"Me too."
Kirito immediately chimed in, even pulling out a map with a straight face, "According to my beta test memories, there's a quest NPC nearby that gives good rewards, so it's on my way too."
Ye You raised an eyebrow.
These two fellows, one is a tsundere, and the other is super clingy.
Saying no with their mouths, but their bodies are very honest.
"Fine then."
Ye You shrugged and turned to walk forward, "Then it's on the way. But let me get this straight first: we're splitting the bill for food, loot will be distributed by class, and if we run into danger..."
He paused and turned back with a knowing smile.
"Remember to run fast, I won't save you every time."
...
Floor 2 Main Town, Urbus.
The architectural style here is full of a rugged stone texture, there are few players on the streets, mostly NPCs.
After all, the main force is still on the First Floor celebrating the clear, or splitting the loot.
Aside from these three freaks, only a tiny few elite squads with a sharp nose for things could rush up here immediately.
Ye You familiarly found a restaurant that looked fairly clean.
"Boss, three special steaks, the largest size."
Minors can't drink alcohol in this game.....
"Give me a pitcher of juice."
Ye You sat boldly at the wooden table.
In the boss battle just now, he got over five thousand Col alone; combined with his savings from leveling up before, he's definitely a little rich man now.
Before long, a steaming hot steak was served.
A sizzling griddle, a thick steak drizzled with black pepper sauce, the aroma is mouthwatering.
"This..."
Kirito looked at the steak in front of him, which was bigger than his face, and gulped. "This modeling is just too unfair."
"Go ahead and eat. This is made from the specialty Golden Beef of Floor 2."
Ye You cut a big piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction. "In this damn world, only good food and leveling up are things you can't let down."
Asuna looked at that greasy steak, originally feeling a bit hesitant.
As a young lady, this kind of coarse food wasn't on her menu.
But watching the two men across from her scarfing it down, her most primal appetite was stirred up.
She tentatively cut a small piece and put it in her mouth.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
Tender and juicy, the spiciness of the black pepper perfectly stimulated her taste buds.
"Delicious!"
She stopped being reserved and joined the food-devouring army.
Full and satisfied.
The three of them slumped in their chairs, enjoying a rare, cozy moment.
"What are the plans next?"
Kirito picked his teeth, looking at Ye You. "Even though you shut Kibaou down just now, that guy's pretty petty. He'll definitely pull some moves behind your back. I'm afraid the 'Beta Tester' label will still rub plenty of people the wrong way."
"Let them be."
Ye You toyed with the empty cup in his hand, saying nonchalantly, "Just a bunch of weaklings huddling together for warmth. As long as we stay in the front line and keep being stronger than them, they'll only be able to look up to us—they won't even have the right to be jealous."
"You really are... annoyingly confident."
Asuna rested her chin on her hand, looking at Ye You.
Even though she said that, the confusion in her eyes had cleared up quite a bit.
"But, there's a bit of a problem."
Ye You suddenly sat up straight, his expression becoming a bit more serious, "The Floor 2 BOSS raid might be harder than the First Floor. It's not because the monsters are strong, but because of the people."
"People?" Kirito was stunned.
"Guys like Kibaou are just clowns."
"The real trouble is the ones who haven't shown their faces yet. Like... certain red players who kill for fun."
Laughing Coffin.
The name flashed through his mind.
Even though that notorious murder guild hasn't been officially established at this point in time, the seeds of those sickos have already begun to sprout.
He could occasionally feel that malicious gaze when he was leveling up in the wild.
Having maxed out his [Searching] skill made his perception of this malice even sharper.
"Murder?"
Asuna's face turned pale. "You mean... player killing player?"
"Don't think too highly of human nature, milady."
Ye You sneered, "In a world with no legal constraints and where power is everything, the demons in some people's hearts have long since become uncontrollable. Kill-stealing, gear-snatching, or even just for pure amusement... this kind of thing is bound to happen sooner or later."
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
The pleasure brought by the delicious food just now vanished completely.
"So."
Ye You stood up and straightened the Midnight Coat he was wearing. "If you want to survive, you have to become stronger. Strong enough that those rats in the gutter won't dare look you in the eye."
He glanced at the sky outside.
"I'm going to go enhance my equipment. There's a blacksmith shop over there called Lisbeth's; I heard her skills are decent."
Hearing that name, Asuna was stunned for a moment.
"Lisbeth? I think... I've heard that name before."
"Is that so? That's perfect then."
Since Asuna mentioned it, it seems like I can take over this harem side-quest that originally belonged to Kirito.
After all, she's a blacksmith girl who can craft god-tier items.
"Want to go check it out together? Maybe we can upgrade that rapier of yours, so it won't break inside a monster's belly next time."
"Let's go. While the night is still young, let's go see that future master blacksmith."
Ye You casually tossed down a gold coin to settle the bill.
Kirito and Asuna glanced at each other and followed helplessly.
Nights in Urbus are much colder than on the First Floor. This is a rocky plateau. Most of the shops on both sides of the street have already put up 'closed' signs, with only a few dim oil lamps lit.
According to the vague intel provided by Asuna, the girl named Lisbeth wasn't in the prime real estate of the Main Town, but was instead tucked away in a remote back alley, renting the cheapest temporary workshop.
"Clang—Clang—Clang—"
Before even getting close, a rhythmic hammering sound drifted out from the alleyway.
"Judging by the sound, her hand is steady and her strikes are heavy; she's got potential."
Ye You stopped, listened for a moment, and gave a professional evaluation, "She's way better than those NPCs in the Town of Beginnings who just hammer away at iron according to the system's progress bar."
The three of them turned into the alley.
Under a dilapidated wooden shack, the furnace fire was burning brightly.
A girl with short pink hair and a coarse cloth apron was staring intently at a piece of ore on the anvil. Her cheeks were streaked with black soot, sweat dripped from the tip of her nose, and her face was flushed red by the furnace light, her deep pink eyes full of stubbornness.
Rika Shinozaki, also known as Lisbeth.
"Who is it? I'm not taking business, I'm out of materials!"
Hearing the footsteps, Lisbeth shouted without looking back, her hammer still moving, "If you want gear repaired, come early tomorrow; if you want weapons forged, bring your own ore!"
Quite a temper.
"Not taking business? Then it seems no one wants this freshly obtained Mithril Ore ."
Ye You leaned against the doorframe, tossing a piece of ore shimmering with a silvery-blue glow in his hand. That was a rare material just pulled from the Kobold Lord treasure chest, an absolute top-tier item that money couldn't buy at this stage.
"Mithril?!"
The hammer in Lisbeth's hand almost smashed her toe.
She whipped around suddenly, her eyes instantly locking onto the ore in Ye You's hand, letting out an extremely suspicious gulping sound.
"I-Is it for me?"
"In your dreams."
Ye You pulled the ore back into his palm and gave a wicked smirk, "This is the deposit. I want you to help me enhance this sword to +6, and the leftover scraps are yours, how about it?"
He unbuckled the Steel Longsword from his waist and placed it, along with the ore, on the dusty counter.
Lisbeth was stunned.
Enhance to +6?
At this stage, most players' weapons are still lingering at +2 or +3; once it fails, the weapon will lose durability or even shatter. This guy actually dared to hand over such a good base material to an unknown newbie like her?
"You... aren't afraid I'll shatter it for you?" Lisbeth looked at him suspiciously.
"If it shatters, I'll make you pay with your bo... I mean, if it shatters, I'll just consider it my bad luck."