Breathing Techniques in SAO

While Tomioka Akimi, for once, wasn't acting like a tone-deaf straight guy and was gently comforting Asuna, the final dessert—the Blue Blueberry Tart—was brought over by an NPC.

Asuna, who had just been crying, immediately wiped away her tears and happily began tasting the dessert.

The Blue Blueberry Tart looked like an ordinary blueberry tart, though the color was a little unusual—bright, vivid blue.

It was strange, but somehow still looked delicious.

Still wary of the color, Asuna cautiously scooped a small bite into her mouth.

The initial taste was the tartness of blueberry, followed by a subtle sweetness.

The sweet notes blended with the flavor of custard cream, and combined with the crisp pastry crust, it was a bite that could instantly lift your spirits.

After finishing the entire tart, Asuna licked her lips lightly with her pink tongue and said with some lingering satisfaction, "That was delicious—it's just as good as the Wobbly Strawberry Cream Cake."

"Not just the taste," Akimi reminded her, "this Blue Blueberry Tart also has a buff effect."

Hearing that, Asuna glanced under her HP bar and saw a buff icon—a square with a wide-open eye in the center.

"Does it affect vision?" she asked, looking around—but everything seemed the same as usual.

"I don't see any difference."

"Hmm—take a closer look at the surroundings, especially the floor," said Akimi.

"It's part of the special gameplay on the fifth floor."

"Okay... let me take a look," Asuna said, beginning to closely examine the floor.

After about five seconds, she noticed a glimmering point of light under the leg of another nearby cast-iron dining table.

She walked over and picked it up, and once the visual effect faded, its true form was revealed:

It was a silver coin.

Unlike the usual 100-Col silver coins, which depicted the floating castle Aincrad, this one featured two large trees standing side by side.

"Huh? What's this?" Asuna examined the coin curiously.

"You still remember the theme of the fifth floor, right?" Akimi asked.

"It's… ruins." Asuna thought for a moment, then her voice lit up with the excitement of discovering the truth.

"Since it's a ruin, there should be relic treasures, right?"

"Exactly." Akimi gave her a thumbs-up.

"In this ruined city—Karluin—these kinds of relic treasures can be found all over the place. They include, but aren't limited to, coins, gemstones, accessories. Most players don't know about them yet. In another couple of days, a ton of people will be combing the place for relics."

"But," he continued, "these relic treasures aren't easy to find. That's why this 'Relic Treasure Hunt' buff is so useful when searching for them."

"Do these things have any value?" Asuna asked.

Akimi picked up the coin from her palm and said, "These coins—regardless of material—are all collectively referred to as Karluin Coins. You can exchange them for Col at NPC exchange vendors. As for accessories and such, you can keep them for personal use."

"I see…" Asuna looked at the design on the coin and said, "It looks totally different from the usual Col—there's not even a denomination printed on it."

Akimi rubbed the coin between his fingers and said to her, "These designs are also connected to Aincrad's background story."

"Huh? What kind of story?"

"This story originates from the Dark Elves and Forest Elves—the two elven races from Kirito's Elven War quest," Akimi explained slowly.

"Long ago, the land of the continent Yunihael was under the protection of two sacred Great Trees—one black and one white—which maintained the balance of all things. The Dark Elves worshipped the Black Great Tree and established the Kingdom of Lusula. The Forest Elves worshipped the White Great Tree and founded the Kingdom of Careseo. With the blessings of the Great Trees, both kingdoms flourished."

"Aside from the Elven kingdoms, there was the United Nine Nations founded by humans—yes, the same one connected to that treasure vault we encountered before. There was also the Underground Kingdom of Aurnida established by the Dwarves, along with various smaller nations of other races. Altogether, the world enjoyed a time of peace."

"But one day, some Elves attempted to steal the power of the Great Trees to obtain invincible bodies."

"Fortunately, they failed and were exiled. The Dark Elves and Forest Elves both blamed each other's factions for harboring these rogues, but both referred to them as the Fallen Elves."

"Banished to the icy, snow-covered lands of the north, the Fallen Elves grew to hate both kingdoms. From the shadows, they began to sow discord between the two nations. In the end, they secretly assassinated the princess of Lusula and framed the Forest Elves, severing ties between the two powers."

"It wasn't just the Elven kingdoms. The United Nine Nations of humans and the Dwarves' Underground Kingdom also fractured. The world descended into chaos. Day by day, tensions grew worse."

"Eventually, war broke out."

"When mages from both Elven kingdoms unleashed powerful spells, something abnormal happened."

"Rings of light appeared over the battlefield, lifting everything into the air. Not just the battlefield—entire capitals and major cities were drawn into the sky."

"There were over a hundred of these rings. The smallest had a diameter of three kilometers, and the largest up to ten. These rings carried towns and cities—and nearly all life—into the skies, forming what became the 100-floor floating castle of Aincrad."

"This event came to be known as the Severing of the Land. Without the Great Trees' protection, magic gradually faded from the continent. Over time, most towns became autonomous."

"And eventually, only the Elven royalty, who continued to hold power, retained the truth about the Severing of the Land and the origin of Aincrad."

After telling the full backstory of Aincrad in one breath, Akimi let out a long sigh and took a sip of his Fickle wine.

"That's a pretty good story," Asuna commented.

Then she asked again:

"By the way, how long does this buff last? Don't tell me it's like the Shaky Cream Strawberry Cake and only lasts 15 minutes?"

Her tone was a little hurried—but then again, it's rare to find a girl who could resist all kinds of shiny accessories, right?

Akimi looked a bit helpless.

He had spent so much time telling the whole story, only to have it brushed off.

But still, he responded in a tone like coaxing a child:

"Don't worry, you've got a full hour."

"Shouldn't you be saying it's only an hour?" Asuna shot back.

"Right, about that Blue-Blueberry Tart—"

Before she could even finish, Akimi directly shattered her hopes:

"Sorry, no can do. The Blue-Blueberry Tart is limited to 30 servings a day, one per person, and dine-in only. No takeout."

Asuna's face showed a clear look of disappointment.

"That's such a shame..."

But the look of regret soon disappeared from her face—replaced by excitement.

"Then we can't waste any more time, let's go!" she said, practically bouncing with energy.

But then something occurred to her and she asked:

"Do these relic treasures respawn?"

"They used to during the beta test," Akimi replied, "but it seems like they've stopped respawning since the official release."

"Eh? I see... Then we really have to hurry—can't let others grab them first!" she said, already dashing toward the door.

"Hey, hey! Don't run off so fast!"

Akimi called after her, rubbing his forehead in mild frustration, but still followed her out.

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