A journey to another world starting from a sword

"Hahaha... Do you need me to help you get a new outfit?" Ashurai patted his shoulder hard while still laughing and joking. "Well, but before that, let's add each other as friends."

"Ah!" Yuna's voice came from not far away, "How cunning, Miss Lily, I don't have Mr. Dante's friends either."

At that moment, Yuna was walking gracefully towards them, holding Mit's hand.

Mitt, whose face still bore traces of tears, had regained her composure. She walked firmly to Dante and spoke solemnly.

"I will beg Asuna for forgiveness. It doesn't matter if Asuna doesn't forgive me, but I want her to know that it was my own cowardice that led me to abandon her, not..."

If Asuna believes that Mito chose not to help because he was greedy for rare items, then Asuna will probably never choose to trust anyone again for a long time, or even forever.

This was Mito's idea after being persuaded by Yuna. She believed that the fault lay solely with herself, and she would blame herself for all the mistakes in front of Asuna.

However, she no longer had the face to stand beside Asuna; she had lost that right herself.

Mitt swiped through the main menu, took a rapier from his inventory, and handed it to Dante.

"This is a weapon I got from the Swift Ratmen, called the Wind Flower Sword. Please give it to Asuna."

Dante took the Windflower Sword, examined the exquisite-looking rapier, and then looked at Mitt again, "Aren't you going to hand it to her yourself?"

“…” Mite fell silent again.

"I understand." Dante sighed knowingly, knowing she hadn't figured out how to appear before Asuna, so he said, "I'll help you."

"Ah..." Mito opened her mouth in surprise, but finally nodded gratefully, "Then, I'll leave it to you."

Dante nodded in response. Does this mean that the other party trusts him to some extent?

Thinking this, he put the "Wind Flower Sword" into his inventory.

"Clap!" Yuna suddenly clapped her hands and said happily, "Things are resolved smoothly, let's celebrate!"

She took out her zither, her slender fingers gliding across the strings. "Would you like to play a piece to celebrate our survival and... our meeting?"

Hearing Yuna say that, Mito gave her a "I can't do anything with you" smile, while Ashura said "Okay".

"Perfect timing... I just remembered a song."

The three female players all looked at the person who made the sound.

"Mr. Dante can play too?" Yuna asked in surprise, her eyes filled with undisguised delight.

“No,” Dante shook his head, “but I remember how it was sung.”

"Then I'll provide some simple accompaniment," Yuna said with a gentle smile.

“Even if you don’t sing well, we won’t laugh at you,” Ashura joked.

"No, it won't." Dante cracked his throat, tilted his head, and smiled, quite confident in his voice.

He stood at the edge of the fence, the sky behind him gradually turning a faint orange-red.

As Yuna's fingers danced across the strings, a melodious tune began to float in the air.

Then a clear, penetrating voice rang out, like a gentle breeze in the morning light, caressing the listener's heart.

"...Those hands, so soft, please don't forget them, let's hold hands."

When dawn breaks and the flowers bloom, I think I will return to your side.

Breaking through the waves, dispelling the darkness, the dream remains as it was, clear and bright.

Continuing along that endless blue road...

The world around him seemed to come alive with his singing.

A peaceful and contented expression appeared on the faces of the listeners. Yuna hummed along softly to the melody, while Ashura closed his eyes and enjoyed the tranquility of the morning.

As for Mitt, she clutched her chest, a strange impulse welling up inside her for some reason since earlier.

Ah.

She brushed her eyes away, and tears... seemed to well up again.

Chapter 28: The Last Town

Dante had planned to take Mito back to the starting town, but after waking up from a nap at the inn in Razel Village, he received a message from Silica.

So at noon, Yuna and Ashura had another drink at the tavern, ate something simple, and agreed to meet up again sometime.

Then Dante took Mitt to the village of Horuca, passing through the cave on the north side to reach "Torbana".

After passing through the cave, Mitt led the way, which made Dante, who was not familiar with the map and had never been here before, feel very relaxed. He had originally planned to take out the Argonauts's Guidebook.

This is what it feels like to be guided by an experienced player...

Dante suddenly realized that he had underestimated Mitt's role, and upon realizing this, he let out a barely perceptible sigh.

We need to find a way to bridge the gap between Asuna and Mito.

After glancing at the progress bar, which was rising a little bit again, Dante wondered if there were any other events he could intervene in.

The first thing that came to mind was preventing Diabel's death. The organizer of the first strategy meeting and the commander of the first boss battle died because of his own carelessness and negligence.

To avoid being robbed of the LA reward (the final blow from the Boss) by the infamous lone wolf Kirito, he planned to face the Boss alone at the end, but he took all of the kobold lord's katana skills and died on the spot.

This directly led to the main force of the strategy group splitting into two parts, which were also the predecessors of the two major guilds in the early stages of SAO. However, by the middle period, both of these guilds had declined for their own reasons, which is truly regrettable.

"Tolbana is just ahead."

Mitt's cold voice interrupted Dante's thoughts, and he looked up at the last town on the first level, "Torbana".

Torbana is only 200 meters long and is located in the valley closest to the maze area.

From afar, you can see the huge windmills lined up in Tolbana, which are considered the town's iconic landmark.

"Where do we go next?" Mitt asked, looking at Dante who had stopped.

Although she was very familiar with the town, where she would go next was not up to her to decide.

Her fear and confusion made her want to hear the opinion of the male player next to her.

"Let's meet up with Silica first," Dante said briefly as he opened his friends list and sent a message.

"That......"

Before Mitt could even speak, Dante knew what she meant: "Asuna is not with Silica."

"..." Whether it was relief or disappointment, Mit lowered his head and looked at his toes.

"Let's go."

Only after Dante called out did she raise her head and follow in his footsteps again, albeit half a step behind.

Soon, at the west gate of Torbana, the two saw Silica waiting there.

The petite girl wore an orange cloak and looked like a traveler, but there are very few travelers as cute as her.

"Dante!" The moment Silica recognized Dante, she jumped up and waved her left hand vigorously.

Seeing this, Dante waved back, which only fueled the other's excitement.

"She's very dependent on you," Mite commented softly, as if mocking or sighing.

"That means I'm someone you can rely on," Dante said with a nonchalant shrug.

As for the inability to be independent and the lack of initiative caused by extreme dependence, he didn't see it as something to worry about.

Since Silica wasn't particularly skilled in combat, Dante positioned her as a scout-like support character.

Later, they will need to learn a series of skills to help explore the maze, such as lock picking, to better assist the team.

“Hmm…” Mitt was speechless at the other party’s narcissistic remarks, but couldn’t think of a way to refute them.

Is it reliable?

She stood to one side, watching Dante affectionately ruffle Silica's hair like an older brother, and a question arose in her mind.

Chapter 29: Shooting Stars in My Memory

"Miss Mitt, are you here too?" Silica greeted Mitt from behind Dante.

"Hello." Mite nodded as a greeting, but the girl's distrustful gesture left her somewhat helpless, her hand awkwardly opening and closing in the air.

"Hmm." Silica instinctively hid behind Dante because she guessed that Asuna's disappointment was related to her friend Mito.

The two should have been inseparable, but at that time, only Asuna was there.

So something must have happened, and Silica harbored a faint longing for Asuna, a feeling that led her to choose to stand on Asuna's side.

"By the way, where is Miss Asuna?" Dante asked the question that he and Mito were most concerned about.

"Ah..." Upon hearing Dante's question, Silica exclaimed and quickly began to speak.

It turned out that Asuna had already plunged into the nearby labyrinth area at noon, into the huge cylindrical tower that led straight to the bottom of the second level.

Dante glanced at the time; it was already 3:40. Considering the necessary sleep and the time it took to get here, they arrived in Torbana a little late.

In the afternoon, Aincrad was no longer drizzling as it had been in the morning, but clusters of white clouds still lingered in the sky.

The first layer after the rain was indeed a good day; the air was fresh, and it was also very cool for Dante, who was wearing leather armor and a coat.

“Then let’s hurry up and go find Asuna,” Mito suggested eagerly.

She was very worried about Asuna, who had gone headfirst into the labyrinth area. Not long ago, she was a complete novice, but now she was acting like a lone player.

“No, let’s go eat first.” Dante shook his head and looked at the main road that stretched into Torbana.

"Is this the time to eat?!" Mito exclaimed in surprise. "Asuna might be in danger."

"Mite!"

"W-what?" Faced with Dante's direct gaze, Mitt hurriedly looked away.

"Miss Asuna, isn't she very strong?" Dante asked as if stating a fact.

"Although it is..." Asuna is indeed very strong, a fact that Mito also acknowledges. Her combat talent may far surpass his own, and given time, she will definitely become a top player, without a doubt.

“Then there’s no need to worry.” Dante continued, turning his head to the side, “The problem we need to solve now is how to persuade her to come back.”

"Of course!" Just as he was about to say something, Mit stopped speaking as if he had suddenly noticed something.

Because she found that Asuna's impulsive entry into the labyrinth area at this moment was just like her own thought of wanting to die on the front lines not long ago, and the two were extremely similar.

Knowing that Mito had come to some realization, Dante nodded. "She must have made up her mind. As for Miss Asuna, who is already caught up in the moment, it will probably be of little effect no matter what we say. It would be better to wait until she cools down a bit before trying to persuade her."

Moreover... now is the time for Asuna to begin her transformation, the opportunity for her to become independent and a top-tier player who can stand alone is now at hand.

Why interrupt this process?

"When will that be?" Mitt asked again, still worried, even though he had temporarily accepted Dante's explanation.

"Naturally, it's when we're exhausted from fighting."

In other words, it's evening.

That being said, Dante did not actually wait until nightfall to set off for the labyrinth area.

After having a hearty meal at the restaurant in Torbana recommended by Mitt and replenishing their supplies, the three of them arrived at the entrance to the maze area before sunset.

Only when it's really up close do you realize how huge this cylindrical tower is.

The gate alone is tens of meters high; according to the settings of fantasy worlds, it should have been built by dwarves.

Dwarfs, despite being very short, have a particular fondness for building such grand and imposing structures.

The interior of the cylindrical tower is like a traditional tower-climbing game, divided into many levels, with the floor boss's room located at the top.

Furthermore, the routes on each floor are intricate and complex. Without looking at the map, one can easily get lost, and without any information, one may stray onto a side path at any time.

Even for Mitt, the memory of conquering the first level of the maze area early in the closed beta has become much fainter.

Even if she remembers it perfectly, it's not actually necessary to find someone, because Asuna could be in any corner, requiring a thorough search.

Fortunately, Asuna didn't stay inside for very long, so perhaps she didn't go very deep.

But the three people who thought this way were wrong.

They carefully explored the first floor but found no trace of Asuna.

"Could it be on the second floor?" Mite guessed again.

“Whether we’re on the second floor or not, we can’t go any further like this.” Dante exhaled and turned to look at Mitt and Silica.