A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

Page 171

……

Hearing the discussions in the room, Asagiri raised her hand to signal for quiet before slowly speaking.

"Our entire team consists of advanced players, so we received a special notification from the system when we entered the dungeon this time."

When Asagiri said those words, Kotoko Iwanaga paid special attention to the reactions of the players in the arena. A considerable number of players seemed somewhat surprised when they heard the words "special reminder," while the male player in the white suit and his teammates remained calm. This indicated that they already knew that high-level players had special privileges, or that there was even a high-level player with such privileges in their team.

One of the special tips is: "Please do not have close contact with 'them' for too long." This "them" should refer to the parasitic players.

Asagiri glanced at the players present and said in a calm tone.

"Being in the same room during a dangerous period satisfies both 'close contact' and 'excessive time,' so any player who has been in a state of confusion or is suspected of parasitism should not stay with normal players during dangerous periods, not even teammates."

One player hesitated and said, "But we're sitting here right now, which also meets those conditions, right?"

"Yes."

Asagiri nodded first, then smiled and spoke.

"Based on the information we have at this stage, 'acting alone' is not a prerequisite for parasitism. Even when accompanied by teammates, some people have still fallen into a state of confusion. So why does the public notice say that players should not act alone? The answer is what we are currently discussing."

"Acting alone is not a prerequisite for parasitism, but if someone is parasitized while acting alone without any witnesses, we would not know that they have been parasitized, nor would we pay attention to them. Therefore, the tip of avoiding acting alone is not related to the phenomenon of 'parasitism' itself, but is a tip given to enable us to counter the phenomenon of 'parasitism' to a certain extent."

"Let's all think about it. What would be the ideal situation for that strange thing that controls the parasite? It would be if the player it parasitizes is not suspected or attracted attention, and remains lurking among us until our physical strength gradually depletes and our mental stability declines, before jumping out to deliver a fatal blow. That's what it wants to see. Since we're all gathered here, if anyone suddenly falls into a state of confusion, they will be immediately discovered by those around them. Therefore, it won't use its limited number of parasitism attempts in a situation where it's bound to be exposed."

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, the man in the white suit pretended to be puzzled and then asked the crucial question at the opportune moment.

"So, knowing which players are suspected of parasitism, is concentrating them on one floor our countermeasure?"

"No, it's not just that."

Asagiri immediately responded with a statement that sent a chill down the spines of all the players present.

"Our countermeasure is me."

The man in the white suit's expression changed upon hearing this, and he spoke in an incredulous tone.

"Could it be... that you possess the ability to move freely even during dangerous situations?"

"Yes."

"Really!? That's great! Now we can counter the parasitic players!"

Listening to the conversation between the man in the white suit and Asagiri, Kotoko Iwanaga, Asuna Yuuki, and Megumi Kato all had only one thought in their minds.

Are you two here, acting as the straight man and the comedian?

It was obvious that Asagiri and the man in the white suit had reached a tacit understanding, even though they weren't teammates... no, it was precisely because they weren't teammates that their act was so effective.

After this dungeon ends, Asagiri, who has been in control of the narrative and has even determined the direction of all players' actions, will definitely receive an amazing boost to the completion rating.

After a slight pause, giving the players time to think about what they had to say, Asagiri slowly began to speak.

"There are a total of thirteen players who have been in a state of confusion. They have all been assigned to the seventh floor and I will be in charge of monitoring them. If any of them make any suspicious moves, my teammates and I will immediately eliminate them."

Upon hearing Chaowu's words, the players present were first stunned, and then they couldn't help but feel a deep respect.

Goodness, this player in black is really something else.

Thirteen players who had been in a state of confusion and might have been parasitized gathered on the seventh floor where he was located.

How much confidence must one have in their own abilities to make such a decision?

The players who were initially resentful that Asagiri had held the power to decide the actions of all players were now completely convinced.

They are very capable and intelligent, and instead of using their influence to shift the danger to others, they took the initiative to undertake the most dangerous task.

Admittedly, everyone knows this is to obtain a high-level completion rating, but which player enters a dungeon for this reason?

If they can lead you through the game, what else is there to say? Just obey.

……

After the meeting, in the executive meeting room on the fourth floor of the hotel.

Asuna Yuuki rummaged through drawers and cabinets, searching for useful information and intelligence. She tucked her long, flaxen hair behind her ear and looked curiously at Asagiri, who was also rummaging through drawers and cabinets beside her.

"By the way, that guy in the white suit said he has a method to parasitize players. Why don't we ask him what that method is? If we know the principle behind it, maybe we can do it too..."

Asagiri waved her hand and said with a smile.

"He doesn't have that kind of ability; he's just talking nonsense."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki paused for a moment, then frowned slightly.

"Does that mean he's lying? But why would he lie like that..."

Sitting on the table in the executive meeting room, Kotoko Iwanaga, idly swinging her legs, said indifferently.

"It's to prevent situations where someone is clearly in a state of confusion, but the person and their teammates choose to hide it."

Kato Megumi tilted her head and asked curiously.

"Would anyone really do that? It's not like they've ever been in a state of confusion. Once they've confirmed the possibility of parasitism, they would just kill the person directly. If they haven't been parasitized, that would be the best outcome. But if they have been parasitized and choose to hide it, the most dangerous people would be their teammates, right?"

That's just how humans are.

Kotoko Iwanaga cupped her fair cheeks in her hands and replied softly.

"Most people, even those who have survived several dungeons and are still alive today, cannot remain absolutely rational. Imagine a teammate who has gone through several dungeons with you, after a brief period of confusion, begging you, as his teammate, not to tell anyone about it, saying that he doesn't want to be isolated on the seventh floor with those parasitic players. If you were in that situation, could you really bear to refuse?"

"But when he lied, he said that ability could only be used once every five hours. What if he's already used it..."

"Wouldn't it be fine if we didn't use it in front of other teams?"

Seeing that neither Kato Megumi nor Yuuki Asuna understood the man in the white suit's motive for lying, Asagiri explained with a smile.

"He could easily find those strong teams and talk to them one-on-one after the next dangerous period ends, claiming that he hasn't used his abilities yet, and ask if any of the team members have ever been in a state of confusion."

Kato Megumi nodded as if she understood, then asked curiously.

"And what's the result? If he didn't have that ability, he wouldn't be able to provide the verification results, right?"

No result is needed.

Asagiri shook her head and chuckled softly.

"Once the parasitic player believes he has that ability, they can roughly judge it by the other party's reaction. Players who haven't been parasitized but have been in a state of confusion will definitely want to be verified in order to reassure their teammates and clear their names. But if it's a real parasitic player, they definitely won't want to be verified. Of course, if we consider the parasitic player as a split of some entity, assuming they would sacrifice themselves for the main body's goal, then the parasitic player will definitely wait until the verification is over, make sure that the white-suited man's ability, which can only be used once every five hours, is used up, before suddenly launching an attack. But conversely, the white-suited man could also deliberately say that a certain player has been parasitized, and then draw a conclusion based on the other party's reaction."

"Um……"

Asuna Yuuki murmured to herself, looking thoughtful.

"But the premise is that his lies can deceive the parasites, right? Otherwise, it won't have any effect."

Whether he succeeded in tricking the parasite depends on the situation during the next dangerous period.

Asagiri replied with a smile, then said softly.

"After all, a prophet whose identity can be clearly verified is definitely the one that parasites want to eliminate the most."

21

Chapter 21: Squad vs. Parasite.

After saying this, before Asagiri and Kato Megumi could ask any questions, Asagiri smiled and offered an explanation.

"Of course, those who are ostensibly parasitic players have decided to stay on the seventh floor during the dangerous period when the carpet turns red. So the question is, what is the significance of each floor in this instance? Are only the players unable to move freely during the dangerous period, or are the parasitic players also subject to some kind of restriction that prevents them from leaving their current floor during the dangerous period? The current situation is very clear. Our team and the team led by the man in the white suit are the player teams that are in charge of this instance operation. I am the one who can move freely during the dangerous period and is immune to mental influence, so I am the most hated."

"The man in the white suit realized this, so he lied and claimed that he had the ability to distinguish between parasitic players and normal players. There must have been parasitic players among the players present at the time, so he became the parasites' priority target for elimination. But if the parasitic players could not leave the current floor during the dangerous period, then the following development should be as follows."

"The parasitic players on the seventh floor united to kill me at the cost of exposing the identities of all the parasitic players, in an attempt to regain the initiative in this instance. As for the white-suited side, they could only send out those hidden parasitic players who were not originally noticed, who might exist, to try to kill me."

"If our team and the white-suited team are both dead, all the remaining players will panic, which will give the strange entity that manipulates the parasitic phenomenon a sure win."

After Asagiri finished speaking, Kotoko Iwanaga added a sentence.

"Is this how the man in the white suit is showing you that he is trustworthy? After all, players from different teams can't completely trust each other. He's showing us through his actions that he believes our team consists of normal players, and he hopes our team can believe that his team consists of normal players as well."

Kato Megumi nodded as if she understood, and murmured.

"so complicated……"

"Then let me give you a brief summary."

Asagiri smiled and said, "If we can find a way to identify the parasite before all the players are parasitized, or control the parasitic entity itself, then the players will win. Conversely, if the number of parasitized players reaches a certain proportion, then we... well, we won't lose, but then we'll have to fight all the parasitized players and the bizarre entity at the same time, which is quite dangerous. So the key to this dungeon is, as I just said..."

“If you don’t kill me, the thing that controls the parasite won’t win.”

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Asuna Yuuki sighed slightly and couldn't help but laugh and retort.

"From your description, it sounds like you're the BOSS? The strange creature in this dungeon is really unlucky to run into a player like you who is completely immune to mental influence and cannot be parasitized."

"Actually, it did have a chance."

Asagiri took a file folder from the open cabinet, searching it for any valuable information, and replied with a smile.

"I can't show my player panel to players I don't know, so in the end, I can't prove that I 'absolutely won't be parasitized.' The system's prompt to me not to 'act alone' is actually to prevent me from arousing suspicion from other players. But we have gained absolute control of the player faction from the very beginning. As things stand, if someone suddenly suspects that I am a parasitized player, no one will believe it. They will only think that he is a mole trying to disrupt the situation."

"Yes, the advantage is on our side now."

Yuuki Asuna nodded gently at first, but then frowned slightly.

"But how exactly can we identify a player who has been parasitized... Besides using mental strength to resist, there should be other ways to resist parasitism, right? After all, based on the logic that 'the system will not set up an absolutely insurmountable obstacle,' even players with insufficient mental strength should have ways to survive."

"Keep quiet... Why should we keep quiet...?"

Kotoko Iwanaga pondered the words in the public message and discovered something strange about it.

"Based on the information we have so far... avoiding acting alone is for the sake of the players as a whole, but 'keeping quiet' is not related to the phenomenon of 'parasitism.' Those players who haven't made a sound are also confused. Since making a sound is not a prerequisite for 'parasitism,' then what is the purpose of this prompt..."

Kotoko Iwanaga's thoughts raced, and drawing on her experience in dealing with strange phenomena, she offered her own perspective.

"Perhaps it's because those fleshy tentacles are extremely sensitive to sound. Even with the door closed, any sound will attract their attention. And things with overly acute senses usually have corresponding weaknesses. There was also a special hint given to me and the Leader that we could observe the hallway through the peephole. Why was there this hint? Even if we could see what was outside, what would be the point? Risking mental contamination to observe the outside world is only possible to verify something through the changes in the fleshy tentacles..."

At this point, Kotoko Iwanaga seemed to have discovered something, and paused for a moment before speaking.

“If I remember correctly, the floor plan we saw when we last visited this hotel mentioned that it has an emergency alarm system installed inside. You can go to the control room on the first floor and activate the alarm directly from there. To ensure that even sleeping guests can hear it, the alarm is very loud and sharp.”

"You mean we need to go to the equipment control room on the first floor to activate the alarm?"

"No matter what, it's definitely worth giving it a try."

Kotoko Iwanaga raised her fair index finger and said with a smile.

"Even if my deduction is wrong, as long as we keep making noise by turning on the alarm, the hearing of those fleshy tentacles will definitely be affected, and then we won't have to keep absolutely quiet when we're in the room."

Asagiri nodded and smiled.

"Well, let's go then. I wonder what kind of method that strange entity that controls the parasitic phenomenon will use to stop us? It's really something to look forward to."

Looking at Asagiri's expression, Kato Megumi said in a calm tone.

"Leader, you're smiling like an evil villain."

……

Ten minutes later, on the first floor of the hotel, at the entrance to the security room/control room, the four members of the Asagiri Squad saw four players standing at the door of the control room. When the players saw the four approaching, they were taken aback for a moment, and then one of them quickly stepped forward, greeting them with a smile.

"Are you also searching the first floor?"

Faced with the player's smiling, even somewhat obsequious, greeting, Asagiri simply said...

"Step aside."

"This one……"

The player looked troubled and scratched his head.

"Excuse me, what do you need...?"

"Okay, you can go die."

Before the other person could finish speaking, Asagiri flashed and appeared in front of the player, giving him no chance to react. The rope dart in her hand had already pierced the player's forehead, and then she placed her left hand on the player's chest and whispered.

"Holy Cross".

A cross, radiating blinding light and imbued with both fire and holy attributes, appeared in Asagiri's hand and instantly incinerated the player's body into ashes at close range.

At the same time that Asagiri made her move, Kotoko Iwanaga used Hades Grip on a player blocking the doorway, Megumi Kato drew her bow and shot an arrow, and Asuna Yuuki quickly stepped forward, preparing to unleash her sword technique, Stardust Splash.

"Barrier protection".

A player blocking the doorway raised his hands, and as he uttered the skill name, a semi-transparent gray protective shield appeared in front of him and two other players. Immediately afterward, another player also raised his hand, aiming at the ground beneath Asuna Yuuki's feet.