(Second Update) (Continued)

If it was about finding another wife to strengthen the team's combat power, Tsukikawa Shu could still consider it. Outsiders, however, were out of the question.

After breaking down the Refined Ore, Tsukikawa Shu first upgraded Hiratsuka Shizuka and Goto Hitori's weapons to Epic Grade.

After running the dungeon twenty times, all three of them had reached Level 37. Tsukikawa Shu had also obtained over a dozen Experience Cards. Their levels were now more than enough to handle any monsters they encountered, so there was no need to use them for the time being. He tossed them straight into the warehouse.

After finishing the dungeon runs, it was time to rest.

The three of them were no longer as tense as they had been when they had first entered the Inner World. During their breaks, they could even enjoy some entertainment.

Their main method of gaining experience was now running dungeons, which not only granted massive amounts of experience but also yielded plenty of items.

They once again found the abandoned hotel from their previous trip to the Inner World and used it as a temporary residence.

When he opened the Inner World chatroom, he saw that plenty of people had been newly pulled in. The endlessly scrolling comments made it clear that the place was full of wailing and despair.

Every time the Inner World opened, quite a few novice players died.

The first time the Inner World opened, it had only lasted three days. That was the time with the fewest casualties, and most players had managed to survive by enduring hunger.

But the second opening had been different. They had needed to survive for five days, which had already exceeded what the human body could endure. They had been forced to go out and search for food. Many players had died that time—not just rookies, but also players who had entered the Inner World previously yet were still only Level 1. The overall losses had been enormous.

Likewise, the number of novice deaths this time would not be low.

His own forum post was still pinned up, with plenty of comments beneath it. There were also quite a few new team recruitment posts on the forum, mostly from the same teams he had seen before.

At this stage, merely being able to provide a piece of Normal Gear was enough to attract quite a few players.

After looking through his private messages, he found that most were pleas for help from novice players. There were indeed many young women among them, but after scanning through the messages, Tsukikawa Shu did not find any familiar characters.

However, someone he knew had sent him a message.

Ryūgamine Mikado: "Mr. Tsukikawa, have you been free lately? Could I take up some of your valuable time and meet with you?"

After revealing his identity, Ryūgamine Mikado sent him a message.

Ryūgamine Mikado: "Mr. Tsukikawa, have you been free lately? Could I take up some of your valuable time and meet with you?"

Tsukikawa Shu looked at the message and considered how he should respond.

If Ryūgamine Mikado still wanted to discuss that DOLLARS organization, then Tsukikawa Shu had absolutely no interest.

Tsukikawa Shu remembered that Ryūgamine Mikado had been quite capable in the original story. He had an extraordinary memory and was also a top-tier hacker. As for why he had kept such a low profile that he looked like a coward, it could only be called a common Japanese problem. They loved writing male protagonists as timid and submissive, following rules in everything they did. Even in a dog-eat-dog otherworld anime, after catching the enemy who had killed their father, they still had to properly send him off for trial.

However, that character seemed to have gone through a bout of darkening later on. Tsukikawa Shu did not know the plot beyond that point.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tsukikawa Shu asked bluntly.

The other party did not respond immediately. It seemed he thought for a while before replying.

Ryūgamine Mikado: "First, it's about dungeons. One of our five core members will reach Level 20 in a couple of days and will be able to unlock dungeons. I'd like to discuss the specific strategy with you."

Ryūgamine Mikado: "Second, I'd like to discuss the establishment of order in the Inner World with you, Mr. Tsukikawa. We could meet while we're at it."

What strategy was there for a dungeon that could be cleared with one slash? Tsukikawa Shu rubbed his chin and replied.

Tsukikawa Shu: "Once you reach Level 20, just come meet me at the dungeon."

As long as Ryūgamine Mikado did not bring up that lousy organization of his, Tsukikawa Shu could not be bothered to care. Both sides needed to establish a stable order in the Inner World now, so it was indeed time for them to meet.

Of course, Tsukikawa Shu had no intention of going over himself. If they were meeting, the other side would have to come to him.

Then Tsukikawa Shu glanced at his level again.

"Mm... I should reach Level 40 in about a day."

Once he reached Level 40, the dungeon quality would increase, and the drop rate for high-quality items would rise as well.

[Level 40 Dungeon Drop Rates]

[Guaranteed Items: Large Experience Card, Refined Ore]

[Random Drop Items: Fine (2%), Rare Equipment (1%), Epic Grade Equipment (0.2%)]

The drop rates for items of Fine quality and above had doubled.

More importantly, once he reached Level 40, the number of daily dungeon attempts would increase from twenty to forty!

"What are you doing?"

At that moment, Tsukikawa Shu felt someone hug him from behind. Long hair draped down, and a familiar faint fragrance entered his nose.

Hiratsuka Shizuka wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder.

This time, Hiratsuka Shizuka had prepared properly and changed into clothes convenient for exercise. It was just a pity he could not see her wearing Stockings.

"In another two days, quite a few people should reach Level 20 and come here to run dungeons," Tsukikawa Shu said.

"Mm... There's a limit on the teams that can enter a dungeon, right? Only one team can enter at a time."

Hiratsuka Shizuka pressed her cheek against Tsukikawa Shu's and looked over the system information. "There's also a maximum number of people."

When a Level 20 dungeon opened, only one team could enter at a time, with a maximum of ten people.

If multiple teams arrived and there were too many people, conflicts were highly likely to occur.

But that had nothing to do with Tsukikawa Shu.

"Forget about that."

Hiratsuka Shizuka rustled around and pulled something out from inside her clothes. "It's really great that the Inner World allows us to bring this kind of thing in."

Then, with a faint blush on her face, she smiled and hugged Tsukikawa Shu around the waist again.

That same familiar scent of hormones filled the air, making it impossible to resist.

"Don't call Hitori over this time..." Tsukikawa Shu said helplessly.

Hiratsuka Shizuka was becoming increasingly proactive. Her nature as a mature woman was gradually being unleashed by love and desire.

"Don't worry. She's taking a nap next door," Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a smile.

Their lips and teeth brushed lightly against each other, and the two embraced once more.

Nita Goichi no longer had to hide in a safe place and barely cling to life like before.

After going hungry for five days during the previous opening of the Inner World, he had secretly made up his mind that the next time he entered, he would definitely eat and drink well!

So, he had recruited the two highest-level bodyguard players he could find at this stage.

The results were obvious. At the very least, his safety was guaranteed, and he could seize plenty of food.

Their team had originally consisted of eighteen people: eight students and ten bodyguard players they had each hired. It was considered a fairly strong team.

However, when they entered the Inner World this time, they ran into three other people their age who knew one another.

About fifty percent of new Inner World players came from people around Veteran Players, while the other fifty percent were selected at random.

Their group had suddenly grown to more than twenty people.

The three newcomers were a young couple and a blonde woman reeking of alcohol. All of them looked completely bewildered by their surroundings, following the group without yet fully understanding the situation.

Leadership of the team had completely fallen into Nita Goichi's hands.

He walked at the front, chewing on an apple he had snatched from another player. The loud crunching could be heard by the entire group, and he never stopped eating.

The two bodyguard players Nita Goichi had brought were the strongest, so no one else dared disobey his orders. Although some held grievances, they did not dare say anything openly.

The group walked silently along the road. Even Fujiwara Chika, who had always been lively and fond of jokes, did not say a word.

Besides, this was not the time for jokes. In this suffocating atmosphere, it felt as though speaking carelessly would bring about one's death.

When people were pushed to the brink, or when someone threatening loomed over their heads, no one could laugh.

Iino Miko could also feel the strange atmosphere spreading through the team.

She was furious at Nita Goichi and kept her fists tightly clenched.

Along the way, his two bodyguards had even robbed another team of their items. If the other side had not possessed some ability to protect themselves, they would have nearly been wiped out.

The classmates who had once been polite and elegant at dances now seemed like completely different people in the Inner World.

Or rather, without anyone else to restrain them, their true natures had been completely exposed.

But there was nothing she could do about them. Strength ruled in the Inner World. The two bodyguards she had brought were weaker than Nita Goichi's bodyguards, so she could only follow his arrangements.

As for Fujiwara Chika, her eyes darted around a few times. Once she understood the atmosphere and situation around them, she quietly moved to the back of the group with Iino Miko. She restrained her usual cheerfulness and airheadedness, trying not to stand out.

In a situation filled with danger, where everyone in the team harbored their own ulterior motives, those who loved attracting attention never ended well.

While searching for shelter and food, the group passed by a poisonous spider nest. The bodyguard players' eyes immediately lit up.

To novices, these were terrifying monsters that could kill them at any moment. But in the eyes of players above Level 10, they were the finest source of Experience Points.

"Kill them quickly! Hurry up and reach Level 20 so we can run dungeons!"

Someone shouted, and the ten bodyguard players rushed into the cave one after another, launching into a slaughter.

"Hahaha! Die! All of you, die!"

Kyuutake Itsuki wielded a machete and hacked wildly at the giant spiders. His massive body was like a tank, charging through everything in his path as he continuously harvested experience.

Miyamoto Daichoku pulled out a handgun and landed one precise headshot after another, greedily absorbing Experience Points as well.

The other bodyguards also drew their weapons and chased after the monsters. Skills were unleashed continuously, as though they feared someone else would steal the experience from them.

The Shuchiin Academy students could only stand outside and watch. They were still only Level 1 and stood no chance against these monsters, much less had any ability to kill monsters and level up.

Iino Miko finally became angry.

"Wait! You should leave some Experience Points for us! And this isn't even our top priority right now, is it?" she said.

The Shuchiin Academy students had originally planned to find a place to settle down and secure enough food first. But after passing a spider nest, these so-called high-level players had thrown their Sugar Daddies' top priority to the back of their minds.

Yet no one listened to her. They continued madly devouring Experience Points.

"Anyway, we don't need to become stronger. Just like in the original world, we spend money and they do the work. Why fight over such a tiny bit of experience?"

Nita Goichi stood at the back and sneered.

Iino Miko glared fiercely at him, then walked toward the two bodyguard players she had hired.

Naturally, she could not order around other players' bodyguards, but her own bodyguards should at least listen to her, right?

"Help us subdue some monsters. Senior Chika and I need to level up," Iino Miko said.

"Um..."

However, the two bodyguard players Iino Miko had hired revealed troubled expressions.

The two bodyguard players, one man and one woman, had both been fitness instructors before. Their excellent physical fitness had given them an early advantage. But compared to professional thugs and special forces soldiers like Kyuutake Itsuki and Miyamoto Daichoku, they were far inferior.

It was not merely a gap in levels and equipment. Their skills and experience in direct combat were completely lacking as well.

"Sorry, Miss. Experience Points are very valuable right now, especially in this early stage. If our leveling speed slows down now... we might become someone else's prey."

The male bodyguard player glanced at Kyuutake Itsuki and Miyamoto Daichoku, who were slaughtering poisonous spiders as easily as chopping vegetables at the front. "Those two are Player Hunters. If my level falls any lower, I might become one of their targets."

"And once we reach Level 20, we can unlock dungeons. We all have to reach Level 20 as soon as possible. Otherwise, others will seize the advantage first. We have to think about ourselves too."

"Player Hunters? Didn't Nita screen them when he hired bodyguards?" Iino Miko was extremely surprised.

Even though she had never encountered them herself, she knew from the chatroom what kind of people Player Hunters were.

"Who knows? Maybe Player Hunters aren't important to him at all." The other female bodyguard shrugged, resting a baseball bat on her shoulder with an indifferent look.

"So... you can't even help get us above Level 10?" Iino Miko froze. "I paid a great deal of money to hire you. It was clearly stated in the contract."

The two bodyguards exchanged glances.

"Sorry, even if the contract says so, we won't follow it. We would lose too much experience that way. And since we're acting as a team, we can't get many monsters to farm anyway..."

The female bodyguard player answered again. She shrugged and said coldly, "No one would willingly hand their Experience Points over to someone else now."

After pausing for a moment, she added, "Except for that Tsukikawa Shu from before."