Manager, give me a membership card too!

After quickly and gracefully finishing her breakfast, Asuna first thanked Mariana for her hospitality, then made a promise with her that she would ask Mariana for cooking lessons when she returned that evening. She then went to the side to prepare for the adventure ahead.

Food, water, torches, tents, spare weapons, equipment, and clothing. Having endured a month of hardship, Asuna never wanted to experience the feeling of having nothing on an adventure again. Only after considering all possible contingencies did she wave goodbye to Marianne, who was preparing breakfast for the black cat.

"See you tonight, Ms. Mariana. Please give my regards to Black Cat and tell her to take good care of her injuries and not to run around, or her wounds will reopen."

Dressed in a simple dress, Mariana smiled and waved in response: "I understand, Miss Asuna. Please be careful."

Having already walked some distance, Asuna turned around again, smiled, and waved to Marianna, who was standing at the door watching her leave, and the black cat that had somehow appeared behind Marianna. Then, without looking back, she walked towards the outskirts of Blackwater Town.

This isn't a final farewell, so there's no need for sentimentality. Anyway, after nightfall, regardless of whether she's dealt with the 'hidden dangers' in the dense forest, she'll leave that dreadful place. The forest at night is countless times more dangerous than during the day—a lesson she learned from her own painful experience.

Some time later, Asuna arrived at the dense forest where she had fought alongside the black cat the day before. Looking at the deathly silent forest before her, the chestnut-haired girl remained silent for a moment, then raised her head and spoke to Rorschach in her mind with a vibrant tone:

"Lord Rorschach, please show me the way."

[With utmost pleasure, my lovely contractor]

Unbeknownst to Asuna, a new system interface appeared before her, displaying a series of fine white footprints that stretched from her location into the depths of the dense forest. If the black cat were here, it would surely recognize that these footprints marked the path the two of them had walked yesterday.

"Lord Rorschach, please grant me weapons to fight against powerful enemies."

[With utmost pleasure, my lovely contractor.]

Drawing her holy silver light sword from her waist, Asuna slowly raised her left hand. On the back of her fair, white hand, a deep blue gem was embedded, shimmering with a soft light. The next second, golden lightning roared and surged forth from the gem, crackling like the chirping of countless birds, vaguely forming a blade forged from lightning, its light flickering with her breath.

"Lord Rorschach, please bestow upon me the blessing of certain victory."

[With utmost pleasure, my lovely contractor.]

Because of the countless dimensional barriers separating him from his contractor Asuna, Rorschach arrived here with only a faint wisp of consciousness. But even as a wisp of consciousness, he was still able to accomplish miracles that many considered impossible. For example... remotely applying harmless buffs to his contractor by connecting to his main body.

With powerful energy fluctuations expanding outwards from Asuna, the magical aura emanating from the chestnut-haired girl was almost blinding to onlookers. At this moment, Asuna was several times stronger than she had at her peak.

The energy surging and roaring within the girl's body gave Asuna a confident smile.

"I'm about to go, Lord Rorschach. Please look forward to the victory I will bring you."

Dance proudly, my lovely contractor, I look forward to your performance.

Chapter 481 Asuna's Attack (Middle)

Chapter 481 Asuna's Attack (Middle)

Beneath the dense canopy of trees, a chestnut-colored figure sped by at breakneck speed.

She wore a form-fitting hunting outfit, her long, flowing hair fluttering in the wind behind her, and she held an indestructible sword in both hands, her whole being transforming into a fleeting flash of light.

The holy silver light sword in his right hand was both light and fast, like a piece of paper with no weight at all. It swung endlessly with the flow of air, creating deadly wounds.

The lightning blade in her left hand roared incessantly, dragging countless shimmering afterimages, surging forth in accordance with Asuna's will, tearing apart the atmosphere wherever it went.

Those enemies who were originally invisible through biomimicry were captured by Rorschach's telepathy and projected onto the system interface in front of Asuna, making them impossible to hide. Having lost their natural advantage of biomimicry, they were utterly powerless against Asuna, who was already in battle mode.

Countless exquisite moves and techniques flowed through the contract between Rorschach and Asuna, pouring into the deepest part of the chestnut-haired girl's consciousness, leaving a deep imprint there. They were transformed into instincts at the fastest speed, and then unleashed by her enhanced body, reaping the mimicry monsters that came attracted by the smell of blood.

An incredibly abundant surge of energy flowed through the golden chains connecting the void, then through the azure gem on the back of Asuna's left hand, reaching her entire body and maintaining her almost frenzied fighting stance. Like a relentless hurricane, she swept from one end of the dense forest to the other, cleaving through all obstacles in her path with her weapon, her steps never faltering.

In his hand was an indestructible blade, in his ears were Rorschach's teachings and guidance, within his body surged and roared energy, and before him stood an enemy as insignificant as waste paper.

Asuna had never felt so powerful before. The experience of struggling to survive on the grassland a month ago was now a thing of the past. Before her lay a bright and hopeful future.

'My body feels so light...'

His footsteps were like the wind, his figure flashing through the forest. Wherever he passed, there were only mimicking monsters lying on the ground and dark green fluids splattered everywhere.

'I've never had an experience like this before...'

The young girl's slender figure stretched out, striking elegant and graceful poses like a dance. Two cold glints extended from her delicate white arms, precisely and fatally reaping the lives that attacked her.

There's nothing to be afraid of anymore...

Asuna withdrew her holy silver light sword from the chest of the last mimic monster. Her amber eyes scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that she had killed the last mimic monster, she turned her gaze to the depths of the forest. There, a bright ID appeared before Asuna's eyes, telling her the cause and effect of all this.

[The Contaminated Guardian - Tree Head Fist LV30]

A level 30 corrupted guardian spirit? It seems to be the culprit behind the anomalies in this forest.

Glancing at her own level, which was just a third of her opponent's, Asuna showed no fear, only a burning fighting spirit. Why...?

Because! I'm no longer alone!

Feeling the gentle energy enveloping her, that familiar scent, that unique Rorschach aura, filled Asuna's soul and body. Just as he had promised, Rorschach would always be by her side, never leaving.

Compared to her time alone on the Great Plains, Asuna now has the strongest, most solid, and most reliable support.

Now, she is fearless!

With her feet lightly touching the ground in lace-up boots, Asuna spun around and charged towards the location of the final boss.

In less than two minutes, the chestnut-haired girl arrived at her destination. What appeared before her was a giant tree growing on a decaying lawn, its branches and leaves all withered and fallen, and beneath the tree, a huge ape-like creature standing silently.

A level 30 guardian spirit, Tree Head Fist.

Standing three meters tall, it was covered in thick, grass-green fur. It had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a robust build. Its head was protruding forward, and its appearance was withered and ugly. Its arms reached the ground, and the tips of its hands had sharp, razor-sharp claws.

Even before officially engaging in combat, Asuna could sense that this was an extremely formidable enemy, several times more so than any she had encountered before. If it were before she made a contract with Rorschach, she might have turned and walked away without hesitation; even with her self-healing abilities, she wouldn't have been foolish enough to attack an enemy of such vastly superior strength.

But now, she's decided to give it a try.

Since Rorschach, who had been watching her, did not speak up to stop her, it meant that with her strength, she should have the opportunity or means to defeat her opponent.

So the first step is to test the waters!

Relying on the high mobility granted by her numerous buffs, Asuna transformed into a wisp of wind, silently and stealthily charging from a hidden corner towards the treetop standing quietly before the giant tree. She raised her Holy Silver Light Sword and Lightning Blade to her right shoulder simultaneously, charged forward, twisted her waist, and spun!

The gentle breeze instantly transformed into a raging tornado. Asuna, using her forward momentum and centrifugal force to turn herself into a spinning top, left two trails of light in the shadows of her twin swords. Without the slightest hesitation, the swords swept past the right arm of the tree-headed fist, severing the seemingly intimidating claw along with half of its shoulder and sending it flying far away.

Asuna, using the remaining force of her Spiral Strike, stepped on the withered giant tree behind the Tree Head Fist, twisted her body, and came to the left arm of the Tree Head Fist, who seemed to still be recovering from the previous attack, intending to disable the beast's other arm and neutralize its attack.

Unfortunately, fate was unkind. Even though Asuna's attack was a surprise, succeeding once was already incredibly lucky. By the time she raised her twin swords again, ready to repeat the same trick, five gleaming claws had appeared in her path of attack.

Clang! Clang!

With two clangs of metal clashing, Asuna, who had just punched a tree trunk head-on, was unsurprisingly sent flying, crashing headfirst into the dense forest at an even faster speed than she had come, and remained motionless for a long while.

It's incredibly powerful! Extremely powerful! So powerful that it's almost impossible to confront it head-on.

Shaking her hands, which were trembling slightly from colliding with the tree trunk, Asuna, who was hiding in the dense forest and not rushing out immediately, looked at the ape-like creature not far away with fear in her eyes.

As expected of a level 30 enemy? The opponent's strength was beyond Asuna's imagination. If she had blocked the attack with her body instead of a weapon, even with her self-healing ability, she would probably have died on the spot.

You can't just blindly confront them head-on; you have to take a roundabout approach, using your speed advantage to accumulate damage and wait for an opportunity to win.

Having made up her mind, Asuna, whose arms had been healed from the shock, moved and rushed out of the forest again. However, this time she did not rush directly at the tree-headed fist as before, but instead circled around the edge of the forest clearing and ran behind the tree-headed fist.

The tree-headed fist, which had been standing quietly in place, moved slowly with Asuna's figure, its small head following her movements. Its dark eyes, hidden by thick fur, watched the petite figure who was constantly moving her legs. Its gaze was so calm that it was almost unbelievable, without the slightest anger or rage at having had an arm cut off.

Asuna, who was taking a detour, did not notice the pair of overly calm eyes. After realizing that the tree-headed fist was not following, she was secretly pleased and turned her gaze to the system interface in front of her.

Following that unforgettable night, and with the contract she formed with Rorschach, Asuna's system interface underwent significant changes. Besides the addition of several convenient new features, the skill tree, which directly impacts combat power, also experienced additional modifications.

In addition to the weapon skills originally belonging to the Sword Art Online system, she gained another skill tree. And within that tree were many skills that Asuna found extremely useful. For example...

The Four Symbols Guide!

Asuna, who was running counterclockwise, stretched out her left hand, which was adorned with a deep blue gem, towards the direction of the Tree Head Fist. A strange gravitational wave emanated from her palm and shot straight towards... the severed arm not far to the right of the Tree Head Fist's body.

A powerful magnetic field captured the severed arm that Asuna had cut off and which lay quietly on the ground, propelling it towards Asuna with lightning speed. In the path of the flying arm, the towering figure of the Tree-Headed Fist, standing silently in place, completely blocked Asuna's view. As a result, the severed arm, with its five sharp claws spread wide, flew straight towards the Tree-Headed Fist's unresisting right side, seemingly about to pierce it through.

Seemingly finally sensing the danger on his right side, the Tree-Headed Fist, who had been standing quietly before the giant tree, finally took a step and turned to look in the direction from which the severed arm had flown. Asuna, who had been moving the whole time, saw this and revealed a knowing look. She paused, then, like a bent bolt of lightning, charged towards the Tree-Headed Fist, who had his back to her, with a blinding sword light.

Two attacks from two directions; unless this guy instantly grows another hand, it will have to take the hit from one of them.

The tree-headed fist, which was moving its body, seemed to realize the problem. Its rotating body paused slightly, but it still raised its only remaining left hand in the direction from which the severed arm had flown. It seemed that in its eyes, Asuna, a living person, was not as threatening as its own severed arm.

Asuna remained completely unfazed by the scene. As a newbie who had only reached level ten after the massacre in the forest, she was fully aware of her own limitations. Without her weapon capable of cutting through iron like mud, and without Rorschach's buffs and energy support, she was no match for her opponent and might have already died under those terrifying giant claws upon their first meeting.

But it doesn't matter, Asuna doesn't care about the attitude of the tree-headed fist towards her. For her, taking the opportunity to cut as many times as possible is the top priority.

'Clang~'

Two gleaming claws collided in the air, sparks flying like steel, accompanied by a deafening metallic scraping sound. At the same time, Asuna, who had already rushed to the treetop, took a deep breath and thrust her holy silver light sword and lightning blade mercilessly towards the broad back in front of her.

Three consecutive kills!

The lightning blade in his left hand flashed three times in the air, and three deep, bone-revealing wounds exploded on the broad back of the tree-headed fist, splattering out a mixture of bright red and dark green fluid, which looked extremely bizarre.

Asuna, having landed a successful blow, continued her attack. She transferred the lightning-formed blade from her left hand to the hilt of the Holy Silver Light Sword in her right hand, transforming it into a double-headed sword. Then, as if wielding a club, she began to slash incessantly at the back of the tree-headed fist with both hands.

Revolving Sword!

In an instant, blood and tattered fur flew everywhere, white bone fragments danced with dazzling sword light, and in just a few breaths, Asuna had sliced ​​the tree-headed fist's back to shreds, leaving not a single piece of undamaged flesh. Had the strange creature's head not been protruding forward, making it impossible to cut its back, Asuna might have already decapitated it, ending the battle.

However, happy times are always fleeting. Asuna, who was swinging her double-edged sword with great enthusiasm, suddenly changed her expression. Then, she kicked her leg and quickly retreated. Almost the instant she retreated, a bloody, mangled arm slammed down on the spot where she had just been standing, making a dull thud.

Judging from the cracks where the severed arm touched the ground, if Asuna had hesitated for even a second, she would probably be a bloody mess by now.

Although she missed a great opportunity to attack, Miss Asuna was not discouraged. Opportunities can always be created.

In the ensuing battle, Asuna kept in mind the sixteen-character truth taught by Rorschach: "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue." She tried her best not to confront the incredibly strong Tree Head Fist head-on, but instead used her small size, speed, and mobility to constantly move around Tree Head Fist and fight guerrilla warfare.

When it chases, it retreats swiftly; when it stops, it reappears; when it remains still, it uses the Universal Pull to harass it from a distance, pulling in debris including severed arms. As long as the tree's fists loosen even slightly, Asuna will find an opportunity to leave one or two wounds on it. She never lingers in battle, never greedily attacks, retreats at the first touch, and is swift and slippery, mastering the art of 'annoying' to its fullest extent.

The stalemate lasted for about half an hour. The tree's head and fist were covered with wounds left by the Holy Silver Light Sword or the Lightning Blade, and it kept flowing with streams of red and green fluid, which consumed its physical strength and spirit.

On the other side, although Asuna was also panting, her agility and the support of Rorschach meant she hadn't reached her limit and still had the strength to fight. However, Asuna was no longer willing to drag things out.

In the past half hour of the battle, Asuna had figured out her opponent's strength and weaknesses. With a burly build, enormous size, and immense strength, his speed was only slightly slower than Asuna's when she was fully buffed; the Tree Head Fist was an extremely formidable opponent.

If it weren't for the successful sneak attack that severed one of the tree-headed fist's arms first, the outcome of this battle would have been very uncertain.

However, reality is not fiction; there is no such thing as 'what if'. The moment the tree-headed puncher lost his right hand, the scales of victory had already tipped.

She let out a long breath, calming her rapidly beating heart. Asuna, wielding two swords, brought her hands together, superimposing the lightning blades onto the holy silver light swords in some kind of 'enchantment'. Then, looking at the tree fist that stood silently in the distance, though covered in wounds, she slowly raised it to her ear.

It's time to end all of this.

Sonic Impact!

P.S.: The beautiful and powerful Hao Mei is amazing. I miss the Hao Mei I had when I bought the Asuna package. It's a real shame I didn't get the Shining Light.

Chapter 482 Asuna's Attack (Part 2)

Chapter 482 Asuna's Attack (Part 2)

Before plunging her weapon into the body of the tree-headed fist, Asuna expected a counterattack, or at least a death thud.

But when the lightning-infused blade pierced deep into the chest of the ape-like creature before it, even emerging from its back with a trickle of blood, the tree-headed fist remained motionless, quietly enduring the blow. Its towering form, like a decaying and dilapidated sculpture, finally fulfilled its purpose after being ravaged by time and the elements, and slowly ceased breathing.

For some reason, the instant Asuna plunged her blade into the tree-headed fist's body, she saw the eyes hidden beneath the thick fur. Those weren't the crazed, raging eyes she had imagined, eyes brimming with boundless fury and negative emotions.

Instead, they were a pair of calm, wise, somewhat weary, and slightly regretful eyes. When those incredibly calm eyes, even in death, looked at Asuna before their passing, Asuna could even feel a sense of relief and...gratitude in them?

Asuna felt a strange sadness welling up deep inside her as she was being looked at by those eyes. The feeling was not strong, but rather as light as flowing water or a gentle breeze. It lingered around her for a moment before leaving without any lingering attachment and flying towards the clear sky.

[Ding~ Defeat the corrupted guardian, Tree Head Fist, LVup↑, current level 15]

[Ding~ You have received the Blessing of Nature - Forest Walker. From today onwards, the forest will be your home, and branches, thorns, and weeds will no longer hinder your progress.]

[Ding~......]

A barrage of system notifications flooded Asuna's screen. Within minutes, the massive body of the Tree Head Fist was broken down into its most basic materials and sent into her inventory.

Looking at the colossal beast that still stood majestically even in its skeletal form, Asuna's lips moved, and she whispered:

"I feel it's seeking death."

Yes, it is seeking death.

"Lord Rorschach knew from the beginning?"

"Yes, the moment I saw it, I knew it was fighting against some force and was about to give up. Your appearance is its only 'chance'."

"Is that so..."

The giant beast's bones gradually crumbled in the breeze, eventually turning into a pile of grayish-white powder. Only its pair of gleaming claws still reflected a dim, indistinct light.

Retracting her thrusting light sword, Asuna bent down to pick up the tree's claws, took one last look at the withered lawn and giant tree that had turned to ashes along with her, and turned to walk back the way she came.

Walking through the dense forest, feeling the less oppressive atmosphere around her, Asuna remained silent for a moment, then asked Rorschach in her mind:

"Lord Rorschach, do you have any clues about that guardian and the power that 'corrupted' it?"

Like you, I am an outsider to this world and know nothing about the Guardian. As for the power that 'corrupted' it, I have seen it once.