The Knights of the Blood Oath had emerged as a rising powerhouse, standing at the forefront of the frontline since the battle against the Floor 20 Boss. Despite their small numbers, they represented the absolute elite.
At their helm stood Heathcliff, a master of the one-handed sword. He and his guild members possessed levels and equipment that rivaled or even surpassed the top players of the time. Beyond their sheer skill, the primary reason the Knights of the Blood Oath dominated the upper echelons was Heathcliff's extraordinary leadership.
He possessed a precision in command that exceeded even the late Diabel—who had led the raid on the first floor—coupled with a tactical vision that grasped the entire battlefield and a charisma that naturally drew people to him.
These were all qualities I lacked entirely. I hated to think I had "lost" Alice to him as well... or at least, that's what I told myself.
In the end, I was the one who encouraged her to join them.
After clearing the first floor, Alice began her journey as a solo player, much like me. Every time we met during Field Boss battles, I could feel her growing stronger at a terrifying pace. It reached a point where I doubted I could defeat her in a direct, head-to-head duel.
Her growth rate was truly monstrous.
Immediately following the battle with the Floor 25 Boss, Heathcliff personally invited both Alice and Asuna to join his guild.
Kirito and I received invitations as well. However, for us "Beaters"—those players who carried both the experience of the beta test and the hated title of cheater—we could no longer pretend we were fit for formal cooperation or team play. We politely declined. But...
As Alice and her companion were being recruited, I felt those beautiful blue eyes turn toward me for a fleeting second. Their shimmer betrayed a clear hesitation.
In the next moment, I found myself walking toward her, urging her to accept the offer.
Since that first floor battle, I had glimpsed an innate ability in her to lead others. It would have been a waste to let that talent wither away. Her rightful place wasn't just fighting by my side; it was shining in the center of a much larger stage.
"Would she be a burden to me?"—Don't be ridiculous. If anything, my presence was the very thing holding her back, forcing her into the limitations of solo play until now.
As her former partner, even for a short time, it was my duty to push her forward.
That was the narrative I repeated to myself to justify it. And yet, ever since that day, something unknown continued to burn in my chest.
"That is all the available intel on the Floor Boss, the Tyrant Serpent. Given its name, we expect it to launch underwater strikes. However, scouts report that Sanya and her team succeeded in the water source restoration quest. This has flooded the floor again, which, ironically, will severely restrict the boss's movement. If we maintain tight coordination, we can take it down without casualties. If there are no questions, we'll end the meeting here. We move toward the Maze at 10:00 AM tomorrow. Do not be late."
Asuna concluded the Floor 60 strategy meeting with those words.
As the fighters began to file out of the hall, I slipped through the crowd, making a quick exit.
I hid near the entrance to watch the room. I saw Alice glancing left and right, clearly searching for me. Despite the guilt gnawing at me, I turned silently toward the Floor 60 Teleport Gate plaza.
"Sigh... Dammit, what am I even doing?"
I truly hated myself for this. The Boss battle was tomorrow. What was the point of building a wall between us for a reason I didn't even understand?
Yes, that's what I thought, but another part of me stood firmly behind this irrational behavior.
In truth, I was supposed to have severed all lingering attachments to her after that moment on the first floor. I had said everything I needed to say and continued my path as a solo player.
Even when we met in previous Boss battles, I kept my distance. So why was it so difficult to define that distance now?
If there was one reason that came to mind... it had to be that last quest.
When I failed at the final moment to shave off the boss's HP and nearly got swallowed whole, she saved me with her "Penetrating Strike" skill.
I didn't intend to deny the truth; I failed, she saved me. That was the reality.
Did it bother me that a girl who started as a beginner was the one rescuing me? No, I wasn't that arrogant. We were on the 60th floor now—uncharted territory where the "Beater" advantage had long since vanished.
Was it because she stole the Last Attack (LA) bonus from me? Honestly, that might have been part of it.
But I tried to bury that thought. Perhaps the real reason was...
"In the beginning, I was the one saving her. Now look at me... how pathetic."
Yes—it was as simple as that. I felt inferior to her. I claimed I wasn't proud, but thinking this way proved I was a hopeless case.
Alice was now the Vice-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, standing alongside Asuna. In a guild where members wore red and white armor, she was the only one granted the privilege of wearing white armor trimmed with blue and a deep blue cape to signify her valor. They say she secured this exception after a direct request to the Commander.
As for me, while I never slacked in leveling or upgrading my gear—and was confident I ranked among the top elite, a fact Sanya recently confirmed—I still felt there was something about her I could never surpass.
It wasn't a numerical value or a system stat like Level or Agility. It was something abstract... almost a concept.
Some might mock such talk in a game like Sword Art Online, where everything is made of ones and zeros, but I had spent enough time fighting beside her to understand it, however vaguely.
She existed in this world, but she lived in a realm different from the rest of us. That's how it felt.
"...Stop. Thinking like this won't change anything."
If I kept spiraling, I'd drown in a vortex of my own making.
I forced my mind to go blank and hurried to my lodgings to rest for the day ahead.
"What?!"
That was the first thing I blurted out the next morning.
When I arrived at Floor 60 half an hour early, Alice—whom I hadn't even sensed approaching—grabbed me and dragged me to the team assembly point.
"Why these members?! The roster was different yesterday!"
"I told you, I discussed it with Asuna and we made the change. You didn't get the memo because a certain spear-user ran off too fast. For your information, I sent you a message about this."
I opened my menu and found an unread message from Alice. Since I had left without a word, the fault was entirely mine. I had no comeback.
My shoulders slumped in defeat. Around me stood Kirito in his familiar black coat and ebony sword, and Asuna, who would command the raid. Essentially, they wanted to reform the "old days" team.
"I've noticed your tendency to go solo during recent Boss battles. While that occasionally created openings, it only worked because of Asuna's leadership. This time, I'm watching you myself to make sure you don't do anything reckless."
"What are you, my mother? If you tell me to stay in line, I will. There's no need for all this."
"...Mitsuki, why are you so cranky? Did you have a fight with Alice?"
"No, it's not that..."
"No, we haven't even had time to fight because he's been avoiding me entirely."
"Wow, sounds like a serious case..."
"Good grief. I don't need to remind you that coordination is everything in a Boss battle. If there's a grievance, settle it quickly."
Asuna left to greet the other parties, leaving me, Alice, and Kirito alone.
"Hey, Alice, could you give us a second?"
"Kirito... is there something you're not allowed to say in front of me?"
"It's not like that. It's just... you know, guy talk."
"...In other words, the reason Mitsuki is avoiding me and won't tell me why is because I'm a woman?"
"No, no! I didn't say that!"
Even though Kirito had known Alice for a long time, he still hadn't mapped out her landmines. Alice despised being underestimated or excluded because of her gender. To be fair, she was over-interpreting Kirito's words, so he wasn't entirely to blame.
Regardless, I took advantage of her interrogating Kirito and tried to slip away. But the moment I turned my back, a hand gripped my coat collar with crushing force.
"You're not running. Like Asuna said, you're going to lay everything out right here."
"Dammit... I told you I'd do my job in the fight. Isn't that enough?"
"It might be enough for you, but it's not enough for me!"
"Ho ho, a lovers' spat before the Boss fight? How passionate!"
The speaker was Klein, leader of the Fuurinkazan guild, who was also participating. He must have heard from Asuna and came over to say hello.
"Wh-Who are you calling lovers?!"
"Who else? You two are the only ones brightening up the battlefield with your romantic bickering. Right, Kirito?"
"Hey, leave me out of this..."
Kirito seemed hesitant to talk to Klein, likely due to the distance that had grown between them for a while. While I was relieved their bond hadn't snapped, Alice was glancing around anxiously at the mention of "romantic bickering." I looked around too... and found several teams watching us with smirking faces, many of them familiar.
"Dammit... I admit we caused a scene. But! We are not a couple! Don't get the wrong idea!"
"That's right. Alice is far too refined to be with me..."
I stopped abruptly, realizing my mistake. But it was too late.
"Mitsuki, you..."
In the next moment, she seized my arm and hauled me to a far corner of the plaza. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Klein laughing and waving, while Kirito looked at me with pure pity.
"Those words just now. What did you mean by them?"
"What did I mean? The meaning is exactly what I said."
"...Do you really believe that?"
"It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Alice, you're... honestly, you were probably stronger than me from the start. I only taught you in the beginning because you were new to this world, not because I was more skilled. Even if you hadn't met me, you would have—Mmf?!"
She cut me off by slamming her hand over my mouth. I tried to resist instinctively, but...
"...Stop."
Her voice was so quiet it was almost a sob, audible only because of our proximity. When I saw her eyes, which looked like they were pleading for something, I stopped fighting entirely.
"I'm going to say this once, so listen well."
Alice continued, her hand still pressed firmly over my mouth.
"I have always looked up to you. I still do. I wanted to be your equal, to stand beside you—and to watch your back."
"Alice..."
Her hand began to loosen, then she clenched it into a fist against my chest.
"I did all of this... just to catch up to you. So...!"
She didn't finish the sentence, but I knew what she meant.
Alice had given everything to reach me. She thought for herself, relied on others when she had to, and polished her skills—all so she could fight by my side and ensure I wasn't alone, as an anomaly among fighters.
If I pushed her away now, I was rendering all her effort meaningless.
She was saying: "Do not dismiss my hard work, my goal, and everything I've achieved."
So, what was I supposed to do?
How do I respond to the feelings of this knight who was bowing her head before me? It didn't take long to find the answer.
"Thank you, Alice. I didn't realize you valued me that much. I'm truly happy."
I looked directly into her eyes, which were slightly flushed.
"But honestly, I don't feel stronger than you. You saved me brilliantly last time."
"That was..."
"So, I'm going to make you truly feel it. In this Floor Boss battle, I will be the one to land the Last Attack. It won't be by a hair or by luck. I'll show you a perfect finish that no one can dispute."
I added that I would be serious about contributing to the damage as well, and Alice finally smiled.
"Really... you took your sweet time getting serious."
"...Actually, I've been serious the whole time."
I could never tell her, but in the recent Boss battles, I had been desperately hunting for the Last Attack. Not just for the rare items, but to prove to myself and to the increasingly powerful Alice that I wasn't beneath her. I wanted to look like a hero in front of her. But I could never say that.
The result so far was a five-loss streak in getting the LA. While the reason was personal, I hoped someone could understand the frustration of a challenger.
We moved to the Floor 60 Maze area, standing before the Boss room doors. They groaned open with a heavy, tension-filled sound. The fighters drew their weapons. I gripped my favorite "Aqua Halo Spear" tightly.
Alice stood beside me, drawing her silver sword.
"Let's go, Mitsuki."
"...Right. My back is in your hands."
Before Alice could respond, the doors swung wide.
"Begin—Commence the raid!"
At Asuna's command, the players surged into the room. The chamber was dark, but bioluminescent moss glowing in three colors provided visibility. What immediately caught our attention was a massive circular lake in the center, surrounded by rocky platforms.
When the scouts first visited, the fighting space was limited to those narrow platforms. But thanks to the Boss quest I completed with Sanya and Klein, a massive amount of water had been drained, lowering the level and expanding the battlefield. At that same moment...
"It's coming! Everyone, on high alert!"
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
With a violent spray of water, the Boss—the Tyrant Serpent—emerged from the lake. Furious at the intrusion, it coiled its massive body and lunged onto the land as a hostile greeting.
"Heavy slam coming! Scatter!"
Armed with intel on the "Venomous Sea Serpent" I fought in the quest, Asuna issued calm orders. The players retreated instantly, and the serpent's jaw slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave through the room.
The attackers exploited the opening, unleashing simple Sword Skills. Four blades bit into its damp scales, and the first HP bar dropped slightly.
"It's incredibly tough. Keep up the pressure and study its patterns!"
The general battle plan was set, and each team began operating independently.
While other teams fought cautiously, relying on tanks, one team was launching a relentless, high-powered assault—ours.
"So far, it looks like it relies on bites and slams!"
"Right! The quest version had poison breath and a body sweep, but we expect these patterns to hold until the second bar!"
The serpent I fought in the quest was likely a juvenile compared to this one, so it made sense they shared techniques. A phase change was expected at the halfway point and the final bar.
"Hiyaa!"
Alice parried a bite with a "Tilt" skill. In that instant, Kirito and I switched in, unleashing our skills simultaneously. It must have been a critical hit; the HP bar took a noticeable dip.
Since our team lacked a dedicated tank, we balanced defense and offense ourselves. By adhering strictly to the attack-defense cycle, we maintained a steady stream of damage.
Thirty minutes passed. The players were growing accustomed to the serpent's rhythmic movements, and their concentrated fire had drained the first HP bar. Then, the Boss began to change.
It raised its head high and roared, and the lake water surged to form four aquatic pillars behind it.
"Already? So soon?!"
"Asuna!"
"Phase change! Everyone, behind the tanks!"
Everyone responded to Asuna's cry, taking cover behind the large shields. However, some were too slow or too far from the vanguard.
"Breath coming!"
My shout was the trigger. A high-pressure, poisoned purple water jet erupted from the serpent's mouth, targeting the stragglers.
Fortunately, prepared players managed to pull their comrades out of the way. No one took a direct, fatal hit, but some were caught by the spray on their lower bodies. As their HP dropped, a familiar yellow icon appeared over their heads.
"Of all the toxins... it chose Paralysis!"
Real-world sea snakes possess potent neurotoxins that cause total paralysis and death if untreated. The Tyrant Serpent was no exception. Even if the poison only hit the legs, it caused a high-level paralysis that left players unable to stand until it wore off.
Since we needed people to carry the injured to the rear, avoiding or blocking this breath became a requirement for survival. The importance of the tank squads tripled.
That wasn't all. The four water pillars began firing water lasers intermittently. While they were easy to anticipate due to the pillars spinning before firing, the lasers were incredibly fast. Judging by the deep gouges they left in the floor—like a sharp blade—a hit would mean severe bleeding or digital limb loss.
The result was predictable.
"...This is bad. The formations are breaking."
"It's natural. Constantly scattering and regrouping like this is exhausting everyone!"
When the Boss launched long-range attacks, everyone had to hide behind the tanks. The breath had a wide arc that was hard to block with a single shield, forcing the tanks to line up into a wall.
While the raid was organized for coordination rather than specialization, the mixing of players and the constant threat of lasers made it difficult to reorganize original teams. Naturally, mixed teams were less efficient, and the damage rate began to plummet.
Asuna, commanding from the rear, recognized the danger. But pulling players back to reorganize was difficult because some groups had lost their tanks, while others were overcrowded with shields, too busy blocking long-range attacks to strike. HP levels were also uneven. If this continued, the raid would collapse.
"Kirito, Alice!"
"Right, I'm on it!"
"Asuna! We'll hold the line for five minutes! Reorganize the ranks now! Any tanks with enough HP, join us!"
Two tanks from the Knights of the Blood Oath responded to Alice's call and joined us.
We had drained about thirty percent of the second bar. Since this would be a long fight, we couldn't be reckless, but...
"The burden on Asuna is too heavy. we'll weaken the enemy as much as possible!"
"Since this is happening in the second bar, there will likely be a change with every bar. If it launches a wide-area attack, we won't survive with this few. We hold until at least one tank squad returns!"
"That's a tall order for a frontline DPS... but we'll trust Asuna's reorganization skills."
As we coordinated, the poison breath fired again. The KoB tanks stood their ground, unyielding.
"We move the second the breath stops. Ready?"
"Ready—Switch!"
We lunged from behind the tanks the moment the spray ceased. It was a battle of endurance—just three attackers against the Boss.
"Dodge the lasers yourselves! We'll try to keep the tanks' durability for the breath!"
"You say that like it's easy!"
Kirito and Alice began weaving through the water lasers from the pillars. The lasers were a threat, but they were precise beams that could be dodged if you tracked their path. However, when two fired at once...
"Dammit!"
I dodged two intersecting beams with a jump and a spin, feeling like I was in a spy movie. Since only the three of us were moving around the serpent and there were four laser pillars, I had to draw the attention of two beams to keep the tanks fresh for the poison breath.
Fortunately, my reaction speed allowed me to track the trajectories. As long as I kept my focus, we were fine.
"Heavy slam coming!"
"Dodge!"
Kirito jumped back as the serpent's jaw hit the floor. In that moment, the three of us unleashed our skills on its face, dropping its HP by another twenty percent.
"Fuurinkazan is back on the field, at least partially!"
Klein and his team returned quickly after healing and regrouping. As he said, not everyone was back; Klein had returned with Tors, the guild's main tank, armed with a shield and a massive axe.
Klein's decision to prioritize the tank's return was correct. This would give us a chance to block the breath and handle the next phase change.
I exchanged looks with Alice and Kirito; they were thinking the same thing. Alice issued orders as the field commander.
"On the next bite, the tanks will use 'Shield Bash' simultaneously! Then we Switch immediately to finish the second bar with a skill chain!"
"At the third bar, a phase change is likely. We're counting on the tanks to support us during the post-skill delay!"
Chaining high-level Sword Skills causes a long period of "post-motion rigidity," leaving the player vulnerable. It was a huge responsibility for the tanks, but they nodded confidently.
"It's coming, get ready... Now!"
At Kirito's signal, the tanks slammed their shields into the serpent's lunging jaw.
Bosses are notoriously difficult to inflict with status ailments, but three "Shield Bashes" at once sent the serpent into a dizzy state.
As the stun effect appeared over its head, four blades lunged forward!
"Haa!"
My eight-hit spear skill, "Diffuse Spike," erupted...
"Seiyaaa!"
Alice's seven-hit sword skill, "Deadly Sins," roared...
"Oooooh!"
Kirito exploded with the ten-hit top-tier skill, "Nova Ascension"...
"Take this!"
And Klein struck with the high-level Katana skill, "Sanka."
The Boss took four top-tier skills at once. Its HP plummeted, crossing the second bar and entering the third. It recoiled, glaring at us with pure malice, then pulled its head back and puffed out its cheeks—it was preparing the poison breath.
The three tanks moved to block it, but the breath wasn't aimed at us.
"Hey, what is it doing?"
"It's breathing poison into the lake it's standing in?"
The Boss vented the toxin into the water instead of at the players. We understood why a second later.
"Look at that!"
Alice pointed to the four water pillars. We held our breath.
"Dammit... what has this bastard done?"
"This is bad... Asuna! Stop the squads from returning now!"
Asuna grasped the situation the moment she heard Kirito's voice and ordered the incoming teams to halt.
The four water pillars behind the Boss had turned a toxic purple.
The only conclusion was that the water lasers were now saturated with poison. If that were all, it might be manageable, but...
The pillars began to spin violently, and the poisonous lasers fired.
"...The speed dropped?"
"Does that mean it weakened? Compared to before, these are incredibly slow..."
Klein dodged a poisonous laser that was slowly crawling toward him, scratching the floor. He looked confident. Until...
"Jump aside, Klein!"
"Huh?"
Klein jumped instinctively at Alice's shout. In that instant, the laser scorched the ground where he had stood. And it didn't stop. It began to track Klein's movements.
"Homing lasers?! That's a pain!"
As if the first was just a demo, three more beams fired, tracking the nearest players.
"Not just poison and homing, the duration is longer too!"
"Dammit, I wouldn't be surprised if the poison type changed too!"
So far, the poison only caused paralysis. If it now included a damage-over-time (DoT) effect, we were facing a lethal combo of paralysis, HP drain, laser damage, and the Boss's physical strikes.
It was just a hypothesis, but fighting on wishful thinking was suicide. We had to assume the worst.
"...It's a persistent stalker."
"The laser doesn't seem to target a specific person from the start; it just chases whoever is closest. Duration... about twenty seconds."
Normally, homing attacks are handled by a high-defense tank or a group of players drawing the aggro. But with four beams and the need to block or dodge perfectly to avoid paralysis, things were complicated.
Dodging these required a lot of space. Bringing all the teams back would cause collisions and chaos.
"Everyone, retreat and recover!"
Asuna ordered the waiting teams to pull back, deciding to rely on small-team rotations instead.
After briefing the incoming teams on the new mechanics, we retreated out of the Boss's attack range.
"Sigh... this Boss is a nightmare."
"Yeah... Asuna is really carrying the weight here."
Floor 60 was a milestone floor, so we expected a strong Boss, but this thing was just cruel.
It was a "Commander-Killer." It broke the traditional rules of Boss raids and put a crushing burden on the leader. Dealing with it required a highly disciplined army and absolute command.
Despite that, Asuna was doing a brilliant job monitoring the field and making the right calls.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we've stabilized."
Asuna came over as we downed health potions.
"As you can see, we can't win by numbers right now. This will be a long battle of attrition, and everyone will get tired. When that happens, I'll need to rely on you again..."
"What are you talking about? We're here so you can rely on us."
"That's right. You're the Commander. Use us as you see fit."
"Mitsuki, Alice..."
Kirito patted Asuna's shoulder after finishing his potion.
"That's the deal. We trust you and we'll follow your lead. So trust us and throw the hardest jobs our way."
"Kirito... Alright. Thank you, everyone. Focus on recovery. When the HP hits the final bar, there's no telling what will happen. We'll need your intuition."
Alice nodded. Kirito and I gave a thumbs-up.
Draining the third bar took nearly two and a half hours of grueling combat.
Because the homing lasers prevented us from exploiting openings after physical attacks, our damage output slowed to a crawl. But thanks to everyone's persistence, we reached the end.
"Alright, what's next?"
Alice, Kirito, and I returned to the field before the final bar vanished, preparing for the final phase change.
What would it be? More lasers? A change in the breath? Or would the homing lasers return to their original speed?
As we watched the serpent warily, it suddenly dove into the lake. The room shook as if an earthquake were happening inside. Then, the Boss emerged again... but its body was a different color.
"What... what's happening?"
"Is it a frenzy state? No, wait, I see it!"
On the water's surface, countless white scraps were floating. It was skin.
The Boss had molted in this critical moment. Its body seemed slightly larger.
"Kirito... what usually happens after a molt for enemies like this?"
"Well... usually size increases, and defense drops temporarily right after the molt."
"That's what I thought. Also—"
The serpent didn't wait. It slammed its massive jaw into the ground. I dodged, seeing the floor shatter under the impact.
"As expected, its attack power spiked too!"
"Breath coming!"
We responded to Alice's cry and hid behind the tanks. The Boss opened its mouth to vent its poison—
"Sha.. aa..?"
"The breath didn't come out?"
The poison sputtered from its mouth like a dry cough, lacking its usual force.
"...I've heard that molting consumes massive amounts of energy."
"Does that mean it's exhausted and can't use the breath?"
"Probably, but it'll recover soon."
"Then... the plan is clear."
With the breath disabled and its defense lowered—we go all out now!
We lunged at the Boss after a quick look of understanding.
"Tank squads! Leave the lasers to us! Focus entirely on blocking the physical strikes!"
The poisonous homing lasers fired. Fortunately, their speed remained slow. Kirito and I drew two beams each, maintaining a distance to keep from getting hit.
The serpent's jaw lunged at Alice, but the tanks blocked it with sheer force. Alice launched a counter-skill, and the Boss's HP dropped by twenty percent.
"Defense is definitely down! Keep the pressure on!"
Alice retreated to draw a laser, and Kirito swapped in. Exploiting the "Shield Bash" opening created by the tanks, Kirito landed a "Vertical Square" on the serpent's face, leaving a deep gash. Its HP bar turned yellow.
Then, I surged forward as the laser duration ended, unleashing "Rapid Thrust." It was a linear spear strike, one of the fastest in the game. It hit the Boss directly in the eye, sending its HP into the dangerous red zone.
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The Boss went into a frenzy. We retreated instantly. We wanted the kill, but the Boss revealed one final move—the fourth and final phase change.
The four water pillars that had been firing lasers merged to form a massive aquatic cyclone surrounding and hiding the Boss. And—
"Shaaaaaaaa!"
Four smaller tornadoes spun out from the cyclone, roaming the battlefield.
"Dodge with everything you've got!"
Even the tanks had to flee. Though they didn't seem homing like the lasers, their paths were erratic and unpredictable. They also launched stones and debris they sucked up like projectiles. The tanks could survive, but Kirito and I had negligible defense. One hit would be fatal.
"Dammit... we don't have time to waste here!" Kirito shouted as he wove through the tornadoes.
We had attacked based on the breath stopping and defense weakening, knowing it was temporary. Once that window closed, we'd face high-powered physical attacks, tornadoes, poison breath, and likely the lasers all at once.
That combination would crush any small team, and we couldn't involve the entire raid.
The only option was to end it here and now.
"..."
I looked at my HP, which sat at eighty percent, and took a deep breath. I pulled two items from my pouch.
"Mitsuki! What are you doing?!"
I ignored Alice's shout—and threw myself into one of the tornadoes near the Boss.
"Gah... aaah!"
My digital body was tossed around in the violent water. I was paralyzed—the poison type hadn't changed—and my HP began to plummet with every collision with floating debris.
Just as my HP hit the red zone...
"Heal!"
I used the "Healing Crystal" I was holding in my mouth. My HP refilled instantly, only to begin dropping again.
"Just... just a little more!"
Yes, I was almost there—I was going to clear the tornado.
I felt the water pressure vanish and saw the Boss right in front of me. Attack from below was impossible because of the cyclone surrounding its base, but from above!
I used the second item, an "Antidote Crystal," to clear the paralysis. I kicked off a flying rock to launch myself directly above the serpent.
"Mitsuki!!"
"..?!"
The Boss noticed my presence above him just as Alice screamed. It opened its massive maw to swallow me whole while I was helpless in mid-air.
But I had no intention of being its dinner!
I gripped my spear in a reverse hold and pulled it back behind my shoulder, a beautiful crimson light enveloping the tip.
It was one of the few spear skills that allowed for a ranged attack in the world of Aincrad.
"This... ends it all! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The Spear Throwing skill, "Meteor Impale"—in that moment, every player witnessed a crimson meteor cleave the Boss in two.
The serpent exploded into digital shards without a sound after its body was split.
Silence reigned for a few seconds—during which I fell into the lake—and then, cheers and shouts of joy erupted across the room.
"Mitsuki! Are you okay?!"
Amidst the celebration, Alice, Kirito, and even Asuna ran toward the lake, calling my name. It was natural to worry; the water had looked suspiciously colored earlier, but the concern vanished quickly.
"I see, this moss absorbs the poison."
"Natural purification properties of plants."
Kirito and Asuna were talking in admiration as I surfaced.
"Mitsuki! You're alive?!"
Alice's voice still carried a hint of panic. I raised a thumb to reassure her. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
I climbed out of the water after swimming some distance, only to receive a harsh lecture from Alice about "recklessness" and "irresponsibility." As usual, she wouldn't stop talking.
"But, the recklessness paid off. Alice, did you see that clearly?"
"...Yes, I witnessed it with my own eyes."
"...What are you two talking about?"
"Haha, just something between us."
Question marks appeared over Asuna's head, but Kirito smiled as if he understood without needing the details.
We left the activation of the Teleport Gate to the others and headed to the main city of Floor 61, Sermberg, where we held a small celebration at a restaurant.
"By the way, Mitsuki, what was the Last Attack bonus item you got?"
"Huh? I haven't checked yet. Let me see..."
I opened my inventory and sorted by most recent.
"Oh... really? It's a spear."
"Awesome, what are the stats?"
"It's called 'Haufid.' Its attack power increases in places without sunlight... and it has a passive trait with a small chance to inflict poison or paralysis."
"What? A ranged, poisonous spear?! That's cheating!"
"Since most spear skills carry debuff effects, and most Maze areas are enclosed, it'll be incredibly useful."
"Yeah. I also got some Boss drops; maybe I'll forge some new armor."
"...Did any armor materials drop?"
"Hmm... there's a bit, but not much. What about you, Alice?"
"Same here, mostly weapon enhancement materials."
"I see, so I'm the only one who has this..."
I pulled a large white piece of scaled skin from my menu.
"What is that?"
"It's the skin the Boss dropped during the molt. When I fell into the lake, it was floating there, so I gathered it along with that purifying moss."
The Boss's skin combined with those purifying plants... there was no doubt it would make legendary armor.
"I-I'm going to the Boss room now!"
"Kirito, it's been hours. It's definitely despawned by now."
Kirito tried to bolt, blinded by the promise of rare materials, but sat back down after hearing Asuna's logic.
"...Mi-Mitsuki, we're friends, right?"
"...I'm not giving it to you."
"Good grief, still obsessed with rare items. Anyway, Mitsuki, I think I worked really hard this time, didn't I?"
"That's true... but I'm not giving it to you either."
"Mitsuki—"
"I said I'm not giving it to anyone!"
And so—the nightmare of Floor 60 came to an end.
Because of that strike that finished the Boss—cleaving it in two as the players described—my name spread among the players of Aincrad by a new title.
The "Splitting Spear."
After the celebration ended and everyone headed to bed, Kirito stopped me and led me into the dead of night, toward a remote area in the middle floors.
"Sorry for bringing you all the way out here."
"It's fine. What's going on?"
"Right... the truth is..."
Kirito hesitated for a moment. He then opened his status window and set it to visible for me.
"Take a look at my skill list."
I began scrolling through the menu.
"...Huh?"
Among familiar skills like "One-Handed Straight Sword," "Martial Arts," and "Searching," I found a strange entry I had never seen before.
"What is this? I've never heard of it."
"I don't fully understand it myself. It appeared out of nowhere after we cleared the fiftieth floor."
"An Extra Skill... but its timing doesn't match the unlock conditions for something like the 'Katana' skill."
"Yeah. I have no idea why it showed up."
Extra Skills with hidden unlock conditions are known as "Unique Skills." In the world of Sword Art Online, only one had been confirmed until now: Heathcliff's "Holy Sword."
"I've already raised its level to six hundred, but it's becoming dangerous to use if someone sees me, or even when I'm alone. I'm sorry to bother you, but I'd appreciate it if you could help me train whenever you have some free time."
Unique Skills, much like Last Attack bonuses, are the exclusive property of a single person. If word got out, players would swarm him to uncover the secret of its appearance. Given his status as a hated "Beater," others might accuse him of hoarding information again, which could lead to genuine threats against his life.
By sharing this secret with me, Kirito was demonstrating the immense trust he placed in me as a fellow Beater.
"Thanks, Mitsuki. I'll make it up to you by treating you to a meal sometime."
"No need for the food..."
"Mitsuki?"
I opened my own status window and made it visible to him.
"Instead, you're going to help me too."
Kirito's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he stared at my list.
"...Are you kidding me?!"
"It seems our fates have been linked since the beta, right down to this 'Beater' title."
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