"Ding! Loading complete. Game start!"
"Ding! System implantation successful. Scanning host!"
"Ding! Scan failed!"
"Ding! Player has obtained one backpack!"
"Ding! Scanning backpack. Host possesses item: Dark Origin."
"Ding! Dark Origin detected. Does the host wish to change class to Dark Emperor?"
The notifications rang out in rapid succession within his mind.
The Little Madman showed no impatience. He listened calmly to the mechanical voice—until he heard the words Dark Origin. At that moment, he froze.
"Open backpack," he commanded silently.
In an instant, a cluster of flames materialized before him, burning fiercely yet silently. The fire twisted and spread outward, forming a translucent screen suspended in midair.
The interface was no longer the old loading bar from before. Instead, a brand-new display appeared.
It was the familiar inventory page seen in modern games. Equipment slots occupied the upper section, while backpack slots were arranged neatly below.
In the equipment slots: a plain shirt for the upper body, jeans for the lower body, no gloves, and a pair of slippers.
Below, the backpack grid contained twenty slots.
Only one slot was occupied.
Inside it rested a dark crystal.
The moment he saw it, his eyes widened, excitement blazing within them.
Dark Origin: The only ultimate hidden item in the game Divine Retribution. The first player to slay the Dark Emperor has a one hundred percent chance of obtaining it. With this Origin, the player may change class to Dark Emperor.
"It followed me here…"
His breathing grew heavier as he stared at the crystal, heat flashing in his gaze.
Divine Retribution had once been an immensely popular game. Its world was consumed by darkness, and every player assumed the role of a Retribution Bringer—champions of light tasked with purging the forces of darkness and saving the world. It was marketed as a game brimming with righteousness and justice.
The Dark Emperor, however, stood at the very peak of the dark faction.
And he had been its ruler.
The Little Madman was a transmigrator. His real name was Mo Xie. In his previous life, he had been the leader of a gang in a modern city, and at the same time, a professional gamer. Obsessed with Divine Retribution, he had poured immense money and time into the game, staying ahead of all other players.
His transmigration had been absurdly ironic.
Seeking the thrill of atmosphere, he had disguised himself and gone to an internet café to challenge the ultimate boss—Dark Emperor. Unfortunately, a rival gang leader discovered his whereabouts and hired desperate criminals to throw a grenade into the café.
He had truly played with his life.
And lost.
Not long after arriving in this world, Mo Xie discovered something even more astonishing—this place was the world of Naruto, one of the most famous anime of his previous life.
He had read novels and watched countless anime, including Naruto and One Piece. But he had never imagined that his transmigration would not lead him to a fantasy realm or ancient era, but into a two-dimensional world.
After the initial shock and excitement faded, Mo Xie did not hesitate. He reached out and tapped the Dark Origin in his inventory.
A prompt immediately appeared before him, accompanied by a mechanical voice.
"Ding! You have used Dark Origin. Do you wish to change class to Dark Emperor?"
"Yes."
"Ding… Congratulations. You have successfully changed class to Dark Emperor!"
"Ding! Host has successfully changed class to Dark Emperor. Data initialization in progress…"
"Scanning host…"
Host: Mo Xie
Identity: Orphan of Konoha
Age: 6
Class: Dark Emperor
Energy Value: 0
Skill Points: 0
Skills: Unknown
That was the entirety of his current attributes.
Mo Xie frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on the word Unknown beneath Skills.
"Open skill interface."
The screen flickered with a burst of flame, and the inventory page transformed.
A dark interface appeared, carved with intricate, web-like patterns. A dim black network of lines extended outward, connecting to cocoon-like nodes that seemed dormant.
"It looks like no skills have awakened yet. What a pity. I wanted to see the power of this class."
Divine Retribution had never relied on traditional leveling systems. Players pursued skill strength instead, and Skill Points existed solely to enhance abilities.
He had waited six long years.
Six years of caution, restraint, and silent endurance in a world that could devour the weak without mercy.
"Finally… I have a chance to rise."
He closed the interface and inhaled deeply before collapsing onto the floor, as though a burden he had carried for six years had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders.
Anyone with human emotion would feel fear upon being thrust into an unfamiliar world.
Only now, with his golden finger awakened, could Mo Xie finally release the pressure he had suppressed for years.
He took several heavy breaths. His body trembled violently at first, then gradually steadied. The grit forged from his past life as a gang leader allowed him to regain composure far faster than most.
Once calm, he went to the kitchen and prepared a simple dinner to ease his hunger. Afterward, he returned to his room, lay down beneath the blanket, and opened the system interface once more.
With a light tap, he selected Standby Mode.
Since Divine Retribution had no level system, players would continue growing stronger even while offline.
In Standby Mode, he would gain one point of Energy Value every hour.
Energy Value could be used not only to activate skills, but also to open chakra points and strengthen the body.
Divine Retribution featured classes such as Warrior, Assassin, and Fighter—but it notably lacked a Mage class.
Yet this was the real world. Physical strength could also be improved through effort alone. There was no fixed strength attribute here.
In a sense, this was a system bug.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Immersed in Standby Mode, Mo Xie slept deeply and peacefully. He was awakened only by the sound of someone knocking at the door.
Opening his eyes, he found no trace of fatigue within them.
He rose, walked to the entrance, and pulled the door open.
A figure stood outside.
A young man wearing a forehead protector and green shinobi attire, with a long scar across the bridge of his nose. His presence radiated warmth and approachability.
Mo Xie did not find him unfamiliar.
Though this was their first meeting in person, he recognized the man instantly.
Iruka Umino.