I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

She wiped the sweat from her brow and suddenly noticed that Mochizuki Kaede was staring at a crevice in the rock: "What's wrong?"

Mochizuki Kaede did not answer, but simply drew the longsword she had just sheathed.

Following his gaze, Asuna saw a dozen pairs of scarlet eyes gleaming deep within the rock crevice.

A second wave of sandstorms is brewing among hyena packs lurking in the shadows.

The two stood back to back in a fighting stance, and a new round of deadly combat was about to begin.

……

After the battle, the two continued along the edge of the rocky terrain. As the terrain gradually sank, the reddish-brown rock walls became increasingly steep, eventually forming a deep canyon.

A sharp cry came from overhead, and the two immediately pressed themselves against the rock wall. They saw several birds of prey with female faces swooping down over the canyon, their sharp claws gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Once the danger had passed, they continued on and soon discovered a simple wooden hut built against the cliff. The small garden in front of the hut was filled with various luminous herbs, and an old man wearing a tattered cloak was pounding them.

His ID was displayed as "[The Reclusive Herbalist Tar]", with a golden exclamation mark floating above his head—the mark of a quest NPC.

"Travelers?" the old man said without looking up, his voice hoarse but gentle. "To have made it this far means you have some skill. If you want the secret medicine recipe, help me gather some materials."

A task notification window popped up in front of the two people:

[Accept the quest: The Secret Medicine of the Canyon].

mission target:

Collect 5 [Canyon Berry] plants (growing in moist areas at the bottom of the valley).

Collect 3 plants of "Rock Grass" (a specialty of the rocky areas in western China).

Be careful to avoid attacks from the Harpy.

reward:

Advanced recovery medicine formula.

"Accept?" Asuna asked softly, her eyes already lighting up. High-grade recovery potions were rare items at this stage, and their purpose in coming here was to find [Rock Herbs].

Mochizuki Kaede nodded to confirm the mission, then turned to the old man: "Can you tell us more about the harpies?"

The herbalist stroked his beard with his withered fingers: "Those cunning creatures... they like to nest on high rocky ledges, have excellent eyesight, but poor hearing."

He took a small cloth bag from his waist: "This can temporarily interfere with their vision; throwing it into the air can create a small blind spot."

Asuna took the cloth bag, which contained a pale yellow powder. The system notification indicated that she had obtained the temporary item [Blinding Sand Dust x3].

“Remember,” the old man added as they turned away, “the berries only grow on blue moss in the shady parts of the canyon, and the harpies hate the smell of that moss.”

Mochizuki Maple silently noted down this information and checked the equipment and potions.

From deep within the canyon, the faint sound of flapping wings could be heard.

“Let’s go,” Asuna said, “Let’s finish the mission before sunset.”

The two descended slowly down the steep rock face, their boots scraping against the weathered sandstone, small pebbles occasionally tumbling to the bottom of the valley. As they went deeper into the canyon, the light gradually dimmed, and the air was filled with the damp scent of moss.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Harpy

Deep in the canyon, the light is fragmented by the towering rock walls.

Asuna's boots crunched softly on the damp blue moss. She bent down and parted a thick patch of moss to reveal clusters of indigo berries growing beneath—the Canyon Berries, their surfaces covered in a natural frosty powder that shimmered faintly in the shadows.

"This is the last one."

She put the berries into her inventory when she suddenly heard a rustling sound of feathers brushing against the rock wall above her.

Mochizuki immediately made a shushing gesture, and the two quickly pressed themselves into the shadows of the rock crevice. Looking up, they saw three Harpies preening their feathers on a rock ledge twenty meters high.

These half-human, half-bird monsters had pale female faces, but their bodies from the neck down were completely covered in grayish-brown feathers. Their wings, which had a wingspan of over three meters, were folded behind them, and the sharp claws at their ankles occasionally flashed with a blue light indicating that their skills were ready to be activated.

"The one on the far left is wearing a bone earring," Mochizuki Kaede said in an almost inaudible whisper. "It should be an elite individual."

He pointed to the rock face area that the harpies were deliberately avoiding: "The intelligence was correct; they do indeed hate the smell of blue moss."

Asuna was about to nod when she suddenly froze.

Without warning, the elite harpy turned its head, its gray vertical pupils locking onto their hiding place.

"Discovered!"

A piercing shriek shattered the silence of the canyon as three harpies simultaneously spread their wings. Instead of diving immediately, they used the updrafts to circle higher before beginning their descent in a zigzag pattern, nearly twice as fast as the monsters on the plains.

Mochizuki Kaede quickly took out the [Blinding Dust]: "Proceed according to plan, I'll count to three!"

"one!"

As the harpies entered a 15-meter radius, their claws began to glow red, indicating the activation of their skills.

"two!"

Asuna's rapier glowed with the prelude to a thrusting attack, its tip trembling slightly.

"three!"

Yellow dust exploded in the air, forming a murky fog five meters in diameter. The harpy at the forefront plunged headlong into the fog, letting out a painful scream, flapping its wings wildly, completely disoriented.

"Take care of those who have been blinded first!"

Asuna charged out like a whirlwind, her rapier swirling with air currents as she thrust it straight at the harpy's sparsely feathered chest. The tip of the sword struck the vital spot precisely, instantly reducing the harpy's health bar by a third.

She immediately followed up with a horizontal slash, the blade slicing across the harpy's wing root, the system's weak point coordinates. The wounded harpy howled as it plummeted, dissipating into polygonal fragments just before crashing into the rock wall.

At the same time, Mochizuki Kaede approached the other two harpies. He deliberately crushed the blue moss under his feet, and the bitter smell caused the harpies' flight paths to become noticeably erratic.

His longsword flashed through the air, striking the wing membrane of the harpy on his left. Another elite harpy suddenly swerved, its claws grazing Mochizuki Maple's shoulder, leaving three cracks in his armor.

"Watch out! It can accelerate a second time!" Asuna's warning had barely left her lips when the elite harpy completed a physics-defying aerial turn, its wings fully extended as it accelerated and dove down again.

Mochizuki rolled on the spot, his longsword slashing upwards, the blade colliding with the elite harpy's claws, sparks flying. Although he successfully blocked the attack, the enormous impact sent him sliding back more than two meters.

Another harpy attacked from the side, and Asuna immediately threw her dagger.

With a clang, the dagger was blocked by the harpy's wings, but the attack rhythm was successfully disrupted.

Asuna seized the fleeting opportunity, her rapier gleaming with a dazzling silver light. The strike slashed the harpy's right wing, throwing it off balance. A subsequent thrust pierced its throat, and the monster let out a final, mournful cry before dissipating into fragments.

Wang Yuefeng looked around, his gaze falling on the vines hanging from the rock wall and a few loose rocks.

He looked at Asuna, and the two nodded in unison.

As the elite harpy swooped down again, Mochizuki Kaede suddenly swung her sword and severed the vines above her. These vines, growing on the canyon walls, were exceptionally tough, emitting a humming sound like a bowstring as they snapped. The severed vines caused loose shale above to crash down with a roar, and the elite harpy instinctively dodged to the left, running right into Asuna's anticipated sword path.

The rapier traced a perfect crescent arc, its blade striking precisely the joint of the elite harpy's left wing. Simultaneously, Mochizuki Kaede launched a surprise attack from the other side, her longsword plunging upwards into the elite harpy's abdomen.

The double damage values ​​exploded in mid-air, and the elite harpy let out a final, mournful cry before turning into countless blue fragments that dissipated in the breeze of the canyon.

With the last harpy defeated, the canyon returned to silence. Asuna then realized that the back of her combat suit was completely soaked with sweat, and her palms, gripping her sword, were drenched in cold sweat. The AI ​​of these flying monsters was clearly much smarter than that of the plains monsters, and their attack patterns were far more complex.

After resting for a while, the two returned to the open area of ​​the western rock field. The sandstorm subsided, and the air was filled with the dry smell of rocks.

"The rock herbs should be around here," Asuna said softly, her gaze sweeping over the sparse vegetation between the rocks.

Wang Yuefeng squatted down, his fingertips brushing against a cluster of star-shaped leaves growing in the shade. The leaves had serrated edges and were covered with fine silver hairs.

“Found it.” He carefully cleared away the surrounding rubble to reveal the intact plant.

Asuna immediately leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with joy: "It really is [Rock Herb]!"

She gently touched the leaf, and the system immediately displayed the item information: [Rock Herb - Rare Spices/Medicinal Herbs, grows only in specific areas of the western rocky region, can be used for high-end cooking or potion making].

“And there’s more than one.” Wangyue Feng pointed to a rocky ledge not far away, where several clusters of the same plants were swaying gently in the breeze.

According to their mission, they only needed to collect three rocky herbs, but Asuna scavenged them all.

"Good luck." Asuna smiled slightly. "The stew will be even more delicious tonight."

Just as she was about to collect the last one, Mochizuki Kaede suddenly grabbed her wrist: "Wait."

He pointed to the shadows in the rock crevice behind the vanilla, where a small, bright red snake was coiled, its tongue flicking as it warily stared at them.

"【Red Rock Viper】, a highly venomous passive monster."

Mochizuki explained in a low voice, "It doesn't attack unless provoked, but it will spray venom when disturbed."

Asuna understood, took a small piece of dried food from her inventory, and gently tossed it a distance away. The sound of the dried food hitting the ground immediately attracted the little snake's attention, and it quickly swam towards the source of the sound.

"clever."

Wang Yuefeng chuckled and took the opportunity to pick the last herb.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Sunset

As the last Rock Grass was added to his inventory, the western sky began to take on a faint orange-red hue. Mochizuki Kaede straightened up, dusted off his hands, and glanced across the open rocky ground. The sandstorm had subsided, and the distant rocky mountains revealed distinct contours in the gradually softening light.

"Gathering complete." Asuna flipped through her inventory, already starting to plan tonight's menu, when she suddenly noticed Mochizuki Kaede staring into the distance, lost in thought. "What's wrong?"

Mochizuki Kaede didn't answer immediately, but simply turned slightly to avoid his gaze. Asuna followed his gaze, her breath catching in her throat—

The entire western rock field is burning in the sunset.

The reddish-brown rocks were bathed in a golden-red light, and every crevice shimmered with a honey-like luster. Further away, the canyon walls resembled giant, lit candlesticks, their sharp and magnificent silhouettes silhouetted against the twilight.

In the sky, the clouds were dyed in a gradient of colors from light pink to deep purple, and several harpies returning home at dusk streaked across the horizon, their wings shimmering with golden halos.

"It's so beautiful..."

Asuna unconsciously took a few steps forward, her voice soft as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the moment: "They say this is the most beautiful sunset on the second floor, and it certainly lives up to its reputation."

Her eyes reflected the glow of the sunset, and her voice carried a hint of daze: "In the real world, it seems I've never stopped to truly appreciate such a view."

"Always in a hurry to go home, in a hurry to finish my homework, in a hurry to prepare for tomorrow's lessons..." A self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips.

Mochizuki Kaede stood quietly beside her, simply watching the sunset with her.

Asuna suddenly chuckled softly: "How ironic... Being trapped in this death game, I'm starting to notice things I used to ignore."

She reached out and caught a ray of the setting sun through her fingers, its warm light shimmering on her combat gloves: "If... if I could go back, I would definitely go to the real world to see a real sunset."

"Yes, I will." Mochizuki Kaede's voice was soft, but unusually firm.

He pointed to the distant horizon: "Look over there."

The last rays of sunlight pierced through the gap between the two rock pillars, forming a dazzling golden beam, like a gateway to another world. In this fleeting magic of light and shadow, even the scattered grains of sand transformed into scattered diamonds.

Asuna unconsciously held her breath.

At this moment, the shadow of the death game seemed to recede temporarily, leaving only the burning world before her. She secretly glanced at her companion beside her; the setting sun outlined the resolute contours of Mochizuki Kaede's profile, his eyes reflecting the same light.

"It's time to go back." As the pillar of light gradually dissipated, Mochizuki Kaede gently reminded him.

"Hmm." Asuna glanced at the sky one last time; the clouds there had begun to fade.

"But..." she suddenly quickened her pace and walked ahead, her hair fluttering in the twilight as she turned, "I'll come again tomorrow!"

Mochizuki Kaede paused for a moment, then nodded. Their shadows gradually overlapped in the ever-lengthening sunset.

Behind them, the last ray of sunlight sank below the rocky horizon, and the first star quietly lit up.

……

The canyon was shrouded in a deep blue twilight.

Warm orange light shone through the windows of the simple wooden house, where the herbalist Tal sat by the fire grinding herbs, the sound of the mortar and pestle striking each other clearly.

Wang Yuefeng gently knocked on the wooden door. The old herbalist didn't even look up: "Come in, traveler."

The room was filled with the bitter and refreshing scent of herbs.

Asuna neatly arranged the Canyon Berry and Rock Herb on the herbalist's simple wooden table.

"Mission accomplished," Mochizuki Kaede said briefly.

The herbalist carefully examined the quality of the herbs, his withered fingers gently picking up a sprig of rocky herb, and nodded in satisfaction: "Good quality."

The old man then took out a parchment scroll and handed it to Wangyue Feng.

A system notification window popped up:

[System notification: The quest "The Secret Medicine of the Canyon" is complete].

[Obtained: Advanced Recovery Potion Recipe]

The old man raised his cloudy eyes and looked at them: "You... seem quite happy today?"