Chapter 23: [Anti-Demon Ninja] Stealth Suit
"This will be the last time we make a request to you all."
As the commander tapped his finger on the conference table, Hachiman clearly saw Asuna's ahoge suddenly spring up like an exclamation mark — this girl always did that whenever the system displayed an important message.
Though it had been hinted earlier that the floor was nearing its end, this mission began with the commander clearly stating the conclusion — there was no doubt this was the final mission of the third layer of the campaign quest.
Having chosen the most special route, this was likely the final battle overall, though for now, Hachiman set that thought aside.
"The one who controlled the queen spider last time has been identified: a remnant of the dark elf clan that parted ways with us in ancient times, still barely clinging to life."
As the commander projected a holographic image, Hachiman swore he saw Asuna subtly shift her chair five centimeters closer to him.
The dark elf model displayed on screen looked like it had jumped out from some indecent doujin — the armor over the chest was so thin it made one question whether it had negative defense.
This final mission, beginning with such a line, seemed to be a campaign to subjugate the "Fallen Elves" hidden deep within a secret labyrinth.
"Mission: Fallen Elf Subjugation — Commence!" As the mission notification popped up, three sets of "Night Stealth Suits" were suddenly crammed into Hachiman's inventory.
Wait, what the heck is with this tight leather armor?
Is the system sure it didn't borrow this from the neighboring Taimanin film set?
Seeing Asuna blush as she pulled her over-knee socks up to the edge of her absolute zone, Hachiman suddenly thought this mission might not be so bad after all.
.
.
.
Once the three of them were fully prepared, they set off, accompanied by three NPC warriors — six in total entered the hidden labyrinth.
'Perhaps the original balance design was one player paired with three NPCs.'
With six capable combatants, Hachiman left the fighting to the others and focused solely on reconnaissance.
Within a few hours, he discovered what appeared to be the boss room.
Inside was a bizarre insect-like boss combining features of a scorpion and a spider.
"Hachiman-kun, um... what is that?"
"Not entirely sure, but probably a mantis shrimp? I think it's one of the world's top three weird bugs."
"You know some strange things, huh?"
"Every guy goes through a phase where he's into 'Top Three Things of the World.'"
"R-Really...?"
Though the atmosphere became a bit awkward, the three refocused and engaged the mantis shrimp boss.
Fortunately, the boss battle was unexpectedly easy.
Kizmel's sword techniques were so dazzling they could've been spliced straight into a MAD video.
As Asuna's rapier turned into a meteor shower, Hachiman quietly put away the cross shield he'd been about to pull out — damn, got my MVP stolen again!
Continuing deeper into the labyrinth and repeating battles in the same pattern, they finally discovered a small house that appeared to be the fallen elf hideout, with five dark green-skinned elf warriors inside.
Hachiman's team launched a surprise attack, quickly eliminating two and creating a two-on-one advantage. Though some time was needed to adjust formation, the fight ended without casualties.
Behind the house, they found a cave and pressed on.
Eventually, they encountered what seemed to be the enemy commander and three subordinates, triggering the final battle with the "Fallen Elf Commander" boss.
"We'll handle the mobs! Kizmel, go for the boss directly!"
The three combatants cleverly drew away the subordinates for one-on-one battles, and Hachiman used the opening to charge in first.
The commander was clearly tougher than the forest elf warriors defeated earlier, but Kizmel's level and Asuna's weapon had both improved significantly.
Against humanoid enemies, Hachiman's combat strength shone.
He deflected attacks with ironclad defense, and as the enemy's formation collapsed, Kizmel and Asuna unleashed a powerful coordinated assault.
If it had been a larger humanoid monster, they might've suffered heavy damage — but this opponent's size was nothing to fear.
The final boss fight was textbook perfect.
When Kizmel's blade and Asuna's sword light traced an infinity symbol in the air, the boss finally fell.
The three then supported their allies and took down the remaining enemies one by one, achieving a complete victory.
"Is this the target item?"
"Seems like it — a secret letter from the fallen elves."
"Here, Kizmel. Take this."
"Thank you, both of you. With this, we can uncover the full extent of the fallen elves' plan."
The six returned to camp with the mission successfully completed. The rewards were exceptionally generous, granting them many treasures.
Since it was getting late, the two decided to stay overnight at the camp.
In the middle of the night, Hachiman sensed a presence and woke up — since this was a separate instance, it couldn't be another player.
Assuming it was Kizmel, Hachiman called out.
"Kizmel?"
"Yes, sorry for waking you. There's something I need to say."
This conversation also woke Asuna.
"Eh? Kizmel? What's wrong, this late?"
They lit the oil lamp, and Kizmel stood fully armed in the tent.
"I'm here to say goodbye."
"Goodbye? Kizmel, where are you going?"
"From deciphering the secret letter, we learned the fallen elves plan to attack the sanctuary atop the Pillar of Heaven."
"The Pillar of Heaven…"
"That's probably the labyrinth area."
"So we need to head to the fourth floor."
"There's something I must give you both."
Kizmel handed them two secret keys.
"With these two keys and the one I hold, the gate to the sanctuary can be opened. I will be waiting for you at the sanctuary."
Asuna hugged Kizmel tightly.
"Mm! We'll definitely come! So let's meet again, okay, Kizmel!"
Hachiman responded more simply:
"We'll be there for sure."
Kizmel stared at Hachiman for a moment and suddenly gave him a hug.
"Just copying Asuna — it's a human custom, right?"
Just as Kizmel was about to leave, Hachiman quickly called out with a reddened face:
"Wait, Kizmel! When fighting the floor boss guarding the Pillar of Heaven, is there anything we should watch out for?"
"Most of its attacks are said to be poisonous — about ninety percent of them. Other than that, there's nothing special. With your strength, you should be able to win."
"I see... Thanks, Kizmel."
"Meeting you two has been my good fortune."
Leaving those words behind, Kizmel disappeared into the night.
"We'll meet again, right?"
"Yeah, we'll reunite on the next floor."
The two swore upon the keys and fell asleep with renewed determination.
The next day, as they bid farewell to the blacksmith, Asuna bowed deeply:
"Thank you for forging this fine sword. I'll treasure it."
The blacksmith snorted and added:
"Don't disgrace that weapon."
Back in the main city, after contacting Argo, they learned the field boss had been defeated the previous day.
Today, a strategy meeting was to be held. Hachiman sent Asuna ahead and went alone.
The meeting ended hastily. The Divine Dragon Alliance and Liberation Squad had no results to report, which was expected.
When everyone turned their expectant eyes to Hachiman, he awkwardly spoke:
"Sorry to disappoint, but... we didn't get any boss-related info either."
"But..." he continued, "We did get some useful info from a dark elf warrior — the boss's attacks mostly involve poison. I suggest preparing a large amount of antidotes."
"Other than that, no unique patterns. We should be able to win."
Reactions varied:
"That's it...?"
"Being able to prep ahead is already major intel!"
"But still..."
With that, Hachiman left the room, thinking to himself: 'The labyrinth exploration starts tomorrow. But just like Kizmel said... this might go smoother than expected.'
Finally, Hachiman joined a party with Asuna, Kirito, and Bacchus.
This time's raid included 18 from the Divine Dragon Alliance, 18 from the Liberation Squad, 4 from Agil's team, and 4 from Hachiman's — 44 people in total.
Thanks to ample antidote stock, the poison-heavy boss was far less threatening.
Just as Hachiman had predicted, the third layer was cleared far more efficiently than the first or second.
Asuna gently tugged at Hachiman's sleeve: "Next time... I will get the last hit, okay?"
The sunset bathed Asuna's face in honey-colored light.
Hachiman suddenly felt like... maybe he could grind through another 500 floors of this crappy game.