I Am a Reincarnation Stream Player

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds.

Gradually, the pounding grew faint. A few seconds later, it gave way to the rapid patter of footsteps scattering in every direction.

They couldn't sense where their prey was. They were dispersing.

Whoosh—

Only then did heavy breathing echo through the deathly silent subway station. Mai Sakurajima dropped to the ground, feeling as if both her legs had gone numb.

That was too thrilling—more thrilling than speeding through the city in broad daylight. Life and death had been separated by nothing more than a thin fire door. When she looked up, the words that had just risen to her throat died away.

A meter away, the man holding the girl leaned against the wall, propping himself up with one hand on his sword. He was grinning at her.

He was smiling.

Chapter 48: The Last Two Hours! (Revised)

Like someone who had won a race against Death, Yuki smiled with exhaustion and delight, with just a hint of regret.

I should've known better than to unlock the trait. I could've gained at least two more enhancement points along the way. Too bad I never learned to tell fortunes.

Wait. Hadn't the Reincarnation Game stopped coming up with new tricks?

Yuki paused, sensing something was off. The third Rite of the Crimson Moon hadn't suddenly ramped up the difficulty. If anything, the instance had become easier because he'd killed Thomas.

Had the reward he should have received not vanished, but instead taken on another purpose?

As he pondered this, a handkerchief flew toward him.

"Why are you smiling? Hurry up and wipe the blood off your face." Mai frowned, finding Yuki's grin unsettling.

"Keep your voice down. If you draw the horde back here, we're all dead." Yuki wiped his face and let out a long breath.

That charge had been perilous, but the difficulty had been manageable. With Thomas's corpse underfoot, he'd had much more room to maneuver.

It was like playing a game: the difficulty depended on your own strength. The stronger you were, the more options you had.

Too bad he should have had this kind of freedom much earlier.

"How did you know there wouldn't be many Living Corpses in the subway station?" Hayasaka Ai struggled to sit up. She'd been unable to fight just now. If the station had been full of Living Corpses, Mai and Robert would have been the only ones left to deal with them.

Neither of them had any close-combat ability. If they started shooting, the horde wouldn't retreat, and this fire door wouldn't withstand the pressure of thousands upon thousands of Living Corpses.

"They don't like places the Crimson Moon can't reach. Otherwise, why would we have been scurrying around like rats?"

Yuki pointed at the ceiling. They all looked up. The subway station was deep underground, beyond the reach of the moonlight.

He'd even accounted for that? No wonder he'd looked so confident.

Hayasaka's expression shifted. Somewhat unconvinced, she said, "That makes sense, but the Living Corpses wander without any pattern. Are you sure?"

"No. I'm not a god. How could I know every little detail? If enough Living Corpses had been left on Crossroads Street, we wouldn't have made it in here." Yuki didn't seem the least bit shaken. He only smiled and said,

"When the details matter, pay attention to every last thing. But when it's time to be reckless, don't hesitate. Enjoy the process."

His words left everyone silent. Put simply, he'd gone all in, like a gambler staking everything he had on a single hand. He'd done it so decisively that he'd given the impression he was sure to win.

But no one blamed Yuki for being so forceful. When there weren't many choices, all you could do was gamble. And if you were going to gamble, you couldn't hesitate.

Did I get played?

Mai Sakurajima felt strange. She'd worked with Yuki for so long that she was used to his cunning. She'd thought he had everything planned out.

But, well, it was precisely his calm and steady style that made him so trustworthy. Just now, she hadn't thought about anything at all. She'd simply focused on keeping up.

"No wonder you didn't tell us the specific plan. If we'd hesitated..."

"Then none of us would have made it here. Since you chose to trust me, don't leave room for doubt. Remember, if you want to become my partner, this is one rule you must never break."

Yuki's answer was domineering, yet no one could find a way to argue with it.

Everyone, Robert included, had been a huge help during that mad dash. The key had been their absolute trust in him. Not once had they considered looking for another way out.

The other key, naturally, was the Chainsaw Sword he'd stolen after killing its previous owner.

Yuki lowered his head. Since he'd snatched it, he hadn't had time to get used to it. The results had been a mixed bag.

Without a doubt, it was exceptional among Chaos Grade items, both in versatility and in side effects.

Its attack power was immense, and it boosted the body to a certain extent. Yuki already had an "excellent" physique, on par with any professional athlete. With Reinforcement Magecraft layered on top, he was practically a weaker version of Captain America.

Better still, Mai Sakurajima was there to support him. Quiet Dew could cleanse the side effects.

Unfortunately, Chaos Items always had limitations—limitations imposed by the rules themselves.

First, it warms the blade. Then, after reaching its limit, the effect ebbs away, turning all the thrill of combat into exhaustion. The timing is too hard to judge.

The brief description on the game panel had been useless. Only after using it could you understand why Chaos Items had no barrier to use: it was all in the word "Chaos."

The timing of the ebb was hard to predict, but that made sense. If it were just a simple boost to your aggression, you could use the Chainsaw Sword to hack your way through the entire instance.

"Well done, Robert." Yuki suddenly looked up at the portly man, who was tilting his head back to drink some water. "I didn't expect you to be so composed. You still managed to use your ability in the middle of such a fast-paced fight."

The portly man clearly hadn't expected to be praised. He looked flustered. "I was way above my usual level just now. I could only see your back."

"You wanted to shoot me?" Yuki's expression immediately darkened.

"No, no! I mean, everything happened so fast that I didn't have time to get scared. I just focused on pulling the trigger and fighting our way out."

"I'm joking. Don't be nervous. I've been in a similar state. People only tap into their potential when they're pushed to their limits." Yuki's expression changed just as quickly, and he smiled easily as he tossed over the magazine from his chest.

"You're the best shot, so you should have the ammo. Remember to conserve it. We can't replenish our supply now."

Robert, left with only one magazine, accepted it, deeply moved. He even wiped away a tear.

At last, he'd earned their approval. He didn't have to worry about being left behind anymore. He failed to notice the cold look in Yuki's eyes.

Yuki slowly stood, leaning on his sword, and held out a hand. "Hayasaka, how are you feeling?"

"It still hurts, but I don't think you'll give us any more time." Hayasaka Ai took his hand and stood. Like Yuki, she was unsteady on her feet.

"That dance we did together was quite the performance," Yuki joked casually. Seeing the girl smile, he turned serious again. "We have an hour and a half left. We need to hurry."

Even without any fighting, it would take about an hour to get from here to Ancient Castle Square. And that was the best-case scenario. There would always be Living Corpses that wandered onto the subway tracks by accident.

A groan rose from the group. Yuki saw the weary faces around him. To be honest, he was struggling to keep going too. His body was exhausted, and his mind was close to its limit.

They'd escaped the Ancient Castle, played a real-life GTA in the city, fought the Tyrant, put down an internal conflict, then run several kilometers through a sea of corpses, only to circle back to where they started.

It was undeniably grueling. But what else could they do? They couldn't just lie down at the start like Black Brother and the others.

"Pull yourselves together. We'll know the result in two hours at most." Yuki slapped his cheeks and took a deep breath.

"Either we live or we die. There's no third option."

The final step.

Li Dan stood on the rooftop of a high-rise, wrapped in black. His uncovered face showed no emotion. Beside him, a housewife gave a light cough.

He'd been genuinely worried for Yuki just now. Not because of any friendship between them, of course. It was only that if Yuki died, he'd meet a bad end too.

The outcome reassured him, but he still couldn't smile.

What kind of "newbie" was this guy?

Never mind his combat skills and mental fortitude. How had he gotten so proficient with the Chainsaw Sword as soon as he got it? He'd practically timed his sprint into the subway station to the second.

Luck? No. Luck was a player attribute too, visible on the detailed status panel. But this man definitely hadn't relied on luck.

The least newbie-like newbie of all. I'm starting to understand what's changed in the Reincarnation Game.

With Yuki's abilities, he could easily dominate an ordinary-difficulty beginner instance. The instance had become a place to farm points. Wasn't that embarrassing for the Reincarnation Game?

No. It was embarrassing for me too.

Li Dan had completed three instances. With everything he owned, he figured Yuki would surpass him after no more than two. Thomas had already been a genius selected from countless candidates. He'd had every advantage, yet he'd still been killed.

"At his rate of growth, I won't be able to fight back the next time we meet. We've both completed one instance, but he gained far more than I did."

He'd managed to amass so many trump cards even with the game acting strangely and right under Li Dan's nose. Li Dan couldn't imagine how formidable Yuki would be once he became a veteran player in charge of an instance.

But I still have to keep you around for a while longer, until you have no choice but to tell me the clues yourself.

Li Dan raised his head slightly. As far as he could see, every building and street was cloaked in crimson moonlight. A plaza lay a thousand meters away, and not a single person could be seen there.

It was nothing but a writhing carpet, like a heart pumping countless Living Corpses into the streets—the veins of a body.

Beyond the plaza stood a wall of blood-red mist, solid as if it were made of stone. The wall remained motionless, while the "carpet" of countless human heads stretched outward from within the mist.

It was vast and boundless, enough to crush any desire to challenge it. But behind the mist, the Ancient Castle loomed faintly.

High overhead, the Crimson Moon hung in the sky.

There was no way through. It was simply impossible!

At nearly the same moment, the screen displayed a terrifying scene. Yuki and the others all held their breath.

After they'd entered Line 7, Hayasaka Ai had hacked into the city cameras while they rested. She'd used the game's "technological evolution" during the day to scout the route.

She'd gotten a result soon enough, but it was the worst possible one.

Living Corpses packed every inch of space they could stand on. Their terrifying numbers had also produced countless mutated variants. Yuki only had to glance at the screen to spot several hulking Tanks moving with the horde.

They wandered aimlessly, flowing into the streets and alleys like streams. If dawn weren't approaching, they might have dispersed on their own after another dozen hours or so.

So the horde is right above our heads?

He looked up. The thick layer of concrete gave him a little sense of security, but he knew that if there were even one hole, the Living Corpses would pour through like a broken dam.

Actually, they didn't even need a hole. They could make their way underground too.

Crunch.

Yuki chewed on a ration biscuit. A dozen headless corpses lay scattered around them. Being able to eat without changing expression amid the overwhelming stench of blood meant that none of them, Mai Sakurajima included, could really be called normal.

Human beings had always been highly adaptable. Or, put another way, in the course of thousands of years of evolution, those who couldn't adapt had long since been weeded out.

Hrk, hrk...

Horrifying groans echoed all around them. After they turned into the Line 7 tunnel, there were clearly more Living Corpses blocking the way. That was normal too. Some unfortunate "Living Corpses" had inevitably been pushed into the subway entrance by their own kind, leaving them to wander the dark tunnel.

Sparse lights flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, illuminating the Living Corpses in fleeting glimpses and casting a ghastly pallor over the players.

"Stop looking. We can scrap that backup plan." Yuki clapped his hands. He'd wondered whether they could take the surface route if the subway tunnel was too full of Living Corpses.

Now it was clear he'd been overly optimistic. They'd probably be reduced to scraps the moment they surfaced.

"So that means there's only one way." Hayasaka Ai closed her tablet and looked down the dark tunnel. "Ancient Castle Station is two kilometers away. It's seven in the morning, and we don't have much room for error."

The Living Corpses grew more numerous the farther they went. The journey alone would take at least half an hour. By eight, the moon would set and the sun would rise. The instance would take on an entirely different appearance then.

The progress they'd made wouldn't reset. Once the moon set and the sun rose, they'd probably be facing a group of RoboCops instead.

"Um, why don't we wait here for a while?" Mai suddenly spoke up. When she saw Yuki look her way, she quickly explained her idea. "After the moon sets, the Living Corpses in the city will disappear. And no matter what, the daytime enemies won't be able to locate us quickly. We should have enough time to go in and come back out, right?"

Once they crossed the Blood Mist, they'd be in the Eternal Night. If they came back out, the final day would be over. It did seem safer that way, but Yuki shook his head.

"Li Dan and I already thought of that. First, I can't be sure whether we'll return immediately once we complete the main quest. It would be bad if we ended up surrounded by enemies armed to the teeth."

"Second, the Crimson Moon is about to deliver its fourth gift. We don't know what it'll be, but there's no way we can deal with it without making a sound. And if the commotion is loud enough..."

He didn't need to say any more. Countless Living Corpses would pour into the tunnel, making those two kilometers as impassable as a chasm.

Mai felt her face grow warm. She really had been too naive. The Reincarnation Game, which never stopped hounding them, wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole.

Yuki wasn't mocking her at all. He swallowed the last bite of his biscuit, brushed his hands off, and stood up decisively.

"So stop overthinking it. This is our only way through. If we make it, we live."

"Have you never thought about dying?" Hayasaka Ai asked coldly. She already knew Yuki had concealed something important.

Li Dan would most likely make a move. There was no way he'd let them return alive.

"I'm an optimist. I don't like thinking about depressing things." Yuki held out a hand and gently patted Hayasaka Ai on the head. He stroked her golden hair for a moment, but quickly pulled his hand away when he saw her cold stare.

Hayasaka Ai was getting better and better at acting like a player. At first, she'd still chatted and joked like an ordinary high school student.

But this persona suited the Reincarnation Game.

Yuki didn't object. Turning toward Mai Sakurajima, he quickened his pace and smiled. "I promised I'd get you all out alive. I won't break my word."

"Yeah. One last step. Don't say anything careless now." Mai Sakurajima was full of hope for survival, and she still couldn't help giving the others a performer's reminder.