This One, a Reincarnation Stream Player

Yuki instinctively ducked his head and furtively looked around. The tunnel remained deathly silent. No one had found this place.

No way, right? I'm a transmigrator without even a system. My anime affinity isn't high enough, either. Everything I have was earned through my own efforts. If I had to call anything cheating, it would just be having a little more preparation time.

And since it had already been discovered, there was no need to ask whether he wanted to unlock it.

Unable to make sense of it, Yuki could only slap his cheeks.

"If disaster is unavoidable, I might as well study how to use it first."

Yuki read through the notes again and realized this was not some simple, brute-force trait that directly boosted combat power.

"At this stage, I draw one Craft Essence every day. A Craft Essence is a concept. It can't be stored and lasts for twenty-four hours, followed by a two-hour conceptual cooldown. Is this meant to stop me from pulling off some deus ex machina?"

It was not difficult to understand. Rather than a breakthrough in the heat of battle, it was more like planning ahead around a Craft Essence. He could not just go all in on the brink of death, become possessed by a Super Saiyan, and turn defeat into victory.

Yuki was not disappointed. Using a concept to influence reality was undoubtedly an incredibly advanced Transcendental Grade power.

Moreover, this suited his habits perfectly. He valued steadiness above all else and could not stand those sudden power-up reversals. Even if he wanted to win, he would make preparations step by step, just as he had over the past ten years.

"It's like gaining another trump card that I can build a plan around. Too bad it can only be used once. No rush. I'll use the enhancement point first."

Chaos Items, skills, and physical strength were more plain and practical. They formed the foundation of a Player's power.

Yuki immediately shifted his attention. That enhancement point pleased him even more. He had earned it by taking enormous risks, and neither Hayasaka Ai nor Mai Sakurajima had received one. By his estimate, it was related to contribution and difficulty.

He had found the solution and verified it himself. As for difficulty, if Thomas and Li Dan had been driven to desperation, there was a decent chance they could have broken out together. Naturally, they could not hope for extra rewards.

Yuki had long decided how to use it. He simply slowed down and added the enhancement point to the "skill slot." In an instant, a massive flood of knowledge poured into his mind, making him clutch his head.

[Enhancement point used.]

[Skill: Reinforcement Magecraft has advanced from Entry-level to Proficient.]

Those two short sentences represented years of study for a magus, along with requirements such as talent and magical energy.

Such a leap in improvement... If I were a magus, I'd be furious. Wait, my magical energy has increased too. If I use something from the same skill tree, will I get twice the result with half the effort?

A thought suddenly occurred to Yuki, but there was no response. He also felt it was unlikely.

He could not sense the existence of Magic Circuits at all. This was merely a skill concept, not the granting of an entire system.

"Whew. Looks like if I want to climb the skill tree, I'll have to find systematic knowledge from the Nasuverse and start training from scratch. Or I'll need to draw a foundational skill like 'Magic Circuits' first, then figure out how to build on top of it."

Yuki exhaled a breath of stale air. He felt no regret over his idea falling through. The reason was simple: that approach was too slow. It could not deal with the threats right in front of him, just like now.

So he carefully studied the improved magecraft. Not only had its output increased, but he could finally control the scope of the reinforcement.

"The closer I push it to the Limit, the longer the cooldown and the shorter the duration. If I conserve it, I can keep it up for thirty minutes? Fine. I can adjust the output according to the situation."

This skill was extremely complex. Achieving a bulletproof effect on an iron plate and on a sheet of paper obviously required different levels of output. Reinforcing objects and reinforcing flesh were worlds apart in difficulty as well. The skill upgrade had granted considerable flexibility.

"Mm, now for the second step." Filled with curiosity, Yuki decisively used his trait. "Ego Trait extraction."

His vision faintly began to distort. Countless images flickered past. They were too fast for him to catch more than a fleeting instant, yet he found everything both familiar and strange.

I really miss this...

After being reborn, Yuki had spent another ten years as a human. This was the first time he had seen something from his previous life. He did not dwell on what deeper meaning it might contain. He only watched as the flashing images slowed, revealing a white-haired, gaunt old man.

He stood amid reeds, holding a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.

[Conceptual Craft Essence: Hesitation is Defeat.]

"This thing? But it won't be very useful against all these Living Corpses?"

Yuki muttered to himself, half pleased and half disappointed. Once he had time, he could make a plan around this Conceptual Craft Essence. For now, clearing the Dungeon was still the priority.

Tap.

As he pondered, his footsteps stopped. Yuki stood at the end of the tunnel. A warning line lay ahead, and the middle section of the cement-filled wall was made of old-fashioned bricks. A notice had been pasted beside it.

"Warning: Cultural relic protection zone ahead. Unauthorized excavation is prohibited."

It was like a city building a subway line and digging up a pile of ancient ruins halfway through, forcing the builders to keep rerouting.

Didn't they check the depth before building the subway?

Yuki grumbled a few words, but it also confirmed his guess. The end of the subway station was indeed connected to the Ancient Castle. Based on the depth, the space behind this wall should lie between the first and second basement levels. Judging from that fire extinguisher, the Limit of Crimson Moon's reach was not far ahead.

So the outside world and the Ancient Castle were connected. Crimson Moon's limit was this wall.

He had not figured out how to use that information yet, so he simply committed it to memory. Without wasting any more time, he returned the way he had come, twisted open the lounge door, and froze on the spot.

Why are there two Hayasaka Ais?!

Professional Player

Blonde hair, a side ponytail, a high school uniform, white knee-high socks—even the damage on their clothes was exactly the same.

No, even their expressions were identical. That calm, serious gaze would be incredibly difficult to imitate.

"You're back? Did you find anything?"

They spoke at the same time, their voices utterly indistinguishable. It felt like he had wandered onto the set of a true-and-false Monkey King showdown.

"I did find something important. Which one of you is Mai?" Yuki looked from one side to the other, finding it more bizarre the longer he stared.

"Obviously me. You even held me before. How could you forget after being apart for only a little while?"

"Hey, don't talk nonsense."

"Didn't he hold you when we left the Ancient Castle?" The Hayasaka Ai on the left slapped her forehead and revealed a strange smile. "I forgot. He kicked you instead. That hurt, didn't it? How about we kick him back together?"

Watching two identical people argue was quite entertaining. Yuki also figured out who was who. Sure enough, the blonde girl on the right wiped her face, removed a pure white mask, and revealed long black hair underneath. Then she shot Yuki a vicious glare.

Ai, can you stop drawing aggro for me? Could you not remind my upperclassman about me kicking her butt?

He silently looked at Hayasaka Ai, who had pressed her palms together as though apologizing, then at the deeply victimized Mai Sakurajima. He decided to skip the subject entirely.

"Ahem. Is this your Ego Trait?"

"Mm. Fool's Mask. It's interesting, but also a little embarrassing."

It really was embarrassing. It was equivalent to exposing a core aspect of a person's nature. Forget trump cards—unless there was mutual trust, how could anyone possibly tell other Players about it?

But life mattered more than pride. Hayasaka Ai returned to her Player form and described the ability in just a few words, making Yuki nod repeatedly.

She had two masks. If she was familiar enough with a target, she could infuse a mask with their personality. She could then have someone else wear the mask, allowing them to reproduce the infused personality and appearance.

Imitation? Acting? No, it went beyond that. It could reproduce not only appearance, but even mannerisms. Unfortunately, it did not include memories, so there was still a chance of being exposed.

If she was not very familiar with the target, she could only imitate their appearance. It was like an advanced disguise suit, though that was enough to deceive people.

Yuki continued analyzing it in his mind, then asked, "What are the restrictions?"

"This trial doesn't count. The effect lasts for an hour, and the cooldown is six hours. There are only two masks, and I can't control whoever wears one." Hayasaka Ai was concise.

"A trait designed specifically for disguise and infiltration." Yuki nodded. This was a support trait without direct offensive power, and he allowed himself a brief fantasy.

Traits could be upgraded using specialization points. The deeper it developed, the more drastic the changes would surely become.

What if she had countless masks, infused them with her own personality, and finally gained the ability to control others?

"Maybe in the end, the entire Dungeon will be you." He could not help thinking of a man with a monocle.

It also suited Hayasaka Ai's characteristics. Apart from Kaguya Shinomiya, who would dare claim they had seen through this maid's heart? No, with only a simple disguise, many people could not even figure out her surface identity.

The whole Dungeon will be me?

Hayasaka Ai raised her head as if lost in a fantasy. She looked somewhat adorably dazed, but then blinked and frowned as she swept her gaze across the cramped room.

"Huh? Where did Mai go?"

She had almost forgotten that person just now. That was a little strange.

"I'm right here."

With a soft voice carrying a trace of pride, Mai Sakurajima appeared in her field of vision again. She had not moved an inch.

"Invisibility?!"

"More accurately, it interferes with your observation and makes you forget she exists. It's different from optical camouflage. This is something on a higher level," Yuki explained. He too had forgotten Mai Sakurajima for a moment and focused entirely on talking to Hayasaka Ai.

This should be related to familiarity. Someone who had only met Mai Sakurajima once would probably forget her for even longer.

"How do you know?" Mai looked over in astonishment. She had not even begun explaining.

"Upperclassman, please don't underestimate a stalker's intelligence-gathering abilities."

Yuki adjusted a nonexistent pair of glasses. Seeing the half-skeptical look on his upperclassman's face, he nearly laughed out loud before listening to her explain the trait.

Unlike the original version of Puberty Syndrome, Mai Sakurajima could interact with others during the skill's duration if she wished to.

I guessed right. This trait isn't as powerful as the original, but it has the advantage of being controllable. At this stage, it can maintain the 'invisibility' effect for twenty minutes, with a two-hour cooldown. Again, this trial doesn't count.

As he listened, he analyzed it, just as he had with Hayasaka Ai's trait. Like a career planner, he projected its future potential.

"If I'm not mistaken, when this Ego Trait is enhanced to its extreme, Mai will be able to disappear from the world entirely."

"What kind of disappearance?"

"When she activates the trait, she'll be erased from all memories, history, and records. Because she doesn't want people to look at her, the world will forget her as a result. Of course, that will be related to how familiar Players are with her."

"Quantum decoherence theory?"

"Uh, I'm just a medical student. Who understands quantum mechanics when you start talking about it?"

Hayasaka Ai nodded lightly. As an "underachiever" who could precisely control her ranking, words like "diagonalizing the reduced density matrix," "off-diagonal elements," and "superposition states" flashed through her mind. She first gave Mai Sakurajima a long look, then wore an expression of deep suspicion.

There was no doubt that this Ego Trait was incredibly powerful. It could already touch upon the level of causality. Its value had instantly risen dozens of times over, turning Mai from an ordinary person who would not hold the team back into an indispensable teammate.

Also, it would've been great if I had gotten this trait. Isn't this an absurdly strong assassin skill? Killing without a trace.

As for turning Mai Sakurajima into a cold-blooded assassin?

Hayasaka Ai carefully examined Mai, then slowly shook her head.

She'd have to become unrecognizably twisted first.

"Why do I feel like you placed your bets in advance? You don't have some trump card that lets you foresee the future, do you?" She looked at Yuki suspiciously, feeling that something was off.

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

"Then why did you value her so much from the beginning? It doesn't make sense."

"Upperclassman Mai dresses so provocatively. Don't laugh at me for saying it." Yuki placed his right hand over his chest, his face utterly solemn. "As a gentleman, it's only natural for me to be interested, isn't it?"

Smack.

The moment he finished speaking, a hand struck his back hard. Mai Sakurajima bit her lip, her small face slightly flushed.

How many times is he going to bring up that embarrassing history? Why did I let my head get hot and wear that outfit?

"Forget it right now. You're not allowed to mention it again."

"Sorry, it's already deeply etched into my mind."

"Then forget it!"

Hayasaka Ai watched the two chase and fight with great interest, raising her chin slightly.

Only natural? Yeah, right. He wasn't telling the truth at all.

This man was similar to her, as though he wore several faces. At times like this, he was loose-lipped and begging to be hit, more like he was easing the mood. But for most of the time beneath Crimson Moon...

She thought about it. Countless scenes flashed before her eyes, yet she could not accurately describe them.

Cold-blooded? Decisive? Acting?

The words passed through her mind, but Hayasaka Ai returned to her first impression of him.

A professional Player.

Outside Is Even More Dangerous!

Professional was the label Yuki gave himself. He had to be professional when killing, and professional when clearing Dungeons.

Of course, I'm also professional at flirting with girls.

He looked at Mai, who was bracing herself against the table and breathing heavily. Her black stockings had slipped out of place, while the curve of her chest formed a perfect angle against the tabletop. The valley between them was like an Abyss, ready to suck in a person's soul.

Yet Yuki looked only once before moving his gaze away, leaving Mai confused.

"That look in your eyes..."