"EEK… NO! STAY AWAY!" Words to expect around gamers at 13:30, on December 9th, 2022.

We had taken care of all the quests in the newly-available village, within the span of the morning. After that, we went straight to the tower, still before anyone else. Asuna, who had shrieked just a moment ago, had her eyes wider than the 'final girl' of a horror film.

"I told you… to stay the hell away!" She then broke the Hollywood template as she dashed forward, toward the enemy brandishing a crude two-handed hammer. With the single-strike Linear, and the double-stabbing «Parallel Sting», the targeted Lesser Taurus Striker froze before shattering into blue glass as the fencer bent over, panting heavily, before turning to Kirito and myself with an angry look.

"That… was not a bull!"

We'd been here for about two hours. Kibaou and Lind were likely still on the tower's first floor, and just as likely losing their minds over the already-empty chests they came across. Kirito and I decided that we would spread out to grab them, knowing their original locations and making it easier to find moved or new ones, between battles.

And once we got up to 2F of the second labyrinth, we found its true masters – the Taurus.

"Well, I guess they're closer to human than bull," Kirito admitted, seemingly unaware of the reason behind Asuna's distress, "But this is pretty much what minotaurs are like in every MMO."

I shrugged. "Do Japanese MMO players really simplify it to 'bull' and 'cow' like you do?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"…Minotaurs? Like from Greek mythology?" The anger in Asuna's eyes subsided slightly. I did remember something about her studiousness mentioned by Mr. Yuuki in passing, when he apologized for the disruption of our meeting by Nobuyuki.

"Y-Yeah, that's the kind," Kirito began to recall, "The legendary minotaur lived in a dungeon on the island of Crete – they called it the labyrinthos in Greek. Anyway, the hero Theseus delves into the dungeon and kills the minotaur. It's a very game-like scenario, so the minotaur has been a classic RPG enemy type for years and years. In this game, though, they take out the 'mino-' part and simply call them 'Taurus', like the star sign." He then glanced at me, for my recollection of Final Fantasy earlier.

"Well, that makes sense," Asuna replied, "Isn't the 'mino' in 'minotaur' from King Minos of Crete?"

"Huh? So, you're saying that calling it a 'mino' for short would be incorrect?" Ah yes, he did that, I recalled in my head.

"Of course. After Minos died, he became the judge of the dead in Hades. So, it's probably best that you don't call them that."

This conversation seemed to have eased Asuna's tension for now, but when was that fun? Never, according to me.

"Although, even in the Greek legend… I doubt the minotaur had much natural instinct at all, to wear anything other than the small piece of cloth it was provided, huh?"

"Yeah! These ones are the same! But I suppose if they're going for historical accuracy, it'll just be something I have to deal with."

I chuckled at her reaction to my comment. "Well, this isn't the only game in which they have a very, shall we say… 'homoerotic' appearance?"

"W-What others depict them like this?"

"I don't know about the visuals, at least, but they do tend to be large muscle men with the kind of appetite you appear to accuse," I answered straightforwardly, "For example, in the tabletop RPG, Dungeons & Dragons, one edition made mention of its breeding practices. Essentially, it was boiled down to the fact that they were only ever born male – as such, they source mothers from other, traditionally smaller-statured races. Very few volunteered to conserve the species."

"Well, don't expect me to play that anytime soon."

I chortled. "Oh, they aren't encountered often. D&D very rarely takes you to mountainous regions."

"Back to the game we're in… I got a strap-style armor with magical effects from a chest back there."

Asuna looked at Kirito again, and I thought I was going to get frostbite from her eyes. "Yes, and?"

"Straps? I think I saw that before," I stepped in to save Kirito, "I think it could work for that guy Agil from the first-floor boss."

"Agil, huh? Yes, I suppose he would look the part," the fencer agreed vocally, "I met him at the reconnaissance mission for the Bullbous Bow yesterday."

"And he wasn't at the battle?" asked the boy who almost suffered hypothermia.

"I don't think he really gets along with Lind or Kibaou," Asuna answered plainly, "But he did say he'll be there for the floor boss, so you'll see him there. Why don't you give it to him then?"

"Well, Kirito, isn't that convenient? Now, Asuna, you got down the Numbing Impact yet, from the Taurus enemies?"

She took a deep breath. "I think I'll be fine after another two or three encounters."

"Okay. The boss' numbing effect is way wider than the normal ones," Kirito proceeded to explain, as we wandered the labyrinth some more, "But the timing works the exact same way. Now, shall we go to the next block?"

Asuna nodded without a sign of fatigue, and we continued on, taking out another four Lesser Taurus Strikers along the way. Rather than the game's typical density calculations, the spawn rate of these enemies was tied to set time intervals, so waiting was a lot more tedious in their case. Eventually, though, we made our way out, without running into other players on the way.


Kirito and I each prepared our map data for Argo for the first two floors of the labyrinth, and then looked up at the now-orange sky – or more accurately, the underside of the disc bearing the third floor of Aincrad overall, into which the second-floor labyrinth extended above.

"Today is December ninth," Asuna murmured as she looked up too, "A Friday. It's got to be winter outside the game, by now."

"I've only felt eight Japanese winters, but I already miss them."

The fencer turned to me. "Too hot for snow in Australia?"

I nodded. "There are only a few places that get cold enough in winter to have snow, and even then, only in the south where large sea storms make landfall. We do get hail elsewhere, but those are big crystals rather than the fluffy powder that people enjoy."

Kirito joined the discussion. "I read in some article that, depending on the floor, some places in Aincrad are actually modelled after the current weather conditions. Maybe if we climb a little bit higher, it'll really be winter."

"I don't know whether I want that or not. Oh, but…" Asuna trailed off, and Kirito turned to her.

"It was just an idea," She resumed explaining her thoughts, "What if we reach a floor with proper seasons by Christmas, and it snows that day?"

"Oh… Good point," Kirito replied as he looked up again, "It's already December. By Christmas would mean… fifteen days left. I sure hope we finish this floor by then…"

"Well, that's not very ambitious of you, is it? I want to be through here within a week – no, five days. I'm exhausted from all these cows."

"Oxhausted?"

Kirito and I turned to each-other upon hearing one another in unison. We high-fived over it as Asuna's blank stare quickly turned to bright red cheeks, as she stomped on Kirito's foot just lightly enough to not cause damage. She then tried to approach me, but found herself unable to get closer as I held her face at arm's length, fingers curling around her skull like the legs of a spider.

She seemed to react as if she made the same comparison, pulling back and flailing her head and her arms in slight panic. She blinked for a moment, and then turned again to storm off toward town, as Kirito and I followed closely. 20 minutes down the stone path, and ten battles along the way, we got back to Taran, the closest village to the tower. And sure enough, most of the players from Urbus and Marome were already there.

Kirito turned to us as we walked through the streets. "Alright. I'm going to meet Argo in a little bit."

"That's perfect," Asuna replied with a nod, "I have my own reason… my own business with her."

"I've got something to do with her too," I added with a quick peek at my inventory, "Let's go see her and then we'll eat."

Without much more hesitation, we quickly headed to the bar where we were to meet her.


"This is a little more company than I'd expect all at once, huh?"

I chuckled softly at Argo's comment. "I expected you to make a joke about there being equal males and females now, and wondering what the hell was happening without you."

"What kind of image are you trying to put in her head?!" Asuna's shock amused me to no end, especially seeing her shuffle her chair a little bit away from the equally-stunned Kirito.

"Oh, relax. Her imagination would be more likely to run wild if I wasn't here."

"Really, now!" It was the Rat's turn to be flustered. I couldn't help but laugh further.

"Let's just get to business, and you three cuties can relax."

I had the three of them radiating warmth from their faces as I was the second to order behind Argo, choosing pineapple wine as Kirito chose a black ale, and Asuna chose a fruit cocktail cut with soda water for herself. The NPC waiter left for ten seconds and came back with all of our drinks.

"Pineapple wine?" asked Argo, as she watched the waiter set the glasses on the table.

"It's a Hawaiian specialty, of the sparkling variety. My boss' late father is from there, he would make some on his birthdays, and my boss has been making it on every one he should have had since."

"Oh…? Did you know him?" asked Asuna, with some concern.

"Yeah, it's only been three years," I answered sitting upright, "He was the first volunteer for clinical trials to test his wife's viral drug. You're familiar with Etanythin, aren't you?"

"Oh, it's a godsend," she answered enthusiastically, "I wouldn't be able to eat so many vegetables without that thing. So, it killed someone the first time around?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, Dr. Harbinger worked with Wuhan Institute of Virology to create it. It was based upon a sample of a coronavirus that caused severe respiratory problems – not all of which were correctly suppressed before her husband tested it. But his sacrifice was important for the resulting breakthrough, of course: the same virus suspended the senses of taste and smell for two weeks, exactly what's marketed for the drug. A two-spritz dose of aerosol; spray and inhale, then spray and inhale, each through the nose and mouth; then you can eat, well, anything for two weeks, without having to taste anything you don't like… or anything you do like, either."

"Huh… Well, it is amazingly helpful for extra nutrition," the fencer giggled as she raised her drink, prompting the rest of us to do so, "To Doctor Alamea Harbinger, and her brave husband!"

"Cheers!"

Kirito made it halfway through his mug before setting it back down, as Argo emptied her whole mug of its golden contents without a second thought. For once, I had no ulterior motive for consuming pineapple this time – not that I expected the idea in my head to even function in-game. Argo shook any further speculation from my head as she immediately ordered another ale.

"Five days from the opening of the gate to reaching the labyrinth. That was quick."

"Compared to the first floor, sure," Kirito answered her, "Plus, we had lots of players over Level 10 because it took so long the first time. The original level for the second floor was more like 7 or 8."

"Well, maybe from a numerical standpoint," Argo pointed out, "But that's just the point at which it becomes beatable."

Asuna tilted her head. "How many attempts did it take to beat the second floor in the beta?"

"Hmm. We got wiped out at least ten times, and that was only the attempts that I participated in… But the first time was pure recklessness. I was only Level 5."

I chuckled again. "I can no longer imagine even walking the second floor before Level 10."

Kirito sighed. "I think when we actually did succeed, the raid's average level was over seven."

"Well, it's gonna be at least ten, this time," I commented as I took another light sip of my Hawaiian sparkling wine, "Beating this boss is gonna depend on equipment more than level, though."

"Yeah, that's the thing," the free-from-persecution beta tester agreed, "This one has a Sword Skill called Numbing Detonation. You can't fight debuffs by just raising your HP."

I took another swig of my wine. "Shame Nezha won't be doing everyone's upgrades this time."

"Oh? Why not?" asked Argo.

"I told him about a way he can get back into combat, instead of smithing. He's showing the other Legend Braves this, too."

"Ah, that's nice of you, Ozii-chan. Now, what are we actually here for?"

"Hold up – 'Ozii-chan'? What is this?"

Argo chuckled. "I'm calling you that, now. You're clearly mature, and older than a majority of the playerbase, and you're Australian – Aussie. You make a good big brother figure. An Onii-chan from down under. Ozii-chan."

I shrugged. "Whatever works for you. Anyway, the maps. 1F and 2F of the second-floor labyrinth."

Kirito and I each materialized the scrolls containing our map data, and Argo scooped up both.

"Thanks, you two. As always, if you want the proper value…"

Kirito shook his head. "We're not going to make a business of map data. I couldn't sleep at night if I knew players were dying because they couldn't afford maps. However, I do want you for something, under a condition."

"Ohh? Why don't you tell Big Sister what you want?"

I chortled at Asuna's reaction to Argo calling herself that, as Kirito continued. "I want a good idea of how the Legend Braves feel about Nezha joining them in battle. What they may think of why he's chosen this path, how willing they are to have him on the field, things like that."

"Ahh. And… Your condition?"

"I don't want anyone to know that I'm looking for this. Especially them."

To Argo, the name of any player who buys certain information, was as much a product as the info bought by said player. Were he not requesting this condition, the Legend Braves could potentially purchase the identity of a player trying to learn more about them, like Kirito.

"Ahh… Hmmm. You drive a hard bargain, Kii-boy. But Big Sister's feelings come before her rules of business, so you've got it."

I sustained a throat-burning chortle as the fencer's eyes froze the boy to her left. Argo sustained a smile for even longer than that.

"Now, what about you, Ozii-chan?"

I cracked up with laughter at her use of this new name. "I want to know how many people actually know who I really am. You know, cause people with social status should never be this vulnerable."

"Hmm… The fact itself is information I sell. I'll even package your request with the names of all the players who bought it, and any players who knew it beforehand."

I grinned. "Perfect. Stick around for your payment once we're done here."

The rat tilted her head. "Okay… Now, what about you, A-chan?"


After about ten minutes, the four of us moved to the eastern plaza of Taran, where I quickly found a small, barebones kitchen atop a Vendor's Carpet – one placed inside one of the many empty houses which could be used to squat in place of an inn.

"Hey, who said anything about a date?"

I wheezed. "Indeed, who did?"

Argo rolled her eyes. "Ya got me there. What have you got planned, then?"

"You'll see."

It was then that the owner of the carpet turned around to greet us, as her assistant walked in.

"Welcome to Golden Plate Bridge, you can't get fat if the oil ain't real."

I exhaled at the name. "Golden Plate Bridge. That's a clever name for someone who looks…"

My voice trailed off as I examined her avatar, as molded by the NerveGear to mimic her real self.

"You can't be here, too…"

"Sir…?"

"Y-You're… You're Brandi Francisco…"

Her expression changed from confusion, to concern. "F-From NXT JP, yeah?"

I nodded. "Graduated from Shoujo Academy of Wrestling. It is you! How are you gonna become the NXT JP Women's Champion from in here?!"

"It's not like the champion hasn't noticed the problem, either."

That voice came from Brandi's assistant – the one tasked with desserts. She was slightly shorter, but dressed in similar flashy garb contrasting the chef wear expected. The in-game clothing they wore heavily mimicked what they wore on television.

"K-Ku… K-Kumiko Hayashida!?"

The Siren of the Woods nodded. "That's me. From Resort Kids Wrestling Camp. I'm not the NXT JP Women's Champion anymore, though – there's likely a tournament going on for the vacant title."

I shook my head in disbelief. "No, no. You have to make it out with us! What about Shayna Baszler? You can't just leave that loose end after she attacked you on Raw two years ago!"

"I'd certainly like to have a match with her, at least once," Kumiko replied as she stepped behind the counter beside Brandi, "But I'm gonna need music to fit my return, Bishop Steel."

I chuckled at her usage of the pseudonym under which I produced wrestling entrance music, which was also the name I used for my limited wrestling appearances as well.

"Wait, it's really you, Bishop?" asked Brandi, for whom I had composed an entrance theme like I had for Kumiko more than once, "I'm so sorry for my attitude. W-What would you like?"

I smiled as I materialized the Last Attack Bonus from the Bullbous Bow. "Divide this 10lb. Basin Boss Beef into four. Medium-well for me."

"Wh… Is this from the Field Boss?!"

I smirked as I sat down at a table, while the others stared in awe at the size of the meat that I firmly placed in the hands of the lady running the makeshift restaurant. Eventually, they told her how they wanted their shares cooked, and sat with me.

At least, until Kirito got up and ordered dessert from Kumiko while Brandi cooked the steaks. After about three minutes, she brought us a tray of four steamed buns.

"Here's your Memed Buns. The name was Brandi's idea."

I chortled at the name. "Okay. Uh… Let's set those aside, for now."

The buns were akin to the jelly-filled donut of the west, but without a frosting over the top. These types were a bouncy, thin-skinned pastry with a length of five inches and a width of four.

"Drinks, now?"

The two didn't prepare anything alcoholic – or, anything that would mimic alcohol, at least – so we were limited to sodas, shakes, and other café-type beverages. Argo at least wanted the fizzy feeling akin to alcohol, so she joined the rest of us in choosing a soda – lemonade for Kirito, pineapple for myself, orange for Asuna, and the Rat finally settled for Covanille, a dark red-brown in-game fruit resembling a pineapple in shape, but with a flavor akin to vanilla cola. I would usually drink it over anything else, but I felt like standard pineapple for a change.


Eventually, Brandi brought over the steaks. "High expectations for a Last Attack Bonus, huh?"

I nodded as she returned to the counter, while we picked up our utensils. No matter how each of us asked for our pieces to be cooked, we had 40 ounces apiece – 2.5 pounds.

"I'm actually curious about this," Asuna admitted, "It's a good thing Kirito brought it up."

"You could call us stomach-brothers, I guess."

Both her and Kirito, and then eventually Argo, gave a light chuckle at my response, before digging in and taking our first bites… And second. Then our third, fourth, and fifth before any one of us could vocalize a reaction.

"It's kind of like fighting a monster," Kirito spoke first, with wide eyes, "You can chew it enough to savour the act of wrestling it into submission, before it collapses into swallowable condition."

I exhaled in amusement. "Yeah, you fight it a bit with your teeth, and then it falls apart like a loaf of slow-cooked pulled pork."

Asuna nodded ecstatically before swallowing a bite. "It's such a satisfying challenge to tear apart!"

Argo didn't have much to say except, "This pays for your next thing too, Ozii-chan."

I flinched slightly at the offer. "I do hope there's something not so scarce on higher floors…"

That was all we said before we finished the meal. Asuna looked even more embarrassed than when she first tried the sour cream on the bread.

We set down our knives and forks, and stared at each other, waiting for one of us to speak. Then, Brandi Francisco returned to the table and soaked up all of the juice with a dinner roll until it was almost ready to melt in her hand, before tossing it into her mouth.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that…!"

"Your loss, my sauce," Brandi giggled at Asuna's response as she picked up the plates and silverware from the table, "Now, I think it's safe to assume that this was the only one of those dropped, due to the weight of the item compared to the default inventory capacity."

I nodded with a sigh. "On the plus side, three other players know what you can do. So, they'll likely bring you anything they find on higher floors. I mean, unless they choose to follow in your footsteps with your culinary expertise."

We were halfway through our sodas by the time we finished the steaks, so we had enough to wash down the dessert. The 'Memed Buns' as Brandi called them, according to Kumiko.

"What's in those?" asked Asuna, as she picked one up.

"I tried to ask what they were," answered Kirito as he picked up his, "But she immediately took my curiosity as wanting to order them. I just decided to roll with it, as I was intrigued by the name."

I shrugged as I grabbed mine, and Argo took the last. I lifted my bun under my nose to inhale the bountiful steam without being able to pick up a scent from inside, before being interrupted by yet another shriek like the one I heard in the labyrinth.

Kirito, Argo and I turned to see Asuna, the first to bite into a bun. The filling inside had splattered all over her face and neck; pale, just-barely-not-white strawberry cream. The extremely faint pink tint indicated that this bun was based on the NPC-produced Taran Steamed Bun, but with the ratio of creaminess to strawberry-flavoriness, altered drastically.

She continued to chew the bite she took, while resisting the impulse to cry, then finally spoke.

"…A warm strawberry cream filling, huh… It's… good…"

I shook my head with a smile as I glanced up at Kumiko. "Memed Bun. I get it now."

I suddenly felt fingers curled around my shirt collar. "What do you know about it?"

I flinched, but my expression remained calm. "Asuna, relax. The punchline was not my creation."

Almost as quickly as she grabbed my shirt, the fencer released it and made a hasty approach for Kumiko behind the counter. But the teen wrestler responded swiftly by swinging Asuna behind the counter and pulling her into a Fujiwara Armbar, bridging herself over Asuna's back on top of the counter while wrenching the fencer's arm over her front.

"Wa-aaah! T-This is excessive! I wasn't that angry!" Her whines and whimpers were surreal to hear while she repeatedly slapped the countertop, essentially tapping out to the hold.

Kumiko pulled the girl out of the hold and proceeded to lick the cream off of her. There could be no greater assertion of dominance than this.

"Now, why don't you sit down and finish the bun like a good girl, huh?"

Asuna was creeped out beyond belief as she returned to the table, fittingly enough for the kind of character portrayed by Kumiko on NXT JP – a pervy possessed schoolgirl who was both the polar opposite of, and a parallel Japanese variant of, the Undertaker.

"I think it's safe to say that I look up to Brandi more than Kumiko."

I chuckled softly. "Can't say I blame you."

Kirito nodded hastily in agreement. "It was rather harsh for something so minor."

I shrugged. "Maybe Asuna can apply to the PC when we get out, start training and then challenge Kumiko to a match – even if it isn't for the title."

The fencer huffed beside me. "I'm not performing a work with her! Even if I'm booked to win!"

Argo cackled at the response. "I'm impressed how much you know of the industry."

Asuna sighed. "I have a friend who plays a lot of fighting games. I guess combat sports count?"

I leaned back after a careful bite of my bun. "Well, we know how to 'work' you, at least." I then proceeded to slap the bun on the opposite side from where I bit it, spurting its contents on Asuna again as she wailed in protest.

"Hah! I'm not a fan of strawberry, so this makes it worthwhile!" Argo cackled as she added her own contribution to the assault, tearing open her bun and spraying the cream filling at the poor fencer.

"Waah! Stop, please!" Asuna whimpered angrily as she pushed her chair back to stand.

Brandi then gripped her shoulders and firmly sat her back down. "Now, now. They've made enough mess already."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That wasn't the best move right after Kumiko."

Argo sighed with a smile. "Alright, I gotcha. A-chan, the next bit of info you want is free."

I quickly took a screenshot of my vision before apologizing as well. "Kirito and I will show you the Martial Arts quest place, too. And I'll show you exactly how to do it so we're only there for an hour."

Asuna tilted her head. "Compared to how long?"

I chortled. "Three days."

She sat upright again. "You can cut it down that much?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her change of tune. "You'll believe it when you see it."

She then picked up her bun. "We're going right after we're done here!"

"Works for me."

Kirito reluctantly nodded in agreement, and we all resumed eating the buns, including the rather unexpectedly cheerful Asuna, who had come to appreciate the dessert more than any of us. After enjoying the meal with us, Argo quickly made her exit, leaving us the bill – which I paid in full. I had almost considered leaving a 1000 Cor tip each for Kumiko and Brandi, but I wasn't sure if they could even grasp the concept of tipping, without the economic history or context for it to exist in Japan.


Kirito and I took Asuna to the Martial Arts hut, and I showed her how to break the stone, so that we could all move onto something else tomorrow. Once she was done, we returned to Taran, and then agreed that we'd done enough for the day. Nezha was still doing the quest, but he was talking to his fellow Legend Braves who had shown up for the quest too, and we got in and out without much of their attention.

The next day was mostly spent on the mapping effort for the second-floor tower, while Kirito and I hoovered up all of the treasure we remembered from the beta chests. Argo also confirmed that the Legend Braves were on-board with Nezha returning to the field, and we gave him the weapon he needed for his build – the Chakram dropped by the labyrinth's Taurus Ringhurlers.

In addition to the info Kirito asked for, Argo also told me that there were enough fans of me in the game with me, to form a five-party guild on the next floor.

Some only liked my music, some only liked my games, some liked both, and there were others who knew me from my parkour stunts and WWE 2K gameplay on YouTube. There were also a few who recognized me from Black Yeti's official TikTok, and a bunch of others who were simply jealous that I was living with a double-digit quantity of women.

But many of them agreed on one thing: that I had to make it out, and continue to entertain them.

And who would I be to not oblige once I was out? I graciously thanked Argo, and noted down every name on her list for later contact.

Asuna, Kirito and I ate again at the Golden Plate Bridge that evening, where its two staff revealed to us that they had heard us talking about the Martial Arts skill. So, instead of paying traditionally, we agreed to take them to the quest. That was all the payment they needed – they left the restaurant closed for the time they would invest into completing the quest. Surprisingly enough, they had it finished sooner than Nezha, who returned on the evening of the 11th while they returned in the afternoon a few hours earlier. Nezha joined us at the Golden Plate Bridge as we ate, but there was very little conversation outside of his gratitude for our help.

In the next couple days, the other Legend Braves made their return, having picked up Martial Arts simply to have it as an option. Meanwhile, Nezha had trained up Martial Arts and Blade Throwing using the Chakram, and continued to do so while the rest of the proto-guild trained the former.

Of course, I didn't tell any of them about the exploit with post-motion delay.

In the same time, Kirito, Asuna and I had been preparing for the boss raid scheduled for the 14th. Parties had a cap of six, but raid groups, mechanics-wise, had a cap of eight parties, totalling 48 players who would be able to see each-other's HP and status.

Lind and Kibaou each had three parties. The former was leading fans of Diavel, and intended to call the guild «Dragon Knights Brigade», while Kibaou somehow managed to gather anti-beta crusaders, despite my speech having killed the sentiment in most, for the «Aincrad Liberation Squad».

Accompanying these 36 players, were Agil and three similarly-buff friends, and the Legend Braves, save for Nezha – he chose to sit out just so I could get in with Kirito and Asuna. Of course, there was still the issue of an eight-party cap…

"Three blue parties, three green parties, Agil's party, and the Legend Braves' party," Asuna noted on the afternoon of December 14th, "That's already eight."

I shrugged. "Two of those parties aren't at their cap of six, though."

"Hey, you three. Good to see you again." The man Kirito was looking for, Agil, spoke from behind us.

"Oh, hi Agil," the boy answered cheerfully, "It's about time to finalize the raid structure, huh?"

"That's what I came to see you about," said the tall, bald axe-wielder, "My party has four in it. Why don't you and Asuna join us?"

Kirito chuckled. "Funny you would ask; I was about to say the same thing. But what about my…"

"Epithet? It's barely more than Kibaou and Lind's lot that call you a 'beater'. It's very miniscule."

I exhaled in amusement at Agil's brief vocal crack. "Are you hearing English innuendo, too?"

Agil smiled as he tried not to break. "Yeah, kinda. Anyway, we call Kirito something else."

"Really? What is it?" asked Asuna.

Agil obliged with an answer. "The Man in Black. Or Blackie."

Asuna snorted, but as soon as Kirito peered into her hood, she quickly regained her composure.

"Agil, you're aware of how that would sound in English-speaking communities, right?"

The creamy coffee-toned fighter laughed in his smooth baritone at my concerned question, in his oddly-reassuring voice. "That's kind of what makes it special, isn't it? The fact that it was me who revealed it to him. Besides, in this context, he's surely blacker than me."

I shrugged. "I-If you say so. Kirito, what do you think?"

Kirito shook his head. "I don't enjoy it. But when has that stopped you?"

Asuna nodded in agreement. "That's usually true, but since SAUER pointed out that there's some potential for it to be problematic – even if Agil himself disagrees – I'll sit that one out."

Agil offered a hand each for the two to shake. "That's fair. Us four will tank, while you two can go ahead and do your thing like in the first-floor boss raid."

Asuna shook his right hand, while Kirito shook his left, and they accepted his party invites. Then, the three turned to me.

"What will you do, on the other hand?" asked Agil.

"Nezuo offered him his place," answered Orlando, the leader of the Legend Braves.

"Ah, that makes the most sense," I chuckled as I accepted the invite he sent, "Of course, I would be standing right where he otherwise would."

13:45. All parties were full, 15 minutes before we would enter the boss chamber, as both Lind and Kibaou stood by the doors. Unlike the first floor, this labyrinth had a safe zone in front of the door.

"Well, it's time," Lind spoke loudly with his hand raised, "Let's start forming the raid! First, let me introduce myself: I'm Lind, chosen to be your leader today. Greetings, everyone!"

"Only chosen 'cause ya won a coin flip."

Half the group laughed at Kibaou's comment, as Lind shot him a dirty look, before resuming.

"…The fact that we're already here, just ten days after opening this floor, is a testament to your skill and dedication! If you lend me your help, there's no way we can fail to beat this boss! Let's finish up the day on the third floor!"

Lind raised his fist, and everyone who didn't laugh at Kibaou's quip roared in approval. The leader seemed perfectly fit for Diavel's role, with his former brown hair dyed blue.

"Now let's form up! My Dragon Knights will form teams A through C, Kibaou's Liberation Squad will make up teams D through F, Orlando's Legend Braves with SAUER will be G…"

Lind's smile vanished briefly as he glanced over Kirito. "Agil's party will be team H. A through F will concentrate on the boss, while G and H handle the mobs."

Yeah, that'll get us through, I thought to myself. Let's get in there, already…


AN: Sooo, yeah. SARS-CoV-2 was discovered under a different circumstance, was likely given a different name, and has found a more positive role in the world. Doesn't mean we could go without seeing the danger it could have presented, like it did in reality. Without it ravaging the public, WWE was able to continue its 2019-style business model, finished establishing another NXT spinoff in Japan, and NXT UK is still going strong without the weakness of a hiatus. Once I have a PS5 and WWE2K23 comes out, I'll even start showing what has been different since February 2020 as a result, after I establish a YouTube channel for it to go on.

In addition, SAUER now has one of those quirky names Argo gives to people. So, that's nice.

Now, I'll let you in on a little secret: I've actually finished Chapter 12 as well. But I'm sticking to my fortnightly update schedule. Obviously though, we're getting into the raid against the Taurus bosses and wrapping up the second floor. In the process, I also finally finished reading the first Progressive light novel (don't worry, I haven't been writing all of this blind - I watched the anime all the way through the Aincrad arc ahead of time, and I pick out points from the immediate future using the wiki. So I know what's coming up before I see how SAUER and other OCs should be reacting to it.) and I should be buying Volume 2 sometime today or tomorrow.

I'm also a couple chapters into a spinoff to this story (it's not the aforementioned WWE thing, sorry), but those won't start going up until I have four finished, and I may start alternating fortnights if I'm not confident in alternating weeks. Or I may just put up a new chapter for both in the same week every fortnight. We'll see how I feel when I have the fourth chapter done. For now, Chapter 12 is definitely going up two weeks after this - more than enough time to polish it as much as it needs, and then I can probably blast through Chapter 13 throughout next week.

Finally, since you made it past Chapter 2, tell me why you're here, and what will keep you around. Chapter 6's views are starting to overtake Chapter 4's now. What am I doing right, and how can I ensure I continue to do so? Thank you for showing up and reading, at least. That's what matters. That and doing what you love.