Chapter 08: Kyozan Mental Hospital
After completing her analysis, Asuna felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her, her mood lifting as her chin unconsciously tilted upward.
But before she could savor the moment, she noticed Asagiri's expression—calm, unfazed, even slightly amused.
"You... figured this out a long time ago?" she asked.
"Pretty much."
Asagiri nodded with a relaxed smile.
"When I first entered the dungeon and realized the chainsaw and drill didn't disappear, I already suspected it. But I only confirmed it after you cleared the dungeon and received your so-called equipment. That's when I knew that 'not restricting players from bringing weapons' was one of the special hints for clearing the Newbie Dungeon."
Then his tone shifted slightly.
"After all, this is just the first dungeon for newcomers. Clearing it is practically effortless. The deduction doesn't require genius-level intellect. The real challenge is how quickly a player calms down enough to read the hints seriously. Even if they fail to deduce the Caregivers' true role, as long as they have the courage to rush out, they can still clear it. Of course, there's also a very simple way to clear it without taking any risks."
Asuna blinked. "What way?"
Asagiri gave her a meaningful look.
"Why do you think this dungeon assigned two players to the same ward?"
Asuna's expression changed instantly.
She wasn't naive—far from it.
In an environment filled with fear, pressure, and a ticking one-hour time limit, it was nearly impossible for a newcomer to remain composed. As time passed, paranoia and desperation would grow.
And then, the simplest "solution" would appear.
Use the other player as bait.
Push them out first.
Escape in the chaos.
The Caregivers wouldn't attack players... but a panicked player certainly might.
No one would willingly be sacrificed. If either player even suspected the other of planning such a thing, it would devolve into a struggle for survival.
"Alright. Let's go," Asagiri said calmly.
"G-go... where?" Asuna asked.
"Based on the situation, it looks like we won't return until the time limit ends."
Asagiri checked his phone. Even if this wasn't their original world anymore, the phone was likely still accurate.
"This is a Newbie Dungeon with almost no difficulty. There's no need for tricks like altering the phone's time. We have forty-eight minutes left. Since we already cleared the dungeon but haven't returned, we might as well treat the remaining time as part of the reward and investigate this sanatorium. Who knows? We might find valuable information. And no one can guarantee this will be the last time we come here."
"Mhm. That makes sense. Let's go."
Asuna didn't hesitate long and followed Asagiri across the courtyard toward one of the European-style buildings.
As they walked, they shared the details of their rewards.
"Huh? You already unlocked a talent? And a special class?"
Asuna couldn't hide her amazement.
A+ and S+ were only one tier apart, yet the gap in rewards was massive.
Her own Swordsman class was very basic. The equipment she received was ordinary quality. The only truly exceptional reward was Wind Blessing, which she hadn't tested yet.
But Asagiri?
He received the special class Diplomat. Considering how he handled the Caregiver earlier, it was practically made for him.
He also unlocked an exclusive talent—Persona. The description alone was longer than all her rewards combined. How could it not be powerful?
But then she thought again.
It made sense.
Asagiri cleared the dungeon at lightning speed and even brought her along. His S+ might well be the highest possible rating.
When they entered the first-floor lobby, they searched the rooms thoroughly. They found almost nothing except for an admission registration form.
Asuna held the bloodstained, nearly illegible form and read aloud:
"Kyozan Mental Hospital Patient Containment and Sanatorium... Project 136... Chris Walker, male... Warning, this patient is extremely dangerous and requires the highest level of security watch..."
Finishing the remaining legible text, she frowned deeply.
"Why does this form refer to the contained patients as 'projects' and assign them numbers? This place definitely isn't a normal hospital."
After finishing their search, only about twenty minutes remained. They set aside time for retreat and decided to check the second floor.
Just as they stepped onto the second-floor corridor, they saw a tall, blood-faced erderly hunched over, peering into a ward's observation window.
Suddenly, the door to the ward swung open.
A blood-covered patient leaped directly at the elderly.
"That's—"
Before Asuna could finish, another figure burst out of the ward.
A medium-built man, clothes stained with blood, clutching a kitchen knife, sprinted down the corridor in the direction opposite the olderly—straight toward Asagiri and Asuna.
Seeing the two standing near the stairwell, he froze for a moment in shock.
"Who... are you?"
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