Chapter 162

As they climbed the moss-covered stone steps and ventured deeper into the forest, Yuki nodded occasionally, learning the details of the battle from Ayanokoji.

This is a classic case of striking as a counter-attack, digging a pit for the enemy to fall into. As for the 'Black Hole,' it's also quite logical; without a trump card, how could the weak dare to fight the strong?

'Zhou' knew there must be a trump card, so he took a very cautious approach. He even found out that the academy was divided into two factions. He only needed to contact the other faction and use them as cannon fodder to break through.

'But I intervened, breaking the stalemate. As a large player organization, we couldn't afford to ignore it; doing so would cause far more damage than war.'

Yuki chuckled. He had thought about being a lone wolf, but never intended to build a large organization. As the saying goes, the higher you climb, the colder it gets. On the surface, he satisfied his lust for power and felt incredibly safe with hundreds of followers.

But in reality, they have no choice but to jump into the trap even if they know it's a pit, otherwise the order they've established will all be in vain.

Moreover, organizations based on money and security guarantees are more troublesome because they lack the sense of identity of classmates or comrades-in-arms, requiring the reconstruction of a new sociological system.

"You really helped me a lot. If the timing hadn't been perfect, the outcome of this battle would have been uncertain." Ayanokoji walked past the leaning torii gate, turned around, and looked at him with gratitude in his eyes. "Also, I'm very curious, how did you find Shinomiya Hongzheng such an excellent target, and with just the right number of players around him?"

Because it was a coincidence, no, to be precise, it was because I reacted quickly.

Yuki's lips twitched slightly. He had connected two seemingly unrelated matters, but he didn't explain. He simply said:

"Destiny is so unpredictable, but it can be interfered with by human will."

Are they Destiny- related items or traits?

Ayanokoji nodded slightly, indicating that she understood, and the question that had puzzled her for several days was now answered.

Passing through the decaying and faded torii gate, the four of them had reached the last stone step. The shrine in front of them was deserted, and the sound of cicadas could be heard from the dense trees.

This place has been abandoned for a long time, but looking back you can see a small pier and a vast ocean, which gives you a unique sense of openness.

The two found a bench and sat down. Sakayanagi Arisu and Shiina Hiyori stood naturally behind them, clearly knowing that the main event was about to begin.

"Before we begin, I have a question." Yuki pondered for a moment, then asked with considerable curiosity, "Aren't you afraid of dying when facing a stronger opponent?"

Without Yuki as a variable, Ayanokoji's chances of winning are actually not high, and a smart person like him would not act rashly.

"Why not broaden your horizons a bit? Don't limit yourself to just this small corner of Japan. Players of the Reincarnation Game come from all over the world," Ayanokoji had been waiting for him to ask, and answered without hesitation.

"The world? Who's backing you?" Yuki immediately became interested; the relationship was quite complicated.

This is normal; he has also cooperated with Tyrant and others.

"I'd say we're friends I met during a mission." The young man paused slightly, then said in a voice tinged with admiration, "Have you heard of the 'Battle God'?"

"That guy from Shenzhou?" Yuki certainly knew him; he'd heard of him on the forums. "Then why not ask him for a favor? He's more reliable than me, a variable."

"Because he felt he didn't have much time and didn't have time."

"What time?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say, or I'll be eliminated."

Yuki immediately shut his mouth. This was the real reason he had made the trip: to obtain more information from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka so that he could make preparations in advance.

He has discovered many suspicious points. Take this battle for example, both sides seem very anxious. Otherwise, as long as the core survives, they can continue to rack up kills and there is no need to fight so desperately.

The annihilation is indeed related to the Reincarnation Game. He can't say, but I can guess.

Yuki stroked his chin and asked in a cold voice, "Is this related to the 'evolution' information you gave me last time?"

"Yes." The boy nodded decisively. He knew exactly what Yuki wanted; this desire to explore was the foundation of their cooperation.

"Is the time limit for players?"

"Certainly."

"This piece of intelligence requires seniority and privileges to unlock, and the details are vague?"

"It's not just about seniority, but also about evaluation."

"Is that why Shinomiya Oko didn't think about expanding the organization indefinitely? He was more focused on planning for the future?"

"It should be."

"Is the role of an organization simply to provide assistance and find helpers?"

"That's for sure; the power of an individual is vastly different from that of a team."

Is this an isolated incident or a widespread phenomenon?

"This only applies to us; previous players might not know."

Yuki paused briefly, leaning forward slightly nervously. "So, will the players be eliminated immediately?"

"It's dangerous, but not to that extent."

That's good. I thought it would just die at a certain level, which contradicts the clues I found before.

A series of rapid-fire questions and answers; each question alone contains no answer from Ayanokoji, and even combining them yields little explanation. However, by adding what Yuki herself researched and incorporating some imagination, the content can be rearranged and combined...

Yuki leaned back in the damp chair, rubbing his temples with his fingers, Shiina Hiyori, who was intently watching him.

"I see."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Perhaps He Is Extraordinary (5K)

Summarize, recall, imagine, conclude.

Yuki connected the known information with the questions he had just heard, including his speculations about the selection mechanism and what he had seen and heard while being 'The Bystander Is Blind'.

The erased information from the Player Forum, Zhou's acceptance of his false identity, his stagnant physical abilities, the origin of the Hunter's Blunderbuss, the evil god beyond the dungeon, the invitation extended to me...

These findings have already revealed some problems, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's information provided crucial details, together constructing the outcome model.

"The Reincarnation Game has two phases. I am currently experiencing the first phase, which has an upper limit. Reaching this phase will involve a very difficult test that will exceed my current level of understanding."

"The reason they accepted false identities during the day is that they knew of the existence of the new stage, but they didn't know exactly what it would look like. Similarly, their hasty start of the war was to accumulate strength for this test; key figures like Shinomiya Oko certainly don't have much time left."

"Time affects all players, and according to what the Tyrant said, the minimum requirement for this exam is four dungeon experiences and Transcendental Grade level of strength. However, judging from Shinomiya Hongzheng's situation, there should be a way to postpone it temporarily."

"Then the role of player organizations becomes apparent. A group of well-coordinated, Transcendental Grade players will have an advantage not only in the exam but also in the next stage. And don't forget, the organization is always there, with reinforcements constantly arriving."

Damn it, it's like he's ascending to the celestial realm, paving the way for his juniors.

[Player Yuki, you have obtained information about an epic quest. You must not disclose this information to any unknown players, or you will be eliminated.]

The murmured voice rang out decisively, filling Yuki with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy.

The good thing is that he had the system's backing, and he guessed correctly; the bad thing is that he guessed correctly as well.

"It seems you received the system notification." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka visibly breathed a sigh of relief. If Yuki was too stupid, he would have had to provide more clues, and what if he inexplicably overstepped the line and was eliminated? Wouldn't that be a great injustice?

Since everyone was already aware of the situation, he wasn't afraid of being eliminated, and his voice relaxed a bit. "Don't be nervous. Theoretically speaking, the probability of epic quests appearing will only increase gradually starting from the fifth dungeon, but there are a few ways to avoid it."

"First, add other players' regular tasks; a single player cannot participate in two tasks simultaneously. Second, use permissions to delay receiving all tasks, but this is very costly. Third, use random tasks to circumvent the restrictions, but the downside is that it's relatively short."

Yuki nodded slowly and asked in return, "Since you have so many ways to stall for time, why are you in such a hurry?"

Humans are inherently lazy and averse to work. Apart from a very few madmen who crave power, who wants to move on to the next stage?

"Because there's no time to delay. It's like if the proctor doesn't care about you, you can cheat as much as you want. But if she targets you, she has a million ways to make you take the exam according to the rules."

Ayanokoji didn't explain the reason, and Yuki didn't ask. Prediction, intuition, and Probability Calculation are all possible; so many players aren't stupid.

Which method did you use?

"Use all three, especially the second one, which is the most effective. However, once you've burned through all the enhancement points, you can't really drag it out any longer." The boy sighed, and in doing so, answered a question that had been troubling Yuki for a long time.

It should be a privilege unlocked after seven or eight dungeon experience points. Since enhancement points and specialization points cannot be traded, no one can delay indefinitely.

"What about those fearless players? They frantically participate in missions and accumulate reward points." Yuki thought of a completely different type of player.

"How is that possible? After the sixth dungeon, you can no longer accumulate enhancement points and specialization points. After the eighth dungeon, players will not receive any rewards."

"I see, that explains why there was a loophole." Yuki nodded again.

The initial clues will appear after the fourth dungeon is completed. Smart players will stop leveling up and get stuck at Extraordinary IV to avoid receiving epic quests.

This is like exploiting a bug, accumulating a bunch of reward points, instantly reaching the Transcendental Grade IV rank, and then creating an extremely difficult epic quest to trick others.

The dungeon experience system is the fairest; if someone can't reach the Transcendental Grade level after eight dungeons, then they deserve to die.

"No wonder you guys spend all your time plotting internal strife but don't participate in missions. You gain nothing, you might as well just stay in reality and be lazy," Yuki said sarcastically, then added with a hint of surprise, "In that case, aside from those lunatics, eight dungeons is the maximum for a normal person, there's no need to fight any further."

I haven't even reached the eighth level yet; very few people can even get to that level.

Ayanokoji frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in his voice, and coughed lightly. "So what's missing is an opportunity to discourage those who want to procrastinate, and an opportunity for those who want a challenge to move on to the next stage."

"You think everyone's progress is stalled?" Yuki's eyes flickered.

"It's another guess, just like why the players are sorted by 'rounds'. None of the known players have taken the exam. In other words, perhaps the players who passed the exam disappear from our perception, which is why they don't leave any information behind."

It's a very simple reverse logic, and it's somewhat convincing.

Yuki stroked his chin, gazing at the vast ocean before him, and he had more or less figured it out.

In summary, even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka doesn't know what the epic quest is like or whether anyone has participated in it; he can only speculate on some results based on the existing information.

Four levels of experience and Transcendental Grade overall rating are the entry requirements for the exam. As the experience increases, the chance of receiving epic-level quests becomes higher and higher, and then normal people try to delay.

Gradually, they realized they couldn't delay any longer and began to think about how to handle the aftermath, but there was a problem:

Those power-hungry fanatics probably have more than eight dungeon experience points by now, why haven't they received any quests yet?

The Reincarnation Game deliberately manipulates mindsets, preventing those who want to stay from staying and those who want to leave from leaving. Or is this a unified test, waiting for that opportune moment?

Yuki didn't know, nor was he interested in thinking about it. He was nearing a critical point, and the mere mention of probability made him panic.

He's never had confidence in things like chance or probability; the lesson of Bloodthirsty Red Moon is still fresh in his mind. If he received an epic quest as soon as he stepped through the threshold, that would be a real disaster.

"I want to delay and postpone participating in the next dungeon quest."

"Don't worry, judging from your situation, it shouldn't be more than 5 dungeons. I'm not worried at all; you have plenty of time to prepare." The young man smiled, Repulsion from the question.

Anyone with a normal IQ should be able to guess most of the details after unlocking the fifth instance, so there's no need for them to ask themselves.

"No, I've always had bad luck; I'm afraid I'll get an epic quest as soon as I step through the door."

"How could I be so unlucky? I was just guessing it might be a standardized test, wait..." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was speaking when he suddenly stopped, turned around with a look of astonishment, and said, "You just mentioned the threshold? You don't have four dungeon qualifications?"

Not only him, Sakayanagi Arisu also looked over, her mouth slightly open.

Yuki their expressions, Yuuki felt a secret satisfaction, which finally eased his worries. He nodded and said, "Yes, we still need one more dungeon quest."

"You want to intimidate me?"

"Is that necessary? I'm not that petty." Yuki his hands, facing two pairs of surprised and uncertain eyes.

That's definitely unnecessary. In other words, he currently has three instance levels of experience, and he doesn't have any large organization providing resources behind him. What kind of monster is he?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka originally thought he was fast enough, as he was the fourth to advance to the Transcendent Transcendental Grade in the dungeon. However, he saw someone even faster. Fortunately, he had excellent mental fortitude and quickly suppressed his surprise.

"What's the rush with your three dungeon experience points?" The boy shifted his position, seemingly moving a little further away from Yuki. "I've said before that the unified exam is just a deduction; theoretically, the higher the experience level, the greater the chance of getting an epic quest."

"I believe your reasoning more; you could call me a pessimist." Yuki shook his head. He knew his problem wasn't just bad luck; he was being targeted outright, and he wasn't about to risk losing face.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked suspicious, but Yuki's eyes were firm. He guessed that this man had some unspeakable secret and was willing to believe in a low-probability event.

Rapid advancement is abnormal to begin with. Oh well, he's a very valuable collaborator.

After learning about Yuki's qualifications, he took it even more seriously and nodded, saying, "The first method depends on luck, the second on resources, and the only one you can use is the third, which is random missions."

"The random mission time is too short, and it's included in the rest period." Yuki a little disappointed. If it were really that simple, he and his seniors would have taken turns starting it.

When the break time is over, a murmuring sound immediately begins, and then you can no longer enter random missions.

"That's a regular random mission. I have ways to design longer ones," the boy corrected in a low voice, glancing almost imperceptibly at Shiina Hiyori beside him. "Of course, it won't take too long, maybe two or three days at most, but it will allow your teammates to complete the mission."

"That's enough. What price do I have to pay?" Yuki immediately, his thoughts not being hidden from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Does he want to give his companions time to improve their strength? This means there's a significant gap between them; this man either traveled alone or gained a great deal personally beyond the final evaluation.

The obvious result is that the goal is to form a group to tackle epic quests.

"Your teammates will have a tough time," the boy reminded him, then glanced at Shiina Hiyori, surprised that the latter didn't respond at all.

This is equivalent to completing your own instance, just emerging, and immediately having to participate in Yuki's quest, all while timing it perfectly.

Yuki wasn't worried about this, because those the Bystander Is Blind had been blinded by their own interests for too long. The senior and the others returned a day Hayasaka Ai, the senior, Hiyori would be the first to receive the mission notification.

"I will fully solicit their opinions; just tell me the price."

Should I help him? What do I need to gain in return?

Ayanokoji hesitated for a moment. This tool was very precious; it was by combining with the Black Hole that she had tricked 'Day,' but the side effects were also strong. She was unwilling to help him for nothing.

"Would you be willing to be the anvil?"