Chapter 214
Yuki stared at the bewildered girl and blinked hard.
"Wait, didn't you hear the Blood God's call?"
"Senior, I didn't expect you to be so poised and confident. Sometimes you even like to play little tricks. You were clearly awake a long time ago, but you insisted on pretending to be asleep."
Just as Yuki was completely bewildered, Hayasaka Ai was picking at her nails and speaking slowly and deliberately, completely diverting Yuki's attention.
"What am I supposed to do in that situation?" Mai Sakurajima covered her face, feeling her cheeks burning.
How embarrassing! But besides pretending to be asleep, do I really have to put that pig's head back in my hand?
"You could be a little more ladylike. That pose was way too... too lewd," Hayasaka said, shifting her gaze and nudging Kaguya, who was watching the scene unfold, with her elbow. "Miss, don't you think so?"
"But I didn't see it! Hayasaka, come with me!" Kaguya Shinomiya couldn't hold back any longer.
"Huh? Why?" Hayasaka Ai opened her mouth slightly, thinking to herself that this was a chance to save face for you.
"Just come over anyway." Kaguya said without further ado, pushing Hayasaka away, much to the surprise of Mai Sakurajima, whose face Crimson.
Even though she had caught him red-handed, and he thought he would be attacked, Kaguya Shinomiya looked like she was going to teach Hayasaka.
She turned her head with some suspicion and saw Kaguya covering her mouth and whispering in Hayasaka's ear. Soon, Hayasaka Ai's face turned bright red, even to the roots of her ears.
"What are those two up to?" Yuki happened to walk over and saw the two people not far away. Hayasaka Ai seemed to be explaining something in a flustered manner, her player form completely gone.
"I don't know. Hiyori and call them over. We're not completely safe yet." Mai Sakurajima was curious but suppressed her curiosity, glancing at Yuki, who seemed preoccupied. "Is your mind a little confused?"
"To be precise, it's a complete mess. There are some things I won't tell you, as that would only cause you more trouble."
Yuki possessed great patience, certain that only he could hear the Blood God's call.
[We meet again, my champion.]
[Do you want to continue this endless killing spree?]
That's what He said, and every word contained a huge amount of information, especially "again" and "continue."
Aside from the low-probability event of admitting fault, there is another possibility:
Could it be that I'm some kind of reincarnated immortal king? Is that why the Reincarnation Game has been targeting me?
That doesn't make sense. These ten years of memories couldn't possibly be faked. I truly became deeply integrated into this world. Besides, there are resurrection items in the game, and the game never explicitly forbade resurrection.
Even if I were truly reborn, what about my power, my items, my memories? They still can't explain why the Reincarnation Game wanted to kill me.
"Don't overthink it. Just keep going step by step, and we'll eventually find the answer. At least we survived this time, which brings us one step closer to the answer," Mai Sakurajima said softly, her voice slightly hesitant.
"However, after experiencing the 'Calamity of Blood,' I'm certain that the Reincarnation Game wants to kill you. It will personally intervene at every crucial moment, even though you invested most of the rewards from the Bloodthirsty Red Moon into 'Ignoring Tracking.'"
Yuki dominated the entire Bloodthirsty Red Moon arc, only to receive an S-rank rating in the end, which was intended to weaken the game's targeting.
"Yeah, Bloodthirsty Red Moon really pushed me to the brink of death by suppressing my rewards during the newbie phase. The later 'Demon Hospital' and 'The Bystander Is Blind' phases were much more normal." Yuki rubbed his hair, his tone erratic.
"But have you considered this, senior? Even in the worst-case scenario, the real crucial moment should be in the next dungeon, assuming it's an epic quest."
Mai Sakurajima was taken aback. From Yuki's perspective, that was indeed the case, and that was precisely why they had to participate in two missions in a row.
If you want to stop Yuki's ascension, wouldn't it be better to start with an epic-level quest? That would be much more difficult.
"Don't you want me to prepare?"
"Perhaps, but I keep thinking of what Ayanokoji said. He said that time is running out and there is a lack of opportunity. If I die in the fourth dungeon and don't get the chance to start the epic quest, does that mean they won't get the opportunity?"
"No way, are you saying it's tied to all players? That's a bit..."
"A bit shameless, isn't it? In reality, I'm just a nobody, not even as good as Shinomiya Oko Hiroki. I really can't bear this 'honor'." Yuki spoke up for her, his mind a mess, remembering the Saint's Curse and Wu Raian's astonishment.
Am I some kind of savior reborn? I don't seem like it. Besides, going back ten years or something, having that ability would probably make me close to a god.
Yuki banged his head hard and took a deep breath.
"Never mind all that. I'm only responsible for myself and you all. Only with strength can we survive, and only by surviving can we find the answers."
Yuki has a quick mind, but he never gets stuck on details. He brings his thoughts back to the present and identifies two things that must be done:
First, add the points.
Second, be prepared, open that door, and see what the scenery outside is like.
If this is just some kind of Outpost, it's far too monotonous.
"Hayasaka, what are you whispering about over there? Come here right now," Yuki called out. Soon, the three of them came over reluctantly, their faces all flushed and their eyes looking rather strange.
"You must..." Kaguya began, but Hayasaka covered her mouth. Yuki glanced back and forth, finding it somewhat amusing.
Oh, so that's what it was about.
He recalled Hayasaka feeding him Quiet Dew, which in a sense was a deep kiss, but their reaction was far too much, as if it were more than that.
But things are that simple; I haven't even had a chance to fully savor them yet.
Forget it, I'll just dig it out of Hiyori's mouth when I have time. This girl is the easiest to deal with.
Yuki waved his hand, his face hardening. "Seriously, everyone. We can't stay trapped here. Before we open the door, let's add some points. Show me your player stats."
No one hesitated. Panels appeared one by one. Yuki looked around and found that everyone had gained a lot. Suddenly, his gaze froze.
Regardless of seniority, everyone's player panel now has an additional line.
[Faction: None]
Chapter Two: You Must Take Us Back (5K)
Camp?
Yuki was very familiar with this term. He had heard it many times in the past four dungeons and made many guesses about it, but when it was actually written on his panel, he immediately frowned.
Unlock permissions? No, Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai have one more instance than me, and they haven't unlocked it before.
Yuki subconsciously looked at the towering gate in the distance, feeling that it indirectly confirmed Hiyori's guess.
Has this really led to a new phase?
During his battle with Wu Raian, he believed that the 'faction' was a kind of dividing line, completely separating the past, and the Reincarnation Game entered a new stage.
So he brought up his control panel and slowly looked through each item one by one.
Player: Yuki (Player experiences: Bloodthirsty Red Moon, Demon Hospital, the Bystander Is Blind, Calamity of Blood)
Faction: None
Physical Strength: Human (Transcendental Grade)
Storage space: 4 cubic meters
Ego Trait: Unknowner's Mystic Code (LV.3), one memory storage space, draws a positive Mystic Code, cooldown: one dungeon cycle.
Equipment: Demon-Breaker Longsword +3 (Chaos Grade), Quiet Dew +1 (Chaos Grade), Hunter's Double-Barreled Blunderbuss +3 (Transcendental Grade), Night Domain (Transcendental Grade), Shape-shifting Outfit (Transcendental Grade)
Transcendental Grade Skills: Vitality Shift (Proficient), Reinforcement Magecraft (Master), Demon Man Secret Technique
Bloodline Skills:
Demon Possession (LV3): Demon Eye, Demon Heart (Normal), Regenerative Tail.
Enhancement Points: 2
Specialization points: 5
Points: 0
Overall rating: Transcendental Grade Three
"Hey, we each have two more, no, I have three more." Mai Sakurajima looked around and showed off before Yuki could even ask.
[Reinforcement Points: 0+1-1+2-2+2]
A series of numbers—everyone present was intelligent enough to immediately guess that this was a record of her enhancement points.
"This should be the access unlocked after experiencing the fifth dungeon, while faction and points are a different matter." Yuki scratched his face, already 70% certain that he knew what this Outpost was, and couldn't help but glance at the door again.
Is the outside world the Immortal Realm? Are there all sorts of powerful figures inside? I just randomly came up with the name 'Taiyi,' hopefully no one will come looking for trouble with me.
Wait a minute, doesn't that mean Shinomiya Oko and the others will have to come up sooner or later? Wouldn't it be awkward if they met then?
Yuki was filled with longing for the unknown, feeling as if she had crossed the dividing line and entered a completely new world, but she also felt that this was very cruel to her seniors.
Based on the previous discussions, reaching this new stage means a complete break from reality, essentially being erased from the world stage.
No one will remember the player, and the player can't go back.
Everyone was actually mentally prepared, but this was an accident that disrupted everyone's plans. Hayasaka and Mai Sakurajima didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to their families properly, even though their families might forget they existed.
"What camp does 'Wu' belong to?"
"Kaguya- san, are you telling a lame joke? This just means you don't have a faction."
"But he said Wu Raian's faction was 'Battle Maniac,' so why aren't we the same?"
Fortunately, everyone was so engrossed in a huge amount of information that they didn't even notice the problem.
Yuki Hiyori at Hiyori, who had just realized what was happening, signaling her not to rush into mentioning it, before interjecting, "Without suitable information, we can't come to a conclusion about this. Let's focus on the points system instead."
Attention was diverted again, and everyone looked at the explanation at the back of the panel; this one didn't require any guessing.
[Points: 1 Enhancement Point equals 100 Points, 1 Specialization Point equals 500 Points. Points can be traded between players and exchanged between them. Exchange can occur once per dungeon cycle.]
The game's hints were simple and straightforward, yet they confused everyone. This was a newly introduced feature; at least Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had never mentioned the word 'points'.
It's really Taiyi now.
Yuki scratched his head, the suggestion was simple and straightforward, he thought for a moment, then clapped his hands hard:
"In this way, enhancement points and specialization points can be converted into each other."
Everyone realized that this made the ratio 1:5, solving a problem for the players.
For example, Mai Sakurajima's upgrade trait always seems to prioritize certain points. It's not that upgrade points are useless, it's just a matter of priority, and the proportion is as expected.
Five dungeons so far. Apart from Yuki getting a specialization point in the story, all the others came from mission evaluations. However, enhancement points can be obtained by completing achievements and defeating powerful enemies.
"What does this 'deal' mean? Could it be that the method of transaction has changed?" Kaguya suddenly asked, causing everyone to be taken aback and pull out their phones.
"Huh? Why can't we connect to the Player Forum?"
Player Forum were once the only means of trading, and the barter system was not only primitive but also very simplistic.
Besides waiting for suitable Chaos Item, you'll inevitably suffer losses many times. For example, exchanging the Chainsaw Sword for the Void Puppet will cost Yuki at least two enhancement points. And exchanging for anything other than Chaos Item is even more troublesome.
For example, regarding intelligence, players can't meet in person, and no one would be foolish enough to exchange precious items for a mere word.
"This is a way to get change. You can exchange it for something that costs one-tenth of an enhancement point, and other players can also accumulate it and exchange it for enhancement points." Yuki noticed that Hayasaka Ai's expression was off, so he quickly interrupted. The only flaw of these girls was that they were all too smart, and it was impossible to hide it from them.
There's now a 90% chance that Yuki is no longer connected to Earth, because only by breaking free from the constraints of reality can players no longer need to be online acquaintances, and things like buying information can become a reality.
"But wouldn't that mean we could convert our enhancement and specialization points into points and focus them on one person?" Hiyori, quick to read the room, seized the opportunity to continue the conversation.
"Yeah, concentrating all resources, isn't that a bug?"
"You're overthinking it. The game never said that points could be stolen; it would only work if the player agreed."
"Senior, you're too naive. Aside from genuine teamwork, you can use torture to force other players to hand things over. Sigh, another reason for infighting."
"Hayasaka -san, it's not that I'm naive, it's that your thoughts are too dirty."
Seeing the discussion become heated again, Yuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At times like this, his status as an orphan gave him an advantage; he had no ties, and the people he cared about were all around him, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Let me explain this." Yuki clapped his hands with a smile, and seeing that everyone was looking over, he said, "Didn't you notice that the game has restrictions? A dungeon cycle changes once, so no one will keep a lot of points on them. If it's enhancement points or specialization points, then there's no way to steal them. At most, useless Chaos Item will have a market."
Yuki's heart is the dirtiest; that's a perfectly succinct statement. In the past, grabbing items wasn't very meaningful; getting the right item was purely a matter of luck. But now it's different; they can be converted into points and used directly.
"One more thing, after all this time, I've always felt that the Reincarnation Game is missing a certain genre."
Which one?
Yuki looked around and said with a smile, "Aquaculture strategy."
Everyone's expression changed instantly. Kaguya quietly moved away slightly, while Mai Sakurajima asked with a smile, "So, are you a farming expert?"
"Of course I'd be thrilled if my senior were willing to be my sugar mama."
"Dream on, I won't do that." Mai Sakurajima wrinkled her nose, then changed the subject. "You've seen our panel, tell me how to use it."
You still dare to say you don't want to support me?