"To be able to sit still and not be flustered when a girl as cute as me throws herself into your arms, you truly live up to your reputation."
Hearing Kotoko say such a boastful remark, Asuna suppressed the urge to retort and sighed slightly.
"Then, we'll wait until Sunday, the day we need to register for the dungeon, to find Megumi. According to Asagiri's conclusion, when we enter the dungeon next time, the game will still be in the first stage without any difficulty increase. I just don't know if, after a month and the game enters the second stage, besides the overall difficulty increase, there will be any other changes."
"There will definitely be changes."
Kotoko placed her cane horizontally on her knees, resuming the proper sitting posture of a well-bred young lady, and then spoke.
"I asked the yokai to look inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and after gathering some information, I confirmed two things."
"First, the bodies of Players who die in the dungeon will not return to the real world."
"Second, it is currently unclear how many people have been selected to be Players, but there are definitely quite a few, because the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has recently received dozens of reports of missing persons. Of course, not all of these missing persons are Players, but some of them are definitely Players."
"It is foreseeable that as the game gradually unfolds and more and more Players die, it means that more and more people will go missing in the real world. Moreover, the rules of that APP do not restrict Players from using their powers in the real world or telling others about the APP. In other words, even if we want to hide the existence of the game, it is impossible to do so. After all, without any restrictions, as long as someone from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department or the Prosecutor's Office is selected to be a 'Player,' the truth will surface."
When Kotoko said this, Asagiri spoke in a calm tone.
"The most interesting point is the hidden rule of 'Player' identity transfer. Only after a 'Player' dies can ordinary people observe the eye icon APP on the other person's phone, and become a new Player by continuously clicking on the APP icon."
Asuna and Kotoko were both puzzled by the meaning.
"Why do you say this is the most interesting point?"
"Of course it's interesting."
Asagiri spoke slowly with a smile in his voice.
"Although there has never been any PVP type dungeon, and the seemingly main purpose of this game is for Players to cooperate and survive, there are no constraints on the Players' behavior in the real world, and there is even such a hidden rule that ordinary people can only become Players on the premise of the original Player's death. Perhaps the real world is the PVP dungeon set up by this game."
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That afternoon, in the gymnasium of Shuchiin Academy, a burly and strong male teacher wearing a judo uniform scanned the students of A Class and spoke in a deep voice.
"I have already explained the basic Precautions. Next, we will proceed with group practice one by one. By the way, has anyone had contact with judo before? I want to try to maintain the strength balance between the groups."
"Me."
Hearing the physical education teacher's question, Kaguya raised her hand and said softly with a gentle expression.
"Teacher, I am a Judo 2nd Dan."
"2nd Dan… Are there any girls who have had contact with judo?"
Seeing that no other students raised their hands except for Kaguya, the physical education teacher couldn't help but look troubled, wondering what to do.
Judo 2nd Dan, which is a judo black belt, although not very impressive, is beyond the beginner stage and is considered to have been properly trained.
But… there are no other girls who have practiced judo who can compete with Kaguya. In a sport like judo that involves physical contact, it is impossible to assign a boy to Kaguya.
"Hai hai~ Teacher, I'll be in a group with Shinomiya~"
Hearing this sudden voice, the physical education teacher searched among the crowd for a while before finally seeing Kotoko, who was particularly slender and petite compared to the other students in A Class, like a doll, and couldn't help but be stunned, hesitantly saying.
"You are Iwanaga, right? Iwanaga, do you want to be in a group with Shinomiya? But this…"
"Don't worry, Teacher."
Kaguya tucked her long black hair and said indifferently.
"I will be careful and won't hurt Iwanaga."
"Well… okay."
Kaguya was not the type who was competitive in everything. Sometimes, she would even deliberately hold back. After all, in her opinion, deliberately losing to avoid being too outstanding and being alienated by those around her was just a way of dealing with things.
Of course, studying was an exception.
"Utsunomiya."
Just then, a male student who was nearly six feet tall, very strong, and broad-shouldered, slowly walked up to Asagiri.
"Can I ask you to practice with me?"
"You want to practice with me?"
Facing the request of the strong male student, Asagiri just smiled.
"I haven't practiced judo, I know nothing about it."
The strong male student waved his hand and said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, I will go easy on you, I will try not to hurt you…"
"Hmm? What are you saying?"
Before the male student could finish speaking, Asagiri shook his head, looked directly into his face, and interrupted in a calm tone.
"What I mean is, because I haven't practiced judo, I can't control my strength very well. If you get injured, don't blame me. And you're going easy on me?"
"As the rumors say, you are very arrogant, but…"
The strong male student said this and suddenly changed the subject, saying solemnly.
"If I win, please consider joining our judo club, Utsunomiya!"
Upon hearing this, Asagiri couldn't help but ask back.
"Are you playing the 'dagger revealed at the end of the map' here? The key is that your country map is a bit too short, isn't it? I already said that I have no interest in joining any club."
"Hmm, I heard that you… No, you have no intention of joining any sports club, but…"
The strong male student took a deep breath, his face serious.
"I hope to use my actions to make you feel the charm of judo, the passion it contains, the youthful excitement, the pursuit of the supreme technique…"
"I don't understand, What are you talking about? I play with a katana."
Asagiri didn't really want to continue listening to the male student talk about youth, passion, etc., and just said softly in a calm tone.
"Then let's start quickly."
"Okay."
The strong male student took a few steps back, distancing himself from Asagiri, then took a few deep breaths, bowed, and said with a serious expression.
"Utsunomiya, I will give it my all."
Asagiri nodded casually and stood there casually.
"Alright."
To prevent students from getting injured, thick protective mats had already been laid out on the wooden floor of the gymnasium.
After getting Asagiri's response, the strong male student slightly bent down, his sturdy body, which was quite burly for a high school student, like a brown bear, extended his hands and tentatively approached.
At this moment, the other students in A Class, including Kaguya and Kotoko, all stopped their original actions. Everyone was watching the contest that was about to begin.
"Hah!!!"
The strong male student roared, his moving pace quickened, and he quickly reached Asagiri. Then he bent his waist even lower, his hands extending like pincers, firmly gripping Asagiri's right arm.
"It's over…"
Seeing this scene, Kaguya, who had some proficiency in judo techniques, murmured this.
This move is the starting stance for an over-the-shoulder throw. By grabbing the opponent's arm and using one's waist and hips for force, if the most suitable angle can be found, even a thin person who is not very strong can use this move to throw an opponent who is larger and stronger than themselves to the ground.
Moreover, although this move is simple and unadorned, its lethality should not be underestimated. If a person who truly knows how to exert force uses this move on a hard surface, it is quite normal to seriously injure or even kill the opponent on the spot.
Kaguya sighed slightly, thinking that as expected, Asagiri had not lied.
The opponent truly knew nothing about judo. Otherwise, how could he have allowed his opponent to so easily grab his arm and complete the setup for an over-the-shoulder throw?
The match should end here...
"Hmm?"
Just as Kaguya was thinking this, she saw the muscular boy twist his body and, using a very standard over-the-shoulder throw posture, attempt to swing Asagiri around and throw him to the ground. But even though veins popped out on his neck and his cheeks were flushed red from using all his strength, Asagiri's body remained completely still, like an unshakeable tower.
"Alright, this passionate, youthful battle ends here."
Asagiri first said this with a smile, then directly twisted his waist and hips, applying a slight force that instead threw the muscular boy onto the judo mat.
"How could this be..."
Even after being thrown to the ground, the muscular boy seemed somewhat unresponsive, and the students watching the match around them felt even more disbelief.
Only Kotoko looked unsurprised. In fact, because the object of the surrounding people's astonishment was Asagiri, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curl upwards.
The muscular boy was indeed a genuine judo expert who had trained seriously. The over-the-shoulder throw technique he used was also flawlessly standard.
It's just that...
The gap in strength that technique can compensate for is ultimately limited. Asagiri's lead in strength over the muscular boy had reached a point where it couldn't be overcome even with technique.