Crossover PS 202 (Patreon)

The roar of monsters came from ahead. Three Kobolds rushed out from a corner, wielding rusty weapons.

Asuna instantly tensed up, gripping her rapier. She had briefly looked at the system tutorial and knew how to lock on and attack but actual combat...

"I'll handle it." Minoru said.

The next second, he was already in front of the three Kobolds. With a flash, the three monsters turned into fragments simultaneously, not even having time to scream.

Asuna's mouth formed an 'O' shape. She hadn't even seen how he moved, only seeing an afterimage. And then, the monsters were gone.

"Let's go."

Minoru sheathed his sword and continued forward.

Asuna followed blankly.

This level of combat wasn't just "interesting," it was "monstrous."

The group continued deeper into the labyrinth. Occasionally they encountered stray monsters, most of which were cleared by Minoru.

Asuna went from initial shock to gradual numbness, then to observing. She noticed that every one of Minoru's strikes was terrifyingly precise. They were not the kind of precision aided by the system, he was doing it himself.

And that blonde girl wasn't idling either. When they met monsters, she would occasionally strike.

One strike per monster.

Asuna watched with a racing heart.

Who exactly were these two people?

"Are you hungry?" Minoru suddenly asked.

Asuna was startled. "Huh?"

"We've been walking for so long, you must be a bit hungry, right?"

Asuna wanted to say how could one be hungry in a game. Then she realized she actually was a bit hungry. Full-dive simulation was too realistic, even the sense of hunger was synchronized.

"I..."

Minoru took out a bread from his inventory. "I got this from a quest earlier, have some."

Asuna took it and blanked for a moment.

"This looks quite rare, is it really okay?"

"Mm." Minoru nodded. "Eat."

Asuna looked at the red-haired girl beside them.

Erii was holding her own bread and nibbling it in small bites, her cheeks puffed out.

Sensing Asuna's gaze, she looked up. "It's delicious."

Asuna blanked for a moment, then smiled. "Mm."

She took a bite of the bread. To be honest, the bread in the game tasted very ordinary. But for some reason, she felt it was quite warm.

The labyrinth grew deeper, and the monsters grew stronger. But Minoru still remained composed and Kiss-shot remained casual.

Following behind, as Asuna looked at these two, a thought suddenly popped into her head.

'Who are they really? What kind of people are they in the real world?'

She couldn't help but secretly size up Minoru.

Black hair and a composed stride.

He probably looks quite good, right?

Appearance in the game is synchronized with reality. So in reality, he should look like this too?

Asuna suddenly realized what she was thinking and quickly lowered her head, her face flushing slightly.

Walking in front, Minoru suddenly spoke, "Speaking of which, logically, it's still a bit forced to clear this dungeon right now."

Asuna was startled. "What do you mean?"

"In a normal progression, the first floor of the Labyrinth Tower is best tackled at level ten. If this were truly a death game, it would probably take a month before anyone cleared it."

Asuna nodded in agreement.

Because there was no threat of death and one could log out at any time, the players' mindsets were completely different.

This wasn't a horror game where one had to survive with extreme caution. This was an ordinary online game where one could mess around.

That's why people came to challenge the Labyrinth Tower on the first day the servers opened.

Looking at Minoru's back ahead, Asuna suddenly felt a bit sentimental. If not for that blade that cut through the phantom, if the death announcement hadn't been interrupted, then she would probably still be shivering in an inn right now, not daring to go out.

But now it was different. She was standing here, following someone she'd just met to challenge the boss.

She took a bite of the bread, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. 'It's good to be alive. It's good to be able to make my own decisions.'

As they walked, a cacophony of sounds came from ahead.

Minoru stopped.

Ahead was a massive stone door. Distorted runes were carved on the door, and a faint red light seeped through the cracks.

From behind the door came heavy breathing, as if some massive creature was waiting for its prey.

"We're here." Minoru said.

Asuna gripped her rapier and took a deep breath.

Kiss-shot raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on her lips.

Erii clutched Minoru's clothes and didn't speak.

Minoru looked back at them and then pushed open the door.

Behind the door, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly snapped open.

A body over two meters tall, covered in fur. In its right hand, it held an axe. In its left, a round shield and at its waist was a Katana about a meter and a half long.

Three Kobold Sentinels lunged out from both sides, baring their teeth and letting out threatening growls.

[Kobold Lord Illfang LV 10]

[Kobold Sentinel LV 7] ×3

Asuna gripped her rapier tightly, her palms soaked with sweat.

LV 10!

She was only LV 3.

There were also three sentinels, each four levels higher than her.

Of course, Minoru's group had fairly high levels. At the very least, they were around the same level as those mobs.

"How do we fight?" Asuna asked subconsciously.

Minoru's gaze swept over the Katana at the Boss's waist, memories of the original story flashing through his mind.

"This Boss has four health bars. For every bar lost, three sentinels will spawn. During the last bar, it will throw away its axe and shield and draw its Katana."

"Its attack pattern will change completely, and it will use Katana skills."

"The most troublesome one is Tsumujiguruma. If hit, you'll be stunned for ten seconds, but as long as we don't surround it, it won't use that move."

After hearing Minoru's words, Asuna's head buzzed.

It wasn't just one wave, but four? And it changes weapons at the end?

She felt she shouldn't have asked that question. The pressure was too much after hearing the answer.

"Don't panic, just follow my lead." Minoru said with a slight smile.

He turned to look at Kiss-shot. "Kiss-whot, can you handle the front?"

Kiss-shot raised an eyebrow, a flicker of disdain crossing her golden pupils. "Just this?"

She drew her novice sword and stepped forward.

Minoru said, "I'll leave the sentinels to you and Erii. Can you handle it?"

Kiss-shot huffed. "Hmph, are you looking down on me?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Erii."

Erii looked up, her eyes fixed on Minoru.

"Follow Kiss-shot. When she's tanking the mobs, find an opening to land a finishing blow. Don't be greedy, hit once and run. Can you do that?"

Erii nodded, gripping her novice sword.

"Asuna."

Asuna's whole body tensed up.

"You'll fight the Boss with me."

Asuna was stunned. "F-fight the Boss? Me?"

"I'll tank in the front. Follow my rhythm, hit where I hit. Just move when I move."

Minoru drew his sword. "Watch the Boss's health bar. New sentinels will appear every time one is depleted. Kiss-shot and Erii will handle them. We'll keep focusing on the Boss, don't get distracted."

"C-can I really do this..."

"Yes."

Asuna took a deep breath. "I'll try."

Just then, the three sentinels pounced.

Kiss-shot took a step forward and slashed at the first sentinel's claws.

[-67!]

[Critical hit!]

The sentinel's health bar dropped significantly as it stumbled back.

"Too weak." Kiss-shot's tone carried disappointment, but her hands didn't stop.

A second strike, then a third...

Every swing accurately intercepted the sentinels' attack paths, forcing all three to a halt.

"Little girl!"

Erii circled around from the side, and the moment a sentinel was knocked back, she stabbed her sword into its back.

[-24!]

After the successful hit, she immediately retreated.

The corners of Kiss-shot's lips curled up slightly. She shifted her sword stance, cornering the wounded sentinel.

"Again."

Erii circled around again and landed another blow.

[-22!]

The sentinel's health hit zero and it shattered into fragments.

"Not bad."

Kiss-shot turned to block the other two.