38 chapter 38

Before Toyo could respond, a female NPC stepped forward.

\"Is there anything else I can get either of you?\" She asked, her friendly, high pitched voice carrying a trace of the robotic within it.

\"No thank you,\" Naomi said cheerfully, \"nothing for me.\"

Toyoheld up a hand as he forced himself to swallow the large bite of eggs he had just taken.

\"May I have some more water, please?\" He asked politely, beating his chest lightly to get the eggs down faster.

\"Absolutely, I'll be right back.\" With that, the NPC waitress grabbed his empty glass before making for the kitchen.

\"You shouldn't eat so fast,\" Naomi noted as he cleared his throat.

\"Thanks, I had no idea.\"

Naomi smirked. \"So snarky.\"

\"I could say the same of you,\" he replied defensively. Setting his empty plate aside, it was now Israel's turn to lean forward.

\"So when you mean arguing, you're talking about last night, right? When Jae brought up the boss raid meeting.\"

Naomi nodded.

\"You didn't say anything that entire time.\" Toyocontinued, locking eyes with her. \"I'm curious, what's your opinion? Do you think I'm wrong and Jae is right about going to the meeting?\"

She hesitated. \"Are you asking me to pick a side here?\"

Toyoshook his head. \"No, I'm asking for your opinion. I need to know if I'm wrong in this…\" He looked away from her eyes, studying the plate in front of him. \"Players could die depending on which course of action Jae and I end up taking.\"

\"You and your brother are pretty rare people.\"

Looking back up at her, Toyo could see the fascination in her face. More than that though, he saw respect.

\"What do you mean?\" He asked cautiously.

Naomi pointed outside the window, where they could see goatmen and wild boars wandering aimlessly not fifty feet away. It was odd seeing the passive mobs so close. \"There are thousands of players out there, are looking out for themselves. Sure, parties are starting to form, but the players in them only look out for each other.\" She tapped her chest. \"Even the beta testers. I mean, I helped make the guide book, and I wouldn't hesitate to help a player in need. But you and your brother are doing more than that. You both want to go out your way to willingly risk your lives to help the other players. I've heard a lot of people argue and fight in the month we've been here, but what I heard last night between you and Jae was different..\"

Toyonarrowed his gaze as he tried to decipher her meaning. \"So you're saying that Jae and I are both right?\"

Naomi met his eyes with a deadly serious expression. \"I'll be honest with you, Israel. I don't know which of you is right. I don't know which path will keep more people alive, or which is the best course to take. I'm no leader or strategist, and I've never pretended to be. But I do know that there should be more players with the same mindset as you two.\" She looked away sadly. \"Sorry I don't have a better answer for you.\"

For a brief moment, Toyo thought he could see shame in her face. By her tone, he guessed she felt guilty about the way she was going about life in SAO. In a way, he understood. While a kind of discrimination seemed to be taking root among the other players towards beta testers, they were still respected as the most knowledgeable players. Undoubtedly, it was that same respect and level of expectation that was putting pressure on Naomi and others like her. She was expected to be among the strongest of the players, and not just in the physical sense. On top of that, she still had to worry about survival just like the rest of them. It was difficult to imagine how she handled such stress.

Opening his mouth to say something, Toyo halted when a cry suddenly rose up from outside of the restaurant.

\"Please! Please, God, someone help me!\"

Jumping up out of their seats, Toyo and Naomi both looked out of the window into the woods just outside of Trevica. There, just beyond the treeline, they could see a young man with long black hair fighting off at least a dozen plant-like creatures. Even as they watched, more of the plants began appearing from further in the woods.

Without another thought, both Toyo and Naomi bolted for the door as his panicked screams only grew in terror.

\"Please, are there any players around here! Please help!\"

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hmmm.....all the authors increased their update rate...u must think this author is lazy right.....i am working with my friend on baseball novel.....look forward it..

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