[Kirito: Sato, where are you? The raid is starting in a few minutes!]
[Satoshi: I'm outside the cave. Ran into a bit of trouble on the way.]
[Kirito: Trouble? Monsters?]
[Satoshi: Hard to say… I saved a female player halfway here. She was being tied up by ghost vines in the forest, like some kind of bondage play.]
[Kirito: Huh?]
Outside the boss room on the first floor, Kirito scratched his head, staring at the chat window with a pained expression.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
How did Sato end up playing the hero midway, and what is this "bondage play" supposed to be?
"Kirito! When is your friend getting here? The raid is about to start!"
"He's already here. Just start on time!"
After replying to the person in charge of the raid, Kirito sent another message with a headache.
[Kirito: Hurry up, it's starting!]
[Satoshi: Got it!]
Inside the dark cave, Sato turned to Asuna beside him and said, "My friend is rushing me. Let's pick up the pace."
"Okay!"
Asuna nodded quickly.
A few minutes later, the two arrived outside the boss room. There were far more people than expected, nearly four to five hundred.
"You finally made it!"
Kirito walked up to Sato and sent him a party invitation. When he noticed the figure beside him, he froze for a moment, then glanced back at Sato.
"What?"
Sato looked up and met Kirito's gaze.
"Nothing."
Kirito replied casually, though he muttered to himself inwardly. No wonder this guy went to save someone, turns out she's a pretty girl…
"Are all these people part of the raid group? How long until it starts?"
Sato glanced around before asking Kirito. There seemed to be far too many people here.
"No. Only a hundred people can enter the boss room. The rest are just here to watch. I worked hard to get you this slot. Stay toward the back later, and remember, don't take hits head-on. Just deal with the small monsters from the rear."
Kirito glanced around before speaking to Sato in a low voice.
Sato paused, then his expression turned a bit strange. So he was being told to just stay back and coast?
"Kirito, is this the friend you mentioned?"
Suddenly, a group of players walked over from the crowd. The man leading them glanced at Sato and spoke.
Kirito frowned. It was this guy.
Sato shot Kirito a glance, then calmly looked at the man in front of him. "What? Is there a problem?"
The man looked at Sato with mild surprise and said, "Not exactly a problem. It's just that today, we're approaching this boss with the determination to win. Everyone in the raid group is quite strong…"
He paused there, but the implication was obvious.
The disturbance immediately drew attention. Many players turned to watch, treating it like a show.
At that moment, a chat window popped up in front of Sato.
Due to privacy protection, only players could see it.
[Kirito: That guy's name is Kibaou. Man got no shame. He's used to kill steal before. This time he tried to push some of his people into the raid group but failed. He's probably here to cause trouble.]
Kirito took a deep breath. Not everyone in the raid group was a top player, since not all strong players were willing to follow orders. So besides some experts, there were also lower-level players.
Even so, this was still the strongest raid group.
Because he had some knowledge of kendo, Kirito had adapted to the game quickly and made a name for himself, earning a slot in the raid group.
At the beginning, the group had advertised itself as recruiting all top-tier players. Later, when they failed to attract enough, they opened slots internally to existing members.
But on the surface, they still claimed to be "gathering all experts for the raid," while the extra slots remained a quiet arrangement.
And now, Kibaou was clearly picking a fight.
Several members of the raid group frowned, displeased, but said nothing. Kibaou had not fully exposed the situation, so he had not outright offended anyone.
Sato calmly sent a message.
[Sato: Why is he targeting you?]
[Kirito: Probably because I'm a solo player, and we've had conflicts before.]
[Kirito: Don't act rashly. Leave it to me.]
[Sato: No need. I'll handle it myself.]
Kirito froze and quickly looked up at Sato.
Sato calmly looked at Kibaou, then suddenly smiled. "What makes you think I'm not strong? Do you think calling yourself strong actually makes you strong?"
So now you think I'm harmless?
The smile on Kibaou's face slowly faded, but he did not lash out immediately, showing some restraint.
The surrounding players could not help but laugh.
Kibaou said indifferently, "At the very least, a strong player wouldn't be wandering around in beginner gear."
Hmm?
Only then did many players notice that Sato was still wearing a full set of starter equipment.
"Yeah, that's beginner gear, right?"
"And this guy's supposed to be strong? Haha!"
"Not necessarily. Levels and equipment do improve your strength in this game, but the early boosts aren't that significant. This game places a lot of emphasis on skill and combat awareness."
The players immediately broke into discussion.
Some doubted, some mocked, and some analyzed the situation more rationally.
Sato's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his entire demeanor changed. His gaze became like an unsheathed blade, sharp and unyielding.
[Satoshi has sent you a sparring request!]
Kibaou stared at the virtual screen that popped up in front of him, momentarily stunned.