Chapter 77: The Ominous Dagger and the God of War's Hand Sanitizer
"How did you know…?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Facing the two stunned middle aged Players, Asagiri spoke with easy confidence, like he was explaining something everyone should already understand.
"The Dungeon has only been running for a little over three hours. In that amount of time, you managed to leave the starting point, find the route to Mercy Hospital, and make it here. That alone tells me you're the capable type."
He lifted a finger, counting calmly.
"Also, if we're going by real world time, today is a Wednesday, a workday. If you'd only cleared the newcomer Dungeon and were the kind of Player forced to enter again within a month, you would usually pick a weekend, a day you don't have to work, to queue for a Dungeon."
One of the men frowned, curiosity slipping through his caution.
"Just based on that?"
"Of course not." Asagiri shook his head. "If you had no job, or flexible hours, you could still enter today."
His tone sharpened slightly, the logic tightening.
"But like I said, reaching here this fast means you're not the type to hide at the spawn point for ten hours. You decided the moment you entered that you were going to push forward, complete the second clear objective, and you didn't waste time hesitating."
He looked at them through the mask, voice steady.
"Since you're clearly ambitious and proactive, this can't be your second Dungeon after the newcomer Dungeon."
He continued without pausing, as if the conclusion was already sealed.
"From the start of the game until today, it has been sixteen days total. Even if you queued on day one, the three day queue plus the one week cooldown makes it impossible to be entering a fourth Dungeon right now."
He spread his hands.
"So you can only be Players who have cleared two Dungeons, including the newcomer Dungeon."
The two men exchanged a glance.
Then the calmer one nodded without hesitation.
"You're right. This is our third Dungeon. And I agree. Trading items or equipment for the antibody reagent is a win win."
If they were the reckless type, the kind of Player dumb enough to enter a Dungeon in a suit, they might have tried to get clever.
If Asagiri had already swept the hospital, didn't that mean most threats were gone? Why trade at all? Why not go inside, search, and only come back to bargain if they failed?
But these two didn't think that way.
Was the hospital completely safe now? No one could say.
What they could say was this.
The masked Player in front of them had enough confidence to stand at the hospital entrance and openly intercept other Players. That meant his strength wasn't just higher. It was likely overwhelming.
If they tried anything stupid and irritated him, he might erase them before they even understood what happened.
Still…
The two exchanged another look, and the same thought formed in both minds.
He wanted "valuable" items and equipment, but he didn't know what they carried. They couldn't hand him junk, obviously, but they also didn't need to hand over their absolute best, right?
As if reading the thought straight off their faces, Asagiri added in a calm voice, almost lazy.
"Oh, and one more thing. If what you hand over satisfies me, I'll share the truth I've uncovered about this Dungeon."
The two men stiffened slightly.
Asagiri's tone remained casual, but the bait was deadly.
"Even if you didn't figure it out yourselves, just hearing it will still boost your clear rating. At minimum, two minor levels. Maybe even one major level."
That promise hit harder than the antibody reagent.
In their previous clearance settlement, they had received system prompts about learning Dungeon rules and gaining bonus points for their evaluation. That wasn't a myth. It was real.
If this masked Player was offering the Dungeon's truth…
The temptation was almost painful.
"But," Asagiri added with a smile that felt sharp through the mask, "my patience is limited."
He raised one finger.
"You get one chance. If you can't put something on the table that satisfies me, you won't get the information, and you won't even get the antibody reagent."
The two middle aged Players fell silent.
After a long moment, the calmer one slowly extended his right hand.
A dagger appeared in his palm.
The hilt and blade were a deep dark purple, and the weapon itself seemed to radiate an ominous chill. The man's face twisted with unmistakable reluctance, as if he'd cut off a piece of himself to produce it.
"This is the best equipment I have."
"Is that so?"
Asagiri stepped forward. He casually placed his right hand on the dagger, and with his left, pulled out his phone to check the details.
His movements were completely relaxed. He showed no tension even as he closed the distance.
That alone convinced the two men even more. This wasn't bravado. This was certainty. He wasn't afraid of being ambushed because he didn't believe an ambush mattered.
Asagiri's phone screen displayed the information.
[Ominous Dagger: Equipment (Quality: Blue, Excellent)]
[A dagger made of unknown material, more durable than ordinary daggers. Due to the ominous aura attached to it, when dealing damage to biological enemies, it will intensify the pain of the wound and cause mental interference to the enemy.]
After reading, Asagiri nodded once.
"A blue quality weapon type equipment. That's pretty good."
The man's expression turned complicated.
His best equipment, and all he got was pretty good.
What kind of background did this masked Player have? They were both supposed to be Players who had cleared two Dungeons.
Unless…
Unless he had achieved the highest clearance rating in both.
Asagiri tilted his head slightly.
"And yours?"
The other man let out a slow breath, then produced a small bottle with the air of someone handing over a treasured heirloom.
[Magic Hand Sanitizer (Disposable Item, Purple Excellent Quality)]
[A blood replenishing item most frequently used by a certain fatherly war god, possessing a power so magical it defies logic. When poured onto a wound, it will immediately eliminate the pain caused by the wound and make the wound heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. The only drawback is that this bottle of magic hand sanitizer seems to follow some strange causality. Once opened, even if only a drop is used, it cannot be used again.]
"Oh?" Asagiri sounded genuinely impressed. "I didn't expect you to have something like this."
The man's face twitched. It looked like his heart was bleeding.
Still, he wasn't stupid.
At this early stage, what was most valuable to Players like them?
Skills. Talents. Professions.
Those were the top priorities. Equipment came next. Items came after that. Disposable items were at the bottom, no matter how strong they were, because their value stayed theoretical until the moment they were used.
Was the magic hand sanitizer powerful? Absolutely.
It could save a life in a critical injury.
But it was still one use, and combat rarely gave you the luxury of carefully treating a wound. Even if you did manage it, the item would vanish immediately after.
For Players at their level, it was better to trade a one time insurance policy they might never get to use for something that raised their survival ceiling permanently.
In other words, the trade was worth it.
"Alright," Asagiri said. "Deal."
He took the dagger and the bottle, stored them away, then handed over the two vials of pale green reagent.
Then he smiled.
"The truth of this Dungeon is actually…"
…
After the two Players confirmed their clearance and vanished, a figure stepped out from inside the hospital.
Asuna had been waiting behind the wall, listening to everything.
Now she walked up to Asagiri, half serious and half teasing.
"I thought you'd take their equipment and then just kill them. Or force them to hand over everything."
Asagiri laughed lightly.
"Why would you think I'd do that? What kind of image do you have of me in your head?"
Asuna's lips curved. Her tone was relaxed, playful, with a sharp little edge.
"With your personality? I think you absolutely might. Maybe you should reflect a bit."
"If I were a lone wolf Player," Asagiri admitted, "maybe I would."
Then he abruptly shifted gears.
He looked at her face, smiling softly.
"But now I'm your teammate. If I did something like that, you'd be unhappy, wouldn't you?"
His voice stayed calm, but the words landed with weight.
"If our action styles clash too hard, it'll ruin our coordination. Worse, it could eventually push us to split up."
He paused, gaze steady behind the mask.
"Compared to some equipment and items, your place in my heart is much more important."
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