Chapter 80: The Deeper Meaning of Player Identity Transfer
"Black Watch?"
Kotoko, Megumi, and Asuna exchanged glances. None of them had ever heard that name before.
"What kind of people are they?" Megumi asked.
"Put simply, they're a mysterious military organization." Asagiri accepted the cup of water Asuna handed him, took a sip, then continued. "But they aren't 'military' in the conventional sense."
His tone stayed even, yet the room slowly tightened.
"Every member of Black Watch is battle hardened. Elite. Their fundamentals are clean in every category you can think of. And their mentality is… abnormal."
Asuna's brows drew together.
"Abnormal?"
"To achieve an objective, they don't care about civilian casualties. Innocents, bystanders, unarmed targets, it doesn't matter. They'll kill without hesitation and without remorse. Ruthless doesn't even begin to cover it."
Asagiri's eyes narrowed slightly, as if replaying the scene.
"They're like brainwashed Fire Clad Believers. No panic. No fear. No hesitation, no matter what's in front of them."
Kotoko and Megumi fell silent. Asuna's grip tightened around her phone.
"I tested it before I left the Dungeon," Asagiri said. "When Alice used her exclusive skill, only four out of their thirteen man team died to the mental check."
Asuna blinked. "Only four…?"
"That alone says a lot. Their mental strength is far above ordinary people, likely because their belief is unshakable." He paused, then added, "I also heard their commander, the one wearing white, report to headquarters and request support when he assumed what happened was some kind of strange phenomenon."
Kotoko's eyes sharpened. "So they understand strange phenomena."
"And they probably have methods to deal with it," Asagiri confirmed.
The room turned heavier.
Megumi forced a breath, trying to steady herself. "A group like that exists in the world where the Dungeon takes place… but at least we don't need to worry about them right now."
"No," Kotoko cut in, expression serious. "That's wrong."
Megumi looked up. "What?"
Kotoko spoke slowly, each word landing like a stone.
"You're forgetting something."
Asuna's face changed. "You mean…"
Kotoko nodded once.
"As long as someone gets a dead Player's phone, they can register and become a Player."
Megumi's throat went dry.
"You're saying… if Black Watch gets the phones of dead Players, they can enter system Dungeons and get rewards, just like us?"
Kotoko nodded again, then pushed the thought further.
"And their biggest advantage isn't individual strength. It's structure. They're an organization."
Her voice stayed calm, but the implication was terrifying.
"If they gather enough phones and transfer enough Player permissions, they could send a dozen people into the same Dungeon. Or a hundred. Anyone unlucky enough to queue into the same Dungeon as them becomes a walking information source… and an interrogation target."
Megumi's hands went cold.
Asuna's heart sank. No matter how used to blood and monsters they were becoming, they were still high school girls who had only recently been dragged into this "Player" world. Black Watch soldiers were trained killers.
Even with their team's current strength, even with Asagiri at the center…
He had only managed to kill five of them, and only by ambushing first and ensuring his own safety.
"There's no need to spiral," Asagiri said, sensing the weight in the room. Despite his exhaustion, he still wore a faint smile. "You're forgetting a key restriction."
Kotoko looked at him. Asuna and Megumi listened without blinking.
"When we enter the game, we can't bring in weapons or equipment. No guns. No tactical kits. No outside advantage." Asagiri's tone stayed steady. "Black Watch is disciplined, sure. But stripped down to bare hands, they're the challengers against us, the ones with supernatural abilities and boosted physical stats."
He continued before anyone could interrupt.
"Also, at this stage, the system is extremely unlikely to create Dungeons where Players are forced to clash with Black Watch head on. That kind of hostile environment would only appear after Players as a whole have reached a certain baseline."
Asuna murmured, thinking out loud, "So… at least two or three months?"
"That's my estimate," Asagiri said. "If difficulty rises about one tier each month, then after surviving Players have cleared at least one Dungeon beyond the tutorial, it'll still take time before the system starts throwing that level of pressure at us."
Asuna's gaze darkened. "Then is the ultimate enemy… Black Watch?"
"Maybe," Asagiri said, then paused, as if weighing something.
That hesitation immediately made Asuna frown. "Why are you holding back? That's not like you."
"There's a possibility," Asagiri said slowly, "and if I say it outright, I'm not sure you'll like it."
Asuna's lips pressed together. "Say it."
He met her eyes.
"We, as Players, enter other worlds every time we go into a Dungeon." His voice lowered. "So if Black Watch becomes Players and chooses to enter a Dungeon…"
Asuna and Megumi both went still.
"…is it possible they could end up in our world?"
Silence.
Megumi's fingers tightened on her sleeve. Asuna's breathing became careful and shallow.
Kotoko, however, looked completely unfazed. She lifted her teacup, took a small sip, then said lightly, as if discussing tomorrow's weather.
"Then we just have one more reason to get stronger."
Asagiri nodded once. "Exactly."
He turned toward Asuna. "What did you get for your clear rewards this time?"
Asuna blinked, pulled out of the chill, then remembered. She answered quickly.
"My evaluation was A+. Probably because I stayed too long, so the score dropped. But I killed a lot of Special Infected, and my exclusive talent gave me a huge boost, so overall I still profited." She held out her phone. "Here, look."
Asagiri took it and scanned the APP screen. One equipment piece and one passive skill.
[Crimson Cloak (Quality: Blue, Excellent)]
[When worn, the Player's true appearance is partially obscured, and stamina recovery speed is slightly increased]
[Passive Skill: Swordsman's Resolve]
[Swordsman's Resolve: When attacking with sword type weapons, stamina consumption is halved (stamina consumption for active skills is also halved)]
Asagiri nodded, approving. "A passive and equipment. Both fit you perfectly."
Asuna nodded, then looked at him with curiosity. "What about you? Your clear rating was S+. You can customize the quantity and type of rewards. What are you choosing?"
"Hm." Asagiri thought for a moment. "Physical enhancement and skills."
He leaned back slightly, voice practical.
"Weapons and equipment can be found in Dungeons, and they'll get replaced as we scale up. At this stage, I prefer raw numbers. Our team is also short on Tanks. Human Asura can be the main Tank, and I'll cover as a sub Tank." His gaze flicked toward Asuna. "Your kit leans more toward physical main DPS."
Kotoko stared at Asagiri for half a second longer than necessary, then pretended she wasn't thinking anything at all.
Meanwhile, Asagiri opened his own phone and confirmed his customized selection.
[Confirmed customized rewards: one skill, physical enhancement]
[Acquired rewards: Significant physical enhancement, skill "Ice Spear"]
[Ice Spear: Consumes a certain amount of mental power to create a sharp Ice Spear and shoot it at the enemy, dealing physical damage with a frost attribute]
After the enhancement settled, Asagiri's physical rating on his panel rose from "professional athlete level (excluding Human Asura's passive enhancement)" to "approaching human limits."
And if Human Asura's passive bonuses were counted as well, he had already crossed beyond them.
"Finally cleared another Dungeon…" Asuna yawned hard, rubbing her eyes. "I'm done. I'm dead tired. I need sleep."
Kotoko immediately stretched both hands toward Asagiri, smiling with innocent sweetness.
"You're tired too, so hurry and rest with me. As a special reward, you can sleep on my chest."
Asagiri glanced at her, then shook his head with a perfectly sincere expression.
"No thanks. Your chest is too hard. Basically an unshakable object. I'll hurt my head."
Kotoko exploded, fists waving like an enraged Chihuahua whose tail had been stepped on.
"Hey, hey, hey! Isn't that too much?! Aren't you afraid of hurting my pure, fragile, delicate, sensitive maiden heart?!"
"Oh, please." Asagiri stood up, expression flat. "Your heart is yellower than a mango, and you're still calling yourself pure, fragile, delicate, and sensitive?"
Kotoko's face flushed red with fury.
Then Asagiri suddenly changed the subject.
"Let's go."
Kotoko froze mid tantrum. "Go… where?"
"Where else?" Asagiri replied without emotion. "School."
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