Death Game 2.0
Reinhard entered a large club. The center was a dance floor. Lavish music surrounded him.
A man in a tuxedo, carrying a tray, whispered, "Lord Seth, you should change clothes. You stand out too much."
The club was full of civilians. Reinhard was noticeable, especially with his blade.
Even other Serpent's Hand members thought he was out of place.
"No."
Reinhard went to a room.
He didn't want his true form seen.
Reaching the room, he pushed aside a wardrobe to reveal a tunnel.
He entered, and the wardrobe slid back.
At the end was a room; his office and current residence.
Reaching the room, Reinhard removed his mask and robe, leaving the Demon Blade on the table.
The phone rang.
Reinhard answered. A piercing male voice spoke.
"The Demon Blade was contained?"
"Yes."
"As expected of you, Seth. Take a break. There are no more targets."
"Okay."
Reinhard hung up. The call was from Cain.
The memetic replica was what he had provided.
Memetic replicas were a way to copy and spread memetic objects.
The memetic concept was almost identical to mental contamination.
Memetics could be beneficial or harmful.
009 would sometimes create papers with meaningless words that had memetic effects.
These could be copied.
Sometimes memetics weren't limited to paper. Sound could also spread memetics.
007 Siren's ability could be considered memetic contamination, spread by sound.
Those were for later.
Reinhard opened the safe and grabbed gold. "Let's see if the game space is back."
He focused, and the gold vanished, and he vanished.
[Welcome to Death Game 2.0]
[Latest Announcement]
[All information besides points has expired. The new rules are below. Please review.]
Reinhard opened his eyes. He was on a large platform.
He inherited the Enko account and points.
He also inherited Enko's ID, Avee.
Reinhard had forgotten why Enko used that name. Perhaps he felt indebted to the officer.
That didn't matter.
Reinhard had finally entered the game space!
People appeared around him.
They felt a stinging in their palms, assuming the game was back.
And it was.
But…
The selection portal was gone.
There was nothing.
People looked up, seeing a countdown.
"No self-selection?"
"What did they change in 2.0?"
There was still a half-hour left. The newcomers didn't leave, waiting quietly.
The number of people increased.
After a half-hour, the number had swelled to over seven hundred.
As the countdown ended, Reinhard swallowed.
"Here it comes."
Snap!
Familiar darkness. Everyone fell into darkness.
A counter increased, stopping at 762.
Seven were ejected.
Their names turned red.
Reinhard's was among them.
His name was followed by a serial number.
[SNB—011: Celestial Beast ]
An image flashed. Darkness vanished.
Reinhard felt disoriented.
He was in a metal space, like a holding cell. One wall was one-way glass.
He looked at his hands and saw red claws.
[ Your mission: Kill all humans ]
Huh?
"Is that how this game is played?"
Something was off.
Then, an alarm blared!
"Warning, Event 04 in progress! All research personnel, evacuate!"
"Repeat: All research personnel, evacuate!"
"All security personnel, secure the evacuation of research personnel! Reinforcements are on their way!"
Red lights flashed, and an alarm blared.
Event 04?
Containment breach?
Reinhard remembered what Zero had told him. Event 04 usually meant two things:
Either an Object had entered the facility, or it had escaped. Both were containment breaches.
Then, the announcement cut off.
A voice came through a speaker.
"Everyone, I think I know the rules of the game."
"One side plays monsters; the other, humans. The monsters must kill the humans. The humans must recontain or kill the monsters."
"We're the monsters."
"I'm the 020 computer. I don't have a body, but I can see the facility and control the electronics."
"I'll open the doors."
Reinhard's door opened!
He stepped out. There were rows of containment chambers.
Across from him, a robed old man exited a cell.
He was wrinkly and bald.
He saw Reinhard and screamed, falling!
"Ah!"
Seeing the old man's fear, Reinhard touched his face.
That was it...
"I became a dog."
...
"My name is Yang Jian. I was eating dumplings when I appeared here. There's an emergency."
"Event 04, containment breach."
"The announcement said to evacuate research personnel, but I don't look like one."
"I'm a D-level employee."
"I don't know what that means, but I'm wearing prison clothes."
"Okay. Why don't I have any powers?"
Yang Jian clenched his fist, but his powers were gone.
People in yellow suits looked at each other, unsure what to do.
"Anyway, let's go for a walk?"
One suggested a walk, but as he stepped out the door, a centaur-like creature, holding a hammer, was waiting!
Before anyone reacted, the centaur swung the hammer, cleaving them in two!
Slash! Slash!
"Playing the monster is great! We're the hunters now!"
Yang Jian ran through another door!
Damn!
Yang Jian sprinted down the hallway and encountered another group.
They were armed guards.
This must be the security team mentioned in the announcement.
Yang Jian took a deep breath, but one aimed his weapon!
"If it isn't Yang Jian! Long time no see. What are you doing in D-Class?"
Yang Jian stammered, "I'm a human!"
The guard grinned. "Are you? The mission states we can kill unruly D-Class personnel!"
Another guard shoved his weapon down.
"What are you doing? He's a white name, not an unruly D-Class! Killing him is punishable!"
"Tch."
The guard lowered his weapon and looked at a man in a white coat.
"Let's escort the research personnel out. D-Class are on their own."
Guards, researchers, D-Class, Objects.
The first two were "good," the D-Class were… neutral.
D-Class could attack guards to steal weapons or kill researchers to steal keycards and release monsters.
They were kill-on-sight.
Yang Jian realized his situation was bad.
The monsters would hunt him, and the good guys would ignore him.
He had no powers or weapons!
How was he supposed to play this game?
Yang Jian didn't know the layout; others seemed to have maps, but he didn't.
He wandered, stumbling into a low-security containment zone.
It housed numerous non-human Objects.
He saw a candy box.
Another D-Class spotted it.
The D-Class grabbed some candy, and his body disintegrated into blood!
Yang Jian ran.
Don't eat anything!
"There were over 700 people. Where are they?"
It was strange.
Including the guards and D-Class he'd seen, there were fewer than fifty people.
Where was everyone?
As he wondered, he saw orange eyes behind him!
Fish-Man?
Before he could react, the Fish-Man slapped his ears and pressed its forehead against his, chanting!
Yang Jian's skin turned dark green. His spine twisted!
"Fish-Man transformation?!"
[ You have become 002—1 ]
The Fish-Man grinned. "Transforming at will… Am I invincible now?"
Yang Jian stood. "So I'm on the monster side now?"
The Fish-Man slapped his shoulder. "That's right. I'm the matriarch. Follow me; we'll have some fun!"
A red figure burst from a hallway!
Blood and limbs sprayed everywhere. It was a werewolf-like creature.
It had an arm in its mouth, a gun in its hand.
A distant Fish-Man tossed a gun and a radio.
"Here. Listen to the computer's instructions."
Yang Jian grabbed the radio. A synthesized voice spoke.
"The Fish-Men and Celestial Beast are heading to Zone C. They'll encounter a guard squad and about six D-Class. Try to convert all the D-Class."
"The Centaur's in a basement. A guard squad, several D-Class, and three researchers are approaching. Contain them."
"021, stay put. There are two D-Class hidden in the cabinet next to your left hand."
Yang Jian was stunned. Monster-side intel?
What were the humans doing?!
Then, the computer spoke.
"Wait… Something's changed."
"Human assistance?"
...
The facility was enormous, underground.
Aboveground, numerous armed helicopters landed, and heavily armed soldiers emerged!
Their gear and weapons were superior to the guards', marked with a common symbol.
Kitsune special forces.
A commander led the way. "Everyone's here. Let's begin containment! Crush those monsters!"
"Let's go!"
"I'm armed; I fear nothing! Bring it on!"
They entered the facility, reaching a large elevator.
Groups boarded the elevator. As they arrived downstairs, a figure attacked at light speed, killing dozens before vanishing!
"Damn!"
"Twenty people lost instantly! What's happening up there?!"
"The Centaur!"
"What is that?"
"The Centaur. They're blocking the doors!"
"Playing dirty?"
"Don't go down!"
The commander ordered. Then, the elevator started moving.
"Who pressed the button?"
"No one's supposed to be here?"
"Wait… everyone's armed!"
The elevator doors opened, revealing a man wielding a massive, fleshy sword.
He stared at them. "Damn, so many people?!"
"Fire!"
They opened fire, riddling the man with bullets!
[021 Swordsmith successfully contained]
The monster side lost one.
The monsters raged.
"What the hell? Someone's handing over kills!"
"We're losing! We have an inside man!"
"It wasn't one of us; how would he get to the surface?"
"He just handed himself over, huh?"
The Centaur raged, and the computer's voice echoed.
"Easy, everyone. It's our first time with this new system. It's understandable. Let's not panic."
"021 Swordsmith's abilities were useless; he's dead. But you and the dog can't die."
"There are probably hundreds of them. Centaur, retreat. We'll stabilize things."
"Okay."
"Dog, head to the other elevator. About sixty people are coming up."
...
Reinhard moved quickly, finding the location the computer indicated.
But he saw no one.
"The people just passed you, Dog. Why didn't you attack?"
Beside him?
Reinhard stopped, turning to find people pointing guns at him!
He charged, but they vanished?
Why?
"Dog, they're stationary!"
Reinhard aimed and attacked!
Splash!
Blood sprayed; Reinhard had bitten off a head!
A human grabbed a radio. "There's a dog in the facility. It can't see stationary…"
Visible!
The human appeared in Reinhard's sight!
Before he finished, Reinhard tore him apart!
The others fired. Reinhard, with tough skin, killed them while deflecting bullets!
He also discovered something about Celestial Beast.
If someone remained still, Reinhard couldn't see them!
Strange.
Perhaps the monster could only see moving or noisy targets.
...
The computer's viewpoint swept across the monitors.
Their monster roles seemed random.
Seven in total: 020 (the computer), 011 (Beast, wingless version), 012 (Master of Flesh), 017 (Balance), 002 (Fish-Man, second evolved), 021 (Swordsmith), and 018 (The Centaur).
The Centaur and the Dog were undoubtedly top-tier.
The Fish-Man, though weak against firearms, could create offspring; smart use might yield unexpected results.
The Master of Flesh could create swarms, but his basic troops were cannon fodder. He needed to acquire human weapons.
"Next is me. The computer is a support role. My only direct attack is through electrical switches."
"The others are problematic. Balance and Swordsmith are useless and easily killed."
The computer also discovered some extreme human victory strategies.
Though unusable now, if he played as a human later, he could use them.
First, he found a nuclear warhead in the control center on the second floor. It could destroy the monsters by detonating beneath the facility. But, finding three required items was necessary to activate it.
Another was disabling the computer itself.
The computer's main body was also in a containment cell. Cutting its power would contain it.
"If the monsters are limited to these seven, the monster strategy should focus on preventing the humans from cutting power and activating the warhead."
"But if there are more monsters, it's hard to say."
The computer was right; there were more than seven monsters.
They were randomly selected from a pool.
Including 001 (The Imitator, a bizarre shapeshifter), 003 (The Hollow, only invisibility), 004 (the original Queen Bee), and others. No 4th Steps.
But, regarding monster reproduction, there were at most two of each in a single game.
The monster victory condition was the same as the human: kill all humans.
If a game exceeded two hours, a third faction would join.
All previously dead players would return as Chaos Insurgency.
They were the third faction, opposing both Kitsune and the monsters.
They could get rewards for killing Kitsune members.
For example, if Chaos Insurgency is in the match, and all the monsters were contained.
If both Chaos Insurgency and Kitsune survived, a final battle would ensue.
Unlike the even reward distribution for Kitsune and the monsters, Chaos Insurgency rewards were individual-based.
Kills or contained monsters provided individual rewards.
Since it was the first game, many players were unclear about the rules.
The first game was chaotic.
The monsters, despite computer guidance, made mistakes.
The underground facility had three levels.
The deepest level held the initial monsters and items, like the Candy box.
Only D-Class personnel and researchers could access these items initially.
Guards appeared on the second floor. The nuclear warhead's activation key was there, requiring three items.
Researchers and D-Class personnel escaping the facility would join the next wave of Kitsune.
They'd receive higher ranks and better weaponry.
This was established, but the rules weren't fully understood.
The human strategy focused on using firearms to suppress the monsters.
Some ignored orders. One ran into the second floor.
He encountered an old man.
The man was dragged into an eight-way space.
He entered a random door. Spikes erupted, impaling him!
"Found a weakness. Nice."
Another stumbled into the third floor's main entrance.
Stepping forward, an electric shock hit him!
020 shook its head, observing the man killed by the electric switch.
"Verbal orders have communication issues."
...
The game continued, seemingly unaffected by the events inside the facility.
Nightmare left the bar and contacted someone.
"He refused. I don't know why, but he suddenly became resolute."
"Okay."
Nightmare hung up and left.
Soon, the White Walker exited the bar.
He held a potion—different from the last. This was a vial, not a capsule.
He injected the vial. An intense cold washed over him.
His body trembled. The injection site froze.
Frost covered him, then his eyebrows and hair.
Pain.
His body felt frozen, every inch of skin numb and necrotic!
But the pain was brief. His senses dulled.
Unlike the previous potion's agonizing transformation, he felt no evolutionary changes.
Instead… a desire to die!
Had Lord Aurora deceived him?
No, impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Crack.
The White Walker froze, then… nothing.
He didn't understand why until his frozen body was thrown into darkness by an unseen hand
...
Had Mei deceived him?
Probably.
The potion was supposed to help him evolve, but Mei had subtly altered it.
Why? It had to do with Mei's new experiment involving Dreamland.
She chose three subjects.
Three scenarios.
First: A 4th Step life level, but other attributes (spiritual power and abilities) not at 4th Step.
Second: 4th Step abilities, but life level and spiritual power not at 4th Step.
Third: 4th Step spiritual power, but an otherwise ordinary human.
The first two were conducted first.
The White Walker was scenario two. The potion would grant him near-4th Step abilities.
But his life level and spiritual power would remain below 4th Step.
Normally, a 4th Step would be sent to the Reason World.
But what if the subject only had 4th Step abilities?
If he wasn't drawn to the Reason World, could he use his 4th Step power?
This was the White Walker's experiment. If the results were positive, he would become the strongest in the Reason World.
This didn't violate Zero's wish. The White Walker wasn't a 4th Step, but he could perform 4th Step actions.
Naturally, containing 009 would also be possible.
However, there was another possibility.
The White Walker was fundamentally a 3rd Step being, existing in this world. His abilities weren't 3rd Step; therefore, he was invisible.
The results wouldn't be clear without foreseeing the future.
Mei was busy.
Besides fixing the game space, stabilizing rules, and selecting new candidates, another Dreamland experiment was underway.
It involved subjects with 4th Step essence but below 4th Step abilities and spiritual power.
Mei had already chosen a candidate.
The most obvious examples of 4th Steps lacking 4th Step power were the marine-based ones.
The marine-based 4th Steps were the weakest.
Chino's 4th Step form was the weakest, with no comparison.
After evolving, his power only reached high-3rd Step levels.
This wasn't a personal flaw; that was the limitation of his evolutionary path. He had many abilities, but none outstanding.
Chino's ability to fight 4th Steps was due to two factors.
External objects and tactical application.
He exploited these advantages, carefully managing each battle, understanding that victory wasn't solely about brute force.
Despite this, the marine-based 4th Steps were inherently weak.
Mei chose a marine-based subject.
And the subject? Chino's former lover.
She underwent the same two-stage evolution as Chino.
Mei gave her two potions.
The original potions Mei gave Chino: The Deep One potion and the gigantification potion.
The first transformed her into a Fish-Man, and the second caused massive growth.
She became the fourth Great Old One: Hydra.
Following the same evolutionary path as Chino, with similar abilities.
Mei's objective was achieved.
A being with 4th Step essence but only 3rd Step power had been created.
Compared to Chino before his evolution.
Chino, as a marine-based being, was roughly equivalent between mid and high-4th Step even after evolving.
So, what were the experimental results?
The result: Hydra was sent to the Reason World.
Even with high-3rd Step abilities, being in the Reason World didn't affect the real world.
Mei recorded the results.
Number 028: Hydra.
Then, she moved on.
As there were weakest evolutionary paths, there were also the strongest.
The strongest was Mei's own.
It transcended the rules.
Incomplete Death was a 4th Step being that controlled fatelines and could reverse life and death.
Mei believed this wasn't solely due to the potion but also her will.
To confirm this, she planned to reboot 006.
Mei had changed her serial number to 000.
Though not yet achieved, she felt it was imminent.
The answer was within reach; she was close to the 7th Step.
She'd taken the Time essence from 079 and absorbed the Great Serpent's splited object, yet it wasn't enough.
No matter how many attributes she accumulated, she remained one step away.
Mei refined the White Walker, adjusting the potion's effects like kneading dough—adding more liquid, more ingredients.
The result? The potion's effects were excessive, causing his body to rewind in time.
If the effects were suboptimal, he'd receive another dose.
The White Walker, unknowingly, underwent nearly a hundred refined potion adjustments.
But it wasn't enough.
Mei estimated needing at least 30,000 attempts to find a stable point.
Stability wasn't the goal; it was the first step. The key was to make this stable point exhibit anomalous expansion.
In simpler terms: How to make a level 10 being inflict level 50 damage.
From an equal footing, it was impossible.
A non-flying creature couldn't fly without evolving flight.
But Zero had achieved something similar.
He wasn't an option for Mei's experiment.
Of Mei's three experiments, the White Walker's was the most challenging.
Unlike Hydra's experiment (descending from a higher level), this was ascending.
4th Step beings were roughly equal, but below 4th Step, power varied widely.
The challenge was granting the White Walker 4th Step abilities without him actually becoming a 4th Step.
It was like giving him $100 to buy $10,000 worth of goods.
Celestial Beast was another suitable candidate.
Mei scanned all sub-4th Step monsters. Only Celestial Beast and White Walker could potentially meet this precondition.
Why did Mei choose White Walker over Celestial Beast?
Because White Walker's ability—temporal stasis—had promising potential.
If this ability could be enhanced to 4th Step level, perhaps even becoming an absolute ability, while remaining a 3rd Step being, it was possible.
But the experiments were unsuccessful.
Repeated attempts failed to achieve the desired results.
Either the ability's enhancement caused physical changes, making the White Walker a 4th Step being.
Or neither his ability nor his body reached 4th Step.
Or his body evolved in unexpected ways.
After repeated failures, Mei changed tactics, using a drop of her own blood as a reagent.
The White Walker instantly became a 5th Step being.
His abilities moved toward Mei's goal but surpassed expectations…
Mei began diluting the blood, creating potions that placed the blood's power at a vague level between 3rd and 4th Step.
After numerous experiments, Mei obtained two potions.
One was for the third scenario: an ordinary human with 4th Step spiritual power.
Similar to the White Walker experiment, they were developed together.
"Experiment 27561, Frost King + Godblood series."
"Approximation to goal: 99.84%."
"Success."
Mei set down the vial, turning to another.
"The Godblood series should be similar."
"Let's add it to the game space."
The new rules accelerated point acquisition.
If the human side won with a single survivor, completing two games would yield 50,000 points.
Or, if Chaos Insurgency won with a single survivor, killing all humans and monsters, two games would yield 50,000 points.
Monsters were rewarded per kill.
Even if the humans were annihilated, and a single monster claimed all the rewards, it would take at least five games.
Monster rewards were fewer.
This was assuming only one survivor.
Human victory wouldn't involve only one survivor.
Dead players received no rewards. What would this lead to?
A small group would obtain potions first, while most would receive them much later.
Once that group left, the next would receive potions.
If no new players joined, the remaining hundreds would receive potions at the end.
This was the inevitable outcome.
Of the 865 Death Game participants, excluding the 43 already dead and the 86 destined to die, the rest would become creations.
Perhaps that was the game's purpose.
It wasn't about creating powerful beings; it was about creating monsters. Resilient monsters.
But resilience didn't matter to Mei. These monsters weren't just experimental subjects.
They were narrative tools, pawns in a larger game.
The impending enemy and their minions would face Mei's own forces.
The main players would fight each other; the minions would fight the minions.
If the enemy sent minions, and you fought them yourself, it would be undignified.
But if your minions defeated the enemy leader, that would be different.
...
The first game ended quickly, with a Monster victory.
The Fish-Man, Swordsmith, Balance, and Master of Flesh were contained.
Only Beast, The Centaur, and the computer survived.
The computer sighed during the reward calculation. "They almost activated the warhead. Luckily, The Centaur didn't get lost in the final wave."
The Centaur replied, "Getting lost… wasn't entirely my fault."
"The Centaur has a weird perspective, you know?"
"How weird? If I accelerate too quickly, I lose my bearings. Coupled with the narrow spaces and obstacles, I couldn't find my way."
"The Dog's similar. I couldn't see people several times."
"I found a Dog hidden ability: When people talk or make noise."
"I can see a clear outline through walls—like clairvoyance."
"But if the target is stationary, they vanish."
"So, the Dog is good for chases. When targets flee, I can automatically lock onto them."
The dead monsters were confused.
"What are you complaining about? You have tons of health! We're fragile; one hit and we're done for!"
"Did you consider yourselves?"
"Swordsmith went straight to the ground. Wasn't he acting?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to see!"