I am Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

"This is it!" Kirito snapped his fingers and said.

Jill: "..."

Holy crap, don't these two have any shame?!

Not only was he wearing this bizarre, not-at-all-cool, and even somewhat ugly outfit, but he also had this peculiar habit of saying "yes, yes" repeatedly...

Where did you guys get your chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) from?!

My goodness... I can't bear to look at this for some reason...

Jill, who had not yet regained her memories, thought to herself that this was the case.

Chapter Fifteen: Resolving the Dispute

"...Who are these two idiots?" Gil's lips twitched as he asked Kirito in a low voice.

"These two are members of the Ninja Guild, who were feared for their incredible agility during the closed beta test."

Like Argo, they all pushed their agility to the limit, engaging in dazzling combat on the front lines as AGI human shields, and escaping at breakneck speed in dangerous situations, transferring the monsters to nearby teams…

Kirito explained the identities of the two people.

Jill: "Go to Teemo's Terrifying! Doesn't that sound like a bunch of cowards? And they're the worst kind of cowards! They can't even beat the monsters themselves, so they lure them to others. I think they're just plain bad!"

Kirito: "..."

Argo: "..."

That's a sharp critique... and it seems hard to refute... though there's no need to refute it anyway.

"How dare you insult the reputation of us ninjas! This is unforgivable!" said Kotaro, one of the two, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Are you going to make a move?" Gil gestured for Kirito to protect Argo, while his hand moved rapidly, the fangs in his hand disappearing and turning into another katana.

The black hilt looks calm and imposing, while the blade is also wrapped in a black scabbard.

The katana named "Death God" is an equipment dropped by the lion-man BOSS. Its base stats are higher, even comparable to the stats of the Fang after it has been enhanced four times in terms of speed.

More importantly, this katana has a very high upgrade potential, so it's safe to say that this weapon will definitely go further than the Fang.

Gil held the swords in both hands, his eyes fixed on Isaac and Kotaro opposite him.

This is the "outside the circle" where crime prevention codes don't work.

If a player is attacked by another player, their HP will decrease, and the attacker's name cursor will turn orange-red, making them a "criminal" who cannot enter the district.

No matter what kind of ninja they are, they cannot escape the watchful eyes of the central system that governs this world.

After all, this is just a game.

Although, many times, the solution to many problems is always unexpected.

First, we know that this is not the center of the street, but a strange area.

In areas where monsters roam, this kind of thing will always happen if you stand still in one spot for a long time.

Jill glanced behind them, took a few steps back without making a sound, and said, "Behind you."

"We won't fall for your tricks!" Isamu and Kotaro said at the same time.

“Nothing, I just wanted you to look behind you!” Jill said, covering her face.

Kirito pulled him to a spot further back, and then...

Gil's words stirred the already suspicious ninjas.

Kotaro and Isamu, who were huddled together looking behind them, suddenly jumped up.

Because, in front of their eyes and noses, a new intruder—no, an intruding cow—had appeared at some unknown time and stood there.

Its official name is [Trembling·Ox].

It is about two and a half meters tall, reaching the shoulders, and is a specialty of the second floor: a giant bull-shaped monster.

Of course, this monster is as powerful as it looks, but what's troublesome is its extremely long target duration and distance.

Or it could be that the hatred lasts a long time, and they might even chase you out of their territory... or something like that.

"BUMOOOO——!"

The cow roared.

"Yes...yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" The ninja's scream followed immediately.

Then, the two guys dressed as gray ninjas ran towards the street at perfect speed, but the bull chased after them with an agility that was completely out of proportion to its size.

The rumbling and shouting on the ground disappeared on the horizon in less than five seconds.

It looks like that cow will keep chasing Kotaro and Isamu back to the neighborhood.

Jill clicked her tongue. "What terrible luck."

Jill ignored the commotion behind her, simply turning her head slightly. "Stop fooling around, you two. You must be Argo. I have a few questions for you."

"No problem with questions, but depending on the situation, I'll have to charge a fee." Argo nodded. "However, for Kirito's sake, I can give you a discount, okay?"

“Okay, thank you so much.” Jill smiled. “I just have a few questions to ask.”

So Gil asked Argo the questions he wanted to ask, but they were all very basic questions, and Argo did not accept Gil's Cor.

"These are all basic questions; you could ask any random person on the street. Honestly, I thought I was going to make a fortune," Argo said with a hint of regret.

“Then I’ll buy all my intelligence from you from now on. After all, having a stable source of intelligence is always a good thing,” Jill said.

Then Argo received a friend request.

“GIL…Gil.” Argo nodded. “Understood. Well, welcome back next time, okay?”

“Okay, then I hope you can give me a discount. By the way, I have some information to ask you.” Jill asked, “What is this ExtraSkill that those two men mentioned? Does it really exist?”

“…emmm…” Argo paused for a moment, then shook his head, “I can’t tell you…”

"Why? Was the mission difficult? Was the mortality rate high?" Jill asked.

"No, that's not it... Although it is a bit difficult, there are other reasons... I don't want to be resented by you buyers."

Argo shook his head, then said.

"..." Jill stroked her chin. "What is the ExtraSkill for that mission?"

"...But this will cost money, little brother?" Argo chuckled and said.

“…emmmm…maybe I’ll pass.” Jill shook her head.

I have a feeling that this Extra skill is a bit strange, so it's better not to mess around with it.

“Then I’ll buy this information…” Kirito said. “You owe me one, you know. If anything had happened to you up to the point where you told me why you drew your mustache, I would have had a real headache.”

The intelligence broker "Rat" Argo's face is decorated with three distinct black whiskers painted on each side. This is the origin of his nickname "Rat," and the reason for the makeup remains a mystery.

Jill was unaware of the feud between them, but looked at the two with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

However, he didn't say anything more to them.

"You two can continue your conversation. I'll head back to town now," Jill said, waving her hand.

He needs to go back and get some rest. He plans to set off tomorrow to collect materials for weapon enhancement.

Chapter Sixteen: An invitation to participate in a strategy meeting for the gatekeeper BOSS?

December 8, 2022, Thursday, the thirty-second day since SAO launched.

The first boss was defeated by the "mysterious raiding team," and the portal to Urbas has been open for four days.

Jill yawned, casually killed a small monster, and then rubbed her eyes.

“I have enough materials…” Jill swung the katana called “Reaper” in her hand. “Hmm, should I go find someone to upgrade it?”

The "Grim Reaper" in his hand is currently enhanced to +6.

He produced enough materials to upgrade a weapon six times in just three days. This hardcore grinder is terrifying!

Jill glanced around, then opened the map and marked it.

This is the second level of the maze area.

Jill had already explored about 40% of the area in just three days.

So don't ask why you have enough materials to upgrade a weapon six times. The big shots can do whatever they want; you can't mess with them.

"...That should be about right for today..." Jill glanced at the time.

He spent almost the entire morning gathering materials, enough to upgrade "Reaper" twice more, so that "Reaper" could catch up with Fang's progress.

Holding the teleportation crystal in her hand, Jill chanted the spell that allowed her to move.

"Transfer, Urbas."

His figure disappeared into the labyrinth area and reappeared in Urbas's square.

"Stop...stop joking!!"

Jill had just returned when she heard the sound.

There was a small square in front of Jill, and the commotion seemed to be coming from there.

"Restore it!! Restore it for me! Enhancement 4... restore it to where it is!!"

Shouts rang out again from the square.

Jill blinked and walked in that direction with a hint of curiosity.

"Why is this happening?! Why did my enhancement level drop?!" The voice that came from a man wearing a helmet with three horns and whose face was flushed red.

The man, his face flushed red and shouting incessantly, was likely a player fighting near the front lines. He was probably a high-level player at this stage, as evidenced by his metal armor and helmet with three horns.

What drew more attention than anything else was the straight sword in the right hand of the man wearing a helmet with three horns.

As if his blood was boiling, the man repeatedly slammed the tip of his sword against the stone floor, yelling, "Why have I failed four times in a row! Making it to zero enhancement level is just too much! We might as well have given it to an NPC! Take responsibility, you lousy blacksmith!!"

Exposed to this frenzied cursing for several minutes, the only one who could stand still with a troubled expression was a short male player wearing a dowdy brown leather apron.

A gray carpet was laid out in one corner of the square, and chairs, chopping blocks, and display sheds were placed in the narrow space on it.