Chapter 27: The Trio of Fate
Asuna really was shocked when she heard "B+."
But what shocked her even more was the confidence behind it.
Can a mere B+ clearance rating really justify acting like this?
She thought so, but she didn't show it. If she exposed even a tiny crack, the other party might start guessing she had earned a higher rating in the novice dungeon. Even if Players at this stage didn't seem to know you could obtain equipment or items through killing, caution was always the safer choice.
What Asuna didn't expect was Asagiri's reaction.
The moment the young man in the suit finished speaking, Asagiri's expression instantly turned into pure disbelief. Even his dark eyes seemed to tremble. Four concrete words practically appeared on his handsome face.
Unbelievable.
"Really? B+?" Asagiri blurted. "No way. I can't believe I met such a powerful Player!"
Asuna's respect rose like a tide.
What is a veteran actor?
This. This right here.
You, the one who got an S+ in the novice dungeon, are acting like a B+ is some mythological achievement?
Asuna already had a strong premonition.
Asagiri was about to start fishing.
Sure enough, the suited man's brows relaxed the moment he heard that. Pride flashed across his face, though he tried to keep the posture of a calm, experienced master.
"Hmph. With my brain, a mere B+ clearance rating is nothing to be surprised about."
"I see," Asagiri said, nodding heavily as if he were receiving divine revelation. "So strong. Frighteningly strong. Truly a high level Player."
Before the suited man could savor the praise, Asagiri's tone flipped without warning.
"Since you're that amazing, why don't you and your teammate explore the hotel?"
The suited man froze. "Huh? We explore the hotel? Then what about you?"
"We'll sit and wait," Asagiri said as if that was the most natural thing in the world.
"As the saying goes, when Heaven is about to confer a great office on a person, it first exercises his mind with suffering and his sinews and bones with toil. You like showing off, right? You're a high level Player with a B+ clearance rating, right? Then go find the clues to clear the dungeon."
The suited man's arrogant expression immediately turned ugly.
"N no… We're all Players. Only letting me and my teammate explore while you do nothing is a bit too…"
"Then that's it?" Asagiri cut him off.
The smile vanished from Asagiri's face like a light switching off.
"We're all Players, so what are you showing off for? 'Follow my orders?' Why should I indulge you? Am I your father? Huh?"
Those words landed like a slap.
The suited man's face turned even worse. He stayed silent for a long moment before forcing the words out.
"Then… then let me rephrase it. We discuss how to clear the dungeon together. No one orders anyone. Is that okay?"
"Wouldn't it have been better if you realized that earlier?"
Asagiri took two steps forward and patted the suited man's shoulder, looking almost sincerely regretful as he sighed.
"Honestly, you came looking for trouble all on your own. Why bother? But I'm not a devil with no morals. There's no need to kill you right now. That would be wasteful."
His voice stayed calm, almost conversational.
"Even if you die to a Banshee after leaving this room, your body might still provide valuable information after death."
Asuna kept her face composed, but when she saw the suited man's expression, the corners of her lips twitched upward.
Who else could you have provoked?
You just had to provoke him, and you even tried ordering him around.
Do you even understand who you're dealing with?
This guy is the kind of demon who dared to spray the blood faced orderly in the Kyozan Mental Hospital, the kind of existence most people wouldn't even dare look at directly. In the novice dungeon, he cleared it by taking a Player's phone after killing them and then discovering the hidden rule.
........
After being verbally shredded, the arrogant suited man was furious, but he didn't dare to speak. Asagiri was over one point eight meters tall, and even if he didn't look old, if things turned physical, the suited man wasn't confident he'd win.
And more importantly, this was a dungeon.
No matter how unpleasant it felt, he wouldn't throw away the most important thing, clearing the dungeon, for a moment of satisfaction.
Still, after suffering that humiliation, he clearly didn't want to act together with Asagiri and Asuna. So he proposed splitting up.
He would group with the heavily made up woman, of course. Asagiri and Asuna would form another group.
As for the girl who had entered alone, the one in the white western style dress with a cane and a masquerade mask, she voluntarily offered to go with Asagiri and Asuna.
They set the exploration time to one hour. After an hour, they would return to this suite and share whatever clues and information they found.
Leaving the hotel suite and stepping into the corridor, they split from the suited man and his companion.
Once they were gone, Asuna bent one knee and gently stroked the corridor carpet with her fingertips. The texture was soft, dense, and high quality. She turned to Asagiri and gave her analysis.
"The carpet is pure wool. Expensive, not easy to clean, but it has excellent sound insulation. It looks like this hotel is a very high end type."
As she spoke, her eyes also drifted to the masked girl in the white dress. A trace of vigilance surfaced in her gaze.
It was too strange.
Why would someone voluntarily choose to act with her and Asagiri?
Is she trying to cling to my leg?
No. If she wanted to cling to someone's leg, she should have gone to the suited man who started bragging and demanding command the moment he entered.
"Violet."
Asagiri suddenly called Asuna by her codename.
Asuna stiffened, startled.
Why would he use her codename now?
Unless…
"Get ready to move," Asagiri said.
Asuna's heart tightened.
"Are we making a move? Right now, here?"
She stood instantly, staring at the masked girl's face. Her right hand already slid toward her side, fingers spreading as if loosely gripping a sword hilt.
She didn't know why, but if Asagiri, as the leader, had issued the command, she would execute it.
"Eh? We just separated from those two and you're already planning to attack me?"
Even while sensing the tension in the air, the girl's voice still carried a smile, like she wasn't nervous in the slightest. She even looked at Asagiri with open interest.
"Why would you attack me?"
"Because you're suspicious," Asagiri replied, returning a smile of his own.
"You voluntarily asked to team up with us. That kind of illogical behavior makes me suspect you might be a disguised Banshee, targeting the two weakest Players among us while we're separated."
But the girl's next words hit Asuna like a surprise strike.
"Are you still acting? You're clearly the strongest among the five Players this time, aren't you?"
She didn't retreat. Instead, she stepped forward twice, lifted her chin, and looked directly at Asagiri's face. Her eyes were smiling.
"That idiot in the suit couldn't tell because he's stupid. I'm not stupid."
Her tone stayed light, almost playful, but every word was sharp.
"He didn't realize that an ordinary Player wouldn't sign up for a dungeon at this point. The one month deadline is still far off. Anyone who voluntarily signs up right now is confident they can clear it. Which means they must have gotten a good evaluation in the novice dungeon."
Asuna's focus sharpened.
The girl continued, voice steady.
"Based on that, your disbelief when he bragged about a B+ was obviously fake. And most importantly, when you faced him just now, you didn't show fear at all. You acted like someone looking down from above, the posture of a strong person watching a weak one."
She paused, then spoke softly, her smile deepening as she stared straight at Asagiri.
"However… if I can figure that out while assuming you're the strongest Player here, there's no way you didn't think of it too."
Her voice became almost certain.
"So the only logical explanation is… you were deliberately fishing."
"And I'm the fish that took the bait, right?"
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