The next day, Hachiman and Asuna were locked in a fierce competition, hunting bees with relentless focus. How it came to this required a bit of backtracking.
"Hey, Hachiman, have you heard of the Tremble Shortcake?" Asuna asked.
"What's that?" Hachiman replied, raising an eyebrow.
"It was in Argo's guidebook. Apparently, it's really delicious."
"Alright. And?"
"So, we're about to go bee hunting, right? I've got a proposal."
"Go on."
"Let's make it a contest—who can take down more bees. If I win, you treat me to the shortcake. If you win… well, I'll pay for it myself, I guess."
"Sounds like I get nothing out of this deal," Hachiman muttered.
"Don't sweat the small stuff, Hachiman! Let's do this!" Asuna grinned.
"Fine, fine," he sighed.
The result, unsurprisingly, was Asuna's overwhelming victory. When sweets were on the line, girls seemed to tap into some hidden well of strength.
"So, Hachiman, you're treating, right?" Asuna said, smirking.
"Y-Yeah…" he mumbled.
At the shop, Hachiman glanced at the menu and froze.
"What the… this is insane expensive!"
Then the shortcake arrived, and his jaw dropped further.
"What is this? Shortcake? Do they even know what 'short' means?"
The cake was enormous. Even sliced, it looked impossible to finish.
"Okay, even I can't eat all of this," Asuna admitted. "I'll share some. Hang on."
"Y-Yeah… but you're still eating, like, two-thirds of it, huh?" Hachiman said, dazed.
They took their first bites, and their faces lit up.
"This is… amazing," Hachiman said.
"So good!" Asuna exclaimed.
"The cream's so smooth…" Hachiman added, savoring it.
"And the sweetness is just right—not too heavy!" Asuna said, beaming.
"Worth the price, I guess," Hachiman conceded.
They exchanged glances now and then, relishing every bite.
"You know, for a guy, you're pretty okay with sweets," Asuna said.
"Yeah, I love 'em," Hachiman replied.
"Me too!" Asuna chirped.
"Well, I doubt there's a girl who doesn't like sweets," Hachiman teased.
"Oh, hey, look!" Asuna pointed at her status window. "My luck stat went up! We should enhance our weapons while it lasts!"
"Feels like Liz needs to eat it for the boost to matter, but… sure, why not?" Hachiman agreed.
"Let's do it!" Asuna said, already contacting Lisbeth.
They headed to Lisbeth's workshop, starting with Hachiman's dagger. Unbeknownst to him, as the enhancement began, Asuna discreetly pinched the hem of his shirt.
Sharing a bit of luck, maybe? We're friends, so it's fine, right? she thought.
Asuna didn't notice, but Lisbeth caught the gesture.
Oh, my, my… how adorable, Lisbeth thought, smirking. Hachiman's totally oblivious.
Lisbeth swung her hammer with extra determination, and the enhancement succeeded. Next was Asuna's Wind Fleuret. Again, Asuna pinched Hachiman's shirt, and he remained none the wiser. The enhancement went off without a hitch.
Asuna took her newly enhanced sword, stroking it gently, her expression tender. Hachiman watched, hesitating before speaking.
"Hey, Asuna, can we talk for a sec?"
"What's up?" she asked, looking over.
"Your sword… I can tell it means a lot to you, so this is hard to say, but… it's probably only viable up to the fourth floor, strength-wise. What'll you do when that happens?"
Asuna froze, unable to imagine parting with her sword.
"Sorry, that came out wrong," Hachiman said quickly. "What I mean is, when it's time for a new weapon, you've got options: loot from enemies, treasure chests, or… one other thing."
"What's that?" Asuna asked, her voice small.
"You can turn your sword into an ingot and use it, along with other materials, to craft a new weapon. It's like… passing on the soul of your weapon to the next one. If that's what you want, I'll help however I can."
"The soul of my weapon…" Asuna's eyes softened. "Yeah, I like that. It'll be tough, but that's what I want to aim for!"
"Got it," Hachiman said, his gruff tone belied by the warmth in his eyes.
Lisbeth, watching, felt a surge of joy. "I'll work even harder for you, Asuna!" she declared.
"Thanks, Liz!" Asuna replied, beaming.
And so, the sixth night since reaching the second floor drew to a close.
The next day was the field boss fight Egill had mentioned. Though Hachiman and Asuna had no intention of joining, they decided to observe and headed to the site. On the way, they stopped in Taran, where Asuna pointed at a stall.
"Hey, Hachiman, Taran Manju! Think it's a local specialty?"
"Never heard of it. Let's grab some to eat while we watch the boss fight."
"Good idea!"
They bought the manju and headed to the battlefield. As expected, Egill wasn't there. Three groups were gathered.
"There's Kibao," Hachiman noted. "That's his Liberation Squad."
"And that guy in the middle of the other group must be Lind," Asuna said.
"What's the third group? Solo players clumped together?"
"They seem too organized for that," Asuna replied.
"Looks like it's starting," Hachiman said.
"Let's get this started," Lind announced. "I'm Lind. Good to meet you all. These folks are the Legends of Braves, who kindly joined us on short notice."
Hachiman and Asuna exchanged a glance.
"Did you hear that?" Hachiman whispered.
"Yeah," Asuna replied. "That's the Legends of Braves we heard about yesterday…"
"Let's keep watching," Hachiman said.
The battle unfolded cautiously, prioritizing safety. It took time, but the field boss went down without major incident. The Legends of Braves, though slightly underleveled, played key roles at critical moments. They were new faces, not seen during the first floor's conquest, suggesting they'd grown stronger recently—likely thanks to their gear.
"Guess that's how it is," Hachiman muttered.
"Yeah…" Asuna agreed, her tone heavy.
The raiding party headed back to town. Hachiman and Asuna, aiming to gain experience against the Taurus tribe—a bovine-type enemy—proceeded to the labyrinth.
"Oh, right, we got those manju," Hachiman said.
"Let's eat while we walk," Asuna suggested.
They bit into the Taran Manju and froze, their faces unreadable.
"Asuna, this is…" Hachiman started.
"There's… strawberry-like cream inside. And it's warm," Asuna said, bewildered.
"If you know what you're getting, it's not bad," Hachiman offered.
"Yeah, I get it. I was expecting something like a meat bun," Asuna admitted.
"Let's go."
"…Yeah."
In the labyrinth, Asuna, first to encounter a Taurus, froze in shock.
"Hachiman!" she cried.
"What's wrong?"
"This is sexual harassment!" she shouted.
"Huh? Did I do something?" Hachiman stammered.
"Not you! That!" She pointed at the Taurus, bare-chested and clad only in a loincloth.
"Oh… uh, yeah," Hachiman said, scratching his head. "Guess you just gotta get used to it. Sorry."
"Ugh…" Asuna groaned.
The hunt began, focused on practicing against the Taurus tribe's special move, Numbing Impact—a wide-area attack that could stun on the first hit and paralyze if it landed again.
"How's it going, Asuna? Getting the hang of it?" Hachiman asked.
"I think a few more tries and I've got it," she replied.
"The mobs' version is smaller than the boss's, but the timing's the same. Let's nail it here."
Once they'd mastered the counter, they checked their haul. Being the first in the second floor's labyrinth, they found plenty of treasure chests, yielding a rich haul. Among the loot, Hachiman spotted something unusual.
"A chakram?" he said, holding it up.
"What's that?" Asuna asked.
"Think round boomerang."
"Cool! Can you use it?"
"Nah, you need both martial arts and throwing skills. Throwing skills are kinda niche, so I doubt anyone's got them. Probably no one can equip this yet."
"Got it."
"And this," Hachiman continued, "Mighty Strap of Leather. A strap-type armor with a magic effect. High defense, plus a strength bonus."
"Sounds strong, but… strap-type?" Asuna asked.
"Uh, yeah… it's like a band around your chest, so you're half-naked," Hachiman explained, his face reddening.
Asuna narrowed her eyes. "Hachiman. What did you just imagine?"
"N-Nothing! I swear!" he stammered. "Hey, this'd look good on Egill, right?"
"Hmph, you're totally dodging! Egill, huh? It'd suit him, I guess."
Hachiman, eager to change the subject, suggested they head back.