Chapter 205: The Trap Targeting Black Watch

"Um... let me interrupt you."

Looking at the four team members chatting so casually with relaxed expressions, Sakurakawa Rikka finally could not help but speak up.

"Shouldn’t we leave first? The longer we stay, the lower the dungeon clear rating will be, right?"

"Oh, right. I forgot you were still here."

Supported on either side by Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko, Asagiri walked over to the wall of the hall and slowly sat down. Then he looked at Sakurakawa Rikka and said with a smile,

"As agreed beforehand, we’ll exchange the information we know about this dungeon with you. After that, you can leave."

Sakurakawa Rikka fell silent for a few seconds after hearing that, but in the end, she still could not help asking softly,

"Aren’t you planning to leave yet?"

"No."

Faced with Sakurakawa Rikka’s question, Asagiri did not hide anything and answered directly.

"You’ve probably guessed it by now. Kyozan Mental Hospital is actually a cursed experimental site created by a mysterious organization called Black Watch for the purpose of biological weapon development. And now the gatekeeper here, that cursed powered Commander from just now, is dead. Black Watch is a highly disciplined organization. Even if we have no direct proof, based on what I know about them, they must have some way of monitoring Kyozan Mental Hospital. It could be technology, or it could be some other cursed method. That part isn’t important. What matters is..."

"I understand."

Before Asagiri could finish, Sakurakawa Rikka nodded. She looked at Iwanaga Kotoko, Kato Megumi, and Yuuki Asuna beside him, then said calmly,

"If your companions have no objections, I’m also interested in acting together with you."

Asagiri smiled faintly when he heard that.

"It’s easy to talk to smart people."

"Likewise."

Sakurakawa Rikka was a very intelligent person. She did not need Asagiri to explain everything in detail to understand what he meant.

Clearly, this was not the first time this group had run into Black Watch. Judging from what the Commander said earlier, this boy called "Leader" by his companions had not only crossed paths with that mysterious organization before, but had already drawn their special attention. They had even given him a codename, Shadow.

And since he had encountered Black Watch before and was still alive and well, the most likely explanation was obvious. He had already killed Black Watch members in the past, then discovered during the settlement screen after clearing a dungeon that killing Black Watch members counted as a hidden objective that increased the final clear rating.

Combined with what Asagiri had just said, the reason the four of them were still lingering here after defeating the final boss of this dungeon was self evident.

They were waiting for Black Watch to detect the abnormality within Kyozan Mental Hospital. Then, once Black Watch sent a team to investigate, they would kill every single one of them. Although doing so would delay the clear time, it would also grant extra rating points. It was a guaranteed profit.

And the reason Asagiri had spoken so openly in front of Sakurakawa Rikka was also clear.

He was asking whether she wanted to cooperate and participate in that operation with them.

The premise, of course, was that she had already passed his earlier test. When she thought Asagiri was dying, she had not revealed any hostility toward the team. On the contrary, she had even been prepared to use her exclusive talent to save him. Otherwise, Asagiri would never have invited her to join them against Black Watch.

"Cooperating is not a problem..."

After the battle just now, even Iwanaga Kotoko had gained a basic level of trust in Sakurakawa Rikka. Although she still instinctively disliked her, at the very least, Sakurakawa Rikka was not an enemy.

"But what exactly does your ability do? I’m not trying to pry into your secrets, but if we’re really going to fight Black Watch together later, then it would be better if we understood each other’s abilities more clearly. That way, it’ll be easier to plan tactics."

"I see... alright, then."

Sakurakawa Rikka raised a hand and tucked a strand of short hair behind her ear. Her pale complexion and light purple eye shadow gave her a uniquely fragile kind of beauty.

"The effect of my talent is actually very simple. The black mist clone enhancement I used earlier, my own resurrection, and the healing ability I was about to use just now all consume my own life force."

"A skill that consumes life force?"

Yuuki Asuna could not help asking in confusion.

"This is the first time I’ve heard of a skill like that. What exactly does life force mean?"

Just as Sakurakawa Rikka was wondering how to explain it, Asagiri suddenly spoke.

"Consuming life force means consuming her own physical fitness. Life force is different from stamina and mental power. It doesn’t recover gradually through rest. Put simply, every time she uses her exclusive talent, she pays for it by weakening her own body."

"As expected, you figured it out."

Sakurakawa Rikka seemed a little surprised that Asagiri could immediately identify the effect of her exclusive talent, but only a little. Given the intelligence and judgment he had displayed so far, it was reasonable for him to infer it from the changes in her condition before and after battle.

"That’s right. Just as he said, what I consume when using my exclusive talent is my physical fitness. And physical fitness, unlike stamina or mental power, cannot simply be replenished by resting. For example, when I first entered this dungeon, my physical fitness rating was excellent. But now... it has already dropped to ordinary."

At that point, Sakurakawa Rikka paused for a few seconds, a complicated look passing through her eyes before she continued softly,

"Methods like running or exercising are nowhere near enough to replenish the cost of my talent, and I don’t have that much time to spare. So the fastest way for me to improve my physical condition is through the reward settlement after clearing a dungeon. If I overuse my ability and deplete my physical fitness too severely, then in the end I’ll become so weak that I won’t even be able to fight. I might not even be able to stand. I’ll become completely useless."

Hearing Sakurakawa Rikka’s words, Kato Megumi frowned slightly and murmured,

"This kind of ability is basically..."

"A forbidden art, right?"

Sakurakawa Rikka’s lips curved into a faint, elegant smile. Although her beautiful face held that smile, it somehow only made her look lonelier and sadder. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she lowered her gaze.

"The me who wants to remove the cursed thing inside my body and become human again... has no choice but to keep using the power granted by that very cursed power in order to reach that goal. Isn’t it ironic?"

"It is pretty ironic."

Asagiri nodded without hesitation, then said bluntly,

"But we don’t have time to listen to you get sentimental over it. Just tell us how many more times you can still use your ability in your current state. If I decide you’re not worth anything and will only drag us down, then it’s better not to cooperate at all."

"Please rest assured. In order to get the highest dungeon clear rating possible and restore as much of my physical fitness as I can, I will naturally do my best. And..."

Sakurakawa Rikka took two steps forward and bent down slightly, meeting Asagiri’s eyes as he leaned against the wall. Her lips parted gently.

"Although I’ve always been a solo player, the strongest application of my ability is actually in assisting others. I can attach the black mist that forms my clone to another person and establish a special connection. While maintaining that connection, I myself cannot move, but any damage that person receives during that time will be transferred to me instead."

"Huh?"

Hearing that, Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko all looked visibly surprised.

As high level Players, they immediately realized how strong that ability was.

This was basically the perfect support skill.

"I see. In that case, you really are qualified to cooperate with us."

Seeing Asagiri stand up shakily, Sakurakawa Rikka frowned slightly.

"In your current condition, can you even fight?"

"No."

Asagiri shook his head honestly.

"I can barely walk right now, let alone fight. My mental power is overdrawn, my stamina is empty, my head feels like it’s splitting open, my body is weak, and I’m in agony."

"Then why are you..."

"Precisely because of that, I need to go to Floor B2."

Asagiri draped an arm over Yuuki Asuna’s shoulder. Seeing the worry in her gentle eyes, he smiled and nodded reassuringly before turning back to Sakurakawa Rikka.

"Before Black Watch gets here, let’s split up. Violet and I will go down to Floor B2. You, Phantom, and Necro will head to the first floor and scout the surface layout above. As long as we don’t leave the main entrance of Kyozan Mental Hospital, the system should not count it as a clear yet. We’ll regroup afterward. Once we’re familiar with the terrain above, we’ll work out a plan to wipe out Black Watch together."

Hearing Asagiri’s arrangement, Sakurakawa Rikka frowned slightly and asked softly,

"You want them to go with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill them and take their phones?"

"Pfft..."

Iwanaga Kotoko covered her mouth and laughed. Then she waved a hand dismissively, her expression and tone dripping with sarcasm.

"You may look mature on the outside, but your thinking is kind of adorably childish. Kill me and Phantom? Don’t make me laugh. With your strength, you probably couldn’t even beat me in close quarters. Stop daydreaming."

.....

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