There Are Always People in This World Who Court Death...

Just as the seven of them were in a noisy mess, Asuna was embarrassed, and Wu Yan was gloating, the clanging sound of metallic footsteps echoed through the area. Everyone froze, frowned, and turned toward the source of the noise.

What came into view was a large group dressed in identical bronze metal armor and cloaks. Their equipment looked as though it had all been specially designed. Steel helmets were pulled low over their faces, making it impossible for anyone to see their expressions...

At that moment, the members of that group marched in perfectly synchronized steps, as though they were NPCs controlled by the system. The only difference was that every one of them wore an expression of heavy panting...

When they saw the attire of that sizable group, Wu Yan, Asuna, Kirito, Klein, and the other members of Fuurinkazan all furrowed their brows even deeper. The somewhat cheerful atmosphere froze, and traces of weariness flashed through their eyes. Clearly, no one present had any favorable impression of the newcomers... In SAO, the only people who dressed like soldiers were, naturally, the Army!

Wu Yan, Asuna, and Kirito exchanged glances, their eyes carrying subtle, indescribable meanings. Only Wu Yan's gaze was filled with indifference. He could not even be bothered to spare the Army a second look. Curling his lip, he leaned his back against the rock behind him and listlessly surveyed the surroundings...

Klein frowned so deeply that his brows seemed to knot together. Looking at the Army members approaching from afar, a trace of confusion surfaced on his face.

"Why are they here...?"

Asuna was equally puzzled. "Back when they challenged the Floor Boss on Floor 25, they suffered massive casualties. The Army withdrew from the front lines and chose to strengthen their guild first, so they