I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

"Wow—!" Asuna and Silica exclaimed in unison.

I initially thought the stone wall would magically open to reveal a secret passage, but—

The stone wall emitted a muffled rumbling sound, and several rocks dented inward by about 15 centimeters before returning to calm.

"Huh? Miss Argo, where's the secret entrance?" Silica asked, blinking her big eyes.

“There’s no such thing at all~” The information broker put the key into a hidden pocket inside her cloak. She then placed her right hand on a recessed rock and, like a nimble cat, quickly climbed more than three meters up.

Looking up, Wang Yuefeng discovered that the irregularly arranged concave rock blocks extended all the way to the top of the rock wall, forming a natural vertical staircase.

"Hey... wait!" Asuna's voice was clearly panicked. "Are we going to have to climb up from here?"

Hanging from the rock face, Argo braced himself with one hand and one foot, nimbly turning his head and a mischievous smile playing on his lips: "Oh dear, a dignified swordsman is afraid of heights?"

“No, that’s not the issue,” Asuna said. “If I were to slip and fall halfway down, it would be no laughing matter.”

Mochizuki Kaede understands Asuna's concerns.

In SAO, although there are many reasons for injury, all players agree that the most terrifying is the damage caused by falling from a great height.

Before them stood a 20-meter-high stone wall, below which lay a hard, rough gravel ground. If a player with low health were to fall from near the top, they could indeed die instantly.

Silica's face turned deathly pale, and she unconsciously took a half-step back.

"I just can't do anything with you guys~" Argo blinked, "Then I'll just throw this in as a bonus!"

She skillfully brought up the system window and began to materialize a large object. With a few muffled thuds, several fluffy cushions landed one after another on the ground below—these were furniture store items that were currently almost ignored, looking bulky but actually lightweight.

Argo deftly piled the cushions under the stone steps to create a cushion, then deliberately leaned back in mid-air.

With a comical "thud," she sank into the pile of cushions, then immediately jumped up unharmed and said to Mochizuki Kaede:

"I'll be in charge of collecting the cushions last, so the glorious task of leading the way is left to Fengzai~"

"Me?" Mochizuki Kaede nodded. "It's not impossible."

He subconsciously looked at Asuna beside him, only to see the girl silently make a "please" gesture.

Considering that both girls were wearing skirts and clothing, it was indeed not suitable for them to climb in front of him. Mochizuki Kaede nodded in understanding, took a deep breath, stepped onto the pile of cushions, and reached out to grab the first protruding rock.

A cold touch came from his palm. He looked up at the towering stone wall, and heard Silica whisper "Good luck" behind him.

"I'll go up first, you guys stay close," said Mochizuki Kaede, and began to climb.

Asuna and Silica exchanged a glance and began preparing for their climb.

Surprisingly, these recessed rock formations were designed quite well. Each groove was deep enough and spaced just right, making the climb itself not difficult. However, after more than half the distance, the psychological pressure became considerable. Even knowing that with so many cushions piled up, a fall wouldn't be fatal, cold sweat still seeped from my palms and back.

This suddenly reminded him of a similar feeling he had when climbing mountains with his kendo master in the real world. In a daze, he couldn't even distinguish whether the cold sweat was a virtual sensation simulated by NERvGear or a real physical reaction from his body in the real world.

When he finally reached the top, twenty meters high, and leaped into a narrow passage slightly below the edge of the rock wall, Wang Yuefeng let out a long sigh of relief and shouted down, "It's not hard! Stay calm and you'll make it up!"

“Okay, okay,” Silica’s response came from below.

Starting with Silica and ending with Asuna and Argo at the rear, the entire climb lasted about ten minutes. Although no one ultimately fell, Mochizuki Kaede knew that this was entirely due to the psychological comfort provided by the cushion Argo had prepared.

"I must keep a few cushions in my inventory from now on." Mochizuki Kaede thought to herself as she reached out and pulled the last Argo to climb up into the passage.

The group clapped their hands in celebration of their small victory, and then all turned to the north.

Asuna gazed at the maze passage and said softly, "If we were to start from the beginning and try to conquer this maze, it would probably take quite a while."

"Miss Argo, thank you so much," Mochizuki Kaede said sincerely.

The information broker turned around upon hearing this, his cunning eyes beneath his curly bangs blinking before he flashed a teasing smile: "The main event is just around the corner~"

The group walked in a line along the narrow stone passage and soon came to a fork in the road.

A prominent wooden sign on the left side of the road clearly reads, "Hidden road ahead." The right side of the road, however, is completely empty and unmarked.

Argo led the group toward the unmarked passage without hesitation.

“Miss Argo,” Silica pointed to the wooden sign in confusion, “wasn’t there a sign over there?”

“That one…” Argo held up his index finger and shook it. “It’s a deception trap set by the system. If you choose that path, all that awaits you is hordes of powerful monsters.”

As they ventured deeper into the labyrinth, they encountered several small golems protected by two giant shields.

Although it is described as "small", it is still about two meters tall.

However, these enemies were quickly eliminated by the combined efforts of the group.

As they continued forward, the passageway's decorations became increasingly ornate: the walls on both sides were covered with mysterious ancient script. The massive stone pillars were entirely composed of reliefs made of stacked square golem heads, while the floors and ceilings were polished black marble so smooth that it reflected one's image.

All these signs indicate that the BOSS room is just around the corner.

"Let's replenish our energy first." Asuna took out a carefully prepared sandwich from her inventory and handed one to Argo. "I made this myself, try it and see how it tastes?"

Argo took the sandwich and took a big bite, his eyes immediately lighting up: "Mmm! It tastes pretty good!"

She chewed heartily, not caring about her image, with some sauce on the corners of her mouth.

Mochizuki Kaede and Silica each took a sandwich. They were already familiar with Asuna's superb cooking skills, but they were still amazed every time they tasted them.

Mochizuki felt the warmth emanating from the sandwich in her hand, and this warmth flowed from her fingertips into her heart.

He looked up and surveyed the three girls.

The girls' smiles shone brightly even in the dimly lit maze.

—You must clear the fifth level.

—To protect these precious smiles before us.

. . . .

Thank you to [fghjkop] for the donation and to [耀梓] for the monthly pass!

Chapter 74: The Girl in the White Hat

"Huh? There's no door?"

Walking at the very front of the group, Mochizuki Kaede squinted, carefully examining the end of the dark passage.

Based on past experience, such an oppressive passage would invariably end at a large door, behind which lay the terrifying BOSS room. But what greeted the eye was a massive staircase as wide as the passage itself.

He slowly looked up and saw a pitch-black hole cracked open in the ceiling, with stairs extending straight upwards and disappearing into the unfathomable darkness. There was no trace of any monster around the passage or the stairs.

"Proceed cautiously," Asuna advised softly, her fingers tightening around the elven sword at her waist.

Silica pressed herself against the wall to examine it carefully: "...There are absolutely no gaps on either side."

Mochizuki Kaede fell into deep thought: "Will climbing up lead to a new passage, or directly to the BOSS room?"

“Miss Argo,” Asuna turned and asked, “wasn’t this the structure during the closed beta?”

Argo nodded, a rare serious expression on his face: "Yes, this used to be just an ordinary door. Opening it led directly to the Golem BOSS's room."

Just then, clear footsteps suddenly came from the darkness behind them.

Mochizuki Kaede reacted swiftly, immediately drawing her lightning blade and assuming a defensive stance, her eyes wary. Asuna, Silica, and Argo also gripped their weapons without hesitation.

However, what emerged from the darkness was not the expected monster, but two players—

A young girl wearing a large white hat stood out against the dimly lit passageway, her white cloak particularly striking. Another girl was completely shrouded in a deep purple cloak, her face hidden in shadow, making it impossible to discern her gender.

"Ah!" The girl in the white hat was startled when she saw the group of people who were on high alert, but then her eyes lit up. "Are you here to scout out the fifth-floor BOSS room too?"

Mochizuki Kaede loosened her grip on the sword slightly and nodded in response, "That's right. You are too?"

"Yes!" The girl nodded happily, the white brim of her hat swaying gently with her movements. "My name is Yuna."

She turned to the side and introduced her mysterious companion: "This is Miss [Death]."

"The Grim Reaper... Miss?" Mochizuki Kaede, Asuna, and Silica all turned their gazes to the purple figure. The figure simply stood there silently, as if blending into the darkness, without uttering a sound.

The atmosphere was a little solid for a while.

Yuna seemed to sense the awkwardness and quickly explained, "Don't worry! Miss Death is just quiet. We're here to gather information about the BOSS, we didn't expect to run into other players here!"

"Since we share the same goal..." Mochizuki Kaede said cautiously, "Should we act together temporarily?"

Yuna immediately broke into a bright smile: "Really? That's great!"

She turned to look at her companion in the purple cloak, who merely nodded slightly, remaining silent.

Mochizuki Kaede then introduced her companions: "This is Asuna, Silica, and Miss Argo."

The intelligence broker waved his hand in agreement.

Turning his attention back to the steps before him, Mochizuki Kaede stared into the dark space above, but still couldn't discern anything. Argo raised the lantern in his hand, its orange light tracing an arc in the darkness:

"As planned, I'll go up alone to scout. If the boss's room is right there, I'll come back immediately to report."

"No," Mochizuki Kaede interrupted, "It's too dangerous."

“This staircase is suspicious; it might be one of those traps that rise up and block the entrance. But even so, with my speed, I can escape before it completely closes in.” Argo tapped the stone steps lightly with his toes.

The sides of the stone steps are covered with ancient relief carvings, faintly exuding an ominous aura.

However, Argo had already led them all the way to this point, so how could Mochizuki Kaede let her risk her life alone?

“…How about this, the two of us go together,” he said. “I won’t budge on this point.”

"Eh~?" Argo exaggeratedly dragged out the sound, revealing an unwilling expression.

Mochizuki Kaede became unusually firm: "Although I can't match Miss Argo's speed, I am also agile. If there is any disturbance on the stairs, I am confident that I can evacuate in time."

"Tsk, I really can't do anything with you..." Argo finally gave in, pouting.

Mochizuki Kaede turned to Asuna and Silica, who, though looking worried, understood that this was not the time to be impulsive.

"Be careful," Asuna whispered.

Silica nodded, a hint of unease flickering in her eyes.

"Yes, don't worry." Mochizuki Kaede replied with a reassuring smile, "We'll be right back."

Mochizuki Kaede turned to Yuna and the others: "Miss Yuna, I'm going to scout ahead. Please be aware of any monsters appearing around us."

Yuna nodded obediently. The figure in the purple cloak beside her moved slightly, but remained silent.

Mochizuki Kaede stepped onto the bottom step with her right foot and quickly caught up with Argo, who was walking ahead. She carefully climbed the grand staircase. The darkness ahead pressed in like a tangible force; with each step she took, the thick darkness drew closer.

The staircase eventually disappears into the ceiling and continues to extend upwards.

This means that the floor separating the upper and lower floors is unusually thick.

The lantern in Argo's hand was much brighter than an ordinary torch, yet it was still suppressed by the darkness, illuminating only a small area.

After climbing about five meters through the narrow passage, Mochizuki Kaede suddenly noticed a change in temperature. A heavy, cold air surged in from above, carrying an ominous aura.

This is undoubtedly the unique atmosphere of the BOSS room.

“Miss Argo,” he called softly.

The information broker didn't turn around, but simply nodded while maintaining his upward-looking posture.

After climbing three or four more steps, the sensation under my feet suddenly changed—

The rivets on the soles of the boots struck the hard, smooth ground with a crisp metallic sound. At that very moment, a strange "hum" resounded from afar, followed by several beams of blue and white light that suddenly pierced the darkness like LED lights.

When the view finally cleared, the sight before me was breathtaking: a circular space about thirty meters in diameter and at least fifteen meters high.

In other words, the top floor of the entire maze tower has been transformed into a boss room. The curved walls are directly part of the tower's outer walls, and the ceiling is the bottom of the sixth floor.

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze quickly swept across the entire space.

Argo put away the lantern, her voice unusually tense: "There's absolutely no sense of the BOSS appearing here."

Based on past experience, the floor boss would immediately appear once they entered the boss room and triggered the lights. However, the two had been standing on the floor for quite some time now, yet there was nothing unusual happening around them.

The entire room's floor and ceiling were as smooth and translucent as black crystal, covered with delicate, circuit-like patterns. Mochizuki Kaede crouched down and tentatively touched the grooves, but there was no reaction.

"Could it be that someone has already defeated the BOSS first?" Mochizuki Kaede asked, frowning.

“Impossible,” Argo denied. “If the BOSS had been defeated, the portal to the sixth floor should have already opened.”

She spoke as she carefully moved forward.

"Hey, wait!"

"I reckon we'll have to go a bit further in before the boss triggers." Argo continued forward without looking back. "Maple, you wait at the top of the stairs."