12 Chapter 12

They were inside the temple right now, but what greet them inside was a broken down temple with dusts everywhere. But there's an altar ahead which has a wooden items box on it.

"The item was inside a box there, Nao-sama. You just need to touch it with your katana and I will reside in your katana instead." Kaminaga said to Nao.

"Couldn't we just simply take the item with us?" Nao ask her for the other option.

"It couldn't be done, Nao-sama. As long as my soul reside in it, it couldn't be removed from this temple." She explain simply.

Nao nodded and step forward to the altar and take a look to the wooden items box. It's inside the wooden box, so Nao lift up the lid of the box and he can see the items inside clearly.

"Earrings?" Nao say it subconsciously.

"Yes. This is the earrings which I used when I was still alive." She said while looking at the earrings sadly.

'To think that an NPC could made such an expression. Even when with the elves too.' Nao couldn't help but to amaze with the detail of the game.

The earrings was quite beautiful with one centimeter long purple crystals as the pendulum.

"So, which one should I touch it with my katana?" Nao ask while unsheathed his katana.

"The two of them, Nao-sama. You need to touch the both of them with your katana." Nao nodded at her words and touch both of the earrings with his katana.

When the earrings was touched by the katana, the earrings resonated with it and glow slowly. And after some time passed, the glow disappeared and Kaminaga's figure blurred and bit by bit sucked into the katana.

"I will start the process, Nao-sama. It'll take some time. And as gratitude from me, please accept my earrings as a gift" The blurred figure said while smile cheerfully.

"Thank you." Nao nodded and then he receive announcement that the earrings was his now.

'Isn't it too generous to receive two reward already even before the quest was done? Well, The Little Winged Fox hasn't something to do with the quest though and purely coincidence with some luck. But even with only this two earrings, considering the attribute its had, its too generous for "delivery" quest. Not like I hate it though, I like it so much actually to do simple quest and get generous reward.' He thought about the quest.

The process still going on until Kaminaga was completely sucked into the katana and disappear. Then at that very moment, an announcement appear on his quest window, told the detail about the quest.

"So the quest officially started when the soul sucked into the katana? Like I thought, Haku incident has nothing to do with the quest." Nao said while checking the quest detail.

The quest was like Kaminaga said. He only need to make her soul reside inside his katana, go to the 31st floor and find her old house. Then after that, he need to looking for an altar there too and take out the soul from the katana. Its mainly just a "Delivery" quest, but if its done by the other player, the possibility of death in this quest was quite high.

"Your katana was resided by a pure soul, make monster around you become aggressive. Your aggro had been raised by 10x, huh. And I can't store my katana in my item storage either." Nao try to store the katana inside his item storage, but failed.

"So, this is a simple "Delivery" quest, but the difficulty was caused by my aggro which raised 10x than normal. In other words every time I was inside their perception, any monsters would attack me like crazy? Sigh and I will have this 10x aggro effect until I reach 31st floor and complete this quest, mean for this 3 floor, I will chased by any monsters, huh. Sigh~~ I take back my words, it's not simple at all." Nao understand the real difficulty the quest had right now. He would be the most hated enemy of any monsters from now on after all.

"Basically Haku was monster too right? Isn't it mean it will attack me too?" He said while rubbing Haku's head that laying on his head.

"kyu~?" Haku tilted its head and do nothing.

"Seems like Haku was exception. Well, its my tamed monster now after all." Nao said.

He then looking at his new two earrings. This earrings had quite a bonuses on it as attributes, and raised his luck too.

"So as a compensation, this earrings will give me additional bonuses and my luck was raised too, so even though monsters keep coming after me, the drop item would make for it. Well, make sense. Luckily I have my Sixth Sense, so even dozens monsters come at me at the same time, I will make it out somehow. If its the other player, then I don't know what outcome except death swarmed by monsters would be. Especially if they are in the labyrinth. And I have Haku with me right now, right Haku?" He rubbing Haku again at the last words.

"Kyuuu~~" Haku respond with full spirit at his remark.

"Ahahaha~~ That's the spirit. Then let's go to the town. There's much berries there you know."

"Kyu~ kyu~" Haku said cheerfully on his head.

He put the earrings on his ears. Make his eras has two earrings on it ad the purple crystal pendulum dingle-dangle when he move. Then he turn around an leave.

They go out of the the temple and leave the area to the towns direction. And as expected, as soon as monster spot him out, they attack him like crazy. But this is not a problem for him and he defeat all of them. The earrings work well too, added with gauntlet on his left wrist which raised his luck too, the drop items was not disappointing at all.

They then defeat one monster after the other while headed towards the towns direction.

Soon, they reach the towns gate and go inside the town. He look at the NPC stands on the street, looking for berries. A tamed monster need to be fed after all, and because he successfully tamed Haku used berries, so its favorites food was berries. After some time, he found the stand and bought some for Haku. He feed it along the way and Haku cheerfully eat the berries while let out 'kyu~' sound.

All player looking at them amazedly. A cute white creature perch on top of a handsome mans head. They become the center of attention inside the town, and become the topic of all talk for the next couple of days about the possibility of taming a monster and make it a pet.

He didn't care at all about the other player and proceed to the blacksmith to do maintenance for his equipment. He then go to his inn after that and laying on his bed while Haku laying on top of his chest.

"Well, actually I don't need an inn at all. I will fine without sleep and when I want to sleep, I can sleep anywhere. With my prediction now, no one can ambush me and added with Haku with me, it will warn me if something or someone come at me. Let's stop rent an inn from now on and just wander around." He decide to stop renting an inn from now on.

With his prediction right now, even if he's sleeping, there's no one can ambush him without noticed. And added with Haku with him, it can always warn him if someone approach him.

As a tamed monster, Haku could heal his hp too. And when a fight was going on, Nao would instruct it to flying around and just assist him when needed. It can stun and paralyze opponent with its fire. When it's white fire, it has heal effect on him and recover his hp. When it's red fire, it has stun effect to stun enemy for three second, and if it's purple fire, it has paralyze effect about fifteen second. Every ability has cool-down time accordingly so couldn't be used as wanted.

After laying down for a bit, he go to prepare to raised his level and start the hunt again.

His fight was more merrier this days because the raised aggro he had on his katana. swarm after swarm of monster would approach him one after the other. Not only the mobs, but every monsters even the boss's floor was affected with his aggro make the clearers wonder, is he cursed or something that make him hated by all monsters from mobs to a boss' floor?

They are right though, and Nao could only smile wryly knowing that the curse from katana's name was for this quest.

At the first, the clearers not think too much about him always swarmed by monster, and think it was a coincidence. But after two boss' floor raid and they reach the 30th floor, the swarm of monster still always approach him, they start to think about it as not a coincidence at all. They a bit delight though about the predicament befall the pretty guy. It's normal feeling for all players. Of course for the guys one.

Nao was at the 27th floor's labyrinth right now, looking for the ore that needed for the first enhancement of his "Youtou", the cursed katana which Kaminaga reside within. He alway going here from time to time looking for the ore, but the monster didn't respawn yet every time he is here until this very day.

He is in a corridor right now, kill every monster that approach him one after the other. He keep walking and Haku perch on top of his head. And not long after that, his sixth sense spot five presence in front of him and one of them being Kirito.

"What is he doing here?" He thought at first, then remember that his guild was a little guild.

"Aah~ so here's their hunting ground?" Nao remember that this guild has six members included Kirito.

"But why is it that there's only five of them?" Nao try to use his Sixth Sense again to check them, but there are only five there.

"Oh wait!!!, this corridor!!, could it be today was the day?" Nao remember about how this guys death in the story.

"What should I do? Save them? Or let it be?" Nao thought about what should he do.

"Let's save them then." Nao said and decide to follow them and help them.

But when he use his Sixth Sense again, he was surprised that they found the hidden door already, so he run as fast as he could and Haku was flying beside him too.

When he can see them, they was already inside except Kirito and the girl.

"Wait!!!!! Kirito stop them." Nao shout at him.

Kirito was surprise to see him here when he see who called him.

"Nao? What are you doing here?"

"Stop them first!!!!" Nao shout again while running.

Kirito run inside and try to stop them but the alarm was already ring on and the room had already turn red. Nao running like crazy trying to enter too before the door closed.

The door start to closed and he jump inside before it completely closed. He manage to enter the room make them more confused. First, all of them think that they are lucky to find a treasure box inside the room, but the alarm was ringing and the room turn red. Then the door was closed and a handsome man with a white fox jump inside too. They really confused about the event.

"This is trap!!!" Nao said while take out his katana.

His word make them sober again and realize what predicament they was in now when monsters come one after the other after that.

"Use the teleport crystal to escape." Kirito said while take out his sword too.

"Teleprt-Taft!!" But nothing happen.

"It's useless. The crystal can't be used here. Take out your weapons and ready for a battle. Kirito go with them to a corner, it's better surrounded from two side than from all side to make their back safe first. I have 10x aggro on me remember? I will turn their attention to me. After that, you know what to do right?" Nao said to Kirto while kill the monsters after the other and make their attention directed to him.

Aside from Nao himself, there's people that know that he has 10x aggro on him because the quest that he has. They're Asuna, Kirito, and the other that hear their what they are talking about at that time when they ask him about the swarm of monsters that keep going after him.

"I understand." Kirito responded and find a corner so that they can fight more effectively.

Nao was trying to make the monsters attention directed to him right now. He run around the place while try to get their attention. But not all monster go after him, and some of them attack Kirito and his guild member.

He take out his other katana and use it at the same time. If he didn't finish it as soon as possible, someone maybe really die remembering their level, he thought. This will be the first time he used his Dual Katana technique in front of other. He never use it before when participated in the boss' floor raid. So no one know about it. He just don't feel like to use it in front other this early.

He start to fight with the monsters that come after him and Haku flying around to make sure it didn't attacked by the monster too. He didn't has Penuma Flower right now, and to get it, he has to go to 47th floor first. So if haku was dead, he can't revive it right now. Because of that, Nao always make sure Haku away from the enemy's attack.

He make slash after slash to kill the monsters to make its number reduced. From the corner of his sight, he can see they are look amaze to how he's fighting, even Kirito too. It's the first time after all he saw him use Dual Katana Technique.

"Focus to your fight!!" He shout at them and they resume their fight.

The monsters was keep coming out one after the other endlessly and they too keep fight with it. He raised his pace so that he can reduce the monsters that surrounded them. It's alright if their level was sufficient but in front of this horde of monsters, it'll hard for them to survive if it continue like this.

And as he had predicted, someone was dead already when he look at them again. It's hard for Kirito and even for Nao himself to fighting and protecting at the same time. Nao throw the caution to the wind, ignored monsters before him and run towards them and attack the monster surrounded them make their attention directed towards him. He keep running, attacking and keep doing that to get the monsters attention as many as possible.

The fight last for some time and finally there's no more monster around him so he run toward Kirito and the other to help them. When he reach them, they was very exhausted, for the guild member this is their first time fighting opponent in this level and dozens of them on top of that. And for Kirito, fighting while protecting them was hard even to him. Even though most of the monster attracted by Nao, but a few of them still come after them.

When Nao come, just a few monster was left. So he attacked them and get their attention again, make them ignore and away from them. Nao kill the last monsters and finally, the fight was over and the door that locked before, was opened.

"The door!!!"

"Hurry up and get out of here!!!!"

They run as fast as they could and collapsed when they finally outside of the room.

"Are you alright?" Nao asked them.

"Ducker... can't make it out,.." One of them said while looking at the ground depressingly.

The other was the same and the only girl start to crying for both sad and fear. While Kirito clench his fist hardly. Nao didn't know what is going on inside his mind right now.

"What are you going to do now?" Nao asked them again.

"We will go back first. How about you?" Kirito said and asked the next.

"I looking for ore to enhance my katana, so I will continue for a bit." Nao said.

"I'm sorry can't help more." Nao said apologetically.

"No we are grateful you help us." The tall guy said and bow to Nao gratefully and the other too do the same and said their thanks.

"Then, Kirito. I will go this way. See you next time." Nao said to him and ready to leave.

"A~h, thanks for your help, Nao. See you next time." Kirito said his goodbye too.

Nao nodded and leave while the Moonlit Black Cats stay for some time to calm their mind and teleport to their base floor.

Nao didn't know what would happen because even the other three was can be saved, still there's one member that killed that day. Nao himself continue to wait for the monster that drop the item to respawn. And finally after about one week from that day, come and go to the labyrinth, the monster was respawned and he hunt it down and get the ore with the other drop too.

He teleport to the town after that and enhance the katana right away.

------

Nao was in the 31st floor right now, in a forested area full of monster around to finally finished the quest.

Nao finally understand the real difficulty of the quest after reach this area. Because the monster around here was hard to defeat once they joined in a group and make a horde. And Nao's aggro make it more difficult of course. He feels like fighting a boss here because horde after horde keep coming his way. Luckily his level was raised after a few days ago soloing the boss again.

Yes, he do it for the second time now, do a raid boss alone. It's mostly thanks to Haku right now so he can win it barely, with remaining hp which would be drained completely if he get once more hit. It keep supporting him with its ability to heal from time to time and make him recovered. If not for Haku and his new katana that enhanced finally, there's no doubt that he wouldn't be able to defeat the boss and have to escape or death.

Knowing that if he can clear the boss he can finally finish the quest make him impatient and do a reckless thing.

"Its thanks to you, really, Haku. If I only alone with myself, what await me was death. Well death in this game of course." Nao said while rubbing Haku on his head.

"Kyuuu~~" Haku delightfully responded.

They soon arrive at the destination after that.

It's a ruin of an once to be a compound. Its size was quite big with drained pond in it.

There's some monster that reside in it but soon defeated by him one after the other.

Nao was looking for an altar the quest said to be where he has to bting Kaminaga soul to. He wandering around the compound for a while. There's many forging tools here.

"Well, this is where Muramasa live after all." He thought.

And finally, after a while wandering around the compound, he found what he looking for.

In a room, there's a big altar that used by a blacksmith to pray before forging a katana. Its looks like a miniature of a temple with pedestal before it.

He step forward to where the altar was and familiar occurrences played in front of him. Whitish smoke like mist raised from the ground and a ghost like figure could be seen after that.

The different was that this ghost was not Kaminaga but an old man with worn out and tattered yukata and long hair that disheveled every where.

"Who are you?" The ghost ask Nao with dangerous eyes.

And after that, his eyes landed on the katana on Nao's waist and the earrings that Nao wear on his ear. Anger could be seen all around on his face. He stare menacingly at Nao like he want to kill him hundred times.

"Why my daughter possession could be in your hand?" His voice was very cold.

'Kayaba really good at this, huh. Or Cardinal who doing this?' He amaze with every emotion that NPC made.

Before Nao could say his words, his katana glow slowly and each time more bright than before until a girl voice could be heard.

"Otou-sama!" Kaminaga voice was hoarse and chocked.

Soon what appear next was a girl with tattered kimono as white as snow, crying while looking at the old man. The old man himself was stunned, he can't believe what in front of him right now. On his face, filled with many expression, sad, guilt, regret, and anger then become pain.

"Kaminaga." That word leave his mouth filled with emotions and tears accompany it.

She ran towards her father and hug him tightly with all her might. She was alone until now at a deserted plain full of wolf yearning to come back home to where she grows up with his family and her beloved father. His feeling for this years was poured all and crying out all of it.

Her father too couldn't contain his feeling and crying too while hugging his beloved daughter. The daughter that always he doted all the time. The daughter that regretfully he drag together with his misfortune. His guilty and his regret and his love for his daughter make him still lingering in this world.

They keep hugging each other for sometime, and after that she told everything to his father about what's going on from when she escape with their servant until she meet Nao and he help her to come back here.

The old man feel anger when he know his daughter killed by those who hunted him down. Then regret and guilt because he know that it happen because of him. Then his expression become one of grateful when he heard about Nao who help her, then he bow to him.

"Thank you very much because you are willingly help my daughter out, young man." The old man sid while bowing.

"I'm Muramasa, and as you may know already, I'm a blacksmith that forged specially a katana." He introduce himself the next.

"I'm Nao. Pleased to meet you." Nao introduce himself too.

"Nao-dono. I'm very grateful because you bring my daughter back here. And as a sign of thanks, I will reforge your katana for you." The old man than take out hammer out of no where.

The katana that rest on his waist fly away and landed on the furnace. The old man then take out many rare item and put it inside the furnace. Nao couldn't help but full of expectation to what kind of katana that would become after the reforging.

Time passed and the reforging was done. What once was simple shirasaya katana become a purple and almost transparent katana with many dot inside making it like there's a stars inside the katana. It has golden tsuba, black handle and tsuba. It's really a beautiful katana.

"Please accept my gift." Muramasa then give the sword to him.Then announcement pop up infront of him.

'Myouhou Muramasa, huh.' He accept the katana and it automatically become his.

Its features said that the katana can always be upgraded for better quality with better material. Which mean that he only need to looking for a better material at highest floor to upgrade the katana to better its performance and parameter.

"Thank you very much for helping me, Nao-sama." Kusanagi said beside his father.

And after that, the father and the daughter bow their head and disappear into nothingness. Then, Nao get announcement of the completion of the quest and the reward of the quest.

"Pair of earrings, A beautiful katana, and now the quest reward was something that always I wanted, the haori. Well, it's worth it to being a target of all monster for over two months." Nao thought that the reward was worth it.

He then put on the purple haori and put the katana back on his waist.

'I have purple colored haori, purple katana, and purple earrings. Let's make this my color signature then.' He thought and leave the compound.

"Let's go, Haku." Nao said to Haku.

"Kyuuuuu~~~" Haku responded.

Nao then leave the forested area, while running and haku that flying beside him.