After speaking with Akimi, Kirito roughly finalized the team division.
"Since we're short on people, we'll only have two teams. Team A: Hafner, Shivata, Okotan, Lowbacca, Naijan, and Liten. Team B: Me, Agil, Wolfgang, Nezha, Argo, Asuna, and Akimi. Any objections?"
Everyone paused in surprise at this lineup, then some mild commotion started—it clearly didn't match their expectations.
Shivata frowned and asked, "So you're grouping all the tanks into Team A and all the DPS into Team B? Why not distribute them more evenly?"
"If we split them evenly, we won't have enough tanks," Kirito replied helplessly.
"Only you and Liten are equipped with shields. If you're placed on separate teams, you won't be able to tank in turns effectively."
After hearing his explanation, the group began to understand.
After all, this raid only had about a quarter of the system's recommended player count.
Since they couldn't cover every role ideally, they had no choice but to take a more unconventional strategy.
"Akimi and I will enter the boss room first to scout, and check what's different from the beta test," Kirito continued.
"Of course, even once the fight begins, everyone should be ready to retreat at any time. I'm sure none of us want to see any casualties."
Kirito's voice gradually took on a passionate, stirring tone: "Alright, that's all. Let's end 2022 with a victory in this boss raid, and make 2023 a year filled with hope!"
Everyone was stunned—this fired-up Kirito felt completely different from his usual calm and quiet self.
Just as Kirito began to worry that maybe he sounded too cheesy, the group all shouted back enthusiastically:
"Alright! Let's do this!"
"Whoooaaah!"
"Wuhu! That was a pretty good speech, Kirito!"
Kirito let out an awkward cough, then turned and pushed open the door to the labyrinth tower—signaling the official start of the raid.
After clearing numerous small golems about two meters tall along the way, the group finally arrived in front of the boss room.
Even though this was a relatively straightforward labyrinth tower, it still took around two and a half hours to reach the boss room.
The in-game system clock showed that it was now 7:00 PM.
The layout of the fifth-floor boss room differed slightly from previous ones.
Previously, boss rooms were always located at the end of wide corridors, marked by an unusually large door.
But this one was different—at the end of the corridor, there wasn't a giant door.
Instead, there was a staircase that was the same width as the hallway, leading upward.
From the bottom looking up, one could only see a pitch-black opening at the top of the stairs.
Kirito said in a serious tone, "Alright, let's proceed according to plan. Akimi and I will go up and scout. I'll leave perimeter watch to the rest of you."
"Understood."
As Kirito and Akimi ascended the staircase, their figures quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Even their previously audible footsteps seemed to be swallowed by the shadows.
"Tch, it's really dark," Akimi muttered.
This passage was pitch black—so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Even the torchlight seemed suppressed by the gloom, only managing to illuminate less than a meter around them, just enough to barely see the floor.
After fully entering the dark zone and climbing roughly five meters further, the material of the stairs suddenly changed—from blue-black stone to dark-colored metal.
With a sudden vmmm sound, several beams of light shot from a distance, instantly dispelling the darkness and flooding the entire area with brightness.
They found themselves in a circular chamber, roughly thirty meters in diameter and fifteen meters tall.
Judging by its size, it seemed the entire top of the labyrinth tower was taken up by this boss room.
"…That's odd," Kirito said with a frown.
"I don't see any passage to the sixth floor…"
And now, even though the two of them had been inside the boss room for a while, neither the boss nor any boss minions had appeared.
The floor and ceiling of the room were made of a material resembling black crystal.
It had that distinct crystalline texture—smooth overall, with many fine grooves running through it like circuitry.
Inside those grooves glowed blue lines.
Roughly ten meters ahead, the grooves formed a complex set of concentric circles, but there didn't seem to be anything obviously wrong about them.
The two exchanged a glance, then slowed their pace and cautiously advanced a bit further.
The moment their feet stepped onto the concentric circle pattern, the entire room trembled violently, albeit briefly.
The grooves lit up with a bright glow.
Then five square stone pillars extended upward from the floor.
Three were long, and two were short—looking unmistakably like… fingers?
Akimi's expression changed instantly, and he quickly retreated.
Kirito realized the danger too, but wasn't fast enough.
One of the stone hands grabbed him.
The massive hand then began to rise, revealing a black arm beneath it.
The stone hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
From the gaps between its black fingers, shards of broken light scattered into the air.
Watching those fragments drifting in the air, Akimi's pupils contracted sharply—but he quickly regained composure.
Checking the party interface, he saw that among the seven HP bars, Kirito's had not been wiped out—only slightly reduced.
Akimi immediately drew his Nichirin Blade and slashed at the black arm, but it only left a shallow wound.
The moment his blade clashed with the black arm, Akimi felt as if he had struck solid steel—his hand went numb from the shock.
Seeing that the stone hand had no intention of letting go, Akimi took a deep breath, raised his Nichirin Blade high, and shouted:
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
After the water-infused blade slashed into the black arm, the stone hand finally reacted.
It began to descend while slowly opening its palm.
At the same time, a deep, thunderous roar echoed from the ceiling above.
As the stone hand neared the ground, Kirito leapt out from between its fingers.
At this point, his leather armor had been completely shattered, leaving only a black undershirt on his body.
"Looks like we're going to have to drop down first," Akimi said grimly.
Kirito nodded in agreement while drinking a recovery potion.
But before they could take more than a few steps, the circuit-like grooves on the floor began to change.
Two concentric circles appeared beneath their feet.
The two quickly dodged away, and in the very next instant, two black arms shot out of the floor and clenched into fists in midair.
Just as the two were catching their breath, the grooves on the ceiling also shifted, forming matching concentric circles directly above them.
Their hearts skipped a beat, and they instantly moved away from that spot.
Moments later, two massive black feet—each two meters tall—slammed down on the exact place they had just been.
The impact sent out a shockwave that forced both of them back another couple of steps.
Now, in order to avoid the attacks, they had moved far from the entrance and were backed against a wall.
For some reason, the grooves had stopped moving.
"Whew…" Akimi let out a breath.
"Hey, Kirito… I think I've figured out its attack pattern."
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