A journey to another world starting from a sword

"That's fine then," Mite nodded.

“Yes,” Asuna agreed.

So after dinner, Dante and Asuna went to digest their food.

When the two returned from the twelfth floor, Silica was already asleep in her sleeping bag.

Having removed some of his equipment, Mitt placed the scythe within easy reach and stared blankly at the campfire.

When she noticed the two returning, she raised her hand and waved, then put her fingers to her lips.

"Shh-"

Chapter 63: What are you two doing?!

The night was pitch black, and the wind whistled through the maze. Even in the safe zone, one could hear the wind rushing through the corridors outside.

This is a challenge that needs to be overcome when sleeping, but nighttime hypothermia can be avoided with campfires and sleeping bags.

The three sat around the campfire, feeling its warmth and light up close. The clasps of their cloaks reflected the firelight, shimmering brightly.

Because the swords hanging on their bodies made sitting uncomfortable, Dante and Asuna both instinctively hugged them to their chests, the leather and metal hilts glowing red in the firelight.

Even in the game, the burning branches crackle and pop realistically.

Do you want to sleep?

Asuna and Mito blinked as they watched Dante's sign language.

Who will keep watch at night?

Although he knew very well that no one would come to such a deep maze, Mitt, still worried after the Raiser incident, pointed to the campfire to indicate.

If you don't add fuel to a campfire, it will go out in no time.

So what she meant was, who should watch the campfire?

I.

Rolling his eyes, Dante pointed to himself and made a decision against all opposition.

With his longsword across his lap, he sat close to the faint campfire, throwing in a bundle of firewood every two hours.

Once I enter a meditative state, time always seems to pass quickly. Perhaps it's because after clearing my mind, my sense of time becomes somewhat detached.

In the latter half of the night, the safe zone was still lit up with fire. Amidst the sounds of flames, wind, and the soft breathing of the two sleeping people, as well as the ringing of the alarm clock, Asuna slowly opened her eyes.

This is a wake-up call that only I can hear, set to 2 a.m.

She got out of her sleeping bag. She usually doesn't stay in bed at home, but she woke up specifically today.

But thanks to lack of sleep, my head felt as foggy as a smoggy sky.

A man in black sat before the flames; from her angle, she could only see his profile.

The mere sight of that figure ignited a small flame within her.

Then, just a few seconds after she started looking at him, he opened his eyes, turned his head, and gave her a helpless smile.

That's it again.

Asuna quietly stepped over Mito and Silica's sleeping bags and sat down about a meter to Dante's left.

She brought up the game's main menu, put her cloak back on, and once again kept the cold night air out of her body.

"I'll take the night watch next."

Even though they were right in front of her, she sent a friend message so as not to wake the two sleeping people.

Seeing the complex expression on his face that she couldn't quite decipher, Asuna sent another message.

"Never sacrifice sleep!"

He widened his eyes and gave Asuna an expression that infuriated her, as if to say that Asuna herself had actually said those words.

what!

She's never done anything like that before.

Well, Dante did indeed misunderstand her.

Originally, Asuna was preparing to fight tirelessly in the labyrinth tower on the first floor, but Dante pulled her back, so this could only be considered an unsuccessful attempt.

"I understand, I'll be asleep." Dante shifted back a few feet, leaned against the wall, and wrapped his sword in his arms.

They chose a corner campsite with walls on two sides to avoid being hit by a maze-like draft.

Asuna glanced at him suspiciously, then stared intently at the burning campfire.

It is difficult for a person to stay awake when everyone else is asleep.

Less than an hour later, the overwhelming drowsiness made Asuna decide to find something to do: organize her inventory, wipe her beloved sword, anything would do, as long as it could help her focus her attention.

But before that, there was one more thing she needed to confirm.

After staring at someone for a full ten minutes, Asuna quietly got up.

From Dante's perspective, the other person moved cautiously and quietly, like a ghost, with only the sound of the cloak rubbing against the clothes echoing in the room.

But the soft, unusual sound still roused Dante from his deep meditation.

It was as if it were a soft, sprawling clump of seaweed suspended between the seabed and the calm surface of the ocean, only to be suddenly startled from the depths of the sea.

He didn't move, nor did he open his eyes.

The girl approached him gently, her hood slipping off her head, and then she slowly and hesitantly knelt on the ground.

Dante gazed at Asuna through his lowered eyelids, carefully concealing the fact that he was awake.

Watching her support herself with her arms, slowly approaching him.

The fragrance emanating from her body, composed of aromatic molecules made up of various virtual parameters, instantly spread to Dante's surroundings.

She was intently trying to find some flaw in Dante's face, as if she were certain of it.

After persisting for a long time, she seemed a little impatient and leaned down, wanting to gently brush aside Dante's bangs with her hand to see his eyelids, his eyelashes, and his eyebrows.

From Asuna's perspective, it was as if he slowly opened his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling.

He slowly but skillfully took her hand, stopping her from going any further.

really!

Then she watched as Dante raised his other hand and reached it toward her face.

W-what?

Just as Asuna was at a loss and unable to escape, her cheek was pinched hard.

The meaning in his eyes was quite clear: What are you doing?

As a slight punishment, he released his hands and then squeezed his cheeks together with both hands.

Well.

Her skin was as cold as snow, yet as smooth as satin.

Her eyes were large and round, and now that Asuna's face was close, they were even clearer, reminiscent of dazzling gemstones.

Suddenly Asuna remembered her purpose, so she quickly reached out and placed her slender fingers on Dante's hand to stop his erratic movements.

Asuna forgot that she had been using her hands to support her balance, and as a result, the moment Dante let go, her body lurched forward, and her face slammed hard into Dante's chest.

Dante hadn't expected her to be so confused; was it due to lack of sleep?

His hand, which was originally going to support her shoulder, was slowed down by Asuna's hand grabbing it, and instead wrapped around her body from behind. This caused Asuna not to sit up immediately, but instead pressed her cheek tightly against his chest.

Well, as long as no one sees all of this, Dante thinks that such an accident shouldn't be anything to worry about...?

But a strange noise in the air made the two of them freeze instantly and hold their breath.

When Mito was woken up by the alarm clock, the scene that greeted him when he opened his eyes was Dante holding Asuna in his arms.

What were you two doing while they were sleeping?!

Chapter **: Argo's Beard

Originally, I wanted to take someone else's place and keep watch at night; I couldn't really let someone stay up all night.

Although Dante said he was too sleepy and would wake them up, Mitt didn't think they would do that.

He always takes on all the troublesome tasks himself and then completes them flawlessly.

Such a gentle person will probably silently protect everyone.

So Mitt set an alarm to wake up in the middle of the night.

When he woke up, he saw his best friend and the person he wanted to repay a debt of gratitude embracing each other.

Do not!

There must be some misunderstanding!

Mitt didn't think the two of them would do such a thing in secret, but she was still quite shocked and couldn't react.

And when the two of them looked at him at the same time, he felt quite shaken.

The three sat around the campfire again, and after Asuna bombarded them with information, Mito confirmed once more that it was an accident.

During this time, Asuna stared at Dante with an inexplicable murderous intent in her eyes, and her face showed the greatest emotional expression she had ever displayed, with even her ears turning bright red.

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

The next day, after finally breaking through the huge labyrinth tower filled with strong minotaur men that Asuna could hardly bear, Dante and his companions arrived at the door of the second-floor boss room near dusk.

According to Argo's strategy guide, the boss on the second floor is named "General Bull Balan," and there is also a guard named "Colonel Bull Nato."

But Dante knew that General Balan was just a guard, and behind him stood the king of the entire Minotaur race!

The boss battle, which only had two monsters during the closed beta, has now become three in the open beta. In addition, the Minotaur's unique "paralysis attack" makes it extremely difficult to defeat.

The best way to resist the paralysis debuff is to strengthen your armor as much as possible.

This is what Dante and his companions need to do next: collect as many materials as possible to enhance their equipment, whether by hunting themselves or buying from other players.

"Let's go in and take a quick look," Dante suggested, repeating his previous suggestion, but this time the reconnaissance yielded very limited information.

Having only just encountered the first Bull Colonel, the paralyzing impact was delivered by his massive hands swinging warhammers vertically downwards.

Tiny bolts of lightning spread outwards as the warhammer fell, one of which, racing across the floor, gradually faded and, just before disappearing completely, swept past Dante's feet.

He immediately felt an uncomfortable numbness, and at the same time, he felt a jolt in his chest and palpitations.

This is just being brushed against; if one were to actually take such an attack head-on and become paralyzed, who knows what it would feel like.

As for General Bull, Dante had already fled the battlefield before the massive figure even got close.

“It seems like nothing has changed.” Mitt, who had a clear view from the doorway, analyzed, “But considering the changes to the first floor boss, there will definitely be some kind of unexpected event in this floor boss battle.”

"We can ask Diabel to organize a reconnaissance mission." Although Dante didn't think this would help in obtaining crucial strategic intelligence, it would at least prevent everyone from being at a loss when dealing with the terrifying negative status of paralysis.

The operation to conquer the maze area finally came to an end. Even though they tried their best to avoid battles afterwards, it still took them nearly an hour to get out of the maze area. They also spent more than 10 minutes crossing the stone path that led them out of the dense forest to reach the nearest village, "Taran".

It was 7 p.m., and there were already nearly twenty players in the village that would later become a base for conquering the maze area.

Everyone gathered together in a lively atmosphere, adding a touch of energy to the village at night.

Dante, Asuna, Mito, and Silica decide to stay here for the night.

After finishing his Taran-style dinner, a flashing icon appeared on the right side of his field of vision. He tapped the letter icon, and a long message from a friend appeared before his eyes.

Then Dante said to the others, "I need to go find Diabel."

"Is Mr. Diabel in this town now?" Asuna asked curiously.

“Yes. His squad is probably the second player group to arrive here,” Dante explained. “I just sent him a message, as did Argo.”

"I understand," Asuna nodded. "Do you need us to come along?"

"Ha, it's just sharing the map files, nothing serious."

As he spoke, Dante walked toward the village tavern, waving his hand slightly.

"I didn't expect you to act so quickly." When he saw Diabel, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he said half-jokingly.