So, what do we do now?
Without turning around to look, Rozen knew that Heathcliff was moving alongside him as they entered the arena. Rozen was pondering this situation.
Meeting Heathcliff at the teleport gate, especially encountering him while he was on his solo expedition, was quite surprising. Not only for Rozen but Heathcliff should have been equally astonished, right? Meeting in such circumstances was undoubtedly ironic, especially for Rozen.
However, facing Rozen in this situation, Heathcliff regained his composure after a while and calmly asked, "Long time no see, Guild Master Rozen. Did you have a pleasant vacation?"
Rozen squinted his eyes and replied in a nonchalant tone, "It was alright. Thanks to Guild Master Heathcliff sending your Vice Commander over, I didn't starve to death in the wilderness."
"Is that so?" Heathcliff nodded, paying no mind to Rozen's unserious comment. He continued, "That's great."
Their conversation then came to an end. Meanwhile, the members of Crimson Wing could only watch, whispering to each other, unable to intervene. Kirito, on the other hand, seemed to tense up after receiving a glance from Heathcliff.
Afterward, Heathcliff made a proposal, "Let's go together."
Upon hearing this, Rozen naturally had only one response, "It would be an honor."
So, Rozen let the rest of Crimson Wing go ahead and walked behind with Heathcliff, heading slowly in the direction of the arena.
During this process, the two of them did not engage in any conversation. Rozen just walked lazily, while Heathcliff remained expressionless, gazing straight ahead. He only looked towards the direction where Saichou and Hanachou made their cries, occasionally revealing some rare emotions in his eyes.
Because of this, Rozen and Heathcliff walked side by side as they entered the arena. Their expressions remained unwavering, with Rozen's usual laziness and Heathcliff's usual composure.
Then, Heathcliff turned without a word and headed towards the location of the Knights of the Blood Oath.
"Guild Leader,"
Asuna quickly saluted. "Thank you for your hard work."
Heathcliff spoke the words which he often used to console his subordinates, and then took a seat at the forefront of the Knights of the Blood Oath amidst the bowing guild members.
As Asuna watched Heathcliff in this manner, she felt a slight sense of dissonance for some reason.
This was Asuna's most direct feeling. Although in the past, Heathcliff had always been like this, rarely making excessive remarks or engaging in idle chatter. He would only talk extensively when others needed his knowledge.
He appeared somewhat indifferent to most things, even showing little interest in floor clearing, but paradoxically, he had a keen interest in players like Rozen and Kirito, leading to his previous initiative to contact Rozen and even engage in a duel with him.
So logically, Heathcliff's behavior wasn't particularly strange; it was just like before. However, for some reason, Asuna felt that Heathcliff's emotions seemed different from before. That was the only way she could describe it.
Nevertheless, Asuna's attention quickly shifted back to Rozen as he entered the arena.
In the scene, Rozen was just like before, showing no awareness of his own lateness. He was waving to Klein and Agil in the audience seats, which earned him an angry glare from Klein and a wry smile from Agil.
Klein's angry look stemmed from envy and jealousy, while Agil could only helplessly laugh at Rozen's unchanged behavior.
Asuna had these complaints in her mind, but her face involuntarily broke into a smile.
As Rozen walked into the arena, he naturally glanced towards the spot where Asuna was standing. He observed her standing proudly among the group of knights. A subtle smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
Shortly after, Rozen arrived in front of everyone. All the players were seated in the spectator stands, while Rozen stood alone in the arena, drawing the attention of all the players.
Even though the entire arena contained only Rozen, no one felt he looked frail or insignificant.
On the contrary, it seemed like Rozen had taken over the entire venue, with the two rainbow butterflies hovering above his head.
Rozen then surveyed the entire arena and finally spoke. "Very well, it seems everyone is here."
Despite his soft-spoken words, they miraculously reached everyone in the arena, entering the ears of all the players.
"I've heard about the situation," Rozen continued with a calm tone. "The traps blocking the escape route, the crystal ineffective zone, and the fact that we still don't know the true form of the boss, and to make matters worse, we have dozens of casualties. It's hard to say whether this is unexpected or within expectations."
The players in the clearing group who understood Rozen's meaning fell into silence.
Rozen continued speaking, addressing the harsh reality of their situation.
"The current situation is indeed grim. We have absolutely no information about the floor boss in the boss room. Normally, we would send a scouting party, but the recent incident serves as a warning. Once someone enters the boss room, the doors will close, and there's no way to use crystals to escape. Sending scouts would only lead to more casualties."
Rozen highlighted a harsh reality they were facing. "In other words, if we want to clear this floor's boss, we have to gather our maximum force and rush in without any prior information. We have to break through in one go."
This seemed to be the only viable strategy. "In summary, for this boss battle, the entire clearing group needs to participate."
Rozen's voice echoed throughout the arena. "All 737 players present here must participate in the raid, overcoming the final major obstacle before reaching the 100th floor."
Rozen's words initially left many players puzzled, but they quickly understood.
Indeed, clearing the 75th floor would likely pave the way to the 100th floor, which was the next significant difficulty spike after every 25 floors.
This floor represented the final obstacle before reaching the 100th floor. Rozen wanted to convey to everyone,
"We're not far from fully clearing this game."
With a mixture of laziness and a fiery determination in his voice, Rozen's words spread.
"Everyone, give it your all."
With a simple sentence, players in the arena felt their spirits ignite.
"Ohhhhhh!"
The clearing group players collectively roared. The battle against the 75th-floor boss had officially begun.
Floor 75, the Labyrinth Area.
This area is a maze constructed from a somewhat translucent obsidian material.
Unlike the rough and uneven surfaces of the lower floors' labyrinth, the floor here is composed of black stones polished to a mirror-like finish, arranged in straight lines. The air is cold and damp, with a faint mist slowly diffusing across the ground.
It gives the feeling of not being inside a cloud but rather within the depths of hell.
At the very top of this tower-like labyrinth, there is a considerably wide corridor. Along the walls of the corridor stand thick pillars, extending forward until they eventually reveal a gigantic door.
Behind this grand door lies the room of the floor's boss. Only by defeating the boss monster within can the players break through this floor and proceed to the 76th floor. However, this is by no means an easy task.
*Clang!*
At a certain moment, a dazzling light suddenly appeared in front of the door, forming a vortex of shimmering blue radiance. Subsequently, fully-armed players emerged from this vortex of blue light, gradually filling up the space.
These players are naturally the members of the clearing group.
Rozen, leading the players from Crimson Wing, was the first to step out of the vortex and approach the large door. Gazing at the door in front of him, Rozen's eyes flashed with an unknown determination.
"Is this it?" Rozen murmured softly.
It was this very door that indirectly led to the deaths of twelve scout players.
Once you enter it, the door automatically closes and can't be opened in any way.
"Recording the corridor crystal's teleportation point in front of this door is quite clever," Rozen commented.
-----The Corridor Crystal
It's another type of crystal item, similar to a teleportation crystal, but with some differences. It looks like a blue, ornamented large crystal with instant teleportation capabilities.
Unlike regular teleportation crystals that can only transport the user to a designated street's teleportation gate, the Corridor Crystal can record any location and then open a teleportation gate to that recorded location, accommodating multiple people. It's a superior item compared to teleportation crystals and is quite convenient.
Naturally, given its relative rarity and value, few players would directly use it, especially since it can't be bought in NPC shops. It can only be acquired by opening chests within the labyrinth or defeating powerful monsters. So, even if players obtain one, they rarely use it.
However, during the last reconnaissance mission, after the two teams of twelve players were wiped out, the remaining two reconnaissance teams happened to have a player who obtained a Corridor Crystal by chance.
Originally, this player intended to sell the precious Corridor Crystal and use the col obtained from the sale to purchase other crystal items and improve their equipment.
However, before returning, this player inexplicably recorded the entrance to the boss's door with the Corridor Crystal and then left.
Upon learning of this, Rozen purchased the Corridor Crystal on the spot from the player, using it immediately. This allowed the entire clearing group to skip the lower labyrinth area, and other steps and directly arrive here.
However, having plenty of energy doesn't mean they can safely pass this challenging stage.
Now, players are looking at the door in front of them with a mix of anxiety, seriousness, and some even with a frightened expression, making the atmosphere seem somewhat oppressive.
This includes Kirito, Klein, Agil, and others.
"75th floor..." Kirito's eyes gleamed with determination.
"We've finally made it here..." The lightheartedness disappeared from Klein's face.
"The final obstacle before Floor 100, huh?" Agil let out a slow breath.
One by one, players stared at the door in front of them with various emotions and thoughts, not taking their eyes off it.
Only Heathcliff, with his cold gaze, looked at the door with an unwavering face that concealed his inner emotions.
Rozen glanced at the reactions of everyone present but remained silent.
Instead, he extended his hand and placed it in front of him.
"It's been two years..."
Rozen muttered softly to himself.
Although two years might not be long compared to his actual lifespan, if he closed his eyes and focused on magic, it would pass in the blink of an eye in the real world.
Yet, these two years were significant to Rozen.
After all, it was the first time Rozen had held a sword in his hand, fought on the front lines against enemies, and continued fighting up to this point.
"If this were the real world, with my body that overly consumes life force, I probably wouldn't be able to do all this, would I?"
Therefore, these two years were quite memorable for Rozen. He often found himself contemplating.
"Perhaps, even in the real world, I could fight like this, wielding a sword."
But that would require a more indirect approach.
"So, for now, let's give it our all in this world."
Rozen stared at his own palm and made this determination.
At that moment, a slender hand reached out from the side and held Rozen's palm.
Rozen was briefly taken aback, then turned to look at his side. There, Asuna gazed at Rozen with a gentle yet determined expression.
"It's going to be alright," Asuna said softly. "We will definitely achieve victory."
Upon hearing this, Rozen smiled faintly and replied, "Of course."
He had never doubted that. If he couldn't believe in himself, what else could he believe in.
"I will lead you to victory."
Rozen held Asuna's hand, turned around, and faced all the players.
"Let's begin the 75th-floor boss clearing battle!"
The players responded to Rozen's declaration with cheers.
Then, Rozen stepped forward and pushed open the door to the boss's room.
"Rumble..."
With a heavy sound, the door swung open.
Simultaneously, Kirito unsheathed his dual swords, Klein drew his katana, Agil pulled out his battle axe, Heathcliff unsheathed his cross-shaped sword, and even Asuna drew her rapier.
Other players followed suit, drawing their weapons one by one.
Rozen naturally drew his crystal sword.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou let out powerful cries.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, the door finally opened completely.
"Charge!"
Rozen gave this one-word command and rushed forward. Asuna followed him without hesitation, and Kirito, Klein, Agil, and others roared as they charged in as well.
Only after all the players had entered the room did the door close for the second time.
"Boom!"
Their escape route was cut off.
All there's left is to fight!
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