As it turned out, the players who just wanted to avoid danger were the most common type in horror games.
Amamiya initially thought two or three would be enough, but the players kept coming. Almost all of them were dressed in mascot costumes, moving with extreme caution. They patiently waited for their turn to buy the "nozamA Pass" service.
And so, everyone left satisfied.
After receiving the game notification that they had cleared the level, the cautious players were visibly thrilled—there were no complaints or dissatisfaction. Exchanging a few useless game props to clear the level? It was a win-win situation, no matter how one looked at it.
As for chasing higher ratings or special rewards? That wasn't even a concern. For these players, the only goal was to survive the game and return to the safety of the real world.
"It's finally over..." one male player muttered. He looked worn out—his clothes were torn, his hair disheveled, and there were bloodstains on his pants. When he received the notification that he'd cleared the game, his voice cracked with emotion. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Amamiya replied with a smile. "'Kaguya Brand nozamA Pass' is always fair in price and honest in service. If we meet again in future games, I'd be happy to assist you."
Without another word, the male player teleported away as soon as he cleared the game.
"Did that guy just cry?" Chika whispered, folding her hands in front of her chest. "What could've possibly made him cry?"
Amamiya raised an eyebrow. "There were bloodstains on his pants."
"And his walking posture was a little strange," Umi added.
The girl with glasses suddenly blurted out, "Player 0?"
"Hm?" Kaguya crossed her arms, looking confused. "Player 0? What does that mean?"
As someone raised in a sheltered environment, Kaguya's knowledge of certain subjects was limited—especially matters like this. She was completely clueless about the meaning of "Player 0."
"Wait, you don't know?" The glasses-wearing girl seemed surprised.
"Why would I know something like that?" Kaguya asked, her confusion deepening. "Is this supposed to be common knowledge?"
"Cough, cough, cough." Chika interrupted with an exaggerated cough, quickly diverting the topic. "Kaguya-chan, stop asking! That kind of thing isn't important at all."
Amamiya glanced at Chika, clearly seeing through her attempt.
You're not hiding it well. Your 'old driver' identity has been exposed.
"That's right, Shinomiya-san," Umi chimed in, placing her hand on her waist. "It's just a gaming community term. It's no surprise you don't know it."
Another one exposed, Amamiya thought with amusement.
He then looked over at the silver-haired loli.
"Stare—"
Reina looked back at him with a blank expression, her chubby face showing no emotion.
Even her identity as an "old driver" was now in question.
At this point, Amamiya couldn't help but wonder: Are all high school girls experienced drivers nowadays?
[A-N: The term 'old driver' is a metaphor for someone knowledgeable in a particular area. In this context, it refers to familiarity with explicit terms.]
"Natsuki-san?"
Kaguya pursed her lips slightly, directing her gaze at him.
"Don't look at me." Amamiya straightened up, speaking righteously. "How would a guy like me know about you girls' secrets?"
"…"
"That was such a poor deflection!" Kaguya scolded him, stepping closer. The half-hearted response only made her more frustrated.
"Let's focus on the task at hand." Kaguya's expression softened slightly, though her face remained a little stiff. "We've used up all the pass coins."
"Got it," Amamiya nodded. "Looks like it's time to initiate another 'crime-sweeping campaign'… Hanamori-san, where's the nearest monster?"
"On the east side of the fourth floor," Hayasaka replied, pushing her glasses up her nose and calmly disguising her voice. "There aren't many left wandering the halls now."
"There must be monsters hiding in the dark." Kaguya crossed her right arm over her chest, turning to look at Miss Ghost. "I'm counting on you from now on. For every monster you find in the shadows, I'll reward you with an extra 100,000 yen. There's no upper limit."
"Leave it to me!" Miss Ghost's eyes gleamed, turning into yen symbols. "I'll dig through the ground if I have to—I'll find them all!"
Considering that the average monthly salary for a fresh college graduate was only around 200,000 yen, finding just two monsters would equate to a full month's pay. It was an irresistible deal, even for a ghost.
Umi couldn't help but whisper, "Can money even motivate ghosts?"
Amamiya responded without missing a beat, "It can definitely make them grind or push."
"…"
A true capitalist knows how to make even ghosts work overtime—voluntarily.
The mission continued.
The girl with glasses and the silver-haired loli remained stationed on the first floor, responsible for receiving any additional players. Meanwhile, Amamiya and the others moved as a group, refusing to split up.
"I found one." Miss Ghost quickly emerged from a nearby toy store, now playing the role of informant. "There's a clown monster inside, and I saw it throwing knives."
"Just one clown?" Amamiya asked.
"Yes," Miss Ghost nodded, "I can sense it—there's only one."
"The monster on the fourth floor is about to pass overhead," Chika suggested. "Should we split up?"
"Vetoed," Amamiya replied without hesitation. While the tactic of dividing and conquering was effective in some situations, it came with considerable risks.
In a one-on-one confrontation, Amamiya had confidence in his abilities, but if they encountered more than two monsters or evil spirits, it could spell disaster.
Even though he had the "copy and paste" ability, it required a five-minute cooldown, and if physical contact was broken, the effect would fail.
So, while the situation appeared under control, a small misstep could lead to disaster. Amamiya wasn't willing to take any unnecessary risks.
"Let's go to the fourth floor first," Kaguya agreed calmly. "The clown hasn't left its spot yet, which means it won't be moving anytime soon."
Amamiya and Kaguya exchanged a glance, silently understanding each other. There was something else they both understood without saying a word.
Miss Ghost couldn't be fully trusted yet. They needed to remain cautious to avoid any sudden betrayals.
Fortunately, the crisis of trust never came to pass. Miss Ghost had been thoroughly ensnared by the lure of money and was happily acting as their guide.
"One hundred thousand."
"Two hundred thousand."
"Five hundred thousand…"
As time passed, the group continued collecting pass coins. The number of "passengers" on the train grew, and it was now nearly full. Each time Miss Ghost appeared, the monsters on the train would turn their heads to stare at her.
Although they couldn't speak, their eye movements said it all:
'There's a traitor among us!'
"The train's almost full," Umi said with a soft sigh. "We haven't received any reports of other players showing up in over half an hour. We might be the only ones left in the mall."
By now, exhaustion was setting in for everyone. Even Chika looked tired as she muttered, "Aharen-san is about to fall asleep... Amamiya-kun, can we finish the game now?"
"Almost," Amamiya nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the fully loaded train. "There's just one last thing left…"
Ordinary monsters carried pass coins.
But what about the monster train, the one bound by the most rules?