Chapter 59

Jae nodded. "His name is Kirito."

"And he's the asshole who got Diabel killed and didn't even care, just so he could get the final hit on the Boss." Toyo gritted his teeth. "They should be doing something about him. Why isn't he paying for his crime?"

Jae focused his eyes curiously on Toyo. "Paying how? What can we do? We aren't murderers, man. We don't kill players."

Toyo tilted his head as he contemplated what Jae had just said. Executing someone for taking the life of another, whether directly or through more subtle means, isn't murder. It's justice. Life is more precious than anything else in the world. It is priceless beyond all comparison, and it belongs to no one but the owner of that same life. When that priceless gift is taken away, the person responsible has just forfeit their own, and has shown that they do not value life. A person who doesn't value life, embraces only death.

"Did you hear me?"

Torn from his thoughts, Toyo focused his attention back to Jae. "Sorry, I started daydreaming. What did you say?"

Jae pointed at the corner of his open menu, where Toyo could see that it was twenty minutes to two. "We need to get going. Most of the Assault Team will start showing up at the meeting point in a few minutes, so if we teleport there now, you can talk to Kibaou and Lind about what to do with Kirito if you're so passionate about it."

Toyo quickly tried to think of an out. He was in no mood to start the argument up with Jae that he wanted no part of the Assault Team.

"Sorry man, but I can't go today."

Jae leaned in, furrowing his brow suspiciously. "That's what you said yesterday."

"I told you already, I felt like shit yesterday."

"And today?"

"I promised Naomi I'd help her and her friends with a quest today."

He was only half lying, so he didn't feel quite as guilty. He and Naomi had agreed to meet at Urbus, the starting city on Floor Two.

Jealousy flashed across Jae's face. "Why didn't she ask me to help too?"

Toyo met his cold stare with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry man, I told her how important it was for you not to miss any of the raid party meetings."

As quickly as it had come, the anger in Jae's eyes disappeared. "Oh, no worries then. You're not wrong." He tapped the fancy new spear on his back. "But it's not just meetings. Kibaou sent some scouts around and they found the location of the next Labyrinth this morning."

"What?!" Toyo burst out. "They found it this soon? Kibaou and Lind can't think they can take on the Floor Two Boss already, do they?"

Jae chuckled. "No, of course not. But the mobs inside Dungeons, and especially the Labyrinths, give significantly higher EXP than anywhere else. The strongest fighters in the Assault Team are planning on fighting there from now on, and I'm going too. If we grind there, we can level up faster in one afternoon than we have in the last three days." He gave Toyo a hopeful stare. "You should really come. You're starting to fall behind on levels."

That much was undeniable. After spending almost all day yesterday and the day before fighting with the ever growing Assault Team, Jae was now well into level 13 while Toyo had only just managed to hit level 11 that morning. Though the remark stung his pride, Toyo cared more about Jae's safety.

"Bro, the Labyrinths have proven themselves to be the most dangerous areas in the game. Or have you already forgotten that hell we had to fight through?" His words were coated in anger, and he meant it that way.

He had foreseen the raid group throwing themselves madly against the next Floor Boss once they were confident they had a chance at victory, but this just seemed like madness.

Jae glared at him, obviously surprised and upset by how Toyo was reacting. In an effort to keep things civil, Toyo decided to take a different approach.

"Come on man, this morning was the first time we actually hung out and farmed together since we unlocked Floor Two. Can't you skip a day with the raid party?"

"Assault Team," Jae corrected, but not unkindly. Looking down at his boots in obvious regret, he nonetheless shook his head. "I want to, you know I do. I'd love for us to just explore this floor a bit and hang out some more." He looked up, his face taking on a hard edge. "But I can't. This is too important. What the Assault Team is doing, what I'm doing, is the only way to save everyone who has made it this far. The only way to get us all home. And I just don't get why you don't see that."

Toyo's expression darkened for a brief moment. "Do you really want us to have this discussion again?"

*****

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