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

After a day, the players had already undergone a drastic upgrade.

The dungeon was absurdly difficult, no doubt about that, but the rewards were generous. Even just the ones out in the open were a world apart from what they had the night before.

Bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, all kinds of firearms—not only was Yuuki armed to the teeth, but even Robert was fully kitted out. And anyone who had survived until now clearly wasn’t weak. At the very least, their willpower and mental fortitude far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Robert hadn’t been lying—his marksmanship was indeed precise. Hiding in a corner, he fired his silenced rifle with two muffled ‘thwip’ sounds. A hundred meters away, a wandering ghoul’s head exploded on the spot, its body collapsing to the ground.

“Yuuki, my shooting skills are at the proficient level,” he said, turning his head with a hint of pride.

“You’ve trained with guns before?”

“Hunting, mostly. I even went to Africa once and shot lions from a helicopter.”

As expected of a young master from a wealthy family.

Yuuki let out a dry chuckle. Over the years, he had too much to prepare for and couldn’t afford to specialize in a single skill. Besides, the body he inhabited hadn’t inherited much wealth—he sometimes had to fight in underground matches just to scrape by.

Good marksmanship comes from burning through bullets, and that was a resource he couldn’t compete with.

“Keep an eye on the intersection ahead. Shoot anything that comes out.” Yuuki’s tone was practically an order as he took out his phone and opened the map. They were still several kilometers from the port district, not far from the old city.

According to Li Dan’s plan, the squad was to avoid alerting the undead as much as possible. After regrouping with Thomas in the old city, they would find a way to enter the underground sewer system.

They had done their research—the old city’s underground waterways were built in the European-style subterranean river format: wide and complex, unlike the modernized sewage tunnels of the port district, which could easily become a death trap.

So far, everything was on track. Yuuki had planned to hide in the sewers from the beginning—it was definitely better than wandering aimlessly on the surface, and delaying for a few hours wouldn’t be an issue.

As for what happened after those few hours, no one could say for sure. Yuuki tapped his fingers rhythmically against the screen, continuously refining his plan.

[According to Li Dan, completing the main dungeon mission should send us back. But sometimes it’s instant, and other times there’s a delay.]

[Should I tell him about what I discovered before leaving the castle? No, that’s my last trump card. If he learns this secret, there’s even less reason for him to take the three of us along. I can’t count on him to be grateful.]

Yuuki shook his head lightly. He refused to leave his fate in someone else’s hands. Besides, whether Li Dan was an ally or a predator was still unclear—it depended on how things unfolded next. But without an experienced player’s strength, his plan wouldn’t work either.

He couldn’t sacrifice himself for others, nor could he bring himself to use Mai or Hayasaka Ai as stepping stones.

After confirming the cycle of moonrise and moonset, he had come up with an escape plan. The risks aside, the biggest obstacle was that players always had their own hidden agendas, making execution difficult. That was why he hadn’t discussed his discovery about Li Dan with anyone.

Lifting his head, Yuuki caught sight of Robert staring at him with a strange expression. He reached out and gave the man a firm slap on the back.

“Why are you looking at me? Watch the intersection—we need to cross the railway to reach the old city.”

“Uh, I just noticed you seemed troubled.” Robert turned back, still watching through the scope as he added, “If you’ve discovered something, you should discuss it with Brother Li. We’re all in the same boat, and he’s a veteran player with a lot of experience.”

“What makes you think I’ve found something?”

“Just a hunch. You’re a sharp guy. Brother Li also said this game isn’t just about brute force—sometimes, recognizing patterns makes things way easier, like how you led us out of the castle.”

Robert’s voice was full of admiration. Then, as if suddenly remembering, he turned back again.

“Oh, right—I never asked. How did you figure out there was a way out of the castle?”

Li Dan had asked the same thing before, but back then, the situation had been too urgent for Yuuki to give a real answer.

“I gambled my life.”

“Come on, don’t joke around. Even gambling needs stakes.”

“We were cornered on the walls—what stakes? I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and went for it.” Yuuki scoffed lightly, knowing this explanation wouldn’t hold up.

After all, he had taken command back then, leading the players from the castle center to the walls. And he had explicitly stated he had a clue—he just never revealed what it was. Only Hayasaka Ai had an inkling.

Robert didn’t buy it either. He still remembered Yuuki’s confidence that day—he had clearly noticed something, something that proved there was more beyond the castle.

Recognizing the eternal night’s pattern wasn’t difficult, but pinpointing the castle’s boundary required solid evidence.

“Fine, if you don’t want to say, forget it. Just don’t regret it later.” Robert frowned, turning back to watch the intersection.

Time ticked by. Footsteps echoed from the distance, and Yuuki turned to see Li Dan approaching with Mai and Hayasaka Ai in tow.

Their journey had been anything but smooth—falling debris, sudden ghoul ambushes—so the two girls kept their distance from Li Dan. They definitely weren’t going to take the lead.

Li Dan had been having terrible luck lately—likely a side effect of one of his chaos artifacts. Though he hadn’t mentioned it, Yuuki had already guessed. Chaos artifacts didn’t discriminate between users, and their effects were impressive, but their side effects were bizarre and unpredictable.

“Get your weapons ready. We’re crossing the railway.” Yuuki patted Robert’s back before standing up.

A railway line, running almost parallel to the canal, cut through the city. There were fences on both sides—crossing them would lead to the highway, and beyond that lay the low-rise buildings of the old city.

The problem was that the railway and highway ran side by side, leaving a hundred-meter-wide open area in between. If they got spotted, the ghouls would chase them relentlessly.

“Move as fast as you can and avoid triggering a horde,” Li Dan’s voice came through the radio.

“And if we do trigger one?”

“Head for the overpass. I’ve already lent Robert my grappling gun. Use the height difference to jump down—I’ll cover you.” Li Dan’s tone left no room for argument. He added, “Mai’s innate trait is still on cooldown. They can’t run fast, and I’m stuck with a side effect. You two are our best bet.”

He sounded sincere, and it was indeed the best way to ensure everyone’s safety. It wasn’t as if they could let the two weaker girls take the risk.

Robert’s face twitched. He wanted to argue about gender equality—why did he have to be the one in danger? But Yuuki grabbed his wrist and shook his head slightly, signaling him to drop it.

“We’re fully equipped and have the best survival odds. Li’s plan makes sense.”

“I never even got any favors from those two girls!”

“You’re fighting for yourself—why overthink it?” Yuuki adjusted his six fully loaded magazines, straightened his helmet, and stepped forward.

Moving past a pile of corpses, he quietly cut a hole in the wire fence. His military boots crunched against the gravel as he slipped inside.

Under the crimson moonlight, shadows stretched long. Not far ahead, a ghoul wandered aimlessly. Yuuki raised a hand to push down Robert’s instinctively lifted rifle. Tiptoeing forward, he closed the distance.

A raspy groan.

The ghoul caught their scent, its head snapping toward them.

And then, the gleam of a blade flashed through the air.

—Slash.

With two swift slashes, the heads were neatly severed. He grabbed the front of the corpses’ shirts and, unfazed by the gushing blood, carefully placed them on the ground as if handling something valuable. The fat guy behind him watched in shock.

He had no problem attacking from a distance, but up close? Killing like that? No way. And getting sprayed with blood without flinching? Even more impossible.

“You’re not scared at all? Were you just pretending before?”

“Scared? I’m scared to death right now. But ever heard of self-deception?”

Robert hadn’t. Before he could dwell on it, Yuuki had already crossed to the other side of the tracks. He hurried after him, reaching out to catch the pliers thrown his way.

“This time, you do it. Move fast. These things have a sharp nose—they’ve definitely caught the scent of blood.”

Robert hesitated, then turned his head. Sure enough, hundreds of dark figures were slowly closing in, making him shudder.

Snap. Snap.

Thick wires were cut one by one until they finally had an opening. Robert crouched and slipped through, only to realize Yuuki hadn’t followed.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?! Hurry up and run!”

“They’re not here yet. Don’t forget our mission.” Yuuki pointed toward the tracks. Li Dan was leading two girls across, completely exposed under the moonlight, while the horde behind them was visibly picking up speed.

“Brother Li can cover, he can at least get one person out!”

Yuuki didn’t respond. That was exactly what he was worried about. If something went wrong, there was no doubt who Li Dan would abandon. Betting on him to ensure everyone’s safety? Not a chance.

[But we’re a three-way alliance. I won’t just follow his plan.]

The wails of the undead grew louder. The three on the tracks moved faster, but Li Dan, likely still under the side effects, barely took two steps before—

Bang!

Shit! They had been so careful, and yet the damned chaos artifact went off on its own?!

Yuuki felt a chill run down his spine. Now he understood just how bizarre the price of using a chaos artifact could be. Bad luck like this? Completely unavoidable.

Gunfire echoed through the night. The wailing turned to frenzied howls, followed by a stampede of footsteps.

Like a dinner bell ringing in a cafeteria, every ghoul in sight surged toward them at an alarming pace.

Li Dan had clearly been expecting this. He bolted without hesitation.

Rat-a-tat!

Yuuki raised his gun, taking precise shots to drop the nearest ghouls, then gave Robert a swift kick.

“What are you standing around for?! Get through and cover me!”

“O-okay!” Robert didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled through the opening and began firing through the fence. His aim was sharper than Yuuki’s, taking clean, controlled shots that blew out ghoul heads and slowed their advance.

Thirty bullets ran out in a flash. By then, Li Dan had also dashed through the opening, not sparing a glance behind as he rushed ahead.

Just as he squeezed through, Sakurajima Mai and Hayasaka Ai arrived. But the hole was too small, and in their panic, they collided, tumbling to the ground in a tangled mess.

By the time Li Dan looked back, Yuuki had already helped them up, murmuring reassurances.

“Don’t panic. Go one at a time.”

“Mai, you first!” Li Dan didn’t waste words. He reached out and pulled Mai through but didn’t give Ai a second to follow. Instead, he straightened immediately, speaking in rapid fire.

“Change of plans. Robert, give him the grappling gun. Death Bell’s still unusable—you lead the way!”

“Yuuki, you’re still on lure duty. Regroup at the designated spot!”

He spat out the orders and took off, dragging Mai with him. Gunfire had drawn ghouls from every direction, throwing everything into chaos.

But Robert reacted fast. Faster than usual.

He immediately tossed the grappling gun over the fence, reloaded, and started firing again while sprinting ahead to clear the path.

At this moment, the fat man moved like a war god—fast, steady, and ruthless. ghouls barely had time to close in before their heads burst apart.

In just seconds, when Yuuki turned back, the three of them had already reached the middle of the highway. Mai glanced back, but Li Dan’s grip on her wrist was firm. She had no choice but to keep running, quickly disappearing over the embankment.

No cover. No discussion. Not even a chance to protest.

Yuuki froze for a moment, then lowered his gaze—just in time to lock eyes with Hayasaka Ai, who had crawled through the hole.

Neither of them panicked. But their eyes sharpened.

That bastard Li Dan. He’s a wolf!