Anime Crossover: Master is Not Here Today

"As for who was the mastermind behind it all, whether it was Kayaba Akihiko or that guy called BB, we don't know."

It's definitely a baby's relative.

Fujimaru Ritsuka silently spoke in her heart.

However, after Kirito mentioned Kayaba Akihiko, she became curious about his current situation after BB seized control of SAO.

But there's no use thinking about it now. She shook her head slightly, clearing her mind of distractions, and said:

"Anyway, let's focus on killing monsters first."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 154. An Unexpected Situation, a Monster?

154.

2023-12-03

Over the course of an afternoon, the three of them explored up to the twelfth level while simultaneously fighting monsters and making their way through the game.

Thanks to the valuable intelligence they obtained from the player captain they rescued, their monster-hunting progress went relatively smoothly.

Meanwhile, we've collected about one-fifth of the +5 enhancement materials. If no other teams take up the resources tomorrow, we should be able to farm them all day.

Although there is a chance of failure when enhancing in the game, the success rate can be increased by adding a large amount of materials, theoretically up to 100%.

However, once the probability reaches 95% or higher, the amount of materials required to further increase the probability becomes astronomical.

Of course, a 95% success rate is already very high, but there are still many unlucky people who only hit the 5% mark.

Furthermore, each weapon in SAO has a limited number of enhancement attempts. For example, the rare weapons in the hands of the three characters have a maximum of 8 enhancement attempts. Whether the enhancement is successful or not, it will count as one enhancement attempt.

Therefore, the cost of a failed upgrade is very high, and sometimes it may even render a weapon completely unusable.

As dusk fell, the three returned from the maze area, ate dinner, and went back to their room early to rest, preparing to continue the next day.

The next day, they successfully explored the fourteenth level and discovered the entrance to the fifteenth level.

However, instead of immediately advancing upwards, they stayed in the fourteenth-tier area where players were still relatively few and began farming enhancement materials.

After grinding for a whole day, the three of them became somewhat numb. Fortunately, the results were gratifying. As dusk approached, they finally obtained enough enhancement materials.

This was even with the three of them almost monopolizing the entire fourteenth level. Once the other players gradually catch up, the farming efficiency will probably drop several levels.

Even more fortunately, the weapons of all three were successfully upgraded to +5 by the lowest-level NPC blacksmith in Torbana.

桐人的是3S2D，亚丝娜是3S2Q，藤丸立香的强化则来到了5S。

If you fail to enhance your character after spending a whole day painstakingly farming materials, you might feel like quitting the game.

In addition, they also observed that the monsters of these different levels did indeed show a stronger desire to attack, specifically in terms of a higher attack frequency, but apart from that, they did not find any other abnormalities.

On the third day, the three of them entered the fifteenth tier with weapons that had been enhanced to +5.

According to information provided by Kirito during the closed beta, once you arrive here, a new type of kobold monster called the "Ruins Kobold Assault Soldier" will be added. This monster is armored on its upper body, wields a hand axe, and prefers to launch close-range attacks.

The three of them proceeded cautiously, and soon they spotted their first [Ruins Kobold Assault Soldier].

However, Kirito was momentarily stunned when he saw the other person.

"Wait, don't engage the monster yet!"

He quickly called out to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Asuna, hiding out of the monster's sight, and frowned as he said:

"I always felt that something was strange."

Asuna asked upon hearing this:

"What's wrong? Are the monsters different from those in the closed beta?"

"No, judging from its appearance and the monster's name, it shouldn't have changed, but there seem to be some subtle differences."

Kirito stared intently at the monster while recalling memories from the closed beta test, comparing the differences between the two.

Compared to the closed beta period, the opponent's appearance did not seem to have changed, but it inexplicably gave people a more ferocious and evil feeling.

He guessed that the change might be due to those scarlet eyes.

In SAO, aside from bosses, ordinary monsters only turn red when they enter combat, and it's a pale red glow similar to the one that appears when they're injured.

But the [Ruins Kobold Assault Trooper] in front of them had bloodshot eyes while wandering around, which looked rather ominous.

"Is this so"

After listening to Kirito's words, Fujimaru Ritsuka pondered for a moment and said:

"But just looking at it won't help; we'll only understand what changes actually happened after the battle."

In short, let's handle this carefully.

Maintaining the order from front to back—Asuna, Kirito, and herself—the three cautiously appeared within the monster's field of vision.

“!@#￥%…”

Unsurprisingly, the moment they saw them, the monster howled and charged at them, looking no different from the previous monsters.

As usual, Asuna prepared to unleash a [Linear Attack], and the skill's charging effect began to cover her rapier—

"Ah!"

With a sharp cry, her attack struck her opponent's neck, taking away a third of his health while also briefly stunning him.

What happened next made Kirito's pupils shrink instantly.

"what?!"

Generally speaking, at this point, after Asuna hits the opponent, the monster's aggro will be drawn to her, and the monster will only attack her.

However, the kobold monster in front of them completely ignored Asuna's attack, walked straight past her body, and continued to charge towards the group in the back.

Is he the target?

No, that's not right—

"Ritsuka, watch out!!"

While shouting warnings to his opponent, he gripped his beloved sword tightly and swung it with all his might, but the result was only to take away another tenth of his opponent's health, which was not enough to stop his opponent's actions.

Fortunately, Fujimaru Ritsuka's spear was already poised and ready to be used.

The instant the opponent passed Kirito's figure, the spear in her hand instantly turned into a blur, sweeping past the monster and accurately striking its right wrist.

Almost simultaneously, the weapon in the opponent's hand was knocked away and landed on the ground not far away, making a 'clanging' sound.

"!?"

After disarming a monster that is wielding a weapon, the monster should immediately pick up its weapon, creating a significant opening for damage output.

But for some reason, the monster in front of them suddenly stood still, clenching its empty right hand, looking somewhat bewildered.

Although we don't know exactly what's going on, this is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to score.

Fujimaru Ritsuka began to gather her strength, shouting at the same time:

"Attack together!"

Kirito and Asuna, who had recovered from their stun, reacted quickly, building up their skills together and releasing them almost simultaneously, easily hitting the monster that was standing still.

“！@#￥%……&*”

The moment its health was completely depleted, the monster seemed to come to its senses, letting out a scream before turning into shining fragments.

"solved"

As the monster's fragments completely dissipated, Kirito's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ritsuka, are you alright?!"

On the other side, Asuna quickly ran to Fujimaru Ritsuka and hugged her tightly, her expression and tone filled with worry and self-blame.

Fujimaru Ritsuka could feel that the other person's body, which was pressed tightly against hers, was trembling slightly, clearly still somewhat frightened by what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault for not stopping that monster!"

Hearing the other person's remorseful words, she couldn't help but gently pat their back to comfort them, while smiling lightly:

"Okay, okay, I wasn't hurt at all, so why do you make me feel like I almost died?"

"And it was clearly not Asuna's fault just now, was it?"

"Yes."

Kirito nodded in agreement, then said somewhat solemnly:

"The question we need to figure out now is what exactly happened just now."

Let's do a recap first.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 155. A Strange Situation, Asuna's Anxiety

155.

2023-12-04

What just happened was completely unexpected for the three of them, and thinking about it now still makes them feel a little scared.

"It must be a newly added mechanism."

However, after calming down, Kirito pondered and analyzed:

"Although it may seem counterintuitive, it is actually technically feasible."

"By increasing the initial aggro value of the monster towards a certain target, or by setting the priority of attacking enemy types, we should be able to achieve the same effect as before."

At this moment, Asuna, who was standing close to Fujimaru Ritsuka, had also calmed down and joined the discussion:

"So, the monsters are set up with a rule that they must prioritize attacking a certain target, right?"

"That's right, but there are some subtle differences."

Kirito explained: