"Alright, let's begin." In the square, a group of players gathered together. Mochizuki was also among them, sitting in a corner and observing his surroundings.
"First of all, thank you all very much for coming to this strategy meeting I've organized." A man with blue hair and silver-white armor spoke loudly.
"My in-game name is Diabel, and my profession is... I inwardly consider myself a knight."
"Hahaha... Where in this game is there a profession system!" After Diabel finished speaking, he drew laughter from the other players present, but Diabel didn't mind.
Mochizuki also looked seriously at Diabel, inwardly admiring him. It seemed this person was deliberately using this to liven up the atmosphere.
Following that, Diabel's tone became more formal.
"I believe everyone has also discovered the first floor Boss room, and the monster's strength is very powerful. It's not something we can defeat alone. Therefore, why don't we team up to challenge it? Only then can we reach the next floor sooner."
As his voice fell, Diabel surveyed the people present, and a brief silence fell over the square.
No players spoke up, seemingly contemplating the feasibility of this proposal.
But soon, everyone began to discuss animatedly, and then gradually, people started voicing their support for Diabel's suggestion.
No one had a reason to object.
After all, teaming up to clear a Boss is a very common thing in games.
If they didn't team up, they wouldn't be able to clear it, and everyone's game progress would stagnate.
As for the drops from the final blow, that would depend on individual luck.
After a round of applause, no one raised any objections, and Diabel nodded in satisfaction before speaking again.
"So, for better command and coordination, I propose that everyone can form a few small teams. Of course, these are just temporary teams and will disband after the Boss is defeated."
"Form teams? Hmm... that's a good idea."
Thus, the people present left their spots one after another and began interacting with those around them to form teams. Hearing that they had to team up now made Mochizuki feel a bit flustered.
He had entered the game by himself and didn't know any players. Should he speak up and ask to join someone else's team?
But soon, Mochizuki saw someone whose spot nearby was empty, just like his.
It was a girl wearing a red cloak, but she wasn't wearing the hood, revealing a head of flaxen long hair.
Asuna, who had also heard the news about forming teams and was feeling a bit lost, was sitting blankly in her spot. She was also alone and helpless. The players present were mainly male, and there weren't many female players.
"What should I do...?"
It's Asuna! She's also alone, Mochizuki realized.
So, Mochizuki decided to go up and ask her if she wanted to team up.
She should agree, right?
"Hello, are you also unable to find a team? Do you want to team up with me?"
"Ah!" The sudden voice startled Asuna, who was deep in thought.
"Excuse me, are you asking me?" Asuna looked around and saw that there was no one else there. She pointed to herself with a finger, a little confused.
Mochizuki looked at Asuna in front of him and nodded, saying, "Yes."
After a moment of hesitation, Asuna looked up at Mochizuki and asked, "Just the two of us?"
Mochizuki also glanced around and said somewhat awkwardly, "Unless something unexpected happens... it should be."
Asuna also noticed that only she and Mochizuki were left alone among the people present; everyone else seemed to have already formed teams.
Asuna couldn't help but find it a little amusing in her heart, and then a smile bloomed on her pretty face as she replied.
"Mm... then let's just be the two of us. Too many people is also troublesome."
Seeing Asuna agree, Mochizuki also smiled and then sent a team invitation to Asuna.
Seeing that everyone had formed their teams, Diabel spoke again.
"Alright, then let's set our strategy time for tomorrow afternoon."
"I hope everyone will be online on time then."
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