Chapter 168
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at him with a strange expression, then shook his head after a long while, a faint smile appearing on his face.
How could that be?
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Simulated Battle (4K)
[Random Dungeon Deployment]
[This instance will remain active for 48 hours.]
The strange murmurs were still there, but the content had decreased significantly; it was clear that the players couldn't set the rules.
"No rules, not even a name for the instance?"
Yuki opened his eyes, his vision instantly returning to normal, and he saw an ordinary, unremarkable scene.
This was a mountain range with canyons, lakes, and tangled forests, unlike the city ruins and Bone Plains he had seen before.
Just like the difference between a self-built house in the countryside and a wealthy manor, even if they are both very large, they are not comparable in terms of value.
Yuki lowered his head slightly, glancing at the thirteen players not far away. The extra one was Sakayanagi Arisu, who was looking at him with a sinister smile. As for the others...
Ryuuen Kakeru, Horikita Suzune, Sudo Ken, Katsuragi Kohei, oh, and Chabashira Sae is also there.
He had never encountered so many 'familiar faces' in a dungeon before, but he remained calm despite seeing so many, giving him the illusion of being a boss.
Yuki recognized others, but they didn't recognize him; they just felt that the guy in the black suit was incredibly intimidating.
"Just as Ayanokoji- san said, the temperers are really powerful."
"Whether someone is good or not, we'll only know after we try. We've seen plenty of players who just bluff."
"I heard he was a great help, should we let him through?"
"Release the water? That would be a complete waste of time. I might as well go back to the dorm and sleep."
The whispering sounds reached Yuki, but he remained silent, casting a glance at Chabashira Sae, who was dressed in a professional suit, signaling her, as a teacher, to step in and intervene.
"Alright, it seems Mr. Kevin doesn't want to waste any more time." The female teacher, with an indifferent expression, clapped her hands and decisively complied with Yuki's wishes. "I'll tell him the rules, and let's begin."
As expected of a teacher, her words immediately silenced everyone, and she then slowly explained the rules of the game.
The content is simple: a two-day battle royale where twelve players are scattered throughout the mountains. After the game starts, they try to regroup and then all chase down Yuki.
This is a battle rule that tries to simulate a random dungeon as much as possible. Yuki is familiar with it, and it's quite fair. If twelve people attack together, even he, no matter how strong, can't withstand it.
Yuki remained silent, only sizing up the teacher with the explosive figure, then scanning his opponents one by one, analyzing their expressions and observing their movements.
They were all listening attentively, indicating that he held a very high position and was the leader of the team.
Ryuen and Sudo stood firmly, suggesting they were more likely to engage in close combat; Horikita Suzune shifted her calves slightly, indicating her physical abilities wouldn't exceed their Limit...
"As for me, I'll be in charge of safety. Everyone will be given a small amount of special soul energy. If the damage is fatal, the soul will annihilate itself, thus negating the damage. Of course, the holder of the soul will also be eliminated." Sakayanagi Arisu said slowly and deliberately, then glanced at Yuki:
Would you like some?
"I won't need it; I'll take care of my own safety." Yuki, of course, was unwilling to have any soul attached to him. While marveling at how interesting the skill was, he looked at Ryuuen Kakeru and the others.
No one questioned it; clearly, they did this all the time, no wonder they were so adept at dealing with players.
This is a divine artifact! It allows for simulated battles at any time, and even with equal strength, the combat experience is far superior to that of the opponent.
"Let's begin now."
"Aren't you going to rest for a bit? Two days is still a long time."
Yuki looked at the fox-like girl, spread his hands, and took out a long sword and a hunting rifle, making the oppressive feeling even more fierce.
"It's okay, you can rest after you finish playing."
Just how many players did this man kill?
Everyone had the same thought: abandoning their playful mood, they scattered after receiving the soul sent by Sakayanagi Arisu.
This Black Mountains was large enough for the twelve people to be scattered. Before long, only Sakayanagi Arisu remained by Yuki's side. She gently swung her cane and watched the show with great interest.
"Is the rush because you need to enter a mission instance immediately after leaving here?"
"Time's up, I guess we'll get a notification as soon as we leave." Yuki was somewhat wary of this seemingly frail girl and deliberately kept his distance.
Sakayanagi didn't care about this little trick, and instead praised her, "You're quite fair. Those girls have been working hard participating in dungeons for a while, but you won't let them off the hook."
"I've had enough rest. Besides, without them, all that's left is tension and loneliness. I might as well find something to do." Yuki was fully engaged in his work, exuding a strong smell of blood.
A bloodthirsty rabid dog. Luckily, he was wearing a collar. If I were alone, I wouldn't dare stand in front of him.
The girl instinctively took a step back, reminding her, "They'll be hidden in half an hour. Then it'll be up to you how you perform."
"No, let's start now." Yuki drew his sword, tilted his head, and asked, "Can I really use my full strength?"
"Sure, as long as you don't finish them off, but I have to warn you, they're not completely spread out yet."
Yuki glanced at the bronze jar in her hand. This thing must be Chaos Item of the Arcane Grade level, capable of giving players an extra life out of thin air. And Ayanokoji had actually kept its function a secret from me.
Being wounded but not killed is practically a bug; I never thought I'd get to experience it in person.
"Okay, that's what you said."
Yuki had nothing to worry about; if something went wrong, he wouldn't have to take the blame. Gray mist spread out, and Magic Circuit covered his two thighs.
Bang!
A gust of wind interrupted Sakayanagi's words of advice. She pressed down on her hat, and a blur flew close to the ground over the dark mountains. She immediately understood why Yuki had started ahead of schedule.
Is this a preemptive reduction in manpower? Even at the risk of being immediately surrounded, are they trying to seize the initiative?
Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her hand, revealing a faint smile.
Hey, Longyuan and his gang are in for a rough time.
Since it wasn't a real battle, the people from the academy weren't too nervous and were even putting in their best effort to teach him a lesson.
So when they dispersed, they didn't hide their tracks. The shapely Chabashira Sae walked through the canyon, skirting the bushes that would snag tattered black stockings, her body shimmering faintly.
With the telepathic communication system established, she could sense the locations of her 11 companions within this vast mountain range, followed by a barrage of chaotic sounds.
"The teacher is cheating again. Now that the telepathic communication system is set up, how can anyone else play?"
"Shut up, we can all hear what you're thinking. Everyone, concentrate, I don't want to hear disgusting secrets."
"Haha, you mean Sudo wasn't wearing underwear?"
"Hey, you want to increase the difficulty by causing internal strife, huh?"
Chabashira's head was spinning from the noise, so he snorted, which sent a splitting headache through all the Linkers, like Mental Impact. As soon as someone reminded them, "Chabashira- sensei is angry," things quieted down considerably.
"Everyone, take this seriously. This is our first simulated battle with our allies, so don't embarrass yourselves." Chabashira Sae smiled slightly, enjoying this energetic feeling. Everyone was not overly distorted by the Reincarnation Game, and this was her motivation to maintain the team.
Everything is completely different, yet everything remains the same.
"Once we begin, I'll mark the coordinates, then everyone gather at those coordinates, and we'll search for him in groups of three."
"Why not stick together?" someone asked.
"That's too inefficient, and don't you think it's unfair? Ryuen-kun used his intuition to calculate that he doesn't have overwhelming strength, although his aura is somewhat intimidating. We need to be careful."
Chabashira Sae's words caused a burst of laughter, but as a professional player, despite the laughter, he remained quite serious.
They started by forming groups, without even drawing lots. Each group had gone through more than two dungeon missions together, and their teamwork was excellent, with complementary skills.
"Yukimura- kun will come find me later. Let's find a place to hide, and then I'll give orders to everyone."
"Okay, Mr. Chabashira."
The woman, clearly familiar with the process, arranged for a few more people to follow, and slowly said, "Horikita-kun, please activate your soul network, detect that person's whereabouts, and then report back to me promptly."
"But we haven't completely dispersed yet, and the time hasn't come. Is it really necessary for us to cheat?" the indifferent girl reminded her.
"Horikita, are you deaf? That guy clearly said 'start now,' why are we waiting?"
"Longyuan, you want internal strife, is that it? Fine, deal with him first, then we'll continue."
"You underestimate him. Believe me, this guy is really weird."
The others remained silent, watching the two arch-enemies hurl insults at each other. It was only by sending a mental shock as punishment that Chabashira Sae prevented her mental network from turning into a chat room.
"Listen to me, unfold it."
"Yes, Chabashira- sensei," Horikita Suzune replied reluctantly, stepping onto the hilltop and embracing the Black Mountains.
The soul network expands to its maximum extent.
The invisible energy spreads rapidly across the grass, trees, mountains, and rivers, leaving no living thing undetected. It is especially useful in this instance where there are no other creatures.
The fog of war was cleared, and nearby soul points of light appeared in her mind. The cold, black-haired girl raised her chin, revealing a hint of pride, but her expression quickly froze.
A beam of spiritual light moved swiftly, ignoring the complex terrain, heading straight for the teammate in the center, guided by that familiar spiritual aura—
"Chabashira Teacher, he's here!"
"She really dares to start early? Don't panic, which way is she going?"
As Chabashira Sae comforted her, she turned around and heard a series of thumping sounds, like a pack of beasts, along with Horikita's last words.
"They came for you!"
Before he could finish speaking, a figure shrouded in thick gray mist appeared above the canyon. Chabashira slowly widened his eyes, wondering why the person was looking for him right away.
I was clearly in the center of the line, Sudo and the others were closer, and I was clearly about to be surrounded.
"Everyone, move towards me immediately..."
Bang! Bang!
Yuki a word, Yuki raised his hand and fired two shotgun blasts at his opponent. The bullets decreased in speed at a visible rate, eventually forming a large patch of glittering 'gravel'.
AT Field?
Seeing the ripples in the air, Yuki raised an eyebrow, then jumped straight off the cliff dozens of meters high, wielding his sword with both hands and bringing it down with the force of gravity.
Swish--
The blade slowed, but it had already pushed the mental barrier to its Limit, creating a crack. Chabashira Sae turned red as she gathered her mental energy to try and eject the person, but a Black Hole suddenly appeared from the crack.
Without even thinking, she quickly rolled to the side. She had witnessed the power of the shotgun before, but no shot was fired.
Huh? He's out of bullets?
The moment the ominous feeling arose, a demonic figure pierced through the barrier and swept past, a gleaming blade flashing upwards.
The Reverse Kasaya).
Yuki passed by and saw bloodstains on the woman's body. The woman's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
What an interesting gadget! Doesn't this feel like having an extra life?
Yuki glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and realized that the slash just now could have cut the defenseless Chabashira Sae in two, but he was only left in a near-death state, with no visible wounds.
Of course, for him it's just one more strike, but this is a simulation, and he keeps his word.
"Completely realistic, Ayanokoji has quite a few good things at his disposal."
Yuki licked his lips. Now he had nothing to worry about. He quickly memorized this unprecedented psychic ability and looked up ahead.
At the other end of the canyon, a handsome young man wearing glasses appeared; it was Yukimura Teruhito, who had helped him out at the school gate earlier.
The boy looked like he'd seen a ghost. He was only a few hundred meters away from his teacher, and it took him a dozen seconds to rush over, only to find Chabashira Sae's 'corpse'.
"How is that possible? Teacher Chabashira has amazing defensive capabilities."
Somewhat unbelievable, and somewhat bewildered, Teacher Chabashira was not only a signal base station but also a commander; how could he be eliminated so quickly?
But reality didn't allow him to think too much, because a pair of blood-red eyes locked onto his face, and his mind was jolted awake as if pricked by needles.
A mental illusion.
The Night Domain.
The invisible spiritual force was released, but the target was lost in the next moment.
Pitch blackness enveloped him, and fear began to creep into his heart. Yet Yukimura remained calm, immediately recognizing it as a domain-type item, indicating that his opponent intended to assassinate him at close range.
Defense? Dodge? Or Offense?
Yukimura hesitated for a moment, then simply switched from a pinpoint strike to a wide-area mental storm. But as soon as he unleashed it, he felt a 'foreign object' approach him.