Chapter 382
Monster III or higher rating, for solo players.
Unlike Yuki's team-up system, this is cross-faction cooperation based on contract items. Several factions agree in advance to work together to conquer a certain dungeon.
Of course, the Reincarnation Game isn't stupid. It will treat the factions that have signed the contract as a team and prepare dungeons that match the rating. Therefore, assistants cannot be in small teams, as that would overload the rating.
"Mr. Raymond, you have a great reputation, so there's no need for an assessment." Diarmuid's smile was very friendly.
"Can I ask you some questions?" Yuki ignored the person with eyes a few meters away.
"Please."
"Why adopt such an unconventional strategy? Generally speaking, cross-faction cooperation is done when entering a dungeon, right?" Yuki thought of the Hunters and Mechanical Believers in 'Global Insect Calamity', countless factions, countless quests, where there are friends, there are enemies.
"Because this instance is quite special, you can think of it as another form of faction war, only it takes place within an instance," Gawain explained, bowing slightly politely. "This instance counts players based on the number of factions. For example, if there are thirty factions participating in the quest, of course, the more of your own people, the better."
That makes it more reliable to find someone in advance.
If I'm not mistaken, they'll demand the surrender of certain items, and anyone who dares to act rudely will be punished with karmic retribution. Once inside the instance, there will be no employment relationship; all players will be equal partners, bound only by contracts.
"Wait, you can predict the dungeons?" Yuki's shock was genuine; wasn't that cheating?
"Some qualitative changes can be gleaned from a few words, and with experience, the most reasonable arrangement can be derived." Diarmuid, gesturing for the others to follow. "For example, this is the best way to handle a 'hunting mission'."
Hunting mission.
Yuki walked on the stone path again. He had been living in this courtyard for more than a week, but he looked around curiously.
The term originated from "Mechanical Believers," referring to player-versus-player slaughter, a bloody, unrestrained, and all-out killing spree without any regard for consequences.
He thought about it and realized that this was indeed the best approach. Since the number of factions participating in the instance was limited, he could use his own people to fill the gap. No wonder solo players were required to participate. Since forming a team in advance would be considered as a team, he should try his best to lower the overall score, thus killing two birds with one stone.
For example, if the dungeon has a maximum of 30 factions, and 10 Monster III players participate in the quest, with each player receiving 10 points, the total score would be 100 points.
If all 10 players are from Valhalla, there are 29 potential enemies. However, if 5 of the 10 players are from other factions, the number of potential enemies becomes 24, and the total score remains 100 points.
On the other hand, there is the master-servant relationship. Contracts are far less reliable than strength. The Valhalla can send out 5 Monster III players, which is enough to suppress any single individual.
"This is blatant cheating! Even in Reincarnation Game, there is no fairness. As the President said, the strong always get stronger, and the weak always get weaker."
This is definitely unfair to the other players participating in the dungeon, but what can you do? You don't have an epic-level player to predict the dungeon for you, nor do you have a powerful force to protect you.
For a single Monster III, a solo player, there aren't many factions that can afford to hire him, since player teams are the most common situation in the Reincarnation Game.
But player squads become meaningless. The differences between squad members aren't that significant, and since they all occupy a spot in the same faction, their scores are much higher than solo players. Increasing the game's difficulty is essentially a disservice to everyone.
Well, that's why I'm not in a hurry to advance to Epic rank; I can't let my team score get too high.
As he walked around the pond, Yuki saw the familiar reception room again. He had spent most of his time there these past few days studying the settings, but after only half a day, the reception room had changed.
Several knights stood at the entrance; a quick glance revealed them all to be familiar faces.
Lancelot, Tristan, Lamorak, and Gawain who was at the door earlier—such a large entourage foreshadows...
Yuki tiptoed and saw a petite girl with blonde hair, silver armor, and a dignified face sitting beside Shiki Ryougi.
Artoria, the Heroic Spirit, the legendary Saber-haired Knight King.
He suddenly felt like he was a true king. Actually, in Type-Moon, Saber wasn't considered to be in the top tier, but Yuki was used to it.
The Reincarnation Game is a reshuffling of cards. Heroic Spirits stronger than her may not have become players, or they may have perished halfway through. It's a game where the winner takes all, and at least Saber has enough underlings.
Upon realizing it had happened, the blond king turned his head to look, nodded slightly, and then continued to sit upright.
The presence of two Heroic Spirit Kings and two Epic-level players exuded a strong sense of oppression, even Mona the brat Mona serious. There were also several other players in the reception room.
A white-haired girl sat next to Mona, curiously observing Yuki with her bright red eyes.
Illya is unlike the Holy Grail version.
Beside her stood a young woman with long black hair, holding a red teacup, and possessing a dignified appearance.
Akiha Tohno, there probably aren't many versions of this one.
Finally, there was the handsome, white-haired young man who leaned against the door, opened one eye, and examined himself.
Damn, isn't that Archer?
This combination is really strange, making Yuki curse Kinoko inwardly. There are too many parallel worlds, who knows which versions these people are from? Fortunately, there's Mona, so they can investigate slowly when they have some free time.
Aside from these few players who were clearly from 'Valhalla', there were some other people in the reception room, but most of them were using disguise items, presumably lone players like myself who had accepted a commission.
Lone players are either introverted, have special reasons, or have a grudge against a powerful figure they can't afford to offend; each of them is very good at hiding their identity.
"Your Hidden Sage, please have a seat. Now everyone is present." It was Artoria who spoke, her voice filled with the solemnity of a knight.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Heroic Spirit King." Yuki found an empty seat and sat down. In the 'Mechanical Believers's' information, the ahoge (cowlick) had an excellent reputation, and most of these players were recruited by her.
Shi-jie was happy to slack off, fiddling with her teacup while letting the ahoge-haired king give orders.
"As you all know, this mission is a continuation of the faction war. When two factions become enemies but neither can defeat the other, the game will launch a hunting instance."
"Now that we know in advance, we should prepare accordingly. You are all experts who were specially invited, so I hope you will cooperate with each other."
I know nothing.
Yuki glanced at Mona subconsciously, then suddenly remembered the brat's original intention.
They initially invited me to their door in order to help them; the alliance was formed for certain reasons.
However, the Reincarnation Game is quite 'considerate'. When players are afraid to go to each other's factions to die, they are allowed to fight each other in the dungeon. Without privileges or terrain advantages, they can unleash their full power in a relatively fair environment.
Yuki was lost in thought, skipping over Saber's thank-you, warnings, and explanations of strategic significance, and also ignoring the introductions of the 'Valhalla' players participating in the dungeon.
Mena Ryougi, Illya, Akiha Tohno, Emiya are all familiar faces, but they are somewhat different from what Yuki remembers.
For example, Archer reverted to his original name, but his aloof personality remained unchanged; for example, Illya was constantly whispering with Mona, which was a bit too lively and confused Yuki.
Has the Holy Grail War actually ended? Valhalla is a complete mess, the relationships within it are incredibly complex.
They're all quite strong, but shouldn't the Valhalla have players who are even more skilled in combat? What about the other three?
Questions overloaded his brain, Yuki only regained his attention when Artoria introduced the solo player.
"This is Lord Wolf, the 'Battle Maniac'."
A figure shrouded in gray mist nodded slightly as a greeting. Yuki turned to look at him. Based on the keywords 'Battle Maniac' and 'wolf,' even though he had concealed his identity, he couldn't escape Yuki's eyes.
Wolf, I just killed your old nemesis for you. Take some time to thank me.
"This is Lord Flower Sword from the 'Land of Life and Death'."
From his appearance, he was a tall swordsman shrouded in shadow, wearing a straw hat. He stood up and bowed, his voice revealing a hint of laziness and nonchalance.
"Although this is a temporary partnership, I look forward to your guidance."
Judging from his voice, he seems like a reliable adult, but what faction does 'Land of Life and Death' belong to?
Yuki glanced at him; his appearance was obscured, and with the alias he used, even a transmigrator wouldn't recognize him. He looked at the twin swords at his waist and began searching his memories.
"This is Lady Akatsuki from 'Magical Girl'."
This is a woman shrouded in a cloak, with complete darkness beneath the hood. Upon closer inspection, it seems to absorb one's spirit and possesses a self-destructive effect.
Tsk, it's hidden even better; I can't recognize it at all.
Apart from 'Wolf' whose identity was revealed by his name, the identities of the other two were unknown, but they were both very powerful.
In the Reincarnation Game, daring to go it alone without some skill is tantamount to suicide. Even if Yuuki is treated like a boss and Yuki.
Just then, the blond knight king turned his head to look.
"And then the last one, Raymond, the 'Aether Particles'."
Yuki immediately looked away and nodded gracefully in acknowledgment.
'Perfect timing. Five factions, eight players, and the Valhalla takes up four of them. Even if the other four team up, they're no match for them.'
Yuki learned another trick, but he didn't need to go through all that trouble. If a hunting mission were to fall into his lap, his squad would be traversing three factions.
"The contract has been signed. I hope everyone will keep their promises, and the Valhalla will naturally deliver on the rewards." Artoria didn't waste any words and nodded slightly to Emiya, who was leaning against the door. The latter took out a light belt.
It emitted a purple light, surrounding the eight players, Yuki suddenly felt as if he were bound to it.
This is somewhat similar to teaming up with senior students, but it's completely different in essence. It's a temporary measure that uses fixed coordinates to pull players into the same instance.
Illya stood up, bowed slightly to Yuki and the others, and said in a sweet tone, "Thank you all. Please take good care of me from now on."
She touched the band of light, and a murmur resonated in the minds of every player.
[Player Illya invites you to participate in the hunt mission 'Nighttime Murder']
[After accepting, you will participate in the dungeon as a team, and player ratings will be added together.]
[Do you accept?]
I see, so it's a matter of each side having its own interpretation.
Yuki hearing the murmur, Yuuki immediately understood; it was somewhat like a degraded version of himself, the price being this 'overlapping' effect.
He pulled his senior classmates into the instance, where the rating was calculated separately according to their faction. For example, he himself was worth 10 points, Thorny Rose was worth 6 points, Frieren, as an 'Aether Particles', was worth 2 points.
The difficulty of the dungeon will be calculated based on the highest score of 10, instead of being stacked up to 18 points like the light belt. This difference is huge.
"Wait, with eight players at Monster III or higher, that's enough to accommodate an Epic-level player, right?"
Yuki suddenly realized something: the total score is not only related to the difficulty of the dungeon, but also to other players. It is precisely because it is calculated separately that he is in the strongest tier in the 'Wizard's Tower', otherwise the Epic Judge would have caught up with him long ago.
Yuki opened his mouth, but didn't ask a question. Everyone knew this, and they were even more convinced that Shiki Ryougi wouldn't sell her own daughter.
[Accept.]
The light band split, binding each player to it. Yuki suddenly felt this was too troublesome; he could just share it directly with him.
"This light strip must be priceless?"
"Of course, cross-faction items are expensive to begin with. These kinds of items, which can pull players from different factions into one instance, are each worth tens of thousands of points. Only truly powerful factions would use them." Flower Sword, always outgoing, extended his hand.
"This time we're bound to run into an epic player, buddy. Remember to lend your brother a hand then."
"Definitely, definitely." Yuki became wary instead; those who pretend to be weak are usually the ones with the real strength.
Everyone was tense; high returns meant high risks, Yuki couldn't judge whether this cheating method was good or bad.
If he were involved himself, he certainly wouldn't employ so many tricks. He might suffer some strategic losses, but tactically, he could ensure that he always remained at the top of the player rankings.
Who cares? Shiki Ryougi must have other purposes. I'll ask Mona later.
As the countdown began, each player signed a contract and offered a medium with which they had a strong causal relationship. Yuki did the same, but as agreed beforehand, he didn't need a contract; he only needed to offer a bottle of pig's blood.
Shiki Ryougi personally inspected the item, placed it in her storage space, and then opened her fair palm to grasp an ancient-looking katana.
What are they trying to do?
A dazed feeling of being teleported through space came over her. The beautiful young woman drew her knife, raised her head, and revealed her deep blue eyes. The sharpness in her eyes was so intense that it was hard to look directly at her.
Artoria silently took a half step back, leaning on her sword and standing solemnly. After a short while, a huge eyeball appeared in the void. It was faintly visible, and its black pupils were like twinkling stars, as if countless eyes were squeezed into it.
Is it Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge spying on the contents of the copy?
The thought had barely formed Yuki, with one foot already in the dungeon, was powerless to stop it, but the final scene was etched into his soul:
The blade flashed, the Hundred Eyes crumbled, turning into bubbles and disappearing into the void.
The young woman in the moon-white kimono gently sheathed her sword, her grip on the hilt loose. Her deep, dark blue eyes were fixed on him, answering the question that had troubled Yuki for so long:
Because they are strong enough, they are not afraid of causing trouble.
Volume 1: Nighttime Murder
Chapter One: Visitors from Outer Space
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—no, there's something far more terrifying than that, capable of transcending space, time, and concepts to annihilate any target.
Upon entering the dungeon, Yuki didn't even flinch for a second. He was truly taken aback by Shiki, and it was arguably the most threatening experience he had ever felt since becoming a player.
In comparison, even Satoru Gojo, another epic-level player, paled in comparison.
Phew, a warning? Seemingly taciturn, but actually, his actions are crucial.
This serves as a warning to both the Judge and the players participating in the instance, and its effect is remarkable.
"Now no one should dare to play any tricks. If Ryougi Shiki finds Shiki Ryougi, even Monster IV player will be instantly killed on sight." Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he was an ally, and his position Taiyi from those mercenaries. He then withdrew his attention and began to observe his surroundings.