Chapter 78
"Yeah, he's been trying to play the weakling from the start, but his acting is terrible." Yuki glanced sideways, his gaze gradually sharpening. "But have you considered that he should know the two people around him aren't very useful, so why does he still dare to be our enemy?"
"Because the potential gains outweigh the risks, he possesses a trump card that can alter the balance of power."
Hiyori finished speaking, the group felt uneasy. None of them were fools; if they dared to do it, they must have something to rely on.
"Then we should get plenty of rest so we can be in top condition to deal with him..."
Before the Tyrant could finish speaking, he saw Yuki walk down the stairs, decisively push open the door to the third floor, blink, and instinctively follow.
"Wait a minute, isn't that a contradiction?"
Yuki didn't answer. He had already stepped onto the third floor and looked up to see a dark corridor.
The ceiling lights were off, only the emergency lights emitted a pale green glow, and the layout Taiyi from upstairs.
The floors and walls were gray and gloomy, and there were very few rooms on both sides, unlike a ward, operating room, or warehouse. Several corridors led in all directions, and the corridors were piled with various odds and ends and equipment.
Yuki spotted the security camera; these were only found in the lobby on other floors. He raised his hand and smashed it.
"Wait a minute, this camera's design Taiyi from the one upstairs, and there's no dust on the wiring," Hiyori pointed out, having just witnessed the scene.
Both probes were semi-circular, Yuki couldn't actually tell the difference. However, after hearing the reminder, he became certain of his guess.
"It was installed; they were indeed here."
These words immediately put everyone on edge. The three looked around, checking for any traps, while Yuki widened slightly, and he quickly took a few steps forward.
His unusual behavior attracted the attention of the Tyrant and Hiyori. They saw him walk to the wall and pick up a cushion with rabbit ears.
It was covered in dust, presumably some employee's personal belongings left on the chair. When Yuki roughly tore it open, a note was found between his raised fingers.
His mouth parted into a wide grin, revealing gleaming white teeth.
"It's not two against three, it's five against one!"
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Forging is Complete! (First Update)
That cunning old fox, he actually kept it a secret until now!
The moment Yuki finished speaking, the Tyrant's eyes widened, as if he wanted to remove his gas mask and rush over, grab Yuki's collar, and loudly question him:
What made you look like this? And where did you take your acting training class?
Without any warning, that ice sculpture beauty, that kind-hearted rabbit lady, had actually been in cahoots with him from the very beginning.
In fact, spreading out teammates is a common practice among experienced players, but this is the first time he's seen it done so convincingly.
The Tyrant turned his head and saw Shiina Hiyori looking completely unsurprised, and he was immediately somewhat taken aback.
Okay, this person is on his side too. Now there are six players in total, and four of them are on his side. How are we supposed to play like this?
It was only natural for the Tyrant to break down; he should be afraid. Meanwhile, Yuki had inadvertently revealed his muscles, had finished reading the note and was looking puzzled.
He guessed right. Curly-haired guy did indeed have some kind of trump card to turn the tables, and he had been planning something on the third floor. According to Mai Sakurajima- senpai's information, he was going to complete a certain plan and gain the power to face the final boss directly.
[A veteran player of all three dungeons]
[This trait allows one to integrate into dungeons and gain Dean Fukawa's trust.]
[What are they preparing while hiding in the monitoring room?]
Yuki connected these key points, lowered his head in thought, and recalled his interactions with Curly.
The two were not familiar with each other. The only time they saw him display his power was when he first Deep into the Wrong Path, where endless demons surged forth, forcing him to tear off his novice disguise.
He created spikes—no, he changed the shape of the floor—that skill looks familiar.
After a few seconds of silence, Yuki suddenly opened his eyes and growled, "Go! Find him right now!"
He remembered what that skill was.
Alchemy is a very common skill, and it can even be divided into many types such as Western fantasy and cultivation. However, based on the experience of Under the Crimson Moon, there is a work that is very representative of alchemy. The mystery in the work requires a lot of time to prepare and the resentment, hatred and anger of the person being alchemized.
The Philosopher's Stone —he wants to forge it into the Philosopher's Stone. No wonder he came to this deserted third floor, no wonder he tried to stop us from getting close.
Even though skills and monsters may mutate in the Reincarnation Game, just like how Curly needed to draw a transmutation circle before, certain core elements remain unchanged.
"What's wrong?" The Tyrant saw Yuki start running and hurriedly chased after him.
"I was wrong, that curly-haired guy wasn't just showing his fangs." Yuki strode down the corridor, his eyes scanning the surroundings, then took a quick step towards the monitoring room. "He wants to solve the problem once and for all!"
"Wait, isn't he afraid of Hint Four?"
"I don't know, but in the current situation, do you still consider those monsters to be medical personnel?"
It's done.
In the center of the floor, a young man with slightly curly hair stood up straight.
After going directly from the ninth floor to the third floor, just like Hayasaka Ai, he also achieved something. With the help of his previous accumulation, he finally gathered four enhancement points and unhesitatingly upgraded his alchemy to the master level.
At this level, players will encounter deeper mysteries of the skills, moving beyond simply applying them to a greater emphasis on both knowledge and practice.
"The knowledge gained from the Philosopher's Stone far surpasses everything obtained from this copy."
A strong sense of pleasure filled his heart. He reacted quickly, immediately putting his plan into action after acquiring this knowledge. In this Demon Hospital, he found that the necessary materials for refining souls were exceptionally abundant.
These souls are impossible to obtain in reality, and skillful players use the instance to their advantage.
Using the souls of demons and players as materials, even a true alchemist couldn't have the resources. And just as Yuki thought, through his stimulation, the hospital staff had been transformed into demons.
"They arrived quite quickly."
He glanced at the destroyed surveillance camera and was somewhat surprised at how quickly the other party had come downstairs, managing to break through even when faced with Dean Fukawa's all-out counterattack.
Could it be that this dungeon isn't as difficult as I imagined?
Curly hesitated for a moment, then decided it didn't matter; whether it was difficult or easy, he had to seize this opportunity.
"The guests have arrived. Should I go and engage them?" Hayasaka Ai stepped forward decisively, drew her gun, and cautiously watched the fog that filled the room.
Tsk, this Dean Fukawa is quite clever; he held back something for me. And the lower the floor, the more obvious the anomalies he can create?
The young man sensed the demons gathering; their inaction had clearly aroused suspicion, forcing him to work. Meanwhile, outside the door, a group of players were on their way, ready to settle scores with him.
"Unfortunately, they're too late." Curly-haired man calmly glanced at the girl beside him and snapped his fingers lightly, "Miss Hayasaka, you deal with these demons and buy me some time."
"And what about them?"
"Ha, you don't need to lift a finger, because—" The young man raised his right hand high, then bent down and slammed it hard on the floor.
"They will become one with me!"
With a slap, the mark left by the dagger on the ground emitted a crimson light, forming Ikkaku of a six-pointed star, which then extended into the corridor.
The Philosopher's Stone, forged and activated.
The red light illuminated the girl's face, causing her to unconsciously raise the hammer. However, bound by the contract, she could not cause any subjective harm to the young man, and neither of them could damage the other's extension.
The first one was proposed by Hayasaka Ai, and the second one was Curly's request. When she saw these engraved patterns, she understood why this request was necessary.
A magic circle that absorbs the life force of others to replenish itself?
Hayasaka Ai didn't know the details, but a smile suddenly appeared on her ice-sculpted face:
Sorry, but someone has been plotting against you since the beginning of the game.
Huh, why isn't it working?
Meanwhile, Curly, who was kneeling on the ground, frowned deeply.
That's not right. I clearly described it according to those principles of knowledge.
He blinked repeatedly. He had only upgraded his skills and gained knowledge a few hours ago, and hadn't had time to carefully simulate it. A moment later, cold sweat immediately broke out on his back.
Damn it, something must be wrong.
Overloaded, he stared blankly at the light stretching into the distance, listening to the clatter of footsteps, then quickly turned his head away.
With a contorted expression and a flushed face, Curly had just gone over everything in his mind when he suddenly realized a problem he had overlooked:
"Where is that damn rabbit!?"
After several hours of intense preparation, he actually 'forgot' about Mai Sakurajima's existence.
The core of the transmutation array is the monitoring room. The entire third floor is within the transmutation range, but both parties have signed a non-harm pact, which means --
The rabbit left the core and entered the transmutation range. Due to the contract, it was unable to harm the other party, and thus the transmutation array became ineffective.
Faced with the enraged youth, Hayasaka Ai offered no explanation, nor did she wear a triumphant smile. She simply turned her gun towards him and, as the youth's pupils constricted, pulled the trigger.
Bang--
The Death Knell tolled, the shockwave of the bullet whipped through the curls of hair, and an arm, as mushy as mud, emerged from the shadows, instantly shattering from the force of the shot.
"Your actions just now have betrayed Dean Fukawa. Get to work now, or you'll be the first to die."
Hayasaka Ai reminded him in a cool tone, but if you listened carefully, you could find a hint of pleasure in it.
Curly-haired guy, of course, wasn't listening. He jumped up as if he'd been stabbed in the backside, his mind a complete mess.
Are these two people in league with the Tyrant and Thomas?
Or are they still naively hoping to work together?
Or perhaps they are 'particular players' who want us to fight to the death?
He couldn't calm down and think about the three key issues of stance in detail; he only had two rough ideas in a second:
First, the contract item remains effective; the other party cannot harm you and is currently providing cover.
Secondly, the woman is right. Dean Fukawa has been secretly monitoring me all along, and he became a major threat the moment I initiated the alchemy.
Yuki could at least be considered a patient riot, which falls under the category of suppression. But Curly's was a party in the dean's paradise, an act of insubordination and a power grab.
In the midst of the panic, he remained rational and understood what needed to be done most:
"In any case, strength is the most crucial thing."
Curly-haired man stomped his hips onto the table, ignoring the demons and monsters emerging from the mist, and raised his hands, pressing them against the ceiling.
This was his backup plan; since the rabbit was on the third floor, there was absolutely no problem upstairs.
The Philosopher's Stone is forged!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Hunter Player (Second Update~)
It really is alchemy!
Yuki walked down the corridor, his heart stopped when he saw the flash of light on the ceiling.
He knew exactly what this thing was; it was the process of transforming living people into the purest soul energy, then aggregating it to form an energy crystal.
Unless one possesses an extremely powerful soul, even a player within the range of the alchemy process would find it impossible to resist.
Their three faces turned deathly pale instantly, but a moment later they realized something was wrong.
"This energy reaction seems to be coming from upstairs?" The Tyrant came to his senses and touched his entire body but found nothing unusual.
"Here you go!"
Yuki clenched his fist and immediately understood that this must be Hayasaka Ai and the others' doing; otherwise, Curly wouldn't have abandoned the immediate threat and activated the transmutation circle upstairs first.
They must have used the contract to ambush Curly once; Yuki could even guess the contents of the contract.
Are they forbidden from attacking each other?
"Let's go, Curly has alchemy skills. If we refine the Philosopher's Stone, his strength will skyrocket."
But which way to go?
The third floor was different from the floors above; the corridors were narrower and more interconnected. Yuki looked up, intending to search for clues by forming a divination array above his head, when he was patted on the shoulder.
"Come with me."
Mai Sakurajima appeared like a ghost between the three, startling the Tyrant so much that he almost drew his gun. He looked at the girl with some suspicion and uncertainty, only then realizing that he had underestimated her.
I thought he was a noob, but he unexpectedly played a crucial role. His unpredictable and elusive skills were on par with veteran players from two different dungeons.
"Senior..."
"Stop talking nonsense and come with me!" Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes, but felt a sense of relief.