Drip, drip, drip…
Crimson blood flowed down the stone steps into the depths of the underground, and the air was filled with a nauseating smell of blood.
Yuuki felt his chest burning, and the air he exhaled caused a dry, painful sensation in his throat.
He leaned his back against the wall, feeling that after the adrenaline faded, he couldn’t even move a finger, only slowly rolling his eyeballs.
In his vision, besides the dazzling blood, there were two massive corpses.
One was almost cut in half, separated into upper and lower parts, rolling to a distant spot.
The other was shattered, as if torn apart by a cutting machine.
Besides that, there was a girl clutching her head and groaning in pain.
Her school uniform was stained crimson with blood, but she couldn’t care less about that.
‘No wonder she was reluctant to use it.
The side effects of this chaos item are too great.
After using it, she loses the ability to defend herself.’
If Yuuki wanted to do something to Ai now, she would be completely unable to resist.
Of course, he wouldn’t do it; he merely nodded almost imperceptibly.
A powerful teammate, more trustworthy than those two old players.
Ai’s judgment, instincts, and physical fitness were all excellent.
This personality seemed born for the game, truly worthy of being an outstanding talent cultivated by The Shinomiya Family, a perfect product of talent and effort.
[Player Yuuki, you have eliminated the Licker and received a gift from the Red Moon.]
Just as Yuuki was marveling, that strange voice sounded again.
Unlike before, it wasn’t annoying; it was almost like celestial music.
A gift?
Does that mean I completed a side quest?
His expression changed slightly.
He had recovered some stamina, so he straightened his back a little.
What is the gift?
As this thought flashed, his eyes automatically turned to the long sword beside him.
He saw the beautifully crafted katana soaking in a pool of blood, a few bloodstains now adorning its beautifully patterned blade.
Opening his panel, under the equipment tab, he saw the description:
[Katana (Mutated), Permanent Entry-level Reinforcement Magic.]
Hiss, still so simple and brutal.
Yuuki originally thought that if this sword was stained with the Licker’s blood, it would be imbued with something like the T-virus.
Instead, it was related to himself.
After a moment of stunned silence, he felt that this thrilling battle was a huge gain.
‘Entry-level Reinforcement Magic has too many restrictions: the material, size, and thickness of the reinforced item, as well as a not-so-short cooldown and the uniqueness of the reinforcement.
This essentially frees up my hands.
Wait a minute, what does this “mutated” mean?’
Since joining the game, Yuuki had focused on gathering all kinds of information.
He quickly concentrated, and the ‘*’ provided an explanation.
Mortal (Level 1), Mutated (Level 2), Chaotic (Level 3), Extraordinary (Level 4), Mysterious (Level 5), Chaos (Level 6), Abyss (Level 7)…
Like skills and physical strength, they all had classifications.
And Chaotic (Level 3) and above would produce side effects, just like the ‘petals’ in Ai’s hand, which grew wildly upon seeing blood, tearing a Licker into pieces.
So it’s a Level 2 weapon.
If Reinforcement Magic is solidified, it’s even harder than 3V powdered steel.
Yuuki examined the long sword, then turned his head to see Ai seemingly past the worst of her pain, gasping for breath as she forced herself to stand up.
“Quick, look what happened to my head?” She was still a bit disoriented and scared.
No way…
After a moment of stunned silence, Ai tremblingly raised her hand, then felt her smooth skin.
Her originally pale face instantly flushed red.
“You dared to scare me!”
“Huh? I didn’t say anything.” Yuuki secretly chuckled, turning his head away with some disappointment.
He had thought he could scare out Ai’s ‘crybaby’ nature.
Looking at Yuuki, who had an innocent expression, the girl’s eye twitched.
She really wanted to jump over and make his head explode right then, but the other party had saved her life, so she could only remember the grudge.
“When did you figure it out?” Ai took a deep breath, gesturing with her chin towards the two corpses slowly merging into the stone steps.
“Also, how did you know these monsters would weaken underground?”
“There’s something called a control group experiment, judging the subject’s changes based on different environments. For example, at the peak of the moonlight, it only takes one second for it to disappear. In the stairwell, it takes two seconds, and in the basement, it simply chooses to crawl. Hmm, I also made comparisons during a few skirmishes. These monsters probably don’t have the intelligence to hide their true strength.”
Yuuki spoke eloquently, causing the girl’s gaze to change repeatedly.
This sounds simple, only requiring calmness and observation, but how many people could remain calm in that situation, let alone observe every detail?
No, it’s more than that.
“But there’s no conclusive evidence for that.”
“Gambling, or rather, probability theory, is inherently part of experimentation. I’ve realized that this Reincarnation Game isn’t just about brute force. For example, on the surface, those two old players would suffer.”
An almost invisible hunt, the patience of a skilled hunter.
It wouldn’t be easy for Ryan and Thomas to take it down.
Ai unconsciously nodded, her eyes becoming strange again: “You’re really not an old player?”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t be so tired.
A top student in a mock exam is still a top student.” Yuuki spread his hands, offering no further explanation, and extended his right hand: “Pleasure working with you, Hayasaka.”
The girl looked at the hand in front of her, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and clasped it.
“Pleasure working with you. It seems I’ve found a strong ally.”
For a moment, she seemed a bit playful, which startled Yuuki, making him wonder which was her true self.
“Let’s just say we’ll help each other.”
As the monster’s corpse sank, the two leaned against the wall to recover their strength, chatting idly.
Only then did Yuuki learn that Ai’s solution was unique: she had dragged the ‘newbie guide’ by the head, pushed open the door, and, relying on the rules, cut off a petal, obtaining a chaos item called ‘Frontal Lobe Fragment.’
And the Red Moon’s gift to her was simple: a random skill upgrade by one level, which randomly boosted her already master-level hacking and decryption.
“This isn’t very useful for now. If only it were body strength.”
“You’re dreaming. I estimate specialized points are harder to get than enhancement points. Besides, this thing might be useful later.” Yuuki stroked his chin, feeling a hint of frustration.
In terms of skill slots, Ai had at least as many as him, if not more, but this had nothing to do with talent.
When I first transmigrated, I had to earn money to support myself; how could I compare resources with The Shinomiya Family?
Just as he was about to complain, the sound of ‘thump-thump-thump’ footsteps came from his ears again, making the two, who had just relaxed, tense their muscles.
Ai also returned to her player form, arching her back like a Female Leopard.
Another Red Moon gift?
Are they trying to kill us?
The two stared unblinkingly at the archway, quietly gripping their knives and axes.
After a few seconds, a short knife appeared in their field of vision.
Ai immediately leaned forward, ready to rush in and get the first strike, but Yuuki pressed down on her shoulder.
She turned her head, looking a bit confused.
“It’s one of us.”
Yuuki replied, looking up with a slightly surprised expression.
After the short knife, there was a full, long leg in black stockings, followed by a bunny girl outfit that perfectly outlined the body’s curves.
Was she too scared, or was she remarkably brave?
The answer was unknown, because the bunny girl was already frozen at the entrance, staring at them with a dazed expression.
The Licker’s bloody and massive corpse hadn’t completely disappeared yet, and large patches of blood flowed down the stone steps into the depths.
The girl her age who had spoken to her not long ago was now stained crimson with blood.
The game had been going on for almost five hours, and for the first time, she felt a sense of estrangement between people.
Looking at the other two, then at herself, it was as if they weren’t living in the same world.
Fortunately, Mai was well-traveled and possessed a maturity beyond her years.
She swallowed: “You, what are you…?”
“Heh heh, just did a little something.
But Mai, you’re quite brave, daring to come alone.” Ai instantly reverted to her gyaru image, saying with a teasing tone: “Going solo will end badly, you know.
If you couldn’t find us, guess if you’d survive five minutes?”
The blood-stained girl clutching an axe was frightening, but the teasing tone made Mai frown slightly, detecting the disdain in her words.
“I made a judgment. Finding Ryan had an even lower chance of survival. If we encountered danger, he wouldn’t try his best to protect me.”
“Oh? And he would?”
Mai shifted her gaze to Yuuki, nodding slightly.
The way he pushed her away earlier spoke volumes.
Mai wasn’t stupid; she knew the Licker’s first target was herself, and most people in that situation would have been too scared to even think about saving someone else.
“It’s not just about survival rate. He saved me before, and I wanted to help him, at least not let him go alone.”
Ai’s lips moved slightly, holding back a sarcastic remark.
Because of the dungeon, there were no liabilities.
If Yuuki were alone, he’d be dead even without the Licker attacking.
Whether her words were true or false, there was no sentimentality, but this rationality was commendable.
“Yuuki, I didn’t expect you to be quite the gentleman.” Ai’s tone was still teasing, but her eyes held a rational coldness, as if asking him what he should do.
Their trump cards couldn’t be exposed, and this big star was of no use in the game, at least her intelligence and rationality were far from enough.
The recent bloody battle had been terrifying, and they had no energy left to look after a burden.
No matter what, I must return alive; there are still many things I haven’t done.
Intervening in matters between two women was dangerous, and Yuuki had remained silent.
When he noticed Ai’s gaze, he simply spread his hands.
“I’ve always been quite the gentleman.”
“How come I didn’t notice that when you were messing with me just now?”
“That was to help you relax, you know. Being tense for too long can cause heart problems. I am a doctor, after all.”
“You’re a medical student, and only a freshman.”
Yuuki’s mouth twitched slightly, ignoring Ai’s retort, and looked at Mai.
He saw the bunny girl senior biting her lip and raising her chin, but the hand holding the short knife was trembling slightly.
She was awaiting judgment.
These two didn’t even need to act; if they simply turned and left, she would be dead.
And she had just experienced the terror of going solo.
But even so, she refused to kneel and beg.
That would be useless and would also make her lose her dignity as a human being.
Yuuki wasn’t a bleeding heart, nor was he interested in a pretty face, but his speculation about ‘Id Traits’ made his gaze soften.
He turned to look at Ai.
“Hayasaka, we are a three-way alliance.”