A Worthwhile Endeavor

by Rodrick Minett

A floating castle. Immersion very few people had ever experienced. As an avid gamer, who was I to resist? As I, Riwet, ventured into Aincrad, little did I know that it would be the start of an event that will change me, for better and for worse. OC Self-Insert. Some OOC. KiritoxAsuna, SI-OCxSilica. T for violence, profanity, and occasional author immaturity.

14. CH 14 - Red Eyes Blue Little Dragon

Chapter 14 - Red Eyes Blue Little Dragon

February 23, 2024
35th Floor

A gust of wind blew from behind her, and she turned around and stopped to enjoy it. She heard a calm purring, and she turned to her familiar, resting on her shoulder. She smiled before catching up to the others.

Silica was in a hunting party, and they were currently hunting monsters on the Forest of Wandering. Despite the confusing layout, it had become a popular farming area for mid-level players as the high-level players traveled at higher Floors, with the frontlines advancing to the 55th Floor.

She had been partying with them for two weeks now, and they were pretty skilled. However, as they were on their way towards the exit, the party had a shortage of healing items, and they had a discussion on distributing the remaining healing items they had.

A slim female spear wielder came up to her and sneered. "Oh come on, your lizard heals you, so you don't need the healing crystals, right?"

Silica felt insulted. "What about you? You don't even come close to the front. You just hang back anyways! Do you even need the crystals?" She shot back.

Their further exchanges got heated, and the party leader stepped in between them to break it off.

Having had enough, Silica angrily left the party. "You can have all of the items. I'm never going to party with you ever again. There are plenty of people who want to party with me anyways!" She said before walking away, briskly refusing the leader's suggestion to at least get out of the area before leaving the party. She didn't look back as she entered another area.

Silica immediately regretted her decision. She didn't have a map of the Forest of Wandering, so she was forced to go through the area blind, and Teleport Crystals were out of the question.

Anxious, she decided to head north and sprint from area to area, but it didn't seem like she was making any real progress. Still, she sprinted until she was about to pass out from fatigue. She stopped to look at the sky, and her heart sank as she saw that the sky was beginning to darken as the sun made way for the night.

She decided to walk onwards, hoping against hope that the exit was only a few areas away. However, the night sky obscured the environment, hiding low branches and roots that tripped her. Worse, monsters still attacked her, and it took her everything she had to fight them while being careful not to trip.

She took one more look at the sky. It was completely dark now. Due to her rash decision, she was stuck in a maze filled with monsters at night, her HP at half and all her healing items used up, even her emergency Healing Crystals.

As if sensing her nervousness, Pina rubbed her head on her master's cheek as she perched on her shoulder.

Silica was one of the few Beast Tamers in Sword Art Online. On rare occasions, a monster that should normally be hostile would show interest in the player. The exact circumstances to trigger this were vague, but once it happens, the player could tame it by giving it food.

Silica didn't know all of that until after she got Pina, a Feathered Little Dragon. She just went to some forest and it just happened to walk towards her with no signs of hostility. She gave it some peanuts, the monster got tamed, she named her after her IRL cat, and the rest was history.

Since Beast Tamers were rare, she was adored and envied by other players, doubly so because no one else had succeeded in taming a Feathered Little Dragon even after listening to how Silica did it. She received countless invites from mid-level parties and guilds, treating her like some sort of idol.

However, her fame as a 'Dragon Tamer' got to her head, and while she was still diligent in leveling, she became rash and arrogant when she was insulted or didn't get what she wanted, leading to her current predicament.

She slowly caressed Pina's neck while she purred. She had no right to be drunk on fame. At the end of the day, she was still a mid-level player far below the leagues of the Clearers in the front lines.

Silica took a deep breath. She promised that she wouldn't be full of herself anymore, just please, let the next area be the exit.

Her wish wasn't granted, as Pina raised her head and warned her of enemies.

Three Drunk Apes were in the next area, armed with crude clubs and carrying gourds. They bared their teeth and roared at Silica. She had no choice but to rush in and make the first strike. She got a clean hit and took off a bit of its HP, but not quite as damaging as she hoped.

Silica jumped back and narrowly avoided the second ape's attack, but her HP still took a noticeable hit when it scraped her arm. She had to be careful. Drunk Apes were slow and lumbering, but they were powerful enough that even a glancing blow did damage.

Pina opened her mouth and breathed a gust of air towards her master, replenishing her HP by about 10%. Tamed Beasts had special abilities, such as a more effective Scanning skill and Healing Skill on Pina's case. However, Pina's Healing Breath had a fairly long cooldown.

She continued her assault on the first ape, whittling its HP to half. However, the third Drunk Ape switched places with the one that was hurt and blocked her path, so she was forced to switch targets.

Her eyes widened when she saw that the injured Drunk Ape raised its left hand and drank from the gourd, its HP filling up at an amazing speed. She grit her teeth. She had faced Drunk Apes before, but she was in a party and they defeated it before it had the chance to heal. Silica nodded and focused on destroying the gourds in their hands.

After a few tense moments, she was able to destroy the gourds as she desperately jumped and darted around the apes to avoid their attacks, and even managed to bring one of the ape's HP down to the redzone. However, the stress of combat and her inexperience with playing solo reared its ugly head. She attempted to dodge a swing, but her feet felt numb and she couldn't move. Her surprise prevented her from blocking the attack, and it hit her directly. She was sent flying, and she slammed her back on a tree before landing unceremoniously on the ground.

Dazed, she looked up and saw that her HP was dangerously low. She froze. Up till now, fighting was only slightly dangerous, as she was prepared for the situation. But now, the fear of death made her body shake.

She sat there as a Drunk Ape raised its club to strike her. An attack that would undoubtedly destroy her. She could dodge out of the way, maybe even use a Teleport crystal. But in the end, she silently stared at the club as it turned red and was swung towards her.

A figure flew between her and the club, accompanied by a shrill cry. She heard the sickening sound of impact, and saw that Pina was slammed into the ground.

"PINA!" She screamed, running over towards her fallen friend. Pina let out a weak growl before relaxing as she glowed brightly. "Pina...Pina…!" She scooped Pina from the ground and hugged her tight. "PINA!"

Pina died in her arms, her body dissolving into particles and scattering in the wind. A familiar's AI was supposed to prioritize itself before anything else, but she still gave her life for her master.

Something broke within Silica. All her fear and anxiety was gone, and she felt calm. She could hear the Drunk Ape walking, approaching her from behind. Without even looking, she darted to the side and dodged an attack. Gripping her knife, she turned to the ape that killed Pina and unleashed her strongest Weapon Skill, cutting the ape in half.

She gazed at the two remaining Drunk Apes and activated a charge-type Weapon Skill - Rapid Bite. she ducked past a swing and slammed her dagger into the Drunk Ape, toppling it over and away a short distance. Then, she crossed her arms in front of her and was blown away by the third Drunk Ape. She landed on her feet and sprinted back, her dagger poised.

She didn't care that she overkilled the first ape. She didn't care that her HP was down to the redzone. What she cared about was making sure that these two Apes wouldn't see the sunrise ever again.

However, her suicidal charge was cut short, as she saw that the Drunk Ape was destroyed.

She spotted a player behind the mess of particles. He was wearing medium armor that provided protection to his vital areas but was small enough to not be considered as bulky. A dull blue coat covered part of his body, and in his left hand, he held a one-handed Glaive-type Polearm, still glowing from a recently activated Weapon Skill.

The player glanced at her before turning his attention to the last Drunk Ape that was struggling to stand up and tore it to pieces before it could do anything.

Turning around, the player looked at her silently as he sheathed his weapon behind him. He was a bit slender, even when wearing his armor, and he was a head taller than her. His youthful face was a sign that he was only a couple of years older than her, but his silent stare seemed to make him a bit more mature.

All her rage and anger dissipated and was replaced by mounting sadness. She turned back to where Pina had died, and saw a single glowing feather. "Pina...don't leave me alone…" Her knees collapsed, and her trembling hands took the feather and held it close to her. "Pina!" She cried.

"Pina?" The player approached her and asked.

"My partner…"

"A Beast Tamer?...I'm sorry...I was too slow to save your friend…"

Silica shook her head. "No...I was being stupid. I was stupid to think I could make it through the forest on my own…" She turned her head to face him. "Thank you for saving me."

The player gave a brief smile to her before coming closer and kneeling near her, handing her a potion. She thanked him before taking the potion and drinking it. "We should take a look at that feather." He suggested.

Silica complied, and the two of them examined the feather, now labeled as Pina's Heart. A crushing fact that confirmed Pina's death.

However, as more tears fell from her eyes, the glaive wielder spoke up. "Hey. It said Pina's Heart, right? If it said Heart, then Pina can still be revived."

Surprised, Silica turned to look at the player again. "Really?" She asked meekly.

"On the 47th Floor, there's a field dungeon called the Hill of Memories. And at the top of that hill is a flower that can revive familiars." He explained.

Silica was relieved for a second, before realizing that she had a steep hurdle to overcome. "The 47th Floor…" she muttered. It was twelve levels above this Floor, and definitely not a safe area for her.

"I could go and get it for you, but they say that the owner should be there, or else the flower won't bloom…" The player said.

Silica smiled at him. "The information you gave me is enough. If I work hard to raise my level, someday I'll be able to…"

The player shook his head. "They can only be revived within three days after the familiar's death. After that, the item name changes from Heart...to Remains..."

"No...that can't be…" Silica hung her head down. Her level was currently 44. On paper, the 47th floor would be the recommended difficulty. But since this was a death game, the best thing to do was to level up until the player's level was 10 levels above the recommended level.

Silica needed to reach at least level 55 to safely traverse the 47th floor. If she took away the time she needed to clear the dungeon, she needed to level up 11 times within a span of two days. Two days.

Impossible. Utterly impossible. She turned to look at Pina's feather, her vision distorted as tears dropped from her eyes.

The player sighed and looked away. It was almost inaudible, but she could hear him mutter something.

"Goddamn time limits."

The glaive wielder then stood up and opened his Player Menu. "Don't worry. You have the time." She received a notification, and she opened her Menu to reveal a trading window. She saw the player adding equipment in the tab. "These will boost your stats enough that you'll stay relatively safe on the 47th Floor. If I go with you, we'll be able to get the flower well within the three-day limit." He explained.

Silica stood up and looked directly at his face. She didn't understand what was happening. "What is it?" He asked.

"Why would you do all of this for me?" She asked back as she stored Pina's Heart in her inventory. Even though he saved her and offered to help her, Silica was weary of him. Up till now, more than a couple of male players started to pester her, with some even giving her a marriage proposal. As a thirteen-year-old girl, these experiences made her anxious.

He shook his head and stared at the trees nearby, frowning ever so slightly. "I have my own reasons as to why I'm helping you. I'll tell you all about it once we get out of here." He said, his frown deepening. "I've just about had it with this place."

Silica stayed silent. He didn't seem like he was going to 'profess his adoration to her' anytime soon. But still, his generosity and statement were suspect.

As if he could read her mind, he gave her a small smile. "You could party up with someone else, but I assure you that my motives will not, in any way, shape, or form, hinder you from getting Pina back." He said to her.

Silica pondered for a moment. He was a bit distant, but his words sounded sincere. He was different compared to the other male players that desperately vyed for her attention. And judging by how quickly he killed the Drunk Apes, he was certainly powerful.

She smiled back at him. "Please help me get Pina back." She pleaded. Whatever ulterior motives he might have, he still saved her life, and she will give him benefit of the doubt. Besides, Pina's revival was too important for her to waste time in doubting the people who wanted to help her.

She stared at the trade window and then started to put in all the Col she had. Looking at the equipment, all of them had very high stats, much higher than the equipment she was currently using. "Um, I'm sure that this isn't anywhere near enough to pay, but…"

The player shook his head. "You don't have to pay. These are spares, and I have enough Col for now."

"But…"

"As for the expenses, the rewards I get from killing the monsters on the way there would suffice. Sounds good?"

Silica accepted the trade. "Thank you. Really…" Then, she forgot that she hadn't even introduced herself. She straightened her body and held her right hand out towards him. "I'm Silica."

The player awkwardly started to extend his left hand, but he smiled sheepishly as he retracted it and offered his right hand in return. "I'm Riwet." They shook hands. "I hope we get along."

"That reminds me...have we met before?" Silica asked. Now that she thought about it, she might have seen him somewhere. This might explain why she trusted him.

"I'm not...really sure?" Riwet pondered. "To be honest, I was thinking the same thing." He smiled.

"Alright. The sooner we get out of here, the better." Riwet took out a map and looked for the shortest route towards the entrance. "Let's go." He said. Silica nodded and they started walking.

As she followed him, she opened her Player Menu and looked at Pina's Heart. She steeled herself as she held her hands close to her chest.

She will revive Pina, for sure.

After that, she closed her Menu and observed Riwet. His friendly smile was gone, replaced by a focused look as he scanned the area for monsters while following the path to the exit.

While much of him remained a mystery, she conceded that he's probably not a bad person.

***
Loading...Complete
***

They found themselves on Mishe, the most prominent city on the 35th Floor. Once abandoned by players in favor of the other floors, it resurged as a popular living area for the mid-level players right now, so there were quite a few people walking around.

While Silica's home was on a different floor, she was leveling on this Floor and she liked the cheesecake that the NPC cooks here made, so she had been staying here since two weeks ago.

As she led Riwet around, who silently followed her, a couple of players approached them. They were trying to get Silica to join their party for a while now. "Hey, Silica! Come on, party with us!"

She bowed as she politely refused their offers. When they still came closer, she glanced at Riwet and grabbed his arm. "Um...thank you for the offer, but I-I'm going to party with this person for a while!"

"What?! Really?!" The players exclaimed as they stared at Riwet suspiciously. While Silica clearly saw his skill in battle, he really just looked like any other player.

"Hey, you." A tall greatsword user who had tried the hardest to invite Silica walked over to Riwet, looking down upon him. "We've had our eyes on Silica for quite a while now. You shouldn't cut in line." He addressed him rudely.

While Riwet remained silent, his eyes darted to the side, showing that he wasn't comfortable with the attention. However, when the greatsword user stepped even closer, Riwet turned back to face him, his eyes narrow and hostile, causing the player to freeze in place. Before the situation could escalate further, Silica spoke up. "Um...I actually requested for this. Um...I'll see you later!" She said as she hurriedly walked away from the crowd, dragging Riwet along by the sleeve of his coat.

When the two were far away enough that they couldn't see the group of players anymore, Silica sighed and looked up at Riwet. "I'm sorry...for making you go through that…"

"It's alright. " Riwet replied. "I'm sorry too...I should've handled it better but I got surprised. I didn't know that you were pretty popular, Silica-san."

"Please, just call me Silica…It's not that I'm popular...they just want me along as a mascot. But I got full of myself...and ended up... ended up…" She muttered as she started to cry.

Riwet softly grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. We'll bring Pina back, so don't worry about it, alright?" He said in a calm and soothing voice. Silica wiped her tears and smiled at him. He returned the smile with one of his own.

After walking for a few more minutes, they came upon a two-story building named the Weathercock Pavilion. Its first floor was a large restaurant, while the second floor was a living area with a countless number of rooms. It was the place where Silica often went to, both for eating and resting.

Now that they had arrived, Silica realized that she had led Riwet here without saying anything. "Ah, where's your home, Riwet-san?"

"It's on the 30th Floor. Are you going to stay here for the night?" He asked. She nodded. "Hmm, I guess I'll just stay here so that there'd be no hassle for tomorrow." He announced.

"Ah, okay!" Silica was excited for some reason. "The cheesecake here is really good."

"Really? Then let's go. Dinner sounds good right about now."

She was just about to head into the building with Riwet when four players walked nearby. They were the party member whom she had hunted with for the past two weeks. The three didn't notice Silica and simply went on their way, but the female player at the back looked towards her.

"Oh, if it isn't Silica." The player called out.

Silica turned her head and froze. It was Rosalia, the red-headed spear wielder who caused her to quit the party and traverse the forest alone.

"You somehow managed to get out of the forest. That's a relief." Rosalia said with a lopsided smile as she approached Silica.

Silica looked to the side. She met eyes with Riwet, who gave her a small smile before turning his head to face Rosalia, his expression hardening slightly. "Yes…" Silica replied quietly.

"Oh? What happened to your lizard?" Rosalia asked. Silica's face darkened. Rosalia continued with a slight smile. "Oh, by any chance…?"

"Pina's dead...but I'm going to save her!" Silica said, gazing at Rosalia with a determined expression.

"Hoh~" Rosalia whistled flippantly as she placed her left hand on her waist. "So...you're going to the Hill of Memories? But will you be able to do it at your current level?"

"Definitely." Riwet declared as he took a step forward and stood between them, hiding Silica behind him.

Rosalia looked at Riwet and scoffed. "You're another one of her fans? You don't look all that strong."

Riwet turned to face Silica. "Let's go." He said as they both began to walk towards the pavilion.

"Well, good luck I suppose." Silica heard Rosalia's laughing voice behind her, but she didn't look back.

When they were inside, Riwet told her to find a seat while he checked in and took two menus. As the restaurant was large, Silica easily found a spot.

As soon as Riwet sat down, Silica opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could speak, Riwet raised his hand to stop her. "Let's just eat first."

An NPC waiter came by just in time to take their order. After a few minutes, the waiter came back with the food they ordered. Silica ordered a bowl of soup and a quarter slice of cheesecake while Riwet ordered a bacon sandwich and a half slice of cheesecake. After saying their thanks, they started eating.

Silica had to suppress a smile as Riwet stuffed his face with the sandwich. "Mmm…" He made a satisfied sound as he was halfway finished with his sandwich. After a few more minutes, they finished their meals at the same time. "Ahh...you're not wrong. The cheesecake was delicious. The bacon's delicious, too." He sighed contentedly with a childish smile on his face.

"Right?" Silica agreed cheerfully. Ever since they started eating, she saw that Riwet's mood has lightened considerably.

The glaive wielder opened his Player Menu and brought out a wine bottle and two wine glasses.

"Um, Riwet-san...what's that?" Silica asked.

"Ruby Ichor. A full glass of this will increase your DEX stat by one. I only got enough for two glasses." He explained as he poured the red liquid into the glasses. "Here, have one. It's designed to taste like wine, but I promise that it's completely non-alcoholic."

"Okay." Silica took one of the glasses.

"Here's to Pina's successful recovery."

"Cheers." They clinked their glasses and took a sip. "Tasty…" Silica remarked. The sweet taste of the ichor reminded of the wine that her father had let her try a long time ago. The nostalgic taste slowly brightened her mood which was previously dim because of the things that happened today.

"Well, it costs quite a bit, so it better." Riwet said as he took another sip.

"How much is it?"

"Don't worry about it." Riwet smiled.

Silica took another sip. She set the glass on the table and turned her head downwards to look at it. "Why...why does she say such mean things..."

Having finished his drink, Riwet also set his glass to the table. "Is this your first MMO?" He asked.

"Yes…" Silica said as she raised her head to look at Riwet.

His smile and friendly demeanor disappeared, reverting into the cold and distant expression he had earlier. "When people play any game with RPG elements, they tend to change their personalities to match the characters they have created. It's called Roleplaying. Heck, even a lot of online personalities act differently whether they're on or off camera."

"In any other game, people could have tons of fun Roleplaying. From dashing heroes to loveable rogues...to vile villains. But this isn't any other game. SAO is less than a game…" He clasped his hands together and squeezed his knuckles. "We have no reason to act like that."

"Riwet-san…"

The glaive wielder shook his head slightly as he broke eye contact and stared at his glass. "Though... I'm not really one to talk. You know the Forest of Wandering, right?" He asked.

"Yes…" Silica nodded.

"...a couple of months ago, I... got into a serious fight with a friend because an item was supposed to appear there. We...we came close to ki...close to...close to killing each other. For a damn item that we weren't even sure if it even existed. It turned into a fuc...a damn sh..show. In the end, I...got the item and we both ended up alive...but the item was next to useless. He was one of the few players that I could call a close friend, and yet we went our separate paths on a bad note..." He trailed off with a melancholic expression.

Silica observed him quietly. She couldn't comprehend his whole situation, but she understood that he had to make a very hard decision. Instinctively, she reached out with both of her hands to grasp Riwet's shaking hands. "Riwet-san is a good person. You saved me, and you're even helping me out right now to save my friend."

Riwet jerked in surprise, but he soon relaxed and his hand stopped shaking. Tears welled up in the edges of his eyes, and he blinked rapidly and tried to force it back. He looked straight at Silica's eyes. "Thank you. Thank you, Silica…" He muttered as he smiled softly.

It was different from the friendly grin he displayed when they were eating, and it was certainly different from the polite half-smile he had when they first met. This was a bright smile, thanking her for comforting him. For some reason, Silica's heart felt like it was being constricted, and her face felt hot. She pulled her hands away and pressed it to her chest to calm her pounding heart, but to no avail.

"Are you alright, Silica?" He looked at her worriedly.

Silica shook her head and smiled at him. "N-n-nothing!" She exclaimed as she drank all the contents of her glass. "I-I'm probably just worn out."

"I see...let's go. We have a long day tomorrow." Riwet suggested as he wiped his eyes.

It was already past eight when they walked to the second floor. They decided to turn in early to rest for tomorrow's quest. Coincidentally, the room that Silica rented was right next to the room that Riwet rented.

"Good night, Riwet-san." She said.

"Just Riwet is fine. Good night, Silica." He replied.

"Then...good night, Riwet...san…" She mumbled slowly and quietly. Riwet didn't hear her and was already entering his room. Silica pouted before entering her room.

As soon as she was in her room, Silica decided to try on the new equipment for a bit. She opened her Player Menu and took out the Ebon Dagger. She was surprised that she found the weapon to be completely comfortable in her hand, if not a little heavy. Looking at it closely, it was upgraded and customized so much that she didn't quite believe Riwet when he said that it was just a spare. She practiced swinging it around for a bit before storing it, changing to her sleepwear, and lying on the bed.

She felt fatigue envelop her body as soon as she relaxed on the comfortable bed, but she found herself unable to sleep. Ever since they became friends, she always cuddled with Pina when she slept. Now, the bed felt large...and empty. She tossed and turned for a while before sitting up. Rubbing her face with her hands, she glanced at the wall on the side of her room, the wall that separated her room from Riwet's.

She recalled the times that he talked to her, from the first time they met, to the time he said goodnight to her. She wanted to know more about him. She was surprised that she thought that way, especially since he was a male player whom she had known for less than a day.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was ten. She could no longer hear the noise of the other players outside, only the almost deafening sound of silence. She decided that she should just sleep. But for some reason, she got out of the bed and put on a tunic. She exited her room and walked along the candlelit corridor, stopping in front of Riwet's door. She hesitated for a few seconds before knocking at his door. However, as soon as she knocked, she realized that she didn't really have a reasonable excuse for wanting to talk to him.

Before she could think of something, the door opened very slightly, and a figure peeked from the crack. "Silica?" Riwet said before fully opening the door. He had most of his equipment unequipped, wearing a simple blue shirt and black trousers. He also had a knife holstered on his back. "Can I help you with anything?"

"W-well..u-umm...ah! I-I wanted to know more about the 47th Floor!" Silica blurted. Fortunately, Riwet didn't notice anything and nodded.

"Sure. I was planning to tell you tomorrow, but I guess it's fine. Should we go downstairs?"

"Um...well, if it's alright, in your room…?" She muttered without thinking. "U-um, I-I don't want anyone else to hear what we're talking about!" She quickly added.

Riwet pondered for a moment as he scratched his face. "Sure. That works, I guess." He shrugged as he took a step back. "Well, come in." He said as he stepped aside and let Silica enter the room. After that, he opened a digital window to turn the lights on before closing the door.

Riwet's room was identical to Silica's. A bed on the left with a tea table and a chair at the center. The only source of light was a single lantern mounted on the wall, letting out a warm glow.

Riwet sat on the chair and pulled it closer to the table. "You'll have to sit on the bed. I'll need the table for this. Sorry." He explained as he opened his Player Menu.

As she sat down, Riwet placed a small spherical device at the center of the table. It had intricate designs on its side and a small crystal button on its top.

"What's that?" Silica asked.

"It's called a Mirage Sphere." He said as he clicked the crystal on the top. As soon as he did this, the sphere split into two, with the top half rising and leaving behind a column of light. The top half stopped rising after a few feet, and five panels separated from it and changed the light column into a sphere, forming it into a holographic map displaying the floating castle, Aincrad.

"Uwaah…" Silica stared blankly at the dazzling lights. "So pretty~"

"Let's see...47th Floor...47th Floor. There we go." Riwet said as he manipulated the item. The display slowly zoomed towards the Floor and showed the villages and trees in great detail. "It's pretty detailed, but it's a bit too slow and needlessly flashy and complicated, so it won't render simple map data obsolete anytime soon."

"Hmm...where is it...there it is. Here's the main city," He pointed on the map, "and this is the Hill of Memories." He pointed to an area close to the city. "We'll take this route." He traced a line. "The monsters here are a bit strong, but the 47th Floor isn't really that difficult in general. We can manage if we're being careful."

Riwet went on and explained the general things that they would see and encounter on the floor. Silica felt confident as she listened to him.

"And at the end here, we could see-" Suddenly, Riwet stopped talking.

"...?" When she raised her head, she saw that Riwet's expression turned hard as he glared at the door. Before she could ask, Riwet jumped off of the chair and opened the door.

Silica could hear the sound of footsteps running away from them. She ran over and peeked outside from under Riwet's body, and she saw someone's shadow disappearing down the stairs.

"What...was that…?"

"Eavesdropper."

"What…? But you can't hear anything through a door, right?" She said they went back to the room.

"You can if you leveled up your eavesdropping skill, but only a few people would bother to train that…" Riwet elaborated as he closed the door.

Silica sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. She glanced at Riwet who had unsheathed his knife and held it with his left hand. He saw Silica's frightened face and quickly sheathed his knife, before shaking his head and completely storing it in his inventory. "I'm sorry for startling you…" He apologized.

"N-no, it's fine, but...why were they eavesdropping...?" Silica asked.

"I don't really know...but I've learned that there's simply a lot of people who just can't resist spying on others." Riwet shrugged. "Don't worry. I've had my fair share of these types of people, so I was able to drive them off before they were able to hear anything." He assured her.

"Now…where were we…? Riwet trailed off as he sat on the chair and looked at the holographic map. His eyes widened as he realized something. "Oh...uh...I forgot that I have to send a little message. Could you wait for a bit?" He asked. Silica nodded. "Thank you. It'll only take a moment." He said as he closed the Mirage Sphere and turned the chair around as he started typing his message.

Silica laid on his bed, feeling warm and comfortable as she remembered a nostalgic memory. Her father was a reporter, and he was always in front of a computer, typing something with a serious expression. She liked to watch his back as he did that.

She felt her eyelids become heavy as fatigue once again washed over her. Unable to resist, her eyes closed on their own and she sighed softly.

***
Changing Perspective: Riwet
***

To:Argo

10 Drunk Ape Clubs and 5 Drunk Ape Fur pieces collected. Something came up, so I won't be able to deliver it early. I'll hand it over to you on the given deadline - two days from now. Also, I don't need to sell the following items: Silverthread Armor, Moon Blazer, Fairy Boots, and Florit Belt. You can take it off the list. I'll see you soon.

Aaaand...Send. Keeping my Menu open, I waited for a few minutes, and then she replied and confirmed my mail. Satisfied, I closed my Menu and turned around.

"Sorry about that, Sil-" As soon as I faced her, I shut my mouth.

Silica was asleep in my bed.

I quietly stored my Mirage Sphere and scratched the back of my head. I looked at her for a moment. She shifted a bit, and I realized that she was shivering slightly. She forgot to pull the blanket over her upper body.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself as I slowly and carefully draped the blanket over her shaking shoulders. She didn't wake up, only unconsciously smiling as she clutched the warm blanket. I backed away and looked at her again.

The poor girl had a hell of a night. She got lost in a forest at night, lost her friend, got stuck with a weirdo, and got heckled by bastards. I should probably just let her sleep on my bed. But I can't get inside her room unless I send a request to her, and she's fast asleep right now.

Well, time to sleep on the floor. I opened my Player Menu and placed a Sleeping Mat on the floor perpendicular to the bed, along with a pillow and a blanket. My usual sleeping time is 3-4 hours on average, but I'll sleep for 7 hours tonight. Don't wanna screw up tomorrow's mission.

However, before I was able to lay down, Silica started shivering again. I walked closer to her and got a bit worried.

She was crying.

"Pina...no…" She whimpered, her shoulders shaking.

Damn. She couldn't catch a damn break even though she was sleeping. I should do something, but what…?...I have an idea, but I'm not too sure about it….

"Please...no…don't leave me..." Alright, that's the last straw.

I walked over to her and knelt. I gently patted her head, taking care not to ruffle her hair too much. I saw it in an anime once, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I won't have any excuse if she woke up, but at the very least she'll be out of her nightmare.

A few seconds later, it seemed to have worked. Her shoulders stopped shaking, and her frightened expression melted into a gentle smile. Oh, thank goodness. I'll keep patting her head for a few more minutes, just to be sure.

I took a close look at her face, carefully wiping the tears off the edges of her eyes as I continued patting her. I'm lucky that I very rarely had nightmares about the shit I had to deal with.

I never really knew what drove me to help her. Was it because she was cute? Maybe. Was it because I just happened to be there when she needed somebody, and it feels good to be needed? Probably…

Still, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I knew her from before. I felt like somewhere, somehow, this girl had inspired me. If that was the case, I probably owe her an apology for forgetting about her, but since she didn't recall me either, I'm not really sure of what to say…

"Mn…" Her satisfied sigh broke me out of my thoughts. I checked the time...huh... I've been patting her head for half an hour now, but it only felt like a few minutes. Did some supernatural entity, like, erase time or accelerate it, or something?

I slowly pulled my hand away, but I soon as I did this, Silica reacted. "Ah…" She made a small, discontented mewling sound. I placed my hand back and patted her head. "Ehehe~" Oh wow, she actually giggled.

After a few minutes, I pulled my hand away. "Ah…" I placed my hand back. "Ehehe~" While it was fun watching her react, she'd probably wake up if I keep messing with her. I continued patting her for half an hour and by then, she finally stayed smiling even after I removed my hand.

…

…

...is it just me, or is she drooling a bit…?

…

...

Cute…

…

Wait, what the hell am I doing?

Shaking my head, I slowly stood up and stretched, a bit surprised that my legs didn't hurt even after I kneeled for almost an hour.

After double checking that the door was locked, I laid on the mat, placing my head on the pillow. As I relaxed, I looked at my hand. I remembered Silica's smile as she held my hand and comforted me.

…

Wow...uh...it's gotten a bit hot…

I unburied myself from the blanket, placing it just below my armpit. I faced away from Silica and stared absently at the door. Before I fell asleep, I looked behind me and checked on Silica one last time. She was still comfortably sleeping.

Satisfied, I turned back around. "Sleep tight." I muttered before I closed my eyes and slept.

***
Loading...Complete
Changing Perspective: Third Person
***

Silica woke up to her alarm that sounded in her ear, set to wake her up at 7 am.

She pushed the blanket to the side and sat up, yawning as she stretched. It was usually hard for her to get up in the mornings, but today she felt refreshed, her fatigue and anxiety seemingly washed away by the deep sleep.

Silica was just about to get off the bed when she realized that there was another person in the room. She froze, her half-asleep mind going into overdrive as she tried to recall what happened last night, only for her mind to perform a screeching halt as she fully remembered.

She fell asleep in Riwet's room...she fell asleep on Riwet's bed.

Her face was burning hot. It seemed that Riwet let her sleep and just decided to take out a mat and sleep there on the floor. Silica groaned as she covered her body with the blanket out of embarrassment.

After calming herself down, she got off the bed and silently walked over to Riwet.

His sleeping face had the same neutral expression he usually had, but his posture was what made Silica smile. His arms were wrapped around the pillow while his head was hunched downward, simultaneously laying his head on the pillow while hugging it.

It was fun watching him, but they should get going. She got closer to him and was about to reach over and grab his shoulder when he stirred and his eyes flickered. Half-asleep, he rolled over to face her and he stared at her dreamily. Her face erupted again and she quickly retreated into the bed. "G-g-good morning!" She stammered.

His eyes widened and he sat up abruptly. "Oh...uhh...yeah. Good morning." He replied as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I thought of waking you up, but you were fast asleep, and I couldn't enter your room, so I made myself comfortable here. Sorry about that."

Silica quickly waved her hand. "N-no. I should be the one apologizing. I-I'm sorry for using your bed."

"Did you get enough sleep?."

"Y-yes, I feel really refreshed."

"Th...that's...that's good." Riwet muttered, lightly scratching his face with his finger, blushing slightly as he looked away.

"...?" Silica tilted her head.

"It's nothing." Riwet said as he stood up and stretched. He then opened his Player Menu and stored the sleeping mat. "Let's get ready."

"Okay." Silica nodded.

Silica exited his room and went back to her room to change. She equipped the clothes that Riwet gave her. In SAO, most of the equipment had two different designs to cater to the different genders and automatically adjusted its size to fit the player. Of course, players could choose to wear the design tailored for the other gender, and there were also clothing and equipment that were unique to each gender.

Silica exited the room and met up with Riwet who was standing in front of his door. "All done?" He asked.

"Yes!" She replied. "So...h-how do I look?" She asked meekly. She was wearing a red robe that exposed part of her shoulders, a short black skirt, fingerless red gloves and shoes with long black socks. The Ebon Dagger was holstered behind her waist.

"Yeah. Looks good." He stated. "But are you comfortable jumping around on that? I've looked into it, and a lot the monsters that we'll be fighting on our way to the revival flower have appendages that would wrap around players and swing them around or hang them upside down." He explained.

"...please wait for a minute." Silica requested as she went back into her room and wore a pair of shorts underneath her skirt. She hadn't really thought about it since her previous clothes didn't have a skirt, just a simple pair of knee-length shorts. She exited her room. "Okay, I'm ready. For real this time." She said to Riwet.

"Alright. Let's get something to eat." He concluded. The two of them smiled at each other.

It was bright outside when they went downstairs for breakfast. After that, they resupplied their healing items at the NPC shop right next to the pavilion. The two headed for the teleport gate and reached it without running into anyone who wanted Silica in their party.

"Hang on, let me double check our destination…" Riwet said as he accessed his Player Menu. "Hmm...okay. The destination's called Floria, alright?" Silica nodded. "Alright then. Teleport! Floria!"

As soon as he said this, a bright light covered them. She felt that she was moving vertically, not unlike how she usually feels when she rides an elevator. After a few seconds, the sensation of movement stopped and the light dissipated.

"Wah~" Silica gasped cheerfully. Aside from four paths that connected to the other parts of the city, Floria's Teleport area was filled with flowers of all shapes and colors. Flower petals also littered the ground and flew with the wind. "Amazing…"

"Yeah. It didn't really show in the Mirage Sphere, but this whole floor's covered with flowers." Riwet said.

Silica smiled as she ran towards a nearby flower bed. She crouched down and looked at the bluish flowers, and giggled as a ladybug flew off from one of the leaves. She followed it with her eyes as it flew onto the horizon, where she saw that a lot of people were lounging and slowly walking. She realized that most of the people here were couples, happily conversing with each other as they held hands or linked arms. Well, it was not hard to figure out that such a beautiful Floor would be frequented by couples.

Silica turned her head and looked up at Riwet before quickly turning her head back, a blush forming quickly on her face. She looked at the couples again. They look so happy... I wonder if...Riwet-san and I were to...be a c-c-co-cou-coup-p-p-p...would we look like that...?

"Silica?" Riwet asked thoughtlessly from behind her.

"Y-yesh?!" She started, standing up and abruptly turning around to face him and trying hard to hide her blush by looking down and slapping the dust off her clothes.

"Are you nervous...?" He asked.

Huh? Huuuh?! A-awawawawa….Her mind raced as she peeked at his face through her bangs.

"If you want, I'll go somewhere while you calm down." Riwet suggested. "I could see why you're nervous. We're about to fight monsters 12 Floors above, after all."

"Eh?! N-no, no! No need for that!" She replied, taking a series of slow breaths. He had probably noticed that something was bothering her, but didn't exactly know what. She felt mostly relieved, but a tiny bit...disappointed. Well, only a tiny bit. Miniscule, even.

…

"Haah…" She sighed silently.

"Well, if you say so…" Riwet pointed to the horizon. "The Hill of Memories is over there. Let's go." Silica nodded and they walked side by side. "We're all set on potions, right?" She nodded. "What about Teleport and Healing Crystals? Do you have enough?"

She opened her Player Menu to check. "Um...I have about 5 Teleport crystals and 10 25% Crystals in my inventory. Oh, and also one 50% Crystal." She replied. Healing Crystals were classified by the percentage of max HP they replenished. 25% Healing Crystals were the most used item by mid-level players due to its cost-effectiveness, and even then, they were quite expensive. The other crystals with higher percentage health heals were considerably more expensive, but will be much more affordable when players increase their level and grow strong enough to farm Col at the higher Floors.

"Hmm...here. Take it and don't hesitate to use it the first chance you get when things go belly up." He said as he handed her a Healing Crystal that could heal 80% of her maximum HP.

"But…" Silica muttered.

"Since we have three days anyway, there's no harm in teleporting away. But you probably want Pina revived ASAP. This," he looked at the crystal, "is plan B. Plan C is that we teleport back and try again. Honestly, I'm confident that we'll get there on our first try, but no harm in being careful."

"Okay…thank you."

They slowly made their way towards the city gates. Silica would sometimes peek at Riwet's direction. He had a laid back look on his face as he looked at the city and occasionally looking at the flowers. She also caught him sneaking a look at her, though he quickly and nonchalantly looked away.

After a few moments, Silica opened her mouth. "'Um, Riwet-san."

"Yeah?"

"S-so...why are you helping me? Why are you doing this for me?" Silica asked once again. While she was grateful for the help and relieved that Riwet turned out to be a nice person, she still didn't know why he was helping her.

Riwet's pace slowed down as he contemplated. "A couple of reasons. Part of it is that, well...I could help. Simple as that. Another part of it is because...once in a while, it feels good to help and know that you're needed." He looked away. "Sorry. I really don't have any particular reason. I just...felt like it…sorry..." he concluded apologetically.

Silica ran forward, turned around to face him, and stopped in front of him. "Whatever your reason is, you've already helped me so much. Please...don't apologize…" She smiled at him.

Riwet smiled back at her. "Man, that's the second time you've cheered me up. Thank you, Silica." Their smiles widened as they looked at each other for a moment, and they continued on their way.

"Alright, we're in hostile territory now." Riwet declared the moment they left the safety of the city. "Let's keep our eyes peeled." He said as he diligently scanned the area around them while they walked.

Silica nodded, reaching out behind her making sure that her Ebon Knife was equipped as she held its handle for a few seconds.

After a few minutes, Riwet spotted an enemy. "Enemy! behind us!" He said as he spun around and brandished his glaive.

Silica turned around, but she didn't see anything until it was too late. Two tentacles shot out towards them and wrapped themselves onto Silica's ankles. She lost her balance as the tentacles lifted her up and pulled her.

"SILICA!" Riwet shouted as his hand shot out and tried to reach her. Silica twisted her body and tried to reach him back, but he was too far, only able to touch her fingertips as she was lifted high up in the air.

A monster called the Garish Gerbera emerged from the ground, walking menacingly towards them. It resembled a giant sunflower, with green petals around its head. It had two vines that sprouted from either side of its body, which it was using to constrict Silica. It used its numerous roots to stand up and walk.

The monster lifted Silica up and placed her directly above it. Then, its jaw opened, revealing a giant mouth and several teeth. Strings of saliva hung from the walls of its mouth.

Its vines lowered Silica. It was going to swallow her whole.

"Hyi-" She froze as a scream formed in her throat. "NOOOO! R-Riwet-saan!"

"Silica! Don't panic! It's actually pretty weak! Stay calm and start slashing!" Riwet explained loudly.

"O-OKAY! Okay! Okay...fuuu…" Silica took deep breaths and calmed herself down. "That's enough!" She grabbed onto one of the vines and sliced it off, and did the same thing to the other one. She fell directly above the monster's head as it slumped forward in pain, exposing a vulnerable spot at the top of its head. She activated a Weapon Skill mid-air and slammed it into the weak spot. The Garish Gerbera exploded from its head down, and Silica landed lightly amidst the particles, her HP - and dignity, thanks to her shorts - left intact. "I did it...I did it!" She hopped excitedly and turned around to face Riwet. "I did it!"

"See, I told you that you could do it!" Riwet remarked. As Silica began dusting herself, he pointed at the top of her head. "You got a flower petal stuck on your hair."

"Where? Here…?" She asked as she brushed the side of her hair.

"No, a bit more to the front...hang on, I got it." He approached her and brushed the petal off her hair.

She froze at the sudden physical contact, her face turning hot. She was relieved that it was only for a split second…

...or so she thought, as Riwet was actually patting her head.

Wh...Wh...Wh...Wh...Wh...Her mind was on loop trying to comprehend the situation, and she swore that her face was steaming.

However, after what felt like a minute, she began to feel comfortable. It was strangely nostalgic, making her feel warm and at ease. Despite herself, she unconsciously raised her head slightly and let out a satisfied giggle. "Ehehe~"

At that moment, Riwet's hand stopped. Their eyes met and they stared blankly at each other. Then, their minds caught up to what they were actually doing, and they separated from each other in the blink of an eye. Silica, her face as red as her clothes, hung her head down and held her hands close to her mouth. Riwet, equally flustered, covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked to the side.

"..." Without raising her head, she looked up at him meekly through the gaps of her bangs.

"..." Coincidentally, his eyes moved to look at her.

"!" Their eyes met for a split second. "~~~" They broke eye contact and looked away, their faces becoming even redder.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Um…." Riwet started.

"..." Silica peeked at him. He was still looking away.

"So…"

"..."

"I...I think I got the petal off…"

"Y-yes...I think you did…"

"..."

"..."

"...pfft." Silica blocked her mouth with her hand, but she couldn't stop giggling. "Hehe...hehehe~"

"...heh." Riwet let out a chuckle as he moved his hand away from his mouth.

They continued to giggle softly for a few seconds. Goodness...they could only act like idiots for so long before being unable to stop laughing at their own awkwardness.

"Alright! We're done with this part. Let's get a move on." Riwet said. Silica nodded enthusiastically.

They went through a few more battles with the monsters before they got comfortable and picked up the pace. The plant monsters were large and imposing, but Silica's determination and the Ebon Dagger's strength pulled her through, defeating the monsters with surprising ease.

However, now that she got a clear look at it, Riwet's strength was even more impressive. For the first few encounters, the glaive wielder stepped forward and wounded the monsters before jumping back and letting her finish it off. He was pretty fast considering that he was wearing armor, and even the quick stabs he did dealt considerable damage.

He had a balanced style of fighting that was as versatile as it was deadly. Only a few flashy moves, but also no glaring weaknesses and could adapt when needed.

They made it through the area and arrived at the top of the hill. In the distance, Silica could see a floating stone pedestal amidst the flower beds. They ran towards it and carefully examined the top of the rock.

As soon as she got close, the top of the pedestal glowed bright yellow. A small sprout grew from it, quickly growing larger. The top of the sprout broke away and revealed a white bud. It only took a few seconds for the plant to grow to its full size, and the bud finally opened into a flower. As the pedestal stopped glowing, seven petals folded outwards, revealing a glowing center.

"That's probably it. Go ahead, take it." Riwet said. Silica nodded and held the stem just below the flower. The plant's lower half disintegrated, and she was left with only the flower. She opened a window and the item's description. It was called the Pneuma Flower, and it was in the fact the item that could revive Pina. Further down the description were the steps she needed to take to activate it.

"Is that the item?" Riwet asked.

"Yes...yes…!" Silica was overjoyed as she held the flower to her chest. Her shoulders started shaking, relieved that could really bring Pina back.

She spent a few moments in silence, overwhelmed by happiness to do anything else but stand there and softly clutch the flower. She noticed that Riwet was patiently standing behind her and waiting for her to calm down. Finally, she turned to face him and smiled tearfully.

He returned the gesture with a smile of his own. "Let's head back. It's too risky to revive Pina here." Riwet suggested.

"Yes!" She nodded. They started to head back towards Floria. She really wanted to just use her teleport crystal, but she was in no immediate danger and didn't want to waste an expensive item when she could avoid it.

When they were about to cross a bridge, Riwet suddenly held his arm out and stopped Silica. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he looked forward and opened his mouth. "Why don't you come out and let me see your face?" He said out loud.

After a few seconds, a figure emerged from behind a tree on the area beyond the bridge. It was the red-headed spear wielder, Rosalia. "You have quite a high Scanning proficiency don't you, knight-san?" She sneered. When Riwet didn't respond, she looked over to Silica. "It seems that you have the Pneuma Flower. Congratulations. Now hand it over." She commanded.

"W-what?" Silica gasped and took a step back.

"Not gonna happen." Riwet stepped forward and shielded her. "You know, for an Orange Guild, that's pretty sloppy. Especially for the leader. Don't you agree, Rosalia-san of the Titan's Hand?"

Rosalia's eyes twitched and her expression hardened for a second.

In SAO, players who committed crimes have their cursors' color changed from the normal green to orange, indicating their criminal status. Guilds that consisted mostly of orange players were referred to as orange guilds.

"Um..but Rosalia-san's cursor...it's green…" Silica said.

"A common tactic between orange guilds is to have green players scout out potential targets and lure them out so that the orange players could ambush them." Riwet explained. to Silica. "I assume one of your lackeys were the ones that eavesdropped on us?"He addressed Rosalia.

Rosalia grinned sardonically. "Very good, knight-san~."

Silica looked at Rosalia, shocked and terrified. "Then...the reason she partied with us for the past two weeks was because…"

Rosalia looked at Silica, her grin widening. "I was checking out how strong the party was, and I was also waiting for them to collect loot before I take of them. In fact, I was supposed to take care of them today, but I was really looking forward to you, Silica." She licked her lips. "It was unfortunate that you left, but then you said you were getting a rare item. Pneuma Flowers sell pretty high these days~"

Rosalia glanced away from Silica and looked at Riwet as she shrugged. "You knew all that, and yet you still went with her. For being Silica's fan, you sure are tenacious. You don't even care that she's got you wrapped around her finger." She snickered.

Silica's face turned red at her insult, and her hand moved towards the hilt of her knife. Riwet stopped her. "I got this. Just be ready to Teleport." He turned to face Rosalia. "Actually, I was looking for you, Rosalia-san."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ten days ago, you attacked a guild called Silver Flags. After ambushing them, you left them for dead. Only the leader survived."

"Oh, those beggars. I remember them~"

"The leader went from Teleport Gate to Teleport Gate, trying to get someone to avenge them, but not kill you. And that's why I'm here."

Rosalia waved her hand dismissively. "You're even more of an idiot than I thought. What, do you help everyone who grovels in front of you? Why are you so serious? It's not like there's any proof that killing someone means that they die in real life. Besides, shouldn't you be worrying more about yourselves?"

On cue, ten more players emerged from the other trees. All of them were orange players, except for one - a spiky-haired player, likely the eavesdropper from yesterday. They all looked strong, equipped with flashy weapons and all kinds of accessories. Had Riwet not noticed the ambushing group, they would have been utterly surrounded.

Silica hid behind Riwet. "Th-there's too many of them…we should run…!"

"I told you, I got this. Just use that crystal when I tell you, alright?" He replied with a gentle smile. Then, he started walking towards Rosalia and her guild, his expression hardening. "So, you really believe that dying here has no consequence?" He said to Rosalia.

"Yeah, so?" The spear wielder replied.

"So why don't you slit your throat right here, and right now?" he asked, his tone cold. Everybody, including Silica, froze. She couldn't see what kind of facial expression he was making, but his harsh tone made her take half a step back. "You'll be free. Free from SAO. That's what you believe is gonna happen, right?

When Rosalia didn't respond, Riwet opened his mouth. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You damn hypocrite." It was the first time that Silica heard Riwet's voice be so cold.

Rosalia's eyes furrowed as she glared at the glaive wielder. "You don't understand anything! Do you have any idea-"

"No, I don't." Riwet cut her tirade short. "... I've little desire to argue ideologies any further. You've made your case quite clear." He stopped at the center of the bridge. "Let's just get this over with." He urged.

"If you insist." Rosalia smiled evilly, then pointed at him. "KILL HIM!"

"No! Riwet-san!" Silica cried. However strong he may be, there was no way that he could survive being attacked by those nine players.

"Riwet…?" One of the bandits muttered. "Rosalia-san! I've heard of this player! He's a clearer!"

Rosalia panicked for a moment before composing herself. "Good! Think of how much rare items he's got stored in his inventory! Clearer or not, he's only one person!"

The players steeled themselves and readied their weapons.

"Run! Riwet-san…!" Silica desperately shouted, to no avail. Riwet just stood there, not even drawing his weapon.

The nine players activated their weapon skills and hit him consecutively. Riwet crossed his arms in front of him as his body jerked from the attacks. Tears fell from Silica's eyes, screaming at them to stop the carnage.

They actually stopped, but not because of Silica's pleas.

When the eighth player leaped to hit him with a Weapon kill, Riwet countered by kicking him away. Then, he intercepted the ninth player's attack by grabbing the player's sword by the blade and yanking it away from the player's hands.

The players jumped back while Rosalia, who was watching from afar, gaped at the sight.

Riwet threw the sword on the side as he rubbed his hand that caught it. Silica looked at his HP and saw that the damage dealt was miniscule. "Strike one. Try again?" He said as he looked at the players that surrounded him.

The players gritted their teeth and continued the assault, but this time, Riwet drew his knife and moved. He danced around their blades, parrying the ones that he couldn't dodge. This lasted for a couple of minutes before the orange players had to back away and catch their breath. Riwet's HP decreased by a sliver.

"Strike two." Riwet snorted. "Sorry, I forgot to activate Battle Healing." He snapped his fingers, and all of the damage he received was healed within a second. "You can try again, but I'll be on the offensive this time." He flicked his finger at the hilt of his glaive.

"W-what!? What the hell?!" One of the orange players shouted.

"My level and stats are high enough that I could shrug off whatever attacks you guys throw at me. Even if I unequip my armor and not move, I doubt that you could kill me. But I'm not crazy enough to do that, and I don't have that much time to waste."

"Is that even possible? How the hell is that fair?!"

"You expect a Clearer, who can tank hits from boss monsters at the front lines, could die from this?" Riwet shook his head as he sheathed his knife.

He opened his Player Menu and took out a crystal. It was similar to a Teleport Crystal, but it was larger and had a darker shade of blue. "The Silver Flags' guild leader spent all of his Col to buy this Corridor Crystal. The destination's set to the prison area of the Black Iron Castle. The Army is gonna take it from there. You're all going to be teleported there."

Rosalia smiled confidently. "And what if we don't want to?" She said, thinking that he was bluffing.

"That depends. You'd be surprised of how many limbs a player could lose but still live." He replied. Rosalia's face froze. Riwet chuckled. "Relax, I'm kidding." His smile disappeared. "Or am I? Keep in mind that I haven't just been dumping stat points on defense, and my patience is running out." He explained. "I've also got some knives coated with Paralyzing poison. They're non-lethal and designed to capture weaker monsters, so you could say that I'm using it as intended." He exhaled sharply. "There you have it. If you surrender and walk in, nobody gets hurt. If not, then expected to be hunted like dogs, and then be thrown there."

Rosalia quietly snaked her hand on her hip, drawing out a Teleport Crystal and raising it. Before she could use it, Riwet drew out a Throwing Knife and threw it at her. It hit the crystal and knocked it off her hands, landing on the ground and dissipating into particles.

He looked at Rosalia, and then at the players around him as he raised the crystal high. "Corridor open." The crystal shattered and a portal appeared a few feet behind him. "Of course, you can try to run. You might even get away. I can also pull some strings and have bounty hunters hound you for the rest of your lives. By all means, push your luck and see how far that takes you." He warned, fully drawing his glaive out.

One by one, the players slowly walked into the portal. The only one left was Rosalia, who aimed her spear at Riwet. "You can't force me to go there. If you hurt me, you'll turn orange."

"By all means, push your luck and see how far that takes you." he repeated, more forceful this time.

"Tch…" Her face soured as she glared back. "Dammit!" She lowered her spear and quickly went to the portal. However, as she walked past Riwet, she tripped and fell forward on her face. Silica saw that Riwet silently stretched his foot so Rosalia would trip on it. He quickly retracted it as she fell.

In SAO, tripping over something or falling does not damage HP, unless it was over considerable distances, so his cursor didn't turn green. Just like in real life, it was considered rude to purposefully trip a person, but this system was put in place so that other players won't purposefully trip themselves on another person and give that person an orange cursor. However, the player who tripped them would get an orange cursor if the person who fell got severely damaged afterwards from a different source, so as to not encourage players from deliberately tripping others while in the heat of battle.

Rosalia pushed herself up and gave an accusing look at Riwet. "Don't hurt yourself." Riwet snickered.

She gritted her teeth, her face reddening as she reached for her spear. She stopped and eyed him. "Trying to taunt me into hitting you so I'll turn orange? What kind of idiot would-"

"The same kind of idiot who underestimated a Clearer like an idiot, got wrecked like an idiot, got her guild caught like an idiot, gets to go to prison with them like an idiot, and finally tripped and ate pavement like an idiot." Riwet sneered, mocking her by mimicking how she said the word.

Rosalia bared her teeth, her early composed attitude gone. "You..!"

Riwet clapped his hands and pointed to the portal. "Come on. Stop wasting my time and go to the portal."

The spear wielder swore under her breath and walked into the portal.

Just like that, the area was quiet. Only the subtle sounds of nature echoed throughout. Riwet put his weapons away and calmed himself down by silently looking at the sky.

Silica was unable to move, her mind wracked with emotion. Within a span of minutes, she was surprised that Rosalia was a criminal, afraid of the nine orange players about hurt them, relieved that they went away…

Riwet turned to face her. "Sorry you had to be in the middle of that." He muttered in a hushed tone as he smiled apologetically as. He composed himself and took a deep breath, but still didn't quite look at her direction. "Let's head back."

***
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The sun was setting by the time the two of them arrived at the 35th Floor Teleport Gate. They were quiet during the trip. Silica looked at Riwet. His expression was mostly neutral, but she saw that he was a bit sullen.

They arrived at the Weathercock Pavilion, and they went to the second floor and into Riwet's room.

As soon as Riwet closed the door, he turned to Silica and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry!"

"Wh-what?"

"As you've probably guessed, catching Rosalia was why I was at the 35th Floor...I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess."

Silica shook her head. "It's all right." She replied.

"Really?" He asked.

"Really."

Riwet straightened his head and sighed in relief. He noticed that Silica was staring at him. "...w-what's up?"

Silica had time to think while they were walking. Admittedly, she was a bit frightened by how Riwet dealt with the orange guild. His tone was cold, almost clinical, but also laden with malice towards Rosalia and the Titan's Hand.

Silica shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing." He did what he had to do. And in the end, he was able to intimidate them to surrender. "Now that you're done helping me...will you be leaving…?" She asked.

"Well...I've been out of the front lines for two days, so yeah." He replied.

She sat on his bed and stretched her hands. "The clears are really amazing. I probably could never be one, even if I tried…"

Riwet shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. A lot of us just started early, that's all. I'll be honest. Your level and stat numbers matter a lot. Having 101 HP against a 100 HP attack will make a difference, literally a matter of life and death. But as long as you keep fighting, you'll get there. There are things more important than stats. I'm sorry for this, but you remember yesterday night at the Forest of Wandering, right? The sensation of fighting for your life?"

"Yes…" Silica shivered.

"That's one of the more important things. Having the mental fortitude to withstand that frequently is an important strength not governed by numbers, which is doubly true when fighting the Floor Bosses. Some of the Clearers couldn't take that, and just elected to help by gathering materials for their guilds. Others just push on, and you can see the mental strain in their eyes…" He sighed. "You need to have something to fight for...though I personally don't exactly follow that advice…" He paused before looking at her straight in the eye. "So, can you handle that?" He asked as he gazed intently at her.

Silica thought hard, the question ringing heavily in her mind. A lot of mid-level players get a bad rap of only leveling up to stay in the average range, not bothering to level up high enough to join the Clearers. Admittedly, she was guilty of that, because she thought that that would be enough.

Until recently. Wherever you are, whatever level you might have, bad things will happen to you. Either by unfair circumstances or by your own hubris. Riwet saved her from a tragic end that she had brought upon herself. He was strong, and she desired to be as powerful as him. She vowed to be strong enough to protect herself and the ones she cared about, just like how he protected her.

She silently looked at him, and matched his gaze with the most determined one she could muster. She couldn't confidently say yes, since she still couldn't fathom being able to handle the constant fear of death. But if he assumed that she would just lie back out of danger and be at the mercy of SAO's whims, then he should damn well think otherwise.

His eyes widened for a split second, and his gaze softened before he looked away. "Sorry, got too serious there. I was about to wave it off and tell you that you don't have to answer right away, but then I saw the look on your eyes." He looked back at her with a friendly smile, and her gaze also softened. "That's a good look on your eyes. If you're hesitant about frequently brushing with death, don't worry too much about it. There's more than one way to help the frontlines. Just take your time, learn from both your successes and mistakes, and don't end up doing the things Rosalia and her guild did." He concluded.

Silica nodded, and he smiled. "Alright, enough of this serious talk. Let's revive Pina." He suggested.

"Okay!" Silica took out Pina's Heart and the Pneuma Flower. After carefully reading the instructions, she placed Pina's Heart on the table and tilted the flower towards it. A single droplet slid away from the flower's center, and she carefully let it drop into Pina's Heart.

After a flash of light, Pina appeared, fully resurrected. Silica observed her friend silently. She was fast asleep, her tail curled up and her wings drooped on itself as her chest rose and fell slightly.

She was overjoyed, almost believing that all of this was a dream. But it wasn't. As if in a trance, she walked over and caressed Pina's body. The dragon unconsciously purred. She stared at Pina's sky blue feathers and smiled. She really did it. They saved Pina.

She turned around and looked at Riwet. "Riwet-san, meet Pina." She introduced it.

Riwet came closer. "Oh wow. Haven't really faced them a lot before. Is it purring?" Silica nodded. "Man, it's like a cat with wings." He remarked.

Silica giggled. "Do you like cats, Riwet-san?"

"Yup. I plan to own one someday."

They made small talk for a few minutes. During that time, Pina had woken up and climbed onto Silica's shoulder, eyeing Riwet curiously. Riwet stretched his hand to try and pet her, and Pina stretched her tiny paws and touched his fingers. The two players giggled at the interaction

Eventually, the sun fell fully, and darkness overcame the 35th Floor. "Oops. Hang on for a second." Riwet said as he opened his Player Menu and sent a quick message. "I forgot to tell the leader of the Silver Flags that the deed's done." He rubbed his stomach. "I guess I should have dinner first before I go."

"I'll come with you." Silica spoke.

As they walked downwards and ate, Riwet opened his mouth. "Hey, Silica…"

"What is it, Riwet-san?" She asked.

"You can just call me Riwet. And, if it's okay with you…" He trailed off after sending her a friend invite.

She smiled and accepted. "Of course it's okay, Riwet-sa...Riwet."

"Awesome. Also, if you ever need any help, send a message my way, and I'll see what I can do, okay?"

She nodded, and they both continued eating.

***
Chapter End
***

A/N: ~13,000 words not counting the Author Notes. Just in time for the 1-year anniversary. Whooowee.I was tempted to split this into two chapters, but screw it. To those wondering, the average word count for each chapter is ~5,300 words before factoring chapter 14 and ~5,800 words after. I feel that ~3000 words are the minimum word count for a chapter (chapter 1 and 2 are around that range) and ~6000-7000 word chapters is what I think is my sweet spot, though I don't really get fatigued until ~8000 words. Numbers, amirite?

While we're here, some stats from you. Within a year, A Worthwhile Endeavor has been viewed by ~3100 people in total, in the favorites list of 18 people, and in the story alert list of 25 people. Thank you very much to all of you!

Other chapters might get the same treatment, but it depends. This took quite a bit out of me, and I was fortunate enough that Silica's debut chapter coincided with me getting free time. My schedule's gonna normalize soon, so the standard length and 30 day average is going to take effect for the next ones. Nevertheless, I'll see what I can do once the time comes.

In other news, did you like the cheese I made? The head pats, the blushing, and the cheerful smiling? Yeah. It's...a thing. All in all, I love the way this chapter turned out, from Silica tearing that Drunk Ape apart, to Riwet tripping Rosalia.

I apologize to the LN readers if I repeated some stuff that you already know, but some of the stuff were either omitted or only glossed over by the anime adaptation.

Lastly. I'll have to axe posting Riwet's possible death scenes for now. Hear me out for a sec. I started writing it, but it's not turning out like I hoped. I feel like I'm just mocking common Mary Sue traits and tropes by playing it up. And if I'm not playing it up, it's just bland and not fun to read.

Don't worry though. I still keep his possible deaths list in a notepad file. I just write a short snippet when a scene comes to mind. Here are some examples:

-Chapter 3 - Riwet dies to the Dire Wolves.

-Chapter 5 - Riwet dies to Illfang. No one remembers him.

-Chapter 9 - Riwet dies to Sobek while almost getting Kirito and Asuna killed.

-Chapter 13 - (This one was the one I was working on. I wasn't satisfied with the result, so I need to tweak it quite a bit. I'll probably be able to post it relatively soon, but don't expect much.)

I might work on them someday, but honestly, I'd rather just use the time to polish the actual chapters.

That's all for now. Thank you very much, and have a good one.