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"It's surgery time now…" Amamiya Natsuki took out his kitchen knife and looked at the people in front of him, "Who wants to go first?"
Several passerby player players' gazes drifted, none wanting to be the first to go under the knife.
Unreliable.
Performing surgery on others with a kitchen knife, no matter how you thought about it, was too unreliable!
"Me, me, me! I'll go first."
Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand and stepped forward without hesitation.
Having cleared so many dungeons together, she trusted Amamiya Natsuki one hundred percent, not to mention there had been so many successful cases before.
"I just ate bread, but my stomach is starting to feel hungry again." Fujiwara Chika covered her stomach with both hands, walked over, and sat down, "Now I can finally stop enduring."
"The feeling of enduring is indeed very hard." Amamiya Natsuki nodded in agreement, his gaze shifting slightly downward to land on secretary's slightly reddened, moist lips, "I deeply understand."
"Mmm—!"
Fujiwara Chika's cheeks quietly puffed out, and she couldn't help but glare over.
Understand my foot!
Just now, he was clearly indulging and bullying, not holding back at all!
"Hold it in for me!"
Fujiwara Chika's eyes warned.
Amamiya Natsuki blinked and whispered:
"What if I can't hold it?"
Fujiwara Chika: "Then you won't see tomorrow's sun."
Amamiya Natsuki: "It's still snowing. There's a high probability there won't be sun tomorrow."
"…"
The surgery process needs no further explanation.
Amamiya Natsuki was already a seasoned physician by now, and mushroom removal surgery was quite skilled. He expertly removed the mushroom from Chika's head.
"Done."
Amamiya Natsuki put the mushroom, which had already become an ingredient, into his game backpack and rubbed Fujiwara Chika's head, "How do you feel now?"
Fujiwara Chika opened her eyes: "…Comfortable, super comfortable!"
"Even though my stomach was full, I still wanted to eat. That feeling was incredibly uncomfortable." Fujiwara Chika covered her stomach with her right hand, her tone quite happy, "Now I don't have any desire to eat at all. It's super relaxing."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and then looked at Hayasaka Ai, saying,
"Hanamori, it's your turn."
To be safe, it was best to remove the mushroom from this Spy Maid's head as soon as possible, lest she transform into a jealous witch and wipe out her teammates.
With the Sheltered Ojou-sama nearby, Hayasaka Ai naturally showed no unusual expression and walked over to sit down.
The surgery continued.
"I did not fail."
A moment later, Amamiya Natsuki successfully removed the mushroom from Hayasaka's head.
Hayasaka Ai raised her hand to touch her head, feeling her mind suddenly calm down, followed by a rapid rise in temperature on her pretty face, as an emotion called regret instantly surged out.
Damn, damn, damn!
What had she done?
Being bullied in the valley, being jealous all the way, thinking about locking the perverted Senpai in a cage in the basement, and just now, she even stepped there… The Anxious Mushroom was truly terrible!
Hayasaka Ai always considered herself a very rational person. Now, recalling her actions throughout the journey, she couldn't help but cover her face with both hands.
Embarrassing!
Too embarrassing!
Her actions were no different from those foolish people who vied for affection!
"Senpai, it's your turn."
Amamiya Natsuki waved to Tsubame-senpai.
Koyasu Tsubame responded softly and walked over. Under the influence of the Anxious Mushroom, Tsubame-senpai's voice even became listless.
As for the other passerby player who also had an Anxious Mushroom… she was still sprawled out, leaning back in a crude wooden chair temporarily built by dwarves, not even getting up.
With three successful cases in a row, the passerby player players finally completely relaxed and came forward one after another to undergo the removal surgery.
Half an hour later.
"Phew…"
Amamiya Natsuki let out a light breath, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, "It's finally over."
Surgery required concentrated effort and full attention. Removing mushrooms for several players in a row was a huge drain on both physical and mental energy.
"You worked hard."
Fujiwara Chika stood nearby, holding a towel, and helped Amamiya Natsuki wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Shinomiya Kaguya handed over a bottle of drink: "Drink some water first."
Amamiya Natsuki finished the water, then touched Kaguya-san's and another passerby player player's mushrooms, shaking his head:
"It still can't be removed for now."
"No rush." Shinomiya Kaguya's tone was calm, "We'll talk about it when it can be removed."
"That's right." The other passerby player player quickly nodded, "Although it's uncomfortable now, I can endure it for a while longer."
At this moment, Koyasu Tsubame suddenly spoke up to remind him:
"Natsuki-kun, the mushroom on your head hasn't been removed yet."
Everyone heard this and looked at Amamiya Natsuki's head.
"I almost forgot." Fujiwara Chika slapped her forehead and quickly said, "Hurry and take it off."
The lust mushroom was too terrifying. If Hanamori hadn't suddenly coughed outside the tent, his lips would definitely be swollen, and he might even have been bullied more excessively.
"Hmm…" Amamiya Natsuki reached up to touch the mushroom on his head, interlaced his fingers, and lowered his voice, "I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Fujiwara Chika: "Good news."
Shinomiya Kaguya: "Bad news."
The two girls spoke almost in unison.
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head and looked at Tsubame-senpai: "Senpai, you're older. What do you say?"
"I'm only one year older than you!" After the mushroom was removed, Tsubame-senpai regained her usual vitality and couldn't help but retort, "I'm only seventeen!"
Koyasu Tsubame put a hand on her forehead, let out a light breath, and couldn't help but glare over, saying,
"Don't keep us in suspense, tell us both the good news and the bad news at once."
"Then I'll tell you." Amamiya Natsuki interlaced his fingers, "The good news is that the mushroom has matured."
"As for the bad news…" Amamiya Natsuki paused, then spread his hands, "I can't remove it."
Fujiwara Chika asked, puzzled:
"How can you not remove it?"
Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms, her eyes trembling slightly at his words, guessing:
"Because… a doctor cannot cure himself?"
"Kaguya-san is indeed intelligent." Amamiya Natsuki looked at her admiringly, "A surgeon can't lie on the operating table and perform surgery on himself. My current situation is the same."
"I see." Tsubame-senpai nodded lightly, "Natsuki-kun said before that the dark chef badge is a bound item. If we had it, we wouldn't be able to use it either."
Amamiya Natsuki sighed:
"That's how it is."
The excision surgery seemed simple, but different types of mushrooms required different removal methods, and they were all delicate procedures. Even a barber can't cut his own hair, let alone remove a mushroom.
"Then what do we do?" Fujiwara Chika complained, "It's very dangerous to keep that mushroom on your head, isn't it?"
The passerby player didn't understand, thinking he meant Amamiya Natsuki in danger, and analyzed from the side:
"There shouldn't be any life danger. dwarves and the others also grew mushrooms and didn't encounter any danger… As long as we hold out until we clear the game and leave, it should be fine."
Fujiwara Chika looked over, wanting to speak but refraining.
The so-called danger was that we were in danger.
That was a lust mushroom. If Amamiya Natsuki couldn't control himself, all the girls' chastity would be in extreme danger!
"There should be other ways in the game to alleviate or delay the mushroom's onset." Shinomiya Kaguya lightly furrowed her brow.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow." Amamiya Natsuki said, "Everyone continue to rest. I can endure it for now."
"If I really can't endure it…" Amamiya Natsuki looked at secretary, "We'll talk about it then."
"…"
Fujiwara Chika's pretty face flushed slightly, and she casually turned her head to look elsewhere.
No.
Absolutely no way would she sacrifice herself to alleviate his symptoms!
"Why is Natsuki-kun looking at me?"
Tsubame-senpai's heart skipped a beat, feeling a little nervous.
She stood right beside Fujiwara Chika, thinking that Amamiya Natsuki was looking at her.
(Is he asking me to… take responsibility?)
(It must be.)
(Everyone risked their lives to accompany me into the dungeon, and now they're helping to remove the mushrooms, but Natsuki himself is troubled by the curse. Of course, I can't just stand by and do nothing.)
It must be said, this Tsubame-senpai has a very strong sense of responsibility.
Even if an unrelated stranger encountered danger, she would do her best to help, let alone Amamiya Natsuki now growing sinful mushrooms because of her.
(That's right, I must take responsibility!)
Tsubame-senpai clenched her small fists, secretly taking a deep breath. She couldn't let Natsuki-kun be in danger, nor could she let him harm other girls.
(But… how do I take responsibility? Or rather, what method can help alleviate the effects of the Sinful mushroom?)
Koyasu Tsubame blinked her eyes, a blush quickly rising on her pretty face. Before long, even her earlobes turned a lustrous pink.
She wasn't a girl who grew up in a sterile environment, so she naturally had access to relevant knowledge. At this moment, images she had secretly seen couldn't help but surface in her mind.
(No, no! That's too shameless!)
(I've only known Natsuki-kun for less than a month, so that kind of thing is definitely too soon!)
(Unless, unless there's really no other way, and someone has to sacrifice themselves… then we'll see.)
Everyone, with their own thoughts, began to rest again.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
After Amamiya Natsuki woke up, he walked to the window and saw that the sky was a hazy gray, with fine snowflakes still falling. It seemed to have snowed all night without stopping.
Although there were no timing tools, it was undoubtedly the next day.
After everyone woke up and had a simple meal, Amamiya Natsuki began to arrange the day's activities.
"First, we're looking for Karen, the owner of the Red Shoes," Amamiya Natsuki recounted the information about Karen, then looked at Hayasaka Ai and said, "Hanamori-chan, you and Senpai go together, taking Little Red Riding Hood and the others with you."
"Leave it to me."
Hayasaka Ai nodded in agreement.
As a spy, she had naturally learned how to find people—the method was actually very simple. With surveillance being so advanced now, if you go out, you're highly likely to be caught on camera.
Of course, there was no surveillance in the fairy tale world, but the principle was similar.
As long as it's a person, they can't hide in a hole in the ground without appearing. They're bound to come into contact with other people, and in doing so, they'll definitely leave an impression on others.
Only Little Red Riding Hood knew Karen, so she naturally had to be taken along. The several dwarves were for protection; people generally wouldn't dare to provoke dwarves carrying axes.
Amamiya Natsuki then looked at the other several passerby players, took out a stack of paper and a pen, and said:
"The two of you form a group and simply draw a map of the royal city. There should be other players in the dungeon; see if you can encounter them. If you do, help if you can."
The several passerby players naturally had no objections to Amamiya Natsuki's arrangements and all agreed.
With the Cursed Castle as a base and the sinful mushrooms removed, completing the main survival mission was a foregone conclusion, so they naturally obeyed his command.
"Natsuki-kun, what about us?"
Fujiwara Chika raised her hand and asked.
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"We'll first investigate the Queen and the Magic Mirror, then go find the crystal shoes."
That's why the efficiency of a lone wolf player is far inferior to that of a team. If there's only one person, everything has to be done personally. Now it's different; ordinary side quests can be completely done by others, saving a lot of effort and trouble.
After the discussion.
The group quickly sprang into action, went to a room on the second floor, grabbed a rope to slide down to the courtyard, and then left the ancient castle.
Snowflakes rustled.
The streets were exceptionally deserted; even during the day, few pedestrians could be seen.
Amamiya Natsuki, Shinomiya Kaguya, and Chika moved together. The three stopped a passerby, successfully exchanged a piece of bread for a guide, and under the guide's lead, reached the location of the royal palace.
From afar, a castle stood on the mountainside, heavily guarded.
"Excuse me, what is the Queen's name?"
Fujiwara Chika, as a social expert, was directly given the task of inquiring about information.
The guide was a thinly dressed young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, a typical European. She clutched her chest tightly, hiding the bread she had just received, and nervously said when asked:
"The Queen… is just the Queen."
Fujiwara Chika then said:
"Does the Queen have a Magic Mirror?"
The guiding girl nodded: "I've heard that the Queen does have a Magic Mirror."
"Where is the Magic Mirror kept?"
"I don't know."
"Does the Queen often leave the palace?"
"She used to…" The guiding girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then hesitantly said, "The last time I saw the Queen was a long time ago. Since it started snowing, the Queen hasn't left the palace."
After a pause, the guiding girl nervously looked left and right, making sure no one was nearby, before lowering her voice and saying:
"I heard others say… the Queen might have grown a mushroom on her head, and in her loss of control, she caused the entire kingdom to keep snowing."
"Wait a minute," Amamiya Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said, "What does the Queen growing a mushroom have to do with it snowing?"
The guiding girl said as a matter of course: "Because the Queen's ice magic is super powerful."
What the hell! That woman who constantly asks who the most beautiful woman is, how could she have ice magic?!
Shinomiya Kaguya frowned slightly and whispered:
"Could it be… the Ice Queen?"
It is well known that fairy tales passed down to this day have multiple versions. In some dark fairy tales, Snow White even has an unclear physical relationship with her old father.
As for the Queen, besides the vase Queen in Snow White, there is also a famous Ice Queen, and "Frozen" is adapted from her.
No need to say more about the fairy tale content. If it really is the Ice Queen, then the difficulty of obtaining the Magic Mirror will obviously increase exponentially.
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