Bab 18: Chapter 18: First and Last Day on Floor 2 [Part 3]
A/N: Quite the long chapter ahead, with 8k words.
Hope you like it.
It's a bit of an fast upload, but well... I read progressive volume 1 that covers Floor 1 and 2, so I figured it'd be a waste if I didn't end up writing immediately about Floor 2, since my memory would be still fresh of it.
Floor 3, will definitely be a bit harder and won't be speed rushed like this. Gotta read Progressive Volume 2, too, soon.
Bought myself recently progressive Volume 1-5, so from now on, no more wikipedia and reading the summaries of it.
Anyhow, I've nothing really much to mention right now so well, that's all.
I'd appreciate it though, if you'd end up commenting.
Also I'm more active on Wattpad regarding the Sword Art Online Fanfic, so you can check me there out, if you'd like.
Same username as here.
Anyhow, enjoy reading
--
[December 3th, 17.56]
[Third Person Pov]
After obtaining the Martial Arts Skill, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka headed out in the direction of the labyrinth.
Similarly wise at the same time as Ayanokoji was heading out towards his way to the labyrinth, Kirito who was alone, after departing from both Asuna and Ayanokoji four hours ago, was hiding himself from the people spawning in the town Urbus with a bandanna, was now seeing right in front of him Argo being chased down by two people.
Doing his best to follow them he later identified them from a guild that used to simulate of being 'Ninjas' in the beta, called Fuumaningun.
They were people that had put in the Beta all their Stat Points in Agility, making them extremely swift and fast.
He tailed them all the way till an Anti-Criminal Code Effect and stopped them from forcing information out of Argo.
Out of gratitude she was now leading him towards the hut, for the [Martial Arts] quest, keeping quiet about Ayanokoji, because she wanted to surprise him and see him with whiskers on his face and make fun of him before leaving immediately.
Although, she'd be accepting the quest too, for the whiskers, before leaving.
The latter person however was moving to the labyrinth right now, albeit with a small stop at the town Urbus for a NPC merchant that can customize a mask he happened to own.
--
After a bit of time had passed, Ayanokoji looked at his inventory and materialized his customized mask with an [X] logo on it.
He had enhanced its durability to the maximum at an NPC Blacksmith, ensuring that no one would find out his identity. Even if the Floor Monster hit his mask, it should withstand some attacks easily. Not that he would let it happen, though.
"I suppose... it's time to put it on now."
Looking around one last time with his high [Searching] skill and its sub-skill, [Tracking], he confirmed he was completely alone here.
"In order to move into the labyrinth, I've got to defeat you, huh? Well... That's going to be quite an easy task."
[Field Boss Appearance:]
The bridge leading to the labyrinth was blocked by a large monster. Ayanokoji put on the mask and equipped a black customized robe that covered his body. He switched his weapon to the Katana and jumped from the rock on the right side down to the ground, facing the monster head-on.
<Bullbous Bow>
That was the name of the monster right in front of him. It wasn't a normal monster but the only field boss on the second floor, blocking the bridge that led to the final village of the floor and the labyrinth.
Even if this monster died, it would respawn again.
However after a certain time limit, according to Argo, that is 6 hours.
"Bulmroooh!" it roared upon noticing Ayanokoji. The ground began to shake, white steam puffing out of the Bullbous Bow's nostrils. Lowering its four horns, it charged towards Ayanokoji.
"I don't intend to get hit this time," he exclaimed, charging his Katana as there was still a good distance between them.
"Bulmroooh!" it roared, sprinting towards Ayanokoji, but it met his Katana before it could attack him. Looking back, Ayanokoji saw that the monster was still very much alive.
"Well... I didn't expect one single hit to be enough, anyway. But..."
The damage was less than he expected, honestly.
Of course, his weapon was partly at fault, despite its good stats. Unlike most other weapons people currently had, Ayanokoji was unable to improve his weapon at the moment, as the necessary materials weren't available on this floor.
In Sword Art Online, every piece of equipment, including weapons, that could be powered up had a preset number of possible attempts.
The <Anneal Blade> he had used for the majority of the time had a preset of eight possible attempts. Despite not using it, he had improved it to the maximum he could on Floor 1, with it being +6 (3S1Q1A1D).
Weapons could be improved by five parameters: Sharpness, Quickness, Accuracy, Heaviness, and Durability. It was possible to improve them at either an NPC blacksmith or a player blacksmith.
But there were differences between the two.
At the same level, a player blacksmith had a higher rate of success than the NPC blacksmith.
In the interest of improving his weapon to the best possible level, it would be best to give the maximum amount of materials instead of the minimal requirement.
His Katana, a unique weapon, although quite good and better than most weapons, had just a preset of twenty possible attempts. It would easily withstand use until Floor 10-12, but after that, he would most likely need a new weapon.
So for him, not making a mistake and providing the maximal success for improving his weapon was of high importance once he could. Despite his response, it wasn't as if the Katana didn't deal much damage, either.
Neither did he land a critical hit, as the critical areas were the monster's horns. So, he dealt the best amount of damage one could do, taking more than 1/4 of the monster's Hit Points away without using one of his sword techniques, either.
"Then I guess it's time to test some of my techniques out."
"Ukifune!" Activating the sword skill that would launch the monster high-up in the air, Ayanokoji waited for the monster to come running at him now.
He could launch this skill each minute, as he had to wait for it to cool-down, though. Likewise with the other one.
That was the downside of the two sword skills he had unlocked so far.
As the monster was approaching him with each second, he launched the skill in the right time, propelling the Bullbous Bow in mid-air diagonally, in the direction of the trees.
But instead of stopping, he sprinted after the monster, his black robe fluttering behind him.
Seeing an opportunity arriving that he could exploit, he activated his other available sword skill, lowering his Katana to his left hip.
"Tsujikaze!"
Activating his newly acquired sword skill, [Tsujikaze], that involved a rapid diagonal slash that moved so fast it was nearly imperceptible to the human eye Ayanokoji slashed right through the monster's thick hide and horns with precision, aiming alongside the attack a crucial hit.
The monster shattered right in front of him in hundreds of blue shimmering particles, a sign that says that the monster has been defeated.
"Well... I'll take back what I said."
For Ayanokoji, it was the first time a monster survived that long, especially since he was using his full stats now.
But in total, three attacks dealt the finishing blow, one charged attack, and two sword skills.
The normal charging attack that is restored every 4 seconds already took slightly more than 1/5 of its health away, so it wasn't by any means a long battle, even if he didn't use any of his sword skills at all.
[You've defeated the Field Boss <Bullbous Bow>]
[You gained 10,000 EXP]
[You gained 15,000 Cor]
[You earned 3 Bullbous Bow's Horn]
[You earned 1 Bullbous Bow's Hide]
[You earned 2 Bullbous Bow's Claws]
[You earned 1 Bullbous Bow's Armor]
[You earned 5 Bullbous Bow's Leather]
[You earned 3 Bullbous Bow's Meat]
[You received a Title: Bullbous Bow Field Boss Slayer]
[You received the Last Attacking Bonus!]
[You gained the weapon Chakram]
[Level 24: 406,062/420,000]
[Cor: 1,692,512]
After the notifications came in a rush Ayanokoji was a bit astonished at one of these in particular. He didn't expect to gain a throwing weapon like the Chakram, out of all of it, for just twenty seconds he wasted here defeating the field boss.
He looked a bit astonished, but he couldn't use it, since he didn't have the [Throwing Knives] skill, in which the Chakram happens to be subcategory of it for it to be used.
Once weapons or skills reached the proficiency of 50, you'd be able to use skill mods it. In case of the [Searching] skill it's the skill-mod tracking that'd be unlocked, and for the skill [Throwing Knives] you'd be able to equip the skill mod necessarily for the chakram.
Unlike the knives, that'd be gone, the chakram would always return to its user, so it was a valuable weapon in total for those who used the [Throwing Knives] skill.
The same naturally applied to weapons, too.
For the one-handed curved sword, one of the skill mods Ayanokoji immediately equipped when his proficiency reached 50 was an active skill mod called [Quick Change].
So once your weapon had been shattered in the battle, it requires just two buttons to press, of equipping the next best weapon, as he demonstrated in his fight against the Event Boss, back then
To note is, skill mods were available once the proficiency reached 50, 100, 150, until it continues till 1,000.
Most of the skill mods are passive skills, so they usually increase things like the [Critical Hit Rate] or some would end up shorting the sword skill cooldown, which was also a given passive option.
Since Ayanokoji so far did not intend to equip the [Throwing Knives] skill it had no use to him, so he might end up selling it or give it someone familiar.
But so far, he wasn't quite sure, so he would let it rot in his inventory for a while until he found a solution on what to do with the chakram.
He crossed the bridge that was temporarily four hours long for everyone available to cross, if what Argo happened to say was true.
"I hope I can clear this floor before midnight."
Looking at the time, Ayanokoji couldn't help but frown, since it was nearly half past six and he's out since the morning, from 11 o'clock.
Materializing some food he had with him he walked past the bridge, quickly.
Once he passed through the bridge, he was in a moment of thought.
"The village Taran should be now half a mile southeast from here. Argo said there were some quests, so I might do them, before heading to the labyrinth. After all... I don't like to miss out rewards such as sour cream... or milk... if there's some offered here or anything similarly like that."
Narrowed in the delusion that he could eat more delicious food and perhaps eat one time ice cream through items like milk, Ayanokoji headed in full speed towards the final village Taran, accepting every single possible quest.
--
After around forty minutes had passed, and he absolved every single quest in the village Taran, he made his way towards the labyrinth.
With the quests he absolved he did certainly get some good items, alongside some which he sought, too. He also gained through these quests about 5,000 EXP and 20,500 Cor's, so it surely did slightly benefit him.
Although he couldn't say that it was by any means much, he got some of the items he wished for long, so he was satisfied with the results.
From the village all the way to the labyrinth it didn't take him more than ten minutes with all his stats.
Once he was there, he opened the labyrinth door, entering as the first player the second floor labyrinth.
Likewise as the first floor, there were separate floors until you reached the floor boss, but he couldn't tell the amount the separate floors in the labyrinth contained.
It could be like the first floor twenty floors or just ten floors. He couldn't tell for sure, but the more, the better.
After walking a bit, in a fast-paced speed, having his [Searching] skill active in case for chests, he found after twenty minutes the first monsters in the labyrinth, after he had found several hidden chests in the labyrinth.
It was a group of five monsters he encountered, three different types of Tauruses.
One of them was a <Lesser Taurus Striker> at Level 11. It had a muscular appearance, wielding a large hammer, and was dressed in minimal armor—just underwear and a strap-type armor along its body.
There happened to be three of these monsters right in front of him.
[Lesser Taurus Striker Appearance:]
Accompanying them was a <Taurus Ironguard>, a rare monster to encounter at this stage of the labyrinth, at Level 12.
This monster wore heavy metal armor and wielded a giant hammer like the others.
As for the third type of the monster, it was a <Taurus Ringhurler>, also at Level 12.
This one stood further back, equipped with deadly throwing rings, chakrams, to be more truthful, ready to attack players from a distance.
Unfazed by any single one of them, he walked now inside their eyesight, alarming them on his presence.
"Brmooooh!" it roared, running in his direction, but before any of them could even react, the three <Lesser Taurus Strikers> charging towards him were defeated, shattered into hundreds of pieces, Ayanokoji's Katana having pierced right through them.
It took not even a second for him to defeat the other two monsters, gaining a rush of instant notifications.
[You gained 114 EXP]
[You gained 130 Cor]
x3
[You gained 136 EXP]
[You gained 160 Cor]
x1
[You gained 100 EXP]
[You gained 110 Cor]
x1
Since these were labyrinth monsters, significantly more difficult than those on the second floor, it was common for them to reward much more Cor and EXP.
However, these rewards were usually split evenly among group members who partied together to advance through the labyrinth.
The experience given to party members is weighted by damage done (attackers), damaged blocked (shield-tanks), and 'aggro' (holding the monsters attention).
Since Ayanokoji was mostly solo, such a preset didn't exist for him.
For the majority of the time, of course.
Since he didn't plan on abandoning his position as one of the people fighting in the frontline's, such a thing would still exist for him.
Larger parties had both an advantage and disadvantage in his view. With them it was an easier time navigating the labyrinth and taking down tougher monsters, but individual rewards were smaller.
Conversely, smaller parties or solo players like him could earn more per monster, but faced greater risks.
He couldn't tell how long he could keep fighting alone, but at one point, he definitely would need a group with reliable and skilled allies.
Without wasting any second, he continued on exploring the labyrinth.
He was right now at floor 1 out of the 20 floors, so he didn't want to be here for more than three hours, if possible.
Deciding on fastening the approach, knowing his inventory didn't have the capabilities on looting every single chest here, he took the ones that seemed to be most hidden, and most promising ones.
Seeing Tauruses all along his way, he rashly split them open without any trouble, neither being forced to activate his swords skill nor forced to charge his Katana.
In the remaining labyrinth floor 1, he encountered about 64 other Tauruses, 47 of them being the <Lesser Taurus Striker>, 10 of them being from the <Taurus Ringhurler> and the rest from the Ironguard Taurus.
[Level 24: 413,950/420,000]
Despite the numerous monsters he killed today, after he finished the quest on the hut and advanced to Level 24, he still didn't break through Level 25.
Then again, leveling up for him unlike the other players is by a margin more difficult.
Today he just happened to hold the advantage that just a decent amount of players were on floor 2, so he could defeat many Trembling Oxen he encountered on his way.
But regarding tomorrow, it'd be another matter.
The people in the frontline, including him are for now, resting, refilling everything they need at the shop, with Diavel announcing the next steps tomorrow.
After defeating the first floor boss, a break, celebrating the victory, was the least you could do.
He didn't do any of that sort.
Ayanokoji was wondering whether he should after clearing the floor, head towards the next one, or when he reaches the main town, just decide on using the teleport gate and head to floor 1 out.
Of course... he could as well not open the gate for floor 3, or open it, and return to the main settlement of Floor 2, Urbus, the only location where you could use the teleport gate.
Due to the new feature Kayaba put in of live-streaming the boss fight on the floor boss fights, he couldn't hide himself, and players would be able to confront him, when he reaches the main settlement of the third floor, as they were able to teleport themselves immediately there once the floor boss is cleared.
There were naturally other options, such as sleeping elsewhere, at a cave, at a village, isolated, but it wasn't something he wanted to do, necessarily.
He also wasn't afraid, but if people began on attacking him, when he was near the town, it would certainly prove to end up quite bothersome.
If he could, he'll avoid a fight with them.
If it's not avoidable, he'll do what he has to do, to protect himself.
Walking further, not taking a break at the safe-zone where monsters weren't able to come in he proceeded his way towards the floor 20, where the floor boss room should be located.
Ayanokoji's level rose, once he cleared the second floor, obtaining the remaining EXP to advance to Level 25, and rose again.
At the beginning of the labyrinth floor 7 he was able to raise his level again, and at Floor 12, again.
Just as he was almost going to level up again, having reached Floor 19, he has gotten out of sudden a message from someone in his friend list.
The person he was talking about happened to be Kirito, the person known as the 'Evil Beater', currently.
[Kirito: Hey Ayanokoji, I know this message comes at a rather... uh... late time, but I heard from Argo that you've also heard about the hut quest and might have accepted it. If you did, are you somewhere near the hut?]
[Kirito: I've been struggling to find a way to solve this quest, so I thought two brains are better than one. Argo left after she got the whiskers, and we couldn't find you. Sorry to bother you with this, but I'm losing my mind trying to figure out how to split this rock with my palms.]
[Ayanokoji: No worries, the quest is quite hard. But I'm not there anymore. I left after I finished the quest.]
[Kirito: I see. Sorry to have bothered you. Wait... Did you just say you finished the quest?]
[Ayanokoji: Yes? Is something wrong with that?]
[Kirito: No... It's just that I'm getting the feeling this quest is unsolvable, so I was surprised when you said you completed it. I've been thinking non-stop about it for more than twenty minutes and still have no idea.]
[Kirito: I'm a pro in MMORPGs, yet I'm not getting past this. If you don't mind, would you share with me how you did it? I'll definitely make it up to you.]
[Ayanokoji: Sure. Did you happen to encounter some of the Trembling Oxen near the hut?]
[Kirito: Near the hut...? Argo and I encountered them on our way, but that's all. Is there something special about them?]
[Ayanokoji: You could say that. They're spawning more frequently around the hut after you've accepted the quest.]
[Kirito: Spawning more frequently... Do you mean they're the key to breaking the rock?]
[Ayanokoji: I do.]
[Kirito: I see. I think I get it now. By luring them towards the rock, you can use their charged attacks against it to break it. That makes sense! Thanks, Ayanokoji, I owe you one.]
[Ayanokoji: No problem. Just be careful with the timing when you dodge. Their charged attacks are fast and powerful.]
[Kirito: Got it. I definitely owe you one for this.]
[Ayanokoji: Anytime. Let's talk more tomorrow. I'm thinking of going to sleep now.]
[Kirito: Yup. Till tomorrow. See you at the frontline meeting.]
Closing his message Ayanokoji proceeded his way towards the labyrinth further, looking at the clock at his Hub, seeing it was near 9 o'clock.
"Most of the players should be by now still be awake. It's the best if I finish this floor and the next floor very soon."
--
Once he arrived right in front of the Labyrinth, he couldn't help but think how much he achieved in this one single day.
[Level 28: 538,574/568,400]
[Skills:]
[Sprint:] - [219/1,000]
[Searching:] - [206/1,000:]
[Parry:] - [107/1,000]
[Night Vision:] - [143/1,000]
[One-Handed Curved Sword] - [500/1,000]
[Extra Skill: Katana] - [24/1,000]
[Weapon:]
[Nozarashi: (UR)]
[Katana / One Hand / Two Hand]
[Range: Short] — [Type: Slash]
[Attack: 150] — [Durability: 1.000]
[Weight: 98] — [Requires: Level 20]
[Equip: +22] — [Strenght: +13]
[Agility: +19] — [Armor:]
[Sword Skills:]
[Ukifune (New)] - [11/1,000]
[Tsujikaze (New)] - [16/1,000]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 43]
[Agility: 41]
Despite his opponent being a floor boss, Ayanokoji didn't feel nervous at all. After all, he himself was abnormally strong, so why should he be afraid.
He was faster than before, and probably, around 10-12 Levels higher than the Floor Boss.
Was there even a reason for him to be afraid?
Not at all.
All he currently wondered was how much Experience Points the Floor Boss would give him since he was fighting it alone.
But he should be able to level up decently since every EXP will go to him unlike at the first floor boss fight.
Despite his high expectations he couldn't tell for sure.
But this labyrinth gave him more than enough EXP, so he wasn't expecting much beyond one Level at all.
If he's lucky, he'll reach Level 30, but that's it, probably.
This day, certainly, was for Ayanokoji, a very productive day.
Clearing two floors in one single day.
Just after the first floor boss was defeated, he was at Level 23, and now, he's at Level 28, with room open to advance one or two Levels further.
A new skill slot would be open as well and he'd be able to equip his Martial Arts Skill.
Even if he didn't get a new skill slot, after this fight was over, he might abandon the [Night Vision] skill, as its use has decreased, compared to back then.
Waiting for a minute, recalling what Argo had described about the Floor Boss in her manual, he opened the Floor Boss Room, walking in as the first player ever, in Sword Art Online, to try and attempt of clearing a floor boss entirely alone.
--
"Huh? Is this some kind of bug?" A confused boy questioned, seeing something familiar on his HUD appearing, once again.
"What's wrong, Ike?"
"Don't you all see the camera symbol appearing again on the HUD?"
"Now that you mention it, you're right."
"Are they clearing the floor, once again?" A blonde haired boy asked.
"No... Today, the frontline decided to rest up. Nothing should happen today. It's a bug, perhaps."
"Ah, right, Horikita-san, you were present, right? Along with Ayanokoji-kun? Is he alright? I mean... after what happened..." Hirata, one of the people in her class, asked, who was alongside her sitting in an Inn.
"Don't worry about him, he's fine. He didn't get hit from that boss monster when he saved Diavel-san."
"I see. That's good to know."
"Huh?! What the hell!"
"Ike-kun, what's wrong?"
"Look at the livestream!"
As people heard him shouting throughout the whole Inn, one person after another began to open up the camera symbol on their HUD, even those unrelated to the conversation who just wanted to eat in the Inn.
"A person...?!" Horikita, taken aback of seeing someone in the floor appearing, said this in utter surprise.
"Is this for real?"
"It seems like it... I think"
"But... Why is he wearing a mask...?"
"He?"
"I mean I think... It's pretty obviously a male. But that mask... It's somehow mysteriously. It has an [X] logo on it."
"X..."
"Ike-kun, what's wrong..."
"I... think... I've heard that name before."
"Heard...?"
"Don't you know the topic cursing around two to three weeks earlier. How the Floor 1 Labyrinth Map Data's were offered everywhere for 5,000 Cor...? That trade name of the person... it also happened to be [X]."
"Is something wrong with that?" Someone, who was not fighting at all, asked.
"It's... That the frontlines had not even stepped one foot into the labyrinth at all, when that Map Data was already being offered. I think that person... It's that same guy."
"X..." the black haired girl muttered in quiet.
"Horikita-san, is everything alright?"
"Yes... Don't worry, Hirata. I'm fine."
--
A black-haired boy, walking down the mountains he took so long to climb, not encountering any monster as he slayed them all his way, on his way to Urbus, saw something on his HUD appearing.
"Huh...?" Looking at it, he wondered what it was, until he recalled what Argo had told him.
"Kii-bou, you did a great job in the labyrinth. Especially, with killing that floor monster. Ya big sister Argo is proud of ya. For that, I allow ya to stare at my legs."
"Huh? How do you know about what happened? Were you present and used the hiding skill?"
"No... Didn't anyone told you yet?"
"Told me what?"
"Ah... I see... so that's how it is. Kii-bou you're really unpopular after all so ya, it's no wonder you didn't know about it. "
"Ya see... once you guys entered the floor boss room, something on my HUD, and that of every other player aside from you guys, it seems appeared. A camera symbol with which I could suddenly watch ya live fighting the floor boss."
"You're not joking, Argo. Right?"
"I'm Argo, The Rat. Ya seem to have forgotten it. I speak only the truth."
"I wasn't doubting you... It's just so surreal to believe..."
Looking at the ground, he murmured, "Kayaba... damn you..."
"There's no way he'll survive this."
Sprinting all the way from his current location, descending the mountain very quickly, he tried on making his best efforts reaching the labyrinth.
But even if, the way was quite long.
He'd make it in time towards the town Urbus, but making it all the way to the labyrinth was not even somehow realistic.
--
At another location, at the same time, a blue-haired girl with short hair could be seen drinking.
"Ibuki... you're still here? Drinking and spending all your Cor?" a voice questioned.
"Shut up, I'll do what I like. Just mind your own business, Ryūen." Ibuki snapped back.
"Hah... These pathetic boys you just complained about hours ago really must have convinced you. You're now even trying to act drunk like them," he retorted with a mocking tone.
Ibuki glared at him, then turned herself around, ultimately facing away from him. "Where do you bastard even come from?"
"I've been gaining us some Cor. I made some deals with other people," he explained.
"Deals?" Ibuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"One of them was with our dear Student Council President."
"Huh?" Ibuki looked genuinely surprised.
"You know one of the activities we've been doing so far. Collecting herbs, right? Well, it turns out our illustrious president is in need of quite a few. He's willing to pay handsomely for them," Ryūen explained, a hint of satisfaction in his tone.
Ibuki took a long sip from her drink, processing the information. "So, what does he want with all those herbs?"
"Making potions, I guess. Not sure, though. As long as I get paid, I don't really care. We didn't need some of those herbs either way."
"I see. You said deals, right? So this isn't the only one you've made."
"With that, little girl, too. She has built herself quite a bit of a reputation already so I figured it'd be useful for us to make an alliance together."
"She suggested on inviting Ichinose and Horikita, tomorrow. We'll meet up in the morning, to discuss some things."
"Is he also there?"
"Ayanokoji? I don't know. But probably if Horikita messages him."
As these two were discussing things, a sudden shout could be heard in the Inn.
"What...?!"
Many people in the Inn began to cause an uproar, right now, but none could be clearly heard well.
"Shut up. I'm drinking," Ibuki snapped, slamming her 'beer' on the table.
But as she looked around, people didn't refute or say anything, but instead looked at their HUD, watching something.
"Isn't that a... Katana...? How is that even possible...?"
But that voice ringed loudly, for both of them, to look what everyone did, opening their HUD, seeing a camera symbol appearing.
"The second floor...?!" Ibuki questioned, seeing that it was opened. "But... It's just one single person."
Ryūen had a comedically grin on his face. "X, huh..."
"What a coincidence..."
"Is it perhaps you, Monster...?"
--
"You're back. Did you get everything I asked you for."
"I did, indeed. There you go, Sakayanagi. Don't ask me to ever to do it again."
"Don't be like that, Kamuro. Everything turned out to be fine, right?"
"Tch... You wouldn't be saying that if you had to fight these disgusting slimes. They don't make much damage... but they're disgusting, once they come in touch with your body."
"For what did you even need them?"
"I've got some couple of experiments to do. You'd be surprised at how useful these slimes can be," the figure of the small girl said, taking the jars filled with wriggling slimes from Kamuro.
"Useful? In what way?" Kamuro asked, her skepticism evident.
"Well, for starters, slime gel can be used to craft sticky traps. It's perfect for setting up ambushes. They can immobilize enemies, making them easy targets. Also, their essence can be used to create potions. Healing potions, stamina potions and even antidotes."
"So, they're not just disgusting pests after all."
"Exactly. You'd be amazed at the versatility of the ingredients we can gather in this world. Every little thing has its use if you know where to look," Sakayanagi said, a hint of pride in their voice.
"Fine, fine. Just make sure it's worth all the trouble. I had to fight off a horde of them to get these," Kamuro muttered, rubbing her arms as if she could still feel the slime on her skin.
Sakayanagi laughed softly. "Don't worry, it'll be worth it."
As she was ready to experiment, she could see on her HUD a camera symbol suddenly appearing.
"Do you see it too, Kamuro?"
"The symbol? Yeah... I do. What is it, Sakayanagi?"
"It seems like something interesting has happen, just now."
Opening the livestream, she looked at the person there, reminding herself how much she used to stare at him that day, through the glass.
"X, huh...?" she smiled, slightly.
"You seem to have some of your own plans, too..."
"I hope we can meet, sometime. I think... I'm worth of your attention now, Ayanokoji-kun," she murmured quietly, watching like most people, the livestream.
--
Just hours ago, the outside world had been captivated by the sight of a group of players fighting the first Floor Boss, Illfang, the Kobold Lord, putting their lives in the line of surviving the death game a single madman had trapped them into.
And now, just nine hours later, they were witnessing something extraordinary once again.
The spectacle of one person fighting alone against the second Floor Boss, Baran the General Taurus, and its Mid-Boss, Nato the Colonel Taurus.
Those who played in the Beta of Sword Art Online and happened to not be able to buy the game, had immediately recognized the Floor Boss, Baran the General Taurus.
Until they had cleared him, it took up to fifteen to twenty attempts, despite the Floor Boss being at Level 8-11.
However they could frequently respawn, which these players couldn't.
Website after website appeared, live-streaming the unfolding events.
Forums buzzed with activity, discussions flaring up as viewers shared their thoughts and speculations.
"Is he really going to do it? Alone?" one user typed furiously.
"Who is this masked player? Does anyone recognize him?" another questioned.
"How the hell should we know? No one's ever seen him before!" a reply came swiftly.
"This is insane. How the hell did he think he can defeat these two things!"
"I don't know... But do you guys see this, too? His weapon?"
"Yes? What's wrong with it?"
"It's a Katana. I played in the Beta and I never heard of that weapon ever before."
"Me neither. I thought those weren't available at all. I assumed it's weapons only available for the Floor Bosses."
Discussions like that took all over the place, with countless of people watching him from the mainstream media alongside the people all over Aincrad watching him, some people from the frontline thinking whether it's not their 'Evil Beater', Kirito.
Even before the fight started, many asked how he had a Katana, already.
While the majority of the outside remained clueless about the person in the mask, a specific man who watched the livestream, cold eyes gleaming through the screen, felt a bit dissatisfied.
"Kiyotaka, there will come a time when you can no longer hide your abilities. I'll be waiting for that moment."
--
As Ayanokoji entered the boss room, and a couple of seconds have passed, the monster recognized him entering the room, a loud fierce roar the first thing to be heard from <Baran, the General Taurus>.
[Baran, the General Taurus Appearance:]
"Vrooooo!"
Lifting his golden double-handed hammer straight aloft as he shouted with a roar so fierce for anyone who watched the livestream, feeling that they were already being attacked by the monster despite not being even present.
The hammer stopped high overhead for an instant, its wide surface glowing with brilliant yellow sparks, then bringing it down, slamming the mass of metal against the dark stone floor activating his special debuffing skill for the Taurus Race, Numbing Impact.
But as Ayanokoji wasn't in the range of the debuffing skill, he wasn't affected by it.
Even then, his armor had a skill resistance for debuffing skills, so even if it hit, it wouldn't be highly effective against him either, he presumed.
Next to him the Mid-Boss, <Nato, the Colonel Taurus> appeared, also releasing a shout, trying on debuffing him, but like the first one, he failed, as Ayanokoji was out of range.
[Nato, Colonel Taurus Appearance:]
Both of these monsters were for most players very intimidating, but unlike Baran, who was sixteen foot tall, Nato was only at half of his size.
Nato was still slightly taller than <Illfang, the Kobold Lord> with one and a half foot taller, but unlike him he was no Floor Boss.
Still it didn't change the fact of him being a Mid-Floor Boss, far more difficult than the Field Boss, who has been basically just child's play, with only the attacking and charging pattern of it.
Seeing that countless of monsters spawned, he first would take them out, as they'd respawn in a set time of a minute Interval.
They also happen to be around Level 13-14, here now, so it definitely has been a bit more worthwhile, leveling up here.
Sprinting with his high speed, even faster than those who put all their Stats in Agility, he slashed with one strike of his Katana, one after another several of the <Lesser Taurus Striker> and four <Taurus Ironguard>.
[You gained 130 EXP]
[You gained 180 Cor]
x9
[You gained 170 EXP]
[You gained 200 Cor]
x4
With them now being for a minute, he could focus himself on defeating the Mid-Boss, <Nato, the Colonel Taurus>.
Ayanokoji sprinted towards him, but as he was doing so, <Baran, the General Taurus> roared, "Vrrroooor!" trying on slamming his double-handed metal hammer on him.
Evading it with precise agility, Ayanokoji leaped into the air as <Baran, the General Taurus> brought his hammer down with a thunderous crash. The ground shook violently, sending ripples through the stone floor, but Ayanokoji's quick reflexes spared him from the brunt of the impact.
In mid-air, he spun around to face <Nato, the Colonel Taurus> and took stock of the situation. Landing gracefully on the ground, his katana poised for the next move, a sword skill, Ukifune.
With a quick, diagonal swipe of his katana, being able to catch his defense off-guard, Ayanokoji unleashed his sword skill.
The blade cut through the air in a clean, left-to-right diagonal arc. The force of the slash sent <Nato, the Colonel Taurus> soaring high into the air, alas not much, due to it being a Mid-Boss.
<Baran, the General Taurus> once again tried to hit Ayanokoji with his massive golden double-handed hammer, but for no use, as he evaded by, by narrowly sidestepping to the left.
Ayanokoji jumped up, activating his other sword skill at his disposal, Tsujikaze, delivering a powerful blow towards the Tauruses horn, the weakness of the Taurus Race, their crucial spot.
Having hit a crucial hit, he noticed the staggering impact on him. Using it he delivered several other blows with his Katana, while <Baran, the General Taurus> was still affected by it.
When he had hit Tsujikaze at the Tauruses Horn, he was able to take one entire HP Bar away.
With his following consecutive attacks he was able to drop half of the HP from the fourth HP Bar away.
So far, his sword skills were just consisting out one single attack but once his Katana is at a high proficiency, his sword skills will be consisting out of more than one attack.
Ukifune while looking as quite overpowered sword skill, is actually only good, when you catch your opponent off-guard.
If they parry it, or block it, it's basically not much for a use. However he was good at creating chances, so it was pretty useful to him.
As Baran was still staggering from the crucial hit on his horns, he charged his Katana up, delivering a powerful finishing strike for its fourth HP Bar.
Ayanokoji took advantage of Baran's staggered state, his katana glowing, unleashing a charged, precise slash towards Baran's exposed side.
The force of the strike was immense, sending a shockwave of energy through the air as the katana cut through his tough hide, reducing its Health to 2 HP Bars and 3/4 of its current HP Bar.
He stepped back a few paces, as Baran roared in frustration, recovering from the stagger. Ayanokoji's eyes flicked toward Nato, who had also recovered and was charging toward him. With 1/4 of its HP Bar depleted, Nato had two full HP Bars remaining.
But just as the staggering impact from the crucial hit had faded, <Baran, the General Taurus> activated his special debuffing skill, Numbing Detonation. The area of effect was so wide that Ayanokoji had no room to evade.
Even if he jumped, he would be affected once he reached the ground. There were no pillars or any other structures he could use to delay the effect or evade the skill entirely.
The only move left, despite being risky, was to try and block the attack with his katana.
If he had teammates with shields, it would have been ideal, but neither could he wield a shield with a katana nor did he intend to. Wielding a shield would decrease his stats significantly, even if it were possible.
Realizing the futility of trying to distance himself, as he would be hit by the stun effect anyway—a stun effect that would last two to three seconds, longer than the previous debuff—Ayanokoji sprinted toward Baran.
He gripped his katana with both hands, preparing to receive the full-scaled attack head-on.
The ground trembled as Baran's Numbing Detonation skill charged up. Yellow sparks danced around the massive hammer, growing brighter with each passing second, swinging his double-handed hammer on the ground.
But Ayanokoji interrupted, his katana meeting the clash of the massive hammer.
Clash.
A loud sound echoed through the boss room, Ayanokoji's gaze fixating on the damage his katana had taken.
[Nozarashi: (UR)]
[Durability: 895/1,000]
The katana had definitely taken a significant hit from blocking the hammer, but Ayanokoji knew he could always repair it at an NPC blacksmith for several thousand Cor.
Once this floor boss was defeated, he'd be able to level up his katana on the next floor, all the way to +5, where he would certainly increase its durability by at least +1.
Perhaps after the next floor, there would be subtle hints provided 'officially' through a quest on how to get a katana, as the materials could be obtained fairly early on. He didn't know for sure, but it didn't matter much to him right now.
But alongside the damage of his katana, he himself did take a bit of damage, too.
[HP: 6,450/6,650]
But it didn't bother him much, since it was less HP than he could tell.
Seeing the monster's reaction to him blocking his attack, <Baran, the General Taurus> tried to push his hammer further down, overwhelming in terms of strength, but Ayanokoji, with his abnormal stats, matched his strength and redirected the attack onto the ground.
The hammer slammed onto the floor, while Ayanokoji used this momentum to his advantage to further damage the monster.
He was able to deal many consecutive attacks on Baran's chest, reducing his health all the way to just two HP Bars now.
But just as he was about to attack once more, he caught a quick side glance of the other monster, <Nato, the Colonel Taurus>, charging at him with his hammer raised.
Instead of trying to dodge, Ayanokoji sprinted towards him, charging his katana all the way up, facing the hammer head-on.
The clash of their weapons sent a shockwave through the air, the sheer force of the impact vibrating up Ayanokoji's arms.
With a powerful push, Ayanokoji managed to parry the hammer, redirecting its force and sending it high above the monster's head.
Using this towards his advantage, he dealt many fast consecutive attacks with his katana, slashing him at his chest, reducing its health all the way to just one 1 HP Bar.
He charged his katana immediately up, using this chance to eliminate him once and for all.
But while his charged attack was in process of hitting the monster, he felt something hitting his back, thus leading him to misaim his attack on the crucial spot.
He glanced to the side and noticed that new Tauruses have spawned, one of them being <Taurus Ringhurler> who could attack from distance with a Chakram.
The skin from <Nato, the Colonel Taurus> turned from blue to purple, and he was now according to Argo's guide, in a state of a rampage.
He'd be using his numbing skill at every occasion, so he'd need to perfectly time it now.
But while he was maintaining a distance he took the other monsters fast out, dealing now with just two again.
As the fight happens to be now about two minutes long, he could see an opening from Nato. He sprinted there, taking him out, once and for all.
[You gained the Last Attacking Bonus!]
He didn't focus on what possible rewards he received, as he was being attacked right now, narrowly evading it by sidestepping to the side, activating his sword skill Tsujikaze, dealing a fast slash on his horns, the weakness, taking another whole HP Bar down.
With just one single one HP Bar remaining, Ayanokoji charged his katana attacking him on its chest, while dealing multiple fast consecutive attacks, finishing him in one-go now.
[You gained the Last Attacking Bonus!]
[You gained the Item Gold Bull Pattern Boxers]
But as he thought he had finished the floor boss, a shadow had passed across his mask, only seconds afterwards.
Most people didn't realize it yet, but the monster Ayanokoji was fighting didn't happen to be the floor boss.
It was one of the two mid-bosses in this floor.
The real floor boss was just coming now.
After Baran's last HP bar reached the yellow zone, Asterius would spawn in the middle of the boss room.
That was the requirement.
And Ayanokoji had just met it a few moments ago.
The monster now descended to the center of the floor, facing him—completely alone.
[Floor Boss Appearance:]
[A/N: It's both the official Illustration and only illustration. Ignore everyone else in there.]
Ayanokoji glanced up, noting that the monster had six HP Bars displayed above its head. His eyes quickly settled on its name:
'Asterius, the Taurus King, huh?'
He couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise.
"This one will definitely be much more tougher than the others I've faced," he thought, bracing himself for the challenge.
Despite the initial shock, not a single part of his body felt the need to retreat.
He just wondered whether the game had included any subtitle hints indicating that the true second-floor boss would be someone else.
Ayanokoji, in fact, was correct.
Had he not been speed-running through the floor, he would have discovered, through a series of quests in a remote section of the map, that detailed information about the floor boss—including its attack patterns and weaknesses—was available.
Players would need to venture into the jungle to unlock this vital information.
The boss's primary weakness was its crown, a crucial detail he had yet to learn.
For now, though, Ayanokoji remained largely unaware of this specific vulnerability, but it didn't stop him.
The best way to fight this monster was in fact, with the chakram, which Ayanokoji had gained, but would not be able to use as he didn't have the [Throwing Knives] skill equipped nor had he unlocked the subcategory for the chakram.
"Vrooooooor!" the monster roared fiercely, its massive hammer—twice the size of Baran's—slamming down onto the floor.
Ayanokoji quickly sidestepped several meters back, narrowly avoiding the numbing impact that would have left him stunned.
As he observed the monster, he considered where its weak spot might be.
Tauruses were typically vulnerable at their horns, but jumping that high enough to reach him was a challenge.
Reaching Baran was already difficult enough, but this one here was around 1/3 taller than <Baran, the General Taurus>.
Was it impossible...?
Well, normally it would be.
But...
It was Ayanokoji we were talking about.
The height of the monster's horns wasn't an insurmountable obstacle for him. He had other options remaining.
He could use the pillars on the side of the arena to his advantage. By leaping onto one of them, he could gain the necessary height to reach the monster's weak spot. If he timed his jumps precisely, he could use the pillars as stepping stones to launch himself high into the air.
With this in mind, Ayanokoji quickly assessed the distance and positioning of the pillars, plotting his course.
--
Despite many of his 'supposed' disadvantages as a solo player, he was able to defeat the floor monster within a good amount of five minutes.
[Congratulations!]
[You defeated Asterius, the Taurus King!]
[You got the Last Attacking Bonus!]
[You obtained Asterius, the Taurus King's Crown [Unique Item]]
[You gained 150,000 EXP]
[You gained 250,000 Cor]
[You gained Taurus King Armor!]
[You gained Nawsoth Fruit!]
[You gained Agility Earring!]
[You gained Strength Earring!]
Ayanokoji was bombarded with a flood of notifications, but he bypassed them all with a swift gesture. Given that he was the only player present for this floor's boss fight, there were numerous items and rewards he had accumulated.
Not paying any attention to all of them, he glanced at his Level, right below his HP Bar, only visible for his eyes.
[Level 30: 688,324/768,800]
Not wasting any time further here, he proceeded on walking towards the staircases further that would lead him up to Floor 3.
He could end up walking back, but it was quite the long way.
Besides, he was genuinely interested in Floor 3. He also still had not abandoned his Night Vision skill, specifically for occasions like this so before he thinks of doing it, he rather will take advantage of it.
He walked further, unsure whether the livestream still continues or not.
But once he arrives at Floor 3, he'll message someone, to ask whether it still continues or not.
He couldn't tell what Kayaba was doing, so he didn't want to leave the possibility out that it might still go on.
Walking one step after another at the staircases he soon reached the stone door that was leading to the 3rd Floor of Aincrad.
Once he opens the door, everybody else, too, will be able to teleport themselves to Floor 3.
With both of his hands he opened the stone door, witnessing a completely new terrain in front of his eyes.
"It's quite the incredible sight. So this is how the outside can look like, too. Quite the relaxing sight."
--
A/N: And this concludes the chapter.
Give me some feedback and write me what you'd like to see in this story.
Also, for anyone, who's wondering why I skipped the fight with the floor boss... Yeah... I figured after writing such a long fighting scene... I didn't need to write it for the floor boss, too.
A bit tired of fighting scenes, so I'll be focusing myself a bit on conversations, too.
The initial time the frontline in progressive has taken to clear the second floor was ten days, so they're of course, not going to rush now.
Floor 3 is more difficult, and most people in the frontline are at Level 10, so it's definitely not recommended on going to the Floor 3 Labyrinth, immediately.
A bit of a break from fighting scenes and a bit more focus of interpersonal relationships.
Next chapter was a bit hinted for those who didn't end up skipping some things, so yep, I think you can be a bit more excited.
Also, many people will talk about X now, so well, it's going to be interesting what other characters, in particular, some people in the frontline, think.
That aside, give me a suggestion on what skill Ayanokoji should get.
The night vision skill will be probably replaced, and Martial Arts Skill is since long planned.
That leaves one skill slot open, so which one should he take?
Anyway, that's all.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, kinda.
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