In the year 2022, the VRMMO game "Sword Art Online" trapped 10,000 players in a death game. This is the story of a rapier wielding girl joining an armored slayer on his journey to defeat all 100 floors of the floating castle of Aincrad. Will his exi...
The older man seemed to be the talkative type. He may have been a part of creating this death trap of a world, but was more of a pawn than a mastermind. There was no reason to hold a grudge against the simple man.
Ares: Oh, really... Well, there are almost no monsters on this floor.
Nishida: Well, are there any good spots on the upper floors?
Ares: Hmm... The 61st floor was entirely a lake, more like a sea, and they say one could catch huge fish there.
Nishida: Ohh! I better go there sometime.
Before the conversation could go any further, the older man's line tugged and he immediately began to reel it in. And with incredible ease, he pulled out of the water a purple fish with ocean-blue stripes.
Ares: Amazing, well done.
Nishida: It's nothing. All you need to do here is raise your fishing skill. But, even if I can catch them, I still didn't know how to cook them properly... I wanted to eat sashimi or grilled fish, but I can't do anything without soy sauce.
The younger man immediately thought back to his lovely wife, hesitating. While they did move down to the lower floors to avoid attention, the man before him didn't appear to be interested in rumor or gossip.
Ares: ...I may have a solution for that.
Nishida: ...What?!
- TimeSkip - 22nd Floor - Log Cabin -
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Nishida: That was an amazing meal. I had no idea you could get soy sauce in this world.
The older man sat across the table from the happy couple, the table full of empty dishes and a finished fish. The man slightly blushed from the woman's beauty, but Ares couldn't blame him.
Asuna: Oh, it's handmade. You can take some back with you if you like.
Nishida: Really? That's so kind of you. My tastebuds bow down before you.
Asuna: I'm glad you liked it. By the way, how high is your fishing skill? I'm asking because Ares hasn't been able to catch anything yet.
Ares: Guess I used up all my luck getting myself a beautiful wife...
The swordswoman simply blushed and bumped his shoulder with hers.
Nishida: Actually, the lake you were fishing at was one of the hardest around.
Ares: ...That seems very poorly designed.
Nishida: That's because that lake is home to... "The King of all Fish"!
Ares/Asuna: Seriously?
The boy's tone invoked more skepticism than anything while his wife asked with gleeful wonder.
Nishida: Yep. We're old pals, I've had him on the end of my hook quite a few times. In the village item shop, there is one bait that's much more expensive than the others. I was curious about its capabilities, so I decided to buy it once to try it out. But I couldn't catch anything with that bait. After trying it out in various locations, I finally thought of taking a shot at that high-difficulty lake.
