April 7, 2023. 1:54 PM — Waterway Route, Floor 27

  Floor 27 offered a sight Aincrad had not shown them until now. It was ruled by fresh water and temperate greenery. Lakes, rivers, and canals cut across the entire floor, linking everything like a living system.

  The main city was Canalburgh.

  There, the sound of water asserted itself from the very first step: a constant, clean murmur that ran through the city like a deep breath. Broad canals crossed the settlement in every direction—not as obstacles, but as the axes that ordered life itself. The water flowed slow and clear, reflecting the floor's sky in trembling fragments.

  Cobblestone streets ran parallel to the canals, broken every few yards by low stone bridges, narrow enough to force you to slow down. From them you could see boats tied up—not for travel, but as part of the scenery: loading platforms, floating stalls, little extensions of shops that opened onto the water's edge. No house was built on the water, yet all of them seemed to live with one eye on it.

  The buildings—pale stone and dark wood—had simple balconies and open windows. Fishing stands, floor maps pinned to boards, NPCs chatting with a calm that contrasted too sharply with the floors below. No one shouted here. No one ran. Even commerce seemed to flow at the same pace as the canals.

  Bridges, locks, and sluice gates marked the city like old scars, reminders that the water had not always been tame. In some places the level dropped abruptly and the sound grew deeper, a warning that one wrong step was enough for serenity to turn into danger.

  Ryuho and Yuiha had spent time gathering information on the monsters, and they had learned plenty.

  River Lurkers prowled the shallower channels: amphibious humanoids with dark skin and shining eyes, rising only far enough to strike before slipping back under—always in groups, always testing the weakness of anyone who walked too close to the edge.

  On the surface, Marsh Skimmers slid across the water—long, reptilian creatures that looked like they were skating. They were hard to lock onto, fast and relentless, leaving shallow cuts that bled slowly, reminders that carelessness kills, too.

  Near bridges and locks waited Canal Wardens—stone golems coated in moss and dried algae. They didn't chase. They advanced slowly, shoving, forcing you back until the water became a greater threat than they were.

  In deeper sections drifted Drowned Wisps, translucent shapes glowing beneath the surface. They weren't lethal through strength, but through curses: they warped perception, dulled movement, and made a single misstep enough.

  Among them all, the deadliest were the Lockjaw Crocodiles. Massive beasts, silent until the last instant, whose grab attack turned a fall into the canal into a near-certain sentence. They could move through the water without making ripples or sound. The only way to spot them was to lean directly over the surface—

  and if you did that, you probably wouldn't live to talk about it.

  The party moved carefully along the paths between the waterways. The forest was deceptive: many trees grew straight out of the water, giving monsters endless places to hide.

  Not even Yuiha's monster detection could catch them every time before they struck.

  Their marching formation wasn't the usual one. Silver and Veget took the sides instead of the front. Ryuho led, and HappyGoose covered the rear. Miwa and Yuiha stayed in the middle—the first managing potions so the fighters wouldn't have to dig through their inventories, the second calling out what attacks she could sense in time.

  April 7, 2023. 3:26 PM — Waterway Route, Floor 27

  They had been moving for almost three hours. According to the map they'd acquired, they still had about an hour to go before reaching Lakeside Village—their first destination.

  —Why does somewhere this beautiful have to be this dangerous? —Miwa complained, exhausted.

  —That's game logic —HappyGoose replied—. The farther you go, the harder it gets.

  Miwa glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

  —I wasn't looking for an answer. I just wanted to complain.

  HappyGoose smiled and chose not to add anything else.

  Miwa drifted closer to the water's edge and leaned down to look.

  —Get away from the edge —Ryuho warned.

  —Relax, nii-chan —she answered with a mischievous smile—. What are the odds a monster shows up right now?

  The instant she finished speaking, something violent shattered the surface.

  A heartbeat later, a Lockjaw Crocodile surged up directly behind her.

  —MIWA! —everyone shouted at once.

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  But one of the shouts sounded different from the rest.

  —AKANE!

  Ryuho went perfectly still and turned toward the voice, baffled.

  He saw HappyGoose already sprinting forward, spear in hand.

  The monster clamped its jaws around Miwa's right leg, determined to drag her into the water.

  —AGH! —her scream echoed through the trees.

  HappyGoose arrived in the same instant and unleashed the skill he'd been charging.

  RAGING THRUST!

  The spear slammed into the Lockjaw's head with brutal force—but it didn't let go. If anything, it bit down harder, crushing Miwa's leg and reducing it to fragments of red light.

  —AAAAHHHH! —she screamed as she hit the ground.

  Yuiha sprinted in and, without hesitation, pulled a high-grade healing crystal from her inventory—one of the most expensive consumables in the game.

  —Heal!

  The crystal flared a vivid red. The pain vanished as the missing leg rebuilt itself from polygons of light and her HP bar filled completely.

  Miwa let out a choked sob.

  —It's... okay, Miwa-chan —Yuiha said, hugging her carefully—. It's over. You're safe.

  —Yu-chan... thank you. And... I'm sorry —the redhead managed.

  —It's over —Yuiha repeated softly—. Now look up and see your knight.

  HappyGoose was still hammering the monster as if possessed. The Lockjaw tried to strike back, but he punished it without giving it room to breathe. The finishing blow landed straight into one of its eyes, leaving it partially blind. The beast roared and hurled itself back into the water, fleeing without a shred of dignity.

  —And I thought you were scary when you got mad —Veget remarked, glancing at Silver.

  —I really hope Miwa doesn't flirt with me again —Silver replied with a crooked smile.

  Ryuho, meanwhile, remained frozen—like he was searching for an explanation he couldn't find.

  Not for the attack.

  For the shout.

  His teeth clenched. He gripped the hilt of his katana and triggered a movement skill.

  Blurred Step.

  The samurai vanished and reappeared a second later in front of HappyGoose, katana glowing, the blade pressed against his throat.

  —Ryuho...? —Goose managed, incredulous.

  —Who the hell are you? —Ryuho asked, his voice so cold it left no room for games.

  Veget and Silver raised their weapons instantly.

  —What the hell are you doing? —Veget demanded.

  —If you move, I'll take his head off right now.

  They understood he meant it and lowered their weapons.

  Ryuho's eyes—bloodshot—locked onto HappyGoose.

  —Who are you? Why do you know my sister's name?

  —I know her in the real world —Goose forced out.

  The blade pressed harder. Damage ticked.

  —Is that why you came near us? To use my sister? —Ryuho's voice wasn't a threat anymore. It was pure fury.

  —Onii-san! —Miwa shouted from the ground, still held by Yuiha—. Stop! It's not what you think!

  Ryuho looked at her like she was a child.

  —Don't be naive, Miwa! This guy's after your inheritance, like all of them!

  HappyGoose's eyes went wide.

  —Inheritance? What are you talking about?

  —Ryuho, stop! —Miwa begged.

  —You're really going to tell me you know she's called Akane and you don't know she's the Onodera Group's princess?

  —TAKESHI! —Miwa yelled, using his real name.

  —Onodera...? —Goose murmured, not understanding.

  One second.

  Two.

  Then something clicked in his mind. At the same time, something broke inside him.

  —A...kane... Ono...dera... —he whispered, his gaze going dim, like his avatar had turned hollow.

  —Stop pretending you don't know. Of course she's the Akane Onodera.

  The sword pressed harder, cutting the virtual skin at Goose's throat. But he didn't react.

  Then Ryuho felt another force clamp onto his katana.

  Miwa had grabbed the edge with her bare hand.

  Cut damage and bleeding started immediately.

  —Miwa! Let go of my sword! —he shouted.

  —NO! —she yelled back—. You let go, or cut my hand off!

  The charged skill began to vibrate, nearing its limit before auto-releasing.

  —Let go already! —Ryuho roared.

  —Never! I won't let you hurt him!

  The katana trembled violently.

  Then a clean, fast sound sliced through the air.

  PARRY!

  The Coral Blade traced an arc of light and struck Ryuho's sword just above the hilt. The impact was brutal. The sound of metal cracking rang out over the canals.

  The katana flew from his hand and stabbed into the ground several yards back, a visible fracture running along the blade.

  —What the hell are you doing?! —Ryuho bellowed.

  —Stopping you from doing something you'll regret for the rest of your life —Yuiha replied, a coldness no one had ever seen from her before. Not even Silver.

  She pulled out a potion and handed it to Miwa, while Veget and Silver immediately stepped between Ryuho and HappyGoose.

  —What was that? —Veget asked flatly.

  Ryuho didn't look away.

  —I warned you back on Floor 2. My absolute priority is my sister's safety. And that guy is a danger to her.

  Veget watched him in silence. He didn't speak. He didn't move.

  Yuiha stood beside HappyGoose.

  —Are you okay?

  There was no answer.

  The boy dropped to his knees—not from physical damage, but from something far deeper.

  —Goose!—

  Miwa knelt in front of him and cupped his face.

  —Goose, look at me... please, look at me...

  But he didn't respond.

  As if his avatar had been abandoned in that digital hell.