From that day on, Kaede no longer clung to Asuna's side, choosing instead to do things she wanted to do.
For example, eating, eating, and more eating.
Uh, it was just wandering around each floor to see the scenery while tasting the local delicacies.
However, whenever the clearing group found a boss room, Kaede would return to join the raid, even though the death rate for boss clearing could now be considered basically zero. Still, Kaede couldn't fully rest easy regarding Asuna's safety.
Regarding the boss clearing process, Kaede no longer focused all her energy on Asuna while secretly feeling sad about everything else; after all, her stats were almost identical to Asuna's, except that hers were more completely skewed toward speed.
Afterwards, Kaede finally started observing her surroundings during boss raids, and the thing that interested her most each time was Heathcliff's combat.
At first, it was strange to Kaede that Heathcliff seemed to be deliberately avoiding her, but after battle upon battle, if he didn't want to be looked down upon by his subordinates, how long could he hide?
So, Kaede eventually saw it—saw the combat of the person who had made her feel dangerous from the very beginning. However, after seeing Heathcliff's combat, doubts arose in Kaede's heart.
Is that something a player can do? Sometimes, Heathcliff's movements were ones that even Kaede felt she couldn't perform—at least not within that short amount of time—yet Heathcliff did them. One had to know that Kaede had focused all her stats on speed! If his level wasn't absolutely higher than hers, such a situation would be impossible.
"What are you thinking about?" Suddenly, a familiar voice came to Kaede's ear.
"Hm? Kirito? Why are you here?" Kaede looked around; it was indeed a restaurant.
Kirito shrugged his shoulders and said, "I was looking for you. But, as expected, you're still in a restaurant. Every time I run into you, it's in a restaurant." Seeming to recall the scene of Kaede eating that steamed bun before, a smile appeared on the corner of Kirito's mouth.
"Oh." Kaede hesitated for a moment before asking, "If a person possesses stats that are completely impossible for a player to have, then what would they be?"
"Hm? That could only be an NPC, or the game's administrator who can change stats." Kirito paused, then said.
"Hm." Kaede just wanted to say something, but a message flashed on her message bar, signed by Heathcliff.
After reading the content of the message, Kaede said to Kirito in silence, "I have something to do, I'm leaving first." Having said that, under Kirito's shocked gaze, she stuffed the food on the table into her stomach in a matter of minutes, then stood up, leaving behind a table full of empty plates.
"Eh? Kaede, help me with something when you have time." Kirito, still in shock, almost forgot that he wanted to ask Kaede for help.
"Okay!"
Watching Kaede walk away, Kirito was also pondering the meaning of her words; he felt that Kaede seemed to know something, and he frowned.
"Stats far exceeding a player's, huh..."
Then, looking at the mountain of empty plates, cold sweat appeared on Kirito's forehead. How did she eat it all? This should also count as a stat that far exceeds a player's, right! Kirito couldn't help but think.
"You're here." Heathcliff put down the documents in his hand and said while looking at Kaede, who had walked in.
"Summoning me back at that moment, it seems you really are the game's administrator." Kaede looked at Heathcliff; even she couldn't find any excuse for him anymore.
Sighing, Heathcliff looked at Kaede.
"As expected, I felt at that time that you would eventually be the first to discover my identity; after all, your observation skills seem like a cheat."
"Aren't your stats even more of a cheat? My observation skills are just my personal advantage, but yours directly destroyed the balance, right?" Kaede recalled the journey they had taken so far. "I've always heard those in the clearing group say this is a very balanced game, and you seem to have personally destroyed that balance."
"..." Heathcliff looked at Kaede. "Since you stopped clinging to your sister, your change has truly been earth-shattering. The old you wouldn't have thought about these things."
"No, you're wrong. It's not that I wouldn't think about it, but that I didn't. Besides, even if I didn't think about it, I would definitely have told my sister."
"Is that so?" Heathcliff nodded. "However, it's fine if it was you who discovered it."
"Why?" Kaede was stunned. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone your identity?"
"Although I don't know why, I can tell that you don't want to clear the game so quickly, and revealing my identity would likely lead directly to clearing it or a total annihilation ending. So you won't." Heathcliff stared at Kaede. For the past few days, he could be said to have been using his permissions to watch Kaede, and sure enough, she had discovered it.
"So that's why you were in such a rush to summon me back from Kirito's side." Kaede also knew that although it seemed Kirito was enjoying life here, he wouldn't give up if there was a possibility of clearing the game directly.
"It's a pity that you've already said some things; that person should be suspicious." Thinking of this, Heathcliff couldn't help but have a headache; that person was not like Kaede.
"Perhaps." Kaede turned around.
"I won't tell anyone else your identity, rest assured." Finally, after an inner struggle, Kaede said.
"Sister, Xiao Kaede is going to be selfish one more time. Please forgive me; I really want to stay with you for a longer time, Sister."
Kaede never wanted to hide her thoughts from Asuna; even the game she participated in, Wan Jie, was like this. But every time she wanted to say it, her voice would completely vanish.
In the end, Kaede could only give up. It seemed the system was always watching her and wouldn't let her speak about Wan Jie.
"Kaede, you can go back to that floor and take a look. There are people from Laughing Coffin appearing in that place now." Heathcliff suddenly said.
"What does that have to do with me..." Kaedewas stunned for a moment, then suddenly thought of Kirito's words.
"Help me with something when you have time."
"Kirito? Laughing Coffin!!" Kaede reacted; the thing Kirito mentioned must be the Laughing Coffin that Heathcliff spoke of.
Without hesitation, Kaede immediately ran out of the hall.
Watching Kaede's figure, Heathcliff sighed, and a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.
"One with cheat-like reactions, one with cheat-like observation skills—how interesting, more and more interesting!" A smile appeared on the corner of Heathcliff's mouth.
"Kaede, I've prepared a gift for you. I hope you like it."
Kaede did not bring up Asuna's matter to Heathcliff because Kaede still had a lot of confidence in her sister. If Heathcliff didn't target Asuna, then Asuna would absolutely not have any trouble.
Laughing Coffin was a player-killing guild, and quite a few high-level players had already died at their hands. It wasn't that the people in Laughing Coffin were that strong, but that they would sneak attack, target those alone, and act in groups.
Although Kaede trusted Kirito, if Kirito were attacked by several people at once, combined with a sneak attack, and if he accidentally fell into a paralyzed state, it would be dangerous.
As one of the few friends Kaede had, she naturally had to go help Kirito.
After checking her friend's location, Kaede hurried over and finally stopped in front of a hotel.
The next moment, a figure fell from the second floor of the hotel in front of Kaede, and within a moment, it turned into fragments and disappeared.
Kaede was stunned.
"This is a safe zone!"
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