Man-eating Flower

The path will pass through the middle of the mountainside, where the Man-eating Flowers are located. 6̷9̷s̷h̷u̷x̷.̷c̷o̷m̷

Kazuto Kirigaya had tricked Asuna, and she still complained about it, so he remembered this place quite well.

Man-eating Flowers are not easy for beginners to deal with, especially since Kazuto Kirigaya is only level five right now.

He could only pull them one by one to fight. If he attracted too much aggro, he would have to retreat temporarily.

SAO actually allows players to fight monsters above their level, and the experience gained from doing so is exceptionally rich. However, the player will have a special buff.

This buff is a debuff, and its effect determines how much damage reduction monsters gain based on the player's level.

In short, if you fight monsters above your level, you must do so within your capabilities.

Kazuto Kirigaya quickly reached the center of the valley. Unfortunately, although he encountered many small monsters along the way, he still hadn't seen any of those hooded rats.

This made Kazuto Kirigaya quite regretful.

He forced himself to cheer up and began to survey the surrounding terrain, quickly spotting a lone Man-eating Flower.

He silently calculated the Man-eating Flower's aggro range, retreated to a safe distance, gripped a stone in his right hand, and began to aim.

The stone in his hand flashed with a sapphire glow, a sign that a Sword Skill had been successfully activated.

A whistling sound tore through the air, carrying the force of the Wind as it swept towards the distant Man-eating Flower.

The Man-eating Flower was hit by the stone and roared, beginning to charge towards Kazuto Kirigaya. Once a monster is attacked by a Player, it automatically gains target acquisition.

Kazuto Kirigaya initially expected one Man-eating Flower, but it was clear that two were charging towards him.

Small monsters are more difficult to deal with the more there are.

As the saying goes, "Even the best boxer can't fight with two fists against four hands," which is precisely the principle here.

Within a certain range, the increase in the number of small monsters exponentially increases the pressure on the Player.

In short, Kazuto Kirigaya was under pressure.

Actually, dealing with two Man-eating Flowers was not impossible.

With his current equipment, he wouldn't be in an awkward situation where he couldn't even break through their defenses.

The Man-eating Flower's mechanics were also extremely simple, with no special attack patterns, which significantly reduced its difficulty.

The most important thing to watch out for are the Man-eating Flowers with the alluring red fruit. Those who don't have the intel will basically die if they touch it.

The Man-eating Flower charged down the mountain path towards Kazuto Kirigaya.

Kazuto Kirigaya gripped the sword hilt tightly in his right hand, taking a deep breath. A large amount of oxygen was drawn into the boy's lungs, his heart beat violently, and blood surged throughout his body with each beat.

Kazuto Kirigaya did not charge forward to meet the enemy directly.

He held the sword at his waist, still using his signature Sword Draw Style.

However, this time he was gathering his power.

A Berserk aura began to converge, and the aura was condensed by the boy onto the sword.

The Sword God Style itself focuses on one-hit kills. Although Kazuto Kirigaya couldn't truly kill the opponent by exceeding his level, the damage from this strike would still be considerable.

The sapphire glow flashed repeatedly. Kazuto Kirigaya stepped back with his right foot, shifting to a forward step with his left.

When the Man-eating Flower charged within five zhang, Kazuto Kirigaya suddenly dashed forward.

The aura had condensed to its extreme, and even his sword-wielding right hand was trembling slightly due to the immense power.

In just a breath, the boy had dashed in front of the Man-eating Flower. A giant vine whipped towards Kazuto Kirigaya, and its maw opened, revealing ferocious, sharp teeth.

Before, it didn't matter, but now it looked extremely awkward.

If he were bitten by this thing, Kazuto Kirigaya could easily imagine the outcome.

Before, it was a game, and he could ignore it, but now it was different.

As he dashed in front of the Man-eating Flower, Kazuto Kirigaya's speed actually increased by another notch. The sword in his hand no longer flashed with a sapphire glow but with a pitch-black luster.

He drew a black slash. In just an Instant, the boy's sword had swung out, and the vine extended by the Man-eating Flower was directly cut in half by this single strike.

The sword's momentum continued unabated. The sword body flashed with a deep black light and pierced into the Man-eating Flower's bloated torso. The sharpness of this weapon exceeded the boy's expectations. With the enhancement of powerful force, it pierced through the opponent's thick wall almost effortlessly.

Green liquid flowed out, and the Man-eating Flower's HP rapidly decreased. Its originally green and healthy health bar directly turned red.

But at the same time, the second Man-eating Flower behind the one in front of him had already reached him.

Kazuto Kirigaya gritted his teeth, unable to care about anything else at the moment. He directly chained his Sword Skills, ignoring the other Man-eating Flower. He gripped the sword hilt with both hands and swung the sword forcefully.

Double Strike.

Another ferocious slash appeared. This slash was clearly not as powerful as the first, but it still failed to take down the opponent.

The Man-eating Flower's vine wrapped around Kazuto Kirigaya, forcing him to retreat.

He let out a long breath, his right arm trembling slightly. The blue bar above his head had already been consumed by more than half.

Kazuto Kirigaya did not retreat. He raised his sword again. There were only two small monsters so far. He had killed dozens of these monsters during the closed beta, and he never expected to have to struggle with them for so long now.

He did not use the Sword Draw Style again. He raised his sword forward, and the moves of the Sword God Style flashed through the boy's mind.

Sword raised, thrust.

Speed is key.

The blue bar depleted once more, but this time, it wasn't just the sword; Kazuto Kirigaya himself was enveloped in a blue glow.

An indescribable power surged through his entire body again.

Kazuto Kirigaya was extremely familiar with this power; it was the kind of power found in the world of Jobless Reincarnation.

Using Magic Power to reinforce oneself, temporarily boosting base stats to a terrifying level.

He had entertained this idea during the game's beta test and even tried to use his blue bar to enhance himself.

Of course, it had failed, as expected.

This was because the game rules of SAO revolved around Sword Skills.

Only when releasing a Sword Skill could all stats be significantly increased.

But now, he had tried it again, and it had actually succeeded.

Kazuto Kirigaya had a vague idea of what was happening.

He guessed that the System had converted the game world into reality, causing certain rules to change.

He glanced at the blue bar above his head; it was decreasing at an astonishing rate.

Kazuto Kirigaya didn't hesitate any longer. His longsword turned into a blue light and thrust forward.

This wasn't a Sword Skill, just a plain, ordinary thrust.

But this strike was incredibly swift. A sharp whistling sound filled the air as the blade pierced the half-health Man-eating Flower. Its massive body convulsed and fell, then vanished in a blue light.

After slaying the Man-eating Flower, Kazuto Kirigaya didn't stop. He kicked the Man-eating Flower, the immense force sending it flying three meters away.

The Man-eating Flower fell, struggling to get up. Kazuto Kirigaya raised his sword and thrust, his right arm bulging with muscle as he lowered his center of gravity and charged forward.

Dirt flew. The three-meter distance was covered in an instant. He stomped down again with a powerful kick, the Berserk force crushing the Man-eating Flower's torso inward. Green ichor splattered, and its HP bar rapidly declined.