-254- Might be ambushed?
At this moment, the atmosphere in the entire safe area changed. It wasn't necessarily heavy, but it felt quite tense. Led by the player named Kibaou, the top player groups stared at Rozen with hostility. While they weren't as extreme as those who had confronted Rozen in the field before, there was still a noticeable lack of goodwill.
Particularly, Kibaou, the single-handed sword user, spoke with disdain.
"Planning to go after high-exp monsters again? Or maybe you've found hidden treasure chests? You certainly won't be up to any good."
His words weren't just scornful; they were also accusing.
Certainly, during the beta test, Rozen had done things similar to what Kibaou mentioned. But at this point, the 1st-floor Labyrinth Area had already been explored thoroughly. Hidden treasure chests had been discovered. What reason would there be to repeat those actions?
Kibaou must have been aware of this, yet he still spoke that way, clearly trying to provoke a reaction.
To this, Rozen simply glanced at him.
"Kibaou, is it?" Rozen smiled slightly, saying, "Don't worry, I won't remember your name. I'm not interested in you."
"You!" Kibaou's temper clearly wasn't good. He was easily provoked and spoke through clenched teeth.
It wasn't just Kibaou; even the other players present seemed agitated.
"Don't act so arrogant, Beta tester!"
"Who do you think you are!?"
"Just a despicable selfish guy who always runs ahead of everyone!"
"It's because of you beta testers that so many players have to struggle!"
One by one, players shouted in anger.
And this wasn't entirely unreasonable.
In the current SAO where death had become a reality, players' progress represented the speed of collective liberation and survival.
Many beta testers, however, were more concerned with themselves. They knew many hidden quests and hidden treasure chests, even using their knowledge from the beta test to gain an advantage in experience-rich monster areas, constantly leveling up, leaving other players to fend for themselves.
Given this, it was natural for regular players to harbor resentment toward beta testers.
But then again...
"Who said capable individuals must take care of you?"
Rozen, in front of everyone, tossed out a simple remark as if he couldn't be bothered with long explanations.
"Are you relatives of beta testers? Or their parents?"
With this straightforward question, everyone fell silent, their eyes brimming with more anger.
"Tch!" Kibaou clicked his tongue in frustration. "As expected, you beta testers are selfish and only think about yourselves, not caring about anyone else!"
With that, Kibaou pointed at Rozen, speaking loudly.
"I'll never acknowledge someone like you!"
This was likely the most direct expression of the average players' sentiments.
But...
"What are you planning to do then?" Rozen looked at Kibaou, smiling. "Are you going to use weapons to intimidate me like those thugs who confronted me earlier?"
"Don't equate me with those lowly robbers!" Kibaou's voice was filled with anger. "One day, I'll make all beta testers apologize to regular players in front of everyone. Just wait and see!"
Leaving those words behind, Kibaou strode away forcefully, followed by a group of players who shot angry glances at Rozen as they left.
The remaining team, however, stayed behind.
This team was equipped with axes, wearing heavy armor, clearly composed of tank-like characters, simply known as meat shields.
The team's leader was a tall man, around 190 centimeters in height, with a pair of rough-looking double-handed battle axes slung over his back. His appearance was just as rugged as his weapons. Aside from his large bald head, he had a dark chocolate skin tone, deep facial features, and a muscular physique, which made it evident that he was of foreign descent.
And this group, led by this man, didn't cast hostile glances at Rozen. Instead, he smiled.
"Don't mind them," the man said to Rozen in fluent language, very directly. "They only see the drawbacks brought by beta testers and not the contributions you guys made. Sooner or later, they'll be the ones who'll regret it."
Upon hearing this, Rozen felt somewhat surprised by Agil's attitude, and he finally looked at Agil more directly, sizing him up.
"And you are?"
Rozen rarely asked for someone's name.
Agil didn't hesitate either; he introduced himself in a calm and straightforward manner.
"I'm called Agil. As you can see, I'm a double-handed battle axe user."
Saying that, Agil extended his hand towards Rozen in a friendly gesture.
"Hello."
Rozen wasn't one to turn away a friendly gesture, so even if he wasn't inclined to give others the upper hand, he extended his hand to shake Agil's hand.
However, Agil's next words made Rozen's expression change.
"Are you here for the Orange Player too?"
Agil's question caused a thought to flash through Rozen's mind.
Since the moment he saw the players gathering together, Rozen had been speculating.
He wondered if the reason players had gathered in the labyrinth area was because they had discovered the Orange Players, those who had attacked other players.
The reason was simple.
"It wouldn't be a joking matter to be ambushed by an Orange Player while grinding."
Agil's words were somewhat playful, but they confirmed Rozen's speculation.
Seeing an Orange Player would undoubtedly make regular players uneasy.
Rozen concluded that the players had gathered here to warn each other about this very possibility.
"If you plan on going in too, remember to be careful. Don't focus all your attention on monsters, or you might get ambushed."
Agil kindly offered this reminder.
"Thank you."
Rozen nodded, his mind full of thoughts. Finally, he spoke to Agil.
"I'll be going in now. Take care of yourselves."
In response, Agil and his teammates gave Rozen genuine smiles.
In this way, Rozen set off with the Rainbow Butterfly, running ahead towards the maze-like paths.
Gazing at the pathways ahead, Rozen murmured to himself.
"Looks like I'll have to speed up."
With that, Rozen's speed suddenly increased several levels, as he continued to delve deeper into the labyrinth area ahead.