Chapter 180
Tsk, praising you won't work, scolding you won't work either, you're such a hassle.
Yuki rolled his eyes, frowned slightly when he saw the blood seeping from Hayasaka's abdomen, and picked up the coat on the table to drape over her shoulders.
The Ghost Shooter significantly reduces physical attacks, rather than becoming immune to physical contact; she used it very riskily.
Hayasaka grasped Yuki's arm and asked softly, "It's alright. My appearance is enough for them to deduce my Limit strength, right?"
"That's enough. Here, strength is judged based on the opponent's power. You did use your full strength just now." Yuki smiled sinisterly. Full strength is one thing, but you didn't use your maximum destructive power.
He looked around. Since he led his team into battle, this deathmatch arena had become unusually quiet. It was one thing that their aesthetic tastes differed, but they always seemed to win.
The warnings have been issued; it's probably close to a turning point.
"When is the next match?" Yuki looked at Abate, who had a strange expression on his face. This guide was questioning his life choices.
"I don't know, but there probably aren't many soldiers interested in you." Abate took a deep breath.
The people here are not afraid of death, nor are they afraid of the strong. That only makes them more excited and eager for that one in a thousand chance. Only such a victory is epic.
But they didn't want to die so miserably and inexplicably, without cheers or glory, their bodies smashed to pieces, with no one from the Cult able to take them away.
Yuki silent for a moment; he still didn't understand how many warriors were here, though he had witnessed several fierce battles.
The weakest are all above Extraordinary I level, and only one, the Bull Demon, and the Bloody Reaper have reached the Transcendental Grade. Moreover, warriors are not afraid of death, and even if they were to fight these two, neither of them would back down.
It's strange. The warriors seem to grow back like leeks; you cut one crop, and another grows back. Doesn't the Cult care at all?
"When can I become a warrior?"
"Keep fighting until no one in this deathmatch arena dares to challenge you." Abate thought for a moment, then helplessly spread his hands. "I think that'll be soon."
A true warrior should slaughter his way to the death, leaving corpses strewn across the battlefield and rivers of blood, earning the awe of all and being crowned amidst cheers.
But this person was clearly different; everyone disliked him and was unwilling to fight him. The only instruction from above was to arrange a suitable opponent for him.
Undeniably, Yuki is very strong, but his strength isn't immediately apparent because we can't see how he won; who knows how he actually won?
It's been several battles already. Fighting them would inevitably lead to death, so it's better to fight these two women. At least I can burn myself out in front of everyone.
"Therefore, the unknown is more terrifying than killing. You may not admit it, but you are indeed afraid."
This was Yuki wanted. He didn't know how many warriors were here, and with them fighting all day long and not to mention the exhaustion, they were bound to be affected by this frenzied atmosphere.
He experienced mental erosion twice, and he is very vigilant about it.
Therefore, there is only one way to deal with being rejected:
Send your strongest fighter to challenge me, and if I defeat that strongest fighter, then at least no one in Arena IV will dare to challenge me anymore; it would just be a dishonorable waste of effort.
No one likes to watch an hour-long Black Egg; even if they could bear it, the eight pillars couldn't stand the eerie silence.
Yuki Demon Eye; the 'flames' on it were almost extinguished, far less exciting than when they first met.
But there's still one question: why didn't that Cult stop me themselves?
In the distance, a warrior wearing a horned helmet was watching him intently. The railing in front of him was twisted like noodles, and Yuki could even feel a sense of pressure emanating from him.
The strongest warrior in Arena IV has a duty to stand up and end this farce.
"Notify me when there are opponents, but it seems there are very few warriors interested in me."
It would be strange if they weren't interested; we focus more on the process of the battle and stirring up the audience's enthusiasm.
Abate wanted to curse, but couldn't bring himself to say it; it was the same old story:
Just tell me whether you won or not.
There was no indication that he was being excluded from the competition, and he couldn't very well rally tens of thousands of spectators to rush down and beat the bastard to death. He could only watch as the bastard turned and left.
Entering the corridor, it wasn't as noisy as before. Hayasaka Ai glanced behind her; the audience seemed unusually quiet.
"They seem helpless against you?"
"I don't know, maybe these spectators aren't strong enough to fight." Yuki Kaguya nod in agreement, Yuki continued, "Also, did you notice that even though our fight was pretty bad, not a single person left the arena?"
Not only did no one leave, but not even anyone went to the restroom. These people were incredibly dedicated to playing the role of 'audience'.
"Indeed, their mission is just to cheer wildly. What's the point?"
"Based on the information gathered by my seniors, that Cult is probably preparing some kind of ritual, and the enthusiastic audience is part of it." Yuki frowned; this already revealed some clues.
The flickering 'flames' on the dark cylinder, along with what Hiyori and heard, allowed him to piece together the chaotic information and gradually form some ideas.
"A ritual? A ritual for whom, and for what?" Kaguya was very sensitive to this kind of topic.
"So this is the main quest of the game, huh? Not only do you have to guess, but you also have to verify it." Yuki shrugged. It would be strange if he could just shout 'Khorne is the Khorne' and get through it.
Back in the lounge, the senior student was gently massaging Hiyori's temples, comforting her as the side effects of the medication were kicking in and the girl was feeling very uncomfortable, her fists clenched so tightly that the veins were bulging.
Without saying a Yuki, Hiyori and poured a mouthful of Quiet Dew onto Hiyori, suddenly realizing that this item was very useful, as calmness was what the Calamity of Blood lacked most.
The prop took effect, and the rage and irritability quickly subsided. Hiyori shook her head and was about to speak when Yuki's finger touched her lips.
"No rush, rest a bit more, let's discuss other things first."
Yuki disliked treating people like beasts of burden, and as soon as he finished speaking, the others sprang into action.
Hayasaka Ai immediately made a cup of coffee and placed it in Hiyori's hand, Kaguya handed her noise-canceling headphones, Mai Sakurajima gently pressed her down on the sofa, and then stuffed a book into her arms.
In a moment, Shiina Hiyori 'fully armed'. She looked around in surprise and then smiled sweetly.
This was irrational, but it also dispelled the last trace of fear.
Yes, the team atmosphere is excellent.
Yuki also really likes this atmosphere, which can be described in a grand sense as "one for all, all for one," or more simply as team building and mutual care.
He wasn't just concerned; there was something else on the agenda. "I just got an enhancement point, Hayasaka, how many did you guys get?"
"One."
"I have two."
Hayasaka Ai and Kaguya Shinomiya answered in turn, immediately exchanging glances; they had both killed the same opponent.
"I understand, it's related to the difference in strength." Kaguya immediately raised her hand. The gap between her and the Brass Knight was enormous; in a one-on-one fight, she wouldn't last more than two minutes.
"Yes, that's roughly the idea."
"Isn't this a great place to farm upgrade points?"
"You wish! Everyone here is a combat expert. You just revealed your weakness. Do you think your next opponent will just rush over and kill you?" Yuki snorted. He had already gone through four dungeons and still hadn't found a place like 'Big Bird Bank' for leveling up.
With a significant difference in strength, he wouldn't get a single thing, while those with similar strength would face risks.
"Miss can't, but you can. You can use the Night Domain to get plenty of rest after each match." Hayasaka's eyes were gleaming, and he seemed to be thinking about getting a free meal.
"So now nobody's challenging me anymore." Yuki spread his hands, immediately making the maid swallow back what he was about to say, and she silently went to pour coffee.
Blowing up a fishpond isn't that easy, and besides, following the script and formula, Yuki always felt something was wrong.
"Actually, Hiyori and I also gained a power-up point," the senior student interjected softly, immediately attracting several glances.
Does this mean one person fights while the whole team benefits? No, this is another path to obtaining rewards.
"Just like 'Undercover,' you get a reward for finding the secret, except you get it on the spot." Kaguya Shinomiya reacted the fastest, and she even sounded a little envious.
Her Undercover would have to wait until the final settlement; if she could receive the reward immediately, it wouldn't be so arduous.
"Hmm, it seems that, like 'Battle on the Raging Seas,' each of the two main quests has its own rewards." Mai Sakurajima nodded slightly, paused for a moment, and looked at Yuki. "We can't be of much help on the arena, so why don't we each do our own thing?"
"The fighting is to give you freedom of movement, and your investigation of the truth is to prepare me for what to do. How can this be considered each doing their own thing?" Yuki corrected, closing his eyes to think for a moment.
Because the connection between clue 1 and clue 5 has been found, the irritable citizens are no longer a problem; the main threat comes from two other groups of people.
"Kaguya is temporarily assigned to you. Be careful of the Cult and other players."
Mai Sakurajima immediately thought of Hiyori's experience. She clearly discovered that the players were behind it, but she didn't conduct any follow-up investigations. It felt rather strange.
"So, what warning did the Cult give you?"
"So they're saying my fighting style is against the rules and needs to be corrected. Don't worry, I haven't broken any rules." Yuki crossed his legs, brimming with confidence, and said, "Just empty words, why should I change anything? As for you guys, since you've been discovered, why didn't you follow the trail and investigate further?"
This...
No one could answer it, because it didn't make sense. They simply summarized what they had seen and heard over the past two days and discovered that this "Calamity of Blood" had spread from passersby to the Cult.
They all seem to be single-minded?
Chapter Ten: The Bloodlight City (Second Update)
After a day of investigation and hands-on experience, the process for navigating the dungeon was quickly finalized.
Yuki is responsible for the main plot, which is to fight desperately in the ring, but his methods are completely opposite to the plot design. He wants to give the people here a terrible viewing experience.
Mai Sakurajima is responsible for investigating the hidden secrets of the plot, which doesn't just Cult itself; it involves a very strange issue in this instance.
With a severe lack of information, aside from the Arena IV, Yuki was completely clueless about everything else.
Where are the other players? Who are the noteworthy opponents in each deathmatch arena? So far, all he has are promotional images that Hiyori copied from the big screen. How can he possibly win with just a few names?
However, he wasn't in a hurry. It was only the first day, and as the plot deepened, more and more clues would be revealed. He only needed to focus on two key points:
He has to make sure he wins, and the senior student has to be careful enough.
So before Hiyori could completely relax, Yuki made Hayasaka Ai and the others use the enhancement points they had just acquired; now was not the time to accumulate points.
Mai Sakurajima performed a final forging on [Singer's White Veil], increasing the activation count to ten.
Kaguya's work was divided into two parts: one was to upgrade the Ice Enchantment to the proficient level, and the other was to forge the Deep-Sea Longbow a second time to increase the strength of the Tidal Vortex.
Hiyori is even simpler. Go all in on the two enhancement points [Void Puppet]. Once you reach the Transcendental Grade level, you can control two at the same time and have the ability to slightly interfere with the material world. There's not much you can do; it's mostly just transporting things and pressing switches.
This is the Limit of her characteristics; any more and she would fall into a state of confusion.
These three are further improvements, Hayasaka Ai is the key. She already had three enhancement points, plus the one she just got. If she goes all in, she can upgrade [Death Knell] to the Arcane Grade level (level 5).
This is the first time a level 5 item has appeared in the team.
[Chaos Item: Death Knell Revolver (Arcane Grade Class), 3-time Forging]
[A powerful single-soldier weapon, standard mode: unlimited ammo (1 forging), increased power (2 forgings), fast reload (3 forgings)]
[Special Shooting Mode (Chaos Level): Contains six powerful bullets, with increasing damage.]
[Powerful Shooting Mode (Transcendental Grade): Fires all remaining ammunition in an instant; the more remaining ammunition, the greater the damage.]
[Absolute Lethality Mode (Arcane Grade Level): Instantly fires all bullets, regardless of energy or physical defense, with absolute Piercer effect; flight speed and lethality are further increased.]
[Side effects: In shooting mode, luck value decreases with each bullet consumed, increasing with power, and recoil is significant.]
[Description: Destruction is exciting, but everything comes at a price.]
Yuki the giant pistol he had snatched from Li Dan, Yuki was overwhelmed with emotion.
This was the team's initial Chaos Item, and as expected, all its characteristics lay in its destructive power, which touched the edge of causality.
If it hits, even he can't withstand a single blow. With the Absolute Lethality Mode, it becomes even more terrifying. It's as if the path of 'defense' is useless. The only way to deal with it is to dodge or have more health to tank the hit.
Normally, the defense is the best defense, but if this shot lands, ouch, you're in for a world of hurt.
"That's powerful enough, no wonder it's your signature item." Yuki returned the Death Knell to Hayasaka Ai, and after thinking about it, he realized it was normal.
This is similar to the "Medic Sand Bird" team in a certain game; with so many stars being thrown down, it's no wonder they're so powerful. Besides Death Knell itself, Hayasaka Ai also spent an astronomical amount of enhancement points.
The Lucky Clover Earrings and Lucky Candy are meant to compensate for the side effects, the Flying Boots and Storm Cleaver are for support, and even the 'Ghost Shooter's' bloodline skill exists to get closer to opponents and improve accuracy.
"Your overall rating has also been upgraded to Transcendental Grade."
"Transcendental Grade I, I'm finally slowly catching up with you. Of course, as a player, my characteristics are too distinct, and there's still a long way to go before I can compete with you." Hayasaka Ai smiled happily, but she wasn't arrogant.
Yuki's strength lies in his versatility; he may surpass Yuki in terms of lethality, but Yuki's attack is a one-shot deal. If he misses, Yuki's strength will be halved.
"Don't be modest. Having distinct strengths is a good thing. Weaknesses can be made up for with teamwork," Yuki comforted him. He had seen many players, most of whom specialized in only one skill.
Hayasaka Ai glanced at Kaguya, who was sipping coffee not far away, and nodded slightly.
That's exactly what happened in the battle with the Brass Knight. When someone was suppressing and distracting her, she could close the distance and kill him with a single shot.
The feeling of becoming stronger is pleasing, but eventually we have to return to reality. Just then Shiina Hiyori also recovered, and everyone gathered the information they had and brainstormed to find the underlying logic of the dungeon.
Each instance has its own internal logic, or storyline, which includes who wants to achieve what goal, what role the player plays, and what kind of changes will occur.
Dr. Fukawa is building an amusement park, using the resentment of patients to attract demons. After reading the players' consciousness, he begins to yearn for a wider amusement park.
The saint's goal is simpler: to gain more followers, lure players into corruption, and complete the tasks assigned by the evil god.