Yuuki Asuna was indeed shocked to hear the B+ clear rating, though what shocked her was whether a mere B+ clear rating was enough to be this confident.
She thought this to herself but didn't show it. After all, if she showed any weakness, the other party might guess that her clear rating in the Rookie Instance was higher. Although Players at this stage seemed unaware of the rule allowing them to take equipment or items through killing, caution was always the best policy.
However, to Yuuki Asuna's surprise, upon hearing the young man in the suit, Asagiri immediately showed an expression of intense shock. Even his dark eyes seemed to tremble, and four words were practically visible on his handsome face: Utter Disbelief.
"No way, seriously!? B+!? You can't be serious, I've met a Player this amazing?"
Seeing Asagiri's look of shock, Yuuki Asuna was immediately filled with reverence.
What is a veteran actor?
This was a true veteran actor.
You, who achieved the highest-level S+ rating in the Rookie Instance, are here expressing amazement at a mere B+?
Yuuki Asuna already suspected that Asagiri was about to start fishing.
Sure enough, after hearing Asagiri's exclamation, the young man in the suit relaxed his furrowed brow, putting on an air of feigned composure despite his obvious pride.
"Hmph, with my intelligence, achieving a mere B+ clear rating is nothing to be surprised about."
"I see. So strong, terrifyingly strong. Truly a high-level Player."
Asagiri first nodded with apparent conviction, but before the man in the suit could fully bask in the pride, Asagiri abruptly changed his tone.
"Well then, since you're so incredible, why don't you and your teammate go explore this hotel?"
The man in the suit was taken aback. "Huh? We explore the hotel? What will the rest of you do?"
"We'll sit here and wait, of course."
Asagiri spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"As the saying goes, 'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it will test his resolve, exhaust his bones and muscles, and expose his body to hunger.' You like to show off, don't you? You're a high-level Player who achieved a B+ clear rating? Then go find the clues to clear the Instance."
The man in the suit's arrogant expression soured instantly upon hearing this.
"No... we're all Players here. It's too much to ask only my teammate and me to explore while you all do nothing..."
"Then what's the point?"
Asagiri immediately cut the man off, the smile instantly vanishing from his face.
"We are all Players. What are you trying to pull here? Demanding we follow your commands? Why should I indulge you? Am I your father? Huh?"
The man in the suit's expression became even uglier upon hearing such blunt language. He was silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Then... let me rephrase it. Let's all discuss how to clear the Instance together, with no one commanding anyone. Is that acceptable?"
"Wouldn't it have been better if you had that realization earlier?"
Asagiri took two steps forward, reached out and patted the man in the suit on the shoulder, sighing slightly with a look of earnest conviction.
"Honestly, you just had to walk over here and ask to be insulted. Why bother? However, I'm not some morally bankrupt demon, so there's no need to kill you directly. That would be a waste. Even if you walk out of this room and die at the hands of an Evil Spirit, the corpse you leave behind might still provide valuable information."
Although Yuuki Asuna maintained a seemingly calm composure, she couldn't help but let the corner of her lips twitch upward as she watched the man in the suit's mortified expression.
Why did you have to provoke him of all people? Commanding him?
Do you have any idea who this guy is?
He's the ultimate great demon king who didn't hesitate to insult even the terrifying, bloody-faced orderly at Mount Massive Asylum—whom most people wouldn't dare look at—and, in the Rookie Instance, cleared it with one Player before killing them to discover that hidden rule!
After being thoroughly berated by Asagiri, the young man in the suit, despite his immense self-regard and arrogance, was furious but dared not voice it. Asagiri's height, slightly over 180 cm, and even though he looked young, the man wasn't confident in a fight. Moreover, this was an Instance, and the man in the suit wouldn't risk the crucial task of clearing the Instance just to satisfy a temporary urge to fight back.
However, after such a humiliating experience, he had no intention of continuing to work with Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna. Therefore, he proposed the idea of splitting up to explore.
He would, naturally, team up with the woman in heavy makeup, and Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna would obviously be a pair.
The solo Player, the girl in the Western-style dress with the cane and masquerade mask, proactively suggested she wanted to team up with Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna.
The exploration time was set for one hour. After one hour, they would return to the room to share and discuss the clues and information they had gathered.
Leaving the hotel suite and entering the corridor, after separating from the man in the suit and the heavily made-up woman, Yuuki Asuna bent one knee and gently touched the carpet covering the hallway. Based on the soft texture she felt on her fingertips, she turned to Asagiri and offered her analysis.
"The carpet is pure wool; it's expensive and difficult to clean, but it has excellent soundproofing. It seems this hotel we are in must be a very high-end one."
As she spoke, Yuuki Asuna was also studying the girl with the mask and white Western-style dress. A hint of wariness flashed in her eyes, as the girl's offer to team up with her and Asagiri was simply too strange.
"Is she trying to ride on our coattails?"
No. If she wanted to ride on someone's coattails, she should have gone to the man in the suit who started bragging and demanding command right upon entering the Instance.
"Violet."
Hearing Asagiri suddenly call out her codename, Yuuki Asuna was stunned. Why the sudden use of codenames?
Could it be...
"Get ready to act."
"You want to act? Right now, here?"
Yuuki Asuna immediately stood up, her eyes fixed on the masked face of the girl in the Western-style dress. Her right hand was already reaching to her side, fingers slightly spread in a posture of grasping a sword hilt.
She didn't know why, but if Asagiri, the Leader, gave an order, it must be executed.
"Oh, you just separated from those two, and you're already planning to attack me?"
Even sensing the tension in the air, the girl in the dress spoke with a smile in her voice, showing no signs of nervousness. In fact, she stared at Asagiri with interest and asked,
"Why do you want to attack me?"
"Because you're highly suspicious."
Asagiri returned her smile and spoke softly.
"Voluntarily asking to team up with me—that kind of counter-intuitive behavior makes me suspect you might be an Evil Spirit in disguise, planning to pick off the two weakest Players while we're separated."
However, the next thing the girl in the dress said completely took Yuuki Asuna by surprise.
"Still acting? You are clearly the strongest of the five Players here, aren't you? That idiot in the suit couldn't tell because he's stupid, but I am certainly not stupid."
The girl in the dress didn't retreat; instead, she actively took two steps closer, raising her head to look at Asagiri's face, her eyes holding a smile.
"That guy completely fails to realize that an ordinary Player wouldn't sign up for the Instance at this time. The one-month deadline is still far away. Anyone who voluntarily signs up now must be confident in clearing it, meaning they achieved a decent rating in the Rookie Instance."
"Based on that premise, the sheer disbelief you displayed when you heard he achieved a B+ rating was clearly deliberate acting. Furthermore, most importantly, you showed absolutely no fear when facing him; instead, it was a condescending attitude, the way a strong person looks down on a weak one."
The girl in the dress paused here, staring straight at Asagiri's face, and murmured with a smile.
"However... if I assume you're the strongest Player in this Instance, you couldn't possibly have missed this layer of deduction. The only reasonable explanation is... you're deliberately fishing, and I'm the fish that took the bait, right?"