This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

With this analysis complete, he felt confident. Listening to the screeching sound of the cold storage door being cut, he slowly gripped his blade.

In summary, he also possessed the strength to fight.

Clatter—

Amidst a shower of dazzling sparks, a hole was cut into the locked iron door. Thomas stepped through the breach, slowly scanning his surroundings.

Beyond the cold storage lay the supermarket, where dense rows of shelves obscured his vision, and the lingering low temperature from the cold storage caused his thermal imaging signals to vanish quickly.

How would a brat know how to evade a thermal imager?

Thomas paused for a moment. He had tracked the footprints and blood droplets to the cold storage, only to lose the trail. The cold storage had several doors, two of which had been opened, as if the target had fled toward the parking lot.

"But you shouldn't have locked the door. Do you really take me for a fool?"

He grinned, then felt he was being too harsh on a newcomer, so he simply dragged his sword into the supermarket, his gaze sweeping across the shelves on both sides.

"Come out. In honor of your cleverness, I'll chop your head off with one strike later—absolutely painless."

"Escaping is impossible. You'd be better off fighting me fair and square like a man."

"Use whatever skills you have. These little tricks aren't enough for the difficulty of this mission."

His voice echoed through the building, but there was no reply, only the dull thud of combat boots against the floor. Thomas closed in step by step, wondering why he still hadn't seen a thermal signal, when his ears caught a clank.

It was very faint, as if a body had accidentally brushed against a shelf. Thomas, who had been strolling just a moment ago, lunged forward like a tiger leaping from the mountains.

Found you!

Accelerating in an instant, the roaring chainsaw blade sliced through several rows of shelves, sending bags of chips and snacks flying into the air. However, Thomas, who was crouched low with his body leaning forward, froze.

There was no one there, not even a trace of a living creature.

Aside from the Living Corpses, there weren't even rats in the night; how could the shelves make a sound on their own?

Was it a coincidence?

He strained his ears to listen. The clank of contact reached him again. Without hesitation, he pivoted and launched himself several meters away.

Whoosh—

It was another brutal cut, cleaving an entire row of stationery cabinets in two. In his gray-white vision, there was still no thermal reaction. The image was blurry, but his dynamic vision caught an object.

Cylindrical, pre-fragmented, the pin pulled.

!?

BOOM!!

The grenade detonated. Shrapnel flew amidst the fire, igniting all the printer paper fluttering in the air.

Thomas was blown backward. His massive Chainsaw Sword shielded his chest and abdomen, yet he still felt waves of stinging pain, his buzzing head left in a daze.

He hadn't heard the sound of a throw, nor had he detected any thermal signature. It was as if the opponent knew he would lunge, pulled the pin, and left the grenade on the shelf.

But how did he escape without a sound? And, did this bastard not plan on running, but instead—

Ignoring the pain, Thomas propped himself up with his sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a dark cotton jacket flying into the sky, so he twisted his body to strike back.

"You want to kill me!?"

Swish!

The blade swung to cut him at the waist, but Yuki leaped. The jump was two meters high—something no ordinary human could achieve.

Physical Enhancement. Full power.

Yuki did not answer, merely looking forward with cold indifference. With a flick of his thumb, he drew his sword from above and slashed sideways.

Clang—

The blade struck toward Thomas's shoulder. In that split second, the latter twisted his body, watching the edge graze his chest. Seeing the fierce left fist coming, he whipped his leg upward.

Snap.

Bones collided, and both retreated several steps. Thomas felt a slight numbness in his right leg. He looked up abruptly to see the 'blood vessels' all over the other man's body glowing.

"No wonder you didn't run. So this is your trump card!"

One kick from him was enough to break an ordinary person's bones. That the opponent dared to trade blows head-on clearly meant he had used some method to bridge the gap in physical strength.

Yuki remained silent. Before his heels touched the ground, he pushed off his toes and charged back in, twisting left and right to thrust repeatedly at Thomas's chest.

Swish, swish, swish.

The long blade was fast and accurate, but every time it came within half an inch of the enemy, it failed to land. Thomas retreated several steps until his back was nearly against a shelf, then he twisted his wrist, causing the chainsaw on his greatsword to spin even faster.

Woooo—

It was already screeching, piercingly loud. Yuki's pupils constricted, and he hurriedly withdrew his blade and retreated, only to see the air transform into a mass of fine, invisible blades spreading outward.

Overload Mode. Storm Cut!

The ground was shredded by the violent airflow, sending gravel flying. The ceiling was also sliced, and after the fire sprinkler pipes burst, the entire supermarket seemed to be caught in a fine, heavy downpour.

His clothes soaked and splattered with blood, Yuki stared ahead, slowly rubbing the hilt of his sword.

A skill outside of the intelligence report. It seems Thomas gained a great deal from the previous instance. Then again, at least in terms of combat, he is a genius.

"Do you really think you can kill me? If it were that easy, I would have died eight hundred times over by now."

The low voice pierced through the curtain of rain. Thomas stood his ground, sword in hand, blood flowing from the wounds carved by shrapnel.

Yuki remained silent. Of course he didn't think that; in the style of the Reincarnation Game, there was absolutely no such thing as "easy." Every veteran player had crawled their way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Even someone like Robert, who seemed to be just tagging along, would undergo a qualitative transformation if he could survive this instance.

"You are indeed different. Perhaps a monster of a newcomer like you is exactly what the game is meant to target." Thomas shook his head slightly, his overflowing killing intent tinged with a hint of recognition as he slowly raised his left hand.

"Even if you like using underhanded tricks, you're still a man. You're worth a fight where I give my all."

The hooligan-like air vanished. Ignoring his flashy attire, Yuki felt as though he were standing before a true martial artist—a warrior with an iron will who had struggled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

His lips moved, and when he saw what Thomas pulled from his storage space, the corner of his eye twitched.

It wasn't anything terrifying; on the contrary, the items were quite cute—over a dozen lively, white-furred rabbits.

Is he warming his blade!?

Yuki lunged forward, but he was a beat too late. With the horrific sound of a chainsaw, the white rabbits were transformed into blooming flowers of blood before they even hit the ground.

Muscle, fur, and bone flew through the air, only to be shredded into powder moments later, forming a hazy Blood Mist.

"Who told you that warming a blade requires killing a person!?"

Thomas lunged through the Blood Mist, his speed a notch faster than before, slashing directly at Yuki.

Clang!

Sparks erupted. Yuki held his blade overhead to block, watching as the saw teeth actually carved a notch into his Alien-grade weapon. An even greater force pressed down, inch by inch.

The power had increased. This greatsword certainly hadn't reached its Limit yet, but this extra bit of strength was enough to break the balance.

Yuki released his left hand, stepped to the side, and watched as the saw teeth bit into the floorboards. He then swung his blade upward with one hand.

Reverse Kasaya!

Bang—

A knee strike came faster than the blade. Thomas had clearly seen this move before and chose to counter with his own knee, slamming it solidly into Yuki's chest.

Bang, bang, bang...

A series of shipping containers were knocked over. A stinging pain like cracked ribs surged through his chest, but Yuki had no time to check his wounds; he scrambled to the side.

Boom!

Like a grenade exploding behind him, an invisible blade shredded a pile of debris, slicing through his tactical vest until the armor plates inside were visible.

Strong. Is this what a selected veteran player is like? As long as they aren't dead weight, they all have their own trump cards. They are much harder to deal with than those mindless monsters.

Yuki's head buzzed. He sprinted forward a few steps, then planted his front foot and suddenly spun around.

Backhand Slash.

Fast and sudden, it sheared off a lock of red hair. Yuki's pupils contracted as he saw Thomas back-jump to dodge, staring at him coldly.

Thomas raised his blood-stained greatsword, his wrists rotating in sync with his footsteps.

Death Windmill.

Several strikes per second, combined with the indestructible chainsaw, truly formed a terrifying Death Windmill. There was no opportunity to get close.

The "rain curtain" was shredded; nothing remained in the air but a shrill, wailing whistle. Yuki could only retreat, feeling the wall behind him drawing near, with the scent of death following close behind.

"You can't escape!"

Thomas became even more savage. This was no windmill; it had clearly turned into a blender. If Yuki's retreat slowed even for a second, he would be minced into a pile of meat.

Unable to counterattack and with nowhere left to retreat, the spinning windmill suddenly paused, slashing rapidly toward the rear.

Bang—Ding!

The sound of a gunshot and the ping of a bullet being deflected rang out in succession. Thomas furrowed his brows. He wasn't afraid of a sniper, but he suddenly realized a problem he had overlooked.

Wait a minute, there's someone else with him???

Memories flashed back in the wake of the gunshot, jumping straight to the mall rooftop. When he was talking to Yuki, there was clearly a blonde girl beside him.

How did I not notice her escape? No, when did I forget her existence entirely!

Bang, bang, bang.

The gunfire resumed, though no muzzle flash could be seen. It forced him to side-step, letting Yuki—who had been cornered—break free. Thomas wasn't angry, just feeling his mind in a chaotic mess.

That's right. From the beginning, I've been dealing with two people. No wonder there were sounds to distract me, no wonder the grenade was quietly planted in front of me.

He realized it in a flash. At the time, Yuki had been wrapped in a thick cotton coat to block thermal signals; it would have been impossible to set traps quickly. It was obvious she had been lying in ambush somewhere, rushing out to launch a fatal strike.

"There's also an invisible person helping. Wait, invisible? Isn't that the woman Li Dan mentioned?"

Yuki slashed over with his blade, but Thomas chose to retreat, his head throbbing after discovering the issue.

Wasn't Mai Sakurajima taken away by Li Dan? Wasn't the person standing next to him that blonde bitch? Her trait is so troublesome. Once I catch her, should I kill her or not?

A massive influx of questions flooded his mind, and the sword light grew increasingly fierce. He had no time to solve these puzzles, not until a stinging pain in his ribs jolted Thomas back to reality.

No matter what, I'll slaughter this treacherous bastard first!

Yuki realized that violent gaze had locked onto him once more. Without a word, he drew his blade and retreated, only to see the Death Windmill begin to spin again.

His strength and speed were far superior to mine, his technique was impeccable, and the Chainsaw Sword was in a league of its own compared to the Mutated Longblade.

The oppressive pressure was suffocating. Yuki retreated continuously, parrying occasionally, but with every shower of dazzling sparks, his wrists were left numb from the impact.

Just a little more, just a little more.

He retreated into the produce section, watching as the freezers and shelves were swept clean by the sword light. Just as Thomas lunged forward with a heavy, powerful downward strike, Yuki bent his knees and leaped backward with all his might.

BOOM!!

The floor was shattered, and the high-speed air currents kicked up formed something akin to "sword qi," which skimmed across the floor straight toward his chest. With a crisp ding, his longblade was violently knocked upward, leaving his guard wide open.

"Die!" Thomas stepped forward without hesitation, raising the Chainsaw Sword high to strike, but his dynamic vision caught a figure darting out from the side.

She had long black hair and a sweet face, holding an assault rifle in her hands, but she was too weak; before she could even fire, a single swing of his sword could snuff out her life.

So it really is you.

Thomas hesitated. The core reason for this betrayal was the special trait possessed by this woman; killing Yuki would not solve the runaway game difficulty, and to survive the final day and night, Li Dan had explicitly stated that they needed to seize her trait.

If I kill her, I only gain one more day of life—it's meaningless. But if I don't act, am I just supposed to stand here and let her shoot me?

In a single second, Thomas had several choices, but precisely because there were too many, he didn't know which was most advantageous.

Bang, bang, bang.

At that moment, shots rang out, but they didn't come from the rifle in Mai Sakurajima's hands; it was Yuki, not far away, who had drawn his pistol and fired.

Six flowers of blood bloomed across Thomas's body. For someone in his prime, these were not fatal wounds, but the bullets tumbled through his flesh, forcing his body to stumble back several steps. The sharp pain jolted him awake from his dilemma.

I didn't dodge? No, why would I let my attention wander in the middle of a fight??

This was a rookie mistake, a blunder he should never have been capable of making. Thomas forced his head to turn, his pupils slowly dilating as he realized the reason in an instant.

"So this is..."

The black-haired youth held a pistol in one hand and a blade in the other, but behind him appeared a phantom that Thomas had never seen before and could not comprehend.