Chapter 138

Now that he has no followers, he's not afraid of attracting the attention of evil gods. Besides, he'll be returning in just over half an hour. If you're so capable, go and settle accounts with the Reincarnation Game.

Deep within the hall, there was a massive black object, far larger than the purple-robed priest, making one wonder how terrifying it must have been in its prime.

Given the nature of Reincarnation Game, just like Dean Fukawa, at his peak, he has the ability to wipe out at least all players.

Yuki made a guess and was about to throw out a second torch when he heard an old voice coming from inside the hall.

"Now that you're here, why are you lingering at the door?"

He could only hear the voice, but not see the person. However, Yuki was certain that it was the voice of the saint. Apart from hearing him preach at the beginning of the game, he had never met him before.

Go in? Do you think I'm stupid?

As a seasoned cunning schemer, given the choice, why would Yuki possibly go in? After all, he had already achieved an S-rank or higher mission rating.

"I had thought you would be consumed by anger and seek to eradicate evil," the voice said again.

"I have always respected the Destiny of others. Whether it's baptism or the things in the room, it's all voluntary." Yuki sneered. He had his bottom line as a human being, but that didn't mean he wanted to be a champion of Justice.

Amidst heavy breathing, the sounds inside the room fell silent for a moment, then the next sentence made Yuki's pupils contract.

"Rational and decisive, unmoved by the content of the dungeon, you're different from the players I'm used to."

A player? Not an outsider?

Yuki slowly opened his mouth wide. Didn't the Yadu Town always refer to players as outsiders? Fortunately, after experiencing the Demon Hospital, he had become immune to this kind of situation.

"What you heard from the Clown... no, he shouldn't have been baptized."

"Of course not. Players are cautious, but they never let their guard down when it comes to their souls. However, don't underestimate God's guidance; He knows everything."

God's guidance?

Yuki's expression changed instantly. If the other party knew everything, they wouldn't have waited until now, meaning he had only just found out.

So the final ritual was indeed to contact the evil god; if I hadn't done anything, I would be a dead man by now.

Wait a minute, how did the evil god know about the player?

Yuki was confused. The evil god wasn't just a background story; it truly existed. But existence didn't mean it knew the player. Could it be a more powerful version of Dean Fukawa?

Having stepped out of the Truman Show and escaped the realm of game NPCs? Wait, how can he still influence the instance? Doesn't that make him something like Reincarnation Game?

With a head full of questions, Yuki had long known that the Reincarnation Game was not simple, and had been searching for the Truth. For example, the diary and the first instance of the game were things that could not be avoided.

After completing the three instances, he found many answers, but also gained even more questions.

"Don't presume to guess about the gods; that's utter disrespect. By the way, do you want to know why that hunting rifle in your hand is Chaos Item?" The aged voice came again, a question, its tone full of allure, as if it knew what Yuki desired most.

Money? Beauty? Power? No, he craved answers.

Wow, they even know that.

Yuki glanced at the Hunter's Blunderbuss, already sensing danger, and a voice the Roar in his mind:

Do not answer! Do not answer! Do not answer!

Reason was screaming at him, but Yuki couldn't resist his curiosity. Exploring the mysteries of the Reincarnation Game was his greatest pursuit. He nodded slightly.

"Go ahead and tell me, I'm really interested."

As the answer came, he lifted his right foot, his eyes lost focus, leaned forward, and stepped into the doorway, towards the answer.

At the same time, he heard an old man's murmur, a voice so close it seemed to be standing right in front of him.

Because—

"He used to be a player from the other faction."

Chapter Thirty-Four: Delving Deeper into the Game!

Players from the other faction? What does that mean?

Yuki became increasingly interested.

He was very clear-headed and could even analyze the possibility that the other party was making up a story.

He was bewildered, like a traveler in the desert who hadn't drunk water for days, seeing a pond ahead, but with a wild beast lurking beside it. He knew he shouldn't go near it, yet he couldn't suppress his desire.

What's on my mind isn't whether I should or shouldn't, but whether I should or shouldn't.

Players, or the other side?

At first glance, each word seems fine, but upon closer inspection, it's terrifying.

There are many interpretations of "faction," but regardless of the interpretation, they are all vastly different from one's own.

Through these two days of exploration, it's clear that the evil god is a being superior to this instance. If what He said is true, it does have some credibility. After all, the saint is just an NPC in the instance, and with His limited perspective, He couldn't have made it up.

He began to recall the purple-robed priest; the chainsaw, axe, and hunting rifle were very familiar. If he were a player, it definitely had nothing to do with reality. No one could cosplay so accurately; the chance of coincidence was less than one in ten thousand.

Factions? Players have to be divided into factions?

Yuki pondered the matter more deeply, searching through his memories, and found two points of doubt:

The player panel unlocks gradually with experience; after completing the first dungeon, the party function is unlocked, and after completing the second dungeon, the Player Forum is unlocked—clearly a privilege.

Whether on forums or in the Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, some information is best left unsaid and will be censored.

So, what about those who were once gamers?

The priest was intelligent, but he didn't show the same friendliness as when meeting players; he was no different from an NPC in a dungeon. However, Yuki happened to have relevant experience with this.

He thought of the Street Fighter in the Demon Hospital. If all the players were to die, would the items taken by Dean Fukawa become elite monsters?

If other players are sent to the same instance in the future, will they be able to pick up Chaos Item?

Wait a minute, the Garbage Mountain and the cemetery—these are locations from the past. Could they be the battlefield from the previous instance?

Gurgle.

Yuki subconsciously swallowed hard. This meant not only that the instance would continue to operate according to the rules even without players, but also that there were players from other factions, and even a high-dimensional evil god who had been watching over this small world for countless years...

The terrifying information he deduced caused Yuki's eyes to completely lose focus, leaving him standing frozen in the hall like a puppet.

Splash!

In the unseen darkness, the colossal creature moved silently, stepping over the corpses in gray and purple robes scattered on the ground, and quickly emerged from the innermost part of the altar.

Once outside the torchlight, it was pitch black, and the sage already knew that Yuki possessed special eyes that allowed him to see beyond his mortal body and into the deeper world of the soul.

But if he doesn't look at it, then that's fine.

"As God said, no one can escape the shackles of desire or the pursuit of the unknown, even if this stranger is powerful and cunning."

He moved slowly, cautiously surveying his prey and praising the greatness of the gods.

It is a great irony that such a wise and determined outsider would pay with his life because of curiosity.

God commanded him to speak, and he spoke. With just one sentence and the Desire Domain, he led the cunning stranger into the trap, whereupon he sank deeper and deeper into the Abyss Grade of desire.

Being blinded by a leaf, Yuuki, driven by his insatiable curiosity and caught in a mental storm, couldn't see the saint's Yuki. It was as if he had detached himself from reality and entered an endless space of puzzles.

Deeper, deeper.

The saint remained cautious, circling the Yuki. With each prayer, he continuously sent forth more power of desire—a silent force that devoured the soul like a deadly poison, somewhat like an old-fashioned anecdote.

This is an illness, caused by electricity.

Those the Bystander Is Blind often blinded by their own perspectives. Just as the residents of Yadu Town are trapped in the cage of rules, Yuki has also fallen into the Abyss Grade.

'What a pity, there wasn't time to deal with the remaining players.'

A sigh surfaced in the saint's mind. He didn't know what the words meant, but he felt the gaze of the gods leave his body.

It bowed its head reverently, respectfully seeing off the departing consciousness, and then looked at Yuki, who was so close at hand.

"Now it's my job to completely entangle him, to make him the new purple-robed priest. Then he should behave better when outsiders come to visit."

The saint stopped and looked down at the man before him, who remained in a daze, as if he were stuck in a rut, surrounded by infinite Truth, and would never be able to escape.

It's almost time.

In the pitch black, nothing could be seen except the sounds of flesh being torn apart.

The saint opened his mouth wide, a mouth big enough to swallow Yuki whole, and then slowly bent down, chanting strange scriptures.

But this time, everyone could understand.

"In the name of God, I baptize you; from this day forward, immerse yourself in the game."

This is the essence of baptism; the amount of liquid is far more generous than a few drops of holy water sprinkled on the head. The saint's eyes are filled with compassion as he sees his saliva dripping onto Yuki's head, just as the shadow is about to cover it—

The man, the Bystander Is Blind, raised his head, his scarlet eyes gleaming faintly.

!?

The chanting stopped abruptly, and the saint could hardly comprehend the situation before him.

That's not right. How could someone so deeply involved possibly detach themselves? Shouldn't they silently perish in endless contemplation?

Was it all an act from the beginning? Impossible. He absolutely couldn't resist the guidance of the gods, and for safety's sake, there was no need to enter the hall.

He didn't understand, but Yuki moved, flicking his wrist, and the Hunter's Blunderbuss was raised, held above his head.

I don't understand, but your mouth is foul.

Bang! Bang!

Two deafening gunshots rang out, and red soul energy briefly illuminated the surroundings. Yuki caught a glimpse of what was in front of him.

This thing looks like a deformed Tyrannosaurus Rex, with dark brown skin, thick hind legs, two twisted arms on its chest, a mouth like a crocodile, and what appears to be an old human face on its upper jaw.

Oh, and it also has a tail about a meter long, like a warhorse's.

It's kind of like an enlarged version of... the Ludwig, the Holy Blade?

A thought flashed through Yuki's mind, and he saw that the crocodile's mouth was so long that it could definitely swallow him whole, but coincidentally, his gun was pressed against the other's mouth.

With the sound of gunfire, the slug shot pierced through the top of his head and exploded on the ceiling, while the shotgun shell pierced his mouth, blasting out a large chunk of flesh and blood.

Roar--

With a beastly roar, the monster leaned back and the Roar incredulously.

"Can you resist God's temptation?"

This surpasses imagination, even faith, causing people to waver in their belief in 'omnipotence,' and hesitate to step forward.

Yuki was also thrown half a meter by the recoil. He didn't answer, but stared wide-eyed, his eyes filled with absolute calm.

Fortunately, I was prepared.

He had indeed fallen for it, drawn in by his curiosity and completely captivated by the mystery.

Ignoring the current situation, forgetting the enemy in front of them, their minds are full of problems, and they have a kind of obsession with not giving up until they are solved.

To be distracted in battle is suicidal, but I had already lost control, and only my body could still perform some instinctive reactions.

For example, breaking out in a cold sweat, pupil constriction, or... swallowing saliva.

Just then, Yuki had a large mouthful of Quiet Dew in his mouth. And just then, he swallowed the entire bottle of Dettol. Since he didn't have any negative mental state to begin with, his thoughts immediately froze.

"What I need is for my thinking to solidify."

The previously wandering thoughts snapped back to reality, jolting me awake. My forehead was now covered in cold sweat.

Is this the power of an evil god? He exploited my thirst for knowledge? He didn't possess any earth-shattering power, yet he so easily tricked me?

I answered anyway, I came in anyway, I got involved anyway.

Silent and undetectable, even the mental resistance of Demon Possession was useless; fortunately, we had prepared in advance.

"And then, that's baptism?"

Yuki looked up ahead, but the enormous monster had vanished into the shadows, and he could no longer hear its footsteps. Fortunately, his Demon Eye could see a dense shadow darting about in the darkness.

It was circling, using the cylinder for protection to observe itself, clearly unaware of this coincidence.

"This is troublesome; the evil god's influence on the dungeon is surprisingly profound."

The thought process just now wasn't useless; at least it helped Yuki understand many things. But now there's nothing to regret.

Risk comes with opportunity; this kind of intelligence is worth fighting for.

At the same time, the saint moved silently and quickly, looking at the man in the middle of the hall with some surprise and uncertainty.