Chapter 106

"There are plenty of stories on the forum if you want to hear them. These stories may not be accurate, but they are all based on my analysis."

"By the way, are you a veteran gamer?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't answer immediately. He thought about the players he had encountered during his beginner days, and realized that unless they underwent super evolution, none of them had any connection with the other party.

"If certain conditions are met, the time to enter the instance can be controlled, do you understand what I mean?"

Why is it important to control time?

"This information will cost money, and it's not the right time to tell you yet."

My casual question somehow led me to important information.

Yuki was baffled and simply hung up.

"I'll wait for your information. I'll contact you again if anything comes up. This is the end of our communication."

Amidst the sound of passengers sleeping soundly beside me, the Shinkansen rumbled forward. After a while, my cell phone beeped.

A long document was transmitted, Yuki stared at it intently. He had an excellent memory and memorized all of the few hundred words.

Click.

He crushed his phone, stuffed the shards into his pocket, Yuki shrank back into his chair. As the train entered the tunnel, his face was barely visible.

After a short while, he sighed.

The Reincarnation Game is actually evolving?

Chapter Twenty: Those the Bystander Is Blind

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka joined the game at least two instances earlier than him, and with plenty of helpers and out of pure interest, he actually managed to find quite a few clues.

These clues are not directly related to player-versus-player combat or survival in dungeons, so most players have no interest in exploring them.

Wouldn't it be better to use that time to practice shooting skills or enjoy life? Only extremely intelligent players who like to get to the bottom of things would do that.

"He was farsighted, while I was forced into this situation."

Yuki rubbed the armrest. This game felt off to him from the start. Bloodthirsty Red Moon was extremely difficult, and he felt targeted everywhere.

No, it's my perception of the Reincarnation Game that's off; after all, I was the one who received advance notice and prepared secretly.

Yuki thought about it again and felt quite at ease. He had no way of guessing who wrote the words in the diary, but he knew that the Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were very useful.

He was so willing to share it because it didn't involve player combat or dungeon survival.

' Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't among the first players either, but according to his research, the initial dungeon runs had longer intervals and were kept strictly confidential.'

First, anyone who leaks game-related information won't just pay a price and get it corrected; they'll be wiped out.

Secondly, the time in the instance is not the same as in reality. Even if you stay in the instance for several years, you will only be back in reality for a moment.

Last time I revisited the game, my analysis was flawed. The Reincarnation Game started earlier than I had guessed, but because of these two rules, I couldn't have found it even after searching everywhere for anomalies.

"Wait a minute, no wonder my attempt to show off went so smoothly last time."

Yuki realized what was going on. He had found it strange when he entered the Demon Hospital that Tsubaki had accepted the premise so readily, with almost no questioning.

Looking back now, it's likely that Zhou Ye knew about the relevant clues, which is why it was hard to believe, but not unacceptable.

'So they didn't reach that level because the number of players at that stage is extremely small? Or is it like in cultivation novels, with that kind of mortal-to-immortal setting? I just asked Ayanokoji about his qualifications; could that be related?'

My thoughts wandered, then returned from a state of delusion to the present moment.

According to the information Ayanokoji has, the Reincarnation Game is clearly evolving, or rather, becoming more deeply integrated into reality. As for when it started, it is no longer known, and it is even unclear whether it has a phased structure.

While it's supposed to be an evolution, the steps taken in setting it up are a bit too big.

Previously, there were no forums, no teams, dungeon runs were instantaneous, leaked information was immediately suppressed, and there were no real-world models. Now, it has become significantly richer and more realistic.

If there are truly more powerful players, where did they go?

Yuki paused, thinking of the speculation he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time.

The forum's access restrictions and the game's design seem like a selection process. Could it be that more powerful players have a different plan? But the question remains—

If it's a selection process, why are you targeting me?

His thoughts were somewhat jumbled, lacking some crucial logical connections, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hadn't finished conveying the information. It seemed that his eagerness to provoke a war had deeper reasons behind it.

"At least, I'm getting closer to the truth, and only with the truth can I set goals."

Yuki gave up thinking. The biggest difference between geniuses and mediocre people is that geniuses know how to exercise restraint and not think about questions that have no answers.

Back to the present, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's actions have at least relieved his own pressure, and Hayasaka Ai should now have a chance to get closer to Kaguya Shinomiya.

He took out another phone, intending to send a message to the maid, when that familiar murmuring voice echoed in his mind.

[Player Yuki, preparing to enter the regular quest - "Those the Bystander Is Blind."]

[Player detected to have enabled party mode. Share quest?]

[One-hour countdown begins.]

Okay, looks like I don't need to make the call.

The bell rang in his hand, causing the drowsy passenger next to him to smack his lips and turn his head to the outside.

Before I could even speak, I heard my senior's somewhat anxious voice when the call connected.

"I received a notification."

Hmm? I haven't shared it yet. Wait, were they received at the same time?

Yuki was visibly taken aback, but not surprised. The Reincarnation Game had never said that only one person would receive the notification after forming a team.

A low-probability coincidence?

What is it?

"The Forest Sea Labyrinth, that sounds Taiyi from before," Mai Sakurajima replied.

It's different now. Before, words like 'bloodthirsty' and 'demon' would conjure up images of the Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea.

The name of the instance reflects the content to some extent, which is a benefit for veteran players. For example, in the instance "Phantom at Sea", players would definitely fill their storage space with oxygen tanks and life jackets first.

"I'm the Bystander Is Blind."

"Hey, yours sounds even more vague. Wait, you received a notification too?"

"Yes, maybe a minute or two later than you."

"So... is this for you or for me? You and I can't be in the same instance, right?"

Yuki sensed the tension in the microphone and reassured him with a smile, "Don't worry, the team has expanded, and I've already prepared for this situation."

This can be considered a hint from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: the larger the player organization, the higher the probability of receiving missions.

Therefore, they usually work in pairs, and then assign helpers according to the name of the instance.

Because there happened to be a group of high school students on a school trip on the train, which was quite noisy, Yuki got up with his phone, went to the restroom, locked the door, and then leaned against the wall to analyze the situation.

"The name 'Sea of Trees' immediately suggests a forest, and the 'Maze' section must involve a significant amount of puzzle-solving, which happens to be something we have in our team."

"Hiyori- kun?"

"Yes, this is the moment she's been preparing for."

After conquering the Demon Hospital, the three had a discussion and were now mentally prepared. Shiina Hiyori was definitely not good at killing, but she was an expert at solving dungeon puzzles.

"Luckily, I had already contacted her beforehand. Senior, send her an invitation now."

"Um."

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone before a relieved voice came through.

"She agreed."

"I'll definitely agree. Don't forget you're a veteran player of two dungeons; your loot is equivalent to more than three dungeons, and it's definitely rare."

Yuki had no intention of flattering anyone; this random mission had taught him a valuable lesson:

Humans instinctively seek security, and regardless of seniority, they will proactively develop offensive skills. People like Mai Sakurajima, with their unique experiences, who focus entirely on support skills, are extremely rare.

Scarcity makes things valuable, and she's highly sought after in any player group. Of course, without the three of them sticking together for mutual support, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to become a full-time support player.

"Hearing you say that makes me feel like I'm pretty amazing."

"In this game, killing isn't the only way to win; players like you become increasingly rare as you progress," Yuki subtly flattered, then changed the subject. "Of course, you and Hiyori aren't enough, since your combat strength is too low to seize the initiative."

"So we need Hayasaka -san, but what will you do then?"

"Is your senior worried about me?"

"Nonsense, you're acting alone, and the dungeon sounds pretty weird." Mai Sakurajima gripped the phone slightly tighter, knowing it was the most rational choice, but she just wasn't used to it.

She had become so familiar with the man's back, so familiar with working together to overcome obstacles, that she had even forgotten Yuki's existence and how the dungeon could become dangerous.

"It's alright, it's just a dungeon, treat it as an experiment." Yuki leaned against the bathroom door, a smile on her face, enjoying her senior's concern.

"We'll have more and more companions. At least for now, we can't possibly have seven or eight players participating in a dungeon together, right? That would make it incredibly difficult!"

"You want to recruit more people?"

"Of course, we recently discovered something that's too complicated to explain, but anyway, since we've chosen this path, we have to continuously optimize the team."

Since the Reincarnation Game provides the ability to form teams, and a selection process is underway, this is now a strategic move to plan for the next phase.

If you're going to be a lone wolf, then be a lone wolf to the end. If you're going to form a team, then you have to consider everything carefully until you can handle all kinds of situations.

Mai Sakurajima didn't ask what it was about. She knew that the foundation of this team was trust—trust in this man's judgment.

"You'd better be careful. Hmph, if you die in the dungeon, I'll be sad for a second." The girl fiddled with her hair, already realizing what was going on.

This guy has put a lot of thought into it; the team's framework is already complete. Even if something happens to Yuki, the three of them can survive, but—

Who asked you to think so much!

"Only a second?"

"Two seconds it is then, but what am I supposed to say to Hayasaka? You absolutely have to come back, or I'll be in big trouble."

"The Bloodthirsty Red Moon lasts only two days, Demon Hospital has only been open for a little over twenty hours. Senior, why do you look like it's a matter of life and death?"

"Because it's a matter of life and death."

For the first time, Yuki was speechless after being choked up. Every dungeon represented the unknown, and there was never any way to be completely confident. He thought about many things for a moment.

Logically speaking, his momentum had already snowballed, and coupled with the recent brief battle, the kind of cutthroat, all-or-nothing killing was captivating.

Slaughter, plunder, harvest, return.

There's no need to consider others' opinions or the safety of teammates; you're all alone, invincible, and don't even need to plan for the future.

I will become very strong, but that's not what I want, because this path has no end.

"You idiot, what are you thinking about?"

The senior's voice came through the receiver. She knew Yuki well; if she didn't speak, she was definitely overthinking.

A soft voice entered his ears, bringing the slightly dazed young man back to his senses.

"I'm thinking--" Yuki held his phone, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"It's so good to have you all."

"You're so irresponsible. I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to contact Hayasaka- san." Mai Sakurajima wrinkled her nose, her face slightly flushed, and hung up the phone.

He's such a weirdo; he still has the mind to joke around at a time like this.

Beep beep beep.

The busy signal came through, Yuki's smile froze slightly as he helplessly lowered his hand.

He wasn't joking. He had noticed during the Bloodthirsty Red Moon event that he had two paths to take, but at that time, due to the circumstances, he needed the power of Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima.

From Bloodthirsty Red Moon to the Return, and then to the Demon Hospital, the team's relationship has become increasingly close. Now, with the addition of Shiina Hiyori, looking back now, they realize how far they have come on this path.

A lone executioner and a reliable captain each have their advantages and disadvantages, but the latter is happier.

Bite.

My phone buzzed softly. I opened it and saw it was a message from Hayasaka Ai. The maid didn't send a long message, just a few words:

"Come back, let's meet again."