Chapter 163
Iron felt? Oh, so you want me to be your sparring partner?
Yuki quickly came to his senses, thinking to himself that this guy had the potential to be a capitalist, managing to find ways to exploit people.
"I usually kill when I make a move."
"Then you'll have to figure it out yourself."
"Uh, I can try to be patient." Since he needed a favor, Yuki.
A pragmatist who doesn't care about saving face.
Ayanokoji had a new idea. He stood up, brushed the sawdust off his pants, and said, "Then the deal is done. Once you've taken care of those things, come find me at the academy."
Yuki helped ignite the explosive barrel in exchange for crucial information. It was fair; both were the kind of situations where it was absolutely necessary, but it also saved a lot of effort.
The two also developed a tacit understanding; in their eyes, Zhou was always just an obstacle, and they pursued a higher level.
Because it's divided into two stages, reality is always just a tool.
What else can you say?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka paused slightly, then continued forward, waving his hand without turning back.
"I have some guesses that relate to my goal of continuing the fight, but unfortunately I can't reveal a single one."
As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared from sight. Yuki glanced at the distant sea; this was the question Ayanokoji hadn't mentioned.
It is clearly more important and more secretive, and cannot be probed with a quick question and answer approach.
"Hiyori, what do you think he's fighting for?"
The girl kept reading the conversation, thought for a moment, and then replied in a sweet tone, "I don't know, but Ayanokoji's motivation certainly isn't something as superficial as power or money."
That's for sure. He's just as ambitious as I am, and not particularly interested in controlling other people's Destiny.
Yuki sensed a familiar scent and asked calmly, "Hiyori, what do you think of this plan?"
The girl had been listening the whole time and had also received game hints, making it even clearer what the man wanted to do.
He planned the whole thing using a small team concept, which was obviously dangerous. At a normal pace, it would take Hiyori a long time to reach this stage, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem that far off.
Want to suppress your strength? The Reincarnation Game has plenty of ways to exhaust your potential, not to mention points.
"I... I will work hard."
The answer was as expected. If Shiina Hiyori and the others must be even more so.
Yuki smiled almost imperceptibly, feeling a pressure stemming from trust. He wasn't afraid to be a lone wolf, but he was also worried about leaving the others behind and walking ahead.
"Then let's work together. The next few days will be tough, so do your best to get as many rewards as possible, because things will change after you get through another dungeon."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka himself has stated, the pessimistic viewpoint is merely speculation.
But for some reason, she felt it was very likely.
Experiencing two instances in a row is a challenge for both her mind and body, but thankfully she no longer needs to hide her identity within the academy.
"I will try my best!"
The same answer, but this time with more determination. Yuki's smile widened, and he casually grasped the girl's slender forearm.
"Let's go too, there won't be any more boats later."
"Will you take me back to the academy?" Hiyori glanced at Yuki's hand, her face slightly flushed, then realized this wasn't the first time.
Without pausing or looking back, Yuki Lightness stepped onto the stone steps and strode towards the Grand Blue.
"No, let's go home."
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu were already seated on the boat, and looking back, they could see the shrine on the mountain.
"Why did you lie to him?" The fox-like girl approached, her voice cold. "You calculated the probability of all Transcendental Grade players, and your chances of receiving an epic quest were clearly much higher, meaning it's mostly based on seniority."
"It's just a few percentage points. For example, Mr. Ye has already participated in ten dungeons, so why hasn't he received an epic quest yet?" The young man frowned, some things he couldn't figure out no matter how hard he thought about them.
"It might just be good luck, or the probability isn't 100% yet. What's there to doubt?"
"Heh, the Reincarnation Game doesn't tolerate idlers. After eight dungeons, it's just a waste of time. Explain again why Shinomiya Oko and I suddenly feel like we don't have enough time? Is it just because we're not as lucky as Mr. Ye?"
Sakayanagi Arisu; this belonged to the realm of metaphysics, how could she explain it?
"Consider it a small act of revenge, and also an experiment." Ayanokoji didn't press for details, and as the small boat rose and fell, "Even without a catalyst, having a powerful ally to protect the academy after I leave is a good thing."
"What if, regardless of seniority, all epic quests are unlocked once he completes the fourth dungeon?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked instinctively, her tone almost joking.
But when she turned her head and saw the boy's serious expression, her smile vanished involuntarily.
"If that's the case, it's either a coincidence or..." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at the distant island and saw a couple walking hand in hand down the steps, murmuring to themselves in a voice only he could hear.
"He is extraordinary."
Chapter Twenty-Three: Item Trading (4K)
Where to go, where to return.
Yuki rarely thinks about these philosophical questions. His soul doesn't belong to this world, and he never thought about returning to his original world to become a corporate slave.
Originally, having transmigrated, I could have used desire to numb myself, but the diary disrupted my plans, and my survival instinct took over.
Because this world suits my taste, I must live. The appearance of the Reincarnation Game brought liberation, and with the unfolding of the Bloodthirsty Red Moon, that original intention was kept intact.
Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai —we've come full circle. In the normal world, how many visual novels would you have to play to accumulate enough experience points to win over both of them?
As for developing feelings for two people, or even more people at the same time...
Young man, my urine is quite yellow, would you like to try this?
"To put it bluntly, the Reincarnation Game is just a tool for me; my goal has never changed from the beginning."
Yuki sat on the train, glancing at the sleeping girl beside him. Shiina Hiyori's forehead rested on his shoulder, her breathing even.
The two chatted all the way from the island, even taking a break to have lunch and visit the library in Fukuoka. They continued chatting after getting back on the bus. Shiina Hiyori and strong reasoning skills, so naturally she and Yuki had endless things to talk about.
But her energy was no match for a monster like Yuki, and she eventually couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
Compared to the trust that Shiina Hiyori dared to risk her life to accept the challenge, any level of affection seemed pale and powerless.
Strategy games might at most give you a stomachache, but Reincarnation Game are truly deadly.
With that thought in mind, Yuki hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone, running his fingers over the screen, and finally, after gritting his teeth, dialed the number.
"You idiot, how's the matter going?"
After the busy signal, Mai Sakurajima's somewhat tired voice rang out.
"Alright, we've exchanged a lot of information and confirmed some of our guesses." Yuki murmured, unusually hesitant.
"Something happened?"
"Well, we need to revise our step-by-step plan. You know I'm unlucky."
Puff.
Mai couldn't help but laugh as she opened the door. She gestured to Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka who came to greet Kaguya, turned on the speakerphone, and leaned gently against the wall.
"I still need to cook, so just tell me your decision." She stopped laughing, her voice cold and serious.
"Aren't you going to ask why?"
"I told you I'm cooking, I don't have time to listen to your explanations. Just tell me already, you're not the kind of person who hesitates."
"You really understand me, senior." Yuki unconsciously sat up straight and said, word by word, "I'm sorry, I won't be able to accompany you guys in the next dungeon run either."
"Isn't one Kaguya enough?" Mai Sakurajima's voice suddenly turned sharp, leaving Kaguya Shinomiya completely bewildered.
"What are you thinking? I'm trying to narrow the gap in strength between the teams." Yuki quickly clarified that, for some reason, the team couldn't be too far apart in strength when everyone was fighting, otherwise he would get in trouble.
A soft breathing sound came through the receiver. Yuki also fell silent. He didn't need to explain; Mai Sakurajima's intelligence was enough for her to guess and know what price this arrangement would cost.
Mai Sakurajima remained silent for a long time, and Yuki's expression gradually darkened. Just then, a reply finally came.
"Now, Hayasaka and I are your seniors. Come back early, we're waiting for you to cook dinner."
Beep beep beep.
The call Yuki held his phone, stunned for a long time. He had made several guesses before making the call, but he never expected such a 'playful' answer.
They clearly understood what I meant, yet they acted nonchalantly, as if we were discussing what to eat for dinner.
Fine, I'll take the loss; I'll suddenly have two more female classmates.
He didn't care about such intimate jokes; he was more concerned with looking to his left and right, seeing that someone was following him, even though just a little further away lay endless darkness.
This is an experiment; if it proves I was worrying unnecessarily, that would be even better.
Eight dungeons represent the Limit reward; at his current pace, he'll definitely have a full set of god-tier gear by then.
"But my purpose in life is to deal with the worst-case scenario." Yuki rubbed his head. This problem was both easy and the most difficult to solve.
There's no binding relationship within the team; the senior students just need to avoid following in others' footsteps. But is that even possible?
"Besides Kaguya Shinomiya, I can't Hiyori, and besides, I don't want to."
Yuki took out his phone. Effort is never one-sided. Since the decision was made to work as a team, some investment was necessary.
The transaction post has received a response.
In the past two weeks, I've made quite a few gains. Yuki has listed four Chaos Item: Chainsaw Sword, Impact Hammer, a mechanical arm, and a music box. Each one is pretty good, and players have been asking to trade with them.
Yuki carefully selected his candidates, taking into account each person's weaknesses. Having experienced so many battles, he understood this well:
Strengths don't guarantee victory, but weaknesses can be fatal.
Thinking of this, Yuki turned his head slightly and glanced at the girl sleeping soundly beside him.
"Hiyori is the weakest right now, we need to buff her."
Shiina Hiyori gained the most from the 'Forest Sea Labyrinth' she just experienced, and Yuki has also seen the player panel.
Player: Hiyori (Experienced dungeons: Demon Hospital, Forest Sea Labyrinth)
Physical Strength: Human (Excellent)
Storage space: 1 cubic meter
Ego Trait: [Reality Reading] LV.2 Description:
[Player Hiyori will enter a reading state, rapidly analyzing all surrounding details and gaining Transcendental Grade vision. Activation time is ten minutes, cooldown time is one hour.]
Chaos Item: Comfort Pills (Chaos Level)
Transcendental Grade Skill: Future Deduction (Mastered)
Residual reinforcement points: 1
Specialization points remaining: 0
Unlike Mai Sakurajima- senpai, she's a dungeon-crawling type of player, lacking even support abilities.
The two specializations naturally focused on physical strength and characteristics.
Despite having excellent physical strength, it's still a weakling in combat, but its special abilities are quite interesting: extended duration and some kind of Transcendental Grade vision. In Hiyori's words, this state also makes time feel slower.
Then there's Future Deduction, which is the Transcendental Grade result of reaching the Master level in the ordinary skill 'Deduction'. No wonder the ordinary skill section was omitted from the player panel later on.
This is even more interesting because everyone has various skills. Isn't a chef supposed to have excellent cooking skills? It's just that these skills are worthless in the Reincarnation Game.
"Hiyori is truly a gem; she can detect even the slightest clues and still has the courage to use precious enhancement points to try."
Yuki had no idea she was so brave. He thought to himself, "Hiyori didn't ask, and she's so smart. I never taught her anything, and yet this girl was secretly brewing a plan."
The fact that Transcendental Grade skills can be upgraded from ordinary skills is extremely valuable information, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka should know, but Yuki was too embarrassed to ask such a basic question.
"When a common skill reaches the master level, there is a certain probability that it will be upgraded to Transcendental Grade skill, resulting in a qualitative change while retaining its original level."
Yuki muttered to himself, saying that the Reincarnation Game's setup was strange; items were plentiful, but Transcendental Grade skills were extremely scarce, and even he himself only had two.
Reinforcement Magecraft and Vitality Shift: one is obtained through enhancement point extraction, and the other is a kill reward. After a player finishes two or three dungeons, they are already short of enhancement items, so who would dare to gamble on skill extraction?
Whether or not you can actually draw it is another matter, but wouldn't it be awkward if you drew one that didn't fit the combat system?
"No wonder my normal skills stopped improving after reaching the excellent level. So that's the problem. Besides, most people wouldn't bother to improve their normal skills, would they?"
Yuki glanced at his stats. His Bladed Weapon Proficiency and combat skills were both excellent, and he had also become proficient in firearms without even realizing it. Since this was a 'record', he hadn't paid much attention to it.