Kumami, 26 years old.
Former office worker.
Current mid-core member (or more accurately, missing member) of the Crimson Moon player team [Slackers' Union].
(Yeah, the name's a bit odd, but the team's mostly twenty-somethings, with only two members over thirty.)
She had 13 missions under her belt—4 Twilight, 6 Midnight, and 3 Crimson Moon.
Her stats:
A-rank Twilight enhancementS-rank Midnight enhancementB-rank Crimson Moon enhancementTwo Midnight blessingsFused Crimson Moon relic: [Bronze Eye]Previously owned 20+ relics (all lost after being trapped in [Fujika Academy] for over three months).
But at least… she was alive.
And she'd been rescued by a self-proclaimed "Twilight-level player" who seemed anything but ordinary.
"So you're telling me you—a group of normies—got dragged into [School Horror Story], specifically the high-risk [Fujika Academy] zone, which has no known core resentment? And you stole [Alice]'s relic from the school building and suppressed it? Are you sure you're not Crimson Moon?!"
Kumami's expression screamed "You've got to be kidding me."
"Just luck. Honestly, I'm at my limit, which is why I rescued you—hoping you could help."
Takakai dodged the question, unwilling to explain his cheat-like abilities.
"…Fine. You don't feel Crimson Moon-level, at least. But Fujika Academy? Ugh. Let's avoid [Alice] first—I'm in no state to fight it."
Kumami could tell Takakai was hiding something—likely his relics and blessings.
Understandable. Players keep their trump cards close.
I did the same back in the day.
In Twilight and Midnight dungeons, players often backstabbed each other—the difficulty was manageable, leaving room for betrayal.
But in Crimson Moon dungeons, that rarely happened.
The reason was simple: Crimson Moon was hell.
So hellish that lone wolves died fast.
Only by working together could players survive.
So Kumami didn't press further.
Instead, she focused on repaying her debt.
Though…
Entering [Alice]'s room, stealing two dolls…
Is that even possible?
Is this kid sandbagging?
But his aura, his physicality—not Crimson Moon. At best, top-tier Midnight.
"You can sense [Alice]'s location?"
Takakai gestured for the girls to follow as he asked.
"Part of my blessing—[Gift of the Forgotten]. Lets me counter-track the nearest horror locking onto me. Right now, an [Alice] is on the sixth floor. We need to move. These normies… leave them. They'll just slow us down."
Kumami didn't sugarcoat it.
She wasn't disdainful of non-players—but in a Crimson Moon dungeon, survival came first.
"Don't worry, I've got escape plans. And I'm watching the entrance—only one [Alice] so far."
Takakai unlocked a door with his blood key, ushering everyone inside.
"A Midnight spatial relic? Those are rare."
Kumami raised an eyebrow as they emerged on the first floor.
Seeing Takakai's concern for the girls—especially Miko—she sighed.
"This'll buy us time, but not much. Open a door to the pool area's third floor, dump them there. Feeding this place might buy us leeway. They'll die eventually, but every second counts."
"[Alice] only hunts those she 'likes.' I'll stall her—show you what I can do. But kid, don't play hero. We're barely surviving ourselves."
Her tone was big-sisterly, clearly seeing herself as the experienced mentor.
Takakai almost laughed.
I'm not saving them out of kindness.
It's for Miko's peace of mind and to avoid them turning into horrors.
But he nodded silently, waiting until Kumami confirmed [Alice] had reached the second floor before relocating to the fifth floor.
Following Kumami's advice, he herded the students into the pool area—
—leaving only Miko behind.
(Thankfully, the locked-down school building made this possible. In previous loops, breaking rules would've triggered a horror swarm.)
As the students vanished, giggling echoed.
[Kumami-saaan~ Aren't we friends? Why that face~?]
[Alice]'s voice was sickeningly sweet.
Then—
A flicker of bronze light.
[Alice] froze mid-step, her smile locked in place.
Kumami wiped black blood from her prosthetic eye.
"I'm not at full strength. This buys us three minutes. Let's go."
She shot Takakai a questioning look (why keep Miko?) but didn't ask.
The Bronze Eye
"Your relic can stop [Alice]?"
Takakai was impressed.
After being tormented by [Alice] for so long, seeing her halted so easily was shocking.
Compared to the useless high school girls, Kumami was a breath of fresh air.
"Pauses horrors, blocks their power, sees through illusions. Normally lasts 10 minutes, but [Alice]'s… different. My relic's less effective—three minutes max."
Kumami shook her head, eyeing the decaying hallway.
Strange…
In my memory, ten minutes ago, I was with my team, 27 Crimson Moon players raiding [School Horror Story].
Now, this kid says months have passed.
What happened to my squad?
This disconnect stemmed from her second blessing—[Memories of the Shattered].
From a twisted dungeon centered on a fractured mind, this blessing let her "save" her psyche, resetting if she suffered mental collapse.
It had kicked in after her rescue, restoring her sanity—but erasing her doll-trauma memories.
(Not that she minded.)
"Right now, only one [Alice]'s after us, but the dormitory's three will come soon. We can't stay. Head to Yoruyama Academy—you said it's mostly locked down? Might be safer. We just need to last until the dungeon activates."
Kumami's plan was simple survival—endure for days, avoiding [Alice] until outside players arrived.
(A near-impossible task, but she owed Takakai.)
With only her Bronze Eye left, she'd rely on her:
A-rank Twilight physiqueS-rank Midnight reflexesB-rank Crimson Moon regeneration
Enough to survive without food/water for days and resist mental corrosion.
Between that and my blessings, we might make it.
She exhaled, steeling herself.
Even at Crimson Moon, we're still just… struggling to live.
But I'll do my best for this kid.
For now, avoid [Alice]—my relic can't handle prolonged clashes.
Then—
"I can't go to Yoruyama. I need to crack Fujika Academy's core resentment. So I'm heading to the dormitory. Kumami-san, will you help? I can't do this alone."
Takakai's dead-serious request hit like a sledgehammer.
"Uh… what?"
Kumami's face morphed into pure disbelief.
"I'm taking [Alice]'s relic from the dormitory, uncovering this dungeon's true core, and breaking it. I need your help."
Takakai's gaze never wavered.
"..."
Kumami stared.
Takakai stared back.
Miko, confused, glanced between them.
…He's dead serious.
After five silent seconds, Kumami's expression settled into "old man squinting at smartphone" mode.