Four days later, deep within the Labyrinth Tower, in a wild area consisting of an elliptical basin two hundred meters in diameter, surrounded by concentric rings of rocky barriers, frontline players gathered here at dusk to begin their assault on the Second Floor boss.
The Field Boss, known as Bullbous Bow, a colossal bull serving as a gatekeeper, stood calmly within its domain.
Its massive form once again embodied the game's fantastical nature, something far removed from reality. Sparks seemed to burn within its sharp eyes, which glowed with a faintly hostile light in the dim twilight.
Its thick, bulging muscles and hide reflected an unnatural metallic sheen under the fading light. Its snorting sounded like a roaring fan, and its forelegs slowly scraped against the gravel.
It stood at the very center of the basin, faithfully carrying out its role.
A steady, orderly stream of footsteps descended from the edge of the basin.
The group wasn't small, but compared to the last Kobold Lord raid, there were fewer than twenty players here.
Satoru walked at the rear of the party. Although the atmosphere was serious, there was no negativity. After all, Bullbous Bow was only a Field Boss. With appropriate levels, this number of players could handle it easily.
The entire group stopped just outside the boss's aggro range and began their final preparations. Some of them started chatting.
"Hey, Yurnero."
The refreshing voice was exactly the same as when they first met. Still wearing that coordinated knight-style armor, Diavel walked over from the front.
"Looks like you've been doing well. Have you decided on a guild name yet?"
Satoru nodded in greeting and asked casually.
"We're still discussing it. Everyone's pretty enthusiastic," Diavel said with a smile. "Or do you have any suggestions?"
"I'm not interested in wearing those tacky guild uniforms yet."
Satoru shook his head.
Among the twenty players present, most wore blue garments underneath their gear. Although their outer equipment varied, from light leather to heavy armor, the glimpses of blue at their collars and forearms subtly marked them as belonging to the same group.
"Honestly, neither am I. We'll definitely redesign something cooler later."
Diavel lowered his voice and leaned slightly toward him, the would-be guild leader speaking with a wry smile.
"Oh, you two, long time no see."
A tall, broad man approached from the side. His imposing build made others instinctively look up when speaking to him.
Though it might be a bit unfair to say, in the deepening twilight, his chocolate-colored skin made his facial features harder to make out.
"It's Agil-san. I'll be counting on you again to pull and take the hits this time," Diavel said.
"Yeah, leave it to me."
Agil patted his chest. "By the way, Yurnero, are you still on your own?"
If I'm not solo, what—what else would I be?
Of course, that's not what he meant…
"I was just thinking of finding a party that's short on members and tagging along. What about your side?" Satoru asked.
"Of course. And just so you know, you'll see some familiar faces in my group."
"I was just about to look for a party that needs one more. How about yours?" Satoru asked.
"Of course. And by the way, there are a few familiar faces in my party."
"Familiar faces?"
Satoru looked past his sturdy frame toward Agil's group.
Among the similarly tall, rugged men who looked reliable at a glance, two people stood out distinctly. A small, black-clad figure with delicate features. No, that was Kirito. And beside him was a beautiful girl, unmistakably the rapier user.
After accepting Agil's invitation, Satoru joined the party. It was only through the party interface that he clearly saw the rapier user's name for the first time.
Asuna.
It felt like a rather casually chosen nickname.
"I'll go over the final strategy briefing one last time. You remember everything we discussed earlier, right, Agil-san?" Diavel said.
"Don't worry."
"Alright, we begin in five minutes."
With a friendly smile, Diavel turned and left.
Satoru and Agil walked over to Kirito and the others. It had been about half a month since they last met, but not much had changed. If anything, the sense of mismatch between the two standing together had lessened.
After all, someone with that kind of temperament wasn't easy to deal with.
For some reason, a certain elusive blonde swordswoman came to mind, and Satoru's gaze toward Kirito gained a hint of sympathy.
"What's with that look…?" Kirito asked.
"Some things are better left understood than said. Saying them out loud would be rude."
"So it really is something rude?!"
"Hm."
Satoru glanced at the rapier user, who seemed somewhat downcast.
"Why does your teammate look so depressed?"
"About that…"
Kirito frowned, as if weighing something important.
"I'll explain after the fight. It's something that could affect your interests. Actually, it affects all players in the assault team."
How does picking up girls affect other people's interests?
Satoru looked at him in confusion.
"You mean rushing into the southern village after defeating Bullbous Bow to farm EXP and items?"
"Ah, that's important too."
Kirito responded instinctively. At his core, he was the same kind of player, someone who liked grinding relentlessly. But he quickly shook his head.
"No, no. What we're dealing with right now is more important. After this, let's go find Argo together."
"Did you hear that I have to treat her every time I see her, and now you want to mooch off me too?"
Satoru took a step back.
"What? That's a thing?!"
"Drop the act. Looks like Argo's hostility toward me has escalated into extortion."
"No, no… you've definitely misunderstood something."
"You two seem to get along well."
Agil's booming voice cut in.
"But we're about to move out. Our party is responsible for pulling the boss."
The entire group had already finished preparing. Satoru and Kirito exchanged a glance and drew their weapons.
"Those people waiting over there, are they reserves?"
Satoru asked one last question before the start.
"Yes. Members of the 'Legend Braves' guild."
This time, it was Asuna who answered.
Such a straightforward name.
And… was this what Argo meant by other groups forming due to healthy competition?
Still, there was something in the rapier user's tone when she mentioned them.
Or maybe they were a group formed due to disagreements.
A massive, rage-filled roar snapped him out of his thoughts.
Agil and the others had already pulled aggro. The bulky bull charged forward in a straight line, furious.
The Crimson Sickle Fang in Satoru's hand lit up with an orange-red glow as a Sword Skill activated.
In the center of the basin, under the echoing roar of the Field Boss, the well-coordinated raid party moved with discipline under Diavel's command, steadily wearing it down. The once quiet dusk was now filled with the sharp, ringing sounds of Sword Skills.
...
Twenty-five minutes later, the mountain-like Bullbous Bow burst into fragments and dissolved into the air.
The entire fight could be described as flawless. The pre-planned strategy and execution were carried out perfectly by both the leader and the team.
If they hadn't been so cautious, swapping out players the moment they entered the yellow HP zone, it could have ended even faster.
But there could be no casualties. That was absolute.
In this atmosphere, no one questioned Diavel's command. Aside from his personal charisma, no one else wanted to take on that responsibility. After all, the price of failure would be lives.
The twenty-plus players exchanged praise, smiles spreading across their faces.
Only Satoru's expression looked strange.
"W-what's wrong?" Kirito asked awkwardly.
"Your Sonic Leap was perfectly timed. You calculated the damage before using it, didn't you?"
Kirito had taken the final hit on Bullbous Bow.
Satoru hadn't thought much of it before, but when Kirito had slipped in at the exact moment, cutting off his skill to land the finishing blow, Satoru deeply felt just how obsessed this guy was with that timing. It was practically a reflex.
"Ah… I just did it out of habit."
Kirito chuckled shamelessly.
No. I need to be more careful when teaming up with him in the future.
"Speaking of that kind of obsession, aren't you the same?" Kirito shot back. "I've heard about a farming maniac on the front lines of the Labyrinth Tower. If it's you, you should understand me!"
Heh.
Satoru gave him a faint, unsettling smile and sheathed his curved sword.
The flaxen-haired girl nearby let out a helpless sigh.
"Well, at least we've finished what we needed to do. Let's head back. I've already contacted Argo. She'll be waiting for us," Asuna said.
"What exactly is it? Can you tell me?" Satoru asked.
Kirito and Asuna exchanged a glance.
"Actually… we, no, a lot of players have encountered it."
"The upgrade fraud in this game."