── Aincrad, the Floating Castle: Floor 60.
On this floor, defined by arid wastelands and depleted springs, I—Mitsuki, a Level 82 spearman—sat alone, jarring against the seat of an NPC-driven horse carriage.
I was currently on a quest to defeat the floor boss. The lore of this area was grim: these lands once boasted vast water reserves, and its people lived in prosperity. However, the springs vanished abruptly, leaving behind hollow depressions that turned into desolate barrens. Since then, the inhabitants have split into warring factions, clashing day and night to control the scattered, small springs known for their diverse healing properties.
It reminded me of an old foreign film I once saw. It featured hardened men fighting for oil and resources in a world devastated by nuclear war. It was a violent movie; I remember being warned against watching it as a child.
Back to the mission: usually, a player must join the faction controlling the quest area to support their "Water War." However, a moderate faction exists among them, seeking cooperation to restore the great water source and end the conflict. I was currently heading toward an underground cave, accompanied by an NPC girl named Alma who belonged to this moderate group.
The cave served as a dungeon. Legend said that defeating the quest boss lurking in its depths would restore the water to its former glory. According to Argo, completing this task might significantly weaken the Floor Boss.
「( If so, the floor boss might be an aquatic creature—perhaps a fish or a merman? )」
That is the first thought that comes to mind when "weakening" is mentioned in a watery context.
── 「Sir Warrior, we are almost there. We have arranged to meet our allies from the other springs in front of the cave.」
Alma, the girl driving the carriage, pointed toward a low rock formation with a wide opening. From above, the rock appeared large and rounded. One could enter the cave from there, but there was no sign of life nearby—only a few withered cacti standing with drooping heads.
「That's strange... it is already past the agreed time.」
I dismounted and activated my «Enemy Detection» skill. After circling half the cave, the skill pinged. Simultaneously, the wind carried the unmistakable sound of clashing steel.
「Hide here and wait!」
I ordered Alma, who was following me, then gripped the spear slung across my back and ran toward the noise. My HUD displayed four green icons and ten red ones. It seemed a group of players was being swarmed by monsters.
── 「Damn it! These lizards are relentless!」
At the scene, a girl with silver hair tied in twin-tails was grumbling in frustration. Around her, warriors in familiar red and white armor used their shields to repel attacks from Lizardmen.
「Send five of them my way! Shield-bearers, move up and use «Shield Bash»! Exploit their stun duration to finish them with Sword Skills!」
── 「Mitsuki?! What are you doing here?!」
「Never mind that now, hurry!」
「Fine... you heard him! Concentrate our fire on those five! Then we move to support him!」
Following the silver-haired girl's orders, two shield-bearers slammed their heaters into the faces of the Desert Lizardmen. The moment the Dizzy effect appeared above the monsters' heads, they swapped with attackers who drove their Sword Skills into the lizards' necks—their fatal weak point. Their HP was already low, and the strikes shattered them into digital fragments.
Seeing their situation had stabilized, I began my own fight.
I started by lightly prodding the surrounding Lizardmen with my spear to draw their aggro. I then ran in circles, landing basic attacks and waiting for them to cluster together so I could unleash a Spear Skill. This tactic would be suicidal for sword or dagger users, but the reach of a two-handed spear allowed me to chip away at their HP while maintaining a safe distance.
As I continued my run, my back hit a surface: the outer wall of the cave. The Lizardmen, thinking they had me cornered, prepared to lunge with their scimitars.
「── Mitsuki!」
The silver-haired girl tried to intervene, but five orange light-effects already flared around me. Taking these hits simultaneously would surely deplete my HP, yet a smile touched my lips.
A split second before their attacks landed, I leaped with all my strength to the left. Since scimitar Sword Skills travel in straight lines despite their reach, they missed me entirely. But my goal went beyond mere evasion.
They had triggered a long-range dash skill called «Snatcher». They lunged toward where I had been standing against the wall—exactly what I wanted. I had manipulated the monsters' AI to lure them into a trap.
Until I reached the wall, I had limited myself to basic pokes to keep the distance. Since their scimitars were shorter than my spear, they had no choice but to use dash skills to reach me. By leading them to the wall, their blades didn't just miss; they slammed into the rock face behind me.
In this world, despite the power and speed of Sword Skills, some things cannot be scratched—specifically, the environment itself. Architectural elements in fields and cities are protected by a system tag called an «Indestructible Object».
When a player or monster strikes an indestructible object, a massive recoil shock travels through the weapon into the body, causing a temporary paralysis that lasts for a second or two. This was my plan.
Five blades struck the rock wall, prompting purple system messages stating the wall was indestructible. Simultaneously, the Lizardmen froze. I had been waiting for this moment. I gripped my spear with both hands and pulled it back sharply.
「It's... over for you!」
The heavy Spear Skill «Gathering Thrust» pierced through the lined-up Lizardmen all at once. As they shattered like glass, I turned to find the silver-haired girl, clutching a crimson sword, watching me with a shrug of amazement.
── 「That was unexpected. I never thought you'd join the Knights of the Blood.」
The girl referred to the «Knights of the Blood» (KoB), the strongest guild in Aincrad, known for their distinctive red and white uniforms.
「I haven't officially joined. Lady Asuna asked for my help. She said they were short-staffed and needed assistance with boss quests... you could say I'm just a hired guard.」
「Ah, I see. And how are the children at the church?」
「They're doing well. They can handle Floor 1 monsters without trouble now... though I wish they'd stay quiet inside the city.」
「It's been two years since this game started. It doesn't hurt for them to learn basic self-defense.」
We returned to Alma and took a break at the cave entrance. We ate sandwiches Alma had brought to restore the mental energy drained by the journey and the combat.
The silver-haired girl sitting beside me, eating her sandwich with refined grace, was Sanya. A Russian girl I met on the 14th floor, we had been fighting together in the front lines ever since. Her distinctive red and black leather coat matched her sword, «Finistanis». Due to that sword's unique ability, she was once dubbed the "Silver Witch of the Cursed Sword," a title she utterly despised.
Sanya's combat skills were beyond reproach. Though she was a solo player like me, she was highly sought after by various guilds. However, she chose not to join any, dedicating herself instead to caring for the orphans on the first floor and accepting temporary quests like this one.
「So, what information do you have? Looking at the lady with you, I assume your quest is similar to ours.」
「Good guess. I was told the three major factions on this floor agreed with the moderate group to meet here, clear the dungeon, and restore the water. I expected others, but I didn't expect you.」
「Do you think I'm not enough for the job?」
「Hardly. I've seen your strength in boss fights repeatedly. I'm counting on you.」
「And I look forward to seeing the skills of a front-line elite once again.」
「You're setting the bar quite high...」
As I sighed, I heard the approach of hoofbeats. Since Sanya and I had already arrived, these had to be the players from the third and final faction.
「Waaaah! We finally made it!」
Six men wearing red Japanese-style armor dismounted. Their gear bore the «Takeda Bishi» emblem. I knew this group well.
「Oh? Isn't that Mitsuki and Sanya?! It's been a long time, guys!」
「Klein... so it was you.」
「It really has been a long time.」
The man in the samurai armor was Klein. He was the beginner I met in the Town of Beginnings on the very first day—the first player Kirito and I abandoned. He managed to reunite with his friends later, staying out of the spotlight for a long time before appearing on the 40th floor with the extra skill «Katana» and joining the front lines with his guild, «Fuurinkazan». He quickly proved his worth and became a regular face in boss battles.
Though we met often in strategy meetings and raids, a sense of guilt still haunted me. Even if Klein himself didn't seem to care, leaving him that day just to survive had planted a deep sense of failure within me.
「...How is Kirito? You must see him every now and then.」
「He's fine... at least he's alive. He's probably busy with another boss quest right now.」
I later heard there had been a misunderstanding between Kirito and Klein some time ago. Although the details weren't shared with me out of respect for Kirito, they had grown distant since their meeting last Christmas.
「...I see, that's good then. Anyway, it looks like we're the last ones. The KoB, Sanya, Mitsuki, and us from Fuurinkazan... let's finish this quickly!」
Unfortunately, only his guild members responded to his enthusiastic shout, but it undoubtedly boosted all our spirits.
Lately, Asuna, the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood, had been taking the lead in boss battles. Because of her strength and beauty, she naturally rallied the fighters. Klein, however, raised morale in a completely different way; he was the one who created a positive atmosphere. It was no wonder he used to claim he led a large guild.
── If Asuna was the strong and noble queen, Klein was the loving older brother who felt like a loyal foot soldier.
「── Klein! The monster is heading your way!」
「I know! Let's go, boys!」
The members of Fuurinkazan formed a defensive circle to intercept the attack of an «Aquatic Soldier» that lunged at them. Their coordination was impressive even to me. Their switch timing was perfect, achievable only through deep trust. While Klein gave the general orders, the others acted with self-awareness and situational judgment.
「Mitsuki! This is no time to daze off!」
「I know that without you telling me!」
The aquatic monsters carried spears like mine and massive axes. We cleared the axe-wielders first due to their slow movement, but the spearmen were incredibly annoying.
The room where we fought contained interconnected underground pools. The spearmen would dive into the water and launch surprise attacks from blind spots. Unlike the axe-wielders, the window between their attack and retreat was very short, preventing us from landing a killing blow despite our successful defense.
「We have no choice but to do that—!」
「Are you sure? If we fail—」
「We'll stay in this stalemate forever! Be a man and make a move!」
「...Fine. Everyone, focus on defense for now and lure them out of the water! Sanya and I will finish them off!」
「Understood! You have a plan then! We'll do it!」
The members of Fuurinkazan and the KoB took up defensive stances in front of the pools, waiting for the monsters. Suddenly, spears lunged from beneath the surface, followed by the monsters emerging. The shield-bearers didn't try to block the attacks head-on; instead, they angled their bodies to deflect the force.
In that brief moment while the monsters were on land before jumping back into another pool, Sanya and I launched our assault.
I pulled back my spear and activated the dash skill «Sonic Charge», piercing through two of the six monsters. Despite targeting their weak points, their HP didn't deplete entirely—about sixty percent remained.
「Sanya, Switch!」
「Great job!」
We swapped positions while standing back-to-back. While I weakened two more monsters, Sanya used the two-hit Sword Skill «Horizontal Arc» to finish the ones I had softened first.
Even for front-line elites, finishing off vanguard monsters with over half their HP in just two hits might seem impossible. Had I not known the reason, I would have thought it was a glitch.
But with Sanya—specifically with her sword, «Finistanis»—it was possible. That sword possessed a terrifying ability: when it struck an enemy, it absorbed a portion of their HP to heal the wielder, while also granting an attack power buff. More terrifying was that the attack power increased infinitely with the number of consecutive hits (Combo).
Since our first meeting on the 14th floor, this sword had supported Sanya like a loyal companion. Given that it was still effective on the 60th floor, you could grasp just how powerful that ability was.
Sanya struck the weak points of the four monsters to ramp up her attack power, then swapped roles with me to finish off the enemies I had weakened. By that point, she had landed at least eight hits. With her sword heavily buffed, the surge in her power was massive.
From that moment, the field belonged to Sanya. I used the double Spear Skill «Double Helical» to weaken the enemies around me, and Sanya intervened to deliver the final blow. This plan required dealing maximum damage with minimum hits, a simple task for Sanya as her strength grew with every fallen foe. Thus, the aquatic monsters were cleared in short order.
「...It seems what lies ahead is the deepest point of the dungeon.」
「Looks like it. Is everyone ready with heals and buffs?」
「Yeah, we're all set! Though, really, this water is amazingly useful.」
「True. We've seen minor buffs in some foods before, but water of this practical level is rare.」
The buffs we referred to were the water bottles everyone carried—water collected by the moderate faction from various springs. Depending on the source, the water granted buffs like «Attack Power Up», «Defense Power Up», or «Max HP Up». Although the effect was temporary and the same buff couldn't be stacked, carrying them in bottles allowed for the benefit at any time.
The only drawback was that it was entirely tasteless. In the real world, water has a distinct taste, but this water never stimulated our taste buds—to the point where I sometimes thought the taste simulation engine didn't work for this specific item. We also proved they don't work in player duels and turn back into normal water the moment we move to another floor.
「We have one bottle of each type left, and the duration is thirty minutes.」
「Fine. Using these buffs means the quest boss might be very strong. If the buff expires and the enemy's HP isn't below ten percent, we retreat and try again with more fighters.」
Everyone nodded in agreement, then downed the contents of the bottles. As I felt the tasteless liquid pass through my throat, three icons indicating stat increases appeared beside my HP bar.
「...Sanya? What's wrong?」
「I received a message. I've already replied, so don't worry about it.」
Sanya closed her message window and tossed the empty bottle. We then entered the deepest chamber of the dungeon—the Boss Room.
Waiting for us at the end of the quest was a massive sea eel over a hundred meters long. Its name was the «Toxic Sea Eel»—and from its simple name, it was clear it launched poisonous attacks. The eel had half its body emerging from semi-transparent spheres embedded in the wall—perhaps eggs—and its surface shimmered with a revolting, viscous slime.
A shiver of disgust ran through me, but I regained my balance and raised my spear.
「We'll start by studying its patterns, but the buffs won't last forever. Everyone, coordinate to chip away at its HP! And don't forget to heal!」
「Got it! LETS GOOOOO!」
Klein, Sanya, and I surged forward, and the battle to defeat the quest boss began.
── I don't know how much time had passed. Since the buff icons were still visible, thirty minutes certainly hadn't elapsed, yet it felt as if we had been fighting for an hour. That was because the boss's movements were incredibly fast and erratic. Judging by its emergence from the egg, it was a juvenile, attacking with extreme frenzy. The attacks we observed so far were lunges with its massive jaws, bites, spitting toxic fluid, and using its long body for wide-range area attacks.
The last attack was the worst, combining body slams with jaw strikes. When the telegraph for this attack appeared, we had two choices: either take cover behind the shield-bearers or run at full speed toward the wall. During those moments, we found no time to attack, making it feel as if the enemy was intentionally stalling.
With every second, the buff duration ticked down. Fortunately, its defense wasn't high. we managed to reduce its HP by more than half, but I was looking for an opening for an all-out group assault...
「Damn it! We're going to run out of Antidotes at this rate!」
「Curse this eel! Can't it just settle down for a second!」
Both Sanya and Klein shouted in frustration. As Sanya said, I only had two Antidotes left. Due to the lack of prior info, the amount we brought was small, and patience was wearing thin from the constant dodging.
「( I'll risk everything; I have no other choice! )」
I gripped my spear tightly and lunged toward the still-thrashing eel—!
「You idiot! What are you thinking?!」
I heard Sanya's voice like a scream behind me, but I had no time to respond. I was doing my absolute best to dodge the eel's heads attacking from every direction. The movements were irregular, and normally such attacks couldn't be dodged, but I relied on my reflexes and digital stats to weave through them.
Suddenly, the eel's head reared up and began the animation for a devastating slam—at that exact moment, I kicked off the ground and triggered «Sonic Charge». With the system's force, I jumped high and launched myself like an arrow toward the eel's face, striking the corner of its mouth with precision.
The eel's slam missed its mark and struck the ground, shaking the room violently. While I was still in the air, and as soon as the skill's cooldown ended, I flipped the spear in my hand, its blade igniting with an orange glow.
「HAAAAAAAAA!」
The aerial Spear Skill «Falling Strike» pierced deep into the eel's mouth directly below me. This skill is usually used with feet on the ground, but this time, the momentum of the fall was added to the strike's power, dealing a Critical Hit. The eel's HP bar instantly turned a deep, dark red.
「── Now, an all-out attack!」
「I've been waiting for this!!」
Everyone exploited the five-second stun window following the eel's failed slam and launched a concentrated assault. Klein's Katana skill «Hi-sen» flashed, and Sanya's «Vertical Square» glowed with a brilliant blue trail.
「── It's still not enough!」
After the group attack, the boss had twenty percent of its HP remaining. I jumped off the eel's head and swung my spear in the air.
「...Take this!」
With a purple flash, the double Spear Skill «Rebound» smashed directly into the eel's face, leaving a deep V-shaped mark. However...
「...Even that wasn't enough...!」
Only a tiny sliver of its HP remained—just a few negligible digital points. We failed to finish it off, and at that moment, the buff icons began to flash and then vanished.
「( Damn... move, quickly! )」
I pleaded with my digital body while the eel, having endured our assault, raised its head and opened its massive jaws to swallow me. Since everyone had used consecutive skills in the final attack, we needed a second or two to recover from the Post-Motion Stiffness—a duration more than enough for this eel to finish me.
Stiffness duration decreases as skill level rises, and since my spear skill was at 1,000 (the maximum), the duration was very short. Yet, in this dire situation, those two seconds felt like an eternity.
── Move... move quickly!
Once the stiffness ended, finishing it would be easy; a single thrust with my spear would suffice. The eel's mouth was closing in on my head, and in my peripheral vision, I caught the looks of worry and panic on Sanya and Klein's faces.
Was it over? ── In the moment despair began to creep into my heart, my ears caught a metallic sound resembling the roar of a jet engine.
Immediately after, a crimson flash pierced deep through the eel's head, shattering it into countless glass fragments. I could no longer see the scattering shards; my eyes were frozen on the warrior who stood before me.
── 「To fail at finishing it in the final moment... it seems your skills have grown rusty during the time we haven't met, haven't they?」
The warrior who sheathed her silver, cross-shaped sword, wearing pure white armor, was the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood, the golden-haired beauty... Alice.
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