Chapter 1: Youthful Everyday, But a Reincarnation Game
In the upscale Ginza district of Tokyo, inside a high-end apartment, a girl with delicate features and long, light-brown hair sat on her bed. Dressed in neat pajamas with a hint of morning laziness, Yuuki Asuna was currently frowning at the glowing screen of her phone.
[Congratulations, Yuuki Asuna. You have been selected as a "Player."] [The Novice Instance begins in five minutes. Please prepare yourself.]
"An instance? Is this... some kind of trashy mobile game ad?"
An eye-shaped icon—unsettlingly realistic—had appeared out of nowhere. It was 4:55 AM. Five minutes ago, Asuna had been jolted from a deep sleep by a notification that refused to be dismissed. She had tried to delete the app, but the icon simply flickered and reappeared instantly.
"Is it a virus?" she murmured. The crimson text on the screen looked like drying blood. A cold knot of dread formed in her chest.
Rationality told her that supernatural phenomena didn't exist. This was likely a sophisticated hack. But what if it wasn't? Trusting her instincts, Asuna moved. She changed into durable clothes and sprinted to the living room, grabbing a sharp fruit knife from the table. As she gripped the handle, the countdown hit the final sixty seconds.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Her hand trembled. As the timer hit zero, the screen bled red.
["Player" Yuuki Asuna, entering Instance now.]
A thick, dark-red mist erupted, swallowing her sight. Asuna bit her lip, stifling a scream as the mist coalesced into floating text.
[Location: ??? Sanatorium] [Time Limit: 60 Minutes] [Objective: Escape the Sanatorium within the time limit.] [Hint: A closed door makes the room a Safe Zone. No "Caregiver" may enter.]
The mist vanished. Asuna blinked, finding herself standing against a stained, yellowing wall. The air smelled of damp moss and old chemicals.
"This is..."
"Actually looks like the Main God Space," a male voice interrupted, sounding remarkably relaxed. "Things just got interesting."
Asuna spun around, raising her knife. She wasn't alone.
A tall figure stood across the room. He wore a heavy black trench coat, dark cargo pants, and sneakers. His face was entirely obscured by a black mask and tactical sunglasses. Most bizarrely, his silhouette was bulky and jagged, as if he'd stuffed his clothes with makeshift armor.
And in his hands?
"An electric drill... and a chainsaw?" Asuna stammered.
The masked man—Kanzaki Ren—turned toward her, his voice brimming with a calm, witty confidence. "Yeah. Nice to meet you. The name's 'Fangshi Yangming'—at least for today. You a Player too?"
"I..." Asuna hesitated, stepping back. "Can I choose not to answer that?"
"High vigilance. Good," Ren replied with a nod. He didn't move toward her, which was the only reason she hadn't bolted.
Asuna looked at her fruit knife, then at the heavy-duty power tools at Ren's feet. A massive sense of disparity washed over her. Where does someone even find a chainsaw at five in the morning?
Ren ignored her bewildered stare and checked his status.
[Player: Kanzaki Ren] [Physical Fitness: Outstanding (Professional Athlete)] [Rank: Rookie]
"Instead of standing there in a daze, why not search the room?" Ren said, glancing toward the window. "We need clues if we want to clear this."
Asuna bristled slightly but focused. "Fangshi-san, how can you be so sure this is a psychiatric ward?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ren pointed to the window. It was tiny—barely thirty centimeters across—and reinforced with thumb-thick steel bars.
He walked over to the hospital bed, running a hand over the iron railings. "These aren't safety rails to keep patients from rolling out of bed. They're fixed. See the wear and tear at the head and foot? Those are friction marks from someone struggling against shackles. There's dried blood on the sheets, too. This is a high-security room for 'aggressive' patients. Either that, or a sadist's dungeon. Given the 'Sanatorium' prompt, I'm betting on the former."
Asuna was stunned. Most people would be in shock, but this guy had skipped straight to analysis. "Is... is that padding under your coat?"
"Magazines and books," Ren said matter-of-factly. "Poor man's armor. Basic prep for a death game."
Asuna felt a headache forming. Ten minutes. In ten minutes, this man had armored himself, raided a tool shed, and mentally prepared for a survival scenario.
"Don't worry about me," Ren said. "Think about the objective. We have sixty minutes. No penalty for failure was listed, which usually means the penalty is just... dying. We can't fit through the window, so the door is the only way. But what are 'Caregivers'?"
As she spoke, Asuna's eyes drifted to the small observation window in the door.
Her blood turned to ice.
Pressed against the glass was a face—mangled, pale, and streaked with gore. Bloodshot eyes were locked onto hers, unblinking and full of hunger.
Asuna's pupils dilated. She lunged to cover her own mouth, her entire body shaking, but she didn't scream.
Ren watched her reaction, impressed. As expected of Yuuki Asuna. Elite education really does pay off—most people would have shattered by now. He turned slowly toward the door, his hand tightening on the grip of the electric drill. His eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses, sharpened.
"Well," Ren whispered, his tone shifting from casual to the cold, blunt edge of the 'Demon King.' "I guess the doctor is in for a very rough shift."