Sword Art Online – Progressive - Volume 1 - Chapter 3.08

8 
“EEK… NO! STAY AWAY!” 
The beautiful girl’s eyes were wide with fear as a menacing silhouette plodded closer. 
It sounded like a scene from a suspenseful horror film, but it would not be following the Hollywood template for much longer. 
“I told you… to stay the hell away!” she roared, and dashed forward rather than backward. The large attacker reacted by waving its crude two-handed hammer, but her right hand shot forward like lightning before it could hit the target. 
The rippling thrust caught the attacker directly on its exposed chest. Brilliant beams of light exploded outward, and the hammer’s progress slowed. Normally at this point, the player should dart backward and evade, but the girl plunged farther onward, pulling her rapier back and unleashing another attack. Two strikes hit the thick chest high and low, and the half-naked body writhed in pain. 
“Brmooooh!!” 
It leaned back and emitted a death cry, short horns and ring-pierced snout in clear profile. The massive body tipped backward, then stopped in mid-fall. The rippling muscles turned to hard glass and cracks trickled down the surface, emitting blue light until it finally exploded. 
The combo was Linear and the two-strike Parallel Sting, and the creature was a Lesser Taurus Striker, a humanoid with the head of a bull. The fencer bent over, panting heavily, and turned to fix me with an angry look. 
“That … was not a bull!” 
Two hours had passed since Asuna and I reached the second-floor labyrinth, the first players in Aincrad to set foot inside of it. Kibaou and Lind’s parties were probably down on the first level of the tower, gnashing their teeth over the ransacked chests they found, but if I had to be stuck with the “evil beater” role, I might as well reap the benefits. The initial locations of the treasure chests were about 80 percent unchanged from the beta, so I steered us from one to the other, with the occasional battle in between. Once we reached the second floor, we finally met one of the true masters of the labyrinth—a Taurus. 
“Well, I guess they’re closer to human than bull,” I admitted. I had no idea why Asuna was so upset about this. “But this is pretty much what minotaurs are like in every MMO. So people call them ‘bulls’ or ‘cows’ as a nickname …” 
“…Minotaurs? Like from Greek mythology?” 
The anger in her eyes subsided slightly. It seemed that she had a fondness for topics related to studying and learning. I wasn’t particularly well versed in mythology, but my little sister had always liked the stories, and I had read them to her when she was young. I nodded and tried to recall some nuggets of information. 
“Y-yeah, that’s the kind. The legendary minotaur lived in a dungeon on the island of Crete—they called it the labyrinthos in Greek. Anyway, the hero Theseus delves into the dungeon and kills the minotaur. It’s a very game-like scenario, so the minotaur has been a classic RPG enemy type for years and years. In this game, they take out the ‘mino’ part and just call them tauruses.” 
“Well, that makes sense. Isn’t the mino in minotaur from King Minos of Crete?” 
“Huh? So you’re saying that calling it a ‘mino’ for short would be incorrect?” 
“Of course. After Minos died, he became the judge of the dead in Hades. So it’s probably best that you don’t call them that.” 
This discussion seemed to have taken the edge off of Asuna’s anger, so I tried to take advantage of the opportunity. 
“So, erm… Miss Asuna, what was it about that mino—I mean, taurus, that didn’t meet your approval …?” 
She glared at me side-eyed. “It wasn’t wearing, well … hardly anything at all! Just a tiny little scrap of cloth around the waist. It was practically sexual harassment! I wish the harassment code would kick in and send it to the prison of Blackiron Palace.” 
“Ah … I see.” 
The lower tauruses did indeed feature minimal clothing compared to the kobolds and goblins of the first floor. If you removed the bull head, they were basically nearly naked muscle men—quite a shock to (I assumed) a pampered rich girl from an all-girls’ school. 
But that left one big problem. One of the chests I’d just opened had a set of armor called Mighty Straps of Leather. Not only did it have excellent defense, it also granted a strength boost. However, when equipped, it turned the wearer’s torso naked except for a few strategically placed leather straps. No other clothes or armor could be worn over or under it. I figured the dungeon was a discreet enough place for it, and was planning to change the next time we found a safe room, but Asuna’s reaction to the taurus was causing me to reconsider. Still, it was a shame to waste such a great piece of loot. Should I offer it to her, or banish it for having no value to the party? 
“Hey, Asuna … I got a strap-style armor with magical effects from a chest back there.” 
Suddenly, her eyes were three times as frosty as when she had dispatched the taurus. 
“Yes, and?” 
“… … Um … Just thinking, not many people will look good in that. Maybe he would. You know, the tank leader from the first boss raid …” 
“Agil? Yes, I suppose he would look the part. I met him at the reconnaissance mission for the Bullbous Bow yesterday.” 
I hid my surprise with an expert poker face, secretly relieved that I had avoided stepping on a landmine. 
“O-oh really? But he wasn’t in the actual battle today, was he?” 
“I don’t think he really gets along with Lind or Kibaou. But he did say he’ll be there for the floor boss, so you’ll see him there. Why don’t you give it to him then?” 
“G-good idea. So anyway, do you think you can handle the mino … I mean, taurus’s Numbing Impact?” 
“Oh, just call them minos already. I think I’ll be fine after another two or three encounters.” 
“Okay. The boss’s numbing effect is way wider than the normal ones, but the timing works the exact same way. Anyway, shall we go to the next block?” 
She nodded without a hint of fatigue, got to her feet, and started marching off toward the exit. 
We defeated four more tauruses after that, but they were timed to pop at set intervals, so you couldn’t hunt tons of them even if you wanted. Our inventories were bulging with loot from the monsters and chests we’d run across, and luckily for us, we were able to leave the labyrinth without running into any other players. 
At a safe zone near the entrance, I flipped open my map tab and found that we’d almost entirely filled in the blank space for the first two levels. If I turned that data into a scroll and sold it, I could make some pretty good cash, but the evil beater wasn’t enough of a merchant to make a business out of map data. I decided to offer it to Argo the Rat free of charge. 
In a way, it didn’t seem fair. By tomorrow, Argo would be selling the latest strategy guide out of the nearest town, based on intel provided by me and the other former beta testers, and I’d have to spend five hundred col for it. But I couldn’t complain too much. She claimed that the funds she earned selling the guide to the top players went into producing a free version for middle-zone folks who were still catching up. 
I switched tabs and shot her an instant message with the map data, then yawned widely and looked up at the sky. Looming over the overgrown jungle was not actual sky, but the bottom of the third floor. Yet the sunset rays coming from the outer perimeter of Aincrad cast that lid overhead in a brilliant, beautiful orange. 
“Today is December ninth… a Friday. It’s got to be winter on the other side by now,” Asuna murmured. I gave that some thought. 
“I read in some article that, depending on the floor, some places in Aincrad are actually modeled after the current weather conditions. Maybe if we climb a little bit higher, it’ll really be winter.” 
“I don’t know whether I want that or not. Oh, but …” She trailed off. I turned to look at her. Her lips were pursed, but I couldn’t tell if she was feeling angry or shy. “It was just an idea. What if we reach a floor with proper seasons by Christmas, and it snows that day?” 
“Oh… good point. It’s already December. By Christmas would mean … fifteen days left. I sure hope we finish this floor by then …” 
“Well, that’s not very ambitious of you. I want to be through here within a week—no, five days. I’m exhausted from all these cows.” 
“Oxhausted?” 
I couldn’t help it. She stared at me blank-faced for several seconds, then her cheeks went bright red, and she stomped on my foot just softly enough not to cause damage. The fencer promptly turned and stormed off toward the town, forcing me to run after her. 
We walked for twenty minutes down the stone path through the jungle, evading battles whenever we could, and only stopped for breath once we reached the limits of Taran, the village that would serve as base for the boss raid. 
As I suspected, the main street was already packed with players. Once the Bullbous Bow that blocked the path was defeated, many who’d been staying in Marome made their way here. I carefully removed my black leather coat and covered half my face with the bandanna that Asuna loved to hate. 
She couldn’t complain, though; she was wearing her own hooded cape low over her face. Unfortunately, her reason and mine were almost polar opposites. 
“So, um… I’m going to go meet Argo in a little bit,” I muttered as we walked along the side of the street. Asuna’s nod was barely visible beneath her hood. 
“That’s perfect. I have my own reason… my own business to do with her. I’ll join you.” 
“A-ahh.” 

I had no reason whatsoever to be afraid of Asuna and Argo in the same place, which made it very strange that I felt a sudden panic. I tried to hide the shiver that ran down my back by showing her to the bar where we’d meet up. 
But before I could, a sound hit my ears. I nearly missed it at first, so I focused and caught it directly. 
The regular clanging of metal on metal. Not as melodious as a musical instrument—tough and hardy, like a tool. 
“—!!” 
Asuna and I shared a look and turned together in the direction of the sound: the eastern plaza of Taran. We proceeded quickly toward the plaza, stifling the urge to sprint. When we got there, our expectations were not betrayed. 
A carpet was laid out with an array of metal weapons and a simple wooden sign. A portable forge and anvil. Seated on a folding chair, swinging away with his hammer, was a short blacksmith. It was Nezha. A member of the Legend Braves, and Aincrad’s first upgrade scammer. 
“The nerve he’s got. You saw through his deception yesterday, and instead of laying low, he’s set up in the latest town,” Asuna whispered with distaste from the shadow of a pillar. I was going to agree but changed my tack at the last second. 
“Actually … Maybe the fact that he’s here in Taran is a sign of caution. I mean, he has no way of knowing that we’d be here at the same time. Maybe he’s just avoiding Urbus for now, since that’s where his fraud was discovered.” 
“It doesn’t change the fact that he’s got nerve. I mean, if he’s going to change towns just to set up shop again… it means he’s still going to do his weapon-switching trick, right?” 
She silently mouthed the words “weapon-switching,” then bit her lip. There was anger in her face, of course, but also a number of other emotions. My skill at reading expressions was near zero, so I had no way of knowing exactly what was on her mind. But it seemed to me that there was something like sadness shining in those eyes, within the darkness of her hood. 
I turned to look back at Nezha, who was a good sixty feet away, and said, “He probably will. He’ll just be more careful about choosing his victims …” 
“What do you mean?” 
“If the Legend Braves are trying to leapfrog their way up to the ranks of the front-line players, they’re not going to target those players for their scam. There’s no point trying to reach that rank if no one else trusts you.” 
But then I gave voice to a suspicion that had just popped into my head. 
Unless Orlando and his friends intend to cut Nezha loose. 
After all, they might be friends in the same party, but the guild feature hadn’t been unlocked in the game yet. There was no guild emblem showing up on his player cursor to identify him, no proof that he was connected to Orlando and Beowulf. They might be forcing him to use his sleight of hand to bilk other players out of money and equipment, and if the word got out that he was cheating customers, they could cut him out of the team and avoid any blowback. 
“But … no …” 
I dispelled that depressing thought with a sigh. 
The camaraderie I had witnessed after trailing Nezha back to that bar did not signify a group that met in an online game for the first time. They seemed to have been friends since long before SAO came along. 
So that theory was impossible … I didn’t want to believe it could happen. 
I felt a gaze on my cheek and turned to see Asuna staring at me. If she was annoyed by my solitary muttering, she did not dig deeper for clarification. 
“So I suppose that means they didn’t classify me as one of the top players, since they weren’t afraid of stealing my sword,” she said bitterly. I hastily tried to do some damage control. 
“N-no, I didn’t mean it like that. When I say front-line players, I mean organized parties like the guys in green and blue earlier. You can’t tell someone’s like that unless they have some visual identifier—I bet Nezha didn’t think I was a top player, either. And who’s to say he wouldn’t be right?” 
“Are you kidding? Aren’t you getting ready to fight the next floor boss?” Asuna shot back. I nodded out of habit but needed to clarify a bit. 
“W-well, I’d like to… but if Lind or Kibaou say they don’t want me, that’s that. In fact, I feel like there’s a high probability of that happening …” 
Her eyebrows shot up at an extremely dangerous angle; fortunately, they soon returned to normal. Her voice was troubled, but fairly calm. 
“I don’t know about Lind, but Kibaou has to understand how crucial your strength and knowledge are in defeating the boss.” 
“Huh? Really?” 
“He sent me a message after we beat the kobold lord. It said, ‘ya really saved my ass today.’ ” 
I tried not to smile at her faithful re-creation of his Kansai accent, and decided I should join in. “Yeah, but he also said, ‘I still can’t get along with ya. I’m gonna do things my own way …’ ” 
“‘… to beat this game.’ If that’s his ultimate goal, then he won’t let his petty pride get in the way of beating a floor boss.” 
“Let’s hope not,” I muttered, unable to shake the image of the chaotic, frantic scene at the battle against the Bullbous Bow. 
I had only talked once to the scimitar-wielding Lind, leader of the blue squad, at the end of the kobold lord battle—and it wasn’t a conversation as much as an excoriation. But I could easily imagine what he wanted. He sought to lead his fellow companions of Diavel and raise them into the greatest force in the game. His strength of will was apparent from his fixation on scoring the LA bonus, even against mid-bosses. I had no doubt that when we reached the third floor, he’d be the first to complete the guild establishment quest and start his own guild, decked out in Diavel’s silver and blue. 
The more complicated matter was Kibaou, who I’d spoken to on several occasions. 
There was no doubt that the engine driving him was a hatred of all former beta testers. He’d singled me out as an enemy immediately and supported Diavel for taking charge as a non-tester. He might have even hoped to join Diavel’s party ranks after that boss battle. 
But even if Diavel had survived, that wish would not have come true. Diavel was secretly a former tester himself. It was possible that Kibaou realized it when he saw Diavel’s drive to seize the boss’s LA bonus. And when the battle seemed on the verge of breaking down, it was I, with my “dirty” beta knowledge, who set things right again. 
So Kibaou followed his determination not to rely on the help of testers, and started his own group, rather than seeking to join Lind and the other companions of Diavel. That team was the one wearing moss green. He must have put a lot of work into it, because they seemed to be about equal strength during the fight against the bull. But they would never see eye-to-eye. 
The top two teams—let’s just call them guilds—would clash and compete, thereby raising the pace and power of all the frontier players, but that competition would also wreak havoc during the raid battles, when teamwork was paramount. It was just a question of whether the good would outweigh the bad. And the next question was how Orlando and the Legend Braves would affect the makeup of the front line … 
“Oh, speaking of which,” I said to Asuna, who was watching the blacksmith work, “did Lind and Kibaou’s parties have names yet?” 
“Um… I’m not sure about Lind’s. But I did hear a name for Kibaou’s group.” She grinned. “It’s kind of crazy. The Aincrad Liberation Squad.” 
“W-wow …” 
“In fact, they’ve got some grand plans.” 
“Is that so?” 
“He said they were going to set up base in the Town of Beginnings on the first floor and aggressively canvass for more members out of the thousands still down there. He’ll provide them with equipment, give them organized battle training, and hopefully increase the number of front-line players as a result.” 
“… I see. So that’s what he means by his own way.” I nodded, and pondered this idea. 
It was a valid choice. The more players there were advancing the front line, the quicker we’d progress through the game. But that also created a massive dilemma. An increased number of people also unavoidably increased the chance of fatalities … 
“There’s something else that bothers me,” Asuna said suddenly. I blinked. 
“Huh? What is it?” 
“The term. Everyone has their own version: front-line players, frontier players, clearers. I get what they mean, but it’s all so arbitrary. Lind’s group were calling themselves ‘top players.’ ” 
“Oh… yeah, it’s true. Argo likes to call them ‘front-runners’ … Oh, crap!” 
I hurriedly opened my window and checked the time. I was supposed to meet Argo the Rat in just two and a half minutes. 
“Um, so … you’re coming too, Asuna?” 
“Yes, I am. Why?” she responded coolly. I took one last look at the small blacksmith, swinging his hammer. 
“Let’s make the visit with Argo as short as possible so we can watch Nezha a bit longer. Maybe we’ll figure out how his trick works.”