This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

"Oh, she's still coughing."

"Cough, cough."

Beneath the Crimson Moon, the faint sound of coughing drifted across the rooftop of the apartment building. Li Dan rested his hands on the railing, gazing into the distance, his honest-looking face devoid of any expression.

Thomas should have started his move by now; everything was foolproof according to my plan.

He was brimming with confidence, not just because of the massive disparity in combat power between the two sides, but also due to his faith in his own acting skills. Li Dan believed that since the start of the Reincarnation Game, he hadn't revealed a single flaw.

The veteran players were the first to enter the Ancient Castle hall, which meant the script had already been written before Yuki and the others arrived.

I am in the light, he is in the dark. Putting on a show of being at odds while barely cooperating is enough to handle any threat.

This setup was originally intended to guard against anyone playing the pig to eat the tiger. After all, some veteran players could use certain methods to delay their entry, posing as newcomers to deceive their companions before jumping out at the critical moment to reap the rewards.

As it turned out, top-tier schemers were a minority, and no veteran player was playing the pig to eat the tiger. However, a newcomer who didn't act like a newcomer had appeared in the team, and he had even found a way to survive the first night.

This was a talent worth recruiting, so he simply modified the plan and left the stage to Yuki, only to realize by the second day that something was wrong.

The difficulty of the dungeon was absurd, far exceeding his imagination, and it even shattered the principle of high risk, high reward.

This anomaly was definitely not triggered by him, especially since the change in principles couldn't have happened naturally. After thinking it over, only a player could cause such a disturbance.

It wasn't him, it wasn't Thomas, nor could it be the chubby guy or the housewife. He backtracked the timeline and quickly locked onto the node after leaving the Ancient Castle. With so few players, it wasn't hard to guess.

Yuki, Mai Sakurajima, or Hayasaka—one of these three must have caused the problem. After they regrouped, he began to observe quietly and soon narrowed down the scope.

Yuki. It had to be him.

This guy was like a cockroach that couldn't be killed, repeatedly turning danger into safety and completely occupying the center stage. He was even more monstrous than the youth he had encountered in the past.

Vaguely, he felt that such a monster shouldn't exist in the game at all. It was too unfair. When Li Dan was a newcomer, he could only follow behind veteran players to drink the broth; how could he possibly lead a dungeon clear?

After discovering the problem, Li Dan had two choices: one was to truly rely on Yuki and use this monster to clear the dungeon; the other was to eliminate the source of danger and see if he could gain the game's mercy.

You want to eliminate the monster, don't drag us into the water.

Li Dan ultimately chose the second option. This had nothing to do with jealousy or anything of the sort; it was purely out of fear and impulse.

He feared the unknown—what kind of sacred entity was someone targeted by the Reincarnation Game? How could a player possibly go against the game?

He acted on impulse. He kept thinking back, feeling that if he had followed his impulse in the corridor and pulled the trigger on Yuki, none of what followed would have happened.

To drastically change the game's difficulty because of a single player is unheard of. I must ask about this on the forums after returning; it might pique the interest of those big shots.

He fell into a fantasy. He had heard that the 'Ruthless Strategist' loved to investigate game settings. Using this experience as a stepping stone would surely earn him benefits.

"But first, I have to find a way to return."

Li Dan turned his head slightly to look at the black-haired girl on the other side of the rooftop. She was gazing into the distance with an expectant look; chatting with her for a long time earlier had been useless.

It's strange. Why do these three never trust me? Do they care about friendship that much?

Li Dan really couldn't understand it. From the very beginning of the game, these three had called him "Brother Li" and acted very convincingly, but they had never truly trusted him. It made no logical sense.

If not for my Ego Trait being able to perceive it, I would have been fooled long ago.

It doesn't matter. Once those two die, she will have no choice. If it really comes to it, I'll patiently set up a few more scenes.

He was too lazy to overthink it and also gazed into the distance. With this woman's Ego Trait, Li Dan was seventy percent sure he could clear the dungeon. Then, he would use this experience to connect with large player organizations and climb to the peak of his life.

It just depends on whether Thomas can force out the clues. With that, my certainty would increase to one hundred percent, and I could save a lot of time.

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

A sense of confidence that everything was under control arose, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. His gaze was already set on the next dungeon. With the gains from this time, coupled with his own caution, even if he met 'him' again, he would have a chance for revenge.

My trait is the strongest. The hardships I've faced in reality were born for the Reincarnation Game!

Li Dan raised his hand and glanced at his watch, finding that the time was almost up. In an instant, the smile on his face was replaced by regret and self-reproach as he slowly walked toward Mai Sakurajima.

"Miss Mai, stop looking. It's been almost an hour, and Yuki and the others haven't come to regroup. I'm afraid..." Li Dan stopped mid-sentence, then gritted his teeth as if struggling to play the villain:

"I'm afraid they've already been eliminated. This is my fault. I didn't expect the side effects of 'Death Knell' to last so long."

Taking the responsibility upon himself seemed quite honorable, but as soon as he finished speaking, Robert began to clamor.

"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 the next one!"

He was practically begging, then saw the black-haired girl still gazing into the distance. He paused, not knowing how to continue.

Did she go straight to being stunned? They've only been together for a day, and they've become inseparable friends?

Mai Sakurajima didn't turn back, as if she couldn't feel the awkwardness behind her. Her hollow eyes were pitiable.

"Enough, put away your sadness. We still have to keep living." Li Dan deepened his tone, using a bit of reverse psychology: "Fate is in our own hands. I don't care how deep your feelings are, but please carry their lives forward until the final dungeon and tell the truth to your fallen friends!"

His words were impassioned, like a hero roaring at fate. Seeing a sudden glimmer of light in Mai Sakurajima's eyes, Li Dan let out a long sigh of relief.

Hmm, this trick still works best on brats.

"Look, they're back," Mai Sakurajima said suddenly, causing Li Dan's brows to lock tightly.

Is she hallucinating from too much grief?

Brats are just too naive. He felt a sudden sense of weariness, but instinctively turned his head, and then—

That face turned pale in an instant, then shifted to an ashen blue, eyes bulging as if he had witnessed something truly horrific.

"This is impossible!!"

On the rooftop opposite stood a man and a woman, their loadouts similar and their weapons identical, yet their faces were completely different from Thomas. Reflected in Li Dan's dark brown pupils, they appeared more terrifying than any vengeful spirit.

It was a boy with crimson eyes and a girl with long black hair, standing side by side, flickering in and out of view under the Crimson Moon. The boy raised his right hand to wave, flashing a grin of brilliant white teeth.

Did he turn into a vengeful spirit after being finished off by Thomas!?

The thought flashed through Li Dan's mind instantly. In the Reincarnation Game, anything was possible; it was normal for the Crimson Moon to recycle fallen players as gifts. But he quickly realized something was wrong.

Wait a minute, Yuki could turn into a vengeful spirit, but what about Mai Sakurajima?

He whipped his head around to look beside him, only to see a girl in his pupils—but she had changed into a blonde with a side ponytail, looking back at him with the same expression of surprise.

"Brother Li, if you stare at me so intently, I'll get shy."

Hayasaka Ai covered her face. Her natural, seductive tone was alluring, but it made Li Dan's face flush red instantly.

I've been played! Completely and utterly played!

Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka were swapped at some point, and my schemes were seen through by him long ago!

How could he have seen through it? When did they switch identities? How did he have the ability to counter-kill Thomas? I chatted with her for nearly an hour—why didn't I notice anything wrong?

Just how many trump cards do the three of them have!?

A massive wave of confusion flooded his brain, each question unanswerable. Under the hazy moonlight, everything seemed like a dream, making it impossible to distinguish truth from illusion.

After several seconds of silence, Li Dan instantly drew his massive revolver and aimed it directly at the head of the Yuki across the way.

"You're looking for death!"

His aim was precise; he didn't even need to adjust. Yuki felt a stinging sensation between his brows, as if the moment the other man pulled the trigger, his head would explode.

Yet, not only was he not afraid, a smile spread across his face. His speech was unhurried: "Brother Li, look at what you're saying. I should have been looking for death a long time ago, otherwise, why would you be so willing to strike me down?"

Yuki stroked his Chainsaw Greatsword, his expression indifferent, his gaze staring back without a hint of weakness.

"It's a pity I was prepared. I'll keep Thomas's belongings for now. If you want to continue fighting, I'll accompany you, but the winner only gets to live a few more hours anyway."

"I'm a newcomer, so living a few hours less doesn't matter. But you, having painstakingly cleared two dungeons and orchestrated such a massive script—if you're willing to die with me—"

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

"It would be my absolute honor!"

Chapter 45: The Blame-Shifting Conference (Revised)

A strike to the heart!

Even though Yuki's tone was indifferent, devoid of any sarcasm or deliberate mockery, Li Dan's veins bulged instantly, and his index finger tightened on the trigger.

Kill him. Kill this arrogant newcomer who doesn't know his place!

He felt as if his face had been slapped repeatedly. He had believed the game was tailor-made for him, using his advantage as a veteran to set up the script in advance—not only was he exposed, but he had also gotten Thomas, another veteran, killed.

How could he not be furious? How could he not hate?

Yet, hate as he might, his murderous eyes trembled slightly. The reason was simple:

These words were indeed a strike to the heart, hitting his pain points so accurately that he couldn't even refute them.

If he truly wanted to kill Yuki, he would have pulled the trigger long ago instead of wasting his breath. But his survival instinct kept his reason intact, preventing his body from being swayed by rage.

First, this newcomer wasn't just "not simple." He must have some terrifying trump card; otherwise, how could he have counter-killed Thomas? And that trump card must still exist, or he wouldn't dare appear before him so openly.

That woman is gone. Is she lurking in the shadows, ready for combat?

His attention began to spread to his surroundings. He knew how terrifying an invisible assassin could be, but that wasn't the key point.

Secondly, Yuki was right. Li Dan wasn't afraid of a fight, but the problem was, even if he won and chopped this bastard into dumpling filling, what then? Not to mention the possibility of getting injured, his entire plan had failed just as it had begun.

Having lost Thomas, he couldn't obtain Mai's trait. Relying on himself alone meant certain death, but this wasn't a dead end—

The key clue to the clearance method wasn't it in the other party's hands?

"What do you want to do?" After a brief silence, Li Dan finally spoke. His eyes, usually full of encouragement, were now left with only coldness.

"Simple. Please don't interfere with my dungeon clearance. We are players; that is our primary job." Yuki shrugged, his tone relaxed. "Besides, both you and I have the goal of surviving. We might not even meet in the next dungeon. This Humble One believes that things like face, friendship, or hatred are meaningless."

There was no need to answer that question. Players were forced into the game; survival was the top priority. Even if Li Dan killed Yuki to avenge his teammate and regain his face, what would it change? Would the game declare him the winner?

By the same token, Yuki had no need to settle the score; that would be going against his own life.

Thus, a moment later, Li Dan nodded slightly. To survive, he no longer cared about failure.

"Cooperation or a truce?"

"A truce, of course. We've already torn off the masks; if we cooperate, we'd still have to guard against each other. Don't worry, I haven't touched that housewife. Before I leave, I'll tell you the clue."

"You want me to trust your character?" Li Dan gave a mocking laugh.

"I'm not that naive." Yuki remained as composed as ever, saying casually, "Since you could act out a play with Thomas, you surely didn't trust his character either."

How could two old foxes trust each other? There must be some key item involved.

Li Dan looked deeply at Yuki. However, since the other party could calculate things to this extent, it stood to reason that he would have guessed the cause.

"You are very clever, clever enough to make me regret it. No wonder you dared to stand directly before me."

"Thank you for the compliment. I just have better luck, and you are a rational person; even without this item, you would have made the correct choice."

Yuki felt a weight lift from his heart. He had guessed correctly; with this key item, Li Dan would have no desire to fight.

Luck? Could luck alone have pushed me to this extent?

Li Dan let out a cold snort, too lazy to engage in a war of words. He snapped his fingers with his left hand, and something resembling a bamboo scroll appeared in his palm.

"The Soil-Offering Contract. Provided that the intentions are aligned, the content written upon it by both parties will be acknowledged and enforced by the game. The signatories cannot violate it."

So it really is a team-forming item. I was wondering how two old schemers could coordinate so tacitly. Li Dan isn't even afraid of Thomas backstabbing him, though the latter's acting skills are quite professional.

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

"A strategic-level random phenomenon. No need to worry; it's already gone." Li Dan averted his gaze, the implication all too obvious.

"Heh, no wonder the game difficulty is so absurd. It turns out it was because of you. I was wondering why two veteran players would team up, and your seniority is even deeper than Thomas'."

Yuki immediately understood. Li Dan and Thomas had mismatched seniority, which was equivalent to crashing someone else's dungeon, only to encounter the low-probability event of having only two veteran players present.

They had already occupied all the advantages; if the game didn't hit you with a heavy blow, did you really think the dungeon was just a place to farm rewards?

"I do bear some responsibility." Li Dan frowned, saying bitterly, "But your responsibility is greater. My plan created risks, but it cannot change the game settings. The Reincarnation Game wants to kill you, not me."

He had originally doubted himself, but it wasn't until he killed a pile of Living Corpses and received no rewards that he realized it wasn't his fault.

"But if it weren't for the risks you created, I don't think the Ancient Castle would have been so dangerous, and I wouldn't have had to make a choice." Yuki remained expressionless, tossing the blame right back.

Indeed, if the Ancient Castle hadn't terrified him, he would have chosen 'No' at that time.

Choice? The anomaly originated from a choice?

Li Dan's expression shifted slightly. He didn't know what Yuki had chosen, but it sounded related to the Ancient Castle being too terrifying.