I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

He squinted: "Let's try bringing two over first."

Asuna nodded and picked up a pebble from the ground. Her slender arm drew a graceful arc, and the pebble was immediately imbued with the blue light of a skill effect before it "whooshed" precisely between the two nearest bison.

"boom--"

Startled, the bison immediately raised its head, its crimson eyes locking onto the two. The larger of the two let out a deep roar, its forehooves stomping heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of grass.

"They're here," Mochizuki Kaede said in a low voice, slowly drawing his longsword.

The two giant beasts began to accelerate, and the heavy hooves made the ground tremble slightly.

Mochizuki Kaede steadily raised his longsword, and the moment the blade collided with the bison's giant horn, dazzling sparks erupted.

"clang--!"

Amidst the metallic hum, his feet carved two shallow marks on the grass, yet he managed to withstand the brute force of the impact.

"Linear impact!"

Asuna's figure flashed into the battle like a blue lightning bolt.

The tip of the rapier flashed a blinding blue light, piercing through the air in an almost straight trajectory, precisely striking the bison's blood-red right eye.

"Pfft!"

The blade sank half a foot deep, and the critical hit damage exploded with a crimson effect. The bison let out a painful howl, and its health bar dropped by a third.

The wounded beast raised its forelegs high, and its horns suddenly gleamed with an earthy yellow light—

"retreat!"

Wang Yuefeng leaped backward, and almost simultaneously, the bison's hooves slammed heavily into the ground.

The shockwave from the monster's area-of-effect (AOE) skill, [Ground Stomp], spread in a ring, tearing away the grass and revealing the cracked soil beneath. As Mochizuki landed, he bent his knees to gather power, a cyan trail illuminating his sword.

"Shh!"

The afterimage remained in place, while the real body had already charged beneath the bison's belly. The longsword sliced ​​upwards across the soft underbelly, sending up a cloud of virtual data particles.

The bison staggered backward, about to go berserk, but Asuna had already appeared behind it—

"Thrust!"

The rapier transformed into a continuous silver flash, stabbing three times into the bison's hind leg tendon. The final strike precisely hit the joint gap, and the bison cried out in agony as it collapsed to its knees, dissipating into polygonal fragments before even entering its berserk state.

Seeing this, the other bison's crimson eyes flashed with a fierce light, and it suddenly changed direction and charged towards Asuna. Mochizuki Kaede reacted quickly, stepping to the side to block Asuna, her longsword held horizontally.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Roast Beef

"boom!"

The heavy impact caused Mochizuki Kaede to slide back several steps, but she successfully blocked the attack. Asuna seized the opportunity to circle around to the side, thrusting out her rapier, aiming straight for the bison's other eye.

"Roar--!"

The bison roared in pain, frantically shaking its head in an attempt to escape the attack. Wang Yuefeng seized the opportunity, his longsword glowing with skill light, the blade slicing through the bison's throat and taking away the last bit of its health.

The bison fell and vanished as specks of light.

A system notification window popped up: [Successfully hunted 2 Ruins Bison, obtained 1 Bison Horn]

"It seems the probability of obtaining a bison horn is not high..."

After dealing with the two bison, Mochizuki Kaede shook her slightly numb wrist. In the distance, the remaining bison herd began to stir restlessly, their heavy snorting rising and falling.

"The next wave will be five." Wang Yuefeng narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the grassland terrain. "Their straight-line charge is too dangerous."

Asuna followed his gaze and noticed a group of wind-eroded rocks about a hundred meters away.

That's a unique landform of the Central Grassland, where rocks eroded by wind and sand have formed a natural labyrinthine structure. The rock surface is covered with honeycomb-like holes, and the protruding rock eaves at the top cast jagged shadows in the sunlight.

"Lead it to the rocky area?" She immediately understood, and twirled her rapier in a beautiful flourish.

Mochizuki Kaede nodded: "The charging attack of these ruined bison increases in power with distance and also has an armor-piercing effect."

He pointed to the nearest mushroom-shaped boulder: "But between those rocks, they can't accelerate enough, and they get momentarily stunned after hitting them."

Asuna carefully observed the terrain and quickly grasped the tactical ingenuity. The wind-eroded rocks were only three to five meters apart, forcing the bison to make sharp turns or slow down as soon as they started moving. The irregular rock surfaces dispersed the impact force, and the protruding parts at the top could even block the bison's habitual leaping attacks.

“I’ll guide them to crash into the wall.” Wang Yuefeng pointed his longsword diagonally at the ground. “You focus on attacking their hind leg tendons; that’s the key to their charge.”

Asuna gripped her rapier, skill effects swirling at the tip: "Give me the side."

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously retreated towards the rock formations.

Upon seeing this, the five bison immediately formed a wedge formation and charged, the heavy hooves making the ground tremble slightly.

The lead bison had accelerated to its maximum speed, its horns wreathed in dangerous red light. Mochizuki Kaede calculated the distance perfectly and at the last moment dodged behind a giant rock. The bison, unable to turn, slammed its heavy body against the rock face, a dizzying star-shaped indicator appearing above its head.

"Now!"

Asuna slashed into the battlefield like a silver whirlwind, her rapier piercing precisely into the tendon junction of the bison's hind leg. A distinct sensation came from the tip of the sword, and the resistance along the blade suddenly lessened.

"Pfft!"

Accompanied by realistic sound effects of muscle tissue being torn apart, the bison's hind legs suddenly buckled, and its massive body lost its balance and fell forward. The system's judgment of the [Weakness Critical Strike] effect exploded at the wound.

Mochizuki Maple did not miss this perfect opportunity. He flashed out from the crevice in the rock, his longsword trailing a pale blue skill effect.

The blade sliced ​​through the bison's exposed throat, instantly depleting its remaining health bar, and its massive body exploded into countless polygonal fragments.

Just then, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

The exceptionally large lead bison's eyes had turned completely blood red, veins bulged on its thick neck, and ominous red lightning crackled around its horns—signs of entering a "berserk state."

"Watch out! It's about to launch a special charge!" Mochizuki Kaede shouted a warning.

The ferocious bison pawed wildly at the ground, kicking up large swaths of grass and dirt. The next second, it charged forward like a runaway chariot, more than three times the speed of an ordinary bison, scattering the grass and blades of grass in its path.

Mochizuki Kaede was prepared and quickly retreated behind a wind-eroded rock formation that forked into a "Y" shape. Although the raging bison was incredibly strong, its intelligence had not improved, and it still charged straight at him.

"boom!!!"

With a deafening crash, the entire wind-eroded rock shook violently. Most of the bison's body was embedded in the rock, its horns deeply wedged in a crevice. Even more fatally, the impact triggered a [damage reflection] effect, instantly reducing its health bar by a quarter.

Asuna didn't let the opportunity slip by, and her rapier glowed with a dazzling blue skill light.

At the same time, Mochizuki Kaede also made a move, his longsword slashing towards the bison's hind leg joint with a whooshing sound.

The two attacks hit almost simultaneously, and the combined critical damage values ​​exploded in the air with a dazzling special effect.

The remaining three bison quickly fell victim to the same tactic.

Mochizuki Kaede skillfully led the bison towards the wind-eroded rock formations, while Asuna seized the moment when they were stunned after colliding with the rocks, her rapier precisely piercing the tendon of their hind legs. Time and again, the two worked in perfect harmony, until the last bison, howling in agony, turned into specks of light and vanished.

"call……"

Asuna was slightly out of breath, her hair damp with sweat and clinging to her cheeks. She sheathed her rapier and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow.

Mochizuki looked around and, after confirming that there were no more traces of the ruined bison nearby, nodded: "Let's take a rest."

A gentle breeze rustled the grass. The two found a flat rock and sat down. Asuna took a water pouch from her inventory, tilted her head back, and drank a few mouthfuls, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"We hunted seven and obtained three bison horns." Mochizuki Kaede counted her spoils. "We'll continue once we've recovered our strength."

"Yes, it's lunchtime now."

Asuna smiled brightly, tapping her finger lightly in the air to bring up her inventory. With a pale blue light, her cherished [Chef's Adventure Set] appeared on the grass: a portable grill, folding kitchen utensils, and specially made seasoning bottles were neatly arranged, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Today's picnic is—roast beef!" she said cheerfully, taking out the [Premium Wild Beef] she had just acquired from her inventory. The bright red meat, with its perfect marbling, gleamed enticingly in the sunlight.

Mochizuki Kaede unconsciously swallowed. Although SAO was just a virtual world, the visual effects and aroma simulation of high-grade ingredients were incredibly realistic. Looking at the clearly defined chunks of meat, he actually felt a real hunger pang in his stomach.

"Could you help me start a fire?" Asuna had already tied on a cooking apron with a bear pattern on it, a rare outfit she had obtained during a mission, and the kitchen knife in her hand glowed with the blue light unique to her cooking skills.

The blade sliced ​​the beef into even, thick slices with astonishing speed, the blade making a crisp "tap-tap" sound as it cut across the cutting board.

"it is good."

Mochizuki Kaede gave a brief reply, but couldn't hide the anticipation in his tone. He deftly set up the grill and put in the [Magic Charcoal], a fuel that sells for 50 Cors in the store and automatically adjusts the heat, making it an essential item for outdoor cooking.

With a soft "poof," a bluish-green flame rose up, but it lacked the heat of a real flame.

Asuna laid the meat slices on the grill and sprinkled them with rock herbs. The moment the meat came into contact with the heat source, a sizzling sound and an enticing aroma filled the air.

She focused intently on turning the meat slices, occasionally brushing on a layer of special sauce with a small brush. This was a recipe she had developed herself based on SAO's seasoning system.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Bison's Horn

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze unconsciously followed her hand as she flipped the meat slices, watching the pink flesh gradually turn into an alluring golden brown.

"Wait another thirty seconds."

Asuna stared intently at the slices of meat, carefully spreading the special sauce on them with a small brush. The aroma of the sauce and meat juices made Mochizuki Kaede secretly swallow again. Although she knew it was just a data simulation, the anticipation felt incredibly real.

The aroma of roasted meat filled the grassland. As Mochizuki Kaede gazed at Asuna's profile as she intently flipped the meat slices, his thoughts suddenly drifted away.

In Tokyo, in the real world, the Mochizuki family, as a prestigious clan, naturally employed the most elite domestic service team. He remembered the elderly nanny from Kyoto whose kaiseki cuisine had even been featured in a food magazine. The exquisite dishes, arranged on tableware, were all perfectly crafted, like works of art.

But he had never looked forward to it as much as he did now.

Even Mochizuki Kaede herself was somewhat surprised by this discovery.

In this virtual game world, in front of this simple portable grill, he actually felt a real hunger pang from a piece of beef that was changing color. Asuna's actions of sprinkling rock herbs, brushing on the homemade sauce, and even the beads of sweat on her forehead from the heat made this simple picnic seem exceptionally precious.

"What are you thinking about?" Asuna suddenly looked up, just in time to catch him lost in thought.

"It's nothing." Mochizuki Kaede snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the sizzling meat slices. "I was just wondering what kind of flavor you'll make this time."

Asuna's lips curled into a sly smile: "The secret sauce is the result of more than twenty adjustments I've made."

She gently turned the meat slices: "I tried all the seasonings I could find in the first and second layers."

As Mochizuki Kaede watched the crispy crust gradually form on the slices of meat, she suddenly realized that this pure anticipation of delicious food was an experience she had never had in the luxurious world of the real world.

"Alright!" Asuna used tongs to pick up a perfectly grilled slice of beef and placed it on the plate. "The first slice is for our partner, Xiaofeng."

The golden-brown slices of meat were still steaming, their surface glistening in the sunlight. Mochizuki Kaede took the plate; compared to those exquisite kaiseki dishes, this virtual grilled meat seemed even more tempting.

Golden juices slowly seeped from the knife marks, glistening enticingly in the sunlight. He gently blew on the hot meat, then took a bite.

The crispy outer skin contrasts beautifully with the tender meat inside, and the rich aroma of meat instantly fills the mouth. But the most surprising element is the subtle, refreshing fragrance, which perfectly balances the richness of the beef, making the overall flavor layered yet not greasy.

"How is it?" Asuna placed her hands on her knees, leaned forward slightly, and her amber eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Mochizuki Kaede savored it carefully and nodded solemnly: "It's delicious."

This simple comment seemed to flip a switch, and Asuna immediately beamed: "Right! I specifically used rock grass, the most amazing thing about this spice is that it transforms into three different layers of aroma when heated—"

As she spoke, she used tongs to turn the slices of meat on the grill: "When it first goes into the pan, it has a refreshing minty flavor. When it's medium-rare, it turns into a woody scent similar to rosemary. In the final stage, it releases a subtle sweetness."

Looking at the girl before him who had suddenly become radiant, Mochizuki Kaede unconsciously took another bite of the grilled meat. Indeed, with each chew, the aroma in her mouth changed continuously, just as Asuna had described, unfolding layer by layer.

“And I discovered,” Asuna continued, her tongs tracing excited lines in the air, “that if you marinate it first with the juice of canyon berries and then combine it with rock herbs, it will create a completely new complex aroma.”

She picked up a perfectly grilled piece of meat and placed it on Wangyue Feng's plate: "Next time I'd like to try Morning Dew Mint and see how it goes."

Mochizuki Kaede took the grilled meat and suddenly found the taste even more delicious.

After enjoying the fragrant roast beef, Asuna neatly tidied up the kitchen utensils and put the [Chef's Adventure Set] back into her inventory. Mochizuki Kaede stood up, stretched her shoulders, and gazed at the grassland.

The Central Grassland shimmered with golden light under the afternoon sun, and a gentle breeze rustled through the waves of grass.

The two embarked on another hunting expedition.

With their previous experience, their hunting speed increased dramatically. Mochizuki Kaede skillfully led the bison towards the wind-eroded rock formations, while Asuna seized the opportunity, her rapier slashing like a silver snake into the bison's hind leg tendons. One bison after another fell thanks to their coordinated tactics, turning into data fragments that dissipated in the wind across the grasslands.

As the last scavenging bison was felled, Asuna sheathed her rapier and let out a soft breath: "Mission accomplished."

Mochizuki Kaede nodded, brought up the task panel, and confirmed that the hunting quantity and the number of bison horns collected had met the requirements.

And I also got the morning dew mint I was looking for.

"Let's go back."

The two returned to Urbas along the same route they had taken.

The midday sun was already setting, but there was still some time before sunset. The outline of the town gradually became clear, and they returned to the hunter's hut.

When the door was opened, the old hunter was sitting by the fire, sharpening his arrowheads. Hearing the sound, he stood up: "Back earlier than expected."

Mochizuki Kaede opened her inventory and placed the leather bag full of [Bison Horns] on the wooden table; the heavy bag made a dull thud. Asuna then took out her quest panel, and a pale blue system screen unfolded in the air, displaying details of the completed quests.