The morning of the first floor boss challenge finally arrived.
I thought about the loved ones I had left behind.
(Today will be the first step in the truest sense of the word. Everyone, please protect me... I will definitely come back.)
I felt like I was hearing the voices of people who were not included in those important people over and over again,
Hachman tried not to think about it.
"Good morning, you two."
"Yes."
"Yo."
"Well then, I guess I'll just follow them leisurely.
It's not good for the three of us to be too pushy after all."
Asuna and Kirito shrugged, as if they didn't really need to stand out.
He followed behind Hachiman.
With such a large number of people gathered together, the journey went smoothly.
Though there were several battles along the way, the group finally reached the boss room.
After the outline of the operation had been confirmed, Diavel asked everyone if they had any questions.
In response, Hachiman and Kirito raised their hands.
Perhaps due to yesterday's impression, Hachiman was nominated first.
"I'd like to know what to do if the boss's behavior during battle differs significantly from the information.
In some cases, we may consider withdrawing,
Will it be up to you to make that decision and give instructions?」
"Of course, safety comes first. The simulation is perfect, so
I don't intend to put anyone in danger."
Kirito was next asked what his question was, but it was the same.
"Those who don't even participate in the joint exercises shouldn't act so superior and say anything.
You don't need to bother with these guys, Diavel-san.
Knowing how you conduct, there's no need to worry."
The two of them didn't respond to Kibaou's words, instead conveying their understanding and retreating,
Afterwards, Hachiman and Kirito were whispering to each other about Kibaou's current attitude.
"What did you think, Hachiman?"
"Oh, something's a little different from yesterday."
"That may be how you put it, but the content has become a lot more mellow."
"Well, with this, I guess it's safe to say that the risk of falling out with the group during battle has been reduced."
"It feels like one less thing to worry about."
Then Diavel responded to Kibaou's words and said to everyone.
"Thank you for your trust. This will be my first time taking on a boss on a new floor.
We have gathered the best members we could possibly imagine.
Let's all win! ...Let's go!"
The group let out a roar and began charging into the boss room.
Egil glanced back, raised his fist towards the three of them, and gave a thumbs up.
The three responded by pumping their fists and giving thumbs up in unison.
"Oh, that feels like a real signal."
"Yeah, he's kind of cool."
"Ahahaha, that's true."
The three of them were a little nervous, but it seemed like their tension was relieved in a good way.
"Hey Kirito, Asuna. There may be casualties this time.
I haven't seen anyone die yet,
If you see it, you might be shocked.
Then slap me on the cheek and wake me up.
If all three of them were shocked, the first one to notice,
I'll slap the other two. We'll definitely survive as a trio and clear the game."
"Okay, I get it."
"ah"
With those words exchanged, the three of them charged into the boss room.
Gradually, the boss came into view, and someone saw him and muttered.
"That's the boss of the first floor, Ilfang the Kobold Lord..."
It was truly an imposing presence worthy of being called a floor boss.
Tension spread among the group, but it was dispelled by Diavel's voice.
"A bone axe in my right hand, and a curved sword in my left. There are three minions. Everything is as per the information, we can do it!
Don't be afraid, speak up! Let's go, everyone!"
Hearing Diavel's cry, everyone answered with a "Yeeees!" and began their charge.
The formation consists of boss tank teams AB and attack teams C through G.
And it was made up of a guerrilla force of three parties.
At first, the three had no role to play, but as the battle progressed, some troops gradually found themselves being pushed back.
"Switch from Team A to Team B!"
"C Corps, prepare to retreat! F Corps, prepare the switch!"
"Two wounded from G Corps, retreat for now! Guerrilla forces, please hold for a while!"
"Guerrilla unit, understood!"
The three received their instructions and set off in their first battle.
No one has seen a battle between the three of them yet, and there are only a few of them.
All the other units only saw them as a temporary unit after all.
The two injured players used potions and looked down, waiting for their bodies to heal.
Meanwhile, the others were anxiously watching the guerrillas, ready to rush over if anything happened.
Before long, their HP had fully recovered and the two of them called out to their comrades in the same unit.
"It's okay now, I can do it!"
"Is the guerrilla unit okay?"
Just then, the other comrades who were watching the guerrilla battle gasped and cried out in surprise.
It was a cry of pure surprise, not a scream or anything like that,
They asked their companions, hoping that nothing bad had happened.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Well, uh, that's..."
The two of them looked in the direction their teammate was pointing and saw one of the henchmen they had left to act as a guerrilla.
I witnessed it disappear with an effect similar to shattering glass.
"Huh? Hey, what just happened?"
"No, what I'm saying is... the guerrillas killed his entourage..."
"Eh, but the others are still fighting the first enemy, right...?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Guerrilla unit, mission accomplished. Retreat."
The members of G-Squad were stunned, but when Hachiman turned his gaze on them, they responded in a fluster.
"Got it! We'll be providing support to the other units."
As per their original plan, Kirito and Asuna stood at the front first.
Kirito's attacks were fast and powerful.
Asuna's thrusts are so fast that it's hard to follow them with the naked eye.
The HP of the people around him was being whittled down at an alarming rate.
"Asuna, switch!"
"roger that!"
Next, Hachiman stepped forward. Hachiman's fighting style seemed plain at first glance, but...
In fact, he parried most of the attacks.
Thanks to this, Kirito's attack accelerated even further.
"switch!"
"Leave it to me!"
Taking that voice as a signal, Kirito stepped back for a moment.
Hachiman and Asuna showed their terrifying combination.
Soon after, they succeeded in defeating the enemy.
"Guerrilla unit, mission accomplished. Retreat."
Hachiman shouted, but there was no response from G Corps.
Hachiman was puzzled and looked towards G-Squad, where he received a panicked reply.
After confirming this, the two of them gathered around Kirito.
"How is it Asuna? Are you okay?"
"Yes Hachiman, there's no problem!"
"But Kirito, you're really amazing..."
"That's what I should be saying, Hachiman. Your movements are different from yesterday."
"Ah, sorry, with my style, I'm good at fighting humanoid enemies with weapons."
"When I saw it and heard it, it all made sense."
Egil, who happened to be watching from behind, was genuinely impressed.
Egil felt as if he saw a bright light before his eyes, and he renewed his resolve.
Kibaou, who had also witnessed the incident,
At first, like everyone else, I was stunned, but then
He quickly came to his senses, glared at the three with hatred, and prepared to set out again.
And when it was their turn to sortie again, Kibaou made the effort to walk past the three of them,
As they passed each other, he spoke to the three of them.
"Don't get too cocky. Even we can do that.
Okay, don't be so bold as to stick your nose in, just behave yourself."
However, without even consulting each other, the three of them smiled at Kibaou in unison.
Kibaou saw that face,
"Damn it, what the hell are you doing?"
He spat out the words and ran towards his friends.
Thanks to the efforts of the guerrilla forces at key points, not a single person was killed.
Finally, the boss's HP was down to just one.
The boss has now lost his axe and is fighting only with his curved sword.
And the three who were fighting the last of the henchmen finished him off and retreated.
At that moment, a huge cheer rang out from the main group.
"Okay, we've taken both of the boss' weapons!"
"Now's our chance! D-team, follow me!"
With that shout, Diavel's D-team charged towards the boss.
Diavel didn't seem to notice because he was excited, but...
To Hachiman's keen observational eyes, it looked like the boss was trying to take something out.
As Diavel got closer to the boss, it became clear what it was.
"Hey Kirito, that's... a sword, isn't it?"
"What? … Ah, this is bad!"
Kirito, who had been observing the boss after Hachiman had said that,
He frantically tried to run towards Diavel, but was stopped by Kibaou.
"What's up with you? Stay quiet."
"Stay out of the way! The boss is about to pull out a new weapon, it's a sword! Stun him!"
Then Kibaou also realised what was happening and turned around in a panic.
"Diabeeeeeeeel! It's a sword! Runnnnn!"
Kirito shouted, and Diavel looked up in response to his voice.
Looking over, I saw that the boss was now holding a new sword in his hand.
I haven't told anyone this, but Diavel is actually a beta tester,
He had experience facing enemies who used swords, so he tried to remain calm and respond to the enemy's attacks.
But his action was one step too late. The next moment, the boss unleashed a blow,
Everyone in D Corps was stunned.
And Diavel, who was at the front, was blown away by the boss's pursuit.
Screams came from the troops watching from behind.
"Damn it, Asuna, can you hold off that boss with me for a little while?"
Asuna heard Hachiman's voice and immediately replied with a smile.
"As long as I'm with you, Hachiman, everything will be fine."
"I'm sorry for putting you in danger."
Then Hachiman shouted at Kirito.
"Kirito, I'm asking you to take command of the battle in Diabel's place for a little while!
Asuna and I will hold off the boss for a while.
Once you've finished giving instructions, Kirito, please join us right away."
Hachiman called out to Kirito, and as if bouncing off his feet, he began giving instructions to each unit.
"Teams A and B, carry out the stunned Team D! Teams C and E will provide support!
F and G squads are ready to attack the boss at any time and are on standby on the flanks! We'll hold back the boss!"
Hearing these instructions, Egil called out to me with a worried look on his face.
"Hey, you three are wearing such light clothing, are you okay?"
"I'm sure Hachiman and Asuna will be fine, I'll be right there too!"
Hachiman desperately deflected, stopped, and deflected the enemy's attacks.
However, it is impossible for Hachiman to block all attacks from an opponent of this class.
The enemy's attacks miss many times, and as they accumulate, Hachiman's HP is gradually reduced.
However, at each point, Asuna uses hit-and-run tactics to draw the enemy's attention.
Finally, the two of them managed to fend off the enemy's attacks until Kirito arrived.
Kirito made the two stand back and faced the boss alone.
"Kirito, don't die!"
Hachiman called out to Kirito as he retreated.
"Diabel-san is fine! Someone give me a potion!"
Just then, a voice came from behind him, and Kirito felt relieved.
Thinking that I only had to endure for a little longer, I focused on the enemy in front of me.
Kirito was able to easily fend off the enemy's attacks, but...
During the brief moment of stiffness after the sword skill, the enemy's HP had just reached the red zone.
As a result, the boss' attacks suddenly become more intense, closing in on the defenseless Kirito.
"Damn..."
Kirito prepared himself to take heavy damage.
At that moment, Hachiman jumped in and deflected the boss' attack.
Asuna pulled Kirito back.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting for a bit."
"No, there was plenty more to come, buddy."
"Ha, you said damn it."
"You even heard me!"
At that moment, Egil and the tank team, who had just finished evacuating D-unit, rushed in and appeared in front of the three.
"We'll hold them off after that! You three step back!"
"Sorry, please!"
Suddenly, Diavel's voice was heard.
"Okay then, I'll shoot the boss in the throat and that will settle this!"
"picture?"
"Hey, what is he talking about!"
When I looked, Diavel was just going through the motions of a sword skill.
Right in front of everyone, the boss seemed to have responded to Diavel's voice and turned towards them.
The HP of Diavel that received this… had only recovered about 20%.
"Dammit, Diavel! The boss is heading that way! Run! Please, run!"
But Kirito's shout was in vain as the boss swung his sword down.
The boss' attack hit the defenseless Diavel directly, easily taking out all of Diavel's HP,
Diavel was shattered along with the effect.
There was nothing anyone could do, it all happened in an instant.
For Hachiman and Asuna, this was their first time seeing someone die.
Hachiman was stunned and angry that people could die so easily here.
Asuna saw the cheesy effect.
I was trembling, thinking, this is too much, this is not how a person should die.
Kirito gritted his teeth and stared at the spot where Diavel should have been.
The momentary optimistic mood had faded, and everyone was reminded of the importance of death.
In this atmosphere, Kirito was the first to regain his senses.
In the past, during a quest to obtain the one-handed straight sword he is currently using,
I've seen players die.
It's the kind of event that can never be called lucky.
But for this moment, let's call it good fortune.
Kirito slaps Hachiman and Asuna on the cheek as per the prior arrangement.
The pain brought them back to their senses, and the three of them looked at each other and cried out in unison.
"Everyone, wake up! Tank team, hold back the boss!"
"The attacking forces will move around to the flank and launch a simultaneous attack!"
"Anyone with low HP please fall back!"
I still hadn't recovered from the shock,
As if inspired by that voice, everyone began to move, and then the final all-out attack began.
However, the boss went berserk and was surprisingly tough, and it was difficult to completely reduce its HP.
Meanwhile, Hachiman whispered something to Asuna and Kirito, and the three immediately sprang into action.
First, Asuna gets behind the boss,
The moment the boss raises his weapon, he fires a linear shot at the boss's left knee.
The boss, who was brandishing his weapon, lost his balance slightly.
In the next moment, Hachiman charged at the boss's sword with incredible speed,
The boss was thrown off balance by the two attacks,
Then Kirito's voice reached Agil, who was standing in front of the boss.
"Egil, get down!"
Hearing this, Agil reflexively lowered himself to the ground, and Kirito used his back as a springboard to jump high into the air.
"This is the endeeeeeeeee!"
Kirito then put all his strength into it and split the boss in half from the head down.
After a moment of silence, the boss's body begins to glow, and then the effect pops out.
Along with the word CONGRATULATION.
Thus, one month after the start of the game, I lost Diabel,
Finally, the player's reached level was updated by one.