I am Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

He had previously discovered a place that resembled a Boss's room.

Let's go and see. If we can't beat them all by ourselves, we can go to the meeting tomorrow and share the information we already know.

In Aincrad, on each floor, there is a towering tower standing at the center, like a pillar reaching to the sky.

Strictly speaking, this tower should be considered a staircase, because it is a path leading to the next level!

However, the inside is not as cold and uninspired as it appears on the outside. The interior of the tower is divided into many levels, and there are monsters guarding the tower. These areas with monsters are the maze areas!

The monsters in the maze area are far more ferocious than those in the wild.

In the wild, most ordinary players can still enjoy solo play and the feeling of fighting monsters alone. As long as they have some strength, they generally won't run into any trouble.

But it's a different story in the maze area. At least so far, no more than ten people have dared to venture into the maze alone. Even the closed beta testers only dare to enter the maze in groups...

The so-called "closed beta testers" are those who, like all games, underwent a closed test before the SAO server was launched.

In that closed beta test, a total of one thousand players were invited.

Players who participated in the closed beta also have priority in purchasing the game.

No, or rather...

Players who participated in the closed beta test definitely have more information than those who did not participate.

Originally, if SAO hadn't turned into a death game, this information would have only sped up the walkthrough a little.

Now, in SAO, which is already a death game, this information is extremely valuable.

Hunting grounds offer simple yet rewarding quests, along with life skills and much more...

This information is very important.

Jill silently made her way through the maze, killing monsters whenever they appeared and stopping to resupply when she got tired.

The monster spawn rate in the maze area is also very limited; there's only one batch per day.

If the game refreshes infinitely, players will quickly reach very high levels.

It's not hard to see the good intentions of Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO.

Although the monsters in the maze area are much stronger than those in the wild, they also provide players with a lot more experience and higher levels. Many powerful teams will arrive in the maze area early in the morning to compete to clear out these monsters.

So even though Jill was walking slowly, she didn't encounter many monsters along the way.

The boss guarding each floor is undoubtedly the strongest monster on that floor; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to withstand the players' attacks.

Jill soon arrived at the place she was looking for.

That was a large door.

Jill smiled calmly, "Come on, let me see how good you really are!"

Jill reached out and pushed the door open.

A sinister aura emanated from the darkness; a player with a weak heart would probably have their legs go weak at this moment.

Jill took a decisive and firm step.

tread……

The crisp sound of footsteps filled the space.

Then, as if welcoming the players, a burst of colorful light suddenly echoed throughout the dark room, spreading across the floor, ceiling, and surrounding walls like colorful lights, instantly dispelling all the darkness.

Ahead is a throne, and the BOSS is sitting on it.

The monster, resembling a cow, a rabbit, a rat, and a pig, leaped from its throne. Its towering figure, estimated to be over two meters tall and as thick as a large water bucket, deftly flipped in mid-air before landing heavily on the ground with a loud thud. Then, an extremely ferocious roar erupted from its mouth!

"Roar!" The gatekeeper BOSS, wielding a massive battle axe and shield, roared as it raised its head.

Along with the BOSS, there are also some minions.

The smaller monsters were about half the size of the boss, and they were also wearing armor and carrying weapons.

They acted almost like a royal guard.

"Well, should we all come at me together?" Gil chuckled, drawing his katana from his waist. "Next—it's time to solo the boss!"

Chapter 5: This is probably the shortest-lived first-level boss.

Jill's first target was the Boss's personal guard.

This is the disadvantage of playing solo.

If you team up, your teammates can deal with the mobs, and you can switch between them to fight the boss, using a rotation strategy to wear down the opponent.

Furthermore, when in a team, teammates can help heal you, while if you are alone, you may face death if you are attacked with the "paralysis" attribute.

However, as long as you have sufficient knowledge and experience to avoid danger, you are guaranteed to obtain a return rate higher than the risk.

While solo travel carries high risks, it also offers high rewards, embodying the principle that "risk and reward are directly proportional."

Because Jill chose to go it alone, he had to fight these four monsters by himself.

When fighting a boss, clear out the smaller monsters first to avoid them getting in the way.

Jill took a step forward, and her skills flashed instantly.

"Soul Flash - One Star!"

Sword dance skills were incorporated into Jill's skill set as data. With a single thrust of his sword, Jill caused the target monster's health bar to drop significantly.

But this is not the end.

The template included a complete set of skills for Jill in the game. Although only seven skills are currently available, Jill still has several more beginner skills than others.

"Soul Flash - Full Moon!"

The wide-range sweeping skill instantly reduced the health bars of the two approaching guards by a large amount, while the monster whose health bar had already been reduced by half by Soul Flash One Star Thrust instantly turned into crystal data and dissipated.

The skills in Soul Flash that were clearly meant to drag Newton out and humiliate him are no longer usable, but that doesn't prevent the use of other skills.

Magical sword techniques like Soul Flash: Eight Desolations cannot be used, but other skills are not affected at all.

For example now——

"Soul Flash - Formless!" This is also a high-speed thrusting skill. Formless is even faster than the one-star skill. In addition, the skill cooldown is not long. So, by alternating between Formless and one-star, the three-headed monster was killed in one go.

"Roar!" The BOSS seemed to be furious because his personal guards had been killed. He grabbed his battle axe and charged forward!

Heavy, rapid footsteps echoed throughout the room. Despite his robust physique, resembling a large water barrel, his movements were incredibly swift. The frequent, rain-like footsteps reverberated throughout the room as his speed increased!

"boom!"

Jill was incredibly agile; the BOSS barely managed to touch him before being slashed with several wounds.

The BOSS's health bar dropped by less than one-twentieth. Jill clicked her tongue and said, "This guy's got some tough skin."

Jill's health bar is intact.

Looking at the boss's green health bar, Jill muttered to herself, "Should I be glad the health bar is on the side?"

Whether it's a player or a monster, if you want your HP bar to stay green, your HP must be at least half full. If your HP drops below half of the full HP bar, it will turn yellow. If it drops to only one-tenth of the full HP bar, it will turn red, indicating a warning state.

However, the player's HP is far less than that of the monster. Monsters generally have more HP than players, at least at the same level, or even monsters that are within ten levels below the player.

Therefore, the way to defeat monsters is definitely to use strategy, not brute force.

Will brute force solve the problem? Of course not.

However, Jill's distraction caused the BOSS to roar and charge at her.

"Interesting." Jill rushed forward and then kept moving around the BOSS.

His agility stat was quite high, and the BOSS didn't even manage to touch him once; instead, his health bar turned from green to yellow.

"I see. So, although it's fast, it's difficult to deal with attacks from all sides?" Jill narrowed her eyes. "This boss's AI is pretty average, isn't it?"

Jill glanced at the health bar.

In good condition.

Let's try again...

Try to beat the game in one go...!

Then, without warning, Jill was hit directly by a direct shot from the BOSS.

Jill watched as her health bar plummeted from full to around 80%, and a surge of anger rose within her.

“…Bastard…” Jill’s crimson eyes blazed with fury. “Die!”

People would be surprised if they saw that Jill only lost this much blood.

Because the BOSS's attributes are always higher than the player's, if the equipment is not up to par, the BOSS may even one-shot the player.

The BOSS hit Jill once, and he still had about 80% of his health left. Just how good is this guy's equipment?

tread……

Jill dashed out, her figure even faster than before.

Jill slashed a huge wound directly on the BOSS, and countless red crystals scattered everywhere. Jill's equipment was obviously top-notch. Just one full moon attack was enough to cut off about 10% of the BOSS's health bar, which was terrifying.

Under Jill's furious attack, the BOSS's health bar quickly turned red, clearly indicating that the BOSS's health was less than one-tenth of its original value.

Jill's health bar also decreased a bit, and there were instances where the BOSS managed to hit him during his relentless attacks.

At this moment, the BOSS roared and threw his battle axe and shield at the same time. Then, he drew a katana, which looked like a woodcutter's knife, from his waist!

"Switch attack mode?" Jill raised an eyebrow.

If the opponent is using a nodachi, it will be even easier to deal with.

Jill immediately stepped forward; the BOSS had just switched weapons when Jill was already close by.

"Soul Flash—" A burst of light erupted from Jill's body, "Full Moon!"

The circular slash seemed to tear through time itself, and in an instant, the BOSS's last health bar was reduced to zero.

With a clear cracking sound, the gatekeeper boss's body split in two, and then its massive form shattered into countless fragments that scattered across the sky...

Level 1 boss! Defeat it!

“…Break… Ah.” Jill glanced at the katana in her hand and the skill with a cooldown of forty-something seconds displayed on the skill bar.