I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

A deep horn blast pierced the battlefield's clamor, and a golden halo spread out like ripples. The Taurus King froze instantly, his breath abruptly stopping deep in his throat, and a system notification flashed before everyone's eyes:

[Forced dizziness takes effect: 3 seconds]

These precious 3 seconds became the final straw that broke the giant's back.

"All hands on fire!" Diabel's roar was heart-wrenching.

"Ohhhhhhh!"

The ultimate skills of more than thirty players were unleashed at the same moment, and the arena seemed to be filled with a new sun, completely engulfing the Taurus King.

The moment the three-second stun ended, the Taurus King staggered to his feet. With only a sliver of health remaining, glowing a dangerous red, he raised his head and let out a final roar.

"boom--!"

A golden lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking the entire area and instantly paralyzing the surrounding players. Several players couldn't even withstand it and fainted.

"Asuna!"

Mochizuki Kaede's shout tore through the thunder. Almost instinctively, the two simultaneously bent their knees and leaped into the air—

Asuna's chestnut hair billowed in the lightning, and time seemed to freeze at that moment. Her rapier blazed with silvery flames, and her slender body transformed into a shooting star shooting against the current.

"Ughh ...

Immediately afterward, Mochizuki Kaede's longsword also burst forth with azure light, and the two sword paths perfectly overlapped in the air. They were like two unsheathed blades, piercing straight towards the Taurus King's weakness—the platinum crown on his forehead.

"Crack——!"

A crisp cracking sound echoed across the battlefield as the platinum crown shattered completely under the combined attack of the two swords, turning into countless glittering fragments that scattered in all directions.

The sword, its momentum undiminished, pierced deep into the Taurus King's forehead. His massive body stiffened abruptly, and his crimson eyes lost their luster.

Immediately afterwards——

"boom!!!"

The Taurus King's seven-meter-tall body shattered like glass, and data fragments poured down like a torrential rain, creating a dazzling sea of ​​stars on the arena floor.

"Ding--!"

The system notification "[BOSS battle victory]" lit up in front of everyone's eyes.

Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna landed lightly, gripping their swords and assuming a defensive stance. Only after confirming that the BOSS had truly been defeated did the two breathe a sigh of relief and exchange a smile.

"We won! We won—!"

"We won!"

"We won! We finally won!"

In an instant, the roar in the arena surged like a tsunami. Exhausted warriors could no longer hold on, their knees slamming heavily to the ground, their weapons clattering to the floor. This protracted battle had drained everyone's strength.

Kirito sheathed his sword and walked towards Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Your swordsmanship and teamwork are still as wonderful as ever."

Agil walked over, carrying a battle axe with wisps of white smoke rising from its blade: "But the biggest contributor this time is probably that [rat]."

"A rat?" Mochizuki Kaede asked in confusion.

Kirito looked around, but the petite figure was nowhere to be seen among the ruins of the colosseum: "Argo's nickname, even my target acquisition skill can't find her, she's slipped away again as usual."

He shook his head with a wry smile: "What an elusive intelligence broker."

Asuna said, "Without information about her weaknesses, we would probably have suffered heavy losses by now."

Looking at the cheers rising and falling around him, Mochizuki Kaede said, "We really have to thank that Miss 'Rat'."

Just as the group was talking, an untimely sound of footsteps came from behind the ruins.

A tall man draped in a black cloak approached slowly. The wide hood cast a deep shadow, revealing only his pale chin and slightly upturned lips. His appearance was so abrupt, as if he had emerged directly from the shadows.

The cloaked man walked straight toward Mochizuki Kaede, but just as they were about to pass each other, he slightly turned his head. Asuna keenly noticed that Mochizuki Kaede's body suddenly tensed up.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a low voice.

Wang Yuefeng shook his head, his brows furrowed as he watched the receding figure.

In the brief moment they brushed past each other, a low, husky whisper slithered into his ear like a venomous snake—

"You look delicious."

……

The second level was cleared in just ten days, two-thirds faster than the first level. This victory greatly boosted player morale, and the portal to the newly opened third-level main city, Floria, shone with an emerald glow in the center of the Urbas square on the second level.

The third layer is a world completely covered by a primeval forest.

Towering trees, hundreds of meters tall, form an endless green dome, with thick vines winding through the branches like giant pythons. The intricate network of tree roots on the surface connects to the underground cave system, creating a complex three-dimensional combat space.

A unique "fairy mist" randomly generates in the forest, and hallucinogenic spores can distort the player's sense of direction. On sunny days, beams of sunlight filtering through the leaves serve as natural navigational markers. The monsters here are more dangerous: camouflage-savage plants, blood-sucking vines sensitive to metal, and a swarm of treants whose activity surges by 300% at night.

From the Giant Tree Observatory, one can overlook the entire floor; the Crystal Cavern hides a fluorescent vein of ore that enhances equipment; and the Ancient Elf Altar conceals a valuable hidden quest. This three-dimensional natural labyrinth awaits new challengers.

On the other hand, the strategy group led by Diabel gradually split due to internal conflicts.

Led by [Fang Wang], a radical faction formed the [Aincrad Liberation Army]. This organization openly accused closed beta testers of monopolizing prime leveling spots and rare items, advocating for "fair distribution to all members." Its members were mostly ordinary players who joined later, and its size expanded rapidly, but the overall equipment level and combat experience varied greatly.

In contrast, the elite faction led by [Rindo] formed the [Dragon Knights]. This elite group adhered to the principle of "distribution according to contribution," and its core members were mostly players from the closed beta period. Although it was small in size, its level and equipment were generally higher than those of the [Aincrad Liberation Army].

.

.

.

.

I've finished the second layer in ten chapters, which is basically as expected. I originally wanted to add an NPC who teaches physical skills, but then I thought about it and decided against it since the protagonist is already a master swordsman. However, I will add an NPC later who teaches the protagonist meditation, which is one of the conditions for triggering the protagonist's unique skill. In short, I will continue writing.

To the readers who have made it this far, thank you so much!

Thank you to [Lily∞Good], [Monster Pochi-chan], [Sengoku no Hammer-chan], [So...When to Eat], [Asakura Minami], and [LuckyOvO] for the monthly tickets and blades!!!

Chapter 34: The Girl in the Mist

the third floor.

Misty forest.

Thick white fog drifted through the forest, blurring all outlines into eerie shadows. Silica gripped her one-handed short sword, her slender fingers trembling slightly. Her brown twin ponytails reached only to her shoulders, the ends already damp with the fog, and beneath her bangs, her large eyes darted around anxiously.

"Clearly...clearly I just wanted to complete a task by myself..."

The girl muttered to herself, her voice unusually clear in the silent forest.

The crisp sound of her boots snapping a dry branch sent a shiver down her spine.

Visibility in the forest was less than ten meters, and the twisted shadows of the trees looked like menacing monsters in the fog.

"The navigation system... has completely failed."

Silica bit her lip and pulled up the map, only to find that the cursor representing her was flashing incessantly. Even worse, the trail markers that were visible just ten minutes ago had completely disappeared.

"Woo..."

A suppressed whimper escaped from her tightly clenched lips. Silica shook her head vigorously, her shoulder-length pigtails swaying with her movements.

pat.

A sound of a branch snapping came from afar. Silica froze instantly, her short sword held horizontally in front of her chest, a defensive stance that made her appear even smaller. She stared intently in the direction of the sound, holding her breath.

"It's...who is it?"

The only answers she received were the increasingly thick fog and the rustling of the wind through the bushes.

very scary……

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Silica shook her head vigorously, her short ponytail slapping against her cheek.

"No, no, no!"

She shouted encouragement to herself into the air, but her voice trembled noticeably.

"I... I really had to muster up the courage to come out alone!"

Her slender fingers gripped the short sword even tighter; the newly bought bronze short sword was still too heavy for her, and the tip trembled slightly uncontrollably.

"rustle……"

The bushes on her right suddenly shook violently, and Silica whirled around, her short sword drawing a chaotic arc in the air.

"Who's there? Who's there?!"

A childish question echoed through the mist.

The bushes shook violently, and a crimson light flickered in the thick fog like a burning ember. With a snapping sound of a dry branch breaking, the monster slowly revealed its true form—

【Mist Tree Spirit】.

The twisted, dead tree trunk was at least two meters tall, its cracked bark covered in moss. Embedded in the center of the trunk was a huge red burl, radiating an ominous, blood-red glow.

The mist tree spirit suddenly raised its "arm," which was a mimicry limb made of dozens of intertwined vines, with sharp, spear-like ends.

The tree spirit's arm swept across suddenly, creating a gust of wind. Silica ducked sharply, narrowly avoiding the vine-like arm. Damp mist clung to her bangs and eyelashes, blurring her vision.

"Page 37 of the Early Survival Guide... The Mist Treant's weakness is the red burl in the center of its trunk!"

The tree spirit's attack pattern is very simple, and it will be stunned for about 2 seconds after each attack.

"It's now!"

Seizing the moment when the tree spirit was recovering from its attack, Silica's petite figure shot out like an arrow. Her short sword glowed faintly with its skill light, tracing a straight silver line through the air—

The short sword pierced precisely into the crimson burl in the center of the tree trunk. With a sound like shattering glass, the burl exploded into countless particles of light, freezing the tree spirit's movements instantly, and its withered body dissipated into polygonal fragments.

"It...it was a success...?"

Before Silica could even catch her breath, the mist behind her suddenly churned violently. Another tree spirit leaped out of the mist, this time so close that the grotesque veins on its burls were clearly visible. Even more terrifying, more crimson lights began to emanate from the surrounding mist—three, five… a whole swarm of mist tree spirits was closing in.

"Too many..."

Her trembling hand reached for the medicine pouch at her waist, her fingertips touching the three remaining bottles of healing potion.

"I... I will never admit defeat!"

The short sword glowed with its skill light once more, and Silica's petite figure weaved through the swarm of tree spirits. Each swing of the sword precisely struck the tree burls, but the withered claws also left wounds on her body.

A bottle of medicine...

Two bottles of medicine...

Silica gritted her teeth, her left hand reaching for the medicine pouch at her waist. The glass bottles of healing potion clinked together—only one left.

She tilted her head back and gulped down the potion, barely managing to raise her health to the yellow zone. But the tree spirit's offensive showed no signs of abating, and a new wave of attacks was already upon her. The short sword grew heavier and heavier, and her arm felt like it was filled with lead, making it difficult to lift.

"Woo..."

The desperate whimpers were drowned out by the tree spirit's roar. As her health was about to fall below the red zone, Silica leaned against an ancient tree, her short sword held horizontally across her chest.

"No...I don't want to die..."

Her back was pressed against the damp tree bark, and the red glow of her life force was flashing wildly at the edge of her vision, much like the piercing monitors in a hospital.

Keiko Ayano...that's my real name...

The thought suddenly came to mind clearly.

A twelve-year-old middle school girl secretly bought this game because she wanted to show off to her friends. If only she had known it would turn out this way—

The tree spirit's claws tore through the air, and she desperately raised her sword to parry, the vibrations of the metal clashing shooting up her numb arm and up her spine.

If I had known I would die here... I would rather remain forever as Ayano Keiko, mocked as a "game idiot"...

Silica vaguely recalled the ordinary days in the real world—the smell of disinfectant in the hospital, the endless homework, the lunch boxes prepared by her mother—all of which now seemed like unattainable luxuries.

"Mom...I'm sorry..."

Her tearful murmur dissolved into the mist. In the instant the six tree spirits pounced, she closed her eyes, yet her short sword stubbornly thrust forward—

"Qiang!"

The expected pain did not come. Instead, a golden flash tore through the thick fog.

"Squat down!"

An unfamiliar male voice boomed overhead.