Chapter 143

Yuki also found it strange that the Judge, the believer, and the Undercover could help each other, step on each other's backs, and improve each other's reputation.

'Another solution found, and I've embarked on a wondrous adventure.'

Yuki recalled for a moment, then smiled with a hint of pleasure. This Reincarnation Game could be quite addictive at times.

"How strong is that Black Sword?"

"Very strong. That sword is specifically designed to slay souls; it's a level 4 Chaos Item. It just so happens that I have defensive capabilities in that area." The young man smiled faintly, then, as if remembering something, reached into his storage space. "Oh right, these are the Chaos Item they dropped."

"No need, I wasn't involved in this battle, you can keep them." Yuki wasn't that naive; he quickly reached out to stop them, instead tossing the black crystal and pistol over. "Here's your stuff back. We're only cooperating temporarily in this instance, no need to be so polite."

The boy took it, paused slightly, and slowly shook his head. "Although this is one thing, I don't want to be your enemy in the future."

This person is too strong, so strong they're like a monster. He originally planned to investigate the other person's identity thoroughly after returning, but now it seems unnecessary.

His attitude, which also represents Moon Bow and Rick, Taiyi from the awe shown in the Demon Hospital. This time, Yuki instills fear in the players who have cooperated with him.

A typical dangerous individual would find it incredibly difficult to wipe out an entire Cult, far more difficult than imagined, and humans tend to shy away from the mysterious.

So Rick was really enjoying using the Chainsaw Sword and didn't dare show the slightest reluctance, so he quickly returned the weapon.

From now on, we are even, and neither of us owes the other anything.

Yuki took advantage of their cover, and they also borrowed Yuki's power; everyone made a fortune.

"It was a pleasure working with you. I hope we can meet again someday." Oreki Houtarou didn't want to get too involved with Yuki and slowly walked into the darkness. Just before disappearing, he turned his head back.

"By the way, here's a free tidbit for you: Black Sword's group belongs to 'Day'."

He expected to see a change in Yuki's expression, but he saw nothing. Bored, he shrugged and disappeared.

It was them.

Yuki showed no outward expression, but he secretly memorized it; he certainly wouldn't forget the organization of this conglomerate.

Fate is truly wondrous; this must be the third time we've met.

The first time was in Kanagawa, the second time was outside the Tokyo Academy, and then this instance. In the blink of an eye, four players from the opposing side perished at our hands. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a blood feud.

But so what? We've always been adversaries.

Killing enemies is effortless for Yuki; if it is, it's because he hasn't killed enough, and as his strength increases, he's already able to execute certain plans.

Thinking of Hayasaka Ai filled Yuki with anticipation. This mission lasted fifty hours, which was unprecedentedly long. Logically speaking, the seniors should have already returned.

"Are you two going to have a talk with me?"

"Uh, I have something to do, so I'll be going now." Reminded of this, Rick turned and ran, but after a few steps he turned back. "Mr. Li, thank you. Uh, I won't reveal a single word about your matter, not even if it kills me!"

"Yes, I believe your promise." Yuki casually. Although Rick was just a stranger, he gave off a decent impression.

He is loyal and has principles. He said he was afraid of two veteran players, but he never backed down.

Rick was taken aback by the high praise he received. He quickly bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, repeatedly saying "thank you," before disappearing into the darkness.

Very polite. I hate people who take getting a bargain for granted.

Yuki didn't care about the young policeman, and looked at Moon Bow, who was slowly retreating.

"You're leaving too?"

"Yes, I'm in a hurry." The girl still had that cold look on her face, then hesitated before continuing.

"Just say what's on your mind. You've seemed preoccupied the whole time."

Without the pressure of the mission, Yuki seemed very relaxed.

"There is something I need, but there's no point in saying it. You don't owe me anything; on the contrary, I'm the one who owes you."

"Oh? You're quite self-aware."

"The first instance taught me that one can be proud, but not arrogant," the girl replied softly, bowing deeply with great manners. "Mr. Li, thank you, goodbye."

She retreated into the darkness and vanished in an instant. Yuki was stunned for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

The Reincarnation Game is the best classroom, and life and death are the best teachers. Those who have been severely beaten are different.

Yuki had initially made several guesses about her identity, but now it seemed unnecessary, and those words were also a warning to himself.

Is it okay to be proud, but not arrogant? Luckily, I'm not a pushover.

With a slight shrug, he too stepped into the boundless darkness.

Go home.

Volume 3: Interlude 3

Chapter 1 Maids are the senior's natural enemy

The second spatial transfer in a short period of time, with its sense of mental stagnation, was somewhat unsettling.

Opening his eyes, Yuki saw the familiar room again. The cool sea breeze blew in from the window, making the wind chimes tinkle.

The crimson sunset shone on the desk, giving a sense of peace and tranquility.

Only at times like these does the tension fade away along with the game, and the quality of life returns to us.

"How many times do I have to go through this before the dream-like illusion disappears?"

Yuki stood there for a while, then slowly covered his face. Every time he came back from a dungeon, he felt like he was dreaming; the Living Corpse, demons, and evil gods seemed very unreal.

But besides the sense of unreality, this time he felt there was something else driving him to return without stopping.

Like... a sense of anticipation?

In reality, having someone waiting for you allows you to enjoy a moment of peace, which acts like a tranquilizer, calming the heart that yearns for power.

Running dungeons continuously to accumulate power?

Isn't that just pure masochism?

Yuki scoffed at his own recent desires; ever since the Bloodthirsty Red Moon, he had formed a closed logical loop:

Conquering dungeons is about gaining power; gaining power is about survival; survival is about returning home; and finally, returning home is about enjoying life.

Having reviewed the perfect logical chain, Yuki's resolve once again became as firm as steel.

He walked quickly to his desk, took out his spare phone from the drawer, and saw several missed calls on it.

The college's academic affairs office? I'll just skip over that. I'm more familiar with demonic biology than humans are now.

The Diving Club? I'll contact them later. It's not good to keep standing people up. Besides, Iori Kitahara's situation is quite interesting.

He scrolled down to find unfamiliar phone numbers, having already instructed them to contact him immediately upon returning to the instance before entering the game.

But nothing happened, which made Yuki feel uneasy.

'The mission couldn't have been longer than mine, could it? Or did they fail to return? Impossible. Those three are far beyond the skill level. The dungeon wouldn't have been abnormal even without me. And even if we take a step back, it's impossible for them all to be wiped out.'

Yuki closed the drawer and paced back and forth.

Even though he knew the probability of total annihilation was extremely low, the panic in his heart just wouldn't subside; Yuki even felt more panicked than when he heard the evil god's invitation.

"No, absolutely not."

As he muttered to himself, the elation of gaining huge profits as a lone wolf vanished instantly. Just as he was beginning to regret conducting the experiment, he heard a soft 'click' sound.

She turned her head slightly stiffly, and the narrow door opened, revealing a long leg clad in sheer black stockings stepping into the entryway.

It's a senior student!

Yuki identifies people by their legs; before his mind can even process it, his body has already reacted.

With a light step, her Transcendental Grade body instantly appeared at the door, startling Mai Sakurajima, who was turning to close the door, causing her to take a step back.

But Mai Sakurajima was no ordinary person. Sensing someone approaching, she instantly drew a short sword, the tip already pressed against Yuki's chest. Upon seeing it was him, she quickly lowered the blade.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to give you a loving hug, and then I almost got stabbed right through the heart." Yuki sighed, suddenly realizing that being a player wasn't so good after all; the reaction speed was too fast, making it difficult to launch a sneak attack.

"Serves you right for scaring me like that. You deserved to be stabbed." The senior wrinkled her nose, revealing a 'fierce' expression, before her small face relaxed and she smiled.

"You just got back?"

"Hmm, you didn't think I wouldn't come back, did you? Are you planning to come over and collect my belongings?"

"That's discouraging talk, you deserve a beating." Mai Sakurajima tapped Yuki's head with the back of her knife, making a crisp 'thud', before turning to close the door. "We never thought you'd cause any problems, what are you standing there for? Get my things."

Yuki took the plastic bag and looked inside; it was full of ingredients. He immediately understood what Mai Sakurajima had been doing.

A warmth welled up in her heart, and she deliberately asked, "So you have so much confidence in me? This dungeon run is going to be quite long."

Fifty hours in total, but it felt like five years had passed. No wonder I couldn't contain my emotions just now.

"How long can two days be? What if you encounter a dungeon that lasts two months? Am I supposed to fix your grave for you?"

"I'll forget about repairing the grave; you can remain a widow for me."

"You're asking for it!"

The short sword was thrown at him. Yuki took a step back and saw the short sword trembling slightly against the wall. He couldn't help but lick his lips.

As my strength increases, teasing becomes more difficult. Fortunately, I now have Transcendental Grade physique, so taking a knife wound is actually no problem.

Just as Yuuki was lost in Yuki, Mai Sakurajima, who was changing her shoes with her legs crossed, also breathed a sigh of relief.

I may believe it, but I can't help feeling uneasy when that idiot doesn't come back for a day.

She knew how dangerous the Reincarnation Game was, and it was only more dangerous where Yuki was; no one dared to say there was an absolute survival rate.

Because of this danger, even when Mai actually met Yuki, Mai Sakurajima didn't show any uncontrollable emotions. Her exceptionally high emotional intelligence constantly reminded her:

Every player could leave and never return, so I can't become a burden or a weakness to him. Getting too excited might interfere with his judgment.

My senior is so calm. Could it be that I trusted her too much?

As Yuki on his actions, he watched the girl bend her leg, flick her index finger, and her brown leather shoes fell down. Her black stockings were thin, and her snow-white thighs could be vaguely seen.

Then her delicate feet stepped onto the floor, which seemed to be steaming slightly due to the hot weather. After she stepped on it, she left a shallow footprint on the floor.

Mai Sakurajima slightly pulled open her collar with her fingers, revealing her delicate collarbone, while her other hand kept fanning herself back and forth.

"It's so hot! Hey, what are you standing there for? Take the stuff to the kitchen!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away." Yuki quickly did as instructed, asking as she walked, "Where are Hiyori and Hayasaka? Are they alright?"

"What could possibly happen? The three of us complement each other's abilities, and our combat strength is sufficient. The entire dungeon was relatively safe."

"Was it really a close call?"

"Well, there's still some danger, but it'll be fine as long as we don't get through it. They both have things to do and won't be able to come over in the next couple of days."

"Then aren't we a single man and a single woman together?"

"Dream on. I came to Izu for filming work, and I just stopped by to drop by."

"Senior, why do you have to learn to be arrogant instead of learning something good?"

The two chatted back and forth as if the Reincarnation Game didn't exist at all, and they were just friends who hadn't seen each other for two days.

But this feeling of having someone waiting for you to come home is just right.

Aside from making terrible dishes, Yuki isn't much of a help in the kitchen. Perhaps considering his recent return, his senior kindly didn't ask him for any help.

So he leaned back in his chair, lazily watching Mai Sakurajima's retreating figure.

Wearing a short skirt and stockings, the senior student had her long black hair tied into a ponytail, which swayed back and forth with her movements. This made Yuki twitch his nose, only to smell the everyday scent that filled the room.

Yuki suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten anything for two whole days since entering the dungeon.

His extraordinary physique even enhanced his tolerance for hunger, and the further he progressed into the Transcendental Grade, the less like a normal human being. Yet, the aroma of food miraculously made him so hungry that he would swallow his saliva.

"Hey, I'm giving you a report, are you listening carefully?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening."

Yuki quickly changed his posture to listen attentively to his senior's lecture.

The dungeon the three of them were experiencing this time was the 'Forest Sea Labyrinth'. Yuki was right; this dungeon had very high requirements for solving puzzles, and the quest clues were hidden in seemingly insignificant details.

This happened to be Shiina Hiyori's home turf. The girl was weak in combat, but she was very good at reading details, and she found out the map fragments of the maze one by one.

"Complete the mission within 36 hours. There are a total of 108 fragments, divided into four stages. Each stage unlocks a path. Only after obtaining the complete map can you pass the dungeon."