I charged up the steps, taking two at a time. Kirito had disappeared some time ago, the last sighting I had of him being of his coattail slinking behind a wall. Ahead of me, Argo's indicator continued advancing into the unmapped void.

For the past ten minutes or so we had been running, the path a gentle trail that was intermittently exposed to the canyon floor at our sides. From what I could see it seemed that we were running towards one of the pits Kirito had called an arena; were it not for his words just a little over an hour ago I would have been extremely worried about needing to perform an extraction in a dangerous situation.

"There are way too many damn stairs in this place," I grumbled, slowing to a crawl. With the top of the stair well in sight, I was mindful not to make much noise lest I give my position away. In the few moments I was able I could see the information broker, I gleaned that she was being pursued by two figures dressed in colored stereotypical ninja clothing. Considering that they had been pursuing her for this long, I didn't put it past them to use her as a hostage if I approached the situation poorly.

"That information, no matter how much you offer, is not for salE!" A huff escaped my lips. Though I had gotten used to it the first time around, it was still jarring to hear Argo's nasal inflection and the end of each of her sentences.

"You are not trying to monopolize the information, but neither do you wish to make it public? Are you merely waiting for an opportune moment to sell it an exorbitant price?!" To my novice ears, the livid voice seemed forcefully archaic.

"The price isn't the issuE! I just don't want to be blamed for what happens after I sell the informatioN!" I could hear the fear and rage intermixing on Argo's face, a fierce scowl directed at her pursuers.

"Why would we blame you? Regardless of the price, we would do nothing but express gratitude! So please, Lady Argo, sell us the information of the acquisition quest for the extra skill already!" Whether intentional or not, the two voices seemed to have fallen into a good cop, bad cop routine.

Acquisition quest? Extra skill?

I frowned, inching up another step. At this point in time, my body was sprawled out in a fairly awkward position, one that would allow me to shoot forward slightly faster than a simple crouch would.

"There is nothing we would not do to get that information! We have delayed for far too long!"

I tensed, my right hand reaching under my body to draw my blade. Before I could act, the sound of somebody landing from a height reached my ears.

"What? Who are you?!"

"A spy from a rival clan?!"

I slowly stood, moving into a kneeling stance. Kirito had made his grand entrance, his coat blowing gently in the wind as he stood protectively between Argo and the two ninja cosplayers. The calmness with which he spoke prevented me from hearing, though based on his movements he seemed to be unintentionally goading the two.

"It's Fūma!"

"We are Kotaru and Isuke from the guild Fūmaningun!"

Kirito snapped his fingers, a broad smile appearing on his face. With his next words, he once again donned the role of misunderstood hear, inciting a large amount of rage from the two.

"Bastard! Are you from Iga?!" The two ninja assumed a combative stance, their hands reaching for the curved blades on their backs. I let out a breath of annoyance, purposely making my measured steps as loud as possible.

"You wish he was from Iga. No, the Little One over there is with me. Now, if you could kindly step away? I would hate to have this come to violence." I gave them a cold smile, letting the muscles in my cheeks push slightly into my eyes.

"This is no place for a woman! Leave, before we teach you your place!" The one garbed in green turned towards me, keeping his body perpendicular to me and Kirito. Beside him, the one garbed in just as light a blue, inched towards Argo and her defender.

"You seem to misunderstand. That wasn't a request. That was an order." All amusement left my voice, the man flinching back with a jolt. I drew my dao from my left side, letting it hang loosely by my leg. "I have business with that woman over there, and you are in the way." In the back of my mind, I mused that perhaps a harsh demeanor wasn't the best of options, but I refused to let their sexist remark pass without a word.

"Asasaki, don't!" Kirito drew his weapon, extending a hand towards me.

"Don't worry about your auntie, kid! Just keep our broker safe!" I stalked towards the pretend ninja, stopping at around half the maximum distance of Reaver. "I shall ask again. Leave."

The one in blue reached towards his companion, pulling his roughly to whisper something in his head.

The green on jerked his arm away, releasing his grip on his weapon. "Fine. We shall get our information another time. But do not think this is over, information broker. We will come for you again." The two walked past me, their steps quickening when they met my gaze.

"You can be really scary sometimes, you know that?" Kirito's voice cracked part way, a strained smile on his face.

I sheathed my weapon, moving over to Kirito and Argo. "It's part of the job. To get the right responses, you eventually learned how to differentiate between a murderous scold and an emotionally breaking scold." I turned my gaze to my fellow blonde. "Sorry it took so long, Argo. You guys had a bit of a head start on us." I gave an apologetic smile and shrugged a single shoulder.

"Don't worry about iT. I'm just glad help arrived on timE." Argo brought a finger to her lips, looking between the two of us. "I supposed I do owe you, you especially Kii-bou." She nodded to herself, grinning brightly. "Very welL! One piece of any information, free of chargE!"

"I can take a rain check on that, right?" It would be nice to have something like that in a pinch. I might need to gather information on another group such as those ninja one day.

"Of coursE."

"So who were those two, Argo?" I asked. Beside me, Kirito folded his arms, his face screwing up in thought.

"500 coR," she immediately responded.

"Tsk. I'm curious, but not that badly." Argo laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. "They must have wanted something pretty impressive if they were chasing you down for ten minutes though."

"Argo. I'm using my free information. Tell me about the the acquisition quest you guys were talking about."

The whiskered woman shifted. "Kii-bou, I was serious about not wanting to be blamed for what happened."

"Then I promise not to blame you," he said immediately.

Shs sighed. "Very welL. But it would be easier to show yoU." The broker turned to look at me, a coy smile on her face. "You're welcome to join us, Miss DevelopeR. I have a feeling Kii-bou will end up telling you if I didn't invite yoU. Whether you decide to try it out or not I'll leave up to yoU."

"Ho? Have you decided to spread that tidbit about me?"

"Nope. You just need a nicknamE. If you want me to actually spread it then you'll need to pay the feE."

I grumbled. Eventually my joking would come back to bite me, but for the time being I couldn't bring myself to care too much. "So. Extra skills." I turned towards the straight sword user in our group, grabbing his attention. "Mind catching me up to speed while we go to wherever this place is?"

"I'm right here you, knoW." Argo shook her head and started walking, telling us to stick close.

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"This place is really out of the way," I muttered. The route we had taken was one that seemed completely random, a meandering route of twists and turns through underground rivers and cave systems before ending on a trek up an arduous mountain path fully exposed to a fall that grew greater with every step.

"Consider this part of your purchase, Kiri-bou," Argo said as we neared the top of the trail. "The way people found out about this quest, if they even came across it at all, was from an NPC on the seventh flooR. Those players from Fūmaningun would have likely heard about it from the beta, and ever since the public version of this world started they've been pestering me about the quesT."

"Couldn't you just say you didn't know or something to get them to shut up?" Kirito stopped beside me, staring out at the horizon. It was the complete opposite view from the one we had when we exited the stairwell connecting the first and second floor, being from the south instead of the north.

"Saying that even one time would lower my reputation the information brokeR,"

"So you decided to go the route of 'you know, but you refuse to sell it'. I can't argue with that, even if the result wasn't the best." I turned around, realizing that the place Argo brought us to was an oasis of sorts. A lone house, big enough for a single room at most, was situated between a single tree and a small pool of water. Small cliffs that seemed easily scalable surrounded the clearing, reinforcing the feeling of solitude.

"This is your last chance to back ouT. What happens afterwards will stay with you for the rest of your life, even if you hate it, so no blaming me for the resulT." Argo shuffled, keeping her back to us.

"Nice work on keeping that vague. I agree to your terms, Broker." I looked at Kirito, raising a brow when he took a while to respond.

"I promise I won't blame you for whatever happens here, Argo."

At the swordsman's words, the young adult brought us towards the house, motioning us inside. The room was spartan, containing nothing more than a single fur rug upon which an ancient man in a worn but sturdy gi meditating.

When he spoke his eyes remained closed, sounding every bit like the wise master he appeared to be. "You wish to be my disciples?"

"Yes," we said at the same time.

"Even though your training will be long and harsh?"

"Can't much worse than having giant stone creatures trying to turn me to dust," I cracking, sporting a sardonic grin.

The elder didn't respond, only standing up without a sound. He shuffled past us, leading us to an open space filled with boulders less than a minute away. "Your task is this: split any of these rock using naught but your hands. I shall teach you all I know when you are done."

Kirito tapped one of the stones. In a flashed he whirled around, mouth open. Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the NPC's words, the man pulling out a set of ink based writing instruments.

"Until you complete your task, you are forbidden from leaving this mountain. As such…" The man disappeared, a blur shooting towards Kirito. The image coalesced briefly into that of the elder, his right arm invisible from the shoulder up while his left held his ink pot steady. When he blurred again I leapt back, curious as to what his response be. "Good! But you must accept this mark if you wish for me to recognize your efforts."

My gaze travelled towards Kirito, a laugh dying in my mouth at his appearance. "I'm all for it, Master." I closed my eyes, the memory of having done this from the other side flowing through my mind. As fast as he was the elder was surprisingly gentle, his strokes elegantly flowing across my cheeks.

"Your markings will only fade when you complete your training. Good luck, my students." The old man returned the inkpot and brush to his shirt and shuffled towards his hut.

"Hm." I examined Kirito's face, wondering why it seemed so familiar. After several seconds, he finally spoke up, having ceased his shaking. His eyes remained closed, however.

"Argo… you accepted this quest back in the beta, didn't you? And you gave up on completing it. That's why you played with those whiskers, and it became part of your character, didn't it?"

"BingO! Excellent reasoning, Kiri-boU! For discovering why I still use these whiskers and finding out about the extra skill, I'll tell you one more thing, on the housE!" Argo leaned in closely, a mad grin adorning her face. "That rocK? It's a demoN."

Kirito let out a groan, clutching his head in his hands. "Are my whiskers similar to yours?" He queried when he eventually recovered.

"Nah, they're pretty differenT," she managed, holding a fist to her mouth.

I looked between the two, mentally comparing the difference in brush strokes. Where Argo's were thin and at the edges of her face, Kirito's were long and broad, extending across his cheeks.

"What do they look like?" He asked hesitantly.

I snapped my fingers, recalling a still functioning alarm clock that one of my uncles had given me as a birthday present long ago. "Doraemon! You look like Doraemon!" At my words Argo fell to the floor, exploding into a fit of laughter. "What do mine look like, Kirito?"

"Er, you look sort of like a cat? Maybe a fox? He drew yours pretty close to your nose, and they curve towards the end. "

I hummed, ignoring the still laughing Argo. "How about a bet, Kirito?" I chose a rock at random and rapped it with my knuckles. "Whoever breaks their rock first gets a favor from the other person that can be cashed in at any time."

My words seemed to pump Kirito up, the male forgetting about the comical markings on his face. "If that's the case, are you sure you can keep up Granny?"

I snorted. "This granny can still beat you in more ways than you've been alive." I threw a lazy punch at the boulder, focusing on the health gauge. "Scan sounds pretty nice right about now. I know I dealt some damage to that thing, but the gauge doesn't look like it even moved a pixel." The sound of flesh hitting stone started ringing out, Kirito assuming a stance that could charitably be referred to as a boxer's.

"Ahh~ That was a nice laugH. Let me know how it goes, you twO." The woman let out an amused sigh, waving as she started walking away.

I glanced over at my companion, deciding that if his form stayed the same by sundown I would guide him on how to improve it.

In the meantime,

I settled into the ground, lowering myself in a horse stance.

A shame I won't get any calluses out of this.

Knk.

I wouldn't mind seeing how hard my knuckles got after punching at a rock long enough to break it in two.

Knk.

Guess there's nothing that can be done for it.

Knk.

Oh man, my body's going to be completely useless when I get out here.

In the end it took Kirito and me around three days to break our rocks, with myself being faster than him by an hour or two. In that time, I found myself discovering that my previous limits had been shattered, something Kirito attributed to my stats. On the second day I had lost myself in my thoughts, entering a state of meditation that lasted several hours while my body chipped away at the rock punch after endless punch. When I awoke from my thoughts, Kirito expressed a great deal of concern, something that failed to disappear in his body language even after I explained the situation .

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I weaved my newly learned «Shoulder Barge» between each of my strikes, steadily increasing the total «Post Motion» I would suffer once I stopped moving. Though it wasn't a full gain, Kirito and I estimated that the length of time was reduced by less than 50%. With most of the skills we had access to, it was only tenths of a second that I was stacking, but with the amount of moves I was chaining it often ended up into two seconds or longer. I finished the combo off with «Comet Cannon», the upgrade of «Reaver» carrying me past the «Trembling Ox». I closed my eyes, urging my body to move from its finishing position as soon as possible.

"Hraah!" Out of all of Furinkazan, only Kunimitzz had picked up the aggression drawing skill «Howl». With the ability to forcibly cause monsters to change their targeting, we were able to be much more liberal with our attacks, trusting in the raven haired halberd user to keep our aggressors off us. When I was finally able to move three seconds later, I turned around to watch the assault of my allies.

Accompanying me on this trip were Choryu, Kunimitzz, and Klein, the other four taking the day to handle the fetch quests in «Urbus». Normally the bane of any player's existence (according to Klein and Issin), city based quests in this world seemed specifically designed to show the player the most readily accessible services as well as allowing them to complete their map if they chose not to buy the information from an NPC.

The rewards from said quests weren't great, and in most cases you were better off spending the time fighting monsters instead, but if you wanted to enjoy your time instead of spending it in combat then it was a good alternative. After another improvised combo, this one incorporating the usage of the multitude of kicks at my disposal, the gargantuan ox shattered, a window appearing in front of all of us.

"Yes! Leveled up!" Klein performed a small dance, displaying a fluidity I never expected from him.

I dismissed the three «Trembling Hides» to my inventory and made my way over to the red head. "Klein? When are we planning on exploring the caves or western plain?"

"Maybe after another ox or two. As for the plains, Argo's guide says we shouldn't head out there until at least level 15 or so."

"Hm." I followed Klein's lead, moving to his left. At this point in time, a proper formation wasn't necessary aside from letting Kunimitzz lead; the monsters around here had a rather large targeting radius and without aggression drawing skills, the majority of players had to learn how to be a matador to avoid the first attack if they didn't outright run away. "How have things been in the city?" I asked.

"It's a mixed bag. Now that people know the information in Argo's guide books might not be up to date, there's a lot more precautions being taken whenever people head out. You were right about what you said though when we first got here. People seem pretty excited about every push towards the tower, even if they're mostly staying in the safe zones. Oh, by the way. There aren't any blacksmith NPC's in «Urbus» so we might have to use the warp gate to repair our gear back in «Town of Beginnings»."

"That sounds like an incredible hassle." I frowned. "That's a little odd that there aren't any blacksmiths around though. This place feels like it'd be perfect for that sort of business."

"Asasaki, you misheard me. I said NPC blacksmiths. There's a handful of players that picked up skills related to smithing. They're set up around the city along the main streets, but they're kind of hard to find and they usually have a line of some sort by the time you find them." Klein laid his hand on my head, patting me a few times.

"It's safe to do repairs, but trying to make upgrades or purchasing items might not be the best idea." Choryu looked up from his bestiary, marking his place with a finger. "There's not many merchants that really know what they're doing, so what you get out of it might have not be as good as it should be. Plus, you have to supply most of the materials yourself; most of the materials that

I hummed thoughtfully. "Makes me feel like we should wait a couple days before trying to see what the craftsmen can make." I tilted my head, staring off into the distance. "Another Ox is coming our way. What if we tried business plan with somebody? We offer excess materials and go to them for things we need, in exchange they give us reduced prices. We get weapons and maintenance for cheap, they gain much needed experience to level up. Win win, no?"

Possibly. I dunno about setting something like that permanently though. It'd be a shame to only use one person for forever." Klein paused, focusing on the shape on the horizon. "Hey, doesn't that thing look a little different from the other oxen?"

Choryu made a face, cupping his chin. "Scan can't get a lock on it from this far. We better get set up while we can." The three of us fell back, increasing the distance between us and our two hander.

"Oi, Klein. What's the suggested amount of people to take down one of those «Tremble Oxes»?" I forced a grin onto my face, the presence of the creature dawning on me.

"Four works if you have somebody to force aggro, but if you can use at least a full party you're better off so you can take them down quickly." Klein shifted his stance into one more suited for running, his face betraying any confidence he tried to show.

"Get ready!" Kunimitzz ran towards the cliffside, baring his weapon in front of him. The quadruped that was targeting us lacked the horns of all the other cows we fought before and was nearly twice as big, dwarfing even the rock seneschal we had encountered back near «Tolbana».

My eyes shot up to the gauge above its head, focusing on the"Klein, what's up with the indicator?! Every other monster I've seen was deep red!"

"The indicator changes based on level difference! Monsters higher than you have a darker color, while monsters weaker have a lighter!"

Kunimitzz let out a war cry, a torrent of light bursting out from him. The beast changed its focus onto the noiret, lowering its head to headbutt him.

"«Tembling Cow», level 14! 1425 hp! Working on weaknesses!"

"Should we even bother with weaknesses? It looks like we can just hack at it!" I launched myself onto its hind leg, taking a split second to orient myself before sprinting up onto its back. Even if the origins were the same, this world was truly different from reality. I doubted I could have managed to scale even halfway without the system assisting me.

My sword snaked out with every step as I approached its neck, scoring line upon line on its back. With Kuni's actions goading it, the bovine charged towards the wall, bashing its head against the wall with the halberd user nowhere in sight.

After several impunit strikes, the creature roared a moo, its bucking motions curving towards the wall. "Do all creatures do this?!" I sheathed my weapon, pulling it free from the corded bindings that kept it attached to my belt. Blade in hand, I leapt off the cow's back, briefly falling spread eagle before moving into landing properly. Even with the extended roll that my body innately performed, I wasn't exempt from any damage.

"This might take some time." Klein directed Kunimitzz back towards the center of the canyon. "Asasaki, try to hit the head next time."

I gave Klein a nod, running off to a better position. A few minutes later, I fell to the earth, the «Trembling Cow» shattering into fragments of data beneath me. I let out a reflexive grunt when I landed poorly, my health immediately dipping by 20%. "Starting to get real tired of all these giant monsters. When do we start getting to fight normal sized beings again like those goblins?"

"Apparently it's to help us get used to fighting in person, at least for those of us that aren't already used to it." Klein handed me a potion, giving me a look when I didn't immediately drink it. "Kirito said that humanoid enemies with a better AI start appearing on the third floor. Everything we meet up till then is meant to teach us stuff and can only use basic combos and attacks.."

I made a noise of understanding as I looked through my interface. "«Trembling Milk»? It's a boring naming convention, but I guess it makes sense. Would certainly make it easier for any guides to reference what items came from what monsters." My «Martial Arts» skill did the same, each of the names for the kick based moves utilizing a combination of an adjective and the kanji "getsu", meaning moon instead of month as I originally thought. The naming didn't always make sense either, in the case of «Water Moon» (a simple roundhouse) and «Crescent Moon» (a kick done during a backflip).

"How much «Trembling Milk» did you get?" Kunimitzz asked over his shoulder. "There's a restaurant in the northern part of «Urbus» that sells a dish called «Tremble Shortcake». You might be able to get some at a cheaper price if you can work something out."

"Two units," I responded. "Shame I don't have anything else that might be used in a pastry though. It'd be nice if I could get it for free." I flicked through my my inventory, droning at how nearly everything was enhancement materials.

"I heard that that cake is actually pretty expensive. Around triple the price of normal meals there." Choryu moved to my side, smiling when I met his gaze. "But apparently it's worth it since it's a full cake and not just a slice." At the dagger user's guidance, Kunimitzz took point, leading us towards a nearby cave system.

"I guess I'll go check it out when we get back to the city. What sort of monsters are we looking at, anyway?"

"Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. Fleshy worms, hard shelled beetles, ants the size of dogs. Apparently they drop a lot of weapons that you wouldn't expect and a variety of upgrade materials. I think it's going to be fun for me; I get to act like I'm in photography club." Choryu laughed, grinning fondly.

"Sounds like a hassle to me." I stretched my arms above my head, longing for the sense of cracking bones. "So long as any juices that come from their bodies don't linger on me, I'll be fine. Actually, I take that back. I don't particularly care. S'not like I haven't been in a worse situation."

"One of these days, Asasaki, we're sharing a drink and you're going to to tell me all about these stories of yours."

"No promises on them being pleasant though." I smiled back at Klein,refusing to let the dour memories ruin my mood, before looking off into the distance. Here at the front lines there existed a strong sense of hope; back in «Town of Beginnings», stories said that time was still frozen there, with many of its denizens still shambling around in a daze. It was my wish that they would break free from their shock soon, realizing that even if this was a prison was it still well equipped for our stay.

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I held my newest weapon above my head, tilting it in the sunlight. Similar to my «Steel Kopis» but with a gentler curve and more weight at the end, through looks alone it was deserving of the name «Armor Splitter». Wounds caused by the weapon persisted longer than normal as a muted red. Attacks that landed on the markings had their damage increased by what we had guessed to be 20% or so.

I had split off from the group when we arrived back in «Urbus», citing a desire to explore on my own after being directed where to pick up the latest copy of «Don't Worry, it's Argo's Second Floor Guide!». Argo had once told me that the title was her way to try and assuage those back on the first floor, giving them a sense that the world outside the safe zones wasn't as bad as they imagined.

"Oh. Kirito, Asuna-san. It's good to see you again." I waved my right hand in greeting, stepping up to the two. "Just get back from a hunt?" I asked.

Kirito nodded, glancing at his companion before speaking. "It's safer if we going out with a partner instead of solo. Plus there's still some things I need to teach her, so it's better this way."

"Asasaki-san, do you happen to know where a blacksmith is? We've been searching for the past couple of minutes, but we haven't had any luck."

"Haven't you been in the city longer than us? I feel like you should have learned were most stuff is by now." I tilted my head slightly and raised a brow in disappointment.

Asuna scoffed. "I mean a player blacksmith. Of course I know there aren't any NPC smiths around here. I'm not that stupid. I'm asking because the one I normally use is out collecting materials with their party right now."

"We can always try again later," Kirito interjected, moving his hands in a placating manner, "How about we go to a restaurant in the meantime? I'm feeling kind of hungry."

I jumped in remembrance. "Speaking of which, do you know which restaurant around here sells something called a «Tremble Shortcake»? I picked up an item that Klein said was rumored to be a component of the dish and I want to see if I can get one at a discount."

The black haired teen blinked owlishly. "I know the place. I'm kind of surprised that people know about it already though. It's a little out of the way."

I chuckled. "The story goes that there's a group trying to set up the tourist version of Argo's guide. They're also the kind of people that are eager about the latest scoop, if you catch my drift. I'd be careful if people start prying into your lives, you might just end up a celebrity in this world." I snorted and looked away when Kirito and Asuna grimaced simultaneously. "So where's this place again?"

"Kirito-san, I've decided. I want to go eat at this place with the cake. Asasaki-san, you welcome to join us if you'd like."

I forced a smile, deciding not to make mention of the insinuation. "That sounds lovely."

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For a city that was built directly out of the stone, the restaurant was surprisingly modern; In front of the wine rack, a counter was set up for people to sit at, numerous tables were laid out around the room with cushioned chairs situated around them, and lit chandeliers were interspaced along the ceiling. As usual, it was impossible to view the chefs in the process of cooking.

"You mentioned that you guys went hunting earlier. What were you looking for?" I asked, sitting beside Asuna. The staff was more than happy to give me a small discount on the dish, provided I gave the materials while I was there.

"Wind Wasps. They drop materials that I need to continue upgrading my «Wind Fleuret» so I challenged Kirito-san to a small competition when he decided to help me out." The teen in question let out a quiet sigh. "The first person to fifty kills owed the other lunch. I ended up winning." Asuna gave a V sign, turning her grin towards Kirito. "And I plan on fully enjoying myself."

"Whatever happened to 'not here to eat good food'?" He questioned.

"If I'm going to be spending hours upon hours of my day fighting, I might as well enjoy my down time. Oh right. Have you thought about picking up any support skills, Asasaki-san? I already picked up «Tailoring» and I've been making clothes for myself before I go to bed. I asked Kirito-san while we were out, but he said that it would be a waste of a skill slot." She puffed up her cheeks, giving him a half hearted glare. "Really, it's like all he thinks about is efficiency."

"Harry says it's call min-maxing," I commented. "You boost a set of stats as high as possible to achieve the best results. The theory is that by being so optimized, you make up for your deficiencies."

"I suppose." Asuna grumbled, looking at her hands.

"If I do pick up a support skill, it's probably going to be either cooking, tailoring, or an instrument of some sort. Back in «Town of Beginnings» some of the NPC's could give small buffs if you listened long enough and I'm curious as to whether I anything I learn in here would transfer to the real world."

"Really? That's news to me. I wonder if you could weaponize that and become a bard." Kirito stared at the ceiling in thought .

"A what?" Asuna asked, snapping Kirito from his reverie.

"A bard. A character class in some games that help in battle by actively applying buffs though music and can also supply some damage. I'm how effective it would be, but there's probably going to be somebody who would try that out."

"I don't think what you're imagining would be possible. You have to stay sitting for at least a minute or two to get the buff, after all." I hummed, a thought coming to mind. "What if there was a bit of a festival or celebration before the clearing groups went off to battle?" I proposed. "There could be a band that supplies a variety of buffs before they headed off? Or even joined up with the clearers and supplied new ones at every safe zone?"

Kirito smiled broadly. "It's a nice idea. I certainly wouldn't mind being sent off to battle by a group musicians."

"Enough talk of work you two. Food's here." Asuna beamed at the dishes the waiter brought, her eyes twinkling with delight.

As Kirito had mentioned when we first arrived on this floor, the majority of the food was cow based, similar to how the first floor had numerous pork dishes. There was also a surprising variety of vegetables here, something Kirito suggested was just a stylistic choice.

"Have you met with Agil-san yet, Asasaki-san?" The redhead asked as we finished our meal.

I shook my head in denial. "I'm actually supposed to meet with him later tonight. We're going to check out a cave network that was discovered today."

"Really? Where's that at? I might know what you're talking about."

"A bit of a ways southeast of here." I told Kirito. "The group that found it had to turn back because they ran out of supplies on the way there, but hopefully with the way Agil's party should be set up we can make it without any difficulties."

"Wait, you said tonight? Isn't that dangerous?"

"We'll be spending the night at the safe zone there. Plus, they're all level 14 and managed to get their hands on some forged equipment. They want to see how they'll fare against the monsters so it's not like we'll be unprepared for it. I'm not really sure why a dungeon of all places, but I'm not really complaining. I'm behind the curve as it is." I made a questioning sound in the back of my throat. "Honestly, it might have something to do with keeping my attention diverted so I'll answer truthfully."

"Truthfully? What, is he interrogating you?" Kirito joked.

"Potentially. I wasn't exactly kind to him when we met back in Illfang's room. I'm sure he has a couple questions for me." Their expressions fell, remembering exactly how I had been acting at the time.

"Asasaki-san, if you don't mind me asking, what was that about?"

I popped a strip of my dried fruit into my mouth, swallowing before I spoke. "There's been a decent amount of deaths near me the past year or so. Nearly all of them have been my fault and in the heat of the situation I guess my mind reverted back to the primal state I needed to survive those situations. Can't say I'm proud of what I've done, but if it kept me alive I won't complain."

"Asasaki," Kirito did his best to meet my gaze, settling for looking in my general direction. "Have you killed before?"

I made a point of enjoying my next bite, slowly peeling it off and popping it into my mouth. "Yes. And it gets both harder and easier after every time. It's best if you can't actually see your target; if all you're dealing with is just a figure or something you can't humanize. It's actually a really good thing all the enemies so far are actual monsters or gargantuan variants of real life creatures. It's a good primer to get people used to fighting."

I looked at the two teen, a pang of guilt shooting through me. "Sorry. That was in poor taste. What do you two plan on doing after this? You mentioned something about upgrading your gear?"

"Yeah. We have to hunt down a blacksmith though; the only NPC's in «Urbus» related to equipment are crafters that work with leather. By the way, can you give this to Agil when you meet him?" Kirito traded over a set of equipment called «Mighty Straps of Leather». "I'd use it myself, but when you equip it it's a little," Kirito trailed off, looking for the right word. "Showy."

Asuna's gaze slowly turned towards the male, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Didn't you try to get me to wear that?" She demanded.

"That was before I remembered what it looked like, I swear!" Kirito waved his hands frantically, trying to dispel her rage.

"You two make good partners." I smiled. "And I mean that in a complementary way, so go ahead and calm down." I chuckled at the looks of rage and embarrassment they sported. "Looks like it's time for dessert.

"Oh my gosh! That looks delicious!" Asuna gushed over the cake, a circle of halved strawberries resting atop the layer of white cream.

"It's the specialty of this floor. You can't pick it up anywhere else."

I hummed a little ditty in the back of my throat, eager to try out the confectionery. "You didn't get one for yourself, Kirito?" I asked, realizing only Asuna and I had a plate.

"It's pretty expensive, and since Asuna-san has me paying for her, I decided not to get one for myself. I'm a little surprised you managed to get it sliced though; I don't remember that being around in the beta."

"Guess it's just another one of those things that they changed. When I asked them if they could just serve me a slice and pack the rest in a to go box they were more than happy to." My mouth twitched upon the first bite. It wasn't bad per se, but there was a limit to how much sweetness I could handle at any single time and the cake was pushing that to its limits.

"Not a fan of it, granny?"

"It's a little too sweet for me." I gave a strained smile, trying to hide exactly how badly it was effecting me.

"Really? I think it's perfect."

"It's probably your youth that's letting you eat that so quickly. I think I'm going to end up having to share this with Klein and the others." I took another spoonful of the desert, just to make it worthwhile, before pushing it towards Kirito. "You mind finishing the rest of it for me?" I pulled open my inventory without double checking, effectively forcing the teen to accept.

You get messy way too easily.

I tapped the 'sort' button for my second through fourth inventory boxes, still using the first for the things I had equipped or deemed vital for combat. "Any complaints if I follow you guys on trying to find a blacksmith? I'd like to try and upgrade my «Armor Splitter» before I head off."

"Not at all, Asasaki-san. With three people, we might be able to find somebody sooner." I stared at Asuna's plate, brow furrowing when I realized she had eaten half of it already.

"Hopefully we get lucky and find it pretty soon. It looks like they added a «Luck» buff to the cake. It might improve your chances for successfully getting that fifth upgrade."

I closed out of my interface, looking up at Kirito. "Upgrades have a chance to fail?"

"Past the fourth one, at least. Even the ones below that can fail, but the chance for that happening is around 5% or less. Wasn't this is Argo's First Floor Guide?" He stared me at in confusion.

"I don't really read it," I admitted. "Between my own style of combat, Choryu and his «Scan» ability, and Harry's penchant to be a walking encyclopedia, I prefer discovering things on my own when I can."

"You know you're going to have to read up on that sort of thing eventually," he chided.

"Maybe. But it's not like the beta information extends throughout the entire game. You guys only managed to make it up to the tenth after all, so if I can shift my pattern recognition skills to the game now it'll be easier for me in the long run."

Asuna gave a breath of amusement, doing her best to sound disapproving but failing. "Some vacation, slacking off that badly."

"Hey, if all else fails I'm just going to say I'm on sabbatical. That's good for up to a year, so I can come back whenever I feel like." I thanked the NPC for bringing the box that contained the rest of my cake, leaving a few cor on the table as I rose. "Besides, I'm sure one day I'll get tired of just doing what I want to because I want to. Eventually I'll get to the front lines helping out with each push, or at the very least helping out Argo or Choryu with the Bestiary for each floor."

Kirito folded his arms. "Now that you mention it, I'm a little surprised Argo doesn't plan on getting that skill. Must be because she's not exactly a fighter, even if she can hold her own."

"On that note, a question." I held the door open for the two, letting them lead. "Why did you tell me not to fight that day?"

Asuna looked between the two of us in confusion, a wordless question on her lips.

"If you attack another player without being in a duel, the first person to land an attack of any sort, even against a parry or block, has their indicator changed from green to orange. If it's just an attack, your cursor will change back to green after a couple hours, but if you kill somebody then it permanently becomes orange, same thing for the fifth infraction. I'm sure there's a quest or item that can revert it, but it'd probably be a long and troublesome thing. Also, you can't get inside cities or most safe zones if you're an Orange Player."

"Huh. I guess that's why those two Fūma ninja decided not to attack. It'd be a pain to make it to the second floor and then be locked out of the first city on the day it was opened." I dismissed the cake to my inventory, raising my thumb and pinky to ear. "I'm going to take a look around from the rooftops. Message me if you guys get lucky, okay?"

"We'll check the south side of the city. Good luck!" Kirito called out as I left.

{ } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { } - { }

Instinctively, I knew what I was about to do was impossible. Consciously, I knew that I was more than capable of running up to the top of the spire. I'd done it before on the cows out in the fields after all.

From my impromptu roost atop one of the towers near the center of «Urbus», the roads spread before me like the strands of a spider web. In the four days since we had activated the warp gate, «Urbus» had exploded into a den of activity, significantly more than how «Tolbana» was.

All around the city, people milled about their business. Those who fought in full or partial armor, while those that didn't stayed in regular clothing. There was a clear divide who was who, but that didn't stop a significant portion of the inhabitants from intermingling.

#We're still good for this evening, right?#

I responded to Agil's message quickly, taking another look over the roads to plot a course. "Klein mentioned that they can only set up along the main roads, didn't he?" I took a half step back before launching myself off the roof. Regardless of whether I failed my landing due to the numbers that dictated the upper limit of my abilities, I wouldn't suffer and damage thanks to the «Safe Zone» settings in place.

Ordinarily, running across rooftops would require them to be spaced close together, or for the building you were leaping to to be lower than your launch point, but with the amount of points I had put into dexterity (and possibly strength) I was able to make every single jumped, even when cross a road. After a few minutes, the familiar sound of clanging metal reached my ears, echoing up the streets.

I followed the sound along the rooftops, guided towards the north eastern section of «Urbus». When I landed, I noticed a despondent man in plate armor being led away, his helmet a tri-horn piece that seemed more decorative than practical.

"He looks like he just got fired from his job," I remarked, turning to look at the surprised blacksmith. The nervous man stared me with wide eyes, furtively looking around. "What, haven't seen somebody leap off a building?" I grinned. "You'd think with those ninja running around it'd be a more common sight." I raised both hands into the air, shaking my head. "Oh well. Guess if you haven't noticed them then they're better than I thought." I pulled my «Armor Splitter» from its depressingly leather sheath. "Can you repair this for me? Oh, and upgrade it to +4 as well, with three points into Quickness and one into Sharpness, please. I should have all the materials needed, but let me know if I'm missing out on something."

The man, a few inches away from being worthy of the image the term fantasy dwarf would be bring to mind, stared at my offered weapon. "I haven't seen this weapon before," he said slowly. His expression morphed from one of poorly concealed anxiety to one of awe and joy.

"I picked it up today off some monsters in a cave. Still say it's weird that bugs and insects are dropping weapons." I shook my head once more, giving another smile. "So, can you pull the job off? I've heard players are only recently getting into the production skills, so no worries if you can't do it right now."

"I can do it. Three Q and One S, you said?" He asked, using the shorthand terms for the attributes.

"Yup." I handed over the first batch of items, including a few dozen extra cor for labor purposes.

The man, Nezha based on the floating block of text above his carpet, fiddled with the furnace set at the rear corner of his workplace, tapping a few things before tossing in the steel ingots and various wing based materials from all the insects I had killed the past few days that turned the flames turned a vibrant green. Ordinarily, I would have panicked and covered my nose for fear of something in the air, but information from Argo's First Floor Guide let me to keep my cool.

Nezha stuck my weapon into the flame briefly, taking it out and setting it on his anvil. His hammer, a matte silver, swung towards my sword, hitting it ten times in succession. "There's one upgrade. The materials for the next one, please?"

The next few minutes passed in silence, the man, perhaps young adult, completing his work with a pleased smile on his face. "And there's the last one. An «Armor Splitter 3Q 1S». Thank you for letting me work on it."

"No problem. Having you do the work means helping you level up, which means you can help others out even better in the future." I gave a few experimental swings, nodding at the slight improvement I felt with each strike. "Are you staying out longer? I have a few friends who wanted to upgrade their weapons today."

"Ah." Nezha smile became forced, one that was obviously meant to appease a customer for those that knew what to look for. "I'm actually staying out for around three more hours or so. I don't head off until sunset."

"Perfect. I'll just need a moment." I turned away from the stall, sending off a message to Kirito. A few minutes later, the two waved when they saw me, moving from a walk into a light jog.

"Is this the guy?" Kirito asked.

"Yup. Seems pretty good, if you ask me. Upgraded my weapon all four times with no problems." I raised a thumb, hoping that my praise wouldn't come across as superficial.

Kirito eyed Asuna as she stepped up to Nezha, a small frown forming on his face. "Doesn't he seem a bit off to you?"

"A little bit. Somebody before me left that basically looked like a zombie. His friends had to help him away." As before, Nezha tossed the materials Asuna offered into his furnace, turning the flames a bright blue.

"Give me your hands," Asuna said suddenly, running over to us.

I blinked, imagining Kirito's expression was the same as mine if his inquiry and anything to go by.

"Give me your hands!" She repeated. "Maybe the luck effect we have will combine that way."

I snorted, offering my hand. "I'm not sure that's how it works, but if you say so," I sung.

"Kirito-san, come on!" The girl reached out for his hand, tugging us along to the anvil.

Clang!

Nezha struck once, the weapon glowing yellow where he struck. Nine times he repeated this process, strain showing on his face that couldn't have been from the process alone. On the tenth strike, something happened that I had only ever seen from those with health bars.

Next chapter should /probably/ be out by August 25-26th.