The forest on the third level takes on a different appearance at night.
The path, which was fairly clear during the day, was obscured by hanging vines after nightfall. Lin Yuan walked halfway around the edge of the forest and stopped for the second time in front of the same broken tree.
The sword marks on the tree trunk were left by him an Tokiomi earlier.
Will the road change?
He crouched down and brushed aside the moss covering the ground. A section of stone steps was revealed between the tree roots, extending downwards a few steps before being swallowed by the soil again. The edges of the stone steps were too neat, unlike something that had grown naturally from the forest.
Lin Yuan reached out to touch it. The moment his fingertip touched the stone, a short line of characters appeared before his eyes, but it vanished before it could take shape. He had no player quest logs, nor any menus to open, so he could only memorize the location of the stone steps and follow them forward.
A hushed gasp came from ahead.
Two scouts were cornered at the edge of a shallow ditch by the vine-armed monster. Each time the monster collided with a shield, it used the recoil to circle behind the shield-bearer; the other player drew his sword quickly, but always managed to catch up with it after it turned around.
Lin Yuan stepped out of the shadows, his sword tip passing between the two, intercepting the monster's turn the instant it attempted to use its strength. Just as the vine-armed monster was about to use its strength, the sword blade had already sliced into its body along its joints. Shattered light drifted from above the shallow ditch.
"Thank you." The player with the shield caught his breath, recognized his face, and lowered his voice, "Are you also looking for the maze entrance?"
"Find the way." Lin Yuan sheathed his sword and pointed behind him. "The trees over there will bring us back. Head down into the ravine."
He left after saying that, without going to the camp with them.
The following morning, Diabel's men discovered the old path leading to the labyrinth area along the bottom of the ditch. Lin Yuan, meanwhile, practiced the turning movements of the monster from the previous night on tree roots.
He swung his sword too early the first time; he was too slow the second time. By the time the tip of the sword finally stopped where he intended, midday sunlight was already filtering through the treetops.
This wasn't a system-generated sword technique. Since there were no visual effects to complete the movements for him, he practiced repeatedly among the tree roots until he could stop steadily even when switching feet.
Kirito saw him as he passed through the woods but didn't approach. The two nodded to each other across a few trees. Behind Kirito, Asuna was talking to an elven knight in a dark cloak. That was the path they needed to take, and Lin Yuan had his own things to do.
In the following days, the progress on the third floor was no longer interrupted by a sudden victory, as it had been with the first two floors. Diabel had each team take turns scouting, gathering information on the monsters, and preparing to replenish their potions; Kirito and Asuna were advancing the spirit quest on the other side of the forest. Lin Yuan walked through the maze several times on his own, stopping to observe any new monsters he encountered, and once he confirmed the routes marked by the team, he no longer rushed to go to the deepest part.
He was still looking for the anomaly, but the line of scattered characters did not reappear.
The night the Boss room on the third floor was discovered, Diabel met Lin Yuan outside the camp.
"We'll go in tomorrow," he said. "Will you come?"
Lin Yuan looked at the map in his hand, which was covered with markings. Next to each retreat route was the name of the person responsible for providing support.
"Meeting."
Diabel seemed surprised by his quick agreement and pointed to a corner of the map near the door. "Then you stand here. You killed the first two floors; this time we want to try it ourselves. You can watch, or provide backup if someone can't get out, but don't go head-on yet."
The arrangement was deliberate, and Diabel didn't pretend otherwise. Lin Yuan nodded after listening. He came here to see how others would deal with the Boss; if the raiding team could really win on their own, he wouldn't need to steal that sword.
The next day, Lin Yuan entered the Boss room with the team. The shield bearers led the way, and those responsible for flanking attacks spread out one by one. He was left at the very edge closest to the door. Some people couldn't help but turn around to look at him as they entered, until Diabel shouted the first command, and their gazes finally returned to the Boss.
The battle was not easy. The boss's long weapon swept across the shield formation several times. The front row was a beat too slow to retreat, and Asuna filled in from the side, forcing the boss to turn its blade back in front of her. Kirito seized that moment and moved forward, his sword slashing at a joint. Diabel immediately ordered another team to take over, not allowing anyone to pursue too deeply after the initial success.
Lin Yuan could see it clearly: Kirito's starting speed was faster than the turning speed he had practiced in the forest, but Asuna's sword was better at thrusting into narrow gaps. He memorized both movements, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword, but never drawing it.
After the final assault, the Boss disintegrated into shattered light. The door to the fourth floor opened at the end of the hall, and cheers first came from the shield bearers, then spread throughout the entire room. Lin Yuan stood by the door and watched as Diabel counted the number of people one by one, confirming that everyone was still there before he smiled.
"Thank you for coming today," Diabel said, walking over. "Even though you barely lifted a finger."
That means you don't need me.
What about the next floor?
Lin Yuan glanced at his teammates who were busy sharing their battle records. He could stay here and observe their tactics; but as long as they knew he was by the door, they would always keep some attention on him. Once was fine, but if it happened every time, no one would develop the ability to advance alone.
"I can walk on my own," Lin Yuan said. "We'll talk when we happen to meet and you need me."
Before leaving the Boss's room, he glanced back towards the direction of the third-level forest. The characters flashing on those stone steps still had no answer.
Lin Yuan gripped the sword hilt and stepped onto the stairs leading to the fourth floor.