Disclaimer: I do not own either Naruto or Sword Art Online. Those rights belong to both Masashi Kishimoto and Reki Kawahara, respectively. I also do not own any other anime or video games, its characters, names, abilities, or and other references that might appear in this story. And so, without delay… Sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.

People speaking: "I refuse to turn a blind eye."

People thinking: 'If I die in the game, I die for real.'

Creatures/Admin speaking: "Welcome to my world."

Notices/Messages/Pop-ups: 'This message will now self-destruct.'

Techniques/Items/Floor Titles: "Spiraling Overdrive!"

Chapter 7

Traveling to the Oasis

Asuna was sitting on one of the stone steps leading down to the blacksmith workshop that she was currently visiting, watching as a pink hair girl was focusing on sharpening one of the many rapiers that she had made her ever since they met over a year ago. The pinkette's name was Lisbeth, or Lis to her friends, was wearing a blacksmith outfit that looked more like the uniform of a waitress: a dark red top with puffed sleeves and a flared skirt of the same color, combined with a pure white apron on top of it, as well as a red ribbon atop her chest. But despite her appearance, Asuna knew full well that you friend was a Master Level Blacksmith. Lisbeth's pink eyes shined as she studied the blade of the sword upon pulling it away from her stone machine. "Alright, that'll do it. It's prepped and ready for you, Asuna."

"Thanks, Lis. You're the best." Asuna said while hopping down from where she was sitting and retrieved her weapon from her fellow female Player and handed her the payment for the work.

"Anytime." Lisbeth replied while pocketing the money, "Just don't go intentionally breaking it again."

Asuna sweatdropped at the girl's comment, "You don't have you keep saying that every time I come to see you, Lis. I already apologized for that so many times for that, besides, this sword is way better than what you used to make."

"Maybe so, but that still doesn't change the fact that you destroyed one of my masterpieces (at the time) for a bowl of ramen. RAMEN!" Lisbeth pointed out with a frown, her finger inches from Asuna's face, the chestnut-haired awkwardly laughing in response. "The worst part about that Ultimate Bowl of Ramen is that I can't order it for myself since it was a one-time quest only available to the team that took it!"

"It was a matter of defeating a powerful boss or getting killed… and didn't I give you the one when we visited the restaurant after I told you about it?"

"That only made it worse. So delicious… Wait… What are you doing here so early anyway?" Lisbeth questioned as a thought came to mind as she realized that this was usually around the Knights of the Blood Oath had their daily meeting on which groups were working on what and their objectives. "Aren't you going on the frontlines today with the guild?"

Asuna glanced away for a second as if to think about how to respond, before a smile formed on her face as she answered. "Yeah, I took a day off. See, I promised to meet someone today."

Lisbeth blinked at the Sub Commander's words before taking notice to the earring that was visible passed the bangs of Asuna's hair, it had a pretty, purple crystal hanging from it. Something that she would normally never see on her friend since she did not believe in such add-ons unless they were useful, and this one looked to be a simple accessory. An all-knowing grin formed on Lisbeth's face as she leaned in closer to her friend, much to Asuna's sudden discomfort. "Hehe, I see how it is."

"What are you talking about? See what?" Asuna asked with a raised eyebrow at Lisbeth, who began to nudge the Sub Commander's side with her elbow.

"Come now. You said you're meeting someone… Could it be a 'special' someone?"

"I-It's not like that. We're just going on a quest."

"Oh, really? A quest. Just the two of you? I suppose it makes sense that you'd want to look your best."

"Why do I feel like you're teasing me?" Asuna replied while taking a step away from her grinning friend with redness on her cheeks. Just as the blacksmith was about to say something, the sound coming from the town's bell was heard ringing, signaling the new hour, and snapping the chestnut-haired girl out of her thoughts. "It's already ten o'clock?! I have to go!"

A small smile formed on Lisbeth's face as she watched Asuna rush up the steps towards the door, "So you've found someone precious to you, huh? He must be pretty special."

"Huh?" Asuna came to a stop with her door on the handle and turned to look back at her friend. "Did you say something?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Lisbeth dismissively waved her hand before grinning up at her friend, "Good luck with your date. I hope things work out between the two of you… even if it is rude to keep them waiting."

"Hah?! I just said it's not a… whatever. I'll see you around, Lis!" A blushing Asuna called out as she exited the building, leaving the pink haired girl alone in her forge.

"I wonder if I'll find someone special like that…" Lisbeth whispered to herself as she shifted her gaze to a small bulletin board that had a photograph on it, one taken a long time ago when she was just starting out. It was on her and three other Player, three adult men that mirrored the smile on the girl's face.

(Meanwhile - A Few Minutes Earlier)

"I already told you guys, it's not like that!" A red-faced Naruto denied as his gaze was met with the knowing gazes of Kirito and Strea. The two sat at their respective seats in a large office-like room with three wooden desks belonging to each of them, a large couch with a table placed in front of it resting off to the side, and several decorative pieces hanging on the wall along with a bulletin board covered in different quest papers and other info. "Stop it with those looks! Can't a guy hang out with his female friends without it being seen as weird?"

Both the black-haired Human and lavender-haired AI shared a glance before turning back to the embarrassed blonde, the former speaking up after a few seconds, "Of course… But it isn't just any girl. It's Asuna…"

"So? We hang out all the time, hell, the two of you have joined us on a bunch of them!"

"The two of you do seem really close for being simply "friends", not to mention all of the two-person team quests that you both have gone on together. Doesn't that usually mean that two people are interested in each other and considering the possibility of dating?" Strea pointed out with her usual smile, causing Naruto to look at the AI with beads of sweat falling down the side of his face at hearing her straightforward enquiry. "I personally think that it's lovely that you two want to take that next step, though I don't see why you both are hesitating so much. You even gave her those nice earrings as a present!"

"… Amazing that you say that after all the trouble you caused when we met up again after so long." Crossing his arms as the words escaped his lips, Naruto remembered Asuna's face when Strea had made her presence known and the semi-interrogation he went through… it didn't help that the AI thought it was okay to plop herself on the blonde's lap during the entire conversation. "That was not how I wanted Asuna to find out my secret."

Kirito rubbed the back of his head at that, "I have to agree on that one, it could've gone better."

"I wouldn't say that." Strea commented while clapping her hands together, smiling brightly with her eyes closed, "Asuna took it extremely well from my point of view."

"Well, she is someone that we can trust to keep a secret and a loyal friend. Which I can happily prove to you if you both want to come along for the quest."

"No thanks. I already have plans for today that I need to get done. Remember?" Kirito replied with a shrug, turning his head away so his friend could not see the deadpan stare he had. 'If I were to go with them, I'm sure Asuna would be upset at me the whole while… like last time.' The girl was polite about it and friendly with the Black Swordsman, but even Kirito could see that she secretly wanted it to just be the two of them. "Asuna gave me the location that Armory Shop her friend owned, so I'm going to check it out and see if there are any One-Handed Swords that can match mine."

"Finally, going to take advantage of that special skill you unlocked, huh?" The blonde mused with his hands placing themselves behind his head, "You really got lucky, getting something like that under your belt. But hey, Zangetsu and I will still kick your ass!"

Kirito was silent for a few seconds before speaking up, "Zangetsu and me. Your delusions are one thing, but if you're going to try and pick a fight then use the right grammar."

"Whatever. You trying to start a Kirito is Right Foundation or something?"

"No… it's called the Kirito is ALWAYS Right Foundation, and we're happily accepting any donations you might have to help us in the battle against stupidity." Kirito replied with a smirk on his face as he saw the scowl that formed on Naruto's.

"I've got your donation right here." The blonde was quick to flip his best friend off with a deadpanned stare, "Don't spend it all at once. So, what about you, Strea?"

"Unfortunately for me, while I would really like to join the two of you, someone needs to keep the shop open in case we get a case or job request."

After Strea joined Naruto's team one month earlier, the newly-made trio officially made their team into a special odd-jobs business, placing Swordsmen of Twilight headquarters in the city of Floor 60, Moreigal, which doubled as both an office on the first floor of the building, and a place of residence with four bedrooms via access of stairs located behind the trio of desks that belonged to each member. Many Players would come to them for assistance on any kind of situation, whether it was helping with quests, item hunting, or even the occasional request in dealing with Orange Players. The price that they would charge a client varied depending on who it was or how dangerous the job was, though there were a few exceptions on if the person was in desperate need, like with the Titan Nose incident, and the only fee they would get would be to let other people know about a group they could turn to for help.

Naruto nodded his head at Strea's words, "Yeah. We don't want other Players to think that we're unavailable if something important comes up. Remember to contact either me or Kirito if the task seems too difficult for just you alone or if they're being difficult, and-"

"Contact both of you if they know the password. Yes, yes, I am well aware of how things work by now, Naruto. You don't need to worry about me so much. Just focus on enjoying your date!"

"Haaaagh~! For the last time, it-" The wielder of Zangetsu didn't get to finish his sentence, however as the sound of the town's morning bell was heard echoing throughout the town, "Crap! It's that time already?! I've got to go! See you guys later! Let me know how the sword hunt goes, Kirito!"

Watching the blonde secure his sword on his back, the other two members watched in silence as Naruto rushed out of the door leading out into the street before turning left sharply and disappeared from sight. The only noise in the room that was heard belonged to the wooden entrance slowly closing behind him before the following sound of the door finally shutting itself.

"…"

"…"

"It's really nice that Naruto has found someone to care for and spend time with… No offense, Kirito."

"None taken. Naruto is my best friend, but the idiot can't see how much he and Asuna like each other." Letting out a sigh, Kirito lifted himself out of his seat and summoned his menu to ready his gear for his day out of the office. "Not that she is any better with her tsundere act and being persistent about hiding it."

A soft giggle escaped Strea's lips as she leaned back into her chair, "Humans are really such strange creatures, aren't they? I am supposed to be a mental-health program, but unlike my predecessor, I am unable to truly understand them or their emotions… and yet, I cannot help but love interacting with them and having fun. That's probably why I was so close to Naruto after my creation."

'So, there's another program out there… I wonder why there hasn't been any talk about a counseling program helping out the other Players. They'd definitely need it.' The black-haired teen thought to himself, before the face of Akihiko Kayaba flashed through his mind. '… No, there's no doubt in my mind that he has something to do with that. But the real question is why?'

"Kirito?" Snapping out of his thoughts at hearing Strea's voice, the black dressed Player saw the girl tilting her head in a cute manner. "Is something wrong?"

Shaking his head as his sword appeared on his back, Kirito made his way to the door with a wave of his hand. "No, just thinking to myself about something. I"

"Alright, I hope that you find the sword that will suit your style perfectly." Strea waved goodbye to the black-haired Player before a thoughtful expression appeared on her face, "Um, Kirito?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think the Kirito is Always Right Foundation is the right name for your organization. The acronym K.A.R.F. doesn't really sound that appealing."

Kirito sweatdropped as he stared back at the smiling Strea after hearing her innocent comment. While an intelligent program created by both Naruto and his brother to handle the complex concept of psychology and emotions, the female AI was surprisingly naïve and innocent. "T-Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

(Floor 58 – Near the Teleport Gate)

"Great, just great! I'm gonna late! Hopefully Asuna will understand!" A frown formed on Naruto's as he dashed down the street, avoiding other Players and NPCs that were walking in the opposite direction, still a little annoyed at the ill-timed detour that he had dealt with a few moments ago. While he had arrived on the Floor and was heading to the meeting spot that Asuna had told him to meet her, along the way he had involving a group of male Players trying to pick up a pair of Female Players in an unfriendly manner. As he was about to run past a nearby alleyway, a female player came running out of an entrance and didn't see Naruto until it was too late.

"Bwah!"

"Oof."

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Naruto reopened his eyes and looked down to see a familiar figure sitting on the ground, "Silica?"

"Ow. Ow… Huh?" The female Player blinked a few times before meeting Naruto's gaze with a surprised expression, "Naruto? Oh wow, it's been a while!"

The recently turned 14-year-old had red eyes and light brown hair tied into two tails by red ribbons, as well as two red ring baubles. She was still wearing the outfit that he and Kirito had given her before their quest to bring Pina back to life, which was made up of a red robe that exposed part of her shoulders, a short black skirt, fingerless red gloves, and black, asymmetrical shoes with long black socks.

"Yeah, it has. I'm glad to see that you are doing fine as well." A smile formed on the blonde's face as he held out a hand to Silica, "Sorry again for bumping into you like that."

"Oh, don't apologize. I was the one who should've paid attention to make sure I wasn't going to collide with someone. Why didn't you warn me, Pina?"

"Kuuu!"A Feathered Little Dragon let out a small roar as it floated next to Silica as the girl took Naruto's hand and got back to her feet, before circling around Naruto a few times before landing in his spiky hair.

Placing a hand on his hip as he looked up at the now-comfortable Pina, "Heh, well you certainly haven't changed."

"Awah! I'm sorry about that, Naruto! I don't know why she keeps doing that!" Silica said with an embarrassed blush at her pet's actions, which had become a repetitive thing that the little Dragon did whenever it saw Naruto upon her revival, as it found the male player's hair to be one of the most comfortable places to take a nap. The situation didn't get better for the girl since the Dragon did its best to avoid her hands whenever she tried to physically remove it. Pina acted more like a cat than a dragon at times.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like she's heavy or anything." Reaching up a hand to pet the comfy Dragon's head, feeling the smaller creature press its head against Naruto's palm to continue the petting. "Though I can't really keep her there since I've got plans with someone and it'd look weird for me to show up with Pina on my head."

"Are you meeting up with Kirito?" The girl asked as she and Naruto began walking down the path that the blonde was heading, which was coincidentally the same direction as Silica's destination.

"No, he's busy taking care of other things. We're going our separate tasks today " Naruto's answer seemed to disappoint the girl as she unknowingly let out a soft sigh, which confused the blonde a little before he decided "I'm kind of surprised to see you all the way up on this floor by yourself.

"I'm actually heading over to the nearby restaurant where my party is waiting for me to get back from buying some supplies we're going to need. I made some more friends since the whole incident with Rosalia and her Titans Nose Guild." Silica replied with memories of the redheaded Orange Player and how she was rescued by the Swordsmen of Twilight, though she didn't know that at the time, before they helped her bring back Pina after the little Dragon had been killed by monsters. It had been a humbling, learning experience and made the girl learn from her mistakes about overconfidence and finding friends she could trust. It was especially nice to know she had become friends with Kirito and Naruto and would sometimes go on small quests with them. "I heard that you guys not only got a new member of your group but set up a headquarters. That's so amazing!"

Naruto had a sheepish grin on his face and was about to rub the back of his head, only for Pina's tail to swing by and smack it away. The blonde glanced up at the relaxed dragon resting in his hair before mentally shrugging at the action, "Yeah, though it's not really a big deal. Kirito and I were just glad that we managed to find a place that fit our desire for a place that doubled as an office and resident area."

"But still, think of all the people that you guys can help out like you did for me and Pina! With how strong the two of you are, I doubt that there is anything that you guys can't do!"

"I appreciate the thought, but even we've got our limitation to what we can do... though I guess having a high enough level does make us seem even more awesome."

"You are certainly taking your time, aren't you, Naruto? Getting distracted by a conversation when you are already late."

"... Shit…"

Silica watched as the whiskered teen's body froze at the female voice that spoke up from the path to their right and followed the voice to see an attractive, slightly-older girl standing a few feet away from them with an annoyed look and crossed arms over her chest. Taking in the other female Player's appearance, Silica quickly recognized her from the guild uniform she wore and sword at her hip, "Oh my god, that's Asuna the Lightning Flash."

"H-Hey Asuna! I was just on my way over to the rendezvous spot when I bumped into an old friend here." Naruto replied with a slightly nervous voice before it was replaced with a frown, "Hold on… The way you're coming from is leads to a completely different direction… You were gonna be late too!"

"W-What? No, I wasn't! I-I was looking for you." Shifting her eyes away briefly, Asuna's frown returned as she smacked away Naruto's accusing hand with his index finger a few inches from her face. "Don't point your finger at me! That's rude."

"The same could be said for you getting angry at me for being late when you were gonna be too." Naruto retorted while narrowing his eyes, not realizing his body was moving closer to Asuna with each word and Pina hopping off his head with the sudden motions disturbing her nap. "That's the pot calling the kettle black!"

Asuna seemed to mirror his actions as she leaned in closer at the same time, "Well, if you weren't late a good chunk of the time, I wouldn't get angry."

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not my fault?!"

Meanwhile, Silica sweatdropped at the back and forth between the two, neither seemed to notice that the gap between their faces was shrinking. It was like watching one of those old married couples, "Umm… Excuse me…" The two halted their argument to turn towards Silica who had an embarrassed look on her face while holding Pina in her arms, "I-I'm sorry, but… Y-Your faces…."

Turning back to look at each other, Asuna and Naruto finally took notice to the shot distance between them before quickly pulling back with red flushes on their cheeks. An awkward silence briefly fell over the three as the older teens looked away from one another, noticing some of the stares they were getting from passing Players in the crowd. Asuna was the first one to speak up after she took in a breath to calm herself, "… I was getting my sword worked on and lost track of time. So why were you going to be late this time… Did your savior complex rear itself again?"

"There is difference between a savior complex and wanting to help people when they are in trouble. There was a girl that was being harassed by some male Players that wouldn't leave her alone, so I taught them some manners through a quick battle. Kicked their asses and left them in an alleyway."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"You have got such a savior complex. A violent one." Asuna stated as she, Silica and Pina stared at the blonde with mixed expressions.

"I do not!" Naruto shouted with an annoyed look, "And you're one to talk about being violent, ya crazy Tsundere!"

The next thing the blonde saw was Asuna's incoming hand and Silica's worried expression.

NKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAY

"Well this one's not too shabby, I guess… But it doesn't feel right." Lisbeth said while studying the her latest creation, a One-Hand sword that had been created from the latest supplies she had gotten shipped in… not one of the best materials to work with, but she couldn't really complain with how slow things had gotten lately. But her pride as a master blacksmith made her want to forge the best weapons possible, like the masterpiece she had created for Asuna, Lambent Light, or to create something that no Player had seen before, like the famous Zangetsu that no blacksmith has been able to replicate. The sound of her shop's door opening could be heard coming through the open doorway linking the two, halting her examination as she placed her newest sword down. Summoning her menu to remove her gloves and fixing up her appearance in front of a mirror, Lisbeth smiled brightly at her reflection. "All right, time for the second part of my job."

"… Hmm."

"Welcome to Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop!" Lisbeth called out with a smile on her face upon exiting the forge to her shop where all of her weapons were located. The female blacksmith didn't limit herself to specific weapons or armors, and as such as various types scattered throughout the room. The girl's gaze shifted through the room before she was greeted with the sight of a black-dressed teenage Player around her age, studying some of the weapons she had put in display cases.

Taking notice to the new face at the backdoor and assuming she was the owner of the place, Kirito turned to face her. "Oh, hi…. Um, I was wondering if I could order a custom-made weapon." Kirito order scratching his head.

'Does he even have the cash for it?' Lisbeth thought to herself as she eyed her latest customer, taking his casual looking appearance and lack of armor compared to many of the other customers she had dealt with recently. The last thing she wanted to deal with was someone who tried to order something they couldn't afford and make her waste good material. "Um, I can do it no problem. The thing is that at the moment, the prices of metal have been pretty high."

"You don't have to worry about money. I have more than enough for whatever price you charge." Kirito replied as he turned to completely face the girl as she walked behind her counter. Thanks to all of the money that he and Naruto had earned from gambling, monster battles and quests, as well as Kirito responsibility as the one in charge of their finances, the Swordsmen of Twilight did not have to worry about monetary troubles. He could see the doubt on the girl's face as she took in his appearance, something he was used to by now whenever someone met him or Naruto for the first time. "I just need you to make me one of your best One-Handed Swords. Is that possible?"

"Well, saying you want one of my best swords is kind of vague since I can make so many different types. If you have a reference to the level or what kind of stats you want your sword to have, that will give me a more appropriate gauge to work with." Lisbeth clarified while gesturing to the weapons behind her, "When it comes to One Handed Swords, they can be power-based, or speed-based, or focus more on the Player's skills, etc. Do you know what I mean?"

"I see, that makes sense." Unhooking his sword from his back, Kirito moved it around and held it out to the blacksmith with both hands. "Then, could you try make a sword that is either as good as this one or better?"

Lisbeth blinked a few times before reluctantly accept the offered weapon, only for her eyes to widen in surprise upon feeling how heavy the sword actually was. She then unsheathed the sword and opened its stats to get a better look at it, and her surprise quickly turned to shock at what she was seeing in the black sword's info. 'The Elucidator… It's one of the strongest magic swords that can be acquired from a monster drop. To think this guy would have such a gnarly weapon in his possession.'

"What do you think? Can I order a sword like this one?" Kirito asked again as he watched Lisbeth take a thinking pose for a few seconds before turning around to look through her weapon storage. Spinning around to face him with a sword in hand, the Black Swordsman studied the weapon to see it was a long sword with green guard and a lengthy handle, with the blade of the weapon being much thinner than his Elucidator.

"Try this, it's one of the best one I've ever forged. My masterpiece!"

Taking the offered weapon, Kirito held it up to examine it for a few seconds before giving the sword a few swings with a small frown. "It feels a bit really light compared to my sword."

"That's because the one you have it more power-based," Lisbeth explained while resting a hand on her hip, "But the metal I used to forge that sword is speed-based, allowing you to deal blows in numbers instead of the limitations of power strikes."

"So, it's basically trading how fast I can dish out the damage instead of relying on the impacts my strikes can dish out?" Kirito deduced as he examined the blade once more. In theory, if someone were strong enough, such a trade-off would not be too bad if you could land enough blows. Kind of like how Asuna's fighting style worked compared to Naruto's attacks, which were faster than normal Players with swords as large as Zangetsu, but wasn't even close to the level of speed that the chestnut-haired girl possessed… but that wasn't exactly what he was looking for. "Do you mind if I test it?"

"Test it how?" The pinkette questioned, watching as Kirito retrieve his sword from the table with his free hand.

"It's durability."

Realizing what the black-haired Player was driving at, panicking slightly as he held his Elucidator out while raising her masterpiece above his head. "Wait! If you do that, you're going to break your sword in two and I'm not gonna be responsible for the damage!"

"That's just means I came to the right place. If it breaks, then that's too bad!" Kirito replied as the sword in his right hand began to glow before he swung it down at the black sword in his left… only to blinked a few times with a surprised look as the upper half of the sword broke off upon contact with the Elucidator, watching as the sword piece that broke off had landed in the corner of the room before breaking apart into data shards, "Um… Whoops?"

"Kyahhhhhh!" Lisbeth shrieked as she snatched the broken sword from Kirito, her eyes scanning the remains of the weapon to see if it could be restored… unfortunately for the panicking girl, she could see the durability of the weapon quickly depleting as the seconds passed. In her hands, the rest of the sword shattered to pieces causing the girl to fall to the floor in despair. "Not again… not another one…!?" She quickly stood up and gripped Kirito's shirt with an upset look. "What is with you people destroying my weapons for the hell of it?! Who goes and does something reckless like that?"

"S-sorry… I honestly didn't think it would break like that after all the stuff you said about how it was one of your best..." Kirito replied with a guilty expression, shifting his gaze away from the enraged pinkette. 'Maybe I should've listened to Asuna when she warned me about damaging this girl's weapons, but I honestly thought after seeing Asuna's Rapier in action that it would be impossible for my sword to even damage it.'

"Hold on. Are you saying that my sword was weaker from what you imagined?!" Lisbeth asked with anger clear heard in her voice.

"Actually, yeah..." Kirito answer with a matter-of-fact tone.

Let it be known that the black-haired Player tended to be very blunt when it came to situations like this, which was a result of his time dealing with a certain whiskered-faced blonde and his clever/dumb unpredictability. There were times when you had to be direct with Naruto or it would lead to a major headache.

Hearing his answer, Lisbeth let go of the boy's shirt and put her hands on her hips while glaring up at him. "Just so you know, if I had the right materials, I can easily forged tons of swords that can shatter yours into thousands of tiny pieces! Got it?"

"Oh really? I'd definitely want to order something like that." A smirk formed on Kirito's face upon hearing the girl's words. The eagerness of meeting such a challenge was another thing he had gained from his friendship with Naruto. "One that can shatter my sword. That would definitely be worth the recommendation I got for this place and coming all the way here."

Lisbeth face went red in anger, dismissing the part about someone recommending her shop to this rude teen. "If you've got such a big mouth, then you'll have to stick around and help every step of the way!"

"Every step of the way?" Kirito repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah! Starting from gathering the metal material."

"I can handle that just fine on my own." Kirito said as he walked past the girl and grabbed the Elucidator's sheath from the table. "I'd rather not get slowed down by someone I'm not used to working with."

"Don't insult me. Believe it or not, I'm not just a Master Smith, but an expert Mace User." Lisbeth retorted while folded her hands in front of her stomach.

"Suit yourself," The Black Swordsman replied while placing his sword back in its sheath. "And where exactly are we going to get this metal of yours?"

A little annoyed at the teen's dismissal of her joining him, Lisbeth replied with an equally annoyed tone as she divulged what kind of material they were going to retrieve. "It's gonna be on Floor 55, in the Western Mountain. There's supposedly a dragon that eat crystals and stored inside that dragon are rare metals that can be used to create powerful weapons. Or so the rumors go."

'Floor 55, huh? I can't really ask Naruto to join me since he's with Asuna, so maybe I can get Strea to come along just in case.' Kirito summoned his menu and sent a message to Strea about meeting up with him, before turning to Lisbeth, "I just sent a message to a friend, the two of us can-"

"In order to find this rare metal material, you need a Master Smith to collect the material." Lisbeth interrupted him off with a smirk on her face, "Do you really want to go without one? It would be a waste of both of our times."

Kirito's eyebrow twitch as he looked like he was about to say something, before coming to a halt as he got a reply message back from Strea. Lisbeth watched as Kirito opened up the message and caught a glimpse of what was written, seeing the words "Sorry" and "Got a Case" seconds before the black-haired teen dismissed it. Turning to face the girl, Kirito stared at her smirking face for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "… Just behave yourself and stay out of the way."

"You're seriously pissing me off." Lisbeth said with a tick mark. Whoever told this guy about her shop was officially on her shit-list.

(Meanwhile)

"Achoo!"

"Bless you. You alright?"

"Yeah, I don't know where that's came from."

"Maybe someone was talking about you?"

"That's just a superstition."

"So, where exactly are we going?" Naruto questioned, his hands resting behind his head as he turned to look at the chestnut-haired girl, the slap mark she dealt him still present on his face as the two walked in the opposite direction from where they parted ways with Silica and Pina, with the blonde telling the girl and her dragon to contact him if she or her party ran into any trouble. "You told me to meet up with you on this floor because of a special quest, so where do we need to go?"

"That's right. I managed to get information from Argo about a special quest… she was a lot pricier than you said." Asuna had an annoyed look on her face as they turned a corner and the sight of the Floor's town square came into view with a garden surrounding the gazebo. It was a beautiful area where Players and NPCs were seen walking, relaxing and looking at the mission board where several Players were posted. "We're supposed to meet the NPC at the entrance of the gazebo.

Naruto blinked at that as they circled around the gazebo, a confused expression on his face as his gaze drifted upwards to the clear sky above them. "You know, a few people have said the same thing a while ago, but their prices have never been an issue for me… Though Kirito and I have saved up a lot of money thanks to all of those jobs, monster battles and all those casinos I bankrupted."

"…"

"… What?"

"Nothing." The blonde once again blinked his eyes in confusion as Asuna turned her head away with an annoyed expression, hearing what sounded like, "…so there are others..."

'Others?' Naruto repeated in his mind.

"Hello there, you two must be the ones who agreed to answer my request to destroy the monster that has been attacking the nearby towns. I have been waiting for the two of you." Hearing a voice call out to them, the two turned their attention to the bench in front of the gazebo where a male NPC character was sitting and waving at them specifically. He was a large man wearing a large white scientific coat and cap, with a bushy curly mustache that matched the curly tips coming out of his hat, and a large pair of round glasses that covered his eyes. Adjusting his glasses, the two players watched them glint from the sunlight as the NPC continued. "I am from a nearby town known as Nalavish, which located in the desert region nearby this city. It is a beautiful town that surround the most beautiful oasis, where legends state that the waters possess special healing properties."

"Healing properties?" Naruto repeated with interest, as this had been the first time, he had heard about such a thing since all the Players had arrived on this Floor.

"I heard about that from Argo, apparently Players that drink the water from the Oasis can not only restore their health bar, but it also cleanses them of any status afflictions like paralysis and poison. Rumors also state that it has revival capabilities if the person takes it immediately." Asuna explained while recalling the information she had received from the Beta Tester informant, "It's a very expensive and rare item that is offered on this Floor in that town."

'Another so-called revival item, huh?' Naruto thought to himself as he mentally frowned at that, with memories of the battle that he and Kirito had with the Santa Claus reject and the revival item that they had won. Obviously there had to be more to the item then what the Players believed.

Coughing into his hand to get the attention of the Players, the glasses-wearing NPC continued his story with a frown. "Yes, the Oasis Spring Water is the town's most sacred treasure… but if things continue on then it is only a matter of time that the oasis will be overtaken by the monsters and many will be killed."

The blonde in the group rubbed the back of his head with a raised eyebrow, "What kind of monsters could do something like that?"

"A few of them have the appearance of humanoid desert lizards that have the capability of using weapons and what appear to be golem-like creatures made up of rock. But they aren't the biggest threat," A grimace flashed across the glasses-wearing NPC's face as he waved a hand out towards the two, "You see, this creature has the ability to avoid being detected or seen unless it wants you to, using the sand and terrain to camouflage itself. That is the threat that I want you to take care of."

"So, you want us to protect the town and destroy the monsters, but the biggest threat is one that we won't be able to find… That's gonna be a challenge." Naruto admitted as he turned his head towards his female teammate, a little intrigued after hearing about the event Boss, or Flag Mob as they were called. "You definitely know how to pick an interesting quest, Asuna."

Taking on a thinking pose, Asuna let out a small hum at the information they just received. "We should be good when it comes to dealing the regular monsters, but a Flag Mob that can hide itself will be difficult. I don't suppose your tracking skill has reached a high enough level to find it?"

"More than enough, I've raised it up to where my detection range could cover an entire town if I wanted to find someone or hunt down an item left somewhere." Naruto replied with a foxy grin, briefly enjoying the impressed look on Asuna's face before shrugging his shoulders, "But unfortunately that will only work for me, how about you?"

"It's at a decent level where I can find players and monsters in dark areas and see good distances, but nothing that can immediately detect those with a Hiding skill." Asuna admitted with a frown.

Hearing the NPC clearing this throat, the two players turned their attention back towards the man to see that he was holding out a strange light brown egg-shaped crystal with dark blue marks covering it. "Perhaps this will be of some use to you, this is one of four special crystals that I had created to help track down the monster and bring it out of hiding."

Taking the crystal from the NPC, Naruto studied the crystal for a few seconds before lowering it from his face. "That's great and all, but how does it work?"

"All you need to do is place these crystals at four special locations just outside the oasis, each spot had a small hill that will give the crystals the proper elevation they'll need to activate. For you see, because we've never gotten a good look at the creature, we do not know how big it is… Once you secure the crystals, they will emit a magnetic field in between them that will hold the monster in place long enough for you to defeat it." The glasses-wearing NPC explained before pointing a hand at the two Players, "But be careful, I'm sure those locations are filled with monsters, so you'll have to take care of them first."

"So, deal with the small fries, secure the crystals and take down the Flag Mob." Shrugging his shoulders upon simplifying their task, Naruto took another crystal from the man while Asuna took the other two, before both put them away. "Taking away its Hiding ability should weaken it quite a bit as well."

Placing a hand on her hip, Asuna let out a soft giggle. "Hopefully, it will be as easy as you make it sound, though I really doubt it." The chestnut haired girl turned her head back to the man with a raised eyebrow, "I can already guess the answer, but do we need to work with all four crystals or will it work with less?"

"Hmm… Two or three crystals should be able to bring the creature out of hiding, but all four will prevent it from escaping or using its Hiding ability during the battle, so I recommend securing all four spots before attempting to challenge the monster. Good luck, I shall pray for your success and returning peace to my home."

Watching as the scientist walked away, Naruto let out an amused chuckle as he crossed his arms, "For an NPC, he sure likes to give us even more pressure to work with."

"It wouldn't be a quest if there wasn't some kind of drama or situation where they push us to get the job done." A smiling Asuna joked with a soft giggle, resting one of her hands on the hilt of her sheathed rapier as she finally lost sight of the NPC before turning to the blonde. "So, we're dealing with a type of monster that can hide itself completely even while fighting up close in an open area like the desert. Better make sure that we're prepare for whatever monsters we might come across."

"We might want to grab some cloaks as well, just in case." The whiskered-faced teen had never been to a desert area personally since they only started appearing after Floor 56, but his fellow Swordsmen of Twilight members had some experience when the two had gone on a job together while he was assisting a minor Guild on the lower Floors and given him some advice on what to expect if the chance ever occurred. "Depending on the area the town is located, there might be a chance that we could receive field damage from potential sandstorms. They can also help protect us from any sand-based attacks that the monsters might throw at us."

"Good call. I think there's a store nearby that had some durable ones that should do the job for the quest."

"Sounds good to me… By the way, Asuna… Did you…?"

"Yes, I made us some food for the quest."

"Awesome! I can't wait to have more of Asuna's delicious cooking!" Naruto cheered as the chestnut-haired girl led the two towards the shop she was talking about earlier, the latter's face gaining a small red tint over her cheeks at Naruto's words and a small smile.

Though both vanished as Asuna shook her head lightly before crossing her arms, "Just don't expect me to give you some of mine again."

'That is such a tsundere pose.' Naruto thought to himself with a deadpanned expression, only to freeze up as he saw the girl turned to face him and waved his hands in front of his face. "I-I wasn't thinking anything bad; I swear!"

"Huh? Saying that just makes you sound suspicious…"

(A Few Hours Later - Floor 55: West Mountain)

"Wow... It's beautiful." Lisbeth said looking at the field of crystals covering the entire area with a small path opened up in the middle leading up to a giant cluster up ahead. But while the girl was mesmerized by the incredible sight, her black-haired companion looked completely focused on something else as he scanned the area. It had taken them quite a while to reach this point after walking up the mountain and braved through the snowy terrain, though they hadn't come across any monsters on their journey… yet. Focusing her gaze on the largest crystal up-ahead, Lisbeth barely took a few steps towards it before Kirito pulled on her coat, one that he had given her earlier to help her keep warm. "What are you doing?"

"Get your Teleportation Crystal ready." Kirito ordered while ignoring the annoyed look she was sending him.

"I know, I know…" A grumbling Lisbeth replied while reaching into her pocket before retrieving the blue crystal.

"And… from this moment on I will taking care of this part by myself." Kirito continued as he shifted his gaze from the girl towards the large crystal and then to the snow descending from the dark clouds above them. "When the dragon shows up, hide behind one of those crystals over there. Don't come out, no matter what."

"What? I'm not a newbie! If I want to help you, then I-".

"No! You are going to do what I say and not interfere." Kirito quickly cut the surprised girl off as he stared down at her with an intense look. Lisbeth found herself unable to say anything once her eyes met Kirito and only nodded her head. The look on Kirito's face was replaced with a smile before giving her a quick pat on the head and walked past her. "Good, then let's get the show on the road."

Because his back was to her, Kirito did not see as Lisbeth reached up and touch the spot where he had rubbed her head with both of her hands. But any thoughts going through the girl's head was interrupted by the sound of a roaring dragon that echoed throughout the area. "The dragon…"

"Hurry up and hide over there!" Kirito directed while pointing to a bunch of crystals that would provide a good covering, to which Lisbeth quickly obeyed and secured a good vantage spot where she could hide and watch the battle in case something went wrong. The Black Swordsman unsheathed his sword as he stared at the exceptionally large dragon emerging from the crystal, taking its appearance as he prepared himself, a small smile forming on Kirito's face. "Been awhile since I fought on my own, but I don't think it'll be too much."

Both players watched as the dragon pulled its head back slightly as a blue light gathered in its mouth. "It's using a breath attack! Watch out!" Lisbeth called out from behind her crystal covering.

To Lisbeth surprise, however, Kirito remained in his one spot as the dragon unleash it's freezing breath, before swinging his glowing blade and slash the freezing breath, knocking it away before it could connect leaving the black haired teen unharmed. Not giving the dragon a moment to recover from the breath attack's recoil, Kirito ran forward before leaping into the air and delivered a powerful strike to the dragon's chest, causing the beast to let out a pained roar that was followed by another as Kirito continued his assault by connecting with an combo to the dragon's back behind its neck.

"Wow..." Lisbeth said to herself as she lowered her mace upon seeing Kirito put up for than a fight against the dragon by himself, even as the monster took to the skies to get an advantage. 'He's doing all of this with such a slender sword... Just who is this guy?'

"Hyaaahhhh!" Kirito let out a battle cry as he used the different sized crystals as stepping stone to get closer to the dragon, quickly closing the distance before delivering another blow to the dragon, focusing on its arm and cutting it off with a single swing of his sword.

"Come on, let's get this over with!"

Kirito's eyes widened in mild horror as he turned his head to see that Lisbeth had emerged from her hiding spot, "Idiot! Don't come out yet!"

"What are you making such a big deal about it? The battle's ove-" Before she can finish, Lisbeth saw that the dragon, upon finally taking notice of a second Player, turned its attention solely on her and began use its wing to create a powerful gust of wind that crashed into the nearby snow below it, creating a small avalanche of snow that quickly overtook her even as she tried to outrun it. "Kyaaahhhh!" Lisbeth let out a scream as she was thrown into the air over a giant pit that resided between a large cluster of crystals.

"Lis!" Kirito said while landing on top of a crystal, before rapidly jumping toward as Lisbeth began to fall into the hole.

"No... NOOOOO!" Tears filled Lisbeth's eyes as she continued to fall, her screams coming to a halt as she felt a hand grab onto hers.

Turning her head to see that the hand belonged to Kirito, who was descending with her, and felt the boy pull her in close to his boy while rotating them around so that he was positioned below her. "Just hold on to me, Lis!" As the two disappeared into the darkness, Lisbeth's screams could be heard.

NKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAY

"Wow, it's kind of weird to find a Safe Zone so close to the town. It must be one created for the Players if they participate in this event since monsters can appear in the town." Naruto commented as he walked along the edge of the Safe Zone, which actually gave a good view of the Oasis. It had not been the first time they had stopped in the zone, only coming by once upon discovering it after securing the first two crystals on the north and east outskirts of the town before continuing on to the next location. "Be a great view if it weren't for the monsters."

"Hopefully, it won't be an issue for long. This gives us time to recover and get ready for the Flag Mob as soon as we secure the final crystal." Sitting herself down on a large stone slab located at the center of the monster-free area, Asuna stretched her arms above her head with a soft grunt before she opened the cloak she was wearing to let her body breathe after being wrapped securely around her body most of the quest. Neither Player had to worry about environmental attacks nor sands getting into their eyes while in a Safe Zone. "Geez, who knew fighting on a sandy flooring would be so difficult."

A grinning Naruto plopped himself next to Asuna while handing her a potion, "Completely different from the normal dungeons and snowy terrains, huh?"

"No kidding. But at least we managed to place three out of the four crystals at the locations the NPC told us about, now we just have to deal with the final location in the West and the event boss will show up at the oasis." Asuna nodded her head in thanks as she took the potion from Naruto, who pulled out his own, and brought container of red liquid to her lips. She could see both of their health slowly restoring themselves to full green bar, "… While they weren't pushovers, I'm kind of surprised how easily we've been defeating the monster groups that have been at each location so far. It's suspicious."

"I could say that it's because we're just that awesome… but this is probably a way for the quest to create a false sense of security for the Players who attempt to clear it." Naruto replied as he finished drinking his potion, causing the jar to shatter in his hand as the blonde adjusted his sitting position to where he was leaning back against his hands and looking up at the digital blue sky over their heads. "I remember going through a quest like that with Kirito back on Floor 32. We were going after this special monster beehive to retrieve some nectar that could be used to make a special elixir… Never thought I would end up fighting a swarm of giant bees."

"Giant bees and a special elixir, huh? Sounds like quite the experience."

The Sub-Commander watched as Naruto's body tense before it shook from a shiver, the blonde teen looking away with a distant look. "Kirito and I don't like to talk about the horrors we faced that day."

'Then why even bring it up in the first place?' Asuna thought to herself as a sweat drop formed on the back of her head. "It couldn't have been that bad. Are you afraid of bees or something… D-Did they sting you… you know, in a sensitive area?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Naruto replied before he curled up into a fetal position and his head atop of his knees with wavy blue lines coming off his body.

His actions only made the sweat drops falling down Asuna's head multiply as curiosity started to build up inside her, as well as pity. 'Looks like I was dead on… I would offer him some food since that seems to cheer him up, but we ate the lunches I made earlier… huh?' Noticing her teammate reach into his coat before pulling out a small paper bag. Reaching into the bag, Naruto retrieved the two items that were inside of the bag before holding out one to the girl. "Is that… a soft pretzel?"

"Yeah, I made them the other night and the durability is gonna run out by the end of the day." Naruto said as he waved the pretzel a little in front of the girl's face.

"Thank you…" Asuna took the offered salted snack from Naruto, feeling how warm the bread still was against her fingers, and stared down at it for a few seconds before mirroring Naruto's actions as the two took a bite of the salted treat. "Mmm… This is really good. It's been so long since I had a soft pretzel."

"Glad you like it. My Cooking might not be as high level or as delicious as what you make, but I can handle plenty of decent recipes from time to time. I got this one after doing a mini quest for a bakery on Floor 29 if you're interested." With a grin on his face, Naruto continued to scarf down his snack quickly before letting out a satisfied sigh. "You made us a great lunch earlier, so I figured I should bring something to the table as thanks."

"I might take you up on that. Even though it's mostly easy because of the game's system, it's kind of fun learning new recipes and experimenting. I'm even working on something special that will blow your mind!" Asuna stated with a large smile on her face as she ate her pretzel at a much slower pace than Naruto, enjoying the snack she hadn't eaten since being trapped in the game.

With his curiosity peaked, Naruto leaned closer to the girl. "Something special, huh? What are ya working on?"

"Sorry, but you'll just have to wait and see."

"Oh, come on, Asuna! Just give me a little hint!"

"Nope. It's a surprise." The girl replied, much to Naruto's groaning dismay, finishing the pretzel before rising off the stone slab. "I think we've taken a long enough break. Come on, we've got a monster to defeat."

(A Few Minutes Later – West Exit of Town)

"Asuna, on your left!" Naruto called out as he swung Zangetsu down and cleaved an incoming Desert Goblin in half.

"I see him!" The Rapier user ducked under the javelin of a Goblin that was trying to use the sand to camouflage itself and sneak up on her. Closing the distance between them, Asuna aimed her strikes at each of the Goblin's joints to knock it off balance before thrusting her blade through its skull. Watching as the Goblin exploded into shards, Asuna leaped back a good distance as a Sand Golem, which looked like a bulky humanoid creature made up of hardened clumps of sand, slammed its large hand into the ground where she had previously been standing. "Naruto! Switch!"

Naruto nodded his head as he rushed past Asuna upon using the Switch skill, intercepting the incoming Sand Golem's next attack with the broad side of Zangetsu. Putting more strength into his arms, Naruto used his sword to push the Golem tumbling back with a swing of his sword, creating the opening he needed as he dashed in close with his blade glowing a pale blue. "Twin Moons!" The Sand Golem could not defend itself as Naruto delivered a powerful upward diagonal swing before quickly bringing his sword to the other side and repeated the action from the opposite side. With its health reaching zero, the bulky monster fell backwards and shattered into data fragments, leaving Asuna and Naruto as the only remaining figures in the area. "I think we've finish securing the area, let's get the final crystal set up."

"Right." Pulling out the purple crystal from her inventory, Asuna made her way towards a hill that was a little distance away before placing it in the center. Taking a few steps back from the crystal, the chestnut-haired girl and her companion watched as it started to glow brightly, signaling its activation. "Just like the others, now all we need to do is go after the final monster back at the oasis."

Glancing up at their health bars, Naruto nodded to himself as he saw that their Battle Healing skills had already restored the points they lost. "Sounds like a plan to me…?"

"Is something wrong?" Seeing Naruto look around with a frown as she walked off the hill with a raised eyebrow, Asuna soon came to a stop a few feet away from him and placed a hand on her hip.

"…"

"Naruto?"

"I don't think I'm imagining it… Do you feel that too?" The blonde questioned as he knelt down to the ground, almost sensing the confused look on the girl's face as she copied his actions. "It's kind of faint but I'm sure that the ground is trembling."

"Huh… Now that you mention it…" Placing a hand on the sandy ground, Asuna felt the earth lightly pulsating under her fingertips. "I think it's getting stronger!? But that means-!"

"Something's coming!" Naruto exclaimed, to which he and Asuna shot to their feet as they felt the shaking intensify greatly.

Hearing the ground beneath them crack as the shaking became even more violently, the two jumped back in time to avoid a large beast-like creature emerging from the ground in an attempt at a sneak attack. Naruto and Asuna watched in surprise as the dust clouds dispersed to reveal a sandy-brown colored tanuki, with dark- blue markings all over its face, body, and tail. Letting out a roar from its jagged, concave mouth to reveal that it had no tongue, and glaring down at the two Players with unique yellow irises and pupils that each took the shape of a black four-pointed star with four black dots around it. Two health bars started to slowly fill itself above the creature's head as it took moved closer to Asuna and Naruto.

"So, that's the monster that we've got to defeat." Asuna deduced as she took her stance, "To think that it would actually come to us instead of waiting at the oasis."

"Shukaku," Naruto muttered as he got a good look the monstrous tanuki and the name hovering above it. "To think I would actually run into a virtual monster based on something from my childhood."

"Wait. You recognize this thing?!" Asuna shifted her gaze to look at Naruto in shock.

Shaking his head in response as he held up Zangetsu with both hands, Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Somewhat. I used to have weird dreams about this thing when I was younger, after I was adopted… But we can focus on that later!" As he said those words, a roaring Shukaku reared its large, spiked tail into the air and pointed it toward the two players.

Its tail began to glow yellow and stabbed down at them, but luckily it was slow enough for the two to avoid the attack instead of attempting to block or counter, which proved to be the smart call as the spikes of the Shukaku's tail made contact with the ground and shattered the area around it. Shukaku let out another menacing roar at seeing that it missed its targets before pulling its tail out of the ground and positioned it in a curl behind it with the tip pointing upwards. Seeing the pause in its attack, Naruto and Asuna charged forward with their weapons ready, managing to land the first blows to the large tanuki's sides at the same time, causing Shukaku to let out a pain-filled roar as their swords connected with its body before attempting a counterattack with its large claw. The large appendage coming towards the two forced them to jump in separate directions with Naruto landing on Shukaku's right side while Asuna was on its left.

Seeing that the Players were standing on either side of it, Shukaku tilted its body slightly before spinning itself in a full three sixty with its claws and tail sticking out in an attempt to attack everything around it, going at a speed that, while surprisingly quick for something of its size, was not too difficult to maneuver around. While the attacks did not hit either of them, the two could not help but take notice to the destruction being done to the buildings nearby.

"Shukaku might not be quick, but it is powerful!" Asuna called out as she ducked under an incoming claw before dealing several powerful jabs to it, causing the monster's health bar to deplete some more as the attack stunned it. "It looks like this boss is focused mostly on offense and leaves a lot of openings."

"Then let's exploit the hell out of it before it changes tactics!" Naruto shouted back as he jumped into the air, above the stunned boss' head with Zangetsu raised over his shoulder. But as Naruto was about to swing down at Shukaku, the tanuki seemed to recover shockingly fast and grabbed one of the nearby building ruins and held the large pillar in front of it, intercepting the blonde's attack. Naruto and Asuna were shocked as the former's blade connected with the pillar before bouncing off, a hexagon with the words Immortal Object appearing over it.

"This thing can grab and use objects as a shield?! I've never seen a boss do that before!" Asuna's eyes widened in shock as it launched a counter at Naruto, who used his sword as a shield to intercept the attack, but it still sent him flying back a few feet. "Naruto!" The worry presents on the girl's face had a small bit of relief replace it as her blonde companion regained his balance and landed on his feet, though his health had lowered from the attack. But Asuna didn't have time to think about that as she saw that Shukaku had turned its attention to her with its tail poised to swing at her, and copied Naruto's earlier actions in using her sword to block the attack.

"Asuna!" Naruto called out as he watched in shock as the Boss' strike was still strong enough to send the girl flying back into a nearby pillar before sliding to the ground, recognizing the telltale signs of a critical attack landing. 'This thing's attack patterns keep changing, switching between its arms and tail so quickly! I need to take those things out before I can finish it off!' The blonde was cut off from his thoughts as he saw that Shukaku was now focusing on Asuna and was approaching the girl with its tail curled and ready to strike, "It's coming for another round! Look out!"

The Sub Commander quickly got back on her feet in time to dodge the spiky appendage before countering with several jabs of her rapier, causing the beast to let out a pained roar and retreated back a few feet. But this did not deter the beast as it raised both of its arms and swung them at Asuna, who did her best to dodge them only for Shukaku's tail to come out of nowhere and slam against her right side. That caused a good portion of Asuna's HP to deplete as the girl tumbled across the floor, but before she could get back to her feet, Shukaku reached out, snatching Asuna up in one swoop.

"Shit!" Taking off into a sprint towards the large tanuki and his captured friend, panic built up in Naruto's chest as he watched Asuna being raised high into the air. It was obvious what Shukaku was planning on doing and with distance between the two, the damage Asuna could receive would take a toll on her health bar, more than likely dealing a critical that would leave her stunned and open to more attacks. But even as he rushed forward with all the speed he had acquired; it was still not even close to Kirito or Asuna's level since he was more of a power type swordsman. 'I… I have to make it… I cannot let Asuna become another name to join the deceased… faster… Faster, damn it!'

Unknown to the blonde, deep within him, a lone crimson eye with a slitted pupil opened with the darkness, flashing red with anger. "… Disgusting. Losing to a tanuki with that bastard's name… I won't allow it!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt a strange sensation go throughout his body and felt his speed increase exponentially, the distance between him and Shukaku shortening by the second. Deciding not to question it, even as his steps briefly formed small glitch-like craters under his feet before returning to normal as he stepped off, the blonde leaped towards Shukaku with his sword raised high above his head. Zangetsu was covered in a strange red glow just as Naruto swung down at the arm holding Asuna, and to the surprise of both Asuna and Naruto, released a wave of energy that severed Shukaku's right arm and parts of his tail that was just under it. Both the limb and pieces of tail shattered into data fragments, freeing the girl, and allowing Naruto to grab onto her before retreating back.

"N-Naruto?" The girl stared up at Naruto in surprise as they landed a good distance away from the damaged Shukaku, who was letting out multiple roars as it gripped the place where its arm used to be.

"Are you okay, Asuna?"

Not saying anything as she stared at the roaring monster in disbelief, Asuna's gaze shifted to the health bar hovering next to the Event Boss' head. It seemed that Naruto's attack had done more damage than they had thought as Shukaku's first health bar had been emptied with the last one three-fourths of the way full. Losing its right arm and pieces of its tail had taken a chunk of health along with it.

"Heal." The familiar sound of a crystal shattering reached her ears as she felt the sensation of her body being restored and saw that her own health had refilled itself. Turning her head to see the concerned expression on Naruto's face, this time Asuna registered when he repeated himself. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine thanks to you… though you can put me down now," Nodding his head at her words, the blonde gently lowered himself and allowed the girl to place her feet on the ground before standing straight. "Looks like you managed to land a powerful blow and take his arm off."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can take it easy!" Without giving a second thought, Naruto left the surprised Asuna behind as he dashed towards Shukaku, who let out a snarl upon seeing the blonde coming closer.

Asuna tried reaching for her sword so she could join Naruto, only to come to a chilled halt as she saw that her rapier was stabbed in the ground a few yards away. "Wait, Naruto! Don't act reckless and go in for the finisher alone! That boss is unpredictable and can use the surrounding area as a shield, remember?"

"Don't worry. For some reason… I don't feel like I can lose!" Naruto shouted back to the girl while he activated his second Healing Crystal, his health restored just as Asuna's was seconds earlier. As he got even closer to Shukaku, Zangetsu glowing briefly red like it did earlier before changing to a bluish-white aura.

The giant tanuki let out a roar as the marks on its tail began to glow, the rearing back before darting forward to intercept the blonde's attack. Naruto's powerful swing combined with the glowing Zangetsu not only stopped Shukaku's tail in its tracks, but also cut through the remains of the appendage and sent it crashing to the floor, causing the beast to recoil back as even more of its health was depleted. With a powerful desire to destroy Shukaku rushing throughout his body, Naruto surged forward and used the tanuki's tail as a springboard just seconds before it shattered into data fragments. Just like before, Shukaku grabbed the nearest destroyed pillar and positioned it in front of its body as a defense to Naruto's attack, but that didn't stop the blonde as he reared his sword back, not noticing as the red glow around it grew darker and shifted to a dark crimson.

"Like that will stop me! DIE!" Naruto shouted before bringing Zangetsu down on Shukaku's hidden body. The glowing blade slashing through the pillar and separated the upper half of Shukaku's body from its bottom. The blonde not noticing as another hexagon that had appeared shattered in glitch fragments, focusing all of his attention on the defeated monster as both halves fell to the ground and shattered into pieces… before falling to his knees with all the strength he felt vanishing.

Two icons suddenly appeared with message written on it, "Congratulations! You have unlocked a new combat skill, Getsuga Tenshō." But it was the second message that surprised him the most, Congratulations on defeating the Shukaku with Zangetsu! As a reward, you have received the Heaven's Chain, given the right conditions, you will be able to make your blade reach new levels of strength."

'What the hell? A special item reward because I used Zangetsu?! But why… did… did Akihiko actually plan an entire special event for this sword?' Naruto thought to himself as he held out his hand to receive the Heaven's Chain, and watched as a long, thin black chain appear in his palm. 'No, it wasn't just this event… Zangetsu, a one-of-a-kind item falling into my hands in the first place after getting alerted to a quest about it… What is going through his head?'

"Naruto!" Quickly placing the chain away in his inventory, the blonde turned around to see Asuna running up to him with a worried expression on her face. Naruto's eyes widened as the girl suddenly brought him into a tight hug, the impact causing him to fall back onto his behind. "Thank goodness. You aren't hurt badly, are you?"

"I-I should be asking you that." Naruto replied as one of his hands subconsciously rose up and rested it on Asuna's back, "That was a difficult fight, but we came out of it alive. I'm glad you are safe."

"Says the idiot that charged forward on his own before," Asuna countered before finally pulling back. "How did you do that anyways?"

Rubbing the back of his head while leaning forward a bit, "Don't know honestly. I just felt a rush of energy back when I thought-…"

"Thought what?"

"… Nothing, I'm just glad that I was able to get you out of Shukaku's grasp." For some reason, Naruto could not find the right words to say when he thought back to how angry he felt upon seeing Asuna get captured and almost killed… It made his stomach flip on itself and his chest ache.

Seeing that Naruto was looking uncomfortable about the topic, Asuna decided to let it go for now and changed the subject. Looking up, she saw that the digital cloud-filled sky was shifting to a sunset setting. "Well, it looks like we managed to finish up just in time."

"Yeah, though it is getting pretty late." Naruto commented as he placed the bandaged-wrapped Zangetsu on his back, 'I never thought I would learn a new skill or acquire an item that would made my sword stronger… Speaking of, I wonder if Kirito managed to find a new sword that suits him… He sent me that message about gathering material to make one, but that was a while ago.'

"Hey, Naruto." The blonde perked his head at hearing Asuna's voice and turned to see the girl now had a small smile on her face, "Since it's so late, after we submit the completion of the mission and claim our reward, how about I cook us up some dinner?"

"That actually sound great about now, did you want to head back to my office?"

Asuna shook her head, sheathing her own Lambent Light as she continued, "… I was thinking about going back to my place in Selmburg on Floor 61, all of my equipment is the highest available stuff so I can guarantee the meal will be A Rank or higher."

"J-Just the two of us? Not that you couldn't kick my ass if something happened… Wait! I don't mean that I would try anything, I respect you way too much to even try…" A small blush formed on Naruto's face, something that was mirrored by Asuna. "Well, if you're okay with it-"

"Of course, I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't!"

Shaking his head to get rid of his blush, a grin grew on Naruto's face. "Alright! I think a home cooked meal after a long day like this sounds like a great idea. Though I am a little worried."

"Worried? About what?"

"Getting addicted to your delicious food. If I keep getting spoiled by it, I don't think I'll want anything else." Naruto admitted as he started walking towards the town, not seeing Asuna's face turn very red at that before she followed him.

Hearing those word kept Asuna smiling almost the entire night.

(Morning on Floor 55)

"Let's try again..." Kirito muttered to himself as he stared up at the walls surrounding him leading up to the top of the pit that he and Lisbeth had fallen into the day before, his gaze coming to a stop he could see the open, snowy sky that was visible through the hole directly above him.

Previous attempts at escape after getting trapped at the bottom of the pit had resulted in failure, from him trying to sprint up the wall only to make it three-fourths of the way before he slipped on the icy surface the was on the upper half of the pit, to trying to use teleportation crystals that didn't work… It was not the first time he was trapped in an anti-teleport zone. Both Player had also lost contact with everyone and anything that was outside of the pit, so the chances of them messaging any of their friends for help was out of the question. Luckily, they had pack supplies to help them get through the night, but Kirito knew that it would not last them long, so he needed to find a way to escape sooner rather than later.

Dashing forward in an attempt at dashing up the wall once more, Kirito's foot got caught on something causing him to trip and fall on his face. "Ugh... What the heck… Hold on… Is that?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

'Hmmm… Huh?' Hearing the sounds of someone digging in the snow, Lisbeth's opened her dark-pink eyes and was greeted by the sight of Kirito's back while the black-haired swordsman was digging for something in front of him. Briefly watching him for a few seconds, the girl finally spoke up after a handful of snow landed on her hair, brushing it off as she got out of one of the two sleeping bags they had been using and made her way over to the Black Swordsman. "Kirito? What are you doing over there?"

Halting his digging to turn back to the approaching pink-haired girl, Kirito lifted his hand to reveal a crystal-like ore that had been buried in the snow. "Oh good, you're awake. Check this out." Kirito tossed the ore over to the blacksmith, who juggled with it for a second before getting a secure grip on it. "I'm pretty sure this is what we came for."

Blinking in surprise at the black-haired teen's words, Lisbeth glanced down the crystal in her hands before tapping it for more information. "I can't believe it, it's the Crystallite Ingot."

"You did say the rumors were that the dragon eats the crystals and digest them." Kirito said as he stood up and look at the sky visible through the pit's entrance. "If it wasn't for being sent into this pit, I doubt we would be able to find it."

"I can't believe we actually found it." Lowering the crystal, a befuddled Lisbeth looked around the confined space surrounding around them. "Why is it here though?"

"This place isn't a trap for Players. It's actually the dragon's nest." Kirito explained as he looked back at the blacksmith before pointing at the object in her hands. "In other words, that ingot is excrement... You know, dragon poop."

Looking back between Kirito and the ingot in her hands a few times as the former's words started to sink in, a combined look of disgust and shock replaced Lisbeth's confusion before she tossed the crystal out of her hands.

"Either way," Kirito started as he caught the airborne crystal with one hand. "Having this in our possession means that we've completed our task of finding the thing, now all we need to do is find-"

"Hold on… You said this is a dragon's nest, right?"

"Yup."

"But if I remember correctly, dragons are nocturnal creatures in the game, so doesn't that mean that..." Lisbeth didn't need to finish her sentence as she saw the look on Kirito's face show that he understood what she was driving at. The two Players lifted their heads to look up toward the sky, where a familiar shadowy figure was quickly approaching the nest. "It's here!"

Narrowing his eyes at the approaching dragon, Kirito quickly lifted Lisbeth up and placed her over his shoulder, much to her embarrassment, before quickly unsheathing his sword and unleashed a powerful swing into the snow on the ground causing it to rise into the air and create a covering for them just before the dragon arrived. The winged beast spun around as it blew away the snow with its wings in an attempt to locate the Players that had entered its nest, only to find not trace of either of them. Unknown to the dragon Kirito was actually above its head with a startled Lisbeth over his shoulder, running up the wall before jumping off and landing on the dragon's back, stabbing his sword deep into it. "Lis, hold on tight!"

"W-What are you doing?!"

"Hitching a ride!" Kirito shouted back over the pain-filled roar the dragon was letting out as it took flight and made its way out of the hole, with its passengers struggling to stay on. "Alright! We're almost outside!" Their ride was cut short as the dragon came to a halt one it had reached the outside, causing both Kirito and Lisbeth to launch off of the beast and into the sky.

"Kyaaaaaahhh!"Lisbeth screamed as she and Kirito went sailing through some clouds before the momentum of their launch finally died, before opening her eyes to one of the most beautiful sights that she had every seen. With its powerful light spreading out and lifting the darkness of the previous night, the sunrise of Aincard was seen shining in the distance over the snowy mountains and parting clouds, "Incredible… It's breathtaking!" Turning her head back to look at Kirito, the blacksmith saw that he was offering one of his hand toward her, something that befuddled the girl for a brief moment before a smile formed on her face as she grabbed onto the hand. "Kirito! You know what?"

"What?" Kirito yelled back as he struggled to hear what the girl was saying through the loud winds blowing against them as they fell towards the ground.

"Don't freak out, but I think I'm falling in love with you!" Lisbeth continued with a large grin on her face.

" I can't hear you! Can you repeat that?" Kirito stated with a raised eyebrow, only to get pulled into a hug, catching him by surprise and only confused him more.

Despite the fact that Kirito was not able to hear her confession, it did not seem to bother the girl that much as she started to giggle, "Never mind!" But the smile on Lisbeth's face did not last as a thought occurred to her, "Hey Kirito?"

"Yeah?"

"We're still falling, aren't we?"

"Seems like it."

The peaceful and happy moment quickly ended upon the realization that they are still falling. Lisbeth letting out another scream as Kirito used his body to shield Lisbeth like he had done earlier when they were falling down the pit… but before they hit the ground an orange blur came out of nowhere and crashed into them, sending them rolling across the snow with a majority of the momentum impeded by the collision.

"Are you two alright?" Hearing the new voice speaking up from a few feet away from them, Kirito and Lisbeth rolled their bodies over to get a good look at what tackled them and saw an orange-clad blonde slowly lifting his body up from the snow.

"Naruto? What're you doing here?" Kirito said in surprise at the sudden appearance of his best friend, who rose back to his feet.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest as he looked back and forth between Kirito and Lisbeth, "Oh, you know, just decided to stop by the mountains, take in the fresh air-WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M HERE?!"

"OW!" Kirito rubbed the top of his head with a grumble, feeling the sharp pain from Naruto smacking him upside the head. "Was that really necessary?"

"When my best friend disappears for a day to go hunting for minerals where powerful Monsters are located, vanishes without anyway to contact him, and suddenly appears out of nowhere, do you really think I wouldn't hit you for scaring me like that?!" Naruto retorted with a twitching eyebrow, "Do you have any idea how worried I was? Asuna told me that her friend, the same one that traveled to this place with you, disappeared as well, so we came here immediately to find you! Aren't you the one who says I am the more reckless one out of the two of us?! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"We rode on top a dragon."

"… Great, and now I'm really jealous!"

"Um…" The two boys turned to look over at Lisbeth, who was the last of the three to get back onto her feet, "Not to be rude, I'm grateful you showed up, but… who exactly are you?"

"Kirito! Lis! Are you two alright? A new voice called out from nearby, followed by the sound of feet running through the snow.

"It doesn't look like they are injured."

Both Kirito and Lisbeth look toward the voice, which reveal Asuna and Strea jogging toward them.

"Asuna!" Lisbeth said in surprise as she was brought into a tight hug by the chestnut-haired girl. "What are you doing here?"

"You're here too, Strea?"

The purple-clad AI nodded her head with a smile while clasping her hands together, "Mm-hmm, I was concerned about your wellbeing after you didn't return to our headquarters last night. Both Naruto and Asuna were especially worried since you both did not reply back to them when they tried to contact you. So, we came to this Floor since it was the last location you told us that you would be. Luckily, we heard that dragon's roar and saw the two of you falling from the sky."

"Really… Sorry. But you guys do know that I had everything covered, right?"

"E-Excuse me! B-But t-that sword on you back…" Lisbeth's body trembled as she pointed at the sword strapped to Naruto's back, causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow before unsheathing Zangetsu with the bandages fading away into data, "I-Is that what I think it is?"

"You know about Zangetsu?"

"Every blacksmith worth their metal knows about this sword!" Lisbeth exclaimed in awe as she closed the distance between herself and Naruto to study the blade in his hand, "The Legendary, One-of-a-kind weapon unlike any other in Aincrad, where it can level up and change its appearance as it grows stronger! C-Can I hold it?"

Naruto shifted his gaze to look at his three friends for help, only for the Asuna and Strea to giggle while the remaining teen shrugged his shoulders. "Um, sure, I guess?"

Taking the offered sword from Naruto, Lisbeth's body slouched forward greatly with a shocked expression before using both hands and more strength to lift it up a little higher. And she thought that Kirito's Elucidator had weight to it. "It's even heavier than I thought! This is clearly a power-type weapon, and yet you can use one hand to do it! That goes against the usual rules about this type of weapon!"

The blacksmith's thoughts were put on hold as he took a few steps ahead of the group with his hand resting on his sword, "Sorry, but you guys will have to save it for later. We've got an angry Dragon coming back for revenge."

"I'm guessing you're the one that took out its arm, huh? That'll make it easier to finish it off." Asuna stated while unsheathing her rapier, turning her head to look over at Lisbeth as Naruto and Kirito accepted each other into joining a party. Strea pulled out her Two-Handed blade, Invaria, out with her usual smile on her face as she moved next to the chestnut-haired girl. "Leave the rest to us. Lis, you get back so you don't get hurt."

"R-Right! You got it, Asuna."

A large grin formed on Naruto's face as he took back Zangetsu from Lisbeth, holding it in front of his body with the sharp edge of the blade glowing with a bluish hue, "Yesterday, I fought a giant tanuki. Today, I'm fighting a dragon. This game keeps getting more exciting by the minute!"

(Later that Day)

'I can't believe I spent the whole day yesterday with one of the members of the Swordsmen of Twilight and didn't even know it… No wonder Kirito was so strong on his own.' Lisbeth thought to herself as she, Asuna and the Swordsmen of Twilight trio returned back to her shop with more than enough materials that they had acquired from the Dragon, which included the Crystallite Ingot that Kirito had found in its nest. Naruto couldn't stop laughing at the fact that Lisbeth was going to make a sword out of dragon poop. That is, until Asuna had enough and stopped him herself by smacking the back of his head… Which she immediately regretted as it somehow sent him crashing into Strea's arms and face-first into her cleavage… No one was sure how that happened, not even Strea. Shaking her head as she placed the Crystallite Ingot on her worktable, Lisbeth turned towards Kirito with a focused expression on her face. "You wanted a One-Handed Sword, right?"

"Yup, I'm counting on you to make it awesome." Kirito replied with a smile as he placed a hand on his hip, while Naruto, Asuna and Strea where watching from the staircase.

"I'm really glad everyone came out of this alright," Naruto muttered as he watched Lisbeth work on creating Kirito's new sword while the black-haired teen himself was standing a few feet away from her. "The last thing I want to see is either of them added to the list when they've got people waiting for them."

"Isn't that true for everyone stuck in SAO? No offense, Strea."

The AI waved off Asuna's words with a smile on her face. "Don't worry about it, I was specifically created for this game after all. But it's not like there isn't a way for my data to not be saved somewhere, right, Naruto?"

"Yeah… If I manage to survive that long and after I defeat my brother. But hey, at least everybody else will have people to go back to." Naruto's words surprised the two as they looked at him to see that the blonde had a melancholy expression on his face just before it was replaced with a large grin as he made his way over to Kirito as he was handed his new sword, Dark Repulsor. "That looks so awesome, Kirito!"

Asuna shifted her gaze from Naruto's back towards Strea, who briefly locked eyes with her before walking up to rest of the group without saying anything. The chestnut-haired girl went quiet at she processed Naruto's words, her eyes widening slightly as she realized what he was talking about. One of the biggest reasons why he was so adamant on helping other Players. The goal of every Player still trapped was to beat Akihiko Kayaba and his insane game and return to their friends and families in the real world. For Asuna, it was her parents and older brother. She also recalled that Kirito had his own family with a younger sister, and Agil mentioned that he had a wife that he wanted to return to… But it was different for Naruto… His adoptive parents died years ago while his brother was the very enemy that everyone in the game hated. From what Asuna could deduce from some of the info she and others had learned from Naruto, there was a very strong possibility that Akihiko Kayaba was somewhere in the game just like the rest of them, and most likely endured the same rules that they did.

'If Akihiko Kayaba dies in the game, he will die in real life as well.' Asuna thought to herself while clenching one of her hands into a tight fist. There was no doubt in her mind that Naruto knew that fact more than anyone, and yet, he continued to press onward while claiming that he would be the one to defeat his brother. The female Player could feel a pained throb in her chest at her next thought.

Once the Players reached Aincrad's final Floor and if Naruto defeated his brother, killing the older Kayaba in the process, the blonde would return to a world where no one was waiting for him. All the while knowing that his hands would have his brother's blood on them for being the one to take his life… It was a fate that Asuna would do everything in her power to prevent, to not let Naruto go through that horrible experience alone.

"So, Asuna…"

The chestnut haired girl snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Lisbeth call out to her and turned her focus onto the blacksmith now standing next to her with a hand raised to block her mouth from being seen by the Swordsmen of Twilight, who were several feet away and chatting about what had happened earlier with their respective stories.

"Huh? Lis, what is it?"

"Just so you know, I'll support you one hundred percent!" The pinkette whispered to Asuna, who tilted her head with a confused look.

"… Thank you?" Asuna replied as she tried to figure out what her fellow female Player was talking about, "Support me with what?"

A small smirk grew on Lisbeth's face at that, "Your feelings for Naruto, of course! He's the guy you were spending all that time with and attracted to, right?"

"HUH?!" Asuna look at her friend in shocked, her sudden shout catching the attentions of Naruto and his teammates. "What are you-?"

"Now, now, don't be shy," Lisbeth said with a teasing tone, "Naruto is handsome, and seems like a nice guy even though he's friends with a jerk like Kirito. I definitely got my work cut out for me when it comes to the later, doesn't it?"

Dismissing the latter half of what Lisbeth said, Asuna's cheeks turned red as she spoke denials to her claim, though memories of the day before when Naruto had rescued her were still fresh in her mind. "I told you that it isn't like that!"

"Ara~ You're blushing~! How cute!"

"LLLIIIIIIISSS!"

While Lisbeth continued to tease Asuna, Naruto turned from the one-sided argument towards Kirito with a raised eyebrow. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I don't know." Kirito replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

To the left of the boys, Strea let out an amused sigh as she placed a hand against her cheek. "You two have a lot to learn about girls, don't you? I almost feel sorry for those two. What a challenging time they have ahead of them."

NKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAYNKAY

Chapter Seven is complete, I will admit that I am wondering about which to do first, the next episode in the anime and an original chapter that focuses on Naruto getting an upgrade for Zangetsu. What do you guys think? Anyway, like always with all my works be sure to leave some nice reviews. But remember that all flames and insults will be IGNORED, so don't bother writing them. I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope to see you again.

A/N 1: Sorry for the long delay. Between taking care of my dad as he's going through chemotherapy, the Coronavirus causing trouble for people, and things getting really busy at work since I'm listed at a frontline worker, it has been hard finding the time to get a moments peace. I hope everyone is doing alright through these difficult times. Stay safe, wash your hands, and be mindful of all the chaos going on.

A/N 2: Maelstrom Knight and then it will be The Golden Devil. I'll try an update as fast and as much as I can.

Until Next Time! AND STAY SAFE!