Money Can Buy Everything

051 Same Ending

Asuna still had a hint of reluctance on her face. Although she agreed with Momo's advice to hide their true power, she was extremely serious about this strategy.

This was a crucial first boss battle, and they needed to succeed as much as possible in one go. They also needed to ensure that no one died if they wanted to boost everyone's courage to the maximum.

Therefore, Asuna privately decided to start by using her normal strength and assess the situation. If possible, she would act as a supporting role. If others were in danger, she would step in.

However, she had completely underestimated her own strength, instantly killing the first elite monster. This level of power probably exceeded the players' understanding.

Fortunately, the players were all focused on dealing with the monsters in front of them.

Two teams were handling the other two elite monsters. One team consisted of Kirito and Argo, and the other was led by Heathcliff with five others. Their speed in killing monsters wasn't much slower than Asuna and Momo's.

In fact, they didn't need so many people to clear the first level, and everyone's strength far exceeded the requirements for the first-level boss battle. They were essentially overwhelming the first level.

*Roar!*

Three elite monsters died, and the second wave of Ruin Kobold Sentinels appeared.

Momo pinched Asuna's nose and said, "Let's continue the fight. This time, don't focus on the Ruin Kobold Sentinels' weak points."

"Alright..."

Asuna raised her hand and struck a Ruin Kobold Sentinel on the shoulder as it descended.

"Gah-gah!"

The Ruin Kobold Sentinel let out a miserable cry and disappeared into pixels.

Asuna watched the vanishing Ruin Kobold Sentinel in silence, then turned to Momo with a somewhat aggrieved look and said, "Momo..."

"Alright, alright. If we get exposed, so be it. It's just a matter of time anyway. But it's really interesting. How much are we exceeding the damage requirement now?"

No one in the group had noticed the difference, except for Diavel, who was watching the development with astonishment from the rear.

At this moment, Diavel even felt like he was starting to believe the excuse that Kibaou had made up.

Could the two of them really be using cheats?

"Diavel, let someone else take over. Someone is at half health here!"

"Huh? Oh! D-Team, take over, Inzara, it's your turn!"

"Alright, leave it to me. My great axe is raring to go!"

The boss battle continued. When Asuna had used a regular attack to deplete half of the Ruin Kobold Sentinel health, she twitched her mouth and impaled the head of the still naive monster that had just jumped down with a sword.

Now, Asuna finally had a clear understanding of her own strength.

So, Asuna looked at the last remaining Kobold Lord, Illfang, who had only one unit of health left. A sinister smile appeared on her face, as if she was wondering if she could finish off the Kobold Lord with a single stroke.

Unfortunately, Asuna couldn't act in the end and was pulled into Momo's arms. He said, "Alright, leave it to them. Although the boss is big, there are also more than twenty players around him."

Asuna blushed and looked around, realizing that no one was paying attention to them. She didn't push Momo's hand away, as she felt the battle was under control, and she didn't need to intervene.

"Illfang is in it’s last bit of health left, be careful, the boss might have some changes from the beta!" Argo loudly reminded everyone. The members of ABC Team, along with several other players, formed a circle around the boss.

*Roar!*

Finally, the Kobold Lord Illfang, with only a sliver of health remaining, entered his second phase. He dropped his bone axe and small round shield, reaching behind him to draw a large machete.

"He changed his weapon from the beta, it's a Nodachi!"

Originally, the Kobold Lord Illfang's weapon was a curved blade with a wide-range sword skill attack. While it had significant damage as an area skill, it also had a substantial weakness – if it was successfully blocked, the sword skill would be interrupted.

So, as per the original attack strategy, players with shields would step forward, attempting to block and interrupt the skill. With more than ten players holding shields, it was guaranteed to interrupt. After the interruption, the next step was for a group of players to release sword skills all at once, aiming to take down the boss's remaining health in a single strike.

After all, this was Sword Art Online (SAO), not a traditional RPG game. While the bosses had thick health pools, they weren't so overwhelming that a group of players would have to fight for over ten minutes. At this point, everyone's level and strength far exceeded the requirements. After one round of attacks, defeating the boss was almost inevitable.

"Nodachi... Nodachi... Right, everyone, fall back, do not release sword skills, wait for him to initiate his sword skill first!" Argo instantly remembered the weapon skill of the Nodachi, which included jumping attacks and sword skill counters. This made the Nodachi distinct.

Especially the sword skill counter, if a player released a sword skill in front of the boss and the preparation animation was too long, the boss would trigger the sword skill counter, attacking the player before their own skill could land.

With the high sword skill damage combined with the boss's formidable attributes, it was enough to one-shot a player.

Argo's voice immediately reached Diavel's ears, causing him to halt his previously taken steps. Diavel wasn't familiar with the Nodachi's weapon skill, but with the information merchant Argo's endorsement, he had no reason to doubt it.

A mere boss drop was certainly less important than someone's life.

"All raise your shields and step back. Wait until the boss is interrupted before releasing your sword skills, don't be impulsive!"

The first row of heavy shield players, who were originally on edge, were almost frightened by Argo's voice and almost released their sword skills. Luckily, everyone on the scene was an elite player and managed to resist the impulse.

"Listen to the command, form up and step back together. Don't be nervous; we're not alone. Even if you're attacked by the boss, your teammates will cover for you!"

Diavel finally made up his mind, temporarily restraining his inner impulse, and directed the players to withdraw slowly.

The Kobold Lord drew the Nodachi and fixed his blood-red pupils on all the players. He exuded a murderous aura, but he didn't attack.

This further confirmed Argo's words. Kobold Lord Illfang was waiting for a player to attack him, triggering his counterattack.

"Don't be careless; it will still attack!" Argo's warning had just been issued when the Kobold Lord Illfang seemed to have finally grown tired of waiting. He stomped his massive legs heavily on the ground and leaped high into the air.

"Everyone, prepare to defend and keep some distance from your teammates. Be ready to support them at any moment!" Diavel ordered. Momo and Asuna also complied and distanced themselves slightly. At this moment, the Kobold Lord Illfang finally plummeted from the sky.

His target was Momo!

"Damn it, Kayaba, did you program the boss to go after me?" Momo complained.

"Good job, Goblin buddy. It's a shame you're not a Minotaur; then this show would be even more entertaining!" Surprisingly, above Momo's head, Reimu was actually cheering on the falling Kobold Lord Illfang. This left Momo thoroughly bewildered.

Momo muttered to himself as his weapon started to emit a glow. "Momo, don't!" Argo exclaimed, and Diavel shouted, "Don't use a sword skill! Frontline heavy shield players, support! He's using a one-handed sword, and it can't block!"

Sword skills could be blocked, but there was a condition – the weight difference between the two weapons couldn't be too large, and the attributes couldn't be overwhelmingly different, or the success rate of blocking would plummet.

Normally, a one-handed sword couldn't block an attack from a boss wielding a heavy weapon. In Kirito's case, it was due to his extremely high strength attribute combined with the significant weight of his weapon.

If the block failed, the boss would knock the player away and leave them in a long state of vulnerability, which often meant they couldn't dodge any follow-up attacks.

However, using a heavy weapon wasn't the solution either; a player with a lighter weapon and high speed could easily circle around the heavy weapon without needing to block.

It was essentially a matter of who had greater strength and the right weapon for the situation, depending on various factors.

With these warnings, everyone was alarmed, but Asuna, trusting Momo, believed he wouldn't make a rash choice.

Momo, on the other hand, smiled and showed no fear. The Kobold Lord Illfang, falling from the sky, opened his foul-smelling maw and seemed to mock Momo's audacity, having noticed the glow on his weapon. He also attempted to trigger a sword skill counter.

However, it stunned him that the sword skill counter couldn't be used.

What's going on?

With his limited intelligence, he couldn't comprehend the situation. He continued to perform the high-altitude strike. While this attack had high damage, it couldn't kill players.

At this moment, the glow on Momo's weapon finally dissipated, and his one-handed sword transformed into a two-handed axe.

"Barbarian Momo is here!"

Momo wasn't using a sword skill; he had executed a weapon change. Although he didn't have proficiency with the weapon or the corresponding sword skill, the sheer weight of the two-handed axe spoke for itself.

"Ora!"

Momo roared with a smile, his two hands struggling to release a sword skill with the heavy two-handed axe. It collided with the Kobold Lord Illfang's Nodachi during this moment. The Kobold Lord Illfang, in this brief time, couldn't even trigger his sword skill counter.

*Bang!*

A deafening sound that shook eardrums occurred as Momo was pushed backward due to his lack of maxed-out strength attribute.

Nevertheless, the Kobold Lord Illfang's sword skill was also interrupted, causing him to crash heavily onto the ground and entering a state of vulnerability.

A white light flashed, slicing across the waist of the Kobold Lord Illfang, instantly reducing his health to less than half.

Just one more hit, and he would be defeated!

Asuna had the thought flash through her mind, but she didn't take any action, as the Kobold Lord Illfang's sword skill counter was still active, and she couldn't take the risk.

However, at this moment, in Asuna's eyes, a figure with a sword was rapidly approaching.

Asuna decided not to take the risk, but someone couldn't resist their inner demons.

Diavel made a move!

"Stop, Diavel!" Argo shouted. "In the Nodachi state, the boss's vulnerability will be immediately lifted after one attack!"