we're heading back to Orada."
[Yume]: "…By the way, do you know what this Healing Powder is? Our leader might not have returned to town if it hadn't been for this."
Hunting goblins, a leader, Orada…
These keywords triggered something in Lü Ji's memory.
Wait, is this Yume from that group that hunts goblins and almost gets wiped out?
The more he thought about it, the more confident he became.
And the leader she mentioned must be that priest who carried the team but got killed early on.
Wait a minute…
Healing Powder?!
Did the system use my contribution points to lure in a new member?!
Lü Ji quickly opened the group store and checked the purchase history. Sure enough, there was a record of Healing Powder being bought recently.
It was confirmed—the system had done this!
Frowning, Lü Ji felt a deep sense of unease. He couldn't help but wonder if the system might do something that could harm him.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Everything he had achieved so far was thanks to the system. There was no reason to fear it. Besides, if spending a small amount of contribution points could bring in a new "harvest," Lü Ji was more than happy to have a few more like this.
Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions—the name of the world Yume was from.
It was a story about a group of modern people who had their memories erased and were thrown into a fantasy world to survive. The story was known for its realism and emotional depth.
Yume's team was the main cast of this story.
Although the anime adaptation hadn't gained massive popularity, it had received high praise and was considered a hidden gem. However, by the time Lü Ji had crossed over, there had been no news of a second season.
The reason wasn't that the first season had performed poorly—it was quite the opposite. The first season had been so well-received that the creators decided not to continue, as the later parts of the story were… less than stellar.
After the leader, Mana, died, the team faced one hardship after another. The second most crucial member also met a tragic end, and the team's morale hit rock bottom.
The female lead, Merry, turned to alcohol to cope and nearly got assaulted. And the person who saved her wasn't even the male lead, Haruhiro.
Just reading about these events was enough to make Lü Ji's blood boil. But the story only got worse from there.
Plot recycling, reviving dead characters, unexpected villains—it was a mess.
The story was designed to torment the protagonists, throwing one obstacle after another at them. It was painful to watch.
But for Lü Ji, this was good news.
The more hardships the characters faced, the more they would seek help. And the more they sought help, the more valuable they became as "harvests" in his eyes.
Returning his attention to the chat, Lü Ji continued the conversation.
[LvJi]: "The Healing Powder you mentioned was probably given by the group owner."
[Yume]: "Group owner?"
[LvJi]: "Mhm~"
[Yume]: "How can I contact them? I want to thank them in person."
[LvJi]: "No idea."
[LvJi]: "The group owner is elusive. No one knows how to contact them."
[LvJi]: "But they can definitely see our chat. If they haven't shown up, they probably don't think a thank-you is necessary."
[LvJi]: "Healing Powder is pretty cheap. It only costs 5 activity points in the system store."
System store? Activity points?
Yume wasn't entirely sure what these terms meant, but she could guess they referred to some shop and currency.
"I wonder how much 5 activity points are in silver coins…"
In Yume's mind, something as valuable as Healing Powder should at least be priced in silver coins.
Remembering the helplessness she felt watching her teammate get seriously injured, Yume decided she needed to stock up on Healing Powder.
But there was a problem: how could she get activity points?
[Yume]: "Are you a man or a woman, Mr. LvJi?"
[LvJi]: "The former."
[Yume]: "Mr. LvJi, I'd like to know how to get activity points. How much would it cost to get this information?"
[LvJi]: "No need to be so formal, Miss Yume."
[LvJi]: "Getting activity points is simple, and it's not a secret in the group."
[LvJi]: "Activity points are mainly earned by…"
In the following conversation, Lü Ji explained the activity points, their purchasing power, how to earn them, and how the system store worked in detail.
As he typed out the long messages, Lü Ji didn't feel impatient. After all, these "harvests" would be his source of contribution points in the future.
But he did notice a minor issue.
With only a few members in the group, he could afford to explain everything to newcomers. But as more people joined, he couldn't possibly handle all the introductions himself.