[First Floor, Labyrinth Area]
Inside the dimly lit passage, only the faint glow from the moss on the walls barely illuminated the path ahead.
The air was thick with the dampness of rock and the stench of monsters.
"Hiss—!"
A Kobold Soldier let out its final screaming, its raised scimitar frozen in mid-air. A precise sword mark pierced through the gaps in its armor at its chest.
The next second, its body shattered into countless blue polygonal fragments, scattering away.
Chen Mo withdrew his quenching longsword, its blade shimmering with silver light, without a trace of blood.
He opened the menu and glanced at his experience bar; he was still a ways off from Level 12.
It was the third day since the servers opened.
While most players were still expressing their fear and despair in the Town of Beginning's square, or cautiously grinding wild boars in the safe zones around the town, Chen Mo had already ventured alone deep into the core of the Labyrinth Area.
For these three days, he had barely slept, pushing all the resources, hidden quest clues, and efficient grinding spots for the First Floor in his mind to their absolute limit.
The rewards were remarkable.
Level 11, far exceeding the average level of current players.
One-handed sword proficiency broke through 200, unlocking the two-hit sword skill [Vertical Square].
In his backpack lay several green-grade equipment with good stats, and a pile of rare materials that would make any crafting player envious.
"Beep."
A friend message notification sounded; it was Argo.
"Hey, little brother, the monster distribution map for the labyrinth's outskirts you gave me is selling like crazy! Those big guilds are practically throwing ke'er around like water. This is your cut for this time."
A substantial amount of ke'er was credited to his account.
Chen Mo casually replied, "Information from deeper inside is worth more."
"I know, I know, you black-hearted information broker!" Argo sent a playful sticking-out-tongue emoji. "But seriously, don't go too deep alone. The Assault Team, those Closed Beta Player elites, just organized today and are preparing to collectively raid the labyrinth. Your progress has already surpassed theirs."
"Got it."
Chen Mo closed the dialogue box, his eyes unwavering.
Assault Team?
He never thought of associating with that group of people.
What he wanted to do was always stay ahead of everyone, maximizing the advantage of information asymmetry.
Just as he was about to delve deeper, a very faint but unusually steady sound of footsteps came from around the corner deeper in the passage.
Chen Mo's pupils contracted slightly.
He immediately turned sideways, concealing himself in the shadow of a large rock, even slowing his breathing.
The passive perception from his [Enemy Search] skill allowed him to clearly distinguish that these were not monster footsteps.
It was a player.
A player who could reach this position alone on the third day.
In all of SAO, there were only a handful.
A figure emerged from around the corner.
It was a black-haired youth, dressed in a set of green leather armor from the starting village, which seemed out of place in this environment. However, the one-handed sword in his hand was held with exceptional steadiness.
He walked very cautiously, each step landing on the most stable stone surface, his gaze scanning every corner where a monster might hide like a radar.
An experienced veteran.
Chen Mo's gaze fell upon the other person's face.
Kirigaya Kazuto.
The future Black Swordsman, wielder of Dual Blades, the terminator of SAO.
At this moment, a hint of youthful naivete still lingered on his face, but his dark eyes already showed a focus and calmness far beyond ordinary people.
Just as Kirito passed the rock where Chen Mo was hiding, he seemed to sense something, and his footsteps suddenly halted!
He didn't turn around immediately, but instead, with the corner of his eye, he glanced at that deep shadow.
"Who's there?"
Kirito's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable wariness.
Was he discovered?
Chen Mo was a little surprised. His [Tracking] and anti-tracking skills were enough to allow him to blend into the environment, yet he didn't expect to still be caught by the other party's intuition.
As expected of… Kirito.
"Just a passing player."
Chen Mo stepped out of the shadows, his demeanor composed.
The moment Kirito saw Chen Mo, his pupils contracted sharply.
His gaze was fixed on the quenching longsword in Chen Mo's hand.
The sword's shape, luster, and the faintly emanating sharp aura far surpassed any weapon he knew players could obtain at this stage.
"This sword…" Kirito subconsciously tightened his grip on his own weapon. "How did you get it?"
"A reward from a hidden quest." Chen Mo's answer was flawless.
"Hidden quest?" Kirito frowned even deeper. He was also a Closed Beta Player, and he believed he knew all the quests on the First Floor like the back of his hand, yet he had never heard of a quest that rewarded a weapon of this caliber.
This man before him exuded an air of mystery.
Well-equipped, definitely not low-level, and capable of silently lurking beside him.
His strength was unfathomable.
"My name is Kirito." He voluntarily introduced himself; this was a test, and also a sign of respect.
"Chen Mo."
The two looked at each other, and an invisible electric current seemed to crisscross in the air.
They both saw the same thing in each other's eyes—loneliness, and the power hidden beneath that loneliness.
Just then, a series of messy footsteps and heavy breathing came from the direction they had come from.
"Quick! There's light ahead, we should be near the exit!"
"Damn it, the monsters here are too fierce, we almost didn't make it back!"
Three players rushed over in a disheveled state. The leader was a burly man wielding a giant axe, with multiple damaged areas on his armor and less than half of his HP remaining.
When they saw Chen Mo and Kirito standing there unharmed, they were first stunned. Then, a hint of greed and jealousy flashed in the burly man's eyes.
Especially when he saw Chen Mo's quenching longsword, his breathing became heavy.
"Hey, you two!" The burly man pointed his axe at them, adopting a condescending posture. "You two look like Closed Beta Player too, right? Don't you know the rules? This is our 'Giant Axe Alliance's' discovered grinding spot. If you know what's good for you, hand over your equipment and ke'er, otherwise…"
His two followers immediately drew their weapons, evil smiles on their faces.
Kirito's expression darkened. What he most detested were these scoundrels who still lorded over others in a death game.
He was about to speak, but Chen Mo moved first.
No one saw his movements clearly.
They just felt a blur before their eyes, and Chen Mo's figure had already closed in on the burly man like a ghost.
A cold sword tip rested against the burly man's throat.
Fast!
Extremely fast!
The burly man didn't even have time to think about raising his axe to defend himself before the chill of death enveloped his entire body.
"You just said… otherwise what?"
Chen Mo's voice was soft, yet it was like an ice pick, piercing into the bones of the three men.
"I… I…" The burly man's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
He could feel that with just a slight flick of the other party's wrist, his HP would instantly drop to zero.
In this world, that meant true death.
"Leave your things."
"Scram!"
Chen Mo uttered a single word and withdrew his longsword.
Killing would increase sin points, which would prevent him from obtaining many NPC quests, so it wasn't worth it.
The three men, as if granted a great pardon, dropped their weapons on the ground and scrambled away, disappearing around the other end of the passage.
The entire process took less than three seconds.
Kirito stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Chen Mo's retreating figure, his heart churning with shock.
The speed that erupted in that instant… definitely wasn't an ordinary sword skill!
It was some kind of high-level displacement technique, combined with the speed of his sword draw, it was practically a guaranteed kill.
Who exactly was this man named Chen Mo?
"An interesting farce." Chen Mo turned around, as if he had just done something trivial. He extended an invitation to Kirito, "The path ahead isn't very safe to walk alone. Team up?"
Kirito was silent for a moment.
He instinctively resisted teaming up with others; certain experiences during the Closed Beta made him prefer to trust himself.
But this man before him, both in terms of strength and that unfathomable sense of mystery, made him unable to refuse.
More importantly, he wanted to know how many secrets this man still hid.
"…Okay."
The two successfully formed a party and continued deeper into the labyrinth.
About ten minutes later, a magnificent treasure chest appeared in the center of the passage. Intricate magical patterns were carved on its body, emitting an alluring blue glow.
"Treasure chest trap." Kirito recognized it at a glance. "I encountered it during the Closed Beta. An elite monster appears when you open it."
"Mm." Chen Mo nodded. "Chest Guardian Garon, Level 10, high attack, thick defense, very troublesome."
Kirito looked at him in surprise.
He only knew it was an elite monster, but he didn't know the monster's specific name and level.
This man knew even this kind of information so clearly?
"My level is only 8. Your level should be higher than mine, but two people fighting a Level 10 elite monster is very risky," Kirito calmly analyzed.
"Risk?"
Chen Mo smiled.
He walked to the treasure chest, and without the slightest hesitation, directly reached out and lifted the lid.
"No."
"The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish!"
Crimson light erupted from the ground, and a massive figure made of rock slowly condensed within the magic circle!
[Chest Guardian Garon]
[Elite Monster]
[Level: 10]
[HP: 2500 / 2500]
The stone guardian's eyes lit up with a bloodthirsty red glow, locking onto the two intruders before it.
Kirito tightened his grip on his sword, adrenaline beginning to surge.
He looked at Chen Mo beside him, but found that the other party's face, far from being nervous, held a hint of… anticipation?