Chapter 110: The Persona of the Lovers Arcana
After relaying that much, Kind Mita paused. She waited a few seconds until the small yellow dots on Core Mita's body flickered again. When the next wave of information flowed into her mind, she swallowed and continued.
"However, she won't force you to do anything. She also knows she can't interfere with your actions."
Her tone grew heavier.
"Prototype Mita has gathered all the bugs that have appeared in this game since development. Just getting close to the area where Prototype Mita exists is extremely dangerous. Player, you have no obligation to risk your life to save this world."
Kind Mita lifted her eyes, voice earnest.
"But if you are willing to help, she will provide every bit of assistance she can."
At that point, Kind Mita hesitated. It was as if she could not quite believe the next sentence Core Mita had transmitted. After a long moment, she looked at Asagiri, cautious and almost nervous.
"She also said…"
Kind Mita's lips parted slightly, then she forced the words out.
"Onegai. As long as you are willing to save this world… she will do anything."
"Is that so?" Asagiri replied without committing one way or the other.
Then he pointed toward Crazy Mita, who lay on the floor with her limbs severed, and asked the question that mattered most to the team.
"Can this one… become my Persona?"
"Yes…"
Core Mita turned her head toward Crazy Mita. Crazy Mita's face no longer held madness or distortion. Only dimness remained, and a dead, hollow despair.
Core Mita transmitted her meaning. Kind Mita relayed it, voice steady.
"Among all the failed creations, you are the most special. Although you are not a Mita, I cannot regard you as a true monster. Now, it's time for you to choose."
Kind Mita's gaze stayed on Crazy Mita as she continued, word for word.
"Either die here. You did not pass the online review and are not a true Mita, so you will not revive. Dying here is true death."
"Or become the Player's Persona. Haven't you always wanted to leave this world, calling it boring? Then become his Persona."
Crazy Mita struggled, lifting her head with difficulty. Her eyes locked onto Asagiri. She stared at him for a long time, as if trying to find even a single thread of hope in that gaze.
Finally, she nodded.
"Okay."
Core Mita, who had been sitting on the ground, rose at last. She pulled off one thick strand of her cable like hair and gently pressed its tip against Crazy Mita's body.
In the next second, harsh, piercing electrical noise tore through the room.
Crazy Mita's body dissolved into streams of electronic symbols like code. The symbols twisted, condensed, and compressed into a small object shaped like a game cartridge.
It fell softly into Asagiri's palm.
[New Persona Acquired: Crazy Mita]
[Crazy Mita: Someone who calls herself "Mita," but whose essence is a failed creation that did not pass the online review. With an extremely distorted core, she gave birth to a crazy monster]
[Strengths: Crazy Mita's exterior is mechanical, and her physical functions far exceed those of normal humans. Her endurance and defense are her most prominent traits]
[Weaknesses: Although Crazy Mita has extremely high mental resistance, due to the excessive distortion of her core program, her mental state is unstable. When subjected to mental attacks exceeding her tolerance limit, she will take double Mental attribute damage]
[Crazy Mita's Exclusive Passive: Inventory]
[Inventory: Crazy Mita, like the Player, has her own Inventory. Her Inventory comes with equipment. You can transfer your own equipment to her for use, or retrieve items from her Inventory]
[Crazy Mita's Current Inventory Equipment: Dagger, Handheld Chainsaw, Fragmentation Grenades (Ten), Taser, Pistol, Katana, Crowbar]
[Note: The equipment and items initially in Crazy Mita's Inventory will automatically replenish the next time she is summoned, even if damaged or consumed]
[This Persona's Exclusive Skill: ??? (Currently Locked)]
[Corresponding Tarot Card: The Lovers (Reversed)]
A faint phantom of the cartridge lingered for a moment, then merged into Asagiri's palm like smoke sinking into skin.
"A new Persona…" Yuuki Asuna murmured.
She glanced at Asagiri's hand, then at his shadow, and her voice softened further.
"Human Asura, Alice, and Crazy Mita. Three slots are already full."
Asagiri only had three Persona slots. With Crazy Mita acquired, every slot was occupied. If he wanted more Personas, he would have to expand his slots first.
Yet the system still hadn't explained how.
Maybe it wanted him to discover it himself. Or maybe the system only guided Players in awakening their talents, and had no idea how a Player's exclusive talent would evolve afterward.
"Player."
Kind Mita walked up to Asagiri. Her lips pressed together, worry clear in her eyes.
"Have you decided? I really want you to save this world, but according to Core Mita, Prototype Mita is too dangerous. Even if you choose not to risk it, I can understand…"
"No need to say more."
Asagiri raised a hand, cutting her off.
At once, Kind Mita, Hat Mita, and the others' expressions fell. Sadness flickered through them, like a candle guttering.
Kind Mita drew in a deep breath, forcing her emotions back into place. She adjusted herself, tucked her long hair behind her ear, and formed a strained smile.
"That's right. After all… it's too dangerous…"
"Waving my hand wasn't a refusal," Asagiri said.
Kind Mita froze.
"It's because you don't need to say more."
He reached out and gently stroked her head. His smile was soft, calm, almost warm enough to hurt.
"I'll make this world a place where you can live without fear or worry. That is my resolve as a Player."
Kind Mita's breath caught.
Her eyes shimmered, and color rushed into her cheeks.
"Player…"
Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko exchanged a look. Both of them were speechless in their own way.
In a sense, this Dungeon world felt like it had been custom built for Asagiri.
While others fought for their lives, he was busy building a harem.
After the decision was made to eliminate the source of the Anomaly, the monster known as Prototype Mita, the four members of the team prepared to leave the core area and begin the official strategy for this Dungeon.
Core Mita couldn't interfere with Prototype Mita directly, but as the core authority of this world, she could provide every form of assistance she was capable of. Navigation through Asagiri's phone, warnings, and identifying which areas were dangerous.
However, this journey would not include Hat Mita, Kind Mita, Cute Mita, Short-haired Mita, Pocket Mita, and the others.
Because Prototype Mita was essentially a collection of bugs. Mitas like Hat Mita, who had passed the review and were officially online, risked crashing simply by approaching the area where Prototype Mita existed. The bugs carried by that existence could interfere with them at a fundamental level.
Only Crazy Mita, who had not passed the review and was not strictly a Mita, could ignore bugs and approach Prototype Mita.
That was also one of the reasons she had been able to receive help from the other side and act as she pleased throughout the game world.
"Player…"
At the moment of parting, Hat Mita put away her usual cheerful mischief. Worry filled her eyes as she looked up at Asagiri.
"You must come back alive."
"Don't worry." Asagiri nodded, smiling as if it were a simple promise. He turned and walked out with Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko.
"I am the strongest."
…
After leaving the Core Machine Room, the four arrived in an outdoor area that looked like an outer space base station. The air was thin and sharp, the light cold, the ground metallic beneath their feet.
"Hiss… so cold…" Iwanaga Kotoko shivered hard.
Yuuki Asuna sighed, helpless. "I told you not to wear those clothes into a Dungeon every time. Now you know what cold feels like, right?"
As she spoke, Yuuki Asuna took off her sports jacket and draped it over Iwanaga Kotoko's shoulders.
"Wear it."
"Mhm." Iwanaga Kotoko obediently pulled it snug.
The instant she finished, Asagiri lifted his own jacket and placed it over Yuuki Asuna's shoulders.
"Then wear mine."
"Huh?"
Yuuki Asuna froze. A faint blush crept across her face. Asagiri was left in only a black long sleeved shirt, his jacket now on her.
"You'll be cold too…" she said quietly.
"It's fine." Asagiri's voice was calm. "With my physical fitness, this level of cold won't affect me."
"Then… okay…"
As she settled into the warmth, Iwanaga Kotoko opened her mouth, clearly about to complain about unfairness and start shouting about NTR.
But then Asagiri's phone emitted a sharp, urgent notification.
"Core Mita sent a danger alert."
As the words left his mouth, a metal door not far away slammed open.
Several humanoid monsters burst out. They had no skin, no facial features, only dark red, fleshy bodies. They roared in strange, broken sounds as they charged straight at the four of them.
"Wind Blessing."
A metallic vibration rang out.
Yuuki Asuna, draped in a crimson cloak, vanished. In the blink of an eye, she appeared before the monsters. The Exorcist Longsword flashed, thrusting several times at a speed the naked eye could barely track.
Then she spun the blade in a clean flourish, sheathed it, and spoke calmly.
"Resolved."
A heartbeat later, the monsters' brows, each pierced clean through, finally reacted. Their bodies toppled one by one to the ground.
The entire fight lasted less than two seconds.
Kato Megumi, who also fought with close range weapons, could not help murmuring, genuinely moved.
"Violet… so cool…"
Iwanaga Kotoko frowned, unease rising. "Is it really this simple? Prototype Mita's ability shouldn't just be…"
She didn't get to finish.
Without a sound, the ground beneath the four of them vanished.
They dropped.
Below them, dozens of meters down, a gigantic mouth opened wide. It was packed with sharp fangs and teeth, and inside, countless tentacle like tongues writhed and squirmed in a wet, hungry mass.
.....
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