On the first day the Black Cats moved into their new base, they almost got into another fight.
The reason is simply that there aren't enough rooms to go around.
Keita stood at the bottom of the stairs with the keys, trying to explain that it wasn't a problem for two people to share a room, while downstairs people were already arguing heatedly about who should get the window seat. Xing, carrying newly bought tableware, walked around them and reminded them that if they kept arguing, they would have to eat lunch standing up.
Lin Yuan did not participate in the room allocation. He put down his sword against the wall in the living room, where a narrow bed had been temporarily put together. His name was not in the guild system, so he naturally could not be assigned room privileges; fortunately, the tables, chairs, doors, and windows were all things he could touch, so no one could stop him from sitting in his own spot.
"Let's get this straight," Keita finally cut through the argument, "From now on, we'll choose our areas based on our actual strength. Kirito and Lin Yuan can't be considered part of our safety margin."
Are they still guild members?
"Of course," Keita said, "Members are not the same as guards."
This rule was written on a piece of paper and nailed to the side of the door.
The Black Cats then retreated to their familiar leveling area. The shield bearers resumed their rotation practice, starting with the most basic spear techniques to fill in any gaps in their skills. Kirito occasionally accompanied them, but no longer eliminated all dangers for them; Lin Yuan only went with them once, and seeing that they would retreat voluntarily before their health dropped, he didn't go again.
His swordsmanship was far removed from the path they were trying to take.
The same problem fell on Kirito. The monsters the Black Cats was good at dealing with could no longer provide him with enough experience, and if he stayed there too long, his level advantage would eventually be overtaken by the front lines. So one morning, when the two met outside the door, Kirito asked, "Going to a deeper dungeon?"
"Walk."
The two did not form a team. Lin Yuan could not receive an invitation, nor could he see Kirito's health bar; Kirito was also unable to check his status from the interface. They could only judge each other's remaining strength by their breathing, footsteps, and the bloodstains on their swords.
Upon entering the higher levels of the dungeon, Kirito was in charge of the map and the mechanisms, while Lin Yuan was responsible for taking the first hits from the unfamiliar monsters. When encountering ordinary monsters suitable for leveling up, Lin Yuan would interrupt their movements, allowing Kirito to deliver the final blow; when encountering elite monsters wielding swords, Kirito would step back half a step, giving them space to observe their attacks.
"On the left," Kirito reminded him.
Lin Yuan didn't turn around; his sword had already blocked the short blade that pierced through the crack in the wall. He smoothly twisted his wrist, dragging the monster out of its hiding place. Kirito's swordsmanship followed immediately, piercing the monster's chest.
All experience and loot went to Kirito. Lin Yuan had no stats to increase, nor any items to collect. What he gained was the angle at which the monster could still attack from behind the wall, and the distance he could avoid it by taking half a step less next time.
After returning to town, Kirito would sell some of the materials to Lin Yuan for food, bandages, and sword repair costs that Lin Yuan could use directly. The accounts were still kept separately according to their respective gains, and neither of them regarded this mutual assistance as charity.
Kirito gradually grew accustomed to working alongside someone whose "status was invisible." Lin Yuan's injuries wouldn't trigger warnings, nor would his fatigue display any abnormal icons. Once, he didn't stop until he saw blood seeping from Lin Yuan's sleeve, and from then on, after every battle, he would first ask, "Can you still walk?"
Lin Yuan answered yes most of the time.
If they occasionally answered no, they would rest where they were.
This wasn't a combination determined by any system, yet it was more stable than the initial setup in the trap room.
Lin Yuan couldn't use the teleportation portal, so the two of them could only go up via the floor passageways. Kirito could teleport back to the base on his own, but Lin Yuan often stayed on the upper floors for several days before returning along the route that had already been cleared. As a result, Keita set a rule that they would meet every seven days; whoever couldn't make it back had to send a message in advance.
Summer passed, followed by autumn. The Black Cats did not chase after the front lines, their leveling progressed more slowly, but they never again ventured into areas beyond their capabilities. Route maps appeared on the walls of the guild headquarters, and two seats on the table remained perpetually empty.
Kirito's level continued to rise. Lin Yuan's sword gained dozens of power trajectory patterns that originally belonged only to players or monsters.
On December 23, Kirito brought back a message that had not yet been confirmed.
On Christmas Eve, a new event boss named " Nicholas the Renegade " may appear in the 35th level of the Forest of Wandering. The most striking thing in the information is not the boss's level, but what it may drop—an item that can revive dead players.
No one spoke in the room for a long time.
"Can they really bring him back?" Xing asked.
"It's just a rumor," Kirito said, "And the Divine Dragon Alliance is also looking for it."
No one from the Black Cats suggested going along. They had learned to distinguish which battles they could participate in. Keita simply placed the supplies on the table and asked Kirito and Lin Yuan to confirm what they needed.
Lin Yuan picked up his sword. Fortunately, he reminded them from behind not to forget the meeting in seven days.
"I'll be back," Kirito said.
Lin Yuan pushed open the door, and the streets outside were already decorated with Christmas lights.