Chapter 137: A Team of All High Level Players
Not only Yuuki Asuna, but Iwanaga Kotoko and Kato Megumi felt the same way as they stared at the line of text on Asagiri's phone.
"Super large Dungeon… Saturday…" Kotoko murmured, eyes narrowed in thought.
"Is it because most Players choose to enter on Saturdays in the real world? Even though this Saturday is still in the middle of the second stage, and it's still early before the system's one month deadline, anyone who's alive right now has at least cleared one novice Dungeon and one early stage Dungeon."
Her tone grew more analytical, as if she were laying puzzle pieces on a table.
"With clear rewards dangling in front of them, some Players who were too scared to sign up before might finally do it. But why would the system send this prompt specifically? Does that super large Dungeon with the keyword Hunt have some kind of problem that needs us?"
Megumi was also thinking, her expression quiet but serious.
"What's the difference between a super large Dungeon and the ones we've seen so far? Is it a huge number of Players entering, a massive map, or both?"
Asuna frowned slightly. Her orange eyes carried a complicated weight as she spoke.
"Based on what we understand of the system so far, it won't issue tasks that force Players to fight each other. It also won't send Players into a Dungeon where death is guaranteed, or set goals that are impossible to complete."
She paused, then continued steadily.
"Like Asagiri said before, this game isn't designed to torment Players. It's selecting Players who meet certain standards to achieve certain goals."
"The system usually doesn't interfere much with Player choices. But this time, it broke that pattern and sent a prompt right when we were about to sign up on our own."
Asuna's gaze lifted, moving from Kotoko to Megumi, then to Asagiri, who still looked relaxed.
"In other words, there might be a difficulty in that super large Dungeon tied to Hunt that needs high level Players to handle."
She exhaled softly.
"Or there's another possibility. The system isn't only gathering our team through Asagiri. It may also be gathering others who have been recognized as high level Players."
"If they sign up before Thursday, they might receive the same prompt. It's even possible that on Thursday, the system will send the prompt to all high level Players, hoping they enter that super large Dungeon."
"A Dungeon the system wants all high level Players to join?" Megumi's brows drew together, concern surfacing clearly.
"Could it be that the clearing difficulty is extremely high?"
"That depends on what you mean by difficulty," Asagiri said calmly.
He looked at the three of them, then spoke with the same measured tone he used inside a Dungeon.
"Does more Players in the same Dungeon automatically make it easier to clear? Not necessarily."
"The Hotel Dungeon Asuna, Kotoko, and I entered is the best example. Two foolish Players drank the Hotel's water and got cursed by the source of the Anomaly. They turned into ticking bombs that could go off at any time."
"If Kotoko hadn't been able to sense Anomaly aura and notice they were being invaded, it's hard to say what would've happened after that."
Asagiri's voice stayed even, but the implication was sharp.
"Also, Players who don't know each other won't suddenly trust each other just because they share a clearing goal. So it's unlikely random Players will form real cooperation."
"Simply stacking the number of Players won't reduce difficulty, unless…" He paused, then continued more softly, as if weighing the shape of the Dungeon in his mind.
"Unless this Dungeon is designed so that cooperation isn't required to reduce difficulty. Or rather, as long as enough Players enter, even without deliberate teamwork, the overall pressure drops."
"It might be like a faction battlefield in an online game. Even if Players usually fight each other, once they enter the battlefield, they prioritize clearing. More Players means fewer enemies per person. That's still a kind of cooperation."
Megumi hesitated, then asked, "So… are we going to participate in the super large Dungeon?"
"No."
The three girls froze.
"Huh?" Kotoko blinked. Asuna and Megumi also looked momentarily stunned.
Asagiri chuckled lightly.
"I analyzed all that, so let me finish the conclusion. If my guess is right, and the system is inviting high level Players to draw enemy pressure and lower the burden for ordinary Players, then it's treating us like tools."
He lifted his phone slightly, eyes indifferent.
"What do those ordinary Players' life and death have to do with us? If useless Players get pulled in, does that mean we tank everything so they can clear? I'm not a saint. Of course I'm not going."
Kotoko nodded without hesitation. "That's fair."
"Besides, we can sign up today. If we wait until Thursday, that wastes five full days for an extra reward the system hasn't even explained clearly. Not worth the risk."
She began to turn back to the earlier discussion.
"Let's decide which of the Dungeons with the keywords Hotel, Mist, and Village we should enter…"
Before she could finish, Asagiri's phone chimed again. Another line of dark red text appeared.
[If you voluntarily sign up and enter the super large Dungeon on Thursday, the cooldown time for you and your friends will be reset. You will not need to wait seven days and can immediately sign up for the next Dungeon after clearing the super large Dungeon]
"Heh. Trying that on me?" Asagiri looked at the screen and shook his head with a smile.
"Do we not need rest after clearing a Dungeon? Immediately sign up again? Don't sell me empty promises. If you want me, bring something real."
He raised his head and glanced at Asuna, Megumi, and Kotoko.
"Even though the prompt was sent to me, you're assuming we four will enter together, and you want all four of us in that super large Dungeon, right?"
Asagiri's tone stayed calm, but it carried a clear edge.
"You think you can pull in four high level Players with decent strength by paying only me? Playing the cost performance game with me?"
"I'm not asking for skills or equipment. Even if I did, you probably couldn't give them. So my request is simple."
He spoke plainly, each word landing cleanly.
"Promote Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi to advanced Players like me."
The room fell silent.
Then, after a few seconds, the phone chimed again, and new text began to appear.
[After clearing the super large Dungeon, Player Yuuki Asuna, Player Iwanaga Kotoko, Player Kato Megumi, in addition to the rewards corresponding to the clear evaluation, will be promoted to advanced…]
Asagiri didn't even let it finish.
"Not after clearing," he cut in, firm and unyielding. "Promote them now."
A few seconds later, Asuna's, Megumi's, and Kotoko's phones all rang at once.
They pulled them out, and each screen showed a notification from the Glasses icon app. The content was almost identical.
[Player Yuuki Asuna, you have been promoted to advanced Player and have obtained the corresponding advanced Player privileges]
[Player Iwanaga Kotoko, you have been promoted to advanced Player and have obtained the corresponding advanced Player privileges]
[Player Kato Megumi, you have been promoted to advanced Player and have obtained the corresponding advanced Player privileges]
The three of them stared at their screens, then at each other, looking genuinely bewildered.
What just happened?
Asagiri threatened the system, and it actually promoted them on the spot?
That was beyond outrageous.
Noticing their expressions, Asagiri chuckled.
"What's so surprising? By now, haven't you figured something out?"
Asuna looked at him, curiosity rising. "What?"
"Our relationship with the system is cooperation," Asagiri said. "And compared to our need for the system, the system needs us more."
He lowered his phone and spoke in a quieter tone, almost like he was stating a simple fact.
"From our Dungeon experiences, our power doesn't come from the system. The things this death game system can do are extremely limited."
"It can't even transmit information directly into our minds. It has to use a phone as a medium. Crazy Mita can even block its prompts, which proves the point."
"The system needs Players, especially excellent Players like us, to achieve certain goals. Maybe it's fighting other worlds. Maybe it's eliminating certain existences within certain worlds."
He looked at them one by one.
"Since it's cooperation, if it wants us to do something, it should provide conditions that satisfy us. It might not be able to hand out raw power, but granting high level privileges is something it can do."
Asagiri's voice turned decisive.
"In short, we register on Thursday and enter the super large Dungeon on Saturday. Any objections?"
None of them spoke.
Asagiri stood and waved his hand lightly.
"Alright. Then we're done here. Disperse."
"Hm?"
Megumi, who had been quiet, looked at Kotoko with a hint of curiosity.
"At a time like this, with your personality, shouldn't you be saying something like having Asagiri stay over, or insisting he share your bed? Why are you so silent today?"
"Uh…"
Kotoko froze for a moment, clearly at a loss for words.
What was she supposed to say?
Was she supposed to tell Megumi that she was completely drained from last night and this morning, and all she wanted now was to crawl into bed and recover?
.....
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