You’re Telling Me This Is a Slice-of-Life?

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded like a drum. Yuuki leaned forward, eyes fixed on his right hand, not even daring to blink.

The scalpel stabbed deep into the writhing mass of brain tissue. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he gouged out a large chunk, leaving behind a gaping hole. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that he was surrounded by solidified “petals,” some of which had already sliced into his flesh. Crimson beads of blood trickled down his skin.

In just a single second, these bone-like blades could churn his body into pulp, reducing him to yet another grotesque piece of artwork.

“But I bet correctly.”

Panting heavily, Yuuki watched as the grotesque “flower” withered away as if all its moisture had been drained in an instant.

The cracked petals retracted toward the center, reconstructing a towering chest, a pale slender neck, and a head with golden hair and vacant blue eyes. The sweet-looking girl stared at him blankly before slowly sinking downward.

What?!

Instinctively, Yuuki took half a step back and watched as the flawless corpse sank into the floor, as if swallowed by quicksand. Within seconds, it had completely vanished.

“That’s it?” He blinked a few times in confusion before hastily turning around. His gaze landed on the scratches on the walls and floor, and only then did he process what had happened.

Did I actually kill someone? Was that thing human or something else?

There was no answer, but no matter what, he didn’t feel much guilt—until the strange voice echoed again, instantly draining the strength from his body as he slumped against the wall.

【Player has completed the beginner tutorial.】

【Rating: S】

【Personal Panel Unlocked. Expand?】

This Reincarnation game really lacks instructions, even more so than an infinite survival-type game with stage-by-stage objectives. But some principles remain the same.

That voice, which sounded like a chorus of countless people speaking at once, snapped Yuuki to attention. He clung tightly to the keyword “game,” piecing together the most advantageous solution based on his observations.

There were no points, but achieving an S-rank completion confirmed his suspicions. It also clarified what “beginner tutorial” truly meant.

[So it’s an elimination system. This way, even the players who take the simplest approach won’t be complete idiots. It also gives me a better grasp of this game’s style.]

It was eerie, brutally unforgiving in its elimination process, and emphasized self-exploration. He couldn’t find any existing scenarios that matched it.

Yuuki let his left hand slide off the doorframe. Though he had taken a gamble, he hadn’t gone all in—he had backup plans in place.

The door lock had already been turned. If things had gone wrong, he would have immediately barged through the doorway. Just like now: even though the door was slightly ajar, that creature had crashed into it with full force yet failed to budge it.

[If you can’t see it, you can’t break through it. If anything, the real gamble was whether this identical set of doors pushed inward or pulled outward. But this game wouldn’t be so petty as to mess with my mind like that, right?]

Yuuki instinctively smirked. The exhilaration of winning a bet surged through him, though it took him several seconds to suppress his excitement and regain a calm expression.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. There’s still more to uncover.

“Expand panel.”

Player: Sorashima Yuuki

Physical Strength: Human (Excellent)

Innate Trait: None

Equipment: Scalpel (Common)

Chaos Artifacts: None

Primary Skills: Firearm Handling, Close Combat, Blade Techniques (Proficient), Emergency First Aid (Mastered), Investigation (Proficient), Self-Hypnosis (Mastered)

Enhancement Count: One

Specialization Count: None

The panel unfolded in a fraction of a second, but Yuuki’s brows immediately furrowed. This wasn’t quite what he had expected.

“Forget the items and equipment for now. But why is there no numerical quantification? And what exactly is ‘Innate Trait’?”

That strange voice was clearly lazy. Despite the swarm of questions in his mind, it offered no explanations. Yuuki could only sigh in frustration, stroking his chin as he tried to make sense of things.

Physical Strength was evidently a basic attribute. Fortunately, he noticed a small “*” symbol next to it. Focusing on it, he read the additional information:

【Physical Strength represents the player’s overall stats, including Strength, Speed, Endurance, Intelligence, etc. Human levels are categorized as: Weak, Normal, Excellent, Peak, Extraordinary, and Superhuman. Expand detailed data?】

“So it’s an averaged value. ‘Human levels’—which means there are non-human levels beyond this?” Yuuki immediately grasped the logic. The quantification was reasonable. After all, biological conditions fluctuate in different scenarios, making simple numerical representation unreliable.

A mother seeing her child about to fall from a building could dash across the street in seconds and catch a few hundred kilograms of impact force with her bare hands—what values should be assigned to her speed and strength then?

A soldier surviving on the battlefield for days without water, still capable of fighting—how would his endurance and willpower be measured?

Yuuki didn’t dwell on the issue. He was more curious as to why he was rated “Excellent.”

“Expand—no, close!”

In just a second, he let out a pained groan, clutching his head as he dry-heaved. It took him a long while to recover, veins bulging on his forehead.

“Datafication? Are you f***ing with me?”

That brief glimpse had nearly knocked him unconscious. The panel was absurdly detailed—excessively so.

Muscle fiber density, cellular activity, alveolar oxygen absorption rates…

There were over a thousand metrics, all displayed with ridiculously precise decimal points. No human could possibly process that much information at once. At best, it was an elaborate joke from the game:

You wanted data quantification? Well, here you go—detailed enough for you?

Huff. Huff.

Still shaken, Yuuki reopened his eyes and lost all interest in the panel. In the end, it was just a reference for self-assessment. It didn’t affect others. What was more infuriating was the game’s twisted sense of humor.

No other game had ever made its status screen so complex that it could physically incapacitate a player. If that happened mid-battle, he’d be dead in seconds.

So he became even more cautious, regaining his composure as he carefully examined the remaining explanations.

Skill Rankings: Novice, Mastered, Proficient, Excellent, Expert, Legendary…

This was fairly easy to understand, and after a quick comparison, Yuuki grasped the concept.

For example, due to practical limitations, he had only trained with firearms at the shooting range. In contrast, he had put far more effort into hand-to-hand combat, making it his stronger skill. As for blade technique, that likely referred to swordsmanship, which surpassed his unarmed combat.

His years of intelligence analysis and keen observation training had all been categorized under 【Investigation】, earning a “Proficient” rating—which made sense. However, advancing from “Proficient” to “Excellent” required two enhancement points, and from “Excellent” to “Master” required three, with the difficulty increasing accordingly.

It fit the “game” framework well—after all, the more specialized a skill, the harder it was to refine.

“The ‘Innate Trait’ represents a manifestation of one’s defining characteristic or wish… huh, that’s an interesting concept.” Yuuki was particularly intrigued by this aspect of the system. It was unlike anything he had seen in games before.

The description reminded him of the “life-bound artifacts” from cultivation novels. Unfortunately, it was currently locked, so he had no choice but to leave it for future study.

Suppressing his curiosity, he turned his attention to the final unknown section of the panel.

【Enhancement Points: Can be used to strengthen items, equipment, or skills】

【Specialization Points: Can be used to enhance physical attributes or Innate Traits】

【Both can be used to improve a skill or trait by one rank, or be consumed for a random skill or item】

Damn. This is… surprisingly generous and downright brutal.

Yuuki was stunned. He hadn’t expected the point allocation system in this reincarnation game to be so straightforward and overpowered. Leaving aside the randomness of drawing a skill or item, simply increasing a rank? His “Master”-level combat and swordsmanship had taken ten years of sweat and effort to attain—how was this in line with the game’s balance?

But after calming down and thinking it through, it actually made sense.

“This kind of reward must be rare. And Specialization Points seem even more valuable than Enhancement Points… So did my unconventional approach net me some kind of newbie bonus?”

The monster he had faced wasn’t actually that strong. Any experienced player in this game would be able to take it down. But it was important to remember—this was the “tutorial.”

Most normal people wouldn’t even consider gathering intelligence or analyzing details in that scenario. Just seeing the creature would be enough to make them piss themselves. Those with slightly better composure might choose to flee or charge in blindly, but none of them would try to figure out a way to defeat it—let alone actually have a way to do so.

“Unless someone got dragged into the game while carrying a rocket launcher, conventional firearms wouldn’t stand a chance. And even if someone had extreme mental fortitude and sharp observation skills, they still wouldn’t grasp what the word ‘game’ truly means—not at this stage.”

Anyone thrown into this eerie castle would be focused purely on survival. No one would be thinking about game mechanics or strategies. Only someone like Yuuki—who had spent his life preparing for exams and constantly honing his skills—would take an unconventional approach. Only someone like him would immediately recognize the universal principles behind things like “Infinity” or “Reincarnation Games.”

“So this is the biggest perk of my transmigration? Hmm… If I hadn’t trained rigorously for ten years in advance, my past weak and nerdy body wouldn’t have been capable of taking advantage of it anyway.”

Yuuki chuckled. His foresight and abilities had allowed him to claim this “newbie package.” But as he thought about it more, something felt off.

Why did this all feel… scripted?

“Forget it. No point overthinking now. I’ll hold onto my enhancement points for now and see what my teammates are like first.”

Shaking his head, he looked toward the door, where a faint red glow leaked through the gap. Taking a deep breath, he slowly pushed it open.

Creak—

The door groaned loudly, and Yuuki stepped forward, instinctively furrowing his brows.

The monotonous, endless corridor was gone. In its place was a grand hall—both luxurious and antique in design. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its dim yet elegant glow casting enough light to reveal the room’s inhabitants and furnishings.

A thick, blood-red carpet stretched across the floor. Various swords and weapons were mounted on the walls. In the center of the hall stood a huge round table, with sofas and chairs scattered around. Directly opposite the entrance was a floor-to-ceiling window. Beyond it lay pitch-black darkness, making the source of the earlier red glow a mystery.

His gaze swept over the scene, filtering out the decorative suits of armor. Nine figures stood—or sat—scattered throughout the hall. None of them spoke. Only the rhythmic ticking of a clock broke the silence.

Two people stood atop the table, their presence naturally drawing attention in the eerie stillness. But Yuuki’s gaze only lingered on them briefly before shifting toward the window.

The night breeze rustled the sheer white curtains, revealing a faint silhouette behind them. Yuuki’s eyes locked onto the figure, his attention completely drawn in.

The reason was simple—she stood out far too much.

Tall, with waist-length black hair. A bunny girl outfit that was both undeniably seductive and utterly out of place. Her delicate, beautiful face was tense, as if struggling to process the situation. The very definition of “pitiful yet alluring.”

She quickly noticed his gaze and, as if on instinct, shot him a sharp glare—her expression defensive. Then she yanked the curtain around herself like a makeshift cloak.

But Yuuki, despite his clear lack of etiquette, didn’t look away.

It wasn’t because of some temptation brought on by her flustered reaction.

It was because he knew her.

Or rather—just ten minutes ago, he had been planning to go to Kanagawa to find her.

A flood of questions surged into his mind. His lips parted slightly, as a ridiculous thought crossed his mind—

Reincarnation game player does not dream of bunny girl senpai?!