The incident concluded with PoH's death. Lillian didn't kill the other members of the Laughing Coffin because he wanted to leave them to the Kaige guild. After all, so many had died—if they sought revenge, it was up to them.
Obviously, the Kaige guild wasn't like Lillian—they hadn't experienced all the twists and turns he had. As people educated under modern law, they couldn't bring themselves to kill. Ultimately, the guild decided to permanently lock the remaining offenders in the Black Iron Palace prison on Floor 1 until the game ended. Even after the game concluded, they intended to jointly prosecute these players. With stored data, tracking them in the real world would be simple.
For this decision, Lillian didn't really care. His main concern was not letting PoH go; whether the others lived or died didn't matter much to him. Besides, clearing his name was a relief, thanks largely to Kirito, Asuna, and Argo's investigation behind the scenes. Lillian was very grateful to them.
Several major guilds also said they would no longer pursue Lillian, but their hostility merely turned into indifference—they had no intention of apologizing, and left immediately. The head of the guild, Diavel, was left dumbfounded after being beaten by Lillian. His [Knight Hall] guild instantly lost more than thirty members, as those unwilling to accept betrayal quit. Only about twenty members remained.
Crushed, Diavel left in despair. Lillian didn't worry about him seeking revenge; after seeing what happened today, he should understand the consequences.
Just like people with a kind temperament often get bullied because others know there's no price to pay, everyone now knew that anyone who bullied Lillian ended up dead. So for the sake of their own lives, no one dared to target him anymore.
Eventually, almost all unrelated people left. Remaining ones were Argo, Kirito, Asuna, Terusuke, and his thirty or so guild members. These were people Lillian could trust, and besides, what he was going to discuss wasn't extremely confidential. Even if Terusuke had spies from other guilds, it didn't matter.
"It's all settled," Lillian said. "Now that these trivial matters are done, we can focus entirely on the boss raids."
Everyone nodded. Terusuke asked, "Lillian, from the third floor onward, you soloed all the bosses, right?"
"Yes."
"Wow!"
"Unbelievable…"
Seeing him admit it, the guild members were stunned, unsure how he had accomplished this. Kirito and Asuna exchanged a glance, speechless. They believed it was Lillian's solo of so many bosses that explained his high level and combat strength. But if his combat strength hadn't been strong from the start, how could he solo the bosses? It was a mutually reinforcing process, like the chicken-or-egg question.
"The upcoming dungeons will only get harder, so I'll need your help," Lillian said. With trust established, he didn't mind bringing along these close allies. After all, there were fewer than forty-eight people in total—less than a full squad. Moreover, he wasn't exaggerating: as the floors rose, bosses' control abilities increased, making it harder for a single person to fight. Even with Kizmel's assistance, no one knew when she might leave.
Thinking of Kizmel, Lillian had some suspicions, but now wasn't the time, so he kept them to himself.
"Count me in," Terusuke agreed first. It wasn't that he wanted an advantage—he felt guilty for his prior distrust and wanted to make amends. Whatever Lillian requested, he would comply.
"You two join as well," Lillian said, looking at Kirito and Asuna. "No need to mix with the solo teams. You know efficiency drops when there are too many people, right?"
"Mm…"
The two nodded; he was right. Large groups were usually advantageous, but in solo teams of seven to eight hundred, even deciding the first batch of players to go out would take endless arguments, wasting time. Fewer people were involved in these floors, because Lillian had soloed the bosses, and others simply couldn't reach the boss rooms in time.
Faced with Lillian's invitation, Kirito and Asuna didn't refuse, nodding. "Alright." They also wanted to raid the bosses, especially Kirito. While not as jealous as Diavel, as a top-tier player, missing the boss was frustrating. So he welcomed the invitation.
"Nice. Not lonely anymore," Argo said. Lillian glanced at her. "Thanks for speaking up for me earlier."
"Tch, I just couldn't stand their illogical talk," Argo replied. "Don't get the wrong idea—I didn't do it just for you."
"Alright, alright…"
With matters settled, there was no need to linger. Lillian said, "I'll go do a task first; you all can level up. Afterward, we'll head straight to the labyrinth."
After saying goodbye, Lillian returned to the sixth floor.
This floor resembled the "forest" of the third floor, filled with lush trees. However, unlike the third floor, this forest had a central point.
Lillian's gaze landed on a towering, grand castle at the center. Unsurprisingly, this was the dungeon's location and the next large mission site.
Following Kizmel's information, they reached a remote part of the forest. As with the third floor, a fog hung in the area, revealing a Dark Elf encampment.
Kizmel and Yui were at the entrance. Kizmel bowed in thought, while Yui played with a small wooden sword she had found, brightening up when she saw Lillian.
"Lillian-nii, you're back!"
"Yes," Lillian nodded.
Kizmel approached. "Have you finished your business?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go," she led the way. "The commander is waiting."
"Alright."
Lillian followed her, with Yui in tow. They reached the largest tent in the camp and entered. The commander was the same—tall, handsome, a Dark Elf.
"Commander, we're here to accept the operation," Kizmel said. The commander nodded, expressionless. "Your task is to infiltrate the forest elf castle, find the cathedral, and retrieve the elf sacred artifact inside."
What's with this commander…
Lillian noticed his dry delivery, remembering the third floor's more animated briefings. Argo wasn't exaggerating; many NPCs' intelligence had indeed dropped. Was this the work of Kayaba?
"Understood. We'll complete the task," Kizmel said.
"Yes. Infiltrating the enemy stronghold is dangerous. Here, take this—if your life is at risk, retreat immediately." The prompt appeared before Lillian.
[Water Crystal ×2]
[Poison-Resist Crystal ×2]
[Transfer Crystal ×2]
Six crystals in total—quite generous. Lillian checked his bag, satisfied. The mission updated: Retrieve the Elf Sacred Artifact.
After accepting the mission, he looked at Kizmel, who appeared very serious. Understandable—stealing from an enemy base was no easy task. He also realized this mission couldn't be done in a team—only NPCs and Lillian could participate, no other players.
"Ready? Let's go." Lillian said. Kizmel nodded and returned to her tent, emerging soon fully equipped.
Her outfit was different from before—no longer simple leather armor, now covered with magical runes, looking like enchanted gear. A short cloak flowed with the breeze. Her long dark purple hair was tied into a ponytail reaching her waist. The shield was gone, replaced by two curved blades, one black, one red.
"Wow, Kizmel-nee is so cool!" Yui exclaimed. Kizmel smiled, twirled her wrists, and the blades traced a beautiful arc before she sheathed them—effortless and stylish.
"No shield?" Lillian asked. She nodded seriously. "We can't linger in battle during the infiltration. We need to locate the cathedral and retrieve the artifact quickly. Avoid combat if possible; if unavoidable, resolve it swiftly… so no shield needed."
"Got it."
Lillian admired her dual blades—she had transformed from a shield-wielding warrior into a Dark Elf assassin. In comparison, his oversized sword seemed bulky… fine for a charge, but inconvenient for stealth. Of course, he preferred eliminating all enemies first—then infiltration was easy. Kizmel obviously disagreed.
"Yui stays behind," Lillian said. Not giving the girl a chance to protest, he continued, "This mission is different."
"Ugh…" Yui pouted, looking pitifully at Kizmel, who shook her head. "Stay at the camp and play, Yui."
"Alright then…" She nodded her small head sullenly, realizing that since both of them disagreed, there was no way she could go along. After settling her down, the two of them officially set off, heading toward the castle at the heart of the forest.