Kyushu, Japan Autonomous Region—Tokyo City, Ginza Comrcial District.
In the bedroom of a high-end apartnt, a beautiful girl with a delicate, lovely face and fair skin sat frowning slightly. Her long, light-brown hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and dressed in neat pajamas, she carried an air of hoy laziness as she stared at the lines of text glowing on her phone.
[Congratulations, Yuuki Asuna. You have been selected to beco a "Player."]
[You will enter the novice Dungeon in five minutes. Please be prepared.]
"Dungeon? Is this... an ad for so third-rate ga?"
Staring at the strange app that had appeared out of nowhere, its icon resembling an eye that radiated an eerie feeling, Asuna couldn't help but frown in doubt.
The ti was 4:55 in the morning.
Five minutes ago, she had suddenly woken from a deep sleep. When she checked her phone, she found this bizarre app had appeared without warning, displaying the unsettling ssage before her.
Her first reaction was to delete it. But every ti she uninstalled the icon, it imdiately reappeared, no matter how many tis she tried.
"Did my phone... get a virus?"
Muttering to herself, Asuna stared at the eye-shaped icon on the screen. The blood-red words Please be prepared glowed faintly in her eyes, stirring an inexplicable sense of dread within her.
Rationally, she didn't believe in any supernatural phenona. It was likely just a virus or Trojan program. But... what if it wasn't?
Thinking that, Asuna quickly changed clothes, then went to the living room and grabbed a sharp fruit knife from the coffee table. By the ti she had finished preparing, the countdown on her phone showed only sixty seconds remaining.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Her breathing grew faster as the numbers ticked down. The fruit knife in her trembling hand glinted faintly under the dim light.
When the countdown reached zero, a line of blood-red text appeared on her screen.
["Player" Yuuki Asuna—entering Dungeon.]
A surge of dark red mist flooded her vision. Asuna tried hard to suppress a scream as the sudden change enveloped her.
The mist twisted and reford into words.
[Dungeon Location: Unknown Sanatorium]
[Dungeon Ti Limit: One Hour]
["Player" Mission Objective: Escape the Sanatorium within the ti limit.]
[Hint: When the "Player's" room is closed, it becos a safe area where no "caregiver" may enter.]
Before Asuna could reread the final line, the mist dispersed, revealing a stained light-yellow wall covered in moss.
"This is..."
Before she could finish speaking, a relaxed male voice ca from nearby.
"It really does seem like sothing out of the Main God Space. Now this is interesting."
Startled, Asuna instinctively tightened her grip on the fruit knife. She was suddenly grateful for her cautious decision to bring it.
But the sight that t her eyes froze her thoughts completely.
In the hospital-like room, she wasn't alone. A man stood nearby—the one who had just spoken.
It wasn't his presence that shocked her, but his appearance.
He wore a heavy black winter coat over a long-sleeved sports shirt, dark pants, and sneakers. A mask and sunglasses concealed his face entirely. His clothes were oddly bulky, as if sothing were hidden underneath.
And the most alarming detail—
"An electric drill... and an electric saw?"
Seeing the tools in his hands, Asuna's body stiffened.
"You... are you also a 'Player'?"
The man tilted his head slightly and answered in a calm, amused tone.
"Yeah. Nice to et you. My na's Naruto. And you?"
"I..."
She hesitated, words catching in her throat. Taking a few steps back, she pressed her back to the yellowed wall, her eyes filled with caution.
"Can I not answer?"
"You're pretty cautious. Good."
The man's tone remained light, almost approving. Although he made no threatening movents, the sight of his intimidating tools made Asuna's heart race.
Is this person... also a Player like ?
She looked at the small fruit knife in her hand, then at his power tools, feeling a deep sense of disparity.
She had been proud of her quick thinking in bringing a self-defense weapon—but compared to him, she might as well have been unard.
From the mont the strange app appeared to now, only ten minutes had passed.
Where did this guy even get an electric saw and a drill in that ti!?
As she pondered, the man pulled out his phone and opened the sa eye-icon app.
[Player Na: Utsunomiya Asagiri]
[Physical Fitness Level: Outstanding (Professional Athlete Level)]
[Talent: Not Yet Unlocked]
(Profession: Not Yet Unlocked]
[Player Level: Rookie)
User Comments
0 comments from readers