Chapter 326: Deep Sea
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi were reluctant, but they had to admit Iwanaga Kotoko was right.
Their physical abilities were far beyond those of ordinary people. However, if they lost their vision and their combat effectiveness dropped sharply, they would not be able to help Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko against a Cursed source from a third stage difficulty Dungeon.
They would only become burdens.
"If it's just the two of you..." Yamauchi Sakura looked at Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko, her voice filled with concern. "Can you win?"
"As long as we find that Cursed source, it'll be fine."
Even in such a tense moment, Asagiri's tone remained as relaxed as ever. He replied with a smile.
"As long as I know what the source of the Dead Realm is, I can use Supreme Magic Bullet to eliminate it."
"Yes, don't worry. Shadow and I are the strongest duo."
After saying something filled with obvious personal desire, Iwanaga Kotoko immediately turned to Asagiri.
"I've already told Ashikaga to evacuate the area along the Black Giant Ship's route. I also had her send over night vision goggles and lighting equipment used by special forces. Although firearms are useless against Curses, I asked her to send them just in case. Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
Asagiri thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"That should be enough for now. If we need anything else, we'll contact her again."
For Players at Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko's level, external items such as bulletproof vests were of no use. Their durability was completely incomparable to high quality armor certified by the system.
Modern weapons such as firearms were also ineffective against Cursed existences, so the only real world equipment that might be useful in resolving the Dead Realm were night vision goggles and lighting equipment.
However, even with night vision goggles and lighting equipment, such items were far too fragile in high intensity combat. To be safe, Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi, who could not exert their full strength in absolute darkness, still could not participate in the battle.
"By the way, what's the situation in Tokyo... no, in Japan right now?"
Hearing Asagiri's question, Iwanaga Kotoko sighed softly and replied in a flat tone.
"The other six Dead Realms we know about haven't descended yet. However, a residence resembling an ancient castle appeared in Edogawa Ward. It's still unclear which stage of Dungeon descended there, but Ashikaga has already sent a Player squad from her faction to handle it."
"What about transport?"
"Helicopters. Supplies are also being transferred to us through high altitude airdrops. The helicopter pilots are ordinary people, so they have to stay away from the Dead Realm's area."
"Are the other Player factions making any moves?"
"Unknown for now."
Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head and spoke softly.
"Ashikaga's manpower is limited. Just gathering intelligence on unknown Dead Realm areas and providing support for Players is already exhausting her resources. It's impossible for her to investigate the movements of other Player factions in Tokyo right now."
"I see..."
Asagiri nodded noncommittally, then looked at Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Yamauchi Sakura.
"Then while Necro and I enter the cabin, monitoring the surrounding area will be left to you. I don't want to get ambushed by other Players after eliminating the source of the Dead Realm."
...
Five minutes later, inside the cabin beneath the deck of the Black Giant Ship.
This time, boarding the ship had not been difficult.
Iwanaga Kotoko directly manipulated the Black Particles to form a platform, then she and Asagiri stood on it and flew straight up to the deck nearly seventy meters above the ground.
Asagiri had not let Iwanaga Kotoko help him during the first boarding attempt. The reason was simple: the farther Iwanaga Kotoko manipulated the Black Particles, the more mental energy she consumed. Wasting a large amount of mental energy at the early stage of this "test" was clearly not a wise choice.
"It's still pitch black in here..."
With the light emitted by the portable high intensity searchlight in Asagiri's hand, Iwanaga Kotoko observed their surroundings.
The walls, the floor beneath their feet, and the ceiling above were all pure black.
The space beneath the deck also seemed extremely narrow. Not only was it piled with all kinds of messy debris, but the ceiling was only about two meters high. Simply standing on this floor gave one a suffocating sense of oppression.
"Hmm..."
Iwanaga Kotoko stopped walking.
Seeing this, Asagiri also stopped and asked softly,
"Have you figured out where the Cursed source might be?"
Although they knew the Cursed source was somewhere below the deck, for a giant ship of this size, even the relatively narrow internal space was vast.
If they truly searched inch by inch, then even by dawn, around seven or eight o'clock, the two of them might not be able to finish.
Fortunately, Iwanaga Kotoko was an expert in dealing with Curses.
In fact, compared to her abilities, her judgment and analytical skill, honed through years of handling various Cursed incidents, were the most valuable part of her as a Player.
"Black seaweed... vengeful spirits in the cabins..."
Iwanaga Kotoko lightly tapped her fair chin with her index finger and muttered thoughtfully.
"Since they can be taken away from the giant ship, it proves those vengeful spirits are not earthbound spirits. They also aren't part of the Black Giant Ship itself."
"From your description, although the black seaweed has habitual attack patterns and knows how to try drilling into human bodies, it was foolish enough to attempt drilling into Human Asura's body. That proves its intelligence is very low."
"However, black seaweed with even lower intelligence, which only attacks based on instinct, seems to hold a higher position than the vengeful spirits on this Black Giant Ship. That does not conform to the rules of Curses."
"The only reasonable explanation is..."
Asagiri already understood what Iwanaga Kotoko meant and calmly said,
"The black seaweed is part of the Black Giant Ship, so its status is higher than the vengeful spirits?"
"That's the most reasonable explanation."
Iwanaga Kotoko nodded, then continued.
"But normally, how could there be seaweed on a ship? Especially a luxury passenger liner?"
"Add in those soaking wet vengeful spirits, and the fact that this giant ship itself has become a Cursed object, and I can speculate that this giant ship once sank into the deep sea."
"The resentment generated by a large number of humans dying in an instant caused this giant ship, which had sunk into the deep sea, to transform into a Curse together with the seaweed surrounding it at the time..."
As she analyzed up to this point, Iwanaga Kotoko seemed to grasp a crucial clue.
That feeling of approaching the truth through deduction made excitement appear in her eyes.
"That's it!"
"There is no light in the deep sea, only pure darkness. This also explains why the giant ship is pitch black both inside and outside. That is very likely the reason!"
"You did well."
Asagiri reached out and stroked the top of Iwanaga Kotoko's head, praising her with a smile.
After receiving his praise, Iwanaga Kotoko became visibly even more proud. It was just that she did not have a tail attached at the moment. If she did, it would probably be pointing straight at the sky.
"Of course. I am the God of Wisdom."
"If my deduction is correct, then the source of the Dead Realm should be in the deepest part of this Black Giant Ship. That also matches the system's difficulty arrangement. Only by reaching the core of this giant ship and walking the longest route can we find the source of the Dead Realm."
Just as Iwanaga Kotoko finished speaking, she suddenly sensed a fluctuation of Cursed power.
The smile on her face vanished instantly, and she reminded Asagiri beside her,
"An enemy is coming."
Asagiri nodded slightly and placed the portable high intensity searchlight down.
Then he saw dozens of pools of dirty water appear across the floor.
Immediately afterward, dozens of bloated, pale vengeful spirits with hideous faces emerged from those water stains.
"Stay... stay..."
"I said..."
Asagiri raised the black gun shaped summoner, aimed it at his temple, and pulled the trigger.
The tall Human Asura appeared behind him, and an oppressive aura that made even the vengeful spirits tremble gradually filled the field.
"When prey and hunter are locked in the same room, only despair remains."
...
Nearly an hour later, in the deepest section of the Black Giant Ship's cabin structure, they arrived at the core engine room.
"Finally here..."
Looking at the room before her, which was filled with complex machinery and pipes, where inexplicable soft noises could be heard from time to time, Iwanaga Kotoko could not help but let out a long sigh of relief.
The room covered nearly three hundred square meters, yet it looked messy and cramped.
Along the way, how many vengeful spirits had she and Asagiri encountered?
Probably one or two hundred.
Considering the size of this giant ship, if it had sunk while sailing on the sea, the number of dead would have been at least over a thousand. Even if each individual vengeful spirit was not especially strong, that number alone was worthy of a third stage difficulty Dungeon.
"So now..."
Asagiri scanned the core engine room in front of him.
Because of the various obstacles, he could not confirm whether any enemies were hiding inside. However, at that moment, the light from the portable high intensity searchlight in his hand suddenly went out.
"Hmm?"
Seeing this, Iwanaga Kotoko immediately put on her night vision goggles, only to find that they seemed to have malfunctioned as well.
All she saw was pure darkness.
In the next second, her pupils shrank in shock, and an indescribable feeling welled up from the depths of her heart.
"This... this is..."
Iwanaga Kotoko immediately reached out and grabbed Asagiri's sleeve, lowering her voice.
"It's not that the equipment failed. A rule has appeared in this area, a rule that only allows darkness to exist. This isn't some Cursed power, but a phenomenon within a fixed range..."
Asagiri nodded.
Even in absolute darkness, as if his vision had been stripped away, his voice remained steady.
"I see. It seems the Cursed source of this Black Giant Ship..."
"Is a God."
.....
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