This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

He had a clear concept of exactly how much stronger he had become, as the various world records were there for reference; he was essentially a combination of Bolt, Sotomayor, and Lu Xiaojun, and just now, his standing jump had reached over two meters.

No training required, obtained instantly—this was the transcendent.

"It's a pity that going from limit to extraordinary requires two specialization points. Aside from mission summaries, I have no other way to obtain them, yet I can't just hoard them."

Yuki licked his lips and ultimately decided to invest the specialization point into his trait. While this thing was uncontrollable, the key was how it was utilized.

"Use specialization point, upgrade trait."

There were still no supernatural phenomena, only a change on the panel:

[Vestment of the Unknown (LV.2), specialized once, one memory slot]

Oh? It was actually a memory slot.

Yuki's eyes flickered. The core remained the same, but it had undergone a qualitative improvement. This greatly increased his margin for error; he could now store one vestment. Otherwise, once he drew a useful one, he would never dare to draw again in the future.

"A good thing. The purpose of this trait isn't a deus ex machina, but rather to facilitate my vestment development plan."

As for the third item, upgrading the skill, there was nothing much to say.

"Use reinforcement point, upgrade Reinforcement Magecraft level."

As the words fell, it felt as if something had been added to his brain. Since it couldn't be explained directly, he simply put it to use.

Following his intent, his forearms were covered in dense, intricate magic circuits, which looked even more packed than before to the naked eye.

Yuki picked up the dumbbell he had just used, gripped both ends, and slowly twisted it. The thumb-thick steel bar in the middle was indeed slowly bending.

It could stack with his physical strength; the Proficient-level Reinforcement Magecraft had gained a new ability:

Partial reinforcement, roughly 2.5 times that of full-body reinforcement. Very good. To kill, one must focus on a single point; power must never be dispersed.

Yuki was a professional. He tossed the dumbbell, now bent at a ninety-degree angle, to the side and stood up to walk toward the window.

The texture of his power made his heart surge. The Living Corpses no longer seemed hideous or terrifying; they had transformed into experience packs, and he couldn't wait to dive back in and have another go.

He also wondered if his final choice had taken effect; he wanted to enter the second dungeon immediately.

Gazing at the shimmering sea, after a long while, Yuki covered his face.

Damn it, I can't sleep.

[I'm home]

In a spacious, tidy bedroom, Hayasaka Ai placed her phone on the table. Her entire body went limp like a deflated balloon, and with a "thwack," she collapsed onto the bed.

So soft, so comfortable.

The girl lay flat on her back, the long-lost sense of security finally returning. Looking up at the familiar ceiling, scene after scene of horrific imagery flashed before her eyes.

Hideous Living Corpses, vicious and ruthless veteran players, and the endless, desperate running...

Hayasaka Ai bit her lip and gripped the sheets tightly. She was far from as strong and cold as Mai thought; once she returned, all those negative emotions came flooding out.

Bloodshed, tension, fear—in the pitch-black darkness where one couldn't even see their own fingers, only the back of that man had brought a glimmer of light.

But this was just the beginning. Including that man, no one was certain they could keep living.

Will I be able to return next time? Should I call my mother? Or should I quietly write a suicide note and leave it in the drawer?

Hayasaka Ai felt her mind was a mess. She felt there were many things she should do, yet she dared not do them, until a figure appeared within her line of sight.

A girl with long black hair and red eyes stood by the bed. She wore loose loungewear and was as beautiful and unapproachable as an ice sculpture; those rational red eyes seemed capable of seeing through human nature.

The girl lowered her head slightly, observing Hayasaka Ai carefully. A hint of confusion appeared on her cold face before she asked coldly:

"Hayasaka, you've been absent from work for two days. And, are you crying?"

"Kaguya-sama."

Hayasaka Ai sat up as if she had been wound up. She wiped her face, opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

The Reincarnation Game forbade revealing anything to non-players; she couldn't even drop hints. Besides, she didn't want to tell her nightmares to this master who was like a younger sister to her.

"I ran into some accidents." Hayasaka Ai stood by the bed, regaining her rational and calm expression, and bowed slightly: "Please forgive me for not being able to disclose the specific reasons."

"Is this a private matter?"

"Yes, a private matter. Please forgive me."

Kaguya Shinomiya looked deeply at Hayasaka Ai. This was her personal maid, yet she was more than just a maid. As a genius who had received a strict education since childhood, she didn't believe her eyes were deceiving her, and she could smell the scent of a lie.

But she chose not to press the issue and quickly withdrew her gaze. Logic told her this was the best way to handle it.

Her black hair fanned out as Kaguya turned elegantly, saying only faintly: "Hayasaka, I'm hungry."

"Understood, Kaguya-sama. I will notify the kitchen to prepare dinner immediately. Would steak with pasta be acceptable for tonight?" Hayasaka Ai immediately regained her composure, instantly transforming back into that incredibly professional maid.

"And orange juice, with a little ice." Kaguya Shinomiya walked to the door without looking back, pausing slightly as she opened it.

"Hayasaka."

"Yes?"

"If you are treated unfairly, or if you encounter any danger, you don't need to hide it." Kaguya Shinomiya paused, her tone sharp as a blade: "In the name of the Shinomiya family, no matter who it is, I will make them pay the price."

Snap.

As the words fell, the door clicked shut. The ice-sculpted figure had already vanished, leaving Hayasaka Ai standing like another statue, clutching the maid outfit and staring fixedly at the door.

After a long while, she pulled up her white stockings, released them at the base of her thighs, and a faint smile bloomed on her face.

In these few short minutes, those nightmarish fragments had dissipated. Kaguya Shinomiya's voice and this maid outfit acted like a form of suggestion, pulling her back into the world of the mundane.

That's right, this was the meaning of her struggle to survive; this familiar daily life was the greatest reward the Reincarnation Game could offer.

I must find a way to break free, and following a mysterious genius undoubtedly offers better odds. If I were to search for a way out alone, I fear I wouldn't even have a chance.

Straightening her headband, Hayasaka Ai stood tall and picked up the elegantly styled phone on the table. Just as she prepared to dial the kitchen, a deep male voice emerged from the receiver.

"Hayasaka, to disappear at such a critical moment—have you forgotten your important duties?"

Crack, crack.

Hayasaka Ai's grip tightened on the receiver instantly, as if she meant to crush it. The smile on her face turned peculiar.

Perhaps, one nightmare could be used to solve another?

Chapter 4: The Outlier Known as a Player

Every player has a place to return to, provided that place holds enough allure to pull them back from the abyss of slaughter, bloodshed, and mystery.

Yuki originally had none—or rather, he hadn't had the time to look for one—but he hadn't expected that after his first novice dungeon, he would find half a sanctuary.

By some twist of fate, were his past fantasies about to be realized?

Tap, tap.

His fingers danced across the keyboard, moving so fast they left afterimages, while mountains and coastlines whistled past the window.

The very next day, Yuki had boarded the Shinkansen, heading straight for Kanagawa, his laptop open and searching incessantly throughout the journey.

'No mention of the Reincarnation Game can be found anywhere. Related content can only be discussed with other players; ordinary people suffer cognitive distortion upon seeing it.'

Yuki had tested this last night. There was no way to bypass this mechanism; even if he "accidentally" showed chat logs between players to passersby, it was useless—they couldn't even muster a shred of interest.

No wonder I've been oblivious all these years. Even if a player told me face-to-face, I would have heard it as something else entirely.

Yuki entered a work-oriented state, resolutely casting the idea of joining a diving club to the back of his mind. He could refuse to be a tool for the game, but he couldn't spend his days hungover and rotting away. After all, having teamed up with Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima, he now bore a bit more responsibility.

Thus, while traveling, he summarized and researched, then created a small group to share clues with the other two.

[Confirmed: the server itself cannot retrieve the messages. Our chats will not be known to anyone else.]

Hayasaka Ai, whose ID was 'I'm Very Idle', sent a confused cat-head emoji. She had hacked into the backend server of LINE; her hacking skills were improving at an alarming rate—far more convenient than reading books.

[Mm, after all, if it can create a plane of existence, hiding information is too easy.]

Yuki replied, ignoring the half-asleep passenger beside him who turned to glance over.

[Since it can be hidden, why do we still use virtual numbers to disguise ourselves?]

Mai Sakurajima joined the conversation. Her avatar was a muscular man, and her ID was something like 'High Purity'.

[Better safe than sorry. It's invisible to ordinary people, but that doesn't mean it's invisible to other players.] Yuki didn't explain further, his fingers flying across the keys:

[I can now confirm that Chaos Items are forbidden in reality, but physical strength, Ego Traits, and combat experience can be brought back.]

[Eh? Then why isn't the world in chaos? At the Band Guy's speed, it would be hard for firearms to even aim at him.]

Thomas's base strength was at the Limit level; even without his Chainsaw Sword, he was more than capable of acting as a hardened criminal.

[It's simple. The Reincarnation Game is strange. It hasn't completely sealed the players' power, yet it still forbids players from exposing the game's existence. Otherwise, they face punishment, and then the game corrects the behavior—with the cost paid by the player.]

[The strange part is, if it can issue gag orders or simply erase people, why leave a loophole?]

After Yuki finished typing this long message, the small group fell silent for a moment before a dog-head emoji giving a thumbs-up appeared.

Just sending stickers? Can't you at least praise my summary?

Yuki rolled his eyes. There was one thing he hadn't mentioned: what happens when players clash in reality? After a few more dungeons, they would be fighting like superhumans; it would be impossible for there to be no rumors in the information age.

[Let's leave it at that for now. I'll share more intel once I arrive. Purity, remember to come to the station to pick me up.]

[When did I agree to let you come over? And why not go to 'I'm Very Idle's' place?]

[Apologies, I'm busy with work, so the meeting will be moved online.]

[Wait a minute, are you two ganging up to trick me?]

Snap.

Yuki decisively closed his laptop. When it's time to play dead, one must play dead. Who knew when the next dungeon would start? He couldn't just stay in his rented room doing push-ups.

Not only were the results limited, but it was also incredibly boring. Besides, birds of a feather flock together; he had no choice but to go find Mai Sakurajima.

Hayasaka Ai's identity is special; showing up unannounced would be too impolite.

Yuki had good emotional intelligence and knew exactly how to maintain boundaries between people. Crucially, judging by her status as a first-year student, that certain young lady was still in her "ice sculpture" phase; meeting her would likely be so awkward he'd want to dig a hole to hide in.

Mai Sakurajima was different. She hadn't met that certain "Great Teacher" yet, her relationship with her family wasn't great, and since she had helped him resolve his own mental knots, it was only right to visit and thank her.

"We've all been through life and death together. If we just stay online friends, wouldn't that make me look like I have social anxiety?"

Yuki smiled. The Reincarnation Game and his "strategy" game could be advanced simultaneously. He calculated the time, then closed his eyes to contemplate, backtracking through those heart-pounding memories to ensure he wouldn't be at a loss for words when he met his senior.

The novice mission was enough to reflect the game's style; compared to the various genres in his mind, making a judgment was not difficult.

Lacking side-quest prompts, the degree of freedom was extremely high, extra rewards were mostly obtained through achievements, and the difficulty would fluctuate based on objective conditions.

Therefore, simply grinding monsters to level up would not work; finding the logic to solve the puzzle would yield twice the result with half the effort.

He had already thought about it on the road: if he had returned to the Ancient Castle early the next morning to kill the giant, then jumped back and forth at the hole, or perhaps let a portion of the players leave the Ancient Castle while the main force went to welcome the stronger gift brought by the Crimson Moon, would the returns have been greater?

Looking back now, it was very likely, but the risks would have increased accordingly.

Tapping his fingers on the tabletop, Yuki roughly summarized the pattern:

In the Reincarnation Game, brute force alone would not suffice; even at normal difficulty, it would exceed the limits of a player's combat power. Yet, it was not merely a rule-based horror game either; having high intelligence but mediocre combat power could easily lead to a wipe, as those monsters belonged to a category that could be countered with strength.

Are both courage and intelligence indispensable? How coincidental, that fits perfectly with the development path I have taken over these years.

Yuki nodded with confidence, but what he feared most was not the game itself.

"Breaking news: Ganan Shinomiya, president of the Shinomiya Group, has been rushed to Okubo Hospital after a sudden illness. Please look at the report sent from the scene."

Yuki opened his eyes and saw the display screen in the carriage playing the news. Following the reporter's camera, he saw an old man being pushed into the operating room under the escort of a group of men in black suits.

As the camera panned quickly, he spotted two familiar figures amidst the rushing crowd.

The girl with the blonde side-ponytail was none other than Hayasaka Ai. Beside her was a girl with black hair, red eyes, and a cold expression.

Kaguya Shinomiya, in her expected ice-sculpture form.

Back in the dungeon, Yuki had learned through side inquiries that Hayasaka Ai was in her first year, which allowed him to roughly determine the timeline of Shuchiin.

Logically speaking, Ganan Shinomiya shouldn't be sick at a time like this.

Yuki rubbed his chin. He had been cautious all these years and had definitely not triggered any butterfly effect, but since returning from the game, he understood that the butterfly effect had existed all along.

There was no telling how many players were in this world; for instance, the middle-aged man dozing off beside him could very well be one of them. Moreover, the game only issued warnings and punishments; it did not completely strip players of their extraordinary strength.

That's right, what Yuki feared most was the Reincarnation Game itself. As his permissions unlocked, he found that the mysteries only continued to grow.