This Humble One, Reincarnation Stream Player

Hayasaka Ai watched the burning alley in silence, unable to speak for a long time; Yuki Sorajima's expertise was clearly not limited to the game.

Using hacking skills, she had secretly set up a fake address, and then the three of them performed information camouflage. Underneath that utility pole sat the spare phone Yuki had quietly hidden, while she kept watch from a pre-prepared vantage point.

As expected, someone had followed the scent, and the moment the two of them vanished into thin air, the answer became plain as day.

"Regarding information about the Reincarnation Game, the perception of ordinary people is distorted, but players are not. In other words, players have long since hacked into the LINE servers to monitor us."

She didn't know how the other party managed to find a clue among tens of millions of messages, but she understood this had nothing to do with carelessness or a lack of caution.

Watching the way the other party acted with such practiced ease, it was clear this wasn't their first time doing such a thing, yet it was the first time they had been outmaneuvered by a newcomer.

Just as Li Dan had said, the newcomer Yuki Sorajima was too monstrous. Aside from loners with antisocial personalities, most players would surely be excited to contact each other upon returning, only to be found immediately.

What were the newcomers thinking? Hayasaka Ai could guess a little, but Yuki leading Mai Sakurajima on a winding path was about more than just fishing.

"He's calculating the time, wanting to gather more intelligence. Well, this is great—one bait has hooked two fish."

Hayasaka Ai saw it clearly; the two players had collided and immediately engaged in combat, a sight that left plenty to the imagination.

"There is no doubt this is an organized effort; surveillance and tracking require a division of labor." Yuki held his phone, looking toward the fire like a curious bystander. "Unfortunately, I was right. Before we even joined the game, a new order had already begun to take shape."

"Then why do you think these two parties came here?"

"Hard to say. They might be trying to recruit us, or perhaps they're after the Chaos Item. It's a fifty-fifty split."

"But Chaos Items can't be brought out, can they?"

"They are forbidden from being brought out, but the items are still on our persons. Besides, what do you think it looks like when two players disappear without a trace?"

Hayasaka Ai thought about it seriously and blurted out, "Entering a dungeon to execute a mission!"

The last time she had disappeared, she was actually at school. When she checked the surveillance footage afterward, she found that frame had been removed. Her friends and teachers couldn't explain why she had gone missing, but they felt no confusion.

It was as if they had found a reason for themselves; unless it was someone very close to her, there wasn't even a question.

But if there were players nearby, that would be exposed.

"I suppose this is a random mission, or at least one type of it. No wonder—the destructive power of two veteran players fighting will be in the headlines tomorrow."

Yuki rubbed his chin. Through this bit of fishing, he had roughly understood the rules of the Reincarnation Game in reality: when players display extraordinary power or mention the Reincarnation Game and suddenly disappear, they become unobservable 'ghosts'.

In other words:

When a player returns to reality, as long as they don't mention the Reincarnation Game and don't use any extraordinary abilities, they are no different from ordinary people and won't be 'corrected' by the game.

Conversely, this correction becomes a trail for other players to hunt them down.

He saw Mai Sakurajima's suspicious expression. The upperclassman wasn't stupid; she had noticed Yuki acting sneakily from the start. Yet, she didn't get angry or question him; instead, she leaned in closer, shoulder to shoulder.

Even without understanding the situation, she knew something was happening and took the initiative to cover the gaps.

The area was full of chattering couples. She had been half a meter away from Yuki earlier, which was easy to draw attention to, and she understood that Yuki wanted to use these couples as cover.

Sensible and intelligent—this was what Yuki liked most about her. He smiled and picked up his phone, acting as if he were gossiping with a classmate.

"Prepare to withdraw. Let's meet at the designated spot."

"Not waiting for the final result?"

"It's meaningless. After being played by us, the other party will definitely react, and they'll take it quite seriously." Yuki hung up the phone and took the initiative to hold Mai Sakurajima's hand. "Upperclassman, let's go."

Her fair, small hand struggled slightly, but she asked nothing and nodded with a smile.

"Alright."

By now, many couples had seen enough of the excitement and were dispersing. The two of them blended into the crowd, looking completely unremarkable, and leaning their heads together to whisper was only natural.

"You mean to say we've stepped into a new order?"

"Birds of a feather flock together; the same applies to players. You can think of us as super-powered individuals who have gained strength but are also subject to limitations. Just as the three of us huddle together for warmth, the pioneers will also gather other players."

Every player had different thoughts, but that sense of arrogance distorted by the game was a universal phenomenon. When you have waded through seas of blood in a dungeon and can erase a life with a wave of your hand, how could you take the laws and morals you were once accustomed to seriously after returning to reality?

Take the Bloodthirsty Red Moon, for example. They were filming a blockbuster movie in the city; was there any difference between the SWAT members Yuki killed and those in reality?

"Take Li Dan, for instance. He is the most typical representative. Never mind ordinary people; even new players are merely tools for him to survive and climb to higher levels."

Mai Sakurajima frowned and nodded gently. "Do they have items like the Soil-Offering Contract? Otherwise, it would be easy for trouble to arise if they stay together."

"It's helpful, but not strictly necessary. Driving others only requires paying the corresponding price. Reality is different from a dungeon, after all; everyone has a huge gap between them from birth, and the resources they command are worlds apart." Yuki licked his lips, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

"Can you imagine a veteran player who slaughters everything in a dungeon having to go back to being a corporate slave and rushing to work at eight in the morning?"

The Reincarnation Game is the most fair; everyone starts at the same point, but reality is different. This simple and easy-to-understand analysis made things clear for Mai Sakurajima.

That's right. The Reincarnation Game does have restrictions on players. Even if the cost of theft or robbery isn't particularly high, it's always troublesome, and doing it too much makes it easy to be targeted by other players. If one could enjoy life to the fullest through their status as a player, who would want to do something so degrading?

Just like that little fatty who returned and started throwing money around—surely many people would be willing to help him clear his dungeons.

Big conglomerates, politicians—if they were players, the resources they could mobilize were incomparable to his own. Unlike Li Dan, who could only bring back some medical supplies and food.

"Then aren't we also in danger now that we're back?" Mai Sakurajima looked around quietly.

"Don't worry. Any new order needs time to be built. We're quite lucky; we didn't become players too late. Even if the President of the United States became a player, he couldn't weave an airtight net." Yuki patted the back of her hand, appearing full of confidence.

He was perhaps the only person in the world constantly looking for anomalies, capable of estimating when the game began.

"Besides, no matter what their status is in reality, everyone is equal once they enter a dungeon. Who knows, their organization might collapse halfway through their planning."

Mai Sakurajima's expression softened slightly, and she didn't bother asking where this confidence came from.

The scheming and backstabbing were too exhausting. Drinking coffee and window-shopping like this tonight, letting her body and mind return to the mundane—that was the only way a return to normalcy had any meaning.

This was only the most preliminary analysis; the specific details would have to wait until the intelligence was consolidated.

"By the way, where are we meeting up with Hayasaka?"

Tap.

Yuki's footsteps halted, as if the darkness had snagged the hem of his coat. His narrowed eyes made the upperclassman feel a chill run down her spine.

"At your place, of course."

Pervert, stalker, pig-headed fool.

Inside the clean, spacious kitchen, Mai Sakurajima gritted her teeth at the kettle. She suddenly realized that Yuki's fishing operation was a "one fish, multiple servings" strategy; if she wasn't careful, she had become the fish herself.

And I'm forced to take the bait, unable to even come up with a rebuttal.

They had already crossed paths with one of the players; they might already be under surveillance. And there wasn't a couple in the world who would split up in the middle of the night, with one staying at a hotel and the other going home.

It was because she was too famous; a simple investigation would reveal she lived alone.

Mai gently covered her face. The meeting would fish out other players, those players would reveal a new order, and then they would exploit her desire to stay out of the whirlpool.

This pig-headed fool, his rank is so high.

Whirrrrr--

The kettle let out a shrill whistle. She turned off the heat, stood on her tiptoes to retrieve tea leaves from the cupboard, and glanced toward the living room, her expression turning even more peculiar.

On the spacious sofa, Yuki sat opposite the blonde beauty. Today, Ai Hayasaka had specifically disguised herself: short, slightly curled red hair, mature makeup, paired with a grey professional suit and black silk stockings. She looked like she had evolved from a student into a corporate slave.

"The fishing was very successful. At the very least, it drew out two organized player groups, and they are hostile toward each other." A trace of worry flashed across Ai Hayasaka's face. Yuki had already explained his preliminary analysis to her, and she knew better than anyone that the resources available to players varied wildly.

As long as they could survive the beginner instance, the gap would only widen.

"Hmm, they have a clear division of labor. Some are responsible for monitoring information, others for field operations. Because of the first-mover advantage, ordinary players are easily scouted." Yuki looked around, thinking to himself that the upperclassman was truly a big star—this apartment was so luxurious, while his own room, costing twenty thousand a month, was like a dog kennel.

"Don't worry too much. As I said, it's still early days, and the Reincarnation Game has its own restrictions. Even the first batch of players can't conjure up anything too outrageous."

"As long as things don't escalate to a higher level, there are loopholes everywhere. A little bit of precaution is enough to dodge them."

Players were a strange and varied bunch. There were lone wolves, and there were small groups like theirs. Not everyone was looking to band together for resources and a life of luxury.

"That may be true, but wouldn't it be simple for them to clear the instances?" Ai Hayasaka counted on her fingers, frowning. "They have the manpower and the resources."

"Do you think the Reincarnation Game is an idiot? Remember what Li Dan said back then?"

Ai Hayasaka tilted her head slightly, pondering hard for a moment, before recalling the intelligence Li Dan had shared at the top of the Ancient Castle.

When Yuki had asked him why players didn't bring rocket launchers if they had storage space, he had replied: don't do anything extra; the Reincarnation Game is very smart.

If a player dared to bring a weapon of mass destruction inside, the game would make you blow yourself up on the spot. If you dared to assemble a player army, It would dare to increase the difficulty just to see who was the boss.

"So that's it. Every shortcut is marked with a price in the dark. No wonder Li Dan only selects useful people." Ai Hayasaka nodded gently. The gap in reality would certainly affect performance in the game, but it wasn't as unfair as she had imagined.

There is no absolute fairness, only relative fairness. But this way, the things I wanted to do carry immense risk...

A bitter and nervous look appeared on the young girl's face. Yuki watched from the sidelines, roughly guessing what she wanted to do, and crossed his legs.

"How about it? Partnering with me isn't a loss, is it?"

Ai Hayasaka was stronger and more rational. Yuki's mystery was like a double-edged sword, but she had to admit that this person had extraordinary abilities and was useful both inside and outside the game.

To have figured out the impact of players on reality so quickly, and to have prevented me from using extraordinary powers due to my own arrogance—does that count as him saving me again?

Just then, Mai Sakurajima walked out with a few cups of hot tea.

She leaned down and placed them on the table one by one. The aroma of tea and the rising steam startled Ai Hayasaka out of her deep thoughts, and she subconsciously picked up a cup and took a sip.

"The tea is brewed well, Mai-senpai."

"Thank you, Hayasaka-san."

Unlike when they were with Yuki, the two were extremely polite, displaying their respective good breeding.

Ai Hayasaka set down her teacup and corrected, "Call me by my name. Since we've made a connection in reality, there's no need for us to hide it."

"Alright, Hayasaka-san."

"Hey, she calls you 'senpai,' why don't you object to that?" Yuki protested.

"Heh, Hayasaka-san is younger than me, so of course she has to call me senpai. You, on the other hand, have no shame at all!"

"Men are forever fifteen-year-old chuunibyou teenagers."

Ai Hayasaka looked back and forth, suddenly letting out a small hiccup. The two of them were singing in harmony, feeding her dog food late at night. But after watching for a while, for some reason, she felt a bit annoyed by the scene before her.

Whether in the game or in reality, only he can bring me a sense of security. Am I afraid that Mai Sakurajima will monopolize it?

Tap, tap.

She tapped the table lightly, and the two bickering people immediately turned their heads. This made Ai Hayasaka feel a bit embarrassed; her action had been purely instinctive, though fortunately, hiding her emotions was already ingrained in her marrow.

"Ahem, I snuck out, and I have to head back to Tokyo later. Shouldn't we hurry up and save some time?"

Mai Sakurajima looked over with suspicion, feeling as though the other party was hiding something. She slowly turned her head to glance at Yuki, her cheeks flushing slightly as she gave him a shove.

"Go sit across from me."

Huh? What does this have to do with me?

Yuki looked blankly at her, walked over to the single sofa, and sat down. Having obtained a great deal of intelligence, he knew it was time to bring up the most important third point.

"Since reality is linked to the game, I believe the two Specialization Points and two Enhancement Points should be allocated with that in mind."

He pulled a thick stack of papers from his laptop bag, extracted two sheets, and handed them to the two women opposite him. Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima picked them up, exchanged a look of surprise, and stared at each other.

The allocation strategy and the reasoning behind it were all clearly listed, and judging by the numbering, this was the seventh iteration.

Professional.

Aside from that adjective, the two could think of no other words to describe it. After reading through carefully, they both nodded slowly.

It was indeed well-reasoned and evidence-based. Considering that reality was also being influenced by the game, the precious Specialization Points were split to be invested into Physical Strength and Ego Trait respectively.

"Senior, logically speaking, all your Specialization Points should go into your Ego Trait, but your body is too weak. You need at least an Excellent rating so you don't become a liability," Yuki said, holding his tea and speaking at a leisurely pace.

What do you mean by liability...

Mai Sakurajima took a deep breath, yet she had to admit it was true; in Bloodthirsty Red Moon, just running had nearly exhausted her to death.

Ignoring the sulking senior, Yuki turned his head again: "Hayasaka, because the Specialization Points and Enhancement Points required for Physical Strength and main skills double after a certain stage, I suggest you also split your usage."

Hayasaka Ai nodded in agreement. Taking Physical Strength as an example, it only took one Specialization Point to go from Excellent to Limit, but it required two to go from Limit to Extraordinary. There was no way she could skip levels to upgrade.

"Besides, my trait is very useful for hiding identities."

"Exactly. It's impossible for only the three of us to survive every dungeon, especially since Senior Mai is so famous. I don't want to return to reality and get ambushed." Yuki was very rational; in a sense, he was asking Hayasaka Ai to make some sacrifices for the team.

Since they were banding together for warmth, serving the team was only right, and Hayasaka Ai didn't say anything more.

As for the use of Enhancement Points, it was a bit more casual. Mai Sakurajima upgraded Good and Evil Perception to the Proficient level, while Hayasaka Ai, due to the Death Knell Revolver, upgraded Firearms Proficiency to Proficient as well.