Chapter 164: Iwanaga Kotoko Returns to Wholeness
"So your focus is on this ability?"
Iwanaga Kotoko said it with a smile, then picked up Asagiri's phone and carefully read through the system prompts. Soon, she noticed two key details.
"It is not just Human Asura. You can use this ability called Supreme Magic Bullet too…"
"Supreme Magic Bullet is originally my own ability."
Asagiri, as the owner of the ability, did not need to analyze the system description word by word and immediately explained.
"Of course, Persona is also my own ability. The reason only I or Human Asura can use Supreme Magic Bullet is because, among my Personas, only Human Asura has enough raw power and a sufficiently special nature to meet the conditions for using it."
"I see."
Yuuki Asuna, standing beside him, nodded like she understood but not completely. After all, she was not Asagiri himself, so she could not fully grasp the principles behind a power like Persona, something born from idealism. She simply tucked a strand of her flaxen hair behind her ear, covered her mouth, and chuckled lightly as she teased him.
"As expected, you were not actually that calm about using the [Hourglass of Reversal], were you? If you had an ability like Supreme Magic Bullet back then, one that cuts through 'special' immortality, then Sato's three man setup could never have forced us to use the watch."
"This ability is not something I can use casually, right?"
Iwanaga Kotoko handed the phone to Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi and pointed at one line in the description of [Supreme Magic Bullet].
'Consumes a massive amount of mental strength.' If I remember correctly, this is the first time the system has used the word 'massive' in a description."
"Yes. If my current total mental strength is 10, then using Supreme Magic Bullet consumes 8."
Asagiri nodded and smiled.
"Even if I use Supreme Magic Bullet at full condition, I will be close to my limit afterward because of the mental drain. If I force it while I have already spent a lot of mental strength, I might faint. Dying on the spot is also very possible."
"So it is a trump card that cannot be used lightly… Oh, right."
Halfway through speaking, Yuuki Asuna suddenly remembered something. She immediately took the [Ring of Conversion] out of her inventory and placed it on the table. Then she looked at Asagiri and asked,
"This item was given to me by Shinomiya in the Dungeon. Even though it did not end up being used, still…"
Iwanaga Kotoko nodded in sudden realization.
"I get what you mean. This item is perfect for Asagiri. Even if his mental strength is overdrawn, he can convert physical strength into mental strength. As long as neither his physical strength nor mental strength is close to the limit, he should be able to use Supreme Magic Bullet."
"Huh?"
Yuuki Asuna stared at her for a second, then showed a speechless expression.
"What you said makes total sense, but what I actually wanted to ask was… should we not return this equipment to Shinomiya and the others?"
"Return it? Why would we return equipment that has already fallen into our hands?"
Iwanaga Kotoko pointed at the ring on the table and spoke with complete confidence, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"This is not exclusive equipment. Is Kaguya Shinomiya's name engraved on it? Once it is in our hands, it is ours. We worked hard to save their lives, so a piece of purple equipment as payment is completely reasonable. Honestly, I think we are being too kind."
Yuuki Asuna pursed her lips, still looking a little hesitant.
"That logic is correct, but I just do not know what Chika and the others think…"
Just as she was speaking, her phone rang with a new email notification. She opened it, and the moment she read it, a smile appeared on her face.
"It is an email from Chika. I will read it out loud."
"Asuna~ Please keep that ring. Treat it as our thanks for saving us. A lot of things are inconvenient to discuss over email. If you are free after school tomorrow, how about we chat?"
When she reached the final line, Yuuki Asuna completely lost it and burst into laughter. She handed the phone to Asagiri.
"And read this last part too."
Asagiri took the phone and looked. At the end of the email, Fujiwara Chika had attached a chibi style angry emoji and a message.
"Can you please ask Utsunomiya to unblock me?! Every time I email him I get blocked again. I know I was wrong, okay?! Please, please, let me out!"
"Heh."
Asagiri handed the phone back to Yuuki Asuna and said with a smile,
"She likes causing trouble, right? Then she can keep reflecting in the little black room."
"True. It is about time she got punished a little."
On that matter, Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri reached perfect agreement.
At that moment, Kato Megumi spoke softly.
"Then for my customized rewards, I will choose physical fitness enhancement and mental strength enhancement. My stats are a little low right now."
Kato Megumi's stats were indeed starting to fall behind the current level of their team.
If she were in a normal Player team, she would absolutely be one of the strongest. Even among most Players at this stage, she was still undoubtedly a high end Player.
But the team she belonged to was the strongest team, and their main objective was always to complete the hidden main story and hidden quests of each Dungeon in order to secure the highest clear rating and rewards. Naturally, their standards for themselves were also much higher.
After Kato Megumi completed her clear settlement, it was time for the most anticipated moment again.
Although Asagiri had led the operation to eliminate Sato, the one who actually destroyed Sato's spirit was Iwanaga Kotoko. Without her [Undead Touch], there would have been no way to destroy Sato's spirit without killing him outright.
That had to count as a major bonus in the system's evaluation.
"The reward content I want to customize… Let me think…"
Just as Iwanaga Kotoko was considering what type of reward to choose, a line of dark red system text appeared on her phone screen.
[Because you eliminated 'Player' Sato and possess advanced Player authority, this clear reward can be converted into a special reward.]
"Special reward?"
The moment she saw the system prompt, Iwanaga Kotoko clicked confirm without hesitation.
Her exclusive talent came with a negative buff that prevented her from equipping most weapons and armor. On top of that, even though repeated clears had improved her physical fitness, she still could not make full use of it because of her disability. She was an extremely specialized type, proficient in "Anomalies," and only proficient in "Anomalies."
Even if she chose manually, she would most likely pick skills, accessory type equipment, mental strength enhancement, and similar options. In that case, it was better to accept the system's specially prompted reward, especially since the game system's purpose was to make Players stronger. It had no reason to sabotage rewards.
[Special Reward Obtained: Ability Black Particles]
[Black Particles: Similar to the Black Particles generated when Ajin create IBMs or resurrect, a mysterious active substance with curse attributes. This substance can only be observed if mental strength reaches the required threshold.]
[Creating Black Particles consumes mental strength. Mental strength consumption is directly proportional to the amount of Black Particles created.]
[Black Particles possess extremely high physical defense and complete immunity to curse attribute attacks. When Black Particles take human form, they become entities similar in nature to Ajin IBMs. They can communicate with your will through electromagnetic waves and act according to your commands. Simultaneously controlling multiple Black Particle humanoids may place a severe burden on your mind, so please use with caution.]
Reading this, Iwanaga Kotoko was surprised, but not completely shocked.
After all, the hidden side quest [Eliminate Sato] in the Ajin Dungeon was, for most Players at this stage… no, perhaps it was a hidden quest that only this team of four could clear.
To complete it, the first requirement was having the means to restrict Sato's actions without killing him. That condition alone would eliminate the vast majority of Players.
Second, they needed a method that could destroy Sato's soul or spirit. At the time, even Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, and Kato Megumi did not have such an ability.
And even after meeting those two conditions, Sato still launched a surprise attack by swallowing a bomb in advance, which forced them to consume the [Hourglass of Reversal].
The strongest Player team at this stage had gone through enormous hardship and even burned a red epic single use item to achieve this. Naturally, the reward could not be mediocre.
But it was only when she saw the final part of the ability description that Iwanaga Kotoko finally understood that this was not merely a valuable ability.
It was tailored for her.
A reward made specifically for her.
[Black Particle Regeneration and Repair: Due to the special active nature of Black Particles, you can consume mental strength to create Black Particles and repair or regenerate any part of your own body. When used on others, this ability can only repair injuries within a limited range, such as reconnecting severed limbs, and cannot directly perform full repair and regeneration.]
"Repair and regeneration…"
The moment Yuuki Asuna read that line, she froze for a second, then grabbed Iwanaga Kotoko by the shoulders, her face full of joy.
"That is amazing! You can fix your disability now!"
Even Kato Megumi, who rarely showed much emotion on her face, could not help smiling in happiness for Iwanaga Kotoko.
But Iwanaga Kotoko herself, the person at the center of it all, looked oddly hesitant.
She turned to Asagiri, who was sitting there, and asked in a cautious voice,
"Speaking of which… having one eye and one foot is also part of my moe charm as a cute girl. If I repair my body… your liking for me would not decrease, right?"
Hearing that, Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi both went completely speechless.
What kind of peak lovestruck brain was this? What kind of bizarre thought process was this?
So after all that, this was what she had been hesitating about?
.....
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