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Maybe if Crim’s mind had been calm, she might have noticed. Or perhaps if her danger-sensing abilities weren’t so fully focused on her immediate situation, she would have caught those smaller details.

But as things stood, she was consumed by fear, blindly following Ryunosuke’s Magius Orb, oblivious to everything lurking on the ceiling, preying on her.

Crim pushed herself to the limit, running on walls and taking complicated, three-dimensional paths to escape, yet the giant man-tuna still pursued her.

“D-Damn it… At this rate…”

She realized it wouldn’t be long before she was caught. Resigned to fight back, she held out her hand and began chanting to summon a weapon. But as she continued sprinting, something suddenly struck her from above.

“Kyan?!”

A surprisingly cute yelp echoed through the ruins.

Whatever hit her had fallen from above, knocking her off balance and sending her rolling into a large puddle.

“Hie?! Wh-what..?!”

She felt something sticking to her back, with wriggling feelers pressing against her skin.

“…Ahyu?!”

Glancing back, she saw a grotesque, poisonous-looking starfish clinging to her firmly. Although the game was rated for all ages, meaning she didn’t have to worry about the starfish undoing her swimsuit or slipping beneath it, the countless feelers rubbing against her back still sent shudders and goosebumps through her body.

But things quickly got worse…

“It…it’s draining my MP?!”

She felt her strength being siphoned away. A glance at her MP bar confirmed it was steadily depleting.

That’s not all… paralysis too?!

By the time she realized it, it was too late. Whether through punctures or permeation, a numbing toxin had entered her body. Soon, she could no longer feel the starfish. Trying to get up, she found her legs unresponsive, and she tumbled helplessly in the puddle. More starfish fell on her, fully immobilizing her.

“I can’t… not to these small fry?!”

Though weaker than the monsters she usually fought, the sheer number of starfish overwhelmed her, paralyzing her completely. As she lay powerless, the tuna monster soon caught up, letting out bizarre, gleeful noises.

Crim could only glare at it in frustration, her heart pounding with dread at what was to come.

“I won’t… let you!!”

Just as the monster closed in, Kasumi’s voice rang out from above.

Looking up, Crim saw Kasumi swinging her naginata, her powerful wind-clad slashes tearing through the air.

“Hahhhh! Gale Slasher!!”

The wind blew away the starfish, freeing Crim from their grasp.

“Ah, Hinagiku, the fish is running away!”

“Wait, you… why is it so fast?!”

Soon, the two youngest members joined the fray, and the fish stench grew distant as the monster fled.

“…Crim!”

Freya arrived next, lifting Crim’s paralyzed body. Now that she was safe, the weight of her terror finally crashed down on her. Unable to hold back, Crim broke into tears, sobbing against Freya’s chest. Ryunosuke, being considerate, cut the stream to spare Crim from being seen in such a vulnerable moment.

◇◇◇

The viewers discussed the previous moments a bit longer.

Crim’s weakness to horror. The limits on her armor. Her desperation after encountering something more agile than her. And a surprise attack when her mind was already overloaded.

All these factors had led to her unfortunate predicament, each one chipping away at her mental state. Even the viewers, usually quick to tease, started to feel a tinge of compassion for her—ironically. But as for Crim, the victim herself…

“Sniff…Freyaa…”
“There there, it must’ve been so scary. It’s my fault you had to go through that.”

Crim clung tightly to Freya, who gently patted her head to calm her down.

While the viewers celebrated the close bond between the two girls…

“Why did they say we needed swimsuits here? It just makes us easier targets.”
“Yeah, maybe we should try something else.”
“What if we go back to the campsite and see what happens with different gear?”

Hinagiku, Lycoris, and Kasumi pondered out loud, but then a response came from an unexpected source.

“Seriously..?”
“The devs are merciless…”

Frey scowled as he read the comments, while Lycoris looked around in disbelief.

“I guess we have no choice but to be more careful, then.”
“Oh, Crim, you’re back?”
“Yes… Honestly, I want to log out right now, but I can’t do that with so many viewers watching…”

Her face was still pale, but at least she was starting to recover, which Frey took as a good sign. Just then, Ryunosuke’s Magius Orb returned with news, as he had gone ahead to scout the area.

“From what I’ve seen, this is a pretty small zone, mostly designed as a way back from the trap.”
“Then it shouldn’t take too long to explore. Maybe there’s something hidden at the end.”
“And we’ll get our revenge on that tuna that ran away!”
“Y-Yes… of course…”

Hinagiku seemed excited by Ryunosuke and Frey’s plan, but Crim’s response lacked the same enthusiasm. Still, with their next objective in mind, the group set off.

“Who’s a coward?!”

Crim was ticked off by the viewers’ kind(?) words.