"Whoa, looks like we've got a witness. You're real unlucky to run into us, buddy."
Seeing only one person, a bloodthirsty glint shone in Morte's eyes. Beside him, Joe stayed silent, but a sinister smile curled on his face.
"Are you two members of Laughing Coffin?"
Stopping a few meters in front of them, Charlie got straight to the point, his tone icy.
"Oh, that's unexpected. You know about us? And here I thought Laughing Coffin hadn't made a name for itself yet."
The playful smile on Morte's face vanished when Laughing Coffin was mentioned.
There was no other choice.
Laughing Coffin operated in the shadows and hadn't revealed itself publicly.
So how could this unknown player know?
Ignoring Morte's shock, Charlie continued, his voice calm but brimming with hostility.
"Either way, Laughing Coffin is the infamous Player-Killer guild in Sword Art Online, founded by PoH and other orange players."
"Before becoming a guild, Laughing Coffin was just a group of orange players ambushing solo players or small groups, stealing their items in exchange for sparing their lives. But such encounters rarely ended in murder. At some point, PoH began spreading the belief that killing others was normal."
"You two must be among those swayed by PoH's twisted doctrine, right?"
"…"
After Charlie's words, a tense silence fell.
Not only were Morte and Joe stunned that Charlie knew such detailed information about Laughing Coffin, including its history, but Asuna was also deeply shocked to learn of the existence of a horrific guild like Laughing Coffin—an entity that deliberately took players' lives in this death game.
"You know too much. We can't let you leave."
Joe finally spoke, his voice hoarse and threatening, breaking the silence.
Facing the threat, Charlie sneered.
"Oh, come on. As if youproposal was to let a solo player walk away unscathed?"
"Seeing how cocky you are facing both of us alone, you must be pretty strong, huh? Not only that, you know this remote location that regular players haven't explored. You must be a beta tester like us."
In no rush to finish his prey, Morte clearly wanted to toy with the tension before striking.
Unfortunately, Charlie had no interest in indulging the psychos' excitement.
"Let's cut the nonsense. As a gesture of mercy from the strong to the weak, I won't attack for one minute. Make good use of it."
"You arrogant bastard! Die!"
Morte, impulsive by nature, felt belittled and charged forward.
*SWOOSH!*
His one-handed sword drawn, Morte swung a powerful vertical slash aimed at Charlie's head, his killing intent clear.
Morte's attack was fast, but to Charlie's Six Eyes, it was slow and predictable.
*SWISH!*
Charlie tilted his head slightly, and Morte's blade sliced through empty air.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Morte didn't give up. He unleashed a series of horizontal, vertical, and thrusting attacks, aiming to cut Charlie from multiple angles—heart, knee, neck. But Charlie dodged with minimal margins.
"Why won't it hit?!"
"Die! Die! Die!"
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Morte increased his speed, swinging with all his might, the air hissing. He tried feints, swinging one way then suddenly changing targets.
But to Charlie, every move was telegraphed. He shifted just before each strike, leaving Morte slashing at nothing.
"No wonder this guy's so cocky—he's got some skills."
Watching from behind, Joe frowned, realizing Charlie's level far exceeded their expectations.
"Don't look at me like that!"
Frustrated and losing his sanity under Charlie's condescending gaze, Morte grew more aggressive.
*ZWWING!*
His sword glowed with the orange aura of a Sword Skill. Morte activated [Horizontal Square], charging forward with four consecutive horizontal slashes in a square formation.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
The first slash aimed at the waist, followed by the shoulder, knee, and head.
But Charlie was unfazed. With Six Eyes, he saw every trajectory. He didn't just dodge—he wove through the tiniest gaps in the attack as if the Sword Skill were a gentle breeze.
He stepped back once for the first slash, spun slightly for the second, and ducked between the crisscrossing third and fourth.
"Take this!"
*ZWWING!*
Morte switched to [Rage Spike]. His sword shot forward, propelled by his body's momentum.
*SWOOSH!*
Charlie tilted his body slightly, letting the blade pass by his ear, the whoosh of air the only proof of how close it was.
"That's it?" Charlie finally broke the silence, his voice calm but clear. "Alright, one minute's up."
"Bastard! What are you—"
Before Morte could finish his curse, Charlie moved. His speed was so fast the naked eye could barely catch it.
In an instant, Charlie was in front of Morte. His hand shot out, seizing Morte's head with swift, crushing force, slamming it into the ground.
*BAM!*
"GUH!!!" Morte groaned in pain.
Instantly, his HP bar plummeted from green to yellow.
Seeing his partner toyed with from start to finish, Joe realized their opponent was formidable. No time for games. He decided to join in.
His movements were swift and silent. He charged in a straight line, sword drawn low, aiming for Charlie's back while he focused on Morte—a classic sneak attack meant to surprise and deal a fatal blow.
But before Joe covered half the distance, Charlie sensed him. Six Eyes didn't just see forward or sideways—it processed information from all directions.
Just as Joe raised his sword to strike, Charlie spun.
*SWOOSH!*
Joe's blade, poised to stab, met only air. Charlie had vanished from his spot.
(Not good!)
Shocked, Joe tried to adjust his attack, but Charlie was already at his left side.
*SWOOSH!*
Charlie wasted no time. His Steel Sword flashed—a single, casual vertical slash struck Joe.
A silver glint was all that was seen. Joe, at level 20, had no chance.
The power gap between them was like heaven and earth.
One strike from Charlie was enough to end it.
*BANG!*
A soft explosion sounded, and Joe's form shattered into scattering polygons, vanishing without a trace.