69novels Page 168
Page 168
"Of course, there is another way, which is to find the source of the strangeness. The moment I see it, I won't need any code. It's like selecting it directly with the mouse while the console is open. But we haven't found its source yet."
At this point, Asagiri raised her hand, pointed to her head, and said calmly.
"So, I don't have a concrete concept of the strange origin of this hotel, so naturally I can't use that ability to directly erase the concept of its existence, understand?"
Yuuki Asuna nodded subconsciously at first, but then honestly shook her head.
"Actually... I didn't understand."
Kotoko Iwanaga patted her on the shoulder and said casually.
"Ugh, it's just the power of idealism, you don't understand that? You're so stupid~"
"I'm not stupid, it's just that the two of you have such strange ways of thinking."
After the discussion ended, Asagiri made a decision.
"Let's head to the bottom three floors while the danger period has just ended. I think all the players who entered the instance this time have the same idea: let's see how many players are in the instance before deciding on the next step."
After saying this, Asagiri looked at Mr. Ichikawa, who was standing at the door of room 7011, and smiled.
"Then Mr. Ichikawa, you and your teammates don't need to come with us. After all, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. You can pretend you don't know us and share the information we've gathered when you come back next time."
"Okay, okay, no problem."
Mr. Ichikawa nodded repeatedly in agreement. After all, as a corporate manager in his thirties, he deeply understood the principle that there was a limit to how much one should try to curry favor. If he insisted on following along shamelessly, it would only annoy the other party. Besides…
He and his two teammates were terrified of the player in black and his squad.
After all, knowing that the difference in strength is too great and that the other party can kill you easily, unless it is a relationship of absolute trust, a normal person will feel subconscious fear. This is the instinct of a living being to avoid danger and survive.
……
As they entered the fire escape from the seventh floor and headed down into the hotel, Asagiri and his companions encountered five player teams. There was no communication between them, nor were there any conflicts.
When they arrived at the entrance to the stairwell on the third floor, Asagiri and the others saw two male players guarding the area.
They glanced at Asagiri and behind her, Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko. Then, a glint appeared in one of their eyes, and after a few seconds, their gaze locked onto Kato Megumi, who was at the very back and had activated her exclusive talent. However, they didn't say anything, but simply turned their gaze back to Asagiri and spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
"Excuse me, are you four heading to the restaurant on the third floor?"
Asagiri nodded slightly and said calmly.
"That's right, are you going to try and stop us?"
"of course not."
The two male players made way for the stairwell door and gestured.
"Please come in."
Upon entering the third floor of the hotel and arriving at the hotel's buffet restaurant, Asagiri and the others saw that there were already more than a dozen player teams sitting inside.
The moment Asagiri and the others entered the restaurant, all eyes turned to them. After seeing their attire, the players couldn't help but show a hint of apprehension.
Asuna Yuuki, wearing white armor and a crimson cloak; Kotoko Iwanaga, wearing a long dress made of phantom clothing, leaning on a cane and wearing a masquerade mask; and Asagiri, wearing a long black trench coat and a dark gray mask.
Like the male player guarding the stairwell entrance, several other players in the squads noticed Kato Megumi, who was carrying a black longbow and had a deep purple dagger at her waist while her exclusive talent was activated. This was enough to prove that they had high mental strength or possessed some kind of reconnaissance skill.
"Hello everyone."
Facing the gazes of dozens of players, Asagiri showed no nervousness whatsoever. She even greeted them with a smile, and after sitting down at a nearby table, she shook her head with a hint of regret.
"It's a pity that we can't bring personal items into the dungeon, otherwise I would definitely take out my peerless musical instrument and show everyone my best skills."
Asuna Yuuki shook her head with a hint of helplessness and complained.
"Luckily, the system has such a rule, otherwise I think you really could do something like holding a concert in a weird dungeon, and then you might attract some strange beings."
"Heh, this is a tremendous weakening of me."
Asagiri shook her head and said in a serious tone.
"The heavenly music I play will completely move even the strangest beings!"
Asuna Yuuki rolled her eyes: "What if they don't change them?"
Asagiri spoke without hesitation, her voice full of confidence.
"Then I'll put a kazoo in its mouth and perform a physical exorcism."
Asuna Yuuki: "...As expected of you."
Hearing the conversation between Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri, the players from the dozen or so teams were all somewhat surprised.
How did they end up chatting like this?
Judging from their relaxed tone, they didn't seem to be here to clear a bizarre dungeon at all; they seemed more like they were on vacation.
Originally, more than a dozen player teams that didn't know each other gathered here, all on guard against each other, and the atmosphere was extremely tense, even oppressive. But as soon as the four members of the Morning Mist team entered Restaurant 2, the atmosphere around them seemed to change completely.
Is he pretending to be relaxed?
No, it doesn't look like it at all; it doesn't look like someone putting on a brave face or faking it.
Is it the fearlessness of ignorance, or the sense of complacency that comes with absolute strength?
Just as the dozen or so teams of players were thinking this, Asagiri suddenly raised his head, tapped the table lightly with his index finger, making a rhythmic sound, and his emotionless black eyes swept over the faces of the players present.
Most players, when targeted by him, instinctively lower their heads to avoid him or shift their gaze away. Only a handful did not avoid his gaze but chose to meet his eyes.
Among them was a team of three male players. One of them was wearing a white fitted suit and square-framed glasses. Judging from his appearance and attire, he looked very refined. However, when Asagiri met his gaze, he noticed that there was no fear in the other's deep gray eyes. He was just looking him up and down, as if he was thinking about who was stronger.
"interesting."
After making eye contact with Asagiri, the man in the white suit couldn't help but smile slightly. He then stood up, revealed a gentle smile, and clapped his hands.
"Alright, it seems no other players will arrive here anytime soon, so let's start discussing the situation of this dungeon now?"
16
Chapter 16 Rules Set by the Strong.
After saying this, the man in the white suit, seeing that no one responded to him, did not feel embarrassed and just smiled to himself.
"I believe many of you already know that there is a strange entity in this instance that has the ability to parasitize players' bodies. It is completely indistinguishable from the outside. After parasitizing, that thing can use all the original player's abilities, including taking out items and equipment from the inventory. Moreover, their vitality is extremely tenacious. Unless the parasitized player's body is completely crushed and the fleshy tentacles hidden inside detach on their own, their actions will not stop."
Upon hearing the words of the man in the white suit, some of the unsuspecting players present couldn't help but show solemn expressions.
"However, it seems that only players who are alone during the red carpet period will be affected by that thing, so everyone here should be fine."
The man in the white suit paused here, looked at Asagiri sitting there, and smiled kindly.
"So my personal suggestion is that we discuss and assign each floor to our respective teams, ensuring that each floor has at least one strong player team capable of eliminating the parasites, so that the entire floor doesn't fall to the ground. What do you all think?"
Although the man in the white suit appeared to be seeking the opinions of all the players present, it was clear from the direction of his gaze that he actually just wanted to know Asagiri's opinion. All the players present realized this and vaguely sensed that Asagiri and the others had an aura that was not that of ordinary players, so they remained silent and waited quietly for Asagiri's reply.
"We want seven floors."
When Asagiri decided on her desired floor, some players looked dissatisfied, but they didn't say much. After all, the players sitting here weren't fools. At least for now, it seemed that apart from the different room types, there was no essential difference between the floors, and there was no need to make enemies over such a trivial matter.
"Seven floors... okay."
The man in the white suit nodded, and then began to solicit opinions from the other players.
Ten minutes later, each team determined the floors they wanted to be responsible for, from the fifth floor to the thirteenth floor. Some floors were guarded by two teams because the corresponding teams were not strong enough.
"The highest floor is only thirteen..."
The man in the white suit glanced at the players present and asked.
Does anyone know the exact layout of this hotel?
The room fell silent upon hearing the question posed by the man in the white suit. After all, none of the players had been here before. Many of them hadn't left their rooms after entering the instance, and after the first dangerous period when the carpet turned red, they went straight down to the third-floor buffet area without gathering any useful information.
Just then, Asagiri slowly spoke.
"This hotel has a total of 33 floors. The first floor is the lobby and security control room, the second floor is a coffee shop, the third floor is a buffet restaurant, the fourth floor is an executive meeting room for hotel guests, the fifth to twenty-second floors are guest rooms, the twenty-third floor is a fitness area with a swimming pool, the twenty-fourth floor is a banquet hall, the twenty-fifth to thirty-second floors are luxury suites, the thirty-third floor is a rooftop bar, and there is also a rooftop terrace on the thirty-third floor."
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, the man in the white suit paused for a moment before asking curiously.
"Sir, have you been here before?"
"Yes."
Asagiri nodded without any attempt to hide her feelings, glanced at the other players present, and slowly began to speak.
"Everyone here has been through numerous dungeons and has extensive experience. I believe you all understand, without me needing to elaborate, that we cannot waste our energy and time fighting. Our enemies are the parasitized players. If we can eliminate the parasitized players as much as possible without causing too many casualties among normal players, we won't be at a numerical disadvantage. Mutual suspicion and distrust are inevitable, but it's best to cooperate as much as possible, or at least share the information we obtain..."
At this point, Asagiri paused slightly, then continued in a calm tone.
"I hope we can reach a consensus now: players who deliberately conceal information when they have it, or who engage in suspicious behavior, should be directly marked as 'parasites' and then eliminated."
"Agree."
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, the man in the white suit readily agreed. The other players present, seeing that the man in the white suit who had gathered everyone for the discussion and the mysterious player in the black trench coat who looked very strong had reached a consensus, also agreed after a moment's thought.
"Alright, since everyone agrees, let's move on to the next item."
Unbeknownst to them, Asagiri had already gained control of the conversation at the players' meeting, and no player objected. After all, everyone could see that he was very strong. More importantly, he provided crucial information, letting the players present know the layout of the hotel. Logically speaking, Asagiri, who provided such important information, was the least suspected of "parasitizing" among all the players present and should rightfully have the dominant voice.
“Players on each floor need to register. After the danger period when the carpet turns red has passed and before the end of the free investigation phase, all players must come to the third floor for roll call. If a player on any floor dies or goes missing, then all players on that floor will be questioned and investigated. Does anyone object?”
Upon hearing Asagiri's proposal, one player couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Um... before the end of the free investigation? But the period before the carpet turns red is a non-dangerous time, right? We can't have to gather early and waste time when the carpet turns red and we need to go back to our rooms, can we?"
Asagiri said calmly, "Therefore, we need to stipulate the time for free investigation. After the time is over, even if there is no sign of the carpet turning red, everyone must return to their room on their floor."
Upon hearing this, the male player hesitated.
"Wouldn't that waste a lot of security time...? Is it really necessary to go this far...?"
"How stupid."
Before the male player could finish speaking, Kotoko Iwanaga interrupted him, sounding slightly impatient.
"Didn't you understand what our Leader meant? He means that during the dangerous period when the carpet turns red, even if a player is in the room and not alone, they could still die. So we need to use this method to investigate, understand?"
"what?"
Upon hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's words, many players present couldn't help but show expressions of shock and disbelief.
"How could that be? Didn't the public notice say that we should just avoid acting alone..."
"Does this public warning mean that as long as you don't act alone, you'll never encounter danger? How did you all manage to survive to this stage?"
Kotoko Iwanaga raised her cane and tapped it on the table before speaking slowly.
"The public warning means that acting alone will be dangerous, but it doesn't mean that avoiding acting alone will guarantee absolute safety. Anyone with a little common sense knows that the third phase of the dungeon could not possibly be that simple. Normal players cannot leave the room during dangerous periods, so what about the players who have been parasitized? Can you guarantee that this possibility is absolutely nonexistent?"
"This……"
"Ok, deal."
Although Asagiri's tone was very calm, her attitude was very firm.
“We have explained the reasons for making this rule, and those who are unwilling to comply will be regarded as enemies that must be eliminated by me and my teammates.”
Under the oppressive aura of Asagiri, none of the players present continued to object. A small number of players, including the man in the white suit, even looked at Asagiri with a hint of admiration.
This is the third phase of the dungeon, where even the slightest mistake could lead to total annihilation. At a time like this, there's no point in wasting time on meaningless discussions.
Powerful players set the rules, and players who don't want to be their enemies should just obediently follow them.
……
After establishing the two rules above, the man in the white suit finally gained some recognition. He distributed the drinking water, bread, and other food supplies collected by his teammates from the self-service restaurant to the managers of each floor, who then distributed them to the players on the corresponding floors.
Needless to say, the amount of supplies will not be plentiful. It is impossible for every player entering the dungeon to receive sufficient supplies. But that is precisely why it is necessary to handle the distribution of supplies in this way.
Strong player teams are less likely to be parasitized than ordinary players, so food and drinking water should be provided to them first. After all, if they are accidentally parasitized, ordinary players have no way to stop it, but if ordinary players are parasitized, they can deal with it.
Before returning to their room, the group counted the number of players on each floor. From the fifth to the thirteenth floor, there were a total of 136 players. It seemed that there were no more players on the floors above that.
The number of 136 players is in stark contrast to the five players that came to the hotel last time, when Asagiri, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Asuna Yuuki visited.
Kotoko Iwanaga also noticed this, and after returning to room 7012 and closing the door, she immediately began to think about it seriously.
"Logically, as the total number of players decreases, the number of players assigned to each instance should also decrease. This time, however, 136 players were assigned to the same instance... Is this a feature of the third phase...? This is too strange."
17
Chapter 17 Asagiri's Fishing Operation.