Chapter 64

The teenager shrugged. "Maybe you're right. But personally, I just find the whole thing pretty stupid. It's just asking for complications."

Another player stepped forward. An older man, perhaps thirty, he was nonetheless quite fit. Muscled like a bull from head to toe, Jae made a mental note never to piss him off.

"You sound awfully negative." The man said. You know what else makes for complications? Having too many leaders, too many voices. There's an old saying: In the time it takes a hundred leaders to make one decision, one leader can make a hundred decisions."

Jae was intrigued. "Well said. So why aren't you joining a guild?"

The man extended a hand. "Oh I plan on it, but not until I find out more about Kibaou and Lind as leaders first."

Jae shook his hand. "My name's Jae."

"Aranal." He glanced at the young man still standing beside them. "Nice to meet you too, sir. May I ask your name?"

"David. I get what you're saying, but I still think I'll be the one right in the end."

Aranal shrugged. "Well let's hope you're not, for all our sakes."

Aranal and David remained by Jae's side as the crowd of people began to slowly trickle back to their places. When everyone's name had been taken, Kibaou and Lind again stepped forward.

"Ok, now that that's settled, we can get back to why we're all here." Lind said.

The Assault Team inched closer, anxious to hear about the Labyrinth.

"Our scouts found the Floor Two Labyrinth this morning, not five minutes walk from this hill," Kibaou spoke up. "However, before we can begin working our way up the damn thing, the scouts reported something none of us were expecting." He paused, as if for dramatic effect. "Blocking our way into the Labyrinth stands a Boss. It's called the Bulbous Bow, a giant cow-like creature. It's guarding the door that leads inside and won't stray far from that spot."

Shock ripped through the crowd. Jae was astonished. A Boss before we even get inside?

Lind waved his arms for silence. As the players calmed down, he began.

"Alright, now we all know. This is obviously a complication, but we have no intention of letting it slow us down." He gestured at the hundreds of people standing before him. "With our numbers, we should have no trouble taking down one Boss. Just three days ago, only forty four players managed to clear the Floor One Labyrinth and defeat the Floor One Boss. On top of that, we have reason to believe that this Boss won't be as strong or as dangerous as a Floor Boss."

Kibaou nodded. "We asked several info brokers to give us some understanding of what we're up against here. We were told that several Bosses have already been found throughout Floor Two, and they are identified as either Event Bosses or Field Bosses. Neither is as strong as a Floor Boss."

"With that knowledge in mind," Lind said, drawing his sword. "Our goal for today is to have that Boss out of our way before the sun goes down. We will not slow in our efforts to be free! Who's with me!"

A cheer ran up from among the crowd as Lind and Kibaou began running down the hill, going straight for the Labyrinth. Still shouting eagerly, the Assault Team followed close behind, streaming down the hill like an avalanche.

For a moment, Jae hesitated. Toyo will be pretty pissed if he finds out I fought a Boss without him. Still, it's his fault for not coming. And as long as I don't go into the Labyrinth today, I won't be breaking our deal.

Unbuckling the spear from his back as he broke into a run alongside the frenzied Assault Team, Jae grinned. The thrill of battle was on him, and he wouldn't be denied.

"You need to shave."

Looking up from his food, Toyo glanced deliberately behind his seat. When he saw that there was no one there, he swept his gaze across the entire restaurant before finally peering back at Naomi. "I don't see him."

Ignoring his playfulness, Naomi gestured at his unkempt blonde beard. "It makes you look like that one dorky kid trying to cosplay a viking and failing in epic fashion."

Toyo's hand traced the edge of his beard affectionately. "I'll have you know that in my experience, that one dorky kid who cosplays is usually pretty damn cool. Usually. Besides, I actually kind of like it. In real life it comes in patchy, so I just keep a goatee."

"It's patchy now." Naomi complained. "It's uneven and ugly. I'm telling you, you look homeless. And it covers up your jawline as well."

Toyo arched an eyebrow, lifting his fork and pointing it at her as if she were being interrogated.

*****

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