I get to watch this without paying tuition?

It was a rare chance to relax during the day, so Wang Shui temporarily set aside his martial arts research and went into town with Shino.

Of course, Wang Shui had serious business to attend to.

He needed to find the information broker Argo and commission her to sell two stacks of [Refined Steel Ingots]. Those two stacks contained forty ingots, and the price had already risen to 3,500 col each.

It was a 140,000-col deal. Since Wang Shui was entrusting the entire transaction to her, he expected to receive a little over 100,000 after the broker's and professional merchant's commissions.

That was a fortune.

He actually had plenty of ingots left, but he had no intention of dumping them all. For one thing, he still needed them; for another, excessive selling would hurt the market. Although he had no plans to monopolize the stuff, he did not want this to be a one-off business either.

Once they settled the deal, the diminutive information broker with golden-brown curls, "Argo the Rat," thoroughly fleeced Wang Shui.

That very noon, while they waited for their orders at a dessert shop, Argo remarked enviously:

"You and Kiri-boy both managed to find such pretty teammates. At this afternoon's meeting, you'll probably become the public enemies of all those elite hoarder players."

So Kirito had already made contact with Asuna?

Although Wang Shui's memories of the plot were rather hazy, he certainly remembered that the first-floor boss raid was Kirito and Asuna's show.

"That loner Kirito must have approached her himself. He's probably even forgotten about leveling by now."

Wang Shui expressed his solemn disdain for Kirito.

"Kiri-boy's level is way higher than yours, you know. What about you? Have you fallen under Little Shino's spell too?" Argo smiled mischievously.

"Shino was the one who insisted on partying with me. I'm just a new player. Isn't it perfectly normal for my level to be lower than someone like Kirito's?"

Listening to Wang Shui spout nonsense, Shino held her iced lemon tea in both hands and gave him a look somewhere between amusement and annoyance, but said nothing.

That ambiguous exchange only prompted teasing cries from Argo, and the cheerful atmosphere lasted until their parfaits arrived.

"I never imagined we could enjoy food like this in a game. I really lucked out thanks to you today. But I honestly didn't expect you to spare a skill slot for [Mining]. And smelting must have taken a fair bit of starting capital, right?"

"This is an exclusive money-making resource. That information won't come cheap," Wang Shui replied offhandedly.

"You're always dangling information in front of me! Unfortunately, this kind of business has too short a window. Recently, people have already been escorting low-level players here specifically to work as miners. Keep your information."

Argo loved trading information, but she was certainly not indiscriminate.

After that, their conversation turned into Wang Shui asking Argo about recent developments: how players in the first and second waves were generally above level ten, how the assault team had not actually found the boss room yet, updates to the strategy guide, and so on. That chat cost him 2,000 col!

Shino barely spoke throughout their conversation, listening quietly instead. Only after Argo parted ways with them and disappeared into the crowd did she remark:

"Miss Argo really is a very nice person."

"She's just nicer to newcomers like you. She provides free strategy guides and helps low-level players and people who don't want to fight. Come to think of it, she gave you some guidance too, didn't she?"

Shino nodded. "There were so many people then. I thought Miss Argo wouldn't remember me."

"With your looks, and that striking ice-blue hair and those irises, it's hardly surprising she remembered you. Actually, I've always wondered-why did you choose such a conspicuous color?"

Shino immediately looked exasperated. "The face I started with wasn't my own. As for my hair and eye color,

"I only picked colors I liked because I saw a notice saying they could be changed in-game." Wang Shui added, "Except changing your hairstyle and iris color requires reaching a very high floor, and an NPC said it costs 100,000 col. The strategy guide mentioned it. Dye items seem pretty rare too."

"Exactly. And even if I did have 100,000 col, I would never spend it on something that pointless."

So ultimately, you just liked that color, right? You really never say what you mean.

As they chatted and joked, it felt as though they were back in the real world, browsing the shopping street together, except this time, plenty of game-related topics entered their conversation.

As the last resupply point, [Tolbana] was not only large but also packed with shops, with comprehensive selections of high-level goods.

By the time they finished shopping, besides essential consumables-potions, food, and whetstones-Wang Shui had bought some strange things: lots of salt, assorted glass and ceramic containers, high-proof liquor, large barrels of cooking oil, plenty of white sugar, and more.

As he shopped, he muttered about this world's incredible productive capacity, because he had even managed to buy caustic soda, and quite cheaply at that.

Faced with Shino's puzzled gaze, Wang Shui explained very seriously:

"I just want to test how realistic this world can be. Don't worry. I often read and make things to unwind. It's perfectly safe."

Shino did not understand why Wang Shui emphasized safety. They were only ingredients. There might be a lot of them, but could experimenting with new dishes be dangerous? Would they taste so bad you could die?

Their pleasant, comfortable time passed in a flash.

At four o'clock sharp, nearly two hundred people gathered in the circular area of the fountain plaza.

Virtually every player currently at the highest levels was there. Wang Shui called them the first-wave players.

The players arrived with companions for the boss strategy meeting, mostly in full parties. Many solo players also had good friends, or simply formed parties with other solo players they knew. Almost nobody stood alone.

Of course, there were true lone wolves like Kirito. From his elevated hiding spot, Wang Shui watched Kirito approach a slender figure cloaked in dark red fabric at the edge of the gathering. That was most likely Asuna.

Good. So far, the plot was still more or less on track.

"Oh! See Kiri-boy and Little Asuna? Little Red Riding Hood over there is Little Asuna," whispered Argo, who sat with Wang Shui atop a high stone pillar at the opposite edge of the gathering.

"That beauty you mentioned? You're actually not charging for this information." Wang Shui gave her a perfunctory reply while searching the crowd for other familiar faces.

"You and Kiri-boy should know each other pretty well, Mr. Heavenly Book. You're both experts who helped kick off the PvP dueling craze, after all. Little Asuna's existence wasn't going to stay secret. Anyway, aren't you going to join Kirito's party?"

Wang Shui shook his head. "I'm not even planning to join the boss battle. But Kirito will definitely have his eye on the last hit. Even if he can't snatch an opportunity for a special rare drop like that, he'll definitely want to witness it. He's a hardcore gamer, after all."

"Huh? You're not going? You sounded so enthusiastic when you asked about it."

"I just wanted to know when we could reach the second floor. By the way, Argo, why do you call Kiri-boy something so affectionate, but address me so formally?"

"Ahaha, probably because you seem more mature, Mr. Heavenly Book."

Wang Shui's bluntness left Argo a little awkward, but this social colonizer was not about to let her off.

"Then call me Brother Tianshu. That sounds a little nicer."

"You little punk, are you picking a fight?"

Argo could not resist punching Wang Shui, easing some of the tense atmosphere surrounding the raid preparations.

[Attention, everyone! Quiet down, please. We're about to begin! Try to move a little closer.]

The man speaking confidently before nearly two hundred onlookers was a tall one-handed sword user equipped with a kite shield.

Since Wang Shui needed his left hand for throwing, he had never considered using a shield.

His impressive bronze-colored metal armor, long, wavy, bright blue hair, and handsome features made the swordsman stand out. Unfortunately, there were hardly any female players present, and those who were there were leveling fanatics like Shino.

What drew the players' attention more, however, was his physical ability. Despite wearing equipment that looked so heavy, the blue-haired swordsman lightly leaped onto the fountain's raised platform, which was nearly as tall as he was.

Neither his strength nor his agility could be low.

"What a garish blue. His taste is way worse than yours." Even as Wang Shui turned his attention forward, he did not forget to turn back and make a snide remark to Shino.

His reward was a barehanded kidney shot.

[First, thank you all for answering my call. Although quite a few of you already know me, let me introduce myself. My name is "Diabel," and I'm a player who considers himself a "knight"!]

A ragged burst of approving applause and whistles answered him, probably praising his courage in speaking before so many people.

[I'm sure you all know that everyone here is active on the front lines. This meeting is to discuss our boss raid, because a few days ago, our party discovered the passage to the highest story of the first floor's labyrinth tower. We tested the monsters, and their difficulty hasn't increased much. Tomorrow... the day after at the latest! We'll reach the boss room!]

A stir ran through the crowd, with remarks like "They've already reached the twentieth story?" and "That's amazing!" rising now and then.

Wang Shui, who had never entered the labyrinth, finally understood. The first floor's black labyrinth tower was itself divided into twenty stories. What a disgusting design. Come to think of it, had nobody mentioned that in the online guides? At least, Wang Shui did not remember seeing it.

After letting the crowd discuss it for a while, the blue-haired Diabel continued:

[It's taken us almost a month to reach the very first hurdle of this hundred-floor death game! I imagine quite a few people have already despaired at our slow progress, and many more are anxious about dwindling resources. That's why we must defeat the demon king! Not just to demonstrate our strength! We must tell every player trapped in this cage that we will eventually clear this entire world! That is the duty and pride of every high-level player here! Am I right, everyone?]

Loud cheers answered him. Diabel was quite good at speeches and stirring people up.

"Hold on a second, Mr. Knight."

"If we don't clear a few things up before the raid, I can't play your little friendship game (Buddy Dota X) with you."

Here it came! A murky, low, thin voice suddenly cut in, and Wang Shui immediately locked onto the short man with the spiked-mace head.

"Kibaou." Wang Shui remembered him vividly. Sword Art Online did not have that many villains, but as the most clownish, stereotypical early antagonist, Mr. Kibaou had left a deep impression on him.

Yes, yes, yes! Exactly! The classic one-dimensional antagonist-the author couldn't be bothered to spend more ink on him, so he could only make his appearance reflect his heart, making him outrageously ugly with an especially irritating voice.

So textbook, bro! Finally, a living clown with "villain" written all over his face!

Wang Shui suddenly grew excited, while the information broker Argo beside him looked even more troubled. The blue-haired knight Diabel, however, was all smiles.

"You're welcome to say anything you like. Discussion is welcome here. But if you're going to speak, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

"Hmph-my name's 'Kibaou.'" The spiked-mace-headed Kibaou was full of swagger. He surveyed the gathering haughtily and slowly said,

"Shouldn't quite a few players here apologize first?"

"Apologize? Who to whom?" Diabel expressed confusion, his manner still graceful and handsome, like a righteous character.

"Huh? Do I really have to spell it out? To the three thousand-plus players who've already died, of course! So many people died in the first month because certain people used their information advantage to monopolize safe, efficient resources!"

Kibaou raised his voice almost to a roar. The entire gathering instantly fell silent. Only Wang Shui was rather excited, even wanting to take notes.

"-Mr. Kibaou, do you mean the 'beta testers'?" Diabel's expression turned serious.

"Who else! Those players who were in the beta rushed straight out of the Town of Beginnings on day one. They quickly occupied the best leveling spots and most profitable quests, caring only about getting stronger themselves. Then they slipped into today's meeting pretending they knew nothing, and now they want to join the boss raid! Unless those bastards get on their knees and apologize, then cough up all their money and items, there's no way I can raid alongside them, let alone entrust them with my life!"

Good. Gutsy. Mr. Kibaou delivered a blistering tirade. Wang Shui thought, If I were a beta tester, I'd be surprised if you lived to see day three.

Although the gathering was silent, the particularly oppressive atmosphere around certain people practically exposed their identities. Argo, in particular, was already shaking with anger!

"No! That's not what happened!" Argo muttered.

"What?"

"...531. Of the three thousand-plus who died, we can currently confirm that 531 were beta testers," Argo said quietly.

More than half? So many of the thousand beta testers had died. The death rate was terrifying.

It was not actually hard to guess why. After such massive changes to the game's content, much of that so-called beta experience naturally became a trap. Hadn't even a top-tier lone wolf as strong as Kirito nearly died in those ruins that suddenly appeared?

Wang Shui had imagined that the beta testers' death rate would be high, but not this high.

Come to think of it, the game did not specially mark beta testers. For Argo to possess such detailed figures, her information-gathering ability was almost too outstanding.

"May I speak?"

Oh? Here we go. Someone among the ordinary players with reasonably normal thinking abilities had appeared.

He was a huge man over 1.9 meters tall, with deeply set features and bulging muscles. His chocolate-colored skin and gleaming bald head gave him an imposing presence.

"My name is Agil. Mr. Kibaou, do you believe so many people died because the beta testers failed to look after the newcomers, and that they should therefore apologize and compensate us?"

"Y-yeah, so what!" The diminutive Kibaou was startled, but troll energy quickly replenished his courage. Leaning forward, he shouted,

"That's three thousand people! Those players brave enough to venture out were all RPG veterans. If they were still here, we'd probably have cleared the third floor already!"

Wow. Full of holes, but incredibly aggressive. Wang Shui actually took out a sheet of paper and wrote it down.

Argo beside him was furious, so Wang Shui could only console her:

"Relax. There are always people like this online. You should be glad there isn't a screen between you now. Doesn't that make it much easier to hire someone to take out his arms and legs? And this is a game, so you can keep buying it over and over. What do you think? Tempted? Grand opening special, friends' discount: buy three, get one free."

Sure enough, Wang Shui knew how to comfort people. Argo merely rolled her eyes at him, and her tense concentration was broken.

"That's why I disagree with Mr. Kibaou. Although you say the beta testers left ahead of us, we haven't experienced much competition for resources while leveling. The game world has been expanded a hundredfold. And as for information..."

At that point, the big, dark-skinned Agil pulled a small parchment-bound booklet from the large pouch at his waist. A mouse emblem with round ears and three pairs of whiskers adorned its cover.

"You should have a copy of this strategy guide too, Mr. Kibaou, right? After all, you can get it free from item shops in practically every resupply village and town."

"I got one. So what?" Kibaou's tone was still full of malice.

"You don't think an NPC compiled this, do you? The wording, tone, illustrations, and explanations full of gaming terminology clearly make it a player's work. And use that sea-urchin head of yours for a moment. Could a new player have put this together? This is the beta testers' contribution!"

"And you say those three thousand people died for lack of information and resources. Mr. Kibaou, having survived this far, surely you've seen how they lived and died?! Precisely because they were veterans, they trusted their past gaming experience too much. How many died because they didn't retreat in time? Haven't you seen that on the front lines?"

Momentarily overwhelmed by the big man's forcefulness, Kibaou gritted his teeth, unable to speak. Diabel, the meeting's organizer, nodded at Agil in agreement.

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased considerably, Diabel summed things up:

"Mr. Kibaou, I understand what you mean. I, too, only reached this point after many near-death experiences in completely unfamiliar leveling areas. But Mr. Agil is right. The beta testers aren't a bunch of selfish people. They're an important fighting force in our shared effort to defeat the demon king. Let's look ahead, everyone! This meeting is to establish that we will shoulder the burden of clearing this game. We will become pioneers, so we can't waste our energy on infighting. Excluding experienced beta testers will only cause needless casualties."

Excellent. With that skill at smoothing things over while stealing the spotlight, you've earned my recognition, Diabel!