~January 15th 2025~

Kirito kept his eyes locked up ahead as he walked through the town towards a dungeon entrance. He brought up his menu and scrolled through it until he got to what he was looking for, or rather who he was looking for. A month or so ago Kirito had began something that he figured would be pretty profitable if he kept it up or at least that's what he told himself. One day on the front lines a player had came up begging the stronger players on the front lines to help him out with something. None of the players would give him the time of day because of the lower amount that he could pay them compared to what they could easily make doing something else less dangerous for them.

The guy had been the leader of a small guild that had been targeted by a larger pk guild. All of the other members of his guild had been slaughtered except for him and he was begging for someone to help him not get revenge and kill the players from the pk guild but to capture them and have them sent to prison. Kirito had agreed to help the guy with what he needed and had indeed captured and sent the pk guild to prison.

This gave him the idea of being a reverse merc of sorts. He would help lower level players with things that they couldn't handle by themselves and charge them a small fee. Though so far he had pretty much charged nothing from the couple people that he had helped out. Deep down even he knew that he was doing this to try and repent for what happened to the black cats and... He clenched his fists together tightly.

Stepping forward he entered the dungeon and began to take out monsters left and right. Once he was done leveling Kirito headed out toward the meeting for the front lines. He was getting more and more fed up with attending these meetings. The attitudes of the top players was rubbing him the wrong way and their plans gave little to no regard for the mid level players fighting with their safety. So far they had been lucky and accidents had been minimum but there luck wouldn't last forever if they kept this up.

Kirito walked into the meeting room silently a couple players giving him dirty looks as he did. Most of the higher ups didn't like him because of him being a solo players and thinking that he thought he was to good for their guilds when in reality he was just a weak beater who was more trouble than he was worth. Others thought he was shady and didn't even trust him thinking that he could be a pker or worse for all they knew about him. Though him not being a red player pretty much destroyed that notion.

He could care less and wouldn't mind at all fighting alone but the second in command of the Knights Of The Blood was pretty persistent in arguing that although he was annoying they needed him to help them clear dungeons and boss floors.

Kirito listened quietly as they discussed things about the next boss floor and narrowed his eyes stepping forward.

"you can't be serious" he said simply.

He looked at them ignoring all the glares and scowls.

"in other words that is pretty much offering up the mid level players in advance to get through the monsters defense." he said truthfully.

"watch your mouth boy! that's not what it is it's using strategy!."

Kirito moved his eyes to the large guild leader speaking to him. He laughed sarcastically and shook his head.

"oh really? why doesn't the tops from your guild take their role then huh?" he asked.

The man narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"you piece of shit beater who are you to talk about anything anyway?" he asked moving forward reaching toward his blade.

Kirito just stood in place as the man moved forward a couple players getting in between them.

Agil held the guild leader back glancing between him and Kirito. Looking at the large man even by Agils standards with a furious expression. For some reason though the calm almost eerily blank expression on Kiritos face was the one that sent chills down his spine.

"hey hey! fellas calm down where all fighting together on this Kirito was just making a statement about what he thought."

Asuna watched on looking between the man and Kirito. She couldn't help but for a moment ponder the thought of the two fighting. Toku was the leader of a top ten guild and elite but for some reason she felt as if she would have had to put her money on black in this case. She looked the dark haired boy in all black over then sighed stepping forward.

"alright enough! we will discuss this more in length at the final meeting but we all know the frontline elites votes will get the final say."

Kirito just looked at Asuna.

"you know damn well the frontline elites are only interested in clearing the game as fast as possible and their own. They won't mind mid level players getting taken out in the process."

Asuna turned to look at Kirito stepping forward toward him a bit.

"i'm a frontline elite." she said looking him in the eyes.

He locked gazes with her and stepped forward himself the twos faces almost touching.

Klein blinked watching the scene in front of him swallowing. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

"I know you are" he answered simply giving Asuna a look before turning away and walking out of the room.

Asuna narrowed her eyes watching him as he left.

Klein forced a awkward laugh moving over toward Asuna scratching his head.

"give him some time he's just a real serious dude and doesn't want anyone getting hurt is all."

Asuna moved her eyes over toward Klein quickly.

"do you think that I do!" she snapped frustrated storming out of the room as well.

Klein sighed cupping his face in his hand.

"kids..." he muttered blinking as someone slapped his shoulder .

Agil laughed looking at him.

"kids huh? sorta like you" he joked but then sighed "I do think Kirito is right though this idea the elites have is bad and alot of people could get hurt."

Klein sighed and nodded "he usually is."

Kirito walked outside of the room sliding his hands in his pockets.

"hey you!"

He sighed hearing the voice call out and stopped not bothering to turn around.

Asuna looked at the dark haired boy angrily.

"listen here don't think for a second that I want anyone to get hurt okay! do you think your so self righteous that you are the only one who cares?"

Kirito just turned and looked at her expression never changing.

"if you care then do something about it." he answered her simply before walking off.

Asuna blinked as she listened to him and then watched him walk off.

~January 17th 2025~

Kirito stood by as the final vote as tallied and of course it turned out that they would indeed go through with the original plans for the next boss floor. He scuffed turning and walking off.

"hey you! where are you going!?" one of the elites called out.

Kirito didn't bother to look back.

"I withdraw from this raid." he said simply walking away.

Asuna looked down for a moment and then frowned a bit watching the boy walk off.

~January 18th 2025~

Kirito stood by and leaned up against a small tree as he waited. He looked up as he got a notification in his menu. He scrolled through and article shaking his head. The article read.

~Over one hundred killed in recent boss battle though we all appreciate their brave sacrifice to help us move further towards our goal of completing this game and returning to the real world. Thank you all.~

Kirito scuffed reading it and closed his menu. He shook his head walking back to the meeting place of the front lines as all the players returned to make sure Klein hadn't gotten himself killed. He glanced around and walked over once he came into view.

Klein sighed looking over to Kirito as he walked over.

"you were right as usual man that was awful to watch. I was against it anyway but I didn't think it would be that bad."

Kirito just looked at him and then glanced around stopping on someone off in the distance. He noticed the second in command sitting by herself by a tree off in the distance. Kirito looked over at Klein.

"whats with her?" he asked.

Klein followed his line of sight and shook his head.

"I think that she blames herself for all of the players that didn't make it today. She was one of the ones that tried the most to save them during the fight. If it wasn't for her alot more probably wouldn't have made it."

Kirito glanced at him and looked back toward her.

"i'll catch you later man."

Klein nodded

"see ya"

Kirito walked up toward the second in command and just looked down at her knowing that at her skill level she had noticed him but she stayed silent knees up to her chest.

"what are you doing?" he asked.

Asuna just kept her eyes locked down inside of her hadn't thought that anyone would notice her all the way over here and wouldn't think anything was up anyway.

"sitting obviously." she answered

Kirito leaned to the side a bit and sighed looking down at her.

"I know that you were one of the only three votes that didn't want to go through with that plan." he said.

Asuna blinked her eyes widening.

"don't blame yourself for what happened. You tried to stop it and from what Klein said you even tried to help them in the battle."

Asuna shook her head.

"no I could have done more. You were right it was a stupid plan from the start. I could have tried harder to get my guild behind me and if the strongest guild went against it the others might have as well."

He shook his head looking down at her.

"no they wouldn't have it's nature. The way these types of games work even if this one is different in the fact that there is real stakes once someone gets tunnel vision on clearing the game and there is no risk for them they don't care about what happens to the others. You can't beat yourself up about it though it wasn't your fault."

Asuna gritted her teeth turning and looking at him.

"you don't know what it's like! feeling like you have all of these peoples blood on your hands! feeling like your the reason they didn't make it out of their!"

Kirito just kept his eyes on her a cold look taking over his features.

"you would be surprised." he said simply before turning away from her. He had no right to say anything to her about not feeling like this was her fault. He blamed himself every single day for what happened before.

Asuna blinked looking at him shocked by his change in aura and attitude. She watched as he left and stared after him. The way he said that was as if he had something like this or even worse happen to him before. There was more to this guy than just being a cold solo player and beater.

Next Chapter 7- Learn To Live