In the previous chapter, both Asta and Naruto were lost inside this strange city that appeared to them like a ghost town… a city without a soul, without sound, and without any clear signs of life.
But that didn't last long.
Each of them… began to catch a thread.
A small thread—yet enough to awaken hope.
Naruto heard distant voices… people, noise, something that hinted at life.
As for Asta… a mysterious girl appeared before him, telling him that he was no longer in his world, but in another place called: the Land of Zikola.
And from here… everything began to change.
Asta stood in front of the girl, his eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.
He spoke quickly, in his usual straightforward and impulsive manner:
"Why are you alone here? Where is everyone? Do you live by yourself in this city?"
The girl raised an eyebrow slightly, then replied with a tone carrying a hint of sarcasm:
"Idiot… of course there are people."
She paused for a moment, then continued, pointing toward a distant part of the city:
"But they're not here right now… they're somewhere else."
Asta narrowed his eyes slightly, then said:
"And what kind of place makes all the people in the city leave their lives and go there?"
This time, the girl's tone shifted.
It became more serious.
"Because what happens there… can decide who lives… and who dies."
Asta froze.
"Dies?" he repeated slowly, as if the word hadn't fully registered yet. "What does that have to do with their lives?"
The girl looked directly at him, then raised her voice slightly:
"Are you stupid?"
She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead as if trying to remain patient.
"Fine… it's obvious you're new here, so I'll explain."
She stepped forward, then spoke slowly:
"On the other side of the city… there is a place where executions are carried out."
Asta's eyes widened.
"You mean… criminals?"
Then he smiled lightly and said:
"That's normal. Even in our world, there are executions… we used magic—"
He suddenly stopped.
His voice lowered.
"…But… I don't even have magic."
The girl interrupted him quickly:
"And you don't have intelligence either."
Asta raised his head sharply, irritation showing on his face:
"What?! Are you kidding me?!"
She looked at him coldly and said:
"That's obvious from your face."
Then she turned and started walking:
"Anyway… I'm going there."
Asta quickly raised his hand:
"Wait! I want to come with you!"
She didn't refuse.
She didn't agree.
She simply… kept walking.
And that was enough for Asta to follow her.
At the same time…on the other side of the city…
Naruto was running fast, heading toward the source of the noise he had heard.
The closer he got… the louder the sounds became.
Cheers.Laughter.Shouting.A large crowd.
But his mind… chose to interpret it in its own way.
He suddenly smiled and said:
"Definitely… there's ramen."
Then added excitedly:
"I'm starving!"
And he sped up even more.
Moments later…he arrived.
But…what he saw… was not ramen.
He stopped instantly.
His eyes widened.
In front of him…
Thousands of people.
Men and women, wearing strange clothes he had never seen before. Nothing like ninja outfits, nor even the clothes of the villages he had visited.
All of them gathered in a large circle.
Silent… then suddenly shouting.
Naruto tried to understand.
Tried to connect the scene.
But…
When he looked at the center of the circle…
He froze.
At the center…
There was a man.
Thin.Pale.Exhausted… as if life itself had been drained from him.
He was dragged by force… toward a raised platform.
Then…
He was forced to kneel.
And in a single moment—
The blade fell.
And his head fell with it.
The crowd roared:
"Kill the sinner!""This is his punishment!""He deserves death!"
Naruto didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
He just… stared.
And said in a low, disbelieving voice:
"What the hell… is this?"
Then whispered:
"Am I… dreaming?"
"You seem new here."
The voice came from beside him.
Naruto turned quickly, finding a man standing next to him, looking at him with a judging gaze.
The man said:
"Advice… keep whatever you have left."
He paused for a moment, then smiled slightly with sarcasm:
"Although… it doesn't look like you have much intelligence."
Naruto frowned:
"What? Intelligence? And why should I keep it? What kind of crazy city is this?!"
But the man didn't answer.
He simply smiled… and disappeared into the crowd.
At that same moment…
On the other side of the circle…
Asta and the girl arrived.
But—
The moment Asta saw what had happened…
He froze.
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He just… looked.
The blood.
The silence after the noise.
The fallen body.
And then…
The people.
Who were… happy.
The shock was clear on his face.
And then…
The girl spoke.
"Listen to me carefully."
Asta slowly turned his gaze toward her.
She said, in a completely serious tone:
"This world… is different from yours."
Then she pointed toward the platform:
"Here… there is no magic."
She paused briefly.
Then continued:
"There is only one thing… intelligence."
Asta frowned:
"What are you talking about? You're speaking as if intelligence… is a currency."
She interrupted him immediately:
"It is."
Then she stepped closer and said:
"In Zikola… you can eat, drink, buy clothes, and live… using only your intelligence."
Asta's eyes widened:
"What?!"
She continued without stopping:
"And if you lose your intelligence…"
She pointed toward the dead man.
"…you will become like him."
Asta looked at the body again.
Then said in a low voice:
"What exactly… happened to him?"
She answered simply:
"His intelligence reached zero."
Then added:
"And that… means the end."
Silence.
Weight.
A slow understanding began forming in Asta's mind.
This world…
Does not measure strength.Does not measure magic.Does not measure the body.
But…
Something else.
Something he had never relied on before.
On the other side…
Naruto was still staring at the same scene…
But inside him…
Something else was moving.
Not just fear.
But rejection.
Anger.
And…
So many questions.
And in the middle of that strange city…
Where everything is measured by intelligence…
Two people from different worlds…
Had entered the game…
Without knowing its rules yet.
But…
Very soon…
They would learn.
The hard way.
What do you think — will Asta and Naruto adapt to this world, or will it break them first? 🔥