Chapter 83

"Go, go, go quickly to the first floor and guard the door. I'll get them some clothes to change into."

Having experienced the traumatic ordeal under the Crimson Moon, Mai Sakurajima now always keeps several sets of clothes on hand.

Uh, I think guarding the stairwell is more important; it would be best to patrol it again.

Yuki really wanted to say that, but seeing his senior who was about to transform into a man-eating rabbit, and with a dagger-like look in her eyes, he stood up readily and resumed his expressionless state.

"Hurry up, we're in attack mode now, so you need to concentrate."

"You have no right to lecture me!"

With both hands pushing against his back, Yuki staggered, taking three steps and then stopping abruptly. He was then firmly locked in by the gaze and had no choice but to go downstairs.

Call.

For some reason, the two of them exhaled at the same time. Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai looked at each other silently, staring into each other's eyes, as if they had many thoughts to say but couldn't express them.

The atmosphere was somewhat strange and tense; neither of them knew what to say, and neither was willing to look away.

"You two." At this moment, Shiina Hiyori, who had changed into a tracksuit, opened her mouth, looking flustered. "You wouldn't be... about Yuki..."

Of course not!

The two people who had just been staring at each other turned their heads at the same time and spoke in unison.

"What exactly happened upstairs?" The Tyrant stood at the entrance on the first floor, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Yuki walked downstairs, glanced at the person, but didn't intend to provoke them; the fleeting glimpse he had just seen still lingered in his mind.

"Uh, I just added an attack speed buff."

Increase attack speed? What nonsense.

The Tyrant didn't quite understand, but he was somewhat envious of Yuki. He had sensed something while in the elevator, and he never imagined that the Reincarnation Game had this kind of gameplay.

In his memory, the Reincarnation Game was full of cunning schemes and betrayals, and every player was a self-interested individual, even when they cooperated, it was only because they were forced by circumstances, just like him.

"Is it rare for me to be like this?" Yuki leaned against the wall, noticing the strange look in the other person's eyes.

"I'd say it's one of a kind, those two really trusted you." The Tyrant sighed. He wasn't a dark person. He slightly lifted his gas mask, lit a cigarette, and tossed one to Yuki.

"This game doesn't have a real team system, and there are very few players who dare to do what you did. I've always wanted to ask, what makes you so confident that you let those two follow Curly?"

This doesn't make sense. If Hayasaka Ai and the others hadn't betrayed him, Curly would have already succeeded. With his plan, the odds of winning would have been even higher. Hayasaka Ai and the others don't seem like fools with love-struck minds.

They were intelligent, definitely elite players, but after joining together, they seemed quite naive, just like when they first joined the game—a strange feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Yuki, a cigarette dangling from his lips, was somewhat taken aback by the question. Gazing at the wisps of smoke, he slowly smiled and said, "Perhaps, we've been through hell together."

The impression left by that Bloodthirsty Red Moon was so profound that he felt this Demon Hospital was somewhat 'simple'; at least he could smoke and chat with an old player he had never met before.

"Hell? Oh, a terrifyingly difficult dungeon, and you brought them to safety. Hmm, that certainly makes them trust you completely, like a compressed biscuit." The Tyrant made a strange analogy, which made me understand somewhat.

Having been led through hell by him, Curly's success rate was nothing special; rationally, he was more willing to risk his life on Yuki.

"Anything else? This answer isn't sufficient."

Yuki took a deep breath and thought for a long time before answering, "Perhaps because I treat people with sincerity and won't abandon my companions, I still retain this virtue, which hasn't been completely erased by the Reincarnation Game."

"I see, hmm, now the answer is complete. Mutual support and mutual trust, very good."

The Tyrant's eyes were weathered and full of stories. "These kinds of things are best done during the newbie phase because everyone is still a novice, just an ordinary person. Once you become a veteran player, you can only cooperate. For example, I'm following you because that's the best chance of survival. If there are other ways, I'll betray you too."

"You are very honest."

"Haha, I've just retained some stubbornness in this cruel game because I've seen too many ruthless people." The Tyrant chuckled self-deprecatingly, flicking off his cigarette ash. "Looks like you're lucky to have two decent teammates. Smart people like you are usually very suspicious and wouldn't easily trust others. It must have been some coincidence, or perhaps pressure from circumstances, that brought you two together."

The Tyrant was wrong. Yuki formed the three-way alliance only because information was transparent to one party. Even Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima felt uneasy about that level of trust.

Of course, the game also helped a lot; the warning that they couldn't go alone left them with no other choice.

"Perhaps so, I've always been lucky."

"Yes, that's a good start. With a few completely trustworthy helpers, you can attract even more people."

"Like Hiyori- kun?"

"That's right, you trust her as if you've known her for a long time, and she has reciprocated that trust."

Yuki raised an eyebrow. This Tyrant has a sharp eye; he'd already noticed some clues.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not stupid, but I have a piece of advice for you: don't group too many people into a dungeon, it will make the difficulty abnormal."

"I understand, and I didn't plan to form a legion of dozens of players to conquer the game. Trying to outsmart the game will only lead to a disastrous end."

"You know that's good. Players are most easily influenced when they're new. In essence, what you're doing isn't much different from those player groups in real life." The Tyrant delivered an epic speech, his eyes gradually becoming serious.

"They're just using reality, either enticing or coercing, but frankly, it's far less effective than what you did. They wouldn't dare to do something like that before."

Reality is reality, and a dungeon is a dungeon. You can easily fool someone with a fabricated reason. When faced with a survival decision, all the fancy cars and beautiful women are irrelevant. Players will only think about maximizing their success rate in clearing the dungeon.

"How wonderful! In this bleak and monotonous Reincarnation Game, we can still see genuine emotions. What exactly is the relationship between players and humans?"

The Tyrant stubbed out his cigarette and fell into deep thought, while Yuki, with a cigarette butt in his mouth, leaned against the wall and tilted his head back.

The pressure of survival can be distorting; games force players to suppress their humanity, but it's like walking on a bottomless Abyss Grade.

Yuki raised his hand, making a loose grasp towards the beam of the emergency light.

This ray of humanity is what makes it so precious.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Rushing Through the First Floor (6K)

Thick fog lingered inside the building, obscuring objects just a few meters away. A gurgling sound echoed throughout the building, somewhat like the rumbling of a hungry stomach.

In the modern and spacious hospital lobby, countless infant arms cascaded down from the ceiling like a waterfall, while at the same time, three heads linked by thick blood vessels emerged from the mist.

One is an old woman with empty eye sockets, one has slightly curly hair and an arrogant expression, and one has delicate makeup and a beautiful face.

Three heads were all looking towards the stairwell, tilting their heads as if they were one person.

"The corridor didn't block them for long."

"Thomas has a problem with his eyes; it must be some kind of bloodline skill."

They'll be here soon.

Voices, some aged, some clear, some arrogant, rang out, but none of them had much variation in tone. As the 'waterfall' poured in, a 'plop' sound rang out, and thick blood vessels burst open as they writhed, spilling foul-smelling liquid onto the floor.

"As I expected, players are really strong when they form a team. As long as they can cooperate with each other, they can unleash powerful combat strength." Curly-haired man lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought.

"It's mainly that Thomas; he can see the invisible hand of evil," the blonde, blue-eyed female college student added.

"Nonsense, he has the same characteristics as me, which gives him a big advantage in this dungeon. We need to find a way to kill him first."

"But with those two women covering for you, you can't do it." Jenny's words were sharp and sarcastic, a stark contrast to her previous cautious and unassuming demeanor.

"Then kill those two women first. Only I am bound by the contract; we are not truly one!"

"Heh, I'm only in charge of defense."

"Useless trash! If you can't do it, get out!"

Click click click click.

A grinding sound broke the infighting between the two heads, and as the blood vessels throbbed, the two heads twisted around.

"We are now one body in many forms, please don't make a sound in my ear." Despite being the actual murderers of the two, Curly and Jenny showed no malice as Dean Fukawa spoke slowly.

"The priority now is to kill them, end this cycle of Reincarnation Game, and then we can all return together."

"You're not a player, how can you come back?" Curly asked.

"Don't forget, our souls have merged into one; there's a chance of success." The eyeless head raised, looking up at the ceiling. "This old man wishes to see that magnificent sight and spread the compassionate art of medicine to more people."

It sounds like a fantasy, and it's even stranger when you think about it. Even if he were to return, would the game really give this character a new body?

But Curly and Jenny didn't refute it, as if they agreed with it, and followed its line of thought to consider how to kill the remaining players.

"If things go as expected, they won't choose to engage in a prolonged fight. With their attack power, it will be difficult for us to stop them." Escaping and fighting to the death are two different things, and Curly, as a veteran player, doesn't even need to think about it.

"I have already made preparations."

"The success rate isn't high. Don't underestimate the players' will to survive; at most, one or two will be left alive."

The three heads fell silent at the same time. Just then, the sound of blood vessels pulsating could be heard, and another head emerged from the black mist.

"It's alright, as long as they don't kill me, they won't be able to escape."

It was late at night, and moonlight streamed into the stairwell, illuminating the five people waiting at the door.

While the heads were discussing, the players were also ready, fully rested, their stamina restored, and even the bad luck brought by the Death Knell had passed.

At their peak condition, they are ready to fight to the death.

Yuki gently stroked the hilt of his sword; without realizing it, he had firmly grasped the power of discourse.

"Hiyori, how much time is left?"

One hour and thirty-five minutes.

"Have you remembered what we need to do later?"

"Clear."

"Senior, how much time is left before your special ability cools down?"

"Ten minutes, or should we wait a little longer?"

"No need, Hayasaka. Is Death Knell's ammunition replenished?"

"The magazine is full. I'll fire as you command. With the Storm Cleaver, things will be a bit more relaxed."

The Tyrant remained silent, nodding occasionally, and it was impossible to find any fault with him. This man had found a delicate balance between reason and emotion.

"Alright, everyone, just remember that. The rest is up to you to improvise." Yuki a deep breath and stopped stroking his sword hilt. "Remember, whatever you do, don't separate. Support each other, cut off those two players' heads, and then your first priority is to get out of the hospital. Don't linger in the fight."

"Clear!"

The mere few people gave Yuki the feeling of having a thousand troops behind him, which alone made him far better than those under the Crimson Moon.

With a chance to catch your breath and a strong support system, there's nothing to be afraid of.

He glanced at the black mist inside the door, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, as if the epic tales of heroes were echoing in his ears, prompting him to step inside.

We've reached the first floor.

Without much thought, Yuki stepped inside, slowly raising his head to see the sign on the wall.

Emergency room.

Before me was an extremely long corridor, shrouded in a light mist. All the doors on both sides were open, and the hospital beds and equipment were scattered about. Some of the beds were overturned, as if the people sleeping on them had gotten up to go to the toilet.

It was a scene straight out of a horror movie, but in Yuki's crimson eyes, he saw black light flowing, like the shadows of trees outside the window, swaying uncertainly in the air.

"Looks like they've changed the game."

Yuki knew something was wrong. These things should have attached themselves to the dolls and turned into twisted monsters, but now they were scattered in the air.

Mental corruption? No, to deal with players, you have to eliminate us physically first.

He turned his head and saw several people behind him nervously looking around. This was the last floor, and also the most dangerous one.

"The lobby is in that direction." Hiyori read through every detail, then suddenly pointed to the evacuation map.

The instructions didn't specify how to leave the hospital, but we'd already tried breaking the window, which definitely wouldn't work. So, surely we could leave through the main entrance?

"Yes, there's only one door on the entire first floor; it's basically an open secret."

The hospital, which occupies a huge area, has only one entrance and exit. In the real world, the fire department would probably confiscate the hospital director's underwear as a penalty.

The unknown is the most terrifying thing. Hearing Yuki say this, everyone actually relaxed.

The hospital lobby was just beyond this corridor, but the team moved slowly, sticking close together.

Yuki the way, Hayasaka Ai brought up the rear, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. If anything unexpected happened at this point, it would be troublesome.

Mai Sakurajima- senpai followed behind Yuki, looking ready to act as a human shield at any moment, but the more she looked at her, the stranger she seemed.

"Why didn't that curly-haired guy use alchemy to block the road?"

"Because Hint Four confirms that he is still a player."

Players are not allowed to intentionally damage the hospital building, not because they don't want to, but because they can't.