Current status on the Third Floor: Kazuma, Level 18.
Kirito, Level 15.
Asuna, Level 14.
Kazuha, Level 14.
After a few minor incidents, I heard there was going to be a strategy meeting around five. Naturally, I turned around without hesitation to go hunting instead, but the other three clung to me and screamed until I gave in and ended up at the Tree Inn with them.
The three of them looked around the inn in fascination, since it had been built out of an enormous baobab tree, but to me it was just a place we'd be staying for a little while, so I only gave it a brief, tired glance.
"I think everyone should get at least a little sleep. It's irregular, sure, but if we don't rest like this from time to time, the fatigue parameter starts getting shaky."
"Agreed. Besides, Kazuha looks like she's about two seconds away from passing out."
".........Wh-what?! N-no, I'm fiiine..."
Asuna let out a small laugh and lightly supported Kazuha, who was drooping like melted cheese in midsummer, her words and body language completely out of sync.
We'd been running nonstop on quests since dawn, gone through all kinds of strange and abnormal things, and now that the tension had finally worn off, the exhaustion seemed to hit twice as hard.
"Anyway, I'll get a room with Kirito, so you two get one too. Set your alarms for 4:30, rest or do maintenance or whatever, then gather in front of the inn."
"Ugh, I can just get my own room alone..."
"No? Given your record, I feel much better if Kazuma keeps an eye on you."
"How are you supposed to keep watch while sleeping...?"
"Good grief... looks like our dear beater still has a lot of money left over even after upgrading his gear?"
When I said that in a sly tone, Kirito slumped even more dramatically than Kazuha.
That startled me. For a second I thought I'd just watched him die in real time.
"As if... Fine. I don't have a choice."
After that, nothing much happened. I made sure Kirito was organizing his items, then I lay down on one side of the bed and quickly fell asleep.
Ding!!
At the sound of the system alarm, I shot upright like lightning. Kirito must have nodded off while doing maintenance, because the moment I sat up, he jerked in surprise.
"H-hey... what are you, a robot?"
"Call it the result of habit. I feel refreshed."
As I stretched with a groan, Kirito looked at me like he was thoroughly fed up and said,
"You feel refreshed after sleeping for just one hour...? That's impressive. Seriously."
"As long as I'm fine, that's what matters. More importantly, what are you doing? I'm going to clear quests."
"Ah, I'll come a little later. I'll sleep one more hour, then catch up."
After saying that, Kirito sprawled across the middle of the bed in a giant starfish pose and went right back to sleep. I snorted and left the room.
'Elia, how many discovered quests are there?'
'Seven, Kazuma.'
'Seven... Nice. Maybe I'm lucky today. Feels like I'm getting a lot of time alone.'
'Ah, Kazuma, that's a flag...'
"Oh? You're awake too, Kazuma?"
Before Elia could even finish, Kazuha came out of the inn and called out to me in surprise... and for a moment, I silently scolded myself for speaking without thinking.
"Yeah. I'm used to taking short naps. I can sleep deeply even in one-hour intervals."
"Hehe, me too. During exam season, I sometimes study day and night, so I guess that helps."
...For some reason, I felt bad. It wasn't because of studying for me. Then again, since it's 'part-time work,' does that technically make this job-related? Yeah, sure, let's go with that. Still, sorry, Kazuha. It's not because of studying for me.
At this point, I figured it worked out anyway. I needed to bring Kazuha along and raise her level some more, so I rationalized it to myself and suggested we go hunting together.
Kazuha agreed right away, and the two of us accepted all seven quests in the residential district. Only then did she realize what that meant, her face turning pale all over again, and I dragged her by the hand toward the forest.
Then the Kirito pair joined us late, got weirdly fired up because they felt like they'd fallen behind, and in the end all four of us swept through the entire field like we were competing with each other.
As a result, by the time we finished the quests, Kazuha had reached Level 14, the same as Asuna, and Kirito and I had each gained one level, reaching 15 and 18 respectively. The biggest result was probably Kazuha, who had practically gained almost three levels.
She must have felt half-dead from it, because when she met up with Asuna, they nearly had a tearful reunion that almost earned us some strange looks. But the moment I silently pointed at Kazuha's level, Asuna immediately dashed off into the hunting grounds without another word.
After bickering our way through buying potions and food, we headed for the five o'clock strategy meeting with about ten minutes to spare.
I had no idea something so troublesome was about to happen.
**
"I understand, again and again, that this is an unreasonable request."
".........What the hell are you even talking about?"
To briefly summarize how we got to the point where I couldn't help but cut in:
1. Before the strategy meeting started, I chatted with Egil about this and that. The biggest gain was that Nezha gave me a [Vendor's Carpet], probably because I had the [Blacksmith] skill.
2. Then the meeting started while I was still in a good mood. Both groups had now officially formed guilds. But since I was aiming to stay solo from the start, I figured I could just let it pass.
3. Then Lind suddenly announced restrictions on guild membership for me, Kazuha, and the Kirito duo. More specifically, if we wanted to join, we'd have to split up into pairs.
And that was the current situation.
I was so dumbfounded I had nothing to say. Kazuha also kept glancing at me uncertainly. She was probably planning to follow my judgment...
Kirito looked like he had no intention of joining a guild either, probably because he was similar to me in that regard, and he was speaking up at that very moment.
The reason I'd gone blank wasn't just because there was nothing worth saying. It was also because his method was so petty, careful, and underhanded.
By making Kirito publicly say he wouldn't join a guild, Lind was probably trying to cut off any chance that Kirito might form one later. The slight curl at the corner of Lind's mouth, like he couldn't quite hold it back, confirmed it for me.
And then his eyes came straight to me, not to Asuna or Kazuha. He probably wanted a clear answer from me too.
Even if it had been unavoidable, I'd taken command for a while during the Second Floor boss fight. If we were talking about the possibility of forming a guild, I was probably the bigger problem.
Now then... how should I start this? Should I brush it off like Kirito? Or should I hint at the possibility and draw him out so he exposed what he was really thinking? While I was considering that, I heard Asuna's furious voice from behind me—more precisely, from beside Kirito.
"There's no point stopping me. I've already been sick of hearing that man talk more than once, but this time I won't be satisfied unless I say something."
Oh? That was rare—no, this might have been the first time. Asuna was genuinely angry in a way I'd never seen before.
"Whether I join a guild or not, whether I go with someone or not, that's my decision to make... If I stretch my patience to the absolute limit, maybe I could tolerate him forcing that kind of nonsense on me. But what really makes me angry is his attitude itself."
That's right! I knew you'd say it, Asuna.
She was probably this angry because, disgustingly enough, Lind truly believed that he had to lead others.
He probably thought his orders would ultimately help people, maybe even that it was a noble sacrifice he had to make as a leader.
And in a place filled with silence, there was no way Asuna's tightly controlled voice wouldn't reach everyone's ears.
Proof of that was written all over Lind's face, which twisted into something that couldn't be defined as either anger or shame, only chaos. Even Kibaou had a bead of cold sweat on his forehead under the force of Asuna's fury.
Kirito looked flustered, like he couldn't keep up with how suddenly things had escalated, and grabbed Asuna by the wrist to stop her.
But that only backfired. Asuna shook him off hard and stepped up onto the platform stairs—
"All right, that's enough, Asuna."
I reached out, put a hand on her shoulder, and slowly stepped past her onto the platform.
Like I said, there are people suited for the right job at the right time.
From here on, I thought it would be more appropriate for me to act.
"I get how you feel, but times like this should be left to a professional, okay? You do have a tendency to throw away useful things too easily, Asuna."
Two steps left to the top. Then, as if whispering into my ear, a soft voice rode in on the wind.
- Kazuma.
- Say what you wish to say. You still do not know how brightly you shine.
".........Save embarrassing compliments like that for your lover, Kizmel."
I cast a slight glance toward the point [Spatial Awareness] had already picked up and muttered with a faint grin.
**
"........"
On the platform, where silence had already settled over everything, Lind and Morninstar watched me approach them slowly with guarded expressions.
"Mind if I say something?"
First, even though I didn't need to, I asked permission just to screw with them a little more. Unless they were planning to make an enemy of me outright, they'd have to grant it for appearances' sake. Though I was going to speak either way.
"...You may."
"Are your left brains in serious pain or something?"
""............?!?!?!?!""
The instant permission was given, the verbal abuse hit them so fast their brains couldn't process it. Then, a beat later, they understood the insult and their faces flushed red.
"Seriously, who exactly do you think you are, deciding who gets to join what?"
"W-what did you just say?!"
Morninstar took an angry step toward me, but I had no intention of stopping.
I could track his movements as much as I wanted, and this was a safe zone anyway.
"No, really. Whether we join your guilds or not is our choice, so why are you the ones deciding it? I'm genuinely curious. What exactly are you trying to accomplish by balancing your guilds? Our goal is to reach the hundredth floor, isn't it? But you've only just made guilds on the Third Floor and you're already splitting people into sides? Even a passing dog would laugh at that."
"Th-that's..."
"...N-no, that ain't..."
"What do you mean, it ain't? How can a bunch of grown adults older than me think in such a childish way? And what was that? You know it's unreasonable, but we should understand anyway? What happens if we don't? Are you going to kill us?"
"H-how can you say something so extreme?! How could we possibly..."
"If not, then what you're doing right now just looks like you're using numbers to threaten us so you can protect your own territory. Am I seeing this wrong?"
'W-wow...'
I heard a weary voice in my head, but ignored it and kept going. In arguments like this, momentum is everything.
With all the mockery I could pack into my voice, I spoke sharply and took another step toward them. Maybe it was the pressure, but they unconsciously took a step back in time with mine.
"And how are the two of you deciding this on your own, anyway? If you're going to accept us into your guilds, shouldn't you at least hear what the other members think too?"
I expanded the target of the choice from the individual to the group. And at the same time, I planted the impression that what they were doing now was bullying individuals.
- It was the most basic condition for manipulating group psychology.
"So then, shall we ask? I wonder how many of you actually agree with this cowardly decision of theirs. Why not raise your hands? Or go ahead and say it out loud."
Then I looked at them with a smile. Everyone was silent, but the emotions on their faces were easy enough to read.
Shame, faint fear, embarrassment, and more. The emotional current moving across those faces was filling with exactly what I wanted.
"Well, if not, then fine. But I believe this much. If they have functioning brains, they know how pointless this is."
"".........""
Oh? Now their fists were trembling like they were about to swing. Whether from shame or rage, I didn't care. I'd already turned public opinion my way, so maybe it was time to put the final nail in.
"Or... is this because I took all the last-attack bonuses?"
""!!!!!!""
It showed on their faces immediately. No one on the platform could have missed those expressions. Some people might have wanted to, but they couldn't.
"And if you're thinking of accusing me of being some beta tester or whatever, let me tell you this first. I studied so hard I looked up and memorized every bit of information the beta testers posted. Even so, irregulars are popping up everywhere now that even the beta players never imagined."
Hell, I myself was carrying a once-in-a-lifetime quest right now.
"H-how would you know that?! You could be lying!"
"Exactly! Everything you're saying is just speculation! Don't judge people and slander them so casually!"
"Then splitting us up between guilds makes no sense too, you idiots. Speculation is speculation, but you're writing 'speculation' and reading it as 'final decision.'"
"And you're making one huge mistake here. Why would I ever want to join a guild led by someone weak in the first place?"
There. One extra-large bomb, thrown.
"".............What?!""
"Wow, I haven't heard a line that dumb in a while. Last time I heard something like that was from punks in the real world."
Perfect opening. Word games were over now.
Yeah, just like they said, all of this was really just me venting what I wanted to say while grinding down their mental state.
I was only saying what seemed right from the circumstances. Damn it all, I was voicing suspicions without hard proof.
And now that all those bombs I'd piled up on that foundation were in place, I needed a trigger. Which meant, annoyingly enough, I had to move.
".........Diavel handled things so much better. Why are all his followers like this...?"
"........!!! You bastard!!!!"
"What the hell did you just say?! Shut your mouth!"
First off, Diavel, sorry for using your name like that. But things were going exactly according to plan, so if I ever somehow met you again, I'd buy you a meal. Thinking that, I drew the sword at my waist.
At my sudden movement, everyone flinched and instinctively reached for their own weapons. Well, they were front-liners, after all. Their instincts weren't dead yet.
"You're angry? Then prove it. Show me—and everyone else here—that you're not just pathetic people chasing Diavel's shadow, but people who can build proper guilds, expand your forces, and aim for the hundredth floor together."
With a simple flick, I adjusted my status window and brought up a panel in front of their eyes. The moment they read it, both of them froze completely and looked back at me.
"...What, you just sent both of us duel requests at the same time?"
"First Strike mode. Ends after a fixed amount of damage."
"How far... exactly how far are you looking down on us?!"
Lind shouted in fury, and I raised one corner of my mouth and fired right back.
"You're the ones who picked this fight first. Whether I look down on you or not. If you don't like it, then beat me."
After hearing that, Kibaou kept his face stiff and thought for a moment before raising a finger and pressing accept. Lind's expression shifted as he looked at Kibaou, but then he steeled himself and pressed the accept button too.
'Isn't this risk way too high?'
'.......When you're part of the minority facing a group, the methods available to you are often high-risk, high-return. This is one of those times.'
The platform was instantly designated as a duel area, and a faint transparent barrier shimmered across the floor to mark the boundary, as if rejecting everyone outside it.
'........I don't think making your allies this anxious is a very good method either.'
I glanced over toward where Kirito and the others were. Kazuha, pale as a sheet, was trying to run over, and Kirito was stopping her. Asuna was staring this way too, unable to sit still.
Well, they looked like that now, but Kirito the encyclopedia would explain it. In this duel mode, it ended after a certain amount of damage, so it wouldn't lead to death... Though if someone really wanted to abuse loopholes, it wasn't like there were absolutely no ways. Still, there was almost no chance those two knew that.
'.........Well, I do feel bad about always causing trouble without saying anything first.'
With that self-mocking thought, I swung the sword I'd drawn once to each side and cleared my mind. The countdown had already dropped to five seconds.
Since they were the ones who had to attack, there was no need for me to tense up yet.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Ting!
The sound signaling the start rang out, but no one moved. Oh? More cautious than I expected. Maybe they were trying to figure out a method.
But if I just stood there and watched, that would make me the idiot. Rolling a certain word over in my mind, I put on the purest, brightest smile I could manage—the one that had worked best on Kirito—and launched my taunt.
"Come on, then. Morningstar-head and Diavel Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V... Ah, no, I guess you hit B instead of V and the copy failed?"
""I'll kill youuuuuuu!!!!!!""
As you can see, the effect was excellent.
**
Kang!!!
The fight began brightly enough with my sword crashing against Lind's. Then Kibaou's downward slash came in immediately, and I used the recoil from Lind's blade to intercept it, knocking it upward and blocking it. Without giving them any gap at all, I stepped between them and launched an upward kick with the Martial Arts skill [Crescent Moon].
At the moment, the only people using [Martial Arts] were me, Kirito, Asuna, Kazuha, and Nezha, so of course this was the first time they'd seen a Sword Skill come out of someone's foot.
The two of them split apart in a panic, eyes wide with shock, and for a moment they couldn't move, unable to hide their confusion.
"Oh, just so you know, this is an extra skill called [Martial Arts]. Information like this is expensive, so go find it yourselves."
Seeing my smile deepen, both their faces turned white for a moment. Maybe they thought they'd fallen into some trap I'd set.
Bit late to realize it, though. I'd been pressing them nonstop precisely so their attention wouldn't go there.
This time I leaped and crossed the distance to Kibaou in one bound. I deliberately struck his sword to snap him back to attention. Lind came charging in from behind me and thrust forward.
—Of course, that was exactly what I wanted. This might end faster than I thought.
I didn't know whether they'd actually read the duel request window, but the duel type was a 1:1:1 format. I wasn't even sure if 1:2 existed in the first place.
Which meant that if I guided their attacks properly, I could make them hit each other without lifting a finger.
Using [Spatial Awareness] to confirm Lind had come right up close, I spun on the spot, grabbed his arm, and drove his blade into Kibaou's thigh.
.........For the first time, I had inflicted damage on a player instead of a monster.
The sensation was definitely not a pleasant one. I'd killed my feelings over and over expecting a result like this, but the unpleasant sensation creeping up inside me was something I never wanted to experience if I could help it.
Lind must have felt it too—or maybe he simply hadn't anticipated anything like this—because his face went even paler, and I could feel his arm trembling in my grip.
".......Feels disgusting for me too, so let's call it a penalty on both sides."
Muttering that, I widened the distance from Lind. Kibaou had taken damage first and was out. Now it was just Lind and me, and one clean hit would decide it.
"If you're not coming, I will."
I let out a small sigh as I looked at Lind, who was no longer in any state for a normal duel. Since this was effectively the first duel in a public setting, the outcome would be decided by mental endurance—who broke first.
I rushed in again and slashed diagonally downward. Lind barely managed to block my sword, but his face was already a mess of tangled emotions and confusion.
After the repeated sound of our blades crashing together, I activated [Sonic Leap] toward Lind's neck. Recognizing it as a Sword Skill, he watched as the glowing strike shot toward his throat...
Then I canceled it abruptly, seized his wrist, and drove his sword down into the floor.
He'd already lost his composure the moment [Sonic Leap] activated, and now I'd taken away his freedom to use his sword too. If I landed one hit here, it would be over, but instead I calmly raised my left hand—
—grabbed the edge of Lind's blade with my bare hand, and dragged it downward.
Shraaaak!!
Polygon fragments scattered where the blade met my hand, and the moment the system judged the wound I'd taken to be enough damage, a window appeared before my eyes announcing the end of the duel and Lind's victory.
Then I curled my lips into a smile again, slowly passed by Lind's face, leaned to his ear, and murmured softly.
"Oh? Looks like I lost."
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