Accompanied by a thick red mist, Asagiri reappeared in his home.
Shrouded in a thick red mist, Asagiri reappeared in his home.
"I'm back..." he murmured.
Though he sank into the comfort of his expensive sofa, he didn't relax right away. Instead, his eyes dropped to the seat beneath him.
On the white upholstery, two black lines—drawn earlier with a ballpoint pen along the outer sides of his legs—remained perfectly aligned with his posture. One line to the left, one to the right.
"It seems that after leaving the dungeon, you return to the exact place and position you were in before entering. Not even your posture changes," he observed quietly.
Satisfied with this confirmation, Asagiri turned his gaze to the wall clock. It matched the time on his phone: six o'clock in the morning.
One hour had passed in the dungeon—and one hour had passed here. Time flowed in perfect sync.
Asagiri placed the chainsaw and electric drill he was holding onto the coffee table in front of him. Then, he took out his phone, tapped the eye icon APP, and sure enough, several new lines of text appeared.
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[Congratulations on completing your first dungeon. The following are important notes]
[1. Ordinary people who are not Players cannot see the APP on their phones ]
[2. The APP is not bound to the phone but to the Players themselves. You can change phones at any time, and the APP will appear on the phone you are currently using. There is no need to worry about accidentally losing your phone or damaging it]
[3. When entering a dungeon, you cannot bring tools, equipment, items, weapons, or armor from the real world, nor can you use real-world items to disguise your appearance. Players are only allowed to wear everyday clothing when entering a dungeon]
[4. Before each dungeon entry, you will receive a notification three days in advance. Players must clear at least one dungeon per month. Exceeding the specified time limit will result in forced teleportation to a random dungeon]
[5. You can choose to actively enter a dungeon from the APP features (requires a three-day wait, cannot enter immediately; there must be at least one week between dungeons). If a Player achieved an A- or higher clear rating in the previous dungeon, they will receive a special notification upon entering the dungeon]
[Time remaining until next dungeon entry: 0]
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"The newbie dungeon doesn't count towards the dungeon entry cooldown? That's quite humane."
Asagiri nodded with satisfaction. After all, for him, the more times he could enter dungeons, the better. The S+ clear rating reward obtained in the newcomer dungeon was just the first step. He had to quickly grow stronger using a snowball effect to ensure he was the strongest among all Players.
After all, this was a world fused with various anime and manga. Although he hadn't discovered any supernatural powers yet, there were quite a few formidable characters even in the slice-of-life series.
Within the high school section of the Shuchiin Private Academy, he was about to enter, there were many such figures.
After reading these prompts, Asagiri opened his Player panel within the APP. Of course, as his own power, he knew how to use his Persona and its specific effects even without the APP.
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[Current Persona: Human Asura]
[Human Asura: Facing the fear of death, the Persona born from your inner heart]
[Strengths: Strength, Endurance, Defense, Speed, Agility]
[Weaknesses: No ranged attack methods]
[Human Asura's Passive: When switching to this Persona, your physical abilities will be enhanced, and because Human Asura represents unwavering determination, you will be immune to illusions, brainwashing, hypnosis, and all mental attacks]
[Corresponding Tarot Card: The Emperor (Upright)]
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After finishing the text on the app, Asagiri noticed the first light of dawn creeping in through the window. With a quiet breath, he got up to wash and dress, ready to begin his new life as a high school student.
Let me briefly introduce the members of his family.
Asagiri Utsunomiya—newly admitted to Year 1, Class A of the prestigious Shuchiin Private Academy—and...
That's it.
No parents. No siblings. Just Asagiri.
But he does have a house. A spacious one-floor residence spanning over 200 square meters, located in the heart of Tokyo's bustling Shibuya commercial district.
........
Early morning, just outside Shuchiin Private Academy.
Asuna stood at the school gates, dressed in the crisp uniform of Shuchiin Academy. She kept fidgeting with her smooth, long hair, visibly nervous. But it wasn't the typical first-day-of-high-school anxiety that unsettled her—it was the person she was waiting for.
Was Asagiri telling the truth?
Was he really a student at Shuchiin Private Academy too?
She had already confirmed that the swordsmanship, the skills, and even the rapier she obtained after clearing the dungeon remained intact in the real world.
And to be honest... that terrified her.
Asuna's parents were both deeply immersed in their careers, so after entering high school, she began living on her own.
Originally, they had wanted to hire a nanny to help manage her daily life, but Asuna—believing it was time to become more independent—had politely declined.
Looking back now, she was glad she had.
If someone else had been in the house this morning when she vanished into the dungeon, it would've caused a panic. Her parents might have called the police, and she'd have no idea how to explain what happened.
Right now, the only person she could talk to about any of this... was Asagiri Utsunomiya.
Just then, Asuna noticed a familiar figure walking towards her from not far away.
It wasn't just her; many students near the school gate also turned their gaze toward the approaching boy.
Even within Shuchiin Private Academy, which had many beautiful girls and handsome boys, his appearance was extremely outstanding, the kind that could attract countless attention just by looks alone.
Although the boy was wearing the Shuchiin Academy uniform, he hadn't buttoned it, wearing it like a jacket instead. The Shuchiin Academy uniform, which was supposed to be solemn and dignified with a hint of nobility, somehow gained a few touches of casual elegance when worn by him.
"Asagiri."
Asuna's heart couldn't help but light up when she saw Asagiri walking towards her in the school uniform. A smile even appeared on her face, and she quickly walked over to greet him.
"Asuna Yuuki."
Asagiri also nodded and returned the greeting with a smile.
Feeling the surrounding gazes, Asuna felt a little embarrassed. She realized that her actions just now seemed a bit too intimate and enthusiastic. She raised her hand to brush her long hair back, then softly said.
"Um... I checked the class list for you. I'm in Year 1 Class B, and you're..."
"I know, Year 1 Class A."
"Huh? You already know?"
Asuna felt a little confused upon hearing this. Logically speaking, class assignments weren't supposed to be revealed in advance but were to be posted on the first day of school.
How could he know beforehand?