Chapter 6: Chapter 6 - Useful Encounter
7 December 2022, 1pm
Urbus, 2nd Floor
The town of Urbus was the largest safe zone area of the 2nd Floor. From what I knew from the map provided by SAO's system, it probably occupied a fifth of the area of the whole floor.
Due to the castle of Aincrad having a cone-like structure, with the the 1st Floor right at the bottom, you could safely assume that the 2nd Floor, which was obviously right on top of the 1st floor, had a slightly smaller circular area than the 1st Floor.
That was how large the town of Urbus was.
Having already hunted enemy monsters for the past three days, I saw more of the landscape and terrain of the 2nd Floor. It looked more like a savanna, with plains scattered all over the place ( At least, that was what I had seen so far) .
Ox-type monsters were still commonly found in the areas I explored near Urbus, which allowed me to analyze their attack patterns. They loved to inflict the stun debuff on players, which rendered them immobile for a full duration of 3 seconds. I've suffered the stun debuff a few times before while fighting them solo, and mind you, 3 seconds was all it took for the axe-wielding oxen to decrease my HP by 40%. I had to use my Sprint skill to escape from them every time that happened.
You may think that 3 seconds was a very short time period, but when you're fighting in a death game, you would never ever take any risks during battles like these.
That was why I started to form parties with players who needed help with fighting the enemy monsters outside of Urbus. All of the players I partied with came to the 2nd Floor directly from the teleport gate in the Town of Beginnings.
I could confidently assume that, because none of them participated in the 1st Floor boss battle.
These players were very inexperienced in combat, and some of them didn't even know how to use their game menus well. But the fact remains that they only dared to step out of the safe zones to fight because the 1st Floor was cleared. If the 1st Floor was never cleared, they would have stayed in the Town of Beginnings, probably never having a single thought of stepping into the hunting fields to level themselves up.
I quickly became popular as a player to party up with because my level was clearly higher than most of the players who had invited me to join their parties, who definitely had a lower level than mine in average. I didn't know their levels, because the game system in SAO never displays a player's name (unless you formed a party with him) or level ( it's basically an unspoken rule in SAO that you shouldn't reveal your level to another player unless you really trust that player. It's really like part of your own personal information) , but I had guessed that they were only about level 7 or 8 in average.
Some of those players even sent me guild invites, which I rejected all too quickly. I'd already promised myself that I would only form parties with any player I chanced upon.
My habit of fighting with too many parties over the span of 3 days had earned me the title of 'Mercenary', which I was a bit annoyed about, but soon got used to being called that by players who walked past me in Urbus every few seconds or so.
I'd just gotten back to Urbus after hunting with a party of sword-and-shield users, who assigned me the role of the damage dealer in their group. It was especially tiring, but not that risky, as they fought in the role of tanks, which put me almost out of danger of taking damage.
Anyways, I was walking to the NPC blacksmith shop to enhance my Sharp Javelin+1 further. What I didn't expect to see on the way there was a figure running in a blur a few metres in front of me, through a cross-intersection of the streets. From my view, it was moving past me while reaching the left side from the right side of the not-so-narrow alley.
I stopped briefly, and went to look at the alley that the figure just entered through the cross-intersection.
"Is that....?"
I suddenly realized that no player could have zoomed past me with incredible speed, other than that one hooded player who was known for setting up a business dedicated to in-game information.
And that player was known as Argo The Rat.
A female player, who was already known castle-wide for selling information that most players wouldn't know in the VRMMORPG of SAO.
She knew all kinds of information, such as hidden quests or secret boss locations that drop rare items when defeated. At least, that was what the rumors said. I've never actually bought any information from Argo.
Due to Argo's vast knowledge of SAO, many players saw her as a beta tester, and since beta testers were hated by the player population throughout the past month due to the large player death toll of 2000, she was said to have made her business deals with players in secret.
But since she was the one that distributed free copies of her strategy guide that helped players, including me get through the 1st Floor safely, she was not as resented as the other beta testers.
Watching the figure disappear through another alley, I decided to follow it, hoping that I wouldn't lose sight of the figure, which was undeniably moving like a ninja.
A few alleys later, I saw the same figure, now clearly wearing a hood, standing with a mace user in the middle of an alley. Both of them brought down their menus and exchanged words I couldn't here, as I was peeking behind from a wall quite a distance from them.
They then went their separate ways, with the mace user walking in a direction away from me and the hooded figure sprinting in a direction....
Towards me.
"...!" I tried to lean to the wall I was peeking from, which belonged to a connecting alley, hoping she wouldn't turn to that alley. Which, in irony, she did.
Her turn was so sharp that she bumped into me, who was leaning desperately against the wall in the effort of not being found.
"Sorry, sorry!" I instantly apologized.
"Wah...!?" The hooded figure yelled.
She didn't fall on the ground, but she must've looked disoriented when I finally saw her right in front of me.
I got straight to the point, " Um, are you Argo, the info broker?"
The female player, probably shocked by the question I just asked, took down her hood as she asked, " Well, how'd you know that?"
"Just a guess." I replied, now looking at the whiskers drawn on her face, which were obviously her distinct features.
Argo suddenly asked, " Ever been curious 'bout my whiskers?"
"Huh? Wait, what?" I was flustered that she knew what I was thinking at that moment.
"If you really wanna know, that'll be ten million col."
"No, no thanks..." It really wasn't worth trying to buy the reason behind Argo's whiskers for such an astronomical price. Besides, I'd only first met her seconds ago.
"By the way, I'm Zenalyth." I introduced myself. "And I was wondering if I could buy any info you have around here, either quests or bosses is fine. "
"On the 2nd Floor?"
"Yup."
"Hmm... I don't think my info's that reliable now, y'know." Argo said, "Especially after what happened in the 1st Floor boss battle."
"Huh? Why?"
"The boss's attack patterns was...not what I expected it to---" Argo suddenly paused. "Anyways, I don't have any info about quests or bosses up for sale yet. Unless you want to buy the very same info I sold to someone else just now."
I tried not to change the topic, " You're really a beta tester, aren't you?"
Argo suddenly froze. Maybe she had hoped that what she said just now hadn't led me to conclude that she was a beta tester of SAO.
I quickly continued, " I mean, I don't hate you for being a beta tester, especially since you helped me survive the 1st Floor with your strategy guide. And I participated in the 1st Floor boss battle too. But I know it's not your fault for not knowing how Illfang would be like in the official launch than in the beta test, right?"
I've seen first hand that even beta testers won't know what's really in store for them now that the 1st Floor boss battle already gave an example of fluctuations in the quests, monsters, and especially the bosses in SAO.
The floors of SAO may not ever be the same as those in the beta test, that's for sure.
Argo pondered about that train of thought, " True... but anyways I've got to hurry to someplace to gather info, so I'll be makin' a move."
" What's the info about?" I asked.
" Somethin' bout a secret boss location south-east of Urbus."
" Isn't that where the village of Marome is?" I asked, referring to the only other safe zone area I'd found so far in the 2nd Floor.
"Yep." Agro swiftly replied. " It was in the beta test, found only by me and a few others. I almost forgot about that place, and I just wanna confirm its existence here in SAO."
A secret boss, in Marome? That was interesting enough. But Argo wouldn't tell me this without a reason.
" Why would you tell me all this if it's supposed to be info that you should've been selling?"
"Normally, I wouldn't tell you." Argo agreed." But I don't sell info that's not entirely confirmed yet. The current SAO's not the same as the beta test, right? Besides, selling unreliable info would ruin my business."
"I see..." I said. " But I'm still interested in that secret boss. You mind if I come with you?"
Argo took one scanning look at me, and replied, " If you think you're strong enough to. Doesn't hurt to have a bodyguard with me anyway. The boss's tough, as far as I can remember."
"It's fine, I can handle it. I'm at a high enough level." I confidently replied.
" At least level 10?" Argo asked.
It took me a while to get what she said. "....Yeah, at least level 10."
" Alright then." Argo said. " We should get to Marome ASAP. Just keep up with my speed as you follow me."
She started her run again. I quickly followed, using my Sprint skill to cover the distance gap that was already forming between us.
I'd only been to Marome once, but never heard of such a boss dwelling in the village before. As Argo and I left Urbus, and onto the path filled with bad-tempered oxen, I couldn't help but feel the sense of adventure awaiting me again, this time on the 2nd Floor.
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