69novels Page 164
Page 164
Asagiri held the frozen Coca-Cola and chuckled.
"I originally thought that the death of Shinomiya Hikari would become a major news event that would shake social order and affect the private Shuchiin Academy and us who are in it. However, it seems that Ashikaga Miwa's abilities are indeed very strong. Under her control, Shuchiin is still holding classes normally, and the students are unaware that Shinomiya Hikari, as the chairman of the board, has encountered an accident. Cooperating with her is indeed the most correct choice."
Kotoko Iwanaga put down her porcelain cup and said casually.
"Although nothing seems to have changed on the surface, there are a total of 27 people who have never appeared before in Shuchiin recently. They are neither teachers nor students. Moreover, I sent the yokai to test them out. They all seem to have the ability to 'observe' strange things. They must be 'players' who were specially hired to protect the students of Shuchiin."
Upon hearing this, Kato Megumi couldn't help but speak softly.
"It seems that 'games' don't actually have as much of a disruptive impact on the existing social order as we imagined..."
"It's normal."
Hearing Kato Megumi's question, Asagiri smiled and explained.
"On the one hand, the overall strength of players at this stage is not strong, far from being able to do whatever they want in the real world. Most players do not have the means to defend against firearms. Even I, if I encounter weapons such as heavy sniper rifles and grenade launchers, may still be injured."
"On the other hand, any player who is mentally sound and possesses basic rationality should understand that committing crimes in the real world does them no good at all. If there are easier and simpler ways to gain benefits, why not do them? If you are wanted in the real world, you will not be able to get enough rest. Even if you don't die in the real world, you will die in the dungeon due to physical and mental exhaustion."
"The most important point is that the game's mechanism of obtaining the right to register new players by acquiring the mobile phones of deceased players means that as long as a player exposes their true identity in the real world, they will attract countless enemies. No one dares to take such a risk, so the social order will not be drastically changed in the short term."
At this point, Asagiri paused slightly, then continued in a calm tone.
"Of course, there will definitely be a small number of players who are mentally unstable or too war-crazed, who will not be able to resist doing some stupid things in the real world. But the stronger they are, the more people will want to take away the items and equipment they have, so in the end they will still die."
After saying that, Asagiri opened the app with the eye icon, set the date for entering the instance to tomorrow, and then began to actively register.
As usual, several keywords representing the theme of the instance gradually appeared on the screen.
[Subway] [Corridor] [Hotel]
Upon seeing the notification message appear on Asagiri's phone, Asuna Yuuki, sitting next to him, frowned slightly and murmured.
"Subway, corridor, hotel... These three keywords don't give any clue as to what type of instance they correspond to. We only know the general environment of the instance... And the hotel, could it be the hotel instance we visited before?"
"Let's choose a hotel."
After thinking for a moment, Kotoko Iwanaga directly expressed her opinion to Asagiri.
"After all, you and Asuna both have highly mobile fighting styles. Our team doesn't have a main tank who can always stay at the front, so a hotel environment is more advantageous for us than a narrow subway or a long corridor."
9
Chapter 09 The Hotel.
"A hotel..."
Asagiri glanced at Kato Megumi sitting opposite her, and then at Yuuki Asuna beside her.
Do you two agree?
"Hmm, the hotel is better."
After Yuuki Asuna expressed her agreement, Kato Megumi nodded in response, speaking in an extremely calm and gentle tone.
“I agree. After all, I’m an archer, and I’m not very skilled at archery yet. If it’s a narrow place, I might accidentally hit you.”
Asagiri chuckled and waved her hand, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"It's okay, even if you accidentally shoot me, I'll shoot back later."
"Although I don't understand what you mean, but..."
Kato Megumi glanced calmly at Yuuki Asuna, whose pretty face was flushed, and Iwanaga Kotoko, who looked eager and seemed to be saying "Shoot me, shoot me," and sighed softly.
"Judging from their expressions, you were just... telling a dirty joke, weren't you?"
Asagiri shrugged and smiled.
"So, please try not to hurt me by accident..."
Just as they were talking, Kato Megumi casually uttered a surprising statement.
"Should I consider deliberately hurting you to give Asagiri-kun an excuse to do something lewd to me?"
Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki looked shocked, and even Kotoko Iwanaga, who was always fond of making surprising remarks, raised her hand to cover her lips, her dark purple eyes revealing surprise, and couldn't help but exclaim.
"Hui... so you're a carnivore too... I really underestimated you before."
"Since everyone has agreed, then it's decided to go with 'hotel'."
After confirming his registration for the instance corresponding to the keyword "hotel", Asagiri took out his "Cursed Rope Dart", shook it while pulling the metal chain, and said with a smile.
"It's only a little past eight o'clock now. Even if we enter the dungeon at midnight, we'll still have at least three hours. Why don't we..."
Kotoko Iwanaga excitedly answered, her dark purple eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Start a game?"
"I don't care."
Asagiri replied with that first, then stood up and walked to Kotoko Iwanaga's side, reaching out to stroke her short, light blonde curly hair, and said with a smile.
"But given your physical condition, if you really start a game, you probably won't even be able to get out of bed and walk for a short period of time, right? For the sake of safety in the dungeon, you should just bear with it for a bit."
"Oh, okay then."
Kotoko Iwanaga first sighed slightly, then clenched her fair fist and shook it, her face showing determination, and said resolutely.
"After clearing this dungeon, I'm definitely going to go all out!"
"Both of you, why are your abstract symptoms getting worse and worse..."
Yuuki Asuna first made this helpless remark, then looked worried and said...
"I wonder if Ashikaga-sensei will be able to clear his first dungeon smoothly..."
During this time, Asuna Yuuki and Megumi Kato often trained with Miwa Ashikaga. They both had feelings for this female teacher who seemed very serious and rigid, but who occasionally showed them gentleness and care. It was understandable that they would worry about each other's safety.
"Don't worry about her."
Asagiri walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, glanced at the night view outside, then turned around and slowly spoke under the lights of Shibuya.
"Have you ever thought that because of the existence of 'games,' many highly profitable industries will emerge in the real world? For example, the game system does not provide players with a channel to trade with each other. Equipment like Asuna's Exorcist Longsword is dispensable to us at this stage, but it has extremely high value to most players. We simply do not have a channel to sell or exchange it."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Kotoko Iwanaga looked thoughtful and said...
"You mean, since there is demand, a corresponding industry will inevitably emerge, and Ashikaga-sensei wants to take this opportunity to develop his influence in the real world?"
Asagiri nodded slightly: "That's right, and it's not just about trading channels for equipment and items, but also about introductions for cooperation between players and big shots in the real world, the phones of dead players, intelligence, team formation between players, and everything else. It's not even officially formed yet."
Yuuki Asuna thought about it seriously for a moment before hesitatingly speaking.
"But as these industries you just mentioned take shape, won't the social order be impacted?"
"Don't worry about that."
Asagiri waved her hand and said in a calm tone.
"The number of players seems large, but what percentage of all humanity do they represent? One in a thousand? One in ten thousand? Not to mention that not all dead players' phones are taken by other players. Even if they are, they might just take the items or equipment the other player possesses. So, compared to the entire world, the percentage of players is very low, and it will become even lower as the game progresses. This isn't something like a spiritual revival; it's just that a small group of people have gained special powers."
"Judging from the information at this stage, 'players' are actually similar to arena fighters. They possess immense power that is difficult for ordinary people to match, but they are not powerful enough to do whatever they want in the real world. Therefore, the future development trend should be similar to that of arena fighters. Big figures from all walks of life will use the competition between their own players and the players of their rivals to demonstrate their power and resolve their disputes without causing widespread impact."
"However, Ashikaga Miwa is not an ordinary entrepreneur. She is different from people like Shinomiya Hikari. She is not afraid to enter the dungeon herself, and even looks forward to it. After all, she is also a person who seeks exciting battles. If she gains powerful strength in the dungeon, it will be easier for her to build her own player force later. This is Ashikaga Miwa's ambition."
At this point, Asagiri paused slightly, then smiled and continued.
"So, don't be fooled by her usual aloof and rigid appearance. In reality, Ashikaga Miwa is no ordinary middle-aged woman. Otherwise, she wouldn't have such power and status."
Kotoko Iwanaga cupped her fair cheek in one hand, her dark purple eyes fixed on Asagiri's face, and smiled.
"You've discussed those ideas with Ashikaga-sensei, haven't you? The strongest player at this stage is cooperating with powerful and courageous samurai nobles in the real world, and they can completely trust each other... You've considered not only the strength as a 'player,' but also the development in the real world."
"I didn't really care about these things before."
Asagiri leaned against the window, looking at the three women sitting there: Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi, and spoke softly.
"But now, I have someone I must protect."
As they watched the radiant light outside the window illuminate Asagiri's figure and the smile on his handsome face, Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato all felt their hearts skip a beat for a moment.
really……
This guy is practically a succubus.
……
Later that day, at the very moment the clock struck twelve.
[Player Utsunomiya Asagiri, now entering the instance]
The location for this instance is: ? ? ? Hotel.
The time limit for this instance is 72 hours.
The objective for this "player" mission is: "Survive."
[Public Notice: Please do not act alone, and do not stay alone in any hotel room. When the carpet in the hallway gradually turns red, please immediately enter your room, close the door, hang the security chain, and remain quiet.]
[Special Note: With your current mental strength, you might be able to peek through the peephole, but please be careful what you see.]
After the thick red mist in front of them dissipated, Asagiri and the others found themselves in a room that resembled a hotel room.
"Um……"
After entering the instance, Asagiri began to observe the surrounding environment with ease. The layout of the room was that of a luxury hotel room. After entering the room, there was a living room, and there was a sliding wooden door separating the living room from the bedroom. Although the room was not large and there was only one double bed in the bedroom, a hotel with a living room even in a double bed room was undoubtedly a high-end type.
Next, he walked to the door and looked out through the peephole. Through the peephole, he could see that the corridor outside was covered with a patterned pure wool carpet. The carpet was only pale yellow and white, with no red at all.
Having confirmed this, Asagiri turned around and looked at Yuuki Asuna and the others, and spoke softly.
“The carpet hasn’t turned red, so it shouldn’t be a ‘dangerous time’ now. We can talk and communicate.”
"That's good."
Yuuki Asuna nodded first, then looked at the familiar room layout in front of her, exchanged a glance with Iwanaga Kotoko beside her, and had already made up her mind.
"This is the hotel we've been to before."
During the investigation in that instance, both Kotoko Iwanaga and Asuna Yuuki entered the hotel room and knew what the layout of the hotel's king-size bed room was like.
"As usual, let me share some special tips first."
"okay."
Kotoko Iwanaga's special hint is the same as Asagiri's. Asuna Yuuki's special hint is, "Please do not get too close to 'them' for too long." Megumi Kato's special hint is, "Carefully examine the carpet in the corridor; you might discover something strange."
"There's a duplicate notification this time..."
After listening to everyone's special instructions, Kotoko Iwanaga pondered deeply in her mind and murmured to herself.
"The dungeon takes 72 hours, which is longer than previous dungeons. Why? Why is it set to take 72 hours to complete? Is it because the game has reached the third phase? Why not set a goal for players to complete, like in the Giant Mountain Asylum? Time is an unusual factor worth noting."
10
Chapter 10: The Bizarre Beginning.
"Hmm, let's write this down first."
Asagiri nodded slightly, and then spoke.
"Based on the special hints Necro and I received, we can preliminarily conclude that the act of 'observing the corridor as the carpet gradually turns red through the peephole of the door' may be dangerous. Only those with sufficient mental strength can withstand it, and it may be a mental attack or something similar."
"The carpet gradually turns red, and the Phantom's clue is to observe the carpet..."
Kotoko Iwanaga sat on the sidelines, her cane resting horizontally on her lap, a thoughtful expression on her face as she muttered to herself, trying to organize her thoughts.
"Is the carpet the key to this instance...? Turning red indicates danger, but... Phantom's observation skills aren't the best among the four of us, nor is her mental strength the strongest, and she doesn't have any detection abilities like mine that can sense strange auras. Why did she get this special hint? That's strange."
Based on the team's past experience in tackling dungeons, the content of public tips will vary slightly depending on certain special factors of the player, while special tips are different and are basically tailor-made for the player.
For example, Asuna Yuuki is a melee-type class, so the special prompt she receives is: "Please do not have close contact with 'them' for too long." Regardless of what "them" actually is, this special prompt is completely in line with the system's consistent logic.
Given that, why would Kato Megumi, whose observational skills aren't the sharpest in the team and who doesn't possess any detection abilities, receive such a special notification? This is very unusual.
"After all, it's the third phase of the dungeon, so it might be different from previous dungeons. We should be more cautious."
Asuna Yuuki said this first, then looked worried and said softly.
"Moreover, this instance requires us to stay for a full 72 hours, 72 hours... that is, a full three days. We must find a way to solve the problem of food and drinking water."
"indeed."