This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

They arrived at the rooftop of a shopping mall, where the view was wide and open. From here, they could see the small plaza in front and the residential areas surrounding it—all five or six-story walk-up buildings with mottled, aged exterior walls.

"Let's rest for a moment." Yuki glanced at Hayasaka Ai, who was clutching her knees and panting, then took a tablet out of her backpack.

This was an information terminal seized from the SWAT team. The police had vanished into the night, and in the vast city, only a single, lonely blue dot remained.

"When are we going to save her?" Hayasaka Ai asked for the second time, quite persistent.

"The straight-line distance is three kilometers, and she's still stationary. Li Dan is likely trying to win her over right now. This dungeon has no player death notifications, so they don't know whether we're dead or alive."

"And then Li Dan becomes her only reliance? That makes sense. If we die, Mai Sakurajima has no choice but to listen to him obediently. It satisfies the friendship aspect while also aligning with the instinct for survival." Hayasaka Ai wore a cold, mocking smile as she pressed further:

"But there is one thing I don't understand. Why must a choice be made between Mai Sakurajima and you? Is the value you provide not enough?"

"Because he isn't stupid. He suspects the anomaly in this dungeon is directly related to me. He's using his experience to perform the simplest process of elimination."

Yuki looked up at the red moon. He didn't have telepathy; some things could only be guessed.

Common sense dictated that a genius newcomer should be recruited. This didn't conflict with using Mai Sakurajima; it just meant Li Dan was too clever.

He had accurately locked onto the time period of the dungeon anomaly, which happened to be a time when Yuki was not under his surveillance. Once he determined that Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima were unrelated to it, who else could the suspect be?

As for why the anomaly was caused, or if it was his fault, that didn't matter.

"Better to kill the wrong person than to let a threat slip by. This Li Dan is quite the character."

Hayasaka Ai looked at him, not asking if Li Dan's guess was correct, but frowning as she said, "If that's the case, why not just kill you directly?"

"Because my value hasn't been squeezed dry yet, and because he wants to clear the dungeon himself, which requires Mai Sakurajima's unique traits." Yuki rolled his eyes at her, leaned against the railing to look into the distance, and lowered his voice:

"He didn't dare to flip the table on the spot because he couldn't guarantee which side Mai would stand on. That's why he had to use a scheme to split the team and let us die at the hands of the Living Corpse."

"But if we're alive, we can go back and expose him." Hayasaka Ai was so angry her eyebrows arched. This kind of veteran player who treated newcomers like tools while acting benevolent was simply disgusting.

"Ha, that's why we must die. He can't control the Living Corpse, but he kept an ace up his sleeve."

Clap, clap, clap.

The moment his voice fell, applause rang out. Yuki and Hayasaka Ai trembled slightly and turned simultaneously toward the rooftop entrance.

Under the Crimson Moon, a man in a leather jacket sat cross-legged on the ledge. His short hair, ruffled by the night breeze, had a streak of red dye. He raised his right hand, gripping a—

Scarlet Chainsaw Greatsword!

Clap, clap, clap.

Thomas clapped lightly. It wasn't enthusiastic, but it was filled with a sense of appreciation.

"Very good deduction. Are you a medical student or a detective? You actually guessed the situation almost entirely correctly."

His tone was curious. Seeing the two of them staring at him with tense bodies, he shook his head helplessly.

"Don't be so nervous. I usually like reading suspense novels; if there's no answer, I can't sleep. You satisfied my curiosity, so I'll let you die with a clear understanding." He wasn't nervous, nor did he need to be, like a cat cornering a mouse. Without waiting for an answer, he asked on his own:

"When did you realize he was going to make a move?"

Yuki watched his every movement and opened his dry mouth: "I only had a reasonable suspicion just now, but now I'm certain."

Thomas was stunned, his eyes widening slightly, before he began to clap again.

"Brilliant. So you were intentionally following the script, confirming the crisis at the most suitable time and place. Oh, and you were still holding onto a sliver of hope for a comeback."

He understood now. There were no Living Corpse around, and the time for the red moon's gift hadn't arrived yet. If they were going to tear off the masks, now was the most appropriate time—at least they didn't have to worry about being caught in a pincer attack by the dungeon's enemies.

"Then when did you start suspecting? Let me guess. It must have been when he was passing information to me. Very impressive. You actually suspected me of having an unusual relationship with him based on that."

In that instant, Thomas had seen that Yuki wasn't shocked. Clearly, he had guessed his arrival, though Thomas didn't know where he had slipped up.

"It's normal for veteran players to exchange information in secret. I didn't suspect you. Your acting was also perfect."

"Then how did you..." Thomas's open mouth froze. He saw Yuki raise his hand and pat his own shoulder—moderate force, exactly three times.

"Human physical habits are hard to hide. Li Dan only does this gesture to people he trusts. Once I had my suspicions, I could focus my attention on observing, which made the red flags more apparent." Yuki lowered his hand and slowly revealed a smile:

"For example, you two looked like you had a terrible relationship, yet you cooperated perfectly. Or when Robert mentioned the dungeon's absurd difficulty, I specifically brought up your name. Perhaps it was too sudden, but his expression changed instinctively."

"And another thing: the time was so tight, yet he stopped less than a kilometer from the rendezvous point, and you didn't take the initiative to find him."

Thomas took a breath. The curiosity and appreciation in his eyes all turned into wariness. He had originally thought Yuki possessed some skill like precognition.

Now it seemed it was merely the calculated against the uncalculated, with meticulous observation. With a human body, he was silently approaching the profound truth.

This was even more terrifying. It was as if he were born for the game; heaven knows what he would grow into.

"You really are amazing. I suddenly feel that perhaps you didn't gain anything from the Reincarnation Game at all, and your mere existence is causing the dungeon anomaly."

Oh, you actually guessed right. Didn't everything start because I unlocked my trait?

"Mr. Thomas, do you also think I obtained some divine artifact or a skill that changes the game's difficulty?"

"Of course not. In my experience, any reward from the Reincarnation Game stems from struggle. How could it correct itself just because of a harvest?"

"Then on what grounds are you suspicious of me?" Yuki felt frustrated. His trait was special, but it was nowhere near the level of a 'cheat code.'

"Intuition. The first time I saw you, I felt you deserved to die." Thomas held the greatsword, pressing forward steadily, making the sense of oppression grow increasingly intense.

"Just for such an absurd reason?"

"Ha, what other reason could there be? Are you going to tell me you haven't encountered any anomalies?" Thomas took a second step, watched Yuki struggle for words, and burst into laughter. "Right? My teaming up with him does affect the dungeon difficulty, but high risk means high reward. When the reward side of things goes wrong, it's definitely for other reasons."

"There are only so many new players. The fatty is with Li Dan, the Housewife is with me, and that leaves only the three of you as suspects. Your role has been far too prominent—isn't the answer obvious?"

The stage was something Li Dan had intentionally ceded. Yuki leaving the Ancient Castle, breaking through the encirclement, and killing the Tyrant—his presence was indeed too strong. But it wasn't as if he could help it; was he supposed to just give up and wait for death?

"Has it ever happened before that a specific player affected the game's difficulty?" Yuki retreated quietly, hoping to get an answer from the veteran player.

"Never heard of it. If Li Dan hadn't spent so long analyzing it with me, I wouldn't believe it either." Thomas shrugged. In truth, he didn't really believe it now either, but there was no other explanation.

He had communicated with other players; the idea of the difficulty spiking so sharply was inconceivable. Once they returned, this strange encounter might even fetch a good price.

"Fine, let's say it's my fault." Yuki raised both hands, struggling in vain. "Will killing me solve the problem? Don't you want to know what the anomaly in me is?"

"Don't care, don't want to know. Either way, killing you won't do any harm." Thomas's logic was simple and brutal, yet one had to admit, it was the best choice.

The more an ordinary player knows, the more dangerous it becomes. Given the current situation, since the Reincarnation Game wanted them dead, they might as well eliminate the source of the danger directly; perhaps they would earn the game's mercy.

As the saying goes, every debt has a debtor and every wrong has a perpetrator. The anomaly was triggered by Yuki, so please, don't drag the rest of them down with you.

Thud.

He jumped onto the rooftop, cracking the floorboards, and asked casually, "But I'll still give you one chance: tell me the clue to leaving the Ancient Castle."

This topic had nothing to do with the immediate situation, yet it seemed strangely important.

"If I tell you, I'll die anyway."

"At least you'll die cleanly and quickly. Of course, I suspect you don't have a clue at all and are just bluffing."

"I have one, of course, but let me die knowing the truth first." Yuki raised his voice, as if that could diminish his fear.

"Fine, let's make a gentleman's agreement." The man didn't want to press further, as he was currently clearing the dungeon in his own way.

Vroom—

The Chainsaw Sword sliced through the floor, sending dazzling sparks flying. Thomas approached, closing the distance, but Yuki seemed more concerned with satisfying his curiosity.

"A player's Ego Trait is a bound skill. Why was Li Dan able to seize it?"

"Who told you it couldn't be seized? Under certain conditions, special items, skills, or even the traits of other players can be taken."

"I see. So that's why Li Dan wanted me dead—to make Mai trust him, rely on him, and thereby satisfy the conditions?" Yuki's eyes widened, his face filled with a strange excitement.

"Trust—that is the condition for him to plunder a trait!"

Thomas stopped abruptly. He hadn't shared any useful information, yet Yuki had deduced the truth. He let out a dry laugh, twisting his neck until it made a 'crack' sound.

"Hahaha, interesting. Truly, very interesting. But I—"

BOOM!!

The rooftop shook; the howling chainsaw arrived before the words could finish.

"I hate smart people the most!"

The floor was sliced through, and the railing snapped like paper, leaving a gaping hole in the corner of the mall's roof.

Stone fragments flew, only to be shredded into powder by the chainsaw. Thomas squinted slightly and flicked his foot.

Bang—

A flashbang detonated in the air, lighting up the night sky, but it caused no damage at all.

"It seems you want to die painfully."

He wore a cruel smile as he stepped out of the dust. Seeing no one ahead, only a rope hanging from the railing, he realized that while they were talking, this guy had quietly hooked his harness to the railing and vaulted off the roof.

Multitasking—interesting.

Thomas plunged his greatsword into the floor, carved a circle, and dropped to the floor below as if cutting through tofu.

CRASH.

Debris and a figure landed simultaneously. Yuki, who had just run into the mall, turned back to see Thomas half-crouched in the corridor. Without a second thought, he raised his gun and fired.

Clang, clang, clang.

Sparks erupted from the greatsword as it shielded the man's body. Then, with speed surpassing a normal human, Thomas charged, closing the distance in a few strides.

A skill related to dynamic vision.

Yuki licked his lips. He changed positions while firing, but the opponent anticipated his movements and blocked every shot, meaning he could accurately track where the muzzle was pointed.

He simply tossed the rifle away. Seeing the weapon turn into a pile of broken parts in mid-air, he rolled backward the moment Thomas lunged forward.

Swish—

A straight gash was carved into the floor. Thomas continued his charge, using his waist and abdomen to yank out the trailing greatsword, followed immediately by a horizontal slash.

A vending machine and the wall behind it were severed in one go. Drinks sprayed out, but the Chainsaw Sword didn't stall for a second; rotating with his waist, he backhanded the blade, smashing two thrown objects in mid-air.

Bang.

A fine white powder exploded, filling the corridor. Thomas stood frozen, ears pricked, waiting several seconds before slowly standing straight.

"You run fast."

He glanced at the remains of the fire extinguisher by his feet, his interest growing even more intense.

This newcomer is no ordinary person; maintaining composure under his attack and even utilizing the environment to counterattack already surpasses the vast majority of ordinary people.

Furthermore, the location chosen was quite interesting. By luring the Living Corpses away, there were no living beings left to warm up the Chainsaw Sword; otherwise, it would only have taken a level or two to crush this cleverness with absolute speed and power.

"It seems you still have trump cards to play. I, too, am curious: what exactly did you do to make the Reincarnation Game change the difficulty?"

He raised his hand to pull down the glasses on his forehead. In thermal imaging mode, the world turned into shades of gray, with a few drops of warm blood on the floor extending into the distance.

Tap, tap, tap.

With the back of his hand rhythmically tapping against the wall, accompanied by a measured pace, Thomas dragged his sword toward the interior of the shopping mall, letting his humming echo through the deathly silent building.

"Hide well, run with all your might; the Grim Reaper is coming to your side."

Huff, huff, huff.

Outside the freezer door, his exhaled breath turned into frost. Yuki leaned his back against the wall, slowly tying a tourniquet around his left arm.

His body was acting on instinct while his brain was thinking at full speed. He wasn't shivering in a cabinet like a small animal; instead, he was filled with cold rationality.

As I expected, his Chaos Item requires flesh and blood to be fed to it in order to unleash its more terrifying power.

Under the moonlight at the Ancient Castle, everyone else had been focused entirely on fleeing for their lives, but only Yuki had the spare capacity to carefully observe the combat power of the veteran players. In those emergency situations, Thomas had been unable to hold back, and Yuki had seen it all.

The more he killed, the more berserk he became, eventually losing all control over himself. In exchange, he gained immense destructive power, becoming like a human demolition machine that slaughtered hundreds of Living Corpses.

It's not just the enhancement from the Chaos Item; he must have Limit-level physical strength, and there are traces of training in the European Greatsword and Freestyle Combat. Coupled with skills like dynamic vision, yes, he is indeed a combat-specialized player.

Unlike Li Dan, whom Yuki could never quite figure out, Thomas was more straightforward and brutal, making it easier for Yuki to deduce intelligence.

Before becoming a player, Thomas's basic aptitude must have been excellent. His experience shouldn't exceed two instances, so he definitely surpasses ordinary people. But aside from his combat specialization, he shouldn't have as many trump cards as Li Dan.

Yuki moved his shoulders and wrapped his thick coat tighter around himself. Everything he had said while following the conversation earlier wasn't just to escape; before the battle began, he had to do his best to know himself and his enemy.