The Seventh Case

Chapter 10

Kazuto checked his mail to see the code for the five minute video call.

"At least he is true to his word", he mumbled to himself sarcastically as he clicked the code. The timer immediately started even though nobody on the other side had picked up the call. He could not find a way to cut the call to save the time either. He had sent a message to Suguha on killing a hundred frenzy boars. However, it appeared that he could only SEND messages and not receive any. Kazuto was positive there was another hidden prank behind this.

Suguha and Kouichirou

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS THING?", Suguha roared as she repeatedly tapped her mobile phone. No matter how many times she did so, the phone did not respond. Almost the entirety of the already sparse five minutes was wasted and in a fit of rage, she threw the electronic device towards the wall with all her might before bursting into a sobbing fit.

"Sugu, if you can hear me, don't worry. Aniki should have guessed this, but our so-called privileges are all botched. So, I want you to know that I am doing well even though it must appear difficult from your view. I hope you are well. I haven't forgotten my promise, Aniki. I will find Asuna-san"

He spoke staring at the sky where he expected the camera to be, but it appeared as if he lost hope and was praying. Kouichirou hugged Suguha who showed absolutely no signs of breaking from her sobbing.

"Your brother is a smart man. In a short while, he'll notice what I have noticed", he said staring at the screen.

Asuna

"AMAZING!! Apparently, a guy killed the boss on his own from the other side, but there were several casualties", the representative from Asuna's side announced to the attacking party. He was Coper, one of the few beta testers of SAO.

"How does he look like and what is his name?", Asuna asked, raising her hand like a child. Coper frowned and tapped his keyboard sending a message to Diavel. A few moments later, Coper nervously licked his lips and stared at Asuna.

"Diavel said his name was Kirito and he had long black hair which was tied in a ponytail. He also had red eyes and a girlish face. Do you know him?", Coper asked Asuna who refused to commit.

"If you don't know, it's best if you stay away from him. Diavel said that the aura of bloodlust around him was far too overwhelming. Even through his message, I can sense his fear of that man", he advised her. Asuna refused to respond and merely stared at her own feet. She was aware that he was rather violent, but Diavel was a player was he not? Violence should not have been new to him. A mild fear crept into her chest on pondering over the matters.

"So, we can go the second floor, right? What should we do now?", one of the members asked.

"We form a guild and we train", Coper stated. An older man with a massive shield sauntered forward.

"If a guild is supposed to have a head, I think I can offer my expertise there. In my prime, I used to be the head of a mercenary guild - something I am not proud of, but I am happy it has helped me today", he stated moving his silver hair away from his forehead. The man appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties but his physical stature said otherwise. He was strong enough to take on at least three men half his age simultaneously.

"Who are you?", Coper asked with a frown on his face. The man seemed rather experienced. Coper also remembered seeing him haggling with a special NPC. Those were hard to come by and by then, everyone must have given up on haggling. But this man spotted the NPC correctly and remembered to haggle. Coper did not remember seeing him during SAO at all, and he was confident that man was not a beta tester.