Chapter 144

That sounds rather complicated.

Yuki roughly pictured a scene in his mind: a dense, sunless forest where players were searching for a way out.

Running around aimlessly like a headless fly won't work; players need a map to piece together the information and escape the maze.

It's a puzzle-solving dungeon, but given the nature of Reincarnation Game, there will likely be plenty of PVP content.

"I guess these fragments can be stolen."

"Yes, that's true. There aren't many monsters in the maze; the players are the main source of danger." Mai Sakurajima wasn't surprised that Yuki could guess that, and continued, "Oh, and there's getting lost. This dungeon is similar to Bloodthirsty Red Moon; it's very dangerous to go alone. Anyway, there was a newbie who wandered around aimlessly, and we haven't seen him since."

"This kind of dungeon is best suited for team play. Even if the fragments can be fought over, there's no need for players to fight each other, right? Any other tips?"

"I can't fool you, there's no fun in telling a story at all." Mai Sakurajima wrinkled her nose. Storytelling needs anticipation, and this idiot is too smart, making her lose interest.

"It's simple. The instance indicated there were 15 players, but there were 16 at the start. I think the maze... also exists in the players' minds."

Wow, that's so insidious.

Yuki gasped. This was a ticking time bomb planted from the very beginning. Because the fragments could be stolen, this monster that had infiltrated the player's team had a lot of room to maneuver.

It can be used to assassinate others, create internal strife, or deliberately hide fragments, leaving the puzzle missing several important pieces.

"This dungeon is quite difficult. How did you guys manage to solve it?" Yuki suddenly became interested and sat up straight.

The change in posture made Mai Sakurajima unconsciously smile slightly, instantly filled with a sense of accomplishment.

I'm not that idiot's tagalong. I can handle things just fine even without him.

She picked up the spatula and waved it lightly like a conductor's baton, replying playfully, "Of course it's because I gave it my best command, making good use of Hayasaka and the others. Let me explain..."

"Mai Sakurajima- senpai, if I remember correctly, the one in charge is Hiyori, right?"

Before she could even unfold it, a familiar cold snort suddenly came from inside the room, making the girl shudder and hurriedly look around.

Yuki instantly turned his head and looked at a rabbit doll on the sofa; the voice was coming from inside the doll.

"No wonder you were in such a hurry to send me back to Tokyo, it turns out you wanted to steal the credit. Tsk, Hiyori's saying, 'The labyrinth of the human heart is more terrifying than the sea of trees,' is absolutely right."

An all-powerful maid is omnipresent; how could she leave such a huge loophole?

Yuki glanced at the doll in surprise, then turned her head away. Sure enough, she saw her senior's face turn red instantly, and she almost couldn't hold back her laughter.

Maids are my senior's nemesis! How many times have I caught her red-handed now?

Chapter Two: I Became a Stress Monster?!

Swish swish swish.

The sound of the spatula kept going. The senior student, after all, had a sense of shame; her boasting was exposed, and she immediately blushed. Fortunately, having been in the entertainment industry for a long time, her skin was thick enough; otherwise, how would she deal with the haters?

Hayasaka Ai's sharp words were ignored, and she refused to let Yuki see her embarrassed expression, so she simply turned around and went to cook.

Thanks to Hayasaka, Yuki was finally able to objectively understand the full picture of the 'Forest Sea Labyrinth'.

The discrepancy between the number of participants and the number of questions was indeed a problem, but it didn't stump the senior students. Hiyori first suggested playing 'Truth or Dare', carefully discerning each person's words and micro-expressions to narrow down the possible participants.

What's even more ingenious is that she didn't name anyone as suspicious, but simply kept them in mind, and then used the information she obtained to send Mai Sakurajima to verify them.

The process was, of course, fraught with difficulties. After the first player died inexplicably, the team-based strategy mode could no longer continue, so the fifteen players split into three groups to search separately.

"Did the three of you openly team up from the beginning?"

"Yes, Hiyori is practically a nuclear weapon in this kind of instance, but her main body is too weak, so she's not suitable to join unfamiliar players," Hayasaka Ai answered bluntly, giving Yuki a strange feeling.

It was as if a maid with a blank expression and ramrod straight back was standing in front of me, reporting on the schedule.

"A reasonable judgment is warranted; her importance is self-evident. You'll be able to collect the most fragments, and then someone will inevitably come knocking." Yuki unconsciously sat up straight, placing his hands on his knees, and said thoughtfully:

"Of course, that monster impersonating a player isn't that stupid, but as you collect more and more fragments, the monster will get anxious and eventually take action itself."

Inside a room in the mansion, instead of a ramrod-straight maid, Hayasaka taken a bath, was wearing a loose white shirt, her blonde hair still wet, and was gnashing her teeth as she stared at the man on the screen.

You guessed everything, how am I supposed to tell the story?

"Hayasaka?"

If you interrupt again, I'm not going to talk anymore.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up."

"Some pretend to be separated, some feign pitifulness, some lay in ambush, some use fragments as bait..." Hayasaka Ai put her legs up on the table and casually recounted the bizarre conspiracy.

Of course, they solved all of that.

Hiyori can read details, the upperclassman can secretly monitor, and she can solve problems with a gun.

"When we entered the fourth stage, it finally arrived. Only then did I realize that its ability was mental manipulation, amplifying the desires of those players. No wonder every single one of them harbored ulterior motives."

"Is it very strong?" Yuki frowned, the ability to amplify desire sounded so familiar.

"It was very strong, but I..." Hayasaka Ai heard the sound of the spatula stop and quickly corrected herself, "No, it was my senior and I who took care of it together. We used the old tactic of switching identities. I disguised myself Hiyori to lure it out, Hiyori disguised herself as me, and my senior used the Singer's White Veil to block the fatal blow. With the cooperation of the other players, we successfully took it down."

It was a classic tactic, but Yuki knew it wasn't as simple as Hayasaka Ai made it sound; it was bound to be a tough battle.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"This is my job." Her voice swelled slightly, and the maid couldn't help but smile smugly. "We completed the game in about 25 hours, and the team's evaluation was excellent, achieving an A+ rating."

The evaluation of this dungeon is definitely based on the completion time, so Yuki wasn't surprised. He thought about it briefly and couldn't find any fault with it.

The battle content in the Forest Sea Labyrinth is relatively small, Hayasaka Ai is already good enough at handling that aspect. Letting him in wouldn't improve his rating much, since he's not much better than Shiina Hiyori at finding clues from details.

Once the Reality Reading is activated, it's like cheating; your own sword becomes practically useless.

'Without me, the dungeon seems a bit easier; at least there aren't many powerful players. Plus, they were pretty lucky; one team of players, despite being very strong, wisely followed behind and muddled through.'

'As long as one has skills like mental resistance, or remains highly vigilant and avoids being manipulated, it can be done.'

Yuki felt a sense of disappointment. The survival rate in this dungeon was quite good. Besides Hayasaka Ai and two others, there were three veteran players and two new players who cleared the dungeon, resulting in a survival rate of over 50%.

Damn, I'm starting to feel like I'm a jinx.

Yuki scratched his head. Even in the "The Bystander Is Blind" mode where he was completely outmatched, only four players survived. No, it was the kind of opposing role setting that destined for a high mortality rate from the start.

What are the rewards for an A+ grade?

"Two specialization points and one enhancement point," the senior student continued, placing the dishes on the table. "My and Hayasaka- san's individual rewards are two enhancement points each, while Hiyori -san, because of her greatest contribution, receives four enhancement points."

Since the goal is to find a way out, Shiina Hiyori is definitely the main contributor, so it's normal for her to be a bit more involved.

"What about those players who managed to sneak in?" Yuki asked again.

"In the final battle, only B-rank fighters participated, while only C-rank fighters didn't."

That's normal; those veteran players probably know about mission ratings, which is why they made their move.

Overall, the difficulty of 'Forest Sea Labyrinth' is moderate, with both competitive and cooperative gameplay between players. The final boss cannot be defeated by Hayasaka Ai alone.

"25 hours should be a very short time, so why only an A+ rating?"

"It should be related to getting out of the dungeon." The senior continued putting food on the table, a look of reminiscence on her face. "After we finished the puzzle, we had a map of the maze. There was a cabin in the woods on the way out. Hiyori felt something was wrong, so we ignored it and just left."

Cabin in the woods?

This sounds ominous; leaving immediately was the right decision.

If Yuki were there, he would definitely go in to explore, but Hayasaka Ai isn't good at sustained combat, and she has untrustworthy players around her, so going in would be tantamount to suicide.

So he asked about other things, such as which players were worth noting, because exploring separately had advantages in terms of intelligence, which was equivalent to experiencing two instances at the same time.

On the one hand, it broadened my horizons, making me more adept at navigating dungeons and similar challenges in the future; on the other hand, it introduced me to a wide variety of players, which provided me with some inspiration.

Hayasaka Ai thought for a moment and then named a few people.

One is a student who takes a spiritual approach, characterized by easily gaining favor with others; they are professional social climbers.

One is a cyborg who has Chaos Item mounted on his body, a variant of the Item-based combat style, which reminds Yuki of his own Mechanical Prosthesis.

Finally, there was a heavily armored man who was the first to jump out and help. He had extremely high defense, but he was too slow and didn't have any taunt skills like the Tyrant.

This probably means the combat system hasn't been fully developed yet. If it had a taunt skill, it would be an excellent Tank.

"They've all had about three dungeon runs under their belts, but their luck is just terrible; when they encounter puzzle-solving dungeons, all their strength is useless."

Yuki stroked his chin. Combat strength is not a measure of power. Just like Shiina Hiyori, she's not much stronger than an ordinary person, but who dares to say she's useless?

"A close call, but no real harm done." Yuki glanced at the table, and since there was no wine, he simply picked up the soup bowl, first offering a toast to the doll in the distance, then turning to his senior, "What makes me most gratified is that you've all grown. Getting an A+ grade through your own efforts is excellent."

"You sound like my dad," the senior muttered, picking up her soup bowl and tapping it lightly against hers. After taking a couple of sips, she realized something was off.

"Hey, what's going on with your dungeon quest? Why is it taking so long?"

The doll remained silent, clearly showing that Hayasaka Ai, in the distance, was also curious.

"It's a long story, but it's basically just about completely clearing out a dungeon."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me what the task evaluation is."

Yuki put down his bowl and answered softly, "SSS."

No one spoke, except for the senior student who paused in her chopsticks, picking up food, before finally casting a questioning look at her.

How many S's did you say?

"Three."

"Fine, I'll tell you honestly. You're just bragging to me?"

"Really, look at my panel if you don't believe me."

Facts speak louder than words. Yuki, too lazy to pretend, directly opened the player panel. Mai Sakurajima glanced at it and immediately fell silent.

[Experience Mission: The Bystander Is Blind, Rating: SSS]

[Overall Rating: Transcendental Grade II]

The little bit of pride in his heart vanished without a trace, like dust. He should have been overjoyed by Yuki's gains, but he just couldn't manage a smile.

Why do I feel so powerless?

I was inevitably a little shaken, and before I could think much about it, I felt a bit of warmth on the back of my hand.

"Don't overthink it. The Bystander Is Blind sees more of the game' is a side quest evaluation based on identity. Even if we're together, there will be differences in what we gain." Yuki stroked her fair hand, but her voice was full of rationality. She simply read the quest prompt aloud.

[Task evaluation changes based on identity].

That's enough. The only difference is that group strategies are simpler, but they won't benefit casual players.

"You mean the feedback evaluation in the Reincarnation Game has higher priority than the team evaluation?" Hayasaka Ai's voice suddenly interrupted.

"That should be the case. There are also players in my dungeon who are in a team. It seems they knew their gains would be different." Yuki replied carefully, noting that there are many evaluation criteria, such as kill count and number of puzzles solved, which focus more on the individual.

His explanation made Mai Sakurajima feel much better. She was just worried that Yuki, becoming a burden.

But seeing the words "overall evaluation," she felt a heavy pressure.

No, I need to find a way to become stronger.

'The senior's competitive spirit has been ignited.'

This time, Yuki didn't offer any words of comfort; he thought the pressure was a good thing, and then casually asked about the overall evaluation of the two of them.

Hayasaka Ai and her senior also cleared the third dungeon and unlocked their privileges. Naturally, they didn't hide it, even without allocating any skill points.

Hayasaka Ai is Extraordinary II.

My senior is an extraordinary I.

'As expected, the overall evaluation isn't just about combat power; otherwise, my senior wouldn't have even reached the [Limit].'

The expected level, and the overall evaluation is only a reference. For players like Hayasaka Ai who emphasize extremely high burst damage, six bullets combined to sound the Death Knell would leave even Yuki with only his two legs still on the ground.

Seeing that her senior was eating faster, Hayasaka Ai said she had to leave. Yuki it a bit funny, picked up her chopsticks, and held the bowl in her palm.

Let's eat.

Chapter Three: Daytime (4K)

Tokyo.

Looking down from the skyscrapers, you can see crowds of people moving through the bustling streets. They look like ants, as if a god sitting in the sky could reach out and crush a large number of them.

A man in a sharp suit stood by the window. He wasn't particularly handsome for a middle-aged man, and he had a shiny bald head, but his silence exuded a heavy pressure.