Chapter 495
"Thank you for your hard work, senior."
"Hmph, don't underestimate me..."
Before Mai Sakurajima could finish speaking, a small hand was raised beside her, and a cheerful voice immediately rang out.
"Me! Me! Me! Mona 've already advanced to Epic rank, I don't need to work hard anymore!"
Everyone looked over. The girl held her head high, her slender hands on her hips, practically saying, "Praise me! Praise me!" Her words instantly destroyed the atmosphere of striving for excellence that had just been there.
This little brat, she's deliberately ignoring the atmosphere, isn't she?
Yuki covered his face, his smile froze when he saw his senior's face. Hayasaka Ai held her breath, and Kaguya Shinomiya looked like she was saying, "I'm not as Yuki, but how come I'm not even as good as you?" Frieren also glanced sideways, as if he had been shocked.
"Mona, you've advanced to Epic rank?" Only Hiyori remained gentle; she had never been competitive.
"Yes, we've achieved an epic milestone. We've poured all our points into it, and with Mom's guidance, we've taken the final step. Look, you'll see."
Player: Mena Ryougi
Faction: Valhalla
Physical Strength: LV7
Epic Achievement: Traveler
Epic Metamorphosis: The Master of Imagination
[Future Reckoning]: Descend the current negative state into a future time period, and only be affected when the timeline arrives.
[Dream Come True]: Extracts a fragment of the future and places it in the present, its strength proportional to the power of the Noble Phantasm.
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, 16 expansions)
Transcendental Grade Skills: Space Blink (Master) Mechanical Thousand Hands (Master) Future Interference (Master) Transcendent Vision (Master)
Special Skill: Doomsday Forging
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: 0
Specialization points remaining: 0
Points: 100
Overall rating: Epic I
She immediately showed her panel; the Reincarnation Game doesn't lie, and this little brat had indeed advanced to Epic rank.
No, Mona is no kid at all. In terms of seniority, those dozens of dungeons are no joke. I remember she was already Monster IV back in Nighttime Murder.
A late bloomer after years of hard work? No one in the Thorny Rose has more experience than her.
"Mona, what's the story behind your achievements as a traveler?" Hayasaka Ai asked curiously. She had just realized that while she couldn't learn the Yuki Road, Mona could offer advice.
"Because I've run through so many dungeons, the Reincarnation Game probably judged that I'd collected too many epic achievement fragments before taking the final step. Hey, what are you doing?"
"Don't talk so loudly, you slacker." Yuki tapped the girl on the head from behind. Achievement fragments don't appear on the panel; the progress of each dungeon is different, like someone who's drunk too much soup and gained weight themselves.
Without a doubt, Mona was already close to having enough, and after taking two more sips, she finally made up the difference.
"In that case, you're not that far off."
Yuki always manages to find something positive that brings joy to Hayasaka Ai and the others.
The three dungeons, Global Insect Calamity, Wizard's Tower, and Race Game, are all well-completed. The two dungeons they tackled separately, Void Temple and Death Canyon, eventually reached Epic difficulty. Death Canyon, in particular, has caves that erode reality, and players' exploration of many of these caves can be considered a form of salvation.
"If only we had explored more caves in Death Canyon, we would have wasted so much time trying to get the right skills." Kaguya slapped her thigh. They could have easily obtained the epic achievement in that dungeon on their own.
"Stop talking. Back then, we didn't know that epic achievements could be pieced together, nor did we have the power to conquer all the caves." Hayasaka Ai was very calm. She understood that the closer you are to epic, the easier it is to complete the achievement.
She can't pull off the dangerous maneuvers Yuki performed in the Global Insect Calamity; maybe she lacks the quantity, but she can make up for it with sheer numbers.
"Yuki, we have two options now: either you lead us to continue conquering the high-difficulty dungeons, or we do a few more quests."
This...
Yuki was in a dilemma. Both paths had their advantages and disadvantages, but it had nothing to do with anything like getting close to his senior. In the dungeon, he had to pretend to be a stranger or even an enemy.
"No, I need to test the Divine Torch in the next dungeon. It will be very troublesome once it's activated." Yuki still chose to listen to reason. If he really attracted the Reincarnation Game, he might be able to escape, but his senior and the others would be doomed.
"Alright." Hayasaka Ai wasn't disappointed; advancing all three paths simultaneously would be more efficient.
"And what about me?" Mona blinked.
"You too, no, this time we'll split into three groups. You'll take Frieren with you. Anyway, you two have developed a tacit understanding during the Race Game." Yuki's words made her pout, but since Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai didn't object, she couldn't protest even if she had a thick skin.
That was the decision; Yuki didn't have many demands.
The senior students and others need to find a way to advance to Epic rank so that their traits can be upgraded to LV6. They should also see if there are any other usable people to include in the plan.
Yuki glanced at the documents Mona had brought back. At the top was a pink envelope filled with emoticons, as if one could see a beautiful, innocent, and slightly narcissistic girl.
He cleverly concealed his expectations, brushed past the senior's suspicious gaze, selected the keywords "secret" and "stealth," drew out a new outfit, and found a new direction.
"As for me, I'll just have to endure the hardship and complete all three paths at once."
Chapter Eight: Mebius and the Kalpas
Borderlands, trading area.
Yuki has been traveling back and forth frequently lately, which is unavoidable. Reality isn't a turn-based game; there's no way he can keep attacking without anyone reacting.
Still nothing? Haven't they even gone looking for it?
The intelligence from the Hero Kingdom arrived, and it was clear that the Judge had learned their lesson from the Aether Particles; things were turbulent in the shadows, and they were not taking any open action.
Should we infiltrate covertly? Should we try to make our presence felt again? No, it's best to be cautious.
Yuki never thought he was invincible just because he had a cheat code. Besides not being able to reveal the truth about leaving the faction, he was also afraid of being possessed by some evil spirit the moment he left.
In terms of intelligence, there are countless geniuses in the Reincarnation Game, but in terms of caution, Yuki rarely encounters his own kind; most of them become arrogant and reckless after gaining power.
Is Taiyi overly cautious despite being incredibly strong?
He gave a playful smile, crushed the intelligence report, and then ignored it.
Now that everything is back in front of us, the reason why Yuki would give up the chance to get close to his senior and come here is quite simple.
The profits are large enough that all three roads can be completed simultaneously.
Players streamed past him, Yuki adjusted the Fool's Mask on his face. The previous alias was still troubling the Judge, but the new one was already ready.
He is now a rather elegant middle-aged man, with gray hair, wearing a black tailcoat with gold trim, monocle glasses, a straight nose, and a gentle expression, just like a gentleman.
This person's name is Crouch, from the 'Adventurers' faction, with the title 'Hermit'. He is a very senior player, but he has become relatively unknown after being promoted to Epic rank.
In the Reincarnation Game, escaping is not shameful; many monster-level and even epic-level players hide in dungeons to delay their return journey.
Some are like 'Civilian Superman' because they have enemies, some are simply reclusive, and some have no pursuit of power. However, this kind of 'lazy' qualification is not easy to obtain. Without the power of Monster III or above, you can't even stall for time when you encounter a suitable dungeon.
Yuki had memorized the limited information. To be honest, there wasn't much information about Valhalla, and their abilities were all unknown, but Yuki didn't care, as long as it wasn't linked to the signature skills of the other aliases.
[The new dungeon is called 'Golden City'. My senior asked me to ask you, is it really okay?]
With a series of clicks, the fax machine delivered a message. Yuki glanced at it, his expression softening, and chose to read it but not reply.
"I didn't expect my senior to guess it so accurately."
Besides the potential benefits, another reason for this division of forces is that at every crucial juncture, the Reincarnation Game seems to act like it's on drugs, constantly causing trouble.
Like Bloodthirsty Red Moon, just like Calamity of Blood.
If you guess wrong, it's just an ordinary, unremarkable task. But if you guess right and find a solution, which is a crucial step, then the difficulty of the dungeon will be ridiculously high.
Yuki wouldn't let his senior and the others take risks; the difference in strength between the two sides was too great. If it were a high-difficulty dungeon, even monster-level teammates wouldn't be able to protect them.
"The odds of winning are too low. I'll find someone else to help."
Yuki hadn't planned to tackle the high-difficulty quests alone; it just so happens that he has a partner to collaborate with.
Is anyone here?
A slightly impatient voice came from behind, and before Yuki, a woman in white sat down beside him.
His gaze swept over her Yuki saw her long, slightly wavy, emerald-green hair, her snow-white and slender neck, and her delicate features.
Her pale golden snake eyes were filled with the light of wisdom, and a pair of golden earrings dangled from her small earlobes. This woman was beautiful, but also arrogant, and didn't even bother to glance at Yuki.
Mebius...
Yuki narrowed his eyes slightly, putting the character costume [Akarin Moment (3/3)] that he had specially drawn into a state where it could be activated at any time.
[Conceptual Craft Essence: Akarin Moment (3/3), when activated, it keeps the user in an unobservable state for 2 hours, during which time no Transcendental Grade skills can be used.]
Not only is this woman too smart, and if she catches him, she will figure out the secret of his ability to freely switch between factions, but more importantly, this person has a grudge against him.
In 'The Nighttime Murder', Mebius was badly tricked and used as a stepping stone to Eternal Night, a deep grudge indeed.
How could it be her? Shouldn't Elysia come herself?
"You seem nervous." The woman suddenly turned her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, looking completely at ease. "Are you wondering why it wasn't that pink-haired idiot who came personally? Could this be a trap?"
"I have never thought so." Yuki nodded slightly, lying without batting an eye. "The Savior's position has been confirmed by both Valhalla and the Machine Intelligence. I don't think either of these factions are fools; they wouldn't risk being judged by making any contact so easily."
This is Yuki's first time descending as Taiyi, using two factions as collateral. If the Judge discover this, they may not be able to capture him, but Valhalla and the Machine Intelligence are doomed.
The Five Heroic Spirits and Skynet aren't idiots; they're even more cautious than Yuki.
"Ha, good tactic. Unless both camps rebel together, this plan will remain top secret." Mebius sneered. The probability of the Savior fooling both camps was negligible.
This meeting in the trading area was the result of countless tests and trials, and she had a feeling that even if she were to become an inside agent, this man would still have a way out.
"Your methods remind me of someone I hate." The woman's snake-like pupils contracted; this was the biggest loss she had ever suffered since becoming a player—no, not even during her time as Ying Jie.
They painstakingly planned and executed the whole thing, only to be treated like fools.
"Are you talking about 'Nighttime Murder'?"
"It really was you!"
"It wasn't me, but every 'Taiyi' selectively shares memories. The Hidden Sage asked me to convey his sincerest apologies." Yuki bowed slightly, throwing out the premise without batting an eye.
He had an idea as soon as he saw the newcomer. Mebius was a vengeful person, but as a scientist, he was full of interest in the unknown and pursued immortality. Yuki couldn't understand why she would oppose the Reincarnation Game; wasn't this paradise?
Sure enough, Mebius's expression changed, her delicate face gaining more color. She had explored countless dungeons and dissected countless strange creatures, but none of them could compare to 'Taiyi'.
Because He is an existence that even the Reincarnation Game cannot erase, truly immortal!
"A very strange life form. Can you tell me the theory behind it? Can personalities influence each other? Is it possible to transfer power across instances? Can power be borrowed from each other?"
Seeing that she had taken the bait, Yuki's lips twitched, and he gently shook his head. "These are top secrets that even the Judge know nothing about, so why should I tell you?"
Because I really enjoy exploring the unknown!
Mebius was usually a woman of few words, and she didn't want to make a fuss. She would just throw him onto the operating table for research. But she sensed that this 'Taiyi' was extremely powerful, and that using force would definitely not work.
Under Yuki's deliberate guidance, Taiyi's fragmentation theory has taken root in people's minds. Doppelgangers are common in the Reincarnation Game, but Taiyi's doppelgangers are definitely worth studying.
Instead of pleading, the woman proudly tossed her long hair aside. "Hmph, didn't that Hidden Sage tell you to apologize? What kind of apology is it if you just make empty promises? How can we talk about cooperation if this isn't resolved?"
"Hmm... that makes sense." Yuki considered for a moment, then adjusted his monocle. "Let me give you a piece of advice; how much you understand is up to you."
His deep blue eyes were like those of a Hermit had seen through the ways of the world.
"The whole is one, and one is the whole."
Little brat, I can come up with any setting on the spot.
Yuki walked down the street, he glanced at Mebius, who was deep in thought, and almost couldn't hide his smile.