Chapter 107
A few words contained a thousand meanings, causing Yuki to pause for a moment, then his smile widened.
He liked the feeling of being waited for, as if a barrier separated the cruel reality from the fictional world. At least twice, he returned to the story, both to get things done and to relax.
It is precisely because there are people waiting that there is a desperate struggle and the desire to return.
If you're rolling in a sea of blood in a dungeon, and then return to reality and become obsessed with hunting, you'd be practically invincible.
Both are desires, but they are fundamentally different.
Although I didn't abduct any elementary school students during those ten years, I also made myself feel less like a passerby. I had seen many people's photos hundreds of times, and they were like the most familiar strangers, quietly integrating into this earth.
"If I encountered the Bloodthirsty Red Moon right after arriving—well, the Bloodthirsty Red Moon of normal difficulty—and then survived by any means necessary to embark on the path of Transcendental Grade, would I end up like that man surnamed Su?"
As the train pulled into the station, Yuki opened the restroom door and saw sunlight streaming in from the platform, where chattering high school students were lining up to get off.
He didn't know, but he clearly understood that compared to killing and plunder—
Yuki stepped off the train, blended into the crowd, and onto the peaceful, everyday platform. He glanced at the laughing and playing high school girls, and then vanished without a trace.
No one noticed this scene; all that remained was the youth's equally intangible thoughts.
But I'd rather play strategy games.
Volume 1: The Bystander Is Blind
Chapter 1 (4K)
Things don't happen more than three times. Including the random teleportation during missions, when the disorienting sensation of spatial movement came for the fourth time, Yuki actually got used to it.
Before he opened his eyes, he smelled a complex aroma: the fragrance of flowers, the stench of passersby's sweat, and the scent of food.
Then, I heard a cacophony of sounds: hawking, chatting, children's laughter, and oh, a deeper, more muffled sound.
Clang--Clang--
As the bells rang, Yuki opened his eyes. The sun in the sky brought a warm touch, and before him lay a peaceful scene.
He was standing in an alley, with a garden five meters to his left, where flowers of all colors were blooming in vibrant colors, and several children were playing in the sandpit next to it.
Well-dressed men and women kept walking past him, some talking in hushed tones, others nodding in greeting. When he looked up slightly, he saw neat rows of telephone poles and rows of two-story buildings.
Just a hundred meters away is the alley entrance, where the space suddenly widens. From Yuki's perspective, you can see the pointed clock tower, from which the bells are ringing.
The town, or rather, a very peaceful town, has a church standing in the center of the square, which gives a pleasant feeling as it approaches noon.
"Luckily, I survived the Demon Hospital. If I had just come out of the Bloodthirsty Red Moon, I'd probably be completely bewildered."
Yuki to himself, "No wonder the unspoken rules use 'several dungeon experiences' rather than level to evaluate players. Experiencing dungeons not only increases strength, but also provides more experience."
At least the Demon Hospital taught him that what appears normal on the surface will soon turn into something else entirely, and that treating this familiar scene as the real world is suicidal.
The level of deception has increased significantly. At least in the previous instance, the word "demon" made people think deeply. If it weren't for the warning, I would have thought I was actually on vacation in a small European town.
Just like last time, Yuki didn't move a single finger after entering the dungeon. With Mai Sakurajima and the others not around, he felt no sense of relief; instead, his desire to return became even stronger.
Concentrate and observe your surroundings. If you make a fool of yourself, your senior will remember this embarrassing moment.
Half-jokingly, he watched for a few minutes, and he actually discovered some problems.
Unlike the hospital nurses, the dungeon quest participants don't actively communicate, but you can tell from their eyes and actions that you're not invisible. They'll deliberately avoid you or nod in greeting.
There was no malice intended, and unlike in the hospital, players were simply ignored as long as they didn't enter the ward.
"I brought the Chaos Item: Chainsaw Sword, a longsword, Quiet Dew, and Impact Hammer. I need to be careful this time; I don't want to become a walking treasure chest."
Yuki glanced at his stats, decisively plagiarized the Tyrant's design, put on a gas mask, and took his first step into the dungeon.
Similar to the Demon Hospital, veteran players need to gather first. Although there are no prompts, Yuki doesn't need to think too much and just walks forward, quickly passing through the alley.
Suddenly, a vast square of tens of thousands of square meters opened up before them. In the center of the square was the church they had seen in the distance earlier, but Yuki looked around and couldn't find a cross. Who knew which religious sect it belonged to?
Its exterior is Gothic in style, and the entire church appears huge and solemn. The towering spires, pointed arches, and slender clustered columns create Lightness and graceful sense of flight, but the area it occupies is not very large, leaving a large open space in the square.
This must be the center of town, but what's even stranger is that the wide square is completely deserted, which is rather eerie.
Around the circular plaza, more than a dozen alleys all lead to this place, and along the north-south axis is a highway that can probably accommodate four cars side by side.
"That's very illogical. The designer should be dragged out and shot. Oh well, I didn't see a single car, so it doesn't really matter."
Yuki couldn't help but mutter a complaint: pursuing architecture in a dungeon was clearly overthinking things; he just felt that this design added a lot of a sense of sacredness.
A church, and then I'm the devil, how interesting.
Yuki looked up at the clock tower, sensing a hint of irony, and after a moment, slowly turned back.
The first veteran player has arrived.
Because the square was empty, he could see the other person very clearly.
She was a female 'rider', wearing a black one-piece motorcycle suit of excellent quality. However, her ordinary figure couldn't quite fill out the suit. She was wearing a motorcycle helmet, so her face was naturally not visible.
Female, young, uses a folding bow? (Offensive damage type player)
Yuki looked away, maintaining her previous persona, and then realized that the town's design was perfect for players to meet up.
The second person appeared at the alley entrance, wearing a stylish white cloak and a smiling mask, looking a lot like Phantom Thief Kid.
It couldn't be him; it's more likely he's playing a role that's unexpected.
The third and fourth veteran players entered the square almost at the same time, and were not too far apart.
The former, dressed in a black suit, leather gloves, and with a goatee, wearing sunglasses and meticulously styled gray hair, looked like a mafia member from a movie, holding a katana and appearing calm and silent.
The latter, on the contrary, wore an overly flamboyant floral shirt and a thick gold chain, with a glaring, aggressive look, suggesting a lack of education.
'Gangsters and thugs, a good combination.'
Yuki shifted his gaze to the fifth veteran player to arrive. This person was dressed even more strangely, like Clown working at an amusement park, with brightly colored hair and thick face paint.
His eyes darted around quickly, and when he saw Yuki looking at him, he placed his right hand on his chest and bowed.
Everyone in the group is an oddball; not a single person dresses normally. Only the thug doesn't hide his face, but who can guarantee that it's not just a human skin mask?
In the Reincarnation Game, players cannot be judged by their appearance unless their player profile is revealed. In fact, some players may even disguise themselves as enemies to mislead players.
Wary gazes met, and neither spoke. Fortunately, Yuki had gotten used to it after experiencing it once and didn't feel awkward, knowing that someone would eventually break the silence.
Sure enough, a minute later, the thug snorted, put his hands in his pockets, and walked to the middle of the square.
"Alright, you guys always run into a mute every time you enter the game, aren't you bored?" The thug stood there arrogantly, pointed to himself with his right hand. "My name is Pan Zi. If we can cooperate, we can cooperate; if not, let's fight it out. Let's get this straight."
All eyes turned to him, but no one paid him any attention. Yuki squinted, observing every detail, trying to figure out if any of the five players were in a team.
"Hey, are you guys either mute or deaf? You haven't even heard the warning yet, and you're already ready to start shooting, huh?"
The voice became irritable, and at that moment the Clown walked over, swinging several sandbags in the air as he went.
"I am the Clown."
"I asked for your code name, so just make one up!"
"But my name is Clown."
Pan Zi blinked, then waved his hand dismissively, "Fine, call me whatever you want. What about you?"
"Black Sword." The white-haired swordsman uttered two words and walked over as well.
"Tch, pretentious show-off." Pan Zi grinned disdainfully, as if he disliked this kind of person.
With someone responding, the remaining 'female knight' and 'Phantom Thief' also stepped forward, each announcing their code names.
The former called himself 'Moon Bow,' clearly stealing the swordsman's code name on the spot; the latter simply called himself the Phantom Thief, speaking with practiced ease, obviously using it frequently.
'It's hard to tell who's in a team; either they're exceptionally skilled like the senior student, or they've practiced so many times that their teamwork is seamless.'
'If it's not a coincidence, the female knight's experience is probably quite limited. It's somewhat like she acted on impulse, not expecting the veteran players to meet beforehand and introduce themselves. Or perhaps she's quite famous, and her player name can't be used directly.'
' The Phantom Thief is probably young, and like me, he was carefully observing others as they announced their identities; he's likely a lone wolf.'
With just a simple self-introduction, Yuki gleaned a lot of information, quickly reviewing it in his mind.
Pan Zi, Clown, Black Sword, Moon Bow, Phantom Thief.
You can't analyze much from the code names alone, and there's no pattern to it, but it feels like everyone has a unique skill.
At this moment, all eyes turned to him, and among the six veteran players, he remained silent.
"Hey, you could at least make something up," Pan Zi said, pointing a finger at you. His aggressive attitude was rather unpleasant.
Is this place called Yadu Town?
Yuki saw the street sign by the square and introduced himself in a magnetic voice, like that of an elite office worker:
"My Li Dan, nice to meet you."
Li Dan?
This code name is clearly different from everyone else's, and it also conveys a sense of sincerity, like a real estate agent trying to persuade you to buy a house.
Examine, be interested, be indifferent.
After Yuki finished speaking, he pondered the situation carefully, then looked somewhat disappointed that he hadn't run into any of Li Dan's acquaintances.
He wasn't stealing other people's names as a prank; if he was lucky enough to run into an old 'acquaintance,' he might get an unexpected reward, and besides, it wouldn't bother the dead.
"Alright, come on over. The newcomers aren't here yet. There's no point in putting on an act for us." The cocky-looking young man waved his hand, and after waiting a while for Yuki, he said:
"Looks like it's just the six of us, no other veteran players. Tsk, are you all okay?"
His thoughts jumped around a bit, but Yuki knew what he wanted to say, just like Mai Sakurajima- senpai pretending to be a noob in the hospital.
A newbie who has only experienced one instance might ask, "How can you be sure there are only six veteran players?" and that's when they'll be exposed.
"Damn it, no wonder everyone likes to play dumb. They think they won't make mistakes if they don't speak, right?" Pan Zi cursed, scanning the others one by one. Just as he was about to pick two people to question, he heard a gentle voice.
"The time for gathering in the instance is related to the environment. Now that the bell has stopped ringing, the time for veteran players to gather is over. If you choose to hide, you will have to bear the consequences."
Pan Zi turned his head and looked at them with a hostile gaze. The others also turned their heads. They weren't stupid; they understood that Pan Zi was playing the villain to force out the newbie.
It doesn't matter who's the strongest; let's determine who's the weakest first.
But Li Dan has already answered all the questions, so what should we ask next?
"Are you a pushover?"
"I'm sorry, I'm used to serving customers, so I just wanted to answer the questions I knew." Yuki bowed slightly again, leaving all the players speechless.
At least he's not a newbie, and it seems somewhat deliberate, like he's covering for his teammates?
These players reacted very quickly; if they had been even a fraction of a second slower, they would have been exposed. Moreover, Pan Zi dared to step forward and play the villain, so he is likely to be very experienced.
Different thoughts flashed through their minds, and on a bright midday, the veteran players' first conversation was shrouded in gloom.
Now each player was more cautious, Yuki copied Li Dan's "good guy" persona, taking the initiative to start conversations.
"This instance is weird, it feels like we're stuck in the storyline the whole time."
The square was deserted, but the residents at the alley entrance stared curiously at the strangely dressed players.
"It happens all the time, haven't you encountered it before?" the Phantom Thief suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat languid.
"No, I've always been ignored or hunted down. This is the first time I've been treated like a monkey." Yuki shook his head and answered honestly.
His gaze subtly shifted. If he wasn't lying intentionally, it proved he was an experienced player, but not very experienced, or at least lacked experience.
"I haven't experienced it either; it's probably a matter of probability," the female knight said, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.
"I've encountered this type of instance before. It indicates that the hints later will involve us in a deeper part of the story, so everyone should be mentally prepared."
Could you explain further?
"It means exactly what it says." The Phantom Thief shook his head slightly, kindly advising, "The difficulty lies in the dungeon. Don't do unnecessary things, and stop coveting the Chaos Item that other players have."
"Yes, we should indeed unite. Despite my appearance, I've always been kind to others."
He extended a gesture of goodwill, but only Yuki thanked him; the others either stared blankly or ignored him dismissively.
Without the senior student and Hayasaka's double act, Yuki's attempt to test the players was going to be a bit difficult. Fortunately, not long after the bell stopped, the roar of an engine could be heard in the distance.
The veteran players turned their heads and saw a yellow bus driving on the south side of the road, standing out conspicuously in the empty space.
"A new recruit has arrived, who among you will go?" Black Sword, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
They exchanged glances, none of them wanting to do this kind of troublesome thing. Being bothered by the newcomer would only hold them back, unless it was necessary to unite their efforts.