Chapter 32: The KOF Invitation

Non-melee Reincarnators usually don’t have Constitution as one of their top three attributes. The boy hadn't put any points into related attributes, so he only had a mere 50 HP.

If he was targeted by concentrated attacks, even three Abnormal Titans could kill him in no time.

“Summoner, huh?” The boy gritted his teeth, changing the mental energy sphere he was about to release into a shockwave that swept outwards.

The three Titans, who were just about to attack, were instantly blown away by the surging energy, temporarily saving him from certain death.

However...

Bang!

A sharp pain shot through the boy’s chest, followed by a damage report notification.

[You have been shot by bullet ID 14580. Armor-piercing effect triggered, ignoring 70% of your defense, causing 18+8 points of piercing damage.]

One shot had taken almost half of his HP, and another hit would likely kill him on the spot.

In a panic, the boy didn’t care about conserving energy anymore. He unleashed a high-powered mental blast straight at the attacker.

This time, it was Kiba who experienced what it felt like to have his head struck by a sledgehammer.

However, his Spirit attribute was quite high, and his HP was comparable to a tank's, so he barely felt the minor damage.

He quickly recovered his senses after just half a second of disorientation, then noticed the boy's special action of swallowing a steamed bun.

"Licker #3!"

The fastest of the three Abnormal Titans rushed towards the target like the wind, its massive jaws ready to swallow the boy whole.

Although the boy managed to repel it with an energy blast, it was clear that he was running out of effective ways to fight back.

As Kiba watched the fleeing mental Reincarnator, he suddenly realized the strengths and weaknesses of team actions.

By combining multiple attributes and skills, a squad could overcome enemies far stronger than any of them individually.

Because everyone had their role—whether in attack, defense, or support—the team could produce powerful effects together.

But once the formation was broken, the downsides of fighting alone became apparent, especially when facing a versatile Reincarnator like Kiba. It felt like there was no good way to approach him from any angle.

Even though he didn’t have particularly powerful skills, the combination of firearms, summoning, mental power, and high HP made him unexpectedly difficult to deal with.

Mental attacks weren’t very effective, his high HP made him hard to kill, and a slight mistake would result in getting endlessly entangled with his summons.

Just like the bun-eating boy right now, who was so frustrated he could spit blood. Who would have thought that this guy was a summoner?

In most cases, Reincarnators who focus on Strength, Agility, and Constitution far outnumber mental types like mages, summoners, and healers.

The reason is simple: early on, everyone’s attributes are low, and they haven’t learned any powerful skills, making it hard for mental Reincarnators to deal much damage.

Reincarnators with teams fare a bit better, at least they have their teammates’ protection. But for lone wolves, the situation is even tougher.

A brief burst of power followed by immediate exhaustion is practically suicidal in a world full of dangers, which is why everyone instinctively assumed he was either a gunman or someone focusing on physical strength.

“Miscalculation.” The boy smiled bitterly, pulling out a peculiar item from his imprint.

Seeing this, Kiba immediately became alert, suspecting that the boy was about to use a last-ditch item.

But then he saw the small object suddenly explode, and the powerful blast force propelled the boy several hundred meters away, finally splashing into the sea... he escaped.

“A smart choice.” Kiba turned around and directed his Titans to charge towards the gunman.

Captain Crow was still in a suppressed state because he had to constantly be wary of the gunman’s ambush. If they could eliminate the sniper threat, the battle could take a different turn.

“You haven’t managed to take down Crow quickly, so your ambush plan is doomed to fail.”

Faced with the Titans’ interference, the gunman, whose damage output was off the charts, seemed out of his element.

He shot the fastest Titan, Licker #3, in the head, but then had no time to reload, forcing him to pull out a submachine gun to suppress the remaining two Titans.

Seeing the situation on the battlefield, Kiba’s pupils suddenly dilated to the extreme. His intense mental power stabbed into the enemy’s mind like an awl.

“Ah!” The gunman Owl let out a scream, stumbling backward.

During this time, the enemy tried to fight back, but the bullets were all blocked by the thick, fat belly of Titan #2, Tutu.

Bang!

---

Kiba's shot hit the enemy's chest, dealing massive damage and pushing the gunman to the brink of death.

This scene caught the attention of two other Reincarnators involved in the ambush. They briefly hesitated, their expressions thoughtful.

They now had two choices. First, abandon the assault on Crow and regroup to cover the retreat of the gunman, Owl. Second, go all out against the boss, hoping to take it down as quickly as possible.

After a moment's hesitation, Olsen decisively chose the latter. He wasn’t about to give up on the reward that was almost within his grasp.

"In a world of selfishness, there's no place for fools," he thought, blaming his teammates for not stopping Kiba, a summoner, even after three attempts.

"Randy, pin him down."

"Leave it to me."

With his charge skill off cooldown, the tank immediately launched a forced lock-on attack, turning into a blur as he lunged at the boss.

Meanwhile, Olsen began gathering energy, flames igniting on his mechanical gloves.

*MAX·Heat Drive!*

If the attack landed, given Captain Crow's current state, there was a real chance these guys could kill him on the spot.

Realizing the urgency, Captain Crow, the Black Cat, activated his Silent Step technique, disappearing from his original position and reappearing behind Kiba, intending to use his ally as a sacrificial pawn.

"This damn bastard," Kiba seethed with rage, though now wasn't the time to turn against Crow.

Titan #2, Tutu, blocked the tank's charge, but it couldn’t stop the deadly heat attack that followed.

If Tutu died, Kiba would be next in line to be targeted by the enemy. In this intense battle, his meager 100 HP wouldn’t last long.

"There's no other choice."

Pulling out his last piece of sauced steak, he used his only healing skill, "Heal," rapidly depleting his own HP while repairing Tutu's damaged body.

Even though Olsen's attack hit, it still couldn’t completely take down the Titan. With their combined HP over 200, and Kiba's constant potion drinking, they were still in the fight.

After downing a bottle of rum, Kiba suddenly heard Olsen sigh, followed by the retreat of all his teammates.

Clearly, the ambush by Team NESTS had failed, and they were preparing to flee. If they didn’t leave now, no one would make it out alive.

They activated some strange flying device, and the entire team grabbed onto its tendrils, except for Owl, who was still entangled by the Titan's massive head.

Seeing someone trying to rescue Owl, Kiba seized the opportunity to fire his last armor-piercing round, demonstrating what a perfect headshot looked like.

*[You have killed Reincarnator ID 12554, earning a personal Kill Box.]*

*[You have earned 1 merit point.]*

Meeting the furious gazes of Team NESTS, Kiba silently made a throat-cutting gesture.

"Defeated soldiers trying to threaten me with their eyes? If you've got the guts, jump off that weird flying machine."

Thinking about the valuable items he’d used up, Kiba felt a pang of regret and wished he could have wiped out all five of the enemy team members.

Of course, that was a bit unrealistic. Without the help of plot forces, he probably wouldn’t have lasted ten seconds in their hands.

So killing even one of them was already a rare victory.

"Ahhh!!!" Nearby, Lieutenant Lipa let out a tragic scream.

Without the Reincarnators to distract him, he was nothing but a moving target in front of Captain Crow, without even the ability to choose his own way of dying.

Seeing that the crisis had passed, Butch and Sam, the two slackers, finally started to exert themselves. Wiping out the remaining navy would just be a matter of time.

Seeing this, Kiba didn't bother to join in. He was more interested in the Kill Box from the gunman.

*[You are opening Kill Box ID 12554.]*

*[You have received 150 plot points.]*

*[You have received an invitation to KOF.]*

*[You have received Heavy Armor-Piercing Rounds x7.]*

The plot points were average, indicating that most Reincarnators didn’t have a habit of "saving money."

The heavy armor-piercing rounds were excellent, with extremely high damage, but the key problem was that they were sniper-exclusive ammo.

Not only wouldn’t they fit in his gun, but their length was almost as long as Black Star's barrel.

No doubt about it, this stuff would have to be sold to someone else.

Finally, there was that strange invitation.

*[KOF Invitation, special item, can forcibly trigger the "King of Fighters 2000" plot world.]*

"Hmm?" Kiba picked up the beautifully crafted invitation, examining it closely. He hadn’t expected to get such a magical item.

Forcibly triggering a plot world was something he’d heard only high-ranking Reincarnators could do. Who knew there was an item that could do the same thing in invitation form?

So does that mean that if he chose to use it, he could immediately enter the King of Fighters 2000 plot world?

Considering Olsen’s gloves and the special name of their team, he guessed they were part of an organization rooted in the King of Fighters world.

If he rushed in recklessly, who knew what unpredictable dangers might await him?

Compared to other plot worlds, King of Fighters was very similar to worlds like Dragon Ball and One Punch Man, which were all about combat. Although there were conspiracy elements, the process was essentially all about fighting, fighting, and more fighting.

In the King of Fighters tournament, you defeat various teams and then go on to face the final boss—basically, that's the whole routine.

"Not really my style." Kiba put the item away, deciding that there was no rush. He could go when his strength was sufficient.

For now, he was more excited about the hidden mission rewards.

(End of Chapter)

---