Previously Chapter 3, This will be updated shortly to coincide better with the previous three chapters (Chapters two through four). Which are completely new as of 6-21-2013.

December 3, 2022

Finding herself once again awaking without her family, Asuna clenches her fists in anger.

'Today, I will help bring down the floor boss and progress us to Floor 2, even if it means dying, this place will not control me' Asuna thinks, as she sets out into the Forest Field.

Meeting up with the group of warriors, she spots Ranma by himself half asleep.

"Hey Ranma!" She says, daintily sitting down a tree away, facing him, she continues in a whisper "Hey, you're a boy again? Where did you find the hot water?"

"Umph, you do not want to know what I had to do for that." Ranma says with mock anger on his face. "That bread we eat, let's just say it's a messier process to create than I thought."

"Eh whatever, don't you complain about hard, nothing is hard it's just a figment of your imagination…. Or have you forgotten?" Asuna huffs.

"No, let's go over it again." He starts up. "We leftovers are supposed to target the boss's helpers, the Ruin Kobold sentinels."

"I know." Asuna says irked, 'he seems to think I didn't understand the process'.

"Anyways," Ranma continues, "I'll use a sword skill to knock their pole axes up. The second I do, switch in."

"switch?" Asuna falters, 'what's with changing things up from last night?' she thinks.

"Is this the first time you've ever been in a party?" A surprised look appears on Ranma's face as he stops dead in his tracks.

"Yes." Asuna answers, 'Honestly… is he just playing stupid? Oh why do I care?!'

A look of defeat appears on his face, and his head hangs low. "I didn't really want the boss money anyways" he mutters to himself.

"Hey I'm right here stupid!" Asuna says shaking her fist.

"Listen up, everyone. I have only one thing to say. Let's win this!" Diabel says leading the charge into the boss room. "LETS GO!"

Rushing in everyone halts as they look upon Illfang the Kobold Lord, as he sits upon his thrown… leaping up for the attack, many of the warriors can barely refrain from fleeing in terror

At over six and a half feet tall, he towers over even the tallest of the group, his muscle bound body making Egil look like a stick figure, and his red eyes brought about a glance that was almost paralyzing.

Above his head, his name appeared IllFang the Kobold Lord. Underneath his health bars appeared, four of them in total, then three of his minions flashed into existence.

"COMMENCE ATTACK!" Commands Diabel!

Around Diabel the warriors charge, Kibaou in the lead, makes contact with a sentinel, swiping barely stopping its pole axe, which had begun to glow purple as it charged up its special attack, in standstill the other warriors attacked, helping him out, as well as preoccupying the other two sentinels and the boss, who were trying to encircle the group.

"Squad A! Squad C! Switch!" Cries out Diabel, "Here it comes! SQUAD B BLOCK!"

A group of six warriors, with Kibaou and Egil within their ranks, rushed in blocking the boss's attacks and dishing out their own upon the gigantic monstrosity before them.

Standing in the background, Diabel continued dishing out orders "Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch!"

"NOW"

"Switch, draw, and prepare to attack from the side!"

"Squads D, E, and F, keep the sentinels off us!"

"Roger" grunts Ranma, rushing forward taking on a sentential. "Switch" he yells as he knocks it aside like a ragdoll.

Asuna rushes forward, her maroon cloak covering her head, and flowing out behind her like a cape. "NUMBER THREE!" She yells! Hitting the sentinel with her blade so fast it looked like she was holding an emerald crystal instead of a rapier.

The sentinel bursts into light and disintegrates, "good job" Ranma says.

Ranma murmurs, thinking out loud. "She's incredible! She's so fast, I can't even follow her blade!"

Just then another sentinel jumps out at Ranma, not even bothering to evade he slashes it twice in midair with his sword, and with that, another sentinel falls to his blade. He rushes on to his next target… The Kobold Lord… He has just one fourth of his last health bar, as the warriors continue to hack at him he looks into Ranma's eyes and growls, throwing away his axe, and buckler, Kobold takes out his final weapons…

"Stand back, I'll go!" screams Diabel from out of nowhere!

"We were supposed to surround it with the entire group." Ranma mutters out loud as Diabel rushes forward. "That Isn't a Talwar! It's a No-Dachi! It's not the same as the beta test!" he watches Diabel in vain as he screams out "NO! JUMP BACK AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"

But it is too late, Diabel had his special ready but so did the Kobold Lord, dashing around the ceiling disorientating Diabel, Kobold attacked, smashing Diabel with his No-Dachi. It was like Diabel's shield was paper, as it sliced through it and his body, sending him flying

Kobold set upon Kibaou next, roaring in his face as Ranma rushed to Diabel's side, trying in vain to heal him with a healing potion, with his last breaths Diabel said "You were a beta tester, weren't you? You know what I was doing"

"You were after the last attack bonus rare item" Ranma says, "You were a beta tester too?"

Diabel nods, "Please…Defeat…Defeat the boss… for everyone…" as he fades, than explodes into light, dead.

Asuna steps up beside him and says "I'll go too." Knowing what Ranma was thinking

"Thanks." He replies, a grim look of determination on his face.

Together they rush at the Illfang the Kobold Lord, "We'll do it just like the sentinels!" he cries.

"Got it." Asuna replies emotionlessly, 'I've seen enough people die' she thinks to herself

Kobold charges up a new special attack, and readies himself against their charge, but it's too late, Ranma's anger fueled special attack swipes away his sword leaving Kobold defenseless for a few seconds, just long enough "SWITCH!" He yells at Asuna

Asuna dashes in, with her special ready, but Kobold had stabilized, she dodged just in time as Ranma cries out "Asuna!", her cloak torn to ribbons, her hair flew out behind her and a grim expression overcame her as she set out for revenge. Driving her readied sword into Kobolds stomach, sending him flying backwards from the power behind the attack.

"He's coming back" Ranma says getting back onto his feet after his hard landing, caused by temporarily knocking Kobold off-guard. Rushing forward he blocks another strike, while regaining his balance Asuna again strikes him with a blinding flash of her blade.

Ranma under full control of his body rushes in as Asuna gets herself ready for her next attack, blocking three quick swipes by Kobold, he finally lands a devastating hit on the beast, but at a great cost.

Kobold lands a heavy slash across Ranma's body, dropping his health from full to just over a quarter, as Asuna rushes over to check on him.

Kobold wastes no time however, as Asuna is crouched over Ranma he leaps into the air coming down with his sword readied, Asuna puts up her sword in attempt to block it, and closes her eyes waiting for the end…

But it doesn't come, at the last second Egil comes in swinging his Two-handed battle axe, causing Kobold to stager backwards. "We'll hold him off till you recover!" he shouts back at Asuna and Ranma, as the group of warriors rush in to help.

As Ranma gets to his feet he yells "Watch out!" as Kobold sends the group of warriors flying in a single blow, then sets upon Egil, leaping and just about to crush him under the weight of his sword, Ranma arrives screaming "I'll get you first!" landing a quick series of blows onto Kobold, sending him off course and into the floor.

"Asuna! One last hit! We'll do it together!" Ranma says rushing forward.

"Roger!" Asuna charges forward too, together hacking and slashing into Kobold taking his health to the breaking point, Ranma rakes one long slash from the beasts waist to neck with a final devastating hit and Illfang the Kobold Lord, is no more.

In his place a large floating banner, it reads "Congratulation!"

All around there is cheering and jubilation as Ranma recovers his breath, and a reward notice appears before him. Telling him that he has won the last attacking bonus, the Coat of Midnight.

"Good work," says Asuna coming up behind him, Egil in tow. "That was splendid swordsmanship."

"Congratulations," Egil adds in. "this victory belongs to you."

"No…" Ranma sighs in disgust, as all around him people begine to clap for him.

"Why!" Kibaou shrieks at Ranma, "Why did you let Diabel die?"

In the back someone questions. "Let him die?"

"Of course!" Kibaou rants. "You knew that technique the boss used! If you'd told us about that up front, he wouldn't have died!" muttering began accusatorially towards Ranma, who sat calmly. "He must be a beta tester!" someone shouts out. "that's how he knew all the boss's attack patterns!

"He knew, but he didn't tell us! Other beta testers are here, too, right? COME OUT!" everyone looks around but no one comes forward, 'it's as if he knows there will be trouble' thinks Asuna, as Ranma gathers himself up and begins to laugh, a crazy laugh…

"A beta tester?" Ranma chuckles. "I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies."

"W-What?" Kibaou mutters, caught off guard.

"Most of the thousand beta testers were beginners," Continues Ranma. "Who didn't even know how to level up. You guys are better than they are, but I'm not like them. I made it higher than anyone else during the beta test.

"The reason I knew the boss's skills is because I fought monsters with katana skills on floors far above us. I know a lot more." Nods Ranma, grinning wildy, a wild look in his eye. "Way more than any information broker."

"W-What?" Kibaou mutters again. "That's way worse than a beta tester! You're cheating! A cheater!"

"Yeah, a cheater" mutters various warriors spread throught the group. "A beta tester and a cheater! A beater!"

"A beater…" Ranma tries out the word. "I like it. That's right, I am a beater. From now on, don't confuse me with the other testers." He says equipping the "Coat of Midnight," And begins to walk away.

Asuna chases after him, "Wait." she says. "You called my name when we were fighting."

"Sorry for using just your first name" Ranma says without turning around. "Or did I mess up the pronunciation?"

"where did you learn it?" She asks.

Turning around he points over her head, "You can see another HP gauge below yours, around here, right? Isn't something written next to it?"

"Ranma… Ranma, oh your name! I just remembered from earlier, I hadn't even noticed it was written there! Oh, it's been there all this time!" she says in embarrassment.

"You'll be really strong." Ramna interrupts. "So if someone you trust ever invites you to join a guild, don't turn them down. There's a big limit to what you can do as a solo player."

"Than what about you?" questions Asuna

Without responding Ranma disbands the party as he walks away, walking through to the next level without so much as a goodbye… leaving Asuna to ponder if she has done something wrong…

What will happen next? Will Asuna meet Ranma ever again? Will she ever be able to handle the next challenges on the floors to come, or will she come to her end without her new guardian? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!