10 Chapter 10

It's about half a years already from the start of the death game, and 27 floors was cleared. And now, Nao was in the inn at the moment.

When he was lying on the bed, he heard the voice in his mind. It's his clone outside the game, in the real world.

Clone: You there?

Nao: Yeah, What's wrong?

Clone: Just want to tell you that the Amusphere was ready for launched.

Nao: Already? I see, and how's it?

Clone: Hmmmm~~ how should I put it. Normal?? or maybe, mm~ I can say that the response was quite plain.

Nao: Well, The SAO incident was still fresh in the mind of every people after all. It can't be helped.

Clone : Yeah, though the safety was already upgraded. Oh and there's another thing.

Nao: What?

Clone: The Rect Progress give us a proposal about the ALO. What should we do? Should we do the same thing when we Invest in the creation of the Amusphere?

Nao: Yeah, do the same thing. You can use Imagination Creation Magic too after all so you can use that again if the money was not enough.

Clone: Alright. But still,, sigh invest in a VR industry with this kind of condition was quite weird for me.

Nao: Hahahaha It's alright. It's not like we lose anything. We use the magic to make the fund after all. So even the project which we infest our money to was failed badly, we are not lose anything.

Clone: Hehehe It's true, but still.

Nao: Ah right, Create a clone to infiltrate the development department of ALO too.

Clone: Why?

Nao: You remember the remaining player that didn't wakes up after SAO cleared?

Clone: Ahh~, So you want to stop the research?

Nao: No, Just prepared if I become one of the Not-wake-up case. And make sure to study the cardinal system too. It's the exact copy of the SAO after all, so maybe we will need it in the future. There's no one like Kayaba in ALO, so it will easy to do anything.

Clone: Alright. Hehehe but there's something interesting this days you know.

Nao: What things?

Clone: Some people try to find your identity.

Nao: Elaborate.

Clone: Well, an orphan boy that trapped in the death game, treated by a butler that devilishly handsome named Sebastian Michaelis. The boy himself was ridiculously handsome too even for a man. And this said butler buy some share in the VR industry and make it under the boys name while not knowing for who this butler work for. It's Interesting story for anyone.hehehe

Nao: Hahaha this is interesting indeed. To what extent they look for the information?

Clone: Not much, just something like brought up the topic for a bit when they speak to me and ask to the orphanage. So they know that you are an "illegitimate grandson" that not accepted in the family but still monitored.

Nao: I see. Well that can't be helped. Anything else?

Clone: Well the bed had already changed to the big one so Sugu could sleep here, the permission had already given too, well, with use of hypnosis of course to the doctor.

Nao: I see. Ah! Right, even if you are my clone, don't do anything to her.

Clone: Even if you don't tell me I won't. I'm you after all, and I don't want to NTR'ed too. Your pain will be my pain too. I will never hurt myself.

Nao: Alright then. Just that?

Clone: Yeah just that for now. For the detail, I will make a clone and make it disappear so you can get the information more detailed from the experience as always. Then!

Nao: Alright.

And with that, the telepathy was ended.

"Sugu." He really miss her.

It's half a year already after all, so he really miss her now. Although he get the experience from the clone, so he know her well beings everyday, it's still feel different.

When the death game begin, she was of course devastated. But luckily, he make the necklace before he dive to SAO. That necklace was a magic item, haven't too exaggerated effect though, just to prevent the wearer from mental damage caused by experiencing extreme negative mental condition. He don't want to take a risk, her two close one was trapped in the death game at the same time after all.

She always go to the hospital everyday to look after Kirito and him. The clone too make sure that their room was next to the other, so Sugu didn't have to go too far away.

She always crying when she beside his body for the first months. Make his heart in pain so much. But after some time, she could overcome her sadness and cheer up again slightly.

She always hold his hand every time and very reluctant to come back home. So after that, he make the clone prepare a permission so that if Suguha didn't want to go home, she can sleep with him in the hospital.

Officially, they are not a couple yet actually. But that was only about the time. They just don't have chance to confess to each other and become a couple already.

"So this is the feeling of deeply in love with someone?" This is his fist time after all in his two live. And the feeling of missing her was very unbearable.

He keep think about Suguha for some time and decide to go to labyrinth to clear his head.

He always go to the labyrinth alone all the time if Kirito or Asuna not send him a massage for go together. Kirito know Nao's character from the start so he didn't say anything to him, as for Asuna, she too understand in the end and not say anything either.

After all, Nao's fight was mostly something like training. He don't need to sleep either if he didn't want to, so if not for hunger system make him in need to eat, he will be alright in the labyrinth for days. So it'll be better if he alone. He didn't distant himself with them too and always use the excuse 'I feel like become the unwanted third party between the two of you the two lovely bird.' make their reaction quite a sight to be seen all the time.

With how he handicapped in this virtual body with something called parameter and his senses too can only get low quality of information, he use all of it to push himself to the limit. He can feel the great different when he use energy to feel his real body again. It's very beneficial training here.

Fighting with the monsters and the bosses even they have pattern in their movement caused by program, it really feel different from if he make his clones spar with each other. It's feel refreshing because how many type of monster in here. So he can fight in the many different kind of situation.

Because of that, his fighting experience was more versatile, his technique was greatly more refined and his Sixth Sense too was getting better and better. Even when used in the game, he can feel that he slowly can see the near future again. Need more time though to the same extent when he use it with his real body, but it's in the way. He can't wait to know what happen if he even can predict the near future even in the game. And what change that it will bring when he use it with his real body.

And this days surprisingly, not only the fighting movement, like Acrobatics, learned by the system through Extreme Super Growth skill. Some skill that he got from the game like hiding, and even searching was surprisingly learned too by his system.

Looks like the system still interpret what his virtual body interacted with in the game as a real-world-like activity because the information it got from the nerve system, make the environment like the real world. Then with that being said, makes what he did was possible to become a skill just like when the first time he swing the wooden stick and get the swordsmanship skill.

He didn't know how this skills would be looks like when he use it in the real world, because it's the skill that he learned when he use virtual body, not the real body. And he didn't know how his body will interpret this skill, so he can only wait for now. But he believe that because the system was created from world energy, the foundation of all universe, it can make those skill could be used in the real world.

It's noon, but so dark here in the 27th floor. And soon, he's in front of the entrance of the labyrinth.

"Let's go then." He said, and enter the labyrinth.

As soon as he enter and spot the monsters, he take out the katana and held it with his hand. Not with his right hand, but with his left hand.

For some time now, he train to use his left hand to fight. He remember about the Dual Sword skill that Kirito would have as Unique Skill. If he remember correctly, some of it requirement to it given to a player was player with the fastest reaction speed. And with his Sixth Sense ability to Predict enemy's movement, isn't this make him a player the fastest reaction speed? He thought.

And to begin with, it's actually beyond reaction speed already. Reaction speed was mostly about how someone react to the movement that the opponent did. But Nao was different. It was a prediction that enable him to react even before the opponent execute any movement. So what Nao did was much more better in every aspect.

So Nao thought, if some of the requirement was reaction speed, there's no one here that can beat him. And because of that, there's possibility that the Dual Sword would be given to him instead. But he not sure too, because he use a katana that basically was a two-handed sword when Kirito use a one-handed sword. So if the other requirement was one-handed sword, then Kirito would still got it. And basically it'll be more make senses to use Dual Sword technique with one-handed swords.

But there's no harm learning the Dual Sword technique. Instead, it'll be very useful. Though he wouldn't have the same damage with someone with the Dual Sword skill, because the one with it would have additional damage from the bonus attribute of the skill and his skill would count as katana skill instead. But really there's no harm to learn it because it will useful in the real world. And even if Kirito was the one who got it, he still can learn from his movement. His memorize ability was beyond amazing after all.

So he slowly advance bit by bit, deep into the labyrinth while fighting the monsters. He use his left hand to execute the skill and kill the monster one after the other. His Extreme Super Growth make his learning very fast and with that, his proficiency with his left hand become as good as his right hand. Even so he keep going to more familiarize with his left hand.

He keep going until in front of him, there, he can a big door with pattern on it.

"Is it the boss room? This is the first time I found the boss room alone again since the first floor."

He didn't thought he would found the boss room again. He rarely do mapping alone after all in the labyrinth and just do hunting and fighting the most times. And if he found the boss room, it'll be when he go with Asuna and Kirito.

"Should I try solo this boss? Hmm~~" He thought.

"Let's do this then. It's been a while after all. I'll just run or use teleport crystal if something goes wrong."

He then proceeded towards the boss room entrance and arrive in front of the doors room. He opened it and what greet him was as always, dark room.

The darkness then disappears and the big hall was illuminated by fire around. And in the center of the room, the boss was there, waiting the challenger.

"This floor was rich of ore, so the boss theme was fitted with it, huh." The boss has metallic consisted body, with multiple bars of hp and weapon in both hands.

"That body of it, I think it'll be difficult considering how hard it's defense would be." He try to analyze the opponent first.

"RRROOOAAARRR!!!" The boss roared as a sign of ready for the battle.

"Look at how excited you are~. Then, let's see how well you dance." Nao then readied his katana, holding it with his right hand again.

"Let's dance." He said simply then run towards the boss.

"RRRRROOOOAAARRRR" The boss accepted the challenge and charge to finish the puny creature in front of it.

The boss running fast and swing its weapon downwards to hit Nao into mince of meat. Nao can predict all of it even before the boss move its weapon. He move slightly to the side to evade th attack as close as possible and ready to counter attack. The weapon hit the ground hardly and the dust flying everywhere while Nao was closely evade it and attack its hand wit a slash. He evade it to the outside of its hand so the other weapon would hard to follow the first attack.

Nao move fast and not waste any time. After he make first attack he twist his waist and make the second, third and forth attack while go around its huge body and attack for the fifth, sixth and so on to the back of its body quickly.

The boss didn't still either, its turn around with its huge weapon sweep away while turning around. Nao didn't want to full parry it, he was not a tank, so he jump, make a stance and make the shock wave of the attack to retreat.

"As expected, what a hard defense." He said while readied again himself.

The boss charge towards him again and he know where its attack will land. Then he move to a spot where the boss will hard to follow up the attack again while he countered it. He not initiate the attack first in the early stage of the battle. He want to familiarize with the attack pattern and then do as much counter as he can to drain its hp.

His strategy was always like that if he fight with opponent that have highest parameter than himself like field boss, mid-boss etc. He prefer to evade than fully parry its attack because he knew, he was not a tank. He didn't want to take a risk of blown away then lose his balance and become unprepared with the next move. That will be ended in a fatal result for him.

He is soloing the most times so he want always prepared and take as less hit as possible. His chance to use healing potion was narrow to there's not at all in solo battle.

If in the most dire that he have to parry it, he will use the after shock to "intentionally" blown away so he can prepare right after. And his prediction ability was the perfect tool for it, make him can use any attack as a way to help him retreat. He can choose where angle he has to parry the attack and "blow away" to the place where he wanted to.

He keep doing it right now. Read every attack of it and make counter measure after that. A boss was mostly an opponent with parameter high above you several times. And even though his stat was mostly balanced, he more lean to speed type. Because he thought the most advantage of a curved-sword like katana was its speed. So he more to speed type even though he still keep the strength taped too.

The both of them keep exchange the blow. He redirect the weapon to the side while flip his katana when parry its attack, make it landed on the ground. He jumped to its front and make X slash. It roared and use the other weapon to swat him away. But he use its attack as mean to move to its back and attack while the boss was still immobile.

Its hp drained bit by bit and Nao's hp was drained too. It'll be a very long battle so Nao trying his hard to keep his hp not drained too quickly.

The fight last for long and finally the last bar of its HP was drained and hit the red mark.

The boss pattern change after that and its parameter was enhanced. Its movement speed become really fast and its strength become more powerful. Nao's Sixth Sense keep screaming from time to time as the attack was come one after the other. He is in the limit right now because their parameter gap was more way apart. He barely can counter now with his Sixth Sense.

He grit his teeth and keep concentrate predict its movement while make his attack himself.

He then slowly can feel that his prediction become better and better. His head more clearer and he can predict every attack very accurately. The attack come downwards and he step aside slightly and make a slash from his left side up to the right side diagonally with all his might and make its hand cut off.

He continue his onslaught and make slash after slash while move around it and at its back, he drag his left feet backward, twist his waist and make a slash while spinning make it as last attack.

The boss' Hp drained completely and disappear into fragments and 'congratulation' announcement hanging on the air.

The boss was defeated and the fire around die down.

"Haaa~~~~aah,, That was a long battle there." Nao laying down on the ground as soon the fight was done.

He can't feel fatigue with this virtual body, though there's hunger system, but the most of times was mental fatigue. Luckily though, he has mental resistance so his mind can still clear at any moment.

He lay there for a bit then sit down to check the item he get from this solo raid eagerly.

"This is my first solo raids loot. This is a floor with ore as the theme. I wonder if it would be rare forging material because of that." Nao said while check the items he get.

He get some rare ore indeed and there's more to it too. Its a gauntlet and surpraisingly a katana.

"It's a shirasaya katana!!! And its name was Youtou, huh. What a wonderful item we have here~~"

He got a curved shirasaya katana. A simple looking but very strong. It can be melted into material and enhance much better quality katana in the future. This katana itself can be enhanced too.

"The gauntlet is leather gauntlet like orfit gauntlet. Mmm~ Its rise luck decently, eh~. Nice, I'm counting on you to get nice things from my drop items in the future then. Its look cool too and left only, huh." He then put on the gauntlet and equip the new acquired katana.

"Let's go to the 28th floor then." He got up and walk toward the stairs to go to the 28th floors.

Soon he arrive and look at the 28th floor.

"Well, let's try the new katana first then. My food can last for a while and the teleport gate will open itself after two hours anyway."

He then run away from there and start to hunt, then raise his level and parameter too.