Two days passed quickly. Ryuto and Asuna made their way straight to the location of the raid strategy meeting.
The meeting point was at the edge of an abandoned village. At its center stood a raised platform surrounded by a ring of stone steps.
Several people were already gathered on the platform, chatting with a man in brown leather armor whose short hair shimmered blue under the sunlight.
When he spotted Ryuto and Asuna approaching, the blue-haired man immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Hello. You're here for the strategy meeting, right? I'm the leader and organizer of this raid plan—Diabel. I'm glad you could make it. Not everyone's here yet, so for now, please take a seat on the steps and wait for us to start."
He gestured toward the stone stairs. Ryuto smiled, nodded politely, and led Asuna up the steps. They sat quietly, waiting for the others to arrive.
They're both higher level than me… Diabel glanced at the pair as he walked back to the center. My Search skill can't get a clear reading… definitely high-level players. With them here, this raid just got a lot more promising.
More players trickled in over the next few minutes. Diabel personally greeted each group, directing them to the steps to wait.
Finally, when it seemed no one else was coming, Diabel climbed to the top of the platform. He cleared his throat loudly, and the chatter faded into silence.
"Alright, let's get started."
"First, thank you all for coming. My name is Diabel, and—well—I suppose you could call me a knight by profession."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
"There's no class system in SAO!" someone called out.
"What's with this knight thing? Is this supposed to be a joke?"
Diabel raised a hand, signaling for calm. The noise gradually died down before he continued.
"Five days ago, we discovered the boss room at the top of this floor's labyrinth. Our goal is simple—defeat the boss and unlock the path to the second floor. We need to show everyone still waiting in the Town of Beginnings that this death game can be cleared."
"That's why we're here, isn't it?"
A murmur of agreement swept through the gathered players. Someone began clapping, and soon the whole crowd joined in, the sound echoing against the empty village walls. Some even whistled in excitement.
Ryuto, seated near the back with Asuna, studied Diabel. Having seen this part of the story before, he knew the man had his own motives. Still, he couldn't deny that Diabel had a talent for rallying people. He wasn't a bad person—just human.
I'll find a chance to warn him… whether he listens is up to him.
Diabel's voice rang out again.
"Alright, let's get down to details. First, we'll need to form six-person parties. The boss's strength is far beyond what a single group can handle, so we'll combine forces into an alliance."
Ryuto noticed Kirito scanning the crowd for teammates. The black-haired swordsman's eyes inevitably landed on him and Asuna—the only two sitting still, making no move to join anyone else.
Kirito walked over awkwardly.
"Uh… you don't have a party, right? Two people isn't enough. Mind if I join you?"
Ryuto gave a small smile and sent him a party invite. Kirito accepted immediately.
Two new HP bars appeared in Kirito's HUD.
"Ryuto and Asuna…" He glanced at their levels and froze.
Level 14 and 15. He'd been grinding nonstop just to reach level 13. There was no question—they were former beta testers. But their names didn't match any he remembered. Just as he was trying to place them—
"So—" Diabel began, but his words were cut short.
"Wait a minute!"
A short, stocky man with a messy hairstyle and a scruffy beard strode in from the top of the steps. Skipping the stairs in twos, he marched up onto the platform.
"My name is Kibaou. Before we take on the boss, there's something I need to say. Somebody here owes an apology for the 2,000 people who have already died in this game."
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.
Diabel turned to him. "Mr. Kibaou… are you talking about former beta testers?"
"That's right. Those of you who played the beta have been hogging the best hunting grounds since day one. You take all the easy quests, level up faster than anyone else, and don't give a damn about helping other people. Isn't that right?"
Kibaou's eyes swept over the players below, his expression darkening.
"Hey! I know some of you in this group are former beta testers!" Kibaou's voice rang out sharply.
"You people should get down on your knees, admit your mistakes, and hand over all the col and items you've hoarded. Otherwise, there's no way we can trust you with our lives!"
He folded his arms with a smug expression, sweeping his gaze over the gathered players.
Kirito's face darkened instantly at the accusation, but Ryuto—seated just a few steps away—let out a short laugh. Then it grew louder… and louder.
Back when he'd watched this scene as an anime, Ryuto had thought Kibaou was absurd. Experiencing it firsthand only confirmed it. With his short stature and puffed-up bravado, the man looked less like a leader and more like a clown trying to play soldier.
Sorry, but I've had professional training. I can keep a straight face—unless something is just too funny.
The laughter carried across the square and up onto the platform. Kibaou's eyes narrowed as he locked onto the cloaked figure responsible.
"What the hell are you laughing at?"
"Because," Ryuto replied calmly, "I just saw a pig that got kicked in the head by a donkey."
"You bastard—you're obviously talking about me!"
"Oh? So is Mr. Kibaou changing his name to Mr. Pigbaou now?"
The moment Ryuto finished, the players on the stairs erupted into laughter. Kibaou's face twisted with barely restrained anger.
"Hiding under that cloak like a coward… I bet you're one of those beta testers who got 2,000 people killed, aren't you?!"
Ryuto had his reasons for wearing the cloak. In the month since the death game began, he'd saved countless players.
His silver hair and striking features had made him well-known, and every time he returned to a safe zone, he was swarmed by curious onlookers—especially groups of excitable girls. Asuna inevitably got pushed aside in the chaos.
Eventually, Ryuto had decided it was easier to just stay anonymous.
But now, at Kibaou's insult, he reached up and pulled back his hood.
Gasps rippled through the crowd as the "mysterious cloaked man" revealed a head of silver hair, ruby-like eyes, and sharp, refined features that seemed almost too perfect to belong in a game.
"That's him! The one they've been calling the 'Savior'!" a player exclaimed. "He's rescued at least two hundred players all on his own!"
A murmur of recognition spread through the raiding party.