Free Web NovelChapter 321: Chapter 321: The Reappearance of the Dead Realm
Chapter 321: The Reappearance of the Dead Realm freewebnσvel.cѳm
Yuuki Asuna, who was pouring water for everyone like a proper, virtuous wife, could not help but smile helplessly when she heard that.
"Why do you always put titles like Eroge Shooter at the end? Obviously, the title of Strongest Player carries more weight, right? If that doesn’t work, saying you ranked first in the Hapan joint exam is also very impressive. Why do you keep obsessing over the eroge thing?"
"Eh, that’s where you’re wrong."
Asagiri waved his hand and explained seriously.
"Asuna, that’s not right. Even without me, as long as the Game exists, there will definitely be a strongest Player. The joint exam is the same. If I weren’t there, the original second place would become first. But eroge is different. If I didn’t exist, my masterpieces would never have been born."
"Masterpieces..."
Yuuki Asuna sighed helplessly, clutching her forehead.
She handed cups filled with ice-cold barley tea to Iwanaga Kotoko, Kato Megumi, and Yamauchi Sakura, then gently placed the tray on the coffee table. Sitting down beside Asagiri, she asked softly,
"After twelve o’clock today, it will be time for the Trial the system mentioned. Do you have any thoughts?"
"Thoughts?"
Asagiri habitually tried to lie down and rest his head on Yuuki Asuna’s lap, but she glanced at Yamauchi Sakura, who was sitting there, then gently supported his shoulder with a soft motion.
"What are you doing? Yamauchi, Megumi, and Kotoko are all here. If you want to act spoiled, wait until we’re alone."
Asagiri smiled when he heard that and replied in his usual abstract style.
"A gentle maternal big sister play? Although it isn’t exactly my fetish, since you’re the target, I can certainly relax my standards."
Yuuki Asuna muttered softly,
"You’re the one who wants to lie on my lap, so why does it sound like you’re rewarding me? You really know how to twist the truth..."
"Excuse me, you two."
Kato Megumi held her cup with both hands and took a small sip of cold barley tea. Then she spoke bluntly in a very soft tone.
"Can you stop flirting for a moment?"
"Exactly, exactly."
Iwanaga Kotoko nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, pointed at Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri, then said with a serious and righteous expression,
"Even if you want to flirt, you have to let me participate too..."
"Duang."
Iwanaga Kotoko clutched her head and watched as Kato Megumi slowly withdrew the hand that had just knocked the top of her head. With an expression of righteous indignation, she said,
"Hey, why did you hit me?"
"As expected, your brain structure is unique. That’s why it makes such a peculiar sound."
After lightly punishing Iwanaga Kotoko, Kato Megumi changed the subject.
"Stop being a love-struck fool and let’s start analyzing what might happen after midnight tonight. My brain isn’t very sharp, so I’ll be in charge of keeping your sharp mind clear."
"Tch..."
Kotoko first let out a disgruntled sigh, then suddenly returned to her serious God of Wisdom mode and began to analyze.
"According to the system’s wording, this is a test for all Players. That means it isn’t limited to Players from our world. Black Watch, Shinichi Izumi, and those otherworldly Players will also face this test at the same time."
Hearing Kotoko’s analysis, Yuuki Asuna offered her own conjecture.
"Is it possible that, like Dungeons, the Trial will teleport us to another world and have us accomplish a certain objective?"
"Unlikely."
Asagiri shook his head and replied casually.
"Based on the information currently available, whether it’s Players from our world entering Dungeons in other worlds, or otherworldly Players coming to our world for Dungeons, there has never been a situation where someone does a Dungeon in their own world. This might be to balance PvP between native Players and otherworldly Players, and to prevent home field advantage from becoming too obvious."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"The only exception is someone like Sato, who was chosen by the system but hadn’t yet gained any supernatural power from the Game. He needed to complete a rookie test before becoming a Player. But even that can be considered a form of difficulty balance."
"Asagiri is right."
Kotoko nodded slightly, then continued.
"Unless all Players are teleported to a world where no Players exist, Players who already live in that world will gain an enormous advantage during the Trial. And don’t forget, the exact time of this Trial was already announced at the beginning of the third stage."
"Assuming we are teleported to Black Watch’s world, they must have already made ample preparations. That would make the challenge far too difficult for Players who aren’t from that world, while making it far too easy for Black Watch Players to complete the Trial. Based on the system’s usual logic, I think the fairest and most likely method is for Players to undergo the Trial in their original worlds."
Kotoko’s violet eyes narrowed slightly.
"In other words, Players won’t descend upon danger. Danger will descend upon the Players’ worlds."
Hearing Kotoko’s analysis, Kato Megumi nodded as if she half understood, then asked the crucial question.
"Will there be rewards for the Trial?"
"Maybe? It’s hard to say."
"It would be best if there were. I remember some kind of intense battle competition is happening this Friday. Considering we need to be in perfect condition for the competition, this is our last chance to improve our strength before it starts."
"It’s not an intense battle competition. It’s a fighting competition."
"It’s pretty much the same thing."
Watching Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, Kotoko, and Kato Megumi chat so casually and with such tacit understanding, Yamauchi Sakura rested her chin in her hands, a hint of envy appearing in her eyes. She pursed her lips and smiled slightly.
"You four... really do get along well."
"Isn’t it five?"
Yuuki Asuna stood up and sat beside Yamauchi Sakura. Looking directly at her face with gentle eyes, she said softly,
"It’s five."
Seeing Yuuki Asuna’s gentle expression and hearing such warm words, Yamauchi Sakura was slightly stunned. Then she chuckled shyly.
"Oh no... if you were a boy, Yuuki-san, I probably would have fallen for you just from that one sentence. That was dangerous."
After saying this with a smile, Yamauchi Sakura looked at Asagiri, who was sitting there, and asked tentatively,
"By the way... is it really okay to bring me along for this event? I can’t even run. Won’t I be a burden to you?"
"Yamauchi Sakura."
Asagiri did not directly answer her question. Instead, he asked,
"Have you heard of Magikarp?"
"Magikarp... Oh, is that the one from Pokémon?"
Hearing Yamauchi Sakura’s words, Yuuki Asuna, Kotoko, and Kato Megumi all looked puzzled.
Seeing their reactions, Yamauchi Sakura could not help but look shocked. In disbelief, she said,
"Wait a minute... you don’t know Magikarp? It’s pretty famous in Pokémon..."
"No, wait a minute."
Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Kotoko spoke in unison.
"What is Pokémon?"
Yamauchi Sakura was shocked.
"Seriously? Don’t you usually play video games?"
Yuuki Asuna answered, "Never played."
Kotoko said, "No."
Kato Megumi replied, "I know a little about it, but I’ve never actually played."
"Uh..."
Yamauchi Sakura did not know how to respond.
After all, in Japan, where the game industry was so developed, even among girls, those who had never touched video games were a minority. She really had not expected all three girls in front of her to belong to that minority.
Left with no choice, she could only turn her gaze back to Asagiri.
"I probably understand what you mean. Magikarp has no combat power early on and can only gain experience to level up, but after evolving, it becomes a very powerful Gyarados. So... I’m like Magikarp?"
"Not just Magikarp."
Asagiri pointed at Yamauchi Sakura’s face, speaking each word with utmost seriousness.
"You are a shiny Magikarp!"
"Uh..."
Yamauchi Sakura’s expression became somewhat complicated. After a few seconds, she could not help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
"Well... thank you? That’s a really strange way to compliment someone. A shiny Magikarp..."
"That’s right, a shiny Magikarp."
Asagiri nodded first, then pointed at Yuuki Asuna.
"This is your senior, my first Pokémon, Mega Charizard X. X-Zard for short. And the kimono girl sitting over there is my second Pokémon, a mini-sized Gardevoir. As for Megumi... hmm, Gengar."
"Pfft, Gengar..."
Seeing Yamauchi Sakura try to suppress her laughter, Kato Megumi sighed slightly.
"Asagiri."
"Hmm? What’s wrong?"
"Don’t give your girlfriend strange nicknames that I don’t even find funny, okay?"
"Don’t underestimate Gengar!"
"That has nothing to do with Gengar, does it..."
Yamauchi Sakura looked at the four people in front of her, and the corners of her lips curved upward slightly.
When she was with these four people...
She did not have to force herself at all.
...
"Drip... drip... drip..."
The moment the clock struck twelve, an inexplicable feeling rose in the hearts of the five people in the living room.
It was as if they had suddenly awakened from a nightmare.
At that moment, the system prompt slowly appeared on their phone screens.
[The Trial has officially begun.]
[The content of this Trial is: The Reappearance of the Dead Realm.]
[The Reappearance of the Dead Realm: From the start of the Game until this very moment, all full-wipe ending Dungeons that were once opened but ultimately had no Player successfully clear them will descend upon specific areas within this world in some form.]
.....
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