Snippet #2565046

"We can't go in there," Kirito mumbled at the entrance to the dungeon. Tetsuo, the other forward, turned his head towards him.

"Did you say something, Kirito?" He asked.

Kirito held his breath. For a little while now, he had gone under the guise of a fellow low-leveled player in the guild, because he didn't know how different he would be treated if the other actually found out he was level 48, more than twice the others in his party. His initial hesitance came from the fact they may not accept him, but as more time passed, he realized his true anxiety came from the fact that the others might fear him. He couldn't blame them; why would a high level player join a low level guild unless he had some ulterior motives?

Kirito wanted nothing more than the closeness and friendship that everyone in the guild shared. It wasn't enough to fight for himself anymore, he had to fight for something to keep the darkness of this world out of his heart.

He knew the this dungeon was a tough one because he had been one of the few who helped clear it. He had been level 25 then, and even that was cutting it a bit close. He didn't want to risk him not being able to manage by himself, even with his higher level. He didn't want to risk the lives of his new friends.

"That dungeon, we can't do it. It's too dangerous..." Kirito said quietly.

The rest of the gang had stopped and turned to him curiously. "Oh come on, no it's not! We can totally do it," laughed Ducker the treasure hunter. Ducker took another glance at Kirito to know he wasn't messing around. "Okay then, how are you so sure?"

Kirito could not bring himself to look at his guild members. "Because I...I helped clear it."