Chapter 69: Special Infected in the Hospital
In the end, the team reached a consensus. They would drive to Benevolence Hospital in the city center.
Kotoko's body simply wasn't suited for long distance travel. And while Megumi and Asuna were healthy, at this stage their stamina still wasn't much stronger than an ordinary person's.
More importantly, clear time was also a major factor in the final evaluation.
As the Leader, Asagiri was the type who never wasted an opportunity in a Dungeon. Every run, he aimed for the highest possible S+ rating. That mindset naturally became the team's pace and rhythm.
After they got into the car, Asagiri checked the dashboard and spoke thoughtfully.
"Not much fuel left. A sedan like this shouldn't burn through it too fast. If the roads stay clear, it should barely make twenty kilometers."
He paused.
"But straight line distance isn't the same as driving distance. If I estimate the route… we'll still have to get out and walk about two kilometers from Benevolence Hospital."
"Walking again…" Kotoko leaned forward from the back seat with a bright smile. "Then you can carry me?"
"Okay."
Kotoko froze.
So did Asuna and Megumi beside her.
None of them expected Asagiri to agree so cleanly this time.
Kotoko blinked, then instantly put on an exaggeratedly moved expression. She even lifted a hand to dab at the corner of her eye like a heroine in a melodrama.
"Is this what they mean by sincerity moving mountains? Leader still can't resist my charm."
"Don't act crazy." Asagiri's reply was flat. "Did you forget the drawbacks of your talent? Even if your mental strength is fine, if your physical strength drops too low, you can't use skills."
He kept his eyes on the road.
"You're light. Carrying you won't cost me much. Saving your stamina keeps the whole team's combat power stable for emergencies. It's the rational choice."
"Tch… really…" Kotoko puffed her cheeks. "You're good looking, but you say the most heartless things. Not cute at all."
Asuna, sitting in the passenger seat, shot back without mercy.
"Try being normal for once. If you want to act crazy, do it after we clear the Dungeon."
Kotoko huffed. "I found the car for the team. That counts as a contribution."
Asuna sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead.
"A credit seeking Warlock."
Megumi listened quietly, her calm expression unchanged. Inside, though, she couldn't help thinking—
These three really did have strong personalities. Distinct, vivid, impossible to ignore.
And yet, despite how different they were, they moved with clean coordination in the Dungeon, and they could still be this close in real life.
The team she had joined was… kind of incredible.
…
Ten minutes later, at an intersection two kilometers from Benevolence Hospital.
"No… I really can't…"
Asuna and Megumi were both bent over, braced against a wall, looking like they could collapse at any moment.
Asagiri shook his head, then gave a light laugh.
"Honestly, I'd rather hear you say that in other situations."
"Y you still have time to joke?" Asuna's face was pale as she glared at the black sedan with lingering fear. "You said you could drive, but that wasn't driving. That was racing."
What had just happened?
Simply put, Asuna and Megumi got carsick.
They weren't originally prone to it. The problem was that Asagiri drove like the road was a battlefield.
More than twenty kilometers in ten minutes. Sharp drifting turns. Sudden acceleration. The kind of driving that made it feel like he might stand up and stomp the gas pedal even harder if he could.
The real victim wasn't even Asuna and Megumi.
It was the car.
If it had feelings, it never would have imagined that one day, as an ordinary commuter sedan, it would roar through an empty city like a rally machine, tires smoking, engine screaming, living on the edge of total destruction.
But as the saying goes, if you hear the truth in the morning, you can die in the evening.
Its life had meaning.
Asagiri gently patted the hood, voice full of solemn emotion.
"It's burned out… You did your best. I'll never forget you, black sedan."
Asuna finally managed to straighten up. Hearing that, she couldn't help snapping.
"Why are you talking to a car? Hurry up and move. If we waste time now, you'll undo everything you gained on the road."
"Yeah. Time to go." Asagiri nodded, then looked at Kotoko. He bent his knees and lowered his body.
"Get on."
"Alright."
Kotoko's lips curved up. Even her eyes narrowed with delight. She hurried over, put away her staff and masquerade mask, then hopped onto his back and wrapped her pale arms around his neck.
Asuna's eye twitched.
"I get putting away your staff, but why are you taking off your mask too?"
"It's stuffy," Kotoko said cheerfully, pressing her cheek against the side of Asagiri's neck like she belonged there. "And the mask's hard. What if I bump Leader by accident? So I took it off."
Asuna clenched her fists, biting down hard.
"You're just taking advantage in the open."
"Oh, what can I do?" Kotoko sighed, sounding terribly innocent. "I'm delicate and weak, and I'm a Warlock focused on mental strength."
That smug tone nearly made Asuna see red.
At that moment, she felt more resentment toward the system than she had even when she first entered the game.
Why?
Why didn't she pick Warlock too?
If she had, wouldn't she also be able to logically, rightfully, shamelessly ask to be carried?
[I'll now change Benevolence hospital to Mercy Hospital to match the Original]
…
Ten minutes later.
"So this is Mercy Hospital…"
Asuna stood at the main entrance, staring at the hospital sign beside the gate. Four gilded English words were stamped across it.
Mercy Hospital.
Except the gold was stained with dried blood, twisting the name into something sinister.
Asuna lifted her gaze to the buildings beyond the gate and frowned.
"It's not what I expected from the map. I thought it'd be a small hospital with one building, but… it's a huge complex."
Her grip tightened on her sword.
"Finding the antibody reagent in here is going to take time."
"So this is the real beginning of the Dungeon." Kotoko slid off Asagiri's back, pulled out her staff again, and adjusted her white beret with her free hand.
"This ten hour limit looks generous, but it's bait. Reaching Mercy Hospital is only the first filter."
Her tone slowed, turning serious.
"The real test is searching for the reagent after a long trip, while you're tired. That's where Players fall apart."
"That's more like the kind of difficulty this game prefers." Asagiri looked toward the buildings ahead.
"And on the way here, aside from the bloated bile type, we didn't see any Special Infected. With how this game works, there's no way this hospital has no dangers."
His eyes narrowed.
"So the Special Infected are inside. Maybe even a large number of ordinary zombies too."
"…Um." Only now did Megumi finally speak up, almost cautiously. "Doesn't it feel like our pace is… really fast?"
"You don't need to feel it." Asagiri smiled. "It is."
He explained calmly, counting it off as if reviewing a plan.
"My special hint saved us time on route exploration. Violet's hint confirmed Special Infected from the beginning. Necro's ability helped us find a car we could start, which cut down the travel time."
He glanced at the hospital gates.
"And if we find wandering souls in the hospital, we might get information on where the reagent is stored."
His voice flattened into certainty.
"So yes, we're going for a speed run. And we can pull it off."
With that, Asagiri stepped toward the entrance.
"Now, we start the strategy."
…
After entering Mercy Hospital, they chose to search the outpatient building closest to the gate first.
As soon as they stepped into the first floor lobby, Megumi spotted something and pointed.
"Here. There's a detailed map of the hospital."
"Let me see…" Kotoko leaned in, murmuring as she read.
"Outpatient building… Inpatient Building No. 1… Inpatient Building No. 2… Administration building… Medical examination building…"
She exhaled softly.
"Five buildings. It really is a large comprehensive hospital."
Then—
A black blur flashed past the glass railing on the second floor.
Before anyone could properly register it, the shadow lunged downward at terrifying speed, straight toward Kotoko on the ground.
"Watch out!"
Asuna moved without hesitation.
She shot in front of Kotoko and Megumi in a single step, sword already in motion. The Exorcist Longsword cut through the air with a sharp arc, forcing the blur to recoil instead of crashing into them.
Only then did they see what it was.
A zombie on all fours, dressed in a hoodie and shorts, its gray black skin rotten like spoiled meat. It moved like a beast, limbs bent wrong, posture low, predatory.
Asuna held her sword horizontally, standing between it and the others. Her brows drew tight.
"This one… is a Special Infected."
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