"Veteran players… what's that supposed to an?"
Originally planning to ask for details, Yamamoto froze upon hearing Green's words and decided not to approach anymore.
"Can you pick locks?"
Before Takumi had even figured out how to respond, Shinomiya Kaguya had already stepped forward, raising her head to stare coldly at the white man towering over 1.9 ters tall.
The aura of the Ice Princess was one tempered within the halls of true elite families and financial conglorates—completely different from that of Takumi, who was just a struggling, bottom-rung writer. Though she appeared rely a teenage girl, the dignity she exuded at that mont was enough to make Green—who had already assud a ntal hierarchy—instinctively shrink back in fear.
Yes, that kind of presence was exactly what a veteran player should have.
Just like in his previous mission—the experienced ones who stood at the front, effortlessly found escape routes, and finished without a single casualty. It was only by following behind people like them that Green had survived that terrifying horror ga despite knowing nothing at the ti.
Thus, he had drawn his conclusion about the best way to survive: cling to a strong ally.
Find powerful veteran players and stick with them. Even if they didn't protect him outright, as long as they acted when danger struck, his odds of survival would rise dramatically.
"No problem! I can pick locks—I can!"
Green, once a thief in the United States, nodded frantically and pulled a thin iron wire from his pocket, hurrying over to the door of Room 205.
"With that much noise, are you trying to lure that thing back here again?"
Shijō Maki's voice followed coldly from behind, every bit as icy as Shinomiya Kaguya's.
"Y-yes, I—I understand."
Having already taken the three before him as high-level elites, Green quickly nodded, sweat beading down his forehead in panic.
As for Takumi, who had now recovered from the earlier shock, he glanced at Kaguya on his left, arms crossed and face cold, then at Maki on his right, one hand resting against her chin with a look of disdain. For a mont, he couldn't help but feel a bit impressed—when it ca to social interaction and acting under pressure, the reactions and composure of these two 17-year-old girls were far beyond his own. Then he shifted his attention to the door of Room 205—the room belonging to that loudmouthed, yellow-haired girl who had caused the group's wipeout.
[Click—]
With a crisp sound, the door of 205 slowly opened.
In just over ten seconds, Green had successfully picked open the old-style security door, revealing the darkness beyond, now exposed under the corridor's pale white light.
It was clear that Green was very skilled at lockpicking, effortlessly opening the door to 205.
Knowing exactly where the first problem might lie, Takumi and the others didn't hesitate—they imdiately decided to step inside. Kaguya led the way, with Maki and Takumi following behind her. After thinking for a mont, Takumi motioned for Green to drag Yamamoto Hiroshi along and bring him into the room as well.
For now, the door to 205 seed intact, making it usable as a temporary shelter. That mysterious Tanaka probably had so ans of protecting himself, but if Yamamoto got left outside and turned into a monster that ca knocking later, they'd end up in the sa nightmare as before—and Takumi had no intention of experiencing that body-dissolving agony again.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
"Cut the crap. If you don't want to suffer, get over here."
Though Yamamoto tried to resist with false bravado, facing the 1.9-ter-tall, heavily muscled Green, all he could do was mumble a few protests before reluctantly following him into Room 205.
"Are you coming with us?"
Takumi, walking last, turned to ask Tanaka. The Black guy scratched his head, hesitated, then followed after Tanaka's side. Compared to the group led by a high schooler like Takumi, he clearly preferred trusting Tanaka.
"I'm going to check the staircase on the left. You people have so skill—be careful. The difficulty of this round is abnormal. Try to collect as much data left by the previous survivors as you can. And watch out for the corpses. Don't go into Room 210—that's advice. I hope you make it out alive."
Unlike before, this ti Tanaka clearly knew Takumi suspected his identity, so he made no effort to hide it anymore.
Whether his tone was sincere or fake was impossible to tell. After saying this, Tanaka gestured for the Black man to follow, and the two of them headed straight down the opposite end of the corridor—avoiding the right-hand staircase where that unknown creature had co down earlier—and began moving toward the left side.
One thing was certain: that man was definitely a veteran player. And unlike Green, who looked like a re hanger-on surviving by luck, Tanaka was clearly an experienced one—soone who might actually possess one of those so-called obsession items Green had ntioned.
Co to think of it, though they still didn't know what exactly an obsession item was, recalling how Tanaka had paused for a mont outside Room 210 before, it was possible he had used one then to confirm so kind of threat. After all, just by the na alone, an "obsession item" sounded like a supernatural artifact—sothing that, once obtained, could make its wielder unstoppable, crushing any so-called horror like a chicken underfoot.
Of course, this was just Takumi's wild speculation—daydreaming, really. Thinking back on how that man had first tried to rally the other survivors, then, after roping in the Black guy as company, had left without hesitation, Takumi couldn't shake the feeling that this man probably wasn't the type who could cooperate smoothly or lead to any happy ending. Maybe, in truth, splitting up and taking different paths was actually the better choice.
As for the Black man who had chosen to follow Tanaka… Takumi instinctively felt that his fate probably wouldn't be a good one. But since he still didn't know the extent of Tanaka's capabilities, there was no way he could justify forcing the guy to stay based on unclear suspicions.
[Click—]
Although closing the door like this felt a bit like cutting off their own escape route, the things that had been knocking in the corridor earlier were simply too terrifying. Even if it ant facing whatever danger might lurk inside 205, Takumi still had to shut the door. This ti, no one could be left out in the corridor—everyone had to stay in the living room or the kitchen area.
During the knocking incident earlier, just hearing the sound alone had allowed those things to communicate based on the thoughts in his mind. But when separated by the living room wall, the sound outside was barely audible. Which ant… could the strange architecture of this apartnt actually have been designed specifically to defend against that knocking horror story?
To the right of the main door was the bathroom; to the left, the corridor.
The layout was exactly the sa as Rooms 204 and 208. At the end of the corridor was a right-angled turn—following it to the end would normally bring them face to face with a hanging clock… ah, but the one in this room was gone, probably taken by Kaguya or Maki. Turning right from there led to the living room—or, to be more accurate, a combined living and sleeping space.
"Ahhh—uhhh—mhh—!"
A scream abruptly rang out at that mont. To be precise, it had only just begun before being rcilessly cut off.
Takumi walked through the dim corridor and stepped into the equally dark living room. He noticed how gloomy the lighting in 205 was—the two windows were almost completely sealed off. Scanning the room, he took in its general layout: there was no coffee table or round table, only a small desk against the wall near the door, along with a bookshelf.
The kitchen door had been nailed shut with thick and thin planks of wood, and a faint, foul odor leaked from inside—as if sothing rotten lay behind it.
Scattered across the floor were torn pieces of paper. At first, Takumi thought there might be clues written on them, but after picking up a couple, he realized they were covered in aningless scribbles—just chaotic, senseless lines. Disappointed, he tossed them aside.
Hiroshi, trembling, was huddled in one corner under the threat of Green's muscular fra, too afraid to move. Green himself stood nearby, watching cautiously, and when Takumi entered the room, he even offered an awkward, ingratiating smile. Honestly, seeing such an expression on a grown man disgusted Takumi, but since the guy was at least behaving obediently for now, he decided to leave him be.
Shijō Maki had found a small, worn backpack from sowhere and stuffed both the hanging clock she'd taken from 208 and the one from 205 inside it. Standing by the door, she finally let out a quiet breath of relief when she saw Takumi co in. It seed she had been keeping an eye on Green and Yamamoto, ready in case either of them made an unexpected move.
As for Kaguya, she was now gripping the blonde woman's mouth with one hand, her fingers clamped around it like an unyielding iron vise, dragging the woman off the bed without the slightest hint of rcy. No matter how the woman struggled, Kaguya remained completely unmoved.
"Be quiet. I won't say it a second ti."
Shinomiya Kaguya's voice was as cold as ice, making the struggling woman tremble all over. Tear-streaked, she raised both hands in surrender.
'Why does this suddenly feel like I've joined the villain faction?'
Thinking that, Takumi walked to the bedside, crouched down, and lifted the dirty, dust-covered bedsheet that hung down to the floor.
A stiff female corpse appeared right before his eyes.
"What the hell…"
Yamamoto Hiroshi nearly scread on the spot, but Kaguya imdiately turned her head—her icy "Be quiet" combined with Green's sharp glare was enough to make him shut up at once, crouching down with a terrified, grimacing face.
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