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

Chapter 139, The Zero-Level Maze (Part 2) (Bonus Chapter 31/75)

"I suddenly remembered a very important question."

Sorin walked up the dark tunnel steps, relying solely on the special effects light from his highly enhanced weapon for illumination. Yuna and Ivy followed behind him, using this faint light to see the steps beneath their feet, and walked cautiously.

"What?" Yuna asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I hadn't had dinner yet when Kirito called me away, and now I'm a little hungry." Sorin scratched his head a little embarrassedly, then turned to look at Yuna, "Have you and the child eaten?"

“I’ve already eaten, unlike you, you idiot,” Yuna replied calmly. “Speaking of which… what was that story that made you rethink some people’s values?”

“Remember that murder case in the industry? Didn’t I analyze their methods for you once?” Solin turned around to continue looking at the road, while recounting his recent experience. “Turns out there was more to this whole mess. The president’s husband was a good-for-nothing, but the president was incredibly powerful. He was afraid that the president would despise him and divorce him after he left, so he hired a red-name killer to murder the president. It’s that simple. It made me rethink the values ​​of people like that.”

“I don’t need to worry about that, because Sorin is better than me.” Yuna didn’t analyze the ridiculous story in depth, “but I feel like it’s not that simple.”

"Yeah, and then that guy wanted to kill the rest of his guild members, Kirito called me over to help, and I killed one of them instantly after landing. But the others didn't have time to react, and my damage wasn't enough, so PoH used TP to escape with them." Sorin was clearly much angrier when he talked about this than when he mentioned Grimlock. "Damn, PoH's armor is really high... I used my flail to knock off half of his armor, and then a fully charged Phantom Sword Dance, but I didn't even take off half of his health."

Yuna didn't say anything this time. Of course, she also knew that as long as Suolin saw her with Aivixin, he would basically not be angry. He was just complaining a little.

"Dad?" Aiweixin tugged at Suolin's sleeve again, trying to comfort him in her own way, "Don't be angry."

"I'm not angry, I just get annoyed whenever it's mentioned." Solin smiled, then gently took Ivy's small hand. "There seems to be light ahead. I knew this environment couldn't be completely dark, how could we fight monsters like this..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was swept into darkness by something, and the only thing he had time to do was let go of Ivy's hand.

"Daddy? Daddy!" Ivy called anxiously into the darkness. Yuna, though also anxious, knew the enemy might still be hiding in unknown corners. She crouched down, using her body to shield Ivy. At the same time, she drew her rapier, wary of any unknown enemies that might appear in the surrounding environment at any moment.

"I'm fine! What the hell is this?!" Sorin's booming voice came from the darkness, accompanied by the sound of a blade cutting through flesh. "I knew those Simik guys must have messed things up while doing experiments underground! What kind of toad grows this big?"

A series of flashes of light pierced the darkness and shone into the eyes of Yuna and Ivy. This was followed by a strange wail and the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

"Done. I took down the fast-growing lizard frog with a hundred beans in one hit with Mourning Return to Emptiness. It didn't even have any protective charms or curtains." Sorin stepped on the wall a few times, landed steadily in front of Yuna, swung his katana in a fancy sword flourish, and then put it into his kaleidoscope. He said smugly, "Looks like the monsters here aren't that difficult."

“This is just the beginning, don’t underestimate us.” Yuna replied cautiously, then changed from her previous half-squatting posture back to standing, adjusting her position to surround Ivy with Solin. “Let’s at least break through this dark area first.”

“I think one scare like that is enough.” Sorin was clearly not as nervous as Yuna at this moment, and swaggered ahead. “I can already vaguely see the shadows. We shouldn’t be far from below. I just don’t know if this maze is divided into layers or something.”

"There shouldn't be any more layers, right? This is already below the first level. If there are lower levels, wouldn't we fall off the floating city?" Yuna shook her head, looking at the area below that was starting to light up. "Checking our position on the map... it should be..."

"In area E1, there's a fork in the road about fifty meters ahead. The left one is a dead end, and the right one is about 125 meters ahead. There's a large hall there, which is the first safe zone, but Ya Wang and Xin Ka definitely won't be there." Sorin recited the route marked on the map without hesitation. "Memorizing this kind of map should be easy, right? I should be able to remember it after glancing at it on the way here."

“Not everyone is as professional as you, okay? At least I feel a headache just looking at that map. I don’t think any mazes I’ve ever seen before are this complicated.” Yuna complained rather indignantly, “I don’t know what the point of designing a maze here is.”

"The idea is similar to a hidden level or an Easter egg. When I was a kid playing those NES games or other games, some games would have Easter eggs. Back then, I searched for Contra's underwater level eight for a long time, only to find out online that there wasn't one." Solin explained to Yuna from a gamer's perspective as much as possible, "Every game designer is the most loyal player of their own game, just like Magic: The Gathering is to Professor Richard Garfield, and DOTA2 is to IceFrog. They always try to make themselves a part of the game, to leave their mark on it, and Easter eggs are a very common way to do that."

“But if we follow your theory, then Kayaba Akihiko is also the most loyal player of Sword Art Online.” Yuuna followed Solin’s words and reasoned a little further, but found that Solin suddenly stopped and looked at her with an incredulous look.

"what happened?"

"No...it's nothing. What you said might be true." Solin turned his head away and replied somewhat guiltily, then immediately changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the monster experience points here should be quite high. I deduced that from the coin drops. Once the level cap is raised to level 50, this place should be enough for us to level up to at least level 70."

"That sounds amazing." Yuna nodded, then tried to flip the map again, but Sorin stopped her.

“I told you I’d backed up; that way we can keep an eye on Ivy at all times,” he said. “Let’s keep going; they’re definitely not in this safe zone.”

Chapter 140: The Guardian of the Sky, Ivyxin (Bonus Chapter 32/75)

Even without in-depth reconnaissance, it's reasonable to deduce from this stretch of road that Fang King and Sinka couldn't possibly be in this safe zone. Because when Sorin came this far, aside from being captured by the [Quick-Growing Lizard Frog] at the beginning, he hadn't seen a single monster.

“Stop here for a moment, then use the Detection Tool to scan for the Tooth King.” Solin paused to recall the map he had just memorized, making it clearer in his mind, and then said, “I think since they haven’t even looked at the whole map, they probably won’t go too deep. We should be able to see it in a little while.”

“I understand, I’m guiding the traces…” Yuna nodded, then activated her target acquisition skill and stepped to the front. “This way, Sorin.”

"I understand," Solin replied, then let Ivy walk in front of him while he slowed his pace, remaining vigilant for any unusual movements around them. He and Yuna maintained their formation, keeping Ivy in the center at all times, essentially placing her in the safest spot. After all, even though Ivy had repeatedly emphasized that she was capable of fighting, Solin still didn't want her to be in any potential danger.

Monsters started appearing along the way. The monsters spawning here were still the same fast-growing lizard frogs. Due to their large size, they didn't spawn in groups, which made Sorin's clearing work much easier.

"There's an intersection on the left, center, and right each thirty meters ahead. The left one is a dead end, but there's a safe zone, and there's also an unexplored dark zone. The center and right are both passageways." After using another set of skills to kill a fast-growing lizard frog, Sorin returned to Yuna's side and asked, "Which way did the Fang King's tracks lead?"

“On the left side,” Yuna replied briefly. “There’s also a blue mark, the situation is unclear, mixed with the mark of the King of Fangs.”

“Blue…is it a non-player?” Sorin pondered for a moment, then analyzed, “If it left so many traces, it might not be a minor monster like the Quick-Growing Lizard Frog. It could very well be the culprit that forced the Fang King’s team out of the maze and then trapped the Fang King and Sinka. Anyway, be careful.”

After saying that, he walked over to Aiweixin's side, squatted down slightly, and whispered in her ear, "Stay close to Daddy for a while. If anything happens, you and Mommy go first."

"Mm." Ivy nodded as always, appearing particularly obedient. After giving this instruction, Sorin drew his most trusted katana from the kaleidoscope on his back and followed Yuna forward.

Normally, Ya Wang is very cautious when leading his team to explore the Black Zone. However, according to the ALS members who escaped, the monster appeared without warning, not even appearing on their radar, and immediately reduced one of them to near-death with a single strike. However, after they escaped a distance, the monster stopped pursuing them.

"I feel like this kind of activity is more like they're protecting something, rather than some simple monster," Sorin said thoughtfully. "Maintain alert posture, Yuna, we've reached the safe zone in thirty meters."

Actually, he didn't need to give any hints, because all three of them could see a white area about thirty meters ahead, like the area where the texture card had disappeared. Ya Wang and Xin Ka were sitting there drinking, and there were at least two cases of bottles of liquor next to them.

"You old idiot, Ya Wang! I'm here to save you!" Sorin shouted irritably across the room in his Kansai dialect, which he had somehow gotten bored with at the time. "There's no trouble at the door! Hurry up and get out of here!"

"Who? Who's shouting... Brother Solin, watch out! The monster's still over there!" At first, Ya Wang was wondering who was shouting, but when he saw that it was Solin, he was first surprised, and then his surprise turned into panic.

"What the hell?" Sorin asked subconsciously, then saw a swift black figure suddenly emerge from the unexplored passage in his memory, holding a sharp scythe, and without saying a word, it slashed at Yuna who was walking in front.

Seeing this, Sorin executed an incredibly precise maneuver. He thrust his rapier at Yuna, then immediately switched to a katana, executing a piercing slash before the blade of the massive scythe could touch him, managing to block the attack. However, this death god-like monster seemed to possess an exceptionally high strength bonus; even though Sorin blocked the attack, he was thrown aside.

Only at this point did the system determine that Sorin had hit the monster with his Insightful Slash, revealing the monster's name and recommended level for defeating it.

The monster's name is 【The Fatal-scythe】, but the suggested kill level has no numbers, only three question marks.

"Let me think, how many levels above the monster do I have to fight to see a question mark... What the hell? Is this map even supposed to be open now?" Even in this crisis, Sorin couldn't suppress his吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) spirit. He turned to Yuna and shouted, "Take Ivyxin into the safe zone and take those two idiots away. Don't worry about me!"

"...I understand, be careful!" Yuna replied, then without hesitation pulled Ivy Xin around and ran towards the safe zone. During the previous year of teaming up, she and Solin had experienced similar dangerous situations several times, but Solin always managed to return safely.

"This idiot is so stupid, if there aren't any other monsters, I could cut him down in my entire life without ever missing a beat." Sorin said casually, staring intently at the monster in front of him, his grip on the hilt of his katana tightening. "Cut like the wind!"

He did see that the blade make a cut, but the Grim Reaper didn't retract its attack after the strike; instead, it continued its slash. Only then did Sorin get a clear look at the scythe... It was a double-headed scythe similar to those sometimes used by Dark Templars in StarCraft II, and its characteristic was that it could create two slash hitboxes in a single swing, and Sorin had only just seen one cut off.

By the time he realized this, he didn't have enough time to make the next cut. He could only watch helplessly as the scythe slowly approached him, then he placed the blade in front of his chest in a blocking motion.

"DM! Give me a parry!" Solin shouted, and then he was hit head-on by Death, flying backward and losing three-quarters of his health in an instant.

"Well, four more ones." He muttered to himself. Besides being seriously injured, he was also dizzy. Death was rapidly approaching him, raising its scythe once again. "I'm about to die... Pong friend, stop!"

However, the next moment, Sorin witnessed something unbelievable. He watched as Ivy broke free from Yuna's control and rushed towards him, blocking his path.

"No! Ivy! Hide!"

The sharp blade hurtled towards Ivyshin. Just as it was about to strike her, a vibrant purple barrier flashed across her body, displaying the words "indestructible," meaning she could not be destroyed by damage or annihilation effects.

Her appearance was also very different from before—most obviously, a pair of huge wings had suddenly sprouted from her originally fair and smooth back, and she now held a magnificent spear with one long and one short point.

“You wicked man who dares to harm my father, Ivykin mercifully grants you annihilation.”

141. The Truth About Ivy Shin

Only now did Sorin realize what kind of combat power the 4/4 Flying Vigilant's physique, which only existed on paper, represented in reality. It truly was the power to become a guardian of an entire spacetime.

"So Sarah is actually a powerful figure capable of mass-producing these creatures...?"

Solin sighed silently. He had been worried that Aivisin might be in danger, and when she stood in front of him, his heart nearly jumped out of his throat. But now, it seemed that all he could do in front of the fully-formed Aivisin was sit on the sidelines, eat melon seeds, and give a thumbs-up.

Aivisin flapped her wings forcefully, charging forward with incredible speed. Her double-pointed spear pierced straight into Death, followed by a barrage of attacks. The spear seemed to possess a soul in her hands, sometimes like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, launching a sudden attack from the most insidious spot; at other times, it resembled a mountain range descending from the molten peak of Valaku, carrying an unstoppable wave of destruction.

The Grim Reaper could only barely parry Ivy's attacks with its scythe, fighting and retreating while its health steadily dwindled. Solin estimated that Ivy must currently possess the DPS of a max-level, fully-equipped character; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to inflict such heavy damage on a near-max-level boss.

This one-sided battle lasted less than three minutes before Death's health was completely depleted by Ivyshin, turning into blue polygonal fragments. Sorin also found Death's loot in his backpack. It seems this hurdle has been overcome.

"My goodness, Brother Solin, is your daughter really this strong-willed?" Seeing the Grim Reaper fall, Ya Wang quickly pulled out Sin Kara, who was still confused about the situation, and looked at Ivy Shin, who had already landed back on the ground and retracted her wings, and exclaimed, "She's too strong."

"Don't ask me, I don't understand how it turned out like this either," Sorin muttered to himself, as if responding to Ya Wang, then walked to Ivyxin's side and gently hugged her. "You really are Ivyxin... It's a pity I'm really not Sorin Markov..."

“It’s okay, Daddy. Isn’t Ivy amazing?” Ivy snuggled into Solin’s arms, then suddenly stepped out of his embrace. “But… this might be the last time we have to say goodbye, Daddy, Mommy. I remember everything… everything.”

"You... what did you say? You remembered the past... but why say goodbye?"

Solin looked at Aivixin in surprise, his tone full of disbelief. Youna also walked to his side this time, her eyes also filled with surprise and confusion as she looked at Aivixin.

“That’s it, Sorin Markov, Yuna—let me explain it to you now. This world called Sword Art Online is controlled by a massive system—Cardinal.” Ivy’s tone was mature and cautious at this moment, no longer having the naive and innocent feeling she had before. “The Cardinal system can control the balance of this world based on its own judgment, and it does not require human maintenance.”

“Cardinal… wait!” Sorin suddenly realized something, turned to Ya Wang and Sinka, and then drew his katana.

"Leave now. Your access is insufficient to hear what follows. If you accidentally hear anything you shouldn't, I will eliminate you according to organizational regulations. Don't blame me."

He was obviously just trying to scare them, but Ya Wang and Sinka immediately imagined some other strange things.

"Are you a KGB officer?" Sinca asked instinctively, then quickly grabbed Tooth King and whispered, "Let's go. Since Mr. Sorin has already explained, it's not appropriate for us to stay here any longer."

After watching Ya Wang and Sinka leave, Sorin looked at Ivy Xin again, signaling her to continue.

"However, there is only one exception: resolving problems caused by players' mental states. Originally, a staff of dozens was prepared for this, but the developers of the Cardinal system wanted to delegate the task of caring for players to the system as well. Therefore, they tested a program that utilizes the features of NERvGear to monitor players' mental states in detail, visit players with problems, and listen to their innermost thoughts..."

"【Mental State Management Support Program Prototype 1】, program code 【A.vacyn】, which is me. And to avoid making the player feel out of place, the system also gave me the ability to mimic emotions—it's all fake, including these tears… Mr. Sorin, I'm sorry…"

Ivy's reddened eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down her beautiful face and then vanished into the air. Solin tried to come over and hug Ivy, but she took two steps back and avoided him. She shook her head, as if to say that she didn't deserve Solin's embrace.

“No, Ivy, this isn’t fake. You’re not just a program; you’re real artificial intelligence with your own consciousness… Your attachment to me, your panic and determination when you see me in danger, your indifference and cruelty in the face of death… none of this is fake! Do you know that!”

"...Is that so?" Ivy asked incredulously. "So, after knowing all this, you're still willing to accept me, Mr. Solin, and Miss Yuna?"

“So let’s not use such formal terms anymore. I want you to call me Dad and Yuna Mom, just like before.” Sorin wiped his eyes and gave Ivy Xin his usual bright smile again. “I don’t care why you left your original duties to come to my side, but all the time we’ve spent together, every bit of feeling Yuna and I have for you is real! If you really have intelligence, please tell me your wish now.”

“I want to…I want to protect Mom and Dad forever, I want to be with you forever…” Aiweixin threw herself into Suolin’s arms, her voice trembling with a mixture of joy and fear, “But Dad, it might be a little too late now.”

"Actually, the safe zone where those two were hiding was set up so that the GM could urgently connect to the system's management device, which is the console. I also just accessed the console, which unlocked all permissions. And that Grim Reaper was actually setting up to prevent players from approaching this area. And now, the Cardinal system should be checking my program and starting to [remove foreign objects]."

"So, there's not much time left..."

"How could this be!" Yuna trembled as if she had lost control, gently stroking Ivy's cheek, her voice filled with despair, "Is there... is there absolutely no way to salvage this?"

"Don't panic... Ivy, don't panic, I think you can still be saved."

Solin appeared unusually calm at this moment. He opened the live stream and set the password that he had agreed upon with the Rainbow Team in advance.

"The host you follow, [Elegant Mr. Suolin], has started broadcasting."

"Damn it! I found the AI ​​running under the Cardinal System! Come out and help me out! It's urgent and crucial!"

142. The Inner World and the Outer World (Part 7)