Chapter 39: Exorcist's Longsword
Fifteen minutes later, they stood inside the staff lounge on the fifth floor.
The heavy fireproof door connecting to the stairwell had been opened. The water that had flooded the corridor earlier was gone, leaving the floor damp and slick, as if the hotel itself had been sweating.
"It's a shame." Asagiri sighed, sounding genuinely regretful. "Those two guys' phones got blown up too."
Kotoko smiled as if she were soothing a child who'd dropped candy. "True, but we already found the most valuable thing here."
Her gaze lifted to the weapon mounted on the wall.
A longsword sat encased in a black scabbard. Even without being drawn, it radiated an unmistakable aura, cold and prickling, like a warning pressed against the skin.
Kotoko studied it thoughtfully. "Based on what I'm sensing, it's a real spiritual item. It can harm anomalies. It's not at the level of a legendary sword, but in an ordinary shrine, this would still be considered a treasure."
"A sword type weapon…" Asuna murmured. "No wonder it was my special hint."
She took the longsword down carefully, then pulled out her phone and opened the eye icon app. As expected, a new entry appeared on the screen the moment she held it.
[Equipment: Exorcist's Longsword (Quality: Blue, Excellent)]
[Exorcist's Longsword: After multiple incidents of guests drowning in bathtubs occurred consecutively in this hotel, the manager hired a young Exorcist. He was inexperienced, but overflowing with confidence. He brought his family's inherited spiritual sword and vowed to slay the evil spirit lurking within the hotel. However, before taking action, he followed tradition and performed a ritual called "purification." Simply put, he not only took a bath, he also gargled with the hotel's water.]
[This equipment deals bonus damage to spirit type creatures]
Kotoko read the description and let out a soft laugh. "So it's an inherited spiritual item from some Exorcist. He didn't even see the evil spirit's face before getting cursed and polluted. Truly, caution was never his strong point."
Asagiri's focus landed elsewhere. "Multiple guests drowning in bathtubs… That's likely the origin of the bound spirits in this hotel."
His eyes narrowed slightly, the gears in his head turning faster.
"But more importantly, we just confirmed a hidden rule the app didn't explicitly state. Clearing Dungeons isn't the only reward. In certain Dungeons, you can obtain equipment that matches the Dungeon's logic. This time it's a supernatural type Dungeon, so it dropped a spiritual weapon."
Asuna drew the sword from its black scabbard.
The blade caught the light with a cold flash, clean and sharp, and the air around it seemed to tighten. She ran her fingers along the flat of the blade, careful not to touch the edge, and nodded quietly.
"This sword really is good…"
Then, without hesitation, she held it horizontally and offered it to Asagiri.
"Leader, you take it. Your combat power is the strongest."
"That's not necessary." Asagiri shook his head with an easy smile. "I'm not a Swordsman. I'm a peace loving, violence fearing Diplomat."
He glanced at the blade again, then looked back at her.
"Besides, I'm not the kind of Dungeon parasite who rolls for gear the moment they see something shiny."
"In that case…" Asuna's lips twitched, half annoyed, half relieved. "I'll give you the rapier."
"OK."
They settled the distribution in a few short lines, like it had never been worth arguing about.
Kotoko watched the exchange and quietly confirmed what she'd already been thinking.
Teaming up with these two really had been the correct choice.
Even after obtaining an excellent quality weapon this early, there was no greed, no conflict. Asuna, the Swordsman, was willing to hand it over for the team's sake. Asagiri, the leader, didn't abuse his position. He made the decision that best supported the team's overall strength.
This was what an actual team looked like.
"Since preparations are complete," Asagiri said, opening the hotel staff manual, "let's finalize the plan for the last fight."
He flipped to the floor plan and spoke while scanning the layout.
"The information we have so far is as follows."
"First. The source of the anomaly in this hotel can spread its influence through water. That means during combat, we cannot allow contaminated water to enter our bodies. Eyes, mouth, and nose must be protected at all times, like a doctor operating on an AIDS patient."
"Second. It can't directly create Banshees. It transforms people into bound spirits by drowning them, then those spirits become territorial and stay fixed to specific floors. According to the floor plan, the first floor has no guest rooms, which means it's highly likely there are no bound spirits like the Red Clothed Female Ghost down there."
"Third. Like those bound spirits, the source itself can't move freely through the hotel due to some restriction. It relies on water to spread its influence."
"Fourth. The source has a degree of intelligence. It even used the spiritual weapon on this floor as bait, setting an ambush ahead of time. But from another angle, that move also exposes fear."
Asagiri's smile sharpened.
"If its main body were truly strong, it wouldn't need to do anything. It would let us pick up the weapon, walk into its territory, and then kill us personally. The fact it tried to weaken us first means its main body isn't that powerful."
When he finished, Kotoko fell into thought, her expression unusually serious.
"Anomalies defy common sense, but they still operate under rules." She tapped her cane lightly against the damp floor. "This hotel's anomaly is clearly tied to water. So is it controlling all water in the hotel directly?"
She shook her head. "No. If it had that much control, it would be far too powerful. Like you said, if it were that strong, it would lure us to its hiding place with confidence."
Kotoko looked up, eyes focused.
"So if it wants to mix its influence into water, it must require certain conditions. Based on my experience, the most likely condition is that it needs access. A medium connected to itself, something that can reach wherever the water is…"
Before she could finish, Asuna's finger landed on a spot on the first floor map.
Her voice was quiet, but firm.
"Here. The equipment room on the first floor." She traced the symbol with her fingertip. "The water tank. It supplies the hotel and connects to all the pipes. Its main body is there."
Kotoko nodded slowly, then asked the obvious question.
"But now that it knows we've obtained the Exorcist's Longsword, it won't just wait to die. I don't know how many bound spirits are still in this hotel, but to reach the equipment room, we have to descend four floors."
Her gaze swept the map.
"From the third floor upward are guest rooms, so there should be bound spirits on the third and fourth floors. And logically, the closer we get to its main body, the stronger the bound spirits will be."
Kotoko frowned. "The stairwell is too narrow. It's terrible for fighting."
"Exactly." Asagiri cut in, eyes lifting from the map.
"To avoid unnecessary risks and consumption, we can't take the normal route."
He glanced at Asuna and Kotoko, a slight smile curling on his lips, as if he'd already pictured the outcome.
"My suggestion is simple."
He paused, just long enough for the silence to tighten.
"Let's give that guy…"
"A big one."
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