"...I see now."
Seeing the bodies of the players lying beneath the makeshift shelter, Kaguya understood instantly.
A textbook mountain disaster scenario.
When people fall asleep in an extreme cold environment, they first feel intensely cold. If they never wake, blood concentrates in the brain, creating a false sense of warmth—even heat. Finally, they die with a smile in their dreams.
The beginning of the game had been a collective dream.
There had only ever been one main quest: make yourself wake up.
"Eh? Why do those people look exactly like us?"
Even now, some people were still confused.
For instance, Kotoriyū Rokka.
The middle-school-syndrome girl's expression was blank, the ahoge atop her head trembling in the cold wind. She had absolutely no idea what was happening—she'd stumbled through in a daze and heard the game-clear notification.
The MVP of riding coattails.
"Thank you, Amamiya-kun."
The other stranger players gradually came to their senses. They walked up to Natsuki one by one, offering their grateful thanks.
If Natsuki hadn't called for them to leave together, they would still be in the castle right now. The final outcome was easy to imagine.
"No need to thank me. We should all be helping each other and overcoming difficulties together." Chika's voice was bright and clear. She didn't forget to promote the mutual aid organization she'd set up. "After everyone gets back, you can join the mutual aid group... see you all in the real world!"
The cold wind howled.
Snow fell in flurries.
A snowy mountain was truly no place for conversation. After exchanging a few brief words, the group quickly walked up to the cliff shelter and reached out to touch their own bodies.
[Game Cleared]
[You will leave the game in 10 seconds. Please prepare]
"No wonder everyone's countdowns were different..." Chika murmured to herself. "It was actually related to everyone's physical constitution, wasn't it?"
Natsuki and Kaguya exchanged a glance. Both understood what the other's eyes conveyed.
"No. It was body fat."
"..."
Ten seconds passed in an instant.
Natsuki felt his head grow slightly dizzy. The next moment, Miko's soft cry rang in his ears.
"Natsuki?"
Natsuki opened his eyes and found himself lying on the sofa. Miko had her hands braced against her knees, bent at the waist, looking down at him with worried eyes.
"It's been so long."
Natsuki covered his forehead and sat up, his tone somber.
"Eh?"
"I just spent several hours in the game. Seeing you now, it feels like ages have passed..."
Miko shot him an annoyed look: "Check what time it is right now yourself."
"Hm?"
Natsuki froze, picked up his phone, and glanced at it. The time was actually past two in the afternoon.
"You suddenly vanished earlier." Miko pressed her pink lips together as she explained. "Like, completely disappeared into thin air—gone without a trace. You only just reappeared. Hana came back from walking the dog earlier and asked where you'd gone. I had no choice but to say you'd gone out on an errand... It was completely different from the situation you described before."
"It's probably due to the game update." Natsuki furrowed his brow slightly.
Before, only his consciousness entered the game. Now his body could enter as well... had the game evolved?
As they spoke, a semi-transparent Mrs. Kaguya materialized out of thin air.
"Natsuki is so mean." Mrs. Kaguya's tone was resentful—as though Natsuki were some heartless cad who'd loved and abandoned her. "You didn't call for my help even once from start to finish."
"I did call." Natsuki spread his hands. "Unfortunately, you couldn't come out."
The snowy mountain and castle in the game had been the collective subconscious of all the players. Mrs. Kaguya, a "pet," naturally couldn't enter.
That was the reason Natsuki had summoned Mrs. Kaguya at the time and received no response whatsoever.
"Little Kaguya and Little Chika are all right, aren't they?" Mrs. Kaguya asked.
Natsuki nodded: "They're fine. We cleared the game together."
"That's good." Mrs. Kaguya placed her hand over her utterly unremarkable chest and let out a soft breath—though as a ghost, she had absolutely no need to breathe. Her face was full of anticipation. "What was the game content this time? I'm very curious."
Learn from your ice queen daughter—even if she's super curious, she wouldn't ask directly!
Yotsuya Miko said with curiosity: "I'd like to know too."
"It was wilderness survival disguised as a snowbound manor..."
Natsuki gave a simple rundown of the game's content.
"How dangerous!" Mrs. Kaguya covered her pink lips. "Are the games always this dangerous?"
Natsuki nodded: "They always have been."
"As long as you cleared it, that's what matters." Miko let out a quiet breath of relief. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go prepare lunch."
"I am a bit hungry." Natsuki stood up. He felt as though a great deal of cold still lingered in his body. "I'll take a bath first."
After spending so long in a frozen wasteland, what did he want to do most upon returning to reality?
Take a bath, of course!
"Should I help scrub Natsuki's back?" Mrs. Kaguya raised her right hand. "I couldn't help in the game, so I want to help however I can now."
Miko's footsteps halted. She turned to look.
"No need." Natsuki's expression was perfectly blank. "Go play on your phone."
Help scrub his back? If you're going to say something like that, at least don't say it in front of Miko—or in front of your own daughter!
He walked into the bathroom.
Natsuki filled the tub, gave his body a quick rinse, then settled into the bath and began soaking.
"Ahh..."
Letting out a quiet sigh, Natsuki opened the game settlement interface.
[Congratulations, you have earned MVP for this game session]
[All of your rewards will receive an additional boost]
"MVP comes with an extra reward bonus—that hasn't appeared before. It must be post-update content."
Natsuki pondered this silently and continued reading.
[In recognition of your outstanding performance, you may designate one item from the following five as your additional reward]
[Note: All rewards come from the 'Wilderness Challenge' dungeon you just cleared]
[Will you make your selection now?]
"Yes."
Natsuki naturally didn't hesitate. Five choices—surely they wouldn't all be evil spirits.
The next moment.
Five neatly arranged cards appeared before Natsuki's eyes, floating in the air and emitting a faint white glow. Unlike the loot boxes, the contents of all five cards were clearly spelled out—though the reward options left much to be desired.
Natsuki looked at the first card.
[Item: Chronicles of the Headless Horseman]
[This is the diary of a certain ascetic who practiced invisibility techniques, only to render his head invisible. It contains cultivation insights and travel observations. You may gain something from reading it]
Hey now—the headless horseman had no head because of an invisibility technique?! A man practicing invisibility techniques was clearly a pervert!
[Item: Maid Summoning Card]
[You may summon an evil spirit maid to serve you for a maximum of 24 hours. Note: During the maid's service, please do not engage in any harassing behavior. Violators bear all consequences]
With those maid ladies looking the way they did, no normal person would harass them anyway!
Natsuki had no perverted maid fetishes, so he skipped right past it.
[Item: Werewolf Miss's Stretchy Workout Pants]
[Description: These workout pants were honorably crafted by the Transformation Enthusiasts Association to protect the dignity of all transformation enthusiasts]
The Hulk's stretchy pants were one thing—but Werewolf Miss's stretchy pants? What use could those possibly have?
Natsuki looked at the fourth card.
[Item: Pet Collar]
[Note: Ultra-long standby, solar charging, six modes, perfectly ergonomic collar design—brings you a whole new kind of pleasure]
Having reviewed all the rewards, Natsuki suddenly understood the significance of post-update MVP status.
The strong get stronger. The weak get weaker.