Miracle Summoner

Asuna's departure lasted the entire afternoon.

At 3:00 PM, Rozen and the others headed to the sightseeing island on the 24th floor to challenge Yuuki. Around 4:00 PM, Asuna was taken away by Yuuki. From that moment until dusk, Asuna had not returned.

Rozen checked the status of Asuna on his friend list and found that she was still logged in but no longer on the 24th floor; instead, she was on the 27th floor.

"The 27th floor, huh?"

That was the current front line of Aincrad.

Although only two weeks had passed since the 21st to the 30th floors were opened, ALO players had tenaciously pushed forward, now reaching the 27th floor. It was even said that the boss room on the 27th floor had almost been discovered.

This speed would have been astonishing in SAO.

Back then, in SAO, players took an average of ten days to clear a single floor. Now, in just over ten days, six floors had been cleared, with players reaching the 27th floor—an average of two to three days per floor. It was indeed remarkable.

Of course, this wasn't necessarily unusual.

In SAO, some floors were cleared in two or three days, while others took an entire month, depending on factors like difficulty and environment. Although the average of ten days per floor only appeared after the 50th floor, earlier floors could also be cleared with impressive speed.

The 21st to 30th floors were considered low-level floors with moderate difficulty. Back in SAO, several such floors were cleared in a few days. In ALO, aside from boss-level monsters, the wild monsters were stronger but not overwhelmingly so. Without the life-threatening stakes of a death game, players could fearlessly charge into the fray, hunting continuously, and clearing floors quickly was entirely normal.

If not for the sudden spike in difficulty on the 25th floor, the players might have progressed even faster.

In SAO, Aincrad's floors followed a distinct pattern of increasing difficulty: a slight increase every floor, a moderate increase every ten floors, and a significant increase every 25 floors. This pattern continued in the new ALO, causing the difficulty of the 25th floor to be extraordinarily high. The floor boss on the 25th floor had defeated several large guilds and entire armies, including a 50-man elite force from the Salamanders led by Eugene. Despite their strength, they fell to the boss.

Ultimately, it was only through Rozen's leadership of the Crimson Wing's elite players, combined with perfect coordination with Kirito and Leafa on the frontlines and Asuna's relentless healing in the rear, that they managed to wear down and defeat the 25th floor boss.

After clearing the 25th floor, the 26th floor boss was defeated within days, and the 27th floor became the new frontline.

Asuna's presence on the 27th floor made Rozen somewhat puzzled.

"Didn't expect Asuna to return to the front line."

It wasn't an unreasonable reaction from Rozen.

Previously, to purchase a cabin on the 22nd floor, Asuna had actively participated in the front-line battles. But after achieving her goal, she rarely joined the frontline efforts.

Her reasoning had been:

"We should let the new players of Aincrad experience the joy of pioneering, and besides, being at the frontline sometimes brings back unpleasant memories."

Asuna had explained this to Rozen.

Thus, apart from guild-organized boss raids or events, Asuna had essentially stopped engaging in frontline combat.

Now, seeing Asuna on the 27th floor with Yuuki was enough to make Rozen chuckle.

"It seems our 'Berserk Healer' is making a comeback."

Thinking so, Rozen decided not to disturb Asuna and instead logged out to prepare dinner.

Recently, due to Kirigaya Midori's company New Year activities, she had gone on an onsen trip with her colleagues. Kirigaya Minetaka had also returned abroad for work after the holidays, leaving the Kirigaya siblings to manage the household. Household chores, including cooking, were divided among them.

Today, it was Rozen's turn to cook.

With his all-around household skills honed under Natsuki's training in the world of Strike the Blood, preparing a meal was a breeze for Rozen.

However, even after finishing cooking and eating, neither Kirito nor Suguha came out of their rooms. It seemed they were still logged in.

"What time is it?"

Rozen considered giving his younger siblings a lecture but remembered his own history of long gaming sessions, sometimes even forgetting meals while logged in. With a resigned smile, he decided to let it slide.

With that thought, Rozen returned to his room, put on his gaming headset, and logged back into the game.

Upon logging in, Rozen immediately sensed something was off.

"Why is no one here?"

Standing in the empty guild bar, Rozen was stunned.

Usually, the guild bar was lively, filled with laughter from players. It was never this empty unless the entire guild was out on an operation.

Even late at night, there would be a few hardcore players chatting away. Now, the silence was downright eerie.

Soon, however, Rozen heard a loud commotion from outside.

"Go, Leafa-chan!"

"Don't lose to her!"

"She's just a newbie!"

"Defeat her!"

The shouts of guild members echoed from outside as if celebrating some event, filling the air with excitement.

"What's going on?"

Curious, Rozen didn't think much of it and headed outside to investigate.

Stepping out of the bar, Rozen was greeted by a surprising sight.

On the wide street outside, a massive crowd of Crimson Wing members and players from across the area had gathered. They formed a circle, leaving a large open space in the middle, and were cheering and shouting.

Some players even flew into the air to watch from above, adding their voices to the enthusiastic clamor.

In the middle of the open space, a duel seemed to be taking place, with the sound of clashes and shouts echoing.

"A fight?"

Rozen frowned.

What was going on here?