Reincarnated With The Degenerate System

None of them moved.

The archer still had her bow half-raised, arrow nocked but forgotten, staring at the crater like she expected the serpent to crawl back out of it and prove this had all been some trick of the light.

"One attack," the magic swordsman finally said again, quieter this time. "That thing shrugged off everything we had for hours, and you just—" He gestured helplessly at the hole. "One throw."

"Relax, I'm no god." I gave them my most disarming grin. "Just a passerby who happened to be in the neighborhood."

I always did enjoy playing the humble stranger. There was something satisfying about downplaying strength this absurd, watching people's minds scramble to reconcile the mismatch. It never got old.

"You're telling me," the swordsman said slowly, "that you're just... passing through."

"More or less." I shrugged, tucking my hands behind my back. "Saw a beast, saw ten capable people about to have a very bad day, figured I'd lend a hand."

One of them stepped forward. A woman.

"I'm sorry for talking like this," she said, voice still shaky, "but if you're no god, then you're at least a Saint.

She pointed at my hovering body.

God? Saint? It seemed that the power levels in this world were different too.

Not that I was complaining. Being called a God instead of an SSS+ Rank was much better, and far more fulfilling for someone with a big ego.

Of course, I wasn't talking about myself. I was just making an example.

I was very humble, after all.

"How did you come up with that title?" I asked.

She quickly answered. "Only Ascendant rank or higher can barely fly."

"You all can't fly?" I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by their revelation.

They looked embarrassed and confused at the same time.

"We aren't at that level yet. We're only at the Champion Rank. Flying is out of the question," the earth mage answered.

I thought this place would be filled with powerful beings. Had I completely misunderstood the situation?

Or worse... was this not the liberated world that ancient guy told me about?

It wasn't really out of the realm of possibility. I had encountered many challenges along the way, and although I was confident I overcame them all, there was no way to know if nothing wrong happened during the transfer.

I needed more answers, so I decided to land near them.

The moment my feet touched the ground, they all jumped, their bodies tensing as they prepared to react for any surprise attack.

Of course, I understood their fear. It was only natural. Not everyone had the privilege of standing calmly in front of an impressive specimen like me, one who could put everyone else to shame. There were only a few people who could match me, after all.

"What exactly are you all doing here?" I inquired.

The earth mage stepped forward. "We're here hunting the mana beast for its rare materials, but..."

He trailed off as he looked at the bottomless crater, everything inside reduced to dust.

I cleared my throat. "Well, at least all of you are safe, right? That's what matters. Wealth can be chased tomorrow, but you only have one life."

The earth mage's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

What could he say? The evidence was still smoking at the bottom of a hole that used to be a flat ground.

The silver-haired woman recovered first. Twin daggers slid back into their sheaths with a soft click, though her hand didn't stray far from the hilts.

She was very wary of me, probably sensing that something was off.

"How can we repay you for saving our lives?" the earth mage asked before things escalated.

I could tell he was the leader of the group, and he was quite smart. He understood that antagonizing me could cost them their lives. In a place this isolated, their deaths wouldn't even cause a ripple.

Not that it mattered.

A person could stand in the middle of a crowd of millions, surrounded by countless others, and still die if I wanted them to.

"First of all, I want to make something clear. I'm not a saint or a god. I'm just using artifacts."

Their expressions softened a little. It was easier for them to accept that my feat was thanks to external items rather than my own strength.

"Regardless, we still need to repay you," the earth mage insisted.

"Then how about guiding me? You see, I came from a very far place, and I'm not familiar with this region."

They exchanged looks — the kind of silent conversation that came from having fought side by side long enough to read each other without words.

The earth mage's eyes flicked to the silvered hair dagger user, then to the swordsman, gauging something none of them wanted to say out loud in front of me.

He was also the one who broke the awkward silence.

"...We'll do it." He said, choosing the lesser of two uncertain outcomes. "It's the least we can do, considering what you did for us."

"Then I suppose introductions are in order." I raised my hand for a handshake. "My name is Ace Mercer. A traveler."

"I'm Dorian. I lead this team ."

"Reiva," the silver-haired woman spoke.

The magic swordsman gave a short nod, favoring his bad leg as he shifted his weight.

"Rune. Sorry about earlier. Wasn't exactly at my best."

"You were good. " I said. "Don't undersell yourself."

That drew a flicker of surprise across his face. He didn't expected me to say such a thing after my earlier arrogance. It changed his impression of me,.

A classic psychological tactic. Treat someone poorly first, then show them respect, and the contrast makes the second impression way stronger.

I wasn't being overbearing for no reason earlier.

The archer lowered her bow the rest of the way, slinging it across her back. "Mira,"

The wind mage — the one who'd been carving thin arcs through the air — offered a small, tight smile. "Ren."

One by one, the rest fell in line.

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