Chapter 63: The Fun of Being a "Player"
"So that's why…"
When Asagiri explained that he chose the Dungeon with the "Zombie" keyword partly because of her talent, Asuna's cheeks heated up instantly. She tucked her long hair behind her ear, turned her face away, and spoke softly without daring to meet his eyes.
"Um… thank you."
"Waaah, it's not fair! It's not fair!"
Kotoko reacted like a child who'd just had her favorite toy stolen. She flopped onto the floor and started rolling around dramatically, complaining nonstop.
"Why wasn't I in the same novice Dungeon as Asagiri? Why didn't I meet him first? It's not fair, it's not fair! I demand a rematch!"
Megumi's next question was delivered in the same calm tone she always used, yet it hit Asuna like a direct strike. Her face turned completely red on the spot.
"Asuna… are you and Utsunomiya a couple?"
"N, no! We're not!" Asuna flailed for words, mortified. "Kotoko is just messing around, Megumi. Don't mind her."
"Oh. I see."
Megumi nodded with the serenity of someone who had already seen the ending spoilers. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling, instantly entering the legendary Saint Megumi mode, detached from worldly chaos.
"Alright, that's enough."
At Asagiri's voice, Kotoko sprang off the floor like nothing had happened. The wronged, pitiful act vanished. She became serious in a blink, so fast that Asuna briefly suspected Kotoko's exclusive talent was Persona.
"Aside from what I just said," Asagiri continued, "there are other reasons for choosing the Dungeon tied to the 'Zombie' keyword."
He looked at Asuna, Kotoko, and Megumi, his tone even.
"With our current strength, which completely surpasses most Players, we can earn a high clearance evaluation in any first stage Dungeon. I'm choosing 'Zombie' mainly to explore the Dungeon's world view and the essence of this game."
"World view… essence?" Asuna repeated, puzzled.
"Exactly."
Asagiri nodded and explained patiently.
"Right now, the Dungeon world view we've seen includes the world where Kyozan Mental Hospital and that hotel exist. Let's temporarily call it the 'Abnormal World.' The biggest mystery there is what we learned in the hotel last time, the 'people in black clothes.'"
He lifted a finger.
"This time, if the keyword really leads to a zombie apocalypse Dungeon like I suspect, three questions immediately come up."
"First, is the zombie apocalypse world the same world as the Abnormal World?"
"Second, if it isn't the same world, does this game's 'Dungeon' system ultimately mean transporting us to one dangerous world after another?"
"Third, all current Dungeons are PVE survival or escape types. If the game's goal isn't to make Players kill each other, then who is the real enemy?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is it the 'people in black clothes' that Alice mentioned last time? The ones who clearly entered the hotel, could have dealt with the floating corpse in the water tank, yet chose to do nothing?"
Asuna, Kotoko, and Megumi fell silent, stunned.
"Uh…"
"Relax. You don't need to think about all of that right now."
Seeing their dazed expressions, Asagiri waved it off with a smile.
"I just think that as Players, investigating the world view and digging out the truth behind the game, even without immediate rewards, is interesting. It's fun."
"You really are playing this game like it's a game," Asuna said, half amused, half exasperated.
Then her expression softened.
"But I'm curious too. I just think surviving comes first. Only Players who can clear Dungeons comfortably have the luxury to chase the truth, right?"
"Then it's decided." Asagiri nodded. "We'll choose the Dungeon connected to the 'Zombie' keyword."
Kotoko's eyes gleamed as if a brilliant new plan had just crawled out of the abyss and whispered to her.
"Oh, right. Megumi said she'll tell her parents she's staying over at a friend's house on Tuesday night."
"In that case, why don't we all gather at my place on Tuesday night? Then we'll enter the Dungeon together from the same location on Wednesday."
"Your place?" Asuna stared at Kotoko's sweet smile with suspicion. "Why do I feel like you have an ulterior motive?"
"You're not planning a night attack while Asagiri is sleeping, are you?"
Kotoko shook her head, serious as a courtroom witness.
"How could you say that? I'm not that kind of person."
Asuna rolled her eyes. "That has zero credibility coming from you. But if Asagiri agrees, I don't mind."
Asagiri chuckled lightly and looked at Kotoko.
"If we enter the Dungeon at your place, can you guarantee absolute safety?"
"Don't worry." Kotoko patted her chest confidently. "Absolutely no problem."
Then she smiled wider, voice turning syrupy.
"Besides, my bed is big and soft. Sleeping alone feels empty and lonely."
Asagiri nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. Then the four of us will sleep together."
Kotoko and Asuna both froze.
"Huh?"
Megumi didn't even look up from her phone.
"If there's a proper reason, I don't mind."
"Megumi, don't just calmly agree with this guy!" Asuna snapped, half panicked.
She crossed her arms, taking an instinctively defensive posture, and glared at Asagiri.
"Sleeping all four together? Don't talk nonsense. Kotoko doesn't only have one room in her house!"
"Listen to yourself." Asagiri spoke with perfect seriousness. "I'm not doing this for personal desires."
"Sleeping separately is fine, sure. But what if someone sneaks into my room at night and someone else finds out?"
"That would instantly trigger a Shura scene. I'm making this sacrifice as the Leader to prevent internal conflict and keep the team from breaking apart."
"You're calling this a sacrifice?" Asuna sighed, rubbing her forehead. "And who would even sneak into your room at night…"
She didn't finish.
Kotoko cut in with a solemn expression.
"Hard to say."
Asuna nearly laughed out of pure frustration.
"I'm begging you two. Can you please be serious?"
She turned toward Megumi like a drowning person reaching for a lifeline.
"Megumi. You also think sleeping separately is the normal choice, right?"
Megumi finally put her phone down, thought for a moment, and answered honestly.
"…I'm fine with anything."
"Fine with what…" Asuna muttered.
Looking at Megumi's calm indifference, Kotoko's ridiculous sincerity, and Asagiri's reliable yet dangerously abstract personality, Asuna felt a heavy weight settle in her chest.
In this four person team…
It really did feel like only she was normal.
…
Tuesday evening.
Inside the living room of Kotoko's magnificent residence, a mansion so ornate it looked more like a castle than a home, the four of them gathered.
"Before we officially enter the Dungeon," Asagiri said, gaze sweeping across Megumi, Kotoko, and Asuna, "let's go over the precautions again."
"Based on what we know, the first phase Dungeon difficulty won't be too high. Most Players are still basically ordinary people."
"So this Dungeon, like the hotel last time, must have been difficulty balanced. It should be the kind of Dungeon where even Players who only cleared the novice Dungeon still have a chance of completing it."
He raised three fingers.
"If that's true, there are three possible zombie types we might face."
"First, the classic type. If you're scratched or bitten, you get infected, die, and then turn. They move slowly. Some can't even run."
"Second, the fast type. They move quickly, and there may even be special infected, but being injured by them won't necessarily infect you."
"Third, the slow type with no infection. Scratches and bites don't spread anything. Given the current Dungeon difficulty, this is the most likely, and the least threatening."
"Of course, there could also be differences like heightened hearing, sharp vision, sensitive smell, and so on."
"But the most fundamental difference is still this."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Can you be infected by a scratch or bite, or not?"
Kotoko nodded, thoughtful.
"Mm. The first type sounds easy to deal with, but there's no room for mistakes."
"If possible, I'd prefer the second or third type. And…"
She tilted her head.
"I've been reading up on zombies online these past two days. Strictly speaking, they're fictional, so they should just be moving corpses, right?"
She lifted her chin slightly, as if already mentally arguing with the universe.
"It's hard to say whether my Curse Gaze will even work on something like that."
"In short," Asagiri said, tone steady, "clearing the Dungeon won't be a problem for us. The key is how we secure a high clearance evaluation."
His eyes shifted to Megumi, and his smile returned, calm and confident.
"If the zombies in this Dungeon have perception close to normal humans, or even less sensitive…"
"Megumi, your exclusive talent will finally get to shine."
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