Tolbana, Fountain Square.
Forty-four players sat scattered about on the stone steps, some wiping their weapons, some talking in low voices, and even more with solemn expressions, staring at the center of the square.
Ye You sat in the shadows near the back row, leaning against a cold stone pillar, a piece of foxtail grass he'd picked randomly dangling from his mouth, his eyes scanning the crowd with amusement.
He sneered to himself.
In this group, there were elites with top-notch gear and sharp eyes, and there were also opportunists in a mix of ragged equipment who were just here to try their luck. There were even a few guys who clearly hadn't gotten over their newbie phobia yet, their hands holding their sword hilts trembling slightly.
With a lineup like this, if they weren't covered by the protagonist's plot armor, going in to die wouldn't even be enough to fill a single tooth gap.
"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet for a moment."
In the center of the square, a handsome young man with blue hair wearing light knight armor clapped his hands.
Diabel.
The man who called himself a knight, and also the organizer of this raid meeting.
His smile was gentle and infectious, and that natural sense of leadership made the noisy square gradually fall silent.
"Thank you all for responding to my call and gathering here." Diabel looked around, his voice booming, "Today, deep within the 20th level of the Labyrinth Area, my team discovered the Floor Boss's room."
Whoa—!
The crowd erupted instantly.
It's been a month.
Since being trapped in this death game, over two thousand players have lost their lives forever, and though the survivors are still struggling, despair has long since spread like a plague.
Until this moment.
"We're going to defeat the boss and reach Floor 2!" Diabel raised his fist, "We need to tell everyone still waiting in the Town of Beginnings that this death game can be beaten!"
A rousing, blood-pumping speech.
Even Ye You had to admit, this guy really had a knack for running a pyramid scheme... he meant, a knack for mobilization.
However, just as the atmosphere reached its climax—
"Wait a minute!"
A harsh voice rang out abruptly, instantly shattering the heated atmosphere.
The crowd automatically parted to make a path.
A short man with a cactus-like hairstyle and a fleshy face jumped out. Full of hostility, he pointed right at Diabel's nose and started ranting.
"My name's Kibaou! Before we take on the BOSS, there are some things I need to clear up!"
Kibaou looked around, spit flying everywhere, "Among us, some people must apologize to the two thousand who died! They should even get on their knees and beg for forgiveness!"
The scene instantly went cold.
Ye You shifted into a more comfortable position.
Here it comes, the classic moral kidnapping part.
In this world, if Akihiko Kayaba is a physical killer, then people like Kibaou are mental terrorists.
"You mean the beta testers, right?" Diabel was clearly prepared, his expression not showing a hint of panic.
"Exactly!"
Kibaou got even more worked up, waving his arms around, "Those beta tester bastards! They clearly knew where the loot was and where the danger was, but they only cared about leveling up themselves, leaving the newbies high and dry! If they'd just shared the info, those two thousand people wouldn't have died at all!"
He got more and more worked up as he spoke, pointing at the crowd present, "There's definitely beta testers mixed in among you! Spit out all that top-tier gear and info you've been hiding! Or else don't even think about us trusting you!"
Whispers began to break out all around.
Quite a few ordinary players were egged on by these words, and the looks they cast at the people around them were now filled with suspicion and hostility.
This is the weakness of human nature.
In this high-pressure environment, people really need an outlet, even if that outlet makes no sense at all.
"What a brilliant speech."
Ye You gave Kibaou a round of applause in his head, "If you're trash, you blame the pros for not carrying you; if you die, you blame the guide for being incomplete. This kind of giant baby mentality is exactly the same even in a virtual world."
He didn't plan on sticking his neck out.
Jumping out to try and talk sense at a time like this will only turn you into a target.
Sure enough, before long, a burly, bald-headed Black giant stood up.
Agil.
Even though this guy looks like a bandit, he's got a clearer head than most people here.
"Are you saying the beta testers didn't share information?"
Agil pulled a crumpled booklet from his chest, it was the "Guide Book" that could be picked up for free at any item shop. "Everyone's seen this thing, right? The monster data, drop lists, and even BOSS skills inside are written out plain as day. The person who distributed this guide was a former beta tester."
He waved the booklet in his hand, his voice booming like a bell, "If this doesn't count as sharing, then you tell me, what does? Holding you in my arms to breastfeed you?"
Pfft.
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Kibaou's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver, he stammered for ages unable to say a word, and finally could only slink back to the corner in disgrace.
The farce ended just like that.
Diabel regained control of the situation and started laying out the tactics for tomorrow.
"The BOSS is Illfang the Kobold Lord. According to the info in the guidebook, it'll have mobs called Ruin Kobold Sentinel spawning alongside it."
He spread out a parchment map on the ground, pointing to the marks on it, "We need to split into groups. Some people will handle clearing the mobs, and the main team will focus on the BOSS DPS."
At this point, Diabel paused and threw out the command that made all the solo players' scalps go numb.
"Now then, everyone please form your own teams into six-person parties!"
Boom.
For those with social mastery, this is a carnival.
But for those with social anxiety and lone wolves, this is simply a public execution.
The originally quiet square instantly turned into a noisy market.
"Hey! You with the spear, want to team up?"
"We need a healer! Is there a healer?"
"Max-level swordsman leading, looking for someone who follows orders!"
Ye You sat there without moving.
He looked at the messy crowd around him; the faces of those solo players were filled with anxiety and embarrassment, terrified of becoming the leftover odd man out.
This feeling was just like when picking teams in elementary school PE class, being one of those last unlucky bastards nobody wanted.
But Ye You wasn't panicked at all.
His gaze cut through the crowd, fixing on a spot behind a stone pillar in the furthest corner of the plaza.
There sat a figure wrapped in a deep red cloak.
All alone.
A few male players nearby had tried to strike up a conversation, but under that silent and murderous stare, they all retreated.
"Found you."
Ye You patted the dust off his butt and stood up.
He took unhurried steps, walking through the noisy crowd and straight to that corner.
That figure seemed to notice someone approaching, their body tensing slightly as they buried their head even lower.
Ye You wasn't shy either, plopping himself down right on the stone steps next to her.
The distance was neither too far nor too close, exactly half a meter.
It was enough not to make one feel like their personal space was being invaded, yet close enough to catch that faint, delicate scent coming from her.
"Is this spot taken?"
Ye You asked, knowing full well the answer.
The person under the cloak didn't say a word.
They just silently scooted over a bit, giving up half of the tiny, palm-sized space, which served as a silent consent.
Ye You gave a small smile and pulled an unopened bottle of milk from his backpack, which he had picked up while passing an NPC shop earlier.
"Eating dry bread alone is way too choking, don't you want something to drink?"
He gently placed the milk bottle on the stone step between the two of them.
Hearing hard bread these three words, the cloak visibly shuddered.
That figure suddenly whipped its head around.
Under the hood, a pair of amber eyes stared fixedly at Ye You, both surprised and irritated at being exposed.
It was indeed Asuna.
That feeding incident in the Labyrinth Area that day clearly left her with an indelible psychological shadow.
"It's you."
Asuna's voice was kept very low, "That... busybody."
"Correcting you, it's 'lifesaver'."