A journey to another world starting from a sword

She asked herself honestly if her stomach reaction had really affected her judgment.

A groan escaped her lips as Asuna turned her head slightly to watch as the other person took food out of their inventory.

So she could only take out the bread she bought from the prop shop, which cost only one cork but was quite substantial, and hold it in her hand, even though she was still keeping her hood pulled down low.

"Ah, just a moment..."

Asuna, who had no intention of speaking, looked at Dante again and noticed that he was holding the same kind of black bread as her.

This made her forget her shame and confusion; she simply stared in astonishment at the man before her, uttering a soul-searching question.

"You really think that tastes good?"

Even she herself didn't think the bread was delicious. In the first few days after entering the game, she and... tasted the bread, and the taste was really indescribable.

“No, not under normal circumstances.” Dante shrugged, then reached into his other pocket and took out a small unglazed earthenware pot, or bottle, and placed it between the two of them.

"Try spreading this on bread."

Asuna understood what he meant—that he meant to use the tool. So she timidly stretched out her right hand and touched the bottle cap with her fingertips.

After selecting the "Use" option from the pop-up window, a faint white light immediately appeared at my fingertips. Then, under Mr. Dante's encouraging gaze, I touched the black bread in my left hand.

As a result, one side of the bread was stained white with a subtle sound effect.

That thick layer of something, no, it should be described as—it looked like—

"cream?!"

Chapter 31: The Practice of Top Students

"Yes, yes!" Dante leaned back against the wall, touched the bottle with his hand, and then spread the cream on his bread.

He was somewhat curious, which is why he took on the quest called "The Cow's Counterattack," which provided detailed strategy information from Argon.

Because that mission will spawn an extra "Swamp Kobold - Special Attack Elite" and two "Swamp Kobold - Rat Hunters", players will not be able to win easily if they cannot make good use of the cow.

Of course, the experience points gained from the mission are still very valuable, especially when his leveling up reaches a plateau.

The maximum level is only 100. No matter how many monsters you grind on the first floor, there will always be a limit to how much you can level up.

As for the cream obtained from the mission, it was an extra surprise. Silica really liked the taste for those few days, and he ended up eating black bread for several days in a row because of it.

"Try it," he said, taking the first bite.

This cream topping has a sweet and sour flavor, somewhat like yogurt cream, which pairs very well with the black bread, creating a wonderful taste sensation.

Seeing his expression of enjoyment, which seemed to be about to elicit a "mmm," Asuna suddenly felt her own stomach rumbling.

To avoid such a shameful thing from happening, she took a bite of the piece of black bread covered in butter in her left hand before her stomach made a sound.

This...this is!

The bread, which normally has a hard, crunchy texture, has now transformed into a rich, rustic cake.

The cream is fragrant and smooth, with a refreshing sour taste.

As Asuna was assaulted by the overwhelming feeling of fullness that instantly numbed her cheeks, she instinctively picked up the bread and began to devour it with all her might.

When I came to my senses, the creamy black bread in my hands had vanished without a single piece remaining.

"!"

She quickly glanced to the side and realized that Mr. Dante, who was sitting next to her, had only taken two bites of his bread. He then glanced at her with a boastful smile that seemed to say, "See, not bad, right?"

Instantly, Asuna felt a surge of intense shame, making her want to run away on the spot.

After taking several deep breaths and finally calming herself down, Asuna spoke in a voice so soft that even she could barely hear it.

"Um... thank you for the hospitality."

Dante, whose hearing was now much more acute than before, caught the voice and replied, "You're welcome."

While Asuna waited quietly, he finished his bread, clapped his hands to wipe away the crumbs, and then took a new bottle from his inventory and placed it next to Asuna.

"If you like it, you can learn cooking skills later and try to recreate it yourself. After all, the quest to get cream is a bit troublesome. No, maybe you can buy it from other players later..."

As he spoke, Dante fell into deep thought and inner turmoil.

He said this to guide Asuna back to the path she was meant to take. He clearly remembered that the opportunity for her to learn cooking skills came from the cream bread she tasted on the first floor.

Perhaps she won't be the best cook in Aincrad in the future, but she will definitely be the most capable cook.

Asuna looked down at the cream bottle beside her, then glanced up at Dante, before timidly reaching out and picking up the bottle.

The frosted texture of the ceramic felt very real in my hand, and it had a heavy weight, indicating that this bottle of cream had never been used.

"I thought you would say that I didn't come here for the food."

The sound from her ear seemed to be teasing; it wasn't exactly pleasant, but there was nothing unpleasant about it either. Asuna brazenly put the cream into her pocket, then curled up her legs and buried her head deep in her raised knees.

"I came here so that I could... stay true to myself."

She spoke haltingly, as if explaining her actions.

"Rather than hiding in the inn of the starting town and slowly waiting to die, I want to stay true to myself even to the very last moment. Even if I die because I lose to a monster, I absolutely do not want to lose to this game... or rather, to this world."

Gradually, the initially hazy and ethereal voice became more and more resolute as the story unfolded.

“Is that so? It seems to me that you’re a little too self-destructive,” Dante nodded.

"What do you mean?" Asuna felt a surge of annoyance at his questioning.

"Fighting with standard weapons bought from that store is like fighting a thug with a dagger. If you really want to fight seriously, you should at least be fully prepared."

“I bought five weapons, so it doesn’t matter…” Asuna shook her head and said.

"No, that's not what I meant." Dante wasn't referring to weapon durability; when weapon durability reaches zero, the weapon will be destroyed and disappear.

But what he wanted to say was that they were only fighting with such rudimentary weapons.

“Although your combat skills are excellent, those kobolds no longer pose a threat to you,” he praised first, then continued, “you still need to use your sword technique twice each time to ensure the kill of a kobold.”

Unless it's a critical hit, or a weak point attack, aim for the kobold's exposed neck.

"If you use an enhanced weapon, it doesn't have to be super good, as long as it's not one sold in a store. The kobold guard from earlier could be killed in one hit. The efficiency is doubled compared to killing an enemy in one hit instead of two."

“…” Even Asuna thought what the other person said made a lot of sense. “I don’t have such a weapon.”

"Then I'll lend it to you first," Dante said, and then took out a rapier from his backpack, the very same "Windflower Sword" that Mitt had given him earlier.

Transferring ownership of items cannot be done simply by handing them over; it requires an operation through the menu interface.

Asuna took it from Dante, and a pop-up window for the trading interface immediately appeared before her eyes. "I..."

"Didn't I just say that? Just like you need to study hard before a final exam, be prepared." Dante leaned back again, bending one knee, and supported his upper body weight against the wall.

"I understand." This metaphor inexplicably touched Asuna's heart, as if she had made up her mind. She lightly tapped the acceptance in front of her with her finger.

"Wind Flower Sword..." She tried to pronounce the name of the weapon and found it surprisingly beautiful. She then replaced the steel rapier, which was running low on durability, with the new name.

What are your plans for the future?

Hearing Dante's question, which sounded like a farewell, Asuna shared her thoughts, "To get to the second floor, you need to defeat the first floor's boss, right?"

“Yes.” Dante nodded. “So you want to find the location of the Boss’s room, right?”

"Yes." Asuna did not deny it. In fact, she did not really expect to reach that point. She was just prepared to move forward, even if she fell along the way.

"Then I'll go with you."

Chapter 32: Another Hope

"Ugh?"

Dante simply turned his head slightly in response to Asuna's questioning exclamation.

"The current progress is too slow. During the closed beta, we broke through the first level very quickly. At this rate, I don't know when we'll be able to finish the game."

Indeed, if it takes months to conquer the first floor, how long will it take to conquer the next hundred floors? Asuna had also thought about this question, and she concluded that this game might never be completed.

"Don't worry, everyone is just too cautious and hesitant to take the first step. What everyone needs most right now is confidence. If they hear that the first-floor boss has been defeated, those players who are still stuck in the starting town will want to follow suit."

Through her solemn expression, Dante saw through Asuna's thoughts and began to explain that the situation was not as serious as it seemed.

"So that's why you thought..." Asuna's words trailed off as she suddenly felt ashamed. She herself only wanted to move forward without a clear direction, but the other person had thought so far ahead.

"Yes. Once the other players have developed their combat awareness and skills, the casualties will drop significantly. A thousand people died in less than a month simply because everyone was a beginner, but once they get through the initial difficulties, everyone will become as skilled in combat as Miss Asuna."

"Yes." Asuna breathed a long sigh of relief, as if she had unloaded something heavy.

She was thinking that if most players really did leave the starting town like she did, then the game might still be possible to complete.

Dante glanced at Asuna, who had found solace, then turned back to look straight ahead, knowing full well that his words had been nothing more than words of comfort.

Not all players are as skilled in combat as Asuna, or rather, most players don't have her talent—the talent to use their bodies in combat.

The top-tier player group that was later dubbed the "strategy team" had only a mere hundred members.

Although in my memory they were often cut in two by the Boss and seemed vulnerable, these people were indeed the backbone of the conquest of Aincrad.

Without them, it would be very difficult for a few top players to defeat the boss directly in the early to mid-game.

As for the later stages... Kayaba Akihiko designed ten unique skills, among which "Dual Sword Style" was called the skill of the hero. He even shamelessly took to the field himself and created a powerful unique skill for himself called "Holy Sword".

It is undeniable that these skills can indeed create a group of top players, and these players will play a huge role in the later stages.

But... dual-wielding, huh?

As Dante looked at his palm, and continued to ponder, Asuna stood up and dusted off her cloak.

Seeing this, he also stood up, brushed the dust off his coat, and quietly followed behind Asuna.

Asuna didn't say anything, but instead seemed to acquiesce. However, when encountering enemies, she would rush out first and use a "linear attack" to pierce through the nearest enemy.

That fearless fighting spirit even made Dante click his tongue in amazement; it was too valiant.

He is usually responsible for helping to deal with the fallen kobold in the ruins, sometimes attracting two of them.

"..." After the battle ended and she retrieved her weapon, Asuna clearly felt that the battle had become easier and more controllable.

Just like when Mitt teamed up.

Thinking of this, her heart suddenly ached as if it had been stabbed by a needle.

There was no post-war celebration. She turned around, hiding her expression under her hood, and continued walking forward.

When they found the steps to the next level, they stepped onto them without discussion, their goals aligned at that moment.

That means finding the Boss's room.

Time passed without Asuna noticing. In the dim environment of the labyrinth, she lost count of how many battles she had gone through, only feeling a dizzying sense of fatigue in her head.

Because the concept of time is extremely vague here, if it weren't for the game menu showing the time, she probably wouldn't even know that it's already 11 p.m.

"Let's find a place to rest first," Dante sighed beside her. Mitt had already taken Silica back to Torbana early on, planning to continue exploring the labyrinth the next morning.

Currently, only the two of them remain in the entire maze.

“Yes,” Asuna agreed. She wasn’t an extreme person who would think that adequate rest was unnecessary.

Just like she eats normally, because once the feeling of hunger appears, the feeling of hunger will never disappear if she doesn't eat.

While players won't die from starvation, it's still a very difficult desire to resist, and the hunger pangs can easily distract them.

What she wanted was to maintain her individuality, not to commit suicide.

Having just been inspired by Mr. Dante, she had another hope.

If even a player like myself can reach the Boss, then do other players also have that potential?

"Look around a bit, this maze has safe zones."

The safe zone in the maze, as the name suggests, is the same area as the town, where attacks from monsters and players will not cause damage, unless it is in PvP mode.

They are usually placed in the center of the maze so that players who are tired from fighting can rest before continuing their journey.

Safe place?

Recalling the concept of the safe zone in her mind, Asuna remembered that it was recorded in the dungeon area guide of the Argo Strategy Guide, which was given away for free at the item shop.

Then she took out the guidebook from her inventory and looked up the approximate location of the safe zone.