Journey to Planar World

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

Asuna swung her rapier with precise movements, slicing through the green tendrils reaching toward her.

Cold sweat drenched her forehead as dozens of Little Nepenthes surrounded her like wolves encircling prey.

"Why don't these monsters ever stop?"

She was completely unaware that Mito had fallen off a steep cliff. Her only thought was survival.

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"Argh… Uhh…"

Falling from dozens of meters didn't kill Mito outright, but her once-green HP bar now glowed a dangerous red.

Grimacing, Mito grabbed a Healing Potion from her inventory. The liquid flowed down her throat, slowly restoring her HP bar to yellow.

*CLINK!*

She tossed the empty bottle aside before picking up the scythe lying nearby.

"Asuna…" She muttered, standing with difficulty.

Spotting a coffin embedded in the cliff, Mito began climbing, using it as a foothold.

*CRACK!*

"Ahhhh—!"

One coffin turned out to be a trap. The moment Mito stepped on it, it collapsed, sending her crashing back down.

*THUD!*

"I can reach the top that way."

Realizing the coffins were unsafe, she opted for a longer path despite the extra time.

"GYAAAA…"

But just a few steps in, another Little Nepenthes blocked her way.

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Meanwhile, Asuna fought alone against an endless wave of Little Nepenthes. In a brief pause, she grabbed her last Recovery Potion.

"This is the last one."

The liquid slid down her throat, slightly restoring her HP bar. Breathing heavily, Asuna pointed her rapier at the monsters before her.

*WHOOSH!*

She lunged forward, striking with agile precision. She slashed another approaching Little Nepenthes, dodging their whipping tendrils.

Sometimes, she couldn't evade, and a harsh lash struck her body, causing her HP bar to flash red. She moved, stabbed, and dodged, her body nimble despite the anxiety gripping her heart.

"Haa… haa… haa…"

After fighting for so long, fear began to creep in. She couldn't help recalling the scene of players dying in the dungeon yesterday.

'I don't want to die!'

'Mito! Hurry!'

But her friend didn't appear. Asuna bit her lower lip, gripping her rapier tighter.

She poured all her skill into fighting desperately against the relentless Little Nepenthes.

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*WHOOSH!*

Elsewhere, Mito ran swiftly along the rugged path, defeating every Little Nepenthes in her way.

"GYAAAA…"

"Get out of my way!"

Her scythe gleamed as it cleaved a monster in two.

She kept racing toward the hill's peak. But every few meters, new monsters appeared.

"GYAAAA…"

Mid-battle, her gaze flicked to the top-left corner of her interface—Asuna's HP bar, flashing red and dwindling.

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'This is bad, isn't it?'

Invisible, Charlie sat on his floating cushion, watching Asuna in a life-or-death struggle. He could no longer stay calm.

'It'll be fine. Kirito will show up just in time before Asuna dies. It's the classic hero-saves-the-beauty scenario. No way Kirito misses a key moment to win Asuna's heart.'

But Charlie forgot one critical detail—his and Miguel's arrival in this world had triggered a butterfly effect, altering the original storyline.

'Wait… Kirito is coming, right?'

Doubt crept into his mind.

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"Hyaaa!"

Unaware that her "guardian angel" was panicking, Asuna fought desperately against the Little Nepenthes. Her HP bar was now deep in the red—one more hit would kill her.

"GYAAAA…"

Hearing that nauseating sound, Asuna turned to see a Little Nepenthes charging at her.

"Just one left." She muttered, bracing for a final strike.

*CRACK!*

But another unexpected event occurred. The ground beneath the Little Nepenthes split, and a fiercer, stronger monster emerged, swallowing the Little Nepenthes in an instant.

*BOOM!*

The giant monster slammed its fist into the ground. Asuna leaped back reflexively, dodging the blow that shattered the earth into fragments.

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"Haa… Haa… Haa…"

Mito breathed heavily, cold sweat flooding her forehead, her mind clouded. Asuna's nearly depleted HP bar—a mere flickering red sliver—pushed Mito to her breaking point.

"…!!!"

Dashing forward, she slashed a blocking Little Nepenthes with increasingly reckless swings.

*PU-CHI!*

But Mito's steps halted as she saw the scene before her.

"Impossible…"

Dozens of Little Nepenthes stood in neat rows like an army, blocking her path to the hill's peak. Their numbers were overwhelming—far too many for her to handle alone.

As an experienced gamer, Mito instantly understood the situation. As long as she remained in a party with Asuna—the trigger for this incident—the aggro of all Little Nepenthes in the area would lock onto them both.

Clearly, if she forced her way through the swarm to save Asuna, Mito would fail and die in the process.

"Haaa… Haa… Haa…"

Her eyes flicked to the party interface. Asuna's HP was a sliver away from zero—a single basic attack could kill her instantly.

Mito knew even if she miraculously reached Asuna, it was too late. In short, risking her life for an impossible task was pointless!

"I don't want to see it!"

Unable to bear watching her best friend die, Mito shut her eyes tightly. The bold words she'd once said to Asuna echoed in her mind.

"I won't let Asuna be in danger."

"…"

Facing death, no one is fearless. Mito was no exception—just a pubescent kid. In the face of life-or-death choices, human survival instincts took over.

"Sorry, Asuna." Mito opened the system menu with her left hand. "My promise… I can't keep it."

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Even with her HP nearly gone, where a single hit could kill her, Asuna didn't give up. She kept raising her rapier to face the giant monster before her.

[Mito has left the party]

"Eh?"

The sudden notification froze Asuna. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she read the message.

'Mito?'

'Why?'

'Why this?'

The shocking news blanked her mind. She didn't even notice the giant monster approaching step by step, its gaping maw drawing closer.

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Elsewhere, with dozens of Little Nepenthes chasing her from behind, Mito turned and fled.

'Sorry… Forgive me!'

Tears streaming, Mito glanced back at the hill. Her heart was heavy with guilt for betraying her friend.

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"ROARRR!"

The giant monster attacked with massive claws. Asuna's rapier flew high, landing in the ground meters away.

*BAM!*

"Uhhh…"

Asuna crashed onto the grass. Weaponless, she could only stare in terror as the monster brought its jagged-toothed maw toward her face.

"Hiii…!!!"

Not wanting to see the repulsive, slimy tongue so close, Asuna shut her eyes tightly, awaiting her end.

In her final moments, memories of Mito in the real world flashed like a fast-forwarded film.

'So… this is the end.'

"Damn it!"

Suddenly, an irritated male voice reached Asuna's ears.

*RUMBLE!*

The ground around them shook, forming stone spikes that pierced the giant monster's body like a sieve.

*PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!*

In an instant, the monster that nearly killed her died, shattering into pixels.

Asuna opened her eyes and saw a white-haired young man standing with his back to her. Though she only saw his back, his presence alone gave her an overwhelming sense of safety.

"Are you okay?" The young man turned to face Asuna. "Ah, sorry, dumb question. How much HP do you have left? Never mind, drink this."

Seeing Asuna staring blankly, still in shock, Charlie pulled a Recovery Potion from his Space-Time Cache and tossed it to her.

"Drink it quick. Your HP's almost gone."

True, Charlie couldn't use SAO items directly, but he could store them. He'd collected several healing potions from NPC shops, thinking they might come in handy.

Now, that decision proved absolutely right.