When the vines hidden beneath the soil at her feet suddenly began to move, Yuuki Asuna knew she had already stepped into a monster's trap.
What she had not expected was that so many black vines were buried in the ground around this large tree. Together they formed a tightly woven net, turning this place into an inescapable snare. Any creature that stepped into it found itself unable to break free once caught, and she was one of them…
Although she wanted to resist, the moment she noticed the movement on the ground, the vines on the tree dropped down and struck the rapier in her hand, knocking it away and robbing her of any means to fight back.
The vines coiled around her wrists and lifted her into the air. At the same time, more vines began to wrap around her body.
She could not help but cry out for help, and regret began to creep into her heart.
When she had first entered this game, she had also been amazed by how real the world felt.
However, after her first time leaving the city and fighting wild monsters… she had returned to the real world and vomited for an entire day, taking several days to recover.
Fortunately, her mental resilience was strong. After adjusting herself, she reentered the game and began trying to level up and progress.
Today was her second day back in the game. While at the plaza, she had overheard that someone was attempting to clear a boss in the Dark Forest, which piqued her interest, so she ventured in alone.
But without an accurate map, she had strayed into this swamp and become trapped here.
As the vines tightened further, Yuuki Asuna felt waves of pain coming from her wrists.
The device used to log into this game was unbelievably powerful. Not only did it provide an almost indistinguishable virtual reality experience, it also possessed a terrifyingly realistic five-sense system.
Fortunately, these systems could be adjusted. Otherwise… she could not imagine how anyone could remain calm and continue fighting after being attacked by those beasts.
As more and more vines wrapped around her, Yuuki Asuna had already decided to give up and log out of the game.
But at that moment, she saw a figure rushing toward her. Seeing hope, she could not help but shout excitedly, "Save me!"
Sato was already close at hand, though his expression was somewhat strange.
At this moment, a scene that Eriri loved to draw was unfolding. If Eriri were here, she would probably excitedly pull out her sketchbook and draw the scene first, ignoring the girl's plea for help.
The black vines were numerous, densely covering both the base of the withered tree and the body of the flaxen-haired girl.
Sato stepped across the swamp and carefully approached. With a few swings of the beginner's longsword in his hand, he cut through the vines on the ground.
The vines climbing the tree began to stir violently, launching a coordinated attack at Sato. Like sharp spears, they pierced through the air, producing chilling whistling sounds.
"Watch out!"
Yuuki Asuna cried out nervously.
Facing the incoming vines moving at terrifying speed, Sato's expression did not change in the slightest.
His face remained calm as his beginner's longsword suddenly thrust out like lightning. As the bright silver blade flashed through the air, two of the charging vines were cleanly severed in the middle.
Then Sato shifted his body toward the now safe side, dodging the remaining attacks. His sword followed through in an upward sweep, slicing the rest of the vines in half.
In just a brief moment, the ground was covered with broken black vines, their thick sap spilling everywhere.
Yuuki Asuna stared blankly at the scene. The strength the boy used did not seem much greater than that of an ordinary person, yet he handled it with such ease.
After dealing with the vines, Sato quickly stepped forward and cut the vines binding the girl.
Yuuki Asuna suddenly felt the restraints on her hands loosen, and her body dropped from midair.
"Ah!"
She could not help but let out a startled cry.
Sato reacted swiftly, reaching out and catching her around the waist. Her soft, warm body fell straight into his arms.
After setting the girl down, Sato glanced around. Seeing no remaining threats, he turned to her and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I… I'm fine."
Yuuki Asuna's face was slightly flushed. She had not yet recovered from the moment he caught her just now.
"How did you end up here alone?"
This swamp in the Dark Forest was practically deserted. Not only were the monsters troublesome and the experience low, but the terrain was also extremely harsh.
"I originally wanted to go watch the boss raid, but… I got lost."
Yuuki Asuna replied somewhat awkwardly, especially when she thought about how she had just looked. An indescribable sense of embarrassment welled up within her.
"A boss raid?"
Sato raised an eyebrow. It seemed quite a few people already knew about it.
"I was just about to head there as well. Want to go together?"
Yuuki Asuna froze slightly, then after a brief hesitation asked, "Is that okay?"
"Of course. It's on the way anyway."
"Thank you!"
After reaching an agreement, Yuuki Asuna followed Sato as they set off toward the location of the final boss.
As for the girl he had just saved, Sato did not feel much about it.
Judging purely by appearance, the girl was undoubtedly no less attractive than any of the others he had met before. However, in this virtual world, appearances could be altered. No one knew what kind of person was hidden beneath this current face.
That said, based on Sato's observation, a person's in-game appearance was still somewhat related to their real one. The girl he had saved probably did not look bad in reality either.
Still, with a layer of illusion between them, there was always a sense of distance in any feeling.
"By the way, what's your name?"
Along the way, Sato casually asked.
"Yuuki Asuna!"
The flaxen-haired girl answered instinctively.
"Uh…"
Sato looked at her in surprise. Yuuki Asuna also suddenly realized what she had done, and her face instantly flushed red.
"Sorry!"
She took a deep breath, then revealed her nickname. The English letters [Asuna] appeared above her head.
Due to privacy protections, all player names in the game were displayed in English.
[Asuna] was the pronunciation of Asuna in Japanese. Again, it could be read as "Asuna."
"Asuna?"
Sato nodded quickly and showed his own nickname, [Satoshi].
"Nice to meet you, I'm Satoshi."