Upon entering the Boss temple, the surroundings were bizarre and colorful, not merely a sealed space; the walls were multi-colored.
Appearing before Asuna was Ilfang, the red-skinned Kobold Lord, an extremely massive creature carrying a shield and wielding a giant axe.
"…"
Unlike ordinary Lizardmen, this monster, upon its appearance, gave Asuna an extremely strong sense of oppression; it was incomparable to the smaller mobs.
It was very strong.
However, she didn't flinch this time. If she hid in town, she wouldn't gain any growth; only through continuous training and learning techniques in battle could she gain the strength to fight monsters.
Only then could she have the strength to fight monsters.
"Is… is this the Boss?"
As a spear user, Sachi thought about fighting this massive monster in front of her. Her personality was usually calm, but a flicker of fear flashed deep in her eyes.
She even subconsciously looked behind her, at Shiraishi Kawa, who was treated specially by Kochou Shinobu and Asuna. His strength should be very strong, right?
Kochou Shinobu, however, remained composed. With the bestowal of her Hedonistic Chosen status and the increase in her overall comprehensive attribute values, she felt confident.
Coupled with Insect Breathing, even when facing the Temple Boss, her thought was not to embarrass Shiraishi-kun.
With a gentle smile, she asked, "Shiraishi-kun, do you need me to help them in battle?"
"Yes."
According to the timeline, Asuna, trapped in the SAO game, had not left the inn, and naturally hadn't leveled up with her friend Mito.
As for Asuna's current strength, Shiraishi Kawa didn't have too high expectations.
What he truly valued was her potential as the 'Flash'; in the original plot, it was half a year later.
To be precise, Asuna was a gaming novice.
He had no intention of forcibly interfering, and said in a relaxed tone, "You just attack; I will assist you slightly in battle."
"Okay!"
With sufficient safety assured, even Sachi gripped her spear, preparing to start the raid, as other members of the raid party arrived.
The Floor Temple Boss Ilfang, whose aggro had been completely drawn, directly summoned a large number of red-skinned Kobold soldiers.
The party's rhythm was slightly disrupted.
Shiraishi Kawa glanced at Diavel, the leader of the raid party, and said decisively, "You deal with these small mobs; we have a plan for the Boss raid."
"Many of the players participating in SAO are novices. Are you sure doing this won't harm them?"
Diavel's expression was solemn regarding Shiraishi Kawa's arrangement, but he still organized the other players to begin clearing the Kobold minions.
He really wanted to ask, why, as a male in the party, could he stand at the back with a clear conscience?
But seeing Shiraishi Kawa's indifferent eyes, Diavel ultimately swallowed his words.
He turned and instructed the reluctant members of the raid party, "First clear the Kobold monsters, then consider raiding the Boss!"
"Let's try to clear it successfully today."
"…"
The temple door had closed; to leave, they could only kill the dungeon Boss. Although they were dissatisfied with Shiraishi Kawa's arrangements, their lives were at stake.
They all fought diligently.
Diavel thought his act of helping to share the pressure would make Shiraishi Kawa change his attitude slightly, but when he turned around, he realized that Shiraishi Kawa's attention was entirely focused on Asuna's battle with the Boss.
The Kobold Lord, wielding a giant axe, didn't attack particularly fast, but each time it swung its axe, the terrifying force seemed to tear the air apart.
Having only simply mastered combat techniques, Asuna knew she absolutely couldn't go head-to-head.
She used her agility to dodge with a step back, and the sharp axe that slammed into the ground directly caused cracks to appear in the floor.
Kochou Shinobu, seizing the Boss's attack recovery time, used her increased physical stats and combat-enhancing breathing technique.
Butterfly Dance, Teasing.
Her figure was as light as a butterfly, launching a sudden assault, her Nichirin Blade continuously thrusting at the Kobold Lord Ilfang.
The sword light was hard to catch, let alone allowing the Kobold Lord to make any defensive moves!
Sachi, finding the right moment, swept her spear horizontally towards the Kobold Lord's arm. Although she had not undergone any training before, they already had the most basic coordination.
The drop in HP caused the Kobold Lord to roar and use its giant axe to sweep at targets in front of it. However, as the ground turned to quicksand, it lost its balance, causing its swing direction to shift.
It successfully tore through the air!
Asuna, noticing the dangerous scene just now, only saw the quicksand-like palace floor, realizing this was Shiraishi Kawa's method of assistance.
He wasn't forcibly raiding the Boss but giving her space to train and improve.
She seized the opportunity to use her unique sword skill, 'Parallel Stab,' to continuously attack the Kobold.
There was no difficult situation as expected.
With Kochou Shinobu as the main damage dealer, the gradually cohesive raid party had begun to enter the battle rhythm. Once the surrounding small mobs were cleared, the raid party finally had the room to face the Boss.
Seeing the retreating Kobold Lord, a joy of impending victory was palpable. As the leader of the raid party, Diavel, he turned his gaze to the increasingly high-spirited members and decisively said, "This is the most hopeful day! Prepare for the final assault on the dungeon Boss!"
"Alright!!"
"Finally, we can complete the first stage of the raid. The Kobold Lord's HP is still over 30%; we can definitely kill it together."
However, Shiraishi Kawa's calm tone poured cold water on the increasingly enthusiastic raid party members. Didn't he understand Diavel's intentions?
Diavel just wanted to take advantage of the chaos to snatch the kill of the Floor Boss.
He would absolutely not allow any other player to interfere with the low-floor, high-intensity battle that served as a training ground for Asuna and Sachi to improve their strength.
"If you interfere in this battle, your fate will be similar to that of the Kobolds."
"What do you mean?"
Diavel's face instantly darkened. With no Kobold soldiers left, only the low-health Lord Boss remained, so the meaning was very clear.
If they interfered in the battle, it would mean being enemies with Shiraishi Kawa, Asuna, and the others.
"The meaning is very clear. If you want to leave the SAO game world, you only need to clear the small mobs; our team will handle the rest."
Shiraishi Kawa shook his head gently.
He didn't waste his attention on the players. As the Kobold Boss's HP was critically low and about to enter its enraged state, he drew the katana from his waist.
Asuna hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the situation.
Her HP was almost at rock bottom, and she would soon complete the raid on the first Boss, filling her heart with joy. She prepared to continue her attack, but then she noticed that the Kobold Lord wasn't using its giant axe.
It drew a massive beheading sword from its waist, preparing for a fierce attack. Asuna even briefly stopped thinking; her sword skill had already been used, and she couldn't retreat.
"Could it… end here?"
This thought suddenly bloomed in her heart. None of the players present had anticipated that the Floor Boss would have another form.
At this speed of attack… she couldn't react at all. Only death awaited Asuna. However, the scene that followed left countless people present stunned.
"…"
Thanks to the proficiency panel, using magic skills required no incantation.
Shiraishi Kawa didn't choose other attack methods that required charging; he pointed at the Kobold Lord, golden lightning leaping from his fingertips.
As an Archmage, the lightning, a non-charging lightning-based attack, struck the Kobold Lord Ilfang at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
The surge of immense magical power amplified even a basic magic spell to unleash incredibly terrifying damage, instantly delivering a headshot to the enraged Boss.
You have successfully killed the Kobold Lord, gaining 2000 experience points.
The battle ended in an instant, drawing the gaze of all the players present to Shiraishi Kawa.
If they hadn't been mistaken, the final move that killed the Kobold Lord wasn't a sword skill; it was more like magic from an online game!
"What… what's going on?!"
"Didn't the SAO game say this was a world of sword skills, with no magic? Is this a bug, or a hidden reward?"
"Beta tester?"
"I'm a beta tester! I've met so many people, and none of them could use magic; they all used combat techniques!"
Even the leader of the raid party, Diavel, now had an expression of disbelief.
He looked at Shiraishi Kawa, who had remained silent and calm, now filled with deep apprehension.
He had originally wanted to question Shiraishi Kawa, asking if he intended to rely on those few people in the raid party to oppose all players who wished to leave.3.3
However… he swallowed those words. Not to mention Kochou Shinobu, who was already strong, he hadn't expected Shiraishi Kawa, who seemed to be slacking the most in the party, to possess such strength!
"As a raid team, you only need to be responsible for clearing the small mobs. The dungeon Boss will be handled by our raid party. My proposal…"
"Who among you agrees and approves?"
He still needed the players as pawns.
Shiraishi Kawa's indifferent gaze swept over Diavel, his questioning tone carrying an undeniable authority. Seeing Diavel frozen in place with no reaction, he didn't pay it any mind.
Asuna, relieved and still shaken, walked over proactively, her eyes full of gratitude. Just as she was about to say something… a heartfelt expression of thanks, she saw Shiraishi Kawa wave his hand.
He said indifferently, "Captain, the still needs to recruit."
"..."
After all, she was in front of so many players, and Asuna, who was a bit thin-skinned, still blushed and announced hesitantly.
"Currently, the team... still needs players."
"Identity... if your identity is a beautiful girl, you can sign up with me for consultation. We will safely lead you out of the SAO World!!"