Chapter 223
Players passing by deliberately avoided the area; anyone who came to the trading market must have some discerning eyes, and they could tell that this black-haired youth was a 'monster'.
That scrutiny, that apprehension, made Yuki's lips curl into a smug smile.
"Yes, that's exactly the feeling I want."
Chapter Nine: Tanya and Guts (4K)
The strong deserve respect, and the strong are naturally feared.
Yuki was rarely satisfied with the Reincarnation Game. He fought tooth and nail through five dungeons. He could tolerate players becoming stronger, but he couldn't stand the gap of starting from scratch.
Every bit of strength is earned through hard work, one strike at a time. How can you Falling Sky to the earth's core just by changing maps?
But upon closer reflection, he realized that this was not a kind gesture at all.
From a game design perspective, it is extremely difficult to transcend from the Transcendental Grade to the monster level. Putting aside everything else, physical attributes alone require a full 8 specialization points.
This is equivalent to four S-rank mission ratings. If you really want to accumulate the rewards from four dungeons and not use them, you might have the life to collect them but not the life to use them. Even if you go for a pay-to-win strategy, 4000 points is an astronomical number for the average player.
After deducting costs and the 'taxes' of the Reincarnation Game, the profit per cup of fruit tea is no more than 0.5 points. Those elves would have to sell eight thousand cups to make enough, not to mention that the evaluation of this Monster I also takes into account characteristics, Transcendental Grade skills, bloodline skills, and several Chaos Item.
In terms of spending real money, it would take about 12,000 points to create a monster. Damn, that would be a huge waste of Adam's corpse.
Yuki's face turned ashen. He had lost at least 2,000 points. If the corpse were given to a suitable player, it could be used to create Transcendental Grade IV-level puppet.
"No, it's not that bad. Not every player starts from the ordinary stage. For example, that Mushroom had extraordinary strength from the beginning."
"Who are you calling a 'Mushroom'?" Frieren suddenly appeared next to Yuki, gripping his staff, his face full of confusion.
I'm talking to you.
"No, you don't. Do you have the ability to travel back in time?" The girl pouted, and with her round face, she looked just like a purple Mushroom.
"Without."
"That's settled then. Why bother talking about stages? But your guess was pretty close." Frieren didn't explain, only giving Yuki a good once-over, then said with slight apprehension, "I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be so strong."
You haven't underestimated me. If we weren't evenly matched, would you really waste your time being a tour guide?
Yuki thought to himself, "Frieren is a good person, that's true, but not a pushover. Kindness has to be reciprocated."
He glanced at the round-faced girl with a similar air to Hiyori, and couldn't help but ask, "What's so special about the Transcendental Grade level? I think some players can reach Monster level right from the start."
In terms of destructive power alone, Transcendental Grade can destroy a small city if left to run rampant, and those at level III and above are even more exaggerated. For example, Adam can exceed the speed of sound and easily raze a tall building to the ground.
But that's far from enough. Among the 'acquaintances' he knew, there were countless who could destroy a city with their bare hands.
"I really don't understand you. Sometimes you're as clueless as a newbie, and other times you can guess the paid content." Frieren glanced at him, beckoned with her slender finger, Yuki immediately sent her 50 points, which surprised her.
"Next time, wait for someone to name their price, don't offer so much."
"This is to cover the previous consultation fees. If that's not enough, just name your price."
"You... you've struck it rich?"
"Almost there, but I've already spent it all. I only have about 100 points left." Yuki said honestly, proudly admitting his poverty.
Frieren raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of goodwill rising within him; a person of integrity was at least not a bad person.
"To put it simply, some players are evolving, while others are simply reverting. The dividing line is 'Transcendental Grade'."
As expected of a magician, the answer was concise and clear, Yuki understood it immediately.
So that's how it is. Even if Super Saiyan is dragged into the Reincarnation Game, they can only start from the Transcendental Grade level at most. It's just that their process of becoming stronger is called 'retrieval'.
That's fair; this way I won't have to run away at the sight of certain faces.
"Thanks."
"You paid points, why thank me?" Frieren remained quiet, fiddling with a strand of hair by her ear. "I don't know much, and I can't be of much help. You can come find me at the teahouse when you have time. If fate allows, we may meet again."
"Are you going back?"
"Well, now that I've gotten what I wanted, I need to process it properly. I have to participate in the next mission in 24 hours." The girl gave a polite bow, glanced behind Yuki, and turned to leave.
"Wait, how about exchanging contact information?"
"There's no need for that. Different factions can't team up or use contract-type items, but if I encounter you in the dungeon, I'll try to stay as far away as possible."
The girl waved her hand, offering a free piece of information, and disappeared into the crowd just as Yuki's eyes flickered.
They're leaving already?
Yuki couldn't find the girl's figure, and didn't think much of it. He simply felt lucky to have met a reliable tour guide.
With just a few dozen points, the general information was cleared up, and the final piece of information was also very valuable.
"Are players from other factions automatically considered enemies when encountered in a dungeon?"
The aroma is so strong!
Yuki raised his head, his gaze stretching upwards from the giant trading market to the countless buildings overhead, the very direction he had come from. He had walked a diagonal line, yet felt no sense of curvature whatsoever.
The Miracle Land —has it brought so many players together just for an even bigger battle?
This is a question that probably no player can answer. It's like this enclosed Borderlands; it seems boundless, yet there's not a single gap to escape the game.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yuki withdrew his gaze, turned his head abruptly, and said, "By the way, aren't you afraid of ruining the reputation of 'Ouroboros' by doing this?"
Not far behind him stood a tall knight with needle-like black hair. He was dressed in heavy armor and wore a black iron mask with holes that revealed golden eyes. His breastplate was painted with a jet-black Ouroboros.
The so-called trading market is nothing more than a super-large Chaos Item. Yuki only dared to sell it because he realized in advance that his goods were not top-notch. In any case, all acts of attack are prohibited in the Borderlands, so it is impossible for a melodramatic murder and robbery to take place.
"You've misunderstood. Any big client will be treated well to encourage you to visit Ouroboros again." The knight readily admitted to the 'surveillance', a frankness that surprised Yuki.
That's true. There's more than one trading venue, and they compete with each other. If the number of people drops, such a large area becomes a losing proposition, enough to deduct their points into negative numbers.
How to attract players? Service is secondary; the key is to have enough rare Chaos Item and goods, and the provider is naturally a big client like Yuki.
"Your goods are precious, and your power is even more awe-inspiring." The knight patted his chest and bowed slightly. "Next time you come to Ouroboros, we will reduce the service fee to 1 point per hour."
"What if I can't produce anything valuable?" Yuki's expression softened slightly.
"They're equally welcome; even within the entire Reincarnation Game, Tier 4 players are quite rare."
4th order?
Yuki thought for a moment, but instead of asking Frieren directly, he pondered it in his mind and then roughly understood.
Humans (ordinary, excellent, and Limit) should be at level one; extraordinary is level two; Transcendental Grade is level three.
The monster is exactly at level 4.
This should be a name set by the players themselves, similar to the Chaos Item levels. Those "Chaos Level," "Transcendental Grade Level," and "Arcane Grade Level" are really hard to remember.
"How rare?" Yuuki wasn't about to let such information slip by.
"Tier 4 players are considered the backbone of each faction," the knight said in a friendly tone, then added in a deep voice, "Since you've just arrived at the Borderlands, Ouroboros would like to make friends. Please follow me; all the information you want will be sold to you at a discounted price."
That's the real purpose; who wouldn't like a player who's both strong and ignorant?
But I have no money, and I don't trust you.
Yuuki, a man of the underworld, wouldn't easily trust others. He waved his hand and asked, "What faction does Ouroboros belong to?"
"The Ouroboros isn't a faction, but a team under the 'War Orphans' faction. Do you understand?" The knight's voice was deep, and coupled with his tall stature, the aura of iron and blood was palpable.
It was simple enough that Yuki could understand it; it was pretty much what the Outpost was supposed to do, as Frieren had mentioned.
Players from different worlds but belonging to the same faction gather at the Outpost, forming cross-world teams, and then go further to this Borderlands.
It's not helpful. I don't even know what those solidification vortexes mean anymore. There are only five of us who have arrived at the Outpost.
Yuki a bit annoyed and gave a slight bow. "Thank you for the invitation, but I have other matters to attend to right now. I'll bother you again when I have time."
Without waiting for the knight's reply, Yuki turned and left, knowing that the other party was a high-end team from a faction, and that it would be against the code of honor to make contact with them.
A cautious player, and strangely enough, why is this character so ignorant? Why are there no experienced players from his faction to answer his questions?
The knight didn't press the matter, but simply watched Yuki walk away. Looking around, he saw that the players had already consciously made way for him.
"Guts, could you lower your head a little?"
A sharp and unpleasant voice rang out, causing the knight to lower his head slightly and see a little girl with golden hair who was only waist-high to him.
She was wearing a gray-green military uniform, and her small face was smaller than her own palm.
Guts removed his mask, revealing a chiseled face. "Miss Tanya, I didn't know you were here."
"It's Tanya. This is the thousandth time I've reminded you." The girl snorted, revealing a wicked smile as she gestured forward with her chin. "Look, that little fry was spying on us. Oh, he ran away after I spotted him."
"Tier 4 players are not weaklings; each one has grown up through bloodshed and trials."
"You nobodies, I'm happy about it, but you've become too polite." Tanya's smile grew increasingly malicious. She watched as Yuki quickly left, clutching his stomach and chuckling. Then, as if changing his expression instantly, he became serious. Coupled with his military uniform, he did indeed look like an elite soldier.
"Let's get ready, a new war is about to begin, and this time the two of us will be going with Mr. Bradley."
"Okay, I'll leave the hospitality to Father Anderson."
"That charlatan only knows how to lure people into preaching." Tanya, seemingly at odds with the priest, snorted. "Hurry up and lift your restrictions; this appearance is truly disgusting."
Guts smiled wryly, watching the girl humming a war song as she walked away, then looked at the densely packed players on the wide road, turned sharply, and quickly disappeared.
Are Guts from Berserk and Tanya from Tanya the Evil on the same side?
One is a medieval mercenary, the other is an officer from a fantasy war; it seems they have nothing in common except for fighting.
Yuki walked briskly down the long street, scratching his head slightly. After thinking for a while, he thought that the "War Orphans" camp was quite suitable for the two of them.
"I'm sure I was right. I knew the faction divisions were mostly based on the world-building principles, not just on classes."
Yuki thought of the people Wu Raian wanted to kill. Even within the same camp, there is infighting. Only by becoming a team can this be avoided. It was similar to his own situation, but also fundamentally different.
My senior classmates and I come from the same world, while they are clearly from a different planet; the only thing we have in common is 'war'.
Like peeling back layers of an onion, more and more clues were revealed before his eyes. Looking at those huge buildings, he suddenly realized that the "Ouroboros" situation was the norm.
Factions are the basic units in the Reincarnation Game.
He walked briskly down the long street and saw even more unimaginable buildings.
For example, there's a player faction that specializes in repairing Chaos Item. I initially thought it would be the usual Dwarves, but when I went in, it was full of beautiful young ladies. I heard the repair method involves sleeping with the item or something.
For example, there is a giant Furnace that has been forged three times. As long as you have enough points and good luck, you can achieve this. Unfortunately, Yuki lacks both of these, so he did not humiliate himself.
But the Reincarnation Crossroads is far from as wonderful as imagined.
This place is rife with scammers, all sorts of fake news are flying around, and mysterious vendors are everywhere, selling fragments obtained from who-knows-where as treasures.
All the players were using every means to score points. He even saw a giant egg-shaped building where random missions could be launched for players to fight, and the victor would take everything.
Some players who lack the skill but are too greedy get lured in and become, in a physical sense, "Fat pigs."
[Note 2: Except in specific locations, players are prohibited from attacking each other; violators will be eliminated.]
This should be a specific area where players cannot attack each other, but there are plenty of ways to exploit you.
No wonder most players don't want to stay here long-term. Beneath the glitz and glamour, there are undercurrents. At least at the Outpost, players are from the same faction, and they can band together with people from their hometown for mutual support.
Yuki stopped in his tracks. This Borderlands seemed endless, and he had grown tired of the Miracle scenery.
"It's still because we're too poor. The people here are too materialistic; they even ask me for points just to ask for directions."
Yuki glanced at his points balance of just over 100 on the panel and felt that continuing would be a waste of time. As for which powerful factions there were, he could look them up later.
I need to go back first; my seniors must be getting impatient.
Yuki didn't want others to worry, and he had asked in advance how to leave the Borderlands.
"Return to the Outpost."
With eyes closed and a thought forming, the surreal sensation of spatial transfer immediately surged forth, and in about a second, the person vanished without a trace in the Borderlands.
When she opened her eyes again, the warm sunlight made her eyelashes flutter. Yuki was back in the building's lobby. Looking around, she didn't see Mai Sakurajima or the others.
Fine, you dare not wait for me.
He shook his head slightly, but then suddenly stopped. He saw a beam of sunlight shining through the glass door onto the floor, and the long street outside was no longer filled with the fluffy dust of willow catkins.
Um???
The cracks in the wall were gone, the dusty glass was sparkling clean, and the surroundings were still quiet, but the sense of decay was gone.
Yuki vanished instantly, leaving only the glass door swaying back and forth. He appeared in the middle of the street as if teleported, looking around blankly.