A journey to another world starting from a sword

"I never imagined I'd witness this moment with my own eyes," Dante heard Kio's ethereal voice remark.

As an aid worker sent by Nyrunier, she was still wearing that maid outfit decorated with metal and carrying a weaponized rapier.

The other members of the joint forces were quite surprised when they saw her, thinking it was some kind of cosplay, after all, this wasn't Akihabara.

"I wonder if the legendary Water Dragon Salijega is just as troublesome," Kizmel chimed in from the other side.

As dragons are at the top of the food chain, they are naturally revered by the elves, although their epics must contain many stories of dragon slaying.

Blinking without speaking, Dante stared at the dragon's eyes, which were flashing with two blood-red beams, and reminded the others.

"The oppressive force is coming!"

It was an ordinary light that was neither cold nor hot, yet a chill ran down my spine, making my skin crawl with goosebumps.

Despite the warning being issued early on, several players nearby ignored it and saw the light, all of whom were forced into a stun state, not to mention the team facing the boss directly.

At this moment, the fire dragon spread its wings again and retreated a great distance, this time with dazzling sparks appearing at the corners of its mouth.

"Defend against the breath attack, tanks should prioritize protecting stunned teammates!" Dante issued the order again.

Then Akiela stretched his neck out in a whip-like motion, while opening his mouth wide.

With a loud "boom," the air vibrated strangely, and the orange flames it emitted spread out in a fan shape, gradually sweeping across every inch of the land in front of it.

Whenever the tip of the breath strikes the tank's shield, flames shoot high into the air with a deafening explosion, and the defending tanks groan in embarrassment.

Although Akira wasn't the first boss to use a breath attack, the dragon's flames still evoked an unimaginable primal fear.

Lisbeth and the solo player Liting, who had been temporarily assigned to their squad, held up the tower shields they had prepared beforehand, standing in front of the squad to defend against the sweeping aftershocks.

Even if they blocked the flames head-on, they could still get around to the side. The HP of the squad that was hit directly suffered varying degrees of damage, and the immobile members of the squad became a fatal burden.

Dante closed his eyes, sighed silently, and called out to those behind him, "Let's go!"

"Oh!" the girls behind them shouted in response.

They then crossed the battlefield. Jeliska casually untied the silver rope binding the cloth, grasped the intricately carved gun handle, and swung it forcefully. Along with "Violet," the ornate piping on the flag also unfurled.

The flag was placed behind the squad, and several different types of buffs were instantly applied to the guild members. Everyone felt their bodies become lighter, and their fear was suppressed to the deepest part of their hearts.

Standing at the forefront, gripping a two-handed sword carefully chosen from the casino prizes as a temporary measure, Dante stared back at Archiera's crimson eyes with his golden gaze.

At this moment, the positions of the hunter and the prey are very clear.

-----------------

The waves, sometimes near, sometimes far.

A sea breeze carrying the scent of flowers.

The fine white sand that you feel when you're barefoot.

The celebration banquet for the seventh floor boss battle was held on the beach of Worubda. When asked to borrow the beach for a short while, Nirunier waved her hand generously, indicating that it was fine.

After all, she had already been given over a hundred jugs of "dragon's blood," and this item had been dropped in large quantities on Dante and his companions who had accepted quests related to Nyrunel.

With this blood, Nyrunel probably won't need to drink human blood in the future. She should be the only "Lord of the Night" who will actively use dragon blood to suppress her blood-drinking urges.

"...

We don't yet know where we're going.

If you spread your newly sprouted wings, you can fly high and agile.

And I, standing beside you, have always longed for the starlight in that distant place.

It points in the direction of my path, and I am certain I will reach there.

Before everyone else, grasp the world in your hands, and with those hands, seize the hidden brilliance that shines forth.

......"

At the other end of the beach, Yuna, who had been invited by Dante, was singing loudly, with Lingyin accompanying her on the instrument. A group of players surrounded them, but Yuna and her friends were no longer intimidated. Some of the players watching were holding brightly colored cocktails they had gotten from the makeshift bar set up in the middle of the beach by casino staff.

"Are you really not going to reconsider?" It was Qiao who spoke, as she was cutting the fruit she had peeled into dice shapes with a kitchen knife and placing them in a large crystal bowl.

It contains a beverage made by mixing sparkling wine and red wine in a 1:1 ratio. Every time a piece of fruit falls into the mixture, it releases an enticing aroma.

“It’s too early to stay here now,” Dante replied to Kio, continuing to skillfully peel the fruit with his knife.

"Ha...why do you all want to go to the top floor?"

"For the sake of a view that is hard to see." Dante deliberately used romantic words to answer her.

"That's well said."

Dante felt a gentle pat on his back and turned around to see Asuna, dressed in a rather conservative swimsuit, walking over with Nyrunel, who looked like an exquisite doll.

Considering there were a few people, Asuna had Ashurai, who was lying peacefully on the beach chair and it was unclear whether he was asleep or not, made a swimsuit with very little exposure beforehand.

The other girls were pretty much the same style. Except for Jeliska and Ashura, even the indifferent Kizmel changed into a relatively conservative swimsuit at Asuna's strong request.

However, even though Jeliska and Ashura were wearing bikinis, they made a point of wearing tulle skirts around their waists to cover their exposed legs.

But from Dante's perspective, not showing skin is actually more sexy; the half-covered skin of the legs gives a special charm.

Having witnessed the girls' terrifying skill, not a single male player has come to chat them up so far.

However, before the girl establishes a relationship, sooner or later, some player will inevitably propose marriage. This is something that cannot be avoided.

"Haha, so cute!" Dante complimented Nyrunel, who was wearing a black swimsuit.

"Hey! I can't believe it, where are the others?" Lisbeth exclaimed incredulously.

"What?" Dante tilted his head.

"Only praise Nyrunel?" Lisbeth said, pointing at Dante with a speechless expression.

Dante, however, returned Lisbeth's gaze with an even more speechless look. She was wearing a white sun-protective shirt over her conservative swimsuit. "I've already praised her before, and... what do you want me to praise?"

“Hmm.” Lisbeth was also speechless for a moment. “There’s nothing I can do! There are so many people, and I don’t have the leisure of a grown woman like Miss Jeliska.”

"Hehehe." Jeliska covered her mouth and chuckled, then teased, "That's because Dante is here, so no man should come up to chat him up."

Dante then made a "Leave it to me" gesture and continued processing the last bit of fruit.

"That's about it." Qiao put down the cleaver, walked to the makeshift sink to wash her hands, and then looked at the barbecue grill next to her. For various reasons, they did not call the casino NPCs for help, but chose to grill it themselves.

After all, there were strangers around, which made it a little awkward, and having a barbecue yourself is also a kind of seaside experience.

Asuna had already run over to work with Keo on various high-quality ingredients, including but not limited to seafood. SAO had simplified this part considerably, which Asuna felt lacked a lot of fun, but to the average person, the cooking method, which resembled a mini-game, was more interesting than in reality.

So, the girls who had nothing to do split into two groups. One group, led by Silica, went to play in the sea, while the other group, led by Mito, followed Ashurae's example and sat quietly on the deck chairs in front of them, enjoying the pleasant sea breeze.

"Hey, General, you're really taking it easy." Dante had just poured himself a punch when he heard Agil's voice greeting him.

"I just finished." Dante patted the crystal bowl and looked at Agil's army of men.

These muscular men were wearing small-area competitive swimming trunks, and the muscular energy that they couldn't completely suppress even when fully armed was now radiating physical pressure in all directions.

“I meant your clothes,” Agil laughed.

"Ah~" Dante made a sound of understanding. Unlike Agil and the others who were showing off their muscles without reservation, Dante himself was wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt and beach shorts that Ashura had strongly recommended, replacing his previous plain shorts-style swim trunks.

However, Asuna and the others didn't think there was anything fancy about the dress. Instead, they agreed with Ashura's statement that the parts that were covered up were the most important.

He smiled at Agil and said, "You'd probably look pretty good in that too."

Just imagining it for a moment, Akiel wearing a floral shirt, a linen beanie, and big sunglasses, he looked like the very embodiment of Hawaii.

"Forget it, there probably won't be a beach as beautiful as this again." Although Agil was somewhat tempted, he still shook his head.

They won't stay here; they'll keep moving forward, and who knows what lies ahead?

There probably won't be another time like today, when everyone gathers together on a beautiful beach to celebrate this hard-won victory.

After Agil and the others left, Lind came over to say hello, basically thanking them for inviting them to such a beautiful beach and declaring that "Dragon Journey" would become the top guild in SAO.

Dante certainly had no doubt about this; the other side had already managed to form three full-strength squads, and sooner or later they would become one of the top guilds in terms of scale among the raiding groups.

However, Dante ignored Lind's challenge, because he would soon be semi-retired.

Most of the guild's public affairs are handled by Asuna, while he needs to make full use of the nights to grind monsters deep in the dungeon.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the bustling beach quieted down again as the celebration came to an end.

Only Dante and his group remained on the beach, accompanying Nyrunel to admire the silvery sea before them. Nyrunel had been particularly fond of these group activities lately, and everyone was happy to cooperate with her.

"Miss Nyrunel, would you like to come with us?" Asuna sat up straight on the recliner and extended an invitation to Nyrunel.

"Although life is tougher than in a big casino, and you'll have to go through a lot of hardship to avoid the sunlight, there aren't any guys up there who want to hurt you. There might even be other places where life is easier, and maybe you'll even meet other 'Lords of the Night.' Like Dante said, 'For the sake of sights you can't see,' traveling will definitely be enjoyable. There are so many beautiful and incredible things in this world that you've never seen before..."

Upon hearing Asuna's words, Argo and the others showed expressions of surprise, followed by anticipation. Although their time together had been short, everyone had grown fond of this "unconventional" vampire princess.

Traveling together, witnessing scenery never seen before, it seems that this is the meaning of the guild's existence.

“Heh...heh...hehehehe.” After a long silence, Nyrunel suddenly swayed her slender shoulders and laughed. “Asuna, you said the same thing as Dante. He said the same thing to me and Kio back then.”

Faced with Asuna's questioning gaze, Dante chuckled and shook his head.

"Thank you." After laughing for a while, Nyrunel closed her mouth and exhaled a long breath. She looked up at Asuna.

"This is probably the most enticing invitation I've ever heard in my life, but—I can't leave with you."

"However, if you wish to stop and rest during your adventure, you are always welcome to return here."

Chapter 164: Longing for the Strategy Team

April 8th, an ordinary spring evening.

The twilight, like madder root paint diluted with water, spread along the horizon, and the lingering warmth of the stone path, baked all day, seeped up from the soles of my shoes.

Kirito felt that the "Elf Queen Knight's Sword" on his back—the final reward for completing the entire Elf Campaign quest chain—was becoming a little difficult to use when hunting monsters recently.

As you move up a floor, monsters that could previously be killed with two sword skills now require advanced sword skills that involve multiple combos.

This is completely unacceptable for a solo player like him, as it adds almost half a third more attack steps and increases the risk of hunting alone.

So he plans to go down to the lower levels to collect some enhancement materials to strengthen his beloved sword, which has accompanied him for more than ten levels and will continue to accompany him for more than ten levels in the future.

He had already bought all the other materials, but some rare materials needed to be collected by himself, so he came to the fifteenth floor.

Although Argo the Rat has already revealed all the information about the fifteenth floor, to be honest, a strategy guide can only cover a very limited amount of information.

Even though Argo had entered as much key information as possible, many details were still overlooked.

Furthermore, Kirito doesn't believe that lower-level players will be able to fully grasp all the strategy information, because it's passive knowledge that they receive without any hands-on experience or guidance. Once they've read it, it will simply disappear from their minds.

Even among the strategy guide group, only a minority of players can memorize everything directly; not many are willing to invest such a great deal of effort and time. He deduced that only a handful of people in the strategy guide group could do this; most would simply read through it a few times and then glance at it again when needed.

Of course, putting aside these experiences, with his current level of being able to hunt alone on the front lines, the monsters on the fifteenth floor can be easily dealt with with a single high-level sword skill.

Just as he had spent two hours collecting all the necessary materials and items and was preparing to return to his current stronghold, the 25th floor main street "Guild Land - Gildestan", an accident occurred along the way.

A five-person team with a very unbalanced overall structure, with only one shield-wielding warhammer user who can act as the vanguard, while the others are armed with weapons such as short swords, clubs, and spears, which are used at subtle combat distances.

The team is currently being chased by a horde of monsters. Because there are no other tank members besides the Warhammer user, the entire team's movements are very stiff, and they can only retreat little by little.

"We're still quite a distance from the exit," Kirito thought, his fingers reaching back to touch the hilt of his sword.

There was a tacit understanding among those on the front lines to help each other in times of danger, so he planned to lend a hand. However, he never expected that this act of assistance would lead to a situation that left him at a loss.

"Thank you... thank you so much. I was so scared... I was so happy when you came to save us. Thank you so much."

The only female player in the team, with black hair and a long spear, held his hands tightly with both of them, her eyes brimming with tears as she repeatedly said to him.

Kirito, disguised as a regular player, spent a considerable amount of time fighting alongside the opponent to defeat the monster horde.

The result was that the rest of the team was celebrating this hard-won victory with great fanfare, high-fiving each other one after another, genuinely happy for the win.

The moment his hand claps in response to the other person's high-five, Kirito feels an indescribable emotion coursing through his chest.

This warm atmosphere was rare even among the guilds on the front lines, and there was no one else who could recreate the victory-like scenes he had seen in various single-player RPG games.

No, perhaps there is a guild—"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain"—that group of hardcore players does seem like the kind of people who would do such simple and naive things.

If he had chosen to stay in the "Town of Beginnings" from the beginning, that man... the first male player he met in SAO, Klein, whom he abandoned, might have actually led the entire guild to do the same.

Faced with Kirito's offer to escort them, Keita, the leader of the "Moonlit Black Cat Gang," who was actually the captain but in reality just a stick wielder, said, "Thank you for your concern. We'll gladly accept your offer and ask you to protect us to the exit."

After escaping the maze area, Kirito readily accepted Keita's invitation to go to the tavern to celebrate. They raised a glass of wine that must have been quite expensive for each other and introduced themselves.