Demon Swordsman: Remastered (Sword Art Online X Male Reader)

Chapter 12 - Massacre

"Did you hear the rumours?"

My precious meal, consisting of cheap bread and cream, was interrupted by the obnoxious voice of one of my party members. The delicacy of bread and cream, mixing together to create one of the most pleasurable combinations known to mankind, was sadly lowered from my mouth. My head turned with narrowed eyes, fixing the most obnoxious face known to man with a glare that would have frozen a river if there was one where we were. Alas, he remained unfrozen with a grin directed in my direction, an unpleasant twist of those dry lips that did not need moisture, not in this Death Game.

"Rumours?" I sighed, turning away because I could not stand to look at him. "If you're talking about rumours about us being here, then no. I didn't know we were found out already. But judging by that disgusting grin, that is not what you're referring to."

"'Course not," He laughed, echoing off the rocky walls. "The rumours I'm talking about are far more different... yet are similar to us. Instead of being for the Green Players, this is for the Red Players, apparently. That one over there heard them and brought them to our attention. He sounded terrified, like a whimpering dog."

I followed his thumb and saw one of the players within the dungeon's Safe Haven but not officially part of our party sitting against the far wall with his hands on his lap and a distant look on his face. He looked so pathetic, especially with how his rugged light hair dropped in front of his face, covering most of his pale features as his dark eyes remained fixed on a certain point on the center of his lap. He didn't look all that strong, with that green cursor hovering above his head, the odd one out rather than the hued cursors of us around him, not the way it went in town, which we could not enter anyway.

"Oh yeah?" My interest was piqued slightly. I wanted to hear about it more since we were allowed within town unless we wanted to be attacked by the guardians. "He was worried about us? Aw... he shouldn't have." I paused before I chuckled, shaking my head with a twisted grin as I turned to face the obnoxious one to my left.

I didn't turn away from the snicker on his face this time, watching his hand come from his side to cup his chin, stroking the slight stubble of dark hair growing there. He acted like there was a beard there, but there wasn't. Pointing it out would only result in an argument I didn't have the energy for, so I waited and watched his dark eyes glance at Greeny before turning to meet my gaze.

"The rumour is quite simple," He began, tapping his elbow with his other hand. "But because of how simple it is, I'm not sure I believe it myself."

"Like we aren't the center point of rumours," I remarked, rolling my eyes. "Get on with it. Do we have to worry about it?"

He grunted. "I'm not sure. The rumour itself goes like this... 'In the dead of night, where the darkest dwell, one willingly wanders into that abyss and raises their sword against those that lurk within.' That's about it." He finished, changing his voice from a narrator's to his normal voice. I liked the narrator's voice better than the normal one.

I deadpanned at him. "Seriously? You cannot be serious? Are you seriously implying that there is a player out there across Aincrad with more than half of the total floors unlocked who is... hunting Red Players?" I lost it and laughed at the crazed tale. There was no way a rumour like that was true. What kind of reckless, idiotic player would go out of their way and hunt Red Players?