"Boom!"
Dazzling pillars of fire shot up above Rozen and Asuna, evaporating the air along their path while emitting scorching temperatures, ruthlessly displaying their brutal power.
Rozen, who had just pushed Asuna down in the nick of time, observed the radiant flames coming from the Gleam Eyes as it unleashed a blazing breath attack directly at them, scorching the area above.
"Breath attack...!?"
Finally, Asuna reacted and saw the flames passing through the space where she had stood a second earlier. Her pretty face showed signs of concern.
In this game, there was no magic per se. However, it didn't mean that the game completely excluded magical elements.
There were numerous items that enhanced abilities or provided various support effects when equipped. Weapons could temporarily gain holy attributes when players received blessings from priests in the main towns, allowing them to attack incorporeal creatures like ghosts and undead.
Crystal items, used by players, were also a rare form of magic in SAO. All these elements were various manifestations of magic in this world.
Despite magic being absent from players, it occasionally appeared in monsters. These were called "special abilities" unique to certain monsters. These abilities could range from spewing venom, to discharging lightning, to exhaling icy breath, or even emitting flames. Each of these breath attacks had different properties and threats.
But these elements don't only occur to players; they often appear on monsters as well.
These are known as "special abilities," skills exclusive to monsters.
For example, the boss of the 26th floor's training area was a Mammoth that could secrete a sticky substance from its fur to hinder players' movements. This was one of the monster's unique special abilities.
Among the numerous special abilities, the most common one is the ability to breathe out attacks.
Many powerful monsters can use this special attack skill. Sometimes it's exhaling poison, sometimes lightning, sometimes ice and snow, and sometimes flames. Various types of breath attacks exist in this world, each with different threat levels due to their distinct attributes.
The Gleam Eyes, in particular, could use a breath attack similar to fire. It was considered one of the most powerful breath attacks with a high chance of inflicting the "burned" debuff, reducing HP while occasionally causing a delay in actions.
Initially, upon seeing the Gleam Eyes wielding a large sword, neither Rozen nor Asuna expected it to have a breath attack. They assumed it was a sword-wielding type like the Floor 1 Guardian Kobold Lord. However, it unexpectedly displayed a breath attack.
"Roar!"
After its attack failed, the Gleam Eyes roared, creating a shockwave that shook the air. It raised its massive sword and charged towards Rozen and Asuna with thunderous footsteps, despite the limited space within the room. The imposing sight of its charge sent shivers down their spines.
"Saichou! Hanachou!"
Rozen called out to his familiars while holding Asuna and promptly summoned them into action.
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou, like beams of light, flew up and released a cascade of yellow phosphorescence.
This was their skill, "Paralysis Powder." Although it was one of Rainbow butterfly's initial skills, it had been honed through extensive practice, making it one of the top debuff abilities among their repertoire.
"Zap...!"
The simultaneous application of Paralysis Powder had an immediate effect on the Guardian, momentarily freezing it in place. However, Rozen knew this would only buy them a few seconds. Even with the combined application of the skill, it was unlikely to last long on such a high-level Guardian with strong resistance to debuffs.
Rozen seized the opportunity to make a quick decision.
"Now! Let's retreat from this room!"
Although they had only encounter it briefly, Rozen had already gathered a lot of information from that encounter.
At the very least, Rozen now knew that the Guardian of the 74th floor not only possessed the Breath Attack skill but was also equipped with a two-handed large sword. Logically, it should be capable of using sword skills like "Two-Handed Sword."
Additionally, he had noticed multiple HP bars located next to the Gleam Eyes, giving him a rough estimate of its HP. Having gathered all this information was a significant achievement in itself.
As long as this Guardian of the 74th floor didn't have hidden abilities or attack patterns, Rozen could plan a strategic retreat. Once outside, he could organize an assault, rallying the clearing group's strength to take down this monster.
Therefore, Rozen promptly made the decision to retreat.
"Yes!"
Asuna, realizing the urgency of the situation, scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the room's exit.
In that very instant, something unexpected occurred.
"rumble, rumble..."
"Boom"
Amidst a deafening rumble, the door to the Guardian's room abruptly slammed shut, cutting off Rozen and Asuna's escape route.
"What...!?"
Asuna was shocked.
"…!?"
Even Rozen widened his eyes in disbelief. According to the rules of SAO, once a Guardian's room was opened, the door would never close unless all players retreated.
"Of course, there are exceptions.
For example, the Floor 4 Guardian has a special ability to generate massive water flows.
As a result, the room is set to fill with water at the start of the boss fight. Players can only challenge the boss using items like swimming rings or special support effects that allow them to float on the water's surface, as drowning is a real threat.
In this case, the door to the room closes automatically when the boss battle begins to prevent water from leaking out.
However, that's an exception based on specific game mechanics.
If there were doors that closed at the start of a boss fight, they should have closed when Rozen and Asuna entered the room, not suddenly at this moment. Therefore, Rozen could only think of one possibility.
"Someone outside has closed the door...!"
That was the most likely scenario.
Inside the room, there was no way to open the door. In other words, Rozen and Asuna couldn't leave this room through the door.
"Asuna!" Rozen immediately shouted, "Use a Teleport Crystal!"
Unfortunately, this command only elicited a trembling response from Asuna.
"No...," Asuna said, her hand clutching a Teleport Crystal. Her face had turned pale. "The Teleport Crystal isn't working!"
In other words, this room itself was a trap.
A trap that rendered the crystal ineffective.
Their escape route was sealed, the crystal was useless, and Rozen and Asuna had lost any chance of escaping.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
At this moment, the panicked voices of Saichou and Hanachou rang out.
Rozen quickly turned to look behind him.
"Boom!"
The Gleam Eyes had already recovered from its paralysis and was breathing fire towards Saichou and Hanachou, causing the two Rainbow Hanachou to panic, their HP dropping significantly due to the flames.
"Roar!"
Immediately after, the Gleam Eyes roared and turned its attention towards Rozen and Asuna.
"Whoosh!"
With a powerful gust of wind, the charging demon swung its massive sword, displacing the air and slashing towards them.
"Tsk!"
Rozen drew his crystal sword from his waist.
"Clang!"
A resounding clash marked the beginning of this deadly showdown.