Chapter 26

Izuku sat in his dimly lit room, his phone screen casting a faint glow on his determined face. His emerald-green eyes flickered with indecision as he reread the message from Naruto. The new features were beyond anything he had ever imagined—an entire virtual reality based on Naruto's world, where he could train, fight, and grow stronger.

But Izuku wasn't naive. He understood the kind of person Naruto was. If he had set this up, it wasn't going to be easy.

"It's going to be real... Real pain."

He clenched his fists. Pain was something he was used to. Whether it was from overusing One for All, training until his muscles tore, or facing Bakugo's relentless attacks in their childhood—pain had always been a constant. But this was different. This was a battle simulation made by a literal immortallike being, one who had no reason to go easy on anyone.

His fingers hesitated over the screen as he browsed through the Shop. There were terrifyingly powerful pills, weapons, and gadgets—most of which he couldn't afford.

"Defeat an opponent, scan them, or train in the virtual world... That's how I can earn points," he muttered. The battle he had just won against Momo had already given him some points, thanks to the scan of their fight.

Izuku's mind raced as he carefully selected his first purchases.

✔ Basic Healing Pills (x3) – Just in case things got too rough.

✔ One-Time Use Earth Prison – A trap he could use to turn the tables in a desperate fight.

"Alright... This should be good preparation."

With a deep breath, he pressed the button to enter the virtual world.

— THUMP —

His vision spun as he felt his entire being pulled downward. It was as if gravity had flipped, yanking his consciousness out of his body.

"Oh, shit!" Izuku barely had time to react before he fell.

The sensation of free-falling sent his heart racing, but he couldn't even scream. His body remained behind in the real world, safely protected by Naruto's power, but his mind was now in a completely different place.

Darkness enveloped him for a moment—until suddenly, he landed on solid ground with a harsh impact. Dust billowed around him as he stumbled forward. The air smelled different, the wind felt heavier, and when he looked up…

The first thing Izuku saw when he opened his eyes was the sky—a brilliant blue, clear and vast, framed by the swaying green canopy of towering trees. A soft breeze carried the scent of fresh leaves and damp earth, and the distant chirping of birds filled the air.

He was in a dense forest.

Izuku didn't hesitate. His training with Naruto had drilled a single lesson into his mind:

"Always be wary of your surroundings—anything can kill."

With that in mind, he sprang to his feet, instantly assessing his body. His heart pounded, but nothing felt out of place. His hero costume and all his gear were intact. A wave of relief washed over him—at least Naruto hadn't sent him into this world half-naked and defenseless.

Still, there were no tutorials, no system pop-ups offering guidance. No assistance like a normal game.

'I have to rely on my natural abilities,' he thought, tightening his fists.

His gaze flickered around, scanning the terrain for threats. Izuku immediately activated Life Erasure, a skill he had learned about from Naruto's teachings—by controlling his breathing and movement, he could suppress his presence to avoid detection from creatures with heightened perception.

He had barely moved a few steps when the ground behind him trembled.

Izuku turned just in time to see something massive emerge from the foliage. A giant centipede, easily the size of a car, slithered into view. Its armored body gleamed under the sunlight, its many legs twitching as it scanned the area with eerie, soulless eyes.

'That thing looks bloody scary… but how much is it worth?'

That was another side effect of this "game-like" world—Izuku had started seeing everything in terms of points.

The centipede clicked its mandibles, clearly sensing something amiss, but its primitive senses weren't sharp enough to pierce through Life Erasure. It hesitated, its monstrous body shifting as if deciding whether to retreat.

Izuku made his choice.

His legs tensed, and then—he ran straight at it.

With a leap, he closed the distance in an instant.

One for All: Full Cowling—50%

He clenched his fist, power surging through his arm like an explosion. Every muscle in his body coiled like a spring ready to snap. And then—

BOOM!

His punch connected.

The sheer force obliterated the centipede in a shower of viscera. Its segmented body was ripped apart by the impact, scattering into twitching pieces across the forest floor.

Izuku landed smoothly, his boots pressing into the dirt as he stared at his fist, wide-eyed. His heart pounded in his chest.

'That… was way too powerful.'

This was the first time he had used One for All in a world like this—without holding back, without worrying about hurting his classmates. The result? Complete destruction.

A cold sweat ran down his back.

'If I hadn't been careful with Momo…'

He swallowed hard. He didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if he had gone all out against a classmate in a sparring match.

—TING!—

A mechanical chime echoed in his mind.

[You have defeated a Giant Centipede!]

[+20 Points Earned]

Izuku frowned. 20 points? That was barely enough to buy a basic kunai from the store. Not worth the risk.

Then—he noticed it.

The scent of blood was thick around him. It clung to his clothes, his skin, his hair.

A shiver ran through him as he heard faint clicking sounds all around.

More were coming.

The vibrations beneath his feet confirmed his worst fear. The forest floor trembled as dozens of centipedes slithered toward the scent of their fallen kin.

'Shit! Time to go!'

Izuku didn't waste a second. He bolted.

At first, he ran at full speed, using One for All to put as much distance as possible between himself and the incoming swarm. After a few seconds, he slowed down to conserve energy, maintaining a huge lead.

His escape seemed to be working.

Until—

WHAM!

A sudden impact pierced through his skull.

Izuku's body jerked mid-stride, and his vision blurred as something massive struck him from behind. His mind barely registered the fact that a spear-like object had run straight through his head.

He had been killed.

Everything went black.

—

—"FUCK!"

Izuku's scream echoed through his room as his eyes snapped open.

Pain—searing, mind-numbing pain—ripped through his skull, even though his body was perfectly intact. He clenched his teeth, nearly biting through his own lip. His trembling hands dug into the floor, leaving deep cracks in the wood.

His breathing was ragged, sweat dripping down his face.

'Master is truly sadistic…'

Izuku forced himself to sit up, still shaking. The aftershocks of death clung to his nerves, refusing to fade. Even though he knew it wasn't real, the sensation was too vivid to dismiss.

He wiped his face, feeling frustration bubbling inside him.

'I wish he could have at least sent me closer to town…'

Instead, he had been thrown into a death trap, surrounded by monsters, with no guidance, and his head speared through before he could even get anywhere.

Izuku slumped onto his bed, feeling the weight of the challenge ahead.

This wasn't going to be a normal game.

This was war.

Unlike Izuku, Wang Lin was no stranger to hunting. He was a cultivator who had lived in a world where might truly made right, a world similar to Naruto's in its brutality. He understood the necessity of caution, of choosing battles wisely, and of striking only when necessary.

That was why his first step in this new world had been preparation.

The ANBU armor he had purchased from the shop was old by Naruto's standards, but for Wang Lin, it was priceless. It was reinforced with defensive seals, increasing its durability and enhancing his ability to blend into the environment.

To complement his gear, he had bought a tanto, its blade inscribed with seals to make it razor-sharp, as well as a few exploding kunai and healing pills—small but critical tools for survival.

He stood silently, feeling the soft resistance of sand beneath his boots. The landscape was unlike anything he had ever seen. His world was filled with lush mountains, rivers, and forests, while this place was an endless sea of golden dunes stretching in every direction.

"So this is the world of my master..." Wang Lin mused, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon.

His goal was simple:

Find Naruto.

The world had no real objectives beyond defeating opponents, but Wang Lin saw an opportunity to learn from the people here—and the first person he wanted to visit was his master.

But before he could take another step—

A chill ran down his spine.

A presence.

Something ancient. Something... hungry.

'Master is truly merciless…' Wang Lin sighed internally.

The sensation was overwhelming—like death itself was breathing down his neck. He had spent years cultivating his mind, sharpening his instincts, and they were screaming at him now.

RUN.

But Wang Lin was not the kind to flee without understanding his enemy. That was not the way of a cultivator.

With practiced movements, he erased his presence entirely and leapt back, hurling a kunai in the direction he sensed the disturbance.

For a moment—silence.

Then—

WHOOSH!

The sand exploded in a whirlwind of fury, shifting unnaturally, as if alive.

Something massive was beneath the surface.

'I can't see it.' Wang Lin gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening around his tanto.

No matter how hard he focused, there was no clear enemy.

A creature that could attack without revealing itself was extremely dangerous.

'Tch, I can't stay here—'

With a flicker of movement, Wang Lin turned to retreat.

—But it was too late.

The sand beneath him erupted like a tidal wave, and before he could even react, something vast and unseen struck him.

The last thing he felt was the crushing force of the desert itself swallowing him whole.

BOOM!

His body was torn apart, obliterated in an instant.

—

—

"Please send me to an easier place next time…" Wang Lin muttered weakly as his eyes snapped open.

He was back in his room.

The phantom pain of death lingered, sharp and unrelenting, spreading through his limbs like fire. He gritted his teeth and forced himself not to scream.

His hands dug into the floor, and his breathing was heavy.

Even though his body was whole, the memory of his destruction was too vivid to dismiss.

Wang Lin closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"Master... You are truly merciless."

But he would not give up.

This was just the first step.

Inside his grand palace, Naruto leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink as he watched the events unfold through the Heroes Chat Group's live feed. Beside him, lounging lazily with a cup of sake, was Shuten, her golden eyes half-lidded in amusement.

The moment Wang Lin's body was torn apart by the sand burial, a deep chuckle escaped Naruto's lips.

"He got crushed before even seeing his enemy. Tsk, tsk, disappointing." Naruto mused, shaking his head.

Shuten, on the other hand, giggled as she watched Wang Lin's frustration upon reviving. She rested her cheek against her palm, swirling her drink.

"Father, you really are too cruel. You sent him straight to Chūnin Exam Gaara? That boy was basically a little demon back then." She smirked, "Poor Wang Lin, he didn't even see his killer before getting reduced to dust."

Naruto snorted. "If he wants to be my herald, he needs to handle something as simple as early-stage Gaara. Back then, that kid was ruthless, but not unbeatable."

Shuten raised an eyebrow. "Early-stage Gaara? The one who played with corpses like they were dolls?"

Naruto shrugged. "Details."

Shuten laughed. "I should send him a condolence message. Maybe offer some sake to ease his pain." She typed in the chat group, "Wang Lin, did you enjoy your spa treatment in the Sand Coffin? I hear it exfoliates the skin... permanently. 🍶😂"

Naruto shook his head with a smirk. "That boy is going to be paranoid of sand for the rest of his life."

Shuten scrolled to Izuku's trial next and let out a snort of laughter. "Oh, Izuku… He got head-speared mid-sprint. And here I thought he was fast."

Naruto let out a slow breath. "He's lucky I set a pain dampener in the real world, or he'd still be screaming."

Shuten giggled, "He's getting good at holding it in, though. Only bit his lips and punched the floor this time."

Naruto nodded approvingly. "He has the spirit of a warrior. He just needs to stop thinking like a hero and start thinking like a survivor. The ninja world doesn't wait for you to be ready."

Shuten leaned over, scrolling back to Izuku's internal monologue before he died. "He really thought his scent wouldn't attract attention. That's adorable. A ninja without chakra is like an unguarded treasure chest—it just screams 'loot me.'"

Naruto let out a deep chuckle. "It was only a matter of time before someone tested his defenses."

Shuten tilted her head. "Who do you think got him?"

Naruto smirked. "If I had to guess? Probably an ANBU or an opportunistic Orochimaru subordinate. The Forest of Death is crawling with people like that."

Shuten grinned, taking another sip of her drink. "This is too fun. When do we send them back in?"

Naruto glanced at the chat, where Izuku and Wang Lin were already discussing their mistakes and planning their next attempts.

He smiled.