Chapter 10: Chapter 10 – One Thousand Years Vermillion

I’ve never really been scared of animals, especially not farm animals. 

However, this massive rooster running at me right now must’ve awakened some sort of latent primal fear that had decided to stay dormant and repressed until this very moment.

In short, I was fucking terrified. Four hundred pounds of pure feather and muscle barreled through the massive circular room as I tried my best to distance myself from it while it clucked angrily.

And the worst part of all of this?

Shizuka was laughing.

Instead of helping me get rid of this goddamned thing, she was just standing there and laughing at my plight! What the hell, Shizuka!?

“Hey! Give me a hand here already! This isn’t funny at all!” I shouted in desperation.

“Ahahaha...” Shizuka wiped the tears from her eyes, only barely managing to contain her mirth. “Sorry, Akira! It’s just... It’s so surreal! And besides, you laughed too!”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. When we were first teleported into this room, it was pretty intimidating. Dark curved walls that formed a circular space, no windows, no doors. The only source of lighting were the pale blue flames flickering on torches that lined the walls. It was the perfect boss room—No. It was the perfect death trap.

But there in the very center of the room was something that I absolutely never would’ve expected from an intimidating room like this: an enormous rooster had stood there. Its height easily reached over twelve feet tall, and its width was downright elephantine. Not only was this thing an absolute unit, but its eyes burned with some sort of fire that I couldn’t help but think was frightening.

Despite all of this, there was one thing that completely freed me from the shackles of fright. When my vision focused on the rooster and brought up a diamond-shaped cursor above the creature, that was the moment that I made my first mistake.

«The Spicy Rooster».

That was the name that had floated above the boss monster when it was highlighted by the cursor. As a boss monster, it held the right to the prefix of “The” before its name.

As simple as it was, it was supposedly a prefix that had brought terror and adrenaline into the hearts of many players during the beta test according to Jin. However, following that frightening word were the words “Spicy Rooster.”

And at that, I couldn’t help but laugh. I mean, really? Who the hell names a boss “Spicy Rooster”!?

The moment I let my laughter fill the room, I realized I’d made a grave mistake. But it had already been too late. Immediately, the rooster began charging straight toward me, its blazing eyes alight with anger.

If this wasn’t a virtual world, I could’ve sworn that the rooster genuinely felt the need to murder me for laughing at its name that it so proudly bore.

It was only thanks to my decent dexterity stat that I was able to survive for so long by just running away from this fowl monstrosity. But even so, I couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

“Switch!”

Shizuka’s clarion cry was a godsend, and I instantly leapt backwards as the Spicy Rooster unleashed its latest attack: a too-fast peck that missed me by mere inches, causing sparks to fly as its sharp beak struck against the stone floor of the dungeon room.

Shizuka didn’t even waste a second. 

The moment she swapped places with me, her greatsword’s blade was already glowing a bright red as it activated a Sword Skill that cleaved straight into the Spicy Rooster’s forehead before it could even recover from its own attack.

“BUKAWK!!!” The Spicy Rooster cried out in anger as it recoiled from Shizuka’s attack.

Its health bar had dropped, but not significantly. Even so, it gave us a good estimate of our strength.

Good. We can do this.

“Helsa, support us! You’ve got a spear, so keep punishing it every time it goes after one of us!” I shouted as I leapt forward, joining Shizuka in the fight.

My sword flashed forward as the Spicy Rooster prepared another attack. It’d pretty much used up all its pre-programmed attack strings earlier when it was trying to hit me while I was running away, so I already knew what it’d do next.

Left wing swing, then it’ll peck with its beak.

I ducked, and sure enough, the Spicy Rooster’s left wing slashed the empty air over my head a second later.

Perfect.

I allowed the Sword Skill that I’d readied in anticipation for the Spicy Rooster’s attack to be unleashed, the blue glow of my sword careening through the air in an upward arc as it raked across the length of the boss’ wing.

I watched with satisfaction as the Spicy Rooster’s health bar inched ever-closer to the halfway point.

It clucked in fury, but without enough combat data from Shizuka and I, it was still locked in its pre-programmed attack patterns and destined to be defeated by us.

Or so I thought.

Shizuka’s latest attack caught the boss across its neck with a vicious downward strike that would’ve decapitated the rooster had this been reality. Instead, the system simply recognized her attack as a critical hit.

It was enough damage to drop the Spicy Rooster’s health below 50%, earning a cheer from Helsa. Unfortunately, I couldn’t share her mirth.

It was probably thanks to my combat experience in real life that I could sense the atmosphere of the battle changing. Although we’d depleted most of the boss’ health, somehow, I could sense that this was far from over.

The Spicy Rooster let out an ear-splitting shriek, freezing us in place with the «Stun» debuff. It was a negative status effect that rendered those afflicted immobile for up to ten seconds.

With both Shizuka and I currently locked out of combat, Helsa was the only one who could do anything. However, I doubted she had the mental fortitude to push past the fear that she was feeling right now.

Hell, if I wasn’t being forced to stand rigidly in my current position, I probably would’ve put some distance between myself and the Spicy Rooster as well.

The massive rooster reared its terrible head backwards and stretched out its wings, continuing to screech in fury. The sound was almost palpable, and I could feel the wind threatening to knock me off my feet every time it beat its wings.

“A-Akira! Hinotori!” Helsa shouted, her voice barely audible in the midst of the Spicy Rooster’s fury.

The timer next to the status effect icon ticked down painfully slow, and every second that passed could’ve spelled instant death for Shizuka and I. 

I could see in her eyes that she was mentally bracing herself for whatever would happen next. After all, I was doing the same.

Yet, that attack never came. The moment the «Stun» condition wore off, Shizuka and I immediately retreated away from the Spicy Rooster, taking up a position around Helsa so that she could support us with her long spear.

“Alright, get ready!” I shouted. “Let’s finish this thing off before it can show off what its second phase does!”

Of course, the timing had to be perfect. The moment those words left my lips, we truly found out what the word “spicy” meant in the name “Spicy Rooster.”

An enormous gout of flames spewed forth from the boss’ beak, and its body was now engulfed in flames. If it looked comical during its first phase, it looked nothing less than majestic right now.

“What... the hell?”

“It’s a phoenix...” Helsa stammered.

Shizuka was the only one of us who was undaunted by the prospect of fighting a beast straight out of the legends. In fact, I could sense her desire for battle grow even stronger upon seeing the rooster light up in flames.

Honestly, that shouldn’t have been surprising at all. I mean, Shizuka’s in-game name was “Hinotori” after all.

Damn it! Why the hell am I even getting intimidated? I’ve got a phoenix right next to me!

Without a single word, I forced myself forward, breaking apart from the group as the grip on my sword tightened. The Spicy Rooster’s gaze narrowed as it focused on me, its beak opening wide.

There was no doubt in my mind that it was about to blast me with fire, so I instinctively leapt to the side. The Spicy Rooster belched, and a stream of flames engulfed the space where I had occupied just mere seconds ago.

“Akira!” Shizuka cried worriedly. Even though she could see my health bar since we were in the same party, the height of the flames obscured me from her sight, and the primal fear that I’d been swallowed by fire probably overtook any logic at the moment.

Truly, that was what made Sword Art Online such a deadly game. Even though everything was based on numerical values and operated under a tightly controlled system, it all seemed so real.

In a sense, it was. Right now, Aincrad was our reality, and that was the most terrifying part. The visual effects and cries of fury that the monsters produced were more than just pre-programmed behavior inside of a game.

They were real.

And when monsters of legend become real, that’s when even the most rational person’s logic begins to erode. However, I had no intentions of falling into that trap.

My latest step brought the Spicy Rooster in range of my sword, allowing me to issue a three-hit Sword Skill that scored raking gashes across the creature’s flaming body.

“Shizuka! Let’s burst it down quickly! You too, Helsa!”

The two girls responded almost instantly as the flames cleared, Helsa dashing through the embers that were still floating through the air as if inspired by my mad rush toward the boss earlier.

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The three of us unleashed our strongest Sword Skills against the Spicy Rooster, taking a chunk out of its hit points in a brilliant display of whirling multi-colored lights.

The Spicy Rooster crowed angrily once and then leapt upwards, flapping its mighty wings and buffeting us with a powerful gust of wind that sent us flying backwards.

I plunged my sword into the floor, trying to reduce the distance that I was being flung. It worked for the most part, but the sparks that flew from my blade told me that I’d probably sheared the shit out of the weapon’s durability.

As soon as I recovered, I cast my gaze around the room to try and pin the Spicy Rooster back into my vision.

Oh. Shit.

“Watch out!” I roared. “It’s coming!”

I didn’t have the time to check if Shizuka or Helsa had managed to react to my warning in time, but I dived to the side, pressing myself against the ground as hard as I could after I fell.

A massive wave of flames filled the room as I barely managed to avoid direct contact with it. A few embers singed my clothes, but my health bar remained unchanged. 

Even so, I could still feel the heat emanating from the waves of fire that were still shooting past my head as I remained flat on the ground.

I turned my head to the left—in the direction of the Spicy Rooster—as much as I dared. Its wings were outstretched and its head was reared back, its beak pointed toward the ceiling of the room. As it displayed its majesty, circular waves of fire continued to burst forth from its body like solar flares.

If I got up, I’d no doubt be reduced to cinders. Thanks to SAO’s user interface, I could see Shizuka’s health bar at the top right of my field of vision. It hadn’t changed since I last saw it, which meant that she’d probably been able to dodge out of the way thanks to either my warning or her instincts.

“Helsa! Are you alright!?”

“Y-Yeah!”

“How’re you holding up, Shizuka!?”

“I’m fine, but I don’t think it’s going to stop!” Shizuka’s voice carried over the sound of raging flames.

“I don’t either!” I shouted. “But I think it’s on its last legs! I’m gonna crawl towards it and see if I can finish it off, so you two sit tight, okay!?”

I didn’t hear their responses, but I assumed that the sound was simply being masked by the roaring of the flames that constantly passed us overhead.

I triple-checked Shizuka’s health bar and then began my slow advance toward the Spicy Rooster. I’m not entirely sure how long it took me, but I’d give it a ballpark of at least three minutes.

The heat around the Spicy Rooster was almost unbearable, but seeing as my health wasn’t dropping, I elected to ignore it. As long as I wasn’t being afflicted by a negative status effect, I wouldn’t have to care.

After all, it was still virtual despite how terrifying this actually looked. Besides, the Spicy Rooster’s health bar was actually lower than I thought.

Two or three hits should be enough to finish it off.

I held my sword tightly as I thrust upwards into the Spicy Rooster’s abdomen multiple times in quick succession, but only the first attack connected.

The boss’ health bar was nothing but a sliver now, but it’d noticed me after the first hit and ceased its attack in favor of leaping backwards and avoiding my killing blow.

I pushed myself up rapidly, moving my sword in front of myself just in time to parry its latest attack, my sword sparking as it stopped the Spicy Rooster’s beak mid-strike.

“Damn it! Just die already, you goddamn chicken!” I roared with all my might as I pushed against the Spicy Rooster, mustering every ounce of strength that I could draw out.

It wasn’t enough.

The system had decided that my strength stat simply couldn’t overcome the Spicy Rooster’s. Even now, I could feel that the grip on my sword was slipping. If I continued for much longer, I’d probably lose and be forced to take the full brunt of its attack.

A quick look at my health bar told me that if I managed to survive, it would be just barely.

...Shit. Am I really going to go down here?

Just when I was about to lose hope, I heard the sound of rapid footsteps. Of course, it was none other than Shizuka. She had her greatsword held horizontally with the tip pointed toward the ground and braced against her shoulder, presenting the flat of her large weapon toward the Spicy Rooster’s head.

“I’ve got you, Akira!” Shizuka shouted as she rammed the greatsword into the boss’ head. It moved slightly, but not completely.

“It’s not enough, Shizuka!”

“Hyaaaah!” Helsa’s shout echoed through the entire room as she leapt up behind Shizuka, slamming the butt of her spear into the flat of Shizuka’s blade. 

It was like a hammer striking an anvil, and the sharp sound of steel against steel rang loudly in my ears. Sure enough, it’d provided enough force to knock the Spicy Rooster’s beak away.

“Now, Akira!” Shizuka cried.

“Haaaaah!” I brought my sword down on the Spicy Rooster’s head with one final shout of triumph, reducing its health to zero.

The Spicy Rooster’s body remained still for a few seconds as if it were going to come back to life. Then, it shattered into those familiar polygons. 

The three of us breathed a sigh of collective relief.

We really did it... With just the three of us, we defeated a boss...

“We really did it.” I said, vocalizing the thought.

“Yeah. We did.” Shizuka grinned.

Helsa collapsed on the ground, her knees finally giving out. It wasn’t long before she lay sprawled out on the stone floor, completely drained both mentally and physically.

We remained still and silent for a few moments, reveling in the fact that we’d managed to survive an encounter that should’ve been deadly.

At last, it was Shizuka who broke the silence.

“So, what’d the boss drop?”

I blinked at her in surprise before I remembered what Jin had said a while back.

Usually, the person who gets the last hit gets the drops, Jin told me. What? Really? That’s pretty stupid isn’t it? I’d replied.

In the end, he simply shrugged and said that was how the game worked. I was more used to contribution-based drops in other MMOs, but I suppose a death game like SAO would help selfish players more.

I swiped my hand in the air and brought up my inventory, checking for the drops that I’d received. Other than a large amount of col, the only thing I received was a mysterious item that couldn’t even be used.

I pressed on it, materializing it into my palm. It was warm, and flames licked around the pure-white ovoid object, though they didn’t burn me at all.

“«Resplendent Phoenix’s Egg»? Whoaaa!” Shizuka exclaimed. “How do you think it hatches? I didn’t know SAO had a pet system! Do you think it’ll be cute!?”

I held up my hand to stem Shizuka’s endless flow of excitement, replacing the item in my inventory. “I’m not sure, but I think the item’s description might give us a clue. I’ll read it out loud, give me a second.”

Once the item was back in my inventory, I inspected it and frowned. I cleared my throat before I began reading.

“A phoenix’s egg guarded by «The Spicy Rooster». It is protected fiercely and only one appears in a millennium. In order for it to hatch, it must be consecrated with the «Dew of Flame».”

“What do you think the «Dew of Flame» is? Maybe it’s another rare item inside a hidden dungeon like this one?” Shizuka mused.

“That’s pretty interesting, actually. I’ll keep you two posted if I find anything out. I am a journalist, after all.” Helsa grinned, joining in the conversation.

Before I could thank her, the room rumbled violently and a large part of the wall across from us slid down into the ground, revealing a staircase that led upward.

At last, we were going to get out of this dungeon. Jin must be worried sick by now.

Sorry, Jin. We’ll make it up to you when we get back. Let’s have some bomb ass chicken tenders at Tolbana!

As I mentally promised to make it up to Jin while we ascended the staircase, a thought suddenly occurred to me. In fact, it was so startling that I unconsciously spoke it aloud.

“Kayaba Akihiko, you dumbass. Roosters don’t lay eggs.”

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