So much for heaven rewarding hard work!

The day after the strategy meeting ended, at the junction leading to the labyrinth zone.

Over a thousand players gradually gathered to see the assault team assemble and set out-after all, the strategy meeting had not been particularly secret, and word had quickly spread throughout the town, which was hardly enormous.

Wang Shui and Shino wore hooded cloaks, mingling with the crowd following along.

"You said you weren't participating, but you're still going to follow them?"

Shino voiced her doubts but did not object. After all, their destination was also the labyrinth zone, and they had bought supplies yesterday.

"Beating a boss isn't that simple... We haven't seen the conditions inside the labyrinth yet. With the assault team clearing a path today, of course we should hitch a ride. As they charge up, they'll clear out safe areas with fewer monsters along the way. We can take the opportunity to follow them and check out the upper floors."

After a brief explanation, Wang Shui sent Kirito a message:

[Why are so few people here for the raid today? Did you get eight full parties together?]

At the rear of the group, Kirito, who was avoiding the gazes of passersby, first looked around for Wang Shui after receiving the message. The map showed his friend's location, but not precisely. Unable to find him, he could only reply by message:

[There are already more than expected. Fifty-two in total. We have the forty-eight needed for the expedition raid, plus a few extra substitutes.]

The substitutes would be you and Asuna... Wang Shui did not expose Kirito's predicament. He simply followed along quietly.

This expedition should have been launched long ago. Whether because of fear or a desire to play it safe, it had come a little too late. The other players, who lacked courage, could only watch the assault team undertake this great feat.

The hundred-odd players accompanying them only began gradually peeling away once they reached the outskirts of the labyrinth zone, entering nearby leveling grounds. By the time the assault team ventured into the labyrinth's middle levels, only a dozen or so were still following.

The maps of the first nineteen stories of Aincrad's first-floor labyrinth had already been explored, so the assault team planned to head straight in along the shortest route. To avoid ambiguity, [1-20] would be used below to indicate the twentieth story of the first-floor labyrinth.

In both equipment and levels, the assault team had long since far surpassed this labyrinth's difficulty. They cleared the map quickly, and in less than an hour, everyone reached [1-20] together.

"We have no map information from here onward. We'll split up and explore, then retrace our routes at two in the afternoon and return here to share our maps. If any party discovers the boss room, immediately call out to alert nearby parties. At the same time, the party leader should send a boss icon in the raid interface as a signal. Does everyone understand?"

Diabel, the blue-haired knight who had organized the raid, issued his instructions steadily. The assault team as a whole was tense and excited.

Wang Shui did not keep following. He and Shino stood at the entrance to [1-20], watching the expedition leave. Kirito had probably spotted him at the end, but he did not ask why Wang Shui was not joining them.

The two hitchhikers headed straight back to [1-19]. This was their actual destination.

Inside the first world floor's labyrinth was an enormous space built of ancient stone bricks, like a castle or temple abandoned for many years. Most combat areas were fairly open, but among the structures were not only complicated rooms and dead-end corridors, but also elevation changes and terrain traps.

[Teleport Crystals] were currently not just expensive but extremely difficult to buy. Getting out after falling into a deep pit would be very difficult.

From the labyrinth zone onward, including its outskirts, all the monsters became familiar faces named [Ruin Kobold XX].

Many different terms followed the racial prefix, such as trooper, guard, knight, sentry, and so on. Different suffixes represented different weapon types.

Monsters here started at level five and went as high as level eight, but a player who had just reached level eight would have much weaker attributes than a monster of the same level. Players still needed considerable training to establish themselves here.

And it was not just attributes.

There were also skill proficiency levels, weapon attack power, equipment defense, and something that could not be expressed numerically-the player's combat ability. Only improvements across the board could make grinding monsters safe. Wang Shui and Shino were both level eight. Even Shino, who used a dagger, had trained her strength to thirty, and that was not even her main attribute.

By then, the labyrinth had been left undisturbed for a long time. They had not gone far before the first scimitar-wielding kobold appeared in their sight. Without a word, Shino charged forward as the vanguard.

Her wrist turned nimbly, and the dagger in her forward grip carried the force of a beast biting down. Its green-glowing blade cut from the monster's neck all the way down to its chest, the red, mesh-like wound effect lengthening with the blade's passage.

[-228!], [Armor Break]

The sword skill was called [Armor Pierce]. While dealing agility-scaled damage, it also inflicted [Armor Break (1)] on the monster. Level-one Armor Break reduced a monster's overall defense by 10%.

Critical damage in the low two hundreds was not low, either. With players' leveling and equipment upgrades slowing down, damage inflation had also slowed.

Wang Shui, for example, was still using an unenhanced [Anneal Blade], so his normal attacks did not deal much more damage than they had in the forest area. High attributes mainly strengthened his body in areas such as strength checks, attack speed, and movement speed. Their bonus to sword skill damage was, of course, another matter.

Damage increases still mainly depended on weapons. Weapon level, enhancement level, and rarity were what brought obvious, enormous improvements.

That was why the assault team was eager to enter higher-level worlds. If they kept hanging around the first floor, the second- and third-tier players would catch up with their advantage sooner or later.

After Shino unleashed one sword skill, the scimitar kobold's movements were not interrupted. Nor did it take a defensive stance. Instead, it immediately counterattacked.

All monsters were like this. The stagger caused by minor wounds was practically negligible, and they would not abandon an attack because of pain. It was deeply counterintuitive.

Already accustomed to monster behavior, Shino had begun moving through her trained footwork after attacking. She stepped forward past the kobold's side, seeking an opening for a normal attack with her dagger while lifting her elbow to brace against the elbow of its right arm as it brought its scimitar down, disrupting the structure through which it exerted force.

As a result, the kobold's slash did not descend. With her arm already folded, Shino suddenly snapped her right arm out. The two-hit sword skill [Rapid Bite], shining with light, drove into the unprotected flesh of the kobold's flank beneath its right ribs.

She was not finished. Shino had never stopped moving. Like a swimming dragon, she had already circled behind the kobold. The fingers of her trailing right hand shifted slightly, switching the dagger to a reverse grip with a longer attack range.

What followed was a barrage of unrestrained slashes, interspersed with [Blade Dance] and [Cross Blade], the sword skills corresponding to the reverse grip. A long string of damage continued without pause.

A dagger's main function was not merely to inflict various debuffs. Its greatest strength was its high-speed burst after applying Armor Break.

High attack speed combined with sword skills that had extremely little recovery lag produced terrifying burst damage.

Standing nearby on guard, sword in one hand and an iron pellet in the other, Wang Shui watched the kobold fall within ten seconds and looked at the panting Shino, then said helplessly:

"Looks like the special training worked."

Shino nodded calmly, but her eyes were filled with excitement and confidence.

"We can pull two monsters at once now. Let's improve our efficiency. Also, use fewer sword skills to conserve mental energy. Physical stamina recovers quickly if you rest after leaving combat, but mental exhaustion is too dangerous. Slow down your damage output, get a feel for the details of combat, and think and assess more."

Shino did not find Wang Shui's reminders nagging. She merely complained:

"If I'd known, I would've picked a longer weapon. Fighting up close is just too... I really don't understand why they had to make the smells so detailed."

"Agreed. I've experienced something even more hellish, too. But I've heard the second floor and above sell scented ointment that keeps the air around your body fresh for a long time. Also, I actually think a dagger suits you. Your approach to combat leans toward offense, and you like taking risks to seize victory. A longsword, which demands more technique, would take you a long time to adjust to."

"If only this world had guns..."

Shino spoke lightly, returned the dagger to the sheath at her waist with her right hand, then shaped her fingers into a gun and pointed at Wang Shui. She mimed firing it, cutely supplying a "bang~" sound effect.

"Mental illness doesn't seem to have carried over into this world." After briefly sharing her recent discovery, Shino turned to look for monsters.

Guns... Wang Shui pondered for a while. Making something in that shape would not be difficult, but would a gun really be stronger than sword skills? Would this world recognize firearm damage?

It was questionable, but Wang Shui had no time to work on it for now.

Even without participating in the front-line raids, Wang Shui's life had become exceedingly full. For now, of course, he still had to grind monsters honestly.

With Shino serving as their main damage dealer, Wang Shui had room to slack off. He even unequipped his weapon and began tanking monsters barehanded, practicing what he had learned from his recent martial arts studies while enduring the angry punches Shino occasionally threw at him.

Of course, he was not entirely living off her. Relying on his considerable in-combat health regeneration from jewelry, Wang Shui could hold three kobolds.

Shino could attack without worry. She constantly maintained [Stealth Stance], an intermediate ability under the [Hide] skill tree, reducing both her aggro and its accumulation.

The two of them-well, one and a half, perhaps-were extremely efficient at grinding monsters. They actually cleared an empty corner of the sparsely populated [1-19]. The monsters' respawn rate could no longer keep up with their clearing speed.

Only after grinding for five or six hours straight did they head to the small room outside the entrance to [1-20], where no monsters spawned, to rest.

Eating a hamburger made with Wang Shui's improved flatbread and drinking a large mug of cold lemon tea, Shino felt as though all the mental exhaustion from that morning had instantly dispersed.

"The most unscientific thing in this game is probably our stamina," Wang Shui could not help remarking as he ate. "We can clearly feel tired, but if we concentrate and keep our resolve firm, our muscles can stay in peak condition indefinitely. Even exertion that might kill someone from exhaustion in reality can be recovered from here with just a short rest."

"But mental energy is hard to recover. The more sword skills you use and the longer you fight, the more obvious that exhaustion and urge to sleep become," Shino interjected.

"Right. This world has no mana and no numerical stamina stat. The resource consumed in combat is equally invisible mental energy."

Wang Shui's casual remark set both of them thinking. Their eyes met, and without exchanging words, each understood what the other wanted to say:

[How do we train mental energy?]

"I don't remember anything about that in the beta guides, and the limited official information never mentioned mental energy as a resource either. But the NPCs... whether it's the sword skill instructors or the descriptions of the sword skills themselves, besides assuming the corresponding stance, they always emphasize gathering your mental energy and focusing your attention."

"They're all subtle hints. We'll have to pay more attention in the future. Of course, that's your job." As Shino spoke, she raised her chin slightly, putting on an arrogant, disdainful expression. "If you're going to slack off in combat, I'm leaving the intelligence work to you."

Wang Shui could only smile awkwardly, mumbling, "How can studying martial arts count as slacking off?" He followed that with such obscure phrases as "heaven rewards hard work" and "putting learning into practice."

In any case, seeing Wang Shui embarrassed made Shino very happy.

Their break did not last too long. After eating, they leaned against the wall and rested with their eyes closed for half an hour, then got up and returned to grinding monsters. For some reason, Wang Shui recalled his former life as a code monkey and that office chair that hurt his lower back when he reclined in it.

Neither the atmosphere nor the situation was tense, but they did not let their minds relax while grinding monsters.

Wang Shui held both himself and Shino to very high standards. Incorrect footwork, incorrect distance, missed opportunities to attack, leaving no room to retract an arm, and similar issues all immediately drew his attention.

Corrections followed at once. Wang Shui also voiced his corrections of his own mistakes, maintaining a state of tension.

This kind of combat was extremely useful for two combat novices with excellent physical capabilities.

Wang Shui's own repertoire was relatively varied. While tanking monsters, he switched to a different boxing style or footwork almost every move or two. What Shino learned, or rather, what Wang Shui had selected to complement daggers in this game, was [Baguazhang].

Wang Shui had found little material on the original [Swimming Body Bagua Continuous Palms], and in their current situation, there was no professional teacher to guide them. Shino could only practice footwork and forms under Wang Shui's crude instruction.

The footwork mainly consisted of mud-wading steps, outward- and inward-turning steps, and walking circles with Bagua steps.

As for the forms-the changing component of standing practice-there was little material on those. There were only descriptions of how each part of the body should be positioned, such as sinking the waist, hollowing the chest, lifting the anus, and wrapping the arms inward.

Fixed forms, moving forms, changing forms-with Shino's physique and comprehension, she had only just reached the second stage.

As for the internal cultivation, qi nurturing, and breathing exercises of internal martial arts, those were even less worth mentioning. The materials contained only the words "unify the internal and external."

A great deal was missing. There were not even techniques for moving the palms and exerting force. Still, the footwork alone was already valuable. Combined with a dagger, it had astonishing lethality.

In fact, [Wing Chun] was also well suited to short weapons. After all, it had dual-blade techniques of its own. Unfortunately, Wang Shui himself had not mastered it. Or rather, even if he had, Wing Chun would not suit the game world.

Wing Chun emphasized seizing the centerline and attacking at close quarters, but the monsters here not only continued attacking when injured, they did not even show any obvious sense of pain.

Even with [Baguazhang], Wang Shui required Shino not to stick too closely to her target. She had to leave room to withdraw with a large step, wearing monsters down with numerous attacks rather than gambling on a few heavy blows.

Making use of the limited essence available-that was why Wang Shui spent so much effort learning, modifying, and researching.

Fortunately, game characters had excellent physiques, and he could test martial arts without worrying about physical wear and tear. Wang Shui's progress was therefore not slow, either.

While grinding monsters and training, they could clearly feel their bodies growing more agile and their attacks becoming more rhythmic. With such a wonderful experience, even tedious work became interesting, and time flew by.

There was no sunlight in the labyrinth. All illumination came from torches high above and glowing imitation stained-glass windows. The two were enjoying themselves so much that they paid no attention to the time, until cheerful clamor came from the entrance to [1-20].

The assault team had withdrawn. They were leaving the labyrinth, talking and laughing loudly. Wang Shui contacted Kirito directly.

Meeting Shino's questioning gaze, Wang Shui relayed the reply Kirito had just sent:

"They found the boss room. It looks no different from the beta. The assault team is going back to rehearse their coordination. The actual raid is tomorrow."

"What do we do?" Shino went straight to the point.

Wang Shui considered for a while, then said:

"Let's go. We won't stay here overnight. We'll head back, ask about the situation, and see how they coordinate. Tomorrow we'll watch and help if needed. I've had enough of the first floor, too."

That night, the labyrinth zone was especially quiet.