Chapter 184

'It's so refreshingly quiet; the people here are definitely too noisy.'

Yuki enjoyed the quiet, deliberately created atmosphere. He not only won, but he was also very relaxed. As for the truth, no one saw it anyway.

Undoubtedly powerful, yet tinged with a terrifying unknown, Yuki keenly noticed that there were no more curses, only tens of thousands of statues scrutinizing him.

In a sense, he conquered the Arena IV.

"Who else?"

In the dead silence, Yuki suddenly spoke. This was the first time he had given a battle speech, unlike the other warriors who were raising their weapons and shouting wildly.

His voice wasn't loud, his tone was flat, and there wasn't a single cheer, but he was still the center of attention.

"Who else dares to challenge me?"

Yuki shouted a second time, sensing several intense battle intents, as well as various resentful and furious gazes. But when he turned his gaze away, everything vanished as if it were an illusion.

The people here are not afraid of death, but they want to die with honor, to die in battle. But against Yuki, forget about honor, not even a corpse will be left.

There were no cheers, no glory, no battle process, no honorable defeat; it was like a slaughterhouse assembly line, a snap, and they were all dead without a complete corpse.

We've finally made it past the beginner's village.

Yuki waited a few seconds, then nodded slightly as if he understood, and slowly turned his head. "Now, I am a warrior, aren't I?"

"Yes." Abate nodded with some struggle; he didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't refute it.

Even though this warrior was hated by everyone and was the first in history to be met with no cheers, according to the rules, being unchallenged makes one a warrior.

[Player Yuki, the scenario has entered a new stage. Reward: 1 Specialization Point. Plot change value generated.]

A murmur followed, confirming that the guide was not lying. Yuki aback, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information in the prompt.

Specialization points? Bonus specialization points?

At first, he was overjoyed with disbelief. He had already completed four dungeons, and specialization points only appeared during the final mission evaluation. He never expected to receive this gift.

Is this a special reward for a story mission, or is it because my problem-solving approach is completely different?

Lacking any reference points, Yuki could only guess, but then he felt a bit nervous.

Plot change values are generated.

This must be referring to his problem-solving approach. In the normal process, the player should fight one battle after another until blood is spilled, until everyone agrees on his abilities, or until all the warriors are slaughtered and he receives the blood-stained laurel.

'But I'm different. There are still many soldiers; they've simply lost their will to fight and don't want to die in vain.'

Yuki knew he was taking shortcuts and violating the dungeon's values, but he still said:

I'm here to play a game, why should I be led by the nose?

This kind of thinking was seen as heresy by others, as if it showed no excitement about becoming a warrior and insulted the glory that countless warriors pursued.

But Yuki was already used to this hostility, and turned back slightly. "Hayasaka, let's go."

In the deathly silence, the two stepped off the arena and into the gloomy corridor. Only then did Yuki have time to ask questions.

He was the only one to receive the notification, so it seems that only one person can be this 'warrior,' and we can forget about the good thing of everyone farming specialization points together.

The story moving to the next stage is not a good thing. An hour is too short for the senior students, and they have already retreated to the rest area they entered the instance from.

"Hiyori investigated the second black building; the process was similar to the first." Just as Yuki sat down, Hayasaka Ai brought him coffee.

She's not only a good secretary, but also quite caring.

"So, those black buildings are all ceremonial sites." Yuki thanked him and, sitting upright, asked, "Is there anything unusual about them?"

"She needs to go deeper into the building, and she needs more time."

If we go deeper, we might encounter a red figure; we definitely need to find a way to move it away. As for the time, that's already been resolved.

Yuki took a sip of coffee and looked at Hayasaka Ai, who had a worried expression. "Are you worried that if things continue like this, Senpai won't be able to continue pushing the plot forward?"

"Yes, we're not in a state of combat, so they can't move an inch in this city."

"Don't forget the last sentence of hint 5," Yuki replied casually, causing Hayasaka Ai to pause in surprise.

[This tip upgrades as the player's status changes]

Player status upgrade?

She suddenly realized that Yuki's promotion from warrior to hero meant...

Knock knock knock.

A knock sounded at the door, and a scarlet suit appeared before her eyes, accompanied by Yuki's deep laughter.

"See, we've upgraded."

Chapter Fourteen: A Deadly Threat (5K)

Two people entered the lounge. The one in front was Abate, who was leading the way, while the other was taller and stronger, wearing a blood-red suit and a gold skull mask.

'Were the participants in the ritual high-ranking members of the Cult?'

Yuki's expression changed slightly; Hiyori had already informed him of the other's existence.

He didn't get up to greet him, but held his coffee cup and observed him closely. Because the skull mask obscured his face, his blood-red eyes were filled with violence.

Although no Transcendental Grade power was displayed, the heavy sense of oppression was not an illusion.

Very strong, even stronger than the Bull Demon.

Yuki felt a chill Hiyori his spine. According to the information he had gathered, there was more than one person wearing a golden mask. Judging from their appearance alone, this mission was full of hidden talents.

'Then the hostility was undisguised, but like Abate, he had absolutely no interest in me.'

This is good news. Yuki has discovered a hidden characteristic of the 'Calamity of Blood,' which is the exact opposite of the 'Demon Hospital's' 'The Bystander Is Blind'.

You can't weaken the enemy by killing them. The more you kill, the more excited the people here become, and the stronger the challengers become. Yuki doesn't believe he has the strength to crush them one by one.

"My name is Elk." The newcomer sat down next to him and carefully observed Yuki. He had previously reported the other's existence to the Apostle, at which time he had only regarded it as an interesting seed.

I never imagined that in just one day, this seed would take root and sprout, and actually become the first warrior.

His recent conversation flashed through his mind, and he made no attempt to hide his hostility. "I'm here specifically to inform you that even though there's no glory to be had, you're now a warrior of the Arena IV."

The tone was very stiff, without a trace of congratulations.

"Am I number one?" Yuki asked casually, his tone somewhat flippant.

"That's right, an ignominious first place," Elk replied, there was nothing to hide.

What an unexpected bonus! I actually snatched first place.

The strategy for defeating Yuki is unconventional and quite different from the "Fight to the End" approach in dungeons.

"Did you arrange for the Bull Demon to join?"

"Yes, skip the intermediate steps." Elk was as direct as ever; the people in this instance never beat around the bush. "Either you are eliminated, or you prove your worth."

Making you all feel uncomfortable is bound to lead to omissions. As for my value...

"There are a few seeded players who can catch up now. When will I fight them?" Yuki suddenly asked without any warning.

Elk's eyes visibly stiffened for a moment. He tilted his head slightly and said coldly, "That's not your concern. Just follow instructions."

Everyone in this instance is an idiot.

As a seasoned Yuki, Yuuki's subtle change in expression already revealed the answer to him:

I am more precious than I imagined.

His mind started racing. He thought about it and realized it made sense. Eight deathmatch arenas, eight warriors—given the strength of those story characters and the eerie, frenzied atmosphere, the player teams had a very high chance of failing. There probably wouldn't be many who could survive the 'newbie village'.

No wonder this golden mask came; it represents the Cult's high regard for me, or rather, their high regard for the 'seed'.

After extracting crucial information through a series of words of emotional manipulation, Yuki was neither moved nor did he repent. He realized that his value far exceeded his expectations and would only make the best use of him.

"We're fighting as a team, why am I the only warrior?"

Warrior – Champion – These are the three levels in this storyline, and everyone who steps into the arena can be considered a warrior.

Elk blinked, as if he had heard an incomprehensible, idiotic question, and after a long pause, he finally replied, "The title of Warrior can only be awarded to the strongest person in the team. How can we allow a weakling to tarnish this honor?"

Only one person? Does that mean Hayasaka fights in my place and defeats the other warriors, but the title still goes to me?

Yuki caught the message in her words and asked, "But our team didn't all fight. How can you judge the strength, and how can you be sure I'm the strongest?"

Oh, this.

Yuki's question had Elk's CPU fried. He turned to look at Abate, as if asking, "Who's the one with the problem, me or him?" The latter shrugged, indicating that he had suffered a lot along the way.

You are definitely the strongest, no, I can't be sure, but what strong person would hide behind a weak one?

He thought about this question for a long time before answering, "This needs to be resolved internally. Whoever wants to be a warrior will defeat you."

I see, no wonder there was a tip that limited it to 3 times.

Yuki said that there is no such thing as defeat in a deathmatch here, because the opponent is merciless and will never accept surrender, so there is no way to leave the ring on your own.

'This is to prevent players from farming rewards. Otherwise, if I obtain a Warrior, intentionally lose to Hayasaka, and then take it back, wouldn't I be able to farm specialization points indefinitely?'

Yuki had a urge to exploit a bug, but considering that the Reincarnation Game would automatically adjust its difficulty, she decided against it.

What are the benefits of becoming a warrior?

Elk's disgust intensified; compared to the other characters, Yuki did indeed seem far too mercenary.

"You and your team will be respected by this city until you cross the line."

You guessed right.

Yuki clenched his fist slightly, which meant that he no longer needed to fight and cover his seniors' movements, and he could leave the deathmatch arena and move freely.

Yuki released his grip and asked, "What does the red thread mean?"

"Just don't do things you shouldn't do, until our patience runs out."

What do you mean by "shouldn't have done it"? What do you mean by "running out of patience"? Could your answer be a little more abstract?

Even with Yuki's intelligence, he was confused by Elk. For example, his manipulation of people's minds and his senior's explorations were things he shouldn't have done.

"My unique fighting style is challenging your red lines?"

"That's right, this kind of fighting is utterly dishonorable and should be condemned."

What glory? It's just that I didn't cooperate with your mysterious ritual!

Yuki sneered and spread his hands, "So now, if I insist on my own fighting style, shouldn't I be dealt with?"

The masked man's eyes stiffened for the second time, as if he were very angry, but he could only swallow his anger.

I don't want to answer that question.

Haha, you guys are pretty flexible with your red lines, you're just saying you're watching my value adjustment.

Yuki almost burst out laughing. Following the main questline was indeed the right thing to do. If there were still many players left, he would probably be in danger just like Hiyori had said.

This isn't gambling. He was already testing the limits after being warned last time without any specific punishment. There was nothing he could do about it; he couldn't just act like a reckless fool Fight to the End.

Then this flexible red line illustrates many issues, such as the situation of other players and the importance of players in this instance.

At least they're not like the outsiders in Yadu Town; one more or one less makes no difference.

"The warrior was defeated, his title was stripped, should the benefits be taken back?"

Elk fell into deep thought again, feeling that this person's question was very tricky. He was defeated and died immediately, so what benefits could a dead person want?

"I have no idea."

That means it won't happen. The prompt only says that it levels up according to the player's status, but it doesn't say that it will downgrade.

Yuki realized what he meant and opened his mouth again. "I have another question."

"Enough! I'm only here to inform the Cult decision, not to answer questions." Elk suddenly stood up; he had realized this bastard had been trying to trick him into revealing information. "You just wait patiently. Once the other warriors from the deathmatch arena are chosen, we'll arrange for you to fight. Don't die then."

"Hey, leaving so soon? Sit down and have a couple of coffees."

"I absolutely won't ask. Come on, let's chat about everyday things."

Yuki kept calling out, but Elk didn't dare turn his head. He thought to himself that these bastards were really despicable. He should have just left immediately after delivering the message and not said a word.

He led Abate out the door, slammed the door shut, and only then did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Abate was already familiar with Yuki's shamelessness, and frowned as he asked, "Cult just going to stand by and watch him cause trouble?"