Chapter 62: Dungeon Keywords
Hearing Kotoko's declaration, Asuna's cheeks warmed despite herself.
Even so, she refused to lose this time.
She turned to Asagiri, who was sitting there like an audience member enjoying front row seats, and forced the question out while suppressing her embarrassment.
"Y, you still like girls with normal figures… like a normal high school boy, right?"
"Hm?" Asagiri blinked, amused. "Why did this suddenly turn into a battlefield?"
Kotoko and Asuna both stared at him, eyes locked, waiting for a single wrong word to trigger disaster.
Asagiri, however, showed not a hint of panic. He spoke slowly and calmly, delivering the kind of answer that left both girls momentarily speechless.
"Big or small, huge or flat, I don't have a preference. If they're good looking, I like them all equally."
He smiled, voice smooth as ever.
"What do you call that? God loves the world."
Asuna let out a long sigh, looking helpless.
"Where does this ridiculous logic even come from…"
Kotoko, on the other hand, refused to let it go.
"Then compared to Asuna, I'm definitely cuter, right? Right? Right?"
"Equally cute."
"Tch…" Kotoko puffed out her cheeks, turning into an offended steamed bun. "What kind of lazy answer is that…"
Just then, the door opened with a soft push.
Megumi stepped in, a tray in her right hand holding pastries and paper cups. In her left hand was a bottle of barley tea straight from the refrigerator. With both hands full, she nudged the door shut with her shoulder.
Asuna quickly stood, took the tray from her, and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Megumi. We came so suddenly. We must've inconvenienced you."
"No, not at all."
Megumi set the drink on the table, then knelt beside the low table with unhurried grace. Her voice was gentle, friendly, and perfectly calm.
"Actually, I'm glad you came. If we team up, our chances of surviving in the Dungeon will be much higher, right?"
She tilted her head slightly, eyes moving across the three of them.
"I'm just surprised. Two of you look about my age… and you even brought a child."
Kotoko pouted, muttering with clear dissatisfaction.
"I'm not a child. I'm the same age group as you."
"Oh?" Megumi answered immediately, sincere to the point of disarming. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood."
"Uh… you don't have to be that serious…" Kotoko mumbled, suddenly a little deflated.
She realized, rather painfully, that she wasn't good at handling Megumi.
Megumi was too calm.
So calm that Kotoko, who lived to say strange things with a straight face, felt like she was punching cotton.
Asuna stepped in before things got weirder.
"Megumi, I'll be direct."
To be honest, Asuna felt that among the three of them, she was the only one who could still pass as a normal person.
Asagiri and Kotoko were heavy hitters in the abstract category. She could not risk them scaring Megumi off.
Megumi nodded, hands resting neatly on her thighs.
"Okay. Please go ahead."
Asuna took a deep breath, steadied herself, and met Megumi's gaze with seriousness.
"The first thing you need to know is… we've killed other Players."
"They attacked us first, but that isn't the point. The point is whether you can accept how we operate."
"If you're the kind of Player who, no matter what happens, refuses to take a life even when attacked… then you might not be suitable for our team."
Megumi didn't answer right away. She thought for a moment, then asked quietly.
"Would you attack other Players first, without any reason?"
Asuna shook her head. "No."
"Then…" Megumi's tone stayed gentle, but it didn't feel weak. "If we face danger in the Dungeon, would you sacrifice me to ensure your own safety?"
Asuna froze.
She couldn't answer.
She wasn't the Leader. She could only glance toward Asagiri.
He responded without hesitation.
"No."
Megumi's gaze didn't waver.
"Why not?"
"Compared to you three, I'm the last one joining. We don't have any bond."
"We aren't friends yet. I don't even know your names until just now."
"Why are you so certain you won't sacrifice me, if it comes down to it?"
Asagiri smiled faintly, patient and composed.
"This has nothing to do with feelings."
"Trust can't be measured. And once it breaks, it never fully returns."
"If I, as the Leader, choose to sacrifice you when things get dangerous, what do the other two think?"
"Since I can sacrifice you, who can guarantee I won't sacrifice them next?"
"If trust disappears, then the team loses its meaning. It becomes a burden."
He leaned back slightly, voice steady.
"More importantly, I'm not the kind of captain who can only protect himself by throwing teammates away."
"I have absolute confidence in my ability and judgment as a Leader."
"I see…"
Megumi nodded, neither approving nor rejecting too quickly. Then she smiled, gentle as before.
"Okay. Then from now on, please take care of me."
"That's great."
Asuna finally released the breath she'd been holding. A weight lifted off her shoulders.
Anyone with eyes could tell how terrifying Megumi's exclusive talent was.
Even Kotoko, who specialized in mental power, couldn't detect her when she stayed still with her presence suppressed.
If Megumi ever unlocked an Assassin or Rogue type profession… it would be terrifying.
Even if she became a support class, as long as she could hide her presence, she'd avoid becoming the enemy's first target.
And that calm, steady composure of hers was exactly what a Player needed.
"Oh, right." Asuna leaned forward. "Megumi, if we sign up today, we'll enter the Dungeon on Wednesday. Is that okay?"
"Yes. That's fine."
Megumi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, voice soft.
"I can request time off in advance. My parents trust me completely. If I tell them I'm staying over at a friend's house on Tuesday night, that'll be enough."
"Okay. Then let's add each other first."
After they added one another, Megumi looked at the notification that popped up in the eye icon APP and quietly repeated the names as if engraving them into memory.
"Kotoko Iwanaga. Asuna Yuuki. Asagiri Utsunomiya…"
"Okay. I've remembered your names."
Asuna couldn't help covering her mouth and letting out a small laugh.
"You don't have to be that serious. Outside the Dungeon, we're just normal high school friends hanging out. No need to be so formal."
"Okay." Megumi nodded. "Got it."
With introductions settled, Asagiri opened the eye icon APP and began to register for the Dungeon.
As a high level Player, he had the privilege of choosing keywords and entering the corresponding Dungeon at will. So he would always register first. The other three only needed to register on the same day as his teammates.
Asagiri tapped confirm.
Dark red words slowly surfaced across his screen.
[Zombie] [Forest] [Voyage]
"Those are the keyword hints for the next optional Dungeon…"
Asuna and Kotoko stared at the three words, thinking seriously. Megumi didn't interrupt. She simply sat quietly, watching.
"Voyage…" Kotoko spoke first. "We can rule that out, right?"
"Yes." Asuna nodded, reasoning carefully. "If it says Voyage, the Dungeon is probably on a cruise ship or passenger ship at sea."
"None of us have water related talents or skills. And if it's on a ship, the space is narrow, the layout is complicated, sightlines are constantly blocked."
"That's bad for Asagiri using King's Gambit, and it's bad for me using my speed advantage."
"So we eliminate Voyage first."
Kotoko immediately continued, expression thoughtful.
"Then we're left with two."
"Forest terrain is complicated too, but that keyword is only a location. We still don't know what kind of danger we're dealing with."
She sighed dramatically.
"If we had a keyword related to anomalies, we could choose instantly. With our current team, the type we handle best is anomaly style Dungeons."
"Let's choose Zombie."
Asagiri's decision came so quickly that Asuna blinked.
"Why? How did you decide that fast?"
Asagiri shrugged, explaining calmly.
"First, compared to a Dungeon where the danger is unclear, I prefer one where the source of danger is obvious."
"And second…"
He looked at Asuna and smiled.
"Isn't your exclusive talent the one that strengthens your agility, speed, and reflexes every time you kill an enemy?"
"It's hard to say what we'll face with the other two keywords, but a Zombie themed Dungeon will definitely have plenty of enemies."
"Compared to a Dungeon with only a few targets, this one is perfect for you to stack gains through your talent."
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