"Something's wrong? What's wrong?"
Ducker stopped and looked back at Ye You, his face showing confusion and impatience. "Mr. Ye You, this is a hidden room marked by the system. Doesn't the lack of guards at the entrance prove it's safe? Besides, even if there's danger, with your strength plus the five of us, could we really not handle it?"
Greed makes people stupid.
Especially under the golden light seeping through the crack in that door, Ducker's eyes had already gone a bit vacant. He was a Thief, and he had a natural obsession with treasure chests and hidden rooms.
"I said, hold on."
Ye You's voice grew a bit colder, the Mithril Alloy Sword in his hand drooping slightly, the tip pointing at the ground. "In this game, the more something looks like a free lunch falling from the sky, the more it's usually not a good thing. I won't stop you if you want to go in and die, but don't get your blood all over me."
"But..." Keita hesitated a bit, glancing at Ducker and then at Ye You.
"Geez, Mr. Ye You, you're just being way too cautious!"
Ducker obviously didn't want to let this chance to distinguish himself slip away, nor did he want to look like a coward in front of everyone. Taking advantage of the moment while Keita was still hesitating, his figure blurred and, relying on a thief's high agility, he dashed straight to the stone door.
"We just need to be a little careful of the trap mechanisms! I've actually put points into the [Trap Disarm] skill!"
Before his voice even faded, his hand had already pressed the mechanism on that heavy stone door.
Click.
A faint sound of gears clicking into place rang out.
Ye You's pupils shrank violently.
The [Danger Sense] alarm in his mind instantly went from rapid beeping to a piercing, long wail, the red light nearly drowning out his entire field of vision.
"Idiot."
Ye You cursed under his breath, his body moving faster than his thoughts; the rock beneath his feet shattered instantly as he shot backward.
"Rumble—!"
The stone door snapped open to both sides instantly. Right after, the lighting in the whole room changed.
The original eerie green light cut out instantly, turning blood-red.
Woo—woo—woo—!
A shrill alarm rang throughout the entire Labyrinth Area.
[WARNING!Trap Activated!]
Huge red warning boxes flashed frantically before everyone's eyes.
"W-What... what is this?!" Ducker was scared witless, his hand still frozen in mid-air.
Before he could react, inside that so-called "treasure room," there were no treasure chests at all, only dense clusters of dark shadows.
It was an entire legion of monsters.
[Ore Elemental: Obsidian Gargoyle （Obsidian Gargoyle）]
[LV: 22 （Elite）]
This monster level definitely shouldn't be appearing on the third floor!
"Run! Run!!" Keita finally snapped out of it and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
But it was too late.
"Bang!"
The escape route behind everyone—the entrance to that narrow passageway—suddenly slammed down a heavy iron gate, completely sealing off any way out.
Right after, there was a strange ripple in the air.
Tetsuo instinctively pulled a blue [Corridor Crystal] from his bag, wanting to crush it to teleport everyone out.
"Teleport! Town of Beginnings!"
The crystal flickered for a moment.
Then, it turned into a dull, lifeless color.
[System Prompt: Current area is a "Crystal Invalidation" space.]
The moment those words popped up, the crystal in Tetsuo's hand slipped and hit the floor with a crisp clink.
Despair.
Pure despair.
"Y-You've... gotta be kidding me..." Keita slumped to the ground, his face pale.
No teleporting, the exit sealed, and facing a legion of monsters nearly ten levels higher than themselves.
This was a dead end.
"Screeech—!"
Amidst the ear-piercing sound of grinding, that group of Obsidian Gargoyles moved.
"It's over... we're all going to die here..."
Sachi gripped her short spear tightly, her whole body trembling as tears burst from her eyes.
"If you don't want to die, hold your weapon steady!"
A thunderous shout exploded in everyone's ears.
A black figure charged forward boldly, against the tide of monsters.
It was Ye You.
At this moment, there wasn't a trace of fear on his face.
[Streaming Light Movement] fully active!
Ye You's figure turned into a bolt of silver-blue lightning, instantly cutting into the front line of the monster swarm.
That was Ducker's position.
That stupid thief was currently being pinned to the ground by two gargoyles, their sharp stone claws about to pierce his throat.
"Get lost!"
The Mithril Alloy Sword in Ye You's hand, trailing the cyan light effect of [Sonic Impact], slammed hard into the flank of one of the gargoyles.
Clang——!
Sparks flew everywhere.
The massive impact force sent that heavy gargoyle flying, knocking down two of its companions behind it.
"Stand up! Don't just lie there like a dead pig!"
Ye You kicked Ducker in the ass, sending him back to the rear of the formation. "Tetsuo! Shield up! Hold the left! Sasamaru! The right! Keita! Stop spacing out and lead your team!"
The members of the Moonlit Black Cats, who were already falling apart, were forcibly snapped back to their senses by this momentum.
"Y-Yes!"
Tetsuo roared, picked up his tower shield, slammed it hard onto the ground, and activated the [Provoke] skill.
Though the level gap meant he couldn't withstand more than a few hits, these few seconds of breathing room were enough.
"Sachi!"
Ye You shouted without looking back as he parried attacks pouring in from all directions, "Look at me! Don't close your eyes! This mob is yours!"
A gargoyle that slipped through the net bypassed the defense line, opened its maw full of fangs, and lunged straight for Sachi in the center of the party.
Sachi's breath hitched.
But.
Images of Ye You"s near-devilish training from the past two days flashed through her mind, along with that cold whisper: "Learn to kill."
If I don't move, I'll die.
If I don't move, everyone will die.
"Aaaaaah!"
The girl let out a tearful scream.
She didn't back down, venting as she took a step forward.
The short spear in her hand, carrying all her courage and fear, stabbed out fiercely.
[Intermediate Spear Technique: Thrust]!
Puchi!
The tip of the spear pierced the Gargoyle's only weakness beneath its rocky skin—the glowing red core.
Critical Hit!
"Crack!"
The Gargoyle let out a wail as its core shattered, its massive body turning into a flurry of fragments.
"Nicely done."
Ye You's voice came through clearly amidst the chaos.
Those simple words sent a jolt through Sachi, and her trembling legs miraculously steadied.
"Switch!"
Ye You no longer held back.
Since Sachi had already overcome her inner demons, it was time to wrap up this mess.
The light from the longsword in his hand surged.
[Horizontal Square]!
In that moment, the silver-blue sword light bloomed like a lotus flower in the narrow room.
Every strike sliced through the Gargoyles' joints.
Every hit carried the terrifying effect of [Armor Break].
Five minutes later.
As the last Gargoyle collapsed with a crash, that suffocating red light finally went out.
The room returned to its dim state.
Nothing remained but loot all over the floor and data dust that had yet to dissipate in the air.
[Ding!]
[S-Rank Desperate Rescue Completed!]
[Target: All members of the Moonlit Black Cats.]
[Desperate Evaluation: Reversed the originally fatal "Total Party Wipe" fate-line, snatching this flock of lost lambs right out of the hands of The Fatal Scythe.]
[Obtained Rewards: Massive EXP （leveled up twice）, Special Item "Resurrection Crystal （Pseudo）" Fragment x1, Title "Fate Defier".]
[Sachi's Favorability: Through the roof （Dependency/Adoration）.]
Ye You sheathed his sword and let out a long breath.
Tired.
This high-intensity group battle against higher-level mobs made even him feel a bit exhausted. His SP bar was almost empty, and the Midnight Coat on his body had been slashed in several places.
"Ye... Mr. Ye You..."
Keita walked over trembling and knelt on the ground with a thud.
Right after them were Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Ducker.
These grown men were crying right now.
"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..." Ducker sobbed as he slapped his own face, "I was too greedy... I almost got everyone killed..."
"Enough."
Ye You waved his hand impatiently, "Save your strength for running for your life later."
He walked up to Sachi.
The girl was still holding her spear, her eyes a bit dazed, clearly not yet back to her senses from the slaughter just now.
Ye You reached out and gave her dusty head a rub.
"That last thrust was decent enough."
Sachi's body went limp, and she collapsed straight into Ye You's arms, clutching his clothes and wailing out loud.
Ye You didn't push her away, just letting her vent her emotions.
...
After leaving that nightmarish Labyrinth Area, Ye You rejected the Moonlit Black Cats' requests to repay his kindness by offering themselves to him.
Some connections are best left at that.
This group has learned respect and cooperation, and more importantly, Sachi is no longer that burden who only knows how to cry.
That's enough.
Ye You set off alone on the path to the higher floors.
A few days later.
Aincrad, 35th Floor, Lost Forest.
Although the main force of the Clearers has only just pushed to around the twentieth floor, Ye You, relying on that insane [Danger Sense] and stats far beyond normal, somehow relied on Stealth and forced map-running , arriving early at this area that doesn't belong to the current progress.
There was no other reason.
He needed to find a quiet place to level up and try his luck while he was at it.