Ryuto scanned the clearing, eyes locking on two monsters lurking ahead.
Entangled Dryad – Lv. 5
HP: 1500/1500
Skills:
Entangle: Controls vines to restrain the target, limiting movement.
Drain: While entangled, slowly siphons the target's HP and restores the Dryad's own.
Vine Whip: Strikes with vine lashes to damage the target.
Level 5 monsters—two of them—but Ryuto, currently level 7, didn't hesitate. Even so, he followed the old saying: a lion uses its full strength even against a rabbit. Taking a deep breath, he rushed at the Dryad on the left. Eliminate one quickly, then deal with the other.
The first vine lash came sweeping toward him. Ryuto sidestepped with precision, flipped backward, and closed the distance. From the Dryad's perspective, his movements became erratic, always slipping into its blind spots. The creature swung its trunk-like body, trying to keep track of him, but failed.
When Ryuto reached optimal range, his weapon's blade lit up with a guiding glow—the Sword Skill activation trigger.
Lunar Arc – One-hit Sword Skill
The spear's tip carved a silver-white trail across the Dryad's bark, like the crescent of a moon.
The strike exposed him to the Dryad's sight, and it retaliated with fury. Two thick, gray vines lashed toward him. Ryuto's spear dissolved into particles of starlight—weapon switch animation—and in a fluid motion he sidestepped, rolling to the Dryad's flank before it could react.
He extended his hand. Star-like motes gathered and coalesced into a novice iron sword. Another guiding glow flared—
Slant – One-hit Sword Skill
With a sharp clang, the blade split the Dryad's form into a cascade of data fragments. Ryuto exhaled softly. The second Dryad was already closing in.
Without pause, he flicked the sword and hurled it forward. The weapon streaked toward the monster like a silver comet, while Ryuto followed in its wake. Starlight shimmered again, forming the long spear he had just dismissed.
The iron sword met the Dryad head-on—only to be swatted away by a vine. The skill's light faded from the blade as it spun into the air. Ryuto arrived a heartbeat later, meeting the same sweeping vine.
He crouched low, spear swirling behind him in a guard spin, and slid forward beneath the attack. A second vine lashed out; Ryuto planted one hand on the ground, pushed off, and flipped over the incoming strike. Midair, he caught the falling sword. Starlight scattered as the blade vanished once more.
Suspended for a fraction of a second, he looked down at the Dryad beneath him—its defenses wide open, its previous strike spent.
Shooting Star – Two-hit Sword Skill
The spear's tip flashed twice in quick succession, each thrust targeting the Dryad's head. Damage numbers flared, leaving the creature's HP bar barely intact. Ryuto frowned.
"Still not enough to one-shot it… I need more strength."
He banished the thought and refocused.
The Dryad retracted its vines. As Ryuto finished his second thrust, one vine shot forward, wrapping tightly around his spear, while the other swept toward him.
He pulled hard, but the weapon wouldn't budge. With a mental command, the spear dissolved into starlight. Rolling to the side, he dodged the vine and came up beside the monster.
From the Dryad's view, the hated human had slipped away again. It twisted frantically, searching—
That's when the blow came.
Vertical – One-hit Sword Skill
A brilliant slash cut from above, shattering the Dryad into glittering data shards that drifted skyward.
Ryuto sheathed his sword and turned toward a figure in a dark red cloak standing amid the settling light. Against the dazzling backdrop, his gaze met Asuna's. For a long moment, they simply stared, neither speaking.
Finally, both broke the silence at the same time.
"That… your name?"
"That… your name?"
…
"You go first."
"No, you go first."
The words slipped out of both their mouths at the same time again. Ryuto felt a flush of embarrassment—this was not how he imagined meeting his long-admired, two-dimensional goddess would go. Instead of the smooth confidence he had pictured, his mind had gone blank.
He cleared his throat, forcing his composure back into place.
"Hello. First time meeting you—my name is Ryuto. Nice to meet you."
"…I'm Asuna. Nice to meet you."
Her response was short, almost hesitant. Ryuto felt a faint sting. So much for the hero saves the damsel scenario—Asuna's reaction was far from the flustered gratitude he'd expected. But he could see why. The crushing weight of this death game had planted deep fear in her heart. Even if his rescue had sparked the faintest spark of goodwill, it was buried for now… yet a seed had been planted, waiting for the right moment to grow.
With that in mind, Ryuto decided to push forward.
"It's dangerous to be alone out here. Like just now—two people can handle situations like that much more easily. Numbers mean safety. So… want to form a party?"
He sent a party invite through the system interface. Asuna's lips pressed together before she gave a small nod and tapped Accept on the translucent window hovering in front of her.
Ryuto stepped forward, extending his hand with a smile.
"Welcome to my party—though it's just the two of us for now."
Asuna looked at the hand in front of her. Sunlight pierced through the thinning mist, casting a warm glow behind Ryuto. The light chased away the chill clinging to the forest air. His hand was pale and slender, his smile warm enough to soften the moment. Without thinking, she placed her hand in his.
He gripped gently, helping her to her feet.
For the first time, she got a close look at her savior. His hair was a silver-white that caught the sunlight, and his crimson eyes—bright and fierce like dancing flames—stood out against his pale skin. That warmth in his gaze eased something tight in her chest. The suffocating fear of this death game seemed just a little lighter.
Once she was standing, Ryuto released her hand and turned toward his menu, calling up his status window. His eyes flicked to his EXP bar.
The three Dryads they had just fought had barely nudged it upward.
Tch… this is ridiculous. For most front-line players, even a single Dryad would be a huge EXP bonus—most top players right now are barely level 4. (If memory served, Kirito and the others were only around level 13 when they took on the first floor boss.) But for him? It was barely noticeable. He sighed.
Starlight gathered in his right hand, forming the long spear he had dismissed earlier.
Weapon ready, he started toward a nearby monster spawn point—only to notice, out of the corner of his eye, that Asuna was still standing there, lost in thought.
Still caught in the shadow of death, huh…?
He stopped. "What's wrong? Haven't fully recovered yet? Then… let's take a break."
He walked back to her, sat down on the mossy ground, and opened his inventory. Materializing two pieces of plain white bread, he took one in his left hand and bit into it. The other he held out toward her.
From his free hand, he materialized a small glass bottle, holding it out with a casual grin.
"Here—eat."