As soon as Asuna Yuuki finished speaking, a line of blood-red text suddenly popped up on the phone screen.
[Since the original Player has died, non-Players can register as Players by clicking the Survival Game app icon three times in a row within 24 hours. After successful registration, the new Player will obtain everything the deceased Player had. Official Players can also use the same method to randomly draw one of the skills or items owned by a deceased Player.]
The shocking information revealed in this simple sentence made Asuna Yuuki frown and think, (Besides being unexpectedly chosen like I and Asagiri, could this method also allow ordinary people to qualify to register as players? Even if they didn't want others to become players, they could still draw the equipment or items of the deceased player themselves?)
That was not good news.
Although the reward that Asuna Yuuki received for completing the mission objective of the novice dungeon was just that, she had witnessed with her own eyes the power of the exclusive Talent called 'Persona' owned by Asagiri Utsunomiya, which was completely inexplicable by science and was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
If people knew that they could gain supernatural powers by entering the Survival Game through the app with the eye icon and completing the mission objective, there would definitely be many people who would want to become Players.
And there was also the method of killing the registered Players and stealing their phones.
What would happen if Players lost their phones even though they were not dead?
Asuna Yuuki couldn't think of the answer to this question. She just looked at Asagiri Utsunomiya, who had clicked the eye icon three times in a row and drawn a bottle of medical disinfectant alcohol, the only reward for completing the novice dungeon that originally belonged to Noguchi Kazukawa, with a complicated look on her face.
She said, "So you help him complete his mission objective just to get this information?"
After Asagiri Utsunomiya drew Noguchi Kazukawa's reward, the eye icon in the other party's phone home screen disappeared. Next, he threw the phone aside, looked at Asuna Yuuki, and replied frankly, "Well, intelligence is important. Now we know how to make someone a Player, and what benefits can be gained by killing another Player. Most importantly, through Noguchi Kazukawa's rating, we can confirm that most ordinary Players won't receive any special powers from completing the mission objective of the novice dungeon, and they won't even be able to unlock a talent, skill, or job.
"Assuming we're just the first Players in this Survival Game, and there aren't any veteran Players around, our combat power is absolutely overwhelming compared to the ordinary Players. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that some already-powerful individuals, such as martial artists proficient in combat techniques, elite members of the Metropolitan Police Department, members of special forces, or members of violent gangs, could become Players."
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya's words, Asuna Yuuki first pursed her lips, then asked a question she had wanted to ask for a long time: "Why... why can you adapt so quickly? And facing this unknown situation, you don't seem afraid at all..."
Asagiri Utsunomiya smiled and gave an answer that Asuna Yuuki had never expected: "Because I'm coward."
"Ah? You? Coward?" Asuna Yuuki said with a frown, thinking that his answer was too ridiculous.
Asagiri Utsunomiya's behavior, manners, and words—did they have anything to do with the word 'coward'?
"Yeah, I'm too coward." Asagiri Utsunomiya first said with a relaxed nod, then explained, "It's because I'm too coward that I don't want to see any player become stronger than me, and I don't want to be a weakling who can be bullied at will. So, I won't hesitate, nor will I stagnate."
After hearing his explanation, Asuna Yuuki was silent for a few seconds, then sighed slightly said said with a complicated expression, "You're really not normal. By the way, where did you get that pistol from? And what did that action of shooting yourself in the temple mean?"
"You mean this?" The black pistol appeared in Asagiri Utsunomiya's hand again and was handed to Asuna Yuuki. "This thing isn't actually a real pistol. It can't fire bullets. It's a special item that condenses my inner strength and beliefs and is used to summon my Persona. The act of pulling the trigger on myself symbolizes the fear of facing death head-on."
Asuna Yuuki first nodded as if she understood, then said with a frown, "If this thing is stolen or lost, will you be unable to summon your Persona?"
"How is that possible?" Asagiri Utsunomiya said, shook his head, and threw the black pistol in his hand far away. The next second, the black pistol disappeared, and an identical pistol appeared in his hand.
After all that, he explained, "I've already said that this is the product of my power. I can summon it at any time. As for it being snatched away by someone... Come on, try touching it."
Seeing his smiling face, Asuna Yuuki always felt that the other party seemed to be expecting something, but after all, as they say: 'Practice makes perfect.'
As teammates who would conquer the dungeon together in the future, it was still necessary to fully understand each other's abilities—thinking of this, Asuna Yuuki tentatively stretched out her right hand and carefully placed her fingertips on the pistol in Asagiri Utsunomiya's hand.
The moment Asuna Yuuki touched the black pistol, her pupils dilated and her body couldn't help but tremble. After just a slight contact, she quickly withdrew her hand, her breathing became rapid, and she gasped with lingering fear. She muttered with a frightened tone, "What the hell is that..."
At that moment, Asuna Yuuki felt a fear that could not be described in words, as if the concept of 'death' suddenly had a concrete image and appeared in front of her.
Fear, despair, then tremble...
"This is what it feels like to face death head-on, understand?"
"Hmm... I see..."
Asuna Yuuki first gently stroked her chest to calm herself down a little, then noticed that Asagiri Utsunomiya was staring at her with interest.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to admire the beautiful girl pretending to be strong, with tears in her eyes and her body trembling when facing intense fear."
"Who... who has tears in their eyes!"
Asuna Yuuki retorted while wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Just when she was about to say something, her phone suddenly rang. She took it out and saw a notification on the screen.
[The duration for this dungeon has expired. You will leave in ten seconds.]
"Time is up."
Asagiri Utsunomiya also saw the same notification on his phone. He threw away the books and magazines that were originally used for protection and picked up the chainsaw and drill on the ground. Then he said to Asuna Yuuki, "Well then, Yuuki-san, see you at school."