"W-What just happened?"
Kirito stamred, still frozen in shock. Death had felt so close, its cold breath nearly brushing against him.
"Idiot! Hurry up and drink a Healing Potion. Don't just stand there dazed! Do you want to die?!"
"Oh, right."
Snapped back to reality by Miguel's scolding, Kirito's trembling hands fumbled through his inventory, pulling out a red potion bottle and gulping it down.
Instantly, his HP bar, previously flashing red, shifted to yellow, slowly refilling.
"Who was that woman? Why could she attack ? The town's supposed to be an absolute safe zone, but she almost killed . You know sothing, don't you?"
"You don't need to know."
Facing Kirito's barrage of questions, Miguel only snorted, too lazy to explain. With the power of the Doa Doa no Mi, his body began to fade, blending into the air.
"Wait!"
Kirito reached out, trying to grab Miguel. But the other had already vanished completely, leaving him alone.
◆━??????━◆
Elsewhere, Charlie was unaware that his companion, Miguel, had just faced the Abyssal Devourer.
His days remained monotonous, tailing… ahem, watching over Asuna.
His routine revolved around ensuring the girl's safety from unseen threats.
In a corner of the town, Charlie overheard a conversation among so loitering players.
"I heard so players have already reached the dungeon on Floor 1."
"Tch. It's been three weeks, and that's it?"
"How many years will it take to clear this ga?"
"Clear it? What are you talking about? That's impossible! 1,800 people have already died!"
"No matter how hard we fight, we're all going to die!"
"…"
Asuna's steps halted as she overheard the despair-filled conversation. Then, she crouched down, burying her face in her knees.
Charlie: "??"
He wasn't good at comforting others, especially won. So, all he could do was stand by Asuna's side, staying close.
After a mont, Asuna lifted her head, looking at Charlie.
"Hey, Charlie. If everything you've said is true, you're really strong, right?"
"Oh, sure. I'm strong."
It was the first ti Asuna had said his na, and it caught Charlie off guard.
"If you're that strong… why don't you clear this ga? It shouldn't be hard for you, right?"
"You have the power to end this tragedy, to save us all! But what do you do? You just follow
everywhere, like a stalker!"
"Why don't you do it? Why don't you end this?"
Facing Asuna's accusations, Charlie sighed deeply, not blaming her for her ntal instability.
"It's not that I don't want to, Asuna. But… it's hard to do it alone."
Asuna frowned, confused. "What do you an?"
Charlie gazed at the vast horizon of Aincrad.
"To move to the next floor, the Floor Boss has to be defeated. You've seen how massive Floor 1 is, right? Three weeks have passed, and not a single player has found the Floor Boss Room."
"I could defeat the Floor Boss without much trouble. The problem is, I don't know where the Floor Boss Room is. This is just Floor 1! Every floor is estimated to be as vast as or even larger than Floor 1. Imagine searching for the Floor Boss Room on every floor, alone, with no clues."
"It's impossible for
to find the Floor Boss Room on every floor. I'm not a god, Asuna. I'm not omniscient or omnipotent. If I could, I'd clear SAO in a single day. Trust , I want to end this as quickly as possible."
"But it's not possible. Finding the Floor Boss Room is my biggest problem. It's like finding a needle in a giant haystack on every floor of Aincrad."
There was one thing Charlie didn't tell Asuna, a bitter truth about the darker side of humanity.
Players would keep the Floor Boss Room's location a secret. After all, Floor Bosses were a massive source of EXP and dropped rare items that could change a player's fate.
Why would they share such valuable information with others?
Even in the original story, Kirito and Asuna, who painstakingly mapped dungeons, were reluctant to share their maps for free when they crossed paths with mbers of the Aincrad Liberation Force.
Even if Asuna suggested that every player search for the Floor Boss Room and share its location with Charlie, guaranteeing he'd clear SAO, few would cooperate.
Selfishness and survival instincts would outweigh altruism.
Sharing information ant sharing rewards, sothing most players wouldn't do in a world where survival was the only goal.
This truth, Charlie kept to himself. Asuna wasn't ready to face humanity's darker side.
"…"
Asuna looked at Charlie, her eyes, once filled with frustration, now softening.
"I'm sorry. I took my emotions out on you. I know my idea isn't realistic."
Charlie smiled casually, shaking his head lightly.
"It's okay, Asuna. I get it. It's natural to feel that way, especially in a cruel world like this. You're still young, and facing all this alone must feel heavy."
Asuna stepped closer to Charlie, their faces inches apart.
"Don't treat
like a kid. You're only a few years older than ."
Chuckling softly, Charlie flicked Asuna's forehead gently.
"Pubescent kids are like that. Don't rush to grow up, Asuna. Being an adult isn't as great as it seems. Trust ."
"Hmph, I don't believe you!"
Asuna huffed, turning away from Charlie. She quickened her pace, hoping to leave him behind.
But she could hear Charlie's footsteps following her, a constant presence.
Charlie's presence, once irritating, now felt like an unshakable shadow.
◆━??????━◆
Days passed.
Asuna kept training her skills, exploring dungeons, and fighting monster after monster. She took on quests for EXP and items, though often in areas below the level of frontline players.
Charlie was never far from her. He'd appear whenever Asuna was in danger, dispatching monsters she couldn't handle.
Over ti, their relationship began to shift. At first, Asuna ignored Charlie completely, viewing him as a strange stalker.
Now, his presence started to feel like a safety net.
What made Charlie feel most helpless was that the Abyssal Devourer hadn't appeared even once!
While their relationship was growing, the absence of the Abyssal Devourer remained a point of doubt for Asuna.
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