I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

"Ahem." Mochizuki Kaede coughed lightly, his gaze drifting to Yuna, his eyes full of helplessness. He really couldn't guess what this quirky girl would say next.

Then, he lowered his eyes slightly, as if gathering his thoughts, and when he spoke again, his voice was exceptionally clear in the metal corridor: "At that time, communication was completely cut off, messages couldn't be sent out at all, and even coordinates couldn't be located. Then, we ran into red-named players. It would have been fine if we had encountered ordinary players, but they were red-named, and they were even carrying your weapons."

His gaze shifted between Asuna and Silica: "I believe in your strength. With your teamwork, you won't easily meet with misfortune. But red-named players are completely different from those monsters that just mechanically repeat their attacks. Monsters merely act according to a set program, leaving obvious weaknesses. But red-named players can react instantly, find our weaknesses, and then deliver a fatal blow."

The air in the passage seemed to freeze for a moment.

Wang Yuefeng gently pressed down on the Thunder Blade, the scabbard and guard touching, producing a clear and melodious ringing sound.

He raised his grey eyes, calm as the sea before a storm: "If they really hurt you—"

A sudden gust of cold wind rushed into the metal passage, dispersing the condensed steam. Mochizuki Kaede's figure appeared exceptionally sharp amidst the interplay of light and shadow, much like the thunder blade at his waist—quiet yet concealing its brilliance.

"I will let them experience firsthand what it means to retaliate in kind."

Chapter 89: The Sixth Floor Boss

"I will let them experience firsthand what it means to retaliate in kind."

When Mochizuki Kaede uttered those words, Yuna felt her heart skip a beat. She secretly glanced at the silver-haired boy, silently crying out in her heart: "President, do you know how deadly your words were?" In this death game where one could lose their life at any moment, such words were nothing short of the strongest armor, making one involuntarily want to rely on them.

She subconsciously looked at Asuna and Silica again.

Asuna managed to maintain a semblance of composure on the surface, but her slightly flushed cheeks and eyes that gleamed with an unusual light clearly betrayed the turmoil within her.

And Silica—

At this moment, she was like a little infatuated girl under a spell, her eyes fixed on Mochizuki Kaede, her mouth almost stretched to her ears.

Yuna couldn't help but facepalm.

This scene is just like a classic scene from those old-fashioned romance dramas, where the heroic male protagonist steps forward in a moment of crisis and says that destined line to the girl he loves.

However, the male protagonist is now her own guild leader, while the female protagonist... Yuna's gaze swept back and forth between Asuna and Silica, and finally she wisely decided to remain silent.

"Xiao Feng." Asuna's voice suddenly rang out in the corridor: "Don't dirty your hands because of us. Although this is just a virtual world, a player's death means death in reality. We can't let you become a criminal because of us!"

Silica nodded repeatedly as if waking from a dream, her twin tails swaying gently with her movements: "Yes, yes! Asuna is right! We can't let Maple become a red-named player!"

Mochizuki Kaede simply smiled, a smile like a ray of sunshine piercing through the clouds in winter, warm but fleeting. He said nothing, only gently patted the two girls' shoulders.

After a short rest, the four continued to venture deeper into the mechanical maze.

The metal passageway resonated dully beneath our feet, while the clatter of gears echoed all around us.

An hour later, a towering gate suddenly appeared at the end of the maze.

The sculptures on the torch stands on both sides cast menacing shadows in the firelight.

On the left is a lion baring its fangs, and on the right is a scorpion raising its venomous stinger.

"This must be... the sixth floor boss room, right?" Silica tilted her head up, the firelight dancing in her pupils.

Mochizuki Kaede nodded slightly, then stretched out his finger and tapped lightly in the air. The interface popped up instantly, and he skillfully operated it to generate a map of the entire maze.

After a moment, he looked up and said, "It's time to go back and make the information about this maze map public."

Asuna suggested, "Should we take a look at the BOSS's true appearance first? If we can confirm the BOSS's name and appearance, it will help with the strategy. Once we confirm, we'll retreat immediately."

Wang Yuefeng stared at the massive gate, its ancient patterns carved into its surface, the metal gleaming coldly in the torchlight. He pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Stay alert," he whispered, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Thunder Blade, his left hand slowly reaching towards the cold door.

The coldness of the metal seeped through the gloves, as if warning of the danger behind the door.

He turned to check on his companions.

Asuna's elven rapier was already drawn, its blade shimmering with an emerald-like luster in the firelight.

Silica gripped the full moon wheel tightly with both hands, her brown ponytail moving erratically without wind.

Yuna's slender fingers lightly touched the strings, ready to play the battle symphony at any moment.

The four exchanged a knowing glance.

Mochizuki Kaede took a deep breath and suddenly exerted force in her arm—

"boom!!!"

With a deafening roar, the giant door was slowly pushed open.

In an instant, it was as if some ancient mechanism had been triggered. White light, like a surging tide, spread rapidly from the door along the room to the opposite side, rippling the metal floor wherever it passed.

In the light, a huge shadow gradually appeared.

The first thing to appear is its mountain-like, undulating back, its tiger-like body covered in bulging muscles, every line brimming with primal power. A pair of enormous bat wings slowly unfurl, ancient golden patterns meandering across their membranes.

As the light spread, the terrifying scorpion tail gradually took shape, with a huge purple-gold venomous pincer at its end.

When the light illuminated its head, everyone gasped. It was a twisted lion's head with a human face embedded in the lion's mane, the two biological features perfectly and terrifyingly fused together.

It slowly opened its eyes, and a fierce light danced in its blue vertical pupils.

Its entire body was red, except for the mane on its neck, which shone with a dazzling gold. The purple claws on its forelimbs were deeply embedded in the metal floor, and every breath it took carried a mixture of steam and poisonous mist.

"Roar--!!!"

Amidst the deafening roar, a blood-red system icon appeared above its head:

【Lion Scorpion o Manticore】.

"retreat!"

Wang Yuefeng gave a low shout, and everyone reacted instantly, fleeing the BOSS room like a herd of startled deer.

Their footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor, while behind them, only the BOSS's roar remained in the room, as if it were an angry howl at them for daring to intrude into its territory.

……

After successfully leaving the mechanical maze, Mochizuki Kaede and her group immediately published detailed information about the floor boss room and the maze map they had drawn without any delay.

This move undoubtedly provides great convenience to other players and adds an extra layer of security to conquering the sixth floor.

After doing all this, everyone was starving, so they went together to a well-known restaurant.

The restaurant wasn't crowded, and the aroma of food filled the air, whetting everyone's appetite. They found a corner seat, ordered a lavish spread, and began to feast, filling their stomachs.

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, Diabel arrived with the King of Fangs and Rinde.

With a hearty smile on his face, Diabel spoke first: "President of the Golden Rule, we've finally found you."

His tone carried a familiar, teasing tone.

Mochizuki Kaede shook his head and chuckled: "What's wrong?" His gaze swept over the King of Fang and Rinde behind Diabel, and he had more or less guessed what Diabel meant.

Diabel replied, "It's about the sixth floor boss."

Mochizuki Kaede nodded slightly: "I have already made all the information public."

"It's called [Lion Scorpion Manticore], right?"

"Correct."

"Looks like it's the same as in the closed beta." Diabel thoughtfully rested his chin on his hand. "What about the attack method?"

Mochizuki Kaede shook his head: "We only went in for a quick look and came out. We didn't have time to observe its attack methods, so we don't know anything about it."

Diabel nodded understandingly: "I understand, thank you for your hard work."

Then his expression turned serious, and he said, "I just discussed it with the guilds [Aincrad Liberation Army] and [Dragon Knights], and we've decided to team up to take on the floor boss tomorrow morning at 10:00. Your guild [Golden Rule] is very strong, so I'd like to invite you to join us, since there's strength in numbers."

Diabel had witnessed Mochizuki Kaede's strength firsthand. He knew that in this perilous death game, every additional person meant a greater chance of success and a greater guarantee of survival.

Mochizuki Kaede had no intention of refusing; his initial intention in releasing the information was to gather more strength. This would not only increase the chances of victory but also prevent more innocent casualties. He readily agreed, "No problem, we'll definitely be there on time."

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Thank you [Kanna-chan] for the monthly pass!

Chapter 90: The First Victim

the next day.

Sunlight streamed onto the open ground outside the maze area, illuminating the tense or expectant faces of the group. Mochizuki Kaede, Asuna, Silica, and Yuna had arrived early, and a large crowd had already gathered around them, including familiar faces like Diabel, Rindo, Kirito, and Agil. Everyone was making final preparations for the upcoming sixth-floor boss challenge.

Time ticked by, and when the clock struck ten, a small commotion began to stir in the crowd.

Because the King of Fangs and his Aincrad Liberation Army have not yet appeared.

"It's already ten o'clock." Rinde checked the system clock for the third time, frowning. "Why haven't Ya Wang and the others arrived yet?"

Diabel also looked helpless. He shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know either. I just sent a message to Ya Wang, but he hasn't replied."

Meanwhile, in another corner, the members of the Golden Rule gathered together.

Asuna frowned slightly, her eyes revealing worry: "Xiaofeng, it's already ten o'clock, why haven't we set off yet? Has something happened?"

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze swept across the crowd: "It seems that Ya Wang's troops haven't arrived yet. I wonder what situation they've encountered."

"Could it be that everyone overslept?" Silica stood on tiptoe to look around.

Yuna gently shook her head: "Such a big thing as conquering the floors couldn't possibly be something you overslept. There must be something wrong here."

Another ten minutes passed, and neither the King of Fangs nor any of the members of the Aincrad Liberation Army appeared.

The surrounding players began to whisper amongst themselves, a sense of unease spreading through the crowd. Wang Yuefeng stood in a corner, his brow furrowed, his fingers lightly tapping the scabbard of his Thunder Blade.

——Something is wrong.

Even if Ya-Oh had something come up and he was delayed, it's impossible for the entire Aincrad Liberation Army to be so late. Moreover, this raid is of paramount importance; given Ya-Oh's personality, he would never be absent so easily. Unless…

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, like a bolt of lightning cleaving through the fog.

"The King of Fangs... went in a long time ago." Mochizuki Kaede murmured to herself.

"What's wrong, Xiaofeng?" Asuna keenly noticed his unusual behavior and turned her head to ask softly.

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze turned to the depths of the maze, his eyes sharpening: "From the very beginning, the Fang King never intended to act with us. Instead, he entered the maze ahead of time and directly challenged the BOSS."

Asuna's expression changed slightly upon hearing this: "You mean, they want to get ahead of us in conquering the area?"

Mochizuki Kaede nodded slightly, said nothing more, and walked straight to Diabel's side. Diabel was looking around when he saw Mochizuki Kaede approaching and was about to ask about the situation. Mochizuki Kaede's expression turned serious, and he spoke first, "I suspect that the Fang King entered the maze area ahead of time, and is probably already in the BOSS room."

Upon hearing this, Rinde, who was standing next to Diabel, turned from his calm demeanor into one of disbelief and anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "That brute! He's so selfish. He gathered everyone together, but then he went about his business in secret."

Mochizuki Kaede's expression grew increasingly serious: "Now is not the time to investigate. We need to go in quickly, otherwise, even if the Aincrad Liberation Army can defeat the BOSS, there will inevitably be casualties, given their strength."

Diabel's pupils suddenly contracted: "Why is the Fang King doing this?"

"I'm probably after the first clear reward for the floor boss."

Mochizuki Kaede continued, "Time is of the essence, we can't delay any longer, we must provide immediate support!"

Diabel nodded quickly, then turned around and began to loudly direct the team: "Listen up, everyone! Stay calm and follow the previous plan. Once inside the maze, don't get separated and look out for each other!"

Rindo then went back to explain the situation to the members of the Dragon Knights.

The group quickly entered the mechanical maze.

With the maze map provided by Mochizuki Kaede, they quickly made their way through the complex passages and arrived at the BOSS room in just one hour.

Even through the heavy door of the BOSS room, they could clearly hear the roars and sounds of players fighting inside.

"The King of Fang is indeed inside!" Diabel's voice was somewhat out of control. Mochizuki Kaede could sense that he was extremely angry. The King of Fang had led the team in recklessly without any regard for the safety of others. With insufficient strength and no thorough preparation, heavy casualties were the least of the consequences, and there was even a possibility of total annihilation.

Diabel pushed open the giant door with a sudden burst of strength from both hands.

The sight before them froze everyone in place—

The crimson lion-scorpion monster stood like a mountain, its twisted face amidst golden mane emitting an inhuman grin, as if it were a combination of demon and beast.

This is the sixth floor boss, [Lion Scorpion Manticore].

The members of the Aincrad Liberation Army, led by Ya-wang, scattered and fled like mice being toyed with by a cat.

The once orderly team was now a disorganized mess, devoid of any semblance of teamwork. Some members were severely injured, struggling to get up from the ground. Others were filled with terror, trying to turn and run away, but were held back by the monster's massive body and agile movements, unable to escape.

"Help...help!"