Chapter 594
"I suppose so. I didn't expect you to know about bodyguards."
Escort, I remembered it, sword and horse, right?
Yuki recognized the other person; the broker was found by Valhalla, and then ordered the most expensive set meal.
Identity was meaningless to him, and Yuki didn't care about it. He asked with a hint of curiosity, "So, you're doing this for money?"
"Yes, collect points, complete the task, no cheating." Dao Ma seemed stubborn; this was his livelihood. "2200 points, to lure you in, accompany you for three days, and provide the necessary information—that's the commission."
"No regrets now?" Yuki asked deliberately. His actions had instantly made these people realize that they had accepted a mission they shouldn't have.
Anyone who gets involved with a powerhouse of this level, no matter what they do, will face annihilation.
"I regret it, but I regret being too greedy. Such a simple request for so many points, there must be something wrong with it, I just didn't expect the problem to be this big." Dao Ma smiled bitterly, bending down to pick up his knife. "But the situation is changing, I need points to quickly become stronger, at least to be able to hide in the Borderlands for a while."
He answered readily, but Yuki glanced at him and bluntly said, "You're saying all this because you're afraid I'll kill you to silence you, aren't you?"
The middleman made the connection, and Ryougi Shiki didn't give any specific Shiki Ryougi, which meant that once Yuki entered, he could be discarded like a used tool. This person, who was full of empty promises, was just aware that he was about to be caught in a huge vortex and was powerless to resist, so he wanted to find a way to survive.
The man's fingers touched the hilt of the knife, but froze completely in the rain. After a long while, he nodded slightly. "Yes."
"If I ask you to kill someone, will you do it?"
"Within three days, I will be your bodyguard. Whoever you command, I will kill," Dao Ma replied in a low voice, without any hint of pleading or flattery.
His life was in the hands of another's decision. He didn't claim his own worth, but simply stated his position; this was a commission.
It has nothing to do with strength or weakness, nor is it out of curiosity. A commission is a commission. Perhaps this can win a little favor, and favor means a way out.
"Then bring the documents from the request, and have your companion put away those toys."
Yuki's words were like some kind of illusion, making the group of them breathe a sigh of relief, as if they had escaped from danger.
Dao Ma immediately took out the scroll from his bosom and handed it over with both hands. He had made the right bet: when dealing with this kind of monster, one should not let emotions get in the way, nor should one say any unnecessary words; just do things according to the rules.
Yuki it with one hand. He preferred a professional team. If these people dared to harbor any thoughts of hiding information, they had already become soul puppets. As for whether they were faking it or not, it didn't matter.
Because he could kill everyone in one second.
The information wasn't very interesting. Apart from the talent "Forgotten Hidden Jianghu," which was somewhat interesting, this faction was a cesspool comparable to a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The powerful energy collisions even altered the ecosystem. If the Outpost hadn't been a non-planet, it probably would have collapsed long ago.
One of the permissions is repair permission, and it's clear that the players here haven't collected all of them, nor do they have the opportunity to do so.
"This is the worst place I've ever seen, even worse than a dungeon."
Yuki looked ahead speechlessly. The fine rain of energy evaporated as soon as it landed, and any player with a constitution below level 5 wouldn't survive for long. This was quite interesting.
The dungeons also have difficulty rules. For example, a newly ascended extraordinary-level player can't possibly drop you into a world with high nuclear radiation, because you'd die without even doing any quests.
However, there are no rules at the Borderlands. Just imagine, if an extraordinary-level player went directly to such a place, they would probably die before the dungeon even started.
According to the intelligence report, players of Forgotten Hidden Jianghu only seek refuge in the Borderlands and then earn points without any scruples, because staying in the Borderlands is a crazy waste of money. Back when Yuki first ascended, it hurt a lot.
The toll is 100 points, and staying for a day costs 20 points. If it's Thorny Rose with a mission that only lasts 7 days, you can manage. But if it's another faction, how rich would you have to be to stay for days on end? For example, in the Frieren, you'd have to sell your equipment to raise the money.
Selling equipment weakens players, which in turn lowers their survival rate in the next mission, creating a vicious cycle.
"It's a complete Dark Forest theory, forcing players to become stronger by any means necessary. Even the 'couch potato' role is only for the strong." Yuki glanced at the silent squad behind him, knowing that there was more than one similar faction, which explained why 'Return Faction players' always existed.
Do you want to climb to the top and shatter mountains and rivers? Sorry, 99% of players are survivors. They'll risk their lives for an item or an upgrade point, becoming the piles of corpses on someone else's climb.
Escaping depends on one's ability to be "reborn," and most factions don't even qualify to board the "Taiyi" ship.
The fine rain fell on his body, quickly evaporating as a source of radiation. If there were a Geiger detector here, it would probably be going off like crazy. Behind him, there was complete silence. For an old hand like Dao Ma, he knew all too well what to do now.
Don't ask anything, don't look at anything, just honestly play the role of the 'bodyguard'.
Do you have a place to rest?
The cold question made everyone tense up, and the girl looked constipated.
This is not going to let them off the hook; the aftershocks of such a battle between masters could shatter them.
Dao Ma gently shook his head at his companion, cupped his hands, and said, "Yes, but the conditions are very poor."
"Lead the way."
Yuki didn't bother with any more words and walked away, not caring what these people were thinking. Ryougi Shiki was building momentum, the Shiki Ryougi were moving, and the Thorny Rose was establishing their base. He wouldn't waste his time.
A group of people headed south along the dry riverbed, crossed the mountain peak that had been cleaved in two by a giant sword, bypassed a crater hundreds of meters wide, and came to a grassland covered with dense green vines. Occasionally, a bright light would flash in the sky, as if the explosion of the hydrogen bomb had raised a second sun over this land.
But such brilliance was fleeting, and the world returned to its misty, rainy state.
Compared to the battle between multiple epic-level players, hydrogen bombs seemed child's play. The Outpost didn't even budge, and Yuki only glanced at it before looking away.
If someone were to throw a nuclear bomb at him, the detonation time would be enough for him to get away from the epicenter, or he could simply be swallowed up by a spatial ability.
On the technology side, it's monstrous garbage.
Yuki glanced at the radiation zone. A huge dragon-shaped mech was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a heavily armored Giant. From a distance, it looked like a tokusatsu movie, with two behemoths over 20 meters tall wrestling.
"We're here already?" He turned his head and saw that the squad had stopped.
"This is a combat zone. If we force our way in, there will be misunderstandings," Dao Ma said seriously, patting his waist sword. "I'm a physical combat player, which makes me naturally countered by tech-savvy players. If we're going to fight, I need to make a plan first."
Despite the huge difference in size, dismantling a Gundam with bare hands is not something everyone can do, but his attitude was excellent, directly expressing his willingness to fight.
"Don't waste my time, give me a minute."
Yuki waved his hand; a monster-level player wasn't worth delaying his journey.
As soon as Dao Ma opened his mouth, the man in front of him vanished. When he looked up again, he saw a ghostly figure flickering in the sky.
Walking on air, covering ten miles in a single step, this undisguised appearance immediately attracted the attention of the mechs and Giant. Red electronic eyes locked on them, and the floating machinery roared.
"Warning: This is the 'Giant World' training area. Anyone who approaches will be annihilated."
It turns out my teammate went to someone else's house to practice. That makes sense; unleashing your full potential in real life is much more efficient than in a simulator.
Yuki silent, raised his right hand, and white light coalesced into a spear, then...
There are no melodramatic plot twists; the mechs and Giant turn tail and run, as wasting even a fraction of a second is irresponsible towards one's own life.
The Judgment Spear.
Bending down and throwing, the shrieking of the air was erased by the power. The Giant took out a huge black shield. As soon as the equipment was activated, a hole appeared on the shield. Four pairs of huge eyeballs stopped, and a round hole appeared between the eyebrows.
Like a hot blade cutting through butter, it struggles against Uchiha Madara, but defensive items below level 5 are Susanoo useless.
"Yes, the Devil's Vision has become more precise; I can clearly see where its soul is located."
Each upgrade of the Bloodline Skill will improve other aspects. Yuki stroked his chin, watching the Giant fall backward and the mecha turn its head, spewing a bright beam of light from its dragon head.
With extensive experience, only a clash of energies can erase authority.
The Judgment Spear dissipated in the light cannon, the scorching white eye lingered around the mech's mouth, and the Reconnaissance array tracked the enemy's movements. It couldn't understand why this epic player had made a move; the gap between them was too great, hunting it would yield no benefit and would only create enmity with an entire faction.
But it didn't need to understand. 0.1 seconds later, the Reconnaissance array finally gave the answer: the epic player was right above its head, 'slowly' pressing down its right palm.
Without any harsh words or a chance to beg for mercy, the ultra-high-strength alloy steel withered and decayed under his palm, and the half-meter-thick armor was instantly corroded away. Yuki simply pinched the thinking array and gently pulled it outward.
Boom--
The Giant, which had been leaning backward, finally landed on the ground. The self-destructing mech was like a nuclear bomb. Another sun emerged from the rain, and the powerful shockwave obscured Dao Ma's face.
Dark eyes peered through his fingers, his cheeks trembling uncontrollably.
The rain continued, only becoming Incandescence from the energy of the nuclear explosion. The man had returned to the front, tossing the dragon-shaped mechanical head, several times larger than his body, to the ground and gently clapping his hands.
Let's keep going.
He didn't need too many words, and an understatement made Touma, a escort known for his hard-core, feel like he was falling into an ice cellar. He had seen battles between epic players, but they were not on the same level as he was at this moment.
In the blinding flash of the nuclear explosion, the indifferent man revealed his identity—
Top-tier player!
Chapter Nine: What kind of extraordinary encounter is this!?
Is this the true, lower-class life in the Reincarnation Game?
In the mountain valley, Yuki looked around and saw only dilapidated houses and players with shifty eyes and shabby equipment. There was no sign of the Fourth Calamity. Instead, Yuki thought of the humans in the 'Race Game'.
They're just prey; the strong can slaughter and hunt the weak at will. But players aren't characters in the story. They might have just been high-class in a dungeon, only to come back as dogs. This sense of disconnect is maddening.
Yuki had originally planned to take a good look at the scenery of the Reincarnation Game before the final battle, but he never expected that this look would almost make him look like a philosopher.
Leaving aside the Valhalla, which is a place of supreme power, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and the Aether Particles are like heaven compared to this. In the Reincarnation Game, weakness is the original sin, and no one in the Forgotten Hidden Jianghu who is not an epic player is born a sinner.
Killing people for materials is the most basic method; there are also methods like binding souls and making puppets. In an instant, he finally understood why the Mahito of the 'Mechanical Believers' were so cheap.
No matter how beautiful a doll is, it is still a toy. Characters in stories are inherently inferior. Only the player is "one of us," and playing with one's own kind has always been pleasurable.
"Aren't there any epic-level players here?" Yuki asked casually, noticing nearly a hundred players huddled in a shed in the valley, most of them dressed in ancient costumes, clearly afraid of the drizzle that evaporated as soon as they landed.
A bunch of burdens. As for why they were kept, the reason is simple: the Forgotten Hidden Jianghu martial arts faction needs weaklings.
"No, or rather, they would be killed if they appeared. Our kind of faction has no ability to resist," Dao Ma replied coldly.
"What's been happening lately?"
"No, it's been like this for a long time. As long as we do it discreetly, the Judge won't interfere. In fact, things have been a bit easier for us lately."
"Why?"
The man gave a slightly mocking look and shook his head slightly. "Because the Borderlands has been in chaos lately, many factions have ended up like us. As the number of hunting grounds increases, the interest naturally diminishes."
Oh, so it has this side effect too.
Yuki, as the instigator, didn't think this far ahead. Now it seems that among the countless players, only a minority want to escape or improve. The vast majority of players are just going with the flow and indulging their desires.
Joining either side carries the risk of failure; the strong find pleasure in bullying the weak.
The Reincarnation Game is a place with countless possibilities. Classes can change at any time, and the roles of hunter and prey can switch in an instant. He was just kicking this drafty house again.
What are your plans?
Dao Ma was somewhat surprised. He glanced at the vortex in the sky and muttered, "Try to survive and complete my mission."
"Because of her?" Yuki turned his head and saw a little girl squatting on the ground, her hands releasing emerald light to dispel radiation from a dying player.
Dao Ma's expression tightened, then he nodded. "Yes, I accepted a commission back in my hometown, and I have to complete it even if I'm sent to this godforsaken place."
How can we complete the task of escorting people when we are no longer in the same world? Forget it, everyone needs a reason to live.
Yuki wasn't very good at teaching people how to do things, so he lowered his head slightly and went into the small house. After all, he was a player, so he still received some 'preferential treatment'.
From the outside it looks like a dilapidated shack, but inside it's over a hundred square meters. Apart from the fact that this private space is too fragile, it's no different from other factions. All kinds of living supplies can be exchanged for free, so players don't have to risk their lives for a meal.
But it's meaningless. Any power related to Transcendental Grade abilities is a paid service. Even if you eat better than an emperor, you can't resist that rain of energy.
Yuki sat down cross-legged, not touching the food laid out on the table. Dao Ma sat opposite him, utterly silent, asking nothing and saying nothing.
After a while, Yuki finally picked up his teacup, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "This tea is not bad."
"Xiao Qi is skilled in martial arts, which are related to life and possess the ability to purify."
This is fucking magic!
Yuki was too lazy to correct him; each faction had its own localized name for Transcendental Grade powers, just like how Tiger Vanguard called Chaos Item "magic weapons."
"You've shown me something interesting." Yuki glanced at the expressionless man, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. "I originally thought the Reincarnation Game was cruel enough, but I didn't realize my understanding was still lacking. Once a faction leaves the closed world, there's no turning back; they can only choose between prey and hunter."
"Yes, the Outpost won't break. New players keep coming. We can commit suicide if we can't take it, but for those who come after us, it will be Eternal Torture." Dao Ma nodded slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
It was somewhat unexpected that a top-tier player would discuss life with him.
"It's either die or struggle, but now there's still one way."
"Are you talking about 'Taiyi'?" The man paused, then frowned helplessly. "Forgive my bluntness, but that's too far removed from me. Redemption and escape both come with a price, and we can't afford it, unless Taiyi kind person. He has no reason to care about our Destiny."
Very realistic and rational, Yuuki felt more and more that this escort was a bit to his liking. Don't forget that Taichi was famous for killing, so he couldn't be related to being a good person no matter how you look at it.
He didn't just pat his chest and say, "I'm here to save you," that would be too arrogant.
"Then live well. There will always be opportunities to hitch a ride." Yuki licked his lips, looking at the man whose whole body tensed up instantly. "As a reward for leading the way, I'm reminding you that now is not the time for such opportunities. If something serious happens, survival should be your priority."
He said nothing, but Dao Ma understood everything. He knelt down on one knee and bowed. This one sentence could have prevented a misjudgment and saved the lives of his entire team.
The gap in strength is so cruel. No repayment is needed; personal preferences outweigh the exploitation of value. A single word can change the Destiny of a group of players. Yuki suddenly felt a bit like a god.
He picked up his bowl and chopsticks, casually eating the side dishes while asking:
"But the mission must continue. I still have some time. Can you tell me if there are any epic-level players to kill at this Outpost?"
Only those Forgotten Hidden Jianghu world of martial arts know which players frequent the area. Yuki is idle anyway, he might as well complete a secondary objective.