"Bang!!"
With a shattering crash, the massive Withered Elite dissolved into a stream of data fragments and vanished into the air. At the same time, a Treasure Chest emitting a faint glow appeared before Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng opened the chest, then reached in casually...
"It's a shield."
Fang Zheng raised the shield in his hand and waved it at everyone before looking toward Aoba.
"It's yours."
"H-Huhhh!?"
Looking at the shield Fang Zheng handed over, Aoba immediately cried out. She stared at him wide-eyed, looking nervous and unsettled.
"B-But I didn't do anything... I only helped Miss Black Cat and Miss Asuna hold off some of the small monsters. Mr. Fang Zheng, you should keep this shield for yourself..."
"I use a two-handed sword, so a shield is useless to me. Esther and Lestia don't need it either. You're the only one here who uses a shield."
"But..."
Aoba awkwardly looked at Lestia and Esther, then turned to Black Cat beside her as if asking for help. Black Cat merely shook her head.
"I still prefer scimitars... A shield would just be a burden to me."
"Then..."
Hearing Black Cat's answer, Aoba looked toward Asuna. But before she could speak, Fang Zheng interrupted her.
"She isn't in the party, so she can't receive equipment."
"..."
Hearing Fang Zheng's words, Asuna snorted unhappily and turned her head away.
"Then... then I'll accept it. Thank you, Mr. Fang Zheng."
"You're welcome."
Fang Zheng opened his inventory, handed the shield to Aoba, and waved his hand.
"Your skills aren't especially high compared to ours, but your fundamentals are decent. When skill isn't enough, gear makes up for it. That's how online games work."
Yet as she watched Fang Zheng's back, Lestia gently shook her head and whispered to Esther.
"Esther, this was