69novels Page 182
Page 182
The female priest player walked out of the master bedroom, looked at Asagiri sitting there, and asked cautiously.
"The treatment is complete... Can my teammates and I leave now?"
"You can leave if you want."
Upon hearing this, the female priest player and her two teammates' expressions changed instantly, and their pupils trembled slightly in shock. Fortunately, Asagiri did not say anything like "You can leave if you want, but leave your life behind" but instead smiled and said...
"Your team isn't exactly a very strong player group. Your overall strength is only below average in this dungeon. Although the system says that the following period is a safe time, no one knows what might happen. Someone might try to take advantage of this gap to kill other players and steal their phones. So staying on the same floor as us is the safest option for you. Think about it yourselves."
"Um……"
After exchanging glances, the player group with the priest made a decision.
"If possible, please let us stay on the seventh floor as well."
Asagiri nodded and smiled.
"Okay, go find a room to stay in yourself."
……
The next period of time is for relaxation and rest.
During their rest, Asagiri's team, along with the White Suit team and Mr. Ichikawa's team, explored different floors of the hotel and exchanged information.
No abnormalities were found on the floors below the 24th floor. The female player from the white-suited team had specifically checked and confirmed that the barrier she set up at the entrance of the security equipment room on the first floor was intact. She would have sensed anyone trying to break it immediately.
As for the area above the 24th floor, the two player teams followed Asagiri's decision and did not explore upwards.
Asagiri's reasoning was simple: since the area below the 24th floor was confirmed to be safe, and it was now known that the Thousand-Faced Monster was forced to retreat to the 24th floor by that "god," then if the "god" had a physical body, it could only be on a floor above the 24th floor.
Although the system says that the following period is a safe time, it also specifically states that "if players trigger certain conditions, the safe time may end early," so there is no need to deliberately court death.
In this quiet yet tense atmosphere, time slowly passed until the system gave a new notification, signifying that the next phase of the dungeon was about to begin.
37
Chapter 37 I am the strongest.
[One hour remains until the 36-hour raid ends. New public notifications will be issued now.]
[New Phase Announcement: Changes in the "Environment" will have a crucial impact on the outcome of the "Battle"]
After waiting for more than ten seconds, Kotoko Iwanaga finally turned off her phone screen, looked up at Asagiri, Asuna Yuuki, and Megumi Kato in front of her.
"It seems that even we advanced players will not be able to get any new special hints in the second phase of this dungeon."
"Is that right?"
Asagiri did not respond directly, but stood up and walked to the door, opening the door to room 7012. Sure enough, she saw that Mr. Ichikawa in room 7011 across the way had also opened his door, as had the priest player team and the white-suited man team next door.
What was the message you received?
The man in the white suit was the first to answer.
The specific notification we received is: "[New Phase Public Notice: Changes in the 'Environment' will have a critical impact on the outcome of the 'Campaign']".
"Eh? Is that so?"
Mr. Ichikawa was taken aback upon hearing this and hesitated.
"Our team received a different special notification. The system notification said, 'In this phase, all surviving 'players' will stand on the same side.'"
"Um... the hints our team members received are different from yours..."
The female priest player spoke cautiously and softly.
The message we received was that "avoidance and cowardice will not work."
"That's it..."
Asagiri nodded noncommittally and exchanged a glance with the man in the white suit standing not far away. Both of them had a guess in their hearts. After meeting in the buffet restaurant on the third floor and consulting with all the surviving players about the clues they had received, their guess was confirmed.
Two teams received the message: "New phase public hint: Changes in the 'environment' will have a critical impact on the outcome of the 'campaign'." These teams were the strategy team led by Asagiri and the player team led by the man in the white suit.
Mr. Ichikawa and the other two teams that had not participated in the boss battle received the following hint: "In this phase, all surviving 'players' will stand on the same side."
The remaining player teams, including those who were terrified by the eerie power of the Thousand-Faced Statue during the previous battle on the 24th floor, received the message that "escape and cowardice will not work."
The prompts received by the team represent the "system's" positioning and judgment of the team.
The Asagiri and White Suit player teams were the strongest, and the players in these teams never experienced a mental breakdown. Therefore, they were assigned the most important role, similar to "commanders," to lead the other players.
Although Mr. Ichikawa and his two squads weren't that strong, they were still quite capable, and their mental state was temporarily normal. Therefore, the system assigned them the role of "assistant to the commander." In order to make them willing to obey the orders of the two "commander" squads, the system specifically gave them the prompt: "At this stage, players will stand on the same front against the external enemy."
As for the remaining player squads...
To put it bluntly, the strong teams among them have been completely terrified by the Thousand-Faced Monster, while the remaining player teams lack sufficient strength. Therefore, according to the system's assessment, they can only play the role of "cannon fodder" in the upcoming "battle." The message the system gave them was also very simple.
Trying to run? Trying to hide?
It's pointless, it won't change anything, and if you stay cowardly, you'll only face death. If you muster your courage and fight alongside the "commander," there might still be a glimmer of hope.
This wasn't information that was difficult to analyze; with a little thought, one could understand the system's meaning. In an instant, the atmosphere in the arena became incredibly heavy, and even the players' breathing carried a sense of despair and oppression.
Just then, Asagiri's calm voice rang out.
"It will win."
In an instant, all the players' eyes were on him, and Asagiri himself walked to the front, looking at the players in front of him who were dejected and had expressions of despair, and slowly spoke.
"Those of you who are sitting here today have gone through at least three dungeons, survived numerous life-or-death situations, and fought with everything you have to survive until now. Do you really want to die in this dungeon?"
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, there was a moment of silence in the arena, followed by a player speaking with a gloomy expression.
"But...can we win...?"
We will definitely win.
Asagiri gave her answer without hesitation.
"Because I'm here, we're sure to win. I'm the strongest."
Faced with Asagiri's confident declaration and feeling his unquestionable, seemingly self-evident attitude, the players who had originally looked gloomy and felt they had lost all hope of clearing the game gradually had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
"White suit".
Upon hearing Asagiri address him by this nickname, the man in the white suit stood up, feeling a sense of relief.
Fortunately, the nickname the other person gave themselves was based on their appearance, not an abstract nickname like that parasitic flesh ball.
"You and that squad."
Asagiri raised her finger and pointed to the three people sitting there, including Mr. Ichikawa, and said with a smile.
"You guys take a count of the players' abilities here, have them take out their phones, open the app with the eye icon, and show them their player panels directly."
After saying that, before the other players present could speak, Asagiri immediately changed the subject.
"Which is more important, keeping your abilities and privacy private, or successfully completing the game and surviving? Think about it carefully."
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, those players who initially wanted to express their opposition, after careful consideration, chose to obey the other party's arrangements. After all, not wanting to expose their abilities as players was ultimately for safety reasons. Now that things had progressed to this point, and the system was even calling the upcoming dungeon a "campaign," if they couldn't cooperate at this juncture, they would only face certain death.
Of course, the members of the Asagiri and White Suit squads do not need to tell others their player panel data. After all, these two squads play the role of "commanders" and do not need to obey the orders of other players.
……
After compiling the ability information of each squad, the man in the white suit saw that the four members of the Asagiri squad stood up as if they were about to leave, so he quickly ran over to ask them.
"Hey, where are you guys going? Next, you still need to arrange the division of labor for each team, and handle the command and control later on..."
"Command is now in your hands."
"what?"
Seeing the bewildered expression on the man in the white suit, Asagiri reached out and patted him on the shoulder, laughing.
"I'm not good at leading other player teams in battle. Moreover, as the strongest player team in this dungeon, and as the strongest player in this dungeon, I should focus on fighting without distractions and not be distracted by things like giving orders."
"But……"
"No buts."
Asagiri turned around and followed Yuuki Asuna and the others out of the buffet restaurant, waving goodbye.
"I'll play the role of the hero who boosts morale, and you'll be responsible for planning tactics and commanding the battlefield. Let's each do our part."
……
Later that evening, in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel.
The dungeon has officially entered the next phase. The objective for this phase is: "Survive."
[Remaining dungeon time limit: 35.59.59]
Seeing the eye icon pop up in the app with constantly changing dark red text representing the remaining time for the dungeon, Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato all felt a strange sense of oppression, as if something terrible was about to happen after the countdown appeared.
“Violet”.
Asagiri called out Yuuki Asuna's code name, his gaze falling on her right wrist holding the sword, then on her delicate face, and said softly.
"If you encounter a battle in the future, please refrain from using 'Stardust Splash' for now."
Yuuki Asuna nodded obediently in response.
"I see."
Asuna Yuuki's fighting style leans towards bursts of speed, but her stamina is an issue. Continuous high-intensity battles and using her sword technique, Stardust Splash, put a heavy strain on her body. Although there are priests who can provide healing, however…
In the next 36 hours, will there really be time for players to recover and rest?
At this moment, a sudden change occurred.
Several flame-like lights suddenly drifted in from outside the hotel. The light was particularly dazzling in the dark night, but it did not give people a sense of security like normal light. Instead, it kept swaying and flickering, revealing a strong sense of eeriness and distortion.
"come yet……"
Asagiri glanced around the hotel lobby and raised his right hand to signal the players hiding there not to make any rash moves.
He, Mr. Ichikawa, and three other player teams playing the role of "cannon fodder" were responsible for guarding the entrance on the first floor of the hotel, while the man in the white suit led the remaining players to guard the fire escape on the twenty-fourth floor.
Although it's called a death game, it's not a real online game, so there won't be any sudden monster spawns. Therefore, logically speaking, the danger either comes from above the 24th floor or from the outside world.
As the flames drew closer, Kotoko Iwanaga finally saw their true forms. She paused for a moment, then her dark purple eyes revealed a look of wariness.
"Those things...are people?"
38
Chapter 38 "Believers"
To Kotoko Iwanaga's surprise, both Asuna Yuuki and Megumi Kato were taken aback upon hearing her description.
"Huh? Isn't that a sphere formed of flames?"
Kotoko Iwanaga frowned slightly and looked at Asagiri beside her, asking a question.
"Leader, what are you seeing?"
Asagiri replied softly.
"Three people wearing cloaks of burning flames."
"really……"
Kotoko Iwanaga's dark purple eyes showed a hint of wariness as she watched the three mysterious figures gradually approaching the hotel entrance in the pitch-black night. She lowered her voice and spoke.
"They possess some kind of illusionary ability that influences the mind. Even Violet couldn't see through their true nature, which shows that their ability is very powerful."
Compared to her physical abilities, Asuna Yuuki's mental strength is indeed slightly weaker, but that's when she compares herself to herself. If the comparison is with other players, then Asuna Yuuki's mental strength is much higher than that of most players at this stage, including those with mental-based professions such as warlocks and mages.
Even Yuuki Asuna couldn't see through the three people's true identities, which shows that the other party's illusion and disguise abilities are very strong, which is a serious problem that cannot be ignored.
Fighting an enemy that looks like a human is completely different from fighting a fireball. When fighting humanoid creatures, players can react to their movements and know which vital parts to attack. But when facing a fireball, even if you know it's just an illusion, it's difficult to react effectively in time.
In battle, even a fraction of a second of hesitation or doubt can be the difference between life and death.
"You guys hide first."
Asagiri whispered to Kato Megumi beside her.
“Phantom, use your special ability on those two, then the three of you stay out of the way and wait for me, ‘Shadow,’ to deal with them!”
……