In This Reincarnation Stream, I'm a Player

"If you don't want to talk, forget it. Just don't regret it later."

Time passed minute by minute. Footsteps came from the distance. Yuki, who had been carefully studying the terrain, turned around and saw Li Dan catching up with Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai.

They had been having a rough time the whole way here. Either something had fallen from above, or they had turned a corner and run straight into trouble. So the two girls kept their distance from Li Dan, and there was no way they were going to take the lead.

He'd been having a run of bad luck lately. It seemed to be a side effect of a Chaos Item, though Yuki didn't know which one.

Li Dan hadn't said anything, but Yuki had already guessed. Chaos Items weren't very picky about who used them, and their effects were excellent, but their side effects were all over the place.

"Get your guns ready. We're crossing the railway." Yuki patted the fat man on the back and rose to his feet.

A railway ran through the city, almost parallel to the canal. Guardrails lined both sides. Beyond them lay a highway, and past that was the Old Town, where the buildings were shorter.

The problem was that the railway and highway ran side by side, with a hundred meters of open ground between them. Living Corpses could spot them easily, and then they'd be hunted without respite.

"Get across as fast as you can. Try not to trigger a horde," Li Dan said over the Walkie-talkie.

"What if we do trigger one?"

"Then run for the overpass. I've already lent the Rope Gun to Robert. Use the difference in elevation to jump down, and I'll cover you." Li Dan's tone left no room for argument. He added, "Mai's trait is still on cooldown, so the two of them can't run fast. I'm also dealing with a side effect right now, so I can only ask you two to handle this."

He sounded sincere. It was also the best way to keep everyone safe. When danger struck, they couldn't expect the two weaker girls to take the lead.

The fat man's cheeks twitched. He wanted to say that men and women were equal, so why should he be the one to risk his life? Yuki caught his hand and gave it a gentle shake, signaling that this wasn't the time to argue.

"We've got all the gear we need, so we've got the best chance of surviving. Li's right."

"I've never taken advantage of either of those women!"

"You're risking your life for yourself. Why overthink it?" Yuki couldn't be bothered to say more. He made sure the six magazines on his chest were full, then straightened his helmet.

He took the lead, crossed an intersection strewn with corpses, and quietly cut a hole in the chain-link fence. His combat boots crunched over the gravel-covered tracks as he ducked through.

Under the Crimson Moon, shadows stirred. Living Corpses wandered back and forth nearby. Yuki reached out and pushed down the fat man's gun, which had jerked upward, then crept forward on tiptoe.

"Ghh..."

Their moans grew clearer. Perhaps the Living Corpses had caught their scent. They turned around quickly, only to see a blade flash into view.

Whoosh.

Two quick strokes cleanly severed their heads. Yuki grabbed the fronts of their shirts and, ignoring the blood gushing out, gently lowered them to the ground as if setting down two precious objects. The sight left the fat man staring in amazement.

He could shoot people from a distance, sure, but he wouldn't dare Execute a Living Corpse up close. And Yuki didn't even flinch as the blood sprayed all over him.

"How are you not scared at all? Were you just pretending before?"

"I am scared. I'm scared to death right now. Ever heard of pretending you're not?"

Robert hadn't. Before he could think it over, Yuki had already crossed to the other side of the tracks. Robert hurried after him and took the wire cutters Yuki tossed his way.

"Your turn this time. Be quick. These Living Corpses have sharp noses. They've definitely smelled the blood."

The fat man froze and looked to either side. Sure enough, hundreds of dark shapes were slowly closing in. He shivered.

Snip, snip.

One by one, the finger-thick wires were cut, until they'd finally made a hole. Robert ducked through, only to find Yuki still on the other side.

"Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and run!"

"They're not here yet. Don't forget our mission." Yuki pointed toward Li Dan, who was leading the two women across the railway. Under the moonlight, they were completely exposed, and the horde had already started to pick up speed.

"Leave the covering to Li! He can take at least one person with him!"

Yuki didn't answer. That was exactly what worried him. If anything went wrong, he didn't need to ask who Li Dan would leave behind. He couldn't risk trusting him to keep everyone safe.

But we're allies in a three-way arrangement. I'm not going to follow his orders, either.

The Living Corpses' moans drew nearer, and the three of them hurried along faster and faster. Li Dan might still have been under the effect of his side effect. He hadn't even taken two steps when a gunshot rang out.

Fuck. After all that caution, the Chaos Item decided to go off on its own?

Yuki's scalp prickled. Now he understood just how bizarre the price of using a Chaos Item could be. There was no way to avoid bad luck like this.

The gunshot echoed through the night. The moans instantly turned frenzied, followed by the rapid thud of countless footsteps.

As if they'd heard the dinner bell, all the Living Corpses wandering in the distance surged toward them, their numbers swelling before their eyes. Li Dan seemed to have been expecting this; he immediately took off running.

Rat-tat-tat.

Yuki fired several shots, dropping the nearest Living Corpses on the spot, then nudged the fat man's rear with his foot.

"What are you waiting for? Get through the hole. Cover me in turns!"

"Oh, right!" Robert was only too happy to oblige. He ducked through the hole and fired to the right through the fence. His aim was even better than Yuki's. His short, measured bursts blew apart Living Corpse heads one after another, at least slowing their Charge.

His thirty rounds were gone in no time. Li Dan came rushing over just then and, without looking behind him, ducked through the hole first.

As he was squeezing through, Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai arrived. But the hole was too small, and the two of them jostled into each other, then rolled across the ground in an embrace.

By the time Li Dan looked back, Yuki had already helped them to their feet and was quietly reassuring them.

"Don't panic. One at a time."

"Miss Mai, you go first!" Li Dan didn't waste time. He reached out and pulled Mai through the hole, but didn't give Hayasaka Ai even a second. He straightened up at once and spoke just as quickly:

"The plan's changed. Robert, give him the Rope Gun. The Death Knell still can't be used, so you're clearing the way!"

"Yuki, keep carrying out the lure mission. We'll meet at the agreed location!"

He left those two instructions, grabbed Mai Sakurajima, and turned to leave. Living Corpses were swarming toward them from every direction, drawn by the gunshots. In the chaos, it was hard to react.

But Robert reacted. In fact, he reacted even faster than usual.

He immediately tossed the Rope Gun over the fence, changed to a fresh magazine, and ran ahead of the two of them, firing to either side as he cleared the way.

The fat man looked like a God of War. His shots were fast and steady. More than a dozen Living Corpses were shot in the head before they could reach him.

In just a few seconds, the three of them had reached the middle of the highway. When Yuki turned around, Mai Sakurajima was looking back at him, but Li Dan had a tight grip on her hand. She could only run along with them, and soon they disappeared over the embankment.

No cover. No room for argument. Not even time to object.

Yuki froze for a moment, then glanced down. Hayasaka Ai had crawled through the hole and was meeting his eyes.

Neither of them panicked, but their gazes sharpened.

That Li Dan was a Wolf!

Chapter 40: The Instance, the Truth Revealed (Second Update)

Decisive and ruthless, and yet there was nothing to fault in his reasoning.

When danger struck, they had to prioritize the interests of most of the players on the team and save their most valuable asset.

So taking Mai Sakurajima and leaving the seemingly useless Hayasaka Ai behind made sense. Having Yuki, who was already responsible for luring the Living Corpses, continue fighting was also the safest option.

Living Corpses were everywhere. How could they hesitate at a moment like this? Even if those two were sacrificed, it was still better than losing the whole team.

"But I'd suspected you for a while. Copying my tactics, huh?"

Yuki could find no fault in the plan, but the timing and logic of it were the biggest problems. The gunshot had come at a perfect moment, leaving Li Dan with no choice but to take only one person—and letting him choose the right one.

Rat-tat-tat.

His last few bullets flew. The stench and the foul wind were already upon them. Yuki had no time to think. He ducked through the hole, pressed his palm against the fence, and a flash of Reinforcement Magecraft lit up.

Bang—

Dozens of Living Corpses slammed into the fence, bending the thumb-thick wires slightly. Only a step away, they thrashed and pounded at the barrier.

Yuki looked at the tightly packed, grotesque faces without a change in expression, took half a step back, and grabbed Hayasaka Ai by the wrist.

"Run!"

The Living Corpses on the railway were temporarily held back, but more were pouring onto the highway. Robert had apparently stopped shooting, leaving the Living Corpses to focus all their attention on Yuki.

"Where do we run?"

"To the bridge. At least that bastard Li Dan gave me a way out." Yuki sprinted along the embankment, dragging Hayasaka Ai with one hand while changing magazines with the other. He knew this wasn't an act of kindness.

If Li Dan hadn't left them a way to escape, how could he be sure Yuki wouldn't catch up? And what would Mai Sakurajima, the person he'd "rescued," think of him?

He slung the rifle across his back and drew his sword, cutting down the Living Corpses blocking their way with two quick strokes. Then he ran up the bridge, glancing around as his pounding heart began to settle.

Even if the Ancient Castle kept spawning enemies, a few hours wouldn't be enough to fill the whole city. Cars stood abandoned all over the bridge, with Living Corpses wandering among them in small groups. They hadn't formed a horde yet.

But looking back, the fence had already been pushed down. The Living Corpses from the railway and highway had merged into a vast black mass. As if the dinner bell had rung, they sprinted toward the bridge, spreading across it like a black carpet.

"Stay close. Don't worry about the sides."

Yuki released the blonde girl's hand. With a gun in one hand and a sword in the other, he leapt onto the trunk of a car and fired.

Crack, crack, crack.

At a distance of just a few meters, his pistol shots hit their heads accurately. After making sure Hayasaka Ai was following, Yuki leapt onto the roof of the car ahead.

Whoosh.

His sword came down, leaving several severed forearms behind. The car roof was more than a meter off the ground. The Living Corpses couldn't climb up before he cut them down. He glanced at the ones crawling up from either side, but didn't bother with them. He kept his head down and pushed forward.

He leapt, landed, and smashed skulls. Then he ducked sharply as a few hideous hands swept over his head, turned, and cut off several pairs of legs. Springing up again, he pressed the gun's muzzle almost against a Living Corpse's forehead.

Bang—

Brains splattered. The way ahead was clear again. Yuki jumped onto the hood of a truck, then climbed toward the higher cargo bed with the sword between his teeth, reaching out to pull Hayasaka Ai over.

They were at a high point now. The Living Corpses couldn't climb up just yet, so they gathered around the truck, raising their hands like frenzied fans. Looking back, Yuki saw the horde surging onto the bridge as well.

They swung their arms as they ran at the speed of ordinary people, stepping over one car after another. From a distance, they looked like waves rolling across the road.

"Pull the pins and throw them in front of the horde."

Yuki seemed almost used to being hunted by now. He tossed two round grenades to Hayasaka Ai, then drew the Cable Gun and aimed it at the side of an apartment building to the left of the bridge.

Hayasaka Ai looked troubled. She gritted her teeth, pulled the pins, and threw.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the black cable shot out, the grenades Hayasaka Ai had thrown exploded, setting the tightly packed cars ablaze and forming a wall of fire.

The horde came to an abrupt halt. Then burning Living Corpses burst through, triggering another horde on the other side of the bridge.

Explosions and flames, mixed with moans and roars, formed a scene of utter chaos.

Breathing hard, Hayasaka Ai grabbed the cable first. The Alienated item carried her toward her destination like an escalator.

Yuki was a little slower. He threw a few more grenades to the left, then leapt and grabbed the cable.

He didn't follow Li Dan's instructions to jump off the bridge and find a way to meet up. Instead, he used the item's strange properties to climb higher.

Boom—

The horde overturned a cargo truck weighing dozens of tons. Once they spotted their prey "flying through the air," the Living Corpses followed without hesitation.

They climbed over cars, smashed through the guardrails, and lunged at their airborne prey, only to plummet under the pull of gravity.

Splat.

The overpass and the apartment building were more than ten meters apart, like the sides of a canyon. The Living Corpses hit the ground so hard that their brains burst out, but those behind them kept charging forward. For a while, they fell like dumplings into a pot.

Yuki hung in the air and looked down. The ground was already carpeted with corpses. They looked like a pile of smashed watermelons, giving off a nauseating stench. Those missing limbs still twitched, until new arrivals crushed them into pulp.

It was a vision of hell.

Even Yuki felt like throwing up. He quickly pressed a hand against the railing and jumped onto the apartment rooftop, then ran alongside Hayasaka Ai toward the other side.

"Once we're out of combat and farther from the Living Corpses, they won't swarm us. This isn't the Ancient Castle, after all. There's plenty of room to dodge and maneuver."

"Then what? Do we go to the coordinates Li Dan gave us?"

"No. The explosions just now were loud enough to draw every Living Corpse within a few kilometers. We've got a brief window of safety."

"Aren't you going to save her?"

Yuki didn't answer. He fired the cable toward the rooftop across the way. As he "flew" through the night sky, he scanned the area. Sure enough, he couldn't see a single Living Corpse.

The commotion they'd caused had drawn them all away. Even with the Gift of the Crimson Moon, nighttime was much safer than daytime.

Perhaps this is what the normal difficulty should be. As long as new players are willing to think and brave enough to step outside their everyday lives, they have a chance of surviving.

He thought it over in silence. The first instance was often about establishing one's identity. Players who could adapt to the game would be kept, instead of forcing the veterans to take desperate risks.

My actions played a part, but so did yours. Since we all want to bring the game back to a normal difficulty, then let's each rely on our own abilities.

Using their items, Yuki and Hayasaka Ai crossed an entire residential block. They kept going until they could no longer hear the moans, and only then did they slow down.