Argo put his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, it's only been three weeks."
\"Yes. You and Kirito are also related by blood.\"
Argo chuckled.
"Isn't this a coincidence? I thought my sister must be a bachelor, but I didn't expect that she and Keyboy were the same person. Even I couldn't guess it myself."
\"Unexpectedly, the information was given to Sinon by Argo. It turns out that Argo, this Sinon is the only archer in Aincrad.\"
Argo's expression became more serious.
\"Shino, Miss Shi is fine. Miss Shi, have you tried the information I just gave you?\"
"No, I haven't tried it yet.
Argo nodded.
"I-yo. Is this information you got for free? La, I can tell you as many times as I want. You should listen to Kibo too."
I stood next to Shino and listened to what she said. Now that I decided to complete the mission with Shino, I couldn't even think of a countermeasure if I didn't listen carefully to the story of the mission.
\"Please, Argo. Where do you go to get the mission flag?
Argo turned away from us, toward the east, and began to speak.
It seems that there is an old Npc in the east of this town who used to use a bow, and if you listen to the end of that person's story, a flag will appear and the quest will begin.
The purpose of the mission is to go to the ruins area on this floor and obtain the special event items inside. However, if you cannot attack from a distance, the mission will be difficult to complete. It seems that this is not done intentionally.
When Argo heard about this mission for free, he remembered the story of the only archer publicly announced by the Blood Alliance Knights, and began to search for the archer.
However, their efforts were in vain. Just when they were lamenting that no archers appeared, Sinon, who was carrying a bow, happened to appear on this floor. Argo was overjoyed and told Sinon about the mission.
\"I see, it turns out there is such a background. So, in order to generate that quest, should Shino and I talk to the NPC in the east of the city?\"
\"That's right. I haven't received any news about people who have cleared the level, so maybe Shi San will become a pioneer. This will become a good topic for everyone.\"
"Okay, now that we've decided, let's go quickly, go to the east of the city to find the old man's NPC, and start the mission."
Argo stopped Shino who was about to run away.
"You two, wait a minute. Since you are already on the fifty-fifth floor, you should at least stop by a restaurant. Go east from here, and there is a shop that has the best cream." For pasta, it's best to go there first. Have a meal before going on an adventure, and then go after your body has recovered. "
"We met together."
Of course, looking at the time, it happened to be lunch time. I haven't eaten out much recently, and this was my first time walking in this town. Since the stakes are so high, maybe we can go to the restaurant recommended by Argo.
And Argo basically can't lie, so his words are credible.
\"So where is Shino?\"
"It's already lunch time, right? Let's go after eating?"
Shino turned to Argo.
"Where's Argo? Will you come with me?"
Argo shook his head.
“I won’t do anything to get in the way of you two.
After Argo smiled, he turned to me.
"And Key. It's actually a little different from before, but do you know Key?"
"She's still waving." Argo had been wearing tattered robes before, but now he was wearing a new hoodie. This is a bold transformation.
"You've got a makeover, Argo. What's wrong with that hoodie?"
Argo said "Oh" and laughed again.
"Sure enough, I didn't want to wear a tattered robe forever, so I changed my clothes."
"is that so?
\"Is that so? Well, if you'd like, I'll try to put it back to where it was before. So Kibo, get along well with Shisang. Shisang, please take care of Ki-Bo too."
Argo waved happily and quickly disappeared into the city. Although we didn’t know why Argo was so happy, we decided to go to the store Argo mentioned first.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we realized that this was my first date with Shino.
After visiting the restaurant recommended by Argo, we returned to the city and started looking for the old Npc. But even in the middle, I was thinking about the food at the restaurant earlier. The exterior is the same as other buildings, except for the signboard and large windows, which are white and blue.
We sat at a table in a restaurant with a beautiful exterior and interior and ordered the creamy pasta recommended by Argo. The creamy pasta that comes out is white, made with mushrooms and chicken, and the main ingredient is milk. The two of us nodded temporarily, and the creamy pasta-like dish was served, and when we started eating, our eyes widened.
The creamy pasta, while simple in appearance, had a richer flavor than any other creamy pasta I've had and was exquisitely seasoned. As expected, Shino was surprised by the taste of top-notch food that didn't match the simple appearance. She looked at the food many times and said, "How can I get this taste out!?"
However, in my opinion, because I have always eaten the food cooked by Sinon, I think the food cooked by Sinon must be better than the food cooked by Npc. The same goes for creamy pasta, of course. If Shino makes something similar, I believe it will be delicious. However, I felt that saying this would only embarrass Shino, so I said nothing and continued eating.
After eating the first-class creamy pasta and paying the bill, I left the store and headed to the east of the city designated by Argo, where I met an old NPC. No, there are indeed many NPCs, and their faces and appearances are similar, but only the old man's aura is different, and he carries a bow like Shino, and I am also present.
"It must be this person." We said as we began to listen to the old man's story. This is the old man's brave story. What's more, when the old man saw that Shino was equipped with a bow and arrow, he said, "Are you a bakery Mario's child?" Shino then said, "This is not a baker's job, but a plumber's job." Isn't it a mistake?\"
Then when he started to say "This is a story from thirty years ago, when I was known as the hero of the village-", Shino finally said: "This seems to be Argo's story." I Get ready to hear it. It seemed that this matter was quite long, so I decided to think about it for a while and listen to what the old man had to say.
"Then 25 minutes."
"Well, the arrow I shot hit the dragon in the right eye. Well, how far did I say? Because it wasn't
While the old man was telling stories endlessly, he seemed to have finally realized something and said something. So from the beginning, I felt like I was getting angry and said, "Just tell me." I briefly stated my request. ! "But I still swallowed it. Shino's eyebrows also raised slightly, she must have felt the same way.
"So, I want to know, what skills do you have, what should I do?"
"Oh, by the way, you need to hone yourself in the trial. If you want to get my skills, you will be sealed in the ruins copy on this floor. I have to get the "Trial Amulet". "
As he spoke, the old man put his hand into his pocket, took out something, and handed it to us. In the old man's hand, he held a golden key, shining in the light.
"This key will open the door to the trial. After successfully obtaining the amulet, come back here."
Shino, who was nearest, took the key from the old man. However, Shino stared at the key with confusion. I got worried and shouted.
\"What's wrong, Shino. It seems to be going well.\"
"Is it going well?"
\"Yes. The story is different from what Argo said. It seems that having shooting skills is a condition for activation.\"
Shino looked a little confused.
"So, this is a mission to make low-power shooting stronger, right?"
\"Ah. That's true, but this must be a mission that can solve the part that Shino is most worried about.\"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shino's face suddenly lit up.
\"You did it, you did it! This weird long story is worth listening to! Hey Kirito!\"
"I'm surprised." Because Shino put her face as close to Joy as possible. It's enough to let your face breathe.
Seeing this reaction, Shino immediately tilted her head.
\"What's wrong, Kirito? Your face is so gloomy.\"
"You didn't look unmoved, I was just surprised that your face suddenly came closer."
Shino's face turned into an expression as if she had realized something, and her cheeks turned a cherry color. - I feel like I've done it again.
Speaking of which, I once thought about why Shino fainted in pain in Lisbeth's shop, but thinking about the previous conversation with Shino, I unexpectedly came up with the answer easily. Shino seems embarrassed to approach me or touch me in public, but she will do so even in public if the mood is too high.
I was missing for a whole day, and Shino must have acted like this out of worry, but then she came to her senses and found that she and I were acting like lovers in front of others, which was very embarrassing. She passed out in pain. It's kind of like what I call "I've done it." Even now she is very happy to approach me in public, albeit in the city center.
"Well, for the time being, the ruins I'm talking about are probably the ruins in front of the maze. If you go there, you can strengthen your skills, so we'd better leave quickly."
"Uh, yes. By the way. Shall we leave quickly?"
We said goodbye to the old man and headed to the fields on the 55th floor while loving Shino whose cheeks were completely dyed red by cherry blossoms. At that time, I felt very out of place because there was no big scene and footsteps of Lilan who was usually there. Looking around, Shino smiled slightly. It's been a long time since I've been to Lilan's court.
"The fact that Lilan isn't here feels a bit fresh after all."
"Indeed, you have been with Lilan. In other words, when did Lilan get together with you?"
"Last Christmas. It's April now, it was December, so four months ago. In other words, it's been four months since 'Lelan' didn't show up."
"If you haven't been away for that long, you're going to feel at least a sense of dissonance."
“It’s true that I’ve been working at Leland since December. But at the same time, December is also a month of huge changes for me. That's when I met Shino. From then on, the things I wanted to protect were fixed, and I bought a cabin to live in.
\"But Shino. Have you forgotten something important?\"
"Oh, did I forget something?"
"Yeah, I forgot, I forgot something very important."
Shino put her hand on her chin with a distressed look on her face.
"Uh I don't know what I forgot. Sorry, I can't remember."
\"I gently put my hand on Shino's head.\" Shino's face became blank.
"Didn't you and I meet and start living together this month?"
Shino whispered "Ah" and her cheeks turned red again. However, there was no shyness on his face, but a very gentle smile.
\"Yeah I met you in December last year, didn't I? When I entered SAo, a lot of changes happened in the first month when I met you. Yeah. I completely forgot about it."
"I didn't expect you to suddenly fall from the sky. But"
"However?"
"I've always wanted to know one thing since then." That's why Shino came at that time. Sinon originally said that he entered VR using medicuboid, but at that moment, the floor suddenly fell and he was sucked in. Before he knew it, he was in Aincrad.
"First of all, there's no way something like this is going to happen." Medicuboid and NerveGear are of course the same thing, they're the same thing that invites humans into VR, but the standards are completely different, and this game should basically only run with NerveGear. According to standards, it should be impossible to enter the world with a medicuboid.
(wait?)
No, medicuboid and NerveGear have one more thing in common.
"This means that the VR we are dealing with is on the same network." Although this SAo is a death game, it was originally an mmoRpG, the so-called Netoge played by connecting to a developed Internet.
This Nerve Gear is also connected to the wired network line, so we are in the Internet world. This should be the same as medicuboid's consultation app. You plug in a cable, connect to the Internet, and enter the Internet world beyond this world. The counselor also connects to the Internet and goes to the patient.
The VR built by medicuboid and SAo's Aincrad are different worlds existing in the same world. They are like islands in the same ocean.
(never...)
This SAo may have reached out to an island in the same cyber ocean and kidnapped the creatures there. It's just a theory, but it makes sense to some extent if you think about it that way.
I don't know what happened to the basic program of this SAo, but when Kayaba turned it into a death game, some function was activated, or caused a loss of control, gained a function that did not exist at all, and then went to another world. Oddly enough, it's pretty convincing to speculate that he reached out, grabbed the residents, and carried them home.
What is different from this is that this kind of story accompanies the online science fiction movies and robot anime that I have seen before. I think science fiction movies don't exist, but with the world that Kayaba Akihiko has created, and the set of systems that build it, no matter what you do, there's nothing weird about it anymore.
——Shinon may be a victim kidnapped by SAo. But Shino must be lucky. What would have happened now if you hadn't come to me and Lilan?
And if Sinon is really the one kidnapped by SAo, then we have to bring her back to reality, and the real Sinon will be severely traumatized and has been using medicuboid. Even if I return to reality, I will protect Shino. That's my decision.
\"Kirito Kirito. Kirito.\"
I was startled by the sudden sound. Looking in the direction of the sound, Shino had a worried expression on his face.
\"What's wrong, Kirito? You look a little scary.\" "Um, do I look that scary?"
I felt my muscles stiffen as I instinctively brought my hands to my face. This might seem really scary.
"Yeah, maybe I thought about what the old man was thinking again, and fell into deep thought again."
Shino sighed softly, showing a troubled expression.
"What are you doing? It's okay to be immersed in your thoughts, but don't be immersed in your thoughts when fighting, okay?"
"Sorry, I will be careful. Then, let's head to the ruins area as soon as possible."
\"Yes. But Kirito, do you know where that is? I remember that the ruins are quite large\"
Looking at the ruins in the distance, I remembered the adventure I had when I conquered the 55th floor. If I remember correctly, I remember thinking about this when Lelan found a door with a keyhole that couldn't be opened. That door was probably the trial room where Sinon strengthened her shooting skills. The location is deep inside the ruins, just before entering the maze.
\"Let's aim at the maze first. There should be a door in front of it.\"
\"It's just before the maze. So, let's go. You never know what will happen, so be careful. We don't have Lilan to rely on now.\"
"I nodded." Although I am a "tamer" now, I am no different from an ordinary player. The only thing that can protect Sinon is my sword. Without Lilan's great power, Sinon would not be protected unless she put in more effort and vigilance than usual.
\"Ah, there is no Lilan anymore, so be careful. Just in case, you still have to prepare the transfer crystal.\"
Sinon nodded, summoned the teleportation crystal from the prop window, and put it away. At the same time, I also ensured that Sinon could activate a certain skill at any time in case anything happened to Sinon. Although I don’t know exactly how many there are, it is definitely a powerful skill. Now that Lilan is gone, I am the only one who can protect Shino.
\"Okay, Shino, let's go.\"
Shino and I walked towards the ruins together.
After walking through the plain area for a while, he entered the ruins and eliminated all the skeleton monsters he encountered. When he came to the maze step by step, he discovered the door that Lilan was often curious about. He remembered that this very effective. As he and Shino approached the door, the key given to him by the old man in Shino's pocket began to glow faintly, as if it resonated with the door.
"The key is glowing."
"Sure enough, this door seems to be the door I mentioned."
\"Shino's face looks a little ugly.\"
\"The front room is the test. I think I'm ready, but what about Kirito?\"
"This is ready, let's go in."
Sinon nodded, inserted the key into the keyhole of the Trial Door and turned it. There was a clanking sound, and the wooden and stone door slowly opened with a heavy sound and vibration. Sinon put her hand on the bow, and I put my hand on the sword on my back, walked through the door, and entered the trial room that no one had ever entered before.
Only then did we realize that the trial room was the largest room in the ruins. As proof, when I entered the entrance I couldn't see the wall on the other side of the room and the ceiling was far away so it was pitch black.
Then, when they reached the center of the room, they stopped, covering their backs, and surveyed their surroundings. Despite being a courtroom, there was no sign of the enemy and it was deserted. Looking forward, I could see a tall, tower-like altar, which seemed to be thirty meters high. About fifty meters away from it was a ladder-like height. I found the tower.
"Is this a trial?"
I nodded to Shino's voice, walked to an angle where I could see the top of the altar without using a ladder, and used the telephoto skill to confirm the top of the altar. I was startled when I saw the faint glow of a golden amulet in a dark room lit by a few torches. That's the amulet the old man asked you to get.
"Is that a trial item? Well, it seems difficult to climb up that tower to get the trial item."
"It's impossible. Even for you, I find it difficult to climb up or run up. Or rather, this is a task, so you can't do it."
"By the way, how did you get that amulet?"
Shino looked up at the amulet far above.
"In the old man's story, there is a story about shooting down distant objects with arrows. Maybe it was shot this way."
"It seems like a story like this would suit you." Although I was too lost in thought to realize it, it did seem possible to shoot down the amulet with Shino's bow.
\"So, do you want to try targeting from here?\"
"No, the angle is too bad from below. Even if it hits, I don't think it will fall. Unless the angle is almost parallel, it may be difficult to fall."
"From the altar, I cast my sights on the other tower." There is a ladder over there. If you climb up, it will be almost parallel to the amulet.
“How about shooting from the top of the tower?”
"Or, that's how you get it. The distance from the tower to the amulet on the altar is no more than fifty meters, so as long as you aim at it with your sword skills, you can hit it. And, I think I can." Get the amulet. "
Shino walked up to me and looked at the tower.
"Let me come here. It doesn't look big enough for two people to climb up."
"Yes, please take care of yourself."
Shino nodded, quickly climbed up the tower ladder away from the altar, and soon reached the top of the tower.
\"How about it, Shino. Did you see it?\"
Shino's voice came from the top of the tower.
"I could see it clearly. It was a perfect shooting spot. The amulet was in a very easy to aim position."
"Okay, aim and throw. It looks very strong. It won't break even if you throw it."
A moment later after Sinon said "I understand," the sound of an arrow flying out was heard. At the same time, an arrow wrapped in light shot out from the tower where Shino was, heading towards the altar at full speed. Fly away. Amulet, metal. It made a sound like a voice and hit the amulet directly. After a moment, a glittering golden amulet spilled out from the altar.
I immediately ran to the amulet, jumped slightly, and grabbed it. The amulet is shaped like a necklace, with a beautiful green emerald gem embedded in the golden body.
I stared at the amulet, which was even more beautiful than I had imagined, waiting for the moment it would hit the floor, but it never hit the floor.
I don't remember flying that high but when I looked down, there was no floor. Before you know it, the floor is gone!
"Lou ah ah ah!!?"
I fell into pitch black space as I prepared to land.
"let's go"
"I fell quite a distance." I jumped into the darkness and continued falling as if I was being sucked into it. Seconds after I started falling, the darkness disappeared and I could see the floor. It must have fallen dozens of meters.
I didn't expect that I could open the floor by taking the amulet. It seems I have fallen into a trap.
"Damn it, did you pay too much attention to the amulet and find the abnormality on the floor too late?"
When I stood up and gently held my head, I heard a familiar scream from above, which surprised me and made me aware at the same time. So, since Sinon is at the top of the tower, she can stay in that room without worrying about the floor falling down.
"No, I was left behind." And considering that scream, it's not hard to imagine what happened to Shino!
\"What's wrong, Shino!?\"
As I raised my voice to say this, a voice came from the dark ceiling.
"Well, a monster came out of the altar! There are two [life bars]! It looks like a boss monster!"
"What did you say!?"
"In that room, when you take away the amulet, not only will the floor fall down, but the boss monster will also attack?" This is a very well-designed trap, which impressed me and made me angry at the same time. But now is not the time to get angry. Before that, I have to let Shino escape. Even for Sinon, it was too dangerous to face the boss monster alone.
\"Sinon, use the teleportation crystal to escape!
"No, no, this is the crystal invalid zone!"
Moreover, when I came to the crystal failure area, I found that my face suddenly turned pale. ——The situation now is exactly the same as then. The trapped black cat on a moonlit night, without a crystal, was surrounded by many monsters, beaten brutally, and died miserably like Sachi.
That moment, the moment when Sachi was killed and disappeared, replayed over and over in my mind, and every time, cold sweat began to flow from my forehead to my cheeks and onto the floor. Not long after, the images that flashed in his mind were repeated over and over again, from the moment when Sachi and the others died to the moment when Sinon was attacked and killed by the boss monster.
Sinon was attacked by a boss monster and fell into a desperate situation. The image of being killed could not be erased from her mind.
And this scene is about to become a realistic image.
"Since the death of Sachi and the others, I have been avoiding contact with people." However, during this period, I met Shino, and I began to think that I didn't want Shino to die, and I wanted to protect her forever. Shino, the one who believed in me when I suddenly met her, the one who accompanied me to this point, the one who listened to my story without thinking it was a joke.
Among them, Shino Asada is the only girl in the world who is considered the cutest. That life is about to disappear before my eyes, just like Sachi and the others.
"Have I lost such an important person again?" Will the promises kept be just verbal promises that cannot be fulfilled in the end? Ultimately nothing will change, right?
Just as I was thinking this, a picture of Sachi and the others appeared in my mind, and I was shocked when I saw Sachi thanking me on the verge of death.
"I let them die because I wanted to protect them." Until now, I have always believed that such a thing will never happen again.
"I was helpless then." But not now. I don't have the power to run again now, but I've gained tremendous strength in return.
I don't know if this power comes from my desire to protect Shino and the others. But if you don’t use it now, when will you?
Sachi and the others who died would never want to repeat that experience. No matter how desperate the situation becomes, I will never let it happen again.
"I can't give up here!!"
\"Kirito!?\"
I turned to the ceiling and yelled at Shino.
\"I'm going back at full speed now! Hold on until I arrive, Utano——!!!\"
\"I understand. I will stick to it!\"
"I will never abandon you." We will definitely live together.
"This hopeless situation will be reversed."
Screaming in my heart, I immediately waved my left hand to bring up the menu, flipped through the weapons and items I owned, selected a weapon with almost the same performance as the weapon I owned now, and turned it into an object. The blank part of the equipment diagram - after setting the item to the place where the shield should be equipped, this time bring up the skill window and change the weapon skill.
