I like crossing the most

Chapter 574 Black Cat Group on Moonlit Night

Because the golden wine had problems and could not be drunk, and the other wines were not prepared in sufficient quantities, everyone did not enjoy the hard-earned vacation too much, so the cherry blossom viewing celebration ended in a hasty manner.

Originally they should have dispersed and gone home, but the stupid goddess who was not happy with the drink refused to agree and insisted on going for a second round.

This is not an island country office worker, drinking round after round. But everyone was getting headaches from the noise. There was no choice but to agree. Of course, there was also a reason why everyone didn't drink enough.

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Sato Kazuma warned solemnly: "I say, idiot Aqua, it's okay for me to drink with you, but I have to make it clear in advance that you can only drink in the safe area. Do you hear me?"

"I know I know."

It was well known in the guild that the stupid goddess would act crazy every time she drank, and she would always do strange things. Therefore, in order to prevent her from making a fool of herself or getting into danger, the guild stipulated that she could only drink in the guild.

“But Kazuma, to get back to the first-floor guild we’d need to go to the teleport base, and that would take too much time.”

"...I guessed what you wanted to say."

"So let's drink outside the guild today!"

"See, I knew it! I've already promised you to drink so much wine while enjoying the cherry blossoms today, but you're still not satisfied! You... greedy goddess!"

Sato and Zhenqi were jumping up and down.

“That’s too much!” Aqua complained, “I didn’t drink that much! Besides, it’s all your fault, Kazuma. I didn’t drink a single sip of the golden wine! It’s all because of you that we don’t have any wine!”

"Well--!"

He was speechless.

"I, I understand... In that case, let's go to the safe zone on the eleventh floor and find a tavern..."

Xiao Lin could sense how difficult it was for him to say this. It was really hard for him. Not only did he have to accommodate the stupid goddess every time, but he also had to take over when danger and trouble arose.

"Great! Let's drink to our heart's content this time!"

The stupid goddess yelled and quickly ran towards the street.

The eleventh floor, Taft, is no different from the medieval era. If I had to describe it, it would be a standard alternate world style. Whether it is the stone buildings or the scenery, they are exactly the same as in the story.

There are no quests or high-level monsters on this floor. If I had to say something that impressed Xiaolin, it would be that the BOSS on this floor is much easier than those on the previous ten floors.

Yes, you read it right.

A lot simpler.

I don’t know if Kayaba Akihiko wanted to intimidate the players, but the bosses in the first ten floors are stronger than the last, and their mechanisms are more abnormal than the last.

But after the tenth level, the strength is reduced by a level. Except that the basic values ​​are obviously higher than the tenth level, both the mechanism and the scene are a level weaker.

If you think about it carefully, it is understandable. After all, Kayaba Akihiko is a human being. It is already a genius for him to operate the game without any problems on his own. How could he possibly come up with so many different BOSS mechanisms?
"Xiao Lin... I'm talking to Xiao Lin!"

"What's wrong, Aqua?"

"How about we go to this store?"

"Well."

Xiao Lin really wanted to say it’s up to him, but when he saw that everyone looked at him as if he should make the decision, he chuckled and nodded.

"Okay, let's go with this one."

"Okay! Excuse me!"

Aqua pushed open the door of the tavern with great energy.

This is a relatively small pub with only a few tables, but it is very carefully decorated, giving people a warm feeling of returning home. Kobayashi's large group of people squeezed in, which was quite abrupt. But it's better this way, at least Aqua won't lead the atmosphere and make the scene a mess.

As soon as he came in, he heard someone talking loudly.

"Of course, the safety of my companions is the top priority, but... if I just want safety, then I should just lock myself up in the Town of Beginning. Since I'm continuing to strengthen my strength and level up, I really hope to join the Clearers one day. Although the front line is still far away from us, the Clearers can only be left to the top guilds such as the Knights of the Blood and the Axis Cult... Hey, Kirito, what's the difference between them and us?"

Today, the newly emerging guilds [Blood Knights] and [Axis Cult] can be said to be two household names. Their relationship is similar to that of the Loki family and the Freya family in "The Wrong Place".

As the main guild that cleared Aincrad, it was understandable that they would be talked about and even hoped that their own guild would be on par with them. Xiaolin and others had heard it countless times.

But one of them has a more familiar name.

Inside the tavern, three or five people were surrounding a black-clad swordsman. Perhaps they were too excited and did not notice Kobayashi and others who had just arrived at the tavern. They were all looking at that man eagerly.

Kobayashi was also very familiar with that person; it was Kirito whom he had not seen for a long time.

Kirito was facing the door of the tavern, but he was the first to spot Kobayashi and his group. Kobayashi was about to greet him when he saw the black-clothed boy's begging and pleading expression. Kobayashi understood immediately and stopped talking.

Sato Kazuma and others obviously also discovered him.

"That person..."

"Mr. Kirito?"

"That's Kirito-san, right?"

"Senior Xiaolin..."

"I know. Better not to bother."

Xiaolin shook his head at his companions.

Fortunately, Sato Kazuma and the others knew their limits and did not rush forward to disturb them. However, the only one who did not know his limits was——

"Boss, bring up all the good wine you have!"

Aqua strode towards another corner, and Kobayashi and others followed her there.

This drinking party was very enjoyable.

It is also thanks to Kayaba Akihiko that he did not deprive the players of their sense of taste and smell, and thanks to the delicious food and drinks he set, otherwise the players might have collapsed more quickly after eating tasteless food.

Aqua was drunk as usual, and Darkness, Alice and others took care of her. Sato Kazuma and Megumin started arguing about something again.

Kobayashi chose to escape temporarily in order to seek peace and quiet.

Kirito, who was in the tavern, stood up quickly after seeing Krillin leave the tavern.

“Kirito…?”

"What's wrong, Kirito?"

"Sorry. I have to go out for a while."

"Kirito? Hey, Kirito!"

Without responding to his companions behind him, Kirito quickened his pace and walked out of the tavern. Then, he saw Xiaolin in a corner not far from the door.

"I knew you would run away."

Kobayashi's mouth curled up when he saw Kirito.

Seeing Kirito again after half a month, his mood was much more gloomy than before, which was very different from when he teamed up with Asuna. Xiaolin knew why it was because Kibo's guild was framed by PoH.

Although this matter had nothing to do with him, as a person who always reminds Kiba, after watching Kiba step into the trap and causing the death of many members of the strategy team, he could not help but feel guilty. That is why he separated from Asuna.

Xiao Lin looked at the gloomy boy in front of him and asked, "What's wrong? Do you have anything to say?"

"........."

"If you don't want me to tell Asuna about you flirting with other girls... well, I'll cover for you."

"Eh?"

"Isn't it? You have a crush on that girl, the one with the short black bob haircut."

"You mean lucky?"

Kirito said her name unconsciously, but quickly explained in a panic.

"No, no! Misunderstanding! I don't have that idea! And Asuna and I are not... not..."

Then he fell silent again.

It's a headache. Kobayashi is not good at comforting and enlightening people, especially stubborn teenagers in adolescence. For people like Kirito, he usually beats them up first and then uses his mouth to attack. Unfortunately, in SAO, you can't attack in the safe zone, so this method is directly ineffective.

"I understand, I understand. You don't need to explain."

"No, I..."

"You happened to encounter them in the wild when they were surrounded by monsters, so you rescued them, right?"

"what?"

Kirito blinked.

His encounter with Xing and the others was exactly the same as what Kobayashi had said.

"Argo told me."

"It's her."

That scary information dealer could find out any private information. As long as he paid enough, he could even find out what color underwear Asuna wore today, so it was not surprising that he knew everything about his experience.

"Although she told me so, I think with your personality, Kirito, this must be the case."

"What? That statement."

"Do you think I'm speculating? No, I just happen to be able to read people's minds."

Kobayashi looked directly at Kirito, as if he could see through his thoughts.

Kirito was silent again.

"But the only thing I didn't expect was that you would join such an unknown guild. When Argo told me about it, I was quite surprised (this was a lie)."

Kobayashi looked at the guild listed below Kirito's name.

——Moonlit Black Cat Group.

Although Kirito is a not very popular closed beta player, with Xiaolin speaking for him and Diabel working hard to restore the closed beta player's image, this black swordsman is still very respected in the strategy group. If he wants to join a guild, let alone the Holy Dragon Knight and Fenglinzan (the guild founded by Klein), they will definitely welcome him with open arms.

"actually--"

"I see."

Kobayashi waved his hand, signaling Kirito that there was no need to explain.

After experiencing the cruel fact that the Kibo Guild was disbanded, Kirito must have wanted to help Yuki and the others, at least they would not die under the siege of monsters. But he did not expect that he would be so happy to be with them, and his soul would be redeemed. ... This is also the reason why Xiaolin likes to be with Aqua and the others.

When Kobayashi saw the smile that inadvertently appeared on Kirito's lips, he knew that he had guessed right.

Forget it, as long as he likes it.

only--

"You concealed your rank and identity to be with them, right? No, this question is stupid. How could you not conceal your identity if you wanted to be with people of lower rank?"

Kirito's smile disappeared.

Apparently, he did.

And there are huge hidden dangers.

For example, a member of the frontline strategy team joined a small and unknown guild. Is there some conspiracy? And this question, coupled with Kirito's identity as a closed beta player, makes people involuntarily think in a bad direction.

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Xiao Lin waved his hands: "That's not what I meant to say. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"what?"

"What I want to say is: you used the place that you had completed the strategy long ago as a leveling area for them, and you guided them as if nothing had happened, which was very good. But you made a very fatal mistake."

Kirito didn't ask, but his eyes were full of inquiry.

Xiaolin didn't keep the secret.

“——That’s a sense of crisis.”

You have to know that when Xiaolin and others arrived at the eleventh floor, they were the first group of players to arrive at the eleventh floor. They had to explore what was ahead by themselves, be cautious and be ready to escape at any time when they encountered danger. The same was true for the players in the strategy group.

Because of this, they become stronger.

"Also, you may think that the players in the strategy group are selfish. They don't share the information with others because they want to always be the top players and stand at the top of thousands of players. If the information and items obtained are provided to mid-level players, there will definitely be more people joining the strategy group than before, and they will be better at conquering floors, right?"

It must be said that Kobayashi's words touched Kirito's heart.

That's what he thought!
"But this is not helping them, it is harming them."

"Varied……!"

"Think about it carefully, Kirito. It is true that some players are selfish and do not want to give the information and props they have worked hard to obtain to the middle-level players, but they are only a small part. Why don't other players - Diabel and Agil do the same? Even Kiba has returned to the first floor and led the players to conquer each floor one by one."

Xiao Lin paused, then continued: "That's because you have the strength but not the corresponding awareness."

Quickly crossing floors and levels means that they have lost their sense of crisis. If this continues, they will inevitably have the illusion that high floors are just that simple, and completely forget that the path they are taking is a relatively safe route that has been repeatedly verified by others.

When they reach the upper levels, no one tells them what to do, and there are no safe routes for them to follow. Having lost their sense of crisis, they will only become blindly arrogant and then die tragically.

Especially the strategy group has higher requirements for defeating BOSS and passing levels. If ordinary players with no experience join in, not only will they not be able to help the strategy group, but they will restrict other members of the strategy group and put them in trouble.

Kirito pursed his lips.

I don't want to admit it, but it's the truth.

At this moment, he also realized how naive his actions were.

"Like I just said..."

Kobayashi turned his back and put his hand on the door handle. "You seem to be training that girl - whose name is Xing? Are you trying to train her to be a shield warrior? Forget it, she doesn't have the awareness."

"I……"

"in addition--"

He interrupted him rather forcefully.

“If you have any trouble, such as instructing others, you can always come to Axis for teaching. I’ll be waiting for you.”

As if he was certain that Kirito would come, Kobayashi didn't say anything more. He opened the door and walked in first.

(End of this chapter)