Take Naruto, the Konoha team, and most of the players, for example.
None of them realized the importance of equipment.
At Level 5, they were still wearing Level 1 white-tier gear, some even fighting without any equipment at all, only focused on leveling up.
They hoarded their reward points, reluctant to spend them, letting them pile up in their inventory. Only when absolutely necessary would they begrudgingly buy a couple of healing potions.
But reward points needed to circulate.
On the players, they were just useless essence, only someone with world awareness like Fang Yi could truly utilize them.
Even an entire set of basic white equipment could increase a player's strength by two to three times.
Tsunade's green-tier set was even more exaggerated in its enhancements.
Once the Konoha team saw the power that equipment provided, they would definitely be tempted and spend all their reward points.
Boom!
A Wraith Shockwave was released.
A thick, bowl-sized beam of gray energy shot straight into the Wraith Guardian's chest, blowing its body apart.
Among the loot, a white-glowing orb dropped, a Wraith Essence with a human face on it.
Asuma explained, "A Wraith Guardian's Essence is a guaranteed material drop. If you're lucky, you might also get a piece of the Wraith Set."
But the drop rate was extremely low.
Even after hunting nearly a hundred Wraith Guardians, the only Wraith gear they had was a pair of Wraith Boots that Kabuto had obtained.
For someone like Tsunade, who was fully geared in Wraith armor, she was probably the only player in the entire Reincarnation Game who could afford such luxury.
"Such a strong skill!"
Naruto couldn't resist any longer.
Using all of his saved-up reward points, he bought a three-piece Wraith set from the game shop.
He couldn't afford the full set, but even three pieces granted a set bonus, though slightly weaker.
1,500 reward points.
That was everything he had.
Originally, he planned to buy two B-rank jutsus, but after seeing Tsunade's overwhelming strength, he changed his mind.
After all, this wasn't just a normal game.
Naruto had tested it himself, the skills he acquired in the game could be brought back to reality. If skills could be transferred, equipment definitely could too.
Compared to the power boost from the Wraith Set, those B-rank jutsus suddenly didn't seem as appealing.
When purchasing items,
Players had the choice, whether to keep the item inside the game or bring it into the real world.
Once the choice was made, if they wanted to freely switch between game and reality, they had to pay a certification fee in reward points.
Only certified items could be used both inside and outside the game.
Thanks to this rule, Fang Yi had already earned thousands of reward points.
Milking reward points from players had to be handled carefully, it was a long-term game, slow and steady.
"Haven't you noticed? At the same level, a single Wraith Guardian can solo your entire team."
Tsunade quickly pinpointed the key issue and said, "As the game progresses, the Corrupted Beasts will only get stronger. If you don't invest in equipment, you won't survive."
Asuma had suspected this as well.
But buying equipment was expensive, it would wipe out all the reward points they had worked so hard to accumulate.
And if they wanted to buy high-quality gear like Tsunade's, they would even have to request funding from the Hokage.
The biggest issue was that equipment had level restrictions, it wasn't permanent. Once they leveled up, their gear would become obsolete and need replacing.
Asuma sighed, "Once I log out, I'll discuss this with the Hokage."
[Server Announcement: Deep within the Wraith Mountains, a Wraith General has been spotted near the castle ruins.]
Description:Before its death, the Wraith General was a knight stationed at the castle, possessing incredible strength and combat skills. After death, it was transformed by the Wraith Sorceress Salina into one of her strongest minions.
"A powerful Corrupted Beast just spawned!" Naruto exclaimed.
Once a player became a profession holder, they could access the communication channel.
Every two hours, each player could send one message in the channel.
Most messages were just random chatter, players asking for power leveling, complaining about low drop rates, or trying to contact the game's mysterious developer.
But sometimes, important announcements would appear.
The last one was about the Scarlet Wasteland, where Count Klar, the Vampire Baron, was spotted.
Excited players rushed over, only to get instantly obliterated.
The terrifying bat-winged vampire wiped out 200 players in seconds, draining them of all their blood.
Clearly, an enemy that had been designated as the strongest in the Scarlet Wasteland wasn't something players could challenge yet.
But…
The Wraith General wasn't classified as a boss-tier monster.
Asuma thought for a moment and made a decision.
"The castle ruins are close. Let's scout it out. If necessary, we'll sacrifice a few deaths to test the Wraith General's strength. If it's too strong, we'll retreat."
Back when the Vampire Baron appeared, some players refused to accept reality and revived fifty times, yet they still couldn't break through its defense.
Such a pointless waste of lives was not an option for Asuma.
"Let's move out!"
The Konoha team, along with Tsunade, who had just reached Level 3 and was fully equipped in Wraith gear, set out for the deep regions of the Wraith Mountains.
After a 30-minute march, they reached the outer perimeter of the castle ruins.
The walls were crumbling, the castle gate was rusted, and the entire area was overgrown with weeds.
The castle was huge, featuring a main tower, a spacious courtyard, and abandoned farmland.
Swoosh.
Kabuto's figure flickered, blending into the shadows as he struck with his blade.
A Wraith Soldier, clad in full armor, collapsed after a fatal strike to the neck, dissolving into mist.
The only loot, a scrap of broken armor.
Kabuto picked up the material, storing it in his inventory before frowning.
"These Wraith materials… Other than selling them to the shop, they must have another use."
After all, if they were just for selling, the Reincarnation Game wouldn't bother categorizing them, they would just be converted into reward points directly.
Behind the screen…
Fang Yi nodded slightly at Kabuto's remark.
A new feature hadn't been unlocked yet.
Once players had accumulated enough reward points and could sustain player-to-player trade, the crafting professions would be introduced.
At that point, materials like armor scraps, Wraith essence, and gargoyle fragments could be crafted into potions, consumables, and equipment.
A white-haired loli asked, "But if players can craft their own gear, won't it kill the demand for shop items?"
Fang Yi waved a hand dismissively.
"The shop's prices were never meant to be fair. They're deliberately overpriced, only meant for early-game progression or emergencies."
"Besides, do you really think crafting professions are easy to level up?"
"The higher the crafting level, the more materials they consume. The failure rate alone will drive players crazy."
"Lone wolves? Forget it. Even a major power like Konoha might struggle to sustain high-level crafters."