The hills looked the same as they had months ago.
The stone paths, the ancient trees, that lingering feeling that nothing alive belonged near the ruins.
The trip there had been quiet. The wolves and boars seemed to avoid them, as if they knew a single sword strike would be enough to end them.
—Did I ever tell you the story I used to imagine in these hills? —Yuiha asked, walking beside him.
—Not that I remember —Silver said—. What story?
—Long ago, the first floor of Aincrad belonged to humans. They were ruled by a queen who cared for her people from this castle. As long as she lived, the entire first floor was a safe zone.
Silver glanced at her, surprised.
—Seriously?
—I told you it was a story I imagined here —she smiled.
—It’s pretty convincing.
—Kayaba-san told me the same thing once.
Silver cut his eyes toward her.
—Sorry —Yuiha added quickly—. I get why you hate him for trapping us here.
He was quiet for a few seconds before answering.
—Honestly… it doesn’t bother me that he trapped us.
Yuiha blinked, startled.
—It doesn’t?
—If he hadn’t, I would’ve logged out after a couple hours and never come back.
And I wouldn’t have met you.
The honesty in Silver’s voice was so direct it made Yuiha drop her gaze for a moment.
When she looked up again, there was a faint blush on her cheeks.
—My mom used to say that even the worst moments in life hide blessings —she said softly—.
I feel like meeting Sasha, the kids, Liz… all of that is part of Aincrad’s hidden blessings. And—
She lifted her eyes and gave him the warmest smile Silver had ever seen from her.
—Meeting you is the greatest blessing of all.
Silver looked up at the sky, searching for a reply that wouldn’t ruin the moment.
It was hopeless.
—Those are nice words, from your mom —he said at last—.
Mine only told me not to waste my chances… and not to be useless.
Yuiha stared, then let out a genuine laugh.
—That… is also solid advice.
Silver grinned, with the distinct feeling he’d just dodged a poisoned dagger.
They reached the entrance to the ruins. A system message snapped into view.
<
Requires a companion to proceed>>
Silver looked at Yuiha, hesitating.
—It says… I need a companion.
—Perfect —she smiled.
—It could be dangerous —he insisted, worried.
Yuiha took his hand firmly, not rough, just certain.
—Then it’ll be dangerous for both of us.
Silver let out a resigned sigh. Yuiha accepted the confirmation prompt without hesitation. The quest updated, and a new marker appeared on the map.
They shared a brief look, then stepped into the ruins, cutting down the skeletons that clawed up from the ground without offering any real resistance.
* * * * *
They followed the marker to its point.
When they arrived, they found a corridor where there had only been a smooth stone wall before.
Silver stopped dead, staring at it without speaking.
—It’s not that weird —Yuiha explained when she noticed his expression—. Some maps and zones change after you meet certain conditions.
Silver kept staring, motionless.
—What is it? —she asked finally.
—That corridor… gives me a bad feeling.
—I understand —she said gently—. You’ve had bad experiences with the earlier quests.
We can leave if you want. You don’t have to complete the set.
Silver thought for a few seconds.
—Are you sure you want to come with me? —he asked one last time.
Yuiha didn’t answer right away. She met his eyes.
—Are you sure you want to keep going?
He nodded.
Without another word, they started down the corridor. Yuiha walked at his side, not showing the slightest hesitation.
The passage was long and narrow, lit only by torches spaced unevenly along the walls.
They walked for minutes that felt like hours until they reached a massive stone door.
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It was unmistakable.
—A boss…? —Silver asked quietly.
—Looks like it —Yuiha nodded.
Silver hesitated before putting his hand on the door.
—We go in, look at the boss, and leave if it’s too dangerous, okay? —she said, her voice a mix of tenderness and worry.
—Okay.
Silver pushed the door open.
The instant they crossed the threshold, every torch in the chamber ignited at once, accompanied by a gust of air that made the flames dance.
At the far end of the room was a throne.
And on it, a huge figure, perfectly still.
—No way… —Yuiha raised a hand to her mouth.
—Illfang? —Silver asked, disbelieving.
—No… —she whispered—. It’s not Illfang.
It’s the Floor 1 boss from the beta.
In that same instant, the figure rose from the throne and crossed half the room in a single leap.
< Bloodfang, The Kobold Tyrant >
Before they could react, a heavy thud made them spin instinctively.
The chamber door had slammed shut.
—What!? —they both blurted at the same time.
Up until now, no boss chamber had ever sealed before the fight began.
—Yuiha, the teleport crystal! —Silver shouted, pulling one from his inventory.
She did the same without hesitation.
—Teleport! Tolbana!
The crystal didn’t respond.
—TELEPORT! TOLBANA! —they tried again, louder, as if the system might hear them better.
The blue crystal stayed dead in their hands.
—An anti-teleport zone…? —Yuiha asked, stunned.
Silver clenched his teeth and drew his sword.
—Then we fight —he said with a crooked grin—.
Can you handle the minions?
—No problem —she replied—.
Think you can take him alone?
—Yeah —he said, confident—. It’s still a monster from Floor 1.
Yuiha darted toward one of the Blood Kobold Sentinels, pulling two needles from her pouch and flicking them with perfect precision to draw the aggro of the other two.
Bloodfang snorted steam and charged straight at Silver.
The impact against the Aegis echoed through the entire chamber. Silver held, then answered with a clean slash.
The boss’s HP dipped—barely—but it was enough to confirm it: he could hurt it.
If he found the right openings to use skills, he could do this.
It would be a long fight.
But they were ready.
And for the first time since the quest had begun, Silver felt something absolute:
He couldn’t afford to lose.
* * * * *
Nearly twenty minutes had passed since the battle began—though for them it felt like hours.
Bloodfang was down to the last HP bar. Thanks to constant healing items, both of their bars were still full.
But no item could erase the fatigue of a fight that long.
Silver was used to moving under pressure: packed arenas, deciding finals, relentless opponents. He could keep his head cold even in extremes.
Yuiha was different.
Her reflexes had slowed—just a fraction. She started dodging less and blocking more.
Bad sign.
Silver decided to try something else.
He waited for Bloodfang to trigger a sword skill and met it head-on with Shield Charge. The clash produced a perfect parry. Without breaking rhythm, he tried to chain into an offensive skill.
The system allowed it.
—Hexa Blade.
Silver punished the boss with a brutal six-hit combo: two vertical, two horizontal, two diagonal.
Bloodfang staggered back two steps, roaring with rage.
Then something strange happened.
It looked almost like a sinister smile spread across its snout.
The monster ignored Silver and lunged at full speed toward Yuiha.
—Over here! —Silver shouted.
Bloodfang didn’t even flinch.
Its speed was absurd for its size. Silver knew instantly he couldn’t catch it by sprinting.
Without hesitating for even a second, he activated the strongest—and most dangerous—skill in the Warden’s Covenant.
—Shield Assault.
Silver launched like an arrow. Before Bloodfang could reach Yuiha, he slammed into it from behind, driving it forward and sending it skidding several meters until it crashed into the wall.
A notification popped immediately.
< Healing effects have been blocked >
Silver let out a short breath. He hadn’t been surprised.
His HP was still green.
The boss’s had dropped into red from the impact.
He tightened his grip on sword and shield, bracing for what came next.
Bloodfang rose slowly, visibly furious. It roared with savage force and dropped its weapon and shield to the floor. From its back it drew a new weapon: a talwar.
The Sentinels answered the roar with one of their own and charged Silver.
—No! —Yuiha cried as she ran after them.
She threw everything she had left at them, dropping them one by one. But the mobs kept ignoring her, as if possessed.
Every time one respawned, it charged straight at Silver.
Meanwhile, Bloodfang unleashed a storm of heavy blows. Silver could barely respond; each hit forced him another step back.
—Silver! —Yuiha screamed, panicking; then shouted at the mobs—
Stop ignoring me, you damn beasts!
Her voice cracked.
Silver tried to steady her, even as his footing worsened.
—It’s okay… —he said with a calm he didn’t feel—.
They won’t kill me… even if they hit me all day.
His HP bar was dropping slowly, but steadily.
Yuiha pulled a healing crystal and activated it.
—Heal!
The system’s response was immediate—and cruel.
< The target player cannot receive healing effects for the next 6 minutes >
—No… not again! —Yuiha was on the edge of tears, but she grit her teeth and kept fighting.
Silver’s HP slipped into yellow just as Bloodfang gave him the briefest opening.
—Vertical Square.
Silver struck at once. The boss’s HP dropped a little more.
—Forget the Sentinels —he said with an unnervingly steady voice—.
Hit the boss.
Yuiha nodded and unleashed a rapid flurry.
Bloodfang roared again.
The Sentinels’ eyes flared red. They dropped their weapons and started biting Silver.
A poison icon appeared beside his HP bar, draining it at an alarming rate.
He didn’t have time to react when Bloodfang brought down a devastating blow.
The Aegis split in two.
Silver stumbled back two steps as the knockback resistance buff vanished.
Bloodfang spun and launched a direct strike at Yuiha.
She managed to block the first hit, but she lost her balance.
The second strike of the skill was already on its way.
Silver didn’t think.
He threw himself at the boss without time to change weapons. He gripped his sword with both hands and tried to trigger Avalanche as if he were holding a broadsword.
Please…
Just this once. Let me get away with it.
As if CARDINAL had heard the plea, the blade began to glow.
He unleashed a strike no light weapon should have been able to produce.
The slash cleaved straight through Bloodfang from top to bottom.
The boss dropped, defeated.
Silver turned.
Yuiha stood in front of him, frozen, eyes wide with shock.
—I… protected you… —he whispered, giving her a tired smile.
The quest completion message appeared at the exact same moment the poison drained his HP to zero.
Silver’s body shattered into thousands of blue fragments.
No goodbyes.
No music.
No glory.
He simply… vanished.