Bab 288: -284- This, is true battle
In this very moment, Asuna felt only one thing.
"It feels so nice..."
It wasn't just physical comfort, but a sense of profound satisfaction that pervaded her spirit as well.
This was the sensation brought about by battle.
Of course, Asuna wasn't a battle fanatic.
On the contrary, when it came to battles in this world, she had only experienced exhaustion and disgust. She had never felt a shred of joy in them.
For her, battles were merely a means to accomplish her goals.
If there were people in this world who genuinely enjoyed fighting from the heart, they must have gone mad.
That was Asuna's belief.
However, at this moment, Asuna was indeed experiencing comfort during battle.
The weapon in her right hand played a significant role.
Despite having acquired the sword just yesterday, the moment she held it, she felt an incredibly fitting sensation in her palm.
This caused Asuna's combat prowess to undergo a complete transformation. Not only did she have a clearer sense of touch when executing sword skills, but her speed and power had also increased several levels. This newfound comfort allowed her to move with ease, making her actions, steps, and form feel lighter and more fluid, resulting in a significantly smoother battle performance.
In the face of this, Asuna could only find it incredible.
"It's just a change of weapon, so why is there such a significant difference?"
Of course, Asuna wasn't aware that, given her level and skills, regular shop weapons had long stopped keeping up with her pace.
As players' levels increased, so did their strength and agility. They could carry heavier loads, and the weapons they used became lighter and attack speeds slower, failing to keep up with the players' actual capabilities.
Therefore, players needed to frequently switch weapons. Apart from upgrading to better equipment with higher levels, the most crucial reason was to avoid using weapons that no longer suited them, as it would hinder their effectiveness.
This might not have been a problem in regular online games, but in this SAO with its intense emphasis on realism and sensory immersion, the issue of feel was paramount.
Hence, in this world, having a weapon that felt right in your hand was truly crucial.
This meant that Asuna had been completely held back by her previous weapon, the "Iron Rapier."
After changing her main weapon to the highest-performance rapier on the 1st floor, the "Wind Fleuret," Asuna's true skill was fully unleashed.
And not to mention, due to her exceptional luck, Asuna had managed to enhance the "Wind Fleuret" to +6 in just one night.
This made Asuna feel that her battles were no longer merely about exhaustion and boredom but had become comfortable due to the smooth rhythm of her actions.
"If this is the nature of battles in this world..."
Then, what kind of game was she playing before this?
Such a bewildering thought crossed Asuna's mind.
At the same time, certain words floated into Asuna's consciousness.
Those were the words spoken by the man who had given her the sword last night.
"This game isn't so simple that you can get through it relying solely on standardized equipment from the shop."
"If you truly don't want to lose to this game, if you don't want to be defeated by this world, then you should face it head-on, value it, rather than reject and refuse it."
"Try fighting with it and see. When the time comes, you'll understand."
Now, after Asuna had truly fought using those words as her guide, she completely comprehended their meaning.
And so, Asuna turned her head and looked in Rozen's direction.
There, Rozen, having sensed her gaze, smiled as though he could see through everything, then turned his head away.
Seeing this, Asuna tightened her grip on the rapier in her hand and her gaze turned towards the Kobold Lord, Illfang.
There, surrounded by two teams of closed beta players, the Kobold Lord was roaring angrily. He swung his bone axe incessantly, striking heavy shields and igniting sparks.
Led by Agil, the third team rotated using the "Howl" skill to control the boss's aggro. This made the boss continuously target the tanky players with decent defense.
Meanwhile, led by Kirito, the second team circled around the boss, dealing damage and causing various weapons to strike the Kobold Lord. This gradually depleted its HP. Whenever the boss was immobilized due to sword skills, they unleashed their maximum damage, striking the boss with a barrage of sword skills and significantly reducing its health.
This cycle frustrated Illfang to no end when he regained mobility. He turned his anger towards the damage-dealing players. However, every time this happened, players with long weapons would rush in, using delaying sword skills to push Eilfang back or knock him down, preventing the boss from hitting the damage dealers. By the time Illfang recovered, the tanky players would regain aggro control.
In this rhythmic manner, the closed beta players continuously chipped away at Illfang's HP.
Before long, Illfang's first HP bar was emptied.
At this point, three new Kobold Sentinels emerged, rushing towards the players.
Led by Asuna, the three strike teams charged forward to intercept the incoming Sentinels.
The raid progressed effectively and smoothly.
Watching the active efforts of the closed beta players, aside from the two strike teams dealing with the Kobold Sentinels, the remaining four teams led by Diabel, consisting of regular players, could only watch the situation unfold.
Especially Kibaou, he couldn't help but grow anxious.
"Diabel! Isn't it our turn yet!?"
Kibaou exclaimed impatiently.
Other players shared the same sentiment.
After all, the Layer Guardian Boss was the strongest monster on the floor, offering the richest experience, money, and loot rewards.
If they didn't contribute during a raid, even if money was distributed evenly, regular players wouldn't get a share of experience and loot drops.
This made the regular players quite anxious.
Diabel also turned to Rozen and asked, "Rozen-kun, isn't it time to 'switch'?"
"Switch" referred to the rotation of players in and out during battle.
To prevent interference between sword skills and attacks during battles, players often rotated. This ensured cooldowns for sword skills and allowed for HP recovery without hindrance.
Though when facing ordinary monsters, players usually rotated one by one, when dealing with large-sized bosses, the number of attackers could increase, and rotations could evolve from individuals to teams.
Diabel was hinting that it was time for the regular players to take the field.
"Sure."
Rozen didn't even look at the HP of the closed beta players attacking the boss. He gave the command directly.
"Switch!"
At his command, all the closed beta players attacking the boss in front of them shook.
"Alright! Switch!"
Kirito led the way to retreat.
"Switch!"
Agil led the other players to step back as well.
The closed beta players promptly withdrew in an orderly manner.
"Good!"
Kibaou's eyes brightened.
"Charge!"
Diabel issued a direct order, prompting the team of regular players, consisting of both damage dealers and tanks, to rush forward and intercept Illfang, who was about to attack the closed beta players.
"Control the pace and aggro! Don't rush!"
Diabel commanded loudly, his eyes flashing with a mix of anticipation and unease as he stared at Illfang.
However, Diabel completely failed to notice that Rozen was watching him too, his eyes shimmering.
"Let me see when you'll reveal your true colors..."
Rozen muttered softly.
Diabel had no idea.
He had fallen for one of Rozen's tricks.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone