Sword Art Online Aincrad - VOL 2

CHAPTER 2

It was just ten days prior that word of the mysterious metal spread throughout the blacksmiths of SAO.

Reaching the top floor of Aincrad was the grand quest, the ultimate goal of all, but there was an unlimited array of other quests to be undertaken, big and small. NPCs needed errands run, or protective detail, or certain items tracked down, but the rewards were never more than middling, and once an individual quest was finished, there was a cooldown period before it was available again. On top of that, some quests could only ever be completed once, by a single person, and everyone was on the lookout for those.

One such unique quest was spotted in a small village tucked away in a corner of the fifty-fifth floor. According to the bearded old chieftain, a white dragon dwelt in the mountains to the west. The dragon fed on crystals, which coalesced into a valuable metal ore within its belly.

It was obviously a quest to obtain weaponcrafting materials. Eager players formed a large raiding party and easily vanquished the dragon in its mountain lair...

But nothing came of it. The beast dropped a paltry sum of col and a few weak loot items, not even enough to pay for the potions and healing crystals used in the battle.

The next assumption was that the metal must be a random drop, so numerous parties approached the elder to initiate the quest and vanquish the dragon in turn. But again, nothing. After a week, white dragons had been slain in the dozens, but no one ever came away with the elusive prize. The eventual consensus was that there must be some hidden condition that no one had yet successfully met during the quest.

The man named Kirito nodded, cross-legged in the workshop chair, sipping on the tea I'd reluctantly made for him.

"I've heard that story, too. It's supposed to be quite a promising material for crafting. But no one's been able to get their hands on it, right? What makes you think we can just waltz in and succeed where everyone else has failed?"

"Some people are guessing that it won't appear unless there's a master smith in the party. And very few blacksmiths bother to raise their combat skills."

"I see. Maybe that's worth trying, then. Well, we should get going."

"..."

I was slack-jawed in disbelief.

"I can't believe you've survived with that attitude. We're not going goblin hunting, you know! And we'll need a full party to—"

"But what if we actually get the stuff, and then have to draw straws to see who gets it? Which floor did you say the dragon's on?"

"The fifty-fifth."

"Hmm, well, I can probably handle it on my own. You just hide where it's safe."

"...You're either very, very good or very, very stupid. But all right—you're on. I suppose it'll be worth watching you cry and teleport out to safety."

Kirito only snorted confidently, then downed the rest of his tea and set the cup on the workbench.

"Well, I'm ready to go whenever you are. Lisbeth?"

"Look, if you're going to be so buddy-buddy, just call me Liz. The dragon's mountain isn't supposed to be that big, and I hear it's short enough that you can do it and come back within the day, so I'll be ready in a minute."

I opened my window and equipped some simple armor over my apron dress. My trusty mace was in my item screen, safe and sound, and I had an adequate supply of crystals and potions.

When my screens were closed and I gave the okay sign, Kirito stood up. We headed out the storefront—fortunately, there were no waiting customers. I flipped the sign on the door to read CLOSED.