It looked like a bowling ball, with several holes for a person's fingers to grip.
The woman who had tried to escape had several fingers driven into her eyes and mouth. The owner of that hand had used those points of purchase to tear her entire face off.
If this had been reality, it would not have been as simple as tearing off skin. It would have included the facial bones as well—a fatal wound without question.
But here, after having that piece torn away, what would happen to the woman who had transferred away?
Would it count as a fatal injury?
Asuna did not know.
But that kind of brutal action terrified everyone present in a single instant.
"A-Asuna…"
A trembling voice sounded beside her, and one of Asuna's arms was grabbed by Lisbeth.
Immediately after that, Silica caught the hem of her clothes.
Both of them were afraid, because Mr. Kain was walking back. They were clearly worried that he might attack them too.
"It's all right. Mr. Kain won't attack or hurt you."
Asuna comforted them, but the fear had not fully left their faces.
"The weapon Asuna asked you to bring—the one meant for the twenty-first-floor boss. Give it to me."
"Huh?"
Lisbeth froze for a moment.
Was this NPC talking to her?
"Lisbeth, take out the weapon you brought."
"Oh—right."
Lisbeth immediately opened her personal inventory and took out the weapon Asuna had asked her to bring.
The twenty-first-floor boss was somewhat special. It could fly.
To fight a flying monster, a bow or crossbow was naturally more suitable, and what Lisbeth had brought was a crossbow.
Once she took it out, the NPC accepted it and headed directly toward the boss's area.
Before long, the boss was enraged and flew out to attack.
However, almost none of its attacks could land. Its feathers shot down like blades, but they failed to hit him.
By contrast, the arrows he fired struck the boss one after another, gradually destroying its ability to fly.
Aside from the first few arrows that went wide, every shot after that hit the mark.
In the end, the strange bird—which was described as having some trace of dragon blood mixed into it—crashed to the ground. Once grounded, its attacks became even more savage. Its talons and beak were both incredibly—
Boom!
The thunderous crash interrupted Lisbeth's recollection of the boss's information halfway through.
After the boss fell, the terrifying NPC smashed it with a brutal explosive kick, and its HP bars dropped at a frightening speed. In the blink of an eye, it was down to its final HP bar, and even that had been reduced to a tiny sliver.
Bang!
The NPC followed up with another kick.
No—not a kick.
He stomped on it.
And just like that, it shattered into fragments.
Even among high-level players—the strongest players in SAO—none of them could nearly wipe out this boss's HP bars in a single strike.
That damage number meant that even the player with the thickest HP bar right now would die instantly if he took one kick.
In other words, this NPC was invincible.
If any player still dared to scheme against this NPC, they were truly in a hurry to die.
What kind of quest had Asuna triggered, exactly? How had she obtained an NPC character who could slaughter every boss blocking their path?
"Um, Asuna… what floor is he planning to fight up to?"
"The hundredth floor."
"Oh, the hundredth floor. Hm? The hundredth floor?!"
Lisbeth stared blankly at Asuna.
Had she heard that right?
"Huh? Fight all the way to the hundredth floor? Th-Then doesn't that mean he'll take us to clear the game?"
Silica's eyes went wide, her voice carrying a hint of excitement.
"You're thinking too much, Silica."
Although Lisbeth was shocked by Asuna's answer, there was no way things could be that good.
"No. Silica isn't thinking too much. If everything goes smoothly, Mr. Lance really will lead us to clear the game."
"Huh? A-Are you sure you're not joking?"
Lisbeth spoke in disbelief, but the expression on Asuna's face was completely serious.
This was basically cheating.
It was like using hacks.
What kind of super-hidden quest had Asuna activated? It was practically a bug-like quest that could take players straight to a fast clear.
"I'm not joking."
Asuna answered with absolute seriousness.
"Are you sure, Asuna?!"
Another voice rang out.
A cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows. It was someone Asuna also knew—an information broker named Argo.
"I'm not joking, Argo. I'll trouble you to spread this information."
With Argo further spreading the news, there would be even less trouble along the way.
"If you want more details, I can't tell you. But don't worry that this is some bug that will be fixed. You noticed that the floor bosses have been strengthened, right? This is actually Kayaba Akihiko's doing. He's allowing this quest to proceed."
The surrounding players who heard those words immediately brightened.
The worry on some of their faces turned into joy in an instant.
They had been afraid that whatever special quest Asuna had activated was a game bug that would be patched.
But if it would not be fixed, that meant they might really be able to clear the game all at once.
"Then will you be all right?"
Argo's expression was grave as she asked Asuna, whom she also considered a friend.
She was worried that if the quest failed, Asuna would pay the price.
She might even die.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry."
"Are you really going to be okay, Asuna?"
The one who stepped forward and asked nervously this time was Lisbeth.
She did not think that lunatic Kayaba Akihiko would let such a bug run so easily. One wrong move, and Asuna might end up in some dangerous, cruel situation.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry, Lisbeth."
To be honest, Asuna still felt uneasy deep down.
But since she had already extended the invitation, she was ready to see this through.
"Lisbeth, as for you, I need you to go back to your smithy and prepare…"
Asuna told her about the weapons, armor, clothing, and other equipment they would need. In particular, there were several special bosses later on that required special weapons or items to kill.
Perhaps Mr. Kain could find a way to kill them himself, but without the right countermeasures, it would waste too much time.
So Asuna also asked Argo, the information broker, to collect those special items.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
After giving her instructions, Asuna stepped onto the twenty-second floor with Mr. Kain, who had returned.
Once again, she was lifted directly into a princess carry.
This time, her face flushed even more noticeably, because he was carrying her in front of even more people.
As for the people who had just been killed, Asuna had originally felt guilty. But after Argo told her who they were, that guilt almost vanished.
Those people had belonged to a notorious orange guild.
Not every member of an orange guild was necessarily orange themselves. Some were green players, who could freely enter and leave certain areas to gather information or buy supplies.
Those people had originally planned to paralyze her, transfer her away, and abduct her.
If she had fallen into their hands, Asuna doubted anything good would have happened to her.
After entering the twenty-second floor, she could not help stopping when they passed near the area where her cabin was.
Her cabin had returned.
Then they could go back to the cabin and rest for a while.
It was not that Asuna needed rest, nor was it that Mr. Kain was taking her mental state into consideration and insisting on resting.
The reason was that the room where the boss was located could only be entered during the day.
Right now, it was nighttime.
That meant they could not fight the boss.
Rest?
Did that mean a man would be spending the night with her in her cabin?
Asuna's heartbeat quickened at the thought.
Ah, why was her heart speeding up on its own?
They were only staying overnight in the same house.
It was not as if they were sleeping in the same bed.
(End of Chapter)
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