After Kirito joined the Moonlit Black Cats, the team's progress accelerated.
He didn't steal every monster, only adding a sword strike when the formation was about to break. The shieldbearer gradually became able to withstand two attacks simultaneously, and thankfully, he no longer closed his eyes immediately after firing his spear. Each time he returned to town, Keita would divide the Col he earned that day into several portions: one portion for repairing equipment, one portion for buying medicine, and the rest he would save.
"If we save up a little more, we'll buy a guild stronghold."
This question quickly became a topic that the Black Cats would bring up every day during meals. Some people wanted a big table, while others insisted that the beds must be separate, and in the end, they would always argue about who was responsible for cleaning.
Kirito listened to their argument, he found it increasingly difficult to reveal his true level.
His arrival led the team to mistakenly believe they were growing rapidly. Despite being a mid-tier team, they kept choosing higher-level training areas. Every time Kirito warned of danger, Keita would carefully adjust the route; but as they returned safely time and time again, caution inevitably turned into confidence.
Kirito wasn't without attempts to close the gap. He would deliberately stand at the back of the team, letting his teammates judge aggro and rotation themselves; only when someone's health dropped too quickly would he fill in with speed far exceeding his apparent level. As a result, he always managed to avert real danger before it became truly perilous, and what everyone saw wasn't that they almost made a mistake, but that this strategy was still effective.
The more cautious he spoke, the more the cheers after his safe return seemed to prove that he had worried unnecessarily.
Xing was the first to realize something was wrong.
One late night, she left her residence alone. Kirito noticed her location had changed on the guild roster and chased her to a drainage ditch outside the city where there were no monsters.
"I don't want to die," Sachi said, hugging her knees.
Kirito sat down beside her, offering no words of comfort like "this is just a game." He knew better than anyone that death here meant no return.
"It's normal to be scared," he said. "If you're scared, back away; if you're unsure, don't open the door. There's nothing shameful about surviving."
After a moment of silence, Xing said, "But everyone is moving forward."
That doesn't mean you have to be at the very front.
He promised to do his best to get her back alive, but he didn't say how strong he really was. Fortunately, leaning against the cold stone wall, her breathing gradually calmed. On the way back, she didn't ask any more questions.
On June 12th, Keita went alone to complete the formalities for purchasing the guild's base. Before leaving, he repeatedly instructed everyone to stay within the safe zone and wait for him to return with good news.
The others hadn't originally planned to take the risk. However, while leveling up, they heard that the monsters on the outer edge of the twenty-seventh floor of the dungeon gave more experience, and that the route had already been traversed by others. Kirito looked at the map and determined that the area near the entrance was still within his control, so he eventually followed them into the dungeon.
One torch after another lit up the stone wall. The first few battles went smoothly, without even Kirito needing to lift a finger. Laughter carried far down the corridor as the group ventured deeper into the woods.
Lin Yuan was also on the twenty-seventh floor at this time.
He followed an elite monster wielding two swords into another side path. Unlike the monster he had seen a few months ago, this one would change the direction of its sword grip after its first attack missed. Lin Yuan wanted to see its new moves clearly, so he didn't kill it immediately. The two of them walked further and further away among the intersecting stone corridors.
He had no map of the maze, relying solely on torches, the subtle differences in the cracks in the walls, and the stone bricks beneath his feet to remember the way. Occasionally, the sounds of other groups' weapons would drift from the depths of the side paths, but he never went there intentionally. Anyone who could reach the twenty-seventh floor should be responsible for their choices, unless danger truly befell them.
Separated by several stone walls, the Black Cats discovered a treasure chest in a square room.
The box was placed in the center of the room, with no monsters or obvious signs of traps around it. Kirito stopped after stepping through the door.
It's so clean.
There shouldn't be a room like this in the maze, without guards, without corpses, and with even the dust in the corners of the walls being excessively tidy.
"Don't touch it yet," Kirito said. "Step outside, I'll check—"
The person in front had already crouched down beside the box. They had been fighting successfully for weeks and knew that Kirito's sword was enough to handle any unexpected events along the way. The hand reaching for the box lid hesitated for only a moment.
"I'll leave right after I finish driving; nothing will happen."
Kirito suddenly rushed over.
The lid was lifted, but no treasure was visible.
The heavy stone door crashed down from above the entrance, cutting off their escape route. Simultaneously, a rapid mechanical sound echoed from inside the walls as one hidden door after another slid open to the sides. Xing raised his gun, his face instantly turning pale.
Kirito activated the transfer crystal, but the crystal did not light up.
The next moment, eyes behind the hidden door opened in droves.
In the adjacent stone corridor, Lin Yuan severed the arm of the twin-sword monster with a single sword strike, and suddenly heard the first impact coming from behind the wall.