I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

The three returned to the town where they started that day.

The setting sun bathed the streets of the starting town in an orange-red hue. Players hurried along, many with their heads down, their expressions somber, as if afraid to meet anyone's gaze. A tense silence hung in the air, making even the NPC vendors' cries sound particularly jarring.

Mochizuki Kaede, Asuna, and Mito crossed the central square and headed towards a hotel where they would be resting for the next few days.

The inn was a traditional wooden structure with wind chimes hanging at the entrance, which tinkled crisply whenever someone entered or left. The landlady was a kind NPC who smiled and nodded as they returned.

They went up to the second floor, the wooden floorboards creaking softly under their feet. At the end of the corridor were two adjacent rooms; the one on the left belonged to Mochizuki Kaede, and the one on the right was shared by Mito and Asuna.

"I'm going to rest now," said Wang Yuefeng, pushing open his bedroom door.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Asuna replied, watching him enter before she and Mito went into their room.

Chapter Nine: The Swift Ratmen

The room where Mito and Asuna shared wasn't large, but it was decorated very warmly. Two single beds were placed against the wall, separated by a small wooden table. On the table were the flowers Asuna had bought the day before; although they were virtual, their fragrance was so real it was almost unreal.

Asuna just went out again, saying she wanted to buy some things.

Mitt lay on her back on the single bed, her long purple hair cascading over the pillow. She stared at the fine wood grain on the ceiling, but the scenes from the maze during the day kept flashing before her eyes.

Those exploding blue fragments, those players' final desperate screams, and the deadly red light swirling around the monster's weapon.

She closed her eyes, her fingers gripping the bed sheet tightly.

"I am back."

Asuna's entrance interrupted her thoughts. The chestnut-haired girl kicked off her boots and nimbly jumped onto Mito's bed, causing the mattress to sag slightly.

"Look what I bought." Asuna opened the system menu, and the item list unfolded in the air. She swiped her finger, and projections of various items rotated and displayed: "There's a new hairband, and this cute one... oh right, and most importantly, these potions."

Mite glanced at the pile of recovery potions projected onto the screen, which almost filled half the room, and frowned slightly: "There are too many."

Asuna's fingertips hovered in mid-air, the projected light casting shifting shadows on her face.

"I...I'm very uneasy," she said softly, her voice sounding as if it came from a great distance.

Mitt was silent for a moment, then asked, "Still thinking about the maze?"

Asuna nodded, strands of hair slipping down her shoulders with the movement: "Do those people... really die in reality?"

She looked up, her amber eyes reflecting Mitt's image: "It looks like a normal game effect, just dispersing into particles of light. How could something so simple really take a life?"

Mito reached out and caught a virtual leaf that drifted in from the window, watching it slowly dissipate in his palm: "That's what Kayaba Akihiko said."

"It's hard to believe..." Asuna hugged her knees, staring at her calves peeking out from under her skirt. "It's like a nightmare."

Mito suddenly reached out and grasped Asuna's cold fingers, her purple hair falling down to cover half of her expression: "I thought I knew everything about this game... but actually, I know nothing."

She raised her head, her eyes shining with determination: "But there is one thing I am sure of, I will absolutely not let Asuna die."

This statement was made with absolute certainty.

“The team we encountered today lacked even the most basic caution,” Mitt continued. “They were too reckless. If they had been more vigilant about suspicious treasure chests, they wouldn’t have triggered the trap.”

Asuna suddenly looked up, the two of them so close they could count each other's eyelashes: "Yeah, with Mito here, there won't be any problems."

“It’s a date.” Mite gently touched her forehead.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly lightened. Asuna straightened up and reached out to stroke Mito's long purple hair: "Shall I give you a new hairstyle?"

"Eh?"

Mitt subconsciously touched his ponytail: "You can change your hairstyle by opening the menu."

"That's so boring." Asuna had already knelt up, her fingers deftly untying Mito's hair ribbon. Her long purple hair cascaded down like a waterfall, shimmering like satin under the light. "Since we have this rare opportunity, I'll give you the same hairstyle as me."

“Too cute a hairstyle doesn’t suit me…” Mitt protested softly, but didn’t actually stop it.

"Don't move~" Asuna had already started combing her long hair without saying a word. Her fingers gently spun through the strands of hair, skillfully braiding it. Mito could feel her fingertips occasionally brushing against the back of his neck, warm and real.

Outside the window, the lights of the town of Beginning gradually came on. The shadows of two girls were cast on the wall, overlapping.

In the next room, Mochizuki Kaede was tallying up his gains for the day and checking his skill points. After finishing, he looked out the window, recalling what had happened in the maze that day.

"As expected... it's still too weak."

the next day.

Man-eating plant forest.

The morning mist drifted slowly through the forest, and sunlight was dappled into tiny spots by the dense canopy. The air was filled with the pungent smell of decaying matter—the lure secreted by carnivorous plants.

These monsters, resembling giant pitcher plants, should be rooted in the swamp, but instead they roam freely in the forest, their thick vines and roots supporting their plump bodies, their serrated leaves leaving sticky trails on the ground.

"What a twisted concept."

Mitt wrinkled her nose, her purple ponytail swaying gently as she tilted her head. The giant scythe in her hand rested diagonally on her shoulder, its blade reflecting a cold light.

Asuna gripped her rapier and stared at the monster's thick leaves, the edges of which were covered with serrated spikes, and the central insect trap constantly opening and closing, revealing the dense barbs inside.

"They're here," Mochizuki Kaede whispered a reminder.

Three man-eating plants suddenly sprang up and moved quickly toward them.

Mito's giant scythe swept across, cleaving the foremost carnivorous plant in two. Thick sap sprayed out, dissipating into blue data fragments in mid-air. Asuna's figure moved with fluid grace, her rapier piercing the insect trap of the second carnivorous plant, precisely striking the hidden weak point within.

Wang Yuefeng's sword flashed, and a silvery-white trajectory swept across the roots of the third man-eating plant, slicing it in two.

The battle ended in the blink of an eye.

“It’s easier than I expected,” Asuna said. These low-level carnivorous plants no longer posed a threat to them.

Just as Mitt was about to respond, her ears twitched. She turned her head sharply, and in the distance, the bushes rustled as a small figure flashed past like lightning.

It was a rat-man wearing a tattered gray cloak, less than a meter tall, with a bright red body and a long, thin tail trailing behind him.

“The Swift Ratman!” Mitt’s pupils contracted slightly. “It’s a rare monster!”

Asuna asked in confusion, "A rare monster?"

“These rare monsters usually drop rare items, which are much more valuable than ordinary items.” Her gaze followed the direction in which the ratman disappeared, her eyes flashing with a hunter’s sharp light.

The swift ratmen gave them no time to react, disappearing into the bushes in a flash.

Meanwhile, five more man-eating plants surrounded them from different directions.

Mitt twirled his giant scythe in a beautiful arc in his hand: "You guys hold them off for now, I'll go after them!"

"Understood." Mochizuki Kaede's voice was steady, his eyes beneath his silver hair locking onto the nearest carnivorous plant.

Asuna nodded: "Leave it to us."

Mitt's figure shot out like an arrow, and the moment she left, five man-eating plants suddenly sprang up.

The first insect to pounce aimed straight for Asuna's face, its cage wide open, the barbs inside gleaming coldly. Asuna nimbly retreated, her rapier precisely piercing a weak spot in the cage wall. Another insect attacked from the side, but was sliced ​​in half by Mochizuki Kaede's sword light, its severed roots still writhing wildly in the mud.

Chapter Ten: Desperate Situation

Mitt's boots crushed the dry branches, and his purple ponytail flew as he ran at top speed. The crimson figure ahead was so fast that it almost left a blur. The swift ratman's short body moved nimbly through the bushes, his gray cloak rustling against the leaves, and his ferocious, toothy face appeared and disappeared in the dappled light.

"Don't try to escape!"

Mitt suddenly accelerated, the giant scythe spinning half a circle in her hand. Her boots landed precisely on a protruding tree root, propelling her high into the air. Her purple ponytail stretched straight behind her as the scythe, propelled by the force of her fall, slashed down at the Swift Ratman's back.

"squeak--!"

The Swift Ratman suddenly spun around, its sharp, slender claws parrying at a tricky angle. The sparks from the clash of metal were particularly dazzling in the dim forest. Mitt used the recoil to flip backward and land, only to see that the Swift Ratman had already used the opportunity to create distance, its long tail sweeping a trail through the pile of fallen leaves.

She squinted, adjusting her breathing. The Swift Ratman didn't immediately flee; instead, it crouched low, its red eyes gleaming with cunning. Suddenly, it flung out three poisoned needles, shooting them in a triangular pattern towards Mitt's face.

Upon seeing this, Mitt reacted quickly, his giant scythe transforming into a silver halo, deflecting all the poison needles.

The Swift Ratman attacked again, its hind leg muscles tensing like springs, and it pounced on Mitt's head in an instant. Its sharp claws aimed straight for his eyeball, but it missed just as it was about to succeed.

Mitt had already sidestepped, his giant scythe slashing upwards. The swift ratman leaped hastily, but the blade still managed to tear its cloak. With a tearing sound, a wound seeping with data particles appeared on its crimson skin.

The Swift Ratman, wincing in pain, tumbled to the ground and suddenly lashed out with his long, thin tail. The venomous barb at the tip of his tail lashed out like a whip towards Mitt's ankle. Mitt spun to dodge, and his giant scythe swung down, severing a section of the still-twisting tail tip.

Mit gave it no chance to breathe, his attack suddenly accelerating. Each swing of the giant scythe was accompanied by a whistling sound, each swing precisely blocking the ratman's escape route. The ratman was forced to retreat continuously, several wounds appearing on its crimson skin, and its movements began to slow down.

The scythe blade traced a perfect silver arc, striking the ratman's back with pinpoint accuracy. The monster let out a piercing scream, its claws frantically scratching at the scythe embedded in its body. Mitt had already rushed forward, grabbing the scythe handle and slamming it down—

"Pfft!"

The giant scythe pierced through the ratman's body, pinning it to the ground. The monster twitched a few times, its crimson body gradually becoming transparent before finally exploding into countless polygonal fragments.

Symbols representing experience gained and rare items appeared in front of Mitt.

Just as she was feeling happy, she suddenly heard an unusual commotion in the distance. Her expression changed drastically, she gripped her giant scythe tightly, and ran frantically towards her companions.

As she parted the last clump of bushes, the sight before her made her blood freeze instantly—

Asuna and Mochizuki Kaede stood back to back in the center of the open space, surrounded by an eerie red mist. The ordinary man-eating plant monsters turned scarlet in the mist, their thick vines and roots pounding the ground, their serrated leaves rubbing against each other with a teeth-grinding sound.

Even more terrifying, new carnivorous plants are constantly emerging from the depths of the forest, their thick, gaping traps covered in sticky digestive fluids.

"What's going on?" Mitt swung his sickle and cut down the vines blocking his path.

Mochizuki Kaede's sword flashed silver as it sliced ​​through the air: "After you left, a special individual appeared..."

Asuna's rapier pierced the weak point of a man-eating plant with precision, her voice panting, "I killed the one with the red fruit."

Mitt's heart sank.

Her scythe cleaved through the vines that were trying to ambush her: "That's a decoy! Killing it will release pheromones that will attract its kind throughout the area."

The number of man-eating plants was increasing at a visible rate, ten, twenty... soon the entire clearing was filled with writhing scarlet figures. They surrounded us layer upon layer, their vines intertwining to form an impenetrable cage.

Mitt's fingers gripped the handle of the giant scythe tightly. Her vision was completely obscured by the dense carnivorous plants. The twisted vines, thick leaves, and constantly opening and closing insect traps formed a writhing wall, completely separating her from her companions.

"Asuna! Mochizuki Kaede!"

Her shouts were drowned out by the groans of the monsters. Through the gaps, she saw Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna fighting desperately, each thrust hitting the man-eating plant's weak points precisely. But there were simply too many monsters; for every one she killed, two more would take its place.

Mitt's giant scythe swept across, severing three man-eating plants in an instant. Before the blue data fragments had even dissipated, she had already leaped up, stepping on the fallen monsters, her long purple hair tracing sharp lines in the crimson mist.

"Drink——!"

The spinning slash in mid-air cleared a small area, and Mitt rolled as he landed, his boots landing on loose rocks at the edge of the cliff.

——Click.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

She saw the horrified expression on Asuna's face as she turned her head, the outstretched hand of Mochizuki Kaede, and the sudden collapse of the rocks beneath her feet.

"Oops--"

A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over her. Instinctively, Mitt plunged her giant scythe into the rock face to slow her fall; the metal sparked blindingly as it rubbed against the rock. Three seconds later, she crashed heavily into a pile of boulders five meters below, a powerful, simulated impact shooting through her left shoulder.

"Uh……!"

Her health bar fluctuated wildly above her vision, eventually settling in the dangerous red zone. Mitt struggled to her feet, seeing her armor shattered during the fall, virtual wounds oozing particles of light representing damage. She tried to stand, but found a delay in the simulated neural feedback in her left leg; the system determined she was temporarily in a "severely injured" state.

Above the cliff, the shadows of the man-eating plants still writhed. Asuna's cries echoed through the red mist, sounding so distant.

Mitt gritted his teeth and quickly used the healing potion. The liquid slid down his throat, a cool sensation instantly spreading throughout his body. His health points above his vision began to slowly recover, laboriously climbing from the dangerous red zone to the yellow zone.

Every second counts!

She rushed toward the winding path beside the rock wall, only to be blocked by a sudden surge of carnivorous plants. Mitt's giant scythe drew a full moon-like arc, instantly splitting the foremost carnivorous plant in two.

"Faster...faster!"

The second carnivorous plant's vines wrapped around her ankle, their serrated leaves tearing through her leather armor. Her health dropped slightly, but she didn't even have time to glance down at her wound. The giant scythe swung down, severing the vines, and in the instant the third carnivorous plant's trap loomed overhead—

"Go away!"

The sickle pierces the insect trap from bottom to top!

Mito looked up at the team status bar at the edge of his field of vision—Asuna and Mochizuki Kaede's health points were dropping at a visible speed, from green to yellow in the blink of an eye, and then to a glaring red!

Chapter Eleven: Fear

As Mitt's giant scythe cleaved through the body of the seventh man-eating plant, the muscles in his arm began to tremble uncontrollably from overuse. His long purple hair, soaked with sweat, clung to his pale cheeks.

At the edge of her vision, the two health bars belonging to her teammates were steadily decreasing at a despairing rate.

"Get away! Get away from me!"