Chapter 383

"So, this is the same tactic as the 'Global Insect Calamity'?"

The hum of engines filled my ears. Turning my head to look around, I could see steel walls, but unlike the spaceship from before, this room contained no high-tech elements.

A wooden bed, a red velvet high-backed chair, and gray metal walls—all made of rather rustic materials. When you place your hand on the wall, it doesn't feel smooth to the touch.

It's made of inferior metal, but it can't be opened.

The door was locked. Yuki used some force, but it still showed no signs of deformation; there was a protective energy inside.

"It seems that players are not allowed to meet in advance."

Yuki withdrew his hand; the force he had used was enough to flatten a several-meter-thick alloy door into a disc.

Come to think of it, if hunting missions allow players to meet face-to-face, there's no need to create instances; the outcome can be decided right here on this airship.

He went to the other side of the room and, looking through the porthole, finally figured out where he was.

Outside the window, it was pitch black. By the light of the flashing navigation lights, Yuki could vaguely see the rolling sea of clouds below, which was as black as ink. Above, he could see a huge airbag, and to his left, he could see the propeller spinning loudly, the 'humming' sound coming from it.

The giant airship has technology at the level of Earth in the early 20th century. It's a pity that the windows cannot be broken, otherwise I could judge how many players are by looking at the baskets.

Yuki entered "strategy mode, "Shiina Hiyori wasn't around this time, he had to focus even more intently on observing every detail:

The ship was moving very slowly, its course was uncertain, and beyond the illumination of its tracklights lay only deep darkness—this could be attributed to the dungeon's name, 'Nighttime Murder'...

"Five minutes have passed. I presume you have all completed your initial survey of the instance?"

At that moment, Emiya's voice rang in my ears. The light band also served as a communication tool, but as a seasoned player, he gave everyone ample time to scout.

Everyone was satisfied with his attitude and compiled the information.

Unable to leave their rooms, the airship, even using tracking lights to deduce each other's room locations, and then frantically banging on the walls to confirm that each room is a separate space, along with speculation about 'Nighttime Murder' and tracking lights.

Yuki listened quietly, nodding occasionally, and realized that this time the cooperating player's observation skills and intelligence were no less than his own.

Just as I was listening intently, another voice appeared in my left ear.

"Hehe, why aren't you saying anything? Is there some special discovery you want to tell me?" Mona's laughter was a little strange, and she even opened a private channel. "If you want to play dumb to fool others, just tell me. I don't mind showing off a little. Don't worry, no one can hear our conversation."

Oh, so you wanted to use this opportunity to show off.

Yuki was somewhat speechless at this childish mentality and replied immediately, "I didn't make any special discoveries, or rather, what I observed was not as good as what Wolf Waka did."

"How could that be? Oh, don't be so petty. We're all on the same team." Mona persisted, having personally experienced Yuki's methods; calling him a monster wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But I really didn't. What could I possibly see from such a small room?

Yuki couldn't explain it; he wasn't a detective, or rather, he was better at using his trump cards to devise a plan, and finding clues from the smallest details was Hiyori's specialty.

In terms of intelligence, which veteran player is stupid? It's just that they can transcend the game's design, and thus transcend the thinking framework of other players.

"No, I did find inspiration in the idea of 'the night being illuminated by navigation lights'."

"Hmph, stingy."

The sound disappeared, Mona went off to sulk. Yuki didn't bother with her either, because the familiar murmur was already playing in his mind.

[Start Game]

[Hunting Mission, Nighttime Murder]

[Background Story: On the Dark Night Continent, the hustle and bustle of daytime and the silence of night are sharply divided, as if this has robbed living beings of half their life.]

[The night signifies danger and hinders civilization. Countless people have tried to unravel its secrets, but all have failed. If anyone loses the light, they will vanish into the vast darkness.]

Fortunately, the Night Watchers discovered that the Soul Lamp could illuminate the night. Normally, lighting the Soul Lamp would dispel the darkness, but the rising Dark Night Tide would still extinguish many of the lights.

Players will enter the instance as outsiders and will be granted a faint Soul Lamp.

[You can use brute force to escape the darkness, or you can seize the souls of other strangers, so that the Soul Lamp may burn even Incandescence.]

As expected of a hunting mission, it speaks frankly and encourages players to kill each other.

Yuki didn't even need to carefully analyze the backstory; he could directly extract the key words:

Night, the Soul Lamp, the Dark Night Tide, brute force, plunder.

This dungeon is simpler than Wizard's Tower, but it's more dangerous at night. You need to use 'Soul Lamp' to illuminate the darkness, and then the tide will extinguish the candles like a storm. It all comes down to which candle is stronger.

The initial lighting for players is dim. If dragged into the darkness, they can break free using strength, but this will certainly come at a great cost. Therefore, the game provides a reason for players to fight each other:

You can steal players' souls, burn them as firewood, and then you can freely roam the night.

"That sounds dangerous. The brighter the candlelight, the freer the players are in the dark. It's impossible for them not to kill each other."

If you don't harm others, others will harm you; the fundamental contradiction has already been established.

"Phew, as expected of a hunting mission, it leaves no way for pacifists to survive." Mona's voice also became tense; both the instance and the players were in danger.

Pacifists? Are there such rare creatures in Reincarnation Game?

Yuki wanted to laugh, but was too lazy to tease the brat, and asked directly, "What did Lady Shiki Ryougi say? This is Illya's ordeal, and you shouldn't be participating in the hunting mission."

"I'm really not bad!" Mona protested urgently, then after a moment of silence, she became serious. "Mom said that there is 'His' legacy in this instance, which is why she called you and me in. This is a test."

Oh, I see. I thought the test was about murder.

Yuki had anticipated this and did not answer. He paced back and forth in the cramped room. Ever since the last secret mission, he had suspected that the 'He' Shiki Ryougi mentioned might be Taiyi.

The tragedy of the Anthropomorphic Front shows that to escape the Reincarnation Game, one must transcend the game's framework. Shiki Ryougi, as an epic-level figure, must have known more and must have seen something about herself to be willing to sell even her daughter.

"No matter what happens, you'll stay with me, and we'll never be apart."

"Hmph, you've finally realized my strength." Mona was both smug and touched.

"What does it have to do with strength? The intelligence is in your hands. If you're going to die, how am I supposed to find your inheritance?"

Mona was once again sent back to her corner to sulk by a single sentence, and Yuki had no intention of comforting her. After the players had digested the background story, the murmur began for the second time.

[Note 1: This instance involves 35 factions. Players will be randomly assigned to the Dark Night Continent, regardless of their faction or team. All communication items and skills, except for instance communication tools, will be restricted.]

[Tip 2: As night falls, you must keep the light on, or you will be dragged into darkness.]

[Tip 3: Dark Night Tide will appear randomly, and once they appear, they will not disappear on their own; they will spread outwards on the second night.]

[Hint Four: Every two days, the heavens will drop a powerful Soul Lamp outside the tides and notify players within a 1000km radius.]

[Tip 5: The King of the Night will watch every player, seeking a target to hunt. He will only appear in the night and will only die in the Eternal Night.]

[Hint 6: You can only return if you uncover the secrets of the night and defeat the King of the Night, or if only three factions or only one player team survives.]

[Tip 7: The number of remaining players will be displayed on the panel; eliminating any player will grant a reward.]

[The dungeon will open in ten minutes.]

The hint was very simple, without any twists or turns, but every word contained a deadly intent.

This stage exists for infighting, but it also leaves hope for 'pacifists' to survive. You can refuse to fight among yourself and focus on conquering the dungeons.

But for Valhalla, the very first piece of information left their heads spinning.

"Random coordinates? Communication unavailable? This means our combined advantage is greatly reduced."

"That's normal. The Reincarnation Game won't just stand by and watch one team of players crush the rest. Besides, we're definitely not the only ones doing similar things."

"The primary task is to find a way to regroup."

"But we don't have a map, and we can't see anything outside the porthole. How are we going to regroup?"

The debate was intense but not chaotic. At Yuki's level, encountering an idiot is harder than climbing to heaven. Every player is a seasoned veteran, having experienced all sorts of bizarre and wonderful dungeons.

Yuki didn't participate in the debate, which was meaningless given the lack of information at the moment. What was meaningful was to analyze the current clues.

There are 35 factions. Excluding 'Valhalla', 'Land of Life and Death', 'Magical Girl', 'Battle Maniac', and myself, there are 30 potential enemy factions. Then, the hint seven is displayed according to the number of players.

157 people. That's the number of players participating in Nighttime Murder. Based on the total score, even the weakest player should be at the Monster I level.

The large number of players implies a vast stage, suggesting the Dark Continent's area is likely enormous. After all, for players at Monster III level and above, moving over a thousand kilometers in an hour is not difficult.

"During the gathering process, a large number of players will be eliminated, and then prompt one will appear."

This is clearly stated: players will be randomly scattered across the continent. If you're unlucky, you'll land surrounded by unfamiliar players, making the chance of being eliminated quite high.

With the 'faction' and 'team' options removed, this is where luck comes into play.

The Mena Ryougi cannot be harmed; she is related to my gains, and she has passed my test.

Yuki frowned. The faction war was a test, and Mona had performed quite well. Moreover, she had stayed at her house for many days recently and drunk a lot of awful coffee.

Even if it's just out of affection for Shiki Ryougi, her safety must be guaranteed.

'I don't believe in luck. How can one artificially increase the success rate, regardless of faction or team? Then what does it relate to?'

Time ticked by, and just as they agreed to meet at the landmark in the communication channel, Yuki had already taken concrete action.

"Mona, is your contract still valid?"

The girl was biting her fingers and pacing anxiously around the room. She wasn't good at direct combat, and her Manas Consciousness wasn't strong enough to choose the distant future. If she didn't have any companions around and encountered combat-oriented players, she would easily be eliminated immediately upon landing.

"Huh? Of course it's still there."

"Give it to me, I'll sign it right away."

"What's the point at this point?" Mona pursed her lips, unable to understand why Yuki had changed his mind, and felt frustrated just thinking about it.

That's my indenture, not yours. Why shouldn't I sign it? But what's the point of signing now? You can't help me anyway.

She really couldn't figure it out, but with only a few minutes left in the countdown, she quickly sent over the contract. She trusted Yuki's abilities, and this attitude at least offered some comfort.

[1. Mena Ryougi will perform all reasonable tasks for the player.]

[2. Mena Ryougi will keep all related secrets from the player at the end of the game.]

[3. The Mena Ryougi will do everything in her power to help, but must not be hostile to the player.]

[Contract Achieved]

Yuki activated the contract decisively. Even though they couldn't meet now, and the contract was ten times more demanding, it was useless. But this was related to an experiment, so they had to be careful.

"Thinking about it carefully, I've revealed enough abnormalities in front of her, one more won't make a difference."

Yuki exhaled a breath of stale air and immediately sent out a team invitation.

[Player Yuki invites you to join their team.]

This is an experiment that started with Frieren. When Yuki brought the Mushroom into the team, he invited her directly from the Aether Particles to the Outpost of the Thorny Rose, which went beyond the setting of the Reincarnation Game.

Ah???

A murmur came, and Mona was stunned. This wasn't some cross-faction item; it overturned the rule that 'different factions can't team up,' and more importantly—

I've already formed a small team.

How is this possible? Why didn't Illya and the others react at all? This doesn't make sense.

What kind of privilege is it for someone to cross factions or even squads and pull themselves into a group? What's the point of that? Wait, he seems to be constantly subverting my common sense about games.

As Illya called her name, the girl's mind was in a mess. Before she could find a way out of this tangled mess, Yuki began to urge her on.

"The dungeon will open in ten seconds. Sign in quickly if you want to survive."

"I... I... okay, I'll sign it." With Mona determined look on her face, the secret seemed insignificant.

[Player Mena Ryougi joins the team.]

The murmur began, and the countdown ended at the same time. Mona felt the ground shake violently, and a strong sense of weightlessness came over her.

Along with the room, the player was thrown onto the mainland, plunging headlong into a dark sea of clouds.

"Mona, Mona, say something..."

"Remember the code words, and try to be as fake as possible..."

The communication crackled and then abruptly stopped. The intense feeling of weightlessness made Mona dizzy. She went to the window, but still couldn't see anything.

The Dark Night Continent is shrouded in darkness, with only scattered lights visible. Sphere-like landing pods disperse at ten times the speed of sound, falling evenly to the ground. During this process, no Transcendental Grade skills can penetrate the walls; players with skills like 'Hyper-Memory' might have a slight advantage.

As she fell into the darkness, heading towards the unknown, Mona felt her heart race. But then, she saw a sphere falling parallel to her, and her breathing calmed down.

Huh? This actually works? Is he the favorite son of the Reincarnation Game?

Mona stared blankly for a moment, then her narrowed eyes resembled crescent moons.

Hehe, so your real name Yuki.