In the clearing below, the battle was brutal.
Six players were back-to-back in a circle, and all around them, over a dozen massive [Forest Mantis （Forest Mantis）] were in the middle of a frantic siege.
While this monster's individual attack power isn't exactly top-tier, they excel with fast attack speed and a Pack Hunting AI setting; once you're surrounded, there's no escape.
That six-player party's composition was actually quite complete—there was a tank with a hammer, DPS with spears, and even a rogue shivering in the back trying to throw daggers.
But their teamwork was a total mess.
That bald powerhouse with the big hammer—Tetsuo—was currently struggling to defend with his tower shield, sparks flying as three mantises hacked at him.
And in the very center of the group, a young man holding a one-handed club was directing them, his face full of anxiety, but he simply couldn't organize any effective counterattack.
Keita.
Moonlit Black Cats.
Ye You's gaze instantly locked onto this group of people.
Although he knew he'd run into these doomed-to-be-tragic guys at some point, he didn't expect it to be this soon, and in such a pathetic situation.
His gaze shifted.
Ye You looked toward the most inconspicuous corner of the group.
Standing there was a girl with short, deep blue hair. She wore a set of rather thin leather armor, her hands tightly gripping a buckler and a short spear, her whole body trembling violently.
Sachi （Sachi）.
At this moment, facing those hideous monsters brandishing scythes, she didn't even have the courage to thrust her spear; she just held her shield tightly against her chest, eyes shut tight, her mouth seemingly muttering something.
"She's really... so weak it's heartbreaking."
Ye You sighed to himself.
Just then, the defensive line collapsed.
Because of a blocking mistake, Tetsuo was knocked back two steps by a mantis's heavy blow, crashing right into the teammate behind him.
The circle formation that was barely holding up suddenly had a huge gap appear.
"Hiss—!"
The monsters weren't going to miss this chance.
Two elite mantises, which had been wandering the perimeter looking for an opening, suddenly buzzed their wings, turning into two green blurs, leaping right over the front-line tanks and pouncing on the weakest target in the back row.
It was exactly Sachi.
"Sachi! Watch out!"
Keita's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he tried to rush over to rescue her, but he was held back by the monsters right in front of him.
Sachi heard the shouting and opened her eyes in terror.
What met her eyes were two giant scythes glinting with a cold light.
She couldn't dodge.
Her mind went completely blank, her body stiff.
Am I going to die?
Tears surged out of her eyes uncontrollably.
[Ding!]
[Desperate Rescue target detected!]
[Target: Sachi （Sachi）.]
[Current status: Extreme fear, gave up resistance, life in danger.]
[Desperation Level: Rank B+.]
[System Notification: Host, even though this is just a lost little kitten, saving such a fragile soul often yields unexpected rewards. Not to mention, you don't want to see a tragedy repeat itself, right?]
"You talk too much."
Ye You's gaze sharpened.
At the very moment those two scythes were about to tear the girl apart.
He moved.
He leaped down from the tree canopy.
With the acceleration of gravity and the buff from [Flowing Light Footwork], his speed reached the absolute limit.
"Clang—!"
The Mithril Alloy Sword was unsheathed.
A sharp, silver-blue sword light suddenly flared up in the dim Mist Forest.
Pfft! Pfft!
Two muffled sounds that almost overlapped.
The two elite mantises, still in mid-air, froze instantly.
Right after that.
Their bodies were sliced cleanly through the middle, the cuts as smooth as mirrors.
Immense inertia sent their upper halves flying, landing right at Sachi's feet before dissolving into a shower of blue data fragments.
"Thud."
Ye You landed steadily.
Total silence.
Whether it was the members of the Moonlit Black Cats or the mantises that were still attacking frantically, everyone seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Two elite monsters killed instantly with one hit?
What kind of damage is that?
"Why are you just standing there?"
Ye You didn't look back. "Tanks, raise your shields. Rogues, go to the left to pull aggro. Spearmen, stop poking aimlessly. Focus fire on that low-HP one on the right."
The group, which had been a chaotic mess, instinctively moved according to his orders.
"Y-Yes!"
Tetsuo gave a loud roar, raised his tower shield again, and slammed the monster in front of him aside.
With the addition of Ye You as a powerful external reinforcement, the tide of battle turned instantly.
Ye You didn't take it all upon himself to clear all the monsters.
Three minutes later.
As the last mantis shattered into pieces, the battle ended.
"Huff... huff..."
Keita slumped on the ground, gasping for air, his face filled with the relief of a survivor.
The other guild members also collapsed on the floor in unsightly heaps; only Sachi, holding her spear, still stood there in a daze.
She watched the back of the figure in black as he wiped his blade, her hands still tightly clutching her shield.
The despair of that moment followed by the sudden relief—this massive contrast made her brain crash slightly.
"Um..."
Sachi opened her mouth.
Ye You sheathed his sword and turned around.
His gaze swept over the pathetic-looking newbies before finally landing on Sachi.
Tears still hung from the corners of the girl's eyes, making her look quite pitiful.
But Ye You didn't give them a friendly look at all.
"If you don't want to die, go back to the First Floor and take up farming while you still can."
Ye You walked up to Sachi and looked at her, "In this game, cowardice is a poison more terrifying than monsters. In a situation like just now, even blindly thrusting your spear with your eyes closed would have been better than standing there like a log waiting to die."
These words were very harsh.
Sachi's body trembled, her originally pale cheeks flushed bright red, and tears began to well up in her eyes again.
"Hey! Watch your mouth!"
Tetsuo, standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore and struggled to get up, "She's a girl! And she really was scared just now..."
"A girl?"
Ye You sneered, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "Does a monster check your gender before killing you? When Akihiko Kayaba locked you all in here, did he ask if you were minors?"
Tetsuo was left speechless.
"In this world, there are only dead people and living people. If you want to live, put away that ridiculous sentimentality."
After Ye You finished, he turned to leave.
He'd saved those who needed saving, and scolded those who needed scolding.
For a team destined to take the long way around, sometimes a harsh tongue-lashing is more effective at waking them up than gentle comfort.
"W-Wait a minute!"
Keita quickly scrambled up and stepped in front of Ye You to block him.
Although he also felt a bit embarrassed by the scolding, his eyes were filled more with gratitude and awe.
"Just now... thank you so much! If you hadn't stepped in, we might have all ended up dead here."
Keita gave a deep bow, "My name is Keita, the leader of the Moonlit Black Cats. Um... although it's a bit forward, may I ask for our savior's name?"
Ye You stopped and glanced at him.
"Ye You."
"Mr. Ye You!"
Keita's eyes lit up, "Seeing your skills just now, you must be a pro from the Clearers, right? Even though we're a small guild and don't have much money, we absolutely must repay you for saving our lives! Could we... invite you for a drink at the village ahead?"
Ye You originally wanted to refuse.
But just then, the system notification sound rang in his mind again.
[Ding!]
[Rescue mission complete.]
[Target: Sachi.]
[Evaluation: Although your methods were a bit rough, you successfully planted the seed of "strength = sense of security" in the target's heart.]
[Reward obtained: Special accessory "Soul Bell （Soul Bell）", free attribute points +3.]
[Triggered chain hidden mission: The Lost Black Cat.]
[Mission Description: The Moonlit Black Cats are about to face a disaster capable of destroying them. As the host, you have two choices: 1. Sit idly by and witness the tragedy; 2. Intervene in causality and rewrite fate.]
[Current stage: Accept the invitation and get to know these idiots better.]
Ye You looked at that mission panel, his brow slightly raised.
Rewrite fate?
That damn trap room, and that Christmas that made Kirito shut himself away for half a year.
Since the system has already fed me the meal, it would be a bit rude to spit it back out.
"Forget about the drinks."