On June 24, 2024, a player blacksmith named Lisbeth, who had her own custom shop in the main town of the 48th Floor, Lindarth, had just finished sharpening Asuna's rapier, the «Lambent Light». Having her interest sparked, Lisbeth asked Asuna why she was not on the front lines that day. Asuna blushed and replied that she had taken the day off to meet with someone. Lisbeth then noticed Asuna's earrings, and quickly teased Asuna, but Asuna did not understand what she was implying.
When Asuna heard a bell, she quickly disregarded Lisbeth's comment, realizing that she needed to hurry. Lisbeth then quietly remarked that Asuna had found someone precious. Asuna asked Lisbeth what she had just said, but Lisbeth told her that it was nothing and wished her good luck with the date. Asuna reacted by claiming that she misunderstood it, before leaving. Now alone, Lisbeth wondered if she would find someone too.
The next day, Lisbeth was busy forging swords when she heard a customer coming into her shop. The customer was Kirito who had come to order a custom-made sword. Lisbeth, concerned about Kirito's wealth, wondered if he was capable of paying the costly fee due to his unimpressive appearance. Kirito reassured her that money was not a problem, and asked for the best sword possible. When Lisbeth asked what about the sword's stats, Kirito answered that he wanted the stats to be as good or better than his «Elucidator». Lisbeth gave him the best sword that she had ever forged. Ignoring her protests, Kirito tested her best-made weapon against his «Monster-Drop» weapon and to her dismay, her weapon broke upon impact.
Traveling together on the west mountain of the 55th Floor, Lisbeth began to grow cold, so Kirito gave her one of his coats. They reached a place filled with crystals, causing Lisbeth to run forward with glee, eager to explore. However, she was stopped by Kirito, who told her to get a Teleport Crystal ready in case the dragon showed up, and to hide and not come out no matter what until the dragon was defeated. Lisbeth insisted that she could help, only to be adamantly refused by Kirito. Surprised, Lisbeth followed his instructions and stayed put.
Kirito and Lisbeth soon encountered X'rphan the White Wyrm. Listening to Kirito, Lisbeth hid in the crystals for safety while Kirito faced the monster head on. Kirito deflected the dragon's breath with his sword, and Lisbeth began to admire him. When Kirito dismembered one of the dragon's arms, Lisbeth, believing that the battle was nearly over, came out of hiding. The dragon quickly noticed her and targeted her with its ice breath, but Kirito came to her aid and shielded her. However, this caused them to fall into a large pit.
The two survived the fall and reboosted their HP, but quickly learned that they could not use teleport crystals to get out of the pit. Lisbeth believed that the pit was a trap designed to kill players who fell down, but Kirito told her that if it was an Anti-Crystal Area, there should be another way out. Kirito ran up the wall in an attempt to escape but fell back down due to the slipperiness of the ice. The two then resigned to their fate and prepared to spend the night in the hole. Before falling asleep, Lisbeth asked Kirito why he had saved her. He responded by saying that he thought that dying with someone together was better than letting them die alone. Lisbeth then asked to hold Kirito's hand and they fell asleep in that position.
After resting for the night, Kirito dug a hole and found the Crystallite Ingot. Kirito told Lisbeth that they were in the dragon's nest and the reason why the material had been so difficult to obtain was because it was, in fact, the dragon's feces, grossing out Lisbeth who then threw the ingot to Kirito. Lisbeth then brought up the fact that the dragon was nocturnal, and realised that it should be coming soon.
Seeing the dragon coming back for the day, Kirito grabbed Lisbeth and ran up the wall to get on the dragon. He then stabbed the dragon with Elucidator, and the dragon flew out of its nest in surprise, carrying him and Lisbeth along with it. They held hands and detached themselves from the dragon when they were in the sky. While freefalling, Lisbeth confessed her feelings for Kirito. However, Kirito did not hear her over the roar of the wind. Undeterred, Lisbeth smiled and hugged him.
The two returned to Lisbeth's shop where Lisbeth forged the material into a sword, named «Dark Repulser». Kirito tested out the sword and was quite impressed and pleased with the results. Lisbeth insisted that Kirito did not need to pay, offering to become his private blacksmith in exchange, which caused Kirito to blush.
Lisbeth attempted to confess again, but was at that point interrupted by Asuna, who hugged Lisbeth, as Asuna was relieved to find her safe and sound, but inquired where she had been the previous night. Lisbeth replied that she had been in a dungeon with the guy behind her. Shocked, Asuna finally noticed Kirito, and began to argue with him. Lisbeth then learned that Kirito came to her store based on Asuna's recommendation. Lisbeth was heartbroken when she realized that Asuna's crush was Kirito, but quickly covered her disappointment by telling Asuna that he had broken one of her best swords and also quietly told her that he was a strange, but good person, and wished her good luck. Asuna blushed again upon hearing this and Lisbeth left the shop to console her hurt feelings.
Kirito found her after searching through the town. Lisbeth told him that she was not used to the adventure and to forget everything she had said. Kirito told her that without meeting her, he would still be thinking that dying was better than to live life alone and promised her that they would clear this game and free themselves from this world.
Rating: 8/10
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