“Pant… Pant…”
Silica sat down below a big tree in the Forest of Wandering, panting.
“Kyru…”
Pina was also lying beside Silica, looking exhausted.
“As expected of the strongest monster in 35th Floor sub-dungeon. Be it exp, Cor, or drop items, all of them were almost as good as the monsters in Labyrinth.”
Rozen was the only one who was unfazed by what they just went through. He nonchalantly opened his storage to check what items he got so far as if facing seven Drunk Apes at once was no big deal, which irritated Silica.
“No matter how you think about it, we should’ve run earlier. Why did you stay and fight, Rozen-san!”
Silica said angrily.
In response to her question, Rozen gave a strange answer.
“Why should we run?”
A short and simple question indeed, but Rozen had a point.
“Well, I’m sure we can deal with all those Drunk Apes earlier, and it turns out well, doesn’t it?”
When Rozen put it that way, Silica was speechless, because he was right. No, actually, she got a lot to say.
For example, how did Pina suddenly awaken such a special ability? That was the first thing Cilika wanted to know.
But Rozen has already explained that it was because of the food that he fed Pina.
“Don’t look at me with that face, please. We also got a Beast Tamer in our guild, so I know a little bit about how to raise a Tamed Monster.”
Rozen immediately explained with a smile on his face, as if seeing through what Silica was thinking.
At this moment, Silica finally realized that the boy in front of her was no ordinary person.
Despite only seemed to be two or three years older than her, looking all lazy and immature, the boy in front of her technically was a member of the well-known Red Wings.
Although he was only in supporting division, Silica was still no match for him.
Otherwise, Pina wouldn’t listen to him just like that, let alone fed Pina with food that would awaken her new ability.
This made Silica slightly relieved, but also frustrated at the same time.
Silica has always taken pride in being called Dragon Master. It gave her this sense of superiority over other Players because she had something that others didn’t.
She believed that wherever she was aside from the frontline, she would be sought and welcomed by everyone.
But upon seeing Rozen’s series of actions, which defied common sense, Silica realized that she was thinking too highly of herself this whole time.
Although she was very popular here in Middle Floors, she realized the gap when she compared herself to the boy in front of her, who was affiliated with a guild that was active in the frontline.
After all, Red Wings were full of powerful Players, among them, in fact, was a Beast Tamer that was hailed as the strongest, brightest, and the most promising Player to lead everyone to clear the game.
Compared to that person, everything she did and possessed seemed trivial, and there was one reason for that.
“I am a fan of that person…”
Silica murmured.
It was nothing surprising, really. It was impossible for Beast Tamers not to idolize that person.
That person was the strongest Beast Tamer, commander of the Clearers, and the strongest guild’s leader, the very individual who shouldered all Players’ hopes.
Let alone Beast Tamers, even average Players admired that person, and of course, Silica was no exception.
Perhaps in the past, Players would have a bad impression toward the beta testers. But with the famous beta testers’ guild, Red Wings being more and more active in the frontline, plus their very leader who led all the Clearers clearing Floor after Floor without any casualty so far, the Players’ impression of beta testers was no longer as bad as back then.
In short, it was not strange at all if many middle and lower-level Players admired that person.
Had Rozen not restrict the members to only beta testers, there would be a bunch of Players who wanted to join them, and Silica was one of them.
Silica looked up to that person as her role model, even now. She was once determined to raise Pina to a Tamed Monster that was as strong as that person’s Tamed Monster, then join the Clearers and stand shoulder to shoulder with that person in the frontline.
Since Silica was a huge fan of that person, she ended up blurting out her secret, which confused Rozen.
“What did you just say?”
“No…nothing!”
Silica flushed when she realized that Rozen heard her muttering earlier.
However…
(This…this might be my chance!)
Chance? What chance?
Of course, a chance to learn about your idol!
So with that in mind, Silica could not help but ask.
“About that, Rozen-san, what kind of person is your guild leader?”
That was what a fan who never seen and know nothing about their idol’s personal information wanted to know the most, right?
Unlike in the real world where a rising star made their debut, their information will be made public in the news, tv shows, interviews, Q&A, and so on.
However, it was different in SAO, which famous Player would accept another Player’s interview just to have their personal information exposed?
Besides, most famous Players in SAO had their hands full with clearing the game, and they had little to no interest in other matters.
That was why Silica couldn’t afford to miss this rare opportunity to know about her idol, and that was when she noticed that Rozen seemed weird all of a sudden.
“What’s wrong?”
Silica asked in surprise.
“……It’s nothing.”
Rozen lightly scratched his cheek and averted his gaze.
Although Silica noticed that Rozen behaved weirdly, she still looked at him with serious eyes.
“Please, Rozen-san, please tell me.” Silica begged excitedly: “I promise not to tell others, so please.”
Silica folded her hands, imploring.
Seeing this scene, Rozen suddenly felt awkward.
“That’s…” Rozen then nervously said: “What will you say if I tell you that I’m Red Wings’ leader?”
Silica squinted and puckered her eyebrows.
“Don’t tease me please, Rozen-san. I’m serious here.” Silica said. She thought Rozen was joking around.
Rozen really wanted to say.
“Me too!”
Unfortunately, even if he did, Silica probably wouldn’t believe him.
