Chapter 164
There's another way out now, cough cough, we should reward Hiyori properly.
Yuki then looked at the trade post. There were many requests, so he didn't need to look at faces; he could choose according to his needs.
By eliminating options one by one based on each person's characteristics, four props were finally left:
[Void Puppet], [Night Domain], [Lucky Candy], and [Spirit Particle Communicator].
Since they had decided to progress together, Yuki didn't consider himself entirely. He didn't have eight arms, and having too many Chaos Item was useless; moreover, the cumulative side effects would be unbearable.
The Night Domain is prepared for its own use, inspired by Oreki Houtarou's gadgets. Trading a level 4 mechanical arm for a level 3 Chaos-level weapon is a real loss.
Considering the scarcity of domain-type items, Yuki decisively exchanged them and then unhesitatingly invested the last two enhancement points into them.
[Night Domain (Transcendental Grade Level)]
[Upon activation, a 2000-square-meter Night Domain expands outward from the user, causing blindness and slight terror within this area. No physical light can penetrate it, and infrared and thermal imaging detection are unavailable. Duration: 1 hour; Cooldown: 2 hours.]
[Side effect: Blinding occurs regardless of friend or foe]
[Description: Humans revere darkness, fear darkness, but the human heart is deeper than the night.]
Nice one.
Yuki glanced at the black and gold belt in his hand, which looked like it was woven from some kind of metal wire, with a strange pattern drawn in the middle that looked a bit like an abstract painting of a woman's head.
This item is similar to the random instance he just experienced, but the two are fundamentally different.
The Night Domain only makes things difficult to see with the naked eye, but it doesn't suppress the soul. It just so happens to match the soul vision of the Demon Eye, resulting in one-sided visibility.
As for the fact that physical light cannot penetrate it, meaning that things like torches and flashlights are useless, of course, the light generated by Transcendental Grade energy should be useful.
This Chaos Item is best suited for blind players, but considering that blind players are unlikely to complete the beginner dungeons, it's understandable that they can't exchange for it.
The other props are much simpler. The Spirit Particle Communicator is a communication tool; one main unit can be divided into several sub-units. It has a built-in positioning effect within a certain range, so there is no longer any fear of electronic interference.
Since it's a team game, communication tools are definitely the first thing to consider. However, the communication range of this thing is about the same as a radio, which is not enough when dealing with very large maps. Also, the main unit cannot fail, otherwise everything will become useless.
"Huh? Have we arrived in Izu yet?"
Just then, a sweet voice came from the side. Shiina Hiyori and looked around, clearly awakened by the movement of the knot.
"We're almost there. Did you rest well?"
Hiyori was about to say "It's alright" when she noticed the water stains on Yuki's shoulder and instantly blushed. "I slept very soundly, no, I slept too soundly."
"It's good that you can sleep well. Once your physique improves further, it'll be hard to sleep even if you want to." Yuki, who was engrossed in the transaction, turned around excitedly. "Look at the player panel, I gave you a gift."
Gift?
Hiyori and instinctively looked at the player panel, where she indeed saw something new in the item section.
[Void Puppet (Chaos Level)]
[Summons a Void Puppet similar to the user, sharing the five senses; this puppet is invisible in the material world.]
[Side effect: Sharing the five senses can cause confusion]
[Description: A phantom puppet, seemingly tearing your soul in two]
A very strange Chaos Item. It is clearly a puppet, yet it cannot be seen. Its perception is doubled, which is really unbearable for ordinary people. They will fall into the confusion of 'who is the True Self? '
However, Hiyori has amazing observational skills and can distinguish the differences from different perspectives. This tool can greatly improve the speed of information acquisition, roughly doubling it. Moreover, she can send puppets to Reconnaissance certain dangerous places.
"Thank you very much." Hiyori quickly expressed her gratitude. This was clearly a choice carefully made by Yuki, perfectly matching her characteristics.
"Of course." Yuki waved his hand generously. Although the Chainsaw Sword was traded, which was a bit of a loss in enhancement points, its value to the team was far greater than that of a secondary weapon.
Besides, the Chainsaw Sword was stolen, so getting it back and forth is practically free.
Hiyori satisfaction, then looked at the other items. "Is this Lucky Candy for Hayasaka- san?"
"Yes, the earrings we gave her before weren't enough. We definitely need to upgrade Death Knell to Arcane Grade level for the next dungeon. We need to prepare in advance so she doesn't become the unlucky one."
"Yeah, that revolver is incredibly powerful, but the side effects are just as terrifying." Hiyori had seen Hayasaka Ai shoot and knew how unlucky she would be. She tilted her head and said, "It feels like each of us has a core strength, which is like the trunk of a tree, and everything else is just decoration on that tree."
It's a wonderful metaphor, but also quite accurate.
Hayasaka Ai's core skill revolves around the 'Death Knell,' with all her items and skills designed to support it; Kaguya Shinomiya, on the other hand, focuses on archery, prioritizing shooting farther and more accurately.
Hiyori specializes in Reconnaissance, so just focus on building up her items; Senpai is a bit more complicated, but it's all built around the word 'support'.
Assault fighter, sniper, scout, support dad.
A fully equipped squad is gradually taking shape. Based on the character configurations in online games, it seems that only a mage, healer, crowd controller, and Tank are missing. It's unclear when they will be able to assemble the squad.
Wait a minute, then what am I?
Yuki glanced at his stats with a purpose in mind, and quickly found the answer:
Assassins, swordsmen, high-damage dealers with self-healing abilities...
Damn, am I that weird?
Chapter Twenty-Four Kaguya Opens the Door to a New World (4K)
Mai Sakurajima put down her phone, recalled what had just been said, and sighed softly.
Yuki's concerns were valid. Along the way, they had indeed received a lot of 'care' from the Reincarnation Game, so they dared not gamble their lives on probability.
If a major incident does occur after the fourth instance, Yuki will certainly be prepared, but their strength is not yet sufficient.
Putting aside everything else, it should at least be close to the Transcendental Grade.
"Did you just hear that?" The senior student gestured to the side; the rented room was quite cramped, Hayasaka Ai naturally heard it.
"He must have obtained important information that there will be a change after the fourth instance, so he wants us to go through another instance to accumulate strength." Hayasaka Ai had just returned and was sitting on the edge of the bed changing into her maid outfit, gently loosening her white stockings, leaving a fleshy mark on her thigh.
She stood up, splashing water from her long dress, then turned her head. "Didn't you ask why?"
Is it necessary to ask?
"It's really unnecessary. His arrangements are never wrong." Hayasaka Ai felt she had said something pointless. They had spent so much time together, there were already signs. "By the way, you just agreed to her like that?"
"If you have other ideas, Hayasaka- san, you can just say so. Maybe it's safer to follow the proper steps." Mai Sakurajima smiled, a hint of anticipation in her eyes, only to see the maid roll her eyes and ignore her.
Now that things have come to this, what other thoughts are there? This is not what you wanted. Emotionally, I am shameless; rationally, both choices have their advantages and disadvantages.
"Hiyori -kun will be here later, I'm going to buy ingredients for dinner. Hey, I don't need your help, just sit with Kaguya-chan for a while." Mai Sakurajima turned and left, making Hayasaka, who had half-stood up, stiffen slightly before sitting back down.
It must be said that Mai Sakurajima is indeed very understanding.
She returned at noon today. The relocation plan went very smoothly. Not to mention the players, even the security personnel didn't bother to send anyone.
There was a bit of awkwardness when I first met Kaguya, but it was fine after we talked things out.
Both sides agreed to maintain their previous relationship outside of the Reincarnation Game, while in the game they would be purely comrades-in-arms. They've been together for so many years, and neither of them would be used to the idea of reversing their positions.
Reality is meant to be a place for players to adjust their mood, so why make yourself unhappy?
Hayasaka Ai slowly got up and placed a cup of coffee on the table, which startled Kaguya.
"Something's not right, Hayasaka, there's something wrong with that Yuki Sorajima." Kaguya also heard the phone call. She wasn't stupid; she noticed the suspicious points by connecting them to her own experience.
The phrase "the Bystander Is Blind often confused" was used to describe something "abnormal" in the summary. She didn't understand it then, but she does now.
The Reincarnation Game is targeting Yuki Sorajima!
This answer is somewhat alarming; his opponent is actually the entire game. No wonder he has to prepare in advance and is busy to the point of exhaustion all day long.
"Yuki is definitely a special person. Traveling with him carries both risks and safety." The maid held the plate, her face expressionless.
In a way, this plan is a good thing, because it means there's no longer any need to go through the trouble of hiding one's whereabouts.
"You knew all along?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow, her expression much more animated than usual.
"Yes, I knew from the beginning. As I just said, the beginner dungeon was cleared by me, him, and Mai Sakurajima together."
When they met again, Hayasaka had already told the story of the Bloodthirsty Red Moon. Although Kaguya had not experienced it, she could hear the torment in the story and finally understood where that strange feeling came from.
As fellow players, if she experienced wind and rain, then the latter was hit by hail, lightning, and hurricanes—the difficulty is incomparable, so of course she's more mature.
"Don't worry, this is no longer a problem. The difficulty of the Demon Hospital is quite normal, and I'm not a masochist."
What kind of "normal" is that? Isn't it quite painful? Uh, I think I've experienced something similar.
Kaguya picked up her coffee, took a sip, and found it still tasted the same as always. She closed her eyes comfortably.
Thinking back to my second dungeon experience, it was dangerous as it was, but the result was pretty good. I made my first pot of gold by clinging to Yuki's coattails.
And this was without any special treatment. Hmm, Hayasaka rarely acts on emotion, which is a good thing she learned from me.
Her unease subsided slightly. Still thinking she'd been tricked, she put down her cup and secretly glanced behind her.
"Hayasaka, have you decided to continue this relationship with him?"
"Yes, it's like taking care of you; it's become a habit."
You've been with me for almost ten years, while I've only known him for less than a month. How can you compare them?
Kaguya felt a voice roaring in her heart, followed by a sour feeling, as if something precious had been stolen from her.
"He didn't even tell you why, Hayasaka, this isn't a very rational thing to do."
"Rationally speaking, I've been through hell with him, and I believe nothing can stop him."
"Believe? That word itself is rather irrational. So what about from an emotional perspective?" Kaguya took another sip of coffee, feeling as if she had returned to the past.
"Sensual? I firmly believe he can fulfill everyone's wishes." Hayasaka Ai paused slightly, glanced at the door, and lowered her voice. "Besides, I like him."
Puff.
She spat out a mouthful of coffee; if Mai Sakurajima saw this, she probably wouldn't recognize this ice sculpture beauty.
Kaguya turned her head in a flash and saw the maid, whose face was slightly flushed and who looked completely different from usual.
This has completely lost its professionalism; all that remains is the naive fantasy of a sixteen-year-old girl about love.
Kaguya's eyes were filled with unfamiliarity. She knew Hayasaka had a 'girl next door' persona, but she knew it was definitely not an act.
After a moment of stunned silence, he shed his cold coat and raised his fingers with trembling hands.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"It was Kaguya- sama who pressed you for answers, and why are you blushing?" Hayasaka Ai, seeing the ice-cold beauty break down, added insult to injury, "Kaguya, you wouldn't be trying to steal her from me, would you?"
Snap!
"How could that be? I caught it from you!"
Kaguya slammed her hands on the table, splashing the remaining coffee.
"I don't care, I don't agree to this marriage!"
"Who said I was going to marry him? Besides, I have an employer-employee relationship with you, you're not my mother." Hayasaka lowered his head, his face turning even redder at the mention of 'marriage,' completely forgetting about his player mode.
"I... I..." Kaguya wanted to say she would report him to Nao right away, but couldn't bring herself to say it because of the situation, so she changed her approach. "No, I think Mai Sakurajima and him are the more like a couple."
"Before a winner is decided, who dares to predict the outcome? Of course, I admit that Mai Sakurajima -senpai is progressing slightly faster." Hayasaka Ai immediately frowned, clearly displeased.
Kaguya rarely saw Hayasaka with such an expression in front of her, and the sour feeling in her heart intensified. She wanted to remind him that being swayed by emotions would prevent him from being rational, but the words wouldn't come out.
As her master, I should correct her misconceptions; the Reincarnation Game can be fatal.
But Hayasaka had already made up her mind; she said it directly so I couldn't persuade her otherwise.
The two little figures were arguing in her mind. Kaguya suddenly shook her head and lowered her voice as well. "But from what I've observed, Mai Sakurajima is very capable. She's both understanding and poised, just like..."
"You're like someone who exudes the aura of an empress, aren't you?" Hayasaka Ai said for her, then took a deep breath. "You still have to fight. I learned this competitive spirit from you."
Competitive spirit? I was referring to studying, okay? Do men even have the right to talk about competitive spirit?
"But what if you really lose? Wouldn't you have gained nothing?" Kaguya scoffed, but she stood on Hayasaka's side, worried for her.
At this moment, there was no master and servant, only best friends like sisters. Hayasaka Ai liked this feeling very much, and after waiting for a long time, she couldn't help but smile:
"If it really comes to that, I'll just accept it; that way, it'll be a draw. Just don't tell anyone else, or I'll lose before the game even starts."
Hayasaka realized he had overthought things. Kaguya-sama he had spent nearly ten years with, blinked, tilted her head, and stared blankly as if her computer had crashed. Hayasaka immediately realized that he had gone too far and touched on Kaguya's area of ignorance, and blushed instantly.
What do you mean by "accept"? How can it be considered a tie?
At first, she thought it was an acceptance of defeat, but seeing Hayasaka Ai's flushed face, she analyzed Hayasaka Ai's words several times, her mouth growing ever wider.
Ah???