Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

039 Attack on Asuna

The dark wilderness stretched out before me, with almost nothing visible ahead, except for the dim moonlight that offered a glimmer of light.

Behind me was the gate of Tolbana, and before me lay a pitch-black field.

Walking back will take you back to the warm hotel, while walking forward will lead you to unknown dangers.

Even death.

Asuna hesitated.

Hesitation was understandable; she had no idea how to play this game, not even how to fight. If she entered the wilderness, how would she face the monsters capable of killing her?

Asuna drew her sword. Her initial weapon was a rapier, and she had received rapier training in real life, but this was not reality; it was just a game.

Can real-world skills be used here?

Although she has never seen you in person, Asuna knows about the existence of sword skills from news reports.

What is sword skill?

do not know.

If I don't know what sword skills are, do I have to leave here and fight monsters in the wild?

Fear gripped Asuna's heart. This was a game, yet not a game.

People can die here.

Moving forward means death, retreating means no death. What should Asuna choose?

"Mo Mo... needs me..."

Asuna had a feeling that Momo was in this dark wilderness, perhaps already seriously injured and on the verge of death.

At this point, who would come to his rescue?

"...It was all for me...If I had been stronger, Momo wouldn't have taken this risk..."

Asuna trembled all over, and tears welled up in her eyes.

But this time, no tears fell.

"This time, I won't regret it!"

Having made up her mind, Asuna stepped into the field, her speed increasing until she was running, her flowing chestnut hair disappearing into the darkness.

Danger lurks in the darkness.

Wild boars that were docile and roamed around during the day turned red at night and became aggressive monsters.

Asuna was unaware of all this, but she wouldn't rashly approach the monsters. Every time she encountered a wild boar, she would carefully circle around it and walk away from a distance.

Fortunately, the monsters on the first floor become aggressive at night, and their attack range is very small, which can be considered the last benefit for new players.

After walking and running for more than ten minutes, the vast wilderness still stretched out before her. Asuna surveyed her surroundings, completely disoriented.

This is where?

where am I?

do not know.

Fear and tension urged Asuna to keep going. She could only purse her lips and, relying on her useless beginner's sword, continue forward, moving forward by instinct.

"You said you'd support me and let me make my own choices. Now I've made my choice. I believe in you. Where are you, Momo?"

Asuna roared inwardly, then froze.

She turned to her right, looking at the rising moon with a strange expression.

That direction gave her a faint sense of security, as if walking in that direction would give her strength.

Momo had made a promise with Asuna: Momo was willing to provide Asuna with support, and Asuna would choose to trust Momo. This contractual exchange was naturally different from ordinary barter; it represented long-term support and emotional encouragement.

Momo, it's in that direction!

An inexplicable feeling filled Asuna with confidence, and she started running again, believing that was the direction of Momo!

As Asuna was running, a muffled grunt from a wild boar suddenly came from beneath her feet, and her feet suddenly shook, sending Asuna flying.

"Ah, what is that?!"

Asuna was thrown around and felt dizzy. She struggled to get up, clutching her head, and turned to see a huge figure.

They are at least one meter tall, over three meters long, with huge fangs that gleam and a pair of scarlet eyes that flash with ferocity.

"Sleeping Boar Leader, LV2, Boss".

Although it is a boss, it is still a first-level outdoor boss, so it naturally cannot have four health bars. It still has one health bar, but the health bar is more than 20 times that of a normal wild boar.

It originally roamed the wild and only appeared at night. However, when it did appear, it would choose a secluded corner, hide its body in the soil, and sleep. Unless someone unfortunately stepped on its back, it would not come out to attack the player.

Of course, Asuna was unaware of these settings. If she had known, she might have considered how to improve her luck.

The boar was pouncing on Asuna, its scarlet eyes making her feel stiff all over. She dared not move. Even though she had never played this kind of game before, she knew that this monster was different from the wild boars that had been wandering in the wilderness.

Danger!

You'll die!

Asuna wanted to turn and run away, but fear made her unable to move. She barely managed to raise her sword towards the boar, but the boar was not afraid of the slender sword.

As a pitiful first-level wilderness boss, its AI is probably not even as good as the fruit-selling NPC sister on the street who was teased by Momo.

However, it can attack!

With a roar, the boar lowered its head and charged directly at Asuna. The sword tip pierced the boar's scalp by a millimeter before being pushed out.

"Uh--"

With a muffled groan, Asuna was sent flying, rolling on the grass, her health dropping by nearly half.

Even though this boss's attack power is quite approachable, requiring three hits to kill an unarmored player, it is now deadly to Asuna.

Excruciating pain gripped her entire body, and Asuna barely had the strength to get up.

"It was just a game... how could it hurt so much... Damn it... it's going to end like this..."

She looked into the distance, where a feeling of reassurance emanated, but she was no longer able to run there.

"Roll over already, you idiot!"

A clear female voice rang out, and Asuna was startled. She instinctively rolled over, and the boar boss, with its head down, charged past Asuna, tossing a handful of hair behind its ear.

"Don't just stand there, get out of the way!"

A streak of sword light shot from afar, slicing past the boar's side, instantly reducing the boar boss's health by 1/10.

Asuna stared in astonishment at the petite figure emerging from the sword light and the gleaming dagger in her hand. She never expected that someone would be able to help her at this time and place.

"Scared out of your wits? This is troublesome! Well, it's just a little troublesome, Lucky. A boss delivered right to my door. I thought this guy was just a legend during the closed beta!"

The petite female player was Argo. She left Momo and headed straight back to the Starting Street, but on the way, she heard the roar of a wild boar. As a seasoned player, Argo immediately realized that something was wrong with the roar, so she ran over to check and found Asuna being knocked away.

"It's dangerous, be careful!"

Asuna struggled to her feet, sword in hand, but didn't know what to do.

"Ah, don't worry, it's alright, this boss is just a pushover, look!"

Argo spoke as she jogged forward, the wild boar chasing after her, but always just a hair's breadth away. Then, the boar boss seemed to get angry, unleashing a skill-like attack—a charging charge.

However, Argo turned around with a grin and unleashed a thrusting sword technique, narrowly missing the boar boss and taking away another 10% of the boss's health.

"This boss moves at 95% of the player's speed, and its attacks are only in a straight line. As long as you avoid its attacks, anyone can kill it!"

"I heard during the closed beta that some players had killed it, but its whereabouts were completely unpredictable. I thought it was just a legend, but I didn't expect to actually run into it today. Don't worry, there's no danger at all. Are you alright?"

Argo jogged around leading the Boss in circles, explaining things to Asuna over a hundred years. Asuna, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems there's really no danger now.

"Hey, newbie—ouch, take this—what are you doing out here at this hour? It's commendable that you're brave, but as a newbie, you should level up and familiarize yourself with the game during the day. Wild boars can't kill anyone during the day."

Asuna opened her mouth, but finally decided to tell the truth, saying, "I... I didn't come out to level up. My friend came out to fight monsters, but he hasn't come back yet, so I was worried about him and came out to see if I could find him. This is also my first time in the wild."

"What? Could it be that you—oh no, you missed—you ran out without knowing anything, and you even ran out at night!"

Asuna nodded somewhat shyly.

"Are you crazy? People could die! Ouch—"

A surprised Argo yelled at the boar, only to be knocked away and thrown to the ground with a scream. However, she immediately jumped up; the level 1 advantage and the level 3 attribute boost meant she only lost a little over 20% of her health.

"You're alright..."

"Remember this!"

Asuna wanted to show some concern for Argo, but Argo instead scolded her with a serious expression.

"Ugh, this is so annoying! This stupid wild boar—don't come out if you're not strong enough! As a newbie, just stick to fighting low-level monsters. This game is practically a death game now! Your friend is still online in your friends list, which means he's definitely okay, understand?"

Asuna was indeed taken aback by Argo's performance. Being able to distract himself and tease the boar boss was, in her eyes, the mark of a strong person.

I wonder if Mo Mo has that kind of ability?

"But he still hasn't come back..."

"Maybe it's because it got dark and he spent the night at a safe spot. There are safe spots in the wild, and he's probably just waiting to come back tomorrow as a precaution. But it's also his fault; why didn't he tell you the basics of the game? That could get you killed!"

040 I hate both of you

"You two are really something! One of you went out hunting without a word and spent the night outside without leaving any trace. The other one is completely clueless and dared to stupidly run out to his death. At this rate, neither of you will live long!"

Argo's criticism made Asuna feel ashamed, and now that she thinks about it, her actions seem to have been a bit too impulsive.

"Please don't blame him... It's all my fault, it's all my responsibility. Actually, I've been hiding in the hotel for the past two days, afraid to come out, and I don't even dare to see him... If we met, she would probably tell me everything."

Asuna's voice turned low, and Argo noticed Asuna's disappointment. He stopped talking and turned to reduce the boar boss's health to less than half.

"Okay, don't be sad anymore. From what you've said, you've been staying in hotels? If that's the case, your boyfriend is really great, managing to support you all by himself in this situation. Ahhh, I wish I had a boyfriend like that! I definitely need a boyfriend like that, and yes, I would never touch any playboys!"

Argo's tone became lighter, and Asuna's expression relaxed a little. Hearing Argo say the word "boyfriend," Asuna blushed and said, "Boyfriend or something..."

"Sigh, isn't he? Are they siblings? No, then you can just call him brother. If he's really not your boyfriend, you should seize the opportunity. There aren't many responsible and good men like him, unlike some guys... heartless bastards, they deserve to die!"