Zongman: Evolution Paradise

"Then why is Gilgamesh still in Gilgamesh's form? Hmm... I mean, when Gilgamesh broke free by going back to the past, why didn't she immediately change back, or even go to the future?"

“This…” Kaguya Shinomiya looked at Young Gilgamesh, in fact she also wanted to know why.

It can't be that the mother, Shining, got beaten up and became depressed, so she released a baby Shining to play instead of fighting anymore.

Stared at by several Masters, Gilgamesh's face suddenly showed a hint of embarrassment. He said awkwardly, "When I used that ability in the future, I did intend to transform and immediately return to my original state after breaking free of the restraints, or even transform into my future state at a certain moment to gain a greater boost..."

"but……"

Young Flash glanced sheepishly at his former Master, Kaguya Shinomiya, and continued, "When I appeared, I thought I could win on my own, so there was no need to turn back. Then, I was instantly killed, eh."

Young Shan and her mother Shan Shan have completely different personalities and ways of thinking. Shan Shan's ideas are good, but she forgot to consider her own rebellious phase during her childhood...

Kaguya Shinomiya didn't want to speak, but simply gave the young Flash a pure smile.

Jolyne could only say, "Well done!"

Compared to the motherly Gilgamesh who keeps calling him a bastard, this silly little version is much more endearing.

If it were the former, let alone communication, they might even lose their temper and become so angry when they discover that someone has forcibly switched their Master during a time stop.

Seeing that Kaguya Shinomiya had relaxed a bit, Jolyne sighed and still asked, "So, Shinomiya, what is it that you really want?"

Returning to this topic, silence fell over the air once again.

Kaguya Shinomiya pondered how to begin the conversation before finally posing a question to Jolyne.

Have you ever thought about what the future holds for us players?

"future?"

Jolyne countered with a question.

The definition of the future is too broad; which one is Kaguya Shinomiya referring to?

Kaguya Shinomiya extended her left hand to Jolyne. She had exhausted all three Command Seals and wanted to show the Paradise Bracelet.

Each player has one, but only they can see their own Paradise Bracelet.

Kaguya Shinomiya said:

"We become players, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and join the park. Every so often, we have to participate in a so-called evolution game."

"In this process, the power to change the world continues to gather, but the risks are also constantly increasing."

"The higher the player's level, the higher the requirements for the world, mission mode, and the park."

"Every time I participate in a game, I start calculating when the next game will come."

"Every time you enter a new world, you begin to figure out what you are capable of doing in that world."

"This is a race. If a player's skill level increases slower than the difficulty of the park, they will only get stuck in the mud with low scores and eventually die in some unknown corner."

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to recall something, and her fingers unconsciously clenched.

Kaguya Shinomiya noticed this and began to have more thoughts about her.

"If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. But the real key is aptitude. Some players, or rather many players, will find that they have their limits once they reach a certain level. At that point, even if their strength can keep up with the pace of the amusement park, they won't dare to arbitrarily enhance their strength anymore. They will have to allocate 70% of their gains to avoid losing control of themselves."

Looking at her player certificate, Kaguya Shinomiya asked Jolyne, "Judging from this situation, every player is a pitiful creature constantly facing death, possessing immense power yet unable to live even a hundred years like an ordinary person."

"But, would an S-class have a solution?"

Jolyne asked.

Your wrists are being forced by the amusement park; without continuous evolution, it will be difficult to cope with higher game difficulties, and your body is clearly telling you that you have reached your limit.

Jolyne had certainly considered this contradiction, but he didn't have any worries about it. If the players around him wanted to, they could use the workshop to "defy fate".

But how could any legitimate player in the main world accept such a fate!

Even mortals cannot accept their destiny, let alone players who seize power from the Paradise.

"Yes, S-class."

Kaguya Shinomiya gave Jolyne a deep look, completely baffled as to how he had managed to do this.

"Your current access level is A. You must have already seen the black letter that allows you to invite others to become players."

"A B-level officer can send one black letter per year, an A-level officer can send three per year, and an S-level officer can send five per year."

"Once you reach S-level, in addition to the black invitation, you will gain another privilege."

"That's Bai Han."

Kaguya Shinomiya said, word by word, "Its purpose is... to make players leave the amusement park."

The air was quiet for a while before Jolyne joked, "It sounds like something the park came up with to ease the conflict between itself and the players."

"...There may indeed be such considerations. With a way to leave, the number of players who want to destroy the amusement park will obviously decrease a lot."

Feeling a bit mentally exhausted, Kaguya Shinomiya wanted to rub her cheeks.

"If a player leaves the park, will the power they gained from this place be taken back?"

Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly spoke up and asked.

The person who responded to her was Hayasaka Ai, "No, apart from the player panel and Paradise Bracelet disappearing, everything you obtain will be retained."

"That would be really interesting."

Jolyne said with great interest.

Chapter 275 Kaguya Shinomiya's Situation

Becoming an S-rank grants the authority to force players to leave the park, and even after leaving the park, the power gained will not be reclaimed by the park.

Some companies aren't this humane.

Become a player, make a quick buck, then cancel your account using a fake account confirmation...

It looks wonderful, but in reality, it means nothing to the ordinary players who need to leave the most.

The sheer number of black functions alone demonstrates that the number of white functions emitted by an S-class processor in a year is absolutely limited.

As for S-rank, it requires achieving a performance that no other player of the same rank can do in three consecutive games.

For example, in Demon Slayer, at level 1, how could Yukino Yukinoshita and Hachiman Hikigaya, who were at the same level as Jolyne, possibly kill Muzan Kibutsuji?

White letters are scarce, and S-grade letters are even scarcer...

How many people need this blank letter?

The answer is all the players and all the ordinary people in the main world.

Including S-rank players, which player doesn't need to leave a blank letter as a way to exit the park?

And ordinary people?

If it were non-humans, it would be fine, since non-humans with intelligence don't consider the uncivilized as their own kind.

But players have their own lives. If your friends or family are suddenly invited away by the park one day, would you need a letter of introduction to help them escape the park?

For ordinary players who most need to leave the park, such a blank letter is probably not a pipe dream.

"With S-level privileges, you can send 3 emails per year."

"Jolyne, I need a blank letter."

It took Kaguya Shinomiya a while to put aside her concerns and express her needs.

Jolyne thought for a moment and asked, "Is it Aunt Shimizu?"

Shimizu Naoki, Kaguya Shinomiya's mother.

Just from the name, you can tell that the story behind it must be extraordinary.

After all, according to Japanese tradition, the wife needs to change her surname to that of her husband.

Kaguya Shinomiya certainly didn't need the white letter for herself; given her family background, Jolyne could only think of this aunt who loved to joke.

In the original story of "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War", Shimizu Nayatake was a top hostess at a Ginza nightclub. Kaguya Shinomiya's father, Kaguya Shinomiya, was infatuated with her. Later, in order to recuperate, Shimizu Nayatake quit her job and returned to the countryside. When she reappeared in front of Kaguya Shinomiya, she was already pregnant with Kaguya Shinomiya. She passed away not long after giving birth.

In the original work, it was never mentioned whether Kaguya Shinomiya was actually the daughter of Karen Shinomiya.

Because Shinomiya Kanan insisted that Shinomiya Kaguya was her daughter, she refused to undergo a paternity test with Shinomiya Kaguya even after Shimizu Meiya Take's death.

Whether it's unwavering belief or fear, no one knows the truth.

In this extraordinary world, it's impossible for Shimizu Naotake, whom Shinomiya Gan'an loved, to die so hastily from a congenital heart disease.

Or rather, how could an ordinary top hostess in a nightclub possibly win the favor of Shinomiya Gan'an?

This Shimizu Naotake is a player.

The rest of the story is quite typical: the deceased Shimizu Nayatake is naturally the best white moonlight.

And if he didn't die?

The relationship between Shinomiya Kaguya, Shimizu Meiyatake, and Shinomiya Gan'an became more complicated.

As the head of the Shinomiya family, Shinomiya Gan'an has his own first wife, and in this extraordinary world, he has more than one.

Fortunately, Shimizu Naya gave birth to a daughter; if it had been a son, there might have been a bunch of interest groups wanting to sink the mother and son into Tokyo Bay.

Kaguya Shinomiya was still adopted as a daughter by Kaguya Shinomiya, though Jolyne wasn't entirely clear on the details. In any case, her mother, Naoki Shimizu, was not recognized by the Shinomiya family.

If it were merely a business empire, Shinomiya Gan'an would naturally be able to control everything.

But this is still an extraordinary world, and the internal affairs of the Shinomiya family have become even more complicated.

For example, our ancestors who are old but not dead.

For example, there are interest groups that are even more power-hungry and engaged in open and covert struggles.

Given Shimizu Naotake's situation, it would be difficult for him to receive a blank letter.

Seeing that Kaguya Shinomiya was about to say something, Jolyne raised her hand to stop her.

“I agree. It’s no problem if it’s Aunt Shimizu,” Jolyne said casually.

Aside from what Yukino Yukinoshita said about "refusing Kaguya Shinomiya's invitation to be her butler," Jolyne actually has more ties to the Shinomiya family.

"accepted?"

Kaguya Shinomiya, on the other hand, was somewhat at a loss. She believed that Jolyne could see the value of the "exit from Paradise" privilege and knew the worth of such a white letter.

"I will repay the favor."

Kaguya Shinomiya spoke earnestly, and suddenly felt much more relaxed.

What if we can't get a white letter from the family for my mother? She originally wanted to become S herself.

However, the earlier levels were too difficult. In the research of the Shinomiya family, it was relatively easy to achieve S-rank in the lv5~lv10 stage. Shinomiya Kaguya believed that she would one day be able to become an S-rank, but she did not know if Shimizu Meiya Take could persevere until that moment.

"I know."

Jolyne remembered Shinomiya's father's family motto that one must repay favors, and she still believed in Shinomiya Kaguya's abilities.

"So, what's Hayasaka's situation?"

Jolyne looked at Hayasaka Ai, who was standing behind Kaguya Shinomiya as the face of the group.

In the original story, the maid Hayasaka Ai also had another identity: she was a spy sent by Shinomiya Kaguya's older brother, Shinomiya Hikari, to monitor Shinomiya Kaguya.

When Jolyne was in elementary school, she was quite interested in this master-servant pair. After learning through some events that Hayasaka Ai was just a maid and that Kaguya Shinomiya's mother was still alive, Jolyne was a little confused at the time, but she didn't think much of it and just assumed that something had changed in the merged worldview.

"Don't worry about Hayasaka. Every master has a maid who grows up with him."

"From the moment we made our choice, Hayasaka Ai and I have only ever been a community of shared interests."

Kaguya Shinomiya understood Jolyne's meaning; it was best not to involve the Shinomiya family in their affairs for the time being.

Upon hearing Kaguya Shinomiya's words, Ai Hayasaka generously performed a maid's bow.

Eh...when did she change into a maid outfit?

Jolyne sensed something was wrong, but Hayasaka Ai's maid ceremony was indeed pleasing to the eye and impeccable.

It's at least much better than that pretentious etiquette of Jorogumo.

That's all there is to say.

Now that the decision has been made, neither Kaguya Shinomiya nor Jolyne are the type to continue wasting energy on this kind of thing.