Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 26, Section 26: New Game Refresh

"Brother, brother, I've found out."

During the meal, Dongshan lowered his voice and kept looking around, even though he was at home, as if afraid that someone would hear them talking.

Higashiyama Shin casually replied, "Oh, what did you find out?"

"What happened at school! Inoue Yuka, the leader of the Seven Clan, is dead, and I heard that a total of seven or eight people have died! The police included detectives from the First Investigative Division, so this could very well be a murder—no, a massacre! Our school is harboring a serial killer who takes pleasure in killing, and the authorities and the school are using us as bait, completely disregarding our safety."

Dongshan Du's expression was exaggerated, with his hands outstretched.

"Wow." Higashiyama Shin complied.

Dongshan, heartbroken, concluded: "...They still went to class after all this, it's absolutely insane."

Sure enough, after all that talk, it all comes down to getting a holiday.

They weren't concerned about whether so many people had really died.

To put it more broadly, we just want to make the holiday system more reasonable.

"So, bro, let's ask for leave tomorrow! That's a serial killer, a super-ruthless and deranged murderer! I heard that Inoue's little 'kidney' was chopped into seven pieces, a full seven pieces!"

“That makes sense. I’ll buy you a pair of iron underwear.”

"Eh?!"

Dongshan stared wide-eyed, utterly incredulous.

"Remember to wash the dishes, and don't stay out too late." After finishing his meal, Dongshan Shen put down his chopsticks and prepared to go back to his room to read a book, waiting for eight o'clock to arrive.

Dongshan, having failed to obtain leave, sighed, "Oh well~"

When Higashiyama Shin returned to his room, the computer screen was on, displaying Tom and Jerry. Ueda Yoshi was huddled in a chair, watching intently, his mouth occasionally agape or letting out a snicker.

He showed this to Ueda so he wouldn't be bored.

It looks like it's working very well.

Ueda and Muto are both spirit beings, but their strengths are worlds apart.

Without the Soul-Gathering Umbrella, Ueda dared not even expose himself to much sunlight, fearing he would be reduced to ashes. The worst that could affect him in reality was that it might make someone shiver when it passed through a human body, or affect some subtle electrical currents, such as causing lights to flicker.

Muto was not only able to create widespread illusions and block out internal sounds, but he could also manipulate students to make them die as if they had committed suicide.

This may be because Muto's soul merged with the incomplete array of the old school building, causing a mutation that transformed him from an ordinary earthbound spirit into an array spirit.

"Brother, brother, this world is so wonderful now." After spending more than a day with Higashiyama Shin, Ueda Yoshi was no longer so reserved and dared to speak up.

"Yes, it's a good era, but don't jump to conclusions so easily. It's never too late to observe and learn more." Higashiyama Shin remained noncommittal. It's not surprising that someone who came from an era where people couldn't even get enough to eat would have such feelings when they came to a modern world full of abundant resources and dazzling sights.

Ueda Hiroshi nodded as if he understood, but his attention was quickly drawn to Tom the cat sawing a tree with his crotch, and he chuckled.

Dongshan picked up a book, leaned against the headboard, and started reading.

Time passed little by little.

It's eight o'clock.

He closed the book and opened the system interface that only he could see.

[New games updated monthly]

[New player benefits have expired: trophy rewards no longer increase player level; player stamina is depleted upon character death or reaching the official ending.]

[New Game This Month (Small): Subway]

[Difficulty: Medium] [Number of additional support players: 3]

[Points cap: 500]

The game store now allows purchases of mini-shop items, micro-shop items, and mini-games.

[Would you like to spend 30 points to refresh? Refreshing is not possible after playing.]

Higashiyama Shin didn't rush to start the game. This time, the refresh not only showed the game, but also a lot of other information.

The game is called Subway, and the story takes place in a subway.

Since this game is labeled as "small," was the "Switch" game he played before, which wasn't labeled as such, also a "small" game?
If so, he would have a rough estimate.

If "Soul Swap" is a mini-game, it means that "Subway" is a larger-scale mini-game. It will most likely need to use the player invitation function because after a perfect completion of "Soul Swap", he only has two days of spare time. If there is more content, it will be difficult for him to achieve a perfect completion.

Not to mention that this time we can no longer afford to make endless mistakes, as each attempt will drain our energy.

Points are a minor issue; as seen in the game "Soul Swap," only those who obtain the Platinum Trophy can unlock the most generous rewards.

If he had almost failed to achieve platinum status, given his relatively easygoing nature, he would probably have been heartbroken to the point of being unable to breathe.

Of course, a large game size does not necessarily mean more playtime; Shin Higashiyama was simply making a prediction in advance based on the literal meaning of the words.

The free game refresh feature is rather useless; it only has a name and no game description. However, you can decide whether to refresh based on the difficulty level.

If you encounter a Hell difficulty level, you can try to get through it as appropriate.

And, quite importantly, the game store is open, where you can buy games. This means that if he completes the game quickly, he will have time to play other games and get more rewards even faster.

After processing the information, Higashiyama Shinsuke opened the game store.

[Current store type: Small store]

Most items and abilities redeemed in the game store can be used in both the game and real life.

[Substitute Red Paper Doll: 10 points - negates one instance of normal physical damage]

[Substitute Yellow Paper Doll: 10 points - offsets one instance of regular spirit damage]

[Health Pill: 20 points - Strengthens the body, enhances immunity, and cures a few diseases (ineffective with repeated use)]

[Short Life Pill: 30 points - Extends lifespan by ten years, but does not grant immunity to injuries or illnesses (Player-only)]

[Seven-Star Longevity Pill: 30 points - Extends lifespan by twenty years, but does not provide immunity to injuries and illnesses (multiple uses are ineffective)]

[Reconstruction Pill: 30 points - Heals all diseases and injuries except those involving damage to the soul or near-death experiences.]

[Random Knowledge: 50 points – Who knows what it will be, but it definitely won't be up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B]

There were quite a few items inside, including defensive, healing, and knowledge items, but offensive items were relatively scarce. Moreover, they were cheaper than he had expected; the pill that could extend one's life by twenty years only cost thirty points. Although each person could only use it once, it was clearly not a bad deal. Wasn't there also a player-exclusive short-lived pill?

Suppressing the urge to immediately switch to another game, he looked at the available games for purchase.

[Escape from the Other Shore (Mini) - 50 Points] (Unlocks only this unique reward)

【Heart of Patience (Small) - 250 Points】(Unlocks a unique reward)

【Peach Blossom Village (Special) - 2000 Points】(No rewards for this special game)
Currently, only three games can be purchased, and it seems that the purchased games do not have the same rewards as free games, such as a set of trophies. There is only one reward for completing the game. It is as if the paid games are treated worse than the free games?
Or perhaps the unique reward is quite special, even more generous than a set of rewards?
Why is there no reward for that special game that requires 2,000 points, and what makes it special?

Since there weren't enough clues, he temporarily gave up the pursuit. He left the game store without buying anything, looked at the game icon for "Subway," and clicked to start the game.

(End of this chapter)