A journey to another world starting from a sword

Seriously, is this place really only a few dozen cents away from my room?

That's way too cheap!

The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I've wasted. Why didn't I notice it before?

No, it's probably because Mito didn't mention it, Asuna thought to herself.

Previously... Mito always seemed to have a sense of urgency, as if he was being chased by something. Asuna wasn't sure if this was related to herself.

I wonder if this is the reason why the other person abandoned me.

"..." Silently watching Asuna's sorrowful expression, Dante lowered his eyes, his face revealing nothing of his thoughts.

"Hey! Stop spacing out, here's your money back."

Argo's shout woke up the two people present.

Chapter 38: Should we eat first or take a shower first?

The maximum rental period in the housing rental system is only ten days, and once payment is made, it cannot be cancelled.

So Dante gave Argo twenty days' rent just in case, but that doesn't mean he could actually rent it for twenty days at once.

Operationally, it involves renting for ten days and then renting for another ten days, effectively making it two ten-day periods.

At this point, more than half of the first ten days had passed, but we probably wouldn't be able to stay for much longer.

Because Diabel will soon be holding a meeting to discuss strategies for defeating the first-floor boss, and then they will be heading to the second floor.

Because of the transfer gate, the main street on the second floor is connected to the starting town on the first floor.

Simply stand on it and shout: "Transfer!" Then shout the name of the main street of a certain floor, and you will be teleported to the transfer plaza of that floor.

Using Torbana as a base again, it's impractical to either follow the maze of floors to the second floor or return to the starting town to use the portal to continue the adventure.

Korne, who didn't reach out to Argo, was told by Dante about their encounter with Diabel's party in the labyrinth and the information he obtained after scouting the Boss's room. He also handed her the labyrinth map that they had explored to some extent.

"You've been a huge help. I didn't expect you to be so quick," Argo chuckled, then reluctantly pulled out more Cor to buy the information.

“No, I’m quite slow.” He had been stuck in Horuka for several days, and Dante unceremoniously accepted the Cor that Argo offered him.

“Well, I’ll leave the rest to other players to investigate.” Argo stepped forward and held up a finger in front of Dante. “If you need anything else or have any information later, remember to contact me. I’ll give you a discount.”

I wonder if the other players are some black-haired swordsman fighting on the front lines.

Because the other person's height only reached his chest, Dante had no choice but to lower his neck and look down at him.

"Then please organize the information from the second layer and send it to me."

"Hmm...no problem." Argo paused for a moment, surprised that the other party would use her so quickly. Although there was precedent, this guy was really decisive.

"I will organize the information and make a first draft of the guide for you. Please wait a few days."

In fact, she first handed over the preliminary draft of the manuscript to the NPC to copy it out. Since it was a first draft, it was not yet ready for publication and sale, but that was all she could do for now.

"We can do this before we even tackle the first floor boss," Dante said, indicating that he had plenty of time.

"You're really confident." After a brief moment of reflection, Argo prepared to leave. "I have some things to do later, so I'll be going now."

The first floor boss strategy meeting... well, let's also get in touch with the player named Diabel again. And what's more, the other party is actually a closed beta player, which is something she didn't expect.

"Shall I leave the door open for you?" Dante called out loudly from behind Argo.

"Ugh." Argo, who almost tripped on flat ground, said irritably, "This is the room I rented, why is there a door?"

Indeed, Argo still has access to the second-floor room of the farmhouse; Dante is merely using it through a friend's access.

"But you might not have anywhere to sleep when you get back," Dante said casually.

"Can't I sleep on the sofa?" Argo retorted.

Indeed, given her height, she doesn't need much space, and sleeping on the sofa wouldn't be a problem.

"And who knows if I'll come back or not. Goodbye." Argo waved and gave Asuna a knowing smile before leaving, then closed the door.

Now only Dante and Asuna remained in the room. Asuna stiffly turned her neck and glanced at Dante.

"The bathroom should be over there. Shall we eat first, or take a shower first?" Understanding the meaning behind the look, Dante pointed to a door on the west wall with a sign that read "Bathroom" in a somewhat strange English font.

The two emerged from the maze and returned to Torbana at dusk, almost dinnertime.

"I'm not hungry," Asuna replied without hesitation.

"Okay, then I'll take you there." Although he didn't need to lead the way, Dante was also curious about the bathrooms here, so he planned to take a look at them as well.

Asuna followed him to the bathroom door, opened it, and took a step inside.

"It's too luxurious." Even a young lady like Asuna couldn't help but mutter this under her breath.

The living room where the two of them were just now was at least the size of twenty tatami mats, and this bathroom is also quite spacious.

The north side is where you take off your clothes. There's a thick carpet on the floor, a wooden shelf embedded in the wall, and a square mirror above the sink.

The southern half of the floor is paved with stone tiles, and a large portion of the area is occupied by a white bathtub shaped like a boat.

Next to the bathtub is a stone sculpture that resembles an antique pendulum clock, and the side facing the bathtub has a water outlet shaped like a monster's face.

A large amount of hot water was constantly falling from there, accompanied by rising white steam, filling the bathtub and overflowing from the edge. The overflowing water would eventually flow into the drain in the corner of the floor tile.

I wonder if this bathroom has hot water 24 hours a day. If it does, that's really amazing.

Even if there is a waterwheel nearby, the fuel needed to boil the water is a major problem.

However, judging by common sense, this farmhouse designed in the style of the Middle Ages should not have such a luxurious bathroom.

“NERvGear doesn’t seem to be able to simulate liquid environments very well, so taking a bath can’t be exactly the same as in the real world.”

Dante gave her a heads-up beforehand so that Asuna wouldn't have too high expectations.

Although for him, this tub of hot water should feel like real hot water, he just doesn't have the habit of taking a bath.

"There's already so much hot water, I have no other complaints." Asuna couldn't hide her joy, indicating that she was very satisfied.

"Then please go ahead. As for the lock, since I'm not the owner of the room, the door might not be able to be locked, but don't worry about me peeking in. I have something to do and I'm going out in a bit," Dante said before leaving.

"It's alright, I trust Mr. Dante." Asuna smiled and shook her head.

"..." This trust made Dante's face flush slightly. He closed the door, intending to go to Mitt's place to pick up Silica and take the opportunity to cool off in the evening breeze.

Asuna, in the bathroom, looked away from the door and turned to face the mirror on the sink.

The middle and index fingers swipe through the air to open the main menu, the fingers search for the weapon and armor deactivation button, and then press it.

The next second, his hooded cloak, the bronze armor covering his chest, the boots on his feet, and the rapier hanging at his waist all vanished.

Her long, straight chestnut hair cascaded down her back, and she was currently only wearing a three-quarter sleeve wool knit sweater. Her slender legs were tightly wrapped in a pair of soft, skin-hugging black pantyhose, the smooth lines of which outlined the girl's delicate yet surprisingly shapely figure.

It's a kind of beauty that lies between youthful innocence and maturity.

At this moment, the button that had just activated the weapon had changed to "Unarmor". When she pressed the button again, her top and socks disappeared, leaving her only in simple pink cotton underwear.

Looking through the mirror, Asuna glanced at the doorway, wondering if Mr. Dante had left yet.

Regardless of whether there was anyone outside the door, she shifted her gaze back and pressed the button again, which had now changed to "underwear completely removed".

The imagined coldness immediately caressed Asuna's skin after she took off all her clothes.

Before she could even shiver, she quickly traversed the room and stepped over what appeared to be a ceramic bathtub.

The moment her left foot stepped into the hot water, a complex sensory signal rushed to her brain.

The urge to jump into the hot water immediately arose, but she slowly moved her right foot into the bathtub as well.

After her feet were firmly planted, she slowly walked in the water until she reached the outlet, letting the water flow from the outlet run down her head and over every part of her body.

Once her body adjusted to the temperature, she crossed her arms over her chest and then... fell backward.

Wow.

The feeling of immersing your whole body in hot water...

"Ughhhh... I'm alive again."

Asuna couldn't help but let out a sigh-like murmur.

Chapter 39: Still Not Asleep

When Asuna came out of the room again, it was empty.

It couldn't be sleeping in the bedroom, so it must be—

"You haven't come back yet?"

She looked around and walked towards the trolley in the corner of the room, on which was a large water bottle.

Then she picked up the large kettle and poured it into the ceramic teacup beside her, and what came out was fresh milk.

This is what Miss Argo was just saying...

Holding the cup of warm milk in her hands and examining it closely, Asuna then raised the cup and drank the milk in one gulp.

The taste was indeed good, and it was free. At that moment, she agreed with Argo's earlier assessment of the milk.

She licked the milk from the corner of her mouth, poured herself another glass, and this time instead of drinking it, she walked to the sofa in the center of the living room and sat down.

Because of the long bath, she was still a little dazed, or rather, extremely relaxed. She then leaned back on the sofa and stared blankly at the bright ceiling.

"It doesn't matter when I die, I have no regrets." The unconscious sigh echoed in the room.

No, I'd like to eat that creamy black bread a few more times.

She put the butter jug ​​in her pocket and checked the usage count; it could be used five times in total.

That means she can eat that pastoral-style creamy black bread five more times.

"Is that all there is to it?" she countered.

A desire, or rather greed, that I had never felt before quietly began to spread in my heart.

Did you have such a strong craving for a certain food a month ago when you were living in the real world? Did you have such an overwhelming desire to take a bath?

Asuna was startled awake by the rumbling of her stomach. She quickly looked around to make sure no one had seen her embarrassing moment.

As expected, there was still no one there.

But the next second, the sound of the outer door handle turning suddenly rang out.

This made her stand up abruptly, though the ceramic teacup she was holding seemed a bit out of place.

As Dante walked in, he saw Asuna awkwardly standing up, still holding a glass of milk in her hand.

“Don’t be so nervous, there’s a room for you here too.” He said, making some space for Silica to come in from behind him.

"Miss Asuna!" Silica's face lit up with surprise the moment she saw Asuna, and she rushed over to hug her. "Why did you go into the dungeon alone?"

The girl's concern, which had been lingering for so long, sounded like a complaint, but Silica immediately grabbed Asuna's hands and said, "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Thank you, Silica-chan," Asuna said with a smile.

"N-nothing, I didn't do anything." Silica quickly shook her head, then turned to look at Dante. All she had done was wait.

While Miss Mito wandered around the entrance of the labyrinth, it was Dante who truly led Miss Asuna out.

"Let's go eat first. We still need to have your sword reinforced at the blacksmith's later, Miss Asuna."

Dante, who had poured himself a glass of milk and was sipping it from the cart, suggested, raising the glass slightly.

When I went to pick up Silica from the hotel, Mit was also in the room; the two of them had been staying there for a day.

On the way back, Silica said that Miss Mitt had told her about it, since she was practically a party to it.

He was initially worried that Silica might reveal something in front of Asuna, but now he didn't need to worry anymore; she was very good at disguising herself.

Even a young girl is still a woman.

Okay, what should we do next...?

"Just call me Asuna."

Mito once said that calling each other by name in the game is the norm, because Kayaba Akihiko turned everyone back to their original forms, which in turn added a touch of real-life politeness.

"Hmm... Asuna, you can just call me Dante."