The elevator arrived—no, it returned to the ninth floor. When the doors slid open, the Players who had been staring blankly all stood up and nervously looked outside.
The ward was bright, pretty nurses bustled about, and all kinds of noisy conversations drifted into their ears.
Everything was normal, as if the dark, insane ward full of demons from earlier had been nothing but an illusion. Yet the blood on their bodies reminded them that this was brutal reality.
Like startled birds, no one dared to leave. After hesitating for two seconds, Yuki was the first to step out of the elevator.
"What are you afraid of? Didn't you hear Prompt Two? This place is safe."
[Prompt Two: If it is an abnormal floor, Players may be unable to leave that floor, but they can return to that floor's starting point.]
That was true, but psychological trauma did not vanish so quickly. The terrifying ninth floor had seemed perfectly normal at first too.
"He's right. Don't waste time."
Hayasaka Ai also stepped out of the elevator coldly, followed by Tyrant and Curly Hair. Mai Sakurajima seemed somewhat afraid. After hesitating for a long time, she finally led Hiyori and Jenny out. The burly white man and the boy with uneven eyes had no choice but to steel themselves and follow.
All the Players had returned to the starting point, but this time no one could laugh. Half the newcomers had been killed or injured, and it was hard not to feel sorrow at the fate of others. The veteran Players were frustrated as well. They had expended considerable stamina, and Curly Hair had even exposed one of his trump cards. On top of that, they had wasted a full three hours.
Forty-six hours and fifty-eight minutes remained. When