A journey to another world starting from a sword

She noticed that Dante had already opened the game map and was tracing his fingertips across the air.

“We’ve gone deep enough,” she heard the other person say.

"Hmm. Approximately how much?" Asuna asked briefly.

"We're almost halfway there."

This answer left Asuna both amused and exasperated; it was less than half the answer and hardly worthy of being called in-depth.

"Don't think it's a small amount. We got here in just two days with only two people. That's already quite impressive."

The cylindrical tower that supports the base of the second level, allowing players to feel the sky above them, must contain a labyrinth of floors that cannot be easily conquered.

In fact, even Argo's walkthrough doesn't specify the exact route to the maze area; instead, it only vaguely marks the approximate locations.

With such a massive amount of information, which player has the time or inclination to memorize the specific routes of every floor in the maze?

They only have vague memories like, "Oh, so this is where it is," "There used to be a treasure chest here, so I know," and "The next step should be to go this way."

After the first floor is conquered, the revised Argonautica strategy guide will include this information in detail, and the person who made the most outstanding contribution to this... is most likely himself.

He would then sell the discovered maps to Argo or exchange them for other intelligence. As for the missing parts, Argo would either confirm them himself or hire other players to help. He wouldn't care about the rest.

After confirming that the safe zone was still some distance away, the two mustered their last breaths and hurried toward it.

But incredibly, there were already people in that place.

Faint laughter and firelight emanated from the depths of the safe zone, and it didn't appear to be a single person.

As Dante and Asuna entered the safe zone, a group of players could be seen in the distance.

Chapter 33: My First Camping Trip

Dante cautiously took a step forward, shielding Asuna behind him. After carefully checking his surroundings, Dante immediately relaxed his shoulders upon seeing the leader of the six-person team.

Noticing Dante's subtle movement, Asuna turned her head to look at the back of his head and asked softly, "Someone you know?"

"No, but I've heard of them. Rumor has it that one of the players who broke through the Dalhali fortress from the center had blue hair."

"Ah." Asuna, suddenly realizing, turned her head to confirm again that one of the group members was indeed a male player with short blue hair.

The long, wavy hair on both sides of her face was dyed a bright blue. Since the first-floor shop did not sell hair dyeing tools, the only way to obtain it was by picking up rare items dropped by monsters or buying it from players who had the tools.

Dante had no idea why the other person would go to such lengths to dye their hair.

Asuna nodded in understanding after receiving Dante's brief explanation.

"Let's go, they've already seen us."

One of the people on the other side said something, something like "Someone's coming," and they all stopped talking and looked at Dante and Asuna.

However, Dante had no intention of engaging in any in-depth conversation with the other party here. He nodded to the leader of the other party from a short distance away as a greeting, and the other party nodded in response.

They then found a corner facing the opposite direction and sat down.

"Let's rest here," Dante suggested.

"Aren't you going to talk to them?" Asuna asked, puzzled, as she sat down, adjusting her skirt.

"Do you think you should talk to her?" Dante asked, turning to stare at Asuna's beautiful amber eyes peeking out from under her hood.

It's normal to be wary of someone you've just met.

“…I don’t know.” After a pause, Asuna gave her answer, then stated a certain situation, “But we weren’t the first to arrive here.”

“That’s normal,” Dante said. “After all, they were the first players to clear the central path, but it looks like we’re faster than them.”

"Fast?" Asuna tilted her head in confusion, unsure of what he meant by "fast".

"Well, because we have to take care of the other members of the team and also take charge when facing monsters, so that the team can operate smoothly, the efficiency of a six-person team is actually not as high as that of the two of us."

In other words, the time it takes for each of them to reach the safe zone is shorter than the time it takes for the other to reach the safe zone.

With skillful techniques, even a lone player can easily deal with multiple monsters, and fewer players gain experience points much more efficiently than a team of players.

However, this only applies when facing regular monsters. In boss battles, a commander is needed to coordinate the cooperation of each squad.

So Dante admired the other party. He gathered a group of players in the starting town, helped them get familiar with the game from scratch, familiarized them with combat in the grasslands outside the town, led them to conquer the wild area bosses, and finally arrived here.

The quintessential hero in fantasy novels probably refers to someone like him.

Silently turning her head towards the player team, Asuna secretly observed the group. Because of the two of them, the other party became much more cautious and stopped laughing and talking loudly.

Presumably, the other side was also discussing how to deal with her, so she tugged at her hat and turned back again.

Then Asuna saw Dante take out wood and flint from his inventory. He neatly piled the wood into a heap and then started a fire. The orange-red campfire dispelled much of the surrounding chill.

Is that even possible...?

Asuna watched the flames flickering in the labyrinthine breeze, and unconsciously reached out her hand towards them.

"Since we're planning to spend the night here, it would be better to light a fire. The labyrinth gets quite cold at night." With a faint smile, Dante placed his hand near the flames; they were indeed very warm.

He then removed the greatsword from his back and placed it at his feet, and took out the chamois cloth and polishing oil that he had previously given to Mitt to wipe his tears.

He picked up the "Bear Slayer" sword with both hands, drew it, and saw that the slightly blackened steel blade reflected the firelight and flashed with a dazzling brilliance, but upon closer inspection, one could see that it was covered with countless thin stains.

Even after being repaired by the blacksmith at the village blacksmith's shop and having its durability fully restored, the stains on the sword still hadn't disappeared.

According to Argo, the higher-ranking blacksmiths in the upper levels can polish a sword until it shines brightly, so expecting the village's blacksmith to achieve that level is a bit too demanding.

So from the moment Dante received the sword, he developed the habit of wiping it before going to bed.

Pour a drop of oil from the small bottle onto the leather cloth, and then begin to carefully rub the blade of the "Bear Slayer".

Asuna silently hugged her knees, watching him slowly polish the massive two-handed sword.

Strangely, even though it was just a simple mechanical task, the rhythmic regularity made her feel very comfortable.

Asuna took the rapier from her waist, held it in her hand, and examined it carefully.

When I first used this Windflower Sword, although I was very unwilling, I did understand why he said that weapons were very important.

When I used it to kill the enemy, a feeling of emotion rose in my heart. The sword was as light as a feather, and the tip of the sword seemed to be drawn to the place I was aiming at. If I had to make a comparison, it was as if the sword was helping me with its own will.

She stroked the scabbard, then a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Do you want to wipe it too?

Looking up at the source of the voice, Asuna nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay."

Dante then handed her the tools in his hand and taught her how to clean her weapons.

"After we get out of the maze, we need to go to the blacksmith to upgrade this rapier so we'll be more confident in dealing with the boss later."

"I understand." Asuna nodded in agreement, not refuting the other person's words, but rather feeling incredulously that this was how it should be.

After repairing the weapons, Dante took a sleeping bag from his inventory and threw it at Asuna.

"Here, this will make you sleep more comfortably,"

They even prepared this.

After embracing it with both hands, Asuna thought to herself, but she didn't see the other person take out a second sleeping bag, so she asked in confusion.

"You didn't?"

"I don't need it." Dante shook his head, then looked at Asuna, who still wanted to say something, and smiled, "I really don't need it. Don't worry about me. Get some rest. We have to get up early tomorrow."

Although she still had some questions, Asuna didn't stand on ceremony any longer. She spread her sleeping bag on the cold floor and crawled inside.

As I approached the campfire, my body gradually warmed up, followed by a wave of exhaustion.

That's true, how could I not be tired?

We've been fighting since this morning without a break.

This could be considered outdoor camping.

Through the firelight, Asuna looked across at the other person, who was sitting very upright with his sword resting on his crossed thighs.

"When are you going to sleep?" she asked curiously, as she hadn't seen the other person take out a second sleeping bag yet.

"immediately."

"Those people over there..." Although they guessed that the other party was probably a player team that had cleared the central road, Asuna still remained wary.

She only remembered hearing from Mitt that the system would stop players from committing any crimes in the safe zone, so she wasn't that wary.

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine."

That gentle yet magnetic voice made Asuna's consciousness somewhat hazy, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

She responded softly, then turned her body to the shadows to shield her eyes from the firelight.

And so she fell asleep.

Chapter 34: Preparations in Advance

When I woke up again, the maze was still dimly lit; it really was a place that could make you lose track of time.

What time is it now?

Asuna habitually stretched out her finger, though it was a habit she hadn't had for very long, and then drew it into the air.

She glanced at the number 9 on the system clock and her eyes widened in shock. It was already so late!

Filled with unprecedented shame, she quickly turned her face to the other side. When she confirmed that the person who should have been there was slightly relieved... just kidding!

Blinking, Asuna looked at Dante sitting in front of the still-burning campfire, his serious posture exactly the same as when she went to bed last night! Only his eyes were closed.

"..."

Is he actually sleeping right now?

An idea popped into Asuna's mind, but she shook her head, thinking, "How could that be? I can't sleep in this position."

So he was actually awake, but just pretending to be asleep?

But the more she looked at it, the more something seemed off, and Asuna also felt that this was unlikely.

Filled with doubt and curiosity, she quietly crawled out of her sleeping bag and then slowly made her way around the campfire to the other side.

With calm breathing and an unmoving posture, she looks like she's asleep, doesn't she?

Just as she reached out to gesture on the other person's face, the other person opened their eyes without warning.

"what are you doing?"

"Ughhhhh..." Asuna was so frightened that she stepped back, but her body tilted backward. In her panic, her fingers were grabbed, and she managed to maintain her balance.

Dante released her hand, looked at her speechlessly, and retorted, "Are you a child?"

This behavior is only slightly more sophisticated than drawing graffiti on your face.

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep, Mr. Dante," Asuna apologized honestly, but then asked curiously, "But why are you in that position?"

"I am meditating," Dante said frankly, then stretched his somewhat stiff body.

"Meditation? The kind in temples?" Asuna asked.

My brother was once recommended by a friend to go to a temple for meditation practice, and he said it was surprisingly effective when he came back. She guessed that it might be that kind of practice.

"Pretty much, but I learned it elsewhere." As he spoke, Dante extinguished the campfire and then tidied up the remaining wood.

"Where?" Asuna asked casually as she handed over the sleeping bag she had used the night before.

"Kaer Morhen".

"You didn't make this name up, did you?" Asuna glanced at the other person with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

Because Kaer Moham doesn't sound like a temple at all; it sounds more like a place name.

"No," Dante replied, as if he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"..." No longer dwelling on the question, Asuna turned her face in another direction, "Those people are already gone."

"Yes, they got up around seven o'clock, and I even greeted their leader."

"What's the greeting?"

"That's it." Dante moved his head up and down, answering Asuna's question.

"Is this... considered a greeting?" Asuna sighed helplessly.