Chapter 220

Mai Sakurajima opened the door while complaining, but when she looked up, her foot, which hadn't even landed yet, stopped abruptly, and the low laughter behind her also stopped abruptly.

"Is there something?"

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a dark, inconspicuous thing. It stood out starkly against the pure white space, making no attempt to hide itself.

"Senior, step back."

Almost instantly, Hayasaka Ai shielded Mai Sakurajima behind her.

"It looks like a knife." Hiyori had already activated her special ability, stood on tiptoe, and peeked through the gap in the crowd.

"Its shape is like a katana, with a slightly straighter curve, and its surface appears to be covered with a layer of carbonaceous material, showing no tendency to attack."

Seeing that it didn't move, the group was slightly relieved. But then a question arose: how did it get into this space and even stick itself into the ground?

It's important to understand that the concept of ground doesn't exist in this space, so there's no possibility of destruction.

"Why do I feel like this Outpost is like stepping into a horror movie set, and then coming home to find a knife out of nowhere?" Mai Sakurajima couldn't help but complain. She forced herself not to think, but she was still surrounded by countless questions.

"To be precise, it's a thriller that can't be deciphered." Hiyori was still standing on tiptoe, wanting to get closer to take a look, but Hayasaka Ai blocked her from the doorway.

"Don't act rashly, wait for him to come back and make a decision."

"But who knows when Mr. Yuki will be back?"

"We still have to wait. In unfamiliar territory, safety is the top priority." Hayasaka Ai appeared stubborn and professional, turning her head to look at Kaguya Shinomiya, who was standing on tiptoe but couldn't see anything.

"Miss Kaguya, please go back down into the corridor and take a look. I'm afraid there might be something else wrong."

The moment I opened the door, there was a knife stuck in the doorway. What if there was an ambush? I'd be trapped in the hallway.

Where is the knife?

Kaguya regretted being a few centimeters shorter, retreated into the corridor, circled around, and quickly returned to meet up with Hayasaka Ai and the other two who were waiting at the door.

"There was nothing unusual, and no one was around; it just looked like there was an extra knife."

This answer was unexpected and left everyone bewildered.

Four pairs of eyes simultaneously turned towards the doorway. The space was pure white, and a long, black sword stood there. If it were aggressive, it would have struck the moment the door opened.

It neither attacks nor exhibits any unusual behavior; what's the point of it appearing out of nowhere in the room?

"Could it be related to Mr. Yuki? It's a pity there was no one guarding the room when the door was opened," Shiina Hiyori some frustration.

No one blamed her; who could have imagined this? They just exchanged glances and realized that waiting idly at the door wasn't a solution.

It's been almost a day since we arrived at the Outpost. It's full of secrets, but there's no real threat, at least not outside this gate.

"Senior, lend me the Singer's White Veil. Hiyori, you step to the outermost edge, and Kaguya will provide cover." Hayasaka Ai made a quick decision, wanting to test the waters first, no matter what.

The "survival strategy" is contagious. Since items and skills cannot be used in the corridor, Mai Sakurajima and Kaguya would put their hands on Hayasaka Ai's shoulders and drag her out whenever they sensed something was wrong.

Hayasaka Ai donned a white veil, gripped the handle with her right hand, and carefully entered the space. Once inside, she would immediately draw the Death Knell and enter Ghost Shooter mode.

All four pairs of eyes were fixed on the long sword. Shiina Hiyori peeked out, scrutinizing every detail, and saw the maid moving her body at a speed of centimeters.

Her foot slipped inside the doorway and slowly landed, but the moment her toes touched the 'ground,' all the muscles in her body tensed.

[Detect, Restart]

There's a problem!

Not only Hayasaka Ai, who was reading the details Hiyori, flicked her fingertips, and Mai Sakurajima and Kaguya in front of her used all their strength to drag the maid out in an instant. Because of the excessive force, she crashed into the wall with a 'thud'.

Bang.

The door closed, and Hayasaka Ai's painful moans echoed through the room, but no one comforted her. Mai Sakurajima turned around and stared intently at the others.

Did you hear that?

The three women looked at each other, then nodded somewhat blankly. They had all heard the strange sound, but they had been too tense to hear it clearly.

"It sounds like someone is saying 'reboot'?" Hayasaka Ai covered the back of her head, looking at the wooden door with lingering fear. Because of the spatial barrier, nothing flew out from inside.

"Look over there, that hole is gone!" Kaguya raised her hand, gesturing for everyone to look. Sure enough, the large hole in the corridor had disappeared.

Not only that, the dust in the corridor and the cracks in the walls had all disappeared without a trace, and even the wall lamps seemed to shine brighter.

No one spoke; they just exchanged stunned glances before turning tail and running down the stairs as fast as they could.

Hayasaka Ai, possessed extraordinary physical abilities and ran downstairs and through the lobby in a mere ten seconds. She pushed open the glass revolving door with her speed.

Clatter.

The ankle boots stopped, the blonde girl raised her head, her jewel-like blue eyes narrowed, reflecting a city that could only be described as the Miracle.

Gone was the dust and ruins; beneath the massive, purplish-red vortex, towering buildings stood in dense clusters, and even the streets, resembling the surface of the moon, were smooth and flat.

They are no longer monotonous gray and white, or pure blue glass facades, or mosaic shop windows like those of a church. Streetlights, guardrails, zebra crossings and other facilities have appeared on the streets, making people feel as if they have returned to a modern city.

Apart from the continued emptiness and quiet, there was no trace of the previous desolate and oppressive feeling. To give an analogy, it was as if the hastily drawn sketch had been filled with color.

At the crossroads at the end of the street, an elegantly designed fountain sprayed water, accompanied by light music like a music box. Hayasaka Ai, standing in the middle of the road, turned around and saw three equally bewildered faces.

Did I open the door wrong?

Reality, Advanced Nurturing High School.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka rested his hands on the rooftop railing, gazing at the tranquil campus. The trees swayed gently in the sunlight, exuding a vibrant youthful atmosphere.

He actually died in the dungeon?

Even though he had already calculated Yuki's chances of survival, the boy still felt a sense of disbelief and disorientation.

Almost a week has passed, exceeding 80% of the dungeon time, and we received some information from Mr. Ye:

In a particularly challenging story mission, the instance world was destroyed, and only one player successfully returned.

This is undoubtedly a major event. With Ayanokoji's intelligence network, there are occasional instances of dungeons being destroyed, but to be directly crushed by an existence that transcends dungeons is something he never even imagined.

Such beings typically exist only in background stories. For example, indirect intervention in Yadu Town is already the Limit; if they could intervene personally, what would be the reason for creating a dungeon?

Are they sending players to the slaughterhouse as sacrifices?

"We found it. The source of the information is Two-Gun Zhang." Sakayanagi Arisu walked over, leaning on her cane, a document tucked between her fingers. "According to him, the being that destroyed the instance is called 'Blood God,' and he only returned during the countdown phase. I feel like there's some exaggeration involved."

"Mr. Zhang is Mr. Ye's friend. He's not one to exaggerate." Ayanokoji took the document, quickly glanced at it, and her expression changed from thoughtful to excited, and finally filled with regret.

"It was him. He really did die inside the dungeon."

"You're making that judgment based on a young man being with several girls?"

"How could that be? It's a combat style. What powerful player would wield a longsword in one hand and a hunting rifle in the other?" Ayanokoji's fingertips emitted a ball of dark flame, burning the white paper into ashes that scattered in the wind.

There was no sadness, nor joy; Yuki was, to a large extent, a friend and an important business partner.

"Can't you think of something positive? Like, he's advanced to the next stage ahead of time or something. Didn't you say he's special?" Sakayanagi wagged his finger.

"Sakayanagi- san, your way of comforting people is too low-level. You'll be erased from existence in the next stage. Since I still remember him, it proves that he's either dead or he'll return."

I know you have absolutely no sense of humor, and I shouldn't have bothered with you when I was being nosy.

Sakayanagi Arisu rolled her eyes, but before she could even say anything, she saw the boy by the railing pause slightly in surprise.

What's wrong now?

She was about to speak when she froze, as a murmur echoed in her mind.

[Player Wise Fox is preparing to enter the epic quest - The Shadow World]

[Player has enabled the party function. Share the quest?]

[One-hour countdown begins.]

It happened so suddenly, without any warning. Sakayanagi quickly checked his player panel, and the Transcendental Grade skill called 'Procrastination' was still active.

Forced assignment of tasks?

He looked up and met Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's slightly changed gaze, and immediately knew that this was not the special treatment he was receiving.

"It's finally here. Don't panic. Proceed according to plan. Call everyone together." Ayanokoji pressed her hands down to maintain her composure and called the girl back just as she turned around and was about to leave.

"Sakayanagi."

"Um?"

Looking at his partner, whose cane seemed merely decorative and who moved with incredible agility, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say. He could only wave his hand, telling Sakayanagi to hurry up and get ready.

He was suddenly all alone on the rooftop. Ayanokoji's eyes flickered as he glanced at the scraps of paper being swept away by the autumn wind.

The epic quest starts right after you die.

Isn't this a bit too much of a coincidence?

Why are there no restrictions for 'Transcendental Grade level'? Could this be a difference between the various factions?

Yuki walked down the street, occasionally observing the buildings on both sides.

Five dungeon experience points, Transcendental Grade overall rating—this was the information Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had provided. He had no reason to deceive himself, yet this didn't match the information Frieren had given him.

Frieren said that after three dungeons and a high-difficulty quest, one could enter the Outpost, accumulate some points, and then use some Aether Crystal to reach the Borderlands.

' Mushroom is an honest child, and his personality isn't much different from what I remembered. He has no reason to lie to me, and I can confirm that from the elven waitresses; they're at most at the Extraordinary level.'

Is this a request targeting different factions?

In my world, there aren't even Espers. The three instances only allow you to experience the Transcendental Grade; progressing too quickly would be dangerous.

This is clearly discriminatory treatment. When did the Reincarnation Game become so kind?

"You really don't have any special abilities?" Yuki couldn't help but ask.

"I've already said, each faction will have slight differences; you can think of it as racial traits. I don't understand what you mean by 'traits'." Frieren, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

"And how long will you be following me? Although it's just basic knowledge, it should be enough to make up for the points for that cup of fruit tea, right?"

"It is indeed very basic, but it is of great significance to me." Yuki with a serious expression.

"So?"

"So I want to repay your kindness, but unfortunately I don't have many points right now, so I have no choice but to follow you."

Frieren was taken aback, carefully examined the serious-looking man in front of her, and slowly covered her head.

What gratitude? They're clearly just using me as a guide to explore this Borderlands.

'It takes real talent to be so shameless and seriously spout nonsense. Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out?'

Frieren didn't understand where this person's confidence came from, but he had to admit that the other person understood him very well. They were neither friends nor enemies, so there was no need to do something so pointless.

What's your name?

"Li Dan." Yuki didn't hesitate to Yuki.

"Alright, Mr. Li, I'll be your tour guide, and we'll charge you by the hour. Just so you know, I haven't been in this Borderlands long, and I don't know many secrets." Frieren was too lazy to argue, and he didn't expect Yuki to actually pay. Anyway, the things involved weren't exactly secrets, so he might as well do a good deed.

That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear.

Yuki chuckled inwardly, but nodded seriously. "I owe you a favor. Don't worry, I won't renege on it."

Human relationships?

Frieren shook his head, thinking the man was too narcissistic.

What is the purpose of your favors?

Chapter Seven: The Nest of Treasures (4K)

Not only is it useless, but it also makes me broke. I feel terrible even spending 5 points on a fruit tea.

Remembering the other person's expression earlier, Frieren gently refrained from exposing her lie, made a gesture of invitation, and walked ahead first.

The Borderlands was extremely bustling. The two walked side by side on the wide street, chatting idly. However, after only a few minutes, Frieren began to regret his decision.

Yuki had too many problems, and they were too complicated. They ranged from the distribution of the Borderlands areas to the ownership of shops on both sides, and even the economic issues of the flow of points. In the end, even Frieren was frustrated.

I'm just an Apprentice Mage, how would I know anything about 'the player's benefit ratio in acquiring and consuming points'?

She just thought this person was quite smart, unlike other players who, upon arriving at the Borderlands, only cared about things like where the Chaos Item Trading Market was and which players to avoid.

Mr. Li paid more attention to details, as if he wanted to understand the operating rules of the Borderlands.