I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

Her cheeks flushed bright red instantly.

Do souls... also feel hunger?

Not long after, Lynn came over carrying a tray.

On the tray was a steaming bowl of creamy stew, with two slices of golden-brown, crispy bread next to it.

The creamy white soup is garnished with orange carrots, white potato chunks, and tender chicken, and topped with a few bright green scallions.

That warm fragrance had become even more domineering, constantly assaulting her already numb sense of smell.

"Eat."

Lynn placed the tray on the coffee table in front of her.

Asuna hesitated before picking up the metallic spoon. The cool touch of the handle sent a shiver down her spine.

She scooped up a spoonful of thick broth, along with a piece of stewed potato until it was soft and tender, hesitated, and then put it in her mouth.

next second.

boom--!

An incredibly real, warm, and mellow flavor exploded in her mouth!

The rich aroma of milk, the savory flavor of chicken, the soft and tender texture of potatoes, the refreshing sweetness of carrots... countless layers of flavor, like a gentle symphony, resonated on her taste buds.

A warm sensation slid down her esophagus, dispelling the last trace of cold despair deep within her soul.

This...this is...the real taste!

This is completely different from the simulated food in SAO, which is like chewing wax and has only "concept" but no "soul"!

Tears welled up in my eyes once again without warning.

But this time, it wasn't out of fear, nor out of regret.

Rather, it is an indescribable, truly touching emotion.

She ate like a child who hadn't eaten in a very long time, wolfing it down.

A bite of stew, followed by a bite of toasted bread that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

With each bite, she felt her cold, broken, and nearly vanished soul being gradually and gently refilled with the warmth of "being alive."

She quickly devoured a bowl of stew and two slices of bread, wiping the last drop of soup from the bottom of the bowl clean with the bread.

As she put down her spoon and exhaled a satisfied breath, the question she couldn't avoid surfaced.

She looked up at Lynn with a mixture of shock and confusion, and blurted out.

"Why……"

"Why...does it taste so real?"

"Can the soul... taste flavor?"

The moment she asked that question, for the first time, she felt a tiny, almost instinctive, doubt about the reality of this "afterlife" and about the "NPC" identity of the man in front of her.

Lynn's heart was as calm as still water.

This is an inevitable reaction; it is the instinctive questioning that any logically self-consistent intelligent being would generate when faced with experiences that exceed its existing cognitive framework.

A direct denial would only plunge her into deeper suspicion.

We need to use more advanced, more unfalsifiable logic to cover up her doubts.

His expression remained unchanged, still gentle and calm.

"This is the most fundamental resting place of the soul."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a power that seemed to penetrate the heart.

"What you feel is the most profound taste in your memory, it is your soul itself, yearning for the feeling of 'being alive'."

This explanation, imbued with divine and philosophical implications, was like an incomprehensible yet instinctively convincing divine oracle, precisely striking at Asuna's chaotic thoughts.

The soul...is yearning for the feeling of "being alive"?

This explanation, perfectly and irrefutably, attributed that unparalleled "sense of reality" to a kind of "idealistic" logic that she couldn't understand, yet was perfectly reasonable.

Yes.

She is dead.

Her soul would, of course, yearn for and long for the feelings that belonged to "being alive".

That's why she was able to taste the most profound and authentic flavor from her memory.

This logic is a perfect closed loop.

A blush of embarrassment appeared on Asuna's face.

She actually... doubted this mysterious and powerful guide NPC.

(bddd) She felt ashamed of her petty questioning just now.

"Yes...I'm sorry."

She lowered her head, like a student who had done something wrong.

"I just... haven't... tasted the real flavor in so long."

After finishing her meal, a long-lost, deep-seated sense of exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave.

She hasn't truly slept since entering that damned death game.

Every night, she would force herself to "hibernate" as if shutting down a computer, but her nerves remained on edge, always on guard against potential dangers.

That's not rest; that's even more intense exertion.

Lynn seemed to see through her state and pointed to a guest room with a door number next to her.

"Go and rest."

"A soul that has not found peace cannot face its regrets."

Asuna looked in the direction he pointed, and there was a wooden door that looked very ordinary.

She stood up, walked over somewhat unsteadily, and pushed open the door.

The room wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy.

A bed covered with pure white sheets, a simple bedside table, and a window that offers a view of the empty scenery outside.

There was a pleasant smell in the air, like the scent of sun-dried blankets.

She took off her shoes and lay down.

The moment her body touched that incredibly soft mattress, she felt herself sinking into it, gently enveloped by an indescribable sense of security.

My eyelids felt incredibly heavy.

Consciousness was rapidly sinking into a warm darkness.

Before she completely lost consciousness, only one thought remained in her mind.

Ah...so comfortable...

This is the first time since Asuna Yuuki entered the SAO incident that she hasn't had nightmares.

She slept soundly and peacefully, like a baby returning to its mother's arms.

This unprecedented peace caused her dependence on and trust in Lynn to deepen exponentially without her even realizing it.

She began to feel that this "NPC" who controlled death and souls was not scary at all.

He did not issue cold pronouncements of rules, nor did he impose a superior judgment.

He simply gave her a bowl of hot food and a bed where she could sleep peacefully.

On the contrary, he was very gentle.

This intense sense of contradiction aroused in her an overwhelming curiosity and awe towards Lynn's existence.

Lynn sat on the sofa in the living room and turned a page of her book.

well.

A sense of security and dependence has been established.

The more she felt this place was "paradise," the more she cherished this tranquility and warmth, the more she would give her all in the trials to avoid losing this peace.

This initial emotional investment will yield a hundredfold return during the trials.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Asuna woke up in a soft light.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

For a moment, she even thought she was still at home in the real world, in her own sun-drenched princess room.

She slowly sat up, feeling a surge of energy coursing through her body. The profound and exhilarating sense of ease she had never experienced before was something she was unaware of.

She got out of bed, her bare feet touching the cool wooden floor, and gently pushed open the door.

The living room was quiet.

The afternoon sun streamed in obliquely through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting clear streaks of light in the air, where tiny dust particles could be seen dancing.

The man, Lynn, was sitting on a single sofa by the window.

He was still wearing that simple white shirt and black casual pants, holding a book in his hands, reading quietly.

Sunlight bathed him, casting a golden outline on his soft black hair, making his handsome profile appear exceptionally gentle in the light and shadow.

The scene was so serene, it was like an oil painting titled "Afternoon" frozen in a frame.

Upon seeing this painting, Asuna's heart skipped a beat without warning.

She even subconsciously held her breath, afraid that any sound she made would disturb this beautiful moment.

She stood there, staring blankly.

I looked at the man basking in the sunlight, quietly reading a book.

An absurd, even blasphemous, thought uncontrollably arose from the deepest recesses of her heart.

in case……

If only I could stay in this "afterlife" forever...

It seems...to be quite good.

Chapter 81: Asuna, you only have 3 days left to live, cherish them.

In the living room, the man was still sitting on the single sofa by the window, holding a book in his hands, as quiet as a painting.

The sunlight gilded him with a soft golden edge, making his handsome profile appear somewhat unreal in the light and shadow.

Upon seeing this, Asuna's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

She straightened her slightly oversized dark red cloak, walked up to Lynn, and bowed deeply.

“Mr. Guide, I am ready.”

She raised her head, and in her beautiful hazel eyes, there was no longer the despair and confusion of before, but a clear and firm determination born in response to this tenderness.

"Please allow me to begin the trial!"

Lynn put down the book in her hand and looked up at her.

The girl's face still had a slight blush from just waking up, but her eyes already seemed to belong to a different person.

"very good."

He stood up and walked towards a door on the other side of the room.

The door was plain and unadorned, looking just like an ordinary storage room.

Lynn pushed open the door.

Behind the door was not a storage room, but a pure white, seemingly boundless void.

"This is the 'Conjuration Training Ground'."