Am I the only one streaming Sword Art Online on the entire internet?

"I'm afraid you'll slip on flat ground and end up in the water like a torpedo elementary school student." Solin said calmly, though he knew his heart was pounding. And at such a crucial moment, the few scattered comments discussing the plot suddenly became lively, and the upper right corner of Solin's field of vision was filled with words like "[FFF]".

Of course, carrying Yuna like this all the time wasn't a good idea. Besides, his stamina was dropping by a lot with every step he took, and he'd probably run out of energy and die after just a couple more steps. Yuna, after getting off Sorin, was blushing to the tips of her ears and followed behind Sorin absentmindedly.

Of course, the atmosphere was subtle, but this subtlety vanished after a while of grinding monsters. Sorin's damage output remained outrageously high. Although his Illusionary Light Enhancement had only been active six times, with the 50% damage buff and the double weapon damage from the Mark effect, plus the weapon's inherent strength, almost no monster could withstand four hits from him. Meanwhile, Yuna's task was to find rare ash trees and natural crystals hidden in the forest.

"Haven't you found it yet?"

“No, and… it seems other players have arrived here.” Yuna walked back to Sorin’s side from a short distance away, pointing to a group of players dressed in black robes and with their faces covered who had appeared here at some point. Sorin took a closer look and noticed that the markers before their names were not the green ones for normal players, but red ones.

Although Sorin didn't understand the specific mechanics of the red-name system in this game, his experience playing WoW and The Division back in the day told him that red-named players were all monsters, and you just had to fight them. He quickly checked and found that there were six red-named players in his field of vision at the moment, but he hadn't targeted them, so he didn't know if any of them were lurking in the shadows.

"Yuna, use this crystal to return to the city first, don't worry about me here." Sorin said in a low voice, handing a blue crystal to Yuna, "Listen to me, it might be dangerous in a little while."

To his surprise, Yuna shook her head firmly and drew her rapier.

"Hey friend, which gang are you from?" Solin first asked these obviously hostile guys loudly, then whispered, "Stop messing around, go back now, this bayonet fighting isn't for you."

"Oh, I didn't realize that Guild Master Sorin knew the rules of the underworld?" The leader, wielding a curved sword, pointed it at Sorin and shouted, "Attack him all at once! Don't hold back, this guy's strong!"

"Sorin, I remember saying before, don't have the illusion that I have no fighting ability." Yuna's voice no longer had the weak feeling before, but instead had a rather cold and aloof tone. "Since I follow you, it is because I want to fight alongside you."

“I know, I know. So you didn’t understand what I meant.” Solin shook his head helplessly, and pulled the Illusionary Light he had been carrying back, his tone filled with killing intent. “I just felt that the scene below wasn’t suitable for someone like you to watch. After all, these guys probably don’t know…”

"How do those scoundrels who dare to red-click the ID [SorinMarkov] in Dark Zone 9 die?"

62. Unknown Sanctions

"So after making fake documents in Seoul and singing Lianhualuo in Beijing, now you're working as a fortune teller in Tokyo, right? ...Why does every business you run seem so shameful?"

Grace looked at the interior decor, with the curtains drawn to create a deliberately mysterious atmosphere, and couldn't help but mutter a complaint. Behind her stood five people: Surat, Elias, and Monica, who had come to Tokyo to await orders, and Mo Tianfang, who had just arrived in Tokyo two days prior.

Behind the counter in front of them stood a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes, who didn't look very old. However, Grace knew that this guy had maintained this appearance for at least a hundred years.

"What are you saying? Is it shameful to beg for money by forging documents? And I heard Old Clark has retired?" The man shrugged, then bent down and rummaged through the counter for a while, taking out one metal box after another. "I'm just curious, you're not dealing with any vicious terrorists like Horizon or White Mask, just a researcher who can't even kill a chicken, yet you're using high-end equipment like shotgun explosives."

"Yes, the current SIX is Harry, I think you should know him too."

After speaking, Grace stepped forward and opened the boxes to take a look. Inside the boxes were their commonly used firearms, including an AK-12, a Type 95 rifle, an AUG-A2, and an MK-14-EBR, five remote-controlled toy cars costing $100,000 each, as well as tactical equipment for the people present—a fairly complete set.

"Wow. Chu Ziyu, if this gets discovered, you'll be eating prison rice until you die." Monica took her stun gun out of the box and put it in her hand, and said with a sigh, "I thought you could only manage a few handguns... This is really complete."

"Just kidding, I'm a professional smuggler, okay? Think about the Olympics. Besides, if they really dare to arrest me, I'll make sure they're completely satisfied within three days, or I'm not a Chu." He still sounded disdainful. "I don't know how that crappy infiltration device works, but whatever it is, just have Mike make a big EMP bomb and it'll all be solved."

“The idea is good, but the hostages are currently being held separately. It’s impossible to put 10,000 people in one place. We’ve only refrained from doing so because we’re afraid Kayaba Akihiko might act desperately.” Mo Tianfang suddenly said from behind. He was holding a large anti-material sniper rifle that clearly wasn’t used in indoor CQB, and he loaded it with a 12.7mm round marked [Mox Special].

"And then you just dumped this lousy job on that kid? Yeah, you don't have any other choice now." He packed up the empty box and came out from behind the counter. "And you guys, if it's convenient, treat Vivi and me to a meal. Business hasn't been good these past few days."

"So, you shameless wretch, you're truly cursed by the god of poverty..."

--------

"Okay friends, the following scene is not suitable for underage viewers. In order to save my live stream, I have to end the broadcast." As always, Suolin ended the broadcast at lightning speed. However, even though the screen of the live stream outside was black, the barrage was still very lively.

[So-called enlightenment is simply creating a low-brow feeling of a massive online frenzy even in a black screen livestream room.]

So, is the streamer about to physically attack someone? That should be considered murder, right?

[The sanctimonious person upstairs should be advising a murderer to do good even when a knife is to his throat.]

[It's just that broadcasting this would have a bad impact. This was legitimate self-defense. Besides, why are you so worried about a bunch of Japanese devils dying?]

However, our concern is whether it will cause problems if the streamer carries a burden while fighting six opponents.

The person asking this question clearly hasn't seen the video of streamer Darkzone 9 soloing two full squads and holding the gold helmet for half an hour without being killed.

“Listen up, Yuna. Among these six people, there are two who use curved swords, two who use long polearms, one who uses a rapier, and one who uses an axe. In a moment, focus fire on one of the long polearm users and take him down. Then listen to my instructions on the spot… You said you could understand Chinese, right?”

Sorin quickly explained the tactics, but although Yuna had drawn her sword and said she would fight alongside Sorin, killing was indeed a heavy burden for a girl who had not even entered society yet.

"Solin, all we need to do is take them down, right..." she asked hesitantly.

“I know what you’re thinking, but these people are here to take our lives, and they’ve killed people here before.” After saying this, Solin suddenly sighed, “Then why don’t you just TP away? This kind of mentality will only delay things.”

“…I understand.” Yuna nodded seriously, swinging her rapier a couple of times to get a feel for it. She watched as Solin pointed at the two players wielding spears and marked one of them.

Sorin hesitated for a moment, then sheathed his katana, switched to a one-handed sword, and charged forward with his shield raised, instantly closing in on the marked polearm player. In this chaotic battle, polearms, with their range advantage and crowd control abilities, are the biggest threat. However, once a polearm player is charged at, the situation changes. Although polearms have a built-in range bonus, they nerf various damage and crowd control effects when dealing with enemies who rush into their attack range.

After inflicting a stun with a charge, Sorin casually landed a normal attack, then canceled the attack's recovery animation and switched to his katana. After dealing damage with his swordsmanship's katana slash, he used the small movement skill to jump slightly to the right and back, making room for Yuna, and at the same time switched his katana grip from a normal to a reverse grip.

This way of gripping the sword is a preparatory move for a series of sword techniques called "Unknown Punishment." This is a set of combat techniques specifically designed for duels. As for the previously commonly used set of sword techniques, "Kesa Slash + Spirit Blade Great Spin + Rising Dragon," it is more suitable for PvE, so Sorin did not use it at this time.

"Yuna! Charge right in his face and unleash your skill! Instantly kill him!"

However, before she could even shout, Yuna had already taken action. She seized the slight opening that Solin had left her and used an enhanced version of her thrusting sword skill, [Deceptive Charge]. A total of one thrust and two slashes hit the player marked by Solin, dealing not only a lot of damage but also inflicting a bleeding debuff.

The player with the long spear wanted to retaliate, but Sorin and Yuna were both at the innermost part of his attack range. He swung his spear in vain, but it was only a hit that could not even be considered a normal attack. When it hit Sorin, his health bar did not even decrease.

All of this happened in two seconds. Even the other black-robed men hadn't had time to react. Their teammate had already lost most of his HP, while Sorin had just switched to a backhand grip, and a series of sword techniques were already in his hand. Sure enough, Sorin reversed his grip, cast "Blind Swordsman's Creed," and after four swift slashes, he struck the player, followed by a low slash that knocked him down.

At this moment, they could only watch helplessly as their teammates fell to the ground. Before they could even let out a wail, Sorin raised his Illusionary Light and unleashed a four-times damage execution, instantly turning them into a pile of light blue hexagonal fragments.

63. The fierce battle came to an end

Although they've taken down one in a flash, Sorin's positioning isn't ideal. He and Yuna are in the middle of the six, with two curved sword users in front of them, and a remaining spearman, a rapier user, and a battle axe user behind them. These people had spread out when they surrounded them, so Sorin is still more than four meters away from the nearest one.

The spearman has a dash skill, and after reacting, he immediately targeted Sorin, who seemed to pose a greater threat. However, upon seeing the spearman raise his charge skill, Sorin immediately rolled to the left to create space, then raised his shield and delivered a shield bash to the side, stopping the charge and inflicting a slight stun.

"You scoundrels! You've eaten my great eagle!" Sorin shouted, then drew his rapier and aimed it at the spearman's eyes. He launched a thrust attack, blinding him and detonating the mark on his body. He then canceled the thrust's recovery with a downward slash, sheathed his rapier, drew his katana again, and used the blinding effect to deliver a finishing blow, emptying most of the second spearman's health bar.

"Finish off! Finish off! Finish off! Finish off! Finish off!" He seemed to have rediscovered the feeling of leading a team back in the days of World of Warcraft, and his commanding tone became very aggressive. "Take them down one wave at a time!"

Hearing Sorin's urgent voice, Yuna instinctively turned and thrust twice at the blinded spearman, simultaneously mimicking Sorin's fighting style with a downward slash that canceled the thrust's recovery animation. However, these attacks weren't sword techniques, and the damage wasn't as high as expected; at least he still had a little bit of health left. She looked at Sorin, but Sorin, thinking that Yuna's combo would definitely finish him off, immediately went after the two curved-sword users running towards them.

The spearman's blinding effect had worn off. He thought he was going to die, but Sorin didn't finish him off; instead, she threw this cute little girl right in front of him. So he immediately grabbed a potion from his belt, thinking of restoring his health first, and quickly took two steps back.

Yuna was quite anxious. She hadn't expected that she wouldn't be able to kill this person after two basic attacks. However, her [Fake Charge] was still on cooldown, and she would still be several steps away from catching up with him, at which point his health might recover significantly. But just then, she suddenly remembered that she actually had another weapon, so she decisively pulled out the flute from her waist and threw it forcefully at the spearman.

The flute itself isn't a particularly advantageous weapon for throwing; it lacks a good aerodynamic shape and can't guarantee sufficient damage upon impact. However, thanks to its high base damage, the [Fei'aliz Hymn] ultimately fulfilled its mission, replenishing the last bit of health before the spearman could use a potion.

The lancer stared in disbelief at the flute that had fallen behind her, then, like her predecessor, turned into a light blue hexagonal fragment. Now, however, she was facing an attack from a rapier user and a battle axe user alone—a dangerous situation for Yuna, who had never experienced PvP.

"Hold them off for a while, and move closer to me after your thrust cooldown!" Sorin said, then continued his battle of wits with the two curved swordsmen on his side. Yuna hurriedly agreed, then tightened her grip on her rapier.

The rapier wielder wore a skull mask, with an eerie red glow emanating from where his eyes should be. He chuckled twice, then slowly walked towards Yuna.

"It seems... Chairman Sorin values ​​you quite a bit, little girl." The person's laughter was also eerie, and the voice reminded Yuna of a dilapidated bellows. "If we were to capture you... I wonder if Chairman Sorin would surrender without a fight?"

Yuna didn't reply. However, she had already considered this possibility. She seemed to feel a non-existent cold sweat on her hand holding the rapier, and her intuition told her that the rapier user in front of her was very strong.

She bent down slightly, lowered her center of gravity by squatting, and then pointed her rapier forward at her opponent. This was a fairly orthodox dueling stance, but the rapier user standing opposite her stood there casually, his rapier also pointing at Yuna, but he looked rather powerless.

But in the next instant, that seemingly lazy posture instantly transformed into a fierce aura. The rapier user slightly bent his knees, then launched a thrust attack like a streak of light across the sky, charging towards Yuna. Yuna used the tip of her sword to parry the opponent's rapier to the side, then used her legs to propel herself forward, leaning her body forward and countering with a backhand thrust.

"After parrying with your backhand, you land a point. You have four more chances." Yuna took a light breath, readjusted her stance, and remained wary of the axe user who might attack at any moment. This wasn't a fencing match; although she could indeed deplete her opponent's HP after five successful hits, this wasn't a one-on-one battle.

As they were talking, the battle axe user circled around from the side, his large axe hurtling down towards Yuna's head. This type of weapon is typically slow, but its damage upon impact is very high; against opponents of similar levels, a single strike can even reduce a character's health bar by two-thirds.

Seeing this, Yuna quickly slid to the side to avoid the battle axe, but at that moment, the rapier user in front of her launched a second attack, a sharp thrust aimed straight at Yuna's throat, where she had slid. In her haste, Yuna had no time to parry and could only watch helplessly as the sword drew ever closer.

However, a dark figure flew over before Yuna could react, grazing her head and striking the rapier wielder's arm. This caused his thrust to deflect slightly to the side, grazing Yuna's right neck and leaving only a red mark, causing a minor, painless scratch.

The rapier user looked closely and saw that the flying object was a small shield, which was lying quietly on the ground. The side facing up was a right hand with the middle finger raised, seemingly mocking him.

"You didn't expect that, did you! Red Skull, Steve is back!" Thorin shouted, casually swinging his scythe to force back the two wounded scimitar users behind him, and strode towards the rapier user. "Two against one against a woman, no wonder you're Hydra trash, trash among trash."

The rapier wielder was somewhat bewildered by Sorin's inexplicable words, but this brief confusion was precisely the tactical purpose behind Sorin's words, and it certainly had that effect. He swung his scythe at mid-range, casting a [Final Blade], knocking the rapier from the wielder's hand, followed by a horizontal slash [Death Strike]. Furthermore, since the shield throw was counted as an attack from a [One-Handed Sword], the first [Final Blade] also detonated a marker.

The rapier's health was now critically low. After seeing the two curved swordsmen with low health and the two dead companions, he hesitated for a moment before finally making a difficult decision.

"This is tough! Get out of here!" he shouted, then used several rapier techniques to push Solin back slightly before turning to try and escape. The two scimitar users behind Solin and the axe user on one side, seeing the rapier user preparing to retreat, also sheathed their weapons and ran.

Normally, Sorin never knew the saying "don't pursue a cornered enemy" in PvP; he only knew to kick a man when he was down. However, now that the other side might send reinforcements at any time, and because he had been too overconfident earlier and hadn't called for help from his guild members, he could only pretend to chase after them for a couple of steps before watching the four of them disappear into the distance. Only then did he collect the loot dropped by the two people and leave with Yuna.

64. I need help online, it's urgent.

"What's going on, Sasa?" PoH stared at the four people in front of him with an expression as if he had seen a ghost. "Six of you went to kill one person, got two of them killed in return, and then came back?"

“You didn’t tell me it was two people, and you didn’t say it was a guy who could win 49 consecutive matches in the arena.” The one called Shasa was the rapier wielder wearing the skull mask, and his tone was quite displeased. “I don’t even know why he has such proficient PvP skills.”

“Two people… Ha, the other one is that girl who plays the flute. Sorin is even less effective with her than when he's alone. And you're telling me this?” PoH was still displeased. “Fine, consider this mistake a lesson learned. We will remember the tireless contributions of our two deceased brothers to our cause. Now we need to recruit more people who want to join us, make full preparations, and then consider killing that person.”

“However, you should know that such a person can become even more troublesome in the later stages of the game. If we don’t kill him while the level is relatively low… this threat may accompany us for the entire game.” Another person said, “If you ask me, next time we should try to send the whole team. Two fists can’t fight four hands. Besides, he has a burden with him. Nothing is impossible.”

“You have a point, Johnny Black, then it’s decided.” PoH nodded, confirming the next course of action. “And now, while I’m still a green name, I need to register our guild. The name will be… [Laughing Coffin].”

------

On the way back, Sorin and Yuna found several natural crystals and two ash trees. He had originally considered calling two teams from the guild to do this quest with him, but now it seemed unnecessary. Now all they needed to do was go to the labyrinth area to retrieve the hammer, and the first stage of this questline would be complete.

Thinking this, Sorin didn't return to Yuffie City. Instead, he sailed the boat with Yuna straight to the labyrinth area. Of course, while sailing, he also sent a message to Diabel and Fang Wang, and also sent a group message in his guild channel.

[SorinMarkov: @All members, there are always treacherous subjects trying to harm me. From now on, try to team up when you go out to fight monsters and level up. I was ambushed by a group of red-named players today, but luckily I managed to kill two of them.]

[SorinMarkov: Six against one, two got killed and escaped. Do these guys even know how to play games?]

[SorinMarkov: Diabel/Tooth King, my guess was right. A six-man squad just ambushed me in the forest area and tried to kill me, but I killed two of them and they escaped. Remember to remind your guild members to try to level up in groups and be careful.]

This attack proved his suspicions correct. There is indeed a secret society composed of players with red names who intend to sabotage the frontline conquest, and the reason for their attack on Sorin is easy to understand—if they expose their red names in front of Sorin, their bodies in reality will be immediately controlled, and leaving Aincrad would mean imprisonment without any chance of escape.

However, upon closer reflection, even the most secretive group would find it difficult to escape the detection of a shrewd intelligence broker. After sending those messages, Sorin was about to contact Argo, whose whereabouts were unknown, when the girl's voice beside him brought him back from his busy schedule.

"Sorin, are we still going to the maze area?" Yuna asked Sorin with some concern. "If they come back, they might bring more than six people with them."

"Let me put it this way, Yuna, do you know why they ran away?" Sorin asked mysteriously after hearing Yuna's worried question.

However, Yuna simply shook her head and did not answer Sorin's question. Sorin looked down in confusion and found that Yuna was in a very low mood. She was sitting against the hull, hugging her knees, curled up into a small ball, and upon closer inspection, she was trembling.

Seeing this, Suolin sighed, put down the oar in his hand, silently walked over to sit down next to Youna, put his arm around Youna's slender shoulders, and then pondered for a long time.

"Sorin, I just... I killed someone, didn't I?" Yuna's voice trembled with tears, and she looked extremely vulnerable. "I guess I still can't accept this kind of thing..."

“When this game becomes a death game, the probability of PK (player killing) is not very high. This might be the only time you've ever PKed during your entire game.” Solin tried his best to comfort Yuna, who was very upset and confused. “It’s okay. I told the people in the guild that I killed two people. Besides, killing players who are already red-named won’t make you red-named. No one except me will know that you killed one.”

“But… I still feel uneasy, Sorin. Can you understand that feeling? It’s like everyone approves of your actions, but you can’t get over it yourself.” Youna nodded first, but her answer told Sorin that her situation had not improved.

In fact, it wasn't just Yuna; Sorin was in a similar situation. He was also quite uneasy about killing someone, but not as much as Yuna, and he knew that Yuna needed comfort more than he did right now.