A journey to another world starting from a sword

"No, that's not true. We were just lucky. If there were a lot of monsters, it would be much more difficult to defeat them." Asuna raised her head slightly and said calmly.

“…” A smile appeared on Mito’s face. Asuna would say such things too. She was proud but didn’t make people feel dissatisfied. It could be said that she was quite considerate of the feelings of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

“I hope so,” Godefli replied dejectedly, then shook his head. “Please let us go upstairs with you, okay? Going back is a bit of a hassle.”

Expanding towns is the right of the victors, and Godfrey only hopes to benefit from it.

“Okay, but you can go first.” Asuna pointed to the staircase that had appeared.

"Thank you," Godfrey nodded in thanks.

"What? Are you leaving already?" Dante called out to him, though his posture was a little awkward. Argo and the others' attempt to toss him up had not yet succeeded. At this moment, he had his left hand around Lingyin's neck and his right hand restraining Jeliska's waist to limit her movements. Xiaochun and Leafa were squatting on the ground, trying to lift his feet, while Argo mischievously reached his hand down to his waist to tickle him.

Although this was the result of a fierce resistance, in other people's eyes it looked like a harem scene with women on both sides.

“Lucky guy,” a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath said with extreme resentment.

Turning back to glare at his teammate who had spoken, Godfrey awkwardly offered a polite reply, "Ah, thank you for your hard work. I look forward to the next opportunity to fight alongside you."

"..." Dante rubbed his lips together, trying to avoid giving off a "you're being insincere, it makes me want to laugh" look.

If it weren't for the three hands scheming behind his back, he would have basically succeeded. I don't know which scoundrel first snuck up, but one after another they started causing trouble.

He tightened his grip on Lingyin's neck and held Jeliska's slender waist with his right hand, but he couldn't do anything about the other murderer who was pinning his head to the back of her head.

"There will be a chance."

If the Holy Sword intends to do something...

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

Back at the guild, Argo immediately retreated to her room. She needed to finish the newspaper as soon as possible; this kind of impromptu news could earn her some more money.

"Wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon." Asuna's apron-tying exuded a maternal glow; in short, she was the epitome of a wife.

The others were playing a board game developed by a player in the living room, one of the few forms of entertainment that have recently become popular in SAO, second only to the serialized novel magazine.

Dante then walked behind Asuna, leaned his waist against the island platform, and supported himself with his hands behind him.

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked, without turning her head as she processed the meat of the Frost Rabbit.

Then she sensed someone approaching from behind, and her loose hair was tidied up.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Asuna asked reproachfully, glancing sideways.

Without saying a word, Dante deftly braided the two strands of long hair together, creating a thick, fluffy braid. He then gathered the ends with a wreath and draped it over Asuna's chest.

"What's the point of this?" Asuna looked down at her braid and asked, puzzled.

Did I change my hairstyle while cooking?

"Ah, this makes her look more like a married woman." Dante looked at his work with satisfaction.

"A...a married woman?" Asuna exclaimed in surprise, her cheeks slightly flushed as she glanced behind her.

"What weird things are you saying again?" she pouted, as if expressing her dissatisfaction that she didn't even have a marriage partner.

"..." Dante stood silently behind Asuna, watching her continue with her work.

"I just think we're a good match," he thought to himself.

Chapter 195: Fireplace and Bread

"Use your left arm, not the hand holding the sword, or you'll fall off the stake." Dante's head began to throb as he watched Yuki clumsily standing on the two-and-a-half-meter-high stake.

"Wow... Ahh." As expected, Yuki fell and lay on the lawn, still shouting optimistically. "Actually, I think I can jump over two stakes at once."

"Let's talk about it when you're a bit taller." Dante rolled his eyes, took her little hand, and helped Yuki up. She jumped back onto the stake, and Dante clapped his hands.

"Now stand firmly on your feet! Pay attention to your breathing, make sure it's even, this is the key to maintaining your rhythm, you're panting like a leaky bellows right now."

"What?!" Yuki muttered, trying to calm her breathing, her eyes gradually becoming serious, before she started jumping back and forth on the row of wooden stakes again.

“Training before dawn?” Argo said, resting his arm on the railing and leaning forward.

“It’s almost dawn.” Dante took a few steps back and leaned against the railing.

"That's really strict."

"You never know how many monsters you'll encounter outside the circle, and you never know what's behind you during a fight. Protecting yourself at all times relies on footwork and swordsmanship! These have to become reflexes." Dante tapped his temple.

"Reflex action, understand? Never forget it. If you forget it in actual combat, you're finished."

"Ha, I know. And here you go, this is a gift." Argo placed a ring-shaped object between his fingers on Dante's outstretched palm.

"What's this?" Dante asked knowingly, tossing the ring in his palm into the air. "You went out this early in the morning just for this?"

“The auction is this morning, so I should go see if there are any bargains I can find, and also say hello to Miss Nirunier.” Argo took off his hat, tossed his short blond hair, and exhaled a puff of white mist.

"When it snows, we'll go on vacation to the seventh floor." Dante checked the ring's properties to see what kind of item Argo was so excited about.

The pop-up window clearly indicated Agility +20, a rare accessory slot, which is equivalent to a 7-level attribute boost.

He glanced at the two rings on his left index finger: "Eye of Heaven" and "Ring of the Paladin".

This is a prop meticulously crafted by Mitt, but it only grants +10 and +12 Strength. Although it is also equipment with a starting bid of several hundred thousand Cor, it is still slightly inferior to the dropped items.

Before Dante could even think, the burning sensation in his body intensified, and he shouted to Yuki, "It's over, get down."

"Can I do a somersault down?" Yuki asked with great interest.

"..." Dante twisted his neck with his hand and walked to the wooden stake.

Then Ji suddenly leaped from above, his movements comparable to those of a gymnast, but unfortunately, his posture...

Landed face down?

To avoid this outcome, Dante stepped forward to catch her and spun around in place to dissipate the power.

"Zero points."

"Heh, you've got some nerve!" Argo chuckled as he approached.

"I'll do better next time," Yuki said energetically as she stepped onto the grass.

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

In mid-October, the red leaves fell and made a mess of the once clean courtyard.

The atmosphere inside the house was relaxed, with the area in front of the fireplace becoming a regular spot for everyone, where the flickering flames made a constant "whooshing" sound.

Asuna always uses this place for meetings, perhaps because she likes the atmosphere of sitting together, which makes the time spent on detailed planning less monotonous.

Mitt likes to lie on the recliner, covering his stomach with a blanket, and he won't say a word unless it's something unrelated to the strategy. Jeliska, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She will sit on the recliner and watch everyone with a smile, and occasionally she will show interest in something or express her opinion.

Leafa nodded repeatedly, occasionally agreeing with some of Asuna's plans or getting into a commotion with everyone; she really enjoyed participating in these group activities.

Lingyin, Silica, Lisbeth, and Xiaochun often sit on the carpet playing a new card game, which was actually suggested and invented by Dante, who didn't want to spend the remaining two years of his life in boredom.

This is a game that turns the bosses and rare monsters from each floor of SAO into cards. Of course, it's not just monsters, but also some well-known players. It's said that players have privately speculated on a player's card nicknamed "Flash" for up to one million Cors, since only 10 cards were issued.

The "Dragon Envoy" card isn't cheap either. A player anonymously contacted Argo saying he wanted to offer 80 Cor, which is likely all the player's wealth.

Now, some people have already consciously walked to the fireplace to enjoy the warm firelight as soon as they get up.

The silver ring gleamed with a cold, flowing light on Dante's finger, its surface adorned with exquisitely detailed oak leaf veins, as if it had just been plucked from a branch in late autumn and solidified into metal.

The slight curl of the leaf's edge was etched into shadow by the craftsman with a chisel, giving the normally hard silver a strangely soft texture.

The cabochon holds a round ruby ​​shaped like a blood droplet. Instead of the common rose cut, it is polished into a smooth domed surface, making the star-shaped natural inclusions inside appear as if they are sealing a cluster of dancing flames when rotated.

"..." Dante observed the ring without saying a word, as if time had stood still.

“An anonymous player wanted to sell this ring at auction, but I bought it directly from Miss Nirunel for two million Cor.” Argo, speaking of the source, peeked out from behind the sofa, tilting his head as if seeking praise.

"Agility +20?" Dante murmured.

"What's wrong?" Asuna gently put down the teacup that emitted a sweet fragrance, raised the glass teapot to the others, and then went over to refill the cups that were offered to her one by one. "Why are you suddenly in a bad mood?"

“Yes, it’s rare to see you get such a rare item, yet you act like this.” Mite took a sip of her flower tea and exhaled a breath of hot air.

"Argo, go check on Huang... no, it's nothing." Dante tossed the ring up again and clutched it in his hand.

"Hmm?" Argo stretched and yawned on the sofa, her legs tucked up on tiptoe. Ever since she moved to her new apartment on the 39th floor, she had become particularly fond of this sofa.

"Norfret," the main street on the 39th floor, is unremarkable. It's like a typical town from a fairy tale, a common sight in SAO, which is inherently a fantasy-themed place.

However, Asuna really liked this place, especially the cluster of small red-roofed houses, which were very cute.

Of course, there was another reason for choosing this place: Dante remembered that the Knights of the Blood Oath would move their headquarters from the metropolis on the twenty-fifth floor to this remote countryside.

The house is right next to the town gate, with fertile fields outside and abundant ore and herb gathering spots, making it suitable for Dante to practice his "Harmony" skill or for Liz and Lingyin to mass-produce enough standard equipment to equip mid-level players.

Because Dante had basically collected all the materials: three kinds of dragon blood, griffin tendon fibers, full moon dew, unicorn tear salt, lightning-struck olive charcoal, mandrake twin roots... but the potion itself needed to be prepared by himself. The recipe for the Eternal Reversal Potion required a high level of proficiency, which meant that he could only use the new skill slots to learn skills in a completely new field.

Outside of "Norfret", a large number of monsters will spawn, dropping high-quality leather and scale materials. Most of them have low attack and high defense, making them perfect opponents for combat training.

Not long ago, a member of the "Holy Dragon Alliance" was murdered. In fact, two days later, guild members saw his name marked with a horizontal line on a stone tablet in the Black Iron Palace, and "Smiling Coffin" jumped out to claim responsibility for the disappearance.

The severity of the situation left Argo in a dilemma: publishing the article was one thing, not publishing it was another. In the end, to warn most unsuspecting players, Argo decided to expose it, and the "Smiling Coffin" that was specifically named became famous overnight.

This incident made Dante want to train the others more, especially Yuki, who hadn't reached her full potential, which wasn't what the future "Absolute Sword" should look like. So Dante specially placed some wooden stakes in the yard that he had asked Mahkel to customize.

"Speaking of this ring, who are you planning to give it to?" Sitting cross-legged on the carpet by the fireplace, Leafa didn't need to wear those warm brown boots; her plump thighs were exposed to the air.

Unexpectedly, her words drew everyone's attention to the ring.

"That's not how you ask a question..." Lisbeth said, resting her chin on her hand, looking like she was asking a fool. If you asked that, it would basically be either Asuna or Argo, the two of them who could maximize the effect of the agility attribute.

"This..." Dante held the ring between his fingers, moving it back and forth, causing the other people's eyes to follow suit. They almost burst out laughing, thinking he was holding a cat toy. "Who wants it?"

"Hey, are you really going to give it to me if I say I want it?" Lingyin asked, raising her hand.

"Here you go." Dante casually tossed it over.

"Wow!" Lingyin caught it in a flurry and held it in her hand. When she looked up, her face was full of disbelief. "They really gave it to me."

"You can keep it." Dante shook the two rings carved by Mitt on his left index finger. "It's just a ring."

He wasn't an agile player to begin with, and he couldn't just take off Mitt's ring.

"You're right," Lingyin said softly, then looked at the ring with delight.

"!" Lisbeth already had a "I regret it" look on her face; she should have spoken up sooner.

"Ah, the bread is ready." Asuna glanced at the time and hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

So far, no one has shown any intention of leaving the fireplace area to sit at the dining table.

So Asuna came over carrying a bread basket that smelled strongly of wheat and baking, and placed it in the center of the carpet.

Tearing a piece of toast into his mouth and chewing it, Dante looked at Asuna, who was eating elegantly, and said, "I'll leave today's strategy meeting to you."

"If Heathcliff hadn't also avoided participating in any raids other than those involving floor bosses, everyone would probably have already become suspicious," Argo remarked.

Knowing that his own abilities would make clearing the game much easier, but not wanting to completely deny players hope, some bosses were indeed designed to be quite bizarre.

Kayaba Akihiko was observing the players he had trapped in the game with great anticipation. He could already imagine how interesting their expressions would be when they finally betrayed him.

“Heathcliff… is not like me,” Dante laughed.

Chapter 196: The Lioness

The thirty-ninth floor is called "Nolfrett".

The headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

At the round table in the conference room, all the cadres watched intently as the man in the red robe at the head of the table spoke.

“The ‘ruthless warden’ has been defeated. So, we’re behind again.” Heathcliff seemed unconcerned, his tone remaining unchanged.

"And those guys from the 'Holy Dragon Alliance' have already moved their guild headquarters to the 40th floor," Frosts reported.

"Are those guys really that competitive?" some people started whispering.

In order to outmaneuver the other two key members of the strategy team, the Holy Dragon Alliance immediately moved its headquarters to the 40th floor after breaking through the 39th floor.

“There’s nothing to worry about with the ‘Holy Dragon Alliance’.” Heathcliff’s words instantly calmed everyone down.

That's the oldest and currently the largest guild in the strategy group.

"Unity doesn't mean one plus one equals more than two. The 'Holy Dragon Union' itself has significant problems." As if foreseeing its future, Heathcliff said, "However, we are indeed at a disadvantage in terms of numbers."

The three mainstays of the strategy group, "Knights of the Blood Oath" has three times the number of members as "Eternal Garden," while "Holy Dragon Union" has more than twice the number of members as "Knights of the Blood Oath." It is no exaggeration to say that they are the largest guilds.