A journey to another world starting from a sword

but......

"So SAO even has hair dye." This was something she hadn't expected at all.

"Oh yeah, and our president also used hair dye." Lisbeth grinned mischievously and pointed to someone diagonally opposite her.

"Eh! Is that so?!" Leafa exclaimed in surprise. "I thought Dante was a handsome blond guy."

"The one I used was a special tool," Dante added.

“How could that be?” Lisbeth waved her hand at Leafa’s surprise. “She’s not a foreigner. Asuna used to want to dye her hair pink, but our guild leader strictly forbade it.”

"Li-Liz!" Asuna exclaimed, blushing.

"Pink doesn't suit Asuna at all; maroon is the prettiest color for her," Dante asserted.

"Really," Asuna muttered, but Leafa noticed that the expression on her face seemed to have softened.

Then Asuna pulled a petite girl who had been eating like a hamster since the beginning to Leafa's side, "This last one is Yuki, who just joined the guild yesterday, and she's actually from the same place as Leafa."

"One place is..." Leafa was momentarily confused, then noticed the other's ear hidden in her long purple hair. "Ah!"

A horrifying truth flashed through Leafa's mind: "Could it be that Yuuki is also...?"

“Yes, yes, Yuki is also an ALO player.” Asuna explained to Leafa, because Yuki entered ALO using a medical stealth machine from the real world, which is slightly different from Leafa’s situation.

However, what they have in common is that neither of them can leave the game. Yuki has not returned to reality yet, which suggests that her physical body in reality must also be experiencing some kind of problem.

"I'm Yuki, nice to meet you." Yuki smiled brightly.

"Please guide me," Leafa replied with a frank smile.

After lunch, it's time to start planning today's itinerary.

As the strategy team gradually penetrated deeper into the upper levels, the criminal players' movements were no longer seen on the front lines. This was most likely due to the opposing team's level; they couldn't follow the strategy team into the maze or occupy a high-efficiency training area, thus significantly reducing their leveling efficiency.

Asuna quickly assembled a team to conquer the dungeon and planned to head to the front lines. Argo also shared the latest information.

“And what about me?” Leafa pointed to herself.

"I'll take Leafa to the first floor to familiarize you with the basic combat mechanics," Asuna said with a smile. "And of course, Yuuki and Rei will come with us too."

The hunting grounds outside the "Starting Town" on the first level are undoubtedly the safest for newcomers. As long as they wear good equipment, wild boars cannot pose much of a threat.

“Okay~” Lingyin Chaolifa and Yuki laughed. She knew why Asuna had called her over. “Hey, what weapons do you guys like to use? Although they can’t compare to Liz’s, I can still forge some weapons for practice.”

"Weapons, huh?" Yuki seemed a little troubled.

"Let's start with the most traditional weapons. One-handed swords and rapiers are more suitable for girls. If you don't want to fight at close range, a spear is also an option," Dante suggested.

"Okay! Let's do it that way then." Yuki nodded in agreement without much thought.

“I’d prefer to use a katana,” Leafa said without hesitation, raising her hand.

Chapter 180: Exceptional Talent

“No way.” Argo immediately rejected Leafa’s wish. “The katana in SAO are weapons of humanoid monsters, and players cannot use them.”

"Eh, is that so?" Leafa lowered her hands somewhat dejectedly.

"Let's start with the curved sword," Dante suggested with a smile. "Aside from the blade being a bit wider and shorter, the way it attacks isn't much different from the katana."

"A curved sword, huh?" Leafa imagined what the weapon would look like. If it was similar, it wouldn't be a bad idea, especially since Dante had recommended it.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Then it's decided," Asuna smiled. "Leafie, Yuuki, is it alright to leave at 6:30?"

“No problem.” “OK,” Leafa and Yuki replied one after another.

"Then I'll leave the house to you to guard," Asuna said with a final smile to Dante.

"Yes, yes." Dante then stayed in the living room until everyone had left before going back upstairs.

Gildestan seemed to be just waking up in the early morning, and some early risers were moving toward the transfer gate square in the still-lingering coolness.

Asuna and Rei walked in front, with Leafa and Yuki, the newcomers, following behind. There were few people around at this time of day, so they didn't put on their cloak hoods and fully enjoyed the fresh morning air.

“Ha…” Leafa yawned slowly.

Oh no, I'm getting a little sleepy.

It seemed that five hours of sleep wasn't enough. She tried to shake her head to shake off the drowsiness, and then a gust of cold air hit her face, making her much more awake.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Yuki suddenly asked.

"No, no, I slept quite well, just a little sleep-deprived," Leafa replied, looking at Yuki's radiant appearance, she began to worry about her own performance today.

"It's alright, today's practice is just simple." As if seeing through Leafa's worries, Asuna turned around and smiled.

"Yes, at first, just let the system assist your body." Lingyin also shared her senior's experience. "Once you become more proficient, you can maximize the power of your sword skills through the movements of your waist and legs."

"What is swordsmanship?" Leafa had just asked when she suddenly remembered the blade of light Dante had wielded that night. "Ah..."

Could it be that one?

"We'll explain in detail when we get there," Asuna said, keeping everyone in suspense.

Ahead was the transfer gate plaza that Asuna had mentioned. Leafa and Yuki had also used this place to reach the 25th floor yesterday. But before they even got close, Leafa heard a beautiful melody. As they got closer, the melody seemed to be mixed with a clear and melodious singing voice.

"Ah, could it be..." Asuna murmured softly.

"What?" Leafa craned her neck to look at a corner of the square. It seemed that someone was singing. Because of the tall players surrounding the square, she couldn't see who was singing. She could only hear the melodious mezzo-soprano voice echoing throughout the portal square.

"It's Yuna." Lingyin pricked up her ears and hummed along with the music.

"Are you a player?" Yuki asked curiously.

“Yes, they’re friends I know,” Asuna said with a smile.

"Eh—" Leafa looked at Asuna and then immediately turned her head back to the crowd. "Who are they?"

"If you want to see him, we can go a little further ahead, although I don't... never mind." Asuna wanted to say something but quickly shook her head.

"Huh?" For some reason, Lingyin seemed surprised by Asuna's decision.

Leafa didn't think too much about it and moved forward with Asuna and Rei. However, Asuna took two steps back and put on her and Yuki's hats along with her own.

“Oh right, the ears.” Yuki touched the ear area on her hat.

"This song is called 'The First Town,' and Yuna wrote the lyrics based on the town's background music," Lingyin introduced without turning her head.

"Really?!" Leafa was even more surprised, never expecting that there would be someone with such talent among the players trapped in SAO.

As she walked through the crowd and stood in front, she saw the short hair swaying in the cool morning breeze, revealing a light tea-colored hue, like milk tea.

A young girl dressed like a bard is playing her zither with three NPCs behind her. The song is beautiful, but it carries a sense of loneliness and touches people's homesickness.

"Ah, Yuna likes to sing these kinds of aria-like songs when she's alone," Lingyin said softly.

Leafa was also moved by the song and listened quietly. Then she saw the girl, who seemed to be named Yuna, smiling sweetly at her. Ah, actually, she was smiling at Asuna and the others.

After the song ended, Yuna waved to Asuna and Reiin.

"It's the red-haired songstress of Eternal Garden!" At this moment, the crowd focused their attention on Lingyin.

"Is Lingyin very famous?" Leafa, who had been pulled aside by Asuna before she could ask, asked in a low voice, "She's even called a songstress."

"Pretty much. It's mainly because Yuna and Lingyin sang together at the victory celebration after conquering the 25th floor, and they became super famous throughout Aincrad after that," Asuna explained the background.

Previously, it was only known to strategy guide groups. It was something I never dared to imagine that mid-level or even low-level players would come here specifically for it.

"Sorry everyone, singing such a melancholic song so early in the morning." Yuna hadn't expected her impulsive decision to get up early to practice to attract so many people. "For the last song, let's do something lighter. Good luck everyone today!"

Lingyin was pulled out of the crowd by Yuna's words and stood in the center with her.

"Oh my gosh!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"Eh, eh..." Lingyin had more or less guessed that this situation would occur, and with no other choice, she took out the musical instrument from her backpack.

After the two whispered a word to each other, a cheerful tune emerged with the first note, completely different from the somber mood just now.

“A pure wind blows across this land,” Yuna said first.

"The firelight flickered and trembled beneath the dark clouds," Lingyin sang in response.

Then the two sang a lively duet, their silvery vibrato startling the kingfisher perched on the stone pillar, the final note as gentle as dew falling into the soil.

"Calm down, calm down. Terrifying winds, deafening lightning, a hundred ghosts are about to roam the night, this disaster is about to devour our town."

Despite the lyrics being so serious, the music unexpectedly created an incredible chemical reaction.

"Brilliant firelight, please illuminate our path. Crimson cherry blossoms dance in the firelight, please protect our town until dawn..."

"Ah, there are actually two versions, this is the summer version," Asuna explained to Leafa and Yuki while clapping her hands.

"It's really beautiful." Yuki was somewhat moved. Unlike Asuna, who often saw street performers in Shinjuku, she didn't have many friends due to her health condition and rarely went out. This was a very rare experience for her.

“Yes.” Leafa nodded in agreement. She hadn’t expected Lingyin to have this side to her, and then she genuinely felt that joining the guild was fantastic.

After the song ended, Yuna pulled Lingyin away from the scene amidst applause.

"Phew, we almost got surrounded again," Yuna said to Asuna with relief. "Everyone's so enthusiastic."

Lingyin was panting slightly; if Yuna hadn't pulled her up in time, she probably wouldn't have been able to escape.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Yuna," Asuna said happily.

"Haha, I originally wanted to practice quietly by myself, but I didn't expect there to be so many people." Yuna noticed two other unfamiliar figures. "Ah~, are they newbies?"

"Yes, they just joined the guild and aren't very good at fighting yet. I plan to take them to the first floor to practice."

"Hello, I'm Leafa." Leafa, like Asuna, pulled down her hat and introduced herself.

“My name is Yuki,” Yuki said excitedly. “Miss Yuna’s singing voice is so beautiful.”

"Looks like I've gained some new fans." Unsurprised by their ears, Yuna happily reached into the leather pouch at her waist and took out a slightly larger glass jar filled with colorful candies.

The bottle was held out, and Leafa and Yuki reflexively reached out to take it.

Then Yuna shook the bottle, poured out two candies, and they rolled into their hands.

Putting the bottle back into her leather pouch, Yuna said in an older sister's tone, "Good luck on your adventure today!"

"Yes!"

Chapter 181: I'm really looking forward to it!

"I am back."

Although no one was in the living room, Asuna still called out as usual.

"Nobody's back yet," Leafa said when she didn't get a response.

"Well, generally speaking, you don't come back halfway through exploring a dungeon," Asuna explained to Leafa and Yuki, who hadn't experienced it before.

"What are you all going to eat for lunch? Are you all hungry?" Yuki asked worriedly.

"Hehe, don't worry, I prepared a bento box in the morning to prevent this from happening." Asuna smiled smugly.

“Asuna’s bento is super delicious,” Lingyin added.

"what......."

Just as Leafa and Yuki showed expressions of envy and genuine desire to experience it, Asuna smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that. I'll make something for lunch. Hot food is much tastier than bento boxes."

"Oh right." Leafa then realized the benefits of their early return.

Even though it's 2 PM now, it might still be a while before they can actually eat, but the cream soup they had this morning has already filled them with anticipation.

Then Asuna called them to rest, but Leafa, having just slain a monster that morning, ran to the backyard of the mansion to practice her swordsmanship like a child who had received a new toy.

After taking a deep breath, lower your center of gravity and raise the beautiful scimitar as if it were resting on your right shoulder.

After the system sensed the prescribed action, the blade instantly emitted an orange glow.

"Drink!"

As she roared, Leafa unleashed her basic one-handed curved sword technique, "Raider," the blade leaving a fiery trail in the air.

After trying it a few times and practicing other moves, she breathed a sigh of relief, tossed the knife up and down, held it in both her forehand and backhand, and played with it constantly.

Although Lingyin modestly said that this was just temporary equipment, Leafa had already fallen in love with the curved sword called "Crescent Blade".