"So you're saying... Hayasaka was taken into Shirasawa Elementary School?"
After a brief conversation, Kaguya's face turned pale as she realized the thing she had brought back was actually an unrestricted dungeon ticket. She couldn't suppress her worry.
The former highest-level Crimson Moon dungeon [School Horror Tales], even if it now appears to have dropped to midnight level, hasn't actually changed in difficulty at all. It remains a genuine Crimson Moon-level challenge - a terrifying world that even powerful Crimson Moon players struggle to conquer.
Her maid Hayasaka Ai, while possessing considerable physical abilities that could easily be described as "urban special forces level," was still ultimately limited by human boundaries. She couldn't possibly compare to the horrors in the dungeon world.
If she really had fallen into that world...
Kaguya couldn't imagine what that would look like.
Knowing Hayasaka's personality... while she appeared strong on the surface, she was actually a girl who cried easily. She wouldn't be able to endure in such a place. But since no one had forgotten her existence after all these days, it meant she was still alive. In what state was she surviving? Like how Takakai-kun was turned into a half-dead doll in Fujisaki Academy?
The more Kaguya thought about what might have happened to her, the more she couldn't calm down.
"Don't panic. Panicking won't help right now."
Takakai's voice sounded at this moment.
Kaguya, her expression somewhat dazed, instinctively looked up to see Takakai's completely calm, unreadable face.
Without hesitation, after confirming Hayasaka was likely in trouble, Takakai immediately contacted Kumami again - the most reliable, powerful and trustworthy senior player he could reach at the moment.
"What? Your friend might have been dragged into Shirasawa Elementary? Didn't I just warn you about this? How did something actually happen right after... Tch, and of all places it had to be Shirasawa. You really know how to give me difficult problems."
Kumami's voice initially carried some drunkenness, but after hearing Takakai's explanation, she immediately sobered up, her tone turning helpless.
"Is there still hope for rescue?"
Takakai went straight to the point, asking the most critical question.
"...Has it been less than a week since your friend was taken into Shirasawa Elementary?"
After a moment of silence, Kumami didn't answer directly but instead asked a question in return.
"It should be the same time I was taken into Fujiks Academy - about two days, almost three days now."
Takakai quickly provided the answer.
"Then there's still hope. She might suffer considerable psychological trauma, but yes, she can still be saved. However, she's just an ordinary person, right? From your description, your friend is just a trained ordinary human without any blessings or enhancements. To rescue her from Shirasawa Elementary... well... don't take this the wrong way, but I think there's a higher chance both of you will die in there. Anyway, while I can't give you much information, listen carefully—"
Although Kumami spoke words that didn't sound optimistic, before Takakai could say anything more, she shifted the topic to precautions for entering the dungeon.
Clearly, this veteran player already knew Takakai was determined to re-enter the dungeon, so she wouldn't waste words and focused on the key points.
"First, Shirasawa Elementary, as one of the four areas of the Red Moon dungeon [School Horror Tales], is a place that 'strictly follows rules.' I can't explain the specifics - you'll understand once you're inside."
"Second, this area actually has a relatively high player survival rate - about 30%. Of course, this statistic includes players forced to participate in missions. Moreover, many of those who didn't leave the dungeon didn't actually die. Since no ordinary person has forgotten about your friend, she's likely in this special situation."
"Given that it's been almost three days since you said she disappeared, you have about four more days for rescue. After that point, even if you find her, your friend won't be able to return anymore. So remember this timeframe clearly - it's your effective window for rescue."
"And... Shirasawa Elementary's information lockdown is even stricter than Fujisaki Academy's. If I explain too much, something bad will happen. So... be extremely careful. With your curse, honestly I don't know how you'll manage in that damned place. But... try to think more from a child's perspective. That might help you. That's all I can say."
Kumami spoke a series of words with grave seriousness.
Takakai memorized all this carefully, only saying "thank you" after she finished speaking.
"No need for thanks - you did save my life after all. But seriously, you're something else, kid. Just got out of a hellhole like Fujika, and now you're rushing straight into Shirasawa. This is a Crimson Moon dungeon - not child's play. Value your life more, youngster."
Kumami's attitude was remarkably casual, even teasing Takakai as she spoke.
"According to the Sacrifice Game's level classification, I'm actually participating at Dark Night level - not quite at the stage to face Crimson Moon dungeons yet."
Though feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, Takakai still managed to laugh and joke along with her.
"Hah? If you believe that bullshit classification system, you might as well believe I'm Qin Shi Huang. Anyway, that's all I have to say. But I remember you have many Twilight-grade Remnants? Go trade them at the player market. Low-level Remnants are nearly useless in that kind of dungeon."
"I know Kohatori - I saw him enter the Sacrifice Game. Though his methods can be shady and ruthless, overall he works to protect most players' interests. For promising, capable players like you who aren't psychopaths or sociopaths, he'll definitely offer strong support. With my endorsement, you might be able to trade for three Dark Night-grade Remnants."
"As the old saying goes, 'Even hastily sharpened spears are better than blunt ones.' Even rushed preparations are better than none. But when trading Remnants, be clear about your needs. In my opinion, you should prioritize storage-type, support-type and survival-type Remnants. Don't put attack-types first."
After the call ended, Takakai turned to see Kaguya already dressed and ready to rush to the market.
Losing Hayasaka had clearly shaken the girl severely - she had completely lost her usual calm, rational demeanor, not even considering that the player market would be closed at this hour.
"Don't be hasty. Sit down. Sit properly."
With his enhanced physical abilities from multiple blessings, Takakai easily pressed the reluctant Kaguya back into her chair.
Then he pulled out his phone and called Kohatori.
The ringtone sounded - the other party didn't answer immediately. So Takakai stood before the fidgeting Kaguya, sighing inwardly at her restless state.
Using surface-level toughness to mask inner fragility - appearing cold, appearing unfeeling, only making ruthless calculations of gains and losses. But this was merely superficial disguise. Once her weak point was truly struck, she became this helpless child, this completely flustered mess.
It just showed how badly family education could mess up a child. Shinomiya Kaguya's situation would probably make professional psychologists shake their heads.
"Calm down. We'll rescue her."
Takakai leaned down, meeting Kaguya's ruby eyes as he spoke seriously.
"She still has four days. What we need to do is find her within those four days and bring her out from that place."
"Wasting time thinking about what might be happening to her now, or whether we can successfully rescue her, is meaningless. Use that intelligence of yours - this isn't child's play. Even with me leading you in, it's still a dangerous dungeon area. We'll need to give it our all to have any chance."
Along with these words, Takakai slightly activated Heddal's blessing, releasing the mental suppression effect from the Berserk blessing to help Kaguya calm down.
The long black-haired girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then opened them again.
Her emotions gradually stabilized, regaining her composure in this moment. Though the confusion about their unclear future hadn't dissipated, at least she was no longer in that completely flustered state.
"Takakai-kun, you just got out of Fujika Academy, and now you're..."
She also realized the decision Takakai had already made, her expression showing some concern for him.
Though part of her felt happy knowing Takakai had decided to help, she still had basic conscience. Escaping the dangerous Fujika Academy dungeon had already been tremendously difficult. Now after barely a day's rest, he was entering another dungeon of similar level. Even if it was for her sake, for her useful Hayasaka, Kaguya could imagine how much burden and pressure this would place on Takakai.
"That's right. So have you thought about how to compensate me? I'm only willing to do this because it's you. I wouldn't risk my life like this for just anyone."
Takakai joked with a smile, then noticed the call had just connected on his phone.
Switching to speaker mode.
Before Takakai could say anything, Kohatori - seeming to have already anticipated Takakai's needs - spoke up in his hoarse voice:
"Mr. Takakai, you wish to trade your Remnants for more powerful Dark Night-grade Remnants, correct? As the market manager, I can directly retrieve various Dark Night-grade Remnants from the market's inventory. Have you decided which types you need?"
It seemed the reason he hadn't answered immediately was likely because Kumami had contacted Kohatori right after speaking with Takakai.
This worked out well - it saved a lot of trouble.
Takakai began considering what types of Remnants he needed.
Information about Shirasawa Elementary was extremely scarce, meaning the dungeon must contain highly contaminating information or extremely dangerous entities with information perception abilities. But according to Kumami, this dungeon's mortality rate wasn't actually high, while surviving players often developed mental illnesses - suggesting this dungeon probably specialized in psychological torture and torment?
Therefore, the types of Remnants he needed were:
Combat-type Remnants to help fight against horrors
Investigation-type Remnants to assist with effective exploration
Protection-type Remnants to guard against contamination during investigation
Support-type Remnants to aid in analysis and judgment
Survival-type Remnants to protect against lethal threats
Healing-type Remnants to repair physical and mental damage
Storage-type Remnants to provide additional carrying capacity
Unconventional Remnants that might have unexpected uses