Several days had passed since then, and information gathering—primarily handled by Argo—had gradually unveiled the outline of the murder guild, Laughing Coffin.
Their leader was a man known as PoH, clad in a black poncho.
Among the suspected executives were JoH—full name Johnny Black. Though most only knew the abbreviations, a member of the Liberation Force had disclosed this detail.
Then there was Red-Eyed XaXa and Morte, formerly of the Dragon Knights.
From survivor accounts of encounters, XaXa's eyes had been blood-red for reasons unknown, leading to his provisional nickname, Red-Eyed XaXa, based on that striking feature.
The guidebook listed these four as players to watch, along with the organization's name and guild emblem.
It was decided that any critical information would be funneled to Argo, who held the authority to convene strategy meetings as needed.
Hachiman had spent the past few days staking out the area around the nearest town to the karma recovery quest site on the fifth floor, barely pausing for rest.
Players with orange cursors couldn't enter towns or use teleport gates, so it was deduced that Laughing Coffin members likely moved between floors by setting teleport crystals to remote villages outside safe zones.
This required the cooperation of green-cursor members, so it was anticipated that they'd periodically send someone to recover karma.
Hachiman figured that by marking every orange-cursor player who came for the quest, he'd eventually trace them back to Laughing Coffin.
(Another miss, huh...)
Orange cursors were easy to acquire—accidental friendly fire in combat could do it—so plenty of players showed up for the quest.
Most false leads came during the day, so Hachiman shifted his surveillance to focus on nighttime.
(Oh, this guy's acting suspiciously shady.)
Hachiman zeroed in on a lone player skulking in during the dead of night to accept the quest.
Normally, players would head straight to town after finishing, but this one veered in the opposite direction.
By tailing him, Hachiman uncovered what appeared to be a hideout.
(Looks like this is one of their bases, but it might not be the main one. I'll watch the comings and goings for a bit.)
After observing for a while, Hachiman concluded this was just one of several probable hideouts.
He was contemplating calling for reinforcements to raid it when he spotted a familiar face entering.
(That's... Morte. Probably about three inside right now. What to do...)
Hachiman hesitated briefly, but judging from their gear that the enemies' levels were below his, he contacted only Kirito, Klein, and Egil, deciding to capture Morte.
There was no time to summon a full meeting, so they opted for a swift, small-team assault.
"How's it look, Hachiman? Is Morte still in there?"
"Yeah, he's inside. Counting him, three total."
"Alright, let's tie 'em all up!"
"Right. Can't let these guys run loose."
"Sorry for dragging you into this out of nowhere, Klein, Egil."
"Don't sweat it, Hachiman."
"Yeah, no problem. Let's move. Egil, watch the entrance for any others."
"Got it."
"Their levels are low, so minimal risk to us. Let's bag 'em all clean."
Leaving Egil at the entrance, the three pushed deeper inside.
Voices of several players in conversation drifted from the back.
"Next target's supposed to be a big shot, from what I hear!"
"Yeah. Leader and all the execs are gearing up for it. Don't know the details myself."
"That tough, huh? Awesome!"
"...Hold up, did you hear that...?"
(Damn, they noticed?)
The trio exchanged nods and sprang into action to secure Morte and the others.
Morte was quick on his feet, as expected, but the other two were swiftly subdued by Kirito and Klein.
Hachiman faced off against Morte.
"You bastards... how long have you been here?"
"Long time no see, Morte."
"Tch. I figured Rosalia might've spilled something, but I didn't expect you to move this fast."
"Surrender quietly. You've got no chance."
"Hah! Won't know till we try!"
Morte lunged at Hachiman with a slash. Hachiman took the hit without dodging.
"Getting slow, aren't ya, Hachiman?"
"Are you an idiot? Now your cursor's orange. Means we can hit back without holding off."
"Tch."
Hachiman darted into Morte's guard and unleashed «Fad Edge».
The counter-like strike shaved off about thirty percent of Morte's HP in an instant.
"You quit the front lines too soon. You look way weaker than before."
"You...!"
Morte kept up his desperate struggle, but his HP finally dipped into the red zone.
Hachiman had taken some hits too, but still held about seventy percent HP.
"Give it up already."
"Damn it, damn it!"
"Hachiman, we're done over here."
At that moment, Kirito—having left the two captives under Klein's watch—joined up.
"Now it's two on one. Still wanna keep going?"
"Tch, like hell I'm getting caught by you losers!"
In the next instant, Morte plunged his weapon into himself.
The sudden act stunned the pair into immobility.
Before their eyes, Morte shattered into fragments with a burst of effects.
"What the hell...?"
"He's insane..."
Kirito and Klein muttered in daze. Hachiman was speechless.
The three briefed Egil on what happened, then escorted the two captives to prison for interrogation.
Beyond learning the guild had around thirty members, they got nothing else.
Hachiman reported the events to Argo and requested a strategy meeting.
He'd secretly contacted Heathcliff and briefed Asuna on the basics, asking her not to attend. So she wasn't present now.
The meeting began, and the assembled members shuddered at the recounting.
"These guys are a bunch of lunatics who don't even hesitate to off themselves. If we form a raid team down the line, who knows how many casualties we'll take."
"But we have to do it, right?"
Lind spoke, his voice strained.
"Yeah. Leave 'em be, and more victims pile up."
"But killing people...?"
"Exactly!"
"But if our friends get hurt instead..."
Opinions flew, turning the meeting chaotic for a moment, until Hachiman made a proposal.
"I'm sick of this crap too. But I can't stand seeing our people get hurt. So for this, I suggest each guild selects only those who've steeled themselves for it."
The room settled, and after some contemplation, they agreed to proceed that way.
They confirmed the executives' strength from Morte's gear and attacks, disclosed the guild's approximate size, and shared the vague intel about an upcoming big target. With that, the meeting ended.
"That about covers it."
"Yeah. Now we wait for more info."
"Oh, I forgot to ask— that girl Silica's familiar revived, right?"
"Yeah, it did."
"Good to hear."
Hachiman said it brusquely, then added as if realizing something.
"Hey, Kirito, keep an eye on her for a while."
"...You think she might get targeted 'cause of the Titans Hand bust?"
"Something like that. Though I doubt the lower ranks knew every detail."
"...Hachiman, you free for the next few days?"
"Yeah, nothing pressing. What's up?"
"Starting tomorrow, wanna help level Silica up while teaching her dagger skills? Planning some power-leveling on higher floors, so extra muscle would help."
"Ah, got it. Sure, no problem. Hell, you two can crash at my place during it. Might even invite Asuna—she's been sulking about not getting called to these things lately."
Lizbeth had bought her own house and moved her stuff out of Hachiman's, planning to stay in Asuna's room when visiting.
That left two rooms empty.
Hachiman had furnished them minimally himself, just in case guests came.
"Yeah, your place is definitely the safest. Alright, I'll run it by Silica."
"Cool. If it's a go, hit me up tonight even. And no need to repay the favor this time—one night, one meal."
"Gah... One day I'll get my own house..."
"You're blowing too much cash on hobby gear. Later."
And so, it was settled: starting tomorrow, they'd power-level Silica for a few days.
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