Anime Crossover: Master is Not Here Today

"But you can't blame the blacksmith at all, can you? It's not like he deliberately wanted the other party to fail in the enhancement."

Asuna astutely pointed out the problem.

Just as Asuna said, even if you stack the enhancement materials to the limit, there is still a 5% chance of failure, which is purely a matter of luck.

Moreover, the blacksmith player was using a [Steel Hammer], which already had a higher initial enhancement probability than the [Bronze Hammer] used by the blacksmith NPC on the street.

"Even so, we think we should find another blacksmith to reinforce it."

Seeing the other party's miserable appearance after the failed enhancement, Fujimaru Ritsuka made a suggestion with lingering fear.

Kirito nodded vigorously, strongly supporting her suggestion.

While other people's failures don't affect their chances, weapon enhancement is a mysterious art, so it's best to be a little cautious.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 173 The Ghost of SAO

173.

2023-12-13

Due to the rules set by BB that require players to engage in game activities, players who are unwilling to fight monsters almost all choose production skills, and quite a few of them choose to become blacksmiths.

The three entered the West Market and quickly found a blacksmith player whose skill proficiency was also [Iron Hammer], and asked him to enhance it.

With the success rate of enhancement pushed to the limit of 95%, all three were lucky enough to successfully enhance their weapons, bringing them to a +7 enhancement level.

After completing all this, today's task is finished. The +8 enhancement materials can be obtained from the monsters in the second layer of the maze, so all they need to do next is to advance quickly.

I went to the same restaurant as last night for dinner, but it was still just their restaurant; other players had appeared today.

With no other option, they had to continue hiding their identities inside the restaurant while wearing cloaks.

"Being a celebrity must be tough. You have to be so secretive even when you're eating out. Isn't that just like me?"

The three had just sat down when a mocking voice suddenly came from behind them. The speaker, like them, was wearing a cloak, so his face was not visible.

But the distinctive tone of voice immediately betrayed the other person's identity.

"Argo!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Asuna happily called out each other's names, and Argo took the opportunity to remove his cloak, revealing short golden hair and a mustache-like face paint, and laughed:

"Long time no see, Ritsuka, Asuna."

"Oh, and Tongzai too."

"Isn't this a bit too deliberate?"

Kirito couldn't help but complain, and then asked:

How did you know we were here?

"I told her."

Asuna laughed:

"Argo just messaged us asking if we were in Urubas and if we wanted to grab a bite, so I sent her our address."

Upon hearing this, Kirito suddenly realized and said:

"Oh, so that's what your operating system window was doing just now?"

Seeing the four cloaked figures gathered together, the other players in the shop looked over curiously. Argo, noticing this, gave a thumbs-up behind him and chuckled:

"I'll take you to a more secluded restaurant. Consider it a free tip."

"That'll be troublesome!"

The three followed Argo to another restaurant, which looked very secluded from the outside, and there were indeed no other players inside.

At this moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two removed their cloaks, revealing their true appearances.

After the four sat down, Argo smiled at them and said:

"Although it's a bit late to say this, congratulations on successfully conquering the first floor!"

"Thank you!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and asked her:

What have you been doing all this time?

"Of course, it's the same old thing: collect intelligence and sell intelligence."

Argo placed his hands on the table and said with a grin:

"Thanks to you all, the second floor has just opened, and this is the busiest time of my business!"

"Speaking of which, the players on the front lines should have already advanced to [Mamero] village by now. I didn't expect the three of you to still be here."

"Although we haven't made any progress, we're still leveling up, so it's alright."

Fujimaru Ritsuka briefly recounted their leveling and weapon enhancement activities for the day. After listening with great interest, Argo teased Kirito, saying:

"You're actually leveling up alongside our female gaming icons, Tongzi, don't you dare hold them back!"

Of course not.

Kirito's response to Argo's teasing seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

Having witnessed the fighting and monster-slaying methods of Fujimaru Ritsuka and Asuna, he indeed couldn't keep up with the closed beta players. If he didn't work hard, he might actually hold them back.

Fortunately, Fujimaru Ritsuka was still willing to speak well of him.

"Kirito is also very strong, and he has a lot of information. He has been a great help to us."

Kirito looked at her gratefully. As expected of his captain!

After chatting for a while, Argo seemed to suddenly remember something and asked with a mysterious smile:

"By the way, have you guys heard about a really weird rumor that's been circulating lately?"

"Strange rumors?"

The three people's curiosity was immediately piqued.

That's how it is with Argo; as an intelligence broker, she always manages to say something interesting and then pull Cole out of their pockets.

After willingly handing over five hundred kol as a tip, Argo said in a mysterious tone:

"Recently, a ghost seems to have appeared in SAO, wandering around everywhere. Players have seen its figure in towns, leveling areas, and even dungeon areas."

"According to many eyewitnesses, the ghost appears to be a young girl, probably only seven or eight years old."

“Some daring players tried to approach the other party, but they couldn’t catch a trace of the other party at all. The moment they were discovered, the other party’s figure disappeared without a trace.”

"A ghost? A little girl?"

Asuna couldn't help but move closer to Fujimaru Ritsuka, and only after getting very close to him did she manage a weak smile:

"That... it should just be an NPC or something, right?"

"But you never know, after all, there are indeed ghosts in SAO."

"Eh?"

Unaware that Asuna's body was gradually stiffening, Kirito continued speaking eloquently:

"If I remember correctly, there should be ghost-type monsters after the fifth floor."

"A monster? Well, it should be alright, right?"

After muttering something under her breath, Asuna asked Fujimaru Ritsuka beside her:

"Ritsuka, what do you think that so-called ghost really is?"

"Um, I think it should be an NPC."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression was a little strange at this moment, because the mention of little girls reminded her of the little guy she had seen at BB's.

Could it be her?

"Right!"

On the other side, after receiving the same answer from Fujimaru Ritsuka, Asuna excitedly pumped her fist.

Argo laughed upon hearing this:

"I knew that's what they would think."

"Indeed, most players who have heard the rumors now believe that the other party must be a special NPC, and many players even think that the other party may have some kind of special quest and are preparing to go and find the other party."

Kirito expressed his understanding, because the other person did indeed sound like that type of NPC.

If SAO is still a normal game, he'd like to go and look for it.

But under the current circumstances, he can only prioritize improving his strength first, and then see if there is any chance of running into the other party.

They finished their meal chatting, and Argo said goodbye to them again, quickly disappearing around the corner of the street, his whereabouts unknown.

They parted ways with Kirito and returned to their rented guesthouse to rest and prepare for a new day.

"Well"

In the middle of the night, Fujimaru Ritsuka woke up from her dream for some reason and opened her eyes groggily.

After arriving in SAO, she slept soundly most of the time, except when BB disturbed her sleep. This was the first time she had ever woken up from a dream in the middle of the night like this.

I probably didn't drink enough water before bed, because I feel a bit thirsty.

Just as she was about to get up to drink some water, she suddenly noticed that as the moonlight streamed in through the window, a dark shadow was also projected onto the wall.

!! ?

She turned her head sharply and saw a little girl's head pressed against their window.

The moment their eyes met, the other person immediately showed a flustered expression and then disappeared.

It really is a ghost.

(End of this chapter)