Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

"What's going on?" The longsword player scratched his head. "Could it be that the monsters on the twenty-fifth floor have some special characteristics?"

The swordsman cautiously replied, "I don't know, but it's necessary to investigate."

The girl with the long spear had the same idea: "Now that we've discovered something amiss, let's find out what's going on first, and then explore the next location as soon as possible."

In SAO, any anomaly may hide an opportunity; instead of just daydreaming, it's better to investigate in person.

The three of them reached an agreement and tacitly approached the pile of scattered hot biscuit crumbs step by step.

Just as the three were five steps away from the shards, the player with the longsword at the front suddenly stopped.

He pointed at the pile of debris: "Hey...did you guys just see that? One of the pieces moved!"

The swordsman's eyes narrowed, and he said with certainty, "I saw it, and I saw it very clearly."

The girl with the long spear nodded, her doubts confirmed: "Yes, I'm finally sure now that I didn't see wrong."

The three exchanged a glance, instantly understanding.

There's definitely something hidden under those pieces!

But then I thought, what could be hidden under a palm-sized piece of hot biscuit crumb?

The longsword player's eyes lit up with anticipation, and he rubbed his hands together: "Do you think we might have gotten lucky and stumbled upon a hidden item?"

The katana user objectively analyzed: "Theoretically, this is possible."

"You're already fantasizing before you've even seen what it is?" The girl with the long spear sighed helplessly. This guy was always so optimistic, even to the point of being a bit off-track.

However, she thought again that since the longsword player was so interested, she might as well let him go and investigate.

So she spoke again: "Since you're so looking forward to it, then the task of checking it out is entrusted to you."

"Yay!" The longsword player cheered instantly, as if he could already see rare ingredients beckoning to him.

Then he added, "But it's a deal, if we get anything good later, you're not allowed to steal it!"

The swordsman didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, clearly having no objection to the arrangement.

The longsword player scurried over to the pile of shards, first breathing on his hands and then gently rubbing them together, as if infusing them with luck.

He carefully reached out and gently lifted the largest piece of hotcake, instantly revealing the scene beneath.

The smile on the longsword player's face froze instantly, his eyes widened, and his body seemed to be frozen in place, not daring to move at all, even his breathing became unconsciously soft.

"Hey, why aren't you moving? Is it really something good that you're staring at it in a daze?"

Seeing that he hadn't reacted for a while, the spear-wielding girl couldn't help but urge him on, and she and the katana user stepped forward together.

But when the two walked to the side of the longsword player and followed his gaze to the area below the rubble, they froze on the spot.

On a palm-sized piece of hot, fragrant pancake, a tiny creature was perched.

A pair of short black antennae swayed slightly, and six barbed limbs gripped the fragments tightly, slowly nibbling at them; most striking were its pair of leathery forewings, which covered its small body and gleamed with an oily sheen.

What the hell is this if not a cockroach?!

[Proliferating G lv2]

The girl with the spear suddenly contracted her pupils and instinctively gripped the spear tightly, but she felt no sense of security whatsoever.

She's been terrified of multi-legged insects since she was little, let alone this cockroach happily munching on a hot pancake right in front of her—the sight was absolutely chilling.

Even though I'm in SAO, there are still cockroaches chasing me.

Which damned planner created this kind of creature in SAO?

And it's so damn accurate!

The katana user's expression changed instantly, a hint of panic flashing in his usually calm eyes.

He can kill ferocious monsters without batting an eye, but he is completely powerless against this strangely shaped little creature!

Multiple legs, tentacles, erratic movements... these characteristics are completely inconsistent with his understanding of safe creatures!

The two finally understood why the longsword player dared not move.

Because at this moment they were as if nailed to the spot, afraid of making the slightest noise that might provoke the cockroach to suddenly fly up and pounce on their faces.

It was the katana user who first forced himself to calm down.

He nudged the two people beside him with his elbow, then slowly took a step back, tugging at their sleeves to signal them to quietly slip away together.

The spear-wielding girl and the longsword player immediately understood. The three of them exchanged glances and saw the same fear in each other's eyes.

They tacitly slowed their pace and retreated little by little.

The girl with the long spear secretly rejoiced: Fortunately, although these two teammates always bicker, they are still reliable in critical moments.

But this sense of relief didn't last even half a second.

Suddenly, a soft "plop" sound came.

The sound was unusually clear when the longsword player accidentally stepped on a piece of scattered hot biscuit crumbs.

The sound was as loud as thunder in the quiet Cheese Valley.

The spear-wielding girl and the katana user turned their heads simultaneously, their eyes filled with anger, as if silently questioning: What are you doing?!

The longsword player looked completely innocent, his lips twitching, as if to say: I didn't expect there to be a piece of debris at my feet!

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in pursuing the matter further.

The three held their breath, clinging to the last shred of hope, and slowly turned their heads back to look at the pile of rubble.

Upon closer inspection, their eyes met those of the cockroach, and its antennae twitched rapidly.

"Hiss—!" The three of them gasped simultaneously.

At that moment, they had only one thought in their minds: Could things really be this bad?

The next second, the cockroach, which the system had labeled as [G lv2 of proliferation], suddenly spread its membranous hind wings, made a faint buzzing sound, and swooped down toward the three of them!

"Oh no!" The longsword player screamed first and turned to run away.

"That's enough, I want to go home!" The girl with the long spear followed closely behind.

"Run!" The swordsman, disregarding his usual calm demeanor, turned and ran after the two.

A tiny cockroach, however, was like a relentless demon, relentlessly pursuing you through the air.

The buzzing sound behind them continued, as if reminding the three that it was still chasing them!

The three ran even more frantically, not even bothering to figure out which way to go, nor daring to look back, just rushing away from the pile of rubble.

As the girl with the long spear ran, she cried out in a tearful voice, "Seriously! It's understandable that girls are afraid of cockroaches, but why are you two grown men running after me?"

The katana user, panting, retorted, "Cockroaches don't fit the aesthetic standards of mammals, so it's only natural that even a boy would be afraid of them!"

"That's right! That's right!" The longsword player echoed, his voice trembling, "Anyone would be afraid of this creature!"

The girl with the long spear was on the verge of a breakdown.

Why do they suddenly agree on something at a time like this?

Don't you always argue over trivial things and never agree on anything?