Chapter Sixty: The Search on the First Floor

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“Huh? Wait! Pendragon…?” Klein stared at Lancer, his mouth agape in disbelief.

“That’s right! This guy’s real identity outside is that of a true British noble,” someone answered. At first, he, like the other classmates, thought of Lancer as just an ordinary aristocrat, but later learned the weight of his name. Pendragon—a family with ties to Britain’s most legendary king. Although Queen Elizabeth reigns now, that surname alone commands respect from countless British nobles.

“Hold on, Pendragon—isn’t that…?”

“Yes, it’s King Arthur’s surname. But I’m not a direct descendant of Arthur. Long ago, some knights without surnames were granted the name Pendragon as a reward for their service under King Arthur.” In fact, Lancer had received the surname Pendragon from Toria when she ascended the throne, but he always felt awkward about it, as if he was marrying into another family. His stubborn pride meant he never mentioned his surname except when absolutely necessary.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Klein said, though he didn’t seem particularly nervous despite learning of Lancer’s special status. Lancer could only think that Klein was incredibly thick-skinned.

“Alright, enough about that. Klein, I have to go.” Though the scene was heartwarming, Kirito knew the game had to go on, so he broke off Klein and Lancer’s conversation, returning to the earlier topic.

Klein, who had been smiling, faltered and then gave a wry grin. “You’re right. Kirito, good luck. You’re our hope for breaking through this game. Right now, I’m not qualified to stand by your side.”

“That’s not true, Klein, I…”

“No need to say more, Kirito. I’ll catch up to you someday.”

Lancer watched the two showing off their friendship with a helpless look and scratched his head. “Hey, you two, even if you want to ignore public opinion, at least spare my eyes.”

The two exchanged glances and leaped back together.

“I’m off.”

“Ah, see you!”

Without a backward glance, Kirito left the town, with Lancer following after him.

“Lancer…”

“Don’t say anything. I just want to ask—do you think you could beat me?”

Kirito fell silent. Even though this was just a game, Lancer’s real-world skills would never drag him down.

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“Fine, let’s go together.”

“Haha, I bet if you and Klein were together, you’d be the bottom.”

“Damn it, what are you saying?”

With Lancer’s teasing, Kirito quickly returned to his usual self, and the two of them hurried toward the next town under the setting sun.

———A dividing line for action———

After slicing another wolf into pieces, Kirito reluctantly handed a piece of bread to Lancer. “Hey, are you cursed or something? Why have I never seen you get any equipment drops?” Kirito grumbled as he took a bite of bread.

“How should I know? Damn it, almost every time all I get is meat, never any equipment,” Lancer replied helplessly, shaking the short sword in his hand. He’d only gotten this weapon by trading meat with the shopkeeper in the last town.

“Are you stupid? In a place this dangerous, with only one life, you’re using a short weapon?” Every time Kirito saw Lancer’s weapon of choice, he felt exasperated. Every player prioritized long weapons, and for ease of use, at least a mid-range weapon. Yet Lancer chose a short weapon, which made no sense to him.

“One life, right? That’s exactly why I chose it.” Even knowing this was a fake world, Lancer couldn’t help but stroke his weapon.

“I’m not like ordinary people. Compared to long weapons, short ones give me a better sense of security.” Lancer didn’t bother explaining further. Even if he told the truth, the other probably wouldn’t believe him.

“Fine, do as you like.” Kirito fell silent, gazing up at the stars. Even knowing they were fake, for some reason, only by doing this could he calm himself in a world where he could lose his life at any moment.

“Hey! What are you thinking about? Your favorite buddy? I bet he’d be thrilled to see the ‘token of your affection’ you sent him in his mailbox.”

“Damn it, there you go again! I’ve told you so many times…”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just pure friendship, right?” Lancer said, gnawing on bread as he sat on a nearby rock, his tone and expression making it clear he didn’t believe a word.

“Forget it. By the way, Lancer, do you have a girlfriend?” Kirito didn’t really expect an answer, but the question slipped out as he tried to change the subject.

“Uh…” Lancer suddenly didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t exactly say he didn’t have a girlfriend but had at least two queens competing for him.

“Hmm? Wait, you’ve got something going on! Spill it!”

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“Damn it, what are you coming at me for? If you want to fool around, go find your Klein.”

As the two were fooling around—

“Oooh—oooh—!”

They instantly fell silent, gripping their weapons.

“What is it? Clearly not one of those ‘pet dogs’ we met before.”

“‘Pet dogs’? But no, this isn’t one. If I’m right, it’s a random field boss. During the beta test, these bosses were really tough—it took at least five players of the same level to bring one down,” Kirito explained, his sword beginning to tremble in his hand.

“Five, huh? But if that’s the case, what happens if new players who didn’t go through the beta run into one…” Their expressions changed. Kirito, being a student, couldn’t just stand by, and Lancer, with his past as a knight, wasn’t exactly a bleeding heart but would still help others if he could.

“What should we do?” The two exchanged looks and nodded to each other.

“Whew, I hope this guy will end my curse. I refuse to believe a boss only ever drops materials and never equipment,” Lancer said, though he wasn’t worried. He’d been through countless encounters like this, both before and after meeting Lenhua. He said it mostly to ease Kirito’s nerves.

“Haha, with your luck, I bet it’ll just be materials.” Kirito had already calmed himself, pulling out a teleport crystal received at the start of the game. It was this that gave him the courage to challenge the boss; his hand steadied once more.

After checking that their gear and supplies were ready and within easy reach, they headed toward the source of the sound.

If I remember correctly, there aren’t any potions in Sword Art Online, only crystals. It’s been a long time since I read the novel, so if anyone notices other differences, let me know in the reviews. —The End

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