The level 6 humanoid monster, Ruin Kobold Trooper, swung its hatchet, and the person fighting was barely able to dodge. After the player dodged three consecutive strikes, the Kobold overextended and, without missing that chance, a sword skill was used at full strength.
It was the first skill that could be learned in the rapier category: the single thrust attack Linear. A simple skill that consisted of thrusting straightforward by first holding the sword in front of the body and then putting in a twist from there, the speed made up for its telegraphed nature. A white flash pierced through the darkness of the dimly-lit dungeon, the rapier's trajectory drawn by the light effect that was characteristic of sword skills.
The rapier user continued to kite the Kobold, dodging its three strike combo, then following with a counterattack using Linear. After doing this three more times, the player finished off the beast without a single wound. Despite this, the battle didn't seem to have been an easy one. Once the lethal sword skill had pierced the centre of its chest and the monster dispersed into particles, the rapier user staggered and leaned back onto the corridor wall. They slowly slid down to a sitting position and began breathing heavily.
They didn't notice Kirito standing around the corner of the intersection. The other player's HP gauge was still near full, but they were clearly suffering from mental exhaustion. Their level must at least be at seven, to deal that much damage, so the exp they would yield would be substantial, maybe even enough for him to rise to level ten. There was no one else around, so if he attacked-
No, he reminded himself. That wasn't right.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Kirito left the shadows of the intersection and strode towards the fencer.
A slender figure. The torso was equipped with a dark red leather tunic with a lightweight copper breastplate, while the lower body was dressed in neat leather pants, with boots up to the knees. A hooded cape cloaked the body from head to below the waist, so the face could not be seen.
Noticing his approaching footsteps, the rapier user's shoulders trembled but they didn't move any further. The fact that he wasn't a monster should have been revealed by a green-coloured cursor in that person's view.
"That was effective but inefficient."
Shoulders covered by the thick cloth of the cape moved slightly again. For a few seconds, the fencer continued to watch him with that same sharp gaze they used in the battle earlier, but eventually, their head tilted slightly to the right in an 'I don't get it' kind of gesture.
So it's as I thought.
"The Kobold earlier was almost dead after the second Linear. Its HP gauge had perhaps only two or three points remaining. Instead of finishing it with a sword skill, a light normal attack would have been more than enough."
In this world, how many days…how many weeks had it been since I had talked so much? Pondering that question, I close my mouth.
"...Is there any problem with it?" A small voice slipped through the lowered hood.
"Sword skills require concentration, so using them continuously is mentally exhausting. There's also the return path, so it's better to not fight in a way that makes you tired."
"…Return path?"
Again, a questioning voice emanated from deep inside the hood.
"Yes. It takes around an hour to get from here to the dungeon exit, and from there to the closest town is about 30 minutes at a minimum. Fatigue increases mistakes. You look like a solo player, and for a single person, any small mistake might cost you your life."
"Then, there's no problem. I'm not returning. I don't need medicine when I'm not taking damage, and I bought five of the same sword…As for resting, I use the nearby safe area."
Safe areas were certain rooms in a dungeon that monsters would not enter. A safe area could be recognized by a special colored torch placed on the wall in each of its four corners. The floor was made of cold stone and of course there was no bed, and the footsteps or growls of nearby monsters could be heard frequently. No matter how courageous a player was, deep sleep was absolutely impossible.
Based on what he just heard, this girl had been using a safe area in lieu of a town inn and has continued secluding herself in the dungeon.
"How many hours has it been?" Kirito inquired.
The girl answered after taking a long breath.
"Three days…or four days. Is that all? The monsters around here will revive soon, so I'll be going."
With her delicate left hand wrapped in a thick leather glove, she pushed off the wall and stood up unsteadily.
Her still-unsheathed slender sword drooped down heavily as if she were holding a two-handed sword one-handedly, and the fencer turned her back to him.
"If you fight like that, you will die."
Not that he cared very much, but it was the right thing to do, so he spoke up.
Suddenly stopping, the girl leaned her shoulder on the right wall and turned around slowly. From within the hood, her hazel eyes pierced through him.
"Everyone is going to die anyway."
The hoarse, cracked sound made the cool dungeon air even colder.
"In just one month, 2000 people have died, and the first floor has still not been cleared yet. It isn't possible to clear this game. Where and how you die, and whether it's sooner or later, is the only difference…"
She faltered and trailed off, swayed, then fell to the ground.
As she was falling to the dungeon floor, a prosaic thought drifted through Asuna's mind. 'How is it possible to faint in a virtual space?'
'That kind of thing doesn't matter.'
Yes, nothing matters to her anymore...
Because, she will die here. Fainting in a dungeon full of violent monsters, there was no way she would be unharmed. There was another player nearby, but she did not think he would go so far as to endanger his life to help another who had fallen.
Anyway, how could he help? In this world, the maximum weight a single player can carry is strictly limited by the system. In the depths of a dungeon, everyone carries medicine and extra equipment to their weight limit, leaving space some for monster drops. With all those combined, the act of carrying a whole person is absolutely impossible.