Hearing this and seeing the red-dressed—no, now white-dressed—ghost trembling submissively like a docile kitten, Yuuki Asuna was dumbfounded.
Something like this is possible?
Is the Diplomat class's passive skill really that powerful? It can transform a malicious, blood-stained Evil Spirit into this timid, compliant state in just a few minutes? Even the red clothes, symbolizing a vengeful spirit, are gone?
No, wait.
Yuuki Asuna glanced at Asagiri's profile, realizing that even if she possessed the Diplomat's passive skill, she definitely couldn't have shattered the ghost's defense line as quickly as he did in a matter of minutes.
A passive skill is a passive skill, but its effectiveness still depends on the person using it.
While Yuuki Asuna claimed she would have no pity for non-human Evil Spirits, there was one thing Asagiri did that she could never manage.
This guy genuinely finds this amusing.
The more the female ghost feared and struggled, the more delighted he became. He was a pure chaotic-evil-aligned anarchist, and not just the ghost, but even Yuuki Asuna watching from the side felt a chill run down her spine.
"You can speak? That's good."
Asagiri smiled contentedly. Without any pleasantries, he immediately questioned her.
"How many Evil Spirits are in this hotel? How exactly are the Evil Spirits formed? Is there a weapon in this hotel that can completely destroy the Evil Spirits? What valuable information is there in the first-floor lobby? Under what conditions do Evil Spirits attack humans? Is there any way to completely avoid the Evil Spirits?"
Hearing the barrage of questions, the female ghost was stunned. However, facing the human who was even more monstrous than an Evil Spirit and had just attempted to drown her in the bathtub, she didn't dare hesitate and immediately replied submissively in a meek voice.
"I don't know the exact number of Evil Spirits. I don't know how I was born..."
"Heh, are you trying to resist me here?"
Asagiri once again grabbed the ghost's long hair, lifted her from the floor, and brought her back over the water-filled bathtub, his tone flat.
"If that's the case, I'll send you on your way."
"No... don't!"
Seeing Asagiri about to toss her into the water, the ghost quickly strained her throat, rapidly replying in a hoarse voice.
"I don't know those things because I can't leave the seventh floor! But I know the answers to the last two questions! I can attack you if you enter the area of the seventh floor, but because I can't leave the seventh floor, as long as you don't actively enter my floor, I can't do anything to you!"
"She's lying."
Hearing the ghost's answer, Yuuki Asuna frowned. She took two steps forward, stared directly into the ghost's eyes, and slowly spoke.
"If what you said is true—that you can't attack us unless we enter your floor—why did you cry out and scratch the wall with your nails earlier? Shouldn't you have stayed silent and launched a surprise attack on us?"
"I... I..."
Facing Yuuki Asuna's skepticism, the ghost opened her mouth, a look of confusion surfacing in her eyes.
"I don't know why, I just felt... I absolutely couldn't let you go further down..."
Yuuki Asuna considered this answer for a moment, then looked toward Asagiri.
"Assuming she's telling the truth, she seems to be a type of Earthbound Spirit from legends. And... her purpose isn't to attack the humans who enter this hotel, but to prevent anyone from going down. Combining this with the special hint you received, it's pretty much confirmed that the first floor of this hotel is the core key point of this Instance."
Yuuki Asuna understood why Asagiri had asked earlier if there was a weapon in the hotel that could completely destroy Evil Spirits. Only if such a weapon existed and she had the ability to acquire it would the special hint she received upon entering the Instance have value.
The eye-icon APP wouldn't provide completely worthless information.
"Going down is dangerous... So, is the condition for clearing the Instance to stay put, or try to go to an upper floor? No, this isn't the Rookie Instance; the clear conditions shouldn't be that simple..."
Yuuki Asuna muttered to herself, pulled out her phone to check the time displayed on the screen, and realized there was less than ten minutes left until the agreed-upon meeting time. She then looked up at the ghost Asagiri was holding and asked a crucial question.
"Why are you so afraid of water? Is it because the cause of your death was drowning, or is it that... the water in this hotel is strange?"
"Water..."
Just as the ghost was about to say something, her pupils suddenly widened, and her body simultaneously began to swell up.
"Watch out!"
Yuuki Asuna, who had never relaxed her guard, reacted incredibly fast. She immediately flung open the bathroom door, pushed Asagiri out first, and then followed him, quickly slamming the door shut.
Two seconds later, a dull thud, like a water balloon bursting, echoed from inside the bathroom.
"Bang!"
Yuuki Asuna could feel something hit the bathroom door. The entire room floor shook slightly.
Then, there was only silence, broken only by the sound of water dripping onto the floor.
"Did it... explode?"
Before slamming the bathroom door shut, Yuuki Asuna had glanced back and saw the ghost's body swelling up. She instantly recalled a term she had seen online called Megasoma, referring to the phenomenon where the body swells excessively after death due to the mass proliferation of putrefactive bacteria producing gas inside the corpse.
Honestly, the scene had truly nauseated her, but that wasn't the main point.
The main point was...
Asagiri stared at the bathroom door and spoke softly.
"It didn't want her to answer that last question, so it forced her to self-destruct... It seems the water in this hotel definitely has a problem, and there is a more powerful Evil Spirit in this hotel—one strong enough to control her will freely."
A few minutes later, Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna returned together to the entrance of the suite located on the 22nd floor, the top floor of the hotel.
When they arrived, Iwanaga Kotoko was already standing by the door, waiting.
Seeing that she was alive and that her white Western-style dress was completely spotless, Yuuki Asuna secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself: Asagiri's speculation was correct.
Iwanaga Kotoko must possess an extremely powerful talent or class.