Souta ignored Kurumi's teasing for now.
Because right after the invitation was sent, the system issued another notification.
[Friend group now has over 10 members. System has unlocked the Law Assist feature. Please check the shop.]
The moment Souta heard the word "shop," he knew he'd guessed right—of course the assist feature wasn't going to be free!
There was no such thing as a freebie in the shop.
Souta: "The assist feature's been unlocked. I'm gonna check it out and break it down for you guys later. I'll leave welcoming the newbies to you."
After sending that message, he entered the system shop.
With a quick glance across the screen, he didn't see the assist feature in the product list, so he turned his attention to the lottery section.
Come to think of it, he'd only used the lottery once. After that, he'd been too busy with quests and gathering faith to try it again.
Soon, he spotted a new icon next to the lottery wheel.
It had a label introducing the Law Assist feature.
Below the icon, the price was clearly marked—1 minute / 100 points.
"100 points for 1 minute... Is that cheap or expensive?"
With no reference point, Souta had no idea.
This kind of feature, you'd only know its worth after trying it out.
He asked the system, "System, what exactly does the Law Assist feature do?"
[Allows the user to enter a special state akin to 'epiphany'. In this state, whether it's understanding rules, gaining Laws, or developing spells and techniques, the user will receive substantial support. Things that were previously difficult to grasp will become crystal clear.]
"Oh? It can even help develop spells..."
That part actually got Souta a bit excited.
After all, his current combat style was pretty chaotic.
He was basically just bulldozing through with brute force!
Take his material creation ability—it sounded high-tier, and if developed properly, it could be an incredibly powerful offensive tool.
But in his hands, "attack" just meant summoning a steamroller to smash people.
He had no distinct personal style, no signature move or trump card.
Now that the assist feature was available, he figured it was time to work on that.
A god without a preferred attack method? That just didn't feel right.
Souta continued, "So the stuff I comprehend through the assist feature—does that count as 'experience'?"
Yep, Souta was instinctively looking for loopholes.
If what he learned could be counted as experience, there was potential to abuse the system.
After all, experience-type items could be repurchased.
He could upload the experience to the shop, then use his points to repeatedly draw the item card and gift it to others, saving his friends a ton of points.
Important detail—extracting your own uploaded item with points keeps it in card form. But taking it down directly from the shop just restores it to its original state and can't be shared.
Soon, the system responded:
[Some things comprehended through the assist feature count as experience. Some don't. Some don't count as pure experience.]
"..." Souta paused, baffled.
What was that even supposed to mean? Was the system spitting rhymes now?
He rephrased the question:
"So, say I use the assist feature to grasp a certain Law, then I upload what I've understood as a product—does that count as an experience-type item?"
[Laws gained from understanding rules do not count as standard experience items. They are abstract, ineffable, and non-replicable. Thus, once the host uploads it and it's purchased, the host permanently loses that insight.]
Welp, guess that loophole's sealed.
Souta was a little disappointed—but only a little.
Honestly, having access to something that helps with epiphanies was already a gift. Complaining would just be greedy.
At the very least, it wasn't something he could do with divine power alone.
Or rather... not at this stage of his power.
Divine power was nearly omnipotent, but not quite actually omnipotent.
For example, using divine power to wish for a higher god rank? Totally useless.
Souta didn't immediately spend his points to try the assist feature. Instead, he returned to the group chat to share the info.
After all, this wasn't just useful for him—his friends could also grow stronger with it.
In his eyes, deeper rule comprehension meant a higher damage ceiling, and stronger, more complex attacks.
"Huh? The new recruits this time... they look kinda familiar."
Souta scrolled through the chat history, surprise on his face.
Kurumi Tokisaki: "@Athena. @Luo Hao. Welcome, newbies! Check the pinned messages after joining. The info there should answer most of your questions."
Shiroyasha: "Athena? Wait a sec... don't tell me it's our Athena?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Doubt it. Our world has an Athena too. Could be that one."
Chelsea: "Who's Athena?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Huh? You don't know that name? She's one of the most famous deities in mythology!"
Kurumi Tokisaki: "@Rin Tohsaka. Chelsea's world—Akame ga Kill—has a very different history and culture. The traditional myths we know don't exist there."
Rin Tohsaka: "Ah, got it."
Altair: "I think it's also possible the newbie just chose that name as a nickname. Doesn't have to be the god we're all thinking of."
Shiroyasha: "@Athena. Do you know the Little Garden?"
White Night Demon couldn't hold back her curiosity and tagged the newbie.
Unfortunately, the new member didn't respond.
Most people stay quiet for a bit when they first join. Seems this one's no different.
Kurumi Tokisaki: "White Night Demon, let's ask Souta once he's back. He might be able to guess."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "Honestly, I'm more curious about the other newbie. Luo Hao—same last name as Souta. Maybe they're both from Huaguo. Could they be from souta's world?"
Rin Tohsaka: "Doubt it. With so many worlds out there, the odds of picking the same type of person as Souta are slim. And somehow, I've always felt like there'd only be one person from the souta's world—from beginning to the end. Just a gut feeling."
Altair: "Oh? That's funny, I feel the same way. And also that Souta might be the only male in the group."
Chelsea: "One guy and a whole bunch of girls? Uh, I'm sensing some shady vibes here. What if Souta is the system, pretending to be a newbie, sneaking into our group to win us over one by one?"
Souta: "Chelsea, is your head still attached? Careful, it might fall off. Need me to pick it up for you?"
Chelsea: "Uh, I've got stuff to do. Bye."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "@Souta. Wow, done studying that new feature already?"
Souta: "More or less. I've figured out how it works, but haven't tried it yet. Let me give you guys the rundown."
He organized the info he got from the system and shared it in the group.
P.S.: I went out with my family for New Year's—movie, dinner, the works. Got home after midnight, so today's update is a bit late. Pulling an all-nighter to write tonight!