22 Chapter 22

In the 24th floor of floating castle, Aincrad, there's a very large lake with a man-mad island in the center of it. There's a city in the island, named Panareze, and also the floor's main settlement.

Besides the island in the middle, there are also innumerable other isles around the main island, connected them together trough many floating bridges.

Nao was in one of the isles now, sat quietly with Haku on his lap purring from time to time. He silently looking at the far away setting sun waiting for the night to come.

"And another songless night, huh." He said softly after a long time.

It's been more than a month already since Yuna's death in the game and ejected forcefully by his clone outside to safe her life. It worked and she is still alive now and all of her vital was fine, but she remained unconscious though her nervegear was already taken off.

Though the doctor and his clone said that her condition was alright, but Nao's anxiety never disappears. So, after the boss defeated, Nao teleported to the town right away, want to know what actually happen to her.

He arrived at the teleport gate and run around the town looking for any information about any event that taken place recently. He find nothing after he asked here and there for a while until he arrived around a restaurant, he heard about a player who suddenly appear with a spear still stuck on his back and said that his party was trapped inside a field dungeon. He immediately asked them about the detail and they told him what happen right away.

They said that the man's party was trapped inside and couldn't use the teleport crystal. He said that amongst the mobs, there's one that can cast Silencing debuff and make the crystals unusable. On top of that, no one in the party have a Cough Potion to recover from the debuff. Hearing that, Nao couldn't help but curse inside.

'Are all of them retard or something?!! Tch, dammit!' Nao curse inside.

After the man said to the players in the restaurant about his party member, he begged them to save his party. No one said anything at first because the timing was too coincident just after the departure of the capture group.

'That's right. There's a possibility that it was a trap.' Nao said inside his mind and the dangerous glint which was already gone resurfaced again make the player in front of him shiver.

He asked what happen next and they said that after a while no one said anything, a man stepped forward and volunteered to save them. He used a plain clothes at first, but when he step forward, he changed to his KoB attire. He asked two members of fuurinkazan to help too and the two agreed before some hesitation.

In the end, about ten players join the rescue team included the KoB guy and a girl who come with him. Nao needn't to asked them who the girl was. It's obvious that the KoB guy was Nautilus and the girl was Yuna. He a bit surprised too that there were two Fuurinkazan member too there.

'So Dale and Issin there too?' Nao thought.

He asked them the direction and ran as fast as he could to the western gate right away.

His eyes glint menacingly along the way. There's a very high possibility that it was really a trap. After all, there's a Strategy Guide distributed for free and the information about the Silencing debuff was included in it. It's hard to believe that no one in a party have a Cough potion with them. This floor was the foremost line, at least you need to read the guide before going out into the Outer Field.

So Nao thought that if it's indeed a trap, then ....,

'If it's indeed a trap, trust me death would be a bliss for you.' Nao said inside.

Thinking that Yuna was "killed" by the orange player make his rage soar uncontrollably again. Just you see!!!!, he thought.

He ran speedily along the way while Haku was flying closely beside him too. He didn't care anything at all and only want to arrive soon at the location to know the reason of Yuna's "death".

After a while he was running, he could see a group of people ahead. He look at them carefully and recognize the three of them.

Two japanese armor wearing guy was Dale and Issin, two of the fuurinkazan guild members. Another one was a guy who wearing KoB attire, Nautilus. Nao look at the other and couldn't see ...her.

'SH**! Of course she isn't there!!! What do you expected??' Nao said feel very frustrated again.

He ran fast at them. They were confused, especially Dale and Issin. Nao?!! Isn't he supposed to be fighting the boss with the capture group, they thought. But Nao didn't stop at all, ran at Nautilus direction and grab his collar.

"Tell me what happen with Yuna?" He said menacingly at him.

Nautilus was surprised and couldn't say anything at first looking how frightening his eyes was. He then feels frustrated and regret when he remember that Yuna ...., He remained silent with depressed expression for a while. But he replayed in the end.

"It has nothing to do with you." He said to Nao.

Nao lost all of his self-restraint and couldn't hold back anymore. He clench his fist tightly and hit him on the face make him rolling on the ground several time.

The gap between their level was like the heaven and earth. System also count his punch as his Martial Arts skill, make Nautilus HP not only almost halfed but make Nao's cursor become orange. Attacking a green cursor player in Outer Area was a criminal conduct after all.

"HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME?!?!! SHE IS MY WOMAN!!!!!!! OF COURSE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ME!??!??!" Nao shouted and stare menacingly at him who still laying on the ground couldn't move at all.

Heard what Nao said make him very surprised. He like Yuna for a long time after all and the one who introduce SAO and persuade her to play it was him, so that he could confess his feeling towards her. But this guy said that she was his woman? How!!? He couldn't think anything right now, but after remember again that Yuna has already gone, he feel depressed again.

Nao know that talking with him was futile, so he asked the other while still looking at Nautilus dangerously with ominous glint in his eyes.

"Dale, tell me what happen to her. Is it a trap? If it's indeed a trap, tell me all about them." Nao said to one of the two fuurinkazan guild member. His tone feels like comes from the deepest of the hell make all of them shiver. Especially for the party who trapped before, they are the one who asked for the help after all. So, when he say about trap and how he said that, all of them know that if it's really a trap, they would regret it for their entire life.

Dale gulped and take a deep breath to calm himself down, he then tell Nao what happen there in detail. The other didn't dare to interrupt and quietly listen to what Dale said and glance to Nao from time to time. He's really frightening and added that his cursor was orange right now make them nervous.

Dale tell Nao that when the rescue team arrive there, the five player who trapped was surrounded by the mobs and couldn't escape at all because the cell bars was locked. The only way to open it was with a lever at the back of the room. They look at the back of the room and finally could see the lever, but it was guarded by a boss and the boss didn't move at all guarding it.

The only chance to help them was to operate the lever, but if it was done, the boss would start to move and the remaining player who operate the lever would be left alone inside with the boss and its minion. So their option was to defeat all of the monster and the boss included or sacrifice one of them to save the other.

Nao's heart became cold when he hard the word "sacrifice" and it showed all over his face make all of them gulped at the same time.

Dale continue again after calming himself down. He was the one who said "sacrifice" after all, so he was the one who take the most pressure.

He said that they choose to defeat the boss because Nautilus said that with him and the two from fuurinkazan take the boss aggro, it'll be enough. Most of them haven't any experience fighting with a boss class enemy, they aren't clearers to begin with, so it can't be helped and hesitated to decide what to do.

However, Nautilus said that it was a boss of a field dungeon close to the town, and they have fifteen people if included those who trapped inside the room. So, if all of them are over level 40, or even if only over 35, it should be enough.

Nao didn't know what to say at them, Especially to Nautilus. 'What is actually this bas**** thinking?!' Nao said inside his mind.

"35?!?!? Is your math score that bad at school, so make you even can't count correctly at all? Or your memory that bad so you forget what floor it is?!?! THIRTY-FIVE?! This is 40th floor!!! The save margin was Floor+10 and you fight a boss class enemy just with this composition because 'it's field boss close to the town'??!!!!!!" Nao was hopeless with them.

"Just because 'it's field boss close to the town', that doesn't mean it less dangerous than the one from the labyrinth. Many factor are related and need to be considered, not only based on 'the distance from the town'." Nao said again.

"There was a correlation too between the size of a dungeon boss's room, the boss's size, its attack patterns, and the number of minions. Even if the boss [close to the town]'s size less than Dragon-type and Golem-type boss or have simple attack pattern, its danger can be lurking around from the other aspect. Especially when you said that it has minions and the room was quite spacious. It has that size undoubtedly meant for something." Nao said and make all of them flinch.

All of it didn't escape from Nao's observation, make him narrowed his eyes with his heart become colder and colder.

What Nao said to them was alright. The boss wasn't that dangerous and all of them could handle it, though barely, but surely its HP decreased bit by bit. The weaker one fight the minions while the others like Nautilus and two fuurinkazan fellows fighting the boss until finally, its HP decrease to red mark. But Dale a bit hesitated to continue the last part and the other was a bit nervous too.

"What?" Nao said with deep voice and cold tone.

"You need to only temporary stand back and observe the change of pattern or the change of the situation. Red was the berserker mode of any boss." Nao said again.

"Well, we say that too, but," Dale said and look at Nautilus at the end of his word.

"But ....what?!!" Nao said while grit his teeth.

Dale gulped again and start to tell him the rest.

"But he said that a Warder Chief-types shouldn't have a change in pattern and only need to continue the attack to drain its HP completely." Dale said to him in the end.

'I want to kill this guy!!!!!!' Nao shouted inside his mind while restrain himself not to do it. He is Yuna's childhood friend, so if he die and know that the one who killed him was Nao, she would be extremely disappointed. Also, if she wakes up and know that this guy dies, he didn't know what will happen to her or what will she feel and the effect to her condition.

So he restrain himself but the glint in his eyes and how expression now tells everything. That was beyond frightening already. Make all who look at it feel suffocated.

"Then what happen?" Nao said coldly.

Dale take a deep breath and said again.

"The boss pattern of attack didn't change that much, but mmmmm, the bars in the room suddenly enlarged and make the battle arena more spacious. After that, more minions, about sixteen comes out and the new ones was a bit more strong than before. We take off guard by the change of event and late to temporarily stand back for prepare to the new change. The ones assigned to fight the boss and some other players was paralysed at once, couldn't move because the boss suddenly used its AoE attack." Dale said while look at the ground.

Nao thought that was the worst case scenario in this peculiar floor. Monster in this floor has troublesome algorithm called the Bully, make all of them ignore any hate value to bully a player who knocked down or with debuff like stun or paralysis. Especially the paralysis was very tricky, unlike stuns, which only lasted three seconds, paralysis was one of the worst debuffs, continuing for six hundred seconds. And a group of player paralysed at once? In this floor?

"Then what happen?" Nao asked Dale what happen, but he know that what he mean was about Yuna from how depressed his expression.

"The girl, who fight with the minion the most further away, was the only one who didn't affected by the paralysis. So, looking at all the monster ready to bully and kill all the players laying on the ground, she ...," Dale couldn't continue because of the regret.

Nao needn't to listen more either, it's obvious. If the immobile players attacked by the twenty mobs and the boss at the same time, they would death for sure. There are only fifteen and the minions, together with the boss was twenty-one. They are completely outnumbered and some of them wasn't a clearers and had no experience fight a boss class enemy at all. They would undoubtedly death, but they still alive. He know the reason very well even without Dale told him the rest of the story.

Bully trait make the monster ignore the hate value and attack the knocked down or the debuffed ones. However, there's another way to redirect their trait and pull their aggro completely. Her enchanter skill!!! Not only it could heal the HP but also attract the monsters completely.

'Yuna!!' Nao said inside his mind with tightly clenched hands.

Thinking she swarmed by a horde of monsters and a boss class included in that make his heart gripped tightly. No one said anything after that, no one dare too. A girl bravely sacrifice herself to help them from the death, so they feel the guilt inside their heart.

The silent lasted for a while and one of them said finally.

"Thanks to her, we are saved fro......"

"Of course, she pay the price after all!!!!!" Nao said while looking at the man.

He tongue-tied and couldn't say anything. His party was the one at fault after all, to recklessly going to the outer area without decent preparation, ignore the necessity to have a Coughing potion with them and ended trapped inside with Silencing debuff make the crystals couldn't be used. Their recklessness paid with the most grave price by the a girl in the end. They didn't have anything to said at all.

"To begin with, there isn't any necessity to defeat the boss to rescue the trapped ones." Nao said while gritting his teeth.

All of them, included Nautilus confused by his words make Nao even more depressed, frustrated and irritated looking at the look on their face. 'You bunch of idiot!!!!!' Nao couldn't help but to cursed.

"You are trapped and couldn't use the teleport crystal because the Silencing debuff, no one have Coughing potion with you on top of that, make the situation worse. So, why no one of you thinking about give the ones who trapped inside a Coughing potion and make them teleport with the crystal after that?"

"The minions would respawn no matter how much you defeat it, but the number would be always the same every time and there's an interval time it needed to respawn. The boss won't attack you either as long as you didn't provoke it, it's in unactivated state after all before the lever behind it operated."

"The room was jail-type room too in this floor, so you can give the coughing potion through the bars and make the trapped ones use it then teleport with crystal after the debuff cured. So, there's no need to defeat the boss to begin with, use your brain and you will know it!!!!!!!!!" He feel more and more depressed every time he said his words.

When all of them heard what he said, all of them stunned and dumbfounded. He was right after all and they could be saved without the necessity to kill the boss. The one who feel the most regret was Nautilus, he was the one who persuade them to defeat the boss after all. He was the one who drag Yuna in this mess too on top of that.

It can't be helped, though. Most of them wasn't a clearers and haven't enough experience to observe the situation correctly.

Nao really felt his heart become more and more chaotic looking at them. He hold the urge to beat all of them, he take out a crystal and teleport right away while gritting his teeth.

"Teleport: Panareze!" He said under his gritting teeth.

All of them remain silent and didn't said anything. They didn't move either from there caused by the regret they felt inside. Nautilus was the one who felt it the most.

They remained unmoved like that for a long time until Issin, one of the fuurinkazan members could see that a group of people run at their direction again. He know all of them, they are the other four fuurinkazan members included Klein. There's another three players too and he know that it was Kirito, Asuna and Agil.

After Nao leave the labyrinth, no one know where he teleported to. But looking at his state make them unease inside, so all of them decide to chased him in the end after thinking what to do and come back to Jaileum first.

When they teleported and arrived in the town, Kirito use his searching ability and he found Nao's trace right away. They decide to followed the trace to chase him, but when they followed the trail, they lead to many place inside the town. They are confused, what is he looking for that make him go around the town and come to many place?

They think that if Nao was looking for someone, he can just use his Searching skill and no need to go around like this. Or maybe he still couldn't found the trace even with the Searching skill? They thinking along the way about the possibility of the trace couldn't be founded with the Searching skill.

After talking about many possibility, they remember a case when the trace couldn't be founded. The trace won't remain if the target was ejected from the game!!! And ejected from this game only mean one thing!!!

They then remember that there's only one person in this game who would make Nao that desperate. The worst possibility make their eyes opened widely.

"Could it be she ....." All of them realize it and started to ran to followed Nao's trace again to many place. They asked the players around at the place where he stopped and finally arrived at the restaurant from before.

Kirito asked about Nao right away and the player who Nao talking to before tell all of them everything. About the trapped players, formed rescue team, a girl who join too and about Nao who ran right away with danger eyes after heard about all of it.

Asuna ran as fast as she could right away after hearing all about that followed by Klein, Kirito and the others. Asuna was worried about Nao, while Klein about the other two his guild's member.

They run as fast as they could followed Nao's trace and could finally spotted a group of players ahead. Klein feel a bit relieved seeing that his two guild's member was alright.

"Dale!!! Issin!!!" Klein shouted at them.

""Klein!?"" The both surprised Klein was here with the other fuurinkazaan members too.

All of them arrive there panting and looking around, but couldn't see Nao anywhere. They look at the group condition. Nautilus was laying on the ground with halved HP and didn't move. The other player was also very dejected too make the bad feeling which is Asuna, Kirito and all of them felt along the way worsened.

"What happen? Where's Nao?" Klein asked Dale.

Dale remained silent and look at Issin in the end. Issin know what his meaning and start to told them about what happen just now.

He told about Nao who reach them not long ago, about him beat Nautilus and about his conversation with Dale who tell him about what happen in the field dungeon.

Issin tell them the detail and all of them liste to him quietly. When Issin said that Yuna was also join in the rescue team too, their heart tightened and when the story reach to the part about Yuna sacrifice herself, they could feel the unbearable feeling inside all of them.

Recalled about Nao's behavior from the start of the fight, in the middle of the fight, until when he suddenly stopped on his track and look at the door with blank expression, make all of them clench their fist tightly. So that was the reason? They thought and couldn't imagine what his feeling right now.

They remember too that yesterday he said he won't taken part in the subjugation battle and said about his bad feeling. They thought that his regret must be felt very unbearable right now.

"Where is he teleported??" Asuna said right away.

She feel the unbearable pain too inside her heart. She knows that the regret, sorrow and painful feeling in his heart must be much more worst than what she felt right now. She want to make him feel better, she want to bear the pain too with him.

"He teleported to Panareze. Oh that's right, he has the orange cursor right now, so I don't know what will happen." Issin said, told them where he teleported.

"Orange?!?!" All of them surprised. But then they remember that he attacked Nautilus before and know that was the reason.

"It'll become green again after a few hours. He didn't kill after all. However, he would be chased away from the area by the guard as soon as he arrived there. So, he must be outside the town right now." Kirito said after looking at Nautilus on the ground.

"Teleport: Panareze" Asuna take out her teleport crystal and teleported right away.

Kirito and Agil followed her and teleport to Panareze too.

"I will go too. You can go to the base first but you can come with me too if you want." Klein said to his guild's members.

After saying that word, Klein teleported and all the fuurinkazan members followed him too in the end.

-----

All of them arrive at Panareze soon after that and what greeted them was a very unusually noisy town.

Many players and NPC was in a state of surprised because not long ago, there was a orange player who actually dares to enter the town. This is the first time ever, so, the town was very noisy about it.

As soon as Nao, the orange player arrived, he didn't realize it at all that his cursor was orange in color now. He was surprised that the NPC guard attacked him and chase him away from the town. But, after a moment later he realize it and go out of the Area.

Kirito use his Searching skill again and go to the outer Area with the others. After some times, they finally arrived at a little isle around the main Island and found Nao there.

He sat quietly there with his back facing them.

All of them look at his back and didn't know what to do or what to say to him. Just look at his back that filled with loneliness, they could feel his sorrowful feeling too.

Asuna's tears fall to the ground looking at how his state right now. She stepped forward, she want to tried to console him but Kirito stopped her and shook his head.

"It's better to let him alone right now." Kirito said while shook his head.

"But, ....." Asuna want to say something, but Agil said to her too.

"Kirito was right, Asuna. Let him be right now, so that he can calm himself down first. It was what he need the most right now." Agil said to her.

Asuna nibble her lower lip and nodded slightly. She look at Nao's back again and feel the pain inside her heart grow even more. She want to ran at him and console him, share his sorrow with her, heal his broken heart with all her might. She want to forget her feeling about him, but it's growing stronger instead than before.

Nao knows that they are here, but he didn't feels good right now. His heart was still in a turmoil knowing what happen in the field dungeon. Regret, anger and guilty coursing inside his heart. He feels the anxiety too about Yuna who was still unconscious until now.

He sat still there staring at the far away sky. This place was where he meet with her for the first time, no, they know each other for the first time.

Recalled about how it was at that time makes him smile slightly, but in the end, he sigh and couldn't help but feel the anxiety inside him grew even more. So, he contact Sebas again for the umpteenth time, but the result was still the same. She hasn't wakes up yet.

'Is she really alright? Is she really gonna be okay?' Nao said inside his mind and slowly close his eyes.

Time flow slowly and a few hours had passed and his cursor was already change to the green color again some moment before. But he still at still there looking at the slowly setting sun in the distance.

Kirito and the other still there too looking at him like that. Each time passed make his back feels like more and more solitude for them.

They afraid that he would do something stupid like jumped down from the Aincrad. But Kirito knows that he has Sugu, so even if that thought cross his mind, Sugu's existence would be the last restraint.

Time passed again and night finally come. Nao thought that it'll be bad to make them more worried than this. So he got up and take a deep breath and try his best to calm his mind.

However, the regret feeling inside him keep linger and never disappear knowing Yuna's condition right now. But he try his best to look more relaxed and put on a slight smile. He turn around to greet them there.

All of them a bit surprised that he was smiling slightly. 'Is he alright?' They thought at the same time after looking at his smile. They approached him slowly right after that.

"Ahahaha~ I'm sorry to make all of you put that funny expression on your face." Nao said while smiled wryly.

All of them didn't know what to say looking at his state right now. But kirito finally decide to stepped forward.

"Nao.....Are...you alright?" He said a bit hesitated.

"Hm? Un, I am fine." Nao said while smiling simply.

"No, I mean,... you know.... about, Yuna." Kirito said again.

Nao's smile disappeared and the feeling from before resurfaced again. He look down at the ground to hide his face. He himself didn't know, though why he hide his face.

'So they already knew? Aah~ Dale and Issin, huh.' He said inside his mind and finally realize that the two from before was here too.

Nao thought about what he has to said and put on the smile again.

"Well, you see... There's a problem like FNC too in the nervegear, so.... maybe Yuna was alright and logged out from here to the outside." When he said "alright", he recalled again that Yuna was still unconscious make his smile hollowed slightly.

They were all stunned and surprised to hear his answer. All of them know after all what would happen when their HP hit the zero mark in this game, it mean death for their real body too. That was the reality and all know about that.

They want to tell him this cruel reality too, but all of them afraid and didn't know what will happen if their word shattered this little and tiny hope of his. This tiny strand of hope he grasp right now maybe the only one left of him and he would be doing something stupid if they cut it too.

Their heart grasped tightly thinking about the cruel reality that maybe greet him later after this game ended. All of them thinking that he ran from the reality and fool himself. But one day, the cruel reality will come to him in the end. But they didn't know what to say and to do about that.

Asuna feel the smarting pain inside while thinking about this and ran at him and hug him tightly. She scared about what would happen when he know the reality. Her mind wander around the stupid thing which might he done when he know about it.

She hug him tightly and sobbing on his chest. She didn't want him to go.

Nao was a bit surprised, but hug her too in the end and caressed her hair.

"I am sorry to make you worried." Nao said. Asuna didn't said anything and hug him more tightly.

Nao didn't know that all of them think that he ran away from the reality and fool himself about Yuna.

No one said anything again after that until the day was ended.

----

Time passed and day come and go one after the other, but Yuna's condition was still the same. He asked Sebas almost all the time about her condition but the answer always the same. It makes him frustrated even more and more.

He started to feel more impatient as the day passed and she still unconscious, and the anxiety make him restless all time. His regret also grew even more knowing all of this.

Thinking that stay still only make him impatient, he vent his frustration to the fight and went to the labyrinth. He fight the monster to make himself feel better and crazily slaughter all of them. He didn't do any mapping or anything, he just fight to vent his frustration. He just entered the labyrinth to fight and fight was all he done.

He didn't only fight the monster, though, but also the other player too, Calix to be more exact.

Calix was the KoB guy who provoke Nao in the meeting before and Nao meet him in the labyrinth when the KoB party explored it.

Nao remember the guy and his mood sour at once when he spotted him with the other KoB guys. His eyes become cold and his heart filled with rage all of a sudden. He didn't want to participated in the subjugation battle, but this bas**** provoke him.

Remember how he provoke him, that mock and sneer, how he stupidly provoked and ended with Yuna in this state make him lost all sanity. He can't think straight anymore and dash at Calix at once make not only him but also the other party members surprised.

"What do you think you are doing?" The leader of the party shout at him and ready to attack too.

The other also readied their weapon and put a stance. The fight was inevitable and begin soon after. A solo player vs A whole group of twelve players from the strongest guild, the KoB.

Nao didn't see the other at all and only focused his eyes on his "prey" and enemy. The other try to stop him but it was futile, so they haven't another choice but to attack him. They execute their skill and move. Nao simply readied his two katana and parried the attack one after the other. It's one thing if it's a boss, their parameter's gap was of course way apart, but their parameter was below him. So he only need to parry and knocked them back and evade some of them.

Fighting with them feels strangely easier for him than fighting a monster. They mainly only use their skill-assist and use their parameter like strength and speed. They had no technique in their movement make it feels strangely more easier to Nao.

Nao feels something was missing in their movement. Though thanks to their parameter and their experience using their avatar, make them could execute fast and strong movement, but their movement feels stiff.

Their attack was indeed quite dangerous if it hit him considering how fast and strong it executed, but there's something missing in it. Their reaction was lagged and too easy to predict. Added the motion they always do before execute an attack, make him prepared even more better.

The movement was dangerous, fast, strong and all, but from one movement to another, it felt doesn't flow well in his eyes. The monster movement flow better even though there's patterns in it because it was programmed.

However, human's movements need to be trained, so that the body itself would remember it. And there's something called technique in a fighting movement. Using only strength and speed without technique and sufficient reflex speed wouldn't be enough.

Attack after attack come at him and he handle it all easily. In the middle of their skill, Nao cut some of their wrist and the sound of weapon falling to the ground could be heard from time to time.

Nao didn't stop and continue to cut all of their wrist one by one, make them unable to hold their weapon anymore. They look at him with dread and their body shiver uncontrollably. He cut their wrist and some their elbow just like that. No one dare to approach him and retreat.

Nao's cursor already change it's color become orange again make all of them more frightened. Glint in his eyes, cold expression on his face and with two katana on hands make him looks like a demon.

Calix shivered uncontrollably. His party was defeated and he know this madman's target was him.

"W-wai-"

Before he can said anything, Nao cut his hand from his elbow.

"Gyaaaaaahhhh w-waiiiiit whhaa aaaaaaa."

Nao cut his other hand before he could said anything again. Though there's no pain, but the sensation of the limb separated with sharp edge still could be felt. It's not an unpleasant feeling either. He didn't stop and cut his limb again and again.

The other KoB guys just look at him cut Calix limb and didn't said anything. All of them had already lost a hand after all so they still feel frightened and shocked. They couldn't move at all with wide opened mouth. They couldn't hold a weapon either even if they want to help him.

"Though the sensation was unpleasant thing, it's a shame that you didn't felt any pain." Nao said coldly while cutting Calix's limb bit by bit. The other scared shitless heard his words while looking how he cut Calix's limb.

He cut each five cm from the tip of finger up to the shoulders. Then cut each five cm too from toe up to groin. He was still alive, but his HP was on the red mark. Nao didn't mind to kill him but become permanently orange mean that he won't ever could enter any town and that was quite troublesome, so Nao stopped before he dies.

The pitiful guy laying on the ground, limbless with horrible expression. Nao glance at him for a moment with cold eyes. He turn around after that, pass through the other KoB members, who open the path for him with dread expression in their eyes, then he leave the location.

The news spread rapidly like wild fire and every player that active in the upper floor know about it.

A solo player attack a group of players from the strongest guild, the KoB in the labyrinth and win. Even one of the players from the group tortured.

This news dumbfounded all of them. To actually there's one that dare to attack a clearers guild and the KoB on top of that. And the word "Solo" itself was very unbelievable.

They start to looking for more information, after knowing that it was Nao who do that and the one who tortured was the Calix guy, the event at the meeting was also spread widely. That the guy provoke Nao and as the counter, Nao said he can beheaded the KoB.

All of them dumbfounded again. Beheaded the KoB???? But after he they recalled twelve players from the guild already defeated single-handedly, they could only nodded. It was very possible.

The news keep going for several days and the most anticipated days finally come. The 41st boss floor strategy meeting, where all clearers would be gathered and of course, Nao and people from the KoB would be there too. This meeting would be interesting. Many of them thought.

When the day of the meeting finally come, the atmosphere of the room was very tense.

*

It caused by two party, no, it's caused by only one party and the other was only one player. A solo player. But the said solo player was very indifferent and didn't care at all about the tense air around.

After a while, the meeting was ready to started and Heathcliff said his part. But before that, he asked Nao first.

"Before the meeting started, Nao-kun, could I ask you something?"

The room was tensed up even more. This is it! all of them thought.

Nao lift his head and look at heathcliff indifferently. Nothing could be describe about his eyes, there's nothing there after all. It's not like his murderous glint from before, but still very frightening because there isn't any emotion in it.

"Sure!" Nao said simply.

"Can I asked you the reason for your attack a few days ago?" Heathcliff asked him.

"One of them very unpleasing to the eyes, so I attack him." Nao said simply again.

People inside the room was very surprised with his answer. He answer simply like it was the fact already and wasn't that much.

The KoB members was very angry of course and one of them want to retort. But Nao look at him with his blood-lust eyes and cold expression.

"You need something?" Nao asked with plain word but the tone was very deep and reverberated through the entire room, make the room's temperature drop greatly.

The man just shook his head with gnashed teeth and upset expression. He want to say something but he didn't dare to. This guy was a madman. One of them had already tortured by him and he didn't know what would happen if he make this devil upset too.

No one from the KoB said anything. No one dare either. This crazy guy's only opponent was their commander and no one else.

"Not pleasing to the eyes, huh." Heathcliff said simply then shook his head. It's useless! he thought. He know what happen after all. After the attack incident, he ask Asuna what is actually happen to him because he look strange for several days. Asuna didn't want people to hate him and all, so she explain what happen to him about Yuna incident to him.

After listen to Asuna's story, he finally understand everything. He is in unstable state of mind. He thought.

Asuna feel worried about him too. He always in the labyrinth more than before and always fighting with the monster crazily. She really want to do something but didn't know what she has to do. She could only bring him lunch from time to time to make him always had someone to talk to.

Kirito did the same. He always try to find a time to find him and talk to him from time to time.

Nao himself didn't realize yet that many people around him treat him like someone who almost had a mental illness. He just think about Yuna these day after all and vent his frustration in the labyrinth. If he know all of that, he wouldn't know if he has to crying or laughing about that.

Heathcliff decide to stop talking about that and decide, that he just need to make the guy who provoke him, stay inside the base and make him the staff like members until Nao's condition back to normal again.

He continue the meeting after that to discuss about the boss subjugation strategy.