One month after the SAO server went live.
Layer 1, outside Torubana Town.
Ling Feng and Saigiri were heading towards the town.
Not long ago, Ling Feng had received an invitation from Kirito. It stated that the first floor boss攻略 (gōnglüè - strategy/guide) meeting would be held in Torubana on December 2nd, and he was invited to attend.
Ling Feng had agreed. Although he and Saigiri could already reach the boss room on their own, for the sake of safety, he decided to wait for the攻略 (gōnglüè) group.
Besides, he hadn't seen Kirito in a month; they had only communicated through friend messages during this time.
For example, Ling Feng had sold his Wolf King Sword to Kirito, not for Kol, but for supplies.
Kirito had been astonished by the sword. He knew that this weapon could only be obtained by defeating the elite monster, the Wolf King, in the Wild Wolf Valley.
Although the Wolf King was an elite monster, it was no ordinary elite monster!
It had over a hundred subordinates around it, not to mention the other wolves in the Wild Wolf Valley, numbering in the thousands.
It could be considered the most dangerous area on the first floor, with a danger level comparable to the depths of the labyrinth.
To think that Ling Feng had defeated it. This made Kirito deeply suspect if they were playing the same game.
Before entering the town, Ling Feng put on a blue cloak. This cloak had the same effect as the previous black cloak, capable of hiding his identity.
However, one lasted for two hours, while the other was permanent. Even though it was only effective for two hours daily, it was still good.
To be honest, this cloak was a drop from Saigiri's monster hunts. His own luck value had been reduced to a quarter, making him even unluckier than before.
On the contrary, Saigiri was lucky like an Emperor, obtaining rare equipment from ordinary monsters.
Damn it, I'm not convinced!
But what could he do if he wasn't convinced? He could only watch, who told him to be so unlucky.
Upon entering the town, Ling Feng led Saigiri into a secluded alley. Deep in the alley, Kirito leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as if waiting for someone.
Hearing the crisp footsteps from the alley, he turned to look at Ling Feng and Saigiri. Seeing two people in cloaks, Kirito turned back.
This was not the person he was waiting for; they were likely just passersby.
How could a PK player like Ling Feng have anyone accompanying him? Even he himself was alone.
"Yo, Kirito, don't you recognize me?"
"Ling Feng?"
Hearing this teasing voice, Kirito's body trembled, and he turned in surprise. He saw Ling Feng had lowered his hood, revealing his face.
"You guy, how do you have someone traveling with you?"
Kirito raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, casting a curious glance at the person in the brown cloak behind Ling Feng.
Ling Feng, a PK player, actually had a teammate. He didn't!
Seeing Kirito's expression, Ling Feng's lips curled into a smile as he introduced.
"This is Mist, you can call her Saigiri. My teammate."
Hearing this, Saigiri slowly lowered her hood, peeked out from behind Ling Feng, and timidly said.
"Hello."
When Kirito saw that Ling Feng's teammate was such a cute and beautiful young girl, he felt like his heart had been struck by ten thousand critical hits.
He pointed at Ling Feng and cursed.
"Holy crap! Ling Feng, you're abducting a minor!"
"That's illegal."
Saigiri became flustered upon hearing this. Before Ling Feng could explain, she spoke up herself.
"I wanted to follow Ling Feng myself; he didn't abduct me."
Upon hearing Saigiri's words, a trickle of blood escaped Kirito's lips. His heart suffered another ten thousand critical hits, and he looked utterly defeated.
Seeing Kirito's entire demeanor turn black and white, Saigiri thought she had said something wrong and hid back behind Ling Feng.
She was familiar with Ling Feng and could communicate, but she was still very scared of others and strangers.
Ling Feng slapped his forehead, saying helplessly.
"Alright, let's talk business."
Kirito immediately recovered, his brows furrowed, his expression serious. He pointed at Saigiri behind Ling Feng and spoke with lip-sync.
Saigiri looked at Kirito's mouth moving without sound, a look of confusion on her face.
Perhaps it was a tacit understanding between men, but Ling Feng understood and nodded, indicating he understood.
"Saigiri, please step aside for a moment. Kirito and I need to discuss some personal matters."
"Personal matters?"
"These are man-to-man secrets."
Men's personal matters?
Saigiri's small eyes were filled with great confusion.
Ling Feng gently stroked Saigiri's head, causing her face to instantly turn red.
She called Ling Feng a pervert and then, covering her head, retreated repeatedly.
Ling Feng's lips curled slightly. He knew Saigiri strongly disliked people touching her head, so he often used this trick to deal with her.
However, Saigiri's hair was indeed very soft, like a cat's fur, with an excellent texture, making one unable to put it down.
Kirito and Ling Feng moved to a corner, while Saigiri stood not far away, watching curiously.
"Ling Feng, the first floor boss攻略 (gōnglüè) meeting will be held in an outdoor theater, and it starts in ten minutes."
"We still have time to get there, but are you sure you want to bring her along?"
"Boss battles are no joke."
Kirito was naturally referring to Saigiri. Boss battles were extremely dangerous, and a single mistake could lead to death. If someone as young as Saigiri went, she would essentially be walking into her doom.
He had sought out Ling Feng because Ling Feng's strength was arguably the strongest in SAO at the moment. His participation would make things significantly easier.
Ling Feng glanced back at Saigiri, pondered for a moment, and said.
"I've already considered your question. I haven't told Saigiri that we're here for a boss battle."
"You go to the meeting first, and I'll arrange for Saigiri to be settled. Message me if there are any problems."
Kirito nodded. Although Ling Feng seemed carefree, he always knew what was important.
"Okay, I'll head there now. You hurry and catch up."
"Ok."
After their conversation, Kirito left the alley and headed towards the meeting venue.
Ling Feng, on the other hand, took Saigiri to a nearby inn to book a room.
At first, Saigiri thought Ling Feng had finally been attracted by her cute appearance and was about to make a move. As a hentai manga artist, she had already fantasized about a lot of scenarios in her mind.
She had already prepared various excuses to reject Ling Feng.
But in the end, Ling Feng didn't do anything out of line. After entering the room, he told her to rest well for a day and that he had an urgent matter to attend to.
Without giving her a chance to speak, Ling Feng hurriedly left the inn, leaving her alone in the empty room.
This angered Saigiri, and she furiously threw pillows around the room, deeply suspecting if she wasn't good-looking enough.
However, she also followed Ling Feng's instructions and didn't leave the inn, choosing instead to stay in the room and draw.
The art supplies were all collected by Ling Feng for her.
Even though it was a death game, some of the scenery was truly beautiful, and some of the women had truly great figures.
When she expressed her desire to draw, Ling Feng didn't refuse. He took her around while leveling up, collecting materials everywhere. After a month, they had finally gathered everything.
"Mmm... Ling Feng."
Although Ling Feng hadn't said what he was busy with, her sixth sense told her it was something very dangerous.
She knew her limits; going there would likely just be a burden to Ling Feng. It was better to wait in the inn.
Besides, she didn't know how strong Ling Feng was. In any case, his health bar had never dropped below ninety percent so far.