"Alright, everyone, this way. Climb these stairs to reach the second floor. Activate the teleport gate there, and we can jump from the first to the second floor instantly."
"Second time climbing these, huh?"
"Feels nostalgic."
Having defeated the boss without losing anyone, the group ascended the stairs to the second floor under Hachiman's lead.
"No healing magic, no second chances if you died, and not everyone around you was an ally. We went through that 74 times…"
Soleil's quiet murmur triggered a realization among those visiting Aincrad for the first time, especially Komachi, who rushed forward and hugged Hachiman and Asuna, her voice trembling with tears.
"Big bro, big sis, I'm so glad you came back safe…"
Hachiman paused, silently patting Komachi's head. Asuna gently hugged her back, speaking softly.
"It's okay, we're right here and not going anywhere. We'll never leave you alone, Komachi-chan."
The group watched warmly. Leafa, another sister figure, felt similar emotions but, due to her personality, hesitated. She reached for Kirito's back, then pulled back, repeating the motion. Distracted by Komachi, most missed Leafa's gesture, but Lizbeth and Recon noticed. Lizbeth gently took Leafa's hand, guiding her toward Kirito, while Recon gave her a soft push. Flustered, Leafa glanced between them, then nodded, took a deep breath, and tugged Kirito's sleeve. Kirito turned, saw her face, and spoke brightly.
"Sorry for worrying you, Leafa. I'm fine now, so don't stress, okay?"
He ruffled her hair, and Leafa smiled shyly. Klein, trying to lighten the mood, chimed in.
"Hachiman, Kirito, your sisters'll get married someday and leave the nest, y'know?"
The two shot back instantly.
"Komachi's not getting married."
"No one's marrying Leafa off."
"Hachiman-kun, that's a bit much…"
"Kirito, are you as bad a siscon as Hachiman?"
Under Asuna and Lizbeth's icy glares, the two relented in unison.
"Fine, if someone beats me in a duel, I might approve."
"Ugh, okay… if they can beat me, I'll allow it."
Asuna and Lizbeth pinched their cheeks, scolding them to knock it off. Recon, visibly panicked, drew pity from the others, who thought the condition was an impossible hurdle. The sisters laughed.
"Haha, big bro, even if my guy's weaker than you, if I love him, I'll leave home on my own terms."
"Hehe, don't worry, I've never even thought about that stuff!"
Their words sparked laughter, easing the mood. Once Asuna let Hachiman off, he rallied the group to continue climbing.
"By the way, Hachiman, how'd you take down the boss so fast?"
Kirito asked eagerly, the others clearly curious too.
"Sure, you're great against humanoid enemies, but a boss that size? You can't counter like with normal-sized foes, right?"
"Exactly. The size is the issue."
Hachiman nodded, then dropped a bombshell.
"So, I figured, just match its size."
"Match!?"
"Its size!?"
As everyone gaped, Hachiman grinned and began casting a spell. He transformed into his now-familiar Apostate Nicholas form.
"Oh!"
"You can control it now? When'd you level up your magic skill?"
"Huh? What's that? First time I'm seeing it!"
"When we got here, Hachiman transformed, right? That's this form."
"Oh, I was in the back, so I didn't see clearly."
Hachiman reverted to normal, flashing a grin.
"In that form, Yuiyui and I flanked the boss. When it turned away, we aimed for weak points. When it faced us, I used my size to counter every attack, including normals. If it staggered, we all piled on. Mebius healed any damage, so we kept it up endlessly. Easy, right?"
"Easy!?"
"Countering all attacks, even normals…"
"The boss couldn't do anything…"
"Only Haa-bo could pull that off."
Despite their jabs, Hachiman continued calmly.
"But size doesn't boost strength, so this'll only work up to maybe the fifth floor. It's effective for now, but it'll lose its edge soon. Just a temporary trick."
"Guess that makes sense…"
"But I had a blast going all-out!"
Yuiyui, recalling the fight, beamed. Usually stuck as the team's sole tank, her role in the trio's boss takedown left her elated.
"Yeah, having fun's the best part."
"Totally!"
Hachiman wrapped it up, and the group seemed satisfied with the explanation.
"Still, I only caught a glimpse, but Asuna's team was wild too, right? Saw you charging in."
"Uh, yeah…"
"Um…"
"Big bro!"
"Hm?"
Asuna's eyes dulled instantly. Puzzled, Hachiman got a whispered rundown from Komachi about the earlier events.
"Oh… bar—cough, ultra-aggressive healer, yeah, that's the stuff. New approach, love it."
"R-Really?"
Asuna perked up slightly at Hachiman's praise. The others, out of her sight, urged him to push further. Reading the room, he continued.
"Yeah, offense and defense in sync—kinda like my counter style."
Seeing Komachi's "Finish it!" signals, Hachiman added,
"Guess we're so close, our fighting styles are rubbing off on each other."
"As expected of our big sis!"
"Yeah, right? We're always together, so it makes sense!"
Komachi jumped in, emphasizing "our big sis," and Asuna, fully cheered up, played along. The group sighed in relief. As they chatted and climbed, the second floor's main town came into view, a teleport gate beside it.
"That the next town?"
"That's the teleport gate? Wonder what it feels like to use it."
Yuiyui and Yumi's comments made Hachiman realize something.
"Right, ALO doesn't have a teleport gate system."
Yumi, less experienced in ALO, had spoken offhandedly, but Yuiyui nodded enthusiastically.
"Anyway, everyone, welcome to the second floor. This is its main town, Urbus."
--+--
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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