Rewinding a bit, Kirito's combat verification team had been meticulously cautious, testing enemy strength around the town. They took on a single foe as a group, deliberately absorbed attacks, tried offensive spells, and assessed how much advantage healing magic offered compared to the past—a textbook approach to grinding data. Early on, they sensed enemies were weak, but it became clear when Yumi effortlessly crushed one solo.
"Hey, if I can take them out this easily, is this floor's difficulty super low? Maybe because it's the first one?"
"Hmm."
Kirito, arms crossed, began summarizing the data.
"My gut says the balance of enemy strength feels the same as before."
Yuiyui, known for being tough to explain things to, tilted her head and asked,
"Huh? What's that mean?"
"Basically, SAO's server data was repurposed for ALO, right? Adjusting each monster individually would've been a nightmare."
"Yeah."
"So, my guess? They tweaked only the boss's strength to a level a few top-player parties could handle. Other enemies? If the boss's strength was doubled, they doubled too. Halved, same deal. No fine-tuning."
"Oh!"
Yuiyui clapped her hands, getting it.
"So, the first floor has a huge gap in enemy strength compared to other floors!"
Her sharp response stunned everyone, especially Yumi, who'd known her longest.
"Yuiyui? Is that really you in there?"
"What's that, Yumi? Of course it's me!"
"Right... just, that was so spot-on, I was shocked."
"I've been gaming for a while too, y'know!"
Despite the surprise, no one could refute Kirito's hypothesis, so they headed toward the labyrinth for stronger foes.
"Speaking of, wasn't there something around here…"
As Kirito muttered, Recon and Komachi, scouting ahead, rushed back in a panic.
"What's wrong, you two?"
"Kirito-san, there's a huge humanoid monster ahead! Name's Ilfang Kobold Gatekeeper!"
"Ah…"
Kirito suddenly remembered the field boss. He hadn't fought this floor's field boss, nor had Hachiman or Asuna, so it slipped his mind.
"Sorry, guys, totally forgot about the field boss. Only Egil's fought it, I think."
"So, what's the plan?"
Mebius, the calm elder, asked coolly. Kirito scanned his team's faces and decided instantly.
"Let's take it down."
"Hell yeah!"
"Let's do this!"
Komachi and Iroha, the junior duo, were pumped.
"But, is it safe?"
"Will my skills even work…?"
Yuiyui and Yumi were cautious, but Kirito shot back,
"No problem, we've got this."
"You're that confident, Kirito-san? Got a reason?"
Komachi's question prompted Kirito to explain.
"I didn't fight it, but I know who did. Based on that crew, our current team can handle it no sweat."
"Different from the boss fight team?"
"About half the numbers, no me, Hachiman, or Asuna, and they were bickering. Still won. Get the picture?"
Everyone nodded, reassured by Kirito's confidence. Even the cautious members leaned toward fighting. Kirito's expression shifted as he added,
"Back then, death was permanent—no quick recovery. After the 25th floor wipeout, it took over a month to regroup."
He grinned.
"But now? If it gets dicey, we escape. We've got revival magic too. So, let's enjoy the fight!"
"You're the one enjoying it most, big bro."
"Yeah, Leafa, you're not wrong."
Their banter drew smiles, and the team unanimously agreed to challenge the field boss.
"…So we fought, but it was weaker than expected. No, wait—it's that not needing to switch made it brutal. Everyone attacking nonstop from the front? Way more devastating than I imagined."
Kirito recounted this to the town exploration team upon joining them.
"So, no switching means no downtime recovering with items, which is like doing nothing. Add healing magic, and our combat efficiency's more than doubled, right?"
"Exactly, Hachiman."
"Hmm."
Hachiman, arms crossed, pressed Kirito.
"How many would it take to beat the field boss, your estimate?"
"Two of us—me, you, or Asuna—plus one healer."
"First floor's enemy scaling helps, but that's it?"
Hachiman turned to Egil.
"Egil, field boss versus its minions—which was tougher?"
"Field boss, no question."
"Got it…"
Yukino and Kirito spoke up simultaneously.
"Hachiman-kun, you're not thinking something crazy, are you?"
"Hachiman, you're planning something wild, right? Right?"
Yukino sounded wary, but Kirito was visibly excited.
"Kirito, why're you so hyped?"
Lizbeth frowned, and Kirito's eyes sparkled.
"C'mon, Liz, it's obvious! Why'd Hachiman ask Egil about the boss's minions? There's only one answer!"
"For… fighting prep? Wait, no way—"
"Exactly."
Yukino finished Lizbeth's thought.
"Hachiman-kun, you're planning to rush the boss, aren't you?"
Hachiman grinned at Yukino.
"Enemies are weaker than expected, and we know their patterns. Plus, our team's way stronger than the old boss-slaying crew."
Yukino nodded.
"True, that makes sense."
Hachiman pressed on.
"And right now, miraculously, our whole team's here. Who knows when we'll all be together again? If not now, when? Soleil-neesan, can you ask Argo to log back in?"
"Got it, gimme a sec!"
Soleil logged out to summon Argo.
"Alright, folks, our team's first real fight—excluding trash mobs—is the first floor boss, Ilfang the Kobold Lord!"
Yukino, accepting Hachiman's call, steeled herself.
"Right. Everyone, the leader's made his decision. Let's hit the boss with everything we've got!"
Cheers erupted.
"Hell yeah!"
"Here we go!"
"Let's do this!"
"The guys are way too excited…"
"But this vibe's kinda great, right?"
"Let's do our best!"
"Big bro's fired up!"
"Hachiman, you're totally different from before."
"Senpai's changed."
"It's fun, isn't it? This kind of thing."
"I'm so glad I joined this team, Leafa-chan."
"Do your best, Recon!"
"I gotta step up so I don't drag us down."
"Yumi-chan, I'll heal like crazy, so let's do this together!"
Argo rejoined after Soleil's call, and the team marched toward the boss room.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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