Chapter 370
As it turned out, Rozenâs hunch was on the mark.
Aincrad Liberation Forceâs members led by Kobatz were attacked by several monsters on their way to the labyrinth.
Logically speaking, since their equipment and level were not that far apart from those of the Clearers, it shouldnât be that hard for them to deal with the monsters in the Outer Field. However, since they had no experience fighting on the frontline, they panicked, and it took longer for them to deal with the monsters than itâs supposed to be. Not to mention they took those monsters lightly since they were just Outer Field monsters and got caught off guard as a result.
Despite what happened, Kobatz, the squadronâs leader, just yelled his lungs out annoyedly.
âWhatâs with that pathetic display? And you lot call yourself Aincrad Liberation Forceâs elites? Kill those small fries at once!â
Even though Kobatz was supposed to demonstrate his leadership exactly at a time like this, he wasnât even aware of his role and just yelled at his party members out of frustration that it took so long for them to even deal with Outer Field monsters.
Fortunately, their level was quite high, so even if they panicked and got caught off guard, they eventually defeated the monsters.
However, Kobatz, who seemed to be dissatisfied with his comrades, kept nagging them.
âOur goal is to demonstrate what weâre capable of, what Aincrad Liberation Force is capable of, yet whatâs with that sorry state just now? I will not tolerate this kind of disgraceful act next time. Do you lot understand?â
The Aincrad Liberation Forceâs members couldnât say anything back; they had to swallow their pride and pressed on because what Kobatz said was not entirely wrong.
Rozen, who saw what happened as he tailed them while using Hiding Skill, sighed and frowned.
âWhat the hell is Kibaou thinking? Did he send these people to the frontline just to get their butt kicked? At this rate, theyâd be out of breath by the time they reach the labyrinth.â
How would they deal with labyrinth monsters later if they struggled with Outer Field monsters?
âIf this is all Aincrad Liberation Force got, then donât bother joining the Clearers.â
Rozen deemed the Aincrad Liberation Force to be not worthy of joining the Clearers. It might sound harsh, but it wouldnât be a joke if they ended up dying due to their own recklessness.
Rozen recalled back when Kibaou led his guild members on the 25th Floor to the Boss Room, beating the Clearers to the punch out of greed and ended up in devastating defeat with the death of more than half of his guild members.
Now, what would the Aincrad Liberation Force do if they found the Boss Room at their current state?
Would they recklessly challenge the Floor Boss by themselves in attempt to demonstrate what they were capable of?
âAre you planning to make the same mistake twice?â
Rozen thought as he followed the Aincrad Liberation Forceâs members.
SuddenlyâŠ
âHaâŠhaâŠhaâŠâ
Rozen, who was following Kobatz and the rest of Aincrad Liberation Forceâs members, saw a panting figure running at top speed from the town.
Rozen was startled since that figure wasnât a total stranger.
âAsuna?â Rozen was really surprised: âShe seems awfully in a hurry.â
It was as if she was being chased by someone.
âIs she being chased?â
Rozen seemed to be thinking of which one he should prioritize. After glancing at Aincrad Liberation Force, he sighed and headed toward Asuna, still using Hiding Skill.
âŠâŠâŠâŠ
Asuna ran through the forest as she checked the map while constantly taking a quick look behind her.
âIs he still chasing?â
Disgust and contempt were apparent on Asunaâs face as she picked up her pace and made her way to the labyrinth.
Under normal circumstances, she would never enter the labyrinth alone. She would always explore the labyrinth with her guildmates. However, that wasnât the case today.
It was because Knights of the Blood had no schedule to enter the labyrinth today, so she couldnât just drag her guildmate here. Besides, she definitely didnât want a certain guild member who has been tailing her recently, even until this moment, anywhere near her.
Yes, that certain guildmate really went too far, and that was why Asuna was so irritated and tried to escape as fast as she could.
As Asuna rushed toward a certain bushâŠ
ârustle!â
A figure suddenly popped out of the bush, surprising Asuna.
âWhâŠ!?â
Sensing a threat, Asuna immediately reached out to her rapierâs hilt. However, once her hand was on the hilt, the figure gagged her mouth and pushed Asunaâs hand down so she couldnât draw her rapier and then dragged Asuna into the bush, disappearing from plain sight.
The bushes rustled for a short while, but it was not long before complete silence enveloped that place.
Not long after, the gloomy-looking man passed by the bush where Asuna disappeared just now; it was Kuradeel.
âPlease stop this selfish behavior, Asuna-sama! Please come back to the guild headquarter with me!â
Kuradeel shouted with a villainous look, which didnât reflect his position as an escort at all. He kept running without knowing Asuna disappeared near the bush he just passed by.
After Kuradeel was out of sight, two green Player Cursors popped out of the bush.
âIt really is himâŠâ
Rozen said as he watched Kuradeel passed by.
âmmhhhhmâŠ!â
A whimper was heard beside him. It was Asuna whose mouth was gagged by Rozenâs hand, all red. She was flustered yet furious.
âOopsâŠâŠâ
Rozen forgot he was still gagging Asuna, so when he heard Asuna whimpered, he subconsciously took out his hands from her mouth.
As soon as Rozen let go of both his hands, Asuna immediately clenched her fist, and the Sword Skill light enveloped her fist.
It was the Martial Art Skill, Flash Blow.
âCanât you use another way, you dummy!â
Asuna didnât hesitate to punch Rozen in the face as she shouted.
âTurns out she didnât change that much.â
That thought came to Rozenâs mind before a furious blow was about to hit his face.
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.