Asuna

"Thankee kindly, Kii-boy. I've been hungry."

"Your Hiding's as good as ever, but that's my dinner and no you can't have any!"

"Hmph. So you'll buy one for her, but not for me. I see how it is."

"Wha...? I...You heard what I said, that was thanks for her making me an item! It has nothing to do with showing favor on anyone!"

After reuniting with her companions, Asuna led the others around the square to the east, where three stands were selling food. One of them was selling a panini sandwich with grilled fish and herbs, which Asuna and Kirito chose as their dish of choice. Kirito went in line for the both of them, while Jaymes went to the stand that sold fried fish with cooked vegetables, leaving the girls together on a bench. Upon Kirito's return, Asuna tried paying him back, but because she was making him a swimsuit, he argued that he was in her debt.

And that's where they are now, Argo's form slides out of the darkness. She takes the spot on Asuna's right and drops her hood back a bit. "Evening, A-chan. Good work with the third-floor boss and the fourth-floor gate."

"G-good evening, Argo. Um...would you like some of this?".

Argo cackles and denies Asuna with the raise of her hand. "No, no, I appreciate the offer. Eat up."

"Uh, okay..."

Kirito sighs. "Don't worry about it, Asuna. Her Teasing skill is the best in Aincrad."

"She has some competition," Koharu absently says as she looks at the line her partner stands in, currently ordering their dinner. When she looks back at the three around her, her face reddens. "I-I don't mean anything by it."

Argo's smile becomes the brightest thing in the evening sky. "Is that so, Koharu? Sounds like there's some information to be bought."

"It's n-nothing."

Kirito clears his throat. "Anyway, the fact that you're here must mean you've got all the intel you needed."

"You bet. In fact, it took just three hours from your message to look up what you wanted, so I figured that might earn me a free meal in addition to my fee, but..."

"F-fine, fine. I'll ask Jaymes. What do you want?"

"Gosh, I could sure go for a nice cheesy pizza." Kirito crafts a message to Jaymes, whose body language reeks of annoyance as he heads to the third stand that sells a seafood pizza. He returns disgruntled, handing Argo her pizza and Koharu her meal set.

"Next time get your own, Rat."

Argo chuckles as she sniffs her pizza. "You know I'm grateful, sir."

"Then let's talk as we eat...Chow that down before it gets cold, Asuna." The group of five began to chow down on their meals. As they eat, Argo pulls out a parchment and holds it in Kirito's direction.

"Normally I'd charge you an extra fee for quick service...but I'll go with the normal rate this time as thanks for the pile o' cheese Jaymes bought me. That's five hundred col."

"You aren't paying me back," Jaymes growls as Kirito pays Argo for the parchment. Seeing the informant is ignoring him, he sighs and looks at Kirito. "Well, what did I get you a discounted price on?" Kirito shows the party: It's a map of Rovia, but more detailed than the standard maps that fill out during one's travel. Twenty or so exclamations marks are present on the map, which to the four dictate locations of quest NPCs.

"Are those...all of the quest NPCs?"

"Well, I hate to be hard on Argo, since she did all the work...but you could find all of this stuff just by walking around town. And we'll need to visit these spots to start the quests anyway."

"That was my assumption as well. And didn't you already finish all of these quests in the beta, Kii-boy?"

"That's the thing. I feel like the longer I walk around town, the more my old memories will fade...I just wanted to be able to see the locations all at once like this."

"...Ohhh?"

Jaymes saunters over to Kirito's side. "Well, I can tell you that, besides the obvious, the immediate proximity of town, in terms of spawns, is mostly the same."

"That's good, I guess."

"Yeah. And some of these quest markers, now that I see, are in the same place... Except for that one."

"This one."

"What about it," Asuna asks.

"This quest wasn't there in the beta. This is the spot that's the key to this town...no, to conquering this entire floor."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Asuna feels a pit in her stomach as she, Koharu, and Jaymes are entrenched in another of Kirito's daunting plans. The gondola lines not only being long but mismanaged as some solo players are taking the larger gondolas. Somehow, that drew a plan in the black swordsman's head, and he led them all to the wharf at the north end of the square.

He hadn't said it, but the plan is obvious: Two large gondolas are about to cross each other, and they're going to leap across them to get to the other side. It's ridiculously dangerous, especially for the girls since they don't know how to swim.

"Kirito, are you sure about this? Jaymes, say something."

Jaymes, who removed his sword and shield from his back, shrugs his shoulders. "As long as he goes first, it's fine."

That stokes Asuna's anger. "It is not fine! I don't like it!"

"You'll be perfectly all right," Kirito replies back.

"Do it by yourself if you're so keen on it!"

"I'll give you a five-second countdown."

"I-I told you, I don't want to do this!"

"That's funny, Asuna, I could have sworn you had a higher agility than me."

"Rgh...y-you know that's not fair to bring up..."

"This should be easy for you, Asuna. I mean, since you have the Sprint skill and everything."

"But I just switched that one out...Arrgh, oh, fine!"

"And five, four, three, two, one..." At zero, Asuna starts running with Kirito. He makes the leap first, barely landing on the roof of the first gondola. She holds her scold inside as she lands (much to the cheers of the people inside the gondola and continues leaping after Kirito. Behind her is Koharu, who doesn't sound like she's having any difficulty with the leaps. Then again, she's the most acrobatic of the group.

She lands on the second gondola perfectly and leaps over Kirito to the southern bank. He's holding on to the wall and will be the only one as Koharu lands expertly and Jaymes makes it with a roll. With a disappointed sigh, Asuna glares down at Kirito.

"If you weren't sure you could make it, you shouldn't have tried."

Koharu steps over and reaches for him. "Are you okay?"

He gulps and glances at their feet. "Um, Asuna, Koharu?"

"...What?"

"You're, um, in a bit of danger...angularly speaking."

"What do you mean...?" Asuna intersects her sight with Kirito's. Once she realizes what he means (and she believes Koharu notices as well now), her face turns red; Koharu quickly steps back while Asuna brings down the hem of her skirt, smiles, and raises one of her boots. "Better climb up quick before I step on you."

"O-Okay, okay, I'm coming up!"

Now on a gondola again, this time with just Kirito, Asuna's mood improves. According to Kirito, Rovia's map is a square, with each corner a different district. Their destination and present location is the top left corner, which so happens to be the residential zone of Rovia's NPCs. It didn't have any spectacular sights, but that was meaningless to Asuna. Seeing children play with toy boats on the canal's edge, waterfowl swimming in their characteristic line, and dinner preparations coated the air with heartwarming smells.

Something else catches Asuna's eye. There's a two-story home with a "For Sale" sign in front. "Ooh, that house is for sale!"

"Hey, you're right. So there are player houses here."

"I wonder how much it costs."

"I wouldn't look at the price if I were you. You can only be disappointed."

"I know it'll be expensive. But I'm free to keep it in mind as something I can get if I work hard enough!"

"Su-sure, that's true...but I wouldn't recommend buying in this town. It's a fun, pretty place for sightseeing, but actually living here would be tough when it comes to getting around."

"Good point. I wonder what the people here do for their daily shopping and such."

"Maybe they just swim around when we're not watching."

"Come on, don't ruin the illusion. But...if I do decide to get a house, I'll save up for a normal one with a view of a lake."

Minutes later, the gondolas carrying the two pairs dropped them off at their destination. Asuna sees that Koharu's face is brighter than hers. She looks to have enjoyed her solo ride with Jaymes, though the other boy doesn't have that same look on him. His eyes, like Kirito's, are set on a decrepit, large house behind the dock.

The boys approach the building, looking through a window. Seconds later, Jaymes steps back and turns to Kirito. "I'm surprised Argo noticed that guy."

"This is more than just good instincts...Anyway, let's go inside." Asuna, wondering what they saw, looks through the window as the boys head to the front door. What she sees is a seated old man in a messy room. That man makes a slight movement as one of the boys knocks on the door and answers them with a rough voice.

"It's not locked. Come in if you want something."

Asuna drops back and looks at Kirito and Jaymes, silently telling them "You two handle this". Kirito heads inside first, Jaymes is a little hesitant but follows along. Koharu takes her partner's spot by the door, and Asuna is right beside her to watch the interaction between the man and the two boys.

The old man looked like an old sailor out of a storybook. Balding hair and messy beard white as bone, skin permanently marked by the sun's rays, and he was quite muscular. Whatever he was like in his heyday, he now sails deep in alcohol and whatever is in the pipe.

"Um...sir, can I help you with anything?" Kirito asks.

The man takes a sip and grumbles out a swift "No."

"Damn" is Jaymes' response as the swordsmen look dejected. Without another word to each other or the sailor, they begin scanning the room. Asuna does the same as she enters the room. They seem to be looking for a hint to progress the story, but in Asuna's eyes, there's not much to go on. Harpoons, fish wall hangings, animal pelts, and other miscellaneous items told a very obvious story, that the man was a sailor. Since she is not as experienced as the boys in role-playing games, she doesn't know what they're looking for exactly, but she has learned that it's something out of place...there's nothing of the like here.

Except for the rusty nail by the man's chair. She bends down to pick it up. "You really shouldn't leave things like this on the floor, sir." He eyes the nail, grumbles angrily, and takes another drink. Asuna looks back to the black swordsman for assistance, but he's just as helpless as she is.

"Just put it on the table or something."

"Okay... Ack! Wh-what?!"

Kirito had snatched the nail without warning. "Hang on...This isn't just a nail. It's...not a throwing pick, either. It's a square nail...Where have I seen something like this before?" Kirito looks around the room one more time, then faces the man again. "Sir, can you build us a boat?"

"Listen...we can't take this thing with us to any other floor, so what's the harm in a little bit of compromise?"

"No. If he's going to make us a ship, it's going to be the best it can possibly be."

"Fine, fine. By the way, the word ship is a bit ostentatious for what we're getting. A gondola is really more of a boat."

"Fine, it'll be the best boat it can possibly be!"

"Let it go, Kirito. Us girls are going to win this argument. If we're going to have a boat, it's going to be the best boat to be ever called a boat!"

Asuna and her companions have spent the last three hours in the dense woods southeast of Rovia. It reminds Asuna of the prior floor, giving her a slight longing for the fifth member of their group, Kizmel. Those thoughts of the elf were muffled by the objective of the night, which is why four pairs of eyes are on the treeline, not facing forward.

The shipwright demanded the party find him some bear fat, obtainable from the bears of the forest. The drop itself was the subject of discussion; Kirito said the fat collected from the black bears was more than enough to complete, but Asuna had her eyes on the prized grey bear that rules this neck of the woods. Koharu even cosigned that idea, saying "go big or go home is the athlete's secret creed." Jaymes neither countered or agreed with the girls, so with the vote being 2-1-1, they search for clawed markings on the trees that indicate they're close to the target.

"Still, I'm a bit surprised. I didn't think that you two would feel so strongly about this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?"

"Oh...this sort of scenario happens a lot in RPGs. You don't have to get the best possible result in order to beat the challenge, but if the player wants to, she can strive for it. I guess it's a completionist thing?"

"Well, I don't like the way that it sounds like I'm being taken advantage of...but I wasn't thinking about any game mechanics or design. I just thought, that old man might be gruff and unfriendly, but he probably really wants to make one more perfect boat."

"I can understand how he feels. When you dedicate your life to something, whether it is to play the finest piece of music for a recital or to jump the farthest in the long jump, you want to be perfect."

"...I see." Kirito goes silent, and Asuna looks over to the other boy. She won't admit it, but his silence somewhat scares her. Normally he'd be on Kirito's side or warning them against some danger, but he hasn't said a word or made a wary noise to the hunt of the grey bear. She's curious as to why...but questioning him might lead to provocation. She'll have to accept one thing: his silence isn't an agreement, but it means he's not walking Koharu into danger.

Then he spoke. "Here."

"What, really?!"Asuna races to the crimson warrior's side, her eyes lit with glee as she confirms the marking. "You're right! So if we just wait next to this tree, the bear will eventually pop nearby?"

"Supposedly."

"Let's take a break here, then. We'll need to check...our...potions..." Asuna's speech comes to a slow pause as she stares at the markings. When she speaks again, it's akin to a squeak. "Um, guys? Those marks are a whole lot higher on the tree than I was expecting..."

"Eh?"

"Asuna has a point. That's kinda high..."

"That's...like three or four of me, so...twenty feet, maybe a little more?"

"...What kind of bear scratches a tree at that height?"

"Well, it would have to be a bear that stands...twenty-five feet...tall..."

"Tw-twenty...f-f-f-five?"

"...That doesn't sound like a bear anymore..."

As the conversation gets quieter, a heavy thud behind them shakes the forest, a piercing growl following it. Kirito, his face pale in the moonlight, leans toward the other boy. "That isn't your stomach, isn't it?"

"I wish it was."

"Jaymes, you never gave your opinion on the matter. Is it because the grey bear isn't dangerous?"

"No, I was hoping we wouldn't run into it and you two would give up." Four pairs of fearful eyes turn around, seeing a mountain of grey hair just inches away. Red eyes bear down on them, sharp fangs and claws are brandished, but what catches their eyes are the horns on the bear's head.

"Yep, that's not a bear. It has horns."

"Grglololo..." As it growls, it stands up on its hind legs, large enough to blot the light that seeped through the dense leaves of the trees. Asuna doesn't know about her companions, but she's shaking in her boots.

"I don't think it liked what you said, Kirito."

"Thanks, Koharu... Stay calm, everyone. It can't be that agile with a size this big. Keep a tree between you and it at all times, so it can't charge you."

Three heads nod and four blades are drawn. The beast, named the Magnatherium, growls at the light their weapons reflect. The four leap back and rush behind an ancient tree, hoping the large size is able to withstand a charge from the Magnatherium and stun it, allowing the player to deal as much damage as possible with sword skills

Asuna understood that without Kirito saying anything, and understood it quickly fell apart when the Magnatherium's throat flickers red. She may have never seen it before, but it doesn't much imagination to know what a red light in the throat symbolizes. Any soul who read a fairytale would know.

Fire.

"Oh fu—"

"This way!" Asuna is lurched from her position by Kirito, and the next thing she knows is that she's swallowed by water. Neither Jaymes nor Koharo appear themselves, and for a moment Asuna fears for them as the surface of the spring turns hot orange. The water around them heats up the entire duration the flames char the area, but it doesn't boil as Asuna began to fear. At best, it could ironically be called a hot bath.

Once the flames abate, Asuna and Kirito return to land. "That is definitely not a bear." She looks back, seeing the Mangatherium hadn't moved a muscle, but the grass between them and around them is black. The ancient tree, which probably stood tall for uncountable years, is covered with ash and burns, even on the backside, except for a human-shaped red spot. That belongs to Jaymes, who somehow survived the fiery blast, most likely with a skill from his shield that raised his defense for a short time. Asuna can see his health is somewhere between 25 and 40 percent, a gamble he must've made at the moment. Just inches from where the highest burns on the trunk are, there Koharu holds on to the trunk, using her athleticism to jump off Jaymes' shield and hold on for dear life.

She leaps down, rolling on the charred forest floor close to Asuna and Kirito, shaken by the endeavor. "What do we do?"

Koharu asked Kirito, but he turns the question to Asuna. "What do you think? Should we run?"

"…We don't have to force ourselves to fight it, but I at least want to collect a bit more intel. We should learn more about the bear's attacks so we can beat it next time." The springs proved effective to evade fire without damage. Physical attacks can be dealt with by using trees as cover.

Kirito seems to be doing the same mental processes she is. "…All right. Let's start retreating back for the town and take down some good data."

"Deal. Koharu?"

She bits her lips nervously as the Magnatherium gets on its four legs and begins to advance. "I can't say I disagree."

"Jaymes?"

The shielder, who had started backing away from the tree slowly, gulps as he reaches his companions. "...I have a plan. It's a secret technique of pro gamers."

Not this "pro gamers" stuff again. "Which is?"

"The ultimate skill, Koharu and Asuna, the ace up our sleeve. I think we should have used it earlier, but now I will call on its power. That special skill is..." As the Magnatherium begins to pick up speed, beginning to charge the group of four, he taps his legs and pivots on his heel. "To hotfoot it out of here!" Asuna is right behind him, for once agreeing with Jaymes. As they run, the Magnatherium gives chase.

"Not only does it have its own name, but I'm also starting to think it's actually the field boss!"

"Considering our luck, be glad it isn't the floor boss!"

"At the very least, it's definitely not a bear!"

"I'm sure Lind and Kibaou would love to see this! Let's split up and circle back!" Jaymes grabs Koharu and shifts left, Asuna and Kirito circle right. The Magnatherium follows Kirito, whose last to turn. They find a six-foot-wide tree to hide behind, Kirito barely making it before they hear the collision of the monster with the tree. They expected it to be stunned for a few seconds, enough to gain some distance.

Kirito's shock just made Asuna feel worse. "No way!" The Magnatherium did collide with the tree, but not directly. By some cruel injustice, the horns of the beast crushed the trunk of the tree, causing it to tilt. Furthermore, the beast is not stunned, but definitely enraged.

"Gyazgruoahhh!"

Covering their ears, Kirito faces Asuna and whispers, "Hey, what are a bear's natural enemies?"

"First of all, it's not a bear…but in real life, the larger bears have no enemies. They might be brought down by a tiger or killer whale every once in a while, though."

"W-well, that's just great. Any weaknesses?"

"Why are you asking me? Um…I think I read in a book once that their snouts are sensitive…"

"The snout... What I wouldn't give for a good magic spell, some ice magic with physical effects, slamming down giant icicles or something. At least then I'd be able to crit him a few times…"

"How about rather than imagining things that will never happen, you decide what we should do?" Asuna has her map open and visible to Kirito, and he begins to scan it as she looks back at the Magnatherium. She notices it isn't stunned, but something is still weird. It should have continued attacking the pair. It did the same thing after the fire breath, a brief pause occurred after it, allowing the four to regroup. It seems to have a delay between attacks.

"Hey." She tugs on Kirito's sleeve and gestures to the not-bear-bear. "It seems like the bear goes immobile for a little bit after blowing its fire breath and knocking down trees."

"…That's weakness number one…if you can even call it a weakness..." Kirito suddenly perks up and looks around, particularly eyeing the tree the Magnatherium had knocked down. "Um, Asuna, how much storage space do you still have?"

"I've got enough space. Remember when I told you that I'd returned most of the clothes I sewed to train my Tailoring skill back into cloth?"

"Ah yes. Of course. Well, if you don't mind, when I lead the bear away, can you go and pick up the log at its feet and check the item name and whether or not you have enough room for it?"

She eyes him with suspicion. "Sure."

Kirito

"Over here, you overgrown teddy!" Kirito blasts past the right side of the monster, looking back to see the Magnatherium turn around with agility that betrays its enormous size. It didn't move as fast as before, but the true enemy is the terrain now. Kirito navigates it as best he can as he leads the monster north, in the direction that she somewhat spotted Jaymes and Koharu had stopped, about thirty yards from his former position.

"Kirito!"

"No time to explain! Just buy Asuna some time!" He slides towards them, draws the Anneal Blade, and waits for the beast's attack.

"Gyoglrugul!" It swings its front right limb, claws flashing as it aims to rip through Kirito, With a roar of his own, Kirito fires back with Slant. The light-blue light clashes with the claws, running a shockwave through Kirito's entire body and sending him flying back. He gasps as his back hits a tree, taking minimal damage, but he remains on his feet.

The Magnatherium drops its right paw and lifts the left, swiping at Koharu. Learning from Kirito, she deflects with the dagger's version of Slant called Curve, and given her sword is slightly more powerful, the knockback she receives is less than Kirito took, but she's rolling on the ground upon landing. Its attention turns to Jaymes, who moved out of the beast's reach and stands between it and Kirito. Rising to stand on its back legs, its eyes flash red. Kirito, who was about to charge the beast, remained rooted at the Magnatherium sucks in air.

"Follow!" Jaymes positions himself shield-first, first clapping his sword and shield together, then sheathing his blade completely "Guard!". Kirito didn't understand it until he sees two indicators appear on the red warrior's green HUD. As he thought from the earlier fire attack, Jaymes is sacrificing offense for temporary enhanced defense, but the first maneuver was a taunt to draw the beast's attention solely to him. Kirito silently thanks him as flames erupt from the bear's mouth, cooking the other boy. As fast as he can, Kirito dashes forward, flanking the Magnatherium's flames, though it slightly adjusts to include him in the attack. Yelping, Kirito prays for an extra boost of speed and runs between the massive legs of the Magnatherium.

As expected, the bear-not-bear did not turn around, keeping its fire breath forward. Kirito pivots and clutches his sword, aiming for the beast's back as the Anneal Blade glows green. And he's not alone. "Sonic Leap!"

"Slice!" Kirito and Koharu both leap up in the air, attacking the tail-end of the Magnatherium. It flinches from the double strikes and ceases its fire breath with a high-pitched squeal. The duo lands back on the ground as the Magnatherium gets back on all fours and retreats a few yards away. It wasn't its snout, but based on the reaction upon contact and the raging redness its eyes bear now, Koharu and Kirito struck a critical point.

Kirito holds his fist up. "Nice!" Koharu bumps his fist, but before she can say anything, a chilling voice spins them around.

"No, it's not nice! You said you were running away, and now I see you three fighting the thing?"

"In my defense," Jaymes says as he downs a potion, "I was becoming a well-done steak. Nobody likes that." Ignoring Asuna's icy glare, he looks to Kirito. "You got all that battle info?"

"Yeah. Nice job drawing its attention, but that was risky."

"As long as I'm above 60 percent of my health, I'll live. Plus I had faith in both of you and Ko that you'll do something."

"Still..." Koharu balls her fists up but says nothing more. She turns to Asuna, changing the subject. "I heard you were collecting a log?"

"I picked it up and put it in my inventory. I can probably fit another five logs in there. It's called a Noblewood Core."

Kirito quickly processes that information. "I'm betting that's another gondola material, just like the bear fat."

"Huh…?"

"Listen, you might be tired of me trying to predict these things, but I can tell that this is one of those quests that force you to visit the same spot several times. We take the bear fat back to the old man, he tells us we need wood next. There's probably one or two other ingredients we need in these woods on top of that."

"Meaning…just like with the fat, there might be normal and fancy versions of wood?"

Kirito nods. Asuna is a quick study as usual. "I bet you can get the normal type of wood by cutting down any old tree with an ax. But I bet the fancy stuff can only be harvested from trees that are big enough that you'd need the Lumber skill to chop them down."

"…Then we have no choice but to build up that skill. Oh, but the log I picked up did say it was 'Noblewood.' Does that mean it's actually pretty fancy?"

"Yeah. See, they set up a way for you to get the luxury stuff without needing the Lumber skill. You just have to use the overgrown teddy."

"Speaking of said teddy..." Koharu's tense warning draws Kirito and Asuna's eyes back to the Magnatherium. On all fours, it lowers its horns for a charge attack.

"Here it comes! Find a big tree…"

"Over there." Asuna points to the southwest where a tree as large as the previously shattered one.

"Okay, now we need to get it to—"

"To charge into the tree, I know. Then I'll pick up the log, and you go and guide it toward the next big tree. Got it."

"Uh…r-right."

"...You're not kidding, are you?"

"No, Jaymes, I am not..."

Asuna

After twelve bear-to-tree collisions, Asuna's party had collected enough Noblewood Cores to fill Kirito's inventory and hers, while Koharu picked up a few herself. Of course, while the normal fat from the black bears was enough to complete the quest, Asuna and Koharu were dead set on claiming the Magnatherium's.

Problem is that the combined attacks of Jaymes, Koharu, and Kirito had only done around fifteen percent of damage, and while they should consider themselves lucky they've done that much, they've been using the bait-and-flank tactic that got them the first damage point. Jaymes has performed admirably in baiting the beast to turn its flames on him and trusting his defense skill to keep him alive, but it is evident he can't keep it up forever. Koharu's Bullstar plus five is the real hero, she's the reason they probably did a little more than Kirito would have if he attacked himself, but Asuna can tell she's distracted by her self-sacrificing partner. She won't say it, the plan was working, and they didn't have anything else to do.

Now the plan must change for the remaining eighty-five percent of health, and she's sure Kirito is trying to figure out what to do. The best move would be to bait it into the fire attack, which occurs at a short range, but that meant either relying on Jaymes' defensive skill or flanking, which no one wants to do. If anything, Kirito and Jaymes would want to take it on in close combat, which means they'll need the springs to avoid the fire attacks. If the fire heats them up, that means the surface of the pools might get evaporated, so using one will be dangerous...

"There's a series of four springs in close succession over there. If you use them in order, you might be able to keep evading the fire."

Surprised she read his mind, Kirito nods his head. "Ah, great... Asuna. You're not just…being stubborn, right?"

"Huh…?"

"The old man wants to build the best boat possible. So you want to get him the best materials you can—that's what you said. But if that sentiment is something the game is making you say, because you don't want to let it win, to make you feel like you're not good enough…then I don't think we should fight that bear. Victory in this game, in this world, isn't completing quests with the best result…"

"It's to survive," she answers with a soft whisper. "Don't worry, I'm not focusing on the results. The biggest motive for doing this is that I think you and I can beat that bear."

He responds with an awkward smile. "Then promise me one thing. The next time I tell you to run, you do it instantly, without argument."

"All right."

"Great... Jaymes, any objections?"

The dark-skinned boy shakes his head. "I'm tired of being flambe, to be honest. But I can tank the bear for a minute. The buff applies for a minute, with a two-minute cool down. Around the same thing for the taunt."

"I see. Then we'll do this: Jaymes, you keep its attention, then one by one Koharu, Asuna, and I will switch and counter with a single sword skill attack. When Jaymes goes to recharge, I'll deflect with sword skills, and you two switch in. Don't push your luck, even if you think you can get another in."

"Got it."

"Okay."

"And when Kirito says run, that means both of you run." Seeing a look of objection on Koharu's face, Jaymes quickly addresses her unsaid comment. "We'll lead it into a charge or fire attack, and use the delay to make our escape. No one is dying tonight."

"...Okay."

"So...shall we?" Four blades prepared themselves as the bear recovered from its prone position, growling as it sizes them up while moving on all fours. Once Jaymes activates his defense skill, Asuna and her companions enact their plan.

In the end, it's a fifty-minute battle from first contact to the Magnatherium's defeat. Koharu's Bullstar and Asuna's Chivalric Rapier's would lead them to victory, and it would be Asuna who claims the last attack. They would get the bear fat as planned and other items.

What neither Asuna nor anyone else would see is that, amidst the trees, they had a witness to the final battle and their trip all the way back to town...