Chapter 66: Abnormally Low Difficulty
"Then…"
Megumi walked to the apartment door, took a quiet breath, and spoke with forced calm.
"I'm going to open it now, okay?"
"Yes. Open it."
"Okay…"
Megumi reached out and gently pressed the knob down. With a soft click, the apartment's security door swung outward, inch by inch.
She never thought that one day she would feel this nervous over something as simple as opening a door and stepping outside.
Even so, she steadied herself and moved forward.
The reason she joined this team was simple. Ordinary, even.
She didn't want to die. And she wanted even less to die in the Dungeon.
If she died here, her body probably wouldn't return to the real world.
If that happened, her parents would be devastated. Worse, without a body to confirm it, they would cling to a tiny hope, believing she was only missing and still alive somewhere. That hope would become a chain, dragging them through years of pain.
So Megumi had decided. No matter how dangerous or horrifying the Dungeon was, she would not give up.
"Roar…"
The moment she stepped into the hallway, she saw it.
Less than ten meters away, a zombie wandered in circles. Its clothes were ragged, its body smeared in dried blood, and half its neck was missing. It paced back and forth, letting out a hoarse, beastlike growl that barely sounded human.
Megumi's heart skipped.
Then, in the next instant, she lifted her right hand to her side, signaling Asagiri and the others not to move yet. At the same time, she activated her exclusive talent, Weak Presence.
And she walked forward.
Toward the zombie.
"Roar… roar…"
Five meters.
Three.
One.
Megumi stopped within arm's reach.
The zombie's dull eyes swept past her without pausing. It didn't flinch. It didn't track her. It didn't lunge.
It behaved as if she didn't exist.
My talent is really this strong?
Or are zombies just that bad at sensing people?
Megumi backed away slowly. Only when she reentered the apartment and returned to Asagiri's side did she finally release the breath she'd been holding.
She kept her voice low to avoid drawing attention from the hallway.
"There's only one zombie outside. I tested it. Even at close range, as long as I activate my talent, it can't detect me."
Asuna couldn't help letting it slip.
"Phantom's talent is incredible…"
Weak Presence continuously consumed stamina and mental energy if Megumi moved while it was active. With her current physical condition, one minute was her absolute limit.
But if she stayed still, there was no consumption, and the concealment effect became even stronger.
That meant even if Megumi had entered this Dungeon alone, she could likely hide somewhere safe, keep her talent active, survive ten hours, and clear the first objective, just like last time.
Of course, clearing like that would earn a terrible rating and miserable rewards. If she only relied on hiding forever, she would eventually run into a Banshee or a monster with extremely high perception. Then she wouldn't even have the chance to resist.
"They placed a zombie right outside the Player's spawn point…"
Asagiri smiled, satisfied, and said something Megumi didn't understand at first.
"As expected. First stage Dungeon. The difficulty is too low."
Then Asagiri strolled to the living room sofa, grabbed a cushion, and tossed it to Asuna.
Asuna caught it with her left hand without a word. No discussion. No hesitation.
She walked straight out.
"Roar…"
The zombie noticed her immediately. It turned, howling, and shambled toward her with its mouth wide open, moving at a speed barely faster than a normal walking pace.
Before it could close the distance, Asuna stepped in.
Cold light flashed.
With clean, efficient strikes, she severed its limbs with the Exorcist Longsword. Almost simultaneously, she slapped the sofa cushion over its mouth.
"Mmmph… mmmph…"
The zombie's roar became a muffled, wronged whine, like a small animal being bullied.
"Done," Asuna said.
Asagiri and Kotoko had already stepped into the hallway and stood beside her, calm and unsurprised.
Megumi was stunned.
In that moment, only one thought echoed in her mind.
Why?
Why are you all this skilled?
Have you reached the point where a single glance is enough to coordinate perfectly, without saying anything at all?
"Alright, next…"
Megumi was still frozen when Asagiri walked up to Asuna.
He squatted on one knee in front of the zombie, now reduced to a writhing stump with its mouth blocked by the cushion. Even without limbs, it still struggled blindly.
Asagiri shook his head.
"Ah, how pitiful. Don't worry. I'll put you out of your misery soon."
Megumi almost thought, Even if Utsunomiya is eccentric, he's still empathetic and kind…
Then her eyes caught what he was holding.
A rope dart. A sharp blade attached to a metal chain.
Wait.
Why is he aiming the point at the zombie's eye?
Asagiri slowly pushed the tip into the zombie's left eyeball. Foul blood seeped out. He didn't flinch, didn't show even a trace of disgust. He simply muttered as if recording data.
"When a sharp object approached, its pupils didn't change at all, and it didn't blink. So it has no instinctive danger response like normal creatures."
He watched it twitch.
"And it doesn't understand fear. This is the most common type. Just like the diary said, it can't even run."
He tilted his head slightly, almost disappointed.
"This difficulty… isn't it a bit too low?"
Asuna frowned, staring at the struggling corpse.
"It really is."
Her voice was calm, but her analysis was sharp.
"When the apartment door was open earlier, it didn't sense us. That means its sense of smell isn't anything like a real beast's. And at this distance, if we speak softly, it doesn't seem to hear us either."
She looked down at the zombie, then at her sword.
"From the feel when I cut it, its strength is about the same as a normal human, maybe even weaker. It can't run. Even if it scratches or bites you, you won't get infected."
"As long as a person can move normally and finds a long weapon, like a bat, killing one isn't hard. Just don't get surrounded."
Asuna's brows drew together.
"Even if this is a first stage Dungeon, it shouldn't be this simple. Compared to the Hotel Dungeon, this is too easy. Abnormally easy."
Asagiri pulled the rope dart free, then spoke evenly.
"If you look at Dungeons like exams, it makes sense."
He met their eyes.
"They test whether the 'students', or rather the Players, meet the minimum requirements for a certain ability."
"The first newcomer Dungeon tested courage and the ability to think calmly under pressure. The second tested caution and observation."
"Passing means clearing. Scoring well earns rewards."
His smile returned, faint but confident.
"So let's reverse it. Like predicting exam questions."
He spread one hand.
"First, analyze what we already know. Then deduce what this Dungeon is actually testing. Based on that, infer what danger is likely to appear."
Kotoko stepped closer, staring into the zombie's remaining eye.
"So the real threat… is the special infected?"
"There are special infected," Asagiri said flatly. "But it's unlikely they're the main challenge."
He shook his head.
"From what we know, at least in the first phase, Dungeons generally don't demand brute force to clear. Crushing through with pure strength is a special route for Players like us."
He glanced at Megumi.
"There has to be a normal route too, one where even ordinary people can earn a high rating."
"Because this game isn't just trying to torture Players. It's filtering them. Training them. One Dungeon at a time."
"…Still too little information," Kotoko murmured. "Hard to reach a firm conclusion."
She looked directly into the zombie's eye and activated Curse Gaze.
The moment the skill triggered, the zombie's pupil dilated violently. Its body jerked twice, then went limp.
Kotoko's lips curved into a faint smile.
"It worked. So these zombies don't have any mental defense traits. Their resistance might even be negative."
She lifted her gaze, voice soft and satisfied.
"So my skill works, and Phantom's talent works too."
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +50 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]