Chapter 422
She had originally thought she was back in some extraordinary place, but it turned out to be just an ordinary apartment, not even as luxurious and grand as the exclusive spaces of some small powers. Judging from the furnishings, there must be many young girls here, and she couldn't help but smile.
My brother is quite good at managing money; who could possibly guess? Even if you saw it with your own eyes, you probably wouldn't believe it.
A ruthless, calculating, and cruelly despair-inducing Hidden Sage lives in such an ordinary place. Shouldn't an epic player like him reside in some mysterious palace filled with gray mist, its walls adorned with loot and Chaos Item, coldly observing the turning of Destiny?
Hmph, if that's really the kind of person I'd sell myself off, I wouldn't feel safe at all.
Getting closer to the truth and Yuki made her feel wonderful, so she simply jumped up and hugged his hand.
Are all your companions on missions?
"Yes, the Judge is tracking you. It's too dangerous to follow me. I warned you before. Once or twice could be a coincidence, but if it happens too often, even a fool would realize it."
"I'm not afraid at all. Anyway, I've never met any Yuki Sorajima. As for Raymond, he's just an accomplice hired by the five Heroic Spirit Kings. If there's a problem, I'll settle the score with them."
That's true. The Reincarnation Game deliberately erases the existence of 'Taiyi', which makes it very difficult for the Judge to carry out their work, because they simply have no way of saying who to look for.
If it were Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, they could be eliminated based on mere suspicion. But the Valhalla has five epic-level players. Without some substantial evidence, even their own people might not be able to convince them.
Yuki felt slightly relieved and glanced at Lori, who was clinging to his arm. This girl was very clever and would never cause any trouble.
"Are you sure you're okay not going back?"
"Mom won't care, and nobody else knows. I usually go back to my room, and Illya won't be looking for me to play for a while." Mona gently swung her leg, dragging Yuki onto the sofa, and looked at the TV in front of her with great interest.
This thing has too little technological content. Players have too many other forms of entertainment, so they won't redeem it.
What happened in the end of "The Nighttime Murder"?
"The Eternal Night has disappeared, everyone can return to the mainland, right? Oh, they thought you perished with the King of Eternal Night, so at least there's some sadness. After returning, you can go to the Valhalla to collect your reward." Mona said nonchalantly, then suddenly remembered something:
"The name of the Hidden Sage will soon spread throughout the Borderlands. There's no need to worry about his identity being exposed. The real Raymond should disappear soon, disappear forever."
Yuki taken aback; he hadn't heard of this before, but then he came to his senses.
Consider it a bet by Valhalla: if he didn't receive the inheritance, or died in the Nighttime Murder, then it's as if nothing ever happened.
Emiya returns and presents a detailed report. The prepared blade will then deliver a fatal blow. The outcome is easy to predict, as Mona has not returned to Valhalla.
Who did it?
"Hassan, well, to be precise, a part of him."
Wow, what a meticulous plan. When I participated in the mission under the name of the Hidden Sage, the follow-up work was already arranged, and even a Heroic Spirit King was dispatched?
The Old Man of the Mountain, or King Hassan, is the third Valhalla.
"It seems I must go and thank you in person, and tell your mother about the inheritance."
"What's the rush? The Judge has definitely received the news and is watching closely. Besides, with me here, why would I be afraid you'll take advantage and hide it?" Mona puffed out her chest, looking like a little overseer, and then began to boss people around:
"I'm hungry. You have all sorts of utensils here, you must cook often. Make me something to try."
The idea that monster-level players would get hungry is simply a fantasy, but Mona's words were only half true.
"Would you dare eat what I made?"
"What's there to be afraid of? You wouldn't drug me, would you? Go away, I haven't watched TV in years."
She bent down to grab the remote control, and saw Yuki sigh and leave. She was overjoyed.
The demon who scared that idiot Emiya into becoming withdrawn, the epic-level player I commanded—this sense of accomplishment is even more exhilarating than defeating the King of Eternal Night.
The room was not as noisy as usual, nor was it as cold and lonely.
The sounds of the TV, chopping vegetables, and a girl crunching potato chips— Mona knew everything. For example, returning from another faction was impossible, and it was also impossible for a Valhalla player like her to be able to exchange for food here.
But she asked about everything, chatting with Yuki in a casual way. When she heard the man complain, she would laugh and walk over, stand on tiptoe, and stuff potato chips into his mouth.
How many sisters are there in this house?
"Don't you think they were pleasantly surprised to find out about me?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm very good at getting along with people, I'm sure they'll like me."
Wearing a pink apron with rabbit ears, Yuuki's Yuki began to twitch, the twitching getting more and more pronounced. He had forgotten about this and even took out a fax machine to confirm.
After conquering the Void Temple with an S rating and 68% participation, Hiyori rarely sends messages anymore, deliberately avoiding disturbing Yuki. But he thinks it would be great if this thing could communicate in two directions.
Surprise? More like shock. I can already picture Kaguya Shinomiya looking at me like I'm trash.
Can I return the item?
"No way, I, Mena Ryougi, have already got you."
Yuki rolled her eyes, carried the pot back to the living room, and slammed it down on the round table. Mona, who had been focused on the variety show, immediately jumped up.
An epic-level player cooking for you is a rare opportunity.
She stuck her head out, her little face immediately scrunching up as she pointed at the purplish-black unidentified liquid that was constantly bubbling.
What is this thing?
"Curry, I replicated it using my senior's method."
"Which dimension's curry is this? Could it be a specialty of those lizards from the 'Swamplands'?"
"Earth plane, hmm, it's similar to your home planet."
Neon doesn't have purple, bubbly curry, and it's so pungent too.
Mona retreated step by step like a startled deer, waving her hand with an embarrassed laugh, "Uh, I'm suddenly not hungry anymore, hahaha, it's impossible for a monster player to be hungry."
He took three steps back, then suddenly turned around, but as soon as he lifted his leg, he froze.
A large hand gripped his head. The black-haired, red-eyed youth smiled gently, just as he had when he plotted against the Slothful Bishop.
No, you're very hungry.
Chapter Two: The Strange Faction
Hmph, how dare they order me around.
Yuki nestled comfortably in his chair, watching the girl groaning as she lay on the sofa.
Her slender arms were wrapped around her head, as if she were having a nightmare. Her two pale, bare feet were curled up, creating a slight arch in her black gauze dress, through which a small bear pattern could be vaguely seen.
"Stop pretending, my cooking isn't that powerful, and besides, your underwear is showing."
Mona remained silent, then pushed his buttocks up even higher, as if in a show of defiance.
"Go wash the dishes. We have clear rules and division of labor in our family; we don't tolerate lazy people."
Yuki urged again, and then Mona sat up Ikkotsu, her face wrinkled, but her eyes bright.
You mean our family? Then we're all one family?
Damn, they're trying to trick me into talking again.
Yuki paused for a moment, then looked away and replied nonchalantly, "When have I ever rejected you? We're family now. Now that you know, why aren't you going?"
"Receive!"
The girl saluted, quickly and clumsily cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, tiptoed to the sink, and because she was too short, quickly brought over a small stool, climbed up with a "heave-ho," turned on the tap, and hummed a song.
This girl is such a worry, she never lets you have a moment's peace.
Yuki shook her head, staring at the swaying hem of her skirt, unusually not thinking at all.
Now that we understand what 'Taiyi' is and the path is clear, there's really no need to overthink things. The next step is to find ways to increase our strength, unite our allies, seize the initiative, and proceed step by step.
These things can't be rushed, and each one has its own key points. For example, he's already working on which factions can become allies.
"Mona, how much reward did you get in the end?"
"Hmm? Look at the panel yourself, I still have to fight this wretched plate."
Player: Mena Ryougi (Dungeons experienced: Abandoned Building, Beast Apocalypse... Wizard's Tower, Nighttime Murder)
Faction: Valhalla
Physical Strength: LV7
Storage space: 1600 square meters
Faction Talent: Noble Phantasm. Manas Consciousness (LV5)
Equipment: Imaginary Outfit (Arcane Grade Level)
Item: Substitute Scarecrow (Chaos Grade Level)
Special Items: Root Mark, Combat Reconnaissance Telescope
Alienated Grade Item: Coloniser's Chest (Chaos Grade- level, 12 expansions)
Transcendental Grade Skills: Space Blink (Excellent) Mechanical Thousand Hands (Excellent) Future Interference (Master) Transcendent Vision (Excellent)
Bloodline Skill: Particleized Organism (LV2)
Life form transformation: Transformation from physical body into particles, greatly enhancing physical defense.
Particle Disintegration: The body is decomposed; it cannot reassemble when 40% of its particles are lost.
Residual reinforcement points: 4
Specialization points remaining: 2
Points: 1800
Overall rating: Monster IV
As expected, the rating rose by one level, from Monster III to Monster IV.
Only when looking at the panel would Yuki realize that the little girl in front of him was not an innocent loli at all, but a veteran player with extremely rich experience and great strength.
She has experience in dozens of dungeons, possesses all the necessary bloodline skills and mutation items, and is also a surprisingly wealthy woman.
As a princess of Valhalla, she must have some skills. To be honest, she is a highly respected figure throughout the entire Borderlands, so Yuki did not take it upon herself to plan skills for her.
The core skill is the Noble Phantasm, and the character follows a build focused on items. The entire character is equipped with defensive items, and every item and skill is of exceptional quality.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did I scare you?" Mona's slightly smug voice came from behind her. She was quite embarrassed; the player panel was absolute privacy, and even Illya hadn't seen it.
"Why not level up all your skills to Master? You don't need the points."
"As I said before, Mom only allows me to use the rewards from dungeons to improve myself. I guess she doesn't want me to become stronger too easily."
One reason, but there must be more to it than meets the eye.
Yuki nodded. He had always felt there was something wrong with the exchange between points and credits, especially for those of high status in powerful factions. Even a pig could be made to fly by using points.
The Reincarnation Game is fair; shortcuts always come at a price.
"Just as I thought, every point was earned by me, including those Chaos Item, which were also spoils of war; I never accepted any gifts."
"So you're really strong. If a person gets used to comfort, they'll surely die when it comes time to fight." Mona flattered, wiping his hands on his apron, then took it off and hung it on the wall.
"Brother, would you like to take me out to see the world? Don't worry, I'll be very good."
"Don't you want to go home?"
"My home is right here, isn't it? You're not thinking of sending me back to my parents' house in just a few hours, are you?"
Looking into her bright, clear blue eyes, Yuki pinched the bridge of his nose. This girl always managed to leave him speechless with her teasing.
"Alright, the Outpost's getting lively now, might as well take a stroll around."
"Great! What clothes should I change into?"
"This outfit will do; the Thorny Rose are similar to the customs and culture of your hometown."
The two went outside, and as Yuki had said, the Outpost of Thorny Rose.
More and more players ascended and began to adapt to the new order. Of course, there wasn't much to adapt to. Under Yuki's guidance, this place was basically the same as Earth, except that it was too big and there were too few people.
With only one world providing subsequent troops, the number of Thorny Rose is too small, barely exceeding a thousand so far, but their quality is quite good.
Transcendental Grade level strength is a threshold; every team has one member at the Transcendental Grade IV level. In addition, the Earth dungeons are more puzzle-solving oriented, so they are very good at finding clues and solving dungeons.
Taiyi is behind this; He is selecting players, like sifting through sand, and those who survive are all useful.
Yuki didn't understand before, but now he finally does. Because of accumulated experience, the strong members of the Thorny Rose not as strong as those of other factions, but the overall strength of the players is relatively high, so there won't be any superhuman characters like those who are just there for show.