Days and months flew by like shuttle and arrow, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Since the conquest of the Fifth Floor, there had been no further incidents like the appearance of the Gleam Eyes. Thanks to this, Aomori's Legion was like a rocket, breaking through floor after floor until they reached the Fiftieth Floor.
With half of Aincrad conquered in just one month, the players' morale remained high and optimistic, even though the casualty count surged, breaking the 800 mark.
However, due to the rapid conquest, a serious gap in player levels was inevitable. Now, aside from the five members of the Boss Raid Team who constantly leached experience by staying close to Aomori, the levels of the remaining players were too low to effectively train on the higher floors.
The task of pioneering new territory fell almost entirely upon the six members of the Boss Raid Team. Clad in the best equipment, armed with the finest potions, they carried the hope of the entire community as they struggled to climb higher.
To be more specific about the team: Agil remained his reliable old self. Nautilus and his childhood friend Yuna were exposed and successfully integrated into the group.
The Harem King Kirito maintained ambiguous relationships with several girls, earning him the scorn of Asuna, who saw him as scum. Later, while Kirito and Asuna were on vacation on the 22nd Floor, they picked up a young girl named Yui, and because of Yui, the relationship between Kirito and Asuna also became less clear-cut.
PoH kept up his good guy facade and hadn't caused any trouble, leaving Aomori, who wanted to transform into the King of Lightning Therapy, with no opening.
As for Aomori, he walked further and further down the path of leveling, having gained two levels himself. Absol and Pidgeottp also received a share, gaining four and five levels, respectively. However, regarding the main objectives, Main Quest I was precarious, Main Quest II was without a clue, and Main Quest III was on the verge of failure.
Aomori had already decided to abandon the Main Quests and focus on leveling up to increase his strength.
The free trial period for the Dungeon had been used up. The next month required 200 Score Points per day, the month after that 400 points per day, and the month after that 800 points. Given Aomori's current daily income of over 700 Score Points, he would, at most, only stay for three more months.
He was determined to finish this Dungeon within three months.
…
The Fiftieth Floor, Labyrinth Area, Boss Room.
The Werewolf Lord boss brandished its sharp claws, intent on taking the lives of the humans before it. However, a shield intercepted its attack. The claws sparked uselessly against the surface, repelling the boss.
"Switch!" The shield-bearing Agil retreated. Behind him, the Black Swordsman Kirito and the Flash Swordswoman Asuna simultaneously executed a thrust attack.
The enraged Werewolf Lord swung its dual claws again, only to be blocked head-on by a steady swordsman. At the same time, its back was stabbed by a dagger.
"Fall back!" A clear, spring-like voice called out, and Kirito and the others quickly dispersed.
Aomori stood in the distance, unleashing a Lunar Fang Heavenly Piercer Sword Skill that struck the Werewolf Lord directly in the chest. Its minimal remaining HP instantly dropped to zero, and the Werewolf Lord was successfully defeated.
At 15:48:23 on December 6, 2022, exactly one month after the official launch, the player camp successfully cleared the Fiftieth Floor.
"Excellent work, everyone. You all worked hard."
"No, Leader, you are the one who worked hard."
Aomori nodded. Just as he was about to head back down to continue leveling, he saw Kirito being pushed toward him by Asuna and Agil, while Nautilus and PoH stood aside, smiling wordlessly.
"What's the matter, Kirito?" Aomori asked.
"Ah, well, actually, there's a really important matter that requires your immediate return to headquarters," Kirito's eyes darted around, afraid to meet Aomori's gaze, as he nervously scratched his face.
"Oh, alright."
"Wait, Leader, aren't you going to ask what it is?"
"Wouldn't I find out when I get there? You wouldn't lie to me, would you, Kirito?" Aomori said with a knowing look.
"Ah, haha, of course not!" Kirito chuckled, flashing a peace sign behind his back as he urged, "It's getting late. Let's head back together."
"Mm."
…
The headquarters of Aomori's Legion was set up in the central town of the 30th Floor. Aomori and the others used a Teleport Crystal to return directly to the town's Central Plaza.
To their surprise, the first thing Aomori saw upon returning to the plaza was a crowd packed shoulder-to-shoulder. With his eyesight, he could even see streets in the distance densely packed with people. Banners reading "Congratulations on Your Victorious Return" and "Commemorating the Conquest of the Fiftieth Floor" hung everywhere.
"Heathcliff leads the Azure Dragon Corps,"
"Thinker leads the White Tiger Corps,"
"Diabel leads the Black Tortoise Corps,"
"Klein leads the Vermilion Bird Corps,"
The members of the conquest group, led by the four corps leaders Heathcliff, Thinker, Diavel, and Klein, shouted, "Congratulations to Leader Aomori on the Conquest of the Fiftieth Floor! Victorious Return!"
The rest of the players joined in the loud cry: "Congratulations to Leader Aomori on Your Victorious Return!"
The entire player base erupted in cheers.
Amidst the deafening cheers, a smile spread across Aomori's face. He turned and pointed at Kirito, saying, "You, you always manage to pull off some new trick."
"Heh heh heh, this wasn't my idea this time." Kirito grinned, pointing at Asuna.
Asuna glared at Kirito before saying shyly, "I just thought everyone has been too stressed lately, and I wanted to help them relax. Let's have a great feast tonight."
"Agreed." Aomori stepped forward and ascended high into the air with the aid of the 13 Totem Pole. He raised his right hand and shouted, "Tonight, everyone, let's celebrate and revel to your heart's content!"
"Whoa! Let's revel to our heart's content!"
…
When night fell, the entire town became an ocean of festivity.
Fireworks, bonfires, fine wine, gourmet food, handsome men, beautiful women, music, dancing... everything one could ask for.
Aomori, having been cornered by young ladies for a while, jumped onto the top of the 13 Totem Pole to quietly watch the revelers below.
Agil stood behind a bar counter, temporarily acting as a bartender, occasionally downing a large glass of alcohol himself;
PoH was seen hooking up with a few girls, singing and dancing;
Nautilus lay on the ground in comfortable repose, while beside him, Yuna was immersed in her performance;
Klein and his friends were engaged in a drinking contest, shouting loudly, their faces already flushed red;
Kirito was dancing by the bonfire, his partners alternating between a serene girl with short blue hair, a mysterious girl wearing a hood and face paint, a lively girl with freckles, and a small girl with a tiny pet on her head;
Asuna stayed with her daughter Yui, sampling various delicacies, sometimes glancing over at Kirito, only to quickly turn back with an expression of mild disgust;
Pidgeotto also joined in, happily drinking alcohol, while Absol curled up on a rooftop, resting.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Heathcliff jumped onto the 13 Totem Pole and handed Aomori a cup. "It's juice inside."
Aomori took it and thanked him.
"You truly are a man of principle, Leader. You won't even drink a glass of wine on a day like this."
"I was once addicted to debauchery. I grew tired of it."
"Heh, I thought you'd say it's fake, so you're not interested."
"Others only indulge and feel fearless precisely because it's fake."
"But that doesn't include you, does it?"
"Of course not."
The two seasoned enigmas ended their veiled conversation, clinked their cups, and toasted each other.
"To Life."
"To Dreams."