I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

“His ...

The Poison Spider Queen let out a final, mournful howl before her massive body crashed to the ground, disintegrating into fragments.

With the last Mist Treant vanquished by Asuna's rapier, the battle finally subsided. Silica's legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees on the decaying leaves, her chest heaving, sweat plastering her bangs to her cheeks. But her eyes shone brightly, and a radiant smile bloomed on her upturned face:

"We...we really won!"

Asuna smiled upon hearing Silica's voice. She reached out and helped the girl, who was slumped on the ground, to her feet, brushing the withered leaves off her skirt armor. "Yes, Silica was exceptionally brave."

Mochizuki Kaede and Kissmel walked over, both bearing the marks of the battle.

"Well done." Mochizuki Kaede gave the two girls a thumbs up, while Kissmel nodded slightly, her dark purple eyes revealing approval.

Just then, a cluster of eerie green light suddenly rose from the spot where the Poison Spider Queen had vanished. The light, as if alive, slowly rotated and coalesced, eventually transforming into a translucent jade key that hovered in the air. Mysterious runes flowed across the key's surface, radiating a soft glow in the dim forest.

—This is the Jade Key.

Silica unconsciously held her breath and cautiously reached out to touch it. The key was cold to the touch, yet it gave her a strange sense of security.

“That’s wonderful…” she murmured, clutching the key tightly to her chest. “This way, the Dark Elf forest can be saved.”

Asuna gently ruffled her hair.

Kizmail watched this scene quietly, her usually stern expression softening without her noticing.

.

.

.

.

Thank you to [fghjkop] for the donation and to [Miss Shiori] for the monthly ticket and the razor blade!!!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Forest Spirits

Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of victory, a whooshing sound suddenly shattered the silence—

"Whoosh!"

A gleaming arrow shot out from the depths of the dense forest, aiming straight for Silica's back!

"Beware!"

Almost instinctively, Kissmael dodged, her kite shield tracing a dark purple arc through the air. With a crisp clang, the arrow was precisely deflected, sending sparks flying.

Almost simultaneously, Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna drew their weapons, firmly protecting Silica behind them.

Mochizuki Kaede's eyes were sharp as knives: "Who goes there?!"

A rustling sound came from the bushes, and three slender figures slowly emerged. They had pointed ears similar to Kismer's, but their skin was as white as moonlight.

Leading the group was a tall elf draped in a cloak of emerald leaves, wielding a long whip of thorns. To his left, an elven ranger had his bowstring taut. To his right, a warrior stood with his twin swords crossed, their blades gleaming with a sinister, poisonous green light.

"Forest elves..." Kismer's voice turned cold instantly, his saber held horizontally, his dark purple pupils narrowing into dangerous slits: "Who allowed you to set foot in the territory of the dark elves?"

The lead whip-wielder remained expressionless, his voice as cold as ice: "Hand over the Emerald Key."

His companions pressed forward, bows drawn and arrows strung, swords crossed, creating an aggressive and oppressive atmosphere.

Mochizuki Maple's Thunder Blade emitted a deep hum, with lightning crackling across its blade: "Want it? Come and take it yourself."

The elven ranger's bowstring had barely twanged when his lightning blade transformed into a bolt of lightning—

"boom!"

Lightning cleaved through the air, aiming straight for the ranger's throat. The dual-wielding warrior immediately crossed his swords to parry, but his expression changed drastically the instant the blades touched. The violent electric current wrapped in the lightning blades surged up his arms along the blades, numbing his entire arm.

"Your opponent is me."

Asuna's rapier struck first, its silver light flashing like a meteor, precisely deflecting the dual-wielding warrior's defensive stance. The warrior's astonished pupils reflected the lightning bolt of Mochizuki Kaede's lightning strike.

Seeing this, the whip-wielder lashed out with his whip, and thorny vines suddenly sprouted from the ground. Kismer sneered, slamming his kite shield heavily into the ground: "Child's play!"

The dark purple shockwave emanating from the shield shattered all the vines.

The three's attack caused the forest elves' expressions to change drastically.

The ranger's arrow was hastily fired, only to be cleaved in two by the lightning blade. The dual-wielder's weapon was deflected by the rapier, and the whip-wielder's whip was firmly entangled by the kite shield.

"Retreat!" the whip-wielder shouted through gritted teeth. The three of them leaped backward in a disheveled manner, their figures quickly disappearing into the mist, leaving only a few torn fragments of the emerald leaf cloak behind.

Silica finally breathed a sigh of relief, her palms sweating as she gripped the Emerald Key: "They... escaped?"

Mochizuki Kaede sheathed her sword, the lightning gradually fading: "It's only temporary."

He gazed into the depths of the forest, his eyes grave: "It seems we're not the only ones vying for the Emerald Key."

After a brief rest, Mochizuki Maple and his group returned to the Dark Elf camp while remaining on high alert.

"Reporting, Commander!"

Kismer gave an elven salute and reported to the commander about the encounter with the forest elves. When he heard that the Emerald Key had been nearly stolen, the commander slammed his fist on the table.

"What a forest elf! Knowing that this key is crucial to the survival of my people, he dared to ambush us halfway..."

He suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd: "They are trying to cut off the last chance of our race's survival, watching helplessly as the mist devours all the dark elves!"

Mochizuki Kaede and the others exchanged glances. The commander took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and turned to the group, his voice filled with suppressed anger:

"I'm sure you all have questions in your minds, but as far as we dark elves are concerned, why would forest elves do such a thing..."

The commander sneered, "It's just their usual style. The blood feud between the two groups has lasted for hundreds of years."

After a few seconds, the commander's chest heaved gradually subsided. When he turned to face Wang Yuefeng and the others, the anger in his eyes had turned into sincere gratitude.

"Adventurers," his voice was deep and solemn, and he placed his right hand on his chest in the most solemn elven salute, "you have brought back not only the Emerald Key, but also the hope for the continuation of our Dark Elf race."

His rough, large hands pressed against his chest, the armor emitting a soft clanging: "In this cursed forest, you are the saviors bestowed upon us by the gods."

Mochizuki Kaede chuckled and waved his hand, "Commander, you flatter us. You can thank us after we have truly purified this forest."

The commander nodded approvingly: "Rest well at the camp tonight. Tomorrow morning, Kissmael will lead you to the ancient elven altar."

Kismer gave a standard elven military salute.

“Kizmare,” the commander said again, “treat our distinguished guest well.”

"Yes, sir." She nodded slightly, then turned to look at Wang Yuefeng and the others. "Please follow me."

Kissmael arranged accommodations for everyone.

Mochizuki Kaede lived alone in a dark tent, while Asuna and Silica's tents were not far away, their curtains embroidered with vine patterns.

Kissmael then led them to the circular mess hall in the center of the camp.

The long wooden table was laden with the specialties of the Dark Elves: mushroom soup shimmering with a faint blue light, roasted venison marinated in moonflower nectar, and translucent amethyst jelly. Silica curiously poked at a wriggling silver berry on the plate, causing Asuna to chuckle.

“There’s an open-air bath on the east side of the camp,” Kismer explained. “It’s built with natural stone and wood, and the spring water comes from underground veins, which can quickly restore physical strength.”

She paused for a moment, then added, "By the way, glowing moon rabbits have recently appeared in the forest. If we're lucky, we should be able to see them. Now is the perfect time for them to come out and hunt for food."

"A glowing rabbit?!" Silica's eyes lit up immediately, and Asuna also showed interest.

After the meal, the two girls followed Kissmel to explore the edge of the forest. Mochizuki Kaede watched their departing figures and stretched. The sky was completely dark, with only the moonstone lamps in the camp casting a soft, bluish-white glow.

"Let me take a bath..." he muttered to himself, walking towards the bathhouse. He had never experienced taking a bath since coming to this world.

The open-air bath was even more exquisite than I had imagined. The pool walls, constructed of natural stone, radiated warmth, and were adorned with moonstones that adjusted their brightness. Tall ebony trees formed a natural barrier around the pool, and starlight filtering through the treetops mingled with the glow reflected in the water.

Mochizuki Kaede removed his clothes and stepped into the pool, where the warm water immediately enveloped his body. He sighed contentedly, leaned against the edge of the pool, and closed his eyes to rest.

This was his first time taking a bath in this world, and his tense nerves relaxed.

After soaking for about ten minutes, just as he was enjoying this rare moment of comfort...

Familiar laughter and chatter suddenly came from the entrance—

"I really saw it just now! Those rabbit ears could change seven colors!"

Chapter 40: Shared Bathing

"I really saw it just now! Those rabbit ears could change seven colors!"

“Miss Kizmail, could you take us to their habitat tomorrow?”

"Silica, there's another mission tomorrow."

Mochizuki Kaede abruptly opened her eyes. Through the hazy steam, she could vaguely see three slender figures draped in thin bathrobes standing on the steps of the changing room. The soft glow of the moonstone outlined their graceful silhouettes, but what was most alarming was that they seemed completely oblivious to him in the pool…

Mochizuki Kaede swiftly dodged behind a decorative rock in the center of the hot spring, the cool stone wall pressing against his burning back. It wasn't until he heard the three women enter the water that he suddenly realized—

"What am I doing?!"

He covered his forehead in frustration.

If I had greeted him politely just now, it would have been an awkward misunderstanding at most. But now, hiding behind the rock, I look like a premeditated voyeur...

The sound of warm water flowing came from not far away, mixed with the relaxed conversation of the girls.

"Ah~ Soaking in a hot spring is definitely the most comfortable thing~" Silica's voice was filled with a satisfied sigh.

"Silica, you need to lower your shoulders for it to be effective," Asuna gently instructed.

"Miss Kissmael's skin is so smooth, what do you use to maintain it?" Silica asked innocently.

“There’s no time for such things in the military,” Kissmayer replied. “Perhaps it’s the effect of soaking in the hot springs?”

"Hey~ I'll soak a little longer too!" came the splashing sound.

Mochizuki Kaede held his breath, his body stiff as a stone. He now faced a dilemma: should he bite the bullet and show himself to explain, or continue to hide and wait for them to leave?

“Miss Kismare’s figure… is really amazing…” Silica’s voice came again, “especially… that part…”

"Idiot! Don't say things like that all of a sudden!" Asuna's voice became noticeably flustered, and a loud splashing sound came from the hot spring.

“But it’s really big…” Silica muttered, feeling wronged, “Mine is…”

Asuna's voice softened: "You're still young, you'll... you'll develop later..." Her voice trailed off as she said the last few words, clearly embarrassed.

Mochizuki Kaede forced himself not to make a sound. He could imagine Asuna's flushed cheeks and Kissmel's embarrassed yet composed appearance.

"Among the elves, this...this isn't something worth discussing..." Kismer abruptly changed the subject, "We should be focusing on tomorrow's mission..."

She splashed a handful of spring water onto her shoulder: "And you shouldn't soak in a hot spring for too long, otherwise you'll easily get dizzy."

The words had barely left her lips when her sharp, pointed ears twitched. She quickly stood up, her dark purple eyes sweeping sharply towards the landscape rock where Xiang Wangyuefeng was hiding: "Who's there? Come out!"

Asuna immediately became alert: "What's wrong, Kissmel?"

Silica huddled up next to Asuna, a little scared.

A rustling sound came from behind the rocks, and then Mochizuki Kaede awkwardly stepped out, raising her hands: "Um... I can explain..."

In that instant, the scene in the hot spring seemed to freeze time—

Kissmael stood in the waist-deep spring water, her wet bathrobe clinging to her body, outlining her breathtaking curves. Water droplets slid down her purple hair, flowed over her slender neck, and finally disappeared into the abyss that stirred the blood.

Mochizuki Kaede unconsciously swallowed, her mind filled with only one thought: "Indeed...so big..."

Asuna's scream and Silica's shriek rang out simultaneously, followed by a series of splashes.

"What—Xiao Feng, you were there the whole time?!"

"Ooohhhhhh!"

The two girls sank into the water instantly, leaving only their flushed faces visible above the surface.

"No...I..." Mochizuki Kaede stammered, trying to explain, but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. The heat of the hot spring, the erotic scene before him, and the tension of hiding earlier—all these factors combined to blur his vision.

"Xiao Feng!"

The last thing I heard was Asuna's panicked scream.

Then came a loud "plop" as he plunged straight into the hot spring, splashing up a huge spray of water.

When Mochizuki Kaede regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was three faces looking down at him: Asuna bit her lower lip, the blush on her cheeks still lingering, her eyes filled with a mixture of embarrassment and worry. Silica hid behind Asuna, only half of her face showing, while Kissmel remained as calm as ever.

Mochizuki Kaede then realized that she had been moved to the bluestone slabs by the hot spring. Fortunately, all three women were already dressed.

"Actually..." He propped himself up to sit, water droplets dripping from his hair, "I was the first one to come to the hot spring, I heard the noise and..."

At this point, he couldn't help but scratch the back of his head awkwardly: "I hid in a moment of panic, I'm really sorry."