NOVEL WEB Chapter 32 - The Second Night Begins!
Sakurajima Mai hid behind the load-bearing wall of Building B.
Her trait had disappeared, but with ninety percent of the enemies drawn into Building A by Yuuki, it was unlikely anyone would find their way here in the short term.
She had barely rested for a few minutes when the dense gunfire and the roar of helicopters overhead made her instinctively peek out. Just one glance, and she was frozen in place.
A spectacle more grand than any movie she had starred in unfolded just a hundred meters away—SWAT teams filled the entire building, their bright searchlights nearly turning night into day. And then, a black silhouette dashed out, making her grip the detonator even tighter.
Since the start of the game, that guy had already left her with too many unforgettable moments: the bloodstained figure in the castle corridor, the desperate leap across a bridge… And now, once again, he was at the center of the spotlight.
One man sprinted at full speed, while behind him, hundreds of gun barrels emerged from the building. A helicopter hovered above, its searchlight swiftly locking onto him.
[Faster. Just a little faster.]
Holding her breath, Sakurajima Mai’s fingers turned white as she clutched the detonator, as if she were the one standing at the center of the stage, countless guns trained on her.
The searchlight had caught up to Yuuki, bullets scorching trails of sparks in his wake. At that moment, the voice came through her earpiece.
“Detonate!!!”
She didn’t even have to think. Instinctively, her fingers twisted and slammed down on the trigger. In that split second before the electric current activated, time stretched unbearably long.
He trusts me that much. Did I plant the charges correctly? If even one is off, we’re both dead.
Everyone’s lives were resting on her shoulders. The sheer weight of it all made it hard to breathe. Only now did she understand how exhausting it must have been for Yuuki since he joined the game—he had already made several choices like this.
[And yet that idiot still had the nerve to joke around with me. Just what kind of mental fortitude is that?]
Sakurajima Mai suddenly gained a deeper understanding of Yuuki. Then, a blazing fireball erupted before her eyes, followed by an earth-shaking explosion that made her ears ring.
BOOOOOM——!
On the third floor of Building A, a chain of explosions ignited. The shockwave sent debris flying everywhere. Instinctively, Mai covered her head and pressed her face firmly against the ground.
Under the crimson moon, the building collapsed. No matter how many guns were trained on Yuuki’s back, in the blink of an eye, the world turned upside down. The collapsing structure crushed everything beneath it, turning people into pulp.
A controlled demolition—ensuring that the upper floors toppled eastward toward the village. The deafening crash flattened dozens of police cars, while the resulting shockwave sent debris hurtling through the air, even forcing the circling helicopters into an uncontrollable spiral.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One fireball after another erupted. Screams filled the air. Dust swallowed everything, obscuring the blood and torn limbs from sight.
“…I did this?”
Sakurajima Mai was in disbelief. Since entering the game, she had never taken down a single enemy. Her physical abilities were no different from an ordinary person, and her innate trait lacked any offensive power.
Yet now, with just the press of a button, she had wiped out hundreds of pursuers in an instant.
【Player Mai is on a killing spree. One enhancement point awarded.】
[Me…on a killing spree?]
Mai’s eye twitched. Somehow, the game’s words felt entirely out of place for her. But looking at the collapsed ruins and the raging fires, she couldn’t argue with the results.
She had no idea how many enemies she had just obliterated. A massive chunk of the pursuing force had been wiped out. But seeing the severed limbs and shattered bodies amid the rubble, she found herself unable to smile.
Whether they were the undead or the living, she had taken a huge step toward the abyss of chaos. The peaceful days in her memory felt more distant than ever.
[I had no choice. If I want to survive, I have to do this.]
She crawled out from behind the wall, feeling the blood-scented heat of the night breeze. Suddenly, her body trembled. Slowly, with a sense of unease, she turned her head.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The ten o’clock chime rang out. The crimson moon hung high in the sky. On the rooftop of Building B, she saw Li Dan standing solemnly, nodding at her approvingly.
He still wore the same reliable, older-brother-like smile, but Mai recognized that look all too well—one she utterly despised.
That gaze… was filled with possessiveness.
…
[Damn… I nearly died.]
Lying flat on his back, Yuuki stared blankly at the ceiling. His blade had rolled a short distance away, but he didn’t even have the strength to reach for it.
Pain. Everything f**king hurt.
He felt like a ragdoll torn apart and stitched back together. His head throbbed as if it would split open. His back burned with searing pain. Tilting his head slightly, he spotted several yellow-orange bullets lodged in the ballistic plates of his vest.
The explosion’s shockwave had sent him flying. He had tumbled down a slope, barely avoiding a steel plate that embedded itself in the wall just inches from his skull.
Yuuki had no words. As his soul hovered on the verge of detachment, a pair of legs entered his vision. A moment later, a figure crouched beside him, golden hair brushing against his cheek.
“Congrats, you survived,” Hayasaka Ai said, clicking her tongue as she examined his battered body. “Try not to make it this dramatic next time. You almost died. But don’t worry—no fatal injuries.”
“You think I wanted this? In this game, you can’t rely on anyone. If you want to survive, you have to fight for it yourself—”
“Wrong. We can rely on you.”
She cut him off abruptly. For an instant, her expression was serious—so much so that even Yuuki raised an eyebrow. But a moment later, she was grinning again, her tone playful and exaggerated.
“You were super cool just now! I was totally mesmerized~”
…The hell? Did I imagine that serious look just now? No way Hayasaka Ai would say something weak like that.
Yuuki’s eye twitched. He knew that whenever she showed up in her “gyaru” mode, there were always others nearby.
Sure enough, a slightly chubby rich guy—Robert—hurried over, his pale face brimming with excitement. “That was insane, man! You actually survived that? That was more over-the-top than a movie! Teach me sometime, will ya?”
Yuuki brushed it off as luck, but he understood why Robert was suddenly acting deferential. Anyone who had survived this long wasn’t an idiot—this guy was clearly trying to latch onto a strong player.
Doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or a newbie. If you’re badass enough, people will follow you.
“You wouldn’t be able to pull it off. If I hadn’t happened to draw a ‘Speed Boots’ concept, I’d be dead in that building.”
“Wait… I thought your ability only lets you draw once per day?” Robert coughed, puzzled.
Yuuki raised an eyebrow and patted his shoulder meaningfully. “The red moon has risen. That means it’s already the second day.”
Robert and Hayasaka Ai both turned to glance at the crimson glow outside the slope.
“Ohhh, so that’s how it works. I thought your ability had a strict 24-hour cooldown.”
Whether time was measured by moonrise or moonset depended on the dungeon. No one had a definitive answer.
“That voice said ‘day,’ so it probably adapts to each dungeon. If we were in an eternal night castle, I’d probably never get to use it.” Yuuki sighed, then suddenly turned to Robert. “You’re pretty observant. How come I never noticed before?”
“I, uh… I went to Oxford—” He cut himself off abruptly, then coughed violently. “Cough, cough! That’s not important! What matters is, I’m not dumb, and I can be useful!”
Yuuki and Hayasaka Ai exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes. They stepped forward and patted him on the back.
“You feeling okay? Why does it seem like that housewife rubbed off on you?”
“He’s just exhausted. He doesn’t exercise much, so it’s no surprise he’d catch something. No need to worry—so long as we make it out of this dungeon alive, even a terminal illness will be instantly cured.”
The three of them turned their heads in unison and saw Li Dan walking up from the slope. Not far behind him followed Sakurajima Mai. His shoulder was wrapped in bandages, his clothes soaked through with blood.
[So it’s like Infinity Terror, where you return in perfect condition no matter what?]
The thought flashed through Yuuki’s mind. Though it felt like Li Dan was deliberately changing the subject, the information he provided was invaluable. So Yuuki set aside his doubts and instead showed a concerned expression.
“Brother Li, you’re injured?”
“Just a scratch. I had hemostatic meds prepared in advance.” Li Dan stopped walking. He didn’t even look at Sakurajima Mai, who had quickly run back to Hayasaka Ai’s side. Instead, he regarded Yuuki with a look of admiration. “Yuuki, this is your second time turning the tide, and you barely even got hurt. I don’t know if ‘miracle’ is the right word for it.”
[Turning the tide—completely stealing the spotlight from a veteran like him. No wonder his tone carried a hint of bitterness.]
[From beginning to end, you gave me the stage. Never offering crucial advice, yet never fearing you’d be dragged down by my mistakes.]
[Is that foolishness? Or do you have some hidden card up your sleeve that guarantees your safety?]
The timing of his injury was impeccable—it left Yuuki no room to call him out for disappearing ahead of time. But thinking it through, even if Yuuki’s plan had failed, Li Dan, having already exited the battle, would’ve had plenty of time to slip away.
So now, should he scratch his head awkwardly, or let his growing confidence shine through?
Yuuki hesitated for a moment before speaking with bold enthusiasm. “I want everyone to survive. And besides—I’ve realized this game suits me.”
He sounded calm, even carrying a touch of “this is nothing” arrogance. But halfway through, he shifted gears—
“You don’t have to be so modest. Fighting in open terrain versus setting traps in a complex building—those are two entirely different skills.”
Confident yet humble, balancing a young man’s ambition with restraint.
[Did I just stumble upon a real gem?]
By all logic, this should be the moment to propose a long-term party alliance. Li Dan narrowed his eyes, hesitated briefly, then dismissed the thought.
[The déjà vu is too strong. And besides, I’d already made my arrangements for this instance.]
“You’re the one being modest, kid. Don’t forget—you’re a total newbie. You’ve been in the Reincarnation Game for less than twenty-four hours. Tsk, this is what separates geniuses from the rest of us.”
His words were both praise and self-deprecation. A true prodigy might’ve felt encouraged, but Yuuki had never been a genius. He was just a clumsy bird that had learned to fly first.
[The sense of camaraderie is there, but the crucial olive branch was missing. Any veteran would feel a connection with someone like me—especially someone playing the role of a benevolent elder.]
Yuuki keenly picked up on something important. He revealed nothing, merely straightened up after catching his breath.
“I’ve still got a lot to learn from you. And honestly, I have no confidence in what’s coming next.”
Facing the slope, he could see the crimson moon in the night sky. Their brief respite was over, and the moonlight pouring down tightened around each of their throats, a silent reminder of one brutal truth—
Whether luck or growth, whether pride or self-mockery—
The second night had begun.