Bab 282: -278- You'll understand
-------'Wind Fleuret.'"
This was a rapier that had an extremely low drop rate and could only be obtained by defeating high-level monsters in the labyrinth area. It was a high-performance weapon second only to the "Anneal Blade."
It's important to note that rapiers were known for their attack speed rather than high damage. However, the performance of the "Wind Fleuret" was just slightly below that of the "Anneal Blade," a one-handed sword. This demonstrated how powerful this weapon truly was.
Additionally, since it was a drop from monster kills, it was rarer than quest rewards that players could obtain for sure. Thus, even Rozen possessed only one of these.
"I was originally planning to sell it, but now I'm giving it to you."
Rozen said this to Asuna, who was still standing there. Asuna lowered her head and looked at the rapier in her hand.
It had to be said that this was indeed a very nice sword. Not just in terms of appearance, but performance-wise.
Asuna just lightly touched the blade and immediately instinctively understood that this weapon would greatly aid her.
However...
"...Why?"
Asuna looked at Rozen with a puzzled expression.
Her question was straightforward.
"Why would you do this?"
It was a reasonable doubt, wasn't it?
Rozen and Asuna weren't familiar at all, and they hadn't even met before. It was by chance that they crossed paths. Why would Rozen gift her with such a valuable weapon?
True, this was just a valuable weapon on the 1st floor. By the time the 2nd floor was reached, it might not be considered precious anymore. But at least for now, it was quite valuable. Even selling it at a low price could fetch around 10,000 Col, right?
Even if Rozen was wealthy, if he wanted to give something, he would do so to acquaintances, not to a player whose appearance he didn't even know.
Could it be that Rozen was simply being generous because Asuna was a female player?
Of course not.
"Didn't I already tell you?" Rozen said nonchalantly. "This is to fulfill a promise with someone."
This "someone naturally referred to Argo.
"Go and help Little Asuna, ZenZen."
That's what Argo had told Rozen just a while ago.
And her reason for doing so was quite simple.
"I'm a bit worried about that girl."
That was Argo's reason.
From Argo, Rozen had also received a lot of information about Asuna.
It was said that this girl had only stepped out of the starting town two weeks after the game began. Until then, Asuna had been holed up in an inn in the starting town.
In other words, Asuna had only started leveling up two weeks ago, and not only was she a beginner, but she was also a complete newcomer to gaming. As a player, she was at the lowest level of the lowest level.
When Rozen learned of this, he was genuinely surprised.
"A complete newcomer to gaming managed to display such a level of swordsmanship?"
If Rozen hadn't personally witnessed how perfect Asuna's "Linear" was and hadn't received confirmation of Argo's information-gathering skills, he would have a hard time believing such a thing.
"This is what they call natural talent, huh?"
Rozen could only sigh in admiration.
However, because of this, Asuna was unaware of many things in the game and didn't bring her real-world concepts into her player identity. This led to various problems.
For example, the incident where she became an Orange Player was one such example.
If Asuna had properly understood what it meant to become an Orange Player, then facing a player who had committed a Crime wouldn't have made her unable to lift her weapon, even subconsciously. After all, she shouldn't have launched an attack on a player who had inadvertently seen her appearance, right?
Furthermore, Asuna didn't value game equipment much.
In her eyes, equipment was merely a means to enhance one's numerical strength. True strength, in her view, lay in one's personal skill and abilities.
As a result, after leaving the starting town, Asuna had only used weapons purchased from NPC shops, and all her armor was store-bought as well. To her, they were just tools, not an extension of her strength. Even if she could use them, her emphasis on them wasn't as high as that of other players.
Perhaps this was the reason why Asuna's sword skills were so impressive?
Talent was just one factor; more importantly, Asuna focused more on her personal improvement than on the game's systems and equipment. This led her to fully utilize her single rapier skill, to master system-external techniques rarely known even to top-tier players, and to enhance her swordsmanship through physical prowess and technique.
This wasn't necessarily a wrong approach. Player skills were undoubtedly vital, a key factor in determining whether a player could stand out.
However, just as Rozen had said, one should make the best use of what's available. While personal skill was crucial, the importance of other factors should not be ignored.
Asuna, who failed to understand this, was said to have not completed a single system quest to this day. For the past two weeks, she had been leveling up and earning money by killing monsters, often diving into the labyrinth area for several consecutive days and resting only in safe zones to recover a bit of stamina before plunging back into combat. In just two weeks, she had managed to reach Level 10.
Most other players, even someone like Rozen, wouldn't be able to accomplish such a feat.
"After all, ignoring armor for now, if a player isn't hit by monsters, durability won't decrease, aside from perhaps footwear suffering wear and tear due to long journeys. But weapon durability is inevitably consumed as long as combat is involved."
Because of this, even Rozen, once his weapon's durability dropped to a certain level, would have to return to town for repairs.
But not Asuna.
"She bought five 'Iron Rapiers' in town as spares. She uses each one until it's almost broken. When her current weapon's durability is depleted, she takes out the next one from her inventory and continues fighting."
That's what Argo said.
Because of this, Asuna managed to level up to 10 in just two weeks.
It was only after this that Rozen realized.
"No wonder when I first saw her, this girl's outfit was all tattered."
That must have been because she had spent several days consecutively in the labyrinth area and hadn't returned to town to repair her equipment.
Argo was extremely worried about Asuna.
"This girl is simply too reckless. If left alone, there's a high chance she'll die in the labyrinth area. ZenZen, please lend her a hand."
That's what Argo asked Rozen to do.
Rozen giving Asuna the weapon was part of this plan.
In other words, Rozen wanted to tell Asuna:
"This game isn't so simple that you can get by just using off-the-shelf equipment from the shop."
Rozen looked directly at Asuna and continued.
"If you really don't want to lose to this game, if you don't want to be defeated by this world, then you should face it, value it, rather than reject it."
Rozen pointed towards the weapon in Asuna's hand.
"Try fighting with it."
"At that time, you'll understand."
Leaving behind these words, Rozen turned and walked back into the restaurant.
Asuna tightly gripped the rapier in her hand and fell into contemplation.
Bab 283: -279- Kobold Lord
The next day, early in the morning.
Normally, at this time, players would already be heading into the labyrinth area for leveling up.
But today was different.
Shortly after dawn, a total of sixty players gathered once again in Tolbana's Fountain Square.
Each of them was decked out in their best equipment, carrying their finest weapons, and even loaded up on the highest-grade recovery items within their capabilities. This gave each player a somewhat imposing appearance.
However, their faces were marked by seriousness and tension, creating a slightly oppressive atmosphere over the square.
In this situation...
"Yawn~~~"
Rozen yawned while lazily making his way to the square.
"Hey, you guys are here pretty early."
Rozen casually greeted the players who had gathered early, still wearing a sleepy expression on his face. This irritated quite a few players present.
Kibaou, among the crowd, was taken aback.
"Isn't this supposed to be a crucial battle? Why is he acting so carelessly?"
It seemed that this hedgehog-haired single-sword user hadn't completely let go of the past.
Not just Kibaou, even Diabel smiled wryly, and the other players were feeling displeased as well.
In contrast, the beta testers were somewhat resigned but not surprised.
"Same as always."
Kirito said this with a wry smile.
"Is he always like this?"
Agil asked with some confusion.
"Since the beta testing phase, he's always been like this. Every time the Frontline Squad decides to challenge a Floor Boss, he's always the last one to arrive."
Argo provided this piece of information, shrugging.
Standing next to Argo, Asuna couldn't help but speak up.
"Is this okay?"
Clearly, Rozen's behavior wasn't impressing this young lady.
However, Argo just chuckled.
"It can't be helped. After all, he's the one who perfectly commands everyone and consistently takes down Floor Bosses without casualties."
Argo's words gained agreement from Kirito.
"Don't be deceived by his appearance. Once the real battle starts, he'll be the most focused among us all."
Kirito said this.
Hearing this, Asuna fell silent again.
So, Rozen, still yawning, walked into the midst of all the disapproving or helpless gazes from the players.
"Gu!"
Whether it was influenced by Rozen or not, the Rainbow Butterfly looked just as sleepy, perched on Rozen's shoulder and dozing off.
Of course, compared to Rozen's sleepy appearance, the Rainbow Butterfly's drowsiness only made it look cute.
Diabel glanced at this rare Familiar for a moment before returning his gaze to everyone present.
"Now that everyone is here, let's have our final strategy meeting before the raid begins."
Saying this, Diabel looked in Argo's direction.
"Miss Argo, could you please explain to us the details of the Floor Boss on the 1st Floor during the beta test period? Its attack patterns, anything we should watch out for?"
Diabel earnestly sought information from Argo, as she was one of the beta testers. The players present all turned their attention to her.
"...Sure, I can do that."
Normally, Argo would only provide such information for a considerable fee, but this time, it seemed like she was ready to spill the beans. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to speak.
"However, let me make it clear upfront. The information I have is only from the beta test phase. Gathering information about Floor Bosses after the official launch has become a bit difficult. After all, I wouldn't dare to enter a boss's room alone, and the room you guys discovered was only recently found, so I can only provide information from the beta test phase. It's not out of the question that the Floor Boss's characteristics may have changed after the official launch."
With these words, Argo carefully chose her words and began to explain.
"During the beta test period, the Floor Boss of Aincrad's 1st Floor was a massive two-meter-tall creature known as a 'Kobold Lord.' The official name for this boss is 'Illfang the Kobold Lord.'"
"It was the ruler of all kobold on the 1st Floor of the labyrinth, and like other kobold, it can use sword skills. Its weapon was a one-handed bone axe, and it also had a small round leather shield. This means its attack power was extremely high, and its defense was strong as well. Moreover, it had a total of four HP bars. Even with a six-person team of players using their skills constantly, it would take at least half an hour to deplete its HP."
Argo's explanation made the expressions of the players grow more serious.
But...
"This is the most basic information."
Argo emphasized her voice, almost like a warning, and continued.
"The most crucial thing to note is that the Floor Boss isn't alone. There are three 'Ruin Kobold Sentinels' equipped with axes and spears, wearing metal armor, guarding it. And each time one of the boss's HP bars is depleted, new Kobold Sentinels will appear. By the time the boss's HP reaches the fourth bar, there will be a total of twelve Kobold Sentinels accompanying it. So, before the guards accumulate, they must be defeated. But the boss itself will interfere as well. To conquer this Floor Boss, you need enough manpower—some to deal with the boss and others to deal with the Sentinels. If the number of Sentinels increases, the difficulty will become extreme."
This was the first point to pay attention to.
"Also, when the Floor Boss's HP reaches the red zone of its last HP bar, it will abandon its weapon and shield, entering a brief invincible state. During this time, it will switch to using a curved sword, leading to a significant change in its attack pattern. If your reaction is slow, it's possible for the boss's new sword skill to wipe out all your remaining HP at once."
At this point, Argo glanced around at everyone present.
"I suppose I don't need to explain what that will be like, do I?"
Argo's words made the players present swallow nervously in unison.
Both Kirito and Asuna furrowed their brows.
"This is quite challenging," Diabel rubbed his chin and then turned his gaze to Rozen, who was still yawning. He asked, "Mr. Rozen, how do you think we should approach this Floor Boss?"
Upon hearing Diabel's question, all eyes turned to Rozen once again.
"How to approach it?"
Rozen continued to yawn and looked at Diabel, who was staring earnestly at him, with a serious expression. Rozen smirked.
"Don't overthink it. Just follow the usual strategy for dealing with bosses."
Rozen looked towards the area where the beta testers were situated.
"Next, I'll adjust the team composition a bit. Based on my instructions, form teams with each other."
After saying this, Rozen began to give orders.
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