50th Floor, Algade.
Satoru brushed past the players coming and going along the street, following the directions in his memory as he wove through the crooked, tangled alleys. The entire 50th Floor had the old, rundown style of a slum. Anyone unfamiliar with its roads getting lost here would hardly be a surprise.
There were no grand or imposing buildings. Most of what stood here were crooked clusters of faded bricks and tiles patched together at random. Compared to the splendor of other floors, the atmosphere here was far more mercantile.
Looking up, one could see hemp ropes strung between the buildings on both sides. They served in place of clotheslines, with no concern for whether they blocked sunlight from reaching the road. In the end, the damp, gloomy environment suited this place perfectly.
Overturned trash cans were common on street corners, spilling out food that was already close to rotting. Most of the quests in town involved things like catching thieves or dealing with gangs of hoodlums.
Compared to green grasslands or endless red wastelands, this cramped and stifling place really was not very likable.
Yet plenty of people used it as their base of operations, making it impossible to guess what sort of tastes they had.
Large numbers of players whose main profession was trading also gathered here.
But just one glance at these messy storefronts was enough to leave the impression of black-market merchants, no matter how honest the owner might actually be.
Satoru sighed and lightly knocked on the tightly shut, thin wooden door. It looked fragile, but without the shop owner's permission, not even smashing your head against it would leave a single crack. Strangely, despite all the tiny holes and gaps in it, it also had miraculous soundproofing.
After a short while, the door was pushed open from the inside, and a burly man glanced out.
"You're here. Come in."
His powerful voice rang like an old bell. In terms of build, he and Didos were both the tall, broad type. But Didos had only looked the part. This man's brawny physique was the real thing.
"No swindling today?"
Satoru quietly stepped into the narrow shop.
"I've always done business with sincerity and honesty," Agil snorted.
"Either way is fine. I have materials here. Same price as before."
Satoru sat down in a practiced manner, took out two cigarettes, and tossed one to Agil.
"Octuple Twin Crystals, huh? As high-grade materials, they're rare and expensive. The drop rate isn't good to begin with, and they only come from high-level monsters. I really have to wonder if you sleep at all, or if you spend the whole day buried in the Labyrinth Tower."
Agil sighed in admiration.
"I'm alone now. Aside from some trash, the assault team's reputation isn't good either. If I don't strengthen myself like mad, I'll be in trouble."
Satoru smiled coldly. Only after lighting the cigarette and holding it between his lips did he glance to the side.
"So, what brings an information broker here to see me?"
He was talking about Argo, who had already been there. Indoors, she was not wearing her hood. Her face, painted with whiskers that made her look somewhat comical, was exposed to the air.
"Can't I come see you for no reason? I just wanted to check whether you were missing a leg," the rat-like girl muttered quietly.
"You and I have always kept things strictly professional, haven't we? It was that way before, and it's the same now," Satoru said flatly.
"..."
"Come on, you've known each other for so long. Why act so distant?"
Agil, who had also put a cigarette in his mouth, stepped in to smooth things over.
"Just get to the point."
Satoru shook his head.
Argo looked at him helplessly.
"We found the Field Boss's location. I discovered it this morning and haven't told the other assault team members yet. If they have to find it on their own, it'll probably take another day or two."
"Good information."
Satoru lowered his eyes and gave a calm appraisal.
"How much?"
"No need..."
Argo turned her face away.
"You're completely cut off from Floor Boss raids now. If this keeps up, the gap between you and the players who participate in boss battles and earn huge profits will only keep growing. Even if you can chase them in level by grinding nonstop, equipment is a different matter. And that's not even counting unique top-tier equipment."
"Field Boss drops can't compare to Floor Boss drops, but they're still first-rate equipment."
"Of course."
Satoru nodded.
"That means I have to pay Col that matches the value of the information. After all, business is business."
"..."
Agil sighed.
Seeing the atmosphere between them change in some strange way again, he could not help pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Look, Yurnero, Argo obviously doesn't want your Col..."
"That's strange. Has the information broker turned into an information giver?"
Satoru asked back.
"Uh..."
Choked by the retort, Agil could only stare.
"I'm grateful that both of you still trusted me after what happened, but try reading the room once in a while."
He paused.
"Little Rat seems to still feel guilty because she called me over back then. But even if you hadn't asked me for help, nothing would have changed. More often than not, circumstances change people. People don't change circumstances. So there's no need to keep giving me information all this time as if you're trying to make it up to me."
"I just wanted... to do what I thought was right," Argo said softly. "Because of malicious red players, clearing this game has become a delicate issue. And if there's anyone who can handle that kind of thing, it's you. That's all I thought when I helped you."
"Oh, so it wasn't guilt?"
"That's..."
Argo hurried to respond.
Satoru let out a long sigh.
"Enough."
"At least when it comes to red players connected to that guy, I have no intention of letting them go."
"Then do you mean sending them to prison, or killing them?" Agil suddenly asked.
"That depends on my mood at the time," Satoru said evenly.
"Is that so... Well, it's good that you're not hesitating. Still, it does make me feel a little complicated."
For someone with chest muscles that large, Agil spoke with surprising delicacy.
"But you really do need to be careful."
"Tell me something else. For example, the current state of the assault team. I've been away for a long time. Even though I'm still on the front lines, I try to avoid those people as much as possible, especially the holy mothers and the ones I screwed over before. Cleaning out my friend list took quite a while."
"About that."
Agil's expression turned slightly serious.
"Diavel is no longer the guild leader of the Divine Dragons Alliance."
"So that once-great Guild on the decline is finally about to fall apart?"
"You made too much trouble back then... The Vice Commander killing red players between floors was secondary. Given the circumstances, the bigger issue was the negative public opinion from your secret embezzlement. Thinking carefully about your position, you probably had no choice but to do it at the time. But a bad thing is still a bad thing. In the turmoil that followed, a large portion of the players left."
"The Liberation Squad, which had originally been active on the lower floors, was already developing poorly. Once the main Guild ran into trouble, things became even more awkward."
"There were plenty of other Guilds watching hungrily, wanting more benefits. Under that kind of competition, this outcome was only natural."
"Especially the Knights of the Blood led by Heathcliff, who has a Unique Skill. I don't need to explain that part to you, do I?"
"Hmm..."
"As guild leader, Diavel was naturally under enormous pressure. With too few people left, he no longer had the standing to interfere in the raids, and there seemed to be internal conflicts too. That's how it ended up like this. Diavel should have formed a small Guild of his own again by now."
"Hmm."
He felt somewhat sorry toward that guy.
"And also..."
Agil and Argo exchanged a glance.
"It seems Sheeta-san has joined the Knights of the Blood."
"..."
Satoru frowned.
"Was she driven out?" he asked coldly.
"It should have been her own decision... Don't worry. She never suffered much fallout from your incident. Diavel looked after her too. Now that Diavel has left, staying in that increasingly hopeless Guild wouldn't do her any good. After some introductions, the Knights of the Blood accepted her."
"Sheeta-san was never like you. She was a popular figure on the front lines. She'd be welcomed anywhere."
"I see."
It seemed part of what he had done back then had been correct after all.
But she was in Heathcliff's Guild?
That silent, rigid man had never left him with a good impression.
The root of it was probably that he also possessed a Unique Skill.
Heathcliff was the first person in all of Aincrad to openly announce that he possessed a Unique Skill. Though before that, there had already been someone who took the first step.
Holy Sword, a trump card said to combine offense and defense. Even against Floor Bosses, it never showed the slightest weakness. No one had even seen his HP enter the yellow zone. Still, after witnessing a dying man grievously wound a BOSS, this news did not shock Satoru all that much.
Perhaps it was because he had once fought one of those strange individuals himself that he could not help being wary.
That man's Azure Gap Halberd.
His own Infinite Sword.
Heathcliff's Holy Sword.
What other things like that still existed?
And what kind of role had been granted to those who received this revelation from the creator?
"This Field Boss might drop some decent weapons... Hey, are you listening?"
Argo poked him.
"Hmm. I was thinking about something for a moment," Satoru said.
"Oh-ho, were you imagining Sheeta-san in the Knights of the Blood uniform? I have to say, the Knights of the Blood's outfits really are beautifully designed. And the women all wear short skirts. Heathcliff isn't as gloomy as he looks, huh?"
Agil chuckled.
"Tch."
Satoru was inexplicably displeased.
"Oh, that's just like an old father getting irritated when he sees his daughter all dressed up and going out."
"Agil, I'm not selling you the materials."
"Please forgive me."
The burly man lowered his head.
"Hey! Listen when people are talking!"
Argo stamped her foot.
"I'm listening. Does it have a chance of dropping a unique-grade weapon?" Satoru asked again.
"You think it'd be that easy? So far, only two or three unique-grade weapons have ever shown up at auction, and their prices were driven sky-high."
Argo glanced at him.
"Besides, don't you already have one yourself? That black curved sword of yours. Be satisfied with that."
"You mean the Blade of the Ancient Scroll?"
Agil seemed to know it well too.
"Speaking of which, how did you get it?"
"It dropped from the Forgotten War Statue on the 36th Floor," Satoru said.
The instant the pale halberd disappeared, that slender pitch-black curved sword had descended.
It was almost like fate.
"The 36th Floor? And you're still using it now? Then its enhancement value must be terrifyingly high."
"I don't plan to replace it, but sooner or later, there will come a day when it can't keep up."
Satoru nodded.
"Haven't you always treated items as nothing more than items?" Argo glanced at him.
"...This one is different."
"Fine, then I hope something good drops for you this time," Agil said. "But a Field Boss isn't something one person can easily handle, is it? Need my help? My two-handed axe proficiency hasn't fallen behind, you know."
If possible, he did not want to reveal anything about Infinite Sword for now.
"It's fine. I contacted her," Argo said, lowering her head.
Both of them froze.
As if the timing had been calculated perfectly, a knock sounded from outside the door.
Agil went to open it with a strange expression.
A girl stepped lightly inside.
"Sir."
"..."
Satoru turned back rather stiffly.
The first things to catch his eye were her red-toned outfit and long golden hair.
"Argo..."
His voice carried clear dissatisfaction.
"Don't look so unhappy... especially when you can't hide the smile at the corner of your mouth."
Argo twirled a lock of hair and avoided Satoru's eyes.