NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 33 - Can't judge a book by its cover
The crimson moonlight cast a glow on his face, and the world outside was eerily silent.
Like a cautious groundhog, Yuuki carefully poked his head out—and was met with a bizarre sight.
The collapsed building had crumbled into a heap of rubble in the middle of the road. A downed helicopter, engulfed in flames, acted as a makeshift torch, illuminating the area. But aside from that—
Nothing?
Yuuki couldn’t see a single enemy.
The explosion earlier hadn’t wiped everyone out. There had still been helicopters circling in the sky, and a few assault troops had slipped into Building B. Yet now, not a single living thing stirred.
It was eerie, as if everything he had just witnessed was a scene from a movie.
But unlike the others beside him, Yuuki wasn’t particularly shocked.
He had considered several possibilities before the red moon rose. And this—enemies disappearing into thin air—was one of them.
“Daytime and nighttime enemies aren’t of the same type. Even if the fundamental concept of ‘ghouls’ remains unchanged, the differences between these two periods are vast.”
“Simply put, under the crimson moon, things feel more like a fantasy world, while daytime leans toward technology?”
Yuuki opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
This game was truly chaotic. Even the mechanics were a mess, making it impossible to predict things with common sense.
“Looks like Hint Five needs to be interpreted situationally. Phew, if we can’t kill these ghouls, things are gonna be rough.”
Li Dan exhaled deeply and glanced at the bewildered group.
“You’ll get used to it. Even within a single dungeon, the rules can change drastically. Like in one of my earlier runs—odd-numbered days required puzzle-solving, while even-numbered days were all-out combat. If it weren’t for a newbie figuring it out…”
He abruptly cut himself off, but Yuuki already understood what he meant.
If no one had uncovered the pattern, the players would’ve been wiped out by the sudden shift in mechanics.
“Sounds like that guy was pretty sharp. Too bad I didn’t meet him.”
Yuuki said it offhandedly, but he immediately noticed a subtle shift in Li Dan’s expression.
It was… unease? Like he was reluctant to bring up that person at all.
“Every dungeon is different. There’s no point using past experiences as reference. Focus on the present.”
Li Dan’s voice was flat, brushing the topic aside.
Yuuki didn’t press further. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully.
“Going by what you said, we’re still in trouble. The red moon sets at 8 AM tomorrow. Even if we survive tonight… what about tomorrow?”
His voice trembled slightly, and it wasn’t entirely an act.
Based on their earlier deductions, one full cycle of the moon lasted an entire in-game day. That meant even if they made it through this night, they still had to endure a whole daytime cycle—and then a final, grueling twelve-hour night.
“You’re talking about progression?”
Li Dan turned his head sharply, his expression twitching involuntarily.
They had no idea what the second night would bring, but even just now, they had faced helicopters and SWAT teams. The harbor area offered little room to hide.
“Exactly. Tomorrow’s daytime will likely force us into a direct confrontation. There’s no way we can stay hidden for twelve whole hours. When that time comes…”
When that time came, it wouldn’t just be SWAT teams anymore.
With how much destruction they had caused, by the time the sun rose, they’d probably be facing mechanized enforcers, then drones, and finally—what? Mechas?
The night breeze was cold. Yuuki’s imagination sent chills through everyone.
Forget the new players—even Li Dan himself couldn’t see a way to survive.
“Brother Li, this doesn’t make sense!”
The rich guy decked out in luxury brands suddenly shouted.
Seeing everyone turn toward him, his face flushed red.
“Even with you leading us, we’re screwed! Is this shitty game just screwing with us? Or does it only see us as cannon fodder?”
His panic resonated with the others.
They had all overlooked one thing—the difficulty was ridiculously high.
Even with Yuuki repeatedly pulling off last-minute saves, it was overwhelming.
First, they had been swarmed by countless ghouls in the castle. Then, after barely escaping, they had been hunted down for an entire day. And now, before they could even catch their breath, the second night had begun.
Li Dan’s face darkened. He had noticed this issue long ago but had no answer for it.
“The death rate in Reincarnation Game is high, sure. But players aren’t just disposable cannon fodder. I was a newbie once too—if everyone died, how would there be veteran players?”
“Because there’s no set difficulty level?” Yuuki asked.
“There is. Once you figure out the rules, dungeons become much easier. I’ve even cleared one without fighting at all. But difficulty is dynamic—it changes based on various factors, like player ratings.”
Li Dan’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, his eyes shifting uneasily.
[No… the measures I took shouldn’t have caused this. There has to be another reason.]
[I admit my status might have some influence, but it shouldn’t be enough to break the difficulty scale. Unless… there’s another factor at play?]
At the same time, Yuuki was also puzzled.
He had played flawlessly in the past 24 hours. On top of that, with Sakurajima Mai and Hayasaka Ai, he had gained five enhacement points and two items.
[I also just want to coast through this! Even if extra achievements improve my rating, and being a transmigrator feels like cheating, it’s not like I’m using hacks. I don’t deserve to die for this, right?]
Just then, Li Dan’s gaze landed on Yuuki.
Half-smiling, he mused, “Maybe you’re just too much of a genius. The game doesn’t want things to be too easy for us, so it’s cranking up the difficulty.”
Yuuki spread his hands in mock helplessness.
“What else can I do, wait for death? Figuring out the patterns is our job as players, isn’t it?”
But inwardly, he wondered if there was some truth to that statement.
The biggest difference between him and ordinary new players wasn’t intelligence, physical ability, or mental resilience—it was his perspective on problems, much like that rookie guide whose head had been blown open.
Unlike others who either panicked and fled or barely held their ground, he actively probed for weaknesses and opportunities.
[And then there’s my identity issue. Judging by its traits, the Reincarnation Game is clearly aware of the existence of transmigrators.]
[Besides, the game only truly begins after the beginner tutorial ends—so does that mean I might receive an extra hint or two?]
“Yuuki, you seem like you’ve got something to say. Don’t hold back now—every detail could mean the difference between life and death.”
A slow, measured voice cut through the night.
Yuuki looked up, feigning confusion.
He waved his hands hastily. “Nothing, really. I just can’t figure it out, and I have no idea where things went wrong.”
He wasn’t stupid.
If this really was about him, the whole group would turn on him instantly.
Under Li Dan’s increasingly sharp gaze, Yuuki suddenly smacked his thigh.
“Wait—could it be Thomas? He’s been acting weird all this time. Maybe he’s hiding some kind of god-like artifact, and that’s why the difficulty shot up! That bastard dragged us all down with him!”
His voice grew more animated, even pulling in Hayasaka Ai, who eagerly chimed in.
“Yeah! He’s always sneaking off alone—definitely hiding something shady!”
“Cough, uh… Thomas isn’t that smart, though. He’s just a brute.” Robert cut in hesitantly.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover—those were your words, weren’t they, Brother Li? And weren’t you the first to call this suspicious? Why are you suddenly defending him? Don’t tell me you two have some kind of deal?!” Yuuki shot a sharp glance at the rich guy, making him break out in a cold sweat as he stammered incoherently.
“Enough. Don’t make baseless accusations without evidence,” Li Dan raised a hand, putting an end to the argument. He rubbed his temples with a weary sigh. “The difficulty of this dungeon is high enough as it is. If anything, we need to stick together. Don’t panic—this is just a possibility. This dungeon resets every other day, so there’s no need to lose our heads. Let’s focus on tracking the enemy and gathering more information.”
His voice carried a commanding presence, cutting through the tension and snapping everyone back to reality.
After all, this whole debate had stemmed from Yuuki’s conjecture—there was no telling what the truth really was.
This was the second night. Now they could start comparing patterns. The priority was gathering intel.
“My bad, my bad. Maybe I was just overthinking things and got everyone worked up for nothing,” Yuuki scratched his head in apology, wearing a guilty expression. But as he spoke, his gaze flicked toward Hayasaka Ai.
She smirked, playfully scolding him for being too sharp, even suggesting they play a punishment game as a joke—earning an amused chuckle from Li Dan.
Newbies always swung between extremes. One moment, they were drowning in despair; the next, they were bouncing back with overconfidence.
But what no one seemed to notice was the way Hayasaka Ai’s eyes suddenly turned cold.
Without a word, she gave the faintest of nods.