Natsuyu spoke:
“I’m not sure what happened to you, but since you’re stuck in this door frame, you must have run into some minor trouble you couldn’t solve on your own.”
If she could solve it herself, Kurumi Tokisaki would have broken free from the flower vines long ago.
Why else would she hang there unless she enjoyed it?
Kurumi Tokisaki didn’t deny it.
A glint of approval flashed across her beautiful face, and she praised him in a soft, sweet voice:
“Natsuyu-kun’s observation skills are remarkably sharp~”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Natsuyu said softly:
“It’s inconvenient for you to move right now, whereas we have freedom of movement.”
“I’m sure you want to leave this place and return to where you belong as well.”
“We can cooperate completely.
You give us guidance and information, and we’ll help you escape or find a way home together.
When the time comes, everyone leaves—a happy ending for all.”
Yukino Yukinoshita stared at the silver-tongued Natsuyu in surprise.
In fact, he actually invited someone so dangerous and suspicious to join their team!
Yukino admired Natsuyu’s courage.
At the same time, she recognized that Natsuyu’s recruitment proposal was incredibly logical with a high probability of success.
‘His leadership talent and keen insight into human nature seem just as formidable as my sister, Haruno…’
Kurumi smiled faintly:
“What Natsuyu-kun says makes a lot of sense~”
“However…
I don’t believe you guys have the ability to escape this place.
Even I couldn’t do it.
Even if you’re lucky enough to reach the final stage, you’ll still lose to the [Final Boss].”
Final Boss?!
Natsuyu’s heart stirred.
Kurumi Tokisaki really DOES know a lot!
It was even possible she reached the final step to escape this world, only to be defeated by the [Final Boss] and trapped in this grand door!
Without a doubt, she was a true veteran survivor!
Then he had to make full use of this veteran’s knowledge to guide the new players!
Natsuyu’s soft voice carried reassuring confidence:
“We should always try, shouldn’t we?”
“Maybe we can’t defeat the Final Boss you mentioned right now, but if we don’t try, we’ll truly never win.
Not even a one-in-a-million chance would exist.”
“All of us have people and things waiting for us back home.
We have a reason why we HAVE to go back.”
“I’m sure the same applies to you.”
Kurumi Tokisaki was the quintessential beautiful woman driven by obsession. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
To eliminate her nemesis, she was willing to travel across time countless times.
Now trapped here, she certainly wouldn’t resign herself to fate.
She’d gladly seize even the slimmest opportunity.
Kurumi tilted her head, pondered for a moment, then looked at Natsuyu:
“Your words do make sense~”
Natsuyu seized the momentum, continuing:
“Besides, even if you don’t trust us, you should at least trust yourself, right?
As long as you break free, you’ll get another shot at challenging the Final Boss.
It’s infinitely better than hanging here forever.”
“AHAHAHA!
How bold of you, Natsuyu-kun~”
Kurumi burst out laughing—a villainous, queen-like laugh that starkly contrasted her elegant appearance.
Suspended in the air, she looked down at Natsuyu from above:
“Aren’t you afraid that after I break free, I’ll just kill you all?”
“In my eyes, you look like a very delicious meal, you know~”
Natsuyu spread his hands, speaking casually:
“That’s a problem for later.
Right now, I care more about the present.
Getting information from a veteran to protect myself and my friends from dying due to ignorance is the correct decision.”
“Natsuyu-kun, you’ve managed to convince me~”
Kurumi’s smile was captivating, radiating an intoxicating charm:
“I can enter into a limited partnership with you.”
“However, you must also pay a price with something I need.”
Natsuyu breathed a sigh of relief.
The veteran was finally willing to share info and items!
“Go on.”
Kurumi pursed her red lips, thought for a moment, then smiled gracefully:
“First, I’ll give Natsuyu-kun two crucial pieces of information.”
“First: this world has been completely eroded by [Shadow Power].
[Shadow Monsters] are everywhere.”
“Once the sun sets and the light no longer suppresses the shadows, this entire wilderness will be ruled by night demons.
You and your companions MUST find a light source strong enough, or you will be devoured by the endless Shadow Monsters.”
Yukino’s eyes widened slightly.
‘This world?’
‘Could this place actually be an entirely different dimension?!’
‘What on earth IS this place…?!’
Fortunately, Natsuyu managed to convince this dangerous woman to cooperate.
Otherwise, without any info, they would have been wiped out the moment night fell!
Thinking of this, Yukino looked at Natsuyu again, finding his expression calm and composed.
‘Natsuyu-kun really is incredible…’ Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Yukino was a proud person.
At first, she thought about competing with Natsuyu for leadership, but now a subtle sense of defeat took root in her heart—accompanied by a strong sense of security.
Even though Yukino prided herself on being independent, having Natsuyu as a teammate was undeniably reassuring.
Natsuyu raised his eyebrows slightly.
‘Nightfall…
Shadow Monsters…
Why does this setting sound exactly like [Don’t Starve], one of the big three sandbox survival games?’
‘In the world of Don’t Starve, if you don’t have a light source at night, you’ll be instantly killed in the dark by Charlie, the Shadow Queen!’
Kurumi continued:
“Some powerful Shadow Monsters can even extinguish or destroy light sources.
You need to gather plenty of materials to survive tonight.”
“Second: you’d better find something to eat before it gets dark.”
“In this world, food contains special energy that restores your condition.
If you starve, all your stats will drop continuously until you die.”
“However, be careful—not everything you find in the wild is edible~”
Natsuyu nodded, asking quietly:
“I understand.
Thank you for the info.
So we need to gather plenty of wood and food before nightfall to survive safely.”
Gathering wood was easy—he just needed to craft an Axe and punch/chop trees.
As for food, distinguishing edible plants from poisonous ones was tricky.
He hoped Kurumi would share details on that too.
“It’s not that simple~”
Kurumi offered a cold rejection in her sweet, gentle voice:
“Ordinary light sources can only repel low-level Shadow Monsters.
If you encounter higher-level Shadow Monsters, your flimsy torches will be brutally destroyed.”
Natsuyu recognized the danger.
Looking at Kurumi, he immediately asked the veteran for a solution:
“Since you’re willing to cooperate, you must have a way for us to survive tonight.
Otherwise, our partnership is meaningless.”
“Tell me the solution.”
Kurumi felt thoroughly satisfied, her heterochromatic eyes curling with pleasure:
“Ara ara~ I’m liking smart Natsuyu-kun more and more~”
“Bring me a soul to eat.
In exchange, I will banish the Shadow Monsters for you tonight.”
“It MUST be the soul of a living creature.”
Kurumi looked down at Natsuyu with a tender gaze—a look that seemed full of affection.
Natsuyu realized that look might not be affection at all, but rather the hunger of a predator eyeing a delicious meal.
Kurumi might actually want to eat HIM!
However, Kurumi didn’t slaughter innocent good people, so she probably wouldn’t devour Natsuyu in that way.