Chapter 252: The Crying Wall

Hearing Asagiri’s words, none of the Players showed any dissatisfaction.

After all, fighting a Dungeon boss was something only high level Players, those whose strength far exceeded the current average, were qualified to do. Bringing along weaklings who lacked the necessary power would only drag everyone else down.

At that moment, everyone was hoping to be chosen by the Player in the black long windbreaker to join the operation to eliminate the boss.

"First, this team."

When Asagiri raised his hand and pointed at the white suited man’s team, none of the Players were surprised. Anyone with eyes could see that these two teams stood at the absolute peak of strength in this Dungeon. It was only natural for them to join forces against the boss.

"Then these four teams."

Immediately after that, Asagiri pointed to three teams of three and one team of four.

Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko, who were seated beside him, knew exactly why those teams had been chosen. When the Players had first gathered in the buffet restaurant, members of those four teams had all noticed Kato Megumi’s presence.

Being able to detect Kato Megumi in her exclusive talent state was proof enough of their strength.

"As for the rest..."

Asagiri swept his gaze over the Players he had not selected and said with a smile,

"Alright, next comes the self nomination phase. Anyone who thinks their mental resistance is high enough and also has some special skill can private message him."

"Huh?"

Seeing Asagiri point at him, the white suited man froze for a moment, then immediately nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes, you can all private message me. Even if you are not chosen, I will not reveal anyone’s abilities."

After settling that matter, Asagiri added,

"Has anyone here eaten food inside the Hotel or drunk the water inside the Hotel?"

"We already drank it."

"Us too. It was just too hot. If we didn’t drink, we would’ve dehydrated."

Seeing that most of the Players had already eaten food from the Hotel buffet and drunk the Hotel’s water, Asagiri nodded, then spoke calmly.

"One hour. While the white suited man conducts the screening, every Player participating in the battle should rehydrate and eat enough to get their condition back to its best. If it is not enough, make the Players who are not participating hand over their supplies."

Hearing that, several Players were stunned, then showed displeased expressions and muttered in low voices.

"We don’t even have enough for ourselves, and now you want us to give it up? What are we supposed to do then?"

"Are you stupid?"

Asagiri did not indulge them at all. His attitude was firm.

"If we die in battle, all of you die with us. What ’then’ are you talking about? Or would you rather clutch your food and water while facing me after I’ve become a parasitic Player?"

The moment Asagiri said that, the few Players who had been dissatisfied immediately fell silent.

He was right. If these powerful Players died, the rest of them would never survive. Being stingy with their supplies at a time like this was meaningless.

...

An hour later, the group gathered in front of the fire escape door on the twenty fourth floor of the Hotel.

"We’ll go first."

Asagiri’s words made the Players crowding the stairwell instantly move aside, opening a path. Under the awe filled gazes of the Players behind them, he, Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi walked straight to the twenty fourth floor entrance.

At that moment, the white suited man looked at Asagiri’s back and found himself dazed.

He seemed to suddenly understand the difference between himself and the other party.

Both of them had sharp minds. Both could stay calm in a crisis and guide the direction of all the Players’ actions. Yet at the crucial moment...

He had hesitated.

No one knew what kind of scene lay behind that door. If they opened it, what would they face?

Were there parasitic Players hidden among the teams behind them? Would those people seize the moment to attack him?

While the white suited man was still hesitating and weighing the possibilities, Asagiri and the others had already acted. While everyone else was still timid and uncertain, those four had chosen to be the first to open that door.

That was not arrogance. It was confidence, and decisiveness born from absolute strength.

"Creak..."

Perhaps it was only a trick of the mind, but when Asagiri reached out and pushed the fire door open, the Players seemed to hear a faint, eerie sound. It resembled the dry scrape of a door hinge in need of oil, yet also sounded strangely like muffled sobbing.

After opening the door and looking inside, Asagiri saw that the twenty fourth floor, being the banquet hall level, differed from the guest room floors below. Beyond the door stretched a spacious corridor. About ten meters ahead, the hallway bent at two corners. The carpet here was also different. Unlike the guest room floors, it was a vivid blood red interwoven with golden threads.

"When the carpet gradually turns red, it becomes dangerous. So that’s how it is... the public hint the system gave had another meaning."

Asagiri stepped onto the twenty fourth floor as he spoke, and Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko followed behind him without hesitation.

Watching that scene, the six Player teams behind them, including the white suited man’s group, all had the same thought.

These people really are brave.

Did those four feel no fear at all?

"Follow them."

Seeing that, the white suited man gritted his teeth and immediately signaled for his three teammates to follow.

Part of it was because he did not want to keep acting timid. He wanted to contribute as much as possible in the coming battle and secure the system’s clearance bonus. But another reason was that he wanted his own team to act as a barrier. If any of the other five teams contained hidden parasitic Players, they would not be able to immediately strike at Asagiri’s group in front.

That man absolutely could not die. He absolutely had to stay alive.

Only if that man stayed alive was there any hope of clearing this Dungeon. And...

Because of Asagiri’s influence, a thought had already started growing in the minds of the white suited man and his teammates.

Maybe... we really can kill a God.

Once all the Players had entered the twenty fourth floor, the previously empty corridor suddenly felt crowded.

The team at the very back guarded the fire door, making sure there would not be some horror movie situation where the path behind them suddenly vanished.

But in the very next second, the surrounding walls and the floor beneath their feet began to tremble.

"What’s happening!?"

Faced with this sudden change, every Player instantly tensed. None of them panicked, however. Anyone who had made it this far was both capable and mentally resilient.

"It hurts so much..."

Suddenly, faces appeared in the walls on both sides. Human like patterns also rose from the carpet itself, splitting open into mouths as they let out miserable sobs in unison.

"Save me... save me..."

Those mournful cries, together with the horrifying sight, struck at the minds of the Players with great force. Several immediately covered their ears, yet the voices seemed to possess some kind of magic, drilling directly through their skulls and into their brains.

Seeing that, the white suited man immediately turned to the woman in the fox demon mask.

"Use that skill..."

"Stop crying."

Before he could finish, Asagiri, who stood at the very front, suddenly spoke. His voice was cold enough to make the air itself seem to freeze, and at the same time the tall Human Asura appeared beside him.

To everyone’s shock, after being sharply rebuked by Asagiri, the faces on the walls and carpet actually stopped crying. Every single one of them took on a fearful, timid expression.

"Holy crap, that actually works?"

The Players stared in disbelief.

Was that even possible? That black clad Player had just scolded them once, and those things had actually obediently shut up?

Which side was the real anomaly here?

Of course, what truly made it effective was not the scolding itself, but Asagiri’s upgraded special class, the Unrestrained Tyrant.

[Unrestrained Tyrant: A special class upgraded from the Diplomat passive. When using intimidation, threats, coercion, or similar forms of negotiation, the effect is greatly increased.]

[Special Class Exclusive Passive: Upon entering combat, you continuously exert pressure on the surrounding area based on the strength you display. All targets not identified by you as allies will suffer a degree of mental interference, generating emotions such as fear, trembling, and retreat.]

To put it simply, once Asagiri summoned Human Asura and entered combat, his presence became so overwhelming that it frightened even these strange faces.

"That’s right. Your crying was just starting to get me a little excited."

Hearing the faint smile in Asagiri’s tone, the other Players felt a chill run down their spines.

Was this guy mentally stable at all?

He was not afraid in the slightest. Did he have some kind of twisted hobby? Was he actually a psychopath?

Just then, the Player team at the rear suddenly realized something and quickly shouted,

"The door... the door’s gone..."

Asagiri turned and saw that the fire door had indeed vanished at some point. In its place was only a wall full of human faces.

"Oh?"

After seeing that, Asagiri gave a light chuckle and said,

"So you’re going all in now, hm? Playing the desperate dog card?"

Then he looked at one of the faces on the wall beside him, lifted his [Cursed Rope Dart], and asked in a very friendly tone,

"Tell me where that thing’s core is. Otherwise, I’ll have to feed you something good."

The moment those words left his mouth, all the faces in the walls and carpeting instantly shrank back. Except for the fact that the way behind them had become a dead end, the corridor returned to normal once more.

"Oh?"

Seeing that, Iwanaga Kotoko’s deep blue eyes lit up with interest. She then turned to Asagiri with a smile.

"Leader, I think I already know that thing’s weakness."

.....

[If you don’t want to wait for the next update, read 50 Chapters ahead on P@treon.]

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