"Uh, well... uh, ah, right! Asuna, how much Corh do you have?" Kiriko stiffly changed the subject.
"Hmm, about this much."
Asuna directly opened her inventory.
"Eh?! Th-that much?!"
Upon seeing the eight-figure amount of Corh, Kiriko's eyes widened.
"Wait, Asuna, how do you have so much Corh?!"
Kiriko was utterly stunned.
"What do you mean, why... I don't really have anywhere to spend it, do I? Buying ingredients and repairing equipment only takes a little Corh. Learning skills costs Runes..." Asuna looked utterly innocent.
"Then... what about upgrading?"
Kiriko asked.
"Hmm, the odds are really strange, and it doesn't offer much practical help, so I've just left it alone."
All of Asuna's equipment upgrades were at 0. Of her two swords, Willow Leaf White Wisteria was +8, while Glimmering Light was only +7.
Her ability to fight bosses relied purely on raw strength.
"Upgrading is where Corh gets spent the fastest... no wonder..."
After seeing Asuna's weapons, Kiriko immediately understood.
Asuna had always been on the front lines of progression, and she barely upgraded her gear herself. Of course she had plenty of money.
"Wait, someone's here."
Asuna suddenly stopped.
"Who is it?!"
Asuna drew Willow Leaf White Wisteria.
This was an open-world area. Although the Mist Forest map had not been fully cleared, some parts had already been explored.
But an open-world map also meant there was a chance of being ambushed.
"...That's what I wanted to ask. Who are you people?"
An armored wolfman emerged from the ruins.
"Two Tarnished... hmm?"
The wolfman looked at Asuna, his nose twitching as though he had sensed something.
"We're travelers heading for Mist Village." Kiriko stepped in front of Asuna, shielding her from him.
"I'm Asuna, and this is Kiriko." Asuna sized him up as well.
The wolfman's nose twitched