"Is that even a question?"
Yabashi's voice was rough and sharp, grating on everyone's eardrums.
He ignored Diabel's stiff smile, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of being the center of attention, his sinister gaze, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, precisely locked onto Chen Mo in the shadows.
"Those Closed Beta Testers, on the very first day of the game, abandoned all of us newbies and disappeared without a trace!"
His arm shot up, his index finger almost poking Chen Mo's face.
"They hogged the best leveling areas, monopolized the easiest quests, and only cared about getting stronger themselves! They didn't care about anyone else's life or death!"
As his words fell, the air temperature suddenly turned cold.
Gaze after gaze fixed on Chen Mo, carrying the icy touch of jealousy, suspicion, and resentment.
The crowd began to stir, whispers coalescing into a suppressed undercurrent.
Kirito's face beneath his hood drained of color.
Every word from Yabashi was a public execution of his actions.
He truly… had never cared about others.
A cold sense of guilt seized his heart, but even more, there was an unspeakable worry.
He looked at the calm figure, his knuckles white from gripping his sword hilt too tightly.
Argo's fingertips also subconsciously curled up; she knew better than anyone how terrifying the destructive power of such public opinion could be.
"I am not a Closed Beta Tester."
A calm voice rang out, not loud, but clearly overriding all the noise.
Chen Mo had spoken.
He didn't even stand up, merely leaned lazily on the stone chair, his posture relaxed, as if Yabashi's accusation wasn't directed at him at all.
"Huh?"
Yabashi let out a sneer, his face plastered with an expression that screamed "You're kidding, right?"
Chen Mo ignored him, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire hall, his voice as flat as a taut string.
"A month ago, I was just an ordinary person like you all, looking forward to the game's launch."
"A month later, I am here like you all, fighting to survive."
His tone paused, and a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his deep eyes, piercing directly at Yabashi on the stage.
"I am not a Closed Beta Tester, but you have no right to judge them."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Mo's wrist flicked.
A green-covered booklet appeared out of thin air, which he casually tossed onto the stone table in front of him.
Clap.
A soft sound.
[SAO Newbie Complete Strategy Guide].
"Everyone here should have a copy of this, right?"
His voice resonated throughout the hall.
"It's free, isn't it?"
"So, has anyone ever wondered why it's free? Where did this information come from?"
Chen Mo's gaze turned to Argo beside him, a hint of complexity and gratitude flashing in her eyes.
He slowly stood up.
Each step felt like it was treading on everyone's heartbeats, as he walked towards the platform.
He did not look at Yabashi, but faced all the players.
"Do you think these map data, these monster weaknesses, just fell from the sky?"
"It was the Closed Beta Testers who, with their time and effort, and even countless simulated deaths during the closed beta, obtained them! They gave their most precious wealth for free to you weaklings who only complain!"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying an overwhelming momentum.
"And you!"
Chen Mo suddenly turned, looking directly at Yabashi, who subconsciously took half a step back from his imposing aura.
"You're using the maps they provided, killing the monsters they found, yet you stand here, accusing them of stealing your resources?"
"Who taught you your logic?"
Yabashi was left speechless, his face instantly turning a liver-like purple.
Chen Mo took a step forward.
"Let me guess, the reason you're so agitated is because your party was wiped out in the labyrinth area, right?"
Yabashi's pupils suddenly constricted!
"How did you…"
"Your formation was disrupted by the 'Frenzied Hornet's' charge, and then everyone scattered."
Chen Mo's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion, yet it struck Yabashi's heart like a heavy hammer, blow after blow.
"Page seven of the strategy guide clearly states that the 'Frenzied Hornet's' aggro mechanism prioritizes attacking the player with the lowest HP in the party, requiring others to use taunt skills to forcibly attract it. Did you read it?"
"Or perhaps, you simply… can't read?"
"Pfft—"
In the crowd, someone couldn't hold back and burst out laughing first.
Immediately after, laughter spread like wildfire, instantly engulfing the entire theater.
Yabashi's face, at this moment, was uglier than death.
All his incitement, all his pathos, in the face of Chen Mo's precise, almost humiliating facts, became a complete and utter joke!
"Enough!"
Diabel stepped forward at just the right moment, interrupting the farce.
A deep sense of apprehension had entered his gaze as he looked at Chen Mo.
Agil also emerged from the crowd, his burly figure delivering the final blow to Yabashi.
"The guide was written by my friend, and he is also a Closed Beta Tester. We don't owe anyone anything."
Yabashi, seeing the disdainful looks from everyone, wished he could find a hole to crawl into, mumbled a platitude, and fled the venue in disgrace.
The farce ended.
Kirito looked at Chen Mo's retreating figure, his expression extremely complex.
Asuna, on the other hand, gripped her rapier tightly, that figure seemingly glowing in her hazel eyes.
The crisis had been resolved by him so effortlessly.
No, that wasn't resolution.
That was… crushing.
An intellectual crushing of Yabashi.
Diabel cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back, a knight-like smile returning to his face.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get back to the main topic!"
"Tomorrow at noon, twelve o'clock, gather at the central stone pillar in the labyrinth area!"
"Oh—!"
Thunderous cheers erupted again, more enthusiastic than any time before.
The wave of cheers receded, and the amphitheater was once again filled with a buzzing murmur.
Players gathered in twos and threes, excitedly discussing tomorrow's BOSS raid, their faces filled with anticipation for the future and relief at having survived.
Chen Mo stood quietly in place, like an isolated island cut off from the surrounding clamor.
The farce instigated by Yabashi had not stirred a single ripple in his heart.
His purpose here was pure and practical.
Forming a party.
His gaze pierced through the scattered crowd, quickly finding his target.
Kirito, standing alone at the back of the crowd, his black hood pulled low, almost completely obscuring his face.
And not far away, Asuna, standing with Mito.
She had changed into light leather armor, her hand resting on the rapier at her waist, her hazel hair gleaming softly in the torchlight.
Her demeanor had changed.
If a month ago she was an uncarved jade, now, that jade had been honed into sharp edges by blood and fire.
Very good.
Chen Mo took a step, about to walk towards Kirito.
However, he stopped after just two steps.
Because he saw Asuna and Mito, surprisingly, walking towards Kirito on their own initiative.
The three spoke in low voices for a few moments; Kirito seemed a little surprised, but ultimately nodded.
A temporary party was thus formed.
The corner of Chen Mo's lips curved into an almost imperceptible arc.
Interesting.
"Looks like your Black Swordsman has been snatched up, huh?"
Argo's voice came from beside him, carrying a hint of playful teasing.
She had naturally seen the scene unfold.
Just then, the newly formed trio surprisingly walked in unison towards their direction.
Leading them was Asuna.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed in the torchlight, and she seemed a little nervous, but her steps were steady.
"Chen Mo."
She stopped in front of him, taking a deep breath.
"Just now… thank you."
"It was nothing."
Chen Mo's reply was concise.
"Um," Mito peeked out from behind Asuna, a warm smile on her face, "We just formed a party with Kirito and plan to participate in the BOSS raid tomorrow. Do you… want to join us? An extra person means extra strength!"
After speaking, she looked at Chen Mo expectantly.
Kirito also walked up; he pushed back his hood, revealing a clean-cut, slightly apologetic face.
"Sorry, I just saw that they didn't seem to have found a party, so…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
He had taken on the role of a caretaker.
Chen Mo looked at him and suddenly smiled.
It wasn't mockery, but a genuine, almost approving smile.
Kirito, after all, was still Kirito.
Even tempered by the cruelty of this world, the kindness and sense of responsibility within him had never disappeared.
"No need."
Chen Mo shook his head, declining their invitation.
"Why?" Asuna blurted out, a hint of disappointment in her tone that she herself hadn't noticed, "You alone… it's too dangerous."
"Who said I'm alone?"
Chen Mo turned sideways, his arm naturally resting on Argo's shoulder next to him.
The petite Information Broker stiffened at his sudden action, almost jumping.
"This is my teammate."
Chen Mo's tone was calm, yet firm.
Kirito, Asuna, and Mito's expressions, at this moment, were surprisingly consistent.
Stiff, stunned, filled with disbelief.
Shock.