New Legend(2)
--- Kirito ---
"What do you mean by that...?" I asked, but he merely shook his head.
I wanted to press him for more details, but the other member of his party stopped me.
"I haven't known him for long, but if there's one thing I know, it's that once he's decided on something, he won't stop until things go according to his plans."
She sighed again.
"At first, I tried to understand his logic, but by now, I'm used to it. You should start getting used to it as well."
A defeated smile bloomed on her face.
Don't give up so easily, please.
Suddenly, her expression turned serious. "He's not one to go back on his word, so you can trust him. If he said he'll take care of it, then he will."
Her conviction was unshakable, despite the short time they had been together. It made me wonder: just who is this person?
If he's not a beta tester, then is he some sort of veteran from other games?
Strangely enough, her words were so convincing that I just nodded. I'm not the one who beat the Boss anyway.
What could someone like me possibly say to change the situation?
It's all in his hands.
The idea of rushing to the 2nd Floor crossed my mind, as I could be the first to enjoy some loot, but for now, I decided to stay and see how this situation would turn out.
Although I'm a solo player, I know my limits. To beat the harder bosses in the future, we need as many people as possible. Logically speaking, the fewer people die in meaningless ways, the better it is for me as well.
Just as I was lost in thought, the rest of the players arrived.
--- Daviel ---
'I wonder how much experience I'll get from a Floor Boss?'
Get stronger.
From the moment Kayaba Akihiko's speech ended, I realized one thing. If I don't get stronger, I'll really die.
I cannot let my death be insignificant. What would people say at my funeral?
"He was a good guy, but he was an otaku who got so into VR games that he died in one."
Like hell, I'd accept that kind of funeral! I'd rather die for real after logging out of the game!
But onto the important things.
After finally reaching the Boss' room, I saw the door was already half-opened.
'That guy who got ahead of us is really incredible.'
He easily cleared all the monsters in his path before we could do anything, then told us he was going in first and would hold out as long as possible until we arrived. I must say, I'd really like to have someone like him in my party.
But my thoughts came to a halt as I realized...
I couldn't see the Boss anywhere.
'No way, did those three really defeat the Boss?'
I couldn't believe for a second that those two people defeated the Boss by themselves.
The other person must have helped them out.
If he's lucky, he even got the last hit, claiming the Boss' rewards for himself.
How lucky.
Well, it's a pity I couldn't get the Boss' rewards, but as long as the 1st Floor Boss is cleared, that's all that matters.
We'll finally be able to ascend to the 2nd Floor.
Oh, if only I knew the truth...
---
"We kept on searching for the Boss' location for such a long time, and after we finally located it, those two used that information without permission and cleared the boss all on their own. I say we shouldn't honor them for their feat, but rather condemn them! How dare they trample on all our hard work like this!?"
The short yet solidly built man with sienna, spiky hair and a small goatee, wearing scale mail armor and a large one-handed sword on his back, raged.
I didn't know his name then, but I learned later it was Kibaou.
'...I don't really agree with him, though.'
Sure, we did find the information, but it didn't mean we were the only ones searching for it.
Moreover, we had yet to release the news officially on the specific location of the boss, only that we found it.
That means this party knew of this information beforehand.
They must've searched throughout the whole 1st Floor just like us.
Still, I wasn't about to step into this mess. If they're dumb enough to fall for this kind of trick, then I'm sorry for them, but I won't defend them. This is the cruel reality we're forced to live in.
The crowd of players started to murmur in agreement, shouting things like, "He's right!" and "Share the loot! We found the boss!" I lowered my head, waiting to see how things would unfold.
But before anyone else could say anything, the man who had defeated the boss began laughing pleasantly, as if something amusing had happened.
The crowd quieted down, and even Kibaou looked surprised, clearly expecting a different reaction.
...
After he was done, the man simply grinned, his voice soft as he responded "Oh, you think you deserve the loot because you found the boss location? How cute."
Kibaou's face turned red with anger, and he opened his mouth to retaliate, but the man continued, his tone suddenly icy,
"Since when were weaklings allowed to speak?"
To everyone's surprise, the man had crossed the room in a blur, standing right in front of Kibaou, a spear aimed at his neck. The speed he displayed was a clear indication of a much higher level than anyone else in the room, except perhaps his party member.
I was shocked. He must be at least 10 to 15 levels above everyone here.
But what shocked me the most was his HP bar—there was less than a quarter of it left.
Cold sweat trampled past my cheek.
Without needing further explanation, everyone understood one simple truth.
The Boss was no joke.
I thought the man had already given enough of a message, but apparently he wasn't done. After silencing Kibaou with his sheer presence, he walked away from the group, glancing at them with a cold gaze.
"If you want a chance to defeat the Bosses yourselves, you need to become much stronger than you are now. If you don't, I'll simply hog all the bosses for myself, creating an even bigger gap between me and the rest of you."
The players' faces twisted in rage, most of them swearing at him, calling him names like "Boss Stealer" or "Greedy Leech", but I understood the message behind his words.
If we wanted to stand a chance against the bosses, we needed to be prepared for something on a completely different scale than what we had imagined, because if we don't, even with diligent preparations and bountiful information...
We'll die.
This event would then be remembered as the birth of the [Withered Rose] party.
Thinking about it now, I wonder if the reason he went so far was to make all the players shift the blame on him alone, completely forgetting this was a 2 player party in the first place...
Only he will know the answer to this question of mine.
---
Author's Note:
For convenience's sake, I made it as if Daviel was talking about it as he already knew Kibaou, or it would've been too confusing since he didn't even know Akira's name.
Withered Rose name breakdown:
Rose = Asuna;
What made it wither = Akira/Haru;
Aaaand that's it for this arc. Let's hop onto the next one now!