[Floor 55, End of the Misty Valley]
This was a silent crystal forest.
The wind and snow were still here; under a gloomy sky, countless twisted crystal clusters grew, refracting a dim light, painting this mountaintop as a graveyard of gods and demons.
At the front of the party, Kirito gazed at the giant crystal mountain, five or six meters high, his expression extremely solemn.
That was the lair of the field BOSS, the King of Iron.
"Later, hide behind me. If there's danger, use this immediately!"
Kirito turned, pressing a Transfer Crystal, shimmering with blue light, into Lisbeth's hand.
If this were on the first floor, the price of one Transfer Crystal would be enough to bankrupt a frontline player.
Even now, it was a considerable sum.
"I... I can help too!" Lisbeth's face flushed. She was a top-tier blacksmith, not a flower that needed protection.
Kirito said nothing.
He just looked at her quietly, his black eyes devoid of their usual gentleness, only an unyielding resolve that brooked no argument.
Lisbeth's spirit was instantly subdued, and she mumbled softly, "...Got it."
In the distance.
Argo leaned against Chen Mo, gently nudging him with her elbow.
"Tsk tsk, a Transfer Crystal, just given away so casually."
Her voice was extremely low, with a cunning smile.
"Our Black Swordsman adult is really generous to girls."
Chen Mo stood with his arms crossed, his gaze not even lingering on Kirito, merely sweeping indifferently over the crystal mountain.
"It's nothing but cheap tenderness."
No emotion could be discerned in his voice, yet it made the smile on Argo's lips freeze for a moment.
Yes.
In this death game, such indiscriminate tenderness was, in itself, a weakness.
Argo looked at Kirito's slightly tired but resolutely firm face, then at the man beside her, whose profile was utterly cold, and suddenly felt that this was the truth of the world.
The moment Kirito stepped into the core area of the crystal forest.
All the surrounding crystals' light suddenly dimmed.
A suffocating sense of oppression squeezed in from all directions.
Lisbeth's heart leaped into her throat.
Roar—!!!
A dragon's roar, piercing through stone and metal, exploded in the sky without warning!
The sound waves materialized into shockwaves, stirring up ice crystal fragments from the ground, sending them scattering wildly.
Lisbeth was dizzy from the roar, screaming as she hid behind a massive crystal pillar.
The giant crystal mountain in front came to life.
"Crack... crack..."
Countless cracks spread across the crystal surface, and fragments peeled away, revealing the metallic, cold-shimmering scales beneath.
The ground trembled violently.
Only Kirito remained, his feet rooted to the spot like nails, his elucidator already drawn, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.
In the distance behind him, Asuna also instantly drew her "Flash of Light," her chestnut pupils reflecting the "shedding" crystal mountain.
She instinctively looked at Chen Mo, her voice taut: "Are we going in?"
Chen Mo didn't even bother to roll his eyes, merely enjoying the commotion in front with a spectating gaze.
"What's the rush?"
He said casually.
"It's rare to find him a decent whetstone; he should at least test his edge."
Whetstone?
Asuna was stunned.
That was the field BOSS of Floor 55! An existence capable of wiping out a top-tier party!
In his mouth, it was merely a tool for Kirito to practice with?
Asuna tightened her grip on her sword hilt, but ultimately did not move.
She knew this man never joked.
Moreover, with him here, this was an absolute safe zone.
"Roar!!!"
With a final roar, the crystal mountain completely shattered!
A giant dragon, entirely composed of metal and crystal, appeared before everyone.
Its body was as vast as a mountain, each breath expelling cold mist, and its molten-lava-like eyes fixed intently on the tiny black speck that dared to trespass into its territory.
[King of Iron, Crystallos]
Kirito took a deep breath, assuming the stance for Dual Blades, though he only held one sword.
He knew this was a test given to him by Chen Mo.
In the distance, Chen Mo finally turned his gaze to Kirito.
His eyes, like the most precise instrument, scanned Kirito's every data point, every tremor of muscle.
"Let me see."
Chen Mo's voice was so light that only Argo beside him could hear it.
"Does the one chosen by the system truly have the right to wield that second sword?"
The crystal dragon flapped its wings and flew up, a dangerous glow appearing in its mouth, and a dense energy began to gather!
"Be careful! It's Dragon's Breath!" Lisbeth shouted from behind the crystal.
A torrent of scorching energy gushed forth, distorting the air in its path!
Kirito's expression remained unchanged, his elucidator tracing a dark trajectory, the light of a sword skill flashing and vanishing.
"Bang!"
The ferocious Dragon's Breath was actually split in half by his single sword, turning into two air currents that swept past him!
Lisbeth's expression froze. Looking at that figure, abnormally small compared to the giant dragon, yet standing tall as if propping up the heavens, she was speechless.
So, he was this powerful... Kirito charged at the crystal dragon without fear, the light of sword skills on his elucidator continuous, transforming into a storm of slashes that fiercely landed on the dragon's metallic body.
Sparks flew!
The crystal dragon, which had been so formidable moments before, was repeatedly forced back, its HP plummeting, and one of its claws was directly dismembered by the sword light!
Kirito's offensive grew fiercer and fiercer; he seemed to have entered a state of self-forgetfulness, his sword moves becoming increasingly sharp!
"Boom—!"
He delivered a charged heavy slash, striking the crystal dragon's head. The immense force not only made the BOSS stumble, but the wild sword energy aftermath also spread out, heavily impacting the crystal pillar where Lisbeth was hiding!
"Crack!"
The crystal pillar shattered with a sound!
"Ah!"
Lisbeth screamed, exposed awkwardly in the open space.
"Idiot!" Kirito, entangled with the crystal dragon, his face changed drastically, "Get back to cover!"
The crystal dragon had an enrage mechanism: if two or more players appeared within its line of sight, it would immediately lock onto the one with lower aggro!
Too bad, it was too late.
The crystal dragon's molten-lava-like eyes instantly turned to Lisbeth, letting out a sky-shattering roar, ignoring Kirito's attacks, and its massive tail swept towards her with immense force!
"Lisbeth!"
Kirito's pupils contracted sharply. He abandoned his attack, his figure transforming into a black lightning bolt, soaring towards Lisbeth.
He barely managed to embrace her before the dragon's tail struck, taking the blow squarely on his back!
"Hmph!"
Kirito grunted in pain, his HP bar dropping sharply.
The two were swept away by the immense impact, and below the direction they were flung, there was a gigantic, bottomless ice cave!
Gravity seized them.
Immediately after, the two plummeted into the endless darkness... "Kirito!"
From afar, Asuna let out a cry of alarm. Watching the two disappear into the deep hole, she pushed off the ground, her figure turning into a swift white light, rushing forward.
However, two figures were faster than her.
The moment she moved, two afterimages, one black and one brown, had silently swept past her, like two streaks of light tearing through space, reaching the edge of the deep chasm in the blink of an eye.
Asuna's full-force sprint seemed like a joke in front of them, so slow it was.