“Stera? Stern? I hope you can rest in peace now…” I thought to myself as I fell to my knees. It was like the mental exhaustion of the past three days had finally caught up to me. I just needed a few minutes to catch my breath.

Looking around I saw I wasn’t the only one as the group of samurai inspired players all sat on the ground sipping on health potions and rubbing sore limbs. Scanning the group more carefully I noticed a familiar dark red pony tail sitting awkwardly a short distance from the rest of the group.

“Oh good. She survived.” I gave a sigh of relief as I had completely lost track of her during the fight.

The axe wielding girl seemed to be deep in thought as she sipped at her health potion. Her thoughts were interrupted however as she looked up to see the bandanna wearing samurai standing in front of her scratching his head nervously.

“That was umm… some really good fighting you did back there.” The scraggy samurai stumbled bashfully. The girl paused for a moment before giving a nod of acknowledgment and turning her attention back to her potion. It was clear she wasn’t in the talkative mood, however the bandanna wearing samurai wouldn’t be deterred.

“So this is going to sound a little strange…” he continued. “But have we met somewhere before?”

The girl shot him a dangerous sidelong glance before letting out a frustrated sigh. “You are mistaken.” She replied.

“Are you sure?” the samurai pushed. “Your outfit is different but I’m almost certain I remember a red haired axe wielder who fought with—”

“YOU ARE MISTAKEN!” the girl repeated this time far more forceful than before. A chill ran down my spine at the tone of her voice.

“Ah… I… I guess I must be then…” the samurai fumbled trying to recover his composure. He beat a hasty retreat making his way towards me; the safer option.

“Those were some pretty insane moves you did back there!” the samurai congratulated me showing a frightening level of mental recovery. “I’m Klein by the way. I’m the leader of the guild Fuurinkazen. We could definitely use a fighter like you on the front lines when you level up a bit. How did you learn to fight like that? I never thought daggers could be such a flashy skill!”

“I… Don’t know…” I replied honestly getting pulled into his casual pace. “That was the first time I ever fought like that. My body just kind of moved on its own…”

“Eh?” Klein marveled to himself. “Are you one of those natural born battle junkies then? It’s rude of me to ask, but what’s your level??”

As I went to check my status I noticed I had gained three levels from that battle. I guess fighting a boss that should one shot kill you and surviving had some perks to it. As I closed the level up alerts I noticed another small message off to the side.

“Last Attack?” I mumbled out loud mindlessly as I pondered over the curious message. I looked up as a series of frustrated groans caught my attention.

“Really?! You got it??” Klein lamented burying his face in his hands. “Why do I keep running into solo players with a knack for getting the last hit??”

“Wait? You get something for doing that?” I gasped rereading the message.

‘Dusk Jacket’ I read the name off the list of rewards. Looking up a bit further my voice caught in my throat as I saw the amount of col I had won for defeating the boss. “Argo can NOT hear about this…” I thought to myself closing the window.

Turning back to the sulking Klein, I felt like I owed him something for saving our lives.

“Do… you want the item?” I asked sheepishly. “We would both be dead if it wasn’t for you and your group anyways. I barely put a scratch on it.”

“REALLY?!” Klein exclaimed before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. “I mean… Nah. You won it fair and square. Besides, I doubt something won on the first floor would do me much good anyways.”

“If you’re sure…” I replied. Klein looked anything but sure, but I also didn’t want to belittle his efforts to act like a proper senpai. “Alright then. Thank you. I’ll be sure to put it to good use.”

Working with the menu, I unequipped my ragged brown hooded cloak and equipped my new jacket. It was a dark blue leather jacket with various buckles and straps. It was far more flashy than I was used to. Being a stealth based character, I had always dressed in a manner that would avoid drawing attention to myself.

I gripped at my stomach slightly while remembering my hiding skills. It seemed that the days of relying on stealth were officially over.

“Hey! It looks classy on you!” Klein beamed. “I’m glad you’re the one who got it. It suits you!”

I couldn’t help but smile a bit at Klein’s words. His easygoing nature made me feel relaxed in spite of all we had just been through.

“Now that all that is dealt with, onto more important matters.” Klein responded.

I was caught off guard as Klein put a strong arm around my shoulders pulling me in close. “How about hooking your savior up with that cool beauty you have back there? Ah! I won’t interfere between a fellow brother and his girlfriend but if she has any friends on the other hand…”

“G-G-GIRLFRIEND!?” I squeaked pulling away quickly. “No no no! I don’t even know her name!”

“Ehhhh?” Klein questioned. “When the rat let me know you had run off to face a boss way above your level to save a girl I figured it had to be that.”

Klein looked between me and the axe wielding girl sitting off in the distance before coming to some internal decision.

“Well, I can’t say I dislike a guy being chivalrous when he hears a girl’s in trouble, but since you’re not dating…” Klein pondered. “How about hooking us up? She is totally my type! I love that cool frosty personality! OOO! She is definitely the one!”

I stared at Klein unsure if I should laugh or be disturbed. “So much for his cool senpai demeanor…” I thought to myself shaking my head.

Klein introduced me to the other members of his guild. They were all older than me, but had a close comradery. It was clear that they had known each other for quite a while before Sword Art Online. The axe wielding girl had at some point disappeared without a word, but the members of Fuurinkazen were all more than welcoming. I quickly ended up caught in their flow and somehow found myself exchanging friend requests with most of the members.

Eventually the frivolity died down and we waved goodbye as we went our separate ways. As I walked back into the thick forest, it felt strangely lonely without the group there.

“You can’t seem to stop acting like you have some hero delusion can you.” A voice called out from behind me. I whipped around to see the red haired axe wielding girl with her arms crossed, leaning against a tree. “At least you’ve gotten stronger since the last time I saw you.”

“Thanks… I think?” I replied warily. She was a hard person to read. She refused to raise her head as I waited for her to explain why she had waited for me. She shifted awkwardly considering her words before speaking up.

“You were an idiot for coming here.” She scolded. I knew she was right, but it still hurt to hear out loud. Her eyes darted to the side as I thought I saw a twinge of pink appear in her cheeks. “But I do admit, I wouldn’t have survived long enough for the others to arrive if you hadn’t come… So… let me treat you as a thank you.”