Chapter 329: A Trainer's Resolve
"Eh? So what you mean is, the normal way to solve this Dead Realm would be to wipe out every evil spirit on the Black Giant Ship?"
"That's right. Exactly."
"I see..."
Hearing Iwanaga Kotoko's reply, Kato Megumi nodded as if she understood, then asked curiously,
"Exactly how many evil spirits were on that Black Giant Ship?"
"Not sure."
Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head, then said nonchalantly,
"There should have been around a thousand. If we count the ones in the cabins, maybe at least two or three thousand."
"Two or three thousand evil spirits!?"
Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Yamauchi Sakura's expressions all changed upon hearing this. Yuuki Asuna hesitated.
"How much time would it take to clear them all..."
Before Yuuki Asuna could finish speaking, Asagiri softly interrupted.
"Because in the system's planning, a Dead Realm of this level isn't something a single player squad is supposed to solve. The normal process should be for several player squads to gather, work together to conquer the Black Giant Ship, clear the evil spirits little by little, face those six strongest Cursed entities in the core engine room, and then obtain the item, Crystal of Deceased Grievance."
Although Yamauchi Sakura was not a hardcore otaku, she often played video games at home. The moment she heard Asagiri's explanation, she understood.
"In other words, you and Necro skipped the long and tedious conquest process, gave up most of the rewards that could have been obtained on the Black Giant Ship, and cleared it through the highest difficulty hidden route. While saving time, you also managed to get the best reward from the Black Giant Ship?"
"Hm?"
Yuuki Asuna looked puzzled and asked Yamauchi Sakura curiously,
"How do you know the Crystal of Deceased Grievance is the best reward on the Black Giant Ship?"
"Uh..."
Yamauchi Sakura was stunned for a moment, then looked at Yuuki Asuna with a slightly complicated gaze and patiently explained,
"The deepest location and the highest difficulty level. The reward obtained after conquering it must be the best, right? It's like a Dungeon in a video game. You can spend extra time collecting other items along the way, but the best reward is definitely in the treasure chest after clearing it. Isn't that common sense? Don't you guys have..."
Halfway through, Yamauchi Sakura remembered she had already asked this question before. She could not help but sigh, then looked at Asagiri and smiled.
"Trainer, which gym are we challenging next?"
Asagiri chuckled and teased,
"What? Is the Shiny Magikarp already getting impatient, wanting to use its ultimate move, Splash, to make the enemy laugh?"
Yamauchi Sakura curled her lips and muttered softly,
"Hey, that's too much. Say what you want, but I do have attack skills. I'm still stronger than a Magikarp."
"Magikarp can learn Tackle too. Don't slander it."
"Mine is Holy Light! It counters Cursed entities! Can Magikarp's Tackle compare to me?"
"Can we stop dreaming? Attribute advantage is one thing, but you aren't seriously thinking of using your Holy Light skill to fight Cursed entities from a third-stage Dungeon difficulty, are you? How is that any different from taking a newly caught regional bird to challenge the Fighting-type Elite Four?"
At this point, Asagiri paused for a moment, then said righteously,
"How about this? Actually, I'm a Cursed entity too. Why don't you use your Holy Light to challenge me? If you lose, I'll have to unlock your defeat CG."
"Defeat CG?"
Yamauchi Sakura looked confused. She tilted her head and asked curiously,
"What is a defeat CG?"
Asagiri explained solemnly,
"It's where the trainer who loses in a Pokémon battle becomes the winner's captive, gets beaten until they fall to their knees, and is then taken back to be thoroughly hum... iliated!"
Yamauchi Sakura commented speechlessly,
"Is this even an official Pokémon game...?"
"This is a Pokémon battle in the real world! Two trainers betting everything they have on their Pokémon! The loser loses everything! This is the bond between trainer and Pokémon!"
"Can you stop destroying the Pokémon worldview in my heart...?"
Yamauchi Sakura sighed helplessly, then pursed her lips and tentatively offered an opinion.
"Although my ability can speed up your recovery of mental power and stamina, judging from the current situation, Necro is fine, but it will take at least nearly ten hours for Shadow to recover to full status..."
"Let's rest."
Asagiri made the decision without hesitation.
"Not necessarily until I'm fully recovered, but at least until I can use Supreme Magic Bullet again before we go solve another Dead Realm."
"Mm, agreed."
Yuuki Asuna and the others held the same opinion.
Although Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Yamauchi Sakura were all still at full status and had the ability to continue fighting as a squad, this was not a Dungeon. Since they had enough time to rest, there was no need to force themselves.
Asagiri's Supreme Magic Bullet was equivalent to an insurance policy.
It could go unused, but it had to be available when needed.
"How should we handle that Crystal of Deceased Grievance?"
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's question, Iwanaga Kotoko looked at the chain Rope Dart wrapped around Asagiri's right arm and smiled.
"I don't really need a new Cursed type ability. By comparison, shouldn't we fuse and upgrade the Rope Dart of Deathly Grievance? I think, judging from its attributes and name, its compatibility with the Crystal of Deceased Grievance should be very high."
"Agreed."
"I agree too."
Yamauchi Sakura, who had been silent at the side, noticed Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi all looking at her. She hesitated.
"Um... do I have a say in this too?"
"Of course you do."
Asagiri looked surprised, as if Yamauchi Sakura had just said something outrageous.
The latter froze for a moment and asked in confusion,
"But... I didn't contribute at all in the process of conquering the Dead Realm. Perimeter security and reconnaissance were handled by Violet and Phantom. I only cast recovery spells for you after the battle ended..."
Asagiri shrugged, interrupting Yamauchi Sakura's words and correcting her righteously.
"Since when is a say determined by contribution? No matter what the KDA is, as long as you're a member of the team, you have an equal say. This is the bond!"
"Eh..."
A thoughtful look appeared in Yamauchi Sakura's eyes. Then she breathed a sigh of relief, revealed a relaxed smile, and spoke in a light tone.
"So that's how it is. Then I'll give my opinion too. Of course, I agree."
"Mm, that settles it."
Watching Asagiri take the black Crystal of Deceased Grievance from his pocket and slowly place it against the surface of the Rope Dart, a strange feeling rose in Yamauchi Sakura's heart.
At that moment, she finally realized the difference between Asagiri's group and other players.
Over several Dungeons, Yamauchi Sakura had encountered other player squads, but most members of those squads could not be described as completely trusting one another. Especially when facing the distribution of benefits, fierce quarrels or even irreconcilable conflicts would erupt.
Because she had seen such things before, when acting with Asagiri and the others, although she pretended to be unaffected, she had been cautious the entire time. She had even deliberately suppressed her lively and outgoing personality, afraid she might say the wrong thing or express an opinion on an issue she was not qualified to speak on.
But now, it seemed she had worried too much.
As for Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi, they had actually noticed Yamauchi Sakura's restraint.
After all, these four people all had very high emotional intelligence. Asagiri, as the team leader, was a "God of Conquest" who could see through a girl's sensitive thoughts at a glance.
That was why the four of them used the topic of distributing the Crystal of Deceased Grievance to let Yamauchi Sakura know that, as teammates, she did not need to be so cautious when getting along with them.
At this time, the black Crystal of Deceased Grievance had already fused with Asagiri's Rope Dart of Deathly Grievance.
The Rope Dart and chain, originally the color of normal metal, gradually turned pure black after merging with the black crystal. Faint crimson Cursed patterns condensed on the surface.
[Rope Dart of Deathly Grievance (Purple Rare Quality): A Rope Dart gathering the grievances of thousands of the deceased, carrying powerful curse power. When the Rope Dart hits an enemy, it will release curse power with frost damage and continuously drain the enemy's mental power and stamina to replenish the user.]
[Note: When the Rope Dart deals damage to a target, it will strip the target of vision. The specific duration depends on the target's mental strength, and it cannot be applied repeatedly to the same target.]
Looking at the equipment introduction that popped up in the Eye Icon APP, Asagiri was very satisfied.
Although the quality of the equipment had not increased to red, it was equivalent to an all-around upgrade.
Now, as long as the Rope Dart damaged an enemy, it could simultaneously drain mental power and stamina, while also adding frost attribute damage.
Most importantly, of course, was the "strip vision" effect. It was an incredibly powerful special affix.
For a player of Asagiri's level, even a one-second, or even half-second, opening from an enemy could be the key to changing the outcome of battle.
Just then, Asagiri's phone rang.
After he answered it, Miwa Ashikaga's voice came from the other side.
"Has the Dead Realm on your side been solved?"
"It has been solved."
"Phew... That's good."
Miwa Ashikaga sighed in relief, looked down at the table on her desk, then picked up a pen and drew a horizontal line through the "Black Giant Ship" entry at the top.
Among all the Dead Realms in Tokyo that she knew of, the Black Giant Ship faced by Asagiri's squad had the greatest destructive power.
The moment it descended, it had taken the lives of hundreds or even thousands of people, and it was in a moving state. Fortunately, Asagiri and the others had stopped it. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Regarding the Dead Realm..."
Miwa Ashikaga opened the Tokyo map on her computer and looked at the markers representing Dead Realms on it. Her tone became somewhat heavy.
"Currently, the Dead Realm areas I know that have descended into Tokyo are the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku, the bustling nightlife bar district in Edogawa Ward, and the apartment complex in Arakawa Ward. Although it is still too early to draw conclusions, if we judge based on these three areas..."
Miwa Ashikaga took a deep breath, then spoke slowly.
"The Dead Realm will descend during the peak human traffic hours of the corresponding area."
.....
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