I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

Asuna sighed softly, her tense shoulders finally relaxing: "Of course I know Xiaofeng isn't the kind of person who would do that kind of thing."

Although her tone was still a little awkward, the trust in her eyes had returned.

"I...I believe in Brother Feng too!" Silica peeked out from behind Asuna and nodded vigorously. "Brother Feng has always been an upright person!"

With one hand on her hip and the other brushing her wet purple hair behind her shoulder, Kissmel said, "Lord Mochizuki's character is indeed trustworthy."

She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips: "But next time, I'd still suggest just saying hello directly."

Mochizuki Kaede nodded with a wry smile.

A night breeze swept across the hot spring, creating ripples and dispelling the awkward atmosphere from before. Under the soft glow of the moonstone, the four smiled at each other; this unexpected little incident had only deepened their bond.

……

As night deepened, Mochizuki Kaede tossed and turned on the mattress in her tent. Every time she closed her eyes, the steaming water and her hazy figure in the hot spring would appear before her.

"Seriously... I can't sleep, this teenage restlessness..."

He sighed softly, then got up, put on his coat, and stepped out of the tent. The night in the dark elf camp was quiet and mysterious. A pale purple barrier, like a thin veil, enveloped the entire camp, keeping out the restless mist spirits outside. Occasionally, a few glowing night butterflies would flit through the barrier, leaving faint streaks of light in the air.

The patrolling dark elf guards greeted him with friendly smiles. Their eyes gleamed with gratitude; clearly, the commander had already spread the news of obtaining the Emerald Key throughout the camp.

"Can't sleep, Warrior?"

An older guard asked in a low voice, his voice as hoarse as the night wind rustling through the leaves.

Mochizuki Kaede nodded: "I want to get some fresh air."

"Please do as you please, but do not leave the barrier area." The guard gestured for them to proceed.

As he strolled to the edge of the barrier, a figure caught his attention. In the brightest moonlight, Kismer was kneeling on one knee before a simple stone monument. She wore only a simple dark purple dress, and her shoulder-length purple hair swayed gently in the night breeze.

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Thanks to [Fruit Grape] for the razor blade!

Chapter 41: The Altar

She held in her hands a wreath woven from night-blooming cereus and moonflower.

Mochizuki Kaede unconsciously slowed her pace. She saw Kissmel gently place the wreath on the stone tablet, her slender fingers brushing across the rough stone surface, and a sorrow she had never seen before flowing in her dark purple eyes.

A night breeze carried her soft murmur: "...Another year has passed..."

Mochizuki Maple's boots crushed a withered leaf, making a soft, crisp sound.

“You’ve come,” Kissmael said without turning her head, her voice softer than the night breeze, her fingertips still resting on the stone tablet.

Mochizuki Kaede crouched down beside her, and only then could she see the tiny Elvish characters carved on the stone tablet: "This is...?"

“My sister.” Kismers withdrew her hand, the wreath shimmering faintly on the stone tablet. “She died in this misty forest three years ago.”

Kissmael gently stroked the intricately woven wreath: "She loved night-blooming jasmine and moonflower the most, and when she was little she always said these flowers looked like the stars in the sky."

The fluorescent light from the wreath illuminated her dark purple eyes.

She suddenly tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Do you think... she in the celestial realm could receive these flower wreaths?"

These words made Mochizuki Kaede pause for a moment.

The dark elf before me trembled slightly at her fingertips, and a sob rose in her throat; every detail spoke of her grief for her deceased sister. This emotion could not be simulated by a simple AI program; it was as vivid and complex as that of a real human being.

This reminded him of the herbalist NPC he had encountered on the second floor. In this world, are their emotions, memories, and even their souls... also unique?

If even their sadness is so real, then what's the difference between them and living humans?

Such a thought flashed through Mochizuki Kaede's mind.

A gentle night breeze blew, scattering a corner of the wreath placed on the stone tablet. A petal of a night-blooming jasmine, shimmering faintly, drifted down and landed right at Wang Yuefeng's feet. He bent down to pick it up, inadvertently drawing closer to Qizimeier: "What kind of person is your sister...?"

Kissmael's fingertips gently traced the edge of the stone tablet: "She was kind, just like that little girl named Silica in your team."

Her voice softened: "She was always full of curiosity about novel things like glowing rabbits and color-changing mushrooms. Even though she was younger than me, she always acted like an adult. Before her last mission, she even said she would make me a wreath that would never fade."

Mochizuki Kaede said softly, "She must really admire you, her older sister."

“If that child were still alive, she would probably be good friends with Silica.” Kissmael’s fingernails scraped against the stone tablet with a soft sound. “It was my fault for not protecting her. The fog suddenly became thick that day… When we found her, she was still clutching a half-finished wreath in her hand.”

A night breeze carried glowing spores between the two. The soft silk fabric of Kissmael's body fluttered gently in the wind, outlining her elegant figure. Moonlight filtered through the thin fabric, faintly revealing her slender yet strong waistline.

"Sorry for bringing up some boring old stories," Kissmael said.

Wang Yuefeng shook his head, gazing at the glowing petals in his hand, and said softly, "Thank you for telling me all this."

He raised his head, his gaze resolute: "Miss Qizmail, I assure you, I will dispel this cursed fog. Not only for the sake of the Dark Elves, but also... to bring sunlight back to your sister's resting place."

Kissmael turned her head abruptly, her pointed ear lightly brushing against Mochizuki Kaede's cheek. At this close distance, Mochizuki Kaede saw a complex light flickering in her dark purple eyes, the fragrance of laurel leaves lingering between them.

“You are truly…” Her voice was so soft it almost blended into the night breeze, “too gentle, Lord Mochizuki.”

The petals of the night-blooming orchid glowed faintly between the two, as if witnessing their promise. The mist outside the distant barrier churned restlessly, yet it could not disturb the tranquility of this moment.

……

At dawn the next day, the four set off for the ancient elven altar. The forest shrouded in morning mist was even more eerie than the day before, with strange crimson lights flashing intermittently among the twisted shadows of the trees.

“Stay close to me.” Kissmael’s saber sliced ​​through the thorns blocking the way, his short purple hair glistening with morning dew. “The altar is on the cliff ahead.”

Along the way, mist tree spirits suddenly appeared from the surrounding fog. The group worked together and quickly cleared the obstacles.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, they finally arrived at their destination—

The ancient elven altar sits atop a precipice, with twelve broken, moon-white stone pillars encircling the central altar, each carved with faded elven runes. The altar's surface is covered in spiderweb-like cracks, from which glowing purple moss grows. A complex magic circle is engraved around the central keyhole, but most of its patterns are now obscured by moss.

Most striking is the broken statue of the elven goddess behind the altar, her raised right arm severed. The entire altar exudes an ancient and mysterious aura, as if silently telling a forgotten legend.

“This is it.” Kissmael took out the Emerald Key, which gleamed with a faint green light in the sunlight.

She took a deep breath and slowly inserted the key into the moss-covered keyhole in the center of the altar.

"Click——"

With the click of an ancient mechanism, the seemingly decaying magical runes around the keyhole suddenly lit up. Beams of emerald light, like awakening vines, rapidly spread along the cracks in the altar's surface. In the blink of an eye, the entire altar was enveloped in a dreamlike green light.

Kismer knelt on one knee, placing his hands clasped together on the surface of the altar: "Activating the altar requires chanting a complete elven incantation."

The flowing magical patterns were reflected in her dark purple eyes. "This process cannot be interrupted. If any problems arise..."

"Don't worry." Wang Yuefeng gripped the Thunder Blade tightly, the crackling electricity on its blade reflecting the green light of the altar. "We won't let anything disturb you."

Asuna turned slightly to the side, shielding Silica behind her: "Ready."

Although Silica nervously swallowed, she held the short sword firmly in her hand and nodded with a determined look in her eyes.

Kismer smiled faintly, then closed her eyes and began chanting an ancient incantation. Her cool voice mingled with the resonant sounds emanating from the altar, echoing across the precipice. As the incantation continued, the twelve broken pillars surrounding the altar began to tremble, and fragments of stone continuously crumbled from their surfaces.

Just then, a chilling writhing sound suddenly came from the depths of the mist. The mist in the entire forest began to churn unnaturally, as if stirred by some enormous force.

"coming!"

Mochizuki Kaede's pupils contracted sharply. He flashed forward, blocking the altar, his voice steady and decisive: "Asuna, you and Silica stay by Kissmael's side!"

Asuna nodded knowingly.

Silica's face turned pale, but she still assumed a fighting stance: "I... I will protect Miss Kissmel!"

Chapter 42: Closed Beta Testers

A gigantic vine, as thick as an ancient tree, burst forth from the mist. Its surface was covered with purplish-black, scaly keratin, and its tip split into three lobes, revealing countless sharp thorns inside. Wherever the vine passed, the ground was corroded, leaving hissing, scorched marks.

The giant vines let out a piercing shriek and lunged towards Kismer at the center of the altar. Mochizuki Kaede roared, and his lightning blade slashed down with immense force—

"boom!"

The instant the lightning collided with the giant vine, blinding bolts of electricity spread wildly across the vine's surface like a spiderweb. The lightning attack, the very thing plant-type monsters feared most, proved remarkably effective; the thick vine convulsed violently in the electric current, and its purplish-black keratin layer charred and cracked at a visible speed.

"It really works!"

A glint of light flashed in Mochizuki Kaede's eyes. The severed vines sprayed out a corrosive liquid emitting white smoke. He performed a backflip and landed steadily, the electricity crackling merrily on his lightning blade. The lingering arcs of electricity still danced in the air, instantly carbonizing the falling, decaying leaves.

A painful howl seemed to come from the depths of the mist, and then another giant vine stretched out from the mist. Although it was faster, it was still cut off by Mochizuki Maple's lightning blade.

The thick fog suddenly churned violently like boiling water, and a chilling writhing sound came from the ground. The sound grew closer, accompanied by the squeezing of sticky liquid, as if some enormous creature was moving through the swamp.

"Boom——"

The ground suddenly bulged, and a terrifying monster burst forth from the earth. Its main body was a gigantic eyeball with a diameter exceeding two meters, and a vertical black slit split open in the center of its blood-red pupil. The surface of the eyeball was covered with purplish-black blood vessels, constantly oozing mucus.

Even more horrifying, dozens of giant vines grew wildly from the base of the eyeballs, writhing in the air like living creatures. The ends of these vines split into sharp spikes, and their surfaces were covered with scaly tissue resembling eyelids, revealing countless secondary eyeballs inside as they opened and closed.

"Gurgle..."

The monster emitted a sticky, whispering sound, and with each syllable it uttered, the vines coiled around its eyeballs convulsed violently. Its primary pupil suddenly contracted, locking onto Mochizuki Maple's figure. In an instant, all the vines raised their heads like venomous snakes, their sharp spikes simultaneously bursting open, revealing the rotating compound eyes within.

A blood bar and its name appeared above its head—【Dark Vine Demon】.

Suddenly, a suppressed scream came from behind, the girl's voice slightly distorted with fear: "What...what kind of monster is that..."

Asuna couldn't help but gasp, and the rapier in her hand trembled for a moment.

“The Dark Vine Demon…” Wang Yuefeng uttered the monster’s name in a deep voice, and the lightning on his Thunder Blade suddenly surged. “Be careful!”

The terrifying dark vine demon suddenly stopped attacking, its huge blood-red pupils slightly contracting, as if it were weighing something.

Its gaze first fell on the crackling lightning blade in Wangyue Feng's hand, the flickering lightning on its blade reflecting off its sticky eyeballs. Then, its main pupil turned to the altar in the distance, whose light grew increasingly intense; the ancient runes flowing within seemed to make it uneasy.

"Gurgle..."

With a low, enigmatic hum, all the sprawling vines suddenly contracted and coiled back. In just a few breaths, the terrifying monster vanished completely into the thick fog, leaving only violently churning waves of mist as proof of its existence.

Mochizuki Kaede's lightning blade remained on alert.

Asuna lowered her rapier slightly: "It escaped?"

Silica's trembling hand still gripped the short sword tightly: "It...its eyes are so strange...like it's afraid of something..."

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and surprise, the light from the magic circle in the center of the altar gradually disappeared—Kizmare's spell was complete.

As the final incantation fell, the light from the altar gradually faded, finally settling in Kismer's palm. A crystal-clear emerald flower slowly bloomed in her hand, each petal shimmering with pure magical light, and starlight dancing at its stamen.

Asuna cautiously approached: "This is...?"

Kismer gently lifted the dreamlike flower, the emerald light reflecting on her slightly tired face: "The Flower of Sacrifice, a sacred object used by ancient elves in their sacrifices."

Her slender fingers gently caressed the petals: "With its power, we can unleash a great magic to purify the entire forest."

"Great!" Silica couldn't help but cheer, her short ponytail bouncing merrily with her movements.

"With this, the curse on the forest can be completely eradicated." Mochizuki Kaede looked at Kissmel. "Thank you for your hard work."

Kissmael held the flowers solemnly to her chest, her dark purple eyes reflecting an emerald halo: "Come with me, the purification ritual needs to be performed at the Black Sacred Tree."

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

"Whoosh-!"

An arrow gleaming with an eerie purple light struck Kissmael precisely in the shoulder. Already weakened from chanting incantations, she groaned and collapsed to her knees. Mochizuki Kaede's pupils constricted sharply; Kissmael's status bar clearly displayed the abnormal statuses of [Paralysis] and [Poison], and her health was visibly decreasing.

"Miss Kissmel!" Silica cried out, rushing forward and supporting the swaying female knight with trembling hands. Asuna quickly pulled out a high-grade healing potion from her medicine pouch, but a second poisoned arrow had already pierced the air.

"Qiang!"

Mochizuki Maple's lightning blade flashed with golden arcs of electricity, precisely slicing down the poisoned arrow. Purple poisonous mist splattered from the broken end of the arrow, which he quickly retreated to avoid.

"Where...?" His sharp gaze swept around, and suddenly a chill ran down his spine—

"Qiang!"

A serpentine scimitar slashed towards his throat without warning, but was barely blocked by Lei Dao. In the sparks of the clashing metal, Wang Yuefeng saw the attacker's appearance: a man wearing a one-eyed mask.

"Kid, your opponent is me." The man licked his lips, and although he was knocked back several steps by the electric current of the Thunder Blade, he revealed an expression of wild joy.

A greedy glint flashed in his single eye: "[Thunder Blade]... Hahaha! This kind of weapon isn't something a newbie like you should wield!"

The man suddenly sprang to his feet, his serpentine scimitar transforming into a silver whirlwind: "Let the closed beta testers teach you how to play this game!"