The key's head resembled the fletching of an arrow, with three Mobius strip–shaped iron rings dividing it into three sections.
The rings themselves were covered with intricate, unfamiliar engravings whose purpose was unclear.
The key's teeth looked much like the classic kind seen in anime.
But if one touched them, they'd discover the surface wasn't smooth at all—it was covered with tiny, imperceptible ridges and grooves.
"Although our ALF no longer participates in the front-line raids, that doesn't mean we've abandoned the higher floors. This key was obtained by one of our guild members during an exploration of a special area on the 39th floor. It's a quest item."
While Akimi and the others examined the key, Thinker pressed his fingers against his temples and sighed.
"According to the system's description, this key seems to be connected to the 39th floor's boss—very likely the crucial item needed to locate the boss room."
"Locate the boss room? What do you mean?"
The three froze for a moment, and Kirito asked with a puzzled look.
Thinker also blinked, apparently surprised they weren't yet aware of the information that no boss room had been found inside the 39th floor's labyrinth tower.
Just as he was about to explain, a message popped up for Kirito—from Argo:
"Kiri-bou—bad news. The 39th floor's boss room isn't in the labyrinth tower. I'm still investigating the exact location, I'll let you know when I find out. Don't forget to pay me my info fee when the time comes～(′▽｀)ノ"
Oh, and she also copied and pasted the exact same message to Akimi—didn't even bother changing the name.
Typical.
Not very professional for a merchant.
Seeing their expressions shift from blank confusion to thoughtful silence, Thinker understood they must have received the news.
Resting his right hand on the desk, he tapped his finger rhythmically on the surface and said in a low voice,
"Just like the 25th floor, there's still no information at all about the boss—except for this key. It's hard not to suspect that something about the 39th floor boss is off."
"And… this boss might be even trickier than the one on the 25th floor," Kirito added with a frown.
"At least that boss room wasn't hidden."
Akimi narrowed his eyes, staring at the large Aincrad map hanging behind Thinker.
Compared to the first floor, the 39th's diameter had already shrunk by about one-fifth, yet it still spanned more than eight kilometers.
Searching the entire thing thoroughly was no easy task—in fact, practically impossible.
The office fell silent for a moment.
Then Akimi looked down at the key on the desk and asked,
"Why ask us for help? Given the situation, wouldn't going to KoB or DDA be a better choice? They have more people, and the highest-level players."
Thinker paused, then smiled.
"Well… at first I did consider working with them, but in the end I gave up. DDA rejects us too strongly—I doubt they'd agree. As for KoB… it's that man, Heathcliff. I always feel like I can't keep any secrets in front of him. He's far too calm—as if everything happening in Aincrad is already within his grasp. He doesn't seem like an ideal partner… Of course, it could just be my own lack of perspective."
Hearing this, Akimi gave him a slightly surprised look.
As expected of the manager of a major gaming information site—he was able to pick up on hidden details from just surface-level observations.
With a bit more information, he might actually be able to guess Heathcliff's true identity.
"That's my reasoning. So, what do you say? Have you made up your minds?" Thinker stroked the stubble on his chin, lowering his voice.
"If you refuse, then ALF will simply have to give up on this key… because I don't believe we currently have the strength to handle it alone."
After exchanging glances, Akimi, Kirito, and Asuna all nodded slightly.
The crucial information was in Thinker's hands, so cooperating held no downside.
And if this key really was tied to the boss room, they'd gain the upper hand in the raid—making their bet with Xilocart as good as won.
"Then here's to a fruitful partnership, all three of you."
--------
"Bang—!"
Xilocart slammed his fist against the trunk of a tree on his right, his face dark and gloomy.
He snapped irritably at the nearby DDA squad leader, who shrank back under his glare:
"Why haven't you found it yet?! Don't tell me the boss room is invisible! Are you all useless? You've been searching for almost two days and still nothing?!"
A few leaves drifted down, brushing against the squad leader's cheek.
He swallowed hard, stammering,
"S-sorry, guild leader… We—we've already searched the entire labyrinth area, but…"
"Then keep searching!"
"Y-yes! Understood!"
The squad leader scrambled away in terror.
Xilocart took a few deep breaths, forcing down his irritation, and his expression gradually returned to calm.
When he had first received the news that the boss room wasn't in the labyrinth tower, he hadn't been alarmed.
After all, SAO had already produced more than its fair share of bizarre twists, so this hardly seemed like a big deal.
He had assumed the boss room could still be found somewhere in the labyrinth area.
But clearly, his judgment had been wrong.
The boss room wasn't in the labyrinth at all.
That realization brought a subtle shift in his mindset.
To make matters worse, the members he had stationed near the Moonlit Black Cats' headquarters reported that Kirito and his group hadn't returned there in the past two days, which only heightened his sense of crisis.
"What on earth… is going on…"
He murmured to himself while absently turning the ring on the little finger of his left hand.
It wasn't that he feared losing the wager—after all, three hundred thousand col was a mere trifle to him.
His move against the Moonlit Black Cats was only ever meant to flush out Kirito.
As for PoH… he was more than happy to let Akimi's group clash with PoH.
What he truly couldn't afford to lose was this rare chance to drive Akimi's party off the front lines.
An opportunity like this wouldn't come a second time.
Plucking a newly fallen leaf, he crushed it between his fingers.
As it disintegrated into glowing fragments, he muttered darkly,
"I'll make sure you obediently retreat from the front lines… and spit out every last resource you've hoarded."
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