A journey to another world starting from a sword

"?" Xiaochun was stunned again.

“…” Mitt raised an eyebrow. It seemed a bit off to say that they slept together instead of in a suite, but she didn’t have time to correct Liz.

"By the way, who does Haru want to sleep with and where?" Asuna suddenly remembered something and called out to them.

"Me?" Xiaochun pointed to herself.

"I remember the only room available in the bedroom was Xiaoya's." Argo said with a grin after thinking for a moment, holding his head in his hands.

“I can switch with Xiaochun,” Silica quickly raised her right hand.

"Don't even think about it." Lisbeth suddenly grabbed Silica by the throat and pulled her forward.

"Then it's decided." Asuna knew that letting the other person choose at this point would be putting her in a difficult position, so she made the decision directly.

Then Asuna went over, took Haru's hand, and walked towards the room.

"Ah—ah—" Xiaochun was at a loss, and her cheeks turned light pink.

Wait! Does this mean we're going to sleep together? She's not mentally prepared yet.

Chapter 140: Heaven Above

"...Here you go, breakfast is ready..."

"Okay~" she replied absentmindedly in her daze. She did indeed catch the word "breakfast," so her lips automatically responded. Then she covered her head with the blanket to block out all sound.

......wrong!

Xiaochun suddenly woke up with a start, sat up in bed, and stared wide-eyed.

She's not at home! This is Aincrad!!!

The voice that woke her up just now wasn't her mother's, but rather that of Asuna, the vice president of the guild!

She hurriedly got out of bed and changed out of her pajamas into the equipment she received from Miss Ashura yesterday. She had fallen in love with the outfit at first sight, and today was her first day officially joining the guild, so she had to get ready properly.

"It's still so beautiful." Xiaochun walked to the open window and looked at the scenery outside. It was already beautiful last night, but she didn't expect the beach to be twice as beautiful during the day.

Thinking back to the monsters she encountered on the way from the main street to this town last night... Ah, if it were the monsters on the seventh floor in the past, they could probably wipe out all her HP in one hit.

But thanks to the protection of everyone in the guild, the journey was relatively safe yesterday, and looking back now, it was all worth it.

After admiring the view for a few seconds, deeply imprinting it in her mind, she closed the window and walked to the door.

"Good morning." Xiaochun greeted the two people in the living room in a cheerful voice.

"Good morning." "Yes, good morning, Xiaochun."

Dante, carrying fruit tea, greeted the newcomer to the guild along with Asuna.

"Asuna made breakfast today, it's delicious!" Dante said to Koharu as he picked up the bread from the basket.

"Huh?" Koharu exclaimed softly in surprise, startled and almost jumping up. "W-Did Asuna make this?"

It was unbelievable. Xiaochun quickly checked the bread in her hand. She pinched the crispy crust with her fingers. The "crunch" sound made it look delicious. The fact that she could easily deform it also proved that the inside of the bread was still soft.

"This is spelt wheat flour I bought on the third floor. It has a stronger wheat aroma than regular flour," Asuna said, gently covering her mouth as she watched Koharu's surprised expression.

Upon hearing this, Xiaochun quickly brought her nose closer, and as soon as she lowered her head, she smelled a rich wheat aroma. "Really?"

“And this sausage was bought in the town of Beginning, and this cheese was bought in Urbas…” Asuna introduced them one by one.

She had indeed seen the blue sausage in the starting town, but had no recollection of the others. Xiaochun immediately picked up her portion and started eating. "Delicious! So delicious!"

Xiaochun suddenly felt like crying when she realized she could have such a proper and delicious breakfast in the game.

"That's great." Asuna looked at her with a smile.

"Oh, right, where is everyone?" Xiaochun suddenly realized that the other members of the guild probably hadn't eaten breakfast either.

"Don't worry, Asuna already delivered it." Dante, who had quickly finished his breakfast, took a sip of hot tea and explained to Koharu, "Although I was planning to deliver it myself..."

"How could I let you deliver it? We're all girls." Asuna smiled and gently tapped Dante's head.

However, she remembered Argo's slightly regretful tone when he opened the door: "Oh, it's Argo. I thought it was Dante who came to deliver it."

Maybe it wouldn't be a problem to let him deliver it?

No way—no problem my foot!

After breakfast, Koharu ran to the kitchen and offered to help Asuna, who accepted with a smile.

However, because Aincrad simplified the dishwashing process, the dishes were completely clean in less than two minutes.

"Huh, where's the president?" When Xiaochun returned to the living room, Dante was nowhere to be seen.

"He went to call the others, but he's not coming with us today. I'll take you to the third floor to level up," Asuna said to Koharu as she swiped open the game window to equip weapons and armor.

"I see." Xiaochun nodded, then prepared her weapon. The new short sword was shaped like a shuriken and seemed to be made with a special casting, so it looked somewhat special.

However, it is quite heavy to hold. Although it does not exceed the limit of her strength equipment, it will probably take some time for her to get used to its feel.

"And Haru, remember to wear yesterday's cloak too. We need to try to hide our whereabouts as much as possible," Asuna instructed.

"whereabouts?"

"Well, after all, the information from the lower levels has already been made public. It could be troublesome if people guess our destination, especially if we want to avoid being found out by criminal players."

Seeing that Asuna had already put on the hood of her silk cloak, Haru quickly put on her own reddish-brown cloak as well.

"Well, let's set off."

"Oh!"

-----------------

"Hey bro, want the secret scroll for guaranteed victory? It accurately predicts the results of ten matches in the Monster Arena."

Dante moved from the hotel where he stayed the night before to the Twin Gates Square in Reccio, the "main street," at seven o'clock. As if he had encountered a benefactor, he bumped into an NPC selling unknown scrolls.

Although he knew the other party's background, he still pretended and asked, "How many Cors?"

"Just a mere one hundred cors." The sleazy-looking middle-aged man in front of me held up one finger.

This price was practically free for Dante, but the principle that free things are the most expensive is universal.

Dante took a silver coin from his inventory and flicked it at the other person with his finger. "I'll buy it."

"Great! You're really generous, sir." After taking the silver coin, the NPC handed over the secret scroll in his hand.

"..." Dante took the scroll, unfolded it, and glanced at it. The contents, just as the other party had said, recorded the names, characteristics, and predictions of the winners and losers of all the monsters that participated in the Monster Arena from today until the fifth day, as well as a map to Worubda, and even detailed descriptions of what monsters would appear along the way.

It's like they're deliberately trying to lure people there; the intention is... too obvious.

Looking up, Dante could no longer see the NPCs. He looked at the two doors leading out of the circle. The two doors looked exactly the same, the only difference being the statues decorating them.

The statue on the left door depicts a male nobleman leaning back, tilting a huge wine glass in an extremely arrogant posture—the same path they walked yesterday.

The statue on the right-hand door depicts a beggar-like traveler, hunched over, leaning on a cane, braving the wind and rain.

Both doors are fully open and easily visible, with the roads extending outwards each leading to one side, that is, to the north and south sides of the building.

What did you just buy?

Behind her lay Mitte's simple question, and Dante turned to look at her, "Ah, you saw it."

“Of course.” With a slight sigh, Mitt stared at him helplessly. “If you’re not careful, you’ll disappear.”

Just after she dropped Asuna and the others off at the transfer gate plaza, she turned around and saw that someone had already left.

"No way." Dante denied it, then handed the scroll in his hand to Mitt.

"What's this?" Mitt, whose attention had been diverted, reached out and took it, then examined it closely for a few moments. "Monster Arena... This wasn't available during the closed beta. Where did you buy it?"

She wasn't referring to the monster arena, of course, but rather to the secret scroll in her hand.

The Monster Arena was a very famous building during the closed beta test, perfectly fitting the "gambling" theme of the seventh floor.

Its function, as the name suggests, is for two monsters to fight in the arena, and then players and NPCs bet on one of them. If the monster they bet on wins, they can get a lot of chips according to the odds.

As for the location of the Monster Arena, it is in the gambling city "Worubuda" at the southernmost end of the seventh floor, which is also the town where they stayed last night.

“Just now, an NPC came over and started selling it.” Understanding what she meant, Dante pointed to the spot where they had just been standing.

"how much is it?"

"One hundred Cors".

"...This is obviously a scam, isn't it? How could there possibly be a secret manual that can accurately predict ten wins?" Mite was quite speechless. "Are you tempted by it?"

"Ah," Dante admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "After all, this is the theme of the seventh floor. It would be a waste not to experience it properly. Don't you, Mitt, have any interest?"

“No, but I’m not interested in gambling, and I heard during the closed beta that there was a fool who lost everything except a sword in Worubda.” Mitt warned in a deep tone.

It wasn't just these idiots; a large number of closed beta testers lost all their savings in Wolbuda, a truly heartbreaking sight.

Thinking of this, Mitt wanted to immediately pull Dante toward the "Upwind Path" leading to the right gate, rather than choosing to return to "Worubuda" along the "Downwind Path".

"And what about you?" Dante asked back with amusement. "Mitter, you probably went through the left door too, right?"

After all, he didn't believe that a hardcore gamer like Mit would miss out on experiencing the unique features of the seventh floor.

As if a memory had been stirred up, her expression turned sour. To hide her flushed cheeks, Mitt turned her face away, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably.

"I...I, I was just testing my luck a little."

Chapter 141: I really lost, I'll pay you back slowly later.

"...So it was just a little bit?" Dante chuckled, tilting his head slightly.

He knew that Mitt sometimes got carried away, and this time she probably didn't lose too much, but the idiot who lost everything except a sword was definitely not her.

"What?!" Mitt glanced at him with displeasure.

Dante didn't speak, but raised his hand and reached out to touch Mitt's head; the purple silk-like hair was incredibly smooth.

"Don't touch me." After shaking his head left and right and getting rid of the hand on his head, Mito quickly looked around. If Asuna saw this, she would probably misunderstand.

"We arrived in Worubda too late yesterday, today is the real day. We should explore the city properly." Grabbing the scroll from Mitt's hand, Dante took the lead and headed towards the "Windward Path" on the left.

"I've already tried to persuade you~" Helpless, Mitt quickly chased after him.

It took them about half an hour, thanks to their skills, to quickly pass through the "Smooth Sailing Road".

It is exceptionally clear during the day; even without entering the city, one can still observe the cobalt blue roof of the magnificent building deep within Worubda from the road.

This octagonal building, resembling a palace, is the "Worubuda Casino," which plunged many players into a crucible of joy and despair during the closed beta.

To the south of the town lies the sea of ​​the seventh level, the same sea seen from the hotel where we stayed yesterday.

However, it can only be seen from afar, because the beach is reserved for casinos and no one, including city residents, is allowed to enter.

As for why the city's residents don't complain, putting aside the fact that they are NPCs, from another perspective, the economy of Worubda relies entirely on tourists visiting the casino, and NPCs also need to make a living.

So Dante and his companions only paid for six days' worth of inn rent, since Dante wasn't sure if he would be able to enter the city again after the sixth day.

Upon entering the town, Dante proceeded straight along the main road and stepped into the square covered with mosaic tiles, arriving at the main entrance of the Grand Casino of Worubda.

“…” Mite silently observed the guards on both sides of the door. Their meticulously polished full-body armor was several times better than during the closed beta.

However, coming back after the closed beta test makes me a little nervous, as this is the entrance to hell.

"Let's go." Dante showed no sign of fear, his boots clattering loudly on the floor.

It is said that this casino only welcomes people who are dressed properly. It is not necessary to be formally dressed, but if you are half-naked, you will be stopped by the NPC guards. So as long as your clothing is not particularly bad, players can enter.

The moment they stepped through the door, they were greeted by cool air that could blow away the heat of summer, which was especially comfortable for the two of them who were fully armed.

Then came light string music and a refreshing, sweet floral fragrance, while the huge crystal chandelier illuminated the entrance hall dazzlingly.

At the same time, from the moment they stepped in, the world of the adventurers behind them seemed to be isolated in a distant place.

"Mite, lend me a little money." When Dante was about to exchange chips at the counter, he did not immediately talk to the beautiful NPC lady, but instead spoke to his companion who was just as beautiful as the NPC lady.

"How much do you want?" Mitt asked, looking up as he swiped out the window.

"How many do you have?" Dante countered.

"In cash, I have about 300,000 Cor. If I sell the rare items, I might be able to raise 400,000." Mitt estimated for a moment, then his eyes showed some complicated emotions, as if he had made up his mind.

At that moment, Dante felt that Mitte was like a wife who had given all her family's savings to her gambling husband to squander, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. This was indeed the feeling of being moved.