After finishing this analysis, Asuna felt a sense of relief, and her mood became elevated, her chin couldn't help but lift slightly.
However, before she could feel proud of her intellect, she noticed Asagiri's expression, which was completely unsurprised, even to the point of being utterly calm.
"You... figured this out a long time ago?"
"Pretty much."
Asagiri nodded and replied with a smile.
"When I first entered the Dungeon and found that the chainsaw and electric drill hadn't disappeared, I already realized it. However, it wasn't until after you cleared it and saw the so-called 'equipment' in the APP's rewards that I could be sure that 'not restricting players from carrying any weapons' was also one of the special clearance hints given this time because it was a newcomer Dungeon."
Then, Asagiri's tone shifted.
"After all, this is just the first Dungeon for newcomers. Clearing it itself has no difficulty whatsoever. The so-called deduction doesn't require any outstanding intellect. The real test is how long it takes for the 'player' to calm down and seriously consider the hints. Even if they don't figure out the truth about the 'attendant,' as long as they have enough courage to just charge out, they can still clear it. Of course, there's also a simple way to clear it without taking any risks."
Asuna asked curiously, "What way?"
Asagiri glanced at her and said something with a deeper meaning.
"Why do you think this Dungeon assigned two 'players' to the same ward?"
Asuna's expression changed, already understanding the meaning of Asagiri's words.
Although she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she wasn't naive to the point of being ignorant of the world.
In that kind of high-pressure environment of extreme fear, it's very difficult to calm down and think. Coupled with the one-hour time limit, as time gradually passed, newcomer players entering the Dungeon for the first time would feel anxious, or even lose their minds....
At this point, the seemingly simplest and most reasonable choice appeared.
Use the other player in the room as bait, push them out directly, and then escape yourself using this opportunity.
The attendant wouldn't actively attack players, but the problem was....
No one would willingly be pushed out. Once one player had such an intention and it was seen by the other player in the ward, it would turn into a struggle for life.
"Alright, let's go."
Hearing Asagiri's words, Asuna came back to her senses.
"Go... where?"
"Looking at the current situation, we probably won't be able to return until the time limit is up."
Speaking of this, Asagiri took out his phone and looked at it. Although he didn't know if this was still the original world, as long as the phone wasn't malfunctioning, he would know how much time had passed since entering the Dungeon. This was a newcomer Dungeon with almost no difficulty, so it was unlikely that there would be obstacles like mysterious forces tampering with the phone's displayed time to create illusions for the "players."
"There are forty-eight minutes left. We have already received the clearance rewards but haven't returned to the real world yet. Since that's the case, why don't we consider the remaining Dungeon time as part of the reward and use this time to investigate this sanatorium? Maybe we can get valuable information, after all, no one can guarantee that this is the last time we will come to this Dungeon."
"Mm, that makes sense, let's go."
Asuna didn't hesitate for long and followed Asagiri, passing through the courtyard again and walking towards one of the European-style buildings.
During this process, the two of them weren't idle and directly told each other the details of the rewards they received after clearing the Dungeon.
"Huh? You've already unlocked a talent? And a special profession?"
Asuna's surprise was evident upon hearing the details of Asagiri's clearance rewards.
An A+ and an S+ clearance rating are only one major rank apart, but the rewards are too different, aren't they!?
Her Swordsman profession was very ordinary, just one of the most basic professions. The equipment she obtained was also of ordinary quality. What was truly remarkable was the "Wind Blessing," which she hadn't used yet, that could make her body lighter and more agile.
As a result, although Asagiri received one less piece of equipment than her, he obtained the special profession Diplomat. Combined with the scene when Asagiri communicated with the attendant when leaving the ward, Asuna felt that this special profession was practically tailor-made for him.
Putting aside the perverted teddy bear for now, the key point was that Asagiri also unlocked an exclusive talent, Persona?
Although Asuna didn't quite understand the specific effect of this talent, she guessed it must be very powerful. After all, the description for his exclusive talent alone was longer than the description for all her clearance rewards combined. How could it not be powerful?
However, upon second thought, she felt it was quite reasonable.
Asagiri's clearing speed was ridiculously fast, and he even brought her along to clear it. It was expected that she would receive such a reward. It seemed like their clear ratings were only one major tier apart, but perhaps she got A+ because that was her actual rating, while Asagiri's S+ was because S+ was the highest possible rating.
After the two entered the first-floor lobby of that building, they first searched through the various rooms. Aside from an admission registration form, they didn't find anything of value.
Asuna held the blood-stained admission registration form, struggling to decipher the writing on it, and read aloud.
"Let me see... Mount Massive Asylum... Project 136... Chris Walker, male... Warning, this patient is extremely dangerous and requires the highest level of security watch..."
After reading out all the content that was still legible, Asuna couldn't help but frown tightly and look at Asagiri, saying.
"Why does the admission registration form refer to the contained mental patients as projects and even give them numbers? This place is definitely not a normal mental patient containment center."
After searching the first-floor lobby, there were only twenty minutes left before the dungeon's clear time limit. Considering they needed to set aside ample time for withdrawal, Asuna and Asagiri decided to take a look at the second floor of the building before leaving.
As the two reached the second-floor corridor from the stairwell, they spotted a tall, blood-soaked attendant standing eerily still not far ahead. He was hunched over in a grotesque posture, his face pressed against the observation window, unmoving and silent.
Suddenly, the door to the nearby ward was yanked open. In a blur of motion, a figure—also drenched in blood—lunged straight at the attendant.
A heartbeat later, a medium-built man burst from the ward, clutching a bloodstained kitchen knife. His clothes were spattered with crimson, his eyes wild. Without hesitation, he bolted in the opposite direction—straight toward Asagiri and Asuna at the stairwell entrance.
He skidded to a halt the moment he saw them, his expression twisting with surprise and confusion.
"Who… are you?"