I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

Yuna watched their conversation, glanced down at herself, then looked at Silica, and sighed, "Ah, how nice..."

"Sister Yuna! Why are you sighing while looking at me?" Silica protested angrily, her hands unconsciously covering her chest.

“No, I’m just lamenting the injustice of the Creator…” Yuna shook her head sadly.

"I don't need that kind of comforting!" Silica blushed and changed the subject. "Ah! This one would definitely suit Mitsu-nee!"

“Me?” Mite looked at the underwear that Silica was pointing to.

“Look at the design of this shoulder strap, and the subtle ruffles!” Silica explained.

After examining it carefully, Mite pointed out, "However, this place... is a bit see-through."

“Really.” Silica suddenly realized something, her voice trailing off, “It is… a bit erotic.”

Standing to the side, Mochizuki Kaede listened to the girls' uninhibited discussion. This "underwear shopping event" was more agonizing than any boss battle he had ever experienced.

……

Finally, after a long two hours—

"I bought so much! My inventory is half full." Asuna said, satisfied as she counted her spoils.

Yuna said with a worried look, "We've gone a bit over budget."

“But I gained so much!” Silica smiled happily. “I also received valuable advice from Brother Feng.”

Yui also raised her little hand: "Asuna's mom bought me super cute underwear too!"

Mite smiled and said, "It's nice to do this once in a while."

Wang Yuefeng breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll stop here for now..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Asuna turned around in surprise.

"what?"

"This is only the first store!" Asuna said, hands on her hips. "Girls can spend a whole day shopping."

Mochizuki Kaede's eyes widened: "Those shops... I want to go there too?"

"Of course~" Stoleya said with a mischievous smile, hooking her arm around his. "You're our important male advisor, after all~"

Yui also grabbed Mochizuki Kaede's other hand: "Let's hurry to the next shop!"

Chapter 190: The Skeleton Hunter

Led by the Knights of the Blood Oath and composed of twenty members from various guilds, a cautious reconnaissance team finally located the 75th floor BOSS room.

The reconnaissance team adopted the safest tactic: ten elite members acted as the vanguard to investigate, while the other ten remained at the room's entrance, ready for action. The moment the vanguard reached the center of the room, triggering the BOSS's appearance, the heavy door slammed shut without warning.

According to the defenders, the door remained closed for more than five minutes. During that time, they tried everything, from lock-picking skills to brute force, but the door didn't budge.

When the door finally reopened...

The room was completely empty; the ten vanguard members had vanished without a trace along with the BOSS. There were no signs of battle, no lingering glow from the teleportation crystal. The cruel fact that ten names were inscribed with horizontal lines on the Life Monument in the Black Iron Palace confirmed their annihilation.

Now, the strategy team centered around the Blood Oath Knights has regrouped. Guilds such as Blood Oath Knights, Holy Dragon Knights, Wind, Forest, Fire, and Golden Law are standing guard at the BOSS's gate.

Mochizuki Kaede surveyed her surroundings. The seventy-fifth floor of the labyrinth was constructed of translucent obsidian, its mirror-like floor reflecting the solemn faces of everyone present. A chilling mist swirled around her feet, making the entire space resemble a corridor of the underworld.

Several familiar figures came into view: Agil, carrying a battle axe, was checking his equipment; Diabel and Kirito were exchanging tactics in hushed tones; and...

"Mr. Mochizuki!"

A petite figure ran from the [Moonlit Black Cats] group. Sachi's eyes sparkled with surprise, but a hint of shyness crept in when she met Mochizuki Kaede's gaze. Her teammates waved amicably from a distance.

"Did you participate in this raid too?" Mochizuki Kaede looked at the girl in front of him, his tone tinged with a hint of satisfaction. He still remembered that the [Moonlit Black Cat Gang] was just a small, low-level guild back then, but now it had risen to the front lines; this growth was truly remarkable.

"Yes!" Sachi nodded vigorously, then turned to Asuna, Silica, Mito, and Yuna, smiling and greeting them. The group had met at the Christmas Eve event, so they skipped the tedious introductions and exchanged a few simple pleasantries.

However, Stoleya wasn't present today. She's been like this lately, disappearing for a while and then reappearing as if nothing had happened.

Mochizuki Kaede gazed at the slightly reserved girl before him, his eyes filled with concern. He leaned down slightly, bringing his gaze level with Yuki's: "This floor boss will likely be quite challenging, and the battle rhythm may be chaotic. Remember, don't rush in rashly. With top guilds like the Blood Oath Knights and the Holy Dragon Alliance leading the charge, you just need to maintain your formation."

"Mmm!" Xing's eyes sparkled with the joy of being cared for, as clear as dewdrops clinging to the petals of a night-blooming cereus. As she nodded vigorously, her soft black hair swayed gently. "Thank you for the suggestion, Mr. Wangyue."

A relieved smile spread across Mochizuki Kaede's lips. In her memory, Sachi was a timid girl who would tremble in fear at the sight of goblins, but now she could stand on the front line of the seventy-fifth floor.

This obvious growth made him subconsciously raise his hand and gently pat the top of the girl's head, his voice warm: "Keep it up, keep this momentum going."

The sudden intimate gesture froze Xing in place, a blush spreading from her ears to her neck, and steam almost rising from her head.

She hurriedly lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "Mr. Wangyue..."

Asuna narrowed her amber eyes slightly, crossed her arms, and tapped her fingertips lightly on her arm armor.

Silica puffed out her cheeks and muttered softly, "I also want Brother Feng to pat my head..."

Mitt remained aloof and silent.

Yuna shook her head with a wry smile: "The president's unconscious flirting skills are getting more and more proficient."

After Hao ran back to the guild party with a flushed face, Wang Yuefeng noticed the subtle glances from her companions.

Just as he was about to speak, a dazzling cross-shaped light suddenly burst forth from the center of the passage. Heathcliff, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Blood Oath, slammed his cross shield heavily into the ground, the sound of armor clashing echoing through the maze.

"Everyone, are you ready? As you all know, we have absolutely no information about the boss on the 75th floor." His gaze swept over every player present, his voice serious. "Therefore, the battle plan is simple: our Blood Oath Knights will act as the vanguard, responsible for holding off the boss's attacks. Your task is to observe the boss's attack patterns in the early stages of the battle and look for openings for a counterattack. This time, we must not repeat the mistakes of the reconnaissance team."

Silence reigned all around. The swordsmen nodded silently, their grips on their weapons tightening slightly.

"So--"

Heathcliff slowly walked towards the obsidian door that had swallowed ten lives. The moment his palm touched the cold door, all the players held their breath.

boom--

With a heavy rumble, the gates slowly slid open to the sides, and a chilling mist seeped out from the cracks, spreading across the ground. The thirty-two players simultaneously drew their weapons, the clanging of metal as they were drawn echoing through the enclosed labyrinth.

"—Conquest Operation, Begin!"

Heathcliff drew his longsword from the inside of his cross shield and stepped into the unknown darkness first, followed by the others without hesitation.

Upon entering the room, the group found themselves in a remarkably spacious, egg-shaped space. Arched obsidian walls extended upwards, eventually converging at an impossibly high dome. A sense of oppression permeated the air, as if even breathing was being bound by some invisible force.

The moment the last player stepped into the room—

"boom!!!"

The door slammed shut with a deafening roar that echoed through the enclosed space, announcing the only possible outcome of this battle: "Either the BOSS falls, or everyone perishes here."

A deathly silence enveloped the entire room.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the open space in the center, but the expected BOSS still hadn't appeared. Time ticked by, and their nerves were on the verge of snapping.

"Hey--"

One player finally couldn't contain himself any longer, his trembling voice shattering the deathly silence. In that very instant—

"Up there!"

Asuna's voice was like the sudden ringing of a silver bell.

Mochizuki looked up abruptly and saw a colossal object being attached to the dome of the giant egg.

—That was a skeletal centipede.

Its body, exceeding ten meters in length, was pieced together from dozens of grayish-white vertebrae, each extending into sharp, bony legs. As it slowly writhed, the joints rubbed together, producing a "crackling" sound. Following the twisted spine forward, at the far end of the gradually expanding body, a grotesque, alien skull hung upside down, looking down at the onlookers.

It was not the skull of any known creature. Four eye sockets burning with ghostly blue flames were symmetrically distributed on the streamlined bone surface. The protruding jawbone was covered with serrated fangs, and huge bony arms like scythes protruded outwards from both sides of the skull.

The monster's name began to slowly appear above its head.

——【The Skeleton Hunter】.

. . . .

Thank you to [Want to be eaten by travelers] for the monthly pass!

Chapter 191: Fierce Battle

Under the frozen gaze of the onlookers, the arthropod's body writhed eerily, its countless bony legs gripping the obsidian surface of the dome. Suddenly, all its bony legs stretched out simultaneously—

"Everyone scatter!!"

Heathcliff's roar was like a thunderclap, jolting the raiding team members awake and causing them to scatter in all directions. However, the three players directly below seemed to be captivated by the eerie blue flames in the monster's eye sockets, standing frozen in place with their heads tilted back, their legs feeling as heavy as lead.

When they finally broke free of their fear and began to run—

"boom!!!"

The ten-meter-long skeletal behemoth crashed down, causing the entire obsidian ground to tremble violently. As the three were thrown back by the shockwave, the scythe-like blade on the Skeleton Hunter's right arm drew a ghastly white arc.

"Shh!"

The red damage effect exploded in the air, and the players hit were sent flying backward like kites with broken strings. Their health plummeted during the flight, dropping from yellow to the red danger zone.

"Clap!"

The three bodies simultaneously exploded into countless blue polygonal fragments, which scattered across the sky.

Asuna, standing next to Mochizuki Kaede, involuntarily held her breath, her beautiful eyes filled with panic.

Mochizuki Kaede was also filled with disbelief; the monster had killed three people with just one strike!

In SAO, as your level increases, your maximum HP also increases. Theoretically, if your level is high enough, you shouldn't be instantly killed even if you withstand several combos from a boss. Especially since the players participating in today's raid were all high-level, yet they couldn't even withstand a single hit from the monster…

"That's too much..." Asuna whispered hoarsely.

The Skeleton Hunter let out a deafening roar, and after its four eerie blue eye sockets locked onto a new target, its ten-meter-long body rolled across the obsidian ground like a train of bones, rushing towards another group of players at a terrifying speed. The clicking sound of its joints rubbing together was like the countdown to death.

“Uwaaaaaaa——!”

The locked-on players let out desperate screams. The massive bone scythe rose high, its blade reflecting a cold light. Just as the scythe was about to strike—

"clang--!!!"

A figure darted into the battle like lightning. Heathcliff's cross shield clashed with the bone scythe, unleashing a tremendous metallic roar. Sparks flew, tracing dazzling paths in the dimly lit BOSS room.

However, the Bone Hunter possessed two bone scythes. The left scythe bombarded Heathcliff's shield relentlessly like a storm, while the right scythe swiftly turned and swept towards the players who were frozen in place.

"Oh no—!"

Mochizuki Maple's figure instantly transformed into a blur. He stomped his feet on the ground, leaping forward like an arrow released from a bow. The Thunder Blade and the Earth Sword crossed in the air—

"Qiang!!!"

The moment the bone scythe clashed with the twin swords, Mochizuki Kaede felt an immense force, like that of a mountain, travel through the blades. His boots carved two deep gashes into the obsidian floor, and a tearing pain shot through the web of his hand holding the sword.

The Bone Hunter's scythe continued its downward thrust with overwhelming force, sparks flying like a torrential rain. Mochizuki Maple's twin swords were forcefully deflected, the scythe gleaming coldly as it hurtled towards his face—

"Drink!"

A streak of emerald light suddenly tore through the air as the elven sword struck the bone scythe precisely from below. Almost simultaneously, a scythe wreathed in purple light slammed into the giant bone scythe from the side, and the combined attack finally halted the fatal blow.

Asuna and Mito landed on either side of Mochizuki Kaede.

"Mite and I will hold off the attacks! Xiaofeng, it's up to you now!" Asuna's voice was firm.

Mitt flicked her purple ponytail, twirling the scythe halfway through her hand: "Don't hold us back, Mochizuki Kaede."

Wang Yuefeng nodded.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

The Bone Hunter let out a piercing shriek, its bone scythe suddenly changing trajectory, sweeping across with a deafening roar as it tore through the air. The three, however, moved as if by telepathy—

"clang!"

Asuna's rapier and Mito's battle scythe crossed precisely, forcefully blocking the sweeping giant scythe of white bones. In the instant sparks flew, Mochizuki Kaede's figure had already become a blur.

"One-sword Shura!"

The twin swords, trailing a deep blue light, struck the monster's body.

At the same time, Silica charged up and threw out the Crescent Moon Wheel, while Yuna began playing a buff-enhancing melody that echoed across the battlefield.

Heathcliff held off the monster's other bone scythe on the other side, while the members of the Knights of the Blood Oath launched a fierce attack, and the entire raiding team finally regained their rhythm from the initial chaos.

Dozens of attacks struck the Skeleton Hunter simultaneously, the flashing blades carving deep wounds into the monster's pale bones, and the BOSS's health finally began to visibly weaken.

But the dance of death is not over yet.