However, Akimi and Asuna didn't hesitate too much.
"When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a way; when the boat reaches the bridgehead, it will go straight."
Even though they weren't particularly worried, the necessary preparations still had to be made.
"Hey, Asuna, do you still have any of the three types of crystals left? I've got a few extras here."
As Akimi spoke, he handed over three differently colored square-shaped crystals to Asuna.
But Asuna only took one light green detoxification crystal.
There are three types of crystals: healing, teleportation, and detoxification.
The corresponding colors are pink, blue, and green.
The healing crystal instantly restores all HP.
The teleportation crystal allows the user to instantly warp to any town with a teleportation gate.
The detoxification crystal removes all status impairments.
And importantly, these three crystals don't come in high or low grades.
Those saying there are high or low-grade crystals are wrong—don't be misled.
Crystals are way better than potions.
They have no cooldowns, no wait times—they're all instant use.
Holding the detoxification crystal, Asuna said slowly, "Three healing crystals, two teleportation crystals… just one detox crystal short, and I'll be good."
"Hm… Should I try enhancing the Nichirin Blade again?" Akimi flicked his +27 enhanced Nichirin Blade as he spoke.
After a moment of thought, Asuna shook her head and said, "Let's not. We're low on materials right now. If the enhancement fails, we won't have enough left for another attempt. Besides, the gains from a few more levels aren't significant. Only by defeating the Floor 25 demon and obtaining breakthrough materials can we significantly power it up."
That's right—after +20, the Nichirin Blade's system description clearly stated that every 10 levels, a breakthrough enhancement is required.
The overwhelming sense of familiarity made Akimi want to say something to the designer of the Nichirin Blade system: "So you too…"
Of course, it's also possible to skip the breakthrough enhancement.
But if you do that, the base stats won't increase.
(Think of it like Genshin's weapon base ATK: breakthrough = increasing base stats. You probably know the difference between white and green stats, right?)
So honestly, normal enhancements at this point don't really increase their power much anymore.
Only breakthrough enhancements—which raise base stats—can significantly boost their combat power.
But the annoying thing is that breakthroughs can fail, and if they do, that's it—the materials are not refunded.
That means each failure lowers the blade's maximum potential base stat by one tier.
So Akimi and Asuna decided that when it's finally time to go for a breakthrough, they'd drag Haganezuka to Floor 2 and eat a few servings of "Wobbly Cream Strawberry Cake" to boost their luck before attempting it.
"Alright, let's head out then," said Akimi while scrolling through Kirito's message logs.
"Even though the Knights of the Blood Oath are ahead of us in progress… the all-powerful Kiri-A-mon is still the MVP."
Actually, not long after receiving Kexo's quest, Akimi had asked Kirito to send him exploration intel on the Shaking Forest— because that guy Kirito had already solo-mapped every region in the first half of Floor 25 in detail.
A true grind king among grind kings.
And Kirito? The grind king / exploit hunter / shady soloer / Kiri-A-mon didn't disappoint.
Not long after receiving the message, he sent over all the info— complete with a helpful marker showing the exact spawn locations of the Konibia Fruit.
As for why he didn't ask Argo for intel… come on, that money-grubber Argo is nowhere near as cheap as Kiri-A-mon.
Kirito can be appeased with just one meal, unlike Argo, who treats every opportunity like fleecing a sheep.
Thanks to Kirito's reliable intel, Akimi and Asuna arrived at the destination half an hour earlier than Heathcliff and his group, without encountering any danger or obstruction.
However, they didn't immediately rush to gather the Konibia Fruit.
Instead, they hid behind a large tree.
After all, they still had no idea what Kexo Grenifen was really planning — the whole quest reeked of suspicion from beginning to end.
After a short while, Heathcliff appeared, wearing red armor, holding a shield with a red cross on a white background, and a white cape flowing behind him.
He was accompanied by his two subordinates.
He first looked at the bush bearing the Konibia Fruit, then scanned the surroundings.
His gaze finally rested on the tree where Akimi and Asuna were hiding, and he calmly said:
"Come out, Mr. Tomioka and Miss Asuna. There's no need to hide."
Akimi and Asuna didn't move.
Heathcliff's gaze also didn't shift.
The tension held.
After more than ten seconds, Akimi and Asuna finally sighed and stepped out from behind the tree.
"Oh—so you really were there," Heathcliff said with his usual gentle smile.
"I was merely testing."
Akimi gave him a long, hard look but said nothing — who would believe it was just a test?
Judging by his earlier performance, his tracking skill proficiency was even higher than Kirito's.
Heathcliff wasn't bothered by Akimi's silence and continued:
"Why didn't you retrieve the quest item immediately upon arriving, Mr. Tomioka? Instead, you waited specifically for us to show up?"
"Oh, come on, Ka… Heathcliff," Akimi replied bluntly, arms crossed.
"We're all old foxes here. No need to act like we're in some ghost story. You've noticed there's something off about Kexo's quest too, haven't you?"
"Of course," Heathcliff replied with a straight face.
He glanced at the bush covered in red fruits not far away and said, "The Konibia Fruit is a common item — not worth the castle lord Kexo paying such a high price to hire adventurers like us. So, he must have some other motive."
Then Heathcliff turned his gaze to Akimi and asked, "So, Mr. Tomioka, what do you think his real goal is?"
"Obviously… it's us."
As soon as Akimi finished speaking, a crimson sword skill light flared up from the depths of the forest and suddenly lunged toward him.
---------------
Exclusive access : 150+ch on paetron
Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz