"If you have time to sit there and do nothing, why not search this ward, where the mental patients are kept, to see if you can find any clues that might help you solve the mystery of this so-called dungeon?"
After hearing the voice of a man who called himself 'Akira Fususeki' but whose real name was 'Asagiri Utsunomiya', and seeing that he had walked to the window and appeared to be observing something, Asuna Yuuki, despite her inner vigilance, couldn't help but ask a question.
"Fususeki-san, how do you know this is a ward for mentally ill patients?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya, who had pocketed his phone, took two steps back, pointed to the window with his empty hand, and said, "Isn't this something you can tell at a glance?"
Asuna Yuuki looked in the direction his finger was pointing and saw that the window of this ward was only about 30 centimeters long and wide and was equipped with a steel guardrail as thick as a thumb.
"It said this is an asylum, but looking at this window, it's clear that this room is nothing more than a prison cell. And here..."
Having said that, Asagiri Utsunomiya walked to the bed, reached out and touched the iron railings on either side, stroked them carefully for a moment, and finally explained in a calm tone, "This guardrail isn't the kind you'd find in a regular ward to prevent patients from falling out of bed. And there's obvious wear and tear near the headboard and footboard. This is the result of someone struggling with their hands and feet tied to the guardrails while lying on this bed. This sheet, and the traces of dried blood left behind, as I just said, are evidence of someone struggling, causing bruises on their wrists and ankles.
"Judging from the clues, this is a ward for mentally ill patients, especially those who are so aggressive that their restraints can't even be untied while sleeping. Or, this is a crime scene committed by a sadist. However, a sadist wouldn't intentionally provide a bed for someone they've kidnapped. Furthermore, the app also mentioned that this is an unknown asylum, so it's most likely the former."
Having heard his analysis, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but be a little surprised. What surprised her was not that the other party was extremely intelligent or had sharp insight. After all, any normal person who carefully observed the room would be able to find the traces that he had just mentioned and draw the same conclusions. It was nothing big.
What truly surprised and puzzled Asuna Yuuki was—
Wasn't it a little too quick for this man to enter such a calm analytical state?
If you suddenly appeared in a completely unfamiliar place, you would at least be confused for a while, then take out your phone to try to contact the outside world to ask for help. This was the reaction a normal person should have in such a situation, right?
But instead, this man simply took out his phone and looked at it, as if confirming something, then began observing?
This person—
Was he mentally normal?
"Um... it looks like you have something under your clothes?"
Hearing Asuna Yuuki's cautious question, Asagiri Utsunomiya, who was just standing there, waved his hand casually and replied in a matter-of-fact tone: "It's nothing, really. I just stuffed magazines and books into my clothes, rolled them up, and wrapped them around my arms and legs with tape. After all, we're going into a dungeon, so of course we should still take these basic precautions."
Upon hearing his words, Asuna Yuuki was at a loss for words. From the moment she found a strange app on her phone after following a strange, irresistible urge to check her phone right after waking up, to the moment she was swallowed by the blood-red mist, it had only been ten minutes, right?
Assuming this man was in the same situation as her, that means in those ten minutes, the other party stuffed magazines and books into his clothes to protect himself, then grabbed an electric drill and an electric chainsaw, and finally entered this dungeon.
This speed of action—
Wasn't it too fast!?
Didn't he have the slightest doubt, or even consider the possibility of a virus infecting his phone!?
Asuna Yuuki's doubts were justified, but Asagiri Utsunomiya's situation was different.
Asagiri Utsunomiya was now sixteen years old, the same age as Asuna Yuuki. Based on the time of the real world, he should have officially started high school today, just like her.
However, Asagiri Utsunomiya was a Reincarnator.
To him, even things like reborn as a baby in a world of mash-up slice-of-life manga and anime were possible, and the suddenly appearing Survival Game, which was similar to the Main Space in Terror Infinity, and being chosen as a Player, were not too surprising.
"Instead of continuing to wonder about me, why not combine the information I just discovered and think of a way out of this predicament?"
Upon hearing his words, Asuna Yuuki regained her senses.
Although she still didn't fully understand the current situation, Asuna Yuuki tried her best to calm down and began to think seriously.
The first thing that Asuna Yuuki could confirm was that the real name of the mysterious man in the same room as her was definitely not 'Akira Fususeki'. The reason was simple: If the other party could easily tell her his real name, then what was the point of covering his face?
Moreover, earlier, when Asuna Yuuki chose not to reveal her name, the other party said, "You're quite alert. That's good."
Clearly, he was testing herself.
But—
In this situation, regardless of whether this man who introduced himself as 'Akira Fususeki' was mentally normal or not, the most sensible choice was clearly to cooperate with the other party and never become enemies. After all, Asuna Yuuki didn't think she could defeat a man over 1.8 meters tall and wielding an electric drill and an electric chainsaw with just a fruit knife.
Having thought about all this, Asuna Yuuki first recalled the black text in the blood-red mist she had seen before arriving in this ward, then muttered, "Escape within one hour, or sixty minutes... This is the mission objective, but there's no mention of a penalty for failure. Is there no penalty? Or is escaping this place within one hour the only way to survive, so there's no penalty at all?"
Asuna Yuuki paused for a moment, first looking at the window with its steel guardrail, then at the chainsaw on the ground next to the man who called himself 'Akira Fususeki', but she ultimately shook her head and muttered, "No, it's impossible. Let alone a chainsaw that can cut through those thick steel bars. Even if we could, given the size of the window, we wouldn't be able to climb out. The only way out is to open the door and leave this ward... But what exactly is that caregiver..."
Just as Asuna Yuuki was halfway through her muttering, her gaze involuntarily fell on the only door of the ward. And what entered her vision made the blood in her body freeze, and the sudden fear even made her feel paralyzed.
There was a transparent observation window on the door, just like a typical hospital ward.
Currently, on the other side of the glass observation window, a hideous, bloody face was pressed against it.
Those bloodshot pupils were staring intently at her.