The route would pass through the middle of the mountainside, and that was where the Man-eating Flowers grew.
Kazuto Kirigaya had tricked Asuna and been complained at by her ever since, so he remembered this place fairly well.
Man-eating Flowers were not easy for beginners to deal with, especially since Kazuto Kirigaya was only level five.
He could only lure them over one at a time. If he drew too much aggro, he would have to retreat temporarily.
SAO actually allowed players to kill monsters above their level, and the experience gained from doing so was exceptionally generous. However, the player would also receive a special buff.
This buff was actually a debuff. Its effect determined how much damage reduction the monster received based on the player's level.
In short, players had to know their limits when fighting above their level.
Kazuto Kirigaya soon reached the center of the valley. Unfortunately, although he had seen quite a few low-level monsters along the way, he still had not found a hooded rat.
This left Kazuto Kirigaya rather disappointed.
Forcing himself to perk up, Kazuto Kirigaya began surveying the terrain. He soon spotted a lone Man-eating Flower.
He silently calculated the Man-eating Flower's aggro range, then retreated to a safe distance. Gripping a stone in his right hand, he began to aim.
A sapphire-blue gleam flashed across the stone in his hand. This was the sign that a sword skill had been successfully activated.
The stone tore through the air with a howling gust of wind and shot toward the distant Man-eating Flower.
The Man-eating Flower was struck by the stone and let out an enraged roar before charging at Kazuto Kirigaya. Once a monster was attacked by a player, it automatically gained Targeting.
Kazuto Kirigaya had initially expected one Man-eating Flower, but clearly, two of them came rushing over.
The more low-level monsters there were, the harder they were to deal with.
As the saying went, two fists could not beat four hands. That was precisely the point.
Within a certain range, every increase in the number of low-level monsters placed geometrically greater pressure on the player.
In short, Kazuto Kirigaya was feeling the pressure.
Actually, dealing with two Man-eating Flowers was not impossible.
With his current equipment, he would not be so pathetic that he could not even pierce their defenses.
The Man-eating Flowers' mechanics were also extremely simple. They had no special attacks, which greatly reduced how troublesome they were.
The most important thing to watch out for was the kind of Man-eating Flower with an alluring red fruit. Anyone who did not know the relevant information would almost certainly die upon touching it.
The Man-eating Flowers charged toward Kazuto Kirigaya along the mountain path.
Kazuto Kirigaya gripped his sword tightly in his right hand and inhaled deeply. The youth drew a large amount of oxygen into his lungs. His heart pounded violently, pumping blood throughout his body.
Kazuto Kirigaya did not move forward to meet them directly.
He pressed the sword against his waist. It was still his signature Sword Draw Style.
However, this time, he was going to build momentum.
A violent force began to gather, condensing around the blade in the youth's hands.
The Sword God Style was inherently a path of killing in a single strike. Although Kazuto Kirigaya could not truly cross the level gap and kill them, the damage from this strike would still be considerable.
A sapphire-blue gleam flashed repeatedly. Kazuto Kirigaya drew his right foot back, then stepped forward with his left.
When the Man-eating Flowers charged within fifteen meters, Kazuto Kirigaya suddenly rushed forward.
The momentum had been condensed to its limit. Even his right hand gripping the sword trembled faintly from the excessive power.
In the span of a single breath, the youth raced to the Man-eating Flowers. A massive vine lashed toward Kazuto Kirigaya, while the maw before him opened to reveal savage, razor-sharp teeth.
In the past, it had not mattered. Now, the sight felt extremely wrong.
If he were bitten by something like this, Kazuto Kirigaya could easily imagine what would happen.
Before, this had been a game, so he could ignore it. Now, things were different.
As he raced before the Man-eating Flowers, Kazuto Kirigaya's speed suddenly surged another notch. The sword in his hand no longer shimmered with sapphire-blue light, but with a pitch-black gleam.
He drew out a black slash. In the blink of an eye, the youth's sword had already swept out, cleaving the extended vine in two.
The momentum of the strike did not stop. The blade flashed with a deep black radiance as it pierced the Man-eating Flower's bloated body. The weapon's sharpness exceeded the youth's expectations. With the force behind it, it pierced through the thick wall almost effortlessly.
Green liquid spilled out, and the Man-eating Flower's HP rapidly dropped. Its originally green and healthy health bar directly turned red.
At the same time, the second Man-eating Flower behind the one before him had already reached him.
Kazuto Kirigaya gritted his teeth. He had no time to worry about anything else. He immediately chained into another sword skill, ignoring the other Man-eating Flower as he gripped the hilt with both hands and swung with all his strength.
A two-hit combo.
Another savage slash appeared. It was clearly weaker than the first, but it still failed to finish off the target.
Vines wrapped around Kazuto Kirigaya, forcing him to break away and retreat.
He exhaled a long breath of stale air. His right arm trembled faintly, and more than half of the blue bar above his head had already been consumed.
Kazuto Kirigaya did not retreat. He raised his sword again. There were only two low-level monsters. During the beta test, he had killed monsters like these by the dozen. He had never expected to have to struggle with them for so long now.
He did not use the Sword Draw Style again. Instead, he raised the sword before him as a move from the Sword God Style flashed through the youth's mind.
Raise the sword and thrust.
The speed had to be fast.
The blue bar was consumed again. This time, however, it was not only the blade—Kazuto Kirigaya himself was enveloped in blue light.
An indescribable power surged through his entire body once more.
Kazuto Kirigaya was extremely familiar with that power. It was the power possessed by the world of Jobless Reincarnation.
He used magic power to strengthen himself, temporarily raising his basic attributes to a terrifying level.
During the game's beta test, he had thought of doing this and had tried using the blue bar to strengthen himself.
Of course, he had failed without exception.
That was because the rules of the SAO game revolved around sword skills.
Only when releasing a sword skill could all attributes be greatly increased.
But now, he tried again, and it actually succeeded.
Kazuto Kirigaya vaguely figured out what was happening.
He guessed that the system had converted the game's world into reality, causing certain rules to change.
He glanced at the blue bar above his head. It was dropping at an astonishing rate.
Kazuto Kirigaya no longer hesitated. The long sword transformed into blue light and thrust straight at the target.
This was not a sword skill, merely an ordinary thrust.
But this sword was astonishingly fast. A single sound of tearing air rang out as the blade pierced the Man-eating Flower with low HP. Its enormous body convulsed and collapsed, then transformed into blue light and vanished.
After killing the Man-eating Flower, Kazuto Kirigaya did not stop. He kicked the other Man-eating Flower, and the tremendous force sent it flying three meters away.
The Man-eating Flower fell and struggled to rise. Kazuto Kirigaya thrust his sword forward, the muscles in his right arm bulging as he lowered his center of gravity and charged.
Dirt flew everywhere. The three-meter distance vanished in an instant. He stomped down heavily once more, and the violent force crushed the Man-eating Flower's central body into a depression. Green juices splattered as the HP above its head rapidly fell.