This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

Clap, clap, clap.

Before anyone could distinguish reality from illusion, the sound of light applause followed.

Li Dan stood before the cave entrance a few meters away, clapping gently with an expression of admiration: "Brother Yuki, your life is unexpectedly tough. How are you still not dead after all that?"

He had just witnessed a spectacular performance; Yuki had survived by the skin of his teeth, drawing all the aggro so that the Living Corpses didn't even glance at him.

The mission was completed perfectly, making it worth suppressing his own killing intent.

Facing the mockery, Yuki showed no sign of anger or shame, instead offering a grateful smile: "That is thanks to your help; otherwise, we would have surely died."

The tone was sincere, and in truth, Li Dan had indeed contributed significant effort. Without his precise marksmanship, the Living Corpses would have swarmed them, and without him blasting the Tank away, Hayasaka Ai would never have been able to block the breach.

It was sincere, yet it was the ultimate mockery, because Li Dan had never intended to help; he had been manipulated by Yuki, wasting two of his trump cards for nothing.

You motherf...

The man's gaze turned dangerous in an instant; his revolver rose slowly, then lowered just as slowly.

Mai Sakurajima is nearby, and she should still have explosives. If we have an internal conflict now, the possibility of mutual destruction remains, and I don't intend to leave a single one of them alive.

As a smart man, Li Dan knew the immediate priority was to clear the dungeon. He could deal with them later, but he couldn't afford to take the risk now.

"Then we shall meet again. Take care." Li Dan couldn't be bothered to spout threats; he stepped forward, leaned down, and passed directly through the thick red mist of the breach.

This step crossed the long twelve hours; he only needed to emerge on the other side, and the final night would be over.

So, the moment he left, Yuki leaned on his sword and stood up: "Follow him quickly. He's waiting for Mai Sakurajima's Ego Trait to fade."

It was easy to guess what Li Dan was wary of. If they waited just two more minutes, Mai Sakurajima's trait would reach its limit, and then he would have no more concerns.

But just as Yuki helped Hayasaka Ai toward the entrance, Robert—who had shown no performance during the chaotic battle—shifted half a step, blocking the entrance completely.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hayasaka Ai's expression changed drastically. This little fatty had been so obedient the whole way; why the sudden betrayal? She frowned and asked, "The only benefit he can give you is surviving the dungeon. The path to life is right before your eyes—why not take it?"

It was truly hard to understand. Wasn't this just helping Li Dan draw aggro? All he had to do was step back and walk through; wouldn't that be a win?

Robert didn't speak. He simply raised his rifle with a textbook Saw Cleaver stance, pulled the bolt with a clack, and kept his expression blank.

"No. You are all going to die."

Tonight was destined to be lively.

Having just finished the final battle, surviving the crisis by the second, and using Mai Sakurajima to force Li Dan away, a sudden change occurred less than ten meters from the path to survival.

Robert stood as if he couldn't see the red mist behind him, holding his rifle steady. He didn't waver in the slightest when faced with their questioning.

"So, why?" Hayasaka Ai didn't dare move. She could read the seriousness in the little fatty's eyes.

With his expert-level marksmanship, he could blow their heads off by pulling the trigger at this distance.

"Enough. There is no 'why'." Yuki stepped in front of the muzzle, slowly opening his mouth: "It's simple. He and the Housewife were controlled long ago. If I'm not mistaken, this must be Li Dan's Ego Trait."

"Nonsense." Robert shook his head slightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings as if trying to find an invisible person.

"It seems I guessed right. Well, let me guess a little more." Yuki touched his chin, putting on a thoughtful look.

"This Ego Trait must be related to fungal spores. It manifests as constant coughing, allowing him to parasitize players silently, and even claim their traits as his own."

"A very powerful skill, but it has a fatal flaw: the host must trust Li Dan unconditionally. That's why he took Mai Sakurajima—no, Hayasaka—and kept trying to get close to her."

Hayasaka Ai, standing beside him, was slightly stunned. She had wondered why Li Dan was talking so much when they were pulling the switcheroo.

"Li Dan is too petty. He's afraid I'll seek revenge, so he never intended for us to return from the start." Yuki shrugged lightly.

"Do you have Future Sight?" The fatty's expression finally changed. Just like when he discovered Thomas's identity, this was getting too close to the truth.

"No. But when I have a question, I do everything I can to verify it. For example, during the death match with Thomas, I had Mai Sakurajima secretly observe the hidden Housewife, and then I looked for common traits among you all." Yuki lifted his foot and stepped forward, looking directly into the muzzle as he set it down.

"A perfect puppet that coughs. Take you, for instance. A greedy, cowardly fatty—you were far too calm when crossing the canal. I intentionally put you at the back just to see if you would follow us when faced with a river full of Living Corpses."

"And you really followed, without hesitation. After landing, you continued to show perfect combat skills, and just now, you threw yourself into the fray to cover us. That doesn't sound like the behavior of a coward."

Click, click, click.

The trigger was pulled, but no bullet fired. Robert looked at the approaching Yuki in a daze and quickly flipped his rifle.

"The magazine you gave me... it has a problem!?"

"I was basically certain after we crossed the river. Why would I make trouble for myself?" Yuki's chest pressed against the muzzle, sighing:

"Two veteran players forming a team, and everyone else is a puppet except for the three of us. Li Dan, oh Li Dan, such a top-tier schemer is truly rare to see."

He reached out, clamped down on the slide of the pistol the fatty pulled out, and slowly raised his foot.

"But it's a pity—I'm even more insidious than you. Is it fun inside the fog wall?"

As the words fell, the fatty's eyes suddenly became vivid, instantly filled with agile killing intent. Then, his face split open like fungal mycelium.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, his head exploded, and Yuki kicked him into the fog wall. Only then did he clap his hands and turn to look at the still-bewildered Hayasaka Ai.

The girl blinked, looking annoyed: "No, why did you hide it from me?"

"To deceive others, you first have to deceive yourself. Li Dan was careless; he showed his flaws too early. Who knew that I would rather trust you two than him?"

"I've been curious about this for a long time. Logically, veteran players are more trustworthy, aren't they? Who goes around looking for flaws in others from the very start?"

"I've said it before: I don't follow the script." Yuki smiled. Naturally, he couldn't admit he knew everything about the two of them, so he reached out his hand.

"The senior has already beaten Li Dan inside. Just hold on a little longer; I'll take you both home."

Hayasaka Ai actually had many things she couldn't wrap her head around, but seeing the hand before her, she erased all her doubts, opened her palm, and gripped his hand tightly.

"Mm."

Damn it, has he been calculating against me this whole time!?

The Spore Puppet possessed the ability to transmit information, and almost at the same time, Li Dan received the message.

That honest, sturdy face instantly flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead as he felt like a complete clown.

His ultimate goal, his hidden trump cards—everything had been seen through clearly by Yuki, while he had been performing his heart out on stage, completely oblivious?

But anger was anger; he had no way to go back and settle the score with Yuki.

"He hid key information even after the fact, trying to backstab me until the very end?"

The sheer insidiousness made his blood run cold, and the monster before him only made his nerves tighten further.

What kind of Living Corpse is this!

On the second basement level, in a hall spanning several thousand square meters, a giant five or six meters tall knelt on the ground. It looked like a naked man, with broken chains shackled to its wrists.

Its right leg had been torn apart by the Death Knell, but it was already recovering as white steam rose from the wound.

The regeneration speed is too fast; I have no way to escape.

Li Dan secretly glanced behind him. The hole he had blasted through was in the wall five meters up. He had run straight into this giant the moment he fell in; trying to return the way he came was now impossible.

This is trouble. The Ancient Castle Living Corpses will pour in from the entrance behind it. It's already daytime outside; I could be blocked in at any moment.

Thump, thump, thump.

Heavy footsteps interrupted his thoughts. In just over ten seconds, the giant stood up, its right leg showing no trace of the damage from before.

There was no cover in the hall. Its head nearly touched the ceiling, and it stood in silence, radiating a terrifying sense of oppression.

Click.

Li Dan expressionlessly pulled the slide, chambering the fifth bullet. Whether he wanted to or not, he now had to fight for his life for Yuki's sake.

The giant went from a slow walk to a sprint. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the hundred-meter distance, swinging a chain as thick as a human thigh.

Whoosh—BOOM!!

The chain whipped through the air like a lash, smashing into the wall and sending stone fragments flying. Li Dan dove forward, sliding between the giant's legs before turning and raising his gun.

Hm?

The giant dropped from a standing position to all fours, moving like a human centipede. It crawled with terrifying speed, its massive frame surprisingly agile, twitching and shifting like someone with ADHD, making it incredibly difficult for Li Dan to aim precisely.

Bang! Bang!

The sharp whistles of air being shattered echoed one after another. Li Dan retreated in a sorry state, dodging while trying to handle various sudden crises.

Having used four Death Knell bullets in a row, his luck had hit rock bottom; he could trip even while running on flat ground, but he had no time to dwell on it.

The chain smashed down right past his chest. Just as he raised his gun, the giant pushed off all fours, leaping nearly to the ceiling, then crossed its arms to protect its head while splaying its legs like a ballerina.

BOOM!!

The leg drop caused the floor to cave in, and the resulting shockwave sent Li Dan tumbling several times. He braced his left hand on the ground and slid into the corner of the hall.

Blood trickled from his forehead, and the corner of his eye twitched.

The movements are savage, but it clearly received the fourth gift from the Crimson Moon and possesses intelligence. It just won't let me aim for its head.

It's hard to deal with, but I have to kill it quickly, then find a way to kill that little bastard.

Whoosh—

Dust was blown away by the massive body as the giant lunged out like a sports car, yet it cunningly avoided a straight-line charge.

I need to wait for an opportunity—a chance for a one-hit kill.

Li Dan quietly hid his left hand behind his back. Just as he was engulfed by the giant's shadow—

The monster suddenly arched its back and whipped the chain violently behind it.

At that moment, Yuki, carrying Hayasaka Ai, happened to jump in. They had just passed through the fog wall and hadn't even seen what was inside when the chain whistled toward them. Fortunately, he was prepared; he curled his body as he fell, feeling a storm sweep over his head.

BANG!!

A deep gouge was carved into the wall, and the spraying debris cut several bloody gashes into Yuki's body. He landed on his back, feeling completely disoriented.

Damn it, even that old thief Miyazaki would give players a moment to breathe.

Yuki spat out a mouthful of blood, quickly tossed Hayasaka Ai to the side, and looked up, only to mirror the same constipated expression as Li Dan.

An Abnormal Type?!

Yuki had visited this second basement level when the game first began.

He remembered peeking around the corner just ahead, spotting the fire extinguisher that served as a key clue, only to be so terrified that he turned and fled on the spot.

He hadn't seen it clearly back then, but now that he had truly fallen into the underground hall, Yuki reached a conclusion at a single glance.

That appearance, that steam repairing its wounds, that vacant, idiotic expression—there was absolutely no mistake, the core of this thing was an Abnormal Type.

If man-eating giants fit the characteristics of a Living Corpse, does that mean if the Long Night continues, it might even bring about Impure World Reincarnation?

Certain lethal conjectures were becoming reality; he had realized long ago that the concept of "Living Corpse" in this dungeon was incredibly broad, far from being limited to Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead. If he stayed in the Ancient Castle long enough, he might actually get to witness the First Hokage's ninjutsu.

Impure World Reincarnation was still a long way off, but this Abnormal Type was deadly enough on its own, especially since it possessed intelligence and had no intention of letting any player escape unscathed.

Furthermore, this terrain was neither too large nor too small, and completely devoid of cover—it was practically tailor-made for it to hunt!

"Go, find a corner and hide!" Yuki pushed Hayasaka Ai away and decisively drew his gun, pulling the trigger before the Abnormal Type could charge.

Bang, bang, bang.

The 9mm pistol rounds didn't even count as a tickle; the Abnormal Type, having just shifted its target, ignored them immediately and focused all its attention on the stronger prey before it.

The intelligence gifted by the Crimson Moon allowed it to discern threats. The strength Yuki was currently displaying was negligible—how could he possibly have the ability to climb up to a hole five or six meters high?

This bastard was playing dirty again!

Li Dan had finally managed to catch his breath, but now that he was being targeted by the giant again, that foul rage reached the very tips of his hair.

He had intended for Yuki to draw the aggro so he could find a chance to escape, but this little bastard was truly insidious, actually turning the tables to use him instead.

"Then don't think you're getting away either!" Li Dan, looking somewhat disheveled, hopped and skipped, once again diving between the giant's legs before sprinting toward Yuki at full speed.

Thump, thump, thump, thump...

With the two pieces of prey gathered together, the Abnormal Type was naturally delighted. The human spider crawled once more, rushing to the end of the hall in just a few strides.

When an old schemer meets another old schemer, it really is difficult to pull off a trick.