From the center of the first floor of Al Ayn Grant, there is a large swamp 60 degrees north-east.

To the north of the marshland, there are mountains and labyrinths that stretch from east to west.

Out of a total of more than 220,000 players, about 60,000 or 70,000 have joined the active game, and this number will continue to increase in stages, which leads to the so-called problem of resource point crowding.

It stands to reason that the world of the first layer is a hundred times larger than the closed beta, and the leveling resources should be quite abundant.

But there are also advantages and disadvantages to resource points, even if there are no intelligence dealers, players themselves will measure each resource point according to their investment and efficiency, and in the world of SAO, the measurement conditions must also be added to security.

High-quality, safe, and high-yield resource points will always attract a large number of players to gather.

For example, near the mountains, such as the periphery of the labyrinth area, this is currently the front line of the raiders, and the output resources are mostly used to strengthen weapons, and the output of experience and gold is also higher than other places.

Another example is the forest, the vast forest produces all kinds of animal and plant materials and herbs, etc., and the price of potions has increased recently, and the price of herbs purchased by NPCs has also increased a lot.

There is also the huge grassland, surrounded by the six Initiation Towns, which is the best training ground for beginners, producing meat, bones, teeth, and fur, and processed animal leather is necessary to strengthen clothing equipment, and meat can be exchanged for NPCs.

Of course, the most important thing is safety.

That's why there aren't many players on this side of the swamp - it's too dangerous.

As an area that is theoretically only slightly more difficult than the Forest, players would now rather go to the next valley to farm monsters with higher defenses than enter the swamp.

The cause of the danger of the swamp is not a single and easy to overcome, here is the comprehensive difficulty! There are very few NPC village supply points, and the complex environment with a dense water network is only a problem on the surface.

The most terrible thing is the monster group, the monster level here is average, but the difficulty of the strategy is very high.

A giant mosquito that can fly and suck blood, a horned frog that can attack from a distance when it jumps a long distance, a giant crocodile with thick blood, high defense, high attack, and low chassis, a swamp python that can sneak attack, and a swamp kobold trapper that uses a rope hook to get the player's weapon out of their hands, and so on.

These monsters take out a random kind of existence that would be quite disgusting in other areas, and this kind of thing is everywhere in the swamps.

Players have been gnawing for a long time, especially some teams that think they are strong, they want to take this empty resource area, but in the end, they only lose a lot of lives, which only adds more horror rumors to this area.

So much so that now, very few players haunt the area, especially solo players, and these disgusting monsters are especially unfriendly to lone wolves.

To sum up, this is a great place to brush orange names.

There is a buffered meadow on the northern side of the swamp bordering the mountains, which is connected to the swamp, and the monster type is the disgusting monster of the swamp, but there is no terrain full of traps in the swamp, so it is a slightly safer place to farm monsters.

But there are no players here, the reason is that it is simply remote, the nearest supply village from here, it takes seven or eight hours to walk, and it is really disgusting to invest this kind of time to brush these disgusting monsters.

So Wang Shui and Shino are here, and they have to stay away from NPCs and players, and use time and monster farming to slowly wear away the orange state.

During the day, they lured the monster out of the swamp and into the grassland to kill them, and at night the two retreated to the edge of the valley and set up a small camp in the windless zone between the boulders.

Tonight, Shui Wang enlarged the fire pit with stones, then put a clean stone slab on top and heated it, and used the stone slab to roast the fresh meat harvested today.

Some of the rejuvenated Shino were now sitting far away at the edge of the fire, their eyes looking at the outskirts of the camp, as if they were wary of approaching monsters—in fact, they were just shy.

In other words, with mixed feelings, I can't look at "youkai who can see through people's hearts".

Shino originally wanted to vent her complicated feelings on the monster, but the more she teamed up with Wang Shui, the more a special sense of distance filled her heart.

After only two days of cooperation, Shino discovered the power of Wang Shui in the game world.

The teaming up of the two of them, the hunting efficiency and safety far surpassed that of Shino's former team. It seems that no matter how difficult the monster is, it can't keep him busy, and his attacks have always been very coherent and continuous, and the control and suppression effects make Shino extremely easy.

This afternoon, the two of them even defeated an elite crocodile-modeled monster, a strategy target that their team had never dared to think of, but now the big guy was emitting a scent on the stone slab.

She also made a lot of efforts in this, giving her the illusion that she had become stronger.

"Are you going to stop talking to me for the rest of your life?"

Wang Shui's tone did not have the indifference and oppression of yesterday, and the relaxed and happy tone made Shino connect the [Half of the Heavenly Book] in the game with the [Sato Tree] who had not known him for a long time in reality.

But...... Did he really kill people, kill three people, and he wasn't affected at all?

It's hard not to compare Wang Shui to herself, she snatched the robber's pistol to save her mother, and was forced to kill a murderous and robbing demon when she was robbed of the gun, and this encounter has always bound her soul, and she is still dominated by nightmares and fear from time to time.

"Do you think I'm a demon who kills people without blinking?" The regia water, who was turning the barbecue, spoke again, and it was a hateful feeling of being read again.

"Although it is a bit redundant to say this, this is also the first time I have killed someone, across the Internet, through the hands of Akihiko Kayaba, like an executioner cutting the rope of the guillotine."

"This feeling is naturally different from your experience, at the time, it seemed that I could even choose to swing the blade, or choose to let them live, find some friends to put the robbers in the prison of [Black Iron Palace], and when the game is over, there will naturally be a law to try them for their crimes."

"Maybe an outsider will agree with the decisiveness of killing, but when there is a living life under the sword, any normal person, of course, a normal person who is not carried away by various impulses, will hesitate, but I still choose to kill them."

Aqua regia transferred the grilled crocodile meat to the warm stone chips and sat down next to Shino to share with her.

"There are three of them, and they are high-level orange players who are proficient in interplayer combat, if they react that I am just an ordinary player at level 7, both of us will die."

"Momentum and determination, that's why we survived."

"Actually, at that time, I thought I would be timid and afraid, and I used to even faint with blood and get dizzy when I smelled the smell of rust. But I didn't, thanks to the fact that the developers didn't make it too realistic. ”

"Naturally, there are psychological burdens, but I know better than you how to suppress them, and I also know how to vent when necessary, so don't think about it, the goal now is to live well."

Wang Shui ended the serious and relaxed topic and began to enjoy the much better tasting barbecue.

"Eat, then communicate with me, restore the original you, this is your recovery process, you said the day before yesterday that you wanted to protect me."

"I didn't say it!"

Shiina's swift, resolute and whispered denial, she picked up the roasted crocodile meat to satisfy her hunger, while seriously reflecting on whether she had really said anything shameful that night.

"I care more about your evaluation of barbecue than about reminiscing about the past."

Thinking back, Shino carefully tasted the grilled crocodile meat, the taste of this elite monster is a bit similar to the combination of chicken and beef, the fat is less and tough, and the light saltiness and burnt aroma of the meat make it not very greasy.

So she commented, "Why do you carry so much salt with you?" ”

Wang Shui, who has recently mastered the skill of [cooking], is still looking forward to the first praise from the diner, but the bad memories are revealed by Shino's sudden doubts.

"Ah......h Probably the bitter experience of life, how does it taste? ”

"It tastes great, it's hard to imagine it's the meat of that big guy." Shina's tone and demeanor also returned to flatness, and she began to learn to empty herself and let herself think purely for the sake of living.

"The elite monster spawn time seems to be two days, but this kind of wild wandering monster may not be easy to find."

Wang Shui began to seriously consider the issue of cooking materials, and after a short silence, Shi Nai finally couldn't help but ask:

Sato ...... Tianshujun, I have another question for you. ”

Shi Nai's change of words made Wang Shui very satisfied, there are still people who know how to call names.

"In this world, the most practical problem at the moment is naturally the strategy game, which is to become stronger, you probably want to ask how to become stronger, right?"

Shino nodded and said, "In the past two days, the hunting efficiency of the two of us has even surpassed our previous six-person team, we are not a team that steals a living, and our character levels are all level 8." ”

Wang Shui shrugged his shoulders: "This question is too simple, even if I don't say it, you will understand it after a while, because this is the game." ”

"There are some parts of the game world that are difficult to understand with common sense. Especially in hierarchical games, once the ability value, player level, skill proficiency and equipment are suppressed, many monsters with high difficulty will also become very weak. ”

"Eighty percent of what you see of me is due to my strength of 35 points and agility of 32 points, one percent of my weapons, and the remaining one percent of my fighting qualities."

Seeing Shi Nai's thoughtful look, Wang Shui continued:

"There are two important cornerstones for becoming stronger in this game, the first and most important point is the level and ability value, as well as rare and powerful equipment; The second is the technique of combat. ”

"Stats and equipment are more important than technology?"

Shino still doesn't seem to understand that the power of external objects can outweigh technology, and in her opinion, Wang Shui is using powerful skills to kill monsters.

"Otherwise, why do you think the Raiders team will risk their lives to rush to the front line, many of them are not as strong as you think, what they are really powerful is to enhance their experience, they know how to effectively and efficiently pile up attributes. In real life game fanatics, most of them have average physical fitness, let alone combat qualities. ”

Shi Nai pondered: "So, how do I get stronger?" ”

"So what do you want to get stronger, and to what extent do you want to go? Quickly accumulate equipment and attributes to get to the forefront of the raiders? Or is it ...... Want to beat everyone? ”

Wang Shui's rhetorical question was like a seed suddenly wedged into Shina's heart.

Defeated...... All of them?! Can this world do it?

Like, it can be done.

In the boring and blind campus life of reality, Shino never endures everything silently, she constantly wants to get rid of PTSD, she constantly wants to become strong, but reality is reality, and she will not be gentle because of her strength.

But it's different here, this is a game, a game of hierarchy, the role of numerical values is even higher than the so-called combat quality, here, she seems to have an equal chance to progress with the world!

She seems to have a chance to become a top fighter!

Feeling that Shi Nai's momentum became sharp, Wang Shui suddenly interrupted with a lack of virtue:

"Wrong, you're thinking wrong."

Well? Shi Nai was awakened by Wang Shui.

"Heap value,It's indeed the main means for players to become stronger.,It's even said that it accounts for eighty percent of the player's strength.,But this eighty percent has an upper limit.,When the difficulty of the strategy increases,The speed of the heap value slows down.,Players who only pile up values will be quickly equaled.,That's not really powerful.。

Wang Shui stared into Shi Nai's beautiful ice-blue eyes and slowly explained:

"The combat quality only accounts for 20%, but this is where the player gap is really widened, and it is also the most difficult place to obtain, just like mathematics in the comprehensive exam, it is the subject that can most open the students' grades."

Shi Nai said that he understood, but his eyes seemed to be very dissatisfied with Wang Shui's mathematics.

"It's good that you understand, then, without further ado, let's have a fight!" Wang Shui threw the empty slate aside and quickly stood up to change his equipment.

"Huh? What...... Fight? Over here? ”

"Do you think how to improve your combat quality and bully monsters that are weaker than you? PVP is the most effective method! There is no [in-circle] security guarantee in the field, so a half-blood duel may result in death due to the final blow exceeding half health, so we change to the equipment with the highest defense, use the weapon with the lowest attack, and use one-third of the blood as the victory point. ”

Wang Shui's evil smile was particularly hateful in the firelight, "Don't worry, I will release the water." ”

This guy always makes people angry as quickly as he can!

As a player who had the courage to face the death game on the first day and relied on her true strength to attack the maze, Shino didn't have a deep understanding of the game, but the long-term battle did not cultivate her confidence. Although her teammates take care of her, she is not a burden, on the contrary, Shino is the most active one in her original team.

"Okay, let me see your skills too!" Shi Nai said indignantly like a fried kitten, even if she can't beat it, she has to make Wang Shui look good!

The two of them changed into heavier armor, and the weapons were replaced with junk goods dropped by kobolds, which were not durable enough when they fell, and their properties were even worse than those in the store, and they were generally melted into metal ingots.

The countdown to the half-blood duel reached zero, and Shino rushed forward with a short sword in her hand, and with the blessing of her sword skills, she was fast enough to pull out the afterimage.

Wang Shui, who was on the other side, did not rush to accumulate his sword skills, and when Shi Nai stabbed the short sword with green light into his chest, Wang Shui shook his head and retreated, and then Shi Nai's sword skills stabbed hard - air.

"I didn't pay attention when I farmed monsters, your skills on people are really zero~"

Wang Shui mocked in a flat tone, and Shino began to grit her teeth and continue to attack.

"It's kind of interesting now, people do occasionally use clever moves in extreme anger, hey, watch your step, you're going to trip over yourself."

When Shi Nai was greedy, Wang Shui stepped into position, and took advantage of Shi Nai's lack of sword skill bonuses, and directly pushed Shi Nai back with a squeeze, making her almost fall.

"It's my turn."

After Wang Shui finished speaking, he lunged and stabbed with a sword, and Shi Nai subconsciously blocked the blade, but Wang Shui immediately broke through the defense with the Bu Collapse Sword and pierced Shi Nai's left shoulder.

Originally, he was supposed to draw his sword and stab again, or follow up with a punch and kick attack, but Wang Shui retracted his sword and retreated, and the horizontal sword pulled out [Horizontal Slash].

Shi Nai immediately used the [Hou Hidden Step] under the [Reaction Avoidance] skill to accelerate out of Wang Shui's attack range, but Wang Shui's sword skill was not a mediocre slash, and his feet were also constantly following up, and this [Horizontal Slash] was deliberately released slowly by him, and he followed Shi Nai seven or eight steps away.

The damage figure exploded, and the figures of the two people moving at high speed stopped standing, and Wang Shui withdrew his long sword and said with emotion:

"It seems that I'm overly optimistic, you don't even count as a blank sheet of paper now, and the habit of killing has begun to form."

This time, Shi Nai was not depressed and angry, but asked calmly:

"You mean there is still salvation? It doesn't matter if you take your time, teach me to beat you first. ”

"I don't want to brag about it, but at this stage, I should be in the top 100 of all players in terms of PVP. Even if I could teach you the tricks to defeat me, it would be difficult for you to grow faster than me. ”

Wang Shui spread his hands, adjusted his weapon into the same short sword as Shi Nai, and took it in his hand and gestured twice to adapt to the center of gravity.

"You replenish your blood first, and I'll try to use a short sword against you."

"Huh? Will you use a short sword? You don't have a [Short Sword] skill, right? The poem was puzzled.

"Don't worry, you don't need sword skills to be my opponent, I usually read short sword information."

In fact, it was not just a short sword, after Wang Shui found that he had no limit on the number of skills, he immediately thought of the information he had written down silently when he first entered the game.

The 202 sheets of manuscript paper, which are densely covered with small characters and small pictures, are the various resources collected by Wang Shui before entering the game.

There are a small number of game guides, as well as a large number of combat skills - as long as there is relatively complete information that can be found on the Internet, he has recorded them all.

When recording this information, Wang Shui purely wanted to see more about what fighting was, and he would not be able to use a sword when he entered the game.

But since discovering that there is no limit to the number of skills, Wang Shui has started to think about something else - he can learn miscellaneous!

In this world, he has a physical fitness that is far beyond the real world, whether it is strength or speed, it allows him to easily imitate those combat skills.

And he also has many opportunities to fight, and in many cases he doesn't even have to think about injuries and life-threatening situations.

It's a paradise for exercising your skills and fighting qualities!

The task of the Infinite Boss [Dream System] is of course the most important, and failure will be wiped out. But now it seems that no matter how hard Wang Shui tries, he has to wait for Kirito to grow up slowly, and wait for Kirito to be recognized by the game developer Akihiko Kayaba, so that Wang Shui can get the quest item [World Seed].

Others may enter the infinite world in an exciting chase and escape, but Wang Shui has to stay up for time. But this played into Wang Shui's hands - he didn't think he would have the courage to fight for it after entering a world rich in resources.

The world of swords, just right for him.

Although he is a little childish and has to start exercising from basic swordsmanship, Wang Shui is already very satisfied. Beginning to pay attention to the training of combat qualities is not an idea on a whim for him now, as early as in the forest, when he duel with Kirito, Wang Shui made up his mind to become stronger here!

Just, getting a little stronger is also a bit stronger, isn't it?