That's what I thought, and then I started learning. Get stronger, get smarter. What's more, this is what my sister told me. Even though I'm broken right now, if I study and struggle, I'll get back on track and get stronger and smarter. So I'm going to look into it now. I'm learning a lot. I want to be stronger, smarter, and able to enjoy a lot of things with my mom and other people. ”

Jupiter's words were so powerful that even Asuna was amazed and moved by what they contained.

Jupiter is now doing what he said he would do. With no one telling me, I found out what I needed to do, decided on it, and executed it.

The ideal diagram of Jupiter may be a little different from what I imagined, but it may be almost the same shape. My heart is in sync with Jupiter's heart.

Not one-sided like between him and Apricot, Jupiter is even communicating with him what he needs to do. Jupiter has a desire to grow into a powerful and intelligent AI, and I also have a desire for Jupiter to grow into a powerful and intelligent AI. We, parents and children, are all working towards the same goal.

If Jupiter's will was different, I might have thought differently, but if Jupiter's will was the same as mine, there would be no problem.

Asuna approached Jupiter and lowered her hips so that they were at eye level.

"I see, that's what Jupiter thinks!"

"Is Kasan too?"

"Yes, there is very limited what Jupiter can do at the moment, but if Jupiter becomes stronger or smarter, I think it would be interesting to be able to do all sorts of things. I want you to be stronger, I want you to be stronger. "Get smarter."

Jupiter's eyes widened. Her eyes widened, not because of surprise, but because of happiness. Jupiter just nodded and smiled.

"Then I'll try! I'm going to try to be stronger and smarter! ”

"yes, yes! You can definitely get stronger, you can get smarter, so I'm going to support you. ”

Jupiter nodded again, but his face immediately seemed to realize something, and then he made a gesture that seemed to say something unspeakable. As Asuna tilted her head, Jupiter turned to face her again.

"Well, Kasan. I have a request for you, Kassan. ”

"What?"

"When I'm studying or studying, I want to focus. So I may not be able to go out with my mom as much, I may not be able to talk as much, and I may not be able to talk as much then. "Eat with you the food made by Mama-san. Mom, do you think that's okay? ”

Jupiter looked apologetic, but Asuna could imagine what he was talking about. Jupiter is trying to become stronger and smarter, and eventually, Jupiter will also become stronger and smarter, and will no longer be criticized as a failure. It doesn't matter where you go.

If I thought of Jupiter then, it's okay that I'm spending less time with Jupiter now.

Asuna focused her thoughts and gently placed her hand on Jupiter's head.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine, so keep doing what you want. For this reason. I will help you in any way I can. ”

"Really?"

"yes. I also want to see you stronger and smarter soon."

Jupiter's expression gradually returned to normal, and he eventually smiled again.

"I get it, I'm going to try to make myself stronger and smarter!"

Recognizing the smile, Asuna smiled too. Even now, Kyoko, her own mother, continues to force her, trying to make her daughter what she wants.

However, I'm different. Jupiter and I have a clear understanding of each other, and Jupiter has chosen to be stronger, wiser, and is putting it into practice.

I can't say anything, because it's still early days, but if Jupiter becomes stronger and smarter, I'm sure Kyoko and Lecto will have no choice but to admit Jupiter, and no one will criticize him for not being able to do what he did, it's impossible.

If this happens, you will no longer have anything to say about yourself – you will be considered a good mother who raised a wonderful child.

Feeling that she had found her purpose, Asuna gently patted the child's head. I feel that the image of the child is getting stronger and smarter.

Because time is connected to the real world, the night of the City of Beginnings has completely fallen. Alice is walking through a city that looks and names exactly like the one she used to live in.

Once upon a time, the whole city became uninhabited like an empty box due to a large guild turned into a group of thieves, and now, the whole city is full of people and stalls.

Most of the street stalls are food stalls, and the shopkeepers are busy with cooking utensils in their hands, frying ingredients or frying them in oil, and the pleasant sounds and smells are mouth-watering as they pass by. If anything, it's that the current 'City of the Ancestors' is probably closer to what it looked like after liberation from that Grand Guild.

I feel like I'm going to get hungry if I stay too long. If this continues, it looks like I'm going to end up lashing out at Cole for them. Alice tried to ignore him and walked towards where she was going.

After walking some distance through the residential area, Alice stopped. I felt like it was following me. And, it seems, since Asuna left the house, it has been following her.

However, I've had this happen more than once since I started playing SA:o. I'm sure this time will be the same as before. When I thought about it and turned around, I realized that I was right.

There was a figure directly behind me. She was dressed in light clothes with a white skirt and a pure white robe over it, which completely covered the upper half of her face. Alice spoke to her, and she was a girl from her dress, her broad waist and narrow shoulders.

"I'm going to meet someone who is very important to me. Next to me is a person who is important to you. Why don't you come with me? I'm sure everyone will be surprised if you show up. The soul, those who are important to me, will also disappear. ”

The "girl" did not answer, did not even make a sound.

Every time. Despite the fact that this "girl" had important demands, she did not try to carry them out. Alice seemed taken aback and exclaimed again.

"Hey, how long are you going to stay like this?" Although they have all come to this point. It is true, though, that things have changed a lot since then, so I understand that it is difficult to leave, dear, and I am not an ignorant child. And, as far as you're concerned, there are two things that are important.

“”

"I'm not trying to rush you, but there's no point in doing it all the time. You must eventually fulfill your wishes. ”

“”

"Girl" let out a slight grunt and turned around. I continued my walk into the city. Alice put her hand on her waist, indicating that she didn't want to go with him now.

"Oh, what a problem girl, why are there so many problem girls around me?"

Drawing those images in her mind, she finally recognized a girl, and as she imagined her as she was now, an indescribable feeling came over her, and Alice sighed and lowered her head.

"You're so forgiving, I've never seen a girl like this"

Muttering, Alice continued to walk towards the person she was waiting for.

A corner of the Great Forest of Aldrob. Kirito is traversing an area called "Lokita Rua Slope". He was accompanied by Lilan, Streya, and Pleimir in the form of a wolf dragon.

From the perspective of onlookers, it is a gathering of three people and one animal, but anyone who knows the inside can tell that everyone except Kirito is AI. Those who do not know its inner workings are forming a team full of truth and are making their way through the Great Forest of Aldrob.

The Great Forest of Aldrob is as vast as the Rustrian savannah, and no matter how far you go, you can't see the Limit Point or anything like that, and the map data is quite vague, so it's hard to tell where it is. If you go to a strange place, you may not be able to return to the city unless you use crystal items.

Still, Kirito found a way to know where they were. As the Great Forest of Odrob deepened, the darkness around them deepened and creepy things such as ghost monsters, skeleton monsters, and other creepy things began to appear.

Identify the approximate location of the front line of the attack based on changes in the type of enemy and changes in the degree of darkness in the surrounding area. As Kirito explored, he thought he was nearing the midpoint of his current position.

You are at the center of the Dark Forest strategy, where the center is to fight monsters and check the collection points on the site. Plemir, who was involved in the exploration while talking to Strea and Kirito, said to Lilan.

"Lilan, there's something I want to ask you."

"Prime Minister, what's wrong? Are you still hungry?

The "voice" came from a wolf dragon with a body of more than five meters and a unique white fur. Her voice is like that of an old woman, and once it enters your head, it's hard to forget. I've been listening since "SAo", though, so I don't care about listening comfort anymore.

When Kirito reacted to the 'voice' and turned around, Plemir turned to look at Lilan and shook his head.

"That's not true. I feel like I haven't seen Jupiter lately. Relan and Strea were always with Jupiter, so I'm sure they knew something about him. ”

Kirito was also concerned about the Prime Minister's question.

About three days ago, Jupiter suddenly disappeared from front of us. So far, Jupiter has been the first person to greet Asuna after she logged in, and has been with her ever since. Even when Asuna was chatting with her friends or drinking tea, she would join in and be there for her.

And once Asuna goes offline, she stays with Leland and the others until she goes to bed, which is also a normal thing. But now, even if you are close to Asuna, you can't see Jupiter, and even if you are close to Lilan and the others, you can't see Jupiter. When Kirito saw this scene, he was in a very optimistic mood and thought that he would return soon, but he learned from the Prime Minister's words that he had not returned yet.

The Prime Minister asks her about it, but she is an NPC in the game that cannot be resurrected after dying. In addition, Prime - or rather, this applies to all NPCs in this world - is fooled by unfounded information that if you kill them, you can get weapons and armor, which upsets the balance of the game. Sometimes my life is threatened by malicious players.

After witnessing the incident, Kirito and his friends, who have been working on the premier mission, told Premier, "When we quit, we will stay with Relan so that the malicious players around us will not notice." I said, "I hope so." ''

Therefore, when Kirito and the others are away, Pleimir will come and stay with Lilan and the others, so that he will have many opportunities to contact Jupiter. As a result, he was able to immediately notice any anomalies in Jupiter.

\"I would like to know this question as well. What happened to Lilan, Streya, Jupiter? They don't seem to be with Asuna these days. \"

"If it's Jupiter, he's been diving for three days. \"

"Where do you want to dive? Is it a dungeon? ”

"It's not. If so, Akihiko is probably somewhere, in the ocean of the Internet.

Lilan and her friend "MHHP" and Yui and his friend "MHCP" can of course connect to the network and deploy a browser to view information, but they can also dive directly into the "online world" to snoop, learn, investigate. You can also do the following.

However, this requires advanced hacking and cracking skills, which so far only Lilan has been able to do, while Yui and Strea have been able to do so after receiving Alice's modifications.

Jupiter is an 'MHHP' like Lilan, but Jupiter can't hack and hack like Lilan, so he can only access information and knowledge by connecting to the Internet or through a browser. Three days ago, Jupiter suddenly asked Lilan, "I want you to teach me how to dive into the Internet." ”

- After listening to Lilan's words, Kirito supported his chin with his fingers and whispered.

"Is there such a thing happening? But why did Jupiter say such a thing? ”

Speaking of which, Strea also joins in the explanation.

When I asked him about it, Jupiter replied, "I want more knowledge and information." If I get more information and data, I will be able to self-heal and become smarter. At that moment, Jupiter's blue eyes gave him a will stronger than anything else, which also proved that his broken brother was about to grow up.

Unable to back down after being accused of something like this, Lilan directly teaches him how to infiltrate the network and, with the help of Yui and Strea, learns how to collect information, its accuracy and credibility, and understands the current ''He explained the criteria for judging whether a piece of fake news is fake news, just like a TV show that is enraged by the vandalism of a fugitive.

In addition, he also taught Jupiter how to return here from the Cyber Sea, and then sent Jupiter into the Cyber Sea.

After listening to the story, Kirito and Prime Minister nodded as if they understood, and then the Prime Minister said solemnly.

"Jupiter is now in the network. In a place I didn't know."

"That's it. But he won't be online all the time.

“？”

The Prime Minister tilted her head, and Lilan spoke again. Three days ago, Jupiter began spending a lot of time gathering and studying information online, but late at night he would return to SA:o to sort out the information he had gathered. There is nothing in the network. Time.

As soon as Strea spoke of it, he turned to the prime minister.

"Even so, Jupiter has returned normally."

"But I haven't seen you for three days."

"That's because Jupiter came home while the prime minister was sleeping."

"That's right, I just didn't see Jupiter."

However, Kirito is skeptical about Jupiter's ability to access the network. Instead, it's something about Riran, Yui, and others, and something I've always wanted to ask.

"Wait a minute, Relan and Strea. Is it okay for you to access the network like this? Isn't there some kind of security in place? ”

Dangerous things like computer viruses, malware, ransomware, etc., are raging in the online world, and if you don't use security software properly, you can get infected and suffer losses.

Kirito assembled his own computer from scrap parts at the age of six, and since then he has gained a wealth of computer knowledge and is well aware of the dangers of viruses circulating on the Internet.

As a result, I've always been curious about what kind of security Lilan and his friends have in place when they enter the network.

Both Lilan and Strea answered Kirito's questions.

''That's no problem. We are equipped with something called a vaccine protector.

"Because of that, it's safe for us to sneak into the network."

Vaccine protectors. This is a safety feature that all members of "MHHP" and "MHCP" are equipped with.

"MHHP" and "MHCP" are likewise prone to risk factors such as viruses, malware, ransomware, etc., but when they are about to be infected, vaccine protectors act as a barrier to protect them from viruses, malware, ransomware, and other risk factors. Infect..

What's more, this vaccine protector has self-modification capabilities, self-diagnosis capabilities, and powerful scanning capabilities that can instantly scan viruses trying to invade and understand their characteristics. After changing itself to repel the virus, it takes advantage of the vulnerability of the virus itself and destroys it.

Lilan says it's because of this feature that they can sneak into the network with peace of mind. In addition, this vaccine protector has a strong self-healing feature that is said to eliminate errors and recover in the event of a crash.

After the story ended, Kirito couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

"Have you ever pretended to be anything like this?! Better than any company's security software!? ”

"Probably. That's why we are seen as the most important secret that Argus should not reveal to the outside world.

"Isn't that what it means to fix bugs?"

"There is a limit to what can be fixed. However, if it's a virus or a small bug, that's a big problem. ”

Strea said proudly, but Kirito's feelings didn't stop there.

Able to heal the human mind, possess the power of the mind, and have amazing safety features. So far, IT has announced various inventions, but none of them, including the "Anima box" of Lilan and his friends, are similar to the vaccine protector.

All the power and functions that Liland and his friends possess could bring about an IT revolution in this society.

In addition to the "SAo", it is not known how many other Argus have made such things. Kirito, who had heard the name many times, couldn't help but be surprised again by the power that Agus carried.

"I've been curious for a while, but you guys still surprise me."

"That's right. I'm really grateful to Akihiko Dad and Alice for making it all so smooth.

However, after hearing the news of the vaccine protector, Kirito breathed a sigh of relief. I thought that once Jupiter was connected to the network, he would be immediately attacked by a computer virus, but if the vaccine protector was the basic function of the "Anima box", then even a slightly compromised Jupiter would be protected by the virus. So there's no need to worry.

"If you have a vaccine protector, it's safe to send Jupiter into the network."

"yes, so you don't have to worry about Jupiter."

It was at this time that Kirito found himself standing beside a person. The prime minister had been listening to the story, his hands crossed in front of his chest. It's a habit he gets used to when in doubt, and it's something he's learned after working at Premier for a long time.

"What's wrong with the Prime Minister?"

"Can I do the same as the vaccine guardian of the online world?"

We couldn't help but sigh. It is true that Premier has the same AI as Lilan et al., but the basic structure and creation are different. If you ask me if premier can do the same thing as Relan et al., it's hard for me to nod.

Kirito replied with a wry smile.

"No, no, Prime Minister, you can't do the same thing as Lilan."

"Why"

"Because they're special. That's why they can't do the premiere, and it wasn't necessary to do it in the first place. ”

"Is that so?"

The prime minister looked a little disappointed and stopped talking. Speaking of which, Kirito thought he would ask "Why?" again. But it wasn't, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, at the time, it was very unexpected. I didn't expect Jupiter to suddenly say that he wanted to be stronger and smarter. What kind of change of thinking has occurred?

Kirito turned to look at Lilan who said this. Lilan's face looked more like a wolf than a wolf, with a clear expression of thought on her face.

Indeed, until then, Jupiter had been with Asuna, while studying, but progress was slow. Even Kirito couldn't figure out why Jupiter's learning speed suddenly accelerated. What happened to Jupiter?

Straya shouted to Kirito as she thought.

"I guess that's the way it is. Jupiter's 'Anima box' was broken, so he instinctively tried to fix it. When it breaks, we have an instinctive ability to fix it. It seems that Jupiter has someone who 'has to fix it'. "Healed", so maybe he's trying to fix it so he can remember it more. ”

"I hope so. But I might also want to see Jupiter get smarter. ”

"Jupiter is getting smarter, and I'm kind of looking forward to it."

When the prime minister smiles, Kirito wants to smile too. I would really like to see Jupiter get smarter. If you grow up like Yui and Leland and gain knowledge, your life will be much happier.

The same goes for the Prime Minister. Priya was also originally an inorganic mechanical girl, but with the interaction with Kirito and others, her emotions and expressions gradually became richer.

If it's anything to do with the progress of the mission, I can't help but look forward to seeing what happens when I reach the finish line. I'm sure Premier is going to show incredible growth.

Kirito was as excited as he was to be Jupiter and Primemir's father.

"Okay, let's keep looking, Prime Minister, do you feel any signs similar to that glowing stone?"

"I'm sorry. Nothing now."

"I see. Let's dig a little deeper. ”

As soon as Kirito said this, everyone nodded and began to walk towards the depths of the vast dark forest.

"Tejupiter"

I heard a voice. This is not the constant hustle and bustle of an online world without limits. It's because of that extremely familiar tone.

Jupiter was summoned by a voice he wanted to hear forever, and gently opened his eyes in response.

This is not a cyberspace that my sister and sister taught me, but a room with walls and ceilings made of stone and brick, and a floor of wood.

This is where I came back from the online world, and it's also the bedroom where I returned home to Yuichi. Jupiter has returned to that place. I immediately looked at who was calling me.

A woman with amber eyes, chestnut hair with a silky touch, a hairstyle almost identical to hers, and a precious white dress with a skirt that shows off her shoulders. It was none other than my mother.

We often talk on the phone, but haven't seen each other for three days.

"Ah, Mom, welcome home."

"Ah, yes, I'm at home on Jupiter."

"Mom, what's wrong? Didn't you go on a mission today? ”

"yes, but I'm a little worried about you, you haven't seen me in three days and"

Mom looked at Jupiter with strange eyes. Jupiter tilted his head, as if trying to confirm what had just happened.

"Mom, what's wrong? Do I have something on my face? ”

"When I called him, Jupiter didn't really respond, so I wanted to know what was going on."

Jupiter was taken aback. Now that I think about it, I feel a bit behind before I got back to the online world. It usually only lasts about ten seconds, but it felt like I was unconscious for about one to three minutes.

It was as if he was asleep at that time. As proof, I felt that my mind was unusually clear. He must have fallen asleep, standing like a statue, and his mother was right in front of him. There is no point in worrying.

"I'm sorry. I think I slept for about three minutes. ”

\"I see. That's fine, but\"

Seeing her mother say this, and then looking away for a moment, Jupiter remembered.

I have a lot to report to my mom today. No, I can't help but tell you everything I've been through for these three days.

"Yes! Mom, listen! Actually"

With that, Jupiter began to speak.

Three days ago, Jupiter made up his mind to ask his sister and sister to teach him how to travel to the online world. Taught me in detail how to get there, how to gather information, how to distinguish lies from truth, and finally, how to enter the network, and Jupiter is the online world that my sister often goes to. Jumped in.

First of all, the online world is extremely vast. No matter how far I looked, I couldn't see, I could see all kinds of sights here and there, and I could even hear the noise of all kinds of sounds. There was nothing wrong with what my sister taught me: a space where all kinds of information existed.

As Jupiter remembered the time he spent there and the way he traveled, he remembered how he listened to the noise, how he discerned the myriad of sights and acted on them. It is only when the hustle and bustle begins to be seen as an appropriate sound rather than the hustle and bustle, and when each scene is clearly recognizable, that Jupiter begins to move forward.

Since then, everything has become very interesting. There are a lot of things in the online world that I have never seen before, and it is very colorful.

People who seem to be a family seem to live in harmony.

It seems to be photo data taken at a tourist attraction.

A string of characters of different colors describes the details of the celebrity.

No matter how you look at it, it's clear that this is a video of a strange person criticizing the great men in the government in an arrogant way.

There is information and data everywhere that can seem dazzling, but Jupiter holds back and learns to compare everything and check if it's true information. ta。

I realized that when I copied and identified information and data, it was absorbed and accumulated by me. Once they were given the calculation formula and the information on how to solve them, they were able to solve not only the problem, but similar ones, and from there, they were able to solve all sorts of problems that could almost be called mouse arithmetic.

The same goes for sentences and characters. Jupiter only speaks Chinese and English, but there are also data in other languages in the online world, and by importing this data, he can not only understand each word, but can now combine them to form sentences. I was able to quickly solve problems based on these subjects, from easy to average, and even difficult ones, with very little time.

Now, I can easily solve the problems raised by my mother and her friend's school, but hacking and cracking, which my sister is good at, is difficult, and I have always been bad at it.

Still, I learned. I'm getting smarter. Jupiter couldn't help but think this way every time he gained knowledge and solved a problem.

In the simplest way possible, Jupiter told his mother about the three days he spent in such a network, as he had learned. After I finished speaking, my mother walked up to me and looked very moved.

\"Have you made it this far!?" Can you already do it, Jupiter!? \"

"Yes, I still can't do the hacking and hacking you did, but I feel like I can do more and more."

When I told her again, my mother lowered herself so that our eyes were on the same level. I could see my reflection in those amber eyes. But there is a clear sense of joy in it.

"Jupiter is fantastic. Awesome, Jupiter! I didn't expect you to do this so quickly, I didn't expect it. ”

There was a palpable look of surprise and joy in the mother's voice. When Jupiter realized that he was moved by the fact that he had become wiser, he was also moved by a surge of joy in his heart, which undoubtedly convinced him.

I'm getting smarter.

I can grow to the point where I can make my mom happy.

And my mom was actually very happy. Watching me grow up.

Although it was fake, my mom gently put her hand on my shoulder as I brought it close to my chest.

"Jupiter, you have a lot of potential, so I'm sure you can get stronger and smarter. You'll even overtake Lilan, and everyone will be amazed at what they see of you! ”

Jupiter also knows this. Obviously, if you dive into the online world and constantly absorb information, you will gain a lot of knowledge and information. New information and knowledge are generated on the network every day, so it is impossible to run out of the network. If you inject yourself with the intention to learn all these things, you will surely be able to become what your mother said you would be.

"I, Jupiter. I want to see you like this. You are stronger and smarter than you are now"

Hearing his mother's words, Jupiter could only nod. I'm a firm believer that what my mom says is possible. I've become so smart, I've gained a lot of knowledge that I don't have, and I've learned how to use it. I think I can get into a stage that can make my mom even happier.

- If I continue like this, I will become a more powerful and intelligent AI. Become a wonderful AI that can make your mom happy. You can do that.

Thinking so in his heart, Jupiter looked at the expectant mother and smiled: "Hehe." ”

"Okay, Mom, I'm going to learn more, learn more, gather more knowledge and information, and become smarter! That's why I'm going to go online again."

"Okay okay, Jupiter wants this, so I'm not going to stop you. Please learn more, and if you do, I think you will be able to see more things. ”

"Alright! I'll go again! ”

It was at that time. I heard a gurgling sound in my stomach, followed by intense hunger. It's great to be able to search for all kinds of information in the online world, but you can't eat or taste anything like "SA:o". Yuichi eats it through "ALo" or "SA:o".

Back to SA:o It's been a day and haven't eaten all day. No wonder your stomach growls and you feel hungry.

Mom seemed to hear the sound, the sound called a stomach worm, and she looked a little surprised.

"Jupiter, are you hungry?"

"Ahh

"Then I'll make you something. Jupiter's favorite food is "

As she was about to speak, Jupiter grabbed her mother's hand. I saw my mother look at me with surprise again.

"Mom, you've conquered everyone. I'll be fine. You can leave me alone."

"Is that so? But Jupiter, you must be hungry."

"When I'm online, I'm not hungry. I'll go back online, so that's okay. ”

"Really? Okay, but as long as it's not too vexatious, okay? ”

"I'm not going to force myself to do anything. I will do things in moderation. So don't worry, Mom. ”

Seeing her mother's expression soften, Jupiter let go of her mother's hand. As always, those eyes reflect me, and my eyes reflect the image of my mother. Then I noticed a smile on his face.

\"I see. Jupiter, do your best. \"

"Yes, leave it to me, and, it seems that everyone is looking for Mom, you better hurry up, maybe there is some difficult task, or a powerful boss."

"I see. I think we should go. ”

"yes, yes, I think it's better."

Mother returned to her usual posture and looked away. Eventually, his face turned to the staircase leading to Ichigo.

"Then I'll be gone, Jupiter. I'll lock the door, but that's okay. ”

"It's okay, Mom, you don't have to worry about me, I'm really fine."

"Hehe, Jupiter has become so reliable."

Mom said with a smile, then said, "I'm leaving." Then he left the room. When I said "welcome" and closed the door, the room became surprisingly quiet.

Because of the soundproofing, I couldn't hear my mother's footsteps in the hallway. You won't be able to hear the city unless you open the windows. Silence returned to the room, and Jupiter sat in a chair beside the bed, recalling in her mind, or as I should call it, the image of her mother and her face.

The mother just now smiled. I'm happy to see myself getting smarter. That smile. The smile on my mother's face was my purpose. That's what must be maintained.

You are Yui one who is able to create what you want.

You have to be able to be ridiculed.

You should be a person who can be recognized by everyone.

It wouldn't be good if I wasn't...

Thinking of this, my stomach growled again. A feeling of hunger hits, but at the same time, an uncomfortable feeling also follows. Why does such a thing exist? Why does this feature exist for me?

AI doesn't need hunger. Although it should have been this way, why did they create such a feature for me?

Even if you ask yourself, you won't come up with an answer. When I looked up, I remembered the online world. A photo of the ocean in the network appears in a memory area.

If you think about it, the web is like the ocean??。 There are all kinds of creatures in the sea, and there are many things that have not yet been discovered, and it is said that there are ancient ruins and treasures hidden there. Similarly, if you explore the web, you may be able to get information about it. When I received it, I was sure my mom would be happier than before.

Jupiter stood up and felt more motivated than usual. My stomach was rumbling again.

"What I need is information and data. I don't need anything else. ”

As he spoke, Jupiter tried to suppress his impending hunger, and using the method his sister had taught him, he opened the entrance to the Internet and walked in. The fall of Aldrobe's Great Forest was well underway—Kirito thought as he continued on his way.

The field name for the current location is "Azekrim Corruption". In the first half, the name sounded familiar in the game, but in the second half, I had a bad premonition, and even before I went, I felt like I didn't want to go.

Worst of all, Kirito's hunch came true. The "Land of Decay of Azekrim" seems to exist quite deep within the Great Forest of Odrob, where the already lush trees and grasses suddenly become more and more numerous, even completely obscuring out the sun.

Everywhere I looked, it was pitch black, like midnight, and without using skills and maps, I couldn't tell where the exact path was.

The enemy monsters that nest in the area are also changing. Until now, giant trees that imitate humans and strange plant-type monsters that walk with tentacles-like vines have been rampant.

Now, however, from the darkness was a demonic monster with many tentacles growing from its eyes, a black humanoid monster with a head that looked even more ferocious, in the shape of a goat, holding a two-handed axe in each hand. They are the monsters of legend.

The sight of such an evil creature strutting its head in the darkness is like the scene in "Eight Elements of a Hundred Ghosts".

Maybe the darkness in this area has something to do with these people, or maybe it's the darkness that was set up to make these monsters appear. Kirito thought as he continued on his way.

"Be careful, you never know where the enemy will come from, keep yourself safe even if you are attacked."

"Okay, I'll be careful."

Kirito turned around at the sound. The man had a huge body, wrapped in white-gold fur, with a pair of huge wings on his back, a horn like a holy sword growing from his forehead, and a golden mane on the top of his head, which was a werewolf dragon. Lilan is Kirito's "acquaintance" and has been fighting him for a long time, but Kirito turns his attention to his feet.

The girl has distinctive black-brown semi-long hair tied up in her sideburns, and her revealing green clothes and blue scarf stand out. This is Shino, a person who is very important to Kirito.

If you look next to him, you'll see a little boy with snow-white hair similar to Asuna's, eyes as blue as the sea, and wearing the same white hoodie and shorts. One of Kirito's most trusted companions, Asuna's son and Leland's younger brother Jupiter, walked towards us with a straight sword in one hand and a shield on his back.

"Jupiter, this place is probably near the deepest part of this realm, can you come to such a place?"

Jupiter said, "It's okay! And nodded. With a sword and shield on his back, he has a strong expression that looks like he is carrying a backpack, giving the impression of a child who is traveling in the wild. In this sense, the appearance of Jupiter here is an extremely unnatural sight.

It's true. Until two days ago, Jupiter had not fought with a sword.

Jupiter originally entered the game with the assumption that he would not participate in the battle. However, two days earlier, Jupiter had made a surprise visit to Kirito before his mission and asked him to teach him how to fight.

Lilan is also present, but both Kiriti and Lilan are surprised by Jupiter's statement.

It's not out of the question that Yui and Jupiter will fight. In fact, both Lilan and Strea learned how to fight through a little chance, and NPC Prime, a mission we've been doing lately, was originally a non-combat NPC, but as we trained, he got stronger. Now I can fight.

Similarly, Yui and Jupiter became able to fight, but since they had no reason or need to fight, they spent their days not fighting.

Why did Jupiter, who was content with such a day, still fight? When I asked him why, Jupiter seemed to say, "Of course." ”

I want to fight with Kirito and them. I want to fight with Kirito and see all kinds of things. For this, you need the strength to fight, so train yourself.

This is Jupiter's explanation, but its unusual politeness and persuasiveness surprise both Kiritora and Lilan.

I heard that Jupiter had infiltrated the network and learned all sorts of things about three days or so before that day. Although I didn't specifically ask him what he was studying, the results were definitely manifested on Jupiter.

Jupiter three days ago is different from Jupiter today in that it has a certain will to grow further.

Seeing the light of will flickering in his blue eyes, Kirito easily relented and accepted Jupiter's request and decided to train him. I bought a relatively good one-handed sword and shield, equipped it, and sent it to the field.

Jupiter's growth since then has been phenomenal. As if it would be a lie to say that he didn't know how to fight at all, Jupiter taught his body how to use a sword, how to fight, easily learn sword skills, and quickly level up.

The speed is exactly the same as it was at the premiere. Kirito and Lilan can't help but be surprised by Jupiter, who has become twice as powerful as Shino and five times faster than Klein.

Two days later, Jupiter gained enough strength and rank to join Kirito's team and fight on the front lines. They are marching in the Great Forest of Odrobe.

Now, Kirito has formed a team of four people, Zhilan, Shino, and Jupiter, and is heading to the front line of the Great Forest of Odorob.

\"Sister. My sister is always like this. \"

''So that you can defeat the enemy quickly.'' Sure enough, when the domain boss comes out, it will shrink.

"Even so, my sister is strong. I want to be like that as soon as possible. \"

A younger brother talks to his sister, who is a wolf dragon and several times larger than him. Conversations between siblings are their daily scene. Shiina, as if she could foresee the beginning of things, came over and whispered to me.

"Kirito, this is the front line, right? \"

"Maybe. Now, the strongest enemy is around here. If you dig deeper into the area, you'll find even more powerful enemies. ”

"It's okay to bring Jupiter there. I'm sure he'll give the impression of someone who can't compete with that kid. ”

This is also something that Kirito is worried about.

By training with them, Jupiter increased his rank and learned how to fight. It's like Premier, you level up quickly, learn how to fight and grow.

However, Jupiter's rank is still lower than Kirito, Shino, and Lilan, and the status numbers are not high. We are in a situation where we can only say that it is too early to rush to the strategic front.

Despite this, Jupiter refused to go with Kirito, so I brought him here anyway.

Moreover, this is not a cause for anxiety in Yui. In this great forest of Odrobe – or rather, throughout the entire "SA:o" – the most powerful monsters to date sometimes appear. Currently, the average level is around level 20, but these monsters are as high as level 75 or 85, which makes them look ridiculous.

It was later revealed that it was named "Evil God Plot Enemy" and suddenly appeared on the field with a warning sound. This kind of thing is not uncommon, and I found it several times during the capture of this great forest of Odrobe, and it almost caught my attention.

Due to the apparent disparity in status, even if they used Lilan's powers, the chances of winning were slim to none. Kirito and they had already expected this, and when they were about to be discovered by the monsters, they basically passed it like this, and continued to implement their strategy based on the assumption that they couldn't fight, and they came to this point.

Even in the area I'm heading in now, I don't know where I'm going to encounter such a monster, and if it's aimed at, then its target is Jupiter in the first place. How can I keep going without encountering those monsters pulled by Jupiter? Kirito's mind was racing, making plans.

"yes, I think we should protect them, but we're going to deal with monsters like that. \"

"After all, it must be difficult to bring Jupiter"

"It's not hard at all."

The voice suddenly came out, and both of them were taken aback. Jupiter, who was supposed to be talking to Lilan, happened to come to Kirito and Shino, who were talking in a whisper.

"Jupiter!?"

"I want to be stronger. That's why I came with Kirito and them. I'll be fine. \"

The eyes are as blue as the sea. Inside, there is a certain intensity of light.

Jupiter is serious. What is certain is that he came here to seriously enhance his strength. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have come this far voluntarily. Jupiter is here because he has the will to become stronger.

You can fight even if you're weak, and that's why you're here. Shino sighed slightly at her somewhat reckless appearance and said to Kirito.

"If you are that motivated, you should protect yourself even in an emergency. That's all we can do. ”

"I see. Sister Kiritto and Sister Shino, please be careful. \"

It's better to worry about yourself than about us. Kirito swallowed the words, and instead sighed.

Jupiter's weapons were a one-handed straight sword and a shield. If he doesn't have a shield, he uses pure attack skills, but for some reason, Jupiter prioritizes equipping a shield and gaining tank skills.

Although he is weaker than anyone, he has a skill structure that collects enemy attacks and hates defending himself like a tank. Two days ago, when I learned about this, I tried to tell him to switch to an attacker, because I wouldn't say anything bad about him, but Jupiter still didn't listen to me and continued to use his tank skills for combat training. I ended up fighting in the same tank position as Lilan.

If you can, the role of tank should be played by experienced players, and it is difficult to say that it is a position that beginners can play. When I asked Jupiter why he chose such a thing, he didn't give me a specific explanation, just that he wanted to fight in this format.

Now it's as if everything is being persecuted by Jupiter. Kirito sighed again and shouted to Jupiter.

"I'm glad you're worried about us, but although I've trained you, your combat experience is by no means inexperienced, and you should fight with yourself first."

Jupiti nodded, and put his sword and shield back on his back. The enemy here is likely to be quite strong, but as long as there is its own strength, it doesn't matter. If we fight together, we can protect Jupiter.

This is a strategy to protect Jupiter. Kirito said as he struggled to remember this.

"Okay, let's move on. You never know what to expect, so be careful. ”

Recognize that everyone has answered the call. After that, Kirito tries to take a step towards the Dark Forest. At this moment, the "familiar" wolf dragon made a "sound".

Looking back, the white wolf dragon was looking around, as if looking for something. His ears seemed to point to the sky, trying to discern all the sounds in the field, trying to figure out one of them.

This is the first time I've seen Lilan like this in SA:o.

"Lilan, what's wrong?"

\"Something's coming\"

Kirito was a little surprised to hear this, and he looked around. The forest I'm in now is not only overgrown with plants, but it's also very dim, and maybe because of some special effects, it's hard to tell what kind of monsters are there and where they are.

Since this is the domain of "SA:o", there is a possibility that monsters of abnormal level that have been encountered so far will attack, so there is a good chance that they will come. If we are targeted by something like that, no matter how experienced we are, we simply cannot survive.

Kirito maintained his keen attention as always, observing the signs around him. The sound of plants swaying in the wind, the footsteps of monsters, and other ambient sounds. As Kirito searches for an existence different from them, he discovers the presence that Lilan must have sensed and looks up.

Something fell from the sky.

"Up!!"

At that moment, I saw a purple glow appear in the darkness that covered the sky. Because its light is so bright, you can tell that it doesn't look like a star floating in the night sky.

And that's not all. The purple light was rapidly expanding, and the intensity of the aura I felt increased. A purple glow is coming here.

"Everyone's out of the way!!"

The moment Kirito shouted, the purple light suddenly cracked and poured down. Soon after, an explosion occurs around Kirito and his friends, and they all take a defensive stance. With a roar, the surrounding vegetation was blown away, and a strange smell accompanied by a violent hot wind struck.

What is that? When I turned my head, I saw a white-purple flame burning on the plant. What's more, you can also see that there is a purple smoke, which looks like a miasma.

The fire effect in "SA:o" is the same as red and orange in the real world, and I've never seen a white-purple flame. Something they hadn't seen before appeared—before they could notice, something landed in front of Kirito and them.

With a bang, the earth shook vertically, Shino and Jupiter screamed, and the storm crushed the charred vegetation. At this moment, something resembling a miasma erupted, and Kirito immediately covered his eyes with his arm.

After waiting for the storm to stop, Kirito removed his arm from his eyes and began to search for the mastermind behind this series of events.

"What..."

In a miasma-like purple smoke and white-purple flames burning trees, a huge shadow appeared.

It has a cat-like body, about the size of Lilan, covered in black fur almost all of its body, and has black and silver carapace wrapped around its arms and legs. Its silhouette is reminiscent of a ferocious cat, with a lion-like mane of the same color as its body on its neck and purple horns in front of its ears, pointing to the sky.

The black cat has a tail that looks like the tip of a spear, and the whole gives a supple feeling. This is the true identity of the huge shadow in front of Kirito.

"Black cat?"

It's not just a cat. While it does have cat features, it is significantly larger than a cat and has a lot of features that are far from a cat, and it appears in a way that makes it seem like it is from heaven. And from his mouth, he could see the same white-purple aura as the flames burning around him.

Considering these characteristics, it should be called a cat-like dragon and not a cat-like monster. Of course, Kirito's eyes widened at the appearance of a dragon he had never seen before, while Shino said with a spear in his hand.

"W-What is this guy!?"

The black cat dragon seemed to hear Shino's voice and roared. When Kodama's voice sounded like a combination of a feline and a dragon's roar, Lilan roared back defiantly. As the sound of the two behemoths entered the forest, I noticed that the monsters around me were starting to leave. He is escaping a conflict between beings who are more powerful than him.

The next moment, the surrounding monsters completely disappeared, and three meters appeared above the black cat's head. Moreover, letters appear on it.

"Black Cat Dragon Sekhmet". "Black Cat Dragon Beast Dragon Sekemet" is the name of the black cat. Like "Lilan", there are three "HP bars" for stamina, and all of them are filled with solid green meters.

"Sekhmet?"

Sekhmet. The goddess who appeared in Egyptian mythology, ruled over contagion, pestilence, and destruction, and was also considered the god of death.

Not long ago, I met a black wolf dragon named Anubis, and Sekhmet was the second time I encountered a monster named after a god from Egyptian mythology.

When someone mentioned the name of a god in Egyptian mythology, Kirito had the illusion that SA:o was based on Egyptian mythology. Shino hurriedly shouted to Kirito.

"Kirito, what the hell is this guy? \"

Even Kirito doesn't understand this. When we checked, Sekhmet's grade was 21, which was close to ours. It doesn't seem to be one of the "evil gods", and it's still far from the level of the "evil gods" who are afraid of its appearance.

However, judging from their attacks like this, it can be seen that they have obvious hostility towards Kirito and the others. It has dark, black, and silver fur, and the surrounding forests are deep and black. Perhaps this is the territory of Sekhmet. Kirito, who had done some analysis of Sekhmet, told Shino and Lilan his conclusions.

"I don't know. However, the fact that this guy is our enemy does not seem to change. ”

"Probably. Level 21. I don't know if it's someone we can beat. \"

"Come on. Still, we can't afford not to fight. ”

Just when Kirito was about to give instructions to the group. Sekhmet leapt into the air and flew into the air. Lilan also uses the raid attack as his basic attack. The arrow seemed to be aimed at Kirito, and Sekhmet's black-iron claws landed on Kirito.

Kirito was surprised by Sekhmet's sudden attack and immediately jumped sideways and got out of Sekhmet's attack range. Recovering from his fall, Kirito turned his gaze to Sekhmet and drew two swords from behind his back, preparing to strike a "dual-wielding" pose. At the same time, everyone raised their voices as if they were worried about Kirito.

\"Kirito! \"

\"Brother Kirito! \"

"It doesn't matter. He replied, but Kirito felt a cold sweat break out on his back. When I looked at the hem of the coat, I noticed a clean cut that looked like it had been cut by a sharp sword. It seems that Sekhmet's claws hit him, which proves that he dodged at the last moment.