Progressive Factor II: Lacrimosa Of A Reaper

Ghost Hunting in the Catacombs

Koharu, that evening

After completing the "Thirty-Years Lament" quest and the other two, it was evening. Like the previous evening, the party of five went their separate ways; Kirito, Asuna, and Mito ventured on to the Blink and Brink, the inn they're staying and where the blue-blueberry tarts can be bought in the restaurant of the same building. Jaymes and Koharu, however, returned to the catacombs "to check something out."

Those were Jaymes' words, and he only invited Koharu along. Kirito and Asuna looked like they had no clue what he was talking about, but Mito had a certain glint in her eye. She also rushed the other pair out of the catacombs. Koharu does not know what's going on, and it doesn't seem she'll learn anytime soon as her partner leans against the south wall of the first room to the catacombs, the only direction they haven't left this room from. He silently taps his wrist, his eyes on the staircase between this room and the town above.

She wishes she could message Mito and ask what's going on, but being in a dungeon means one cannot receive or send messages, even to those on one's friend list. So her only option is to face the boy who keeps their outing a secret...and that's when he shifts from the wall and holds his arm up in greeting. Turning to the stairway, she sees a tall man with red hair approaching them with a wave of his own. "Yo."

"Hey. Oh, hello there, Miss Koharu!"

"Klein? It's great to see you!"

Klein puts his hands on his hips and beams a smile in Koharu's way. "Wow, you look super tough nowadays. Jaymes has been treating you right, has he?"

"Um, I don't know about being stronger..." True, her levels are much higher than they were four floors ago when they last encountered Klein. She also leveled up to level-17 earlier, still one behind her partner. Since experience is not given a bonus while in a party, those who do more damage, being targeted, debuffing, etc., are given more of the split when a monster is defeated. Since Koharu and Jaymes battle together most times, the bonus is split two ways, usually in Jaymes' favor; the same applies to Asuna and Kirito. It's why the boys are higher level. As for Mito, she plays the third wheel to either pairing, so if she lands an attack or draws a monster's aggro, her involvement splits the experience into thirds.

The attack order for both Jaymes/Koharu and Kirito/Asuna is the same; boys always attack first with a sword skill, and the girls finish it off. Being the target nets the males more experience.

Koharu doesn't mind being one level behind Jaymes. If it means they're still alive, she'll lag in level; on the flip side, she doesn't want to lag too far. Yet, according to the difficulty level of the catacombs (level-12) she has nothing to worry about...for now. They can't stay ahead of the game for long.

"Nonsense," Klein jovially declares. He looks to Jaymes with that same upbeat attitude. "You agree, right? Koharu has grown as powerful as she is cute."

Jaymes nods. "She's not the girl I met back then, that's for sure. You can do a lot more things now because of it. Our ability to work together has only gotten better as a result. You are, in my opinion, the strongest woman of the Assault Team." Those words spark a flame in Koharu's heart. Sure, he's acknowledged her strength before, but "strongest woman of the Assault Team" is a bold declaration considering Mito's at his level and Asuna has wowed the Assault Team twice now. Yet...she doesn't want to deny those words either. And as if he's reading her mind, Jaymes continues by saying, "But don't let Klein's words or mine get to your head, Ko. Don't fall behind Mito and Asuna. Even the strongest people can get stronger. Same for you and me, Klein."