The Survival Logs || Sword Art Online Fanfic

PK Pandemonia Arc: Chapter 76 - Ice Breaker

22 February 2024

Katalysis, 43rd Floor

I could clearly remember Fangras' sudden request for me. It was something that I couldn't ignore, nor should I take lightly of.

"Do you think that..... Katalysis is the reason for Hallow's betrayal?"

".....What the hell? Him?"

"He hunted for LC, didn't he? Turns out, I still want to know why he did that."

While the mention of Laughing Coffin (LC) didn't really send chills down my spine, it did put a serious frown on my face.

"I don't really get what point you're trying to make."

"My point is, I think that LC is involved with Katalysis."

"Any proof.....?"

"None. But I'm willing to bet."

Wow, Fangras. Betting on an empty guess isn't gonna get you anywhere with confirming your claim.

Though, it was a possible one. But one that I was simply inclined to believe in, just like Fangras. Of course, I needed solid evidence to back this claim up.

"If Hallow hadn't been swayed by those LC bastards, he would have been standing by my side today."

"You make it sound like I wasn't guilty for hunting him down back then."

"Was there another fucking choice you could have taken instead of killing him?"

"I wished I HAD thought of a way to neutralise him. Was it wrong for me to fucking not think of that in that kind of situation?"

Maybe we shouldn't have revisited that incident, and spouted heated rants as a result. But we weren't shouting at each other, so I guess the tension wasn't that high in a sense.

"I'm here in Katalysis to track down the guy who swayed Hallow to their side." Fangras growled. "Don't you wanna find out who started that whole shit in the first place?"

Wanting to calm down from that bit of tension, I gave a long sigh, blowing the last of it out till my mouth closed enough to blow a whistle. For once, Fangras and I had something that we could fundamentally agree on.

".....I'm in, then. Whoever finds that player first has the right to do whatever he wants to him first."

"So you want to avenge Hallow's death after all?"

"Are you not going to?"

"Didn't say I wasn't."

"Wonderful. Either way, it's a good deal for both of us."

We shook hands on the deal smoothly. It was simply a mutual agreement between players who shared a common interest at a certain point in time.

"If you've found the guy, do let me know."

"Same to you, rival hunter."

Somehow, Fangras became the latest player to be added to my friends list. Not that I had many friends to begin with, though. Half of them were clients from Drifting with them, but I guess that's another story.

As I watched Fangras set off back to Katalysis, since he said that his guild members were waiting for him there, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, Rakuno had her system window in front of her, tapping on it as if she had finally thought of something.

"We should have done this from the start," Her eyes shifted a little away from me. "As with the rest of the party as well."

Well, that was true. Messaging a player could be more useful than keeping an eye out for the HP gauges of party members that you're not friends with. We didn't really add each other into our friend lists since we decided we would do things differently from each other despite being in the same expedition, especially those from SoH who were going undercover right now.