Two days later, at the agreed meeting place, I explained Kazuha's situation to Kirito and Asuna. Their names were listed in the party window.
"...So, sorry, but could you let her join the party with us? I'll pull extra weight to make up for it. I want her to help until the Sentinels are down, then stay in the rear."
"...I don't mind. My only goal is to keep moving upward anyway."
"I'm fine with it too. Just helping with the Sentinels would already be a huge help."
The two of them agreed more easily than I expected, so I thanked them. Kazuha followed my lead and thanked them too.
Then the four of us headed straight over to the crowd gathered in front of the boss room.
Standing in the middle was a blue-haired young man named Diavel. Once he saw that even we had arrived, he gave a nod.
After a few short words to raise morale, we entered the boss chamber.
The moment we stepped inside, the gray space we'd glimpsed before entering transformed into a dazzling hall filled with swirling, aurora-like colors.
And there it was: the massive dog-headed monster with a reddish-brown body, Illfang the Kobold Lord.
The monster let out a roar full of absolute hostility at us for invading its room.
At the same time, Ruin Kobold Sentinels seemed to spill out from the sides and charged in.
In response, the raid party rushed forward as well, each person shouting their own battle cry, and both sides collided in the center of the chamber.
"Kazuha and I are one team. Once those two finish their attacks, we go in and attack by turns. Even then, you focus on blocking as much as possible. Always act with the biggest safety margin you can."
"Got it!"
Following my instructions, Kazuha took her stance and waited for the timing. Before long, both attackers' turns ended, and Kazuha and I sprang forward at the same time.
Kazuha reached the Sentinel first and blocked its downward axe strike with her one-handed sword.
Her stats still weren't enough to handle the boss itself, but she could make up for that with her real-world skill.
And she didn't stop there. She even pulled off the advanced technique of redirecting the weapon entirely.
"Nice one, Kazuha. Switch."
"Switch!"
Smiling at my praise, Kazuha called out the handoff command with force. The Sentinel had been driven into the floor and left stiff and open, so I slashed across its neck, then used the spin of my body to carve upward diagonally one more time.
I only spared the Sentinel a brief glance as it screamed and dissolved into fragments of polygon light. Then, as I turned my eyes toward the Kobold Lord, I heard Kirito approach and mutter in quiet admiration.
"You're pretty amazing. What kind of attack power is that?"
"It's not that much. You two had already done most of the damage. I just happened to hit a critical spot by luck."
That wasn't far from the truth, but in a way, I was twisting the point a little. My gear set and Kirito's were almost identical, but I had deliberately aimed for places that looked like weak points to force a critical.
Of course, he seemed to realize that too, judging by the wry smile he gave me. Once again, I was reminded that Kirito was a seriously high-level player.
'Still, it was partly luck, so it's not exactly a lie.'
'That is true, but it may have been a little mean, Kazuma.'
Elia, who had stayed quiet so I could focus during the boss fight, finally spoke during a brief opening while our group pulled back to the rear.
'He doesn't seem to care, so whatever. More importantly, how is it? What differences are there from the beta data we investigated?'
'First, there are more Sentinels. In the beta, three appeared per HP bar segment for a total of twelve. Right now it looks like five or six at a time, so they seem to have been buffed.'
'Anything else?'
'The Lord's weapon has changed.'
'What?'
That was a bigger problem than I expected. I quickly scanned the Lord's body, and immediately spotted the katana hanging behind its waist. If I remembered right, it was a weapon with extremely fast attack speed.
In the beta test, it had used a curved sword. This time, the weapon had changed to a katana. And since it still hadn't drawn it, that meant there was a second phase.
"That's a problem..."
Clicking my tongue lightly, I started weighing my options. If I shared the information right away, I could minimize casualties. But it might also make people suspect I was a beta tester.
I didn't want to start a pointless fight, but if I said nothing, the odds of someone getting hurt would rise.
"Tch. Guess I'll just have to assist really well."
"Kazuma, is something wrong?"
Maybe she'd heard me muttering to myself, because Kazuha suddenly came over and asked.
"No, it's just a habit. You know, like muttering some kind of prayer when you fight."
"Wow... you must be pretty devout."
"Not really... I don't know. It's something I picked up after coming here."
Maybe she thought I had a point, because Kazuha didn't press further. I started moving again toward the Kobold Lord.
"From here on, stick to the original plan. Kazuha, stay here and protect anyone who gets injured."
"Okay, got it!"
After hearing her answer, I didn't look back and started running toward the boss. At some point, all the Sentinels had been taken out, and everyone was using the opening to focus their attacks on the boss.
Watching the HP bar drop steadily, I joined in too, striking weak points from the rear whenever I could. A few more Sentinels occasionally popped out, but only three or four at random, so it wasn't more burdensome than at the start.
After attacking for quite a while, the boss finally showed signs of entering phase two with only one HP bar left. And that was where the real problem began.
The moment the boss was about to switch to fast, speed-focused attacks, Diavel, the man leading this raid group, suddenly tried to use a huge Sword Skill.
Kirito must have realized it too, because he instinctively shouted for everyone to get back.
I didn't know whether it was an unconscious reaction or a deliberate choice despite the risk of exposing what he knew, but I felt a little respect for him. He was the kind of guy who worried about other people.
And no matter what, I thought that kind of heart mattered.
But the situation wasn't going to go that easily. In that instant, the Kobold Lord changed completely, kicked off the wall and pillars at terrifying speed, and split Diavel's torso open with a single blow.
Judging by how fast Diavel's HP bar dropped from the counterattack, its attack power was no joke either.
While everyone was shaken by the Lord's sudden transformation, I glanced toward where Diavel had been thrown and saw Kazuha trying to use a potion on him.
When I turned my gaze back to the battlefield, Kirito and Asuna were fighting the boss together. Since they were two of the most skilled people in the raid, they managed to start shaving down its HP again, but...
"Ghk...!!!?"
In a split-second mistake, Kirito got hit and rolled away together with Asuna.
I moved quickly to the side, calculated the point where the Kobold Lord would rush the two of them, and struck from behind just as it was about to swing its sword.
After taking a heavy hit from the rear, its aggro snapped straight to me. As I memorized the Kobold Lord's new attack pattern, I focused entirely on defense.
About a minute passed like that. Once I confirmed the front line had recovered and the two of them had regained their footing, I was about to rejoin the full assault when...
Suddenly, the Kobold Lord's eyes flashed bright.
'...?! Kazuma, a powerful energy surge in three seconds! The target is Kazuha!'
Elia's warning came immediately after, and for a split second I froze. But my body moved before panic could take over, and I sprinted toward Kazuha.
She'd used the healing potion I gave her on Diavel when he was on the verge of death. Which meant Kazuha had no potions left now. In other words...
"This bastard's trying to kill the weakest one in the raid first...!"
From a human perspective, it was despicable. But strictly speaking, this place was another world built from a game.
And from a monster's point of view, thinning the enemy's strength first was a perfectly rational choice. The only problem was that the target was Kazuha.
The moment that irritation spilled from my mouth, the monster leaped, its huge body hurtling toward Kazuha like a cannonball.
Kazuha saw the Kobold Lord rushing straight at her, but whether it was instinctive fear or sheer revulsion at the sight of it, she froze in place with her eyes wide open.
"Damn it, what can I use to hit it from here...?!"
The distance between me and the Kobold Lord was about five meters. Too far to reach with a sword. What could I possibly do at that range?
Let the attack go through, then pull aggro back and give her a potion? Shout at the top of my lungs and hope the shock snapped her into dodging?
Those options flashed through my head in an instant, but I chose none of them. Instead, I used the momentum of my sprint, leaned my body back, and...
'Elia...! What are the odds?!'
'Approximately 73.8% in your current state. An acceptable value!'
That answer gave me the push I needed. I hurled my sword at the Kobold Lord with all my strength.
Whirrrrr!
The spinning blade tore through the air and flew forward at high speed, burying itself perfectly between the kobold's neck and head. It was a near-miraculous stroke of luck born from low odds.
I'd thrown it thinking it didn't matter where it hit, but it landed in the best possible spot.
It was my Anneal Blade, the best equipment I'd obtained on the First Floor, strengthened as much as I possibly could. It wasn't a Sword Skill, just a plain throw, but with the back attack bonus and my Strength stat added in, it had to hurt.
The sudden hit from behind made the monster twist and shriek, and that gave me more than enough time to reach it.
I stepped on its back, climbed up toward the sword lodged there, and yanked it free without mercy.
"Get back, Kazuha!"
"Y-yeah!"
Thankfully, she seemed to have come back to her senses. The light had returned to her eyes, and she barely managed to answer before quickly retreating away from me and the monster.
Even then, I didn't let the chance go. Before dropping back down, I carved one more heavy slash into its head. Its HP bar was now down to around a quarter.
"I'll help!"
"Me too!"
"I'm counting on you."
I smiled faintly as I watched the two of them burst past me, kicking up wind behind them.
Really, in the real world, Kazuha had been the only person I could call a friend. But in this battle, those two felt almost like friends too.
Maybe it was the rush that came from our breathing and timing falling perfectly into sync. Or maybe it was because every single thing I was feeling right now was intense enough to make my heart pound.
But one thing was certain. For the first time, I truly felt that I was living in this world.
As if in step with that feeling, the tide of battle had already tipped decisively to one side and was rushing toward its climax. If I had to guess, three more hits.
I stepped forward again, slipped through the gap between them, and slashed the creature's neck before kicking off its body to pull away. That was one.
Then Asuna matched my timing and drove her rapier into its abdomen, punching several holes through it. That was two.
And finally, Kirito shouted with all his strength and carved upward diagonally.
"GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
With all its HP gone, the Kobold Lord let out a scream full of hatred and shattered into polygon fragments.
**
For a brief moment, silence hung in the air. Then everyone saw the congratulatory message that appeared as if to celebrate us, and a roar of cheers filled the room.
Kazuha came over to me as well and congratulated me with a gentle smile.
The boss room was overflowing with positive emotion: the joy of clearing it, the sense of achievement from having our effort rewarded, the pride of being the first to succeed.
And in the middle of all that, I spotted one single negative face and frowned slightly.
The man I was looking at strode forward with a scowl and stopped in front of Kirito.
"You there. Back when the boss switched to a katana, you told everybody to run, didn't you?"
Just as I expected, Kibaou had remembered Kirito's shout from earlier. Kirito kept his mouth tightly shut, as if he had no excuse.
"If you could say something like that, doesn't that mean you already knew the boss's pattern?"
"Hey, cut it out. Starting this kind of crap now is just..."
Egil tried to step in and stop Kibaou for Kirito's sake, but Kibaou brushed him off and raised his voice even more.
"Then that means you're a beta tester, doesn't it?! You knew because you recognized the difference from the old boss, right?! Why didn't you tell us sooner?! Diavel almost died because of that!"
His words were so forced they were almost laughable, but the others seemed to get swept up in the mood and started whispering among themselves.
I hadn't expected to witness mob mentality here of all places, so I was dumbfounded. But thanks to that, I could guess why Kibaou was pushing Kirito so hard.
"You hid it because you wanted the last-hit bonus for yourself, didn't you?! You left Diavel in danger because you were scheming to grab it!"
Bingo. The stiffened expressions on both Diavel and Kirito's faces confirmed it for me. Kibaou was jealous. Whatever else had happened in the battle, he was bitter that someone else had gotten the boss bonus item instead of him.
And the last-hit bonus item was guaranteed to be rare. Depending on how it was used, it could be incredibly valuable.
The others seemed to reach the same thought, because their gazes slowly shifted toward Kirito too.
Kirito's face darkened by the second. Kazuha, worried, carefully grabbed the hem of my clothes. Asuna said nothing. Egil looked like he wanted to speak but couldn't, grinding his teeth in frustration.
Then I saw Kirito's expression change, like he'd made up his mind about something. The instant I noticed, I stepped to his side, put a hand on his shoulder, and stopped him.
"Don't do anything stupid."
"...! Ngh!"
Maybe he understood exactly what I meant, because Kirito let out a low sound and lowered his head again. Once I saw that, I stepped one pace ahead of him and faced everyone who was glaring at him with hostility.
"You're Kibaou, right?"
When our eyes met, Kibaou looked at me in surprise. It was only natural. He clearly hadn't expected a third party to step in.
"T-that's right! I'm Kibaou!"
"I've been listening to you for a while now, and honestly, it's making me feel stupid just hearing it. So I'm going to say something."
At the verbal blow I delivered without even blinking, not only everyone around us but even Kirito stared at me with wide eyes.
"W-what?!"
"I genuinely don't understand. Why exactly should this guy be the one getting blamed?"
"W-well, didn't I just say it? He wanted the last-hit bonus, so..."
"So what?"
".................Huh?"
"So what? Is getting the last-hit bonus supposed to be wrong?"
I cut him off and fired back, and Kibaou could only stare, unable to continue.
"Why should a beta tester get cursed out for taking the last-hit bonus? Why should someone get blamed for giving information just because you think they gave it too late? If he'd stayed silent to the very end, that would be one thing. But Diavel is alive, and nobody died."
My words came one after another without giving him room to breathe, and Kibaou had already clamped his mouth shut.
"And while we're at it, the one who saved Diavel is someone standing right here. If anyone has the right to criticize him or say anything, it's that person. You don't get to use Diavel as a convenient excuse for your own argument."
Even Egil looked a little alarmed by how thoroughly I was dismantling Kibaou and tried to stop me, but I waved a hand to show I was fine and stepped even closer until I was face-to-face with him.
After confirming there were only a few dozen centimeters between us, I quietly drove in the finishing blow.
"...If you wanted the last-hit bonus that badly, then you should've worked harder. Being jealous of a reward someone else earned through effort is pathetic. I knew all that and still didn't take it myself."
"...!!!!! Ugh?!"
Kibaou was the one who reacted the most violently. I gave him a tiny smile only he could see, then turned and walked back to where Kirito, the others, and Kazuha were, ready to head up to the Second Floor.
"Um... Kazuma, is this... really okay...?"
"Come to think of it, I just went and did it without saying anything... Sorry, Kazuha. But I already told you before what kind of person I am, so I'm not apologizing any more than that."
My excuse-that-wasn't-really-an-excuse came out a little bitterly, but Kazuha widened her eyes and protested instead.
"N-no! You didn't need to apologize in the first place!"
Asuna, Kirito, and Egil had come over too, standing beside the flustered Kazuha.
"...You were amazing. Your skill, and your courage too."
"Haha, I got completely crushed by the mood back there. You were something else."
Asuna and Egil each added a word, and then Kirito stepped up to me and bowed his head deeply.
"...Thank you, Kazuma. Really. For helping me."
"Forget it. It's not like I did it for your sake. I just didn't like that guy going after beta testers from the start."
I waved a hand like it was nothing, but Kirito gave a wry smile and lowered his head again.
"Even so, the fact that you helped me doesn't change."
"Even after this, you're still going to get blamed. The rumor's already spread, and other people will trust what the raid group says."
"That doesn't matter. I was planning to play solo anyway. The ones I was worried about were the other beta testers."
"...There's one thing I want to say."
Looking at him, a thought suddenly came to me, and I said it out loud.
"You're too soft."
"...?! Hah... ahahahahahaha!!"
I didn't know what exactly my words had struck in him, but Kirito suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!!... Man, seriously, I've never had anyone say it that bluntly before."
"I'm not like other people. I say what I mean."
"Yeah... heh, heh... Hey, want to register as friends?"
"I don't mind."
"Hey, then me too."
"...Then me too."
Just like that, three people had suddenly nominated themselves for my friend list. It had all happened so abruptly that I felt strangely conflicted about it.
'Congratulations, Kazuma. You now have no less than four friends.'
'Elia, that really doesn't sound like a compliment, so stop...'
Letting out a small sigh, I started climbing the stairs again to head for the Second Floor. After exchanging a few words with Asuna, Kirito followed after me up the stairs.
Egil said he still had things to do on the First Floor and stayed behind, so in the end, only Kazuha, Kirito, and I stood before the door to the Second Floor.
"All right, then. The boss conqueror should be the one to open the door, right?"
I said it in an exaggeratedly theatrical tone, and Kirito made a face like he was already sick of me.
"You're really dumping that role on me without a shred of shame...?"
"Of course. Isn't that only natural?"
I held back a smile and shot back the question as if I had no idea what his problem was.
"I definitely feel like you're making fun of me... but fine."
Kirito admitted it simply enough, though he still looked vaguely dissatisfied as he opened the door to the Second Floor.
The light spilling through the gap grew brighter and brighter, and before long, all of us were swallowed by it.
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