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Chapter 2, Apocalypse Alice

Finding themselves in the world of Apocalypse Alice, Shin and the others briefly discussed the plot of the mission world and the difficulty of the upcoming mission. They came to a quick conclusion that the full Twenty Man mission was going to live up to its legacy.  They knew that they were about to start an incredibly difficult battle through the Labyrinth. They would consider themselves lucky just to survive. As the mission had not yet started, they continued discussing possibilities. The fourteen newbies were still asleep, blissfully unaware of the life-and death struggle for survival that they would soon find themselves in.

Aqua: Hikari, what's your opinion on this mission? I can trust Shin's judgement that this mission will be unreasonably hard, but that is based on his knowledge of the plot alone. You're smart and unfamiliar with the plot, so I'd like to hear your opinion, Hikari.

Shin: I'd like to hear it as well. I may have been looking at things as if we were the characters of this Light Novel, and not Players with our own advantages and disadvantages. An outsider's opinion here is most welcome as it may show things that I missed.

Hikari: All right then. First of all, this mission is not like BTOOOM, which was hard but one or two people could acquire a lot of points and rewards if it ends well. The rewards for our mission in Apocalypse Alice aren't as high for one or two individual, but is instead more spread out to everyone in the group. From reading the main objectives and side quest descriptions, I don't believe overall points and rewards will differ too greatly for anyone, with the exception of the one who defeats the Diseased Girl.

Kampa: I agree with Hikari. Aqua and Shin may be able to defeat a few more monsters than the rest of us, but the end score won't end up too far apart between us all. We are also on a time limit to defeat the Diseased Girl, so they can't spend a lot of time just fighting and defeating monsters for points.

Shuai: That's right. No one here has the luxury of farming the monsters for points. That's why, rather than a mission that rewards one or two Players, this mission will strengthen the entire team – especially the newbies. This is not an individual battle like BTOOOM. This is a chance to get a lot of smaller rank rewards and points for everyone which can be used for worthwhile skills and enhancements for when we return to the Terminal Lobby after the mission is complete.

Hikari: Also, more so than H.O.T.D and BTOOOM, we all have a higher chance of making it out alive in a way. There's an ESCAPE magic we can use, so if one of us is about to die, or is unable to continue, then they can leave the Labyrinth to rest and recover outside in safety.

Shin: Yes, but ESCAPE magic can only be used at the lowest level of this Labyrinth. You are right though, this is a godsend, especially for the New Players. They can avoid participating in the final battle where they are sure to die without any kinds of enhancements or powerful weapons to arm themselves with.

Hikari: But wait, there's more! Haha! We don't personally have to defeat the boss, the Diseased Girl, ourselves.

Misaki: We don't?

Hikari: No. We can leave it to the main characters and offer support, or join together with them to defeat the boss of this Labyrinth. Of course, letting anyone else get the last hit would mean forfeiting the Side Quest reward and losing points that would benefit everyone, but we can play it by ear at that time. This option also explains why this mission only rewards an extra 1000 points and two D rank rewards.

Shuai: It does?

Hikari: Yes; Think about it. Despite Shin saying that defeating a Diseased Girl, with a difficulty rank of 44, is extremely difficult, possibly even more difficult than the Btooom Lord, there's still hope for us. We have the main characters of Apocalypse Alice and all the student magicians in the school as potential allies. We're only getting two D rank rewards for this high level combat mission because of the number of comrades that we can recruit.

Shin: I see. Hikari is definitely on to something here. As long as we make sure enough characters make it to the very end, it would be like having another full team of high level Players with enhancements on our side. They may still be in the realm of normal humans, but they are still elite magicians with a variety of magic to defeat the Girl.

Shuai: That's great! Even without the penalty for letting a member of Hero Team die, we definitely need to meet up with them when the time comes.

Aqua: That's right. Shin, tell us more about the main characters. Their profiles, abilities and who will be most useful to us in the upcoming Labyrinth raid to reach the Diseased Girl.

Shin: Alright. The main characters of Apocalypse Alice are magicians known as the Hero Team, a name promoted by the school they attend and one that the main characters eventually accepted as their own. Shinnosuke Arisu, Shiro Hishiro, Gunjou Mizuiro, Kiri Kiryuu, Yousuke Endou and Himi Yuuyami.

I then began to explain about each member of Hero Team in greater depth.

- Shinnosuke Arisu

He is the main character of Apocalypse Alice and a key member of Hero Team as the ace magician. Ten years ago in the time line of this world his sister, Saki, contracted the"Labyrinth Disease"and became the Labyrinth desired, yet feared, by all: Apocalypse 666 or better known as "Apocalypse Alice."

Shinnosuke would then spend the next ten years training himself as a magician and working towards finding a cure for the Labyrinth Disease afflicting his sister Saki. He then became a powerful magician in the underworld, going by the name Devil Sword Devil. Once he found the potential means to save his sister he enrolled into the school located next to Labyrinth Apocalypse 666:"Metropolitan Kichijouji High".

Shinnosuke's purpose is to use the school that actively confronts Diseased Girls to test out the magic he had acquired that could cut the"Labyrinth Disease"away from the girl. He needs to use the Diseased Girls as test subjects, though he hated the fact that he was going to kill more girls than save them during this clinical trial of sorts.

Shinnosuke wears his Headphone Fuzz on his right ear, meaning he used magic logically. Shinnosuke's Headphone Fuzz is the German made"Headphone Fuzz"called"Willer Corp. Manufactured Prototype 42". He uses a balanced configuration of Offensive, Defense and Support Magic, while he himself is a close range fighter.

Of the six possible magics installed on the Headphone Fuzz, Shinnosuke uses the following known Magic:

Acceleration Switch - A magic to increase the users speed to an unbelievable degree for a brief moment.

Demon Sword Switch - A Magic the transforms an object into a Demon Sword with its own special magic.

Holy Sword Switch - A Magic sword with the miraculous power to cutaway the Labyrinth Disease within the girls.

- Shiro Hishiro.

Shiro is a student belonging to Class 5 and the leader of his three man group. This group includes his friends Yousuke and Himi. He also belongs to the famed Hero Team, and is its current acting leader (Since no one else wanted the job apparently). Also, despite his red eyes, his first name means "White." (Shiro: Haha, what kind of joke is this? So did anyone notice his glaring red eyes at all when he was born?) Though his red eyes may be due to a magic experiment.

Not much has been revealed, but we do know that he is affiliated with America's Rorand Inc. It's a corporation connected to the military and Shiro has the rank of Magician Third Major. He came to Japan because of a strange mission. This was a mission to pursue a mad scientist whose identity is unknown and who is maneuvering the world in the shadows, but that's probably just a mission according to what Shinnosuke believes. There's no reason for him to risk his life nor for him to be gaining comrades for the purpose of fulfilling that mission. Therefore, Shiro probably has another goal, which may or may not be to completely take over a certain corporation.

Shiro wears his"Headphone Fuzz"in his left ear meaning he was the emotion-type of magic user.  His Headphone Fuzz is the"ROLAND Corporation Special Use Type 0"- Japanese-made. It isn't anything special, but it is hard to handle and is no simple thing. If modified, Shinnosuke suspected that Shiro would be a force to be reckoned with.

Shiro specializes in offensive magic, but he calls himself an all specialized offense. I don't know what exactly that means, but basically, of the six magic slots of a Headphone Fuzz, he uses all offensive magic and completely forgoes defense and support type magic.

Of the six possible magics installed on the Headphone Fuzz, Shiro uses the following known Magic:

Penitence Severance Switch - A magic to summon a large knife that can enlarge and mow down opponents.

Thousand Deities Flash Of Light - A magic to summon a javelin. The tip of the weapon explodes on impact and another forms, continuing the cycle till the enemy is defeated.

Fate Reversal Hammer - A magic that forces out those hiding underground and throws them up into the air defenseless.

- Yousuke Endou.

Yousuke is a man who wears glasses and, despite fooling around with Shiro and Himi, he seems to always have a serious and calculating look on his face. He isn't one of the more famous members of the Hero Team, but he definitely is worthy of the title.

Yousuke is a skilled magician who is an outlier, much like Shiro, who also uses only one type of magic. Unlike Shiro, Yousuke uses all defensive magic. He isn't the type to show off, but he has competent skills. He is unmatched when it comes to defensive magic and has the skill to use defensive magic in a practical way. He almost died during the Asahi Momoka incident, but, because of his contribution earlier in the mission, Hero Team was able to reach the Diseased Girl unharmed for the final battle.

Of the six possible magics installed on the Headphone Fuzz, Yousuke uses the following known Magic:

Reverse Force Switch - A magic that reverses force.

Spider Leg Switch - Spider legs that shoot webs in a AOE defense magic that stops attacks.

Bamboo Grove - A poisonous barrier of green pillars.

- Himi Yuuyami.

A timid looking girl with black hair that she wears tied up in a ponytail. Himi is not one to speak up confidently. She is cute, but otherwise is much like any normal Japanese girl. Don't let her innocuous looks fool you, she is the core member of Hero Team that every member trusts their lives with.

Himi is a skilled magician who is also an outlier, like her two close friends Shiro and Yousuke. Once again, she uses just one type of magic. Shiro is all offense, Yousouke is all defense, and Himi uses all support magic.

Himi loads her Headphone Fuzz with magic to explore and map out the Labyrinths, to unlock doors, to reveal and undo traps, and even to set traps if necessary. She can also heal, though it isn't very powerful.

In any team going into a Labyrinth, support magic is needed and will give the team a far easier time. For"Metropolitan Kichijouji High"students who need to raid Labyrinth very quickly, she could be said to be the most valuable member of the team. It was also thanks to Himi's efforts that Hero Team could regroup and navigate the Labyrinth to arrive to the room where the Diseased Girl Asahi Momoka waited with just enough time left to fight her.

Of the six possible magics installed on the Headphone Fuzz, Himi uses the following known Magic:

Picnic Switch - A magic to find the ideal way to the target with the side effect altering the users personality.

Intimate Switch - A magic to find people registered as friends.

Band-Aid Switch - A Magic to heal wounds.

- Gunjou Mizuiro.

Gunjou is a slender and petite girl of about 150 cm tall or about 4' 9" for those who refuse to use imperial measurement. She is a very proud girl and who seems selfish on the surface. Under the surface, however, she really cares for others and her comrades. She cares so much that she vomits with worry before every raid.

Gunjou has beautiful blond hair that she wears tied up into a ponytail. It doesn't look like it was dyed and is her natural hair color as she looks to be mixed blood. Gonjou's eyes are pale blue which radiate a strong will, and her eyes accent her fair skin.

Gunjou's Headphone Fuzz is in her left ear. In other words, she is the emotion-type. The genius type. A type that is hard to deal with. She uses the high class Headphone Fuzz, Mitsutomo Heavy Industries Made ・ Water-Death Type 1.

Like Shinnosuke and Kiri, Gunjou has a balanced configuration in her headphone Fuzz. She uses three Offense, one Defense and two Support for her Headphone Fuzz.

Like Shinnosuke and Kiri, Gunjou doesn't trust others to fully watch her back in the Labyrinth. She could arrange her Headphone Fuzz so she could have more offense or defensive variations, but she prefers to keep Support magic on hand so that she can fight alone. This is so she doesn't need to rely on others and can clear Labyrinths even if she is alone, or if her comrades are dead. Gunjou has a rotten personality, but she is serious about her job a magician.

During the Asahi Momoka incident Gunjou, along with the Shinnosuke, stayed to the very end to face the Diseased Girl. In doing so she saved the lives of all three million caught up within the Labyrinth. It was Shinnosuke who dealt the final blow, but because of her actions he was able to escape a final fatal attack from the Diseased Girl.

Of the six possible magics installed on the Headphone Fuzz, Gunjou uses the following known Magic:

Sea Moon Wheel Switch - A magic that creates jellyfish that spin like razors coated in poison.

Defensive Tyrant Switch - An AOE defensive magic using water.

- Kiri Kiryuu

Kiri Kiryuu has long madder red hair (The same color as my Aqua), and a well-arranged face. She has a slender body with large bulging breasts.  She is the idol of the Hero Team and maybe the school as a whole. More so than the rest of her teammates, she is a very outgoing person and can easily make friends. However after the Asahi Momoka incident she has focused all her friend making skills to pursue Shinnosuke, with him not knowing how serious she was or if she had a hidden agenda lurking behind her smile.

Kiri wears her"Headphone Fuzz"in her right ear, meaning she was the rational-type of magic user. She is the left-brain type. A rational, composed type. A sharp-minded type, despite how she normally acts. Her "usual self" may even be a mask that she hides behind.

Kiri's Headphone Fuzz was of an unknown make which no one could identify its origins, but all that really mattered was that it was probably cutting edge and it allowed her to use her powerful magic that is worthy of Hero Team. Like Shinnosuke, Kiri mostly likely uses a balanced configuration of magic, but all that is known is that she uses magic that produces swords with a variety of effects when they come into contact with the enemies or their attacks.

During the final battle of the Asahi Momoka incident, Kiri successfully fended off countless lethal magic attacks from the Disease Girl in order to save her team members and help save the lives of all those swallowed up by the Labyrinth.

Although not fully revealed yet, Kiri is a part of a foreign criminal organization known as Kowloon Devils Group. It was the name of a huge mafia group with bases in China, Hong Kong. It seemed like Kiri is a member of the Kowloon Devils Group. An assassin raised by a mafia, or someone who had her family held hostage by the mafia. No one knows for sure, but Kiri herself isn't a truly committed spy.

Kiri was part of the plot with the Mitsutomo Group to use Gunjou, who in Vol 2 had been purposely infected with the"Labyrinth Disease", to gain access to and weaken Apocalypse Alice, the highest rank Labyrinth in the world. She did betray Hero Team at the last moment as they tried to save Gunjou, yet she only pretended to kill them so that they could follow her and the Mitsutomo Group as they explored the weakened Apocalypse Alice. It has been speculated that although she truly does care for her comrades, she has her own objectives as well, and that she is not just a simple victim.

Of the six possible magics installed on the Headphone Fuzz, Kiri uses the following known Magic:

Nine-Fold Switch - A magic sword that can absorb nine attacks effortlessly.

(Unnamed) - A Magic Sword that paralyzes its victims.

Aqua: Good. They are all reliable allies if we can work together, but... you really know too much about this Light Novel Shin. It's... (Why are you looking at me like that?)

Hikari: I would use creepy here if I were you, Aqua. (You too?)

Shin: Shouldn't you be thanking me instead of insulting me!? Anyway, we should definitely meet up with the protagonist Shinnosuke and his team. Shinnosuke is in possession of the one hit kill anti Diseased Girl Magic Holy Sword Switch. The others are also elite magicians with a variety of magics to help us more easily explore the Labyrinth.

Hikari: We can only hope. Also, Shin, the newbies are beginning to wake up.

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At last the fourteen New Players to God's Dimension began to wake up. Shin was honestly surprised that they hadn't already.

Shin thought about the possibility that maybe God kept the newbies asleep because this was a mission that needed a lot of discussion. It either waited for everyone to finish talking, or the timing was just a remarkable coincidence. Of course, New Players always tended to sleep in on their first mission in the beginning and no one ever gave any thoughts as to why.

Shin: Not that it matters at all.

Saying this to himself, Shin listened in as his girlfriend Hikari began to speak to the newbies about everything... of course, after the initial panic of where and why they were here they calmed down enough to finally listen to us. It took longer than Shin and the others would have liked, but they were finally on track.

It was decided beforehand that Hikari was their support role of the team. Due to that enhancement path it was going to be hard for her to gain points, so they decided beforehand that she would get the hundred points for the mission orientation from now on. Shuai was in a somewhat similar situation, but as Hikari was the physically weaker girl, and because Shuai would be able to fight later on, the 100 point for Orientation naturally fell to Hikari.

And so, Hikari started to explain to the new players about God, God's Dimension, The Mission Worlds, that the world that they were in currently was that of the new (but very popular!) work Apocalypse Alice. She finished up by telling them about the watches on their wrist. The watch shows Players their current mission to clear the Labyrinth and defeat the Diseased Girl. Of course, like we discussed beforehand, we kept the information about the hidden side quests from them.

Then Hikari explained to them how they would go back to the Terminal Lobby when the mission is completed. There they could rest and train for the next mission. She even told them about how they could make use of the categories of items and enhancements.

Hikari then, at last, confirmed happily that she received the 100 points for explaining everything to new players as a veteran.

- SIDE QUEST REWARD, ORIENTATION - 100 POINTS ACQUIRED.

Hikari: Easy points! Now that I'm finished does anyone have any-

Trash Mob: Hey! I was doing business on the internet and clicked yes on a pop up, so how did I really get here? Fuck, have you knocked me out with anesthesia from behind then brought me to the room next door to blackmail me? Don't go thinking this is creative, countless people had done it before.

Hikari: No, everything that I've told you is real and you can check for yourselves. Try leaving this room. An invisible force field will stop you. That is God keeping you from escaping or moving about before the mission begins.

Having heard this, the group of newbies lead by Trash Mob (as I rightly named him) went over to the doors of the classroom and tried to leave. But, like Hikari said, all of the men and women were stopped by an invisible force. Trash Mob even tried to punch the door, yet the force field redirected the attack back, causing Trash Mob to double over in pain.

Shin: Hahaha!

Aqua: Shin, don't... Hahaha!

Hikari: Shin, Aqua, don't laugh! We're trying to win them over.

Shin: Sorry, but it was hilarious. I mean, they are all so pitifully hopeless.

Shin truly had no hope for this group of newbies after seeing that they didn't listen to Hikari. Shin didn't believe that he had the ability to protect any newbies this time around, yet this fact didn't weigh on his mind as much as it should have due to his first impression of the newbies.

Shin: (Pathetic is the word. All these newbies seemed rather normal or worse... yet three of the fourteen did look promising. They have already started to adapt. They weren't careless looking around, screaming at us or saying that we were lying. This is a good sign.)

Shin was happy to see some somewhat capable newbies, but the other newbies who went to check out the doors and windows came back before he could check those three out any further. The larger group didn't look like they trusted Shin or his team, but they eventually caught on that something was off. Whether they liked it or not, they soon began to accept their reality. Those who didn't find acceptance at least knew that something was off.

Shin: Well, they are all probably going to die in the end on the way to the Diseased Girl, but I'll still feel bad if they aren't armed at the very least. Everyone line up! You must have now realized that every word that we said was true. This is a dangerous mission with no certainties on who lives or who dies. However you can still fight for your lives. Line up and I'll hand out weapons you can use to stay alive.

Shin had everyone line up and then began to pass out handguns from his Na Ring to the newbies. The guns were loaded with low grade of magic bullets, the lowest cost kind of ammunition that did not cost many points to exchange for, some of which were made by Saki en masse.

The act of taking out items from a sub dimension freaked them out, yet it somehow helped them understand that they weren't in the real world that they knew anymore.  Shin didn't know how useful the guns would be to them, but it was better than nothing in this situation since normal attacks were certainly going to be insufficient within the Labyrinth.

Shin: We're going to be entering a magical Labyrinth soon. Normal attacks and tools will be useless, so you can only rely on these guns with magic bullets to live.

Trash Mob: Are these things even real? What the hell are magic bullets? Are you joking with me?

Misaki: They are real. Feel free to fire one off, but just aim away from anyone if you don't want the red head smoking a cigarette in the corner to shoot off your hand. This one newbie from the last mission didn't make it out alive because of her. Hey Aqua! Why are you just relaxing like that!?

Aqua: Sorry, but I have a rule about newbies, so I'll leave them to you guys. Also, I am stressed out so I'm trying out these new smokes that Snake used to calm his nerves before shooting.

Shin: Didn't those lower LIFE?

Aqua: My Cell Vitality is high enough, so I'll be fine.

Shin: Then hand me one. If Snake does it, then it must be okay. Wait… it has to be wrong to use an idol as an excuse to do such a thing. Then again he is fictional and so am I, at least in a way, so it must be okay.

Shuai: Really, the two of you are too easy going.

Ignoring the Players, Trash Mob opened fire at student of the class room to everyone's shock. The bullets naturally bounced off as the mission had yet to begin. Still, this was enough for him and the others to know that the guns were real.

The newbies then began to talk amongst themselves and take good looks at their guns. It was while everyone was doing their own thing that Trash Mob, in another shocking event, pointed his gun at Hikari. The man named Trash Mob was a natural born sadist and liked to point guns at others just to get a reaction out of them. This habit and others lead him to joining the police force, and later being discharged as well.

Hikari noticed what the man was doing and sighed. Hikari wasn't afraid of a mere gun as she, like every other Player of Team Japan had been through life and death battles, and so she could only sigh at the man pointing a normal gun at her.

Hikari: You really shouldn't point that gun at me.

Trash Mob: What? Are you scared? Don't worry, I'm not going to actually-

Hikari: It's not that. It's just that my boyfriend wouldn't like it is all. He's... very protective of me. Just one of his few good points.

Trash Mob: Huh?

Shin: Well, Hikari, you're one of the women I love after all.

Trash Mob didn't understand till it was too late as Shin swiftly made his way to his unguarded back. Shin grabbed the man's right arm from behind and squeezed as hard as he could. The man was surprised by this action, but more so by Shin's vice like grip which crushed the flesh and bone of the newbie's arm. Even before Trash Mob had time to scream in pain, Shin punched the man in the face and sent him crashing to the floor hard.

Kampa: Is he dead? He's a newbie, so that Negative 1000 points for killing him.

Shin: I should have killed him for that, but he is still with us. He's only unconscious for now. Still, with those wounds, whatever chance that he had of surviving this mission is long gone. Kampa, take his weapon. I really don't want to chance it if this guy making it to the end by dumb luck.

Kampa proceeded to take back the unconscious Trash Mob's gun and bullets as instructed. After disarming him he threw the man into a corner of the classroom. After returning the weapon to his Na Ring, Shin let his gaze fall upon the other newbies that were now exhibiting fear towards him. Shin's reason for his actions, beyond the obvious, was simply that he was too stressed out. The fact of the matter was that most of the people in this room were going to die, and so he didn't have time to deal with newbies and their foolishness.  

Shin: Did you all see what I did? It may be true that I don't want to lose the points to kill you and I personally don't like to kill people. 1000 points can increase a Player's stats by 100 after all, but my priority is to my team. I won't hesitate to cripple you and make sure that you won't survive this already dangerous mission like just that guy. Do I make myself clear!?

ALL NEWBIES: Yes!

Shuai: ...

Shin: Are you alright, Shuai?

Shuai: I'm fine.

Shin: I can guess that they remind you of yourself from the BTOOOM mission, but don't lower yourself to their level, Shuai. This time we're in a worse environment than BTOOOM and we lack the power to protect them even if we wanted to. At the very least they have guns loaded with magic bullets.

Shuai: ...

Shin: Shuai... It was true that in the past you couldn't do much like these newbies, but you were much more composed at the start of the mission than this group of newbies. So much so that I spotted you out of the crowd at the start and later, although a bit forced by Saki, you risked your life for all of us.

Shuai: Shin...

Shin: You're a valuable comrade to me and the rest of Team Japan. Don't ever forget that, otherwise I'll send you to fight some more Btooom Soldiers alone again.

Shuai: I get it. Also, once is enough, so don't.

Shin smiled as he looked back to the Newbies. That smile soon disappeared with a sigh. As he thought, he was going to dismiss this mission's newbies since no one looked capable, but to his surprise the three he spotted earlier remained calm and collected despite the situation (and his own threats to beat them half to death and abandon them).  

Shin: They really do standout, huh?

The first was an older gentleman, who looked to be in his forties, possibly a poorly aged late thirties. The man also looked Irish which made him the second foreigner to end up in God's Dimension of Team Japan. Maybe it was just because he was the oldest, but not only was he calm, he also looked like he had seen a few things in his life time. He was interacting with the other newbies and at some point looked to have become their representative, showing that he had leadership qualities.

The second individual, a ten year old boy of Middle Eastern descent (OK…Another foreigner). He had dirty blond hair which could mean he was of mixed blood. He was obviously the youngest in the room, yet didn't look fazed. The kid actually left Shin on edge when their eyes met. It was the same initial reaction that he had when he first met Kampa and Zero. Deep down Shin felt that this child had seen more in his ten years than he should have.

Lastly, a tall and thin Japanese youth who looked to be the same age as Shin and Misaki, who was wearing a wrinkled long dark blue coat with a jagged-cut tail, over a white shirt with a game logo. The man was smiling at everyone trying to be friendly. He was clearly intelligent, judging by the leading questions he was asking the newbies. He was obviously gathering information. To Shin he looked like the best prospect among the group... yet Shin also felt that he was also the most dangerous and he didn't know if that was a bad thing or good thing in this dimension.

Shin: Well, I should probably speak to them... To see if we can trust them not to die in the first hour.

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