Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

"Oh, so it's called The Explainer. What a fine name. It must be of very high quality."

As they spoke, Kazuma pressed his face against the Explainer, savoring the sensation from the sword's blade.

At this moment, Kirito's inner thoughts were: Holy crap, this guy is awesome!

Although his heart was in turmoil, he remained outwardly calm: "What are you talking about? That's just an ordinary one-handed sword, nothing special."

As he spoke, Kirito slowly approached, attempting to snatch the target back after getting close enough.

But Kazuma doesn't buy into that.

He immediately realized what was happening and took a few steps back until he reached the edge of the lake.

Kazuma grabbed the 'Explainer' in his hand, making a motion as if he was about to throw it into the water.

Kirito was shocked and quickly stepped forward to stop him: "What are you doing? Don't let innocent people get hurt in our business!"

"Don't come any closer!" Kazuma said threateningly, "If you come any closer, I might do something unpredictable."

Kirito had no choice but to stop, but there was still some distance between them, and it was clear that he could not take back the Explainer by force.

Seeing that the other party had indeed done as he said, Kazuma became even more audacious: "Oh my, who was it that said this was just an ordinary one-handed sword?"

From the moment he held this longsword, Kazuma could clearly feel its heavy weight.

He had once obtained a demonic sword from Miken Hibiki, but to be honest, the one-handed sword in his hand was still heavier.

Therefore, we can conclude that, in terms of weight alone, this is a weapon that is no less powerful than the Demon Sword.

Even he could only lift it with difficulty using both hands; it's hard to imagine anyone being able to wield two swords simultaneously without being affected.

Upon realizing this, Kazuma understood completely that he was no match for the black-clad figure before him.

But who said I have to beat him?

Kazuma revealed a smug and shameless smile: "Now that giant toad is mine, do you have a problem with that?"

Kirito frowned deeply as he looked at Kazuma's shameless demeanor.

On one side is the BOSS, and on the other is the interpreter. How can one choose?

Is this still a choice?

As a long-time Kirito player who has been playing at level 5, being even a second late in choosing an Elucidator is disrespectful to oneself.

Kirito helplessly shrugged: "Fine, you win. Let's compromise. I'll give you the monster, and you give me back the Elucidator. That way, neither of us loses out. Isn't that a good suggestion?"

“That’s certainly a good suggestion,” Kazuma replied.

On the surface, he was considering Kirito's proposal, but in reality, he was already trying to obtain the Explainer.

No way, once this demonic sword-like weapon is in my hands, there's no reason to return it.

He remembered very clearly that the demonic sword of Yujian Xiangye sold for a good price, and he believed that this sword should be no less impressive.

That's settled then.

"Okay, I accept your proposal."

Kirito had just breathed a sigh of relief when Kazuma's voice rang out again: "Then how can I trust you? What if you change your mind and suddenly attack me if I return this sword to you?"

Heaven and earth conscience.

Although I, the Black-Clad Swordsman, am known for stealing monsters, equipment, and bosses, I genuinely had no such intentions this time!

He could still tell the difference between a mere BOSS and an Explainer.

Then Kazuma suggested to Kirito, "How about this, we have a best-of-three battle, but neither of us will participate. Whoever wins will get both the sword and the giant toad."

It seems like a good proposal, as it can both protect the BOSS from harm and win against the Explainer, achieving two goals at once, provided that they actually win.

To win this match, we need to bring in a strong teammate.

And coincidentally, Kirito has many.

Kirito smiled confidently and said, "Alright, I'll take this match."

I'll teach you a lesson this time.

"In that case, see you at this time tomorrow."

Although Kazuma said that, he had already made up his mind.

Who would want to compete with you? Best two out of three is just an excuse to stall for time.

Watch me go back and sell this demon sword. What can you do to me then?

He did the same thing during the night of Miken Hibiki, and now he's just repeating the same actions.

The plan was well-thought-out, but Kirito knew the other person's character all too well.

Before leaving, he threatened, "I'll remember what happened today, but if I don't see the Explainer tomorrow, you'd better be prepared to be hunted down for the rest of your life."

At this moment, Kazuma's inner thoughts were: Ah, if we're not brothers, is it really worth it for a sword?

Fortunately, I can be resurrected, so even if I die once, it's worth it.

Kirito, however, saw right through his thoughts: "I know that the goddess Eris has a way to revive you, but that would only make you experience death a few more times."

"That's inhuman!"

Kazuma was shocked that the other party would keep chasing him, and he strongly condemned this act of blocking the fountain.

He was starting to regret it. Was it too late to back out of the bet?

Kirito didn't care what he was thinking, turned around and left, not giving the other party any chance to argue.

Even after the other person disappeared from sight, Kazuma remained panicked: "Could it be that I've encountered a deranged serial killer?"

No, now is not the time to think about that.

Kazuma weighed the heavy one-handed sword in his hand: "It's too late to say anything now, and it's not a wise choice to bring this along to fight the giant toad."

What to do?

It would be a real shame to just throw it into the water, since no river god would come out with the golden and silver swords.

And if he really did that... Then he thought of the harsh words Kirito said before he left, which still felt incredibly oppressive.

Unfortunately, it seems the best course of action is to take it back and see how things go.

Just then, Kazuma had a strange feeling: "Is it just my imagination? I feel a bit chilly."

Looking around, he realized he was still all alone.

"Never mind, it's better to be safe." The naturally suspicious Kazuma used his stealth and escape skills.

Then his body disappeared just as it had appeared, its near-transparent color making it impossible to detect without close inspection.

Only after confirming that the other party had left did Kirito slowly reveal himself.

It turns out he deliberately stayed away from here, and when he was within the limit of the other party's vision, he used the item [Assassin's Hidden Blade] to actively enter stealth mode.

Staring in the direction the other party had left, he muttered to himself, "No wonder I was ambushed at the beginning; it turns out he used stealth beforehand."

But now that we know our opponent's hand, it's much easier to defend against them.

If you're fast enough, you can catch the last moment when the opponent's body becomes transparent, and then just mindlessly slash at that spot.

One last look in the direction the other person had gone.

Hopefully he won't go back on his word, otherwise he'll have to cross the dimensional barrier to the other world to get an explanation.