The day before Christmas Eve, a rare warmth permeated the streets of Gransam.
Players spontaneously hung simple wreaths woven from glowing plants at storefronts, and the sweet scent of baked bread and ale mingled in the air.
Walking down such a street, Chen Mo felt a touch of novelty.
He had hidden the glowing effects of his equipment; his black Midnight Windbreaker shed all its murderous aura, looking like nothing more than a high-quality ordinary coat.
Even so, as he walked by, surrounding players would instinctively step aside.
It was an unspoken aura, the oppressive feeling carved deep into his soul after countless solo BOSS raids.
The coordinates Argo sent pointed to an inconspicuous restaurant in a corner of the town.
Its facade was warm oak, and orange-yellow lights streamed from the windows, like a fireplace in a cold night.
Chen Mo pushed open the door.
A wave of heat, a mix of food aromas and boisterous voices, rushed towards him.
"Yo, look who it is! Our god of strategy, who needs Argo herself to personally invite him before he deigns to move!"
Kirito was the first to spot him, leaning lazily against his chair back, raising a cup, a familiar teasing smirk on his lips.
Around the long wooden table, heads were packed together.
Kirito, Asuna, Klein and his core members of FuRinKazAn, and even Keita and Sachi from Moonlit Black Cats were there.
Argo stood by the table with her hands on her hips, like a tiny supervisor, directing the placement of dishes.
Seeing Chen Mo, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she jogged over with light steps, very naturally taking his arm and guiding him to the head seat.
"Sit, sit! The protagonist has finally arrived!"
Her actions were incredibly familiar, without a hint of awkwardness.
The several burly men from FuRinKazAn around them immediately let out a burst of good-natured laughter, and Klein even winked at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo's body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment, but then relaxed.
He did not struggle, letting the girl settle him in that seat of honor.
The dishes on the table were astonishingly lavish.
Golden crispy roasted whole pig, creamy rich soup made from high-tier lake fish, salad garnished with glowing berries... Many ingredients, Chen Mo recognized at a glance as rare drops from high-tier dungeon areas.
"This... isn't this too extravagant?" Klein looked at the table full of hard dishes, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Hehe, this is a celebration banquet for our great Lord Chen Mo's triumphant return!" Argo puffed out her small chest, her pride almost overflowing.
"Don't make up nicknames." Chen Mo said lightly, picking up his cutlery.
"I didn't make it up! The forums are all calling you that now, alright?" Argo didn't care, instead, like presenting a treasure, she pointed to the two most exquisite dishes on the table.
"Quick, try this! 'Dragon's Breath Grilled Wings'! Made from the wings of a thirty-seventh floor fire lizard; for the information and ingredients, my little piggy bank is almost empty!"
The plate of grilled wings was a reddish-brown color, with subtle heat even distorting the air above the surface, and a spicy, dominant meaty aroma rushed into the nasal cavity.
As soon as she finished speaking, Asuna quietly pushed another dish towards Chen Mo.
It was a plate of "Crystal Shrimp."
In the translucent glass dish, each shrimp was crystal clear, uniformly sized, and exquisitely plated like a work of art, emitting a fresh, sweet fragrance.
"Try this too."
Asuna's voice was as cool as ever, yet it hid a hint of expectation that she herself hadn't noticed.
"Oh ho?" Even the thick-skinned Klein sniffed out an unusual atmosphere. He looked at Argo, then at Asuna, and suddenly realized, "These two dishes, you two made them yourselves?"
"Of course!" Argo immediately lifted her chin, like a proud little peacock, "My 'Dragon's Breath Grilled Wings' are definitely the top-tier offensive dish in SAO!"
Asuna did not speak, merely elegantly tidied her own cutlery, but that silent confidence was more powerful than any declaration.
The hubbub at the dinner table quieted for a strange moment.
Everyone's gaze focused on Chen Mo, or more precisely, on the fork he was about to extend towards those two dishes.
Kirito suppressed his laughter, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Sachi watched the scene with wide-eyed curiosity.
Klein simply crossed his arms, with an expression ready to enjoy the annual grand show.
Chen Mo glanced at the two of them.
Argo's face practically screamed "Praise me," her eyes sparkling.
Asuna, on the other hand, appeared calm, but her slightly pursed lips betrayed the turmoil within her.
He first speared a piece of Asuna's Crystal Shrimp with his fork and put it into his mouth.
The ultimate sweetness instantly exploded on his taste buds.
The shrimp had a Q-elastic and smooth texture; the cooking time and seasoning were frighteningly precise, perfectly bringing out the purest flavor of the ingredient itself.
"How is it, how is it?" Argo was more nervous than Asuna herself, blurting out the question.
Asuna also stopped her movements, her ears subtly twitching.
"Very good." Chen Mo gave a two-word evaluation.
A barely perceptible upward curve appeared at the corner of Asuna's lips.
Argo immediately deflated like a punctured ball, but then quickly rallied, urging, "Then try mine!"
Chen Mo complied, spearing another piece of "Dragon's Breath Grilled Wings."
The moment the grilled wing entered his mouth, a violent spiciness mixed with a rich meaty aroma, like a volcanic eruption, swept through his entire oral cavity.
It wasn't just simple spiciness, but a rich, layered, and dominant aroma that could instantly ignite one's fighting spirit.
After swallowing, a warm current seemed to surge through all his limbs and bones.
"What about mine? What about mine?" Argo leaned over, like a kitten waiting to be fed.
Chen Mo put down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, he slowly spoke.
"Asuna's shrimp is suitable to eat before raiding a BOSS."
"It can keep one's mind highly calm and focused."
He paused, his gaze turning to Argo.
"Your grilled wings are suitable to eat after a successful raid."
"Very stress-relieving."
That one sentence almost made Kirito spit out the wine in his mouth.
What kind of evaluation was that? A combat value analysis report for food?
Asuna was also stunned; she had imagined countless answers, but never this one.
Argo blinked, dumbfounded, and it took her a long time to react, then she indignantly slapped the table.
"You're cheating! That's too sly!"
Despite her words, the smile on her face was impossible to hide.
A subtle, undercurrent-filled dining table showdown was thus completely resolved by Chen Mo in his unique, unromantic yet incredibly precise way.
The atmosphere grew lively again.
Klein began to boast about how he had saved his teammates from monsters during his last raid.
Kirito was pressured into sharing an embarrassing story about mistakenly hitting on an NPC, which made Sachi cover her mouth, her eyes crinkling in laughter.
Chen Mo mostly listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word or two.
He looked at the noisy, vibrant scene before him, the lamplight reflected in his eyes, diluting the loneliness of his solitary journey into the dark abyss.
Perhaps, this wasn't so bad.
"What do you guys think the reward for tomorrow's Christmas event will be?" Klein took a sip of wine and asked loudly.
"Definitely a super rare ITEM!" someone at the table casually replied.
Chen Mo, of course, knew what it was, but he didn't speak.
Dinner ended with laughter and joy.
Chen Mo and Argo walked out together.
The night breeze was cool, carrying the tranquility of Christmas Eve.
"You know what tomorrow's event reward is, right?"
Argo's voice carried a hint of post-wine tipsiness. She leaned gently against Chen Mo, her warm breath brushing his neck, ticklish.
Chen Mo draped his black coat over her, not answering, but the slight smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed his reply.
"You're always like this, knowing everything."
Argo pretended to be angry, pouting as she snuggled into Chen Mo's embrace.
Snow was still falling; it was the best night for the players of SAO.