Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

Since acquiring the lakeside cabin as their 'home,' Kirito and Asuna have spent almost all their time in SAO for the past few days.

In the morning, the two of them, shoulder to shoulder, carrying buckets and fishing rods, arrived at the lakeside and then spent their time fishing.

In the afternoon, Asuna and Kirito would go into the natural forest together to find ingredients.

Asuna walked ahead, carefully observing her surroundings, while Kirito followed behind her, collecting edible items as she reminded him.

Aside from breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime, the two spent almost all their time immersed in the world of SAO, enjoying the tranquility and sweetness, living a life as blissful as a honeymoon.

This heartwarming time lasted until the third day.

That afternoon, the two went into the forest to look for ingredients, as usual.

As they walked, Asuna suddenly stopped, her eyes lighting up: "Kirito, do you think if we stood on higher ground, we could find more hidden ingredients?"

Kirito paused for a moment, then nodded: "Probably. Standing higher up, you can definitely see a lot of things you wouldn't normally notice."

He had assumed Asuna would suggest climbing a big tree, like last time.

But the next second, Asuna walked right up to him, put her hands on his shoulders, and said with a smile, "Then let's try a different way this time, the view will definitely be better!"

Kirito nodded, puzzled, "Okay, where should we go?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Asuna nimbly climbed onto his body and sat on his shoulders.

Kirito hadn't reacted yet: "Wait..."

Didn't we say we were looking for a place with a good view? How come we've ended up right above our heads?

Moreover... wouldn't being used as a mount be a bit like being humiliated?

Can we tolerate this? Of course we can't!

...until Asuna gently pinched his cheek with her thigh, placed one hand on his head, pointed forward with the other, and excitedly shouted, "Let's go! Faster, faster!"

Her cheeks were enveloped by a soft touch, and Asuna's clear laughter filled her ears.

Kirito understood in that instant.

This is not an insult at all; it is clearly a reward that belongs exclusively to the two of them!

Forget about mounts, I just wanted to fulfill my girlfriend's request.

Kirito immediately dismissed all his worries: "Okay, but be careful, or you might fall."

"It's okay, Kirito's here. Even if I fall, you'll catch me, right?" Asuna said nonchalantly, her tone full of trust.

"Hmph~" Kirito remained silent, but increased his pace.

Kirito led Asuna as they ran along the forest path, like they were playing a horse-riding game.

Just as the two were having a great time, Asuna, who had a higher vantage point, suddenly noticed something strange in the distance.

On the path Kirito was sprinting ahead of, a monster stood silently with its back to them.

Asuna immediately squeezed her legs slightly against Kirito's cheeks, and gently patted his head, urgently reminding him, "Kirito, stop! There's something ahead!"

"Is there something?"

Kirito reacted quickly, immediately slowing down and coming to a steady stop.

Due to inertia, Asuna leaned forward slightly and half-lay on Kirito's head.

"Asuna, are you alright?" Kirito asked quickly.

"Yes, I'm fine." Asuna shook her head.

Then, somewhat angrily, she looked at the monster blocking her way, puffed out her cheeks, and said, "Really, disturbing other people's playtime is a serious crime!"

Having said that, Asuna drew her rapier from her waist, the tip pointing at the monster not far away.

The monster in the distance remained unmoved, neither turning to attack them nor leaving, but staring intently at a patch of grass not far away, as if something there was attracting it.

"Something seems off." Kirito frowned, sensing that the monster's behavior was very abnormal.

Normally, monsters will either actively attack players who approach them or cautiously avoid them.

This was the first time he had ever seen someone stare at one spot without moving.

"No matter what, disturbing us is wrong and they should pay the price." Asuna didn't think much of it.

She felt that the other party was blocking her way and ruining her and Kirito's good mood, so she wasn't going to let it go so easily.

【Natural Rock】 is a round, chubby stone monster with big eyes and short arms and legs.

Although she might normally find it a bit cute, it was blocking her way and ruining her and Kirito's good mood, so she wasn't going to let it off so easily.

As for this, Kirito can only hope for the best.

Then Asuna flashed forward, her rapier piercing precisely at [Natural Rock].

The moment the sword light struck, the monster's health bar instantly dropped to zero, and the previously blocked path was cleared again.

Asuna sheathed her rapier, turned and waved to Kirito, smiling as she said, "It's all done, we can move on now!"

"Wait a minute." Kirito didn't move, his gaze still fixed on the direction the monster had been staring at.

Then, with a hint of doubt in his voice, he said, "I always felt that monster was a bit strange. It seemed like it kept looking at the bushes over there."

As he spoke, he pointed to a patch of dense grass not far away.

Asuna paused for a moment, recalling the scene just now, and it seemed that was indeed the case.

The monster ignored them completely, its attention entirely focused on the patch of grass.

Since we've come this far, it seems our horseback riding game will have to be postponed.

The two exchanged a glance, remaining wary, and then tacitly drew their weapons, quietly advancing towards the bushes.

But even as they reached the bushes, they found nothing unusual; no monsters rushed out, and there were no strange noises.

Kirito took a deep breath, reached out, and gently parted the grass in front of him.

The two of them froze the moment the bushes parted.

Behind the bushes, under a large tree, a little girl in a white dress had her eyes closed and was leaning gently against the tree trunk, appearing to be unconscious.

The other party remained motionless, like a delicate doll.

"This...this is?" Asuna asked instinctively, her eyes filled with surprise.

Kirito was even more puzzled; this scene... seemed familiar?

The two then went to the girl's side to check on her.

After observing for a moment, Kirito said, "Her chest is rising and falling slightly, which means she's still breathing. However, there are scratches from vegetation on her clothes, indicating that she walked some distance through the forest..."

"Then we can't just leave her like this. Let's take her back first!" Asuna's eyes were full of seriousness.