I'm a Reincarnation Stream Player

Hayasaka Ai slowly lowered her gun and suddenly understood where the man's "simple" had come from.

He had climbed step by step over the corpses of dungeon monsters and veteran players, taking the greatest risks and reaping the greatest rewards. Take this greatsword, for example: it had inherited at least half of Thomas's strength.

"So that's how it is. He's not the same person he was before."

The game tormented its players, but it also forged them like iron, burning away impurities. Every time they overcame an obstacle and took another step forward, they saw a different view.

A day ago, aside from the adaptability he'd prepared for over a long time and the foresight that came with being a transmigrator, Yuki had almost nothing. Now he had stepped into the Transcendental Grade. Besides ordinary firearms, he also had a long blade, a rope gun, and the greatsword in his hands.

Chaos Items, skills, traits, and the invisible, intangible things like combat experience and mental fortitude.

No wonder this game doesn't protect you with teammates, and Chaos Items don't need to be bound. It's encouraging the winner to take all, to inherit the dead's power.

Excitement showed clearly in Yuki's eyes. He leaped down the stairs, his sleeves rolled up. His Magic Circuit flickered like neon lights, glowing as he struck and dimming after he cleaved through a body, over and over.

It was still a Master-level skill, but Yuki felt that after a full day of intense use, he'd grown much more proficient, even though its limits hadn't changed. He no longer had to keep outputting at full power like before, then enter a cooldown as soon as he reached his limit.

With the Chainsaw Sword strapped to his back and a long blade in hand, he burst forward so quickly that the Living Corpses had no time to react.

Pfft.

The blade pierced a head and twisted, grinding it to pieces. Before an arm could grab him, he tightened his waist and sprang behind the Living Corpse like a gecko jumping across a wall. He cleanly sliced off their heads, then flourished his blade in a bright arc. As he turned, he reversed his grip.

His blade flashed past. Several severed arms spun through the air. He rolled his left shoulder, caught the rifle tossed his way under his elbow, and aimed at the hallway entrance.

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

His hip-fired shots were still accurate. The bloated fat man that had just stepped into the hallway burst into a spray of blood. It charged a few more steps through the hail of bullets, then exploded with a bang.

Green mist filled the hallway, driving the Living Corpses charging in after it into a frenzy. They crossed through the haze, claws raised. Yuki glanced at them, shut the fire door, and reinforced it, letting the Living Corpses outside pound on it with loud smacks.

Click.

He loaded a fresh magazine. Only after the crisp sound of the bolt did Yuki turn around.

"The Living Corpses have all been drawn into the hallway. Leave through the window. There's a sewer not far from here."

Hayasaka Ai, Mai Sakurajima, and Robert stood at the stairwell landing, guns in hand, staring at the man in a daze.

They'd fought their way from the tenth floor to the first, yet hadn't even had time to fire a single bullet. Yuki had dealt with dozens of Living Corpses on his own. The fat man, in particular, looked like he was about to start twitching at the corners of his mouth.

This actor fooled me so badly!

Not long ago, he'd teamed up with Yuki to clear a path and had been quite pleased with his marksmanship. Now he finally realized Yuki had been hiding his strength.

Maybe he wasn't as brutal as Thomas, but his movements flowed seamlessly. He almost never wasted energy on a second slash. It made them wonder:

Was this really a newbie at the same stage of the game?

"Fatso, what are you standing there for? Get moving and clear a path."

At Yuki's shout, Robert hurriedly nodded, lifted the window, and jumped down to the street. He cautiously scanned left and right, then picked off isolated Living Corpses with his rifle.

Yuki put away his blade and surveyed the scattered corpses, nodding with satisfaction.

He didn't need anyone to tell him he'd gotten stronger. Before, getting down from the rooftop would have taken all his wits. Now he could do it directly and brutally.

"And this Chainsaw Sword is probably one of the best weapons in the Chaos class." Yuki glanced at its blade, now silver-white again. No wonder the game hadn't given him any extra rewards. No wonder Li Dan had been afraid someone might be hiding their strength.

Every veteran player was a walking treasure trove. This was also a Chaos-class item, but it was far more powerful than Hayasaka Ai's Frontal Lobe Fragment. Its offensive power was astonishing, and it could also serve as a support item.

"Looks like you're pretty happy with that sword?" Hayasaka Ai came over, a hint of envy in her eyes. At least the Chainsaw Sword's drawback was much less troublesome than her damned item.

Yuki climbed through the window and landed silently in the street. He saw the fat man opening a manhole cover in the middle of the road and waving him over, then jogged toward him as he spoke quietly:

"Happy is an understatement. I used this thing to kill a few Living Corpses just now and warmed up the blade. While it lasts, it slightly boosts my physical strength."

Hayasaka Ai was even more envious. The item had several uses, and even if used purely for combat, it was more destructive.

"Thomas sure was lucky."

"I don't think it had much to do with luck. Aside from this sword, he didn't have anything on him, and I can't see the Chainsaw Sword's full information." Yuki fiddled with the greatsword, guessing that Thomas had spent everything he owned to get it. So even without a game reward, it was still worth it.

"Oh? That's interesting. He's been through a full dungeon." Hayasaka Ai pondered. So far, she'd gotten just one Chaos Item and one skill upgrade. Mai Sakurajima's haul was about the same.

Thomas wasn't like the little fat guy, who'd been coasting through the game. He must have gotten more than that.

"Looking at it this way, the dungeon rewards must have other uses." Yuki reached the manhole and crouched to open it. "Once we make it back alive, I'm looking forward to figuring out how to develop them."

He'd worry about the future when it came. For now, the most important thing was to clear the final stage. He and Hayasaka Ai put those thoughts aside and climbed down the ladder into the sewer.

The Old Town sewers resembled an underground river. Foul wastewater flowed through the center, with stone walkways about a meter wide on either side, just enough for people to walk along.

There shouldn't have been any Living Corpses down here, but the Crimson Moon had sent its third gift: a random selection of elite enemies with "intelligence." Opening a manhole wasn't hard for them.

Hayasaka Ai had already hacked into the municipal system and downloaded the Old Town sewer map. With it open, they wouldn't get lost. The sewer extended as far as the canal, though its exit was closer to the southern part of the city.

"We'll have to take a detour. We'll come out near the canal, cross the bridge, then head northeast along Cross Street. It should take about an hour to reach Ancient Castle Square."

"It won't be that easy. The closer we get to the castle, the more Living Corpses there'll be, and the stronger they are now," Mai Sakurajima warned.

"That's just the usual route." Hayasaka Ai couldn't be bothered to explain. She turned to Yuki instead. "How about we find an armored vehicle, reinforce it with your skill, and grit our teeth as we charge through?"

"That might have worked before the Crimson Moon sent its third gift, but you're underestimating these Living Corpses now." Yuki shook his head. That had been his original plan too. Reinforcement Magecraft combined with an armored police vehicle could indeed have crushed a path through.

He glanced at his watch. It was four-thirty in the morning. Closing his eyes, he thought it over.

They couldn't go too early. If they triggered a horde right in front of the castle, even with three heads and six arms, he'd be killed. But they couldn't go too late, either. The enemies were far more destructive and mobile during the day, and there was nowhere to hide in the city.

Besides, before the moon set at eight, another gift would arrive. No one knew what it would be.

Yuki rubbed his temples. Even though he already knew the answer and how to fill it in, it still wasn't something he could accomplish easily—not even if he put Li Dan's part in it aside.

"After crossing the canal, we'll go around Cross Street. We should avoid triggering a large horde."

Hayasaka Ai looked at the map. The main road running east to west was lined with residential areas and alleys, but there was no doubt the Living Corpses had filled them.

"We can't get around it. Not even by taking the rooftops. You saw it earlier—these Living Corpses intercept us up ahead. Once we're surrounded, it'll be hard to escape." Hayasaka Ai dismissed the idea coolly, then glanced at Mai Sakurajima. "The enemies at night and in the daytime aren't quite the same. Even she can't manage it."

Based on their experience over the past day and night, even the slightest disturbance would trigger a horde within a certain radius. After a few minutes without anything to draw them, the Living Corpses would lose track of them, and the horde would disperse on its own.

So Mai Sakurajima couldn't keep drawing aggro and gathering the enemies for long.

"I know. This Rope Gun I 'borrowed' from Li-ge is unusual, but it's too slow for moving between buildings. It's not suitable for a continuous escape." Yuki patted the Rope Gun on his belt. It wasn't a three-dimensional maneuvering device. It was barely faster than an escalator, and it couldn't turn back.

If there was a terrifying monster waiting on the roof of their destination, the players could only line up and deliver themselves to its door.

"If we can't get through on the ground, we can go this way."

Yuki tapped the tablet three times, bringing up another route that crossed the main road at Cross Street. The map showed:

Crimson Moon City, Line 2.

"Take Line 2 north. There's a transfer junction up ahead. Do you remember how we escaped Ancient Castle Square?"

The players had split into three teams back then. Thomas had fought his way out with the housewife, Li Dan had stolen a car and escaped with Robert, and Yuki had chosen another route.

"I remember it was Line 7."

"Exactly. We'll go through the sewer, then take the subway. We'll come out at Ancient Castle Square. We'll only have to charge a few hundred meters to get back to the castle." Yuki put away the tablet and snapped his fingers.

"Once we're back at the castle, I can follow the clues I found earlier and solve the answer. Then this dungeon will be complete."

"Those few hundred meters won't be easy. We may find that a hair's breadth is as good as a world apart," Hayasaka Ai said coldly.

"Even if it is, that's still better than a day and a night. Besides, we players—" Yuki nodded toward the little fat guy, signaling him to lead the way. He turned halfway around, his face appearing and disappearing in the dim crimson moonlight.

"How can we survive if we don't risk our lives?"

Chapter 47: Going All In (Revised)!

Life was the only thing of value you brought into the Reincarnation Game. How you used it was up to the players themselves.

Li Dan certainly hadn't been a schemer when he was a newbie. It was the trials and narrow escapes, time and again, that had made him into someone who trusted no one. But none of that could be shown on a character panel.

"The will to survive is the strongest instinct. The game amplifies it countless times, enough to twist a person's ideals and personality."

In the dim sewer, Yuki walked at the rear, staring fixedly at the backs of the three people ahead. After a moment's thought, he let out a wry laugh.

That truth didn't really apply to the group he was with now. Yuki had prepared himself long ago, and the Reincarnation Game hadn't affected him that much.

Hayasaka Ai had put on the mask of a "player," so the effects on her were limited. As for Mai Sakurajima, she'd been lucky. Under Yuki's protection, she hadn't needed to twist her personality.

But the little fat guy, Robert, was interesting. Since joining the game, he'd had no one to protect him and no skills of his own, yet he still hadn't improved at all.

"Interesting. Even his illness is gone."

Yuki's gaze softened. The fat man had stopped to reload and happened to notice. He couldn't help shivering, then hurried to pick up the pace.

The journey passed without incident. They simply searched and moved forward. The closer they got to the end, the more troubled everyone became. They no longer even felt like stopping to chat.

The sewer was complicated, but there weren't many Living Corpses wandering in it. Robert usually shot them dead from dozens of meters away. When the group occasionally ran into mutated Living Corpses, Yuki dealt with them himself.

In such a narrow space, the Chainsaw Sword was practically invincible. As long as he controlled how long he used it, its drawback wouldn't have much impact. Even the giant frogs oozing pus that they'd encountered earlier couldn't stand up to it in a head-on fight.

"The exit's not far."

After winding through the sewers for more than an hour, Mai Sakurajima suddenly cheered.

The foul stench of the sewer was somewhat dispersed by the night breeze, and they could hear the river flowing. They hurried forward, kicked away the iron grate at the end of the sewer, and stuck their heads out to breathe deeply.

The stench was bad enough on its own. Mixed with the heavy smell of blood, it was a living hell for the nose.

Mai Sakurajima and Robert even retched. They felt that if they stayed another few dozen minutes, they'd die.

This damn dungeon had turned them into rats, scurrying through dirty, foul-smelling tunnels most of the time.

It really did stink. They almost wanted to peel off a layer of skin when they showered.

Yuki pulled the tissue he'd stuffed into his nostrils out as well. He exchanged a glance with Hayasaka Ai, then walked behind his senior and gently patted her back.

"Ugh. How come you're so perceptive this time?" Mai Sakurajima leaned against the wall, glad she hadn't eaten anything.

"I'm actually pretty good at taking care of people." Yuki gave a slight shrug, his voice gentle. "Besides, making you throw up like that is my fault. A man should take responsibility."

Why did that sound so weird?

Mai Sakurajima felt something was off. She gently pushed his hand away, then straightened up and looked around.

They were in the middle of the embankment. Not far away, the canal shimmered with a faint red glow. It was dozens of meters wide, and an iron bridge connected the two banks farther north. Figures were stirring on the bridge and along the opposite bank.

As expected, the Living Corpses were much denser here than in the Old Town. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, just at a glance. The thought of dealing with them was exhausting.

It looked like crossing the river wouldn't be easy...

Yuki and Hayasaka Ai noticed the problem too. There were too many Living Corpses on the bridge to cross it. Reaching the opposite bank with the Rope Gun would be troublesome as well. They couldn't dodge, defend themselves, or retreat while moving.

The Living Corpses from before wouldn't have been a big problem, but now there were all kinds of strange elite creatures. It'd be disastrous if they were spotted.

"We can only fight back with guns, but that'll draw a horde. By the time we get ashore..."

"We'll find a bunch of Living Corpses waiting to sit down for dinner." Yuki finished Hayasaka Ai's sentence, checked his watch, and took out his binoculars to scan the opposite bank.

It was almost six. They still had two hours of travel ahead of them. Time was getting tight.

"Should I go?" Mai Sakurajima asked, but Yuki stopped her with a raised hand.

"You won't have time to wait for your trait's cooldown before the next time. This is only the first hurdle; the real challenge comes later." Yuki thought for a moment, then took out his Walkie-talkie. "Li-ge, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"Crossing the river?" A cold voice came from the other end. Ever since their relationship had soured, Li Dan's tone had turned hostile too.

So he's done pretending.

Yuki instinctively glanced around but couldn't see any sign that they were being watched. He couldn't be bothered to worry about it. "Yeah. You're a veteran player, and you're on your own with a small target. Even if you draw a horde, you can get away easily. We're counting on you."

The Walkie-talkie fell silent. There was definitely some risk, but Yuki wasn't wrong. Li Dan was powerful, and he only had a housewife with him. He wouldn't have much trouble escaping.

"We may have had our differences, but time is short. Now's the time to pull together." Yuki spoke sincerely, though he already knew he'd get his way.

"Hmph. Now you want to pull together?"

"You were the one who wasn't honest with me. I was only following your example."

There was another stretch of silence. Li Dan seemed to have no interest in arguing over who was right. He said helplessly, "Leave the Alienated Rope Gun behind for me. Then you can cross. Don't try anything funny."

Yuki thanked him and put down the Walkie-talkie. He happened to see Hayasaka Ai give him a questioning look, and laughed awkwardly.

"Don't worry, there won't be a problem. Li-ge just wants to give us a warning."

In other words, Li Dan was showing off his abilities, telling Yuki and the others that killing Thomas was nothing special. He could do much more than that.

Hayasaka Ai thought it over briefly, then nodded. "Mm. You're right. Are we crossing straight over the river?"

"Yeah, it's a little shorter that way. Stay behind me. Senior goes third. Fatso, you bring up the rear, and keep fifteen meters behind us. Don't fire unless I give the order."