Chapter 348
Unable to get a word in edgewise, Frieren had been eavesdropping the whole time, and accidentally dropped his staff on the ground.
This upgrade speed is too fast! No, I expected it.
She recalled the first time she saw Yuki; the latter wasn't much stronger than her, and they had only been Borderlands for less than two months, yet the difference between them was already like heaven and earth.
So you want to compete with him and see who wins?
Frieren's gaze was filled with sympathy as she looked at the approaching man; her usually expressionless face became unusually complex.
She finally understood the reason for the conflict between Hayasaka and her senior: such an outstanding man represented the most precious thing in the Reincarnation Game of 'security'.
He deserves to be cherished; even I have to admit his allure.
The magician rubbed his thigh slightly, his eyes becoming deep. Suddenly, he felt a sharp gaze fixed on his back. He turned around and found Hayasaka Ai staring at him with a half-smile.
Frieren didn't rush to explain; he simply spread his hands, indicating that it was instinct.
"What are you chatting about, having so much fun?" At this moment, Yuki walked up, noticed the strange look in her senior's eyes, raised her hand and swore. "Senior, I have never had any feelings for Yomi, and I have even less for Mona. I am not a lolicon."
Who cares about that? Fine, you're being honest.
Mai Sakurajima smiled with satisfaction. No matter how strong Yuki became, his roots were always with her. He didn't become arrogant after achieving success.
"We're talking about how to catch up with you, big shot~~~"
That's a dream.
Yuki really wanted to say that, but after glancing at Kaguya, he changed his mind. "Then you guys need to work even harder. Luckily, I'm an 'authority dog,' I have some ideas."
"What method?" Hayasaka Ai immediately chimed in. She was the one who most wanted to become stronger, but her motivation was different from Kaguya's.
She wanted to help Yuki make up for his lack of combat strength by using less of his brainpower, since even his most powerful spell, Death Knell, couldn't play a decisive role against the Witch God.
Yuki cherished this feeling. He wasn't stupid; there were many women in the world more beautiful and powerful than Hayasaka and the others, but some things have to start from humble beginnings and take time.
Utilization, reliance, and attachment are completely different stages.
"Don't rush, you guys go back first and settle the dungeon rewards. This time you'll definitely see a big improvement."
Even with participation limits, Yuki, out of selfishness, always let her seniors get the biggest slice of the pie.
"Okay, I'll go back and make dinner first. Uh, should we go back in the morning or the evening?"
"Never mind that, I need to make the coffee first. Yuki, remember to come back early."
"Finally, I can take a shower and get a good night's sleep."
"I brought quite a few books about the Red Earth Continent, Miss Frieren, would you like to read them together?"
"Just call me Frieren. Let's do it tomorrow. I'll go back and get the room ready first."
The chattering sounds gradually faded away and finally disappeared completely, leaving only Yuki alone in the crumbling mausoleum.
There was something he had never mentioned: after the fall of the Witch God, the Witch God's Soul Crystal had been activated, and he had taken over the entire giant island.
If I wanted, could I stay in the instance in place of the Witch God?
Yuki had a vague feeling that players could stay in the instance, just like Wu Raian back then; they should be called the Forsaken.
However, Wu Raian suffers passively; here, he can inherit the system built by the Witch God and is no longer disturbed by the dungeon.
To have the whole world in your hands—that's wonderful enough.
What a wonderful city! Even its natural enemies are pitifully weak.
Yuki's gaze passed through the tomb, seeing the crumbling palaces and a futuristic-looking airship moored outside. Rita, with her black hair, stood beside the ship, ignoring her companions' shouts, her eyes fixed on the tomb.
Unconsciously, their eyes met, Yuki could even see the tension and fear in the other's eyes.
"Unfortunately, I am unwilling and unable to make this choice, so please don't try to sway me."
Yuki glanced at the purple crystal in his hand, smiled at Rita in the distance, waved gently, and turned away.
Return.
Volume 1: The Mystery of Taiyi
Chapter 1: Regression and Speculation (6K)
[Player Yuki, you have slain the Witch God, rewarding 4 Specialization Points, participation rate 78%, and obtaining the Chaos Item: Witch God's Soul Crystal]
[The Lost Ones, Chirkas, has perished completely. All his Soul Crystal have been converted into special items that can be used by players.]
[Player Yuki, you have obtained the achievement 'Slayer,' which is now visible outside the character panel, and you have gained one of Chirkas's abilities. Please select.]
[Player Yuki has completed the Tower Explorer main quest with 100% participation. Quest rating: SSS+]
[Reward: 8 Specialization Points, 6 Enhancement Points.]
Having just returned, messages came flooding in like a storm. Apart from the mission start notification, Yuki had never heard the murmuring voice speak so much in one go.
Perhaps because he had experienced so many bountiful harvests, Yuki was not overly excited, but instead calmed down.
"The title of 'Witch God' is used within the instance, while the name 'Lost Ones Chirkas' is clearly used outside the instance, and as power increases, specialization points become more numerous than enhancement points."
This is the initial impression, but upon closer reflection, this impression is not quite right.
"To be precise, more and more upgrade points are hidden in side quests, so there's no need to nitpick the details."
Yuki closed his eyes, and scenes from Wizard's Tower flashed through his mind, from his first entry into the world to climbing the tower and writing his story on the giant island. This feeling was very different from the Global Insect Calamity.
The difference in worldviews is secondary; the key issue is that the dungeon itself has much less screen time. In other words, Yuki didn't have the time or need to delve into the plot like in the Global Insect Calamity, and the Soulless Ones seem more like props.
"A Lost Ones and a Judge, two beings beyond the realm of dungeons, took up too much screen time, making the background story of the Red Earth Continent less important."
Yuki sighed softly. Actually, he preferred to fight alongside a force like in the Global Insect Calamity, forging deep friendships. But there was nothing he could do. The Lost Ones had shattered the instance, leaving the characters with virtually no power to resist.
Then came the relentless pursuit of the Judge, forcing him to devote his energy to writing screenplays.
"Now that we've learned from this experience, it'll be better next time. Let's summarize what we've learned."
It has over 30 enhancement points, 16 specialization points, plus several high-level items such as Bloodblade, Universe in the Sleeve, Duplication Cube, and Hyperdimensional Fax Machine. The Fax Machine, in particular, doesn't count towards the score, but it's highly sought after in the trading market.
The harvest was terrifying, far exceeding the total of other players. Converted to nearly ten thousand points, that's enough to settle down in the Borderlands of Yuki and enjoy countless Transcendental Grade items from all over the world every day.
For example, you could buy five hundred lifelike dolls made by Mechanical Believers.
"There are also Witch God's Soul Crystal and a large number of ordinary Soul Crystal available."
Yuki wasn't in a hurry to add points; instead, he took out a Soul Crystal of a Witch Spirit, which was quite simple.
[Special Item: Witch Spirit Soul Crystal]
[It contains extremely rich soul energy; it can be used simply by crushing it.]
[Side effects: None]
[Consumable, one-time use special item; cannot be upgraded]
"I see. Like the Defense Force's equipment, it's a consumable item that can't be upgraded, but it's more useful to me."
Yuki glanced at his panel. From level 4 Witch Beasts to Witch Spirit Soul Crystal, everything was placed in the 'Special Items' category, along with fax machines and Defense Force equipment.
Everyone made a fortune, but unfortunately, a lot was wasted in order to cut up the covered bridge.
This thing is a blue bottle. If you don't need it, you can sell it. After all, there's no such thing as biometric binding. After thinking about it for a bit, Yuki decided to keep a few and give them all to his seniors.
Psychic Warrior's bloodline abilities require soul energy, and they don't know when they'll be able to gather enough on their own.
"Then there's the Witch God's Soul Crystal, which belongs to a different category on the panel."
[Chaos Item: Witch God's Soul Crystal]
[The items dropped by the Lost Ones have a suppressive effect on skills and items related to cause and effect, foresight, instant death, and probability within a 100-meter radius of the user. This effect does not apply to the Pantheon.]
[Side effects: None]
[Description: The Lost Ones has been found. They must be killed immediately! Kill them!]
Wow, this thing is packed with information, and it's really weird.
What faction is the Pantheon? Why does the description seem so subjective? Wait, why does this levelless entity look so familiar?
Yuki suddenly pulled out a gold fountain pen, which he had taken from Shinomiya Hongzheng. This playboy was inconspicuous among the enemies Yuki had killed.
He had wondered why the 'Olden Golden Pen' didn't have a level system, and now it seems this thing is indeed very special; he didn't sell it even when he was at his poorest.
The pen also came from the Lost Ones? Impossible, someone of Zhou's level could never have come into contact with a big shot of that caliber.
Even if the power of the Witch God were reduced tenfold, all the players on Earth combined wouldn't be able to defeat him with one hand.
"It doesn't matter, I'm going to solve this problem when I come back anyway. Judging from the description, it's a good thing."
Unlike the Olden Golden Pen, which was completely unusable, the Witch God's Soul Crystal clearly stated its usage. Yuki is now most afraid of cheating skills like cause and effect and instant death.
Keep it safe; this thing is definitely priceless. Boss drops are always the best.
Yuki put away the Witch God's Soul Crystal with satisfaction, preparing to put it into the Furnace, before focusing on the third paragraph.
[Player Yuki, you have obtained the achievement 'Slayer', which is now visible outside the character panel and grants you a random ability from Chirkas.]
Exposed outside the panel? Is this some kind of sign that says "Slayer" above my head?
The player panel is the most secretive thing; even comrades-in-arms wouldn't easily reveal it. Yuki was puzzled and looked up, but he didn't see any words above his head.
Let's leave it for now and figure out how to use it later.
Yuki took a deep breath and looked at the second half of the sentence; this was the main course.
The Witch God's abilities are terrifying; his authority and control over lightning mean that even all the players in this dungeon combined might not be a match for him in a direct confrontation.
"The Lost Ones must be very important; this is an extra reward. I'd like to see what the Reincarnation Game will give."
Yuki snapped his fingers, started a random selection, and then his mind raced, trying to figure out how to use a certain ability he had acquired.
Is it some kind of authority? Or the ability to control thunder?
A few seconds later, the result was revealed, Yuki looked at it with a face full of surprise.
How could it be this thing?
[Bloodline Skill: Soul Infection (LV1)]
[Originating from the Lost Ones, Chirkas, your soul is a deadly poison to both the living and the dead. Using a medium, it will begin to erode the soul at the soul level, turning them into your puppets.]
[Upgrade requires an Epic-grade Bloodline Object and costs 10 Specialization Points]
Hiss, a bloodline skill, the second type of bloodline skill!?
Yuki gasped; he hadn't forgotten the words he'd murmured when he was possessed by Demon Possession in the Demon Hospital.
Bloodline skills are unique and belong to a path that leads nowhere. For example, Yuki can never become an angel; he will continue down the path of the demon.
However, this doesn't count as refutation. After arriving at the Borderlands, intelligence indicated that there might be more than one bloodline skill, but he didn't yet know the reason.
"This is getting stranger and stranger, but it really is the power of the Witch God, or rather, his fundamental power? The requirements are quite high."
The resurrection plan of the Witch God is simple: He corrupts the entire continent, splits the Witch Beasts to offer up Soul Crystal, and what follows is a scenario similar to Arknights.
This is both a gift and a curse. The more Soul Crystal humanity acquires, the more advanced its civilization becomes, but the shorter its lifespan. Soul Crystal are a medium through which energy is recycled using the seven towers.
But this skill is a bit abstract. How exactly do you use it? I can't just create Soul Crystal and throw them at other players to control them, can I?
That's impossible, at least the Witch God didn't treat any player as a puppet.
Yuki thought for a moment. The description mentioned both the living and the dead, and since corpses had no resistance, he could try it when the Furnace was set up.
There's a rule in the Reincarnation Game: the harder it is to level up, the stronger it becomes. This bloodline skill is so demanding, it must be useful.
"But this way, we definitely won't have enough Demon Heart, and Soul Crystal are consumables, so we need to find a way to replenish them."
Touching his chin, Yuki wasn't busy with the experiment; his senior was waiting outside, and he'd definitely get nagged if he went back late.
With a little more effort, I no longer need to live off a woman.
7 enhancement points, 16 specialization points.
Yuki looked at his control panel again. As the game progressed, the panel was becoming increasingly complex, and it was time to organize it.
"The Phantom Twin Blades are useless, sell them; the Shape-shifting Outfit is also useless, let's see who to give it to. But this Hunter's Blunderbuss is a bit of a problem."
He tried it this time; filling the gun with the souls of players at Monster III or higher would cause it to explode, but Yuki didn't want to upgrade it.