The night she dissolved her party with the dark-blue-haired lancer named Mitsuki was the same night she heard it.
After washing away the sweat and grime of the hunt, Alice headed out to buy dinner. As she walked down a street lined with various shops, a snippet of conversation caught her ear:
── 『Those beta tester scum don't take an ounce of responsibility. They must be laughing at us right now—at those of us fighting tooth and nail just to level up.』 ──
"( "Beta tester"... if I remember correctly, that's the term for players who possess knowledge and experience far beyond the average person. )"
Alice, who initially didn't know her left from her right in this world, felt her own knowledge paled even in comparison to these swearing men. Yet, the information held by those who participated in the beta was apparently incomparable to anything else. She had heard that the lancer's survival up to this point was thanks to the experience he gained during that period.
The chatter continued around her. One man said, 『I wish I was one of the lucky ones accepted into the beta,』 while another wondered, 『Should we ask the information broker?』 But what stuck in her memory more than anything was the dialogue that began with the question: 『What will we do if we find them?』
Several players sat around a table in a cheap restaurant, whispering words laced with a threatening, vengeful tone.
...He is in danger.
She didn't know why that was her first thought. But that boy—who had taught her how to survive when she was fighting alone and confused—if he became a target for these people... the mere thought filled her with an unbearable sense of anxiety.
Later, after attending the strategy meeting for the first-floor raid (which she joined on Argo's recommendation), Alice intuitively realized why the lancer had distanced himself.
He did it on purpose to keep her away from the trouble that plagued beta testers. Had he told her the reason then, she certainly would have refused to listen—Alice knew her own stubborn nature well enough to be sure of that.
"( Thinking back on it, I've done nothing but receive his help since I arrived here... )"
Alice felt she had grown stronger; her level now didn't differ much from his, and with the help of the guidebooks, she could handle battles alone without much struggle.
And yet... no matter how strong she became, a sense of inadequacy weighed on her chest. If only she were stronger, perhaps he wouldn't have to worry about her. She wished she were powerful enough... to be the one he could lean on.
── "Ay... hey, Alice?"
"Oh... y-yes?"
"What's wrong? You seemed lost in thought."
"Yes, somewhat... but what about you, Mitsuki?"
"I was saying we need to review the basic tactics for the boss fight. You still don't know much about the "Switch" system or the healing potion rotation."
Alice shook herself free from her thoughts and joined the group marching toward the labyrinth area on the first floor. Diabel, the raid leader, commanded the vanguard.
Alice's team followed at a short distance from the rear of the column.
"Our team's mission is to handle the boss's minions, known as "Sentinels." Alice, you've entered the labyrinth with me several times to farm materials before, right?"
"Yes, but only a few times in the lower rooms..."
"Remember the "Ruin Kobold Troopers" we fought there? These guards are exactly like them, but "Sentinels" wear heavy armor protecting their heads and torsos. Therefore, just unleashing "Sword Skills" at random won't deal any damage."
In traditional MMOs, the name "Kobold" usually refers to weak monsters like Slimes.
However, in the world of Sword Art Online, they are formidable opponents. Humanoid and demi-human monsters in this game carry weapons just like players do, which means they use «Sword Skills» as well.
The first-floor boss, Ilfang the Kobold Lord, is no exception. Once he swaps his initial axe for a curved sword, he begins unleashing a series of powerful Sword Skills. Although his attack paths are straight and avoidable if one remains calm, a direct hit can drain most of your HP, even with safety precautions in place.
He is the perfect opponent to serve as the first hurdle in a world of swords where magic does not exist.
── "So, Alice will first parry their weapons and knock them upward using a Sword Skill. Then, I'll step in to Switch with you and strike their vitals. We'll use this as our primary tactic."
"...Me?"
"? Yes. Our team composition is split between slashing and piercing skills. Kirito seems perfectly in sync with that rapier fencer, and I find working with Alice easier anyway... Besides, you're the one who asked for this when we formed the party, aren't you?"
"W-was that the case? Well, I don't mind working with you regardless. So, I'm counting on you again."
"Same here... oh, looks like we've arrived."
"The First Floor Boss is here... the air in this place feels completely different from the other rooms."
She swallowed hard. Now, the first step toward clearing this game was about to begin.
●○●○●
When I cleared the first floor of Aincrad during the beta, I recall being around Level 11.
My weapon was the same Anneal Spear, but I hadn't upgraded it to its current state. More importantly, I was only just getting used to the combat style of this game back then.
That time, I nearly died several times before we defeated the boss without casualties. This time, only God knows if things will go smoothly.
All I could trust were my weapon, my combat skills, the teammates guarding my back, and the tactical sense of Diabel, who led the entire raid.
"Listen up, everyone! I have only one thing to say... let's win!"
Had we not been standing before the boss room, everyone would have cheered in agreement. In this charged atmosphere, however, the most we could do was nod firmly. Yet, strangely, I didn't feel overwhelmed by pressure.
I took a slow, deep breath and rested my hand on my «Anneal Spear +6» slung across my back. The heavy blade of this partisan, polished to its limit for this floor, glinted with a reassuring luster.
Beside me, Alice drew her favorite sword, holding her breath as she took her combat stance.
"Let's move—!"
With a heavy, resonant groan, the doors swung open under Diabel's hand.
The first-floor boss room was a rectangular hall roughly 100 meters long and 20 meters wide. After a four-month absence, the room felt much larger than it actually was.
Boss room doors in Aincrad don't lock automatically upon opening, so a retreat is possible if the odds of winning diminish. But therein lies the trap: turning your back on the enemy to run makes you an easy target for long-range Sword Skills. If a player falls immobilized due to massive damage, it often leads directly to death.
This means a retreat requires moving backward slowly while facing the boss, making the process incredibly long and exhausting. Since the boss starts the fight from the far end of the room, you would have to retreat 100 meters while carefully parrying enemy attacks.
"...He's coming!"
I'm not sure who shouted it, but the word acted as a signal that suddenly illuminated the dark room.
As the light reached the end of the hall, the demi-human king sitting on his throne at the far end appeared.
"GROOOOOOOOOOO!"
In response to Ilfang the Kobold Lord's roar, three Sentinel guards appeared and lined up to protect their king.
"Commence the attack───!"
At Diabel's command, the vanguard team of the raid charged forward with weapons drawn.
When someone's sword collided with a Sentinel's long axe, sending bright sparks flying, the battle officially began.
"── Hah!!"
"Nice, Switch!"
Alice used the upward slashing skill «Slant» to parry the Sentinel's axe just as it was about to strike. I capitalized on the moment the monster recoiled and lost its balance, driving the «Shaft» pivot-thrust skill precisely into its throat—its weak point.
The Sentinel froze in an unnatural posture, and after a moment of silence, it shattered into blue light fragments and vanished.
I pulled back my spear and spared a quick glance at Alice behind me before monitoring the main force engaged in a fierce struggle at the front.
Diabel's instructions, which reached our ears even while we fought the guards, were nothing short of brilliant. While watching the battle against the Kobold Lord from the rear, he issued attack and switch orders to the defense and offense units with perfect timing. This was the work of someone accustomed to leadership; at the very least, I couldn't replicate it.
"The situation there looks stable so far."
"Yes. None of their HP bars seem to be in danger. That man Diabel... his leadership ability is truly impressive."
"Indeed. Maybe he wasn't lying when he called his class a "Knight"—oh, the next guard is coming!"
The boss's HP had dropped another notch. This was the fourth time the guards appeared—which meant the boss was entering the final segment of his HP bar.
── "Mitsuki!"
"Leave him to me!"
I dashed toward the Sentinel that had lost its balance from Alice's sword strike. Beside me, Asuna, the rapier user, lunged forward, exploiting a gap Kirito had created.
Her Agility was likely higher than mine; she overtook me and closed in on the enemy, drawing her rapier with her right hand. The moment the sharp blade glowed, signaling the activation of a Sword Skill, I also pulled back my spear and activated my thrust skill.
"── Seiyah!!"
"── Shih!"
My «Shaft» and Asuna's basic «Linear» skill launched almost simultaneously, deep-piercing the throats of the two Sentinels we were targeting.
As I watched the light fragments explode, a slight shiver of awe ran through me. The reason was the sheer level of skill with which that «Linear» strike was executed.
Her Sword Skill didn't just rely on system assistance; she moved her own body to amplify the strike's force. Moreover, while Sword Skills grant a player exceptional speed and power, her skill went far beyond that.
I pride myself on having better motion-tracking than the average person, yet I couldn't fully follow her movement with my eyes. All I could see was the glint of the sword the moment the skill activated. With the light effects, it looked like a shooting star passing by in a flash...
"...What is it?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking that you're far too skilled for someone who claims to be a beginner. That sword speed isn't easily acquired."
"The same goes for you. I've seen spear skills from others several times, but yours are worlds apart. You're faster and stronger."
"I'm honored by the praise. Oh..."
Suddenly, a savage roar echoed through the boss room. Looking ahead, I saw the Kobold Lord, who had been in a pitched battle with the main team, toss his axe and shield aside.
The decisive moment begins here; we must accurately match the shift in the boss's attack patterns.
Still, Diabel was the leader. With the leadership he had shown so far, I was certain he would handle it calmly.
...Or so I thought, but Diabel suddenly did something incomprehensible.
"Alright! I'm stepping in too!"
Diabel, who had been issuing orders from the rear, suddenly charged toward the front lines. The boss was supposed to start using vertical slashing skills from the "Curved Sword" category now, so the front team could have surrounded and finished him... there was no logical reason for Diabel to rush in himself and cramp the others' movement space.
Behind me, Kirito asked in a strained voice:
"...Mitsuki. That weapon the boss is carrying behind his back... is it really a curved sword...?"
"Huh? What are you talking—Damn it!!"
My eyes scanned the massive weapon the boss drew from his back with suspicion. The "no-damage" window from the boss's pattern change had ended; the battle was about to resume.
The boss raised his weapon high to unleash the first Sword Skill. Only then did I understand what Kirito was getting at.
...That weapon was far too thin to be a Talwar, and the blade's width and luster were completely different. The Kobold Lord we fought in the beta didn't carry a weapon that radiated this much dread.
This weapon... it... it isn't a Talwar (curved sword). It's a Nodachi (a long Japanese sword)!
"This is bad—!"
"Get back, Diabel! Everyone, jump back as hard as you can───!!!"
Kirito's scream drowned out my own voice. But it was in vain; a brilliant crimson light effect burst from the boss's weapon.
The Kobold Lord leaped vertically with his massive frame, twisting his body powerfully in mid-air. The moment he landed, he swung his charged sword in a perfect horizontal arc.
It was the wide-range Katana skill «Tsumuji-guruma» (Whirlwind), which cuts in a 360-degree radius. It swept through all the players surrounding the King.
In a flash, I saw the HP bars of the front parties in my HUD drop to less than half. Wide-range attacks are usually weaker in power, but Katana skills are characterized by their massive destructive force. It didn't stop there—a yellow light effect began blinking over the heads of the players who took the hit.
They had all fallen into a «Stun» state. Some tried to move to support them, but the distance was too great; they wouldn't arrive in time.
The Kobold Lord gripped the Nodachi with both hands and launched an upward slashing strike from near ground level. It was «Okifune» (Rising Boat), the opening move for a Katana skill chain. The target was the blue-haired swordsman, Diabel, who stood directly in front of the boss.
Diabel was launched into the air as if suspended by the light effect. He tried to trigger a counter Sword Skill, but activating skills in mid-air is extremely difficult; the yellow light around his blade flickered weakly and vanished.
A savage grin spread across the Kobold Lord's face. He aimed the «Hi-sen» (Red Fan) skill—a three-strike chain—at the helpless Diabel. Two consecutive slashes from above and below in a heartbeat, then a powerful thrust after a brief pause—all of them were Critical Hits.
Diabel's body was sent flying, slamming into the pillar at the rear of the raid—right next to us. His HP had entered the red zone and was still rapidly depleting.
"Diabel! Use a potion, quick...!"
Kirito rushed toward him and tried to give him a healing potion, but Diabel stopped him with his hand. It was Diabel himself who prevented Kirito from helping him.
"What are you doing, Diabel? Get up! The raid will collapse like this!"
I also rushed toward him after finishing off the last Sentinel. By now, his HP was approaching zero. He had to be healed now, or...
"Don't waste... the precious items... Kirito, Mitsuki... since you're former testers like me... please... defeat the boss──"
The HP bar above Diabel's head hit the final few points, then vanished entirely. At that moment, the body of the silver-armored knight began to shake with digital static.
"...Please. For... everyone───"
Those were Diabel's final words. The body wearing the silver armor shattered into light fragments and vanished, leaving Kirito's hand—which had been reaching out to support him—hanging in the void.
Faced with Diabel's death, and with the boss still looming before them, the members of the raid could only scream in heart-wrenching despair.
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