Chapter - 024: What is inherited

In Progressive, Kirito and Asuna act together, so

inevitably, Hachiman and Asuna are not given much freedom of action.

I want to get back to the original concept as soon as possible, so I decided to use up the remaining stock and

quickly post the Progressive range (third and fourth layers). By the way,

I can't connect the fifth layer to the next one, so I plan to skip it.

Thank you for your continued support.

The next morning, Kizmel came again.

Apparently today we will be fighting the Queen Spider at a place called the Queen Spider's Cave.

The Queen Spider appears to be under someone's control, and is specifically targeting Dark Elves.

Apparently it is poisonous, so I decided to bring lots of antidote with me.

Kizmel seemed to have no problem dealing with the poison.

Apparently, he has an antidote item that can be used over and over again.

"Queen Spider, huh... just the name alone sounds strong..."

"Well, Kizmel said that even though he's a tough opponent, he'll be fine, so I think it'll be fine."

"I hope so. Are you okay with spiders, Asuna?"

"Yeah, it's okay."

(Asuna seems surprisingly okay with this sort of thing...)

As usual, the three of them headed towards their destination, easily annihilating the enemy.

When Hachiman saw what looked like the Queen Spider's cave,

I sensed the presence of several players running out from inside.

(They're probably either the Dragon Knights or the Liberation Corps, so I'll hide for a bit and see what happens.

Oh no, we're getting there already.)

Hachiman told Kizmel to hide, then took Asuna's hand and ran into the shadows.

Asuna tried to speak, so Hachiman quickly tried to cover her mouth with his hand.

As a result, he ended up embracing Asuna from behind.

"Asuna, look there. Someone is coming."

"Hmmmm."

"S-sorry."

Hachiman hurriedly let go of Asuna and apologized,

What I just said must have violated the harassment code.

However, contrary to his expectations, there was no sign of Asuna operating the window.

(Huh? Was that okay? Even though I was in a hurry, I still need to be careful...)

"Hachiman, someone's coming out."

"Yeah. It looks like they're... the Liberation Army?"

"Ah, Kibaou is here too."

Do you think it would be a good idea to exchange information?

Asuna looked troubled and gave an hmm look.

"I've never heard of such a monster!"

"I got the amulet I was looking for!"

"Okay, let's retreat."

Apparently, from what I could hear from their conversation, the content of their conversation was different from the other two.

"It seems like the quest we're doing is different."

"That's right... Maybe it's because of Kizmel's presence that it's different from normal."

"Well, I guess it's fine if we just hide here like this."

"I guess that's what I'll do..."

After the liberation team left, the three entered the cave.

(So I have to fight and defeat monsters... doesn't this make it more difficult?)

The queen spider was huge.

Be careful as the thread will come out from the tip of its tail.

When its eyes glow, it will spit poison from its mouth, so if you're hit, use an antidote immediately.

The three of them had a brief discussion and then began their attack on the Queen Spider.

As a result, the subjugation itself was completed without any problems thanks to Kizmel's great strength.

At the beginning, I was tormented by the spider's webs, but

After I succeeded in cutting off the part at the end of the tail from which the thread comes out, the situation became one-sided.

When I investigated the nest and obtained the fourth secret key, the [!] appeared above Kizmel's head again.

"Seems like another quest."

"I wonder if this quest can't start without Kizmel?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kizmel said he could sense the power of the elves from deep within the spider's web.

When the three of them went further in, they found something that looked like a cocoon.

"It's in here."

Following Kizmel's instructions, the two cut open the cocoon and looked inside,

There was a mysterious metal there, glowing blue.

"Elven ingot?"

"Oh, he seems like a nice guy."

"I don't know what it is, but I feel really attracted to it..."

Asuna seemed fascinated by the metal.

"Asuna, what do you think about trying to inherit the weapon's soul like you mentioned before with that metal?"

"Oh, that's bad. We found it together."

"In our fighting style, Asuna is the primary attacker.

If Asuna gets stronger, won't our safety increase dramatically?"

"I guess so."

"Also, when this quest started, I wanted to take it easy,

"I didn't try to force my way through the enemy. Thanks to Asuna's decision, I've got this."

"Yeah... I get it, thank you."

Having successfully accomplished their objective, the three returned to camp.

Perhaps because of the difficulty, I strangely did not see any players who appeared to be in the middle of the campaign.

This was my first encounter with the Liberation Army, and it seemed that only a few groups were making progress.

Returning to the camp, Hachiman and Asuna ask Kizmel where the blacksmith is.

"Are you going to use the ingots from earlier to make a new weapon?

Actually, the friend I helped the other day is also a blacksmith, but he's a bit of an oddball.

Sometimes you hit with a terrifyingly strong weapon, and sometimes you hit with a dull weapon.

Blacksmiths that are open for business can make averagely good weapons.

I can introduce you to both, what would you like to do?"

(That was the flag... If Kizmel hadn't been there, it probably wouldn't have happened.)

"Hey, Asuna, this..."

"Yeah. Let's ask the person who helped us. I think that's what it is."

When I was led to the blacksmith I had helped, he glared at me and said.

"Hmph, you saved me the other day. Thanks."

"Today I'd like to make a weapon. The materials I need are this sword and this metal.

The property is speed type.

Asuna said this and stroked Wind Fleury as if saying goodbye.

He held it out preciously with both hands.

Hachiman looked at the blacksmith, wondering if he would say "Hmph," but then

Contrary to expectations, the blacksmith handled it very carefully.

Then, turn Wind Fleur into an ingot,

He took an Elven ingot and transformed it into a single metal.

Normally, weapon crafting in SAO does not involve a set recipe that produces a set weapon.

Basically, it is generated randomly. The number of times you hit it determines the strength of the weapon.

On average, it would be about 25 times. In other words, based on the properties of the original metal,

If you do it more than twenty-five times, you will easily create a weapon stronger than the previous one.

"Hachiman, hold Asuna's left hand. I'll hold her right hand."

Kizmel suddenly said this.

Kizmel explains that strong feelings produce strong weapons.

It is said that if all three of them combine their skills, they will surely be able to create a very powerful weapon.

Before Hachiman had a chance to hesitate, Asuna shook both their hands with a serious look on her face.

And so the weapon-making began, the only sound echoing around was the sound of hammers hitting metal.

Ten times, fifteen times, twenty times. And finally, he surpassed his goal of twenty-five times.

There was still no sign of the weapon being generated. Asuna's grip on Hachiman's hand tightened.

Hachiman, influenced by this, also clenched his fists tightly.

The three of them watched with bated breath, and counted again, a total of forty times. The ingot emitted a dazzling light,

Asuna's new weapon has finally appeared.

"...It's a fine sword. It has a soul."

The blacksmith said in admiration as he handed Asuna the sword.

"amazing……"

"Oh. This is amazing..."

"This is an incredible piece of work. Congratulations, Asuna."

Kizmel also seems impressed. Hachiman is astonished at the capabilities of the weapon.

(What is this… It can be used not only for the fourth layer, but for the sixth layer as well…

And what's more, it can be strengthened fifteen times? There's no telling how strong it will get.)

"Cybaric Rapier..."

Asuna muttered the name of her weapon, took a stance, and fired "Linear."

It was so powerful that it could only be described as a flash of light.

"Do you like it, Asuna?"

"Yes, thank you Hachiman. Thank you Kizmel."

Asuna then bowed very politely to the blacksmith.

"This time," the blacksmith said with just a "hmph," and went back to his work.

Once the report on the spider extermination was finished, it seemed the next quest would start in a while.

Until then, we will gather materials to strengthen our weapons.

By making effective use of Kizmel's accurate guidance and the materials from the quest rewards,

I succeeded in strengthening my Chivalric Rapier by five levels.

To my surprise, it seems Kizmel's level will also increase.

By the time Hachiman noticed, Kizmel's level had increased by one since they first met.

"But that weapon is really impressive. I think its attack power alone is on par with Kirito's."

"Kirito-kun has definitely gotten stronger, so I'm not sure about that."

"Now that I think about it, I've been holed up all this time and haven't contacted anyone. Is that a bit bad?"

"That's right, I might be worrying you, so let's go back to town for now."

「Ah. Well then… wait a minute, I hear some noises arguing.

I'll go and check on you, Asuna and Kizmel, please wait here."

"Understood"

Hachiman carefully used his stealth skills as he made his way towards the voice.