-298- A similar monster

"Ding-ling!"

Amidst the pleasant sound of the bell, Argo pushed open the door of the bar and walked out of the Crimson Wing's headquarters.

Watching Argo's departing figure, Rozen reflected on what he had just been told, still somewhat doubtful.

"To think it happened just at this time..."

Could this be considered a good thing?

At least, Rozen hoped there wouldn't be any issues.

Perhaps because Rozen's contemplative expression was quite conspicuous, guild members who were originally chatting and laughing began to gather around.

"What's wrong, Guild Leader?"

"What kind of trouble did that 'rat' bring you now?"

"Is it about the clearing group?"

"Or is it about the Aincrad Liberation Squad?"

"Whatever it is, if it's making the Guild Leader lost in thought like this, it can't be something trivial, right?"

"I agree."

One by one, guild members started chattering, filling the bar with noise.

In response, Rozen didn't offer any explanations; he simply said, "Why are you all gathering here? If you have nothing to do, go level up!"

Upon hearing Rozen's words, the guild members let out disappointed sighs.

"Is it really necessary to push so hard?"

"We only recently cleared the 25th floor!"

"The boss on that floor was so strong that it haunted my dreams for days!"

"Let us rest a little longer!"

"Besides, hasn't the clearing group not even started exploring the 26th floor yet?"

"Let's just call it a day."

The guild members expressed their dissatisfaction.

This was no small matter.

It should be noted that all the players here were beta testers, and they placed a heavy emphasis on levels and training compared to other players. In addition, to maintain the reputation of being the strongest guild and the status of top players, they would wake up early in the morning and dive into the training and labyrinth areas, only returning in the evening. Some even pulled all-nighters to level up. They were all dedicated gamers.

Now, such a group of players were actually lazing around the guild headquarters, which was unheard of.

But Rozen could understand the reason for this.

(It seems that low morale isn't just affecting other players; our guild members are feeling the same way.)

After experiencing the horrors of the 25th floor, even beta players were feeling hesitant and uneasy about the 26th floor.

After all, the beta testing period had only reached the 10th floor, and beta players no longer had access to the latest floor information and knowledge, so they had to explore just like the other players.

In this light, after experiencing the terror of the 25th floor, even beta players might hesitate when faced with a new floor.

It was likely that the beta players in the guild were unconsciously gathering at the headquarters, seeking companionship to ease the anxiety and hesitation in their hearts.

Therefore, this situation might be more serious than Rozen had initially thought.

(I need to address this as soon as possible.)

Coincidentally, the news Argo had just brought might be able to improve this situation.

At that moment, Rozen addressed all the guild members present.

"Since that's the case, I won't force you today. Take another day to rest."

However, before the guild members could feel happy about this, Rozen added another sentence.

"But tomorrow, we will have a strategy meeting in the 26th floor's training area to discuss the boss there. I won't allow any of you to be absent."

Upon hearing this, the players present were surprised.

"So... we're already dealing with the training area boss so soon?"

"Shouldn't we take it a bit more slowly?"

"Maybe the same thing as the 25th floor will happen again?"

There was a slight commotion among the guild members.

It wasn't unreasonable to understand their thoughts.

The so-called training area boss referred to bosses located outside of the safe zone, in the wilderness.

In Aincrad, besides the boss guarding the staircase to the previous floor, there were various other bosses.

For example, the mini-boss Rozen encountered in the 1st floor labyrinth area appeared randomly in various places and was much stronger than normal monsters.

In each floor's wilderness, there were also mini-bosses known as "training area bosses" located at various key points. These bosses acted as gatekeepers to the labyrinth area. If they weren't defeated, players couldn't enter the labyrinth area. Even if players wanted to detour, other areas were generally cliffs, swift currents, or other impassable terrains.

So, in order to proceed to the labyrinth area, find the boss guarding the staircase to the next floor, defeat it, and move on to the higher floors, these wilderness bosses had to be dealt with.

Furthermore, it was self-evident that there were such training area bosses on the 25th floor, and multiple of them appeared at once, causing the clearing group to fall into chaos.

Perhaps it's because they recalled that time that the guild members are being cautious like this?

But...

"What are you afraid of?"

Rozen casually remarked.

"I'm still here you know?"

With this simple statement, everyone present immediately stopped their commotion.

They exchanged glances with each other before breaking into smiles.

"That's right!"

"We still have the Guild Leader!"

"Why be afraid?"

"With the Guild Leader around, not to mention the mini-bosses outside the safe zone, even the floor bosses are nothing!"

"The 25th floor was terrifying, yet the Guild Leader managed to keep an unblemished record as well, right?"

"Exactly!"

One after another, members of the Crimson Wing spoke up, their expressions of unease and hesitation vanished.

As long as Rozen was present, there was still a glimmer of hope.

At least, up until now, Rozen's unblemished record remained unbroken.

Frankly speaking, if it weren't for Rozen, players might have given up on the clearing efforts.

Of course, Rozen was aware of his significance, but he didn't treat it as a big deal.

During his time at Chaldea, Rozen had already been seen as the last hope to save humanity.

Compared to the life and death of all of humanity, the lives of a few thousand players in a game weren't that surprising for Rozen to shoulder.

Thus, Rozen merely scanned the entire bar before turning to one of the guild members and asking, "By the way, where's Kirito?"

Upon hearing this, the guild member immediately provided an answer.

"As for Kirito, it seems he went to the lower floors to gather weapon materials."

He went to the lower floors to gather weapon materials?

"Come to think of it, I did hear about that."

Rozen mumbled to himself.

Due to the stimulation from the floor boss on the 25th floor, Kirito also realized his own lack of strength. Recently, he had been improving the quality of his equipment to enhance his power.

"Let's see what he's up to."

Just as Rozen was about to send a message to Kirito with this thought, he actually received a message first.

The sender was Kirito.

"Does this guy have long-distance mind-reading abilities?"

Rozen was somewhat bemused, then proceeded to open the message.

However, within the message Kirito had sent, there was only one sentence.

A sentence that lifted Rozen's spirits.

"I found a monster on the 11th floor that's just like Saihou!"

Upon seeing this sentence, Rozen's eyes widened before lighting up.