The ringing of the alarm made Celica slowly open her eyes. This was the only sound that he could hear, and the time was set at seven in the morning.
Celica lifted the blanket and stood up. Usually, she would laze in bed, but today, she woke up unexpectedly. Thanks to the deep and ample sleep, his mind was as clear as if it had just been washed.
Just as she stretched herself and was about to get out of bed, she froze.
The morning sun shone through the window. A person was sitting on the floor, sleeping with his upper body leaning against the bed. Just as she thought that there was an intruder and was about to scream, she finally remembered where she had slept last night.
'I just slept in Kirito's room…'
The moment he realized this, his cheeks felt as if they were being roasted by a monster's flame. Because they were in an overly emotional SAO, steam might really come out of their heads. It seemed that Kirito had made Celica sleep on the bed while he had to sleep on the floor. She didn't know if she was embarrassed or sorry, but she covered her face with her hands and twisted her body.
After spending a few seconds calming herself down, Celica gently got off the bed. She walked lightly to Kirito and stared at his face.
The black-robed swordsman's innocent face made Celica smile. Although his sharp eyes made him look much older than her when he was awake, his sleeping face made people feel that his age was not much different from hers.
Although she was happy to see him sleeping, she couldn't let him sleep forever. Hence, she gently tapped the swordsman's shoulder and called out to him.
[Brother Kirito, it's dawn.]
Kirito immediately opened his eyes. He blinked and stared at Celika's face for a few seconds before a panicked expression appeared on his face."
[Ah... I'm sorry!]
Then, he immediately lowered his head and apologized.
" I wanted to wake you up, but you were sleeping soundly... and even if I wanted to send you back to your room, I couldn't open the door, so I had to..."
The hotel rooms rented by players were absolutely inviolable in the system. As long as they did not log in as friends, they could not be invaded no matter what methods they used. Celica quickly waved her hand and replied,"
[No, no, I should apologize. I'm sorry!] I've occupied your bed..."
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, no matter which position you sleep in, your muscles won't ache.」
Kirito, who stood up, did the opposite of what he said. He bent his neck left and right with a creaking sound and raised his hands to stretch. Then he looked down at Celica and said,"
[... Anyway, good morning.]
[Ah, good morning.]
The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
He went to the first floor and had a good breakfast to challenge the 47th floor of the " Hill of Memories." When he walked to the street, the bright sunlight had already enveloped the entire town. Daytime players who were ready to set off for an adventure and night cat players who had just returned from a late-night hunt passed by with opposite expressions.
After replenishing their potions and recovery items at the item shop next to the hotel, the two of them set off for the transfer gate square. Fortunately, they arrived at the teleportation gate without encountering the group of players who tried to persuade them yesterday. Just as she was about to jump into the blue light, Celica stopped.
" Ah... I still don't know the name of the town on the 47th floor..."
Just as he was about to call out the map to confirm, Kirito extended his right hand first.
[It doesn't matter. I'll decide.]」
Hence, Cecilia held his hand timidly.
[Transfer! Floria!"
The dazzling light and Kirito's voice spread out at the same time, surrounding the two of them.
Immediately after the feeling of teleportation, the effect light dissipated, and Celica's field of vision immediately burst into all kinds of colorful colors.
[Waaa
She couldn't help but cheer.
On the main street of the 47th floor, the transfer gate square was covered with countless flowers. The narrow road was crossed through the circular square, and the rest of the place was a flowerbed surrounded by bricks, with unknown flowers and plants competing in beauty.
[How spectacular…]
"Everyone is used to calling this floor the 'Garden of Flowers'. It's not just the street, but the entire floor is filled with flowers. If he had time, he could also go to the Giant Flower Forest in the north.」
[Let's treat that place as our next entertainment!]」
Smiling at Kirito, Celica squatted down in front of the flowerbed. Then he put his face close to the light blue flower that looked a little like a cornflower and smelled its fragrance.
From the five petals with fine patterns, the white stamen to the pale green root, this flower was created with amazing precision.
Of course, including all the flowers that bloomed in this garden, none of the plants or buildings in Aingrunt could always exist as such exquisite objects. If he did that, no matter how high the performance of the SAO's mainframe was, the system resources would be exhausted in an instant.
In order to prevent this from happening, and at the same time provide players with an environment that was as real as the real world, SAO adopted a structure called the " detailed focus system." When the player became interested in an object and focused their attention on it, only the real details of the object would be shown.
Ever since she heard about the system, she had been restrained by the obsessive-compulsive notion that becoming interested in various things would cause unnecessary burdens to the system. She even felt timid because of this. But now, she could not suppress her feelings and kept moving around the flowerbed, admiring the flowers.
After enjoying the fragrance to her heart's content, she finally stood up and looked around again.
The figures strolling along the path of flowers were almost all men and women. Everyone was holding hands, or they were walking happily with their arms crossed. It seemed that this place had become that kind of place. Celica raised her head and glanced at Kirito, who was standing beside her with nothing to do.
- -
As if trying to hide her blushing face, she said energetically,"
"Let's go! Go to the practice area!"
[Yes, yes.]
Kirito's eyes flickered for a moment, but he immediately nodded and walked alongside Celica.
Even after walking out of the transfer gate square, the main street of the town was also buried in the sea of flowers. Celica and Kirito strolled side by side, recalling their encounter yesterday. She couldn't believe that not even a day had passed since then. This swordsman in black had already become so important to him.
She did not know what Kirito was thinking. Celika peeked at his expression, but the swordsman was still full of mysteries, making it impossible for others to understand his heart. After hesitating for a while, Celica made up her mind and said,"
"Um... Brother Kirito, can I ask about your sister...?"」
"Why, why are you suddenly saying this?"
[Because you said that she is very similar to me, so I am very concerned…]
Mentioning the real world was the biggest taboo in Ain Grand. There were many reasons, but the main reason was that if the idea that " this world is just an imaginary fiction " was deeply rooted in one's heart, one would not be able to accept that " death " in SAO was equivalent to death in reality.
Even so, she still wanted to ask about Kirito's sister who looked like her. She wanted to know if Kirito wanted something from her, even if she was only treated as a younger sister.
"... Actually, our relationship isn't very good..."
After a while, Kirito began to speak intermittently.
"Although she's called a younger sister, she's actually a younger cousin. For some reason, we've been living together since she was born, so she shouldn't know about this. However, it was probably because of this…that I wanted to keep a distance from her and avoid meeting her at home.」
He sighed softly.
"... Moreover, my grandfather is a very strict person. When I was eight years old, he forced me and my sister to go to a nearby dojo to learn Kendo. I couldn't adapt to it no matter what, so I gave up after two years. I was even beaten up by my grandfather because of this. At that time, his sister cried and said,'I will work harder, so don't fight anymore.' 'Protect me. After that, I started to immerse myself in the world of computers, and my sister really devoted herself to Kendo. Not long before my grandfather passed away, she even got a good ranking in the country. Grandfather should be very satisfied…so I always felt that I couldn't compare to her. Actually, she probably has other things she wants to do. She probably hates me. With this thought, I unconsciously wanted to avoid her even more…And so, I came here.」
As Kirito said this, he quietly lowered his head to look at Celica's face.
" So, I might want to help you because I'm selfish and self-satisfied. I think this can atone for my sins to my sister. I'm sorry."
As an only daughter, Silika could not fully understand what Kirito was trying to say, but for some reason, she felt that she could understand Kirito's sister's feelings.
"... I don't think Brother Kirito's sister hates you. That was because people could not work hard on things they did not like. Therefore, she must really like swordsmanship.」
As Cecilia tried to think of a way to phrase her words, Kirito smiled.
"In the end, I'm always comforted by you... Is that so... If only that's the case.」
Celica felt a warmth spreading in her heart. She was very happy to hear Kirito's inner thoughts.
Unknowingly, the two of them had already reached the south gate of the street area. Vines climbed around the huge arch made of thin silver steel, and countless white flowers bloomed. The main street turned into a street surrounded by green hills through the arch and disappeared at the other end of the spring light.
" Then... it's almost time for us to start our adventure..."
[Yes!]
Celica let go of Kirito's arm and nodded with a serious expression.
[With your level and equipment, the monsters here are definitely not enemies that you can't defeat. However…"
Kirito said as he rummaged through the small pouch on his belt. He then took out a blue crystal and placed it in Celica's hand. It was a transfer crystal.
" Anything can happen in the practice area. Listen up, if anything unexpected happens, as long as I want you to escape, you must use this crystal to teleport to any town. Don't worry about my condition."
[But, but…]
[Promise me. I…once caused the entire team to perish. I don't want to make the same mistake again.」
Seeing Kirito's serious expression, Celica could only nod. He said again,"We have an appointment."」In order to reassure Cecilia, he smiled and said,"
[Then, let's go!]
[Yes!]
After confirming the short sword at her waist, Celica made up her mind. At least, she would not panic like yesterday. She would fight with all her might.
However…
[Ya, yaaah! What was this? It's so disgusting!"
After a few minutes of heading south from the forty-seventh floor's training area, they soon encountered the first monster, but...
[Don't! Don't come over-"
The thing that emerged from the tall grass had an appearance that Celica had never imagined. If one were to describe it in one sentence, it would be a flower that could walk. The dark green stem was as thick as a human arm, and the root was divided into multiple branches that firmly stepped on the ground. At the top of the stem or body, there was a huge yellow flower that looked like a sunflower. In the middle, there was a mouth full of teeth, revealing a poisonous red color.
Two plump vines extended from the middle of the stem. It seemed that the arm and mouth were its attacking weapons. The Piranha Flower revealed a disgusting smile. It waved its arms, or should I say tentacles, and dashed toward Sirius. It was because she liked flowers that the monster's exaggerated ugly appearance aroused her disgust.
[I don't want it anymore--]
She was waving her short sword with her eyes closed. Kirito, who was standing at the side, said in a dumbfounded tone,"
[No, no problem. "This guy is actually very weak. As long as you aim at the white part below the flower, you can easily…"
" But, but, this is really disgusting-"
[If even this guy is disgusted, then it will be very troublesome.] There are guys with many flowers, monsters that look like carnivorous plants, and even guys with sticky tentacles…"
[Ahhh-!]
Celica had goosebumps because of Kirito's words. She screamed and kept swinging her sword, but of course, she missed. The two vines seized the opportunity to enter after she released her sword skill and bound her feet. With incredible strength, they easily hung her up.
[Wow!]
Celica's vision was completely turned around. At the same time, she was hanging upside down. Her skirt obediently followed the imaginary gravity and spread down.
[Wow wow wow!]
Although she quickly used her left hand to press down on the hem of her dress and prepared to use her right hand to cut the vines, perhaps because she was in this position, she really could not do it. Cecilia's face was flushed red as she shouted desperately,"
[Help, help, Brother Kirito! Don't look but save me!"
[This, this is a little difficult.]
When Kirito, who was covering his eyes with his left hand, answered her with a headache, the huge flower seemed to be very happy as it swayed the hanging Silika from side to side.
[This, this guy…give me almost a bit!」
Left with no other choice, Celica released her left hand from her skirt, grabbed one of the vines, and cut it with her dagger. Celica, who was falling down, took the opportunity when Flower's neck entered the attack range and released her sword skill again. This time, it hit its target beautifully. As the huge flower's head rolled down, its entire body exploded. Celica asked Kirito as she landed among the falling fragments.
[... Did you see that?]
The swordsman in black looked down at Cecilia through the gaps between his left fingers and replied,"
[... I didn't see it.]
After five or so battles, Celica finally got used to the monster's appearance. The two of them quickly digested the journey smoothly. Although she thought she was going to faint when she encountered the monster that looked a little like an sea cucumber and was bound by its slimy tentacles.
Kirito basically did not attack in battle. He was a support character and would only use his sword to deflect attacks when Celica was in danger. The EXP for the team raid was calculated based on the proportion of the damage dealt to the monster. As he continuously defeated high-level monsters, his EXP increased several times faster than usual, so his level immediately rose by one level.
As they walked along the red brick road, they came across a small bridge that spanned the river. On the other end of the bridge, they could see a slightly tall hill. The road circled the hill and continued to the top.
"That's the 'Hill of Memories'.」
[From the looks of it, there doesn't seem to be a fork in the road?]」
[Yeah. He only needed to climb up and did not have to worry about getting lost. However, there are quite a lot of monsters. You must not relax on the road.」
[Yes!]
Just one more time, just one more time, and Bina would be revived. With this thought, he naturally quickened his pace.
Just as Kirito had said, after entering the mountain path filled with colorful flowers, the chances of encountering monsters increased rapidly, and the size of the plant monsters also increased. However, the black dagger in Celica's hand was more powerful than expected. She only needed to use a series of skills to kill most of the monsters.
Speaking of stronger than imagined, Kirito's strength was even more unfathomable.
When she saw that he could kill two Drunken Apes in one hit, she had expected him to be a high-level swordsman. However, even when they were twelve levels higher than that place, the feeling did not disappear at all. Even if multiple monsters appeared at the same time, he would be able to defeat them immediately, leaving only one behind and helping Celica from the side.
However, the more it was like this, the more he thought,"Why did such a high-level player go to the 35th floor?」The more he couldn't get rid of the question. Although it could be known from his words that he had come to the Lost Forest for a certain purpose, there were no rumors of rare items or special monsters there.
Just as Celica was thinking about asking him again after the adventure was over and was brandishing her short sword, the angle of the winding path became more and more urgent. As they continued to repel the increasingly powerful attacks of the monsters, they passed through rows of tall and lush trees.
[Woah…!]
Celica couldn't help but run a few steps forward and cheer.
This was a place that fit the description of a flower field in the sky. It was surrounded by trees, and beautiful flowers filled the open space.
[We've finally reached our destination.]
Kirito, who was approaching from behind, said as he sheathed his sword.
"That flower…is right here…?」
[Yes.] Isn't there a rock near the center? Right at the top…"
Before Kirito could finish his sentence, Celica had already run out. In the middle of the flower field, there was indeed a large rock that was shining with white light. Panting, she ran towards the rock that was as high as her chest and peered above the rock in fear.
[Eh…]
However, there was nothing there. There were only short grass growing on the top of the sunken rock. There was nothing that looked like flowers.
[No…no, Kirito Bro!」
" Chirp!" Celica called out as she turned to look at Kirito, who had caught up to her. Unable to stop her tears from flowing out.
"How is that possible... No, look again.」
Urged by Kirito's gaze, Celica turned her gaze back to the top of the rock. Then-
[Ah…]
In the soft pile of grass, there was a small bud that was gradually growing. As he focused his gaze on it, the focus system began to operate, and the sprout instantly became lively. Two pure white leaves opened like shells, and a thin stem grew from the center.
Just like the fast-forward movies he had seen in biology class, the thin shoot quickly grew taller and thicker. Soon, a large flower bud appeared at the tip. The teardrop-shaped part that was shining with pure white light was indeed emitting a pearl-colored light from the inside.
As Celica and Kirito held their breaths and watched, the front of the flower bud slowly bloomed. With the sound of a bell, the entire flower bud opened, and particles of light danced in the air.
The two of them did not move for a long time, staring at the white flower that bloomed like a small miracle. The seven tiny petals spread out like starlight. Light flowed out from the center gently and finally dissipated in the air.
Celica, who felt that she could not touch him with her hands, quietly looked up at Kirito. Kirito smiled gently and nodded.
Celica nodded and gently extended her right hand to the flower. When her hand touched the thin stem, the stem shattered like ice, leaving only the flower in her hand. She held her breath and tapped the surface with her finger. The name window popped up silently. [Soul Flower]
[With this... we can resurrect Bina, right...]
"Yes, as long as you sprinkle the water droplets stored in the flowers on the heart item, it will be fine. However, there were too many powerful monsters here, so it would be better to wait until they returned to the town. Bear with it for a while longer, we'll rush back immediately.」
[Yes!]
Silika nodded and opened the main window to place the flowers on it. After confirming that the flower had been put into the item bar, he closed the window.
To be honest, Cecilia wanted to use the transfer crystal to fly home in one breath, but she still held back and took a step forward. After all, high-priced crystals were only used when they were in real danger.
Fortunately, they did not encounter any monsters on the way back. It could be said that they had reached the foot of the mountain at the speed of running down.
He only needed to walk on the street for an hour before he could see Bina again.
Just as she was trying her best to suppress the urge in her heart and was about to cross the bridge over the river.
Kirito, who was walking behind her, suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder. Cecilia turned her head in surprise and saw Kirito staring at the lush trees on both sides of the road on the other side of the bridge with a serious expression. He said in a lower voice than usual,"
[The guy lying in ambush will come out later.]」
[Eh...?]
Celika stared at the trees in panic, but she could not see anyone. After a few seconds, the leaves on the trees suddenly moved. The arrow that showed the player popped up. The color was green, so he was not the culprit.
The person who appeared on the other end of the bridge was, surprisingly, someone that Cecilia knew.
He had fiery red hair and bright red lips. He was equipped with shiny black armor made of enameled leather and held a thin cross spear in one hand.
"Miss…Miss Rosaria…?" Why are you here…?"
Rosaria didn't answer Celica's question. Instead, she smiled.
[You can actually see through my invisibility. Your enemy search skill level is really high, Lord Swordsman.] I seem to have underestimated the enemy?"
At this moment, she finally shifted her gaze to Celica.
[Looking at you, you must have successfully obtained the Flower of Souls.] Congratulations, Silika."
Unable to grasp Rosalia's intentions, Cecilia took a few steps back. She had an indescribable sense of foreboding, and her intuition was not wrong. A second later, Rosaria said something that stunned Celica.
"Then, hurry up and hand over the flower.」
「……? You…what are you talking about…"
At this moment, Kirito, who had been silent all this while, walked up and said,"
"I'm sorry, Miss Rosaria. No, I should call you the President of the Criminals Guild, Titan's Hand.」
Rosaria raised her eyebrows, and the smile on her lips disappeared.
In SAO, if a player committed a crime on the system, such as theft, injury, or murder, the arrow would change from the usual green to orange. Therefore, the criminals were known as the Orange Players, and their organization was known as the Orange Guild. Celica knew this basic knowledge, but she had never seen it in action.
However, no matter how he looked at it, the HP arrow above Rosalia's head was green. Silica looked at Kirito beside her in a daze and asked in a hoarse voice,"
" Eh... but... because... Miss Rosaria is green..."
"Even in the Orange Guild, there are many situations where not everyone is of the Criminal Color. The green members were responsible for picking targets on the street and blending into the team, and finally luring the team to the ambush site. The person who eavesdropped on our conversation last night was also his accomplice.」
[How…how could this be…]
Cecilia looked at Rosaria's face in shock.
" This... this means that the reason why you joined the team in the past two weeks..."
Rosaria smiled as if she was poisoned again and replied,"
[You're right. I'm evaluating the combat strength of that team while waiting for them to earn a lot of money in the adventure and become a fat sheep. I originally planned to do a big job today."
She stared at Celica's face and licked her lips.
" Because the prey that I was looking forward to the most, you, ran away. I was still thinking about what to do, but I didn't expect you to go and get a rare item. The Flower of Souls is in high demand now. Gathering information is indeed very important."
He paused for a moment and shrugged after shifting his gaze to Kirito.
"However, Sir Swordsman, you clearly know these things, but you still don't care about accompanying that child. Are you an idiot? Or were you really seduced by her body?」
Rosaria's insult made Celica's vision turn red with anger. Just as she moved her arm to pull out the dagger, her shoulder was grabbed forcefully.
[No, both sides are wrong.]
Kirito's voice remained calm.
"Miss Rosaria, I was actually looking for you too.」
"How do you say that?"
[Ten days ago, you attacked a guild called Silver Flag on the 38th floor, right? Four members were killed, and only the president managed to escape.」
"... Ah, that poor team.」
Rosaria nodded without even moving her eyebrows.
"The man who used to be the president is at the front line of the portal square from morning till night, crying and looking for someone who can help him take revenge.」
Kirito's voice was covered in a layer of chilling air, like a sharpened hard ice blade that cut through everything it touched.
[However, that man didn't ask me to kill you. He only said that he hoped to put you in the Black Iron Palace's prison. Can you understand that guy's feelings?]」
[How could I understand?]
Rosaria replied as if she found it troublesome.
[What? Why are you so serious like an idiot?] Even if he killed someone here, there was no evidence that the person really died like this. Therefore, it was impossible to be treated as a crime after returning to reality. Moreover, he did not even know if he could return. Don't laugh your head off when you talk about justice and law. I hate this kind of person the most. A person who brings strange principles into this world.」
Her eyes were filled with cruelty.
[So, you took the words of the president who didn't die seriously and kept looking for us?] You're really free. I admit that I did fall for the bait you prepared…but ah, what do you think the two of them can do…?」
A cruel smile appeared on his lips. He raised his right finger and quickly waved it twice in the air.
Suddenly, the trees on both sides of the road that extended to the opposite bank began to shake violently, and then figures ran out one after another. A few arrows appeared in Celica's field of vision, and they were all orange in color. There were ten arrows in total. If they crossed the bridge without noticing the ambush, they would definitely be surrounded. In the midst of the orange, there was the only person with a green arrowhead. That spiky hairstyle must have been the one he had seen in the hotel corridor last night.
The ten Bandits that had just appeared were all male players who were wearing silver accessories or sub-equipment and were dressed up beautifully. They had malicious smiles on their faces and cast sticky gazes at Celica's body.
Feeling extremely disgusted, Celica hid in the shadow of Kirito's coat and whispered,"
[Kiri-Bro Kirito…There are too many of them. If we don't escape…!]」
[It's alright. Before I ask you to escape, you just have to prepare the crystal and watch from the side.」
Kirito answered in a calm voice. He patted Celica's head and walked toward the bridge. Celica stood rooted to the ground. She thought to herself that no matter what, this was too reckless, so she shouted again,
[Brother Kirito…!]
The moment this cry resounded through the training area…
[Kirito…?]
One of the bandits suddenly muttered to himself. His smile disappeared, his brows furrowed, and his eyes wandered as if searching for memories.
[That outfit... wielding a one-handed sword without a shield...'Black Swordsman'...?]」
The man's face instantly turned pale and he took a few steps back.
" Miss Rosalia, no, it's not good. This guy…is from the strategy group that started from the closed beta…"
Hearing the man's words, the other members 'expressions stiffened. Silika was equally shocked. She stared blankly at Kirito's not-so-tall back.
From the battles up until now, it could be inferred that Kirito was a relatively high-level player. However, Celika never dreamed that he would be one of the top swordsmen in the " Strategy Group " who constantly challenged the unconquered mazes at the front line and defeated the leader monsters. He had clearly heard that they had put all their effort into attacking the SAO and had almost never come down to the middle floor.
Rosaria was tongue-tied for a few seconds before she snapped back to reality and shouted,"
[It's impossible for people from the Attack and Strategy Teams to loiter around in such a place! This guy was definitely just an imitator who used his name to scare others! Besides, even if it's a real Black Swordsman, it's not easy for us to deal with one person with our numbers!」
As if he wanted to take advantage of the momentum of these words, a tall axe-wielder standing in front of the orange players shouted,
[No, that's right! Moreover, the strategy team would definitely have a lot of money and props! This is a very fat prey!"
The Bandits drew their weapons in unison. Countless pieces of metal shone with a ferocious light.
[Brother Kirito, that's impossible. Let's run away quickly!]」
Celika screamed as she held the crystal tightly. As Rosaria had said, no matter how strong Kirito was, he had no chance of winning against such a large number of opponents. However, Kirito did not move. He did not even have the intention to draw his weapon.
Reading Kirito's expression as giving up, the other nine men, except Rosaria and the green player, all raised their weapons and smiled malevolently, scrambling to run. Crackling over the short bridge-
[Woaah!]
[Go to hell!]
After surrounding the Kirito in a semicircle formation, he slashed his sword and spear at the Kirito's body. Kirito's body swayed from side to side after receiving nine slashes at the same time.
[Stop!]
Celika covered her face with her hands and shouted,"
[Please! Stop! Brother Kirito will…will die!"
However, the men turned a deaf ear.
They were all obsessed with violence. Some of them laughed loudly, some of them cursed incessantly, and at the same time, they kept slashing Kirito with their weapons. Rosaria, who was standing near the middle of the bridge, couldn't suppress the joy on her face. She licked her right finger and watched the tragedy in fascination.
Celika wiped away her tears and gripped the hilt of her dagger. She knew that even if she rushed over, she wouldn't be of much help, but she couldn't continue to watch. Just as she took a step in the direction of Kirito, she noticed something and stopped.
Kirito's HP bar did not decrease at all.
No, to be precise, although it was gradually decreasing bit by bit due to the continuous attacks, it quickly recovered to the right after a few seconds.
Not long after, the group of men noticed that the swordsman in black did not show any signs of falling down at all, and a puzzled expression appeared on their faces.
[What are you guys doing?!] Hurry up and kill him!"
Under Rosaria's impatient command, the rain of slashes continued for a few more seconds, but the situation did not change.
[Hey... hey, what's wrong with this guy!」
One of them stopped his hand movements and took a few steps back with a twisted expression as if he had seen a monster. Because of this person's reaction, the other eight people also stopped attacking and pulled away.
Silence enveloped the surroundings. Kirito, who was standing in the middle, slowly raised his head and said in a calm voice,"
[About 400 damage every ten seconds. This is the total damage that the nine of you can deal to me. My level is 78, my HP is 14500…In addition, my healing skill will automatically heal 600 points every ten seconds during battle. No matter how many hours you attack, you won't be able to defeat me.」
The group of men stood rooted to the ground with their mouths wide open. Soon, the two-handed swordsman who seemed to be the vice-captain said in a hoarse voice,
" How…how could this be…this is too exaggerated…"
[That's right.]
Kirito replied.
"Just a small increase in the number would create such a huge gap. This was the unreasonable part of a level-based MMO.」
As if being suppressed by Kirito's voice that carried some kind of emotion that was difficult to suppress, the group of men began to retreat. The expressions on their faces also turned from surprise to fear.
[Tsk!]
Suddenly, Rosaria was speechless. She took out the transfer crystal from her waist and raised it into the air.
[Transfer--]
However, before she could finish her sentence, she felt as if she heard a whoosh. In an instant, Kirito was already standing in front of Rosaria.
[What…]
Kirito snatched the crystal from the stiff Rosalia, grabbed her collar, and dragged her to the other end of the bridge.
[Let…let go of me! Bastard, what do you want!"
After throwing Rosaria into the middle of the group of men who were standing there in a daze, Kirito reached into the bag at his waist and took out a blue crystal. But it was darker than the color of the transfer crystal.
[This is the Cloister Crystal that the man who asked me to buy with all his assets. The exit is set to the prison area of the Black Iron Palace. All of you can use this to transfer over. After that, the 'army' will be responsible for taking care of you.」
Rosaria bit her lips and remained silent for a few seconds. Then, she smiled and said,"
[What if I say no?]
[I'll kill all of you.]
Kirito's simple answer caused her smile to freeze on the spot.
[I really want to say that... If that's the case, then I'll have to use this.]」
Kirito took out a small short sword from the inside of his coat. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that there seemed to be a layer of light green mucus on the blade.
[This is a paralyzing poison. Level 5 poison is enough to immobile you for ten minutes. I have enough time to throw all of you into the corridor…If you want to walk in by yourself or be thrown in by me, you can choose what you like.」
No one dared to act tough anymore. Seeing that everyone was silent with their heads lowered, Kirito put away his short sword and raised the dark blue crystal high as he shouted,"
[Cloister.] Open it."
The crystal shattered in an instant, and a vortex emitting blue light appeared in front of them.
[Bastard…]
The first one to jump in was the tall and dejected axe user. As for the other orange players, some cursed while others disappeared into the light without saying a word. The green player who was responsible for eavesdropping also went in, leaving Rosaria alone.
Even though her companions had all disappeared into the corridor, the red-haired female Thief still stubbornly refused to move. She sat cross-legged on the ground and looked up at Kirito provocatively.
[... If you want to, then try it. If you hurt me, the green player, you will turn orange…"
Before Rosaria could finish her sentence, Kirito grabbed her collar again.
[Let me say this first. I'm a solo player. It's not a big deal for me to become orange for a day or two.」
After saying this rudely, Kirito grabbed the thief and walked towards the corridor. Rosaria was still waving her arms and legs in resistance.
[Wait, stop, stop!] Please! Forgive me! How about this…Do you want to form a team with me? With your strength, no matter which guild it is…"
She didn't finish her sentence. Kirito used all his strength to throw Rosaria into the corridor with her head facing forward. When her figure disappeared, the corridor also emitted a dazzling light and disappeared.
The surroundings returned to silence.
The chirping of birds and the sound of flowing water could be heard on the grassland in spring. The noise from a few minutes ago seemed to be deceiving people, and the scenery returned to the sunny weather. However, Celica was still unable to move. She was shocked by Kirito's true appearance, and she felt relieved after the criminals disappeared. Many emotions surged into her chest at the same time, making her unable to speak.
Kirito tilted his head and silently stared at Celica for a while before he finally said softly,"
"…Silika, I'm really sorry. In the end, he used you as bait. Although I once thought of telling you about my matters…I was afraid that you would be afraid, so I didn't mention it.」
Celica could only shake her head. Many emotions swirled in his heart.
[I'll send you back to the town.]
Kirito said as he prepared to take a step forward. At this moment, Celica spoke to his back.
"That-my feet, I can't move.」
Kirito turned around and extended his right hand with a smile. After holding that hand tightly, Celica finally managed to smile.
When they returned to the Wind Chicken Pavilion on the 35th floor, the two of them barely spoke. There were many things that she wanted to say, but her throat felt like it was blocked by a small stone.
When they reached the second floor and entered Kirito's room, the red light of the setting sun had already shone through the window. At this moment, Celica finally spoke in a trembling voice to Kirito, who was standing in the light like a black silhouette,"
[Brother Kirito…are you leaving…?]」
After a brief silence, the silhouette nodded slowly.
" Hmm... I've been away from the front line for five days. I have to go back immediately to attack..."
[... That's true...]
In fact, Celika really wanted to tell Kirito to take her with him.
But she couldn't say it.
Kirito's level was 78, while he was level 45. The difference was 33-the distance between the two was clear enough to be called cruel. Even if she followed the Kirito to the battlefield, she would most likely be killed by the monsters in an instant. Although they were both logged into the same game, there was a wall that was taller and thicker than the real world, separating the two worlds.
[…I…I…]
Celica bit her lips and tried her best to suppress the emotions that were about to spill out. That feeling turned into two streams of tears that kept rolling down her cheeks.
Suddenly, Celica felt Kirito's hands gently resting on her shoulders, and the deep and steady voice of a snake came from beside her.
"Levels are just numbers. The power of this world is just a fantasy. We have something more important than that. So, let's meet in the real world next time. This way, we can be friends again.」
In fact, she really wanted to throw herself into the arms of the man in black in front of her. However, after feeling the warmth of Kirito's words seeping into her heart that was about to break, she no longer wished for anything. Thinking of this, Celica quietly closed her eyes and said softly,"
[Okay, definitely---we've made an appointment.]」
Celica pulled away and looked up at Kirito's face. At this moment, she could finally smile from the bottom of her heart. Kirito also smiled and said,"
[Then, call Bina back.」
[Alright!]
Silika nodded and waved her left hand to call out the main window. She scrolled through the item bar and materialized " Bina's Heart."
He placed the aqua blue feather that floated out of the window on the coffee table and called out the " Flower of Souls ".
She picked up the pearl-colored flower and closed the window. Then, she looked up at Kirito.
"Splash the dewdrops accumulated in the flowers on the feathers so that Bina can be resurrected.」
[I know…]
Looking at the long blue feathers, Celica murmured in her heart.
Bina…I have so, so much to tell you. It's about the exciting adventure today…and the person who helped Bi Na and became my brother for a day.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she gently poured the flower on her right hand onto the feather.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]