367 -362- Potent charm?

Spring came and went, and now autumn has arrived.

The time spent struggling in SAO always feels both unbearably long and surprisingly short.

Two full years have passed since SAO officially launched. In this time, the clearing group has continuously progressed, finally reaching the 74th floor. This means that nearly three-quarters of the 100-floor Aincrad castle have been conquered.

During these two years, several significant changes have occurred within the clearing group.

The first change is the increase in the group's size. Thanks to the growing number of top-tier players, the clearing group now consists of 700 players, a significant portion of the surviving player base.

The second change revolves around Kirito's status. Over this period, while continuously clearing floors, Kirito finally showcased his "Dual Blades" sword skill during the 70th-floor boss battle. As each boss battle increased in difficulty every ten floors, by the time they reached the 70th floor, the skill had accumulated enough proficiency.

Kirito's performance during this challenging battle solidified his status, and some players began comparing him to Heathcliff, sparking debates about who the strongest SAO player truly was.

Naturally, due to the presence of the second unique skill holder within the guild, the Crimson Wing led by Rozen had seen a significant boost in reputation. The voices that previously believed the Knights of the Blood Oath might replace the Crimson Wing as the strongest guild in SAO gradually faded away.

The third change is attributed to Rozen and his weapon, the "Azure Abyss." This beautiful and powerful crystal sword made its appearance during the 60th-floor boss battle, astonishing the clearing group.

With this extraordinary weapon, Rozen consistently secured the LA rewards for all boss battles from the 60th floor onward. Even the robust and high-HP floor bosses would lose a significant portion of their health points each time they faced this sword. Rozen's damage output was on par with a whole team of attackers, raising questions among players about whether SAO might have encountered a bug.

The final change is the most surprising, coming from Asuna herself.

For some inexplicable reason, starting from the 60th-floor boss strategy meeting, Asuna stopped opposing Rozen.

This "Clearing fanatic" suddenly became docile and approachable, displaying a side of her personality that was both unfamiliar and heartwarming.

With time, her character became milder, and she began smiling more often. This transformation didn't diminish Asuna's popularity; it only increased her fanbase within the clearing group.

Rozen observed these changes in Asuna and couldn't help but wonder, "What on earth happened to cause this situation?"

This thought crossed his mind more than once, and one time, he even dared to voice it directly in front of Asuna, which resulted in a sharp glare even sharper than a rapier from her. She turned and walked away without a word.

Rozen couldn't help but feel bewildered.

He had never anticipated that his unintentional action would have such a positive effect.

Many years later, Rozen would still reflect on this incident with genuine amazement, thinking to himself, "I never knew my charm was this potent."

Of course, such shameless statements from him often resulted in Asuna giving him a sharp reprimand.

This marked the final change among the four. With all these transformations, the clearing group experienced a revitalization, instilling players with growing confidence.

However, only the clearing group players were aware that, along with their progress, challenges lay ahead. Even though they had advanced to the 74th floor, the 75th floor looming ahead felt like a colossal boulder weighing down on them. This was because it was the third floor after the 25th and 50th floors to introduce a substantial increase in difficulty.

Based on past experiences, if they could conquer this floor, they would be able to progress smoothly until the next difficulty spike every 25 floors. Conversely, failure here would almost certainly mean game over.

As a result, as the clearing group approached the 75th floor, players became increasingly anxious, causing the recent clearing progress to slow down. Normally, the clearing group would clear a floor every ten days, at most facing slight difficulties during the ten-floor increments of significant difficulty. However, now, almost ten days had passed, and they hadn't yet discovered the boss room for the 74th floor, and even the map data was incomplete.

As the clearing group faced these difficulties, Rozen also encountered a significant challenge. This challenge was not from external factors but rather from his familiars, Saichou and Hanachou.

"Gu!"

At this moment, in the labyrinth area of the 74th floor, the melodious cries of Saichou and Hanachou echoed. The two butterflies glided through the air like auroras, heading toward a massive monster.

"Grr!"

Accompanied by such a roar, a massive creature with a height of over three meters, clad in heavy armor, and wielding a giant steel spear emitted a menacing aura.

Saichou and Hanachou then swooped down onto the creature's head, consecutively scattering yellow and black phosphorescent powder.

"————!"

The enormous lizardman, upon being touched by the phosphorescent powder, suddenly stiffened and fell into a negative state of paralysis and blindness.

However...

"Grr!"

In less than a few seconds, the negative status afflicting the massive lizardman was dispelled, resulting in its furious roar.

Seeing this scene, Rozen finally confirmed with a sense of helplessness, "Saichou and Hanachou are reaching their limits."

This was the challenge Rozen was facing.