Boss Reward

--- Kirito ---

I was shocked.

No, perhaps 'dumbfounded' would be more appropriate. I did ask him to convey the message that the Bosses were no joke, but...

Was there really a need to anger everyone like that?

I wanted to say something, but the opportunity never came up. Even as everyone hurled curses and insults at him, the man remained utterly unfazed, his spear resting casually on his shoulder.

His body language screamed indifference, a complete disregard for the opinions of those around him.

Watching him, something clicked within me. He really didn't care what anyone thought of him. I felt foolish for caring so much about others' opinions in the first place.

As he reached his party member, I noticed her concerned expression. He simply shrugged it off. "I'm fine, let's go!" he said, and the party headed towards the stairs leading to the 2nd Floor.

Realizing I might be left behind, I hurried to catch up with them.

---

We swiftly reached the door separating us from the 2nd Floor. The man turned around and looked at me. "This is where we part ways," he said.

I nodded.

Before they could leave, though, I stopped them.

"Can I ask you two for your names? Mine's Kirito," I said, introducing myself first.

I felt a connection between us. It was a strange feeling to describe.

The man pointed at himself with a smile. "Haru."

The woman simply smiled and replied softly, "Asuna."

I see.

So those are the names of the strongest people on the server.

I'll remember them well because I'll work my hardest from now on to surpass those two.

A spark I didn't even know I had as a gamer, to not lose to anyone, was now igniting within me.

I actually had another question.

'Are those two a couple?'

I was really curious, for some reason, but it wasn't my business.1

"Thanks," I said, as we added each other as friends.

We went our separate ways after opening the door to the 2nd Floor.

'There should be a few hidden quests if I follow this path...'

I was already focused on doing my best to get stronger.

There was no time to waste.

I have to prepare even more than before if I want keep up with Haru and Asuna.

'Just like he told the players in the 1st Floor, if I'm too weak by the time they challenge the boss, I won't be able to participate in it! I don't want to be left behind anymore'

I'll catch up using anything I can!

--- Akira ---

After parting ways with Kirito, I sighed.

"There's really no need to worry about me, Asuna. I said it multiple times, but I'm fine."

You're too nice.

Those people do not deserve you to care about their opinion at all.

The only people whose opinion you should care about are those close to you, because in the end, those are the ones who you really want to impress, not some random crowd of dudes.

If I have to become the next Kirito of SAO, so be it. 

If I have to be hated, then so be it.

It's not thanks to those people that I'm here anyway.

"But you don't deserve the hate, even though you were a bit harsh on them..."

A bit harsh? I was about to kill Kibaou simply because his face was annoying, subconsciously linking him to one of the bandits I killed everyday from the 2nd Trial...

But let's skip that.

She lowered her gaze, now facing the ground.

Seriously...

I patted her head.

"No matter what I said, those bast-"

Cough.

"I mean, those people were just sheep following the shepherd. No matter what I said, I would've ended up the bad guy. That's because I didn't want to share our hard-earned loot with them."

I paused, noting her conflicted expression.

"None of them even bothered to ask if we used their information, or if we had it easy, or if it was difficult. They all just assumed they were in the right and condemned us for it, all to gain some penny."

She now had her gaze staring straight into mine.

"The opinion of such people, do you really think it's important?"

She hesitantly shook her head.

Good, it seems I got through.

"And it's not like we didn't receive some nice reward."

'I didn't expect the rewards to change as well. At least it's balanced...'

[You have slain the 1st Floor Boss: Illfang the Kobold Lord]

[You have received [Blood Nightshade]]

[Blood Nightshade]

[Effect 1: Has a 1 in 5 chance of applying the status effect [Weak Poison] on an enemy upon contact]

[Effect 2: On the 3rd attack received from this weapon, applies the status effect [Bleeding] on the enemy]

I pulled the spear out to inspect it.

The Blood Nightshade was an imposing weapon.

Its dark, almost black, shaft had an organic, twisted design, giving it an eerie, almost sinister appearance.

Sharp, thorn-like protrusions lined the shaft, making it look as if it had been carved from the branches of some ancient, cursed tree.

The spearhead itself was a wickedly sharp, elongated blade, glinting with a faint, ominous red sheen.

'Is there any actual background to this weapon? I might be interested.'

The craftsmanship was that exquisite.

My inner gamer heart was beating a little faster, seeing this edgy weapon, not gonna lie.

"It's lucky that the first Floor Boss already dropped something so useful! It's almost like this reward was tailored for you," she joked, but I actually believed the truth wasn't far from that.

My estimate is that it's a 'side effect' of raising the difficulty to this point, but I don't have enough data to come to a concrete conclusion.

Yet.

"On the next boss, I'll give you the final hit," I said to Asuna, who was walking beside me. "That way, if we're lucky again, it'll drop a nice rapier for you to use."

She chuckled and shook her head. "I don't think the reward will luck out this much a second time in a row."

"Well, if you don't get anything good from the next boss, I'll make sure to have one forged for you," I replied. "At least you won't feel too bad about being stuck with store-bought rapiers."

She playfully hit me on the arm, pouting slightly. "Hey, I happen to like my store-bought rapiers. Also, how dare you tease me when you literally bought more than 20 spears just to face a single boss?"

...Ready perfectly? You can never go wrong if you follow the way of the cautious hero, Seiya.

I shrugged while chuckling.

While we conversed, we were making our way to our next destination.

"This is just the starting point, Asuna," I said, looking ahead. "We've got a long way to go, but even so, I believe we can do it."

Although I'll have to disband this party one day, for now, I'll enjoy it.

That's what Alexia would've wanted me to do, rather than get all gloomy and close in on myself.

---

Author's Note:

Pic of the spear Akira got!