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"No more joking, Natsuki just said something really incredible." Kitagawa Marin's expression was serious, "Shoko, give the notebook to Natsuki to see."
"Mm-hmm."
Komi quickly nodded, handing over the notebook she held in her arms with both hands.
Amamiya Natsuki endured the headache, his gaze falling onto the notebook, and soon he showed an incredible expression.
"Time reset? Is this the third loop?"
Click.
Fujiwara Chika raised her phone and took a photo.
"Saved successfully!" Fujiwara Chika tilted her pretty face up. "When we heard the President say those things just now, our expressions were exactly like his expression now."
Amamiya Natsuki rubbed his temples: "My mind is completely blank. I only remember that we got off the ship together, then walked here, preparing to discuss the mission content."
"I just recorded a video." Yukinoshita Haruno raised her phone and said softly, "Natsuki-kun, watch it first. As soon as you finish, I'll delete it."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at himself wearing a mask in the video, then combined it with the content in the notebook, and finally confirmed it.
He had indeed returned with the memories of the second loop, but after taking off the mask, the memories of the second loop were reset to zero.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible." Amamiya Natsuki's expression suddenly became serious. "You're all ganging up to trick me. I must have been hit on the head by a coconut."
"President, don't mess around."
"I'm sorry, I was hit on the head by a coconut."
"President, this is a serious matter now."
"I'm sorry…"
"President." Kaguya crossed her arms, unable to resist giving a chiding look. "Stop joking."
"Aye."
"…"
The joke was over.
Everyone's expressions quickly became solemn.
"Although it's unbelievable, it's highly probable that this is the third time loop." Shinomiya Kaguya pursed her pink lips and said softly, "The President just said that he also doesn't have memories of the first loop, but we can infer… we must have successfully killed Yote for Hiruko no Kami to reset time."
"That's right." Yukinoshita Yukino clasped her right arm across her chest and nodded lightly. "The hunting operation should have been quite successful, or perhaps Hiruko no Kami didn't appear at the time, or even didn't know who exactly we were. That's why It copied all the members on the ship, wanting to find the hunters among them, and then accidentally discovered the existence of players. So, It appeared at the end of the second loop, attempting to copy players to crack the memory fog."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded:
"We don't have memories of the first loop and didn't know that Hiruko no Kami had reset time. In other words, our first loop selves and our second loop selves were no different, and the action plan we formulated was naturally identical. That's why we walked into the trap of the shadows on the mountainside at night."
"Not only that." Amamiya Natsuki's expression was serious. "Hiruko no Kami has memories of all loops. She has already obtained information about the players in the second loop, which means everyone's current identities have been exposed. Putting ourselves in her shoes, the danger should naturally be eliminated as soon as possible… Therefore, the shadows are very likely on their way to surround us."
Hearing this, the girls couldn't help but show nervous expressions.
The shadows' strength and speed completely surpassed humans. Not only could they transform into anyone's appearance, but they could even turn into objects, like ninjas in manga. Describing them as appearing and disappearing like ghosts was no exaggeration.
In short, one sentence.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
If there were only one or two shadows, it would be manageable with the players' strength.
But since Hiruko no Kami knew the players' abilities and danger level, It would certainly not send out mere cannon fodder one by one. Group combat was the most likely tactic, and Hiruko no Kami might even act personally.
"We also have an advantage now." Shinomiya Kaguya parted her pink lips lightly, boosting morale. "The information the President brought back from the second loop is our biggest advantage."
Yukinoshita Yukino said softly:
"And Hiruko no Kami most likely doesn't know that we have information from the second loop."
"Let's leave here first to avoid being surrounded by shadows." Amamiya Natsuki said in a deep voice. "Also, our current identities cannot be used."
Everyone did not hesitate and quickly left the Sea.
A moment later.
More than a dozen humans of various personalities and ages appeared near the Sea. Some wore suits and glasses, some were housewives, and there was also an old man with a straw hat and white hair. The common characteristic among all of them was their indifferent expressions, with almost no emotion on their faces.
"Target not present."
"The other party has already left."
"…Continue the pursuit."
Amamiya Natsuki and his group had already arrived in an uninhabited forest. The girls gathered together, watching a live stream on a phone—before leaving, Marin had hidden her phone in a tree and enabled live streaming mode. Now, they could clearly see people gathered under the tree.
"Are all these guys… Shadow Clones?" Fujiwara Chika blinked and whispered, "They look exactly like humans."
Yukinoshita Yukino said softly:
"Record and save it first. Remember the appearances of these shadow creatures; it might be useful later."
Amamiya Natsuki, on the other hand, turned to Juju and reminded her:
"Juju, you're very good at drawing. Draw all the shadows that appeared in the camera just now into Shoko's notebook. If there's a next loop, we can get information in advance."
Juju nodded seriously: "Leave it to me."
After a pause, Amamiya Natsuki continued:
"Does everyone still have spare notebooks?"
The notebooks mentioned here refer to the notebooks obtained from the game Blind Box. Only these types of notebooks can be stored in the game backpack. If time is reset again, this is the only way to preserve information.
"Natsuki-sama, I have a notebook." Sayu's voice was clear, and she quickly took out a notebook from her game backpack. "Here you go."
The Senpai followed:
"Natsuki-kun, I also have a notebook."
Yukinoshita Yukino said softly:
"I have three notebooks."
"No need to give them to me." Amamiya Natsuki shook his head. "It's not safe enough for Shoko alone to record information. You all should transcribe it later. It's best for everyone to keep a copy of the notebook in their backpack… Sayu, Senpai, thank you for your hard work."
Sayu saluted: "Mission accomplished, guaranteed."
"Our current identities cannot be used." Shinomiya Kaguya said softly, "Those guys' target is very clear; it's obviously us."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded:
"One good piece of news, one bad piece of news. The bad news is that the third loop has just begun, and we've already become Hiruko no Kami's target. The good news is that for some reason, Hiruko no Kami should be unable to attack proactively, otherwise she would have come just now."
"Our current identities cannot be used." Shinomiya Kaguya nodded lightly. "There should be many surveillance devices on the Island. According to the President's information from the second loop, these shadow-copied humans are all people with certain identities and statuses on the Island. Once we are exposed to surveillance, we are very likely to be surrounded by shadows."
"Uh-huh…"
The Spy Maid stepped forward, crossing her arms, tilting her chin up to reveal her slender neck, and a slight smile played on her lips as she said:
"It doesn't matter, I will act."
"…"
Shadows can sense each other, but shadows do not sense humans. To find a certain human, they can only rely on faces. Hayasaka Ai's Mystique skill can not only change appearance but also height and body shape, perfectly adapting to the current situation.
Amamiya Natsuki held Hayasaka's right hand, while using the Copy and Paste skill, he said:
"Next, we need to re-formulate the action plan. Everyone, please share your opinions."
Shinomiya Kaguya said softly:
"Yote's death will cause Hiruko no Kami to rampage. If that's the case, we can capture Yote in advance, then stall for time, wait for Chika and the others to complete their protection mission, then kill Yote, and then instantly exit the dungeon."
Yukinoshita Yukino continued:
"According to Natsuki-kun's information from the previous loop, the monster named Yote is likely not a shadow, but a human, with an armor formed by the black mud that results from shadow deaths. In other words, he should be an original inhabitant of the Island."
Fujiwara Chika raised her right hand and asked:
"Then can we find him right now?"
"Of course we can." Amamiya Natsuki agreed. "Since we have the memories of the second loop, of course, we should head straight for the final Boss at the beginning of the game."
Kitagawa Marin asked curiously:
"Shouldn't the final Boss be that so-called Hiruko no Kami? How about we just capture her directly?"
Amamiya Natsuki nodded:
"We can indeed gather some information about Hiruko no Kami. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles."
Yukinoshita Haruno: "…"
As a newbie who just entered the game through an invitation, she immediately encountered a time reset and now had to challenge a 'god'. This was clearly not a dungeon a newbie player should encounter!
After the discussion.
Everyone quickly understood what to do next.
First, of course, was the dungeon mission—returning as a God of Combat with the memories of the second loop was like getting the answers in advance during an exam, skipping all the problem-solving steps, and submitting the paper early in minutes.
However, during this period, they needed to be careful not to expose their identities. Once exposed, they had to be prepared for the shadows to come looking for them.
The second thing was to find Yote's true body on the Island.
The third thing was to investigate Hiruko no Kami's past, preferably to clarify the relationship between Hiruko no Kami and Yote.
"That's all there is to it." Amamiya Natsuki continued to paste skills while speaking. "Once everyone can transform, we can begin our operation."
Hayasaka Ai reminded from the side:
"Everyone can choose a normal form transformation, which lasts for half an hour. During this time, you cannot be harmed, though normal physical collisions are fine."
"…"
A moment later.
The skill pasting was complete.
The group immediately began to act.
First, they avoided surveillance, contacted ordinary tourists on the small Island, copied their appearances for transformation, and evaded the shadows' pursuit on the Island.
Then they split up. The Senpai, Marin, and others headed straight for the Sea, preparing to take away a few elementary school students first. This time, Amamiya Natsuki had Haruno go with them. As a max-level social expert, luring elementary school students was easy.
Amamiya Natsuki, on the other hand, went with Kaguya and Chika directly to the sea.
There was no need to go to the elementary school student's home, who had accidentally drowned, to use Divination, nor was there a need to spread rumors of an elementary school student ghost appearing. This was because Amamiya Natsuki's previous information from the second loop had already given the hiding place of the shadow elementary school student—it was in the rocky beach by the Sea.
Due to an accident, the shadow elementary school student failed to successfully eliminate her true body and was instead discovered by the fishermen on the Island. As a result, she couldn't move around on the Island and could only hide by the Sea, silently waiting for her body to disappear.
Ten minutes later.
Amamiya Natsuki and the two girls arrived at the rocky area by the Sea.
"Eh, no one?"
Fujiwara Chika widened her eyes and looked around, but she didn't see any sign of the shadow elementary school student.
Shinomiya Kaguya said softly:
"She must be hiding."
Fujiwara Chika raised her hand to cover her mouth and whispered, "Then should we buy some food, pretend to be camping here, then leave for a bit, leaving the food on the beach, and lure the elementary school student out with the food?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked over speechlessly and said:
"This isn't a way to trick an elementary school student, but a way to trap a stray cat, isn't it?"
Fujiwara Chika put her hands on her hips, tilted her pretty face up, and said:
"Whatever the method, as long as it works."
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously:
"Perhaps it's not that troublesome. There's a simpler way to get the elementary school student out right now."
"Eh?" Fujiwara Chika asked curiously, "What method?"
"That is…"
Amamiya Natsuki took a deep breath, then exhaled and shouted towards the Sea:
"Sakurako, your mom is calling you home for dinner!"
Fujiwara Chika: "…"
Shinomiya Kaguya: "…"
The Sea shimmered, and the shout echoed under the clear sky.
Fujiwara Chika raised her hand to her forehead and complained:
"How could that possibly work if you shout like that… Eh? She actually came out?"
Splash.
the sea water rippled.
An elementary school student with short twin pigtails and a blue one-piece swimsuit emerged from the sea.
The Shadow elementary school student inherited everything from Sakura, so she would naturally react to someone who made a strong impression on an elementary school student. Amamiya Natsuki had originally planned to shout "Mommy wants you home for dinner." If that didn't work, he would switch to "Hiruko no Kami wants you home for dinner." It seemed to have worked very well, succeeding on the first try.
The Shadow elementary school student, with bare feet, walked out of the sea step by step, tilting her head to look at Amamiya Natsuki, and curiously asked:
"Does Mommy really want me home for dinner?"
"Of course I was lying to you," Amamiya Natsuki shrugged. "You should know very well that your mother is attending your funeral, right?"
The Shadow elementary school student was expressionless and asked:
"Why did you lie to me?"
"The reason is…" Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at Chika. "Do it."
There was no suspense.
Under the combined technique of Seize and Eliminate Evil, the Shadow elementary school student was subdued in an instant.
Amamiya Natsuki was not in a hurry to act. After a slight pause, he canceled his transformation, revealing his original appearance, and then asked:
"Do you see who I am? Do you still recognize me?"
The Shadow elementary school student tilted her head. Although she was captured, her small face remained expressionless, completely indifferent to life and death: "Who are you? Why should I know you?"
"That's right, it's the truth."
Fujiwara Chika held the truth mirror, checking the veracity of the elementary school student's answers.
Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest and said softly upon hearing this:
"It seems Hiruko is not able to directly transmit the memories from the previous cycle into the mind of the Shadow in this cycle."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded:
"That's another piece of good news."
"You know Mother?" The Shadow elementary school student's eyes widened, her expression changing for the first time, and she tried to struggle. "What are you?"
"Children don't need to ask so many questions."
After obtaining the desired information, Amamiya Natsuki stopped talking nonsense, decisively took out a hammer, and struck the shadow on the ground heavily.
Bang!
Sand immediately splattered in all directions.
The Shadow elementary school student, suffering fatal damage, distorted her body. Under the gaze of the three, her body rapidly melted, turning into black sludge, and finally transforming into a black human-shaped trace.
Amamiya Natsuki closed his eyes slightly, and quickly said:
"The subsequent mission has been activated. The mission content is exactly the same as the previous cycle. You only need to hunt five shadows to clear the dungeon… Let's go and meet up with Marin and the others."
The three left the rocky beach and met up with Marin and the others.
It was unclear what happened during that time, but Marin and the others successfully completed the kidnapping mission. The elementary school student, who was required to be protected, had already fallen asleep.
"Very good." Amamiya Natsuki nodded gently, and then said, "Next, we'll go to the abandoned shrine to unlock Kaguya and Yukino's subsequent dungeon missions."
The group did not stop and headed straight for the abandoned Hospital halfway up the mountain.
"The Hospital looks so eerie."
"No choice, it looks like it's been abandoned for decades, right?"
"Eh, there are so many patient forms dropped on the ground, and there are so many strange symbols on the walls."
"Eh, eh, eh, President, something just ran past!"
Amamiya Natsuki took out his flashlight, walked at the very front, and said:
"It's a stray cat. It's normal for an Hospital abandoned for decades to have stray animals. It would be strange if there was nothing."
In short, this abandoned Hospital was dimly lit and eerie. Strange noises would occasionally come from dark corners. If they didn't have the memories from the previous cycle to support them, everyone would inevitably be cautious, exploring carefully step by step, spending a lot of time.
But now…
"According to the information from the previous cycle, the secret is in the innermost room on the first floor. There is a Hiruko no Kami statue inside the room… Found it."
"This is the room."
Hayasaka Ai walked up to a wall, knocked on it a few times, and then said:
"This should be the location of the secret door."
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"The key is inside Hiruko no Kami statue's belly. Just figure out a way to get it out."
The senpai pursed her pink lips and said softly:
"According to Natsuki-kun's information from the previous cycle, Shadow Chika took out the key here. We don't have a shadow creature to help us now."
"Leave it to me." Yukinoshita Yukino stepped forward and said calmly, "I have a way."
The hidden location of the key was a bit troublesome for ordinary people, but it was not much difficulty for players.
"My shadow?" Fujiwara Chika rested her right hand on her chin, looking forward to it, "I wonder what it will look like. I'm super curious."
Amamiya Natsuki looked at the strange statue in the corner, and a prompt suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[A familiar sense of déjà vu surged, and you recalled Shadow Chika's wish…]
"Eh, President?" Noticing Amamiya Natsuki's abnormality, Fujiwara Chika tilted her head and said, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Amamiya Natsuki shook his head. "There was a subtle sense of déjà vu just now. Your shadow seemed to have made a wish here, but I can't remember the specific content."
"There's even such a thing…" Fujiwara Chika clenched her fists and promised, "It's okay, she is me, and I will help her fulfill her wish!"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments