11 Chapter 11

Nao was looking at his new katana, the curved-shirasaya katana that he got a few days ago from drop item after soloing the 27th floor's boss.

It has simple saya(sheath) and handle with the color of whitish wood. The blades hamon was interestingly crimson in color make it looks like newly used to cut someone and the blood was still left on the katana.

"Well, The "You" on this katana's name, "Youtou" has two meaning in it after all. And either one has the same vibe on it. The "You" for -ghost- or "You" for -curse-. So this crimson red hamon on the blade was fit very well with its name." Nao look closely at the hamon on the blade and raised the katana up.

"The Cursed Katana, huh." Nao murmured under his breath.

Then he look at the black leather gauntlet on his left hand and smile wryly.

"I got two drop item. One has "curse" on its name and the other was the gauntlet, Tyche's Hand has luck attribute on it." He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Luckily though, the katana didn't have negative attribute or anything." He sheathed the katana again and stand up.

He is at the field dungeon of the 28th floor right now.

Few days ago, he cleared the 27th floor and surprisingly, the teleport gate was activated by the player and not activated automatically. Its seem that after some time Nao defeated the boss, the clearers that at that time was explored the labyrinth found the boss room. And to their surprise, the boss room was opened and what makes them more stunned was that the room was empty.

Its make them confused because there isn't any 27th strategy meeting to clear the boss was held before. Put strategy meeting aside, there isn't even any news about the boss room was discovered before. So they don't know what's going on and hurriedly go to the 28th floor and try to looking for any clue but to no avail. Then they go to the city around and activate the teleport gate.

"So they are right behind me, huh. If I drag the battle more long, they would be watching the first solo raid ever. Well, I don't care though." Nao simply shrug not caring about that.

But actually the news was spread like wild fire amongst the palayer. Be it the clearers or not, they were very curious about what group that clear the 27th floor silently without anyone noticing. Some people was suspecting that there's a secret guild that no one know about, and so on, many other rumors going on around it. But no one suspecting that the floor was cleared by a single player. Because it was simply impossible.

It was understandable though, because even when Kirito clear the 74th floor, he has unique skill with him. But there isn't something like that yet at the moment. And Nao didn't use it either too.

His prediction ability was greatly raised too after the battle. He could see slightly to the near future now, even though far from when he use it with his real body, but its really great already. He feel that with this extent of prediction, he will never get ambushed by anyone or become unprepared ever again.

"But it'll be hard to train even more from now on. I guess I have to start to close my eyes now even when fighting with field boss class opponent." He thought about the new way to train his abilities.

"Well, for now let's raise the level first while train to use dual sword skill." He said while take out his previous katana before using he get youtou.

He leave the save zone and proceed the monster hunting.

He feel very awkward at first because even though he can use the left hand as perfect as the right one, coordinating the two was very hard. But his Extreme Super Growth never let him down. Just after some time, he heard announcement inside his mind.

|Skill -Dual Sword- had been learned|

|Skill -Dual Sword- had been fused with the skill -Swordsmanship-|

"Thank you very much Extreme Super Growth skill, as always you are very amazing." He really glad that he has this skill with him.

After that, he continue to use dual sword technique. And as expected too, the system count the movement as katana skill and not Dual Sword skill. So the damage inflicted was based the damage from katana skill attack. But because he use two katana at the same time, the damage was still bigger than if only using one.

And the interesting thing was, if he use skill-assist to execute a movement, he can only use one katana at a time and the other katana was still in his left hand, can't be used. But if he execute the movement without the skill-assist, then he can use the both of them at the same time. But still, the bonus was based on katana skill, so he though the total damage wouldn't as much as the Dual Sword skill.

The katana skill was an extra skill after all, and the Dual Sword skill was a unique skill. So the both of them not in the same level to begin with. But his katana skill which executed by two katanas was vastly had much more damage than the one that executed with just a katana. Though he don't know how much the gap in damage between his Dual Sword with two katana and katana-skill-based bonus with the original Dual Sword skill with its based bonus.

But he was sure that the gap between extra skill and unique skill was quite big. But it was still great after all, so he continue to train using two katana at the same time.

He feel the great different from using two katana than just using one. He feel have more option in a fight with two katana. Not to mention the damage it inflicted was far more great too.

"Well, Because I use katana and not "sword", let's stop calling it Dual Sword but call it Dual Katana instead from now on. Its different feeling was so refreshing too." He rearranged his thought again and resume the hunting, or more like training.

He swing a diagonal slash, and after that, he draw the next attack from the other katana while spinning. Make slash after slash with two katana in hand make his movement look more beautiful and frightening at the same time. He discovered too at that moment that the [Katana Skill] get more exp than before. Though not too much but with this, his [Katana Skill] level will raised more quickly and got more attribute and bonus on it in the end.

After sometime, he stumbled a save area again and decide to rest his mind for a bit. And then when he look at his new katana, he remember something.

"That's right, I need the ore in the 27th floor for its first time enhancement . Sigh, I get some rare ore from the drop item that day but there isn't one that I needed for this katana. I have to go back to the 27th floor labyrinth again to get that one ore. I get one before, but used to enhance the other katana instead. If I know I will get this katana, I will use that ore to enhance this one." He sigh while looking at his new katana.

"Well, I just need to go back though. I hope the monster already re-spawn when I go there." He got up and sheathed his two katana on his waist.

"Mm~ Its strangely looks very fit. From what I remember, samurai usually had two blade on their waist with one of them being a wakizashi, the shorter version of katana. Well, even there's one of them put three katana on their waist, like zoro." He commented when look how fit putting two katana on the waist.

"That's right, should I learn how to use triple katana technique like zoro too?" He thought when remember triple katana technique which zoro used. But after some thought, he brush it off.

"Nai na~, it's looks badass but I don't feel like to use my mouth to hold the katana." He said while shook his head.

He then go to the field dungeon again. He keep fighting with some monster until his Sixth Sense spotted someone ahead.

"So he's here." He then walk ahead towards him.

Soon he can see him already. The black swordsman, fighting solo with a red wolf, The Blood Wolf. He defeat the wolf soon after that and when the fight was done, Nao approach him.

"Yo! Doing an overtime at this late at night?" Nao greet him from behind.

The man surprised, turn around and put a stance ready to fight. But soon loosen the tension after knowing who it was.

"Nao?"

"Yeah, really long time no see. Its been few weeks already since I see you, Kirito. What are you actu..ally d..... huh...?" He approach near him and wanted to ask what he doing this time, but stop when he can see a mark on top of his hp bar.

'That mark, Isn't a guild mark? Since when he join a guild? Wait!, if he join a guild at this early time, then could it be that the guild was the one which he..... a~h I see.' He thought in his mind.

"That mark, isn't it a guild mark? So you join a guild too?" Nao ask Kirito about the mark.

"A-a~hh, umm well, yeah. I join a guild." Kirito answer him.

'He looks flustered? So he's hiding something, huh. Well, though I know what he's hiding. It was about who he is and his real level from the other guild member.' Nao thought.

"I see, what kind of guild?" Nao ask again.

"It name was Moonlit Black Cats, a mid-level guild. There's six members in it included me." Kirito explain about Moonlit Black Cats to Nao.

'So this is really that guild, huh.' He thought.

"Hmmm~~ six, huh. Women?" Nao ask again while tilting hi head.

"Huh?" Kirito confused to the question.

"I said is there a woman in there?" Nao elaborate the question while close one of his eye.

"There's one. What, you want to cheating?" Kirito said suspiciously.

"What cheating, Aho-ka(idiot)!" Nao annoyed.

"But, well, hmmm~~ There's a girl, huh. I see, I see,, *nod* *nod* *stare~~~~*" He nodded few times and stare at Kirito with knowing look.

"W-what's with those eye?" Kirito siad.

"Nothing!!, I just thinking that knowing the reason why you join the guild." He said surely.

"What reason?"

"Well, Because Asuna dump you to join with the KoB then, you too, looking for a guild which has beautiful girl. Something like that??" Nao said while close his left eye and smirk to goad him.

"Wa-what are talking about????? ,W-who is dumped???!!??" Kirito said.

"You." Nao simply.

"Ugh..." Kirito was tongue-tied, not knowing how to respond.

"Haahahaha~ Well, don't mind it too much. Let me give you an advice then-. 'You need a strong will to fed your harem'." Nao tap his shoulder with wise-like sage expression.

"Like I said, what are you talking about?" Kirito said with confused look on his face.

"Just keep that in your mind. That was life worth advice for you." Nao then turn around to leave the place.

"Nao!" But before Nao could take the first step, Kirito stop him.

"Hmm~~?" Nao turn around again and tilt his head.

"Well, you see... maybe you interested in joining our guild? There's a limit how far solo can playing alone after all. So, You see... you maybe interested?" Kirito ask unsure.

'haa~~hh you even have to hide your identity and level to join, how could I join too?' Nao thought.

"Thanks for the offer, but I want to solo at this time. And if I want to join a guild, I prefer to join a guild with bijin-oneesan like Asuna in it." He said while winking at the end.

"Sigh, I see." Kirito said simply.

"Well, then See you next time." Nao wave his hand and leave.

"Ah~, next time."

And then, Kirito continue to hunt and Nao leave the field dungeon to the city to repair his equipment.

But right after he want to go out of the field dungeon, his prediction ability was kick in and white smoke like mist raise from the ground.

He readied his katana and put a stance ready to fight, but what he see make him freaking out. He hold onto the last courage he has, grit his teeth hardly but to no avail and make him scream out.

"HOLY FU....?!?!?!" He want to scream but stopped by an announcement.

|[Fear of Ghost Resistance] had been learned|

"Wha?!!?!?? Tha-... well, um th I mean, that gr-r-great, Shit I feel so ridiculous!!." He stuttered didn't know is he have to glad or annoyed to the announcement.

That's right, what appear in front of him was a "ghost". Not a real ghost because here is in a game in a game, but ghost type NPC.

Since his previous life, Nao has a very very deep dread to something called ghost. It's like a trauma for him, and make him always never want to and never involved to any that has something to do with ghost. He was fine with zombie or any other monster, but for ghost, he always freaking out because of them. It's strange though considering has experience death before.

"That really freaking me out. Fyuu~h I'm glad you with me [Extreme Super Growth] skill." He wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He take a deep breath and calm himself down, and look slowly at the figure in front of him. And as expected, he is fine right now. He muster his courage and approach the ghost type NPC slowly.

It's a woman with wear a tattered kimono that look as white as snow, and the hair that covered its face was white too.

"I'm sorry, can I ask you something?" The ghost ask to him.

"Sure!" Nao said simply.

"Can I ask you where did you get the katana?" The ghost ask him again.

'eh? why my katana? well, let's just answer then.' He tought.

"I get it from the labyrinth." He said.

"Oh, I see." The ghost respond simply.

And right after that, there's a question mark above it's head. Also the sign of a quest had been triggered.

'a quest, huh. and the trigger was my katana, so the quest was of course has something to do with my katana. Let's do it then.' he thought that if the trigger was his katana, then the reward would be something very useful for him.

"Can I help you?" He ask and right after that he automatically accepted the quest.

The wind blew and the face that had been covered by its hair was uncovered and revealed a pale beautiful woman's face.

"Ah, I'm sorry for my rudeness. Pleased to meet you, I'm Kaminaga. The daughter of Muramasa." The ghost, or Kaminaga bow to Nao after that.

'Muramasa, huh. As expected of the quest which triggered by a katana.' Nao thought.

"You can call me Nao. Why you asking about my katana?" Nao ask again.

"Hai~ sumimasen, but your katana looks familiar and have the same vibe with my katana which forged by my father in the past. I lost it when trying to escape from people that hunt down my father. My father himself was killed in front of my eyes by them, my servant help me escape, but even though we somehow manage to run to this floor, They still found me out and I'm not spared either in the end." Kaminaga explain her story.

'I see, then usually I have to help her revenge or something, right?' Nao remember do this kind of quest before, about help to get revenge for the deceased one, at the 3rd floor.

"I see, Please accept my condolences." Nao said and bow his head to her.

"Thank you very much, Nao-sama. Mmmm~ Nao-sama, I-I want to ask for help, I want to go back to my previous home. I don't want to stay in this plains alone *hiks*, I always want to go home *hiks* to where my father and me live before *hiks*. Please Nao-sama help me*hiks*. The only one that can help me was you *hiks*." Kaminaga crying in the end while bowing and pleaded to Nao.

'a~~hh she crying, I'm weak to girls or kids crying. sigh~' He sigh inside.

"Alright, alright don't cry oke~. I will help you going home to where your father and you live before. Is it just help you going home?? Nothing else, like kill who was hunt you and your father and kill you both in the end?" Nao ask the detail of the quest.

"Hai, Nao-sama. Arigatou~ gozaimasu. I'm very grateful. My wish was just to go home. It's enough for me, because after the incident, more than hundred of years had already pass and I didn't want revenge anymore. I just want to go to the place where I grow up and live. I don't want in this plain." Kaminaga said gratefully.

"Hmm~ I see. But what should I do to help you? And where's your home?"

"Please follow me Nao-sama. There's a little temple ahead where an item keep my soul still lingering in this world. When you touch the item with your katana, I will transfered to your katana instead and bring me back that way. And my home was at the 31st floor." Kuminaga tell him how to bring her back home and the place too.

"31st, huh. But we can't go to there right now. Is it alright?" Nao asked because to go to the 31st floor, he should clear this floor, then the 29th, and 30th floor too.

"It's alright Nao-sama. As long as I'm in your katana, I'll be alright." She said.

"Alright then, please lead the way to the temple." Nao understand what to do and ask her the way.

"Please, Nao-sama. This way." Kaminaga then lead the way for him.

They passed through many bush and shrub and after some time, a little temple could be seen. But what greet them was not serene or scary temple either, but temple full of roars and growls.

There, they could see two Blood Wolfs surrounded a white Fox with pair of wings on its back. The fox itself was wounded and lying on the ground.

"It's bad! Nao-sama please help it." Kaminaga scream and ask Nao too help the fox.

Nao dash to the wolf and attack it to get its attention. The wolf roars and attack Nao. He fight with the wolf for some time and finally defeat it. After he defeat the wolfs, he come back to where the little fox are.

"You know this fox?" Nao ask. He think maybe its part of the quest.

"Yes. It sometime wandering around here. Even though it can't see me, it's the only one that accompany me here." Kaminaga said to him.

"I see, huh? wait, it can't see you? Then how about the other?" Nao ask her because she says that the fox can't see her.

"You're the only one that can see me, Nao-sama. It possible because the katana. That's why I said that the only one that could help me was you." Kaminaga explain to him.

"I see. Ah! it's wounded badly." Nao check the fox.

"Can you save it, Nao-sama?" Kaminaga look worried.

"Mmmm~~ I wonder if healing potion could help." Nao said then taking out healing potion.

He then make it drink the potion and after few second, it healed already.

"Surprisingly it worked." Nao didn't expect that monster could be healed by a potion.

'Is it a part of the quest?' Nao wondered about that.

The little fox then get up and Nao could see its appearance clearly. It has color as white as snow, with a pair of wings that have purple glow on it. There's a black mark on its forehead that looks like flower and there's black mark like flame too under its two eyes. Its eyes was purple in color too like its glowing wings. And interestingly, it has three tails.

It come closer to Nao and lick his back hand.

'Is it some sign of thanks?' Nao thought the fox trying to express its feeling of gratitude.

'Ah!! That's right, some monster could be tamed like Pina, right? Could I tame it too?' Nao thought about the possibility of taming it after remembering about Pina.

'But how I tame it?' Nao didn't remember how silica tame Pina.

'Let's give it food first then.' The first thing to show to an animal that one was not hostile was with fed it after all.

He then looking for food in his item storage to fed the fox.

'Bread was of course NG. What I have, what I have. Let's try with the berries then.' He take out some berries from his item storage and try to fed the fox.

The fox carefully look at the berries. It trying to sniff it, and finally start to eat it. And to Nao's delight, next announcement make him full of joy. He successfully tame it with giving it the berries. There's a window that ask him to name the fox.

"It's work!!!!! hahahaha~ Alright, let's think about your name. Mmmm~ Well, because your color mostly as white as snow, let's call you "HAKU" then. Simple but define you well." Nao then from now on has a [Tamed Monster] called "Haku".

"Kyu~" Haku looks happy too with its name.

Haku jump around the place happily, it then flying around and land on Nao's head and wiggling its three tails cheerfully. Its size was quite small, maybe a little bigger or the same size as Pina, but more longer because Haku's three tails was quite long.

"So it's Haku-san from now on. It's a good name you have, Haku-san." Kaminaga look happy too.

Nao then rub its head and it cheerfully respond with "kyu~" while wiggling its tails energetically.

"Then for now let's see the item then." Nao said and she nodded to him.

They then go inside the temple, looking for the item that Kaminaga tell him before.