Chapter 439

"Yes, yes, senior is right. Just like the operation of the Wizard's Tower, the Judge cannot exist independently outside the instance."

"No, we still need to make adjustments. The Judge aren't stupid; we should try our best not to reveal our identities."

"Mona and Frieren are in the same boat. Fortunately, the Fool's Mask has been upgraded, so they should be fine as long as they don't come into direct contact."

"In theory, the Judge will not access the copy; he will go after a specific target, which is the wanted criminal."

"This target is our hidden ally."

Everyone started discussing animatedly, while Yuki listened quietly without interrupting.

Yes, the team has gradually matured, everyone can distinguish between priorities, and he quickly adjusted his mindset, setting a principle:

"We need to hurry. Quickly eliminate the Judge, then focus all our efforts on advancing the instance. By then, if you're exposed, no one will know."

"You mean we'll do it in two steps?" Hiyori chimed in, thinking for a moment. "Then we'll do it simultaneously. You find the people, and we'll push through the dungeons first to keep the progress in sync."

There are limits to how much a dungeon can mutate. Just like in Nighttime Murder, the Reincarnation Game can't magically increase the strength of the King of the Night. Yuki estimates that the strength of this dungeon boss is only at Epic Tier III.

"Okay, we'll split it into two parts. I'll be in charge of the Judge and contacting the wanted criminals, while you guys decipher the dungeons and push the progress forward. Remember, try to minimize contact with other players. If it's really impossible, have Hayasaka handle it."

The Thorny Rose must not be exposed, otherwise it would be too coincidental, and others wouldn't be stupid enough to shift their attention to it.

Yuki's greatest advantage lies in his stealth. A normal person would be lucky to remain hidden; they would never willingly jump out to fight back against the Judge.

"How do you hide your identity? Have you kept track of your powers long ago?" Frieren suddenly asked, and Yuki smiled.

Azure magic unfolded in his hands. As a professional, she analyzed the spectrum and looked up in astonishment.

"During those days with the Aether Particles, I wasn't just hanging around with you. I collected many different magical frequencies. You think you can find me with just a few keywords?"

Yuki Epic Metamorphosis, "What's the point of obsessing over Golden Lightning and Storm Dragon Spear if you don't understand this?"

Soul Mimicry doesn't offer much help in combat, but it's best used for disguising oneself.

"Give me the 'Avalon Illusion Generator' as well. I'll use it to conceal the characteristics of the Ice Snow Goddess's Heart and the Night Domain. As for the Furnace, I don't need it. Once we're dragged in, I don't intend for anyone to come out alive."

The plan had already been revised, and the daily life by the sea was fraught with danger.

After receiving a generator that resembled a crystal dagger, Yuki had nothing more to say. He glanced at the astonished Mona and chuckled to himself.

This kid really thinks the senior girls are just pretty faces. You could say he's tainted everyone here with his cunning, and their teamwork is absolutely perfect.

Countless times they've escaped from dire straits, countless times they've triumphed over the odds. Yuki is adept at turning the tide, but with them around, things will only get easier.

For example, with Hiyori's help, Yuki doesn't need to spend time deciphering the dungeon and investigating clues; he can concentrate all his energy on one thing.

Recalling the shock of their sudden encounter in the Wizard's Tower, he felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

From then on, the roles of offense and defense shifted.

[Start Game]

The sudden murmur snapped Yuki thoughts, and so did everyone around her, who all strained to listen.

[Faction Quests, Race Game]

[Background Story: The gods who created the world have long since departed. For countless years, the various races of the Crimson Moon World have waged war to seize the 'Divine Torch' they left behind. This war is the most brutal and cruel game ever played; the earth has shattered, life has perished, races have perished, and the gods have rejoiced. Now, this game has reached its final sprint.]

The Great Game between races is sacred, inescapable, and brooks no interference from a third party, unless that third party is an accomplice of the race participating in the game.

[The Divine Torch is the authority of the world, the creator of all rules. Whether for survival or for the Divine Torch, they are trapped in the game and cannot escape. On the land, the ten surviving races are divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.]

[Superior Races: Angels, Monster Race]

[Mid-tier races: Elves, Dwarves, Machine Race, Undead, Sirens, Orcs]

[Lower-rank races: Insect Race, Humans]

[Each race has a representative, and each race has varying strengths and influences. Players do not belong to any race but join as assistants, gaining a friendly initial reputation.]

[Victory or destruction, you will be participants, witnesses, or leaders in this long war.]

After a long silence, the group of people preparing the space looked at each other, their minds racing as they analyzed the situation word by word.

The background story isn't complicated, and it's familiar to players. Isn't this just a similar event to the fall of the pioneers and the infighting between the various factions? The only difference is that players have to complete quests and can't fully immerse themselves in the infighting.

Hmm, that sounds familiar.

Yuki blinked. This backstory was very similar to a certain anime he had seen before. It was also about fighting over something and tearing the world to pieces. The difference was that there was no absolute 'god' here, and theoretically all races had an equal chance.

"To summarize, judging from the background story, this dungeon is about players helping each other compete for the 'Divine Torch,' and as for the race names, it seems to be set in a Western fantasy world."

"We don't have Machine Race in our magical world," Frieren muttered under his breath. Seeing everyone looking at him, he stepped forward and said, "The race in this instance must be something else entirely. They're tools created by the gods, and then the gods ran away. Freed from their constraints, they started fighting for power and profit."

"It can be inferred that the 'Divine Torch' is a divine artifact. I even suspect it's related to rules." In Hiyori had already read the background story hundreds of times. "That's why players will fight seriously, especially epic-level powerhouses; they're definitely after the Divine Torch."

How insidious! In this Reincarnation Game, they either wipe everyone out or hide the bait in the background story. How afraid are they of players slacking off?

Yuki remained silent, listening to Hiyori's preliminary analysis based on classical texts while waiting. Before long, the notification arrived.

[Hint 1: The overall strength, size, and hatred of each race vary, and the relationships between races are subject to change.]

[Tip 2: Players will join different races based on their faction strength and will receive an overview of that race. Attacking cooperative races is prohibited, and players are not allowed to communicate with each other. Violators will be punished.]

[Tip 3: Defeating enemy races and players, or advancing your race's progress, will earn you rewards and increase your race's influence based on your contributions. If you sign a pact on behalf of your race, it cannot be broken.]

[Hint 4: Each race has a different understanding of the Divine Torch, and the degree of proximity varies, but all are highly classified.]

[Tip 5: The death of a racial representative will reduce the overall strength of that race; the killer will receive a reward and a massive amount of aggro, and the overall strength of their race will be increased to some extent.]

[Tip 6: When a race loses more than 80% of its population, it enters a critical state, and its overall strength is greatly reduced. When it loses more than 90%, it loses its eligibility to play and will assist the player in wiping it out.]

[Tip 7: You can return if you help your race obtain the Divine Torch; or you can choose to return if 5 or more races lose their eligibility.]

[The dungeon will open in ten minutes.]

The game rules have been explained. To be honest, they are quite simple and straightforward, and should not be unfamiliar to the players present.

"Assistance missions, huh? That's pretty troublesome. Following prompt 6, I also have to protect these natives." Mona immediately complained. She had done several similar missions, which required killing enemies, protecting others, and investigating—it was incredibly troublesome.

"It's in our favor. Did you notice hint 2?" Hiyori also made a preliminary judgment and said with a smile, "The weakest player should be assigned to the strongest race. Our faction's score is very low. What do you think will happen?"

"We can turn this around and utilize the natives' strength to avoid being disturbed by other players in the early to mid-game." Kaguya's eyes lit up. She needed cover the most, to hide in the back and shoot. "Oh, that way, we can focus our energy on investigating clue 4!"

Just like in Nighttime Murder, it's unclear how long it will take for players to uncover the secrets from the beginning. Yuki initially gained an advantage by relying on the Night Watchers' research into the Eternal Night.

However, the difference lies in the fact that these races have different levels of understanding of the Divine Torch. Logically speaking, the stronger races should understand more, but they can only be assigned to the weakest players.

This is clearly a matter of game balance. If powerful players team up, other players won't be able to compete; they'll just be crushed.

"It's a very simple hint, but it's all interconnected. A weaker faction will be safer and able to uncover secrets when it allies with a stronger race; on the other hand, the stronger faction will face greater pressure, as it must protect the cooperating race, participate in the game, and search for secrets."

Yuki had basically figured out the situation, and drew circles in the air with his finger. "Did you notice hint 2 and hint 1?"

"I noticed that players are not allowed to communicate privately, but facilitating cooperation between two races allows for information exchange." Hiyori, who had been researching, proactively stated, "The 'kings' of each race certainly won't easily obey us, which connects to hint 3."

"So there's a strategy to who you kill; it's troublesome for players to test each other." Yuki nodded slightly, having roughly understood how the Reincarnation Game was supposed to be played.

Probing, contacting, cooperating or antagonizing—killing is necessary to obtain the secrets of the Divine Torch, but don't even think about targeting the next-ranked race. Judging by the dungeon's difficulty, there are definitely epic-level players there.

"This is a good thing for us. What race were you assigned to?"

"Angels." Hayasaka Ai raised her hand, and the four members of Thorny Rose nodded in unison.

Judging from the team's current strength, it only has one Monster III, two Monster II, and one Monster I. It is obviously weak in the dungeon and should be assigned to the strongest race.

"I am Monster Race." Frieren raised her hand, and her personal score was even lower, falling into the 'suicidal' category.

"A superior race, that makes sense." Yuki. The information had already been shared through 'Reality Reading,' including the two races' overview, structure, range of activities, characteristics, and reputation with other races.

Among them, the Angels has the greatest overall strength, with a large and powerful population, while the Monster Race has the greatest individual strength but a very small number of members.

"Mona, and you?"

Mena Ryougi was in a daze. Wasn't this cheating? You know, information like race data is hard to find. Players would have to at least reach Revered reputation. Plus, with hint 2, getting information from players would be a huge hassle.

So, this group knew before even starting the dungeon? How are they supposed to play like that?

With a quick glance, she realized how her seniors and the others were using it. This innate advantage in information couldn't be measured by strength, so she simply shared the information as well.

"You're also from the Monster Race? More or less."

With limited time, Yuki didn't rush to read the intelligence. Since his faction score was very low, he already had his own people in both of the upper two clans, which made him feel relieved.

Unlike hunting missions, the natives in faction missions have an advantage; if they are assigned to a powerful race, they can guarantee their safety.

"It's possible that weaker factions might be assigned to your race, but the chances are slim. Generally, this level of mission is led by an elite team of several Monster III Monster IV."

"We know that safety is the top priority, and besides, tip 3 says that the player's role is not just to kill people on the front lines." Hiyori squinted, already thinking of how to use it.

Players are certainly familiar with these races, and those who know players best are the players themselves.

"More or less. You control the timing of your attack. According to the intelligence you just sent, the Monster Race and Elves can hold back. Hiyori, I'm entrusting you with the task of finding clues about the Divine Torch and researching the details."

"Okay." The girl nodded; this was her specialty.

"Miss Frieren, let's work together this time and promote world peace." Mona smiled and extended his hand to Frieren. The round-faced girl hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand, not understanding what this had to do with world peace.

If we can promote peace between the Magical Beasts and the Angels, and then combine that with Yuki's power to crush the remaining seven races, wouldn't that bring world peace?

This is certainly difficult, but it's not impossible if players cooperate well.

"Besides these ten races and their corresponding factions, Yuki, don't forget there's another group." Mai Sakurajima said with a hint of worry, which made everyone's expressions serious.

Judge, their tasks are completely different from those of ordinary players; they belong to the unpredictable factors that transcend the material world.

To everyone's Yuki laughed; he had already carefully read all the clues and background information.

"Transcending worldly affairs, not at odds with any race? Ha, conversely, all races could be his enemies. Didn't you hear what the Reincarnation Game said? This war is nearing its end, and a group of powerful individuals outside the rules will inevitably become thorns in his side sooner or later."

The plan was taking shape. He regretted that he had used the "The Charms of Journalism" in the previous instance, otherwise, once the Judge were exposed, he could have fueled the fire and had all ten races attack them together.

"One minute left, let's talk about the specific tasks." Yuki pointed to his watch, and everyone came over, some even standing up straight instinctively.

"First, this disguise I wear belongs to the Hero Kingdom, and I'm called 'Civilian Superman' Rod. This guy is a loner, and legend has it that he stayed in a certain instance and hasn't appeared for Borderlands years. Before he disappeared, he had the abilities of Monster IV."

Yuki has a long list of pseudonyms, all of them outstanding individuals selected by the 'Valhalla'. They are either reclusive and loners or have a grudge against the Judge. Rod has not fallen, probably because, like the Wizard's Tower, he is stuck in a game bug and has not returned for a long time.

In certain instances, this is possible. For example, right now, Yuki is deliberately delaying the war and not going to get the Divine Torch. Who knows how long an instance can last?

"Him? This Rod is Monster IV, right? According to the matchmaking, a human should be an epic-level player." Mona had also seen the list; Civilian Superman was a simple constitution-based player.

"It doesn't matter. He's been gone for two or three years. Isn't it natural for him to level up? Once I reach level 9 physique, I can barely impersonate him." Yuki remained relaxed. With the plan set, doing it wasn't difficult.

As for why he was chosen from among hundreds of aliases, Yuki had his own plans; it remains to be seen whether subsequent developments will allow those plans to come in handy.

Leaving that aside, Yuki refocused his attention on the dungeon:

"Secondly, we need to make full use of this dungeon to improve our strength. I really want that Divine Torch. Don't you guys think the hint 7 is a bit strange?"

"Third, leave the matter with the Judge to me. You all focus on finding clues. Hiyori, try to find an opportunity to see if different races within the same team can communicate with each other. If they can, things will be much easier."

"Okay, I will find an opportunity to contact Miss Frieren. Judging from the Wizard's Tower, it will be difficult for the natives to detect 'Shared Reading'."

That's more like it; we should push the cheat codes to the Limit.

Yuki nodded in satisfaction. He wasn't very moral; if he had the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow in his hand, he would have been eager to keep pressing the buttons.

[Ten]

[Nine]

[Eight]

The murmurs had already begun to count down. Yuki thought for a moment, but there weren't many details she could add. To put it bluntly, everyone present was a seasoned veteran, so there was no need for her to chatter on like before.

They stood quietly, gazing at each other with concerned eyes, until a blurry sensation came over them, and the snow-white space was replaced by deep blackness.

The feeling of falling lasted for a moment, and then Yuki opened his eyes.

"This is the Crimson Moon World? Where is Crimson Moon?"

Yuki stood on a cliff, looking out at the indescribable wasteland before him.

The earth was pitch black, as if it had been through a meteor shower, covered with countless craters of all sizes. There were no trees, not even a single weed; all that could be seen was the cold, desolate darkness.

A burning sensation came from the skin, which had nothing to do with temperature, but rather with the pain caused by the high concentration of energy particles in the air rubbing against the material.

The actual temperature here is below -20 degrees Celsius, making the climate extremely harsh.

The nose smelled a burnt odor, as if someone had set a tire on fire in front of them and was trying to put it into their mouth and nose, which was nauseating.

Yuki raised his head slightly and finally saw the moon, but it wasn't red; it looked like it was pasted on the gray sky, like a piece of shattered glass.