Aincrad, 35th Floor, Labyrinth Forest.
The air at the forest entrance was icy, like solidified iron, pressing down and making it hard to breathe.
Hundreds of top players from various major guilds clearly demarcated their territories, occupying the four directions, yet no one dared to make a sound.
The flickering torchlight reflected on every tense face, illuminating greed, apprehension, and the most primal fear of death.
Tonight was Christmas Eve.
Here, the unique 'Void Item' of the SAO world would be refreshed.
The Revive ITEM.
One life.
These three words were enough to drive the most rational people mad.
To the east, Klein and his FuRinKazAn brothers, clad in crimson armor, stood in a tight formation.
But the knuckles of his hand, gripping his katana, were already slightly white.
On the other side, Keita of the Moonlit Black Cats had palms slick with cold sweat. The top-tier equipment on his guild members, 'friendship-processed' by Chen Mo, was no longer a source of confidence; instead, it had become a heavy burden, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
And occupying the best position was the Knights of the Blood Oath.
Their white uniforms with red trim appeared sacred in the night, as if about to declare a divine oracle.
Leading them was not their commander, Heathcliff, but a tall, elegant female player.
With chestnut hair and a face as delicate as a doll, the ornate rapier hanging at her waist belonged to 'The Flash' Asuna.
She was the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath.
She simply stood there, her cold gaze sweeping across the entire area, silencing all the restless murmurs.
She was no longer the fragile girl hiding beneath a cloak, but a true blood-red rose blooming on the battlefield, beautiful and with a bone-chilling sharpness.
In the crowd, several players from the Holy Dragon Alliance let out malicious, vulgar snickers at her back.
Asuna's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
In that instant, those players felt the temperature around them plummet, an invisible sharpness pressing against their throats, and their laughter abruptly ceased, turning into gasps of terror.
Just in this tense silence, a clear sound of footsteps came from outside the forest.
Neither hurried nor slow.
The sound was not loud, but it was like the drumbeats of death, precisely striking between each person's heartbeats, making their breathing catch.
The crowd stirred.
Players were pushed aside by an invisible aura, their bodies reacting before their minds, involuntarily retreating to both sides, carving out a path to the forbidden death zone.
At the end of the path, a figure slowly emerged.
A pure black midnight trench coat, stripped of all brilliance, yet more oppressive than any divine weapon.
Chen Mo.
Beside him, a petite figure followed closely.
'Argo the Rat'.
Her signature whisker markings on her face could not hide the relaxed and dependent air, starkly different from the rest of the scene.
Her left hand was held tightly by Chen Mo.
She walked in his domain, in the safest place in the world, oblivious to the hundreds of murderous gazes around them.
"god of strategy…"
"Shadow…"
"He… how could he be here?!"
Suppressed gasps erupted from the crowd, and fear surged like a tide, instantly extinguishing the flames of greed.
If the standoff between the major guilds was a pack of wolves fighting over food, then Chen Mo's appearance was that of a true prehistoric tyrannosaurus, intruding upon this cramped hunting ground.
Everyone instinctively recoiled.
Nearly a hundred proud, top-tier players, yet not one dared to speak out or even meet his gaze.
Chen Mo ignored everyone, holding Argo's hand, and walked nonchalantly towards the depths of the forest.
The path paved by awe and fear naturally opened for him.
Until he brushed past Asuna.
"Chen Mo."
A clear and solemn voice broke the silence.
Chen Mo stopped, turned his head, and looked at the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath.
"Asuna."
His voice was calm, devoid of any emotion.
The members of the Knights of the Blood Oath behind Asuna instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons, yet no one dared to take a step forward; they knew better than anyone how formidable this man was.
"You've come too," Asuna said.
Argo squeezed Chen Mo's palm, secretly glancing up at his profile.
"I just came to watch," Chen Mo replied, preparing to continue forward.
"Wait a moment."
This time, it was Kirito who spoke.
He stepped out from the crowd, his [Meteor] sword glowing with a faint purple light in the moonlight.
"Chen Mo, I didn't expect you to be interested in this either."
Kirito's tone carried a hint of probing.
"Kirito." Chen Mo nodded.
"To be honest, I thought you'd continue your solo player route," Kirito shrugged, "After all, it's a Revive ITEM; everyone would be tempted, right?"
"Yes, everyone would be tempted."
Chen Mo's voice held a trace of playfulness.
"However, are you sure you want to waste time here?"
He looked up at the sky.
"Fifteen more minutes until the BOSS spawns."
This statement tightened everyone's nerves once again.
Klein swallowed, his palm, gripping the katana, slick with sweat.
Keita was so nervous that his breathing became rapid.
But what was most surprising was Asuna's sudden remark.
"Chen Mo, I have a suggestion."
She took a step forward, her chestnut hair gently swaying in the night wind.
"Since everyone is here for the same goal, why not cooperate?"
At her words, the entire scene was stunned.
The vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath actually proposed cooperation to Chen Mo?
"Cooperation?" Chen Mo's tone showed a hint of surprise.
"Exactly." Asuna's eyes sharpened, "The intelligence on this Christmas BOSS indicates its strength far exceeds that of a normal floor boss. Even for you, defeating it alone won't be easy."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
"Rather than letting everyone here engage in meaningless internal strife, let's concentrate our strength to ensure we can defeat the BOSS. As for the ownership of the Revive ITEM, we can discuss it afterward."
Asuna's proposal plunged the scene into a brief silence.
Kirito watched her thoughtfully, a flicker of approval in his eyes.
Klein and Keita, among others, began to whisper, clearly moved by the suggestion.
But Chen Mo shook his head.
"No need."
His refusal was concise and direct.
"I said, I just brought Argo to watch the excitement this time."
"Watch the excitement?" Asuna frowned, "You mean you don't intend to participate in the struggle?"
"Struggle for what?"
Chen Mo retorted.
"An ITEM that, in my opinion, isn't important?"
One sentence made everyone's brains crash.
The Revive ITEM, in his eyes, was not important?
"Are you kidding?!" someone in the crowd shouted, losing their voice, "That's a Revive ITEM! A divine artifact that can let dead players start over!"
"Yeah, how could you not care?"
More skeptical voices rose.
Chen Mo merely glanced indifferently at the speaker.
"Because, I don't need it."
His voice was not loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at everyone's heart.
"I won't die."
"So, the Revive ITEM truly has no meaning for me."
The moment these words were spoken, all the noise and discussion at the forest entrance vanished.
Dead silence.
Won't die?
What arrogance!
But the one who spoke these words was Chen Mo.
He was the man who, alone, had cleared dozens of floors.
He was the existence known as the god of strategy.
No one dared to openly question his words.
"In that case…"
Asuna took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart.
"Then we won't hold back."
She turned, about to face the other guild representatives.
"Wait!"
From the back of the crowd, a rough voice boomed.
A burly man pushed through the crowd and strode out. He wore a set of ferocious black heavy armor, carried a huge two-handed sword on his back, and had a deep scar on his face.
"Gilk, the commander of the Holy Dragon Alliance," Argo whispered in Chen Mo's ear, "A very dangerous player. He has several yellow-named and red-named players under him."
Yellow-named and red-named players were those who had blood on their hands.
They were the scum of SAO, engaging in infighting, yet he, as their commander, was a green-named player.
Gilk walked up to Chen Mo, scrutinizing him from above, his face showing undisguised brutality and provocation.
"god of strategy?"
He bared his teeth, revealing a cruel smile.
"I want to see what right you have to utter such a boast as 'I won't die'."
A cold killing intent spread, undisguised.
Everyone held their breath.
Who didn't know Chen Mo's formidable reputation?
Yet there was still a madman who dared to challenge him?
Chen Mo slowly raised his head, his unfathomably deep eyes calmly fixed on Gilk.
He released Argo's hand and took a step forward.
"You want to try?"
His voice was very soft, yet it carried an indifference that sounded like a declaration of outcome.
"Then let's try."