This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

The ten o'clock bell rang, and the Crimson Moon hung high. Right there on the roof of Building B, she saw Li Dan standing solemnly, nodding toward her in approval.

He still wore the generous, reliable air of a senior, but Mai Sakurajima was very familiar with the look he had just given her, and she found it repulsive.

That gaze was filled with possessiveness.

Damn it, I almost kicked the bucket.

Yuki lay flat on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. His long blade lay rolled not far away, but he didn't even have the strength to reach out and grip it.

It hurt—it really, fucking hurt. His entire body was in agony.

He felt like a ragdoll that had been torn apart. His head felt like it was splitting open, and his back burned with a searing heat. Tilting his head slightly, he saw a few brass-colored bullet casings lodged in the inserts of his tactical vest.

The shockwave from the explosion had sent him flying, and he had tumbled down the ramp to land here. A steel plate had even embedded itself into the wall right next to his head.

Yuki didn't know what to say for a moment. Just as he felt his soul preparing to leave his body, he saw a pair of legs appear above him. As the person crouched down, hugging their knees, golden hair brushed against his cheek.

"Congratulations, you survived." Hayasaka Ai crouched beside Yuki, scanned his battered body, and clicked her tongue. "Don't do anything so reckless next time; you almost died. Don't worry, there are no fatal wounds."

"You think I wanted to? You can't rely on anyone in this game. If you want to live, you have to fight for it yourself..."

"Wrong, we can rely on you."

Hayasaka Ai suddenly cut him off. Her expression was incredibly serious for a split second, causing Yuki to raise an eyebrow, before she shifted into a playful face and an exaggerated tone.

"You were super cool just now. I was completely captivated."

Ugh, I must have been seeing things. There's no way Hayasaka Ai would say something so soft with a serious expression.

Yuki's eye twitched, but he understood that whenever Hayasaka Ai switched to her "gyaru" persona, it meant someone else had arrived.

Sure enough, the slightly chubby Rich Brother Robert walked over quickly, his fair face filled with excitement. "That was amazing! You survived even in that situation—it's more exaggerated than in the movies. You have to teach me sometime, little brother."

Yuki muttered that it was just luck, but he understood why this Rich Brother was lowering his posture. Anyone who could survive until now wasn't a fool; this was a move to latch onto a strong player.

Regardless of whether you're an old player or a new one, you have to admit that was badass.

"You can't learn it. If I hadn't used my trait to pull the 'Speed Shoes' concept just in time, I would have died in that building long ago."

"Cough, cough, cough. Isn't your trait limited to one pull per day?" the fat man named Robert asked, covering his mouth as he coughed in confusion.

Yuki raised an eyebrow quietly and patted his shoulder meaningfully. "The Crimson Moon has risen; isn't this the second day?"

Hayasaka Ai and Rich Brother both turned to look outside the ramp, where the blood-red moonlight was spreading across the sky.

"So that's how it is. I thought your trait cooldown was 24 hours." Rich Brother understood immediately.

Whether the calculation method was based on moonrise or moonset, no one could say for sure. For instance, his own trait was quite complicated to calculate.

"The voice said 'days,' so it probably changes based on the instance environment. If we were in the Eternal Night Castle, I probably wouldn't be able to use it even once." Yuki sighed, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Your observation skills are quite sharp. How come I didn't notice that before?"

"I'm a graduate of Oxford..." He stopped halfway, quickly covered his mouth, and began to cough violently. "Cough, cough, cough. That's not important. Anyway, I'm not stupid. I can be of help."

Yuki and Hayasaka Ai exchanged a glance, seeing the suspicion in each other's eyes. He walked up and patted his back. "Are you alright? Why does it feel like you've been infected by that housewife?"

"He's just too tired. He doesn't exercise much, so it's normal for him to catch some illness. Don't worry, as long as we leave the instance alive, even a terminal illness will instantly recover."

The three of them turned their heads in unison to see Li Dan walking in from the ramp, followed closely by Mai Sakurajima. His shoulder was wrapped in bandages, and blood had soaked through his clothes.

Just like in Infinite Horror, do we recover to our original state as long as we return?

A thought flashed through Yuki's mind. Although it seemed like a deliberate attempt to change the subject, the information provided was very useful, so he stopped dwelling on it and put on a look of concern.

"Brother Li, you're hurt?"

"A minor injury. I prepared some hemostatic medicine in advance." Li Dan stopped walking. He didn't look at Mai Sakurajima, who had hurried back to Hayasaka Ai's side, but instead wore an expression of admiration. "Yuki, this is the second time you've turned the tide. And you didn't even get hurt much. I don't know if 'miracle' is enough to describe it."

Turning the tide—he was completely stealing the spotlight from him, the veteran player, so his tone was a bit sour.

But from beginning to end, you left the stage to me, never offered any critical advice, yet you weren't afraid of being implicated by my mistakes.

Is this stupidity, or do you have some trump card that guarantees your absolute safety?

His injury was very convenient; it kept Yuki from accusing him of hiding away beforehand. But with a little thought, it became clear: even if his own plan had failed, Li Dan, having withdrawn from the battle early, would have had plenty of time to escape.

Should I scratch my head in shyness, or show the edge of my growth?

Yuki hesitated for a split second, then said with high spirits, "I want everyone to survive, and I've discovered that this game suits me quite well."

He appeared composed, even carrying a hint of pride that suggested it was "nothing special." Halfway through, he changed his tone:

"But you don't need to be modest. Open-terrain shooting and complex indoor ambushes are two completely different things."

While retaining the drive of a youth, he doesn't boast about his achievements. Have I struck gold?

Logically, this would be the time to issue a request for a long-term team-up to clear the game. Li Dan narrowed his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then rejected the idea in his heart.

Confirmed: there is definitely a problem with this instance. The turning point was after we left the castle and acted separately.

A veteran player's greatest strength is their experience and understanding of the game. Comparing this to previous instances, it wasn't difficult to spot the problem.

The difficulty is too high, and the rewards are too low. I killed so many Living Corpses and police officers, yet I didn't even get a single enhancement point. And that Mai Sakurajima wiped out an entire building of enemies and only got one enhancement point?

The process of clearing the game is a process of constant growth. If you increase the difficulty without providing growth, how is that any different from trying to kill us?

He scanned the three of them, skipped over Hayasaka, and lingered on Mai for a moment. Her trait was useful, but not enough to affect the difficulty. Then, there was only one answer:

Yuki, this guy is like a cockroach that just won't die, repeatedly snatching life from the jaws of death. And why do I always feel a murderous intent whenever I look at him?

Li Dan didn't know, nor did he understand what a player had to do to trigger a difficulty spike in the Reincarnation Game. But he knew that to survive, one must eliminate all potential threats.

Wait a bit longer, give him another chance, and see if he knows how to play the game.

"Brother Li?" Yuki felt a tightness in his chest upon seeing that indifferent gaze.

"Little Brother Yuki, don't forget you're a rookie. You haven't even been in the Reincarnation Game for twenty-four hours. Ha, that is the difference between a genius and a mediocre person."

It was full of praise and self-deprecation. If it were a truly gifted youth, they might feel encouraged, but unfortunately, Yuki didn't feel a shred of pride; he had already begun to analyze every single word.

The sense of recognition was strong, but the crucial olive branch was missing. Given what I have displayed, any veteran player would feel a sense of closeness, let alone someone with his persona of a generous elder.

Yuki keenly sensed some key issues, but he didn't reveal a thing. After recovering a bit of strength, he pushed off his knees and stood up.

"I still have so much to learn from you, and besides, I don't have any confidence about what comes next."

He was facing the slope, able to see the Crimson Moon in the night sky. After a brief respite, this spilled red moonlight once again gripped everyone by the throat, reminding them of a cruel fact:

Whether by luck or growth, whether through pride or self-deprecation.

The second night had already begun.

Crimson moonlight shone on his face; outside, it was deathly silent.

Yuki poked his head out as cautiously as a gopher, only to see a bizarre scene.

The shattered building had collapsed, forming a pile of rubble in the middle of the road. The crashed helicopter burned like a torch, illuminating a large area, but other than that—

Nothing?

Yuki couldn't see a single enemy. One had to remember that the previous explosion hadn't killed everyone; at the very least, there were still a few helicopters circling in the sky, and a small number of assault team members had circled into Building B. But looking now, not a single living thing was moving.

It was very strange, as if they had just been watching a movie, but Yuki wasn't as surprised as the few people beside him.

He had made several judgments before the Crimson Moon even rose, and this situation where the enemies vanished into thin air was one of them.

Day and night are not the same type of enemy. Even if the core definition of a Living Corpse remains unchanged, the gap between the two time periods is vast.

In short, under the Crimson Moon, it's more like a magic world, whereas the daytime leans more toward technology?

Yuki's mouth twitched, not knowing what to say for a moment. He only felt that this game was truly chaotic; the settings were so disorganized that it was hard to use common sense to predict anything.

"It seems Hint Five needs to be interpreted based on the situation. Sigh, if we can't kill those Living Corpses, we're in trouble." Li Dan let out a long sigh and looked at the bewildered group. "You guys will get used to it. Even within a single dungeon, there will be obvious differences. Like in the dungeon before last, I had to use my brain to solve puzzles on odd-numbered days, and fight for my life on even-numbered days. If it weren't for a newcomer discovering..."

His words stopped abruptly, but Yuki already understood what he was going to say next.

If someone hadn't found the pattern, the players would have been wiped out in a dungeon with diametrically opposed elements.

"The person who discovered it must have been quite smart. It's a pity I didn't meet him," Yuki said casually, then saw the expression on Li Dan's face change slightly.

As if wary, and even more unwilling to bring it up, Li Dan just muttered, "The gap between every dungeon is huge; there's no reference value. Everyone should just focus on what's in front of them."

"Hmm, according to what you said, we are still in a tough spot. The Crimson Moon will set at eight tomorrow morning. Even if we survive tonight, what about tomorrow?"

Yuki's tone trembled slightly, though it wasn't entirely an act. According to his previous deductions, moonrise to moonset was one day. After surviving tonight, they still had to endure a full day and the final 12-hour night.

"Are you talking about the progression issue?" Li Dan turned his head quickly, his cheek twitching involuntarily.

He didn't know about the second night yet, but just now it had been a combination of helicopters and SWAT. There was basically no room to hide in the harbor area.

"Yes, during the next day, we will likely have to face them head-on. At the very least, it's impossible to hide silently for those twelve hours. By then..."

By then, it won't just be SWAT, will it? Based on the progression pushed by the slaughter tonight, maybe when the sun rises tomorrow, mechanical police will come to enforce the law, followed by drones, and finally, Gundams?

The night wind was cold, and Yuki's fantasy made everyone shiver. Not to mention the new players, even Li Dan didn't have a shred of hope for survival.

"Brother Li, this isn't right!" The fat man in luxury clothing shouted loudly. Seeing everyone turn around, his face flushed red: "Even with you covering us, we're dead for sure. Is this shitty game playing with me? Or does it just want us to be cannon fodder?"

His slightly unhinged words resonated with the others, uncovering a problem everyone had ignored: the difficulty was too perverted. Even with Yuki repeatedly turning the tide, there was a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Well, first they were besieged by countless Living Corpses in the ancient castle, barely managed to rush out as if gambling with their lives, then they were hunted for an entire day, and before they could even catch their breath, the second night arrived.

Li Dan had been waiting for someone to raise this question. He feigned hesitation and said, "It's true that the Reincarnation Game has a high mortality rate, but players are definitely not just cannon fodder. Didn't I come from being a rookie too? If everyone died, where would the veteran players come from?"

"Because there's no difficulty setting?" Yuki asked.

"Of course there is. If you find the pattern, the dungeon can become very simple. There was one time I cleared it without even lifting a finger. But difficulty is flexible; there are many factors that can influence it."

Li Dan's voice grew weaker and weaker, until it sounded like he was talking to himself. His eyes rolled a few times, finally sweeping over everyone.

That gaze became serious, and the pressure belonging to a transcendent made everyone's legs tremble.

"B-Brother Li, what are you doing?" Hayasaka leaned against the wall, as if unable to stand steady.

"Each of you, tell me about what you encountered. Someone must have triggered an abnormal situation. If you tell the truth now, we might still be saved."

"Abnormal situation? What counts as an abnormal situation?" Mai's teeth chattered, her face full of confusion.

Seeing it was her, Li Dan's gaze softened slightly. He shook his head and said, "Generally speaking, player composition or the excessive use of contract items can cause difficulty anomalies. For example, in this dungeon, only Thomas and I are veteran players. If I were to use contract-type items to join forces with him, the game would determine that the players are being overly unified and would raise the difficulty."

"But such adjustments won't be too large. At the current difficulty, even if he and I really joined forces, I wouldn't be confident in surviving, so the problem isn't with us."

Even if that were the case, the Reincarnation Game wouldn't mess with the rewards; instead, both of us would grow rapidly.

Li Dan added in his heart, then looked at Yuki, making the latter's scalp tingle, his voice becoming sincere:

"I only have the experience of three instances, so my understanding of the game isn't very deep. Perhaps obtaining certain key items could change the difficulty. By the way, think back—did you hear any strange whispering?"

He really was suspicious of me.

Yuki wore a contemplative expression, but his mind was in turmoil. Li Dan's suspicions were spot on; he had indeed heard the bizarre whispering, and he had also verified that others did not receive choices when unlocking traits.

Should he tell the truth?

The thought had barely crossed his mind before Yuki dismissed it. This was impossible to say; if he spoke up, everyone would turn against him. This wasn't like finding some special item—this was something that made the instance impossible to clear.

Why is it like this? Being a transmigrator is like cheating, but I didn't use any hacks. Surely it's not a capital offense?

Yuki screamed internally, but the psychological fortitude he had built over ten years kept his face looking only puzzled.

"Little Brother Yuki, did you notice anything?"

"Brother Li, are you doubting me?"

"Not at all, but this concerns everyone's fate. You need to think carefully."

Yuki feigned deep thought, noticing that Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai were also staring at him with suspicion. This wasn't an act, though they didn't know about the anomaly Yuki experienced when unlocking his trait.

"I really didn't. After the three of us split off, we went straight to the subway station, unlocked our traits, and then rushed here to regroup. We've been in a sorry state the whole way. If I really had some special item, I would have used it long ago."

Yuki's eyes radiated sincerity as he met Li Dan's gaze without fear. The latter stared at him for a full five seconds before turning to look at Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima, both of whom gave a slight nod.

He isn't lying, or at least he hasn't exposed anything. Even if his acting is good enough to fool me, these two wouldn't risk their lives to cover for him.

That's strange, then. Where exactly did the problem arise?

Li Dan also fell into self-doubt. He didn't need to trust Yuki; some truths only required a comparison to be verified. But this person was indeed useful, and he was even more connected to that woman, Mai.

He quietly loosened his hand from the trigger, deciding to give the other party another chance. If he remained honest and diligent, perhaps he could even clear the instance by relying on that intellect of his.

At this moment, Li Dan said half-jokingly, "Perhaps you're just too much of a genius, and the game doesn't want us to be too comfortable, so it deliberately cranked up the difficulty."

"It's not like we can just sit here and wait for death." Yuki spread his hands and let out a long sigh. Just as the atmosphere began to ease, he suddenly slapped his thigh.