The first detection device that rang was located in the middle of a base in the Misty Forest at the northeastern edge.
Since the detector kept ringing, there were two possible scenarios.
The first was that someone was searching my dummy base without knowing anything.
The second was that they intentionally triggered the detector, waiting for me to come and planning to ambush me.
If I had to guess, the first scenario was more likely.
Gray City was fundamentally a minor game, with a significantly higher ratio of male users within its narrow player pool.
Considering that all the players on our server were female, the probability clearly tilted in favor of the first option.
“Hm.”
No need to overthink it.
I am the reaper of Gray City.
Even if they were waiting for me to arrive, intending to counterattack, what could they do?
A reaper only harvests the lives of such people.
“Let’s go, Bukefalos.”
I entered the command and summoned my faithful steed, Bukefalos, which could pierce through the very winds.
After regaining the saddle I had temporarily stowed away for hunting Senior Namikawa, I climbed on.
[Hee-hee!]
With a powerful neigh, Bukefalos started charging forward.
-So why is Mei-chan so serious all alone?
-(Self-proclaimed) reaper of Gray City.
-But it looks like she’ll just slip up and fall.
I wouldn’t be swayed by such malicious chatroom sarcasm.
Wait for me, intruder.
The scythe of the reaper is en route to pierce your neck.
“I-I must show the difference in skill…”
-Middle school syndrome, huh Mei-chan?
…So loud.
I moved forward quietly.
Before I knew it, the center of the Misty Forest, where my dummy base was located, came into view.
The detector was still ringing.
This meant that if someone was hiding to ambush me, it would actually be to my advantage.
Of course, I knew the structure of my dummy base thoroughly.
My greatest concern had been whether I would unknowingly draw them away from my base as I approached the center of the forest, nullifying my advantage.
“Hou.”
I quietly took out my sniper rifle and zoomed in.
Just as I had expected, the opponent was searching my dummy base cluelessly.
And her name was.
[Ayaka]
My fellow student, Ayaka Utsumi.
“I’m glad it’s not Natsune-senpai…”
I could kill her without hesitation.
-??
-Mei-chan is a psychopath?
-In the end, seniors come before fellow students.
-Is this really what second-year bonds are like?
“After all, th-this game is about surviving…”
In a brutal competition devoid of blood or tears, one cannot afford to hesitate, or they will never survive.
Therefore, if survival requires turning into a demon, then so be it….
[Hello, Izumi….]
Phwoosh!
“…Huh?”
With an unpleasant sound of flesh splitting, my character collapsed to the ground, bleeding.
-??? What’s going on?
-Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
The chatroom fell into confusion over the sudden situation.
Some were laughing, some were trying to comprehend, and others were panicking.
The fundamental reason for their bewilderment was that I had suddenly collapsed after cautiously approaching.
But my reason for panic was different from theirs.
In Gray City, if you have a weak heart, you will absolutely not survive.
I knew that, so I was not surprised that my character had collapsed.
What shocked me was that, despite being thorough in my surroundings, I had felt nothing until I fell.
“Th-this can’t be happening…”
I controlled my character, crawling on the ground, and slowly turned to look behind me.
Standing there was.
[Nekoto]
It was Aki.
“Aki….”
[I didn’t expect you to have built this many dummy bases already… I’m really surprised.]
With a nonchalant voice, Aki dropped an item in front of me.
It was the detectors I had secretly hidden in every dummy base.
Despite the detectors never having gone off until now, she collected them all.
Which meant….
“W-wait, did you use a signal jammer…?”
[Correct….]
My detectors were still at a low tech level, making them easily neutralized by just one signal jammer.
In other words, Aki had searched through all my dummy bases using a signal jammer.
“How did you…?”
Until now, I had only run into Senior Namikawa.
It had been a coincidence, so my strategy shouldn’t have been revealed at all.
There shouldn’t have been any information about me, so how did Aki predict my playstyle and wait here?
[I wasn’t specifically waiting for you, Izumi.]
“…Huh?”
[I just thought one person might use such a strategy. So, I first made a signal jammer. And then you happened to walk into my trap….]
“W-wait, you’ve played Gray City too…?”
[Yes. I played it right when it was released. I’ve tried multiplayer, watched videos often.]
“Cough….”
[By the way, did you kill Tsubaki earlier? I thought you would know that line. Only those with the courage to get shot by a gun can shoot a gun….]
“That means only those prepared to be shot can shoot back….”
[Exactly. Well then, goodbye….]
With a bang! sound of firing, Aki shot a bullet that pierced my character’s head.
And the message [You Died] appeared on my screen.
It was a complete defeat for me.
-Reaper (who killed themselves)
-A reaper defeated by a cat?
-Reaper is weak, ha-ha!
And the chatroom filled with Izutomo’s mockery.
My determination to entertain with overwhelming skill collapsed from the very start.
But.
“Th-this is war, Aki!”
Having been provoked until the end, I couldn’t let it end like this.
What filled my head was that fervor.
★
[【Gray City】Let’s find a good spot… #AkiNekoto#StarsFlow#GrayCity]
Nekoto, who shot a bullet into Izumi’s head without hesitation, quietly stretched.
“Glad I didn’t throw it away…”
-Precognitive skill.
-Did you predict all this?
“Well, I thought someone would probably come up like this….”
The equipment Nekoto used was an optical camouflage cloak that reduced presence while walking and turned invisible when activated.
While it was heavy enough to significantly reduce walking speed just by owning it and wasn’t highly preferred due to its clear countermeasures, it could demonstrate what a one-hit kill truly means when ambushing an unsuspecting opponent.
“First, I’ll drop this….”
Deciding she no longer needed the item, Nekoto unhesitatingly discarded the optical cloak.
“Nothing much here to pick up…”
Izumi had chosen to survive by killing other players from the beginning, so she had hardly any items except for weapons.
Knowing this, Nekoto didn’t expect much, but it was still a bit disappointing.
“I guess it’s time to head back to the base and prepare.”
-What kind of preparation?
“Of course, for war….”
Izumi, who aimed to hunt players from the very beginning, wouldn’t just take this lying down.
Surely, she would exert all her power to pressure me.
Nekoto wasn’t so foolish as to just sit back and relax, knowing that.
-NekoIz wars!
-Starting off in chaos, ha-ha!
In fact, there was a method to cooperate with Izumi, but Nekoto’s instincts told her.
This would definitely be more fun.
And, as if to affirm her instincts, the chatroom patrons were cheering her on.
★
[【Gray City】I descend as a reaper #KainohIzumi#StarsFlow#GrayCity]
-What does war specifically involve?
“…Well, not sure.”
Honestly, I didn’t have any plans.
I was just determined to break Aki from the front.
But thinking carefully.
It’s a bit hard to say that I’m close to Aki, despite her being a fellow student, right?
If I had to say, Aki would be the one with whom I’ve conversed the least among my fellow students.
Yet here I am, declaring war unilaterally and fighting her.
From Aki’s point of view, it probably feels like an overly clingy coworker who isn’t even close pursuing her….
Aki had the justification of seeking revenge for Senior Namikawa, so it was okay for her.
More importantly, in Gray City, you can respawn infinitely even when you die, so the concept of “war” doesn’t hold much meaning, right?
Really, there’s no need for a war, is there?
The biggest difference between humans and beasts is reason.
It’s much more beneficial to think rationally than to act on an uncontrollable moment of emotion.
That’s true even in the current situation.
The thought of “you killed me, so I’ll kill you” is too one-dimensional.
Given the distance between Aki and me, and the game’s system….
“Y-you know, I suppose war is off the table…”
This definitely seemed like the most rational judgment.
It’s not that I’m too scared to run because I think I’ll lose to Aki….
-Then what’s your plan for the future?
“Uh, well… My strategies have already been figured out, and everything I prepared has been taken, so…”
My prepared dummy base strategy was, frankly put, a style of play meant for easy victories.
I invested all early materials in weapons and detectors, making the remaining materials into flashy-looking bases to attract people and then kill them to proceed in the game.
Even if they learned about it, if supplies were procured through player kills by the time the information got out, it couldn’t be stopped.
But now, my strategy was already revealed, I was killed by Aki, and my development has been blocked.
…Though one could argue that enacting a build predicated on killing others in a survival game is strange, that’s just how Gray City is.
In any case, my existing strategy is now greatly diminished in its likelihood of success if I were to attempt it again, and the returns were reduced.
“I guess I’ll just play it normally from now on…”
-That’s boring.
-Are you prepared to turn the world against you?
“Of course not….”
Ignoring the clamoring chats of the Izutomo, I gathered materials diligently.
My goal is to secure a home!
I will create a large, beautiful house.
“Yeah. A-anyway, it was nonsensical to kill others in a survival game whose purpose is to survive….”
-???
Bang!
“…Huh?”
And then, I died once again.
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