Money Can Buy Everything

040: I Hate Both of You

"Both of you are really something, one goes out hunting without a word, staying out overnight without leaving any messages. The other doesn't know anything, yet dares to come out and throw herself into danger. At this rate, neither of you will survive for long!"

Argo's criticism left Asuna feeling ashamed. Looking back, her actions did seem a bit impulsive.

"Please don't blame him... It's all my fault, it's all on me. Actually, for these past few days, I've been hiding in the inn, afraid to go outside or even meet him... If we met, she would probably tell me everything."

Asuna's voice grew quieter, and Argo noticed her melancholy. She stopped talking and turned her attention back to the Boss, reducing its health to below half.

"Okay, don't be sad anymore. From what you've said, you've been staying in the inn all this time? In that case, your boyfriend is really something. He's working hard to support you all by himself in this state. Ah, if only I had a boyfriend like that! I definitely want a responsible boyfriend like that, not like some guys... fickle, they deserve to die!"

Poor boar Boss, its health dropped to 30%, yet it still pursued Argo relentlessly. However, Argo strolled casually, and the boar couldn't even touch her.

"...Uh, I'll remember..."

"Ah, did I hear something incredible just now? Miss, did you say something?"

"I didn't say anything!"

Asuna finally regained her composure, her face slightly flushed. She stood up and focused on Argo's movements.

"Oh, you're back! That's good. Miss, it takes more than courage to venture into the leveling zone. But you can't rely on courage to play games, especially this one. This game is a game of death."

"So, pay attention! The key to activating sword skills is to think about it in your mind. The highest-level players can use them at will. I've seen a black one and a playboy who were about at that level. But for now, you can use some auxiliary sword postures. The skills have explanations. Use postures to help activate the sword skills, and then let the system assist you completely."

"Like... this!"

Argo evaded the boar's pursuit and struck a dramatic sword stance reminiscent of a swordswoman. However, she didn't need posture assistance anymore; the previous posture was just for show.

"Swoosh—"

The boar's health dropped to 20%.

Asuna watched intently and saw Argo's stance. Her eyes brightened—wasn't this the stance she learned while practicing foil fencing? Although Asuna only learned fencing for physical exercise and to stay fit, her fundamentals were quite solid.

"That's right, it's this kind of stance..."

Argo was about to give Asuna some guidance, but when she saw Asuna's perfect sword stance, she was stunned.

This was the most standard sword stance. In an instant, the naivety about Asuna vanished, and she seemed like a true swordswoman. Her sword pointed forward, ready in heart, sword, and body, prepared to activate a skill at any moment.

Her chestnut-colored hair swayed in the night, and Argo was momentarily breathless at the beautiful sight.

"Like this, what's next?"

"Ahahaha, not bad at all!"

Argo avoided the boar's attack, then turned around and hit the boar until its health dropped to 10%. Internally, she was speechless—she definitely couldn't admit that she was taken aback by the opponent's perfect stance.

This beautiful girl... she probably never learned fencing in real life, right?

"I've learned fencing, but what should I do next, imagine sword techniques?"

Argo's mouth curled into a smile. Indeed, another wealthy girl. But it seems understandable, after all, NERvGear has the same appeal to young people.

Wealthy people, lucky!

"Watch me demonstrate, then imagine yourself wielding a sword and delivering an attack like this."

Argo's final strike, this strike is meant to finish off the last bit of the wild boar's health.

"Swoosh!"

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Argo's attack triggered the minimum damage threshold, leaving the wild boar Boss with a tiny bit of health remaining.

"Ah, you stubborn creature, couldn't you just die already? Asuna, did you see that clearly? Let me demonstrate again..."

Argo looked at Asuna, whose smile had turned rigid.

Asuna's gaze, fixed on the wounded wild boar Boss.

Bend the waist, press forward, take a step, fence!

A seamless and elegant movement, instantly unleashing a dazzling sword technique, propelling Asuna forward like a gust of wind...

...rushing toward the wounded wild boar Boss!

"Oh, No!"

Argo let out a miserable scream, tears streaming down her face. She reached out her hand, as if trying to save the wild boar Boss from Asuna's impending strike.

The wild boar Boss fixed its crimson gaze on Argo, as if there was a touch of emotion in its eyes, as if saying, "I have to admit, in this moment, you are stronger!"

"In this battle, I, as the Boss, have no regrets in death!"

Little did it know, Argo just wanted to be the one to finish it off.

Asuna, bewildered, didn't understand. However, her sword technique was being assisted by the system, and she had no control over it. She could only let the sword tip pierce the back of the wild boar Boss.

"Bang!"

The wild boar Boss shattered into fragments and vanished with a bang, leaving two figures striking poses in the moonlight, one standing with a sword, the other with empty hands.

"Um, excuse me, did I do something wrong?"

"Hehe... hehe... hehe..."

Terrifying laughter echoed through the open field. Seeing the dark expression on Argo's face, Asuna couldn't help but step back, forcing a strained smile, "What's going on?"

"What's wrong? I killed you!"

Faced with Argo charging at her with bare hands, Asuna screamed in horror!

After Argo's explanation, Asuna finally understood the significance of the final blow that killed the Boss. In SAO, the special drops from Bosses were determined by the one who landed the final blow.

Once Asuna understood, she repeatedly apologized to Argo. Argo could only accept Asuna's apology with a bitter smile, as it had already become a fact.

And most importantly, during their conversation, Argo was convinced that Asuna didn't understand anything. If there was one thing to blame Asuna for, it was her exceptional talent. Releasing her sword technique in a single strike disrupted Argo's plan to show off.

Seemingly innocent...

"Alright, alright, since it's all happened, even though I saved you for free, you owe me a favor now. Hurry up and see what rewards there are."

"Okay."

Asuna checked her panel and said, "100 Col, 200 experience points, Moonlight Boar Meat..."

With each of Asuna's words, Argo felt like dying. While not a Lord Boss, this field Boss had substantial rewards for being the first to defeat it.

100 Col would sustain an average player for a month, and 200 experience points immediately leveled Asuna up, while the Moonlight Boar Meat, if Argo remembered correctly, was a high-quality ingredient. Selling it to a butcher could easily fetch another 100 Col.

Argo didn't want to hear the materials Asuna mentioned later. It was too painful...

"Finally, there's this."

Asuna took out a sword from her inventory.

A Western-style sword.

The pure white blade shimmered in the moonlight, and the crescent-shaped guard made of glass was translucent, as if it could hold the entire moon within.

"It's so beautiful..."

Argo's mouth hung open, her eyes wide with amazement. She lunged forward and fell to the ground, face down.

"Argo, Argo, what's wrong with you?"

By this point, they had exchanged names. Argo struggled to get up and said, "Asuna, let me see the stats."

"Ah, sure, is this how you do it?"

In the silent moonlight, the Western-style sword, LV2, Rare grade, special effect: Hit Acceleration, Unique.

"How are these stats?"

Looking at the LV2 Rare-grade weapon, which had stats surpassing her own LV3 Fine-grade weapon by half, Argo's face turned pale.

Legend had it that when this particular wild boar was killed for the first time, it would drop a unique Rare-grade weapon tailored to the player's attributes. This was an exceptional-grade weapon, something that generally only had a chance of dropping from the third floor onwards.

"So, is it good...? Ahh!"

Argo pressed both hands onto Asuna's shoulders, and with a solemn expression, she said, "I hate you!"

"Or, I could give you the sword? After all, you saved my life..."

"Absolutely not!"

Argo laughed and stood up, seemingly cheerful again, saying, "To be honest, not too long ago, I also experienced a life-threatening situation. Ah, it was terrifying. So, helping others when you can is a natural thing to do. As for this sword, I've been using a dagger and might switch to claws in the future."

Argo caressed her dagger, a hint of sadness on her face as she continued, "And this dagger is specially made for rats. It's my exclusive weapon as Argo! I'll keep using it, and as for that Western-style sword, I'll leave it to you, Asuna, the professional."

"Alright, get up. Since we're out here, I'll accompany you to find your boyfriend."

Saying this, Argo helped Asuna to her feet. Asuna's chestnut-colored hair flowed in the moonlight, making her look exceptionally beautiful.

"Such beautiful hair, your hair... it's... chestnut?"

"Yes."

Asuna answered promptly, without any doubt.

"...The person you're looking for... is it Momo?"

Asuna's eyes immediately lit up, and she grabbed Argo's hand, saying, "You know Momo, do you know where he is? Is he okay? Is he hurt? Take me to him, please!"

Seeing Asuna's excitement and eagerness, Argo confirmed that the girl before her was the one Momo had been concerned about.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Argo could no longer bear the night's ordeal. She burst into tears and ran away.

"I hate you both! I hate you!"