The Path Unknown

3. Brother Vs. Sister

The night came quickly and the break of dawn came even quicker. By noon, Kirito, Asuna, and Michiko, were at KOB's headquarters. The halls were filled with players in red and white uniforms worn by the guild members. Many were talking about how the next boss raid would go. Many plans were shared amongst cliques. Those who weren't planning were playing. They sat around tables betting to increase their Col amount.

The trio neared the door to the gathering hall, where the planning on the next boss would take place. The closer they got, the more mumbles  could be heard. Kirito tried to catch phrases but only got slight details. Not much could be made out of them, but something was definitely causing the unsettlement amongst the higher ranked members. Finally reaching the door, they were greeted by Heathcliff.

"Come in, there is something urgent we need to discuss. Just the three of you are allowed. The rest have heard, but not the details that I want to share with you." Heathcliff stated with a gesture into his room.

They went inside cautiously as the massive quartz doors behind them  shut. The informants sat at a table, discussing what they saw. The  conversation was inaudible, too quiet to understand. They were almost in  a whisper and didn't even take notice of the new people within the  room.

"Have a seat." Said Heathcliff invitingly. "There was an extraordinary event that took place yesterday that can, and will, change the way we approach these upcoming levels. As you may or may not have noticed, floor 76 has been unlocked within you teleportation crystals."

Kirito and Asuna both checked their crystals' destinations. Just as  Heathcliff said, floor 76 was an available destination within their list.

"But how? The informants are not suited for a combat with a boss, especially the number of them is too low. Was there a glitch?" Kirito said, almost jumping out of his chair.

"On the contrary, the number didn't matter in this case. It was who did it that makes me curious. One single person equipped with a one-handed long sword, much like Kirito, entered the mouth of the cave leading to the boss room. The informants throughly discouraged him from entering, but he progressed. A group of mobs, about 25-40, respawned right beside the entrance re-creating the hostile environment. With speed unknown by previous players and a strength unlike any tank, he delt with the enemies quickly and cleanly. After their elimination, he walked on to the boss room. According to the informants, it took about 45 minutes before floor 77  was unlocked."

"No way," gasped Asuna, "he soloed the boss battle? That's unheard of at a level like this!"

"I've heard of him." Stated Michiko out of the blue. "He's one of the solo players that are not well-known. There was another occurrence like this one during the beginning levels. Legend has it that he cleared those levels, but never took credit. The guild who was the first to claim responsibility, took his credit and he didn't even mind. He's like a ghost."

That might explain the player I saw before Kirito thought to himself. The informants' description of his speed seems to  match what I saw.

Kirito, now seemingly troubled, got up and left the table. Walking towards the gigantic doors, the guards opened it  for him. Slowly, they shut as he passed through. Asuna stared on, worried about what was going on in his mind.

He headed outside and teleported to the 76th floor. Quickly, he moved to the entrance of  the cave. Already, the darkness that was inside seemed to emit an evil presence. It seemed to grab and attempt to pull him deeper into it. He fought it off, surveying the structure. Standing on the side of a  mountain, he contemplated going in. Already, he suspected that the caves  were programmed to look like a hive of some sort. He guessed the boss's room would be the main chamber - home to the queen of the hive. But she was dead, and this place wouldn't respawn its enemies anymore.