Chapter Sixty-Six: The Conquest of the First Level (5)

As everyone stepped inside, the once dim room burst into a riot of colors. The Goblin Lord, who had been sitting upon the throne, rose with a thunderous roar and leapt down. His enormous axe gleamed, and though the shield in his hand seemed almost dwarfed by his massive frame, it was still nearly the height of an average player.

With the lord's appearance, a squad of guards wielding bizarre weapons also emerged before the group. The oddity of their attire provoked no laughter—being the boss’s elite meant they were formidable adversaries; no one dared to underestimate these strange beings.

“Everyone, attack! Stick to the plan—each team, find your assigned target!” Tia Beryl commanded the assault with the authority of a true general. Though Lance thought the allocation of their abilities and firepower was rather wasteful, he couldn’t object to such caution.

Lance and his team were assigned to occupy one of the guards. Though Lance considered the guard a pushover—he or Kirito alone could have handled it—the nuisance was its special ability: upon death, it would respawn randomly at the site of its demise until the boss entered its second phase. Like those stubborn adherents of resurrection, it would fall only to rise again, over and over. To ensure these pests did not interfere with the boss fight, they not only had to kill the guard but also keep it distracted, preventing it from troubling the other groups.

Lance, dagger in hand, kept one eye on the boss. He knew the only variable on this floor was the boss’s second form, which differed from the beta test and was the moment when casualties occurred. He directed Kirito and Asuna to handle the guard’s defeat and containment while he watched the boss’s health bar, knowing that if a certain fool wasn’t stopped now, Kirito would be forced down a darker path.

“That idiot.” In two months within this world and the life outside, Lance had long since learned Kirito’s nature was not as cold as the later novels portrayed. Circumstance after circumstance had forced him onto a lonely road, but Lance was determined to prevent that. The simplest way was to keep Tia Beryl alive.

As the boss’s health dwindled, approaching the danger threshold and glowing a threatening red, Lance’s gaze sharpened. He knew the moment was near...

“Stand aside, let me handle this!”—as expected, Tia Beryl made her move, and Lance knew it was time to act.

“Kirito, give me the spear with the highest durability in your arsenal.” Without hesitation, Kirito swapped out with Asuna and produced a long spear from his inventory.

Taking the weapon, Lance turned his focus forward. He saw the boss had switched weapons, and Kirito noticed the change too.

“No! That’s not a saber—that’s a nodachi!” Kirito’s shout drew everyone’s eyes to the center. “No, everyone, jump back!” Some looked at Kirito even as Tia Beryl was already engaging the boss head-on.

The boss dodged Tia Beryl’s sword skill, leaping onto a pillar.

With a tremendous crash, the seemingly clumsy lord swung his blade down at Tia Beryl.

“Aah!”

“Tia Beryl!”

The boss wasn’t done; as Tia Beryl was thrown airborne by the impact, he attacked again, aiming to finish her off.

Just as everyone thought Tia Beryl would be struck down...

A harsh clang of metal rang out, the sound of fierce friction echoing through the room.

As the dust cleared, they saw Lance bracing the massive spear against the boss’s nodachi.

“You idiots! What are you staring at? Go save her!” Lance’s roar jolted the stunned assembly.

“Kirito, help!” Although as a knight he’d used a spear before—not as deftly as others, perhaps—Lance managed to forcibly block the blow with the weapon’s strength.

Without a word, Kirito rushed down and relieved Lance, Asuna close behind.

“You moron!” Lance snapped as soon as Kirito took his place, but Kirito understood his intent.

“Hurry!” Lance pulled out a fruit and shoved it into Tia Beryl’s mouth.

She wanted to protest but was forced to swallow it, though her health continued to drop, albeit more slowly.

“It’s fine, you know my intent, don’t you?” She managed a relieved smile. “This is the punishment I deserve, there’s no need—”

“Save your breath! Didn’t you say you wanted to be a knight? Does a knight meet an untimely death with such calm?!” Lance retorted, forcing a potion down her throat as well. At last, her health bar stabilized.

“Remember this: a knight never fears death, but a knight also respects life—whether another’s or their own. If you wish to be a knight, you can’t surrender to death here. Protect your life, and use it to shield those weaker who need protection!” With that, he left the dazed Tia Beryl behind.

“Switch, Kirito!” Perhaps due to this unexpected turn, the boss’s counterattack did not result in death. Enraged, the boss roared again, his health starting to regenerate.

“Damn!” Lance hadn’t expected that just by keeping Tia Beryl alive, the boss would become even stronger, as if he’d received another power-up.

“Is Kayaba Akihiko’s script truly fated to claim lives on this first floor?” The thought gnawed at Lance.

Kirito blocked the boss’s attack with the shield, but even with a perfect block, he lost nearly a third of his health.

“Everyone be careful! Even with a shield, that attack takes nearly a third of your health—stay alert!” Though Lance had reclaimed his task, he didn’t forget that their mission needed not just completion but a morale-boosting victory.

At Kirito’s warning, the previously stunned group rallied, their weapons gleaming with all manner of lights.

Lance’s weapon was rare, but its rarity lay in its type, not its stats. Its damage was less than half that of Kirito’s better swords; daggers inherently dealt little damage and his grade was not high. Seeing the others charge in, Lance retreated to the rear, ready to support.

“Let’s reorganize the teams! Shield specialists, you’re Team A—hold the line! Heavy hitters with battleaxes and greatswords, you’re Team B—fall back and prepare your sword skills. Standard sword wielders, Team C—stand behind the shield users and look for chances to stagger the boss, creating openings for Team B. Everyone, support those nearby—if you’re bleeding or your health drops below a third, withdraw immediately and use healing items, no matter your team!” It was a simple plan, but for players untrained in tactics, it was practical enough. Lance swapped back to the spear, ready to rescue at any moment. The spear could wound the boss, but it wasn’t suited for close combat—after all, a spear was a mid-range weapon, and wielding one required more space, so he refrained from joining the melee.

After the boss’s second outburst, anyone hit would see their health drop into the danger zone; even a blocked blow would halve one’s health. Nevertheless, with teamwork, no one suffered serious injury. Whenever the boss tried to press an advantage after knocking someone into the danger zone, Lance and others would intercept.

As the boss’s health shrank to a sliver—only a touch from death—he erupted once more.

With a mighty stomp, everyone, shield and sword users alike, was blasted back—only Kirito and Asuna remained in the arena.

“Is it because Kirito and Asuna dealt the most damage?” Lance wondered, but knew this was no time for hesitation. His body moved on instinct, charging forward—and, to his surprise, someone else rushed in as well.

Clang! Clang!

Two sharp strikes rang out—the boss’s final, desperate attack was thwarted.

“Finish it!” Lance shouted, and Kirito, reacting first, unleashed a brilliant blue glow from his weapon, driving it home.

With a shattering crash, the boss who had so tormented them finally broke apart before everyone’s eyes.

Cheers erupted—roars of triumph and relief filling the room.

sasa, in rare high spirits today, and with everyone so lively, here’s the second chapter~