I Am a Reincarnation Stream Player

"By the way, there's one group of people who aren't here. If Li's guess is right, then they're probably the ones who are up to something."

His timing was perfect. Yes, they'd been going around suspecting one another, but why had they deliberately ignored the third group?

His voice grew more and more agitated, and his argument sounded increasingly convincing. Even Hayasaka Ai raised her hand.

"That Thomas guy has been acting strange the whole time. Could he be hiding some kind of trump card that raised the dungeon's rating and dragged us into this mess?"

"Ahem, uh... Thomas doesn't seem smart enough for that. He's like a brute, all he knows how to do is hack and slash." Robert cut in.

"Weren't you the first one to say something was wrong? Why are you defending him now? Li suspects all the players. What, Thomas isn't a player?"

Yuki shot the chubby man a sidelong glance. The latter broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, unable to say a word.

Li Dan furrowed his brow. He couldn't refute Yuki, so he could only step in to smooth things over. "All right, don't make baseless accusations. The dungeon's already hard enough. We need to stick together more than ever."

"Li, I'm just making a reasonable guess." Yuki looked as if he had everyone's best interests at heart.

"I know. How about this? Once everyone's back together, I'll question him properly. Keep a low profile, though. If that lunatic finds out you suspect him, he might kill you."

"Even if there's no reward?"

Li Dan paused. Without a prompt about gaining rewards for killing players, there really wouldn't be one. He answered irritably:

"But there's no penalty for killing you, either. Don't try to provoke a lunatic."

"Thanks, Li. I'll be careful." Yuki put on a frightened look, but his gaze shifted to Hayasaka Ai. She was laughing and scolding him for being too bold, even suggesting they play some kind of punishment game. Li Dan found it amusing for a moment, but didn't notice Hayasaka Ai's eyes suddenly turn cold.

Without changing expression, she gave a slight nod.

Chapter 34: The Answer Will Soon Be Revealed (Revised)

They had finally managed to muddle through the awkward moment. After the interruption, they still had to continue their strategy.

After resting for a while, everyone went out to scout. Only Mai Sakurajima volunteered to stay behind and bandage Yuki.

He took off his bulletproof vest, revealing dark bruises all over his muscles. Even though the Level IV armor plate had stopped the stray bullet, the impact had still hurt. As soon as she laid a hand on him, she saw his muscles twitch as if pricked by a needle.

"Mm—ah—"

Mai rolled her eyes. She was already immune to his ridiculous noises, but this time she didn't smack him. She carefully wrung out the handkerchief instead.

"Huh? Why didn't you hit me this time? Don't tell me you're worried about me." Yuki looked puzzled and turned his head halfway, only to meet the girl's eye roll. He gave an awkward laugh. "A little gentleness is nice too, hehe. I'm really not a masochist."

"If I didn't still need you later, I'd wring you out good." Mai grumbled, setting down the handkerchief. She took out the ointment they'd snatched along the way and slowly spread it over his bruises. "You really don't feel pain? And why does it seem like you're not scared?"

"You mean getting shot?"

"Obviously. What else?"

Yuki stopped thinking and answered offhandedly, "I've been through it before, I guess. I know what it feels like when a bullet hits a bulletproof vest, so I don't panic as much."

The cool touch of the ointment halted. Mai Sakurajima was staring at him as if he were a monster.

"Wait, you've actually been through that!?"

"Sure. You can get guns and bulletproof vests on the American black market. Just shoot yourself once and you'll know. Of course, my options were limited. I only tried it with a handgun."

Mai didn't know what to say. The weird skills he had could be written off as having too many hobbies, but shooting himself a couple of times? Was that something a normal person did?

"I take back what I said. You're not a weirdo. You're insane."

"You can't live without being a little crazy. You'll have to rely on a lunatic like me to get you all through this." Yuki smiled. To him, that was the highest praise. Ever since the game began, it was this complicated state of mind that had kept him calm.

The Reincarnation Game was terrifying. But if it didn't exist, wouldn't all his suffering over the years have been for nothing? So many times he'd wanted to go to Shuchiin and reunite with his childhood friend, only to force himself to hold back because of that line in his diary.

Now that they'd met again in the game, he was at ease. His way of getting close to Mai Sakurajima wasn't to use an adult's mind to win over a little girl. It was the set of skills he'd honed.

"You can't refute that, can you? Don't you feel like I'm the only light in this dark, lightless Abyss?"

"Pfft. Aren't you ashamed to praise yourself like that?" Mai scoffed, too lazy to answer. She wrapped the bandage around him, tied it into a pretty bow, then gazed at Yuki's back, momentarily lost in thought.

"But what you said earlier is right. This really is a dark, lightless Abyss. It's so terrifying I can barely breathe."

It was only the second night, but it felt like two years had passed. Without him at her back, she didn't dare imagine how she would have made it this far.

"By the way, Li Dan was targeting you earlier. Were you telling the truth?"

"Does it matter? Do you think killing me will suddenly make the Reincarnation Game easy? All the enemies will turn deaf and blind, and we'll pass without a hitch while eating hotpot and singing songs?"

Of course not. I don't even know how the Reincarnation Game works or what a normal difficulty level is.

Mai Sakurajima hadn't even considered switching sides. She'd made it this far by following Yuki, and compared to Li Dan, Yuki was far more reliable. He'd truly been tested by blood and fire, and hadn't abandoned her even in the most desperate moments.

Emotionally, Li Dan always acted like a generous senior, but his eyes were anything but kind.

"Hmph. You never know."

Yuki smiled. At last, he could breathe easy. The gamble he'd made hadn't been for nothing. He'd personally brought Mai Sakurajima this far. She wouldn't believe Li Dan just because of a few suspicions.

"Then, senpai, take my head. Just so you know, you won't be able to take it back afterward."

"Be serious. We're in danger."

"Serious? If I put on a cold, grim expression, you'd go crazy."

That was true. Without him joking around, whether or not they survived, she'd definitely go insane.

This time Mai didn't deny it. She gave an almost imperceptible nod, but didn't praise him further. After spending a day together, she'd more or less figured him out. Give him an inch, and he'd take a mile.

Feeling the delicate touch, Yuki remembered Hayasaka Ai's nod earlier. His expression unconsciously turned serious, and Mai's movements grew gentler.

Interesting. When I deliberately brought up Thomas, the chubby guy defended him, and Li Dan changed the subject too, deliberately covering something up.

Yuki had never taken anyone for a fool. Every test went both ways.

But it was strange that the chubby guy had started the conversation. It couldn't be that he was hiding his true nature and was even smarter than Li Dan, could it?

Impossible. But why did he bring it up, then defend Thomas when I started throwing out accusations? And what was that change in Hayasaka Ai's expression about?

Yuki sank into deep thought. Before the conversation, he'd already coordinated with Hayasaka Ai. She'd play along, while focusing on Li Dan's changing expressions.

That momentary pause in Li Dan's pupils couldn't possibly have been an act.

Yuki closed his eyes and replayed everything that had happened since he'd joined the game, as if watching a movie. He linked together all the details he'd picked up.

The coughing, the habit of patting people on the shoulder, the information exchanged without delay, the look Mai Sakurajima had noticed, and the subtle change in Li Dan's expression when they talked about the difficulty.

"Li Dan and Thomas definitely have a deal."

"Hm? What are you talking about?" Mai Sakurajima, who had been listening to the Walkie-talkie, looked up. Why had he suddenly brought Li Dan into it?

"I'm saying we might've run into some real schemers." Yuki narrowed his eyes and muttered, "The only two veteran players teamed up, making the game decide the players were too united. Then they used a contract-type item, adding another layer of difficulty. Those were all things Li Dan told us."

"But he said even that wouldn't be enough to make it this hard."

"You just believe whatever he says? Don't forget, those two esteemed veteran players have either been doing nothing or making things worse this whole time!"

Yuki promptly shifted the blame. He needed Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai to trust him completely. And in truth, he'd been the one to solve almost every problem.

That was true. It was all Thomas's fault for killing people indiscriminately and getting us targeted.

Mai Sakurajima's suspicions vanished completely. She turned her attention to the Walkie-talkie.

Li Dan and the others hadn't found a single Living Corpse. At least, not here in the Port District. Apart from the unsettling Crimson Moonlight, everything seemed to have returned to normal society.

Oh, and the pursuers were gone too. At last, they had a chance to catch their breath.

"Strange. Where'd those monsters go? Do you think they've given up on us?" Mai Sakurajima wondered. This wasn't like before.

"Keep dreaming. Though I do have a guess."

"Quit keeping me in suspense and tell me!"

Yuki had originally planned to make Mai Sakurajima reward him before he answered, but the look on her face suggested she was ready to eat him alive, so he told her everything:

"It should have something to do with the spawn points. Remember when we rushed out of the Ancient Castle? The people of Crimson Moon City can't be ordinary citizens during the day and Living Corpses at night. And where did all those cops who kept showing up come from?"

I see.

With just a little prompting, Mai Sakurajima understood. He was looking for similarities between day and night. There was no proof, but it was the most likely explanation.

So the monsters have spawn points. That makes this a pretty good place to hide.

If the Living Corpses spawned near the Ancient Castle, they'd have a long way to go to reach the Port District, and they'd have to cross the canal. If they raised the bridges, they could see how the monsters would get across. The only thing to worry about was the Crimson Moon spawning "gifts."

"If only the dungeon would reset. We're not as weak as we were last night. We can fight back now!"

Looking at the girl trying to encourage herself, Yuki smiled even more broadly, but admitted she was right.

Last night he'd been an ordinary person. Any cop could have shot him dead. Yet just now, he'd left corpses strewn everywhere.

He had mastered Reinforcement Magecraft, Alienated Grade weapons, an Ego Trait, and vastly improved combat experience. The other players had grown stronger too. Even the chubby guy was no longer an ordinary person.

The enemies had disappeared, but they'd left their weapons behind. Now everyone could grab a rifle. Even firing blindly was better than fighting unarmed.

Something inexplicable did happen to me, but was the dungeon really abnormal, as Li Dan claimed?

Yuki glanced at his watch, put on his bulletproof vest, and rose with his hand on his sword. He stared into the depths of the Parking Lot, where a black-red mist seemed to hang in the air.

The answer would soon be revealed.

Chapter 35: Judgment of Fate (First Update)

It was nearly dawn, and they were about to reach the limit on staying in one location for two hours. Mai Sakurajima began gathering their supplies and stuffing them into her backpack.

Even after receiving several glares, Yuki showed no sign of helping. He held the Walkie-talkie to his ear and listened.

"We haven't found any boats around the port. We saw Living Corpses floating over from the sea. How did these monsters pick up our scent?"

"They're floating in from the south. Just as I thought—they must've spawned near the Ancient Castle."

"Let's all meet up in five minutes. We'll raise all the bridges over the canal. A river more than ten meters wide should hold back most of the enemies."

Li Dan's voice came through in fits and starts. None of his orders had any obvious flaws. They were the same plan everyone had come up with during the day.

If the Living Corpses spawned nearby, they'd break through and trap the monsters in the Port District. If they appeared near the Ancient Castle, this peninsula would make the best defensive position.

But Li Dan and I both know that this will work against the Living Corpses alone. The real problem is what happens when daylight comes. If there's no reset, we'll be as good as dead.

We're both taking a gamble. The difference is that he has room to adjust, while I don't.

The tension was impossible to hide. Mai Sakurajima, hoisting her backpack, began to feel uneasy too. Then she remembered something.

"By the way, I used that reinforcement point just now, like you told me to."

"Yeah? What'd you get?" Yuki didn't turn around. He knew Mai had been given a reinforcement point as a new-player perk, which she could use to draw an item.

"I drew an item." Mai pulled out a small blue-green bottle and shook it. There were probably several dozen milliliters of liquid inside.

[Chaos Item: Quiet Dew (Chaos Grade)]

[Forcibly calms the user and removes negative states such as agitation, anger, and fear. 30 ml. Fully replenished after six hours.]

[Side effect: Causes excessive calm, impairing movement and thinking.]

[Description: The right amount of calm can help people find a way out. Too much can turn them into statues.]

Yuki raised an eyebrow. He didn't think she'd gotten very lucky. The item didn't sound like the kind of offensive item that could turn the tide, but it wasn't bad either. At least it had a wide range of uses, and the side effects were minor.

The only downside was that there was so little of it, making it hard to get the dosage right.

He glanced at it and teased her, "Senpai, you've gone and become a full-time support player. Fair enough. You really aren't cut out for hacking people to death."

"Hmph, I've fought before too." Mai wrinkled her nose, though she admitted she wasn't suited for it.

Combat wasn't just about strength. It was about mindset too. She already hated killing. There was no need to compete with this lunatic.

"By the way, what are you waiting for? The time limit's up in two minutes." Mai's legs had gone numb from standing. She followed Yuki's gaze into the depths of the Parking Lot. With no lights, she couldn't see anything. She could only sense the blood-red mist in the air, which made the scene feel all the more terrifying.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

In the dead silence, heavy footsteps suddenly rang out without warning. The ground trembled faintly with each step.

She froze. A chill ran from her tailbone to the tips of her hair, and she instinctively raised her gun.

"W-what is that???"

Yuki's breathing grew ragged too. He reached out to switch off the gun's safety for the girl, then raised his own assault rifle.

Crash.