Chapter 590
"I will continue to reduce the number of judges; I will never allow these nearly two thousand Judge to clench their fists and strike us."
What to do? The news that the decisive battleground is in 'Thorny Rose' can't be kept secret. The Judge aren't fools; they won't fall for a feint.
Shiki Ryougi didn't understand, but she knew that the only person who could turn the tide was Yuki; all she had to do was cooperate.
"Two things. First, you've already sold the items you stole from the Aether Particles and the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. I'll transfer the points to you now."
As he spoke, a massive amount of points was injected into Yuki's player panel. It was like winning the lottery and becoming rich overnight. Even though he knew that these points already belonged to him, he still showed excitement.
The majority of the revenue from the two faction wars, 45,000 points, is enough to make someone a wealthy person by selling a lot of junk.
Too much of a good thing can be bad. Yuki had no replacement items, so apart from a 'Bloodline Object', he converted everything into points, intending to push his strength to its peak in one go.
That many points are more than even the Valhalla could produce.
"It perfectly complies with the rule that 'only killing and plundering are unquestionable,' and there are no worries whatsoever." Shiki Ryougi didn't seem interested in the points, so even if she intercepted them, it would still be in accordance with the rules.
This rule is broad; for example, farming teams and faction leaders are considered legitimate raids, seemingly targeting players who follow a 'commercial' strategy.
"By the way, do you know why this rule exists?" Elysia suddenly asked, and without waiting for an answer, she shook her finger. "Here's a riddle. It's related to the fact that there are twelve positions, but only eleven Grand Inquisitors."
Dio Brando fell at Yuki's hands, leaving only ten players. As for the vacant spot—
"Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge?"
"Ta-da, correct answer. That child is quite a special being. You can think of him as the transmitter of the will of the Reincarnation Game. He was also very active a long, long time ago."
And then you became mentally impaired along with the Reincarnation Game, right?
Yuki didn't know where Elysia got the information, but he learned another setting: because the Hundred Eyes of True Knowledge was not only a messenger, but also a reincarnation tool. Since it was a tool, it had a function, and now it seemed that its function was not limited to surveillance.
"Destiny has already marked the price of shortcuts. No wonder true powerhouses climb to the peak step by step. I don't have any such hidden dangers." Yuki did concentrate the team's resources in the early stages of his ascension, but that was an internal team activity and could be seen as a form of breeding.
"Why is the Borderlands so prosperous?" Hiyori didn't leave; she was in charge of monitoring the Outpost and also wanted to satisfy her curiosity.
Such high-level talks are not something you can hear about casually.
"It's probably related to the reincarnators. Don't forget that the Borderlands used to be a resting place for reincarnators. The Reincarnation Game needs a group of warriors, not speculative merchants." Yuki offered a reasonable explanation, thus skipping over the topic altogether.
"That's not important. What's the second thing?"
"It was about the test site, but you don't need it now." Shiki Ryougi had been looking for a suitable Outpost, but Yuki cleverly used the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' to accomplish it ahead of schedule.
Yuki's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately shook his head. "No, I need a suitable location now to begin the return."
"But you've already spread the word that the Thorny Rose is the final battleground. Will they fall for it?" Shiina Hiyori suddenly realized that this must be the third layer that Mr. Yuki about.
"They'll feign weakness and then make it real, and vice versa. Do you think they'll just ignore it?" Yuki grinned, his smile sending chills down one's spine. "They're afraid it's a feint, but they're also afraid I'll sneak away. It's a tough choice."
Is this... another conspiracy being plotted?
Shiki Ryougi and Elysia exchanged a glance, clearly aware of Taiyi's methods, and upon closer reflection, they found them to make sense.
It's hard to tell if it's true or not; the news was leaked by Yuki, so who can guarantee its authenticity?
"But a stage needs suitable supporting actors, and Judge are not so easily fooled."
"That's natural. A one-man show can't go on. Don't worry, I won't commit my real strength. That would be putting the cart before the horse. But among all the players in the heavens, aren't there another type who are neither trustworthy nor potential allies?"
"Those players who want to return but can't find a way!" Hiyori stood up instantly. Mr. Yuki was like a chess player; no piece could escape his eyes.
Yuki didn't want to be a liberator, nor did he dare to be one, and he didn't have time to test them one by one. There were countless factions in the heavens, and the window of opportunity was only enough for him to liberate 10 of them. These factions were all carefully selected.
The leader, or the head of the main player group, has to attend. Yuki snubbed. "You haven't even sorted out your own affairs, why should I help you? What if you set me up?"
Furthermore, having too many liberation targets would delay the escape time, and with the continuous optimization of the Reincarnation Game, the pressure would only increase, so Yuki wouldn't make empty promises.
However, the 'Return Faction' is scattered throughout the heavens, and there may only be a few players in a certain faction. Even if Elysia worked herself to death, she would not be able to identify them all. Therefore, Shiki Ryougi said to give her some more time, and she could double the combat power.
"No matter how many Return Faction there are, they are still a minority. There are countless hidden dangers within them. We can't compete with the Reincarnation Game in terms of mobilization capabilities. These players can only watch, but cannot be used by us." Yuki crossed his legs, his divergent thoughts having transcended the Borderlands, overlooking everything from a higher dimension.
"So I need a place to lure them here, not to test their stance, but simply to have them confront the Judge."
Wow, the Judge doesn't even know who the core team is, yet he dares to just stand by and watch so many players leave the game?
Hiyori's eyes lit up; hadn't this unlocked her potential?
"Are you going to sacrifice them?" Elysia frowned slightly, somewhat uncomfortable. "The Judge can also use this opportunity to make an example of them; a bunch of rabble can be crushed in an instant."
"We are also making sacrifices. If we want to gain freedom, we can't be passive recipients. Their sacrifices are for the victory of the battle. Once we defeat the Judge, more players can ride the coattails." Yuki was cold-blooded, but what he said made a lot of sense.
If you win, everything will be fine. As long as you don't get hung up on returning to your homeland, Valhalla, the Savior, the Classic of Mountains and Seas and Seas, and War Orphans will all welcome you to run away. As for the follow-up problems caused by a large number of transmigrators, Yuki can't care about that.
"I have a way to resolve your doubts. Don't forget that 'Thorny Rose' is the final battleground. Do they dare to commit the majority of their forces there?"
It's like opening two blind boxes; who would dare to invest their entire fortune in one of them? Who would dare to guarantee that the information wasn't deliberately leaked by 'Taiyi'?
"To simultaneously deploy two battlefields and distribute the Judge's forces? You have to ensure the Judge fall into the trap, and you also have to ensure that this rabble can hold off the enemy long enough." Shiki Ryougi lacked Elysia's benevolence and only analyzed from a tactical perspective.
"Don't worry about that, I'll do my best." Yuki was full of confidence. He had a Level 4 Stand User, the Fool's Mask, and three Reincarnation Items, so the bait was definitely enough.
"Alright, whether it succeeds or not, at least it can ensure that the Judge cannot commit all their forces at once." Shiki Ryougi stopped hesitating and recounted the information.
Forgotten Hidden Jianghu?
She had actually heard of the location Yuki Satoru Gojo launching his counterattack, he knew nothing about faction wars, and it was Misaki Shokuhou and Zuo Qianhu who explained it to him.
This faction was a victim of the war because the number of participants expanded infinitely, turning the entire Outpost into ruins. Almost all players perished, and even the fragments were reduced to dust. The newly ascended players were too weak and had long since become puppets of various forces.
"The Forgotten Hidden Jianghu has become an arena. As the situation at the Borderlands becomes more chaotic, countless players from other factions use it as a gladiatorial arena to vent their grudges, hone their skills, or simply vent their anger."
Oh, so it's a big stage.
Yuki realized that there were love and hate between players and between factions, but fighting was prohibited in the Borderlands, so it was difficult to vent his feelings except when encountering each other in dungeons. So he set up an arena himself.
Everything was within the rules, and the Judge had no interest in dealing with these trivial matters.
"After searching for so long, you finally found a place that everyone knows about for me to conduct my experiment?"
"Because your requirements are too high, I simply can't find them. The more chaotic things are, the more room there is for maneuver."
Yuki, accepting this explanation. At least the local players were weak enough, and the players from other factions were a chaotic mess. Using it as an experimental ground would definitely require a lot of effort to manage, but it could be used for feints and diversions. There was no place more suitable than 'Forgotten Hidden Jianghu'.
It's riddled with holes, like a public toilet, and anyone can come and go as they please. A little news can spread throughout the heavens. The entry threshold is extremely low, and local players who struggle to survive and are willing to sell their homes will actively help.
"This is it. I'm still missing a few conditions. Once I've gathered them all, I'll use up all 45,000 points and then go." Yuki made his decision and then looked at Shiki Ryougi, who was sitting motionless in front of him.
Do you have any further questions?
"Yes, some personal matters." Shiki Ryougi slowly rose, meeting Yuki's strange gaze.
"The third thing is Mona's future. You should give me an explanation."
They're here, they really are here.
Yuki held his breath, thankfully he was prepared, and turned to look at Elysia.
"Alright, let's also talk about Miss Elysia's request, and tell you the biggest secret of returning to our homeland."
Chapter Six: The Story Must Be Perfect
Preparations are complete; now we simply await the start of the war.
The plan was being perfected, the conspiracy was unfolding, but what troubled Yuki the most were those 'personal matters'.
Through Mebius's records, the senior students learned what the price of escaping the Reincarnation Game was: all power and memories. From a theoretical standpoint, it was quite scientific.
Bringing back the power and memories of the Reincarnation Game would throw the world into chaos, wouldn't it? But for the senior students, it's hard to accept.
Power may be disregarded, but memories are invaluable. They became the most wavering individuals, but since there was no turning back once the arrow was released, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue on.
"But we'll have to face it sooner or later; preparing ourselves mentally is really difficult."
Yuki returned to the starry sky, immediately feeling a headache coming on. Mai Sakurajima, Hayasaka, Kaguya, Hiyori weren't the most troublesome; it was Shiki Ryougi's questioning that was the real problem.
If I've lost my memory, what's the point of returning with you?
The Earth he arrived on lacked Transcendental Grade powers, Yuki couldn't be too honest to tell the truth; he was confident he could return to Earth, but he couldn't guarantee he could surpass the established rules.
"I can only hope that Taiyi will give me a cheat code. If that doesn't work, I'll just have to start the game from scratch."
Gently patting his face, Yuki calmed down. Now was not the time to waver. Just like his senior, who was filled with mixed feelings but still buried herself in her work, she had no right to hope for the future until she overcame the final hurdle.
First, let your strength reach its peak and get close to the barrier set up by 'Taiyi'.
He raised his head, as if he could see an invisible barrier, the end point for epic-level players. If it weren't for 'Taiyi' blocking the way, crossing that boundary would allow one to reach 'Legend,' the most basic strength evaluation for a reincarnator.
The bad news is that Yuki also can't overcome this hurdle; she can't overwhelm quantity with quality.
The good news is that 'Taiyi' is blocking the way too firmly, so he can't cross it, and the reincarnators behind the boundary can't come either.
"All things considered, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I can't stand deus ex machina." Yuki summoned a high-backed chair, sat down at an angle, and crossed his legs. It was precisely because he was aware of the limits that he dared to activate it ahead of time.
Intelligence also has its fundamentals. If the game throws a bunch of reincarnators at you, even if your intelligence is maxed out, you'll still be crushed to dust. Only when the strength difference between the two sides is not significant can intelligence come in handy.
Epic Tier IV is also very far from this limit; I used up all the points equivalent to 90 specialization points and I was still just a little short.
Holding his chin, Yuki didn't think 90 specialization points were exaggerated. After all, he could get 20-30 specialization points from a single dungeon, which was equivalent to saving the time of 4 dungeons.
This is all thanks to the overall upward trend; if the situation at the Borderlands hadn't become increasingly tense, they wouldn't have been able to sell it even at a drastically reduced price.
"Speaking of which, the Reincarnation Game inherently encourages players to kill each other. Perhaps among the reincarnators, some don't do the quests and instead target their own kind." Yuki snorted. Killing each other is both the rule and a shortcut. If a few faction wars can cultivate reincarnators, then the game still comes out ahead.
I simply took this shortcut to get close to the top in the shortest amount of time.
Points are converted into points, which, together with the original accumulation, amount to a total of 96 specialization points and 24 enhancement points. The use of each point has already been planned.
[Invest 64 specialization points to raise physical attributes to LV10]
In an instant, more than half of the points were consumed. Level 10 physique is the peak at this stage; pure physical strength is enough to destroy mountains and cleave rivers.
Dynamic vision is improving, resilience is increasing, and combined with the Orc King's passive ability, his physique is taking another step forward from its peak.
"With a high base, a 20% increase in output will make this power even more terrifying." Yuki took out a greatsword, the standard weapon of the 'Demon-Hunting Army'. The magic metal blessed by the God of Forging was flattened by him like clay.
The greatsword was twisted into a spiral shape and thrust towards the thigh, but it only penetrated less than half an inch into the flesh.
The reason why players who rely solely on physical constitution are so difficult to deal with is because of their most basic strength: an invulnerable body, speeds several times the speed of sound, superhuman reflexes, and the destructive power to blast apart a warship with a single punch.
Dealing with them usually involves a war of attrition or assassination based on causality, since the point requirements are terrifying, and specializing in one thing leaves no room to make up for the weaknesses.
"Physical strength alone is enough to crush players below Epic Tier III. I'm lacking in skill, but that's only a part of my strength."
Yuki had no intention of becoming a sword saint or a boxing champion. He only needed to be good enough at close combat. Reaching the peak would take too much time, and he didn't have the talent of the likes of Li Shuwen, the divine Shinsō, or Isshin Ashina.
"Invest the Kindling Crown and 24 specialization points." Yuki pulled out his double-barreled shotgun, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Upgrade the Hunter's Blunderbuss to 'Abyss Grade' level."
The item-based approach is the fastest, most efficient, and most cost-effective way to level up. For rational reasons, the more familiar you are with it, the better. Of all the weapons I own, this musket is the one I'm most familiar with.
Ever since he became 'The Bystander Is Blind', the Hunter's Double-Barreled Musket has been his primary weapon. Even with the availability of more powerful level 7 items, he hasn't had time to get used to handling it anymore.
The crown merged with the sound of gunfire, and the simple hunting rifle seemed to be thrown into a furnace, turning red-hot. It was burning, and its essence was being reshaped under the influence of an epic soul.
The difference between the highest-level items, Abyss Grade (level 7) and Chaos Grade (level 6), is greater than the sum of the previous six levels. In fact, most epic-level players don't even have a suitable level 7 item.
Because of usage requirements, most people forge their most familiar items from low-level to high-level. It is almost impossible to find a level 7 item in the Borderlands that matches one's skills.
[Chaos Item: Lord of Cinder Soul Blunderbuss (Abyss Grade)]
[Reloads two bullets every 2 seconds, including shotgun shells, buckshot, soul-burning bullets, armor-piercing bullets, and explosive bullets. The power is proportional to the souls the user has replenished.]
[Special Projectile Reloading Mode: Can be filled with a substantial soul; power is proportional to the projectile's mass; reloading speed remains at 1 shot per second]
[Multi-Shot Mode: When activated, bullets can be reloaded, their power is stacked, ignoring item capacity Limit, but only allows for 2 shots.]
[Burning Flame Mode: Loads Kindling Pellets, can stack all modes. Once it hits, the special projectile will ignite the enemy's soul from the inside, making it extremely difficult to extinguish.]
[Side effect: The bullet is forged from the user's soul, and its power decreases significantly with distance.]
[Description: This is a weapon born from the soul; please do not use it repeatedly.]
"This is it."
Yuki nodded in satisfaction. The musket was by no means the most powerful weapon in the entire Borderlands, but it was the weapon he was most familiar with.
The reload speed has increased, Hunting Shot have become multi-shot, and bullets can be stacked repeatedly, achieving the decisive effect of the 'Death Knell'. There's also a new "Burning Flame" mode, which, without a doubt, is similar to the previous Lord of Cinder Sun, causing living beings to spontaneously combust when it shines on them.
The method of use was already flashing through my mind. Yuki had killed countless people with his shotgun. If it were a different tool, I would have to start researching from scratch.
"Abyss Grade- level gun is top-tier even among shooting-style players, but I have an even higher-level sword." Yuki took out the Total Annihilation, crossed it with his hunting rifle, and placed it on his lap.
The Total Annihilation will not appear on the player's panel, which is somewhat like something outside the three realms. Yuki also knows that he is not qualified to use this weapon at all.
To control the Total Annihilation, 'legend' is a basic requirement; even 'reincarnation' might not be able to utilize its full power.
At this stage, there's simply no powerful being that requires complete Total Annihilation to kill. What's this talk of transcending causality and time to eliminate the enemy at its root? Isn't that using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?