I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

Suddenly, the monster's centipede-like tail lashed out with spear-like bone spikes, sweeping away five players who couldn't dodge in time. Mochizuki Maple's twin swords transformed into a blue storm, relentlessly slashing at the BOSS's joints, each strike precisely hitting the same wound.

"Ugh..." Asuna looked at Mochizuki Kaede, her eyes filled with worry. She wanted to rush over immediately and fight alongside Mochizuki Kaede, but she and Mito were already preoccupied with their own problems. Moreover, a little further away, Heathcliff was fighting off the attack from the left scythe all by himself, and none of the three of them had the strength to rush over and provide support.

"Asuna, the BOSS is attacking again...!" Mito shouted, then slashed with his scythe from the upper left, precisely blocking the BOSS's attack. The two moved in perfect unison, exerting force simultaneously to deflect the whistling scythe back.

The battle lasted a full hour.

When this seemingly endless and exhausting battle finally came to an end, and the BOSS's massive, mountain-like body scattered like shattered porcelain, everyone felt as if their last bit of strength had been drained, and no one had the energy left to cheer.

The members of [Golden Rule] sat to the side, panting heavily. This was not a time for open-hearted celebration. Too many had perished in this battle. Three players had fallen at the very beginning, and since then, the piercing sound of shattering objects had echoed at a steady pace, each blow like a hammer blow to their hearts.

"Xiao Feng, how many people sacrificed their lives in total...?" Asuna's voice was weak.

Mochizuki Kaede's expression turned solemn as he brought up the map. His gaze swept over the green dots representing the players on the map, counting them carefully, and then working backward from the number of players at the start to calculate the total number of casualties.

"A total of fourteen people sacrificed their lives," Mochizuki Kaede said in a low voice.

Mitt silently gripped the scythe tightly in her hand, her solemn expression reflected on the purple blade.

Yuna sighed silently. These victims were all top players who had gone through dozens of life-or-death trials.

“How could this be…” Silica’s voice lost its usual vitality, becoming hoarse and weak.

Chapter 192: The Girl with the Red Name

The seventy-sixth floor.

Maze area.

The chilling air of the labyrinth still lingered on his skin, and the fading swordplay effects danced on Mochizuki Maple's lightning blade. He had just shattered the skeletal soldier's shield with a single strike when Asuna's rapier and Mito's scythe flashed like two swift shadows from either side, utterly pulverizing the monster.

"Behind!" Silica's clear voice rang out as the full moon flew through the air, accurately hitting two newly appeared skeletal soldiers.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mochizuki Kaede unleashed a blinding blue lightning bolt from his Thunder Blade. The afterimage of his sword technique pierced through the monster like lightning, and the skeletal soldier vanished into data fragments amidst the explosion.

"Okay, keep going."

Mochizuki Kaede said after confirming the team's status.

Everyone nodded in response and reformed into the standard exploration formation: Mochizuki Kaede led the way with her sword, Asuna and Mito stood on the left and right respectively, and Silica and Yuna were responsible for guarding the rear.

The maze-like passage opened up here, the obsidian on the walls gleaming faintly. Mochizuki Kaede's boots sank into the hard ground, and as he continued walking—

The world suddenly became distorted.

There were no system prompts, no flashes of light from the transfer crystal; it was like a scene from a movie that had been forcibly edited together. One second he was in a dimly lit maze, the next he was blinded by glaring sunlight. Mochizuki Kaede instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword, his pupils contracting in the intense light.

"This is where?"

Above, the oppressive ceiling of the maze no longer loomed, but instead stretched an endless blue sky. The hard stone slabs beneath my feet transformed into soft grass, the texture of which seeped through my boots, and I could even smell the earth and trees. All around me was a dense forest, its branches rustling in the gentle breeze.

A completely unfamiliar environment.

He quickly looked around to confirm his teammates' positions.

No one is empty.

Asuna, Mito, Silica, and Yuna have all disappeared.

"A trap? Forced transfer? Or..." Mochizuki Kaede moved slowly while maintaining her fighting stance.

rustle--

The sudden sound of footsteps in the woods instantly put him into a state of combat readiness. The bushes were roughly parted, and a lithe figure darted out like a cheetah.

That was a female player.

Her upper body was a short battle suit in dark and light blue, with the hem only reaching below her ribs, revealing her taut waist and small navel. She wore iron armor on her right arm and a dark blue cloak over it, with the hood covering her face.

A short sword and a pouch hung at his waist, he wore black safety shorts, gray stockings, and brown leather boots.

Her movements were extremely fast; she reacted almost the instant she spotted Mochizuki Kaede.

"Shh!"

With a flash of cold light, she drew her short sword and charged towards Wang Yuefeng without hesitation!

Mochizuki Kaede swiftly parried with her sword, and in the instant sparks flew between them as metal clashed, her hood was blown off by the sword's energy. Her short, apricot-yellow hair billowed in the air, revealing a strikingly handsome face.

What's even more eye-catching is the sign floating above her head—

The player cursor is red.

Red-named player!

Mochizuki Kaede's muscles tensed instantly, his lightning blade held horizontally in front of his chest. The girl, however, paused slightly in surprise upon seeing his face: "...Mochizuki?"

His voice was a mixture of surprise and some complex emotion.

Mochizuki Kaede remained vigilant, his thunder blade still held horizontally in front of him, and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Just as tensions were rising, a deafening explosion erupted not far from them! The ground trembled violently, dust surged up like waves, and the surrounding trees were snapped in half by the shockwave.

Mochizuki Kaede and the girl simultaneously leaped to the sides, quickly widening the distance between them.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the outline of a colossal object emerged from the swirling dust—

The grayish-white vertebrae are pieced together to form a winding torso, with each bone spur extending into sharp legs. The arms are huge white bone scythes, and four eye sockets on the skull burn with ghostly blue flames.

"The Skeleton Hunter..."

Mochizuki Kaede murmured in surprise the name of the monster that should have been completely wiped out by the strategy team.

But the one in front of us was smaller than the boss of the 75th floor, with a torso of only about five meters, but its ferocious appearance and sense of oppression were in no way diminished.

The girl gritted her teeth: "Tsk... I thought I had already shaken it off."

She glanced at Wang Yuefeng, her eyes filled with a complex emotion: "It seems we have no choice but to fight."

Without further ado, Mochizuki Kaede gripped her Thunder Blade tightly. Regardless of the origins of this red-named girl, the immediate priority was to eliminate the common threat.

The skeleton hunter emitted a piercing, grinding sound as its four will-o'-the-wisps locked onto the two figures, its scythe-like bony arm raised high—

"clang!"

Mochizuki Kaede steadily parried the attack; the impact on her arm was noticeably less than expected. It seemed this monster's attack power was considerably weaker than the floor boss's.

Instead of taking the opportunity to escape or launch a sneak attack, the girl seized the opening and unleashed her sword skills. Her short sword pierced the monster's body like a venomous snake, her movements clean and swift.

Over the next half hour, the two gradually found a rhythm of cooperation, moving from awkward, individual battles. Mochizuki Kaede discovered that this red-named girl's strength was surprisingly solid; every move she made was precise, clearly indicating that she had undergone countless real-world combat experiences.

When the final combined attack severed the monster's core bone joint, the Bone Hunter let out a data-distorted wail and dissipated into countless fragments in the air.

"...This is the first time I've ever seen a monster like this." The girl sheathed her short sword, her voice tinged with confusion.

Mochizuki Kaede lightly flicked his Thunder Blade: "It looks a lot like the boss of the 75th floor."

"Why would the floor boss be here?" The girl frowned.

"I don't know." Mochizuki Kaede shook his head. "But our strength has been weakened quite a bit, otherwise the two of us alone wouldn't have been able to win."

He noticed a change in the girl's gaze; the initial hostility had faded, replaced by a complex friendliness.

"Do you know where this is?" Mochizuki Kaede asked.

The girl bit her lower lip lightly: "I don't know. I've been trapped here for a month. Just surviving is a struggle, let alone exploring."

“A month ago.” Mochizuki Kaede raised an eyebrow in surprise.

at this time--

"Ding!"

A cold system notification sounded in their ears:

Access restrictions on data in the Void Zone have been lifted.

"What is this...?" Mochizuki Kaede looked around warily.

The girl's gaze fell on his hand: "Your hand..."

Wang Yuefeng looked down and discovered that a glowing ring pattern had appeared on his palm, shimmering with a faint golden light.

"When did it appear? It wasn't here just now... Could it be related to the 'removal of restrictions' notification from the system earlier?" Mochizuki Kaede speculated.

The girl took a step closer and examined it carefully: "It's exactly the same."

"The same? What do you mean?"

“I know a place where the exact same pattern is engraved on your hand,” the girl replied.

Wang Yuefeng pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "Could you take me to see this place? Maybe we can find some clues."

The girl paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "You want me, a player with a red name, to lead the way?"

She pointed to the red marker above her head: "Aren't you afraid I'll lead you into a trap?"

Mochizuki Kaede remained calm: "Although I'd love to ask you why you became a red-named player, I won't pry if it's a matter of privacy. However—"

He paused for a moment: "During the fight just now, you neither launched a sneak attack nor tried to escape. Therefore, I am willing to believe you."

In fact, from the girl's friendly eyes, Mochizuki Kaede had already guessed that she likely knew him. Moreover, she didn't seem to harbor any murderous intent. In this unknown place, her information might be crucial.

The girl's blue pupils trembled slightly, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

"My name is Mochizuki Kaede." Mochizuki Kaede nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

“Bamboo…” the girl began instinctively, then suddenly changed her mind, “Felia, my name is Philia.”

Chapter 193: The Void Zone

The wind at the edge of the cliff lifted Wang Yuefeng's robes. He squinted, gazing at the enormous sphere floating in the void in the distance. The circular patterns engraved on it were exactly the same as the pattern on his palm.

“Follow me.” Philia turned around gracefully, her short apricot-yellow hair fluttering in the wind. She led Mochizuki Kaede down the steep cliff path.

"Filia," Mochizuki Kaede asked as they walked, "Do you know which floor this area belongs to?"

“This place is called the Void Zone,” Philia said, her boots landing firmly on the protruding rocks. “A place that doesn’t exist on the floor map.”

“Void Zone…” Mochizuki Kaede repeated the unfamiliar term in a low voice.

"And you?" Philia suddenly turned around. "How did you get here?"

"I was exploring the maze area when I was suddenly teleported here," Mochizuki Kaede recalled with a frown. "It was like the scene was forcibly switched."

“Same as me. The only difference is…” Philia’s gaze fell on the ring pattern on his palm, “You have this one.”

The girl pointed to the sphere in the distance again: "See that? That thing... I've tried so many methods, but I can't get in."

She paused, then said, "However, since you have the same pattern, perhaps you can go in."

Along the way, several ferocious-looking monsters suddenly appeared and blocked their path. Fortunately, the two worked together seamlessly and quickly dispatched all the monsters. During a lull in the fighting, Philia mentioned her identity as a "treasure hunter."

“I prefer exploring mazes to fighting monsters.” She deftly avoided the protruding tree roots on the ground. “Many life-saving items are hidden in treasure chests.”

"Isn't it dangerous to act alone?" Mochizuki Kaede asked, glancing sideways.

Philia flashed a rare confident smile: "My trap detection and stealth skills are maxed out... There's no treasure chest I can't open. No matter how powerful the monster guarding the chest, it won't be able to detect me when I'm stealthed."

"I really want to see it for myself if I have the chance," Mochizuki Kaede said sincerely.

“Although I don’t know how long we can travel together…” Philia’s voice suddenly softened, “there will be opportunities.”

They eventually stopped under a strange white-leaved tree.

An inverted four-cornered pyramid device is embedded at the base of the tree, with a ring pattern at the top that is identical to that in the palm of Wangyuefeng's hand.

“This is it.” Philia ran her fingertips across the surface of the pyramid, examining the device. “My intuition tells me this should be the entrance to the sphere.”

Mochizuki Kaede placed her glowing palm on the device, and instantly, blue light spread out from the point of contact like flowing water, illuminating Philia's heroic and dignified face.

"Truly worthy of being called a treasure hunter," Mochizuki Kaede exclaimed.

Philia looked up at the sphere: "The secrets of the Void Zone must be hidden there."

The blue light suddenly surged, completely engulfing the two. When the light dissipated, the scene before them had utterly changed—

Countless pale blue holographic data streams flowed slowly against the dark background, like luminous streams converging into an ocean of information, making the entire space appear very bright because of these flowing light bands.

“We’re really in…” Philia’s voice echoed slightly in the empty data space.

Mochizuki Kaede observed the space, her gaze drawn to the object in the center.