Chapter 61 – Sword Art Online (29)
On the day the Death Game began, Seo-Jun and his friends ran out of 〈 Start City 〉 faster than anyone out of the 10,000 players trapped in Aincrad and moved to Horunka Village in the northwest.
The reason is that monsters in the field near the village will be hunted down in the blink of an eye, and it will cost 〈 infinite wait 〉, which is less efficient.
In addition, in Horunka Village, you can receive a quest to obtain a powerful one-handed sword, 〈 Forest Elixir 〉. Immediately after accepting the order, Seo-joon and his party began to hunt a plant-type monster called 〈 Little Nepenthes 〉 living in the nearby forest in order to obtain the requested material item 〈 Little Nepenthes Seed 〉.
Although this quest is for one person, as the number of people increases, the appearance rate of mobs that drop key items also increases, so Seo-Jun and his party hunted together.
Little Nepenthes itself is not a very dangerous monster, but Seo-Jun and the others almost got into trouble there. A player named Coppel, who received the same quest, refused to ask us to hunt together, but Coppel, who was finally trying to monopolize the dropped material item, intentionally gathered a large army of Nepenthes and himself was an MPK (monster PK) was trying to kill them.
But he didn’t know that the cloaking skill didn’t work for monsters like Nepenthes that didn’t have eyes. After driving Kopel’s screams out of his ears surrounded by a large army, Seo-jun left his party behind and frantically knocked down the approaching Nepenthes with his initial equipment, a curved sword.
Fortunately, there was no damage to the crew.
Seojun also avoided all attacks, so there was no loss of HP.
Kopel, who died after his HP reached 0, would have exited Aincrad and entered a vegetative state. However, Seo-joon internally spat out curse words.
‘Oh, fuck. I feel bad for Red because I tried to kill him as a monster.’
If it had been, I would have lost it.
It was really sad.
‘I’m not going to die, but I’m the only one in Aincrad who knows that. In other words, he did it with the intention of killing us. I’ll have to remember it and finish it when I get to reality.’
Well, anyway, Seo-jun and his party bid farewell to the dead Coppel, returned to Horunka Village, and completed the quest to obtain the rewarded one-handed sword 《Annealed Blade》.
Because the materials were prepared for the number of people using the one-handed sword, everyone was able to equip it.
The anil blade was quite heavy compared to swords of the same class, but Kirito and Yuuki seemed to like it. They say that they like the process of skillfully handling a difficult sword that is heavy and savory while having conversations over and over again.
Anyway, they raised their level satisfactorily and headed to another village the next day.
It was because it was around the time that players other than those who died yesterday were starting to reach this Hornka village soon.
***
“Hey, Jun Doryeong.”
Hearing the voice from behind, Seojun turned his head. There, Argo was watching them.
“Argo, you’re safe.”
“Nihihi, there’s no way this Argo-sama could kill that easily.”
Bubbly.
She approached Seo-jun.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Oh, are you worried about this sister? Hey, this is nice.”
“So what happened all of a sudden? Do you want to work with us?”
“Mmm, that’s what you mean.”
After scratching her cheeks for a while, Argo opened her mouth.
“There’s something I want you guys to sell.”
“What do you want me to sell you?”
Seeing her with her puzzled face, her argo put on her look of condescension.
Seeing her like that, Seojun nodded her head.
“Are you talking about the quest information to get the Anil Blade?”
“Uh? How did you know?”
“Argo is an information vendor. Wouldn’t it be natural to want information rather than items? I haven’t seen Argo for a day or two, so it’s natural.”
“… Ugh, it’s difficult to come in like that all of a sudden.”
Fire!
A red-faced Argo pressed down on her hood.
However, she soon cleared her throat, and after clearing her air, she opened her mouth again.
“So, what are you going to do? Will you sell it?”
“Mmm.”
After thinking for a while, Seojun nodded his head willingly.
“Well, about that. It is between you and me.”
“Nyaha, Jun Dolyeong is really… Should I say there is no hesitation? You are good at making such embarrassing noises.”
“So you don’t like it?”
“… No.”
“That’s it.”
“Ugh. Strangely, it’s hard to win with words against the doryeong you gave.”
“Um, but you’re a beta tester too. Don’t you already know this information?”
“Of course I know.”
She obediently shook her head.
Argo also knew very well about this quest.
However, there is something overlooked.
“But that’s all, Jun Dolyeong. Wouldn’t it be possible to say that the information is the same as in the beta?”
“Ah.”
Surely.
As she said
Ordinary games open through various modifications during beta. And in the process, things that existed in the beta disappear when it opens, or new things that didn’t exist are created.
That is why it was too early for her to blindly trust information unconditionally.
However, Argo seems to have thought differently.
“I thought it was likely a trap.”
“Why?”
“Yesterday, what the damn red robe said at the start city transfer gate plaza. It’s because you said ‘this situation was my ultimate goal’. ‘To create and appreciate this world, I made Nerve Gear and SAO. And now, everything has been achieved’… It’s a ridiculous statement, but if I interpret it as it is, his goal would be to watch 10,000 players struggling in the death game. Surely this is the greatest show of all time that no rich man in the world has ever seen. Perhaps, this conversation may also be being monitored. For now, we must be at the forefront of the attack.”
After saying that, Argo took a break and continued her words.
“Think about it, if Doryeong Jun is that guy, what do you think of a group that breaks through hard-earned maps with pre-earned knowledge? We, beta testers, who never get lost or fall into traps.”
“The excitement will be broken.”
The moment Seo-jun said that, Argo made a clever snapping sound with the fingers of her right hand.
“Answer! He probably wanted to start all 10,000 players with exactly the same conditions. However, he still couldn’t stop beta testing, and he couldn’t cancel the tester’s priority registration. So, to stop that…”
“This is because it can be done differently from the beta test, right?”
Fuck!
She snapped her fingers once more.
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
“That’s why you came. To check if the information is correct.”
“Well, yes. But there are people who came before me. So I just thought it would be quicker to buy that information than I did.”
So, how was it?
She asked with a playful laugh.
“Fortunately, it was like Beta.”
“Hmm, that’s right. Haha, this is lucky. Well then, Jun Dolyeong. Take the deal I will give you the price you promised.”
A message popped up in front of Seo-joon asking if he would accept a deal.
In response, Seo-jun pressed NO.
“To?”
“Call is fine.”
“No matter how close you are, it’s good to be thorough when it comes to money.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m going to get something else instead of money.”
“Something else? Aha, is that information?”
“That’s right.”
At Seojun’s answer, Argo gave a confident smile.
“Well, okay. If there is any information you want, just tell this noona. Let me know if you have it, and if you don’t, I’ll let you know. What do you want to know?”
“Um, to be honest, not yet. So, I want you to keep it.”
“Okay! Come to me anytime you need information.”
Having said that, Argo turned her body around.
“Then I’ll go. I need to gather other information.”
“Hmm, do you really need to act differently? We can go together.”
“Nya ha ha… Unlike Jun Doryeong, I’m not very good at fighting. So I’m just trying to do what I can do well.”
“Is that an information award?”
“Huh.”
In response, Seojun shrugged.
“Once I get it. Oh, by the way, did you install the one I sent on the Nerve Gear?”
“That program? I installed it once. What is that thing doing, Dolyeong Jun?”
“It’s nothing. Just know that it’s really good.”
“… Hmm, if it was Jun Doryeong, then that would be it.”
Argo shook his head and shook his hand.
“Then I will go. Oh, be sure to buy the guidebook I will make!!”
“A guidebook?”
Seo-joon and his party tilted their heads.
At that, Argo drew a playful smile.
“If you want to know, then go and see. Then everyone don’t die and see you next time!”
“Goodbye, Argo.”
“See you again!”
“Bye Bye!!”
Food.
Argo, who laughed at everyone’s farewell, quickly disappeared.
After looking at her from behind for a while, Seo-jun and his group moved on again.
