A journey to another world starting from a sword

"In Aincrad now, suicide is a more serious crime than fraud. If enhancing fraud is betraying the client, then suicide is betraying all the players who want to conquer this game." Asuna, standing beside her, used her sharp words, like a "linear attack," to directly attack Nezha, instantly shattering the other's fragile defenses.

So Nezhar began to explain that he was actually an FNC (not suited for full stealth), close combat was almost impossible for him, and once his sword-throwing skill was depleted, he would be helpless. His attempts to fight would only slow down his companions. Just as he decided to change his job to blacksmith at a meeting in a tavern, someone suddenly approached him and said, "If this guy becomes a blacksmith with combat skills, he'll have a really cool way to make money."

His account of the experience made Diabel, no, made everyone except Dante gasp.

Diabel couldn't help but glance back at Dante, only to find that he wasn't as surprised as he had imagined.

"We'll talk about it later." Dante looked back at Diabel and mouthed the words.

Diabel nodded, then looked at the repentant Nezha and asked, "What's that person's name?"

“I don’t know his name either,” Nezha shook his drooping head. “He left immediately after explaining how to switch the weapons, and I haven’t seen him since.”

"However, he was a really strange person. Both in the way he spoke and in his appearance. That day he was wearing a black, shiny, hooded coat that covered his face, like a raincoat."

Dante glanced at Asuna's cloak, as well as Mito and Silica in the squad. Their purpose in wearing the cloaks was certainly not to protect them from the cold or rain, but to cover their faces.

...No, Silica should have needed to keep warm; compared to her two older sisters, she was the one who least needed to cover her face.

As for Dante himself, it was for both reasons: he wore the cloak to keep warm during nighttime meditation and to keep a low profile.

The man in the black raincoat who contacted Nezuha and the others must have had the same purpose as Asuna and the others.

"Hmph~" Asuna snorted softly through her nose. After noticing Dante's gaze, she let go of his hand. As if to show that she was different from the gloomy raincoat man, she pulled the hood back, revealing chestnut hair and translucent white skin that seemed to automatically emit a dazzling light.

Upon seeing Asuna's true face, Nezuha's eyes, which had been narrowed with regret, immediately widened as if he had seen something dazzling.

"What a sinful woman." Dante was kicked hard by Asuna for his subtle comment. It would be hilarious if a purple pop-up warning against causing harm appeared in this situation.

To avoid this, Dante then asked Nezha, who was still staring at Asuna, "And then you agreed to the man in black's plan?"

“No.” Nezha shook his head, regaining his senses. “Because what we were doing was, after all, fraud, Orlando and the others initially objected. But then that guy let out a really hearty laugh from under his hat, and just hearing it made you realize that a lot of things weren’t so serious after all. Once we came to our senses, everyone started laughing too.”

And that's when that guy spoke.

"This is an online game, so the system has already restricted what can't be done, right? This means that what can be done is what can be done, don't you think?"

Hearing Nezha's retelling, Diabel smiled helplessly. Even ordinary games have loopholes that can be exploited, let alone SAO.

Then Nezha recounted how the atmosphere in the guild changed after that guy disappeared. Everyone suddenly became enthusiastic and said they would give it a try if they could, even he himself felt the same way so as not to become a burden.

But on the day he first committed fraud—when he saw the client's face as he witnessed the switched end product shatter—he regretted it.

However, he simply didn't have the courage to return the weapon. Upon returning to the guild's meeting place, he was instead showered with praise by his comrades...

As the story came to an end, Nezha resignedly lowered his head, closed his eyes, and awaited his final judgment.

“I will take some men with Nezha to find those legendary heroes. You should come along too,” Diabel said to Dante.

"What am I supposed to do there?" Dante didn't think he had the potential to become a military policeman for Aincrad.

"Because I'm afraid the situation will get out of control, I feel very reassured with you here," Diabel said.

"If you don't want things to get out of control, just bring your own people," Dante suggested, rolling his eyes.

"Please." Diabel said with a hearty smile, a request that was hard to refuse.

"Yes, yes..." Dante reluctantly agreed.

After the three squads that Diabel had called arrived, he briefly explained the situation and mentioned Dante and his group's contributions.

This further enhanced the reputation of a certain knight, and as a round of applause rang out, a chorus of praise followed.

Dante casually waved his hand, indicating not to do that, but to others it looked like an act of Humility.

Asuna, Mito, Silica, and Argo, who was watching the show, followed at a distance behind the group.

“Speaking of which, you still haven’t gotten your sword back,” Mitt said, turning his head.

"Oh, right." Asuna suddenly remembered, "But in the current situation, there's probably no way to ask for it."

She was referring to the situation where Nezkha was surrounded by people like a prisoner.

However, everyone remained calm, probably due to the imposing presence of the two people at the front.

"It's alright, it's alright." Argo strolled leisurely. "Even if we don't go to the person in question, Xiaoya can retrieve her weapon from her inventory within an hour. The ownership still belongs to Xiaoya."

"Really?" Asuna didn't quite understand the method Argo was talking about for finding it, but Argo said to talk about it later and there was no rush, and Mito nodded without any objection, so she felt relieved.

The trial took place in a tavern, where the legendary heroes were somewhat angry when they saw Nezha in the crowd.

But persuaded by Dante and Diabel, they eventually confessed.

After all, they were only misled; they weren't inherently evil people. However, the debt they committed still needs to be repaid by five, no, six people.

The enormous amount of Cor obtained by Nezha through fraud was used by the five legendary heroes to purchase and enhance equipment.

Currently, market price fluctuations are not significant. As long as the enhanced armor and rare weapons that shimmer with a deep light are sold, the losses of the victims can be barely reimbursed.

In that case, they would have to go back to the first floor and start from scratch, but at least the skill proficiency they had developed over the past month would still be there, so it wouldn't really be zero.

In SAO, equipment is like hands, while skills are like feet. It goes without saying which is more important, hands or feet.

As for the remaining compensation amount, they will repay it after they earn the money.

In an instant, the tavern floor was filled with high-level enhanced equipment whose total value could not be immediately calculated.

The value they derive from fraud also includes what they earned themselves.

These items cannot simply be sold to NPC merchants in towns, because to avoid inflation, NPCs often offer lower prices than the market price.

To maximize profits, the only option is to trade between players.

It just so happens that the richest people in Aincrad, who also need the most upgraded equipment, are here.

Therefore, Diabel was responsible for the valuation, and the equipment was disposed of through an auction by others.

Before that, Dante was called aside by Diabel, who said with a sigh of relief, "The matter is resolved, thanks to you."

Diabel was very pleased that the discovery and prevention of the disaster had been timely and prevented before it could lead to serious consequences.

They had been discussing how to deal with these people the whole way, but fortunately, the incident ended perfectly without any surprises.

"So, what were you trying to say earlier? What do you know about that player in the black raincoat, Dante?" Diabel suddenly asked with a serious expression.

“I remember telling you before that my companion and I saved two players who were nearly killed by MPK in Razer,” Dante said.

"Hmm." Diabel nodded, already having made up his mind.

Dante grabbed Diabel's forearm and whispered in his ear, "There is a very special red player operating in the shadows. He wants to spread his chaotic ideas and already has several followers."

"Who is that person?" In an instant, Diabel felt a chill run down his spine from the soles of his feet to his head.

He was well aware that the trapped players were accumulating pressure under the weight of despair, so he had been consciously guiding their emotions. Little did he know that someone was trying to detonate it, wandering among the players like a ghost in the dark.

“I don’t know, but… his followers have infiltrated the conquest group, attempting to sow discord and conflict, and one of them is standing right behind the King of Fang.”

As he spoke, Dante scoffed dismissively, "Indeed, only a hothead like the King of Teeth could be swayed."

“Mr. Fang is just a bit straightforward.” Shaking his head, Diabel did not deny that Fang was easily swayed. “I understand why you didn’t want to say it in front of everyone just now.”

He let out a soft sigh. "Things without evidence will only cause unnecessary worry and conflict."

“Pay attention to who is spreading negative emotions; the source of the unease can be traced.” Dante could feel Diabel’s hand gripping his arm tightly.

The next second, Diabel smiled with relief. "That's why I said I felt at ease with you here. Dante, as long as we work together, the enemy in the darkness will have nowhere to hide."

The trust conveyed in his tone was something he had never shown in front of his companions before; it was not only an affirmation of his character but also an affirmation of his abilities.

Sensing the weight in Diabel's words, Dante smiled. "At least in a head-on confrontation, we will not lose."

Diabel nodded solemnly and said, "Unity."

“Unity.” Dante looked back at Diabel and nodded in return.

At that moment, their arms and eyes met, and they made a vow together.

Chapter 71: Guild Meeting

"You can choose the equipment in the auction first." Back in the center of the tavern, Diabel tossed his blue hair and said to Dante in a beautiful voice that he was already quite familiar with.

"..." Even though Diabel said that, Dante, in front of everyone, selected a belt and a ring, but only took them.

Because the squad members were fully equipped, and the ground was almost entirely covered with medium or heavy armor, they didn't wear these protective gear. So there were only some empty spaces left to wear their gear in the corners and edges.

Diabel made a rough estimate of its value and offered 20,000 kronor, which Dante paid without hesitation.

"And this is my companion's weapon, I've taken it." Dante picked up the rapier on the table and mentioned it, just in case some people were unaware of this.

Before leaving, Dante pointed to Nezha and asked Diabel, "May I say a few words to him one last time?"

“No problem,” Diabel readily agreed.

Nezha seemed a little flustered, but still obediently followed behind Dante. "Um... is there something you need?"

Dante examined him for a moment, then took out a round weapon from his backpack, about twenty centimeters in diameter, made of a slightly thick blade. "This is for you."

"This...this is?" Nezha took it and opened the equipment's description with a puzzled look.

This ring blade is classified as the "Crescent Moon" subcategory of "flying swords." Part of the ring is wrapped in leather to serve as a handle, allowing it to be thrown for attack. Like a boomerang, it returns to the hand after being thrown, or it can be held in the hand and used as a punching weapon.

This is a rare item that can only be obtained by defeating the "Powerful Ring-Throwing Bull" that occasionally appears in the second level of the maze.

“With this weapon, there’s no need to worry about the number of flying swords,” Dante said with a smile.

Nezha's FNC was only visually affected, which is why he used flying sword-type weapons. However, ordinary throwing weapons cannot be used as primary weapons. This "Crescent Moon" does not have this problem at all because it can return to its wielder.

"!" Nezha stared blankly at the weapon in his hand, then burst into tears.

Fighting as a swordsman in Aincrad has always been his dream, and the name Nezha is not just a simple choice, but carries the boy's dream.

To be honest, boys don't cry as beautifully as girls, Dante frowned slightly.

Suddenly, Nezha bent down deeply, almost at a ninety-degree angle to the ground, and said sincerely, "Thank you!"

Everyone else in the tavern looked in their direction. Although they didn't know exactly what had happened, Diabel waved his hand to signal that they shouldn't disturb them, while Orlando, the captain of the legendary hero, lowered his head and smiled with relief.

Dante also told Nezha that to use this weapon, he would need to learn a special skill called melee combat.

In return, Nezha said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Mr. Dante, my vendor's carpet is still in the square. I bought it with my own money. Although it can be exchanged for Cor... but if Mr. Dante doesn't mind, I'll give it to you."

Nezha meant that the compensation for the players was more than enough. Perhaps with some kind of entrustment in mind, or perhaps as a way of repaying a debt, he decided to give all those things to Dante.

"I understand." Dante did not refuse Nezha's offer.

To be honest, the "vendor carpet" is quite expensive, but it is also very convenient. However, it is not very useful for players who are purely engaged in combat.

Also, since it can't be stored in your inventory, you can only roll it up and carry it on your shoulder, so it's only useful in towns. After all, you can't exactly carry it all the way to the safe zone in the maze area to do business there...

If the labyrinth of Aincrad were deeper and there were more trapped players, this approach would be feasible; everyone would be happy to have a supply point in the labyrinth. But in the current situation, it's not feasible.

The two then walked up to Diabel. Diabel glanced at Nezha behind Dante, sighed, and said, "Don't make any more mistakes in the future."

“I will remove the skills related to 'smelting',” Nezha said earnestly, as if to show his determination.

Diabel nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Dante, "Remember not to be late for tomorrow's raid."

"No, it won't happen." Dante waved and left without looking back.

Stepping out of the tavern and pushing open the door, they saw Asuna and the others standing across the street. The door behind them closed automatically, separating them from the group of players inside.

"Is the matter resolved?" Asuna stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Yes, perfectly solved," Dante said with a smug smile.

"That's great!" Silica exclaimed excitedly, waving her clenched fists in relief.

Then Dante swung the Windflower Sword he was holding, saying, "Asuna, I've taken your sword back too."

Asuna breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily, "I was just wondering what I would do if I lost it."

"Hmm? Xiaoya has been worried." Argo, who looked mysterious with his hood up, left the wall he was leaning against and took a few leisurely steps forward.

"Asuna still owns the Wind Flower Sword, right?" Dante tilted his head and calculated the time. Ownership of the item wouldn't disappear within an hour, and the things Nezha left in the square would completely cease to belong to him in a dozen minutes.

"Let's leave here first." Turning around, Dante walked towards the plaza and handed the Wind Flower Sword to Asuna, who was approaching him.

"What do you mean by ownership?" Asuna asked curiously as she quickly caught up with Dante.

"So this rapier is still yours, but after a few minutes, anyone can put it back in their inventory." Dante explained simply, holding the scabbard of the Windflower Sword and turning it slightly.

“Yes, yes, the way I just told Xiaoya to quickly retrieve her things is that it has to be done within this hour,” Argo added.

"Eh—" Asuna's outstretched hand, which had been reaching to take the sword, froze in mid-air. She turned to Argo, "Miss Argo, what's that method?"

Just in case, she felt it was a good time to learn, so that she wouldn't be at a loss for what to do if a similar situation arose in the future.