Klein, this guy—though he looks a bit like a rough draft, his hot-blooded idiot vibe isn't actually annoying.
Watching this guy wailing with snot and tears while calling out "Great God," Ye You's mouth twitched, and he didn't give him a chance to keep clinging to his leg.
"Alright, stop wailing."
Ye You casually tossed over a red potion that had just dropped, hitting Klein right in the chest, "Drink it and head back to town quickly; this isn't a place you can stay right now. Also, don't follow me, I'm used to going solo."
After saying that, without waiting for Klein's reaction, Ye You turned around and left.
[Ding!]
[Rescue mission completed.]
[Target: Klein （Ordinary male player）.]
[Evaluation: Although the target is an idiot who's good for nothing except loyalty, he's at least the host's first piece of business.]
[Reward Distribution: Basic Sword Skill Proficiency Grand Gift Pack （All-Series Mastery LV1）.]
A warm current instantly surged through his whole body.
The originally awkward muscle memory seemed to be forcibly corrected by some mysterious power, as countless data streams regarding sword swings, parries, and footwork poured into his mind.
Ye You clenched his fists, feeling like he could pull off a standard horizontal slash even with his eyes closed now.
"This reward is so sweet."
Even though he acted like he disliked Klein for being a big dude, this haul was actually a huge win. At this early stage where everyone was still just swinging swords, all-series basic mastery was simply a dimensional strike.
...
Three days later.
Aincrad First Floor, Labyrinth Area outskirts.
The sky was shrouded in thick, grey clouds.
Massive stone pillars towered over the wasteland, and in the distance was the giant tower leading straight to Floor 2.
The monster strength here is on a completely different level compared to the wild boars outside.
"Roar——!"
An orc warrior clutching a rusty battle-axe roared and fell, turning into a shower of fragments.
Ye You sheathed his sword, his movements as fluid as flowing water.
By now, he had already swapped out his set of basic cloth clothes. He was wearing a piece of Grey Wolf Leather Armor that had dropped from an elite mob, and the iron sword in his hand had been replaced by a "Refined Steel Longsword +2" shimmering with a green light.
Level: LV7.
This leveling speed was definitely among the best, even within the current top tier.
"It's about time to enter the tower."
Ye You glanced at the map; just ahead was the entrance leading deep into the Labyrinth Area.
Just then, a series of rapid, chaotic metallic clanging sounds drifted over.
Someone's fighting?
And listening to the sound, the rhythm was very messy—they were clearly in a hard-fought battle.
Ye You's brow furrowed slightly as he instinctively lowered his center of gravity, creeping over under the cover of the piles of rubble.
In front of a derelict corridor entrance, a figure was struggling to hold on.
It was a player who had wrapped themselves up tightly.
The hood of the crimson cloak covered most of the face, leaving only pale, tightly pursed lips and a few strands of slightly messy chestnut hair peeking out.
It was a female player.
And a solo player at that.
At this stage where most people were still grouping up for safety, a woman who dared to charge into the outskirts of the Labyrinth Area alone was either a lunatic, or...
"Asuna."
The name flashed through Ye You's mind instantly.
Though he couldn't see the face clearly, with that slender rapier and that reckless fighting style, besides the one who would later become the famous Flash, who else could it be?
But the Asuna right now clearly hadn't evolved into that majestic Vice-Commander yet.
"Die! Die! Die!"
The rapier in Asuna's hand turned into streaks of silver light, stabbing frantically at the monsters in front of her.
However, what was besieging her weren't those clumsy orcs, but three agile [Ruin Kobold Troopers].
This thing was one of the most disgusting elite mobs on the First Floor.
They hold small round shields with barbs and short Talwars in their hands, knowing how to coordinate tactically and even using the aggro mechanism to pull and kite.
Asuna's attacks are sharp, but completely unorganized.
That was fighting entirely on instinct, without considering the system's "Sword Skill Cooldown" and "Rigid Time" at all.
"Too messy."
Ye You hid behind a rock, calmly performing tactical analysis, "This woman has probably been grinding here for hours without rest. Her SP stamina bar is almost empty, yet she's still forcing skill usage. How is this any different from seeking death?"
As expected.
Right after Asuna's [Linear] attack missed, her body froze in place due to the system's forced rigidity.
That was a fatal opening.
"Jee jee jee!"
The three Kobolds let out ear-piercing snickers; they had been waiting for this exact moment.
The Kobold on the left suddenly raised its buckler and slammed it hard into Asuna's side waist.
"Ugh!"
Asuna let out a painful groan. Her already shaky body immediately lost balance, and she stumbled backward.
Before she could even steady herself, the other two Kobolds had already raised their Talwars high.
The cold light glinted.
Heading straight for the vitals.
Asuna's pupils shrank suddenly. The HP bar in the upper-left corner of her field of vision turned red from the impact just now.
Am I going to die?
In this damn game, just die meaninglessly like this in this dark corner?
She wanted to raise her sword to parry, but her arms felt heavy—that was the system-determined "Severe Fatigue" status.
Despair.
At this moment, Asuna's mind went blank, and she could only watch helplessly as those two Talwars came down with a foul wind.
Just at this critical moment—
[Voom—!]
In Ye You's mind, that familiar alarm sound struck.
[Warning! S-rank Desperate Rescue target detected!]
[Target: Yuuki Asuna （Asuna）.]
[Current Status: Near death, severe fatigue, on the verge of a mental breakdown.]
[Desperation Level: S-rank!]
[System Prompt: Host, this is a big catch! This is definitely a big catch! If you let her die, you can forget about starting a harem for the rest of your life!]
"Shut up, I know that without you telling me!"
A sharp glint flashed in Ye You's eyes.
His body moved faster than his thoughts.
[Crisis Sense] fully active!
[Basic Sword Skill Mastery] loaded!
Like a cheetah poised to strike, he suddenly lunged from behind the rock.
The gravel beneath his feet instantly shattered, and using that massive reaction force, Ye You's figure turned into an afterimage, drawing a straight black line through the air.
Closing in.
Getting even closer.
The Kobold's Talwar was less than ten centimeters away from Asuna's neck.
Asuna had already closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the arrival of death.
However, the expected intense pain didn't come.
"Clang—!!!"
A deafening clash of metal on metal exploded in front of the narrow corridor.
The massive impact kicked up a ring of visible shockwaves, blowing away the dust on the ground.
Asuna's eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes.
In that instant.
A tall back stood in front of her.
That man held a sword in one hand, the Steel Longsword in his grip forcefully blocking the talwars of two kobolds.
Sparks flew everywhere, lighting up the man's cold, stern profile.
"Closing your eyes at a time like this, are you trying to die faster?"
The man's voice was low and steady, with a hint of mockery he didn't even try to hide, yet right now it sounded more reassuring than any comfort.
Ye You's wrist flicked, and that [Basic Sword Skill Mastery] inherited from Klein was displayed to its fullest at this moment.
Parry, deflect, counterattack.
This sequence of movements was completed within 0.5 seconds.
"Get lost!"
Ye You gave a low shout, his longsword jerking upward.
The immense power directly knocked back the two Kobolds' Talwars, leaving them wide open and exposing their vulnerable chests and bellies.
[Switch （Switch）]!
Although the two of them weren't in a party, at this moment, Ye You forcibly created a window for a Switch.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot."
Ye You didn't look back, just slightly turned sideways to make way for an opening to attack, "If you can still move, get up and finish the kill!"
Asuna was stunned.
She stared at the man's back.
It was a feeling she had never experienced before.
In this death game, someone actually... stood in front of her?
Finish the kill...
Right, finish the kill!
The instinct for survival overwhelmed her fear.
Asuna grit her teeth, and with a burst of strength from out of nowhere, the rapier in her hand suddenly lunged forward.
"Hyaaahhh!"
Puchi!
The rapier pierced the throat of one of the stunned Kobolds.
Critical hit!
That Kobold didn't even have time to scream before it exploded into a shower of blue data fragments.
"Nice job."
The corners of Ye You's mouth curled up slightly.
By now, the remaining two Kobolds were enraged, and the shield-wielding guy roared as he tried to charge forward.
"Since you're awake, watch closely."