Chapter 39: Exorcist's Longsword
Fifteen minutes later, the staff lounge on the Hotel's Fifth Floor was finally clear. The heavy fireproof door to the stairwell stood open, and the last of the water had been completely drained, leaving only a damp coolness in the air.
"It's a shame, those two guys' phones were toast in the explosion," Asagiri sighed, a hint of regret in his voice.
Kotoko offered a comforting smile. "But we already found the most valuable thing." Her gaze shifted to the wall, where a longsword, sheathed in black and radiating a strange aura, hung proudly. "Hmm… based on my intuition, this is a genuine spiritual item, capable of harming anomalies. While it won't be joining any legendary collections, it's more than enough to be considered a treasure in an ordinary shrine."
"A sword-type weapon… No wonder it was a special hint for me," Asuna murmured, taking the longsword from the wall. With her other hand, she pulled out her phone and opened the familiar eye icon app. Just as she expected, information about the sword materialized on the screen:
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"Equipment: Exorcist's Longsword (Quality: Blue: Excellent)"
Exorcist's Longsword: When multiple incidents of guests drowning in bathtubs occurred consecutively in this Hotel, the Hotel manager hired a young Exorcist who was new but full of confidence. He brought his family's inherited spiritual sword to the Hotel, vowing to slay the evil spirit within the Hotel. However, before preparing for action, he followed tradition and performed a ritual called 'purification'. Simply put… he not only took a bath but also gargled with the water in the Hotel.
This equipment can cause additional bonus damage to spirit-type creatures.
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A smile played on Kotoko's lips as she read the description. "An inherited spiritual item from a certain Exorcist… To be cursed and polluted by the opponent without even seeing the evil spirit's face — truly not cautious enough."
Asagiri, however, had a different focus. "Multiple incidents of guests drowning in bathtubs… this seems to be the source of the bound spirits within this Hotel. But more importantly, we've uncovered a hidden rule not mentioned in the app. It's not just about clearing the dungeon; in corresponding dungeons, it's possible to obtain logical equipment. For example, since this is a strange-type dungeon, we were able to get a spiritual weapon like this."
Asuna drew the longsword from its black scabbard, her fingers gently tracing the cold, gleaming blade. "Hmm, this sword is indeed very good…" Then, to Asagiri's surprise, she held the longsword horizontally and offered it to him. "Leader, you use it. After all, your combat power is the strongest."
Asagiri shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "That's not necessary. I'm not a Swordsman class; I'm a peace-loving, violence-fearing Diplomat. Besides, I'm not the kind of dungeon parasite who rolls for gear just because I see good equipment."
"In that case," Asuna replied, "I'll give you the rapier."
"OK," Asagiri agreed.
Kotoko watched them, impressed. They had decided on the equipment distribution in just a few words. Teaming up with these two was proving to be an exceptionally smart choice. Even with the Exorcist's Longsword, an incredibly valuable, excellent-quality weapon for their current stage, there was no dispute whatsoever. Asuna, a Swordsman, was willing to give it up, and Asagiri, the Leader, didn't abuse his authority. Instead, he considered the team's overall strength and made the most logical choice. This is a real team, she thought.
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"Since the preparations are complete," Asagiri announced, opening the Hotel staff manual and flipping to the floor plan, "let's start formulating the final battle plan now. The currently known information is as follows:
1. The anomaly's source can spread its influence using water as a medium. This means we absolutely cannot let water containing its anomaly enter our bodies during the fight. Therefore, our eyes, mouth, and nose must be protected at all times, just like a doctor performing surgery on an AIDS patient.
2. It cannot directly create Banshees. It can only transform guests into bound spirits, which are confined to specific floors, by drowning them. Looking at the Hotel's floor plan, the first floor has no rooms, just like a normal hotel. So, it's highly likely there are no bound spirits, like the previous Red-Clothed Female Ghost, on the first floor.
3. Like the bound spirits, it is unable to move freely within this Hotel due to some restriction. It can only spread its anomaly through water.
4. The anomaly's source possesses a certain degree of thinking ability. It even used the spiritual weapon on this floor as bait to set an ambush for us. But from another perspective, this action also reveals its fear of us. Its main body's strength isn't that powerful. Otherwise, it would have simply done nothing, let us successfully obtain the spiritual item, confidently walk into its main body's location, and then kill us itself."
Asagiri finished, and Kotoko murmured thoughtfully, "Anomalies, although they defy common sense, still have their own rules. And the anomaly in this Hotel is clearly related to water. So… will all the water in this Hotel be directly controlled by it? No, if it were a Banshee of that level, it would be far too powerful. Just like your fourth point, if it were that strong, it would deliberately lure us to its hiding place. Therefore, if it wants to integrate its anomaly into water, it needs certain conditions. Based on my experience, the most likely one is that it can reach the places where the water is located through some medium connected to itself…"
Before Kotoko could finish, Asuna's fair and slender index finger gently tapped a spot on the first-floor plan. "Here," she said softly. "In the equipment room on the first floor, the water tank that supplies water and connects to all the pipes in the Hotel. Its main body is here."
Kotoko nodded slightly, then asked, "But since it already knows we have the Exorcist's Longsword, it definitely won't just wait for death. I don't know how many bound spirits are left in this Hotel, but to reach the equipment room on the first floor, we have to go down four floors. The third floor upwards has guest rooms, so there should be corresponding bound spirits on the third and fourth floors. And logically, the closer we get to its main body, the stronger the bound spirits should be. The stairwell is too narrow and not conducive to combat…"
"Therefore, to avoid unnecessary risks and consumption, we cannot take the normal route," Asagiri interjected, glancing at the Hotel's floor plan. He then looked up at Kotoko and Asuna, a slight smile playing on his lips. "My suggestion is, let's give that guy…"
"A big one suprise."
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