RWWOKS Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Pay-to-Win Summoner System

Back inside the tavern, the atmosphere had changed. The pirates who had filled the room earlier were nowhere to be seen. Even the Black Cat crew members avoided coming too close, a testament to the awe that Ryuno’s Shikigami had instilled in them.

“This might be a bit tricky,” Fang Bo said, crossing his legs with a smirk, clearly intending to negotiate. “With your strength, and the help of a pirate with a bounty of several million, taking down a couple of navy ships should be easy.”

His meaning was clear—if even they couldn’t handle it, the enemy must be formidable. Helping wasn’t a problem, but it was going to cost extra.

Ryuno caught his drift and didn’t bother hiding the truth anymore. “The target used to be a member of royalty. Many years ago, their country was annexed by the Kingdom of Jermal. The royal family fled to the East Blue with their loyal followers.”

Hearing this, Fang Bo’s gaze flickered slightly, but he remained silent, letting her continue.

“The royal family built a fortress, which is essentially a military stronghold. Even with my Shikigami, it’s impossible to break through.”

A single pirate crew wouldn’t be enough to conquer it, so Ryuno had come seeking an alliance. The Black Cat Pirates, having recently lost their captain, seemed like the perfect candidate.

With their strongest fighter gone, there was less risk of betrayal. With their powers balanced, they could truly collaborate.

“If we manage to breach the fortress and claim the treasure, we split it 60/40,” Ryuno suggested.

“Why 60/40?” Fang Bo pushed, trying to secure a better deal.

Just as he finished speaking, he received a task notification from Ryuno.

**[Task Sharing from Participant No. 14005: “The Kingdom’s Treasure.” Do you accept?]**

“That extra 10% is for the task reward,” she said calmly.

Fang Bo, now granted a free side quest, had no complaints. A 60/40 split seemed fair enough.

**[Side Quest: The Kingdom’s Treasure]**

**[Quest Summary: You’ve discovered a lost fortress. It likely contains vast wealth.]**

**[Quest Objective: Defeat the royal guards and claim the treasure.]**

**[Note: It’s advised to bring transport with sufficient storage capacity.]**

With the terms of their cooperation set, Fang Bo prepared to inform his new captain about the plan.

A deal this lucrative wouldn’t be rejected by anyone. If Kuro had known about it earlier, perhaps he wouldn’t have faked his death to retire.

Of course, Fang Bo wasn’t planning to bring Kuro back just yet—it wasn’t the right time. Kuro wasn’t ready for a rematch with the Pirate Admiral, not until he saw a glimmer of victory.

The treasure from this fortress would be used to bolster their forces, preparing for the inevitable showdown. After all, the Pirate Admiral commanded an army of 5,000. Compared to that, their current crew was laughable.

On their way back, Fang Bo took the opportunity to ask Ryuno about the summoning of Shikigami, adhering to his principle of “never being too proud to ask.”

Perhaps sensing the importance of their future alliance, Ryuno humored him and answered his questions.

“Without completing the Fate Mission, the duration of a Shikigami’s summoning is limited.”

That made sense. His summoned giants had a time limit as well—another similarity between their abilities.

“Besides ability restrictions, summoning a Shikigami also costs a certain number of plot points.”

Seeing Fang Bo’s surprise, Ryuno smiled and explained, “Opening a gateway between two worlds incurs extra costs for the Reincarnation Space. Charging some plot points is only fair.”

“You’re surprisingly accepting of this,” Fang Bo sighed.

He had initially thought that after his recent earnings, he could splurge on a summoning skill. But learning that cross-world summoning required money made it seem less appealing than his trio of giants.

“That’s why completing a Shikigami’s Fate Mission is crucial. Once they become your follower, it’s an entirely different story,” Ryuno mused, as if reminiscing.

Naturally, Fang Bo wanted to know more about the benefits of completing these missions.

“First, completing a Fate Mission enhances your Shikigami’s abilities in some way.”

That alone made it worth the investment.

“Second, a follower gains an official status in the Reincarnation Space. They become something like a half-reincarnator—they can accept missions, earn rewards, and even use attribute points to improve themselves.”

“So powerful?” Fang Bo was tempted but quickly had another question. “Why do you say ‘half-reincarnator’? What’s the limitation?”

“Followers have no freedom. They are bound to you forever.”

That was a significant restriction. But the idea that followers could earn mission rewards made Fang Bo feel it was well worth cultivating a few.

“One more thing to keep in mind: if a character from a storyline becomes your follower, they become unique to the Reincarnation Space. That means no other version of them will be created in future worlds.”

In other words, if Fang Bo managed to recruit Nami, the Straw Hat Pirates would lose their navigator for good.

That’s how it seemed. However, the world would likely attempt to correct the plot, perhaps introducing another suitable navigator for the crew. 

Watching Paul, who was still nursing his wounds, Fang Bo silently reflected on the mechanics of triggering Fate Missions.

“A Fate Mission is essentially the purpose a storyline character carries.”

Main protagonists were usually tasked with saving the world, while powerful side characters might be worth considering.

For instance, helping the Vinsmoke family reclaim control of the North Blue might unlock their Fate Missions. Or, helping Shinobu defeat the Upper Moon Two demon, Doma, might complete hers.

As for how to trigger these missions, Fang Bo suspected it was largely a matter of building rapport.

Paul, for example, became fiercely loyal to him after receiving a epic sword. But characters with more depth and complexity would be much harder to win over.

There was a certain art to quickly raising someone’s favorability.

“Oh, by the way, aside from the Onmyoji world, where else is it easy to get summonable creatures?”

Ryuno’s calm gaze made Fang Bo blush slightly. He realized he had been asking a lot of questions.

But he couldn’t help it—he was a complete newbie with few opportunities to ask someone for guidance. Now that he’d found someone willing to share, he wasn’t about to let the chance slip away.

Ryuno’s expression shifted subtly, but she still answered his question.

“The Onmyoji world, Pokémon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! are among the most popular worlds for summoners.”

In the Onmyoji world, there were plenty of Shikigami to choose from. 

In the Pokémon world, the sheer number of creatures was staggering.

In the Digimon world, the number of digital monsters was similarly overwhelming.

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, there were countless monster cards.

Thinking of all the powerful creatures he could summon, Fang Bo wished he could visit these worlds right away.

“Oh, and there’s another world that’s great for recruiting followers.”

That would be the *Fate/stay night* storyline. The battles for the Holy Grail allowed Masters to summon heroic spirits to fight alongside them.

If Fang Bo could complete a heroic spirit’s Fate Mission, did that mean he might even be able to recruit King Arthur?

Slapping his cheeks to shake himself out of his daydream, Fang Bo realized it was too early to think about such things. Once he entered that world, everything would become clearer.

Soon, they returned to the *Bezan Black* and Fang Bo briefed Captain Jango on the plan to raid the fortress.

“A pirate alliance?” Jango hesitated briefly before agreeing.

It was raiding either way, and this was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Besides, if they could grab all the treasure for themselves, so much the better.

Sensing the greed in Jango’s eyes, Fang Bo quashed it with a single statement: “After the mission, I’ll figure out how to get the Alvida Pirates to merge with us.”

If that were to happen, they would all be on the same side, and Jango’s scheming thoughts faded.

“Hahaha, you really are something! You’re aiming to take both the money and the people!”

Fang Bo smiled faintly, keeping his real intentions to himself.

Without merging with the Black Cat Pirates, the Alvida Pirates would remain a small-time crew.

But if they united, they would have a chance at defeating the Pirate Admiral and becoming a dominant force in the East Blue.

Soon, a signal was sent, and the Alvida Pirates appeared on the horizon.

This was a seven hundred million Beli deal. Both sides were eager to get started, so the meeting between the captains didn’t take long.

With speed on their side, the two pirate crews quickly set sail for the neighboring island.

On the deck of the *Black Bezan*, Ryuno curiously examined the ship’s black cat figurehead.

“When this is over, I want you to bring your crew into the fold,” Fang Bo said, his words as shocking as ever.

Ryuno turned to face him, her expression calm. “Give me a reason.”

“You help me convince Alvida, and I’ll give you anoter hidden mission.”

To defeat the ruler of the East Blue, their current manpower was insufficient. Merging the Alvida Pirates with the Black Cat crew was the only solution.

If Ryuno could recruit Alvida, they could complete the side quest together. Ryuno would be able to sway her captain, and the hidden mission reward would make it worth their while.

As for the other details, those were Fang Bo’s to handle. Once they merged, helping the first mate with some personal matters was only natural, wasn’t it?

(End of Chapter)

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