When Akimi and Kirito arrived at the restaurant, members of ALS and DKB were already there, staring daggers at each other, with Kibaou and Lind glaring intensely across the room.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the elite DKB. What brings you to the same restaurant as us humble, backwater ALS folks?"
The brown cactus-looking Kibaou sneered at Lind, his sarcastic Kansai accent adding a strong sting to his words.
"Hah, isn't it you ALS trash trying to act classy by following us DKB into this place?"
Lind shot back without hesitation, matching sarcasm with sarcasm and further intensifying the tension in the room.
"You! Damn it—"
Just as Kibaou was about to lash out, the restaurant doors swung open.
Kirito stepped in and said, "Sorry to interrupt, but actually, we were the ones who asked Miss Liten and Shivata to bring ALS and DKB here."
Kibaou and Lind turned their heads toward the familiar voice, and upon seeing Akimi and Kirito standing at the entrance, they both exclaimed:
"Blackie?! And Young Master?! What the hell is going on?!"
Akimi calmly pulled a chair between Kibaou and Lind, sat down, and said, "We're here to propose a deal between ALS and DKB."
"A deal?" Kibaou frowned, visibly annoyed.
"Hey, quit being cryptic. Spit it out."
Lind, after thinking for a moment, said, "Don't tell me you've finally come around and decided to sell the guild flag?"
"As if." Kirito, standing beside Akimi, sighed.
"We... want to ask for your help clearing the seventh floor's labyrinth area and the final boss — and we have to do it before dusk the day after tomorrow."
"…? —!"
Everyone from ALS and DKB froze for a second, first confused, then shocked.
"Within two days?! Blackie, do you even hear what you're saying?!"
Kibaou looked at Kirito like he had lost his mind — as if the SAO pro had suddenly become a total idiot.
Lind's mouth twitched slightly, though he was more composed.
"We haven't even explored the second half of the seventh floor yet. You want us to traverse the labyrinth, climb the tower, find the boss room, and defeat the boss — all within two days? Kirito, do you even believe that yourself? And more importantly…"
He narrowed his eyes at Kirito and said slowly, "What do we gain if we actually pull it off?"
"Exactly. Challenging a boss with no prior intel is just asking for disaster," Kibaou added, arms crossed and expression cold.
"The Sword of Volupta."
Kirito spoke as he pulled the silver-white sword — the one that had slain the water dragon Sariyega — from his inventory.
"What?!"
That made Kibaou and Lind spring to their feet.
Their eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the sword in Kirito's hand, sheathed in a black scabbard.
"This is our token of sincerity," Akimi said with a cheerful smile.
"Whichever side contributes more in the boss fight will get the priority to purchase the Sword of Volupta. As for the price... a special discount — 400,000 Col."
"As for intel—" Kirito added, "You all know Argo the Rat, right? She'll be providing us with all the necessary information. That should put your minds at ease."
With such favorable terms, Kibaou and Lind didn't hesitate for long before agreeing — after all, even without Kirito and Akimi's proposal, the two major guilds would have to take on the boss eventually.
This plan just moved up the timeline.
Besides, now that the highly coveted Sword of Volupta was already in Kirito's group's possession, there was no longer any reason to linger in the Volupta Grand Casino.
"One more thing," Kibaou said, staring curiously at the Sword of Volupta in Kirito's hand.
His tone was a little odd.
"Blackie, how exactly did you win 100,000 chips? Wasn't the so-called guaranteed Sure-win guide supposed to be a trap?"
At that, Lind — who had also lost in the gambling match — turned a similarly suspicious gaze toward Akimi and Kirito.
"Uh… well, haha…" Kirito let out an awkward laugh.
"It was… an accident. Hard to explain in a few words. We'll talk later, yeah, later."
Before Kibaou could press the issue, he and Akimi quickly made their escape from the restaurant like they were fleeing the scene.
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On January 7, 2023, in the western part of the seventh floor of Aincrad, on the Bone Plains, a group of eight — Akimi, Kirito, Asuna, Argo, Kizmel, Kio, Nirrnir, and the long-forgotten Yu Wenjun — were on the move.
Well, to be accurate, only seven of them were actually traveling on foot, since the comatose Nirrnir was being carried in a large bamboo basket (think Nezuko-style), hidden under thick coats and a cloak by the battle maid Kio.
The Bone Plains were the largest wilderness area on the seventh floor, aside from the eastern Velutia Grasslands and the mountainous northern region.
Despite being called plains, the area was actually a vast, flat wasteland dotted with tree-like structures resembling bleached bones — with almost no greenery to be seen.
Their goal was to ambush the Fallen Elves, recover the four Elven Keys, and clear Kizmel's name.
Meanwhile, ALS and DKB had already headed to the final town on the seventh floor — Bramio, according to the agreement — and from there, would officially enter the Labyrinth Zone.
Last night, using a magical map made from the remains of Skia, they arranged a meeting with the Fallen Elves — the time and location being 7 a.m. at the center of the Bone Plains, on a hill marked by a massive dead tree known as Dragonbone.
Akimi and the others had set out early and arrived at Dragonbone Hill half an hour before the agreed time.
However, they didn't plan to confront the Fallen Elves directly.
Instead, they would remain hidden, wait until the Fallen Elves realized they'd been tricked by Bardun, and then follow them as they returned — this way, Akimi and his group could quietly track them back to their stronghold.
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