034 Kotoko Who Wants to Reach a Cooperation
"Make us cannon fodder? But... but..."
Suit Man and Woman with Heavy Makeup glanced at each other, recalling the public prompt given by the system before entering the dungeon. Both of their faces turned extremely ugly.
[Never attempt to fight evil spirits. If you encounter an evil spirit, run immediately; this way, there might be a chance of survival.]
The prompts given by the Ikon Eye APP in this dungeon vary according to the player's specific strength. For instance, the prompt Yuuki Asuna received was to avoid fighting evil spirits as much as possible because, before obtaining a specialized weapon against them, she couldn't truly eliminate an evil spirit with that ordinary rapier of hers.
The prompt given to Asagiri, however, was to settle battles quickly to avoid being surrounded by evil spirits. Thinking about it the other way, this was also the APP's recognition that in a one-on-one situation, his current strength was enough to completely crush the ordinary evil spirits in this Hotel.
"I beg you..."
"Shut up. Begging, begging, begging—are you a giant infant?"
Facing the tearful pleas for help from that Woman with Heavy Makeup, Asagiri simply furrowed his brows and spoke bluntly.
"You couldn't be thinking of hiding in a safe place while letting us solve the source of this Hotel's weirdness so you can survive, could you? I've already said, there are only two paths before you: either fight for your life as cannon fodder to pave the way, or you die right now."
...In the end, Suit Man and Woman with Heavy Makeup made their choice and agreed to become the cannon fodder for the exploration.
Before entering the lower floors of the Hotel to begin exploration, Yuuki Asuna suggested resting for an hour. Her condition was quite good, but when Asagiri captured that Red-Clothed Female Ghost, he had summoned his Persona, consuming both physical and mental energy. Although the consumption wasn't much, for the sake of caution, it was better to recover to a complete peak state before continuing the exploration.
During the rest period, Suit Man and Woman with Heavy Makeup were locked in the innermost bedroom of the suite.
These two had drunk the Hotel's water and could have their bodies burst open at any time like that Red-Clothed Female Ghost. To prevent this, such measures were taken.
Considering that Iwanaga Kotoko had taken the initiative to share something as valuable as the staff manual, Yuuki Asuna didn't hide anything either. After seeking Asagiri's opinion, she told Kotoko about the things she and Asagiri had experienced.
Of course, she definitely wouldn't mention Asagiri's exclusive talent, Persona, and glossed over the process of how they captured the Red-Clothed Female Ghost in one sentence.
After hearing their experiences, Iwanaga Kotoko began to analyze.
"Hmm... hearing you say that, when you were filling the bathtub, you also came into contact with the water in the Hotel, right? But I don't sense any signs of you being invaded by the weirdness. From this, it can be inferred that just touching the water is fine, but you must never let the water enter your body."
Yuuki Asuna nodded and said thoughtfully.
"Then... as long as we don't come into contact with the water in the Hotel, can we safely spend twelve hours... Isn't this a bit too simple?"
"It's not simple at all."
Asagiri sat on the sofa and spoke in a flat tone.
"Haven't you noticed? Ever since we appeared, the temperature in this Hotel has been rising."
"Eh, now that you mention it... it really seems to be."
Yuuki Asuna murmured as she pondered.
"And it was fine on the seventh floor, but after returning to the twenty-second floor, it seems to have become even hotter... Does the temperature get higher the higher the floor? Could it be that as time passes, the temperature in the Hotel will keep rising, forcing players to move toward the lower floors?"
Asagiri replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah, the normal process should be like that. Players search the floors, find rooms that can be opened, and then there will be clues about the water and such inside. As the temperature rises, players are forced to move downward, encounter evil spirits, escape, and then in the process of escaping, they become dehydrated due to the high temperature and intense exercise, and finally have to find a way to survive."
"After all, the information that there's a problem with the water has already been obtained, and the Earthbound Spirit on the seventh floor has already been eliminated..."
Yuuki Asuna had realized that although they entered the same dungeon, Suit Man and Woman with Heavy Makeup, who drank the water, were on a completely different level of player from her and Asagiri. No, to be honest, even she and Asagiri couldn't be considered players of the same level.
Ordinary Players: Playing hide-and-seek with evil spirits, having to endure the loss of physical strength and mental torture caused by dehydration. Being caught by an evil spirit means death; they seek a sliver of life amidst despair.
High-End Players: Although they cannot eliminate evil spirits, they can forcibly break through their obstacles. As long as they haven't completely lost their combat power, it's unlikely they'll be stopped by a single evil spirit. They come and go as they please.
Cheater Players: Are you done crying? If you're done, I'm going to start interrogating you.
"By the way, you could actually see that those two were tainted by the weirdness of this Hotel... It seems you possess very strong abilities."
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's meaningful words, Iwanaga Kotoko just smiled faintly and said in a relaxed tone.
"Truth be told, my talent is indeed best suited for this type of dungeon involving the weird. To be honest with you, if I just wanted to clear this dungeon, it wouldn't be difficult for me at all. But now I want to confirm something."
Saying this, Iwanaga Kotoko looked toward Asagiri, who was sitting there, and asked with a smile.
"What is your goal for entering the dungeon this time? It seems you aren't satisfied with simply clearing it. Can you tell me your goal? If our goals align, we can reach a cooperation. What do you think?"
Asagiri replied with a smile, "I think that's possible, Iwanaga Kotoko."
"Then... eh?"
Right in the middle of her sentence, Iwanaga Kotoko was suddenly stunned. She, who had been calm and collected all along, suddenly became a bit flustered.
"Eh? You actually know me? Don't tell me... we've met before?"
"Never met."
"Thought so."
Although her identity had been revealed, Iwanaga Kotoko's face didn't show panic or tension. She just smiled sweetly, placed that white beret on her lap, looked at Asagiri's face, and spoke in a soft voice.
"With a person of your appearance and temperament, if we had met before, I would have definitely fallen in love with you at first sight and could never have forgotten you."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna couldn't help but be stunned.
Love at first sight?
What does that mean?
This Iwanaga Kotoko... actually fell in love with Asagiri at first sight?