Chapter 291

"Uh, I'm into fantasy, your stuff is more suited to sci-fi fans."

"That's not necessarily true. A magician using Aether Particles came to us. He could hold a staff in one hand and unleash fireballs, and in the other hand, he had a Gatling gun beam cannon. Flying spells are nowhere near as useful as jetpacks."

Wow, this is some serious talent!

Yuki was speechless. Looking around, he saw a warehouse just beyond the operating area, where some players dressed in Chinese Daoist robes were standing in front of the counter, selecting machine guns that were over two meters long.

"You can produce Chaos Item?"

"Those aren't called Chaos Item; they're more like the weapons used by the Defense Force. They can't be upgraded, although we do offer Chaos Item modification services."

"Are the Defense Force's weapons very useful to you?"

"Of course, those strange functionalities can be used as a reference, but only as a reference."

Silver Hand led the way, guiding Yuki through various areas. The 'Iron Faith' facility was vast, spanning a wide range of categories.

Yuki then learned that the Iron Faith was the largest player organization among the 'Mechanical Believers', and Silver Hand was a mid-level cadre in charge of the 'Night City' section, which was a good use of his talents.

Incidentally, Yuki also roughly understood his own position and why that 'Ouroboros' had extended an olive branch to him.

Within the Borderlands, the Iron Faith is considered a mid-to-upper-level organization. One of their managers is rated as Monster II, but Silver Hand would definitely be no match for Yuki.

Of course, it would be difficult for Yuki to kill even a digital life form.

The two sides have different areas of expertise, so they cannot be judged solely on their combat strength.

Therefore, Johnny Silverhand's passion is not only about sharing life and death, but also about recognizing Yuki's strength and knowing how valuable a player who can complete an 'epic achievement' is.

Yuki had no intention of prying into the organization's internal affairs. While searching for acquaintances, he sincerely exclaimed, "Your business is quite large."

"I've already said it, we're quite a prominent figure in the entire Borderlands. So, how about joining us?" Silverhand asked casually, taking a sip of beer.

Hmph, as expected, his thoughts are not pure.

Yuki had expected this, but she wasn't offended. It was a form of self-affirmation, and besides, who else but her seniors would have such simple thoughts?

"We're not on the same side, how can we join?"

"There are ways to make you an ally, or even to conquer the same dungeon at the same time. These kinds of items are very valuable, but you deserve them," Johnny Silverhand said seriously.

"You really do have an ulterior motive."

"Haha, it's just a requirement from above. Like those Hunters who have to write reports when they go back." The man patted Yuki on the shoulder, without any coercion. "You're famous now, think about it."

Damn it, I want to play dumb to fool others, who wants this damn reputation?

Yuki cursed inwardly, but he knew this was inevitable. In the Reincarnation Game, there are friends and enemies, such as the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' and the 'Monster Front.' He didn't believe that the Blood Demon and the Mahito would return without reporting it.

"We'll see how much you offer first."

"Alright, let's talk now." Silver Hand pushed open another door. This place looked like an office, with a wine cabinet taking up an entire wall on the left and some holographic projections on the right.

The Iron Hand symbol, along with some portraits, made Yuki glanced at them.

Kamina?02? Asuka Langley Soryu?

That's quite a leap! By the way, is EVA even considered a mecha?

"Those are the big shots in our camp. How about it? Don't you think we're well-equipped and powerful?"

What level qualifies someone as a "master"?

"An epic-level player, huh? Don't worry, as long as you don't die young, you'll be one of them sooner or later."

Johnny Silverhand had already guessed the reason why Yuki was determined to kill the Queen, which was also the most noteworthy aspect.

It's difficult to unite players to complete a dungeon, but it's not impossible. However, to achieve an epic achievement, you have to completely clear the dungeon.

An epic-level player, no wonder he's called a pro.

Yuki also looked longingly at the game. After evaluating monsters, the next categories are epic and legendary. According to the game's setting and Johnny Silverhand's explanation, there is a chasm between monsters and epics.

These are two different life forms, representing the true high-end combat power among countless players.

Bite.

A bottle of whiskey on the rocks was placed on the table. Johnny Silverhand tossed a cigar to Yuki, lit one for himself, and then took a document from a drawer.

"The information you need, everything I know, is written down here. For anything you don't know, you'll have to ask the higher-ups yourself."

The use of 'personally' is brilliant.

Yuki remained calm and carefully examined the contents. Most of them were records about the various factions. After all, Frieren was just an ordinary player and knew very little about the inside story. Besides—

This is free.

The Reincarnation Game has countless factions, and countless others have obtained the qualification to link the Borderlands. Those marked as 'Mechanical Believers' are all powerful factions, such as 'Hunters,' 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons,' and 'Aether Particles,' and the hallmark of a powerful faction is having multiple epic-level players.

As he slowly scanned the area, he saw a dense array of powerful forces, but Yuki didn't feel much pressure.

There are enemies and partners between each faction. How can an individual's likes and dislikes represent all players? For example, if he is enemies with the Blood Demon, at most he will offend the team behind him, the 'Monster Front'. Someone like Frieren is unlikely to change his opinion of him.

There are too many, so many that even the most ambitious and powerful strategist could not possibly rule across factions.

Yuki found some details, and the relationship between members of the same faction was not good. For example, the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' was always fighting among themselves, which was consistent with his guess.

If the Demon Slayer Corps and characters like Satoru Gojo were to become players, they wouldn't be able to cooperate with demons or cursed spirits, as the hatred between them would be far greater than that between players from other factions.

"Are the ones you highlighted in red considered to be more aggressive?"

"Yeah, just be careful when you encounter them, some of the players are really troublesome."

Yuki nodded. This included things that sounded dangerous, such as "Battle Maniac," "Valhalla," "Manual of Hundred Demons," "End World," and "War Orphans," some of which he had encountered before.

Battle Maniac, did they pass the test too? That makes sense; he's been trapped in the Calamity of Blood for who knows how many years.

Yuki remembered Wu Raian and memorized it, then realized that the information wasn't very detailed; for example, it didn't mention the talents of each faction.

He had good emotional intelligence and didn't intend to exploit this friendship to the fullest extent. He turned the page on the projector and immediately frowned.

"What, are you surprised?" Johnny Silverhand had been observing Yuki's expression and thought his powerful friend was quite ignorant, as if he were traveling alone without any seniors.

"It was indeed unexpected. Don't look at me like that. Relying on friends is a life motto."

Yuki didn't bother to hide it. He knew that the second page mainly focused on mission settings, primarily faction missions, but the terms 'hunt missions,' 'judgment missions,' and 'Destruction Mission' were both unexpected and sounded terrifying.

"The task of trial is carried out by the Judge, but what is this Judge?"

"It's a cross-faction player organization. We don't have much information about them, but everyone says they're thugs from the Reincarnation Game." Johnny Silverhand lit a cigarette, taking an epic deep drag. "The players who go in are all elites, you know, the Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge '."

Yuki nodded. If he hadn't befriended Johnny Silverhand, he was prepared to spend a fortune to find this player organization that claimed to know everything.

"They're connected. I told you to pass on a message: don't get involved with the Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge.' You can learn everything from them, and they can know everything about you too."

Gurgle.

Yuki subconsciously swallowed. For some reason, he felt uneasy looking at the 'Judge', and he knew he had too many secrets he couldn't reveal.

"Thank you. If I have the chance, I'd like to meet those big shots in person." Yuki the favor. These people were very dignified; they guessed he had a secret, but they didn't use it to threaten him.

"That's what I've been waiting for, my friend." Silverhand laughed, personally lighting a cigarette for Jiecheng before saying, "Hunting missions are essentially player-versus-player combat, usually with a limit on the number of survivors. Destruction Mission, on the other hand, are primarily aimed at natives. You should understand what I mean."

"One is internal strife, the other is unity against external forces, but the Reincarnation Game doesn't need to do this, does it?" Yuki didn't quite understand. Hunting missions were fine, since players killing each other was commonplace, but the Reincarnation Game could just do the destruction of a world itself.

"You still don't understand. The game itself has never had any presence, at least not in our faction. There's no record of it personally intervening. The players are its slaves and weapons."

Yuki taken aback, his pupils suddenly contracting, confirming a long-held suspicion.

The Reincarnation Game is just a program; you act according to the settings. Just like how it targets me, it never kills me personally, but only creates opportunities for players to resolve the situation.

From Li Dan to Adam, it's all the same; the most direct aspect of the Reincarnation Game is adjusting the difficulty of the dungeons.

Furthermore, the word 'destruction' leads to another hypothesis: those instances may not have been created by the game, but rather some kind of erosion.

Why destroy a world?

"There are many reasons, and I can't answer them right now. Anyway, if you encounter one, don't try to be a hero. Just be as hard as iron and kill it all," Silver Hand advised, noticing a strange kindness in Yuki from the 'Global Insect Calamity'.

This isn't a bad thing; at least they're good friends.

"I know, since the Reincarnation Game can't intervene, then there's something wrong with that 'Judge,' and the target of the Judgment Mission must be a few individual players."

"You are very smart."

I wish I weren't so smart.

Yuki smiled wryly. In a sense, Li Dan and Adam also belong to the category of 'Judge,' those peripheral employees without official positions, who are very likely to be dealt with in the future.

'I'm really lucky to know who the enemy I'll be facing is from a friend beforehand.'

He let out a long sigh, swiped his finger across the page, and looked at the last page.

Yuki's question is simple: she wants to know what those things that exist across instances are, such as Khorne, or the evil god in the Bystander Is Blind in the thick of it all. The answer from the Mechanical Believers is also simple:

Player or unknown.

It's true what they say, you have to rely on friends when you're traveling. This trip saved me thousands of points, and I even got a warning beforehand.

Yuki walked down the street, tossing a metal ball in his hand. He had really struck gold this time. It was impossible for ordinary players to obtain such systematic information without risking being scammed.

As for powerful factions, why would they bother with you if you don't have connections? So ordinary players either get them from senior players or spend money to buy them from the "Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge." The former depends on faction harmony, while the latter is even more dangerous. In any case, Yuki doesn't dare to go to them.

The Mechanical Believers really thought highly of Yuki, giving him a complete set of intelligence, in exchange for an alliance between the two sides, with Yuki obligated to provide support in certain key missions.

The cost is negligible, but the thought of the 'Judge' is worrying. Therefore, the senior students are specifically assigned to act alone, and their relationship must be kept even more secret.

"You were right to look for those people; we don't have any systematic intelligence." Levi Ackerman walked beside him, looking nonchalant. "But you're really inconsiderate, actually doubting them."

After leaving Night City, Yuki contacted him through the short sword. As a cowardly king, he naturally wouldn't easily trust anyone, so he compared some of the information with Levi Ackerman's.

"If I hadn't been so careful, we would have died in the dungeon long ago."

"Tsk, you think I can't survive without you?" Levi scoffed, glancing around casually. "Where did those women go? I haven't seen them."

"I'm not in the same faction as them, we just have some acquaintance. Once we leave the instance, we'll all go our separate ways."

Levi Ackerman hesitated for a moment. After returning, he had also investigated the 'Head Hunters', but no one had heard of this faction. However, the Chaos Item couldn't possibly be the problem. Yuki Sorajima and Mai Sakurajima and the others were indeed not in the same faction.

"Not bad, women will only slow you down. Come with me."

But stockinged legs can increase my attack speed.

Yuki muttered to himself, then immediately followed.

This time, instead of going to the previous trading grounds, he went with Levi Ackerman to another trading location owned by the 'Hunters'. Besides wanting to explore the Borderlands more deeply, there was another important reason:

As friends, I can offer a 20% discount on transactions.

A 20% discount was too tempting for a poor man, and he agreed without hesitation.

Traveling through the Borderlands, they soon arrived at a forest, which left Yuki dumbfounded. Amidst the vast array of bizarre buildings, a forest suddenly appeared quite out of place. It was so grand that it was no wonder it was listed as a powerful organization.

The woods were grayish-black, resembling some kind of pine tree, with small cabins scattered among them—yes, literally hunter's cabins.

"That area is a hunting training ground. Using space-folding technology, it can create a city-sized area and simulate any terrain. It's completely free to use. But I advise you not to go. We'll also record various parameters of the prey."

"That building is the hunting commission room. If you have any enemies you want to track down or hunt down, you can submit a commission, and I'll give you a 20% discount."

This is the 'Hunters's' office. It's not exactly bustling, but quite a few players do visit it. However, most of them are very well hidden, not even bothering to show their eyes.

Mechanical Believers deal in arms, Hunters become killers—it seems all my friends are involved in money-making and murderous schemes. Well, I'm not exactly a good person myself.

Yuki found it somewhat ironic. He had heard from Levi Ackerman that this was taking the 'Hunters' faction talent to its Limit. Their faction talent was called 'Hunting Beacon,' the same one that Teresa had used to locate the cursed spirit.

With sufficient knowledge of their target, they can track targets across different instances and act swiftly and decisively, earning high praise from players.

"You operate on a squad-based basis?"

"Each faction has a different organizational structure, and we won't indulge in pleasure like those bastards. Of course, there are factions within the 'Hunters' that don't want to go down that path."

How did these people resolve the issue?

"Just ignore them. You can't expect all the players in a faction to be united. Just follow 'Hunter King'."

The Hunter King? A pioneer of the Hunters faction?

Yuki's heart skipped a beat; after the two camps had made contact, he had more or less understood:

A faction can have many player teams, but the largest one is usually led by a pioneer, who acts as the faction's leader and, after countless rounds of internal strife, gains control of the narrative.

Teams like 'Iron Faith' can almost represent 'Mechanical Believers'. Newly ascended players will definitely try their best to join such teams for protection, and then it will snowball, with the strong getting stronger and the weak getting weaker.

They drain the resources of an entire faction and usually move their headquarters to the Borderlands, where the consumption is greater but also more convenient.