I Am a Reincarnation Stream Player

"Oh, she's still coughing."

Chapter 44: Kill the Body and Crush the Spirit (Revised)

Cough, cough.

Beneath the Crimson Moon, faint coughing came from the rooftop of an apartment building. Li Dan rested a hand on the railing and gazed into the distance, his honest-looking face utterly expressionless.

Thomas should have started making his move. With my arrangements, nothing can go wrong.

He was confident. Aside from the vast difference in strength between the two sides, he also trusted his acting skills. Li Dan believed he hadn't let anything slip since the game began.

The veteran players had been the first to enter the castle hall. In other words, the script had already been written before Yuki and the others arrived.

I'm in the open, and he's in the shadows. We'll act as if we can't stand each other but are forced to cooperate. That should be enough to deal with any threat.

He'd originally made these arrangements to guard against someone pretending to be weak while hiding their strength. After all, some veteran players could use a method to delay their entry, pretend to be newcomers, and fool their teammates before suddenly emerging at a critical moment to reap the rewards.

As it turned out, top-tier schemers were rare. No veteran player had pretended to be weak, but a newcomer who didn't seem like one had appeared in the team—and even found a way to survive the first night.

He was a talent worth recruiting, so Li Dan had simply changed his plan and let Yuki take center stage. But by the second day, he realized something was wrong.

The dungeon was absurdly difficult, far beyond what he'd imagined. It even violated the principle of high risk, high reward.

He certainly hadn't caused this abnormality. In particular, a change to the game's principles couldn't have happened naturally. After turning the possibilities over in his mind, he concluded that only a player could have caused it.

It wasn't him or Thomas, and it couldn't have been the chubby guy or the housewife. He traced the timeline backward and quickly pinpointed the moment after they left the castle. With so few players, it wasn't hard to guess.

Yuki, Mai, or Hayasaka—one of the three had to be the problem. After they regrouped, he watched them quietly and soon narrowed it down.

Yuki. It could only be him.

The guy was like a cockroach that just wouldn't die, repeatedly escaping danger and completely taking center stage. He was even more monstrous than that young man Li Dan had once met.

He'd vaguely realized that someone so monstrous shouldn't exist in the game. It was too unfair. When Li Dan had been a newcomer, all he could do was follow behind veteran players and hope to scrounge up a few scraps. How could he possibly have led a dungeon run?

After realizing there was a problem, Li Dan had two choices. One was to truly rely on Yuki and use the monster's abilities to survive the dungeon. The other was to eliminate the source of danger and see if the game would show him some mercy.

If you want to eliminate the monster, don't drag me down with you.

Li Dan had ultimately chosen the second option. It wasn't out of jealousy or anything like that; it was simply fear and impulse.

He feared the unknown. What kind of person was someone the Reincarnation Game itself had set its sights on? How could a player possibly go against the game?

He'd acted on impulse. Time and again, he'd thought back to the corridor and wondered if things might have been different had he followed his instincts and pulled the trigger on Yuki.

A player causing the game's difficulty to change so drastically? That's unheard of. Once I get back, I'll have to ask about it on the forum. Maybe it'll catch the interest of some big shots.

He got lost in his fantasies. He'd heard that the Ruthless Strategist loved investigating the game's mechanics. He could use this experience as an introduction and surely get something out of it.

"But first, I need to figure out how to get back."

Li Dan turned his head slightly and looked toward the black-haired girl on the other side of the rooftop. She was gazing into the distance with an expectant look. He'd chatted with her for ages, but it hadn't done any good.

What was with these three? Why didn't they ever trust me? Did they really care that much about friendship?

Li Dan truly couldn't understand. From the start of the game, the three of them had called him "Brother Li" and acted convincingly, but they'd never really trusted him. It made no sense.

If my Ego Trait couldn't sense it, they would've fooled me long ago.

It didn't matter. Once those two were dead, she'd have no other choice. If that didn't work, he'd patiently set up a few more scenarios.

He couldn't be bothered to think about it. He looked into the distance as well. If he got this woman's Ego Trait, Li Dan was seventy percent sure he could survive the dungeon. Then he could use this experience to connect with some major player organizations and climb to the top of the world.

It all depends on whether Thomas can force the clues out of them. If he does, my odds will rise to a hundred percent, and I'll save a lot of time.

But there's no need to insist. With her trait, I can find the clues myself.

A sense of confidence that everything was under control welled up in him, and a relaxed smile spread across his face. His thoughts were already on the next dungeon. With what he'd gained this time, and his own caution, even if he ran into him again, he'd have a chance to take revenge.

My trait is the strongest. All the hardships I've faced in reality were meant to prepare me for the Reincarnation Game!

Li Dan raised his hand and glanced at his watch. It was about time. In an instant, his smile gave way to regret and self-reproach. He slowly walked over to Mai Sakurajima.

"Miss Mai, don't keep looking. It's been almost an hour, and Yuki and the others still haven't met up with us. I'm afraid..." Li Dan trailed off, then gritted his teeth as if forcing himself to be the bearer of bad news.

"I'm afraid they've been eliminated. It's my fault. I didn't expect the side effect of 'Death Knell' to last so long."

He took the blame on himself, which made him seem quite noble. But as soon as he finished speaking, Robert cried out.

"It's not Brother Li's fault! This shitty game has already killed so many people. Miss Mai, please pull yourself together! I don't want to be next!"

He sounded almost as if he were begging. Then he saw that the black-haired girl was still gazing into the distance. He froze, unsure of what to say next.

Was she in shock? The three of them had only been together for a day, and already they were friends ready to die for one another?

Mai Sakurajima didn't turn around, as if she couldn't sense the awkwardness behind her. Her vacant gaze tugged at the heartstrings.

"Enough. Put away your grief. We still have to keep living." Li Dan raised his voice, trying to goad them into action. "Destiny is in our own hands. I don't care how deep your feelings for one another are, but you must carry their lives with you until the final dungeon and tell your departed friends the truth!"

He spoke with impassioned fervor, like a hero roaring defiance at Destiny. When Li Dan saw a light suddenly appear in Mai Sakurajima's eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Yeah, this trick works best on kids.

"Look, they're back," Mai Sakurajima suddenly said, making Li Dan knit his brows.

Was she imagining things because she was too sad?

The kid really was too naive. He suddenly felt tired of it all and turned his head on instinct. Then—

His face turned white, then livid. His eyes bulged as if he'd seen something terrifying.

"That's impossible!!"

On the rooftop across from them stood a man and a woman with similar builds and identical weapons, but their faces were nothing like Thomas's. Reflected in Li Dan's dark brown eyes, they looked more terrifying than evil spirits.

It was the red-eyed boy and the black-haired girl. They stood side by side, flickering in and out of view beneath the Crimson Moon. But Li Dan saw the boy raise his right hand and wave, flashing a bright, toothy grin.

Had they turned into evil spirits after Thomas killed them?!

That thought flashed through Li Dan's mind. Anything was possible in the Reincarnation Game. It wouldn't be strange for the Crimson Moon to send dead players back as a gift. But he quickly realized something didn't add up.

Wait. That kid Yuki could turn into an evil spirit, but what was going on with Mai Sakurajima?

He whipped around to look beside him. The girl was still there, but she'd become a blonde with a side ponytail, looking back at him with the same surprise.

"Brother Li, if you keep staring at me like that, you'll make me blush."

Hayasaka Ai covered her face. Her naturally alluring voice was irresistible, but it made Li Dan's face flush red in an instant.

He'd been played! Completely and utterly played!

At some point, Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka had switched places, and he'd seen through my plan from the start!

How had he seen through it? When had they switched identities? How had he managed to kill Thomas? I'd talked with her for nearly an hour. Why hadn't I noticed anything wrong?

How many trump cards did those three have?!

Countless questions crowded into his mind, and he couldn't answer a single one. Beneath the hazy moonlight, everything seemed dreamlike and unreal, making it impossible to tell what was true and what was false.

After several seconds of silence, Li Dan suddenly drew his enormous revolver and raised it, aiming straight at Yuki's head.

"You're fucking asking for it!"

His aim was perfect. He didn't even need to adjust it. Yuki felt a sharp pain between his brows, as if Li Dan could pull the trigger at any moment and blow his head apart.

But he wasn't afraid. Instead, a smile spread across his face as he spoke in an unhurried tone. "Brother Li, that's an odd thing to say. I must've asked for it a long time ago, or you wouldn't have been willing to kill me."

Yuki caressed the Chainsaw Greatsword, his expression calm as he met Li Dan's gaze without flinching.

"It's a shame I was prepared. I'll hold on to Thomas's things for now. If you still want to fight, I'm game. Either way, the winner only gets to live a few hours longer."

"I'm a newcomer, so I don't mind losing a few hours. But you went through two dungeons with great difficulty and planned such an elaborate scheme. If you're willing to die with me—"

Yuki lowered his sword, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed lightly.

"Then I'd be honored!"

Chapter 45: The Blame Game (Revised)

Kill the body and crush the spirit!

Even though Yuki's tone was calm, with not the slightest hint of sarcasm or deliberate mockery, Li Dan's veins bulged at that moment, and his index finger pressed harder against the trigger.

Kill him. Kill that arrogant newcomer!

He felt as if Yuki had slapped him again and again. He'd thought the game existed for his sake and used the advantage of being a veteran player to prepare his script in advance. Not only had he been exposed, but he'd also gotten Thomas, another veteran player, killed.

How could he not be angry? How could he not hate him?

But despite his hatred, the murderous look in his eyes began to waver. The reason was simple.

Yuki's words had struck at the heart of the matter. They were killing, but there was no way to argue against them.

If he'd wanted to kill Yuki, he would've pulled the trigger already. There was no need to waste time talking. But his will to survive kept his reason intact and stopped his body from giving in to his anger.

First of all, this newcomer wasn't merely capable. He had to possess some terrifying trump card. Otherwise, how could he have killed Thomas? And he still had that trump card, or he wouldn't have dared to show up in front of Li Dan so openly.

That woman's gone. Is she hiding nearby, ready to fight?

Li Dan's attention began to spread out in every direction. He knew how terrifying an invisible assassin could be, but that wasn't the key issue.

Second, Yuki was right. Li Dan wasn't afraid of fighting, but what would winning get him? Even if he chopped the bastard into dumpling filling, what then? The possibility of getting injured aside, Li Dan's plan had failed before it had even begun.

Without Thomas, he couldn't get Mai's trait. On his own, he was sure to die. But that didn't mean he was out of options—

Didn't his opponent hold the key clue to the strategy?

"What do you want?" After a brief silence, Li Dan finally spoke. The encouragement that usually filled his eyes had given way to a cold stare.

"Simple. Don't interfere with my dungeon run. We're players, and this is our most important job." Yuki shrugged, his tone casual. "Besides, we both want to survive. There's no guarantee we'll run into each other in the next dungeon. I think things like pride, friendship, and hatred are meaningless."

There was no need to answer. Players had been forced into the game, and survival was obviously their top priority. Even if Li Dan killed Yuki to avenge his teammate and restore his pride, what would that accomplish? Would the game count that as a win?

Likewise, Yuki had no reason to settle the score. That would be putting his own life at risk.

So, after a moment, Li Dan gave a slight nod. To survive, he didn't mind admitting defeat.

"Cooperate, or call a truce?"

"Of course it's a truce. We've already fallen out, so if we cooperated, we'd have to watch our backs around each other. Don't worry. I haven't touched the housewife. Before I leave, I'll tell you the clues."

"You expect me to trust your character?" Li Dan sneered.

"I'm not that naive." Yuki still looked completely at ease as he replied offhandedly, "Since you could put on an act with Thomas, I'm sure you didn't trust his character either."

There was no way two old schemers trusted each other. They must have had some crucial item.

Li Dan gave Yuki a long look. But since the other man had figured things out this far, it was only natural that he'd guessed the reason too.

"You're clever. So clever that I regret it. No wonder you dared to stand right in front of me."

"Thanks for the compliment. I was just lucky. And you're a rational person. Even without that item, you'd have made the right choice."

Yuki felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He'd guessed right. With this crucial item in hand, Li Dan wouldn't want to fight.

Lucky? Could luck alone have pushed me this far?

Li Dan snorted and couldn't be bothered to trade barbs. He snapped his fingers with his left hand, and a scroll that looked like a bamboo slip appeared in his palm.

"The Soil-Offering Contract. As long as both parties agree, anything they write on it will be acknowledged and enforced by the game. The signatories can't break it."

So it was an item for forming a party. No wonder those two old schemers had worked together so seamlessly, and Li Dan hadn't been afraid Thomas would Backstab him. Thomas's acting had been quite convincing too.

Everything suddenly made sense. Yuki asked curiously, "What's the side effect?"

"Random phenomena on a strategic level. Don't worry, it's gone now." Li Dan looked away, making his meaning obvious.

"Ha. No wonder the game was so ridiculously difficult. It was because of you. I knew it—two veteran players, and you even teamed up. You're more experienced than Thomas, too."

Yuki immediately understood. Li Dan and Thomas had different levels of experience, so Li Dan had essentially piggybacked into Thomas's dungeon. Then they'd run into the rare situation of having only two veteran players.

They'd already taken every advantage they could get. Did they really think the dungeon was a place to farm rewards? Of course the game would hit them hard.

"I was partly responsible." Li Dan furrowed his brows and said bitterly, "But you were more responsible. My plan could've created a risk, but it couldn't have changed the game's rules. The Reincarnation Game wanted to kill you, not me."

He'd also doubted himself at first. It wasn't until he'd killed a bunch of Living Corpses without receiving any rewards that he realized he wasn't the one to blame.

"But if the castle hadn't put me in so much danger, I wouldn't have had to make that choice," Yuki said expressionlessly, shifting the blame right back.

That was true. If the castle hadn't scared him so badly, he would've chosen "No" back then.

A choice? The abnormality came from a choice?

Li Dan's expression shifted. He didn't know what Yuki had chosen, but it sounded like it had something to do with how terrifying the castle was.