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

The night wind howled as the scenery blurred past on both sides.

Not that there was much to look at—Yuuki felt like a superstar charging headlong into a horde of fanatical fans, their hands raised high with uncontainable ‘enthusiasm,’ eager to pull down the three figures soaring above their heads.

Sakurajima Mai would probably love this scene. As famous as she was, even she had never been this ‘popular.’

A dark joke flashed through Yuuki’s mind, but he kept his gaze locked on the rapidly approaching red mist, thoughts racing.

This was a gamble, but not an utterly reckless one.

It stemmed from the inspiration drawn from Night of Terror, from the clues surrounding the fire extinguisher deep underground, and from his adaptation to the style of the Reincarnation Game.

Every crisis so far had been followed by a brief moment to breathe. That meant this game had phases. Just like the clue about the ‘third day’—if the only goal was to throw players into the castle and have them sit around waiting to die, there would’ve been no need for objectives. Even veteran players leagues ahead of Li Dan wouldn’t stand a chance.

Because if the first night was endless, how could there ever be a third day?

[So ‘day’ is the key to solving this. That out-of-place fire extinguisher must serve a purpose. And after checking the architectural blueprint Li Dan provided, I found that the second basement level extends beyond the castle walls—right into the depths of the red mist.]

If they grasped this crucial point, the red moon would finally set, pushing them into the next day.

Of course, much of this was still speculation. That fire extinguisher could’ve been a coincidence. But as Li Dan put it—

The worst choice in the Reincarnation Game… is to make no choice at all.

[Then let’s go—through the chaos of the fog, to seize a sliver of hope!]

With Sakurajima Mai’s ragged breathing in his ears, Yuuki dove straight into the mist. A crimson veil draped over his vision, obscuring everything.

No, not everything—he could still make out those frantically reaching hands. As they descended lower, he even felt fingernails scraping against his soles, forcing them to curl up their legs.

Ten meters. Twenty meters. Thirty meters…

Falling deeper and deeper, their folded legs barely keeping them out of reach. He almost cursed his long legs—until the red haze thickened to the point of absolute blindness.

Forget the ghouls—Yuuki couldn’t even see Sakurajima Mai anymore. If not for the sticky sensation in his grip and gravity still dragging him downward, he might’ve thought he was lost in an abyss.

He counted a single extra second—

A dazzling light pierced his wide eyes, forcing them shut.

Then—

A sharp, scraping pain shot up from his feet.

And with a solid thump, his entire face smashed into something soft.

…The texture of a bunny suit.

Black stockings really are the best.

This fleeting thought crossed Yuuki’s mind before a flood of strange sounds hit his ears.

Chatter. Laughter. The gurgle of a fountain. Oh? That clicking noise—wasn’t that a camera shutter?

His head spun. The lively sounds of a marketplace-like crowd suddenly cut off, replaced by startled gasps.

“What happened to them?”

“They’re covered in blood! That’s terrifying!”

“Call the police! Get a doctor!”

…

Not Japanese. Not Chinese.

Yet somehow, Yuuki understood every word.

Confused, he opened his eyes—

His pupils shrank, more violently than when he had faced the sea of ghouls.

This… this is…

Sakurajima Mai stood in front of him. Behind him was Hayasaka Ai. Above, Li Dan and Rich Guy were sliding down a cable. But beyond that—

The scene was like a waking dream.

The warm sun shone down.

A plaza, bustling with people. No grotesque horrors, no relentless nightmares—just a peaceful, everyday sight filled with elderly folks, children, and weekend leisure.

Except—

Everyone was staring at them.

Flashlights from smartphones flickered in waves. Some people tried to approach and help, while others whispered and pointed.

And beyond them—

A castle loomed just outside the plaza.

High walls, spires, a grand gate—identical in every way.

No dense red mist. No ghouls.

But wasn’t that the place they had just escaped from?

Who am I? Where am I?

Is this a dream… or reality?

Even with Yuuki’s mental resilience, he was stunned. Hayasaka Ai and the others? Completely lost in the overwhelming disconnect, on the verge of doubting their own existence.

That castle—it was a tourist attraction.

The people around them—just normal people.

No one would willingly feed themselves to zombies.

So then—who were the monsters from earlier?

Where did they come from?

“We made it out!”

Li Dan, having just landed, was practically glowing with excitement. Having been through similar scenarios before, he wasn’t surprised. The Reincarnation Game defied common sense entirely—best not to overthink it.

“Don’t dwell on it. This is just another dungeon. You didn’t seriously think we went home, did you?” He clapped Yuuki on the shoulder, grinning. “Nice work. So the castle was a perpetual night—staying inside was a death sentence. I knew the solution was in there somewhere. What exactly did you figure out?”

The slap jolted Yuuki back to his senses.

Yeah, no way this was a dream—his feet still hurt.

Just as Li Dan had said, trying to understand the Reincarnation Game with logic and common sense would only drive them insane.

“Me? Nothing much. Just… an interesting detail. Let me think how to put it…”

Yuuki put on a blank, shell-shocked expression as if he’d been scared speechless. Li Dan grew impatient, about to press him for answers—

But then—

“More people are coming! Call the police!”

The crowd erupted in screams and panic.

Yuuki looked up just in time to see Thomas drop down, his massive sword still coated with chunks of flesh.

He looked like a crazed killer fresh off a slaughter.

Behind him, only the housewife remained.

The office lady? Gone.

“Rachel wasn’t lucky. The ghouls piled up like a ladder and blocked the way—Thomas only had time to save Mrs. Casey.”

Li Dan let out a sigh, seeing Yuuki’s unspoken question. They had escaped. No point worrying about details now.

But still…

He’d let the OL who did him favors die… but save a frail housewife?

Her waist bore scratch marks, her clothes were torn—

A classic case of being grabbed by ghouls and forcibly pulled free.

Yuuki hesitated for a moment.

No time to think.

The crowd’s screams shifted—from fear to outright panic.

Thomas—

Eyes bloodshot—

Lunged forward.

With a single swing, he bisected a few unfortunate bystanders.

His supernatural strength unleashed a slaughter.

And in the distance—

The wail of approaching sirens sent a chill down Yuuki’s spine.

This is bad!

Yuuki suddenly realized that the crisis was far from over. They had indeed escaped from the Evernight Castle and shaken off the pursuing ghouls, but being thrown into the modern world’s order was just as dangerous.

Ghouls’ teeth were deadly, but bullets were even deadlier.

Li Dan also sensed something was wrong. They were still inside the dungeon—this wasn’t the real world at all. Who knew what kind of bizarre phenomena might occur next?

“Run! I’ll do my best to free Thomas from the chaos artifact’s influence. Keep your walkie-talkies close—we’ll regroup later!”

He made a snap decision, firing into the sky while rushing to assist Thomas.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunfire sent the panicked crowd into a frenzy, causing them to scatter in all directions. Ironically, this only made it harder for the responding police officers to push through. There was no time to hesitate—Yuuki turned around and gave both Hayasaka Ai and Sakurajima Mai a firm shove.

“Run!”

“Did Thomas turn us into rioters?!” Hayasaka Ai gasped for breath, feeling like the entire night had been one long chase.

“It’s the chaos artifact’s negative effect—he couldn’t help it. Or maybe this dungeon just won’t let us have an easy time during the day either.” Yuuki had already expected this. Reincarnation games allowed moments of respite, but never for an entire day.

Blending into the fleeing crowd, he stripped off his bloodstained, tattered jacket, though he knew it wouldn’t help much. The three of them already reeked of death.

“Don’t run too fast. Save some stamina. We’ll talk while moving.”

Yuuki quickly scanned his surroundings, ignoring the panicked people and instead locking onto key details as if he were a human scanner.

There were cars across the plaza, two motorcycles parked beside a statue, and on the south side, a stone staircase leading downward. The sign above it bore a symbol that likely indicated a subway station.

“That way!”

His instincts kicked in, and he immediately led the way while continuing to talk.

“You both heard the notification just now, right?”

The moment they left the red mist, that strange voice had echoed in their minds again.

“Yeah. Something about surviving the first day and unlocking our innate trait. I haven’t had time to check it properly.” Hayasaka Ai spoke quickly, clearly too preoccupied to analyze the details.

“Same here. But I glanced at the description while we were running—it said something about me being hard to observe or something.” Sakurajima Mai sounded puzzled.

Sure enough, she’s become Schrödinger’s bunny girl senpai.

Yuuki clenched his fists at her words, a flash of excitement crossing his eyes. This was exactly why he had gone out of his way to protect her—not just because she was calm and capable, but because he had bet on her innate trait.

He had some ‘experience’ with these things. When his status panel had first appeared, he had taken the time to study it thoroughly. He had strongly suspected that Sakurajima Mai had a high chance of awakening “Adolescence Syndrome.”

And that was extremely useful. At the very least, he knew exactly how to take advantage of this ability.

But now wasn’t the time to explain. He had his own notification to worry about—and his was even stranger, containing more than the others.

【As a new player, you have successfully led your team through the first night. Reward: 1 enhancement point.】

【Player Yuuki, your innate trait has been unlocked—】

【You have obtained the innate trait: “Regalia of the Unknown.”】