Shinji

"S...sure," Shinji says as he watches Cordelia munching on strawberries while giggling, then he looks around as he tries to build up the courage to speak with anybody, though that ain't easy since he doesn't know where to begin and what to talk about in the first place. As he thinks about whether he should remain here or just go home, he feels his hunger taking over his thoughts again, and without a second thought he is already grabbing a plate and getting more lamb. 

A thud is heard behind him, a loud one rather. Shinji turns around to see the Dinkster guy just tripped on a mess of strawberry juice on the floor, landing on his head. Shinji slightly cringes as he thinks of the result of such a fall in real life. Possible brain trauma, and loads of pain. Aincrad doesn't have that, as pain is non-existent thanks to SAO's pain cushion system. 

As Shinji sits at a table and begins his third round of his meal, he catches a glimpse of the guy's familiar flying up to the tent's roof or so, taking a few strawberries with itself.

Walking into the tent somehow feels like a breathe of fresh air as Shinji steps in, almost as if he misses the event's lively atmosphere and its chandeliers. Also, walking with Cordelia felt like being with a sister based on her behavior, or maybe it is just him. 

Upon hearing Cordelia's mention of the chocolate fountain, Shinji could see it when he approached the tent with her. The fountain's chocolate is around four stacks tall, the liquid flowing out of the tower without stopping as it provides guests to dip certain food with. Shinji walks towards the fountain and looks at it for a while, wondering which food is tastier with it. Surrounding it are fruits and snacks, the strawberry seems to be the popular bunch as a lot of those were already taken by the guests. Shinji shrugs as he hasn't the heart to taste the fountain and looks at Cordelia, trying not to smile more at her childish behavior out of shyness.

"Which do you usually like to eat with the chocolate itself?" He asks.

@Cordelia

As much as he wants to question why Cordelia cared to lecture a random guy like him, Shinji finds himself agreeing with her and nods with a "Fine." Maybe she sees something inside him which he doesn't realize yet, but whatever nagging technique she unleashed upon him still worked to his brain. If he can't get out of his own cave, she may be the hands that will take him by the horns and pull him out instead.

Standing up and keeping the pendant back into his inventory, he looks at the tent for a while, noticing that it gets a little quieter even though the event seems to be far from over at this time. He looks back at Cordelia as she mentions her hunger, and as if it is on cue, he finds himself hungry from all the melancholy too. He swallows his shyness as he speaks to her, "I'm getting hungry again. I want to see if they still have more food downstairs. If not I'll at least drink the punch."

Shinji looks away from her slightly, as if he is a child being shameful of his actions in front of his mother. "And...thanks for the nagging...I'll never give this away to everyone until the time is right. Cross my heart."

With that last sentence, he crosses his chest with his finger.

@Cordelia

Shinji looks up towards Cordelia's cold glare in her eyes, his face remains neutral as he keeps holding onto the pendant. Sure it's a heart, and it is a universal symbol of love, but then...why not just do the quest again to get a new pendant? It is what he initial thinks until he remembers that the pendant takes on a random appearance for each player, although he isn't sure whether two copies of the same design ever exist. Regardless, he now thinks that this heart shape must be a rare form of the pendant.

Though Shinji listened to Cordelia's advice and have no objections to it, he still isn't sure whether he can keep it for so long, but seeing that she is serious about her demand, guess it will have to do. He nods slowly to Cordelia as he keeps looking at her glare, then a thought crosses his mind.

"...Cordelia sama?" He says. "You don't want me to just give it away so I can give it to you instead, is it? Your heart is already set who is chosen to give you this pendant?"

@Cordelia

Shinji looks up to Cordelia's face for a few seconds or so as she mentions his own Hoya pendant, then fishes it out of his inventory which he kept it back into earlier during the walk up here. He faces the distant tent again while staring at its red heart, his thumb slowly rubbing its smooth surface as he thinks of giving it to somebody if he finds it boring to keep around. But for some reason, part of him still wants to keep this pendant for unknown reasons.

"About that..." he says while his eyes are fixed on the pendant. "If I give it to someone, it means I am either selling it or already told them I don't want it and that they should gift this to someone they are fond of. There is no one special I have in mind, and even if I have one, I don't...feel worthy in giving this to her. It should be someone better....someone more deserving. There's nothing special about me other than being a loner and someone wielding a big sword swinging here and there..."

He doesn't know why he is opening up a bit too much to Cordelia, but the damage had been done. He sighs in defeat and enclose the pendant into his fist, looking down at the ground with a frown.

"Better to be alone than to awkwardly fail at trying to get a mate. I'm fine with them being friends with me if they choose so, but that is it..."

@Cordelia

To Shinji, Cordelia is either a psychic or she is very good at reading people, and afraid that she will question further about his emotion, he ignores her remark about it. He freezes for a while as he looks at her face while his hair is being ruffled like a fur, then he looks back at the tent. That ruffling sure felt nice, but what is more amusing about Cordelia is her child like behavior, though Shinji sort of suspects that it might be a cover that bottles up her true emotions.

Upon hearing that question, Shinji shrugs as he is now calm, his voice remains soft but still audible enough to be heard properly while his eyes keep gazing at the tent.

"At first it's the food, then it's this Sapphire Falls...but I was sure it is more than that. I wish I know my true reason for being here, and no, it couldn't be because I am looking for somebody. Otherwise..."

Shinji looks up to Cordelia and continues, "...I wouldn't be here if I wasn't hungry or wanted free food. I would already be in my room sleeping."

Shinji looks down on the ground for a moment, before looking back up at her with a question, "Are you here with your friends, to sow chaos in that party too?"

@Cordelia

Shinji doesn't know how long he has been staring at the flower for a long time, but he doesn't mind as he is neither tired nor feeling cold here. He enjoys this peace and quiet, and with no one to talk to, he thinks he can speak his thoughts out loud about this event and his current state in Aincrad, which he finds sad as it still remains intact as in Tokyo.

He sets down the flower and sighs deeply as he looks over the tent, drawing his knees to his face and puts his arms onto them, admiring the view of this beautiful land. He closes his eyes as he attempts to fight the urge to cry....it's so alone here. He rather go back and slay monsters again, maybe even die slaying than out of his miserable loneliness.

As he wipes a few tears away from his cheek with the sleeves of his suit, he hears his name being called out from behind by a familiar voice. Is that...?

He turns around to see Cordelia the katana girl, the very same that was his company in the Hoya quest. And holy s**t, she looks stunning in that red dress. Shinji could see her exposed thighs too, though he is more focused at her face as he doesn't expect her, out of all people, to come here, let alone acknowledging him.

"O...oh, Cordelia-sama. You are not with your friends?" He asks in his usual soft voice.

@Cordelia

Arriving at the summit of the falls, Shinji finds a spot at the edge to sit on and does so, the breeze cooling his face as he lets out a sigh. For a moment, peace conquers his mind as he admires the stars twinkling in the sky, the night promising him much rest and quiet.

He looks over the edge and sees the tent's roof, as well as hearing a bit of the event's commotion. Should there be something interesting going on or he is hungry for more lamb, he would come down there. Otherwise, he prefers to stay here for now and enjoy the peace.

As he looks at his own pants, he slightly frowns as he realizes that he is only wearing this just to abide by the dress code and not to make himself tidier or more handsome. Not even the suit itself makes him think that he is prettier than he is.

Noticing a pretty purple flower near him, he picks it up and stares at it closely as the sounds of the waterfall fills his ears. The petals glow well in the dark, and Shinji finds himself attracted to it as he gazes at it for a little longer, as if it is his only companion for the night.

"Neither of those...I myself don't know why I am here..." Shinji answers Valna as he keeps looking at her red eyes, his hand holding the pendant is still behind as he remains still in his spot.

"Maybe it's the free food...maybe it's the Sapphire Falls. Maybe it's the view. Either way, they aren't...how do I put it...true answers if you know what I even mean."

Shinji shrugs at his answers and looks outside for a few seconds before looking back at Valna. Feeling slightly uncomfortable in talking about this subject, he simply bows respectfully to Valna and says, "Excuse me. Have a good night."

He keeps the Hoya pendant obscured from plain view as he walks out of the tent and eventually along the path leading up to the summit of the Sapphire Falls. He lets his sights admired by the gorgeous flowers decorating both of its sides on the way up, the sounds of the event's commotion soon fades away the further he leaves the tent.

ID: 135763 -- BD: 8 + 1 ACC = 9 (No ACC based critical)

Sword Art Used! (x6 (2+2+2) AoE Blast)

Shinji: HP 138/138 -- Energy: 4/14

Boar Pup 1: HP 0/5

Boar Pup 2: HP 0/5

Boar Pup 3: HP 0/5

Shinji sprints out of the pups' circle and keeps running as they give chase, only to turn around and suddenly unleashes his Sword Art. The glowing green arc of his sword is swung across all three pups at their level, slash wounds visible across their jaws. They explode into polygons and Shinji pants as he remains in his fighting stance, window for a loot window to pop up in front of him.

ID: 135763 -- LD: 10 + 1 Bonus LD = 11 (Found 1/3 Tusks)

ID: 135765 -- LD: 17 + 1 Bonus LD = 18 (Found 2/3 Tusks)

ID: 135766 -- LD: 1 + 1 Bonus LD = 2 (Found no Tusks)

Two out of three tusks collected among their corpses. Shinji smiles a little at the result. It's better than getting one or no tusks at all. Just one more and he'll finally hit home run. Standing up, he takes a deep breath and straps his greatsword to his back before moving on. He thinks about going back to the same area with hordes of boars, but decides against it and walks back to the direction of the city gates, hoping to find another pup on the way. 

ID: 135759 -- BD: 2 + 1 ACC = MD: 2

ID: 135760 -- MD: 5

ID: 135761 -- MD: 2

Shinji: HP 138/140 -- Energy: 9/14

Boar Pup 1: HP 5/5

Boar Pup 2: HP 5/5

Boar Pup 3: HP 5/5

The three pups dash towards him, their small tusks pointing towards Shinji as he clenches his teeth, eager to end this annoying fight quickly. But Aincrad decides to keep his luck pinned onto the floor and beaten up. A line of adult boars suddenly appear and block both Shinji and the pups that later stop to let them cross. Shinji lets out an annoyed grunt as he looks to his right to see more boars coming in. Jumping over them would be out of the question as he doesn't feel confident in doing so successfully without accidentally kicking one of the crossing boars. He doesn't want any more of these pathetic beasts to join in and make this fight more tiring.

After what feels like a few minutes of waiting for no more boars to interrupt the fight, he looks at his right again and notices the end of the line. He quickly dashes past its rear and swings his sword towards the pups that then retreat. Shinji gives chase in response, running through the horde until they are all outside the social circle. Now it is just Shinji and the pups.

ID: 135756 -- BD: 4 + 1 ACC = 5 --MD: 4

ID: 135757 -- MD: 7

ID: 135758 -- MD: 6

Shinji: HP 138/140 -- Energy 10/14

Boar Pup 1: HP 5/5

Boar Pup 2: HP 5/5

Boar Pup 3: HP 5/5

Without warning, the pups are already closing in, giving Shinji no window of opportunity to unleash his Sword Art as he is forced to dodge the first, but took hits from the other two at his leg. It feels like some large plastic tennis ball is thrown at him and bounces off him harmlessly, but Shinji does notice that his health chipped off for a tiny bit. Letting out a 'tch', Shinji dodges and kicks away another charge from one of them, which does nothing but to make then angrier. Shinji steps away from the circle and stands in his usual stance as he watches the three scraping their hooves along the ground, ready to charge at him in unison.

He wonders if an AoE attack is really necessary...in case he won't get three tusks altogether. But Shinji tries to ignore this thought as he glares at the pups. He has to try. That or he will never find out. His sword will determine the results.

ID: 135755 -- BD: 3 + 1 ACC = 4 -- MD: 2

Shinji: HP 140/140 -- Energy: 11/14

Boar Pup: HP 5/5

The boar pup is either too fast or too low for Shinji's sword to reach out, much to his frustration. By this point, the commotion already attracted a couple more pups as it runs close to them. Immediately they turn aggressive and now moves around Shinji in a circle, letting out squeals and snorts as he stands still, holding his sword firmly.

So this is how it will be done huh? Shinji thinks as he lets out a sigh, remembering a Sword Art with an AoE ability, which he hasn't used ever since he first got his sword. It will take a lot of energy since he will be attacking three pups at the same time, but at least it will kill all of them and hopefully drop their tusks, even if he will only get one. It better be that than nothing at all. Bending his knees, Shinji remains in his fighting stance as he prepares to unleash his Sword Art upon the pups.

Macrodon's 'Dinkster' entrance doesn't even make Shinji jump as he keeps staring at the Hoya pendant, already lost in his own world while questioning his reason for being here. Maybe he should have stayed home instead. Maybe he should have went out and slay more monsters. Yet here he is in a suit, with no one to accompany or talk to and could do nothing but to eat and being himself while distancing himself from everyone.

He shortly snaps back to reality and hears a sultry, female voice giving him a remark about his lonely evening. He turns around to see a black haired girl in a black dress, her red eyes looking at him. The first thing he thinks about her is that she looks really pretty. Her face gives off a hint that she might be the flirty type, though Shinji don't really feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach when he looks at her with his neutral expression, especially since tonight he doesn't feel like being shy or hitting on girls.

Hiding the pendant behind him, Shinji simply shrugs and speaks in a soft voice while looking outside, "It's normal...nothing to fuss about."

@Dazia

Having quite enough of standing around in the tent like a mannequin, Shinji turns around to see even more guests, among them Cordelia, the girl that abruptly ended his Hoya quest early for her own sake. Not that he would hate her for that or anything. He realized that it would be boring for her to sit out and let him fight the two minotaurs. Maybe it's best if they could do another quest with a stronger monster next time, one that can't be ended with one shot from her powerful blade.

At least thanks to her, he got free experience and the Hoya early in the quest. Soon remembering the Hoya, he looks at Cordelia for a few more seconds, who is now talking to a couple, before turning away and facing the edge of the tent as he brings out his inventory and summons the Hoya into his hand.

Without making the object visible from anybody's view by simply not turning around, Shinji stares down at it, the solid, red heart pendant sitting on his hand as he thinks about either keeping and treating it as a good luck charm or sell it to somebody else, perhaps to an engaged couple. Or just be more generous and give them as a gift for free.

Either way, the only thing he is doing with it right now is keeping it around, without any intention to show the Hoya to anyone at all.

ID: 135735 -- BD: 4 + 1 = 5 -- MD: 3

Shinji: HP 170/170 -- Energy 12/14

Boar Pup: HP 5/5

Well, that is a shame. The pup somehow manages to dodge Shinji's greatsword and pathetically dashes towards him, only to miss its attack in return. Now turning aggro towards Shinji, the pup squeals as it shows no sign of stopping whenever it makes a dash and still miss its target. So far, this is barely a fight at all, but instead it's just a game of dodging attacks as Shinji miscalculates its height and still misses his swing while the pup runs past him.

Any players seeing this spectacle would probably laugh when they see a player with a greatsword and a boar pup playing dodge with each other. Shinji sometimes look around for any visible players, and thankfully none are present in this area. He worries more about being seen and humiliated by other players than the boars around him, which isn't really a problem considering his current level and strength.

After getting more portions and a punch to go along with his meal, Shinji sits back at his table and continues to munch away while enjoying the view outside, the breeze blowing through his hair like a fan throughout the meal.

Being mindful of other players though, he doesn't take more as soon as he finishes his meal and lets the waiter take his plate. With the punch in hand, Shinji stands up and stares ahead while drinking it to his fill. He keeps pondering his reason for being here. There is no one to meet or talk to, and the only things about the gala that piqued his interest are the food and the Sapphire Falls. It is a place where he thought he could sit down under the skies, enjoy the falls and just get lost in his own peaceful thoughts. But for some reason, instead of at least cheering him up a little, it makes him depressed.

Looking at the now empty glass, he goes to the punch bowl and refills his glass. While taking a sip he looks around him and notices that more people are coming in now. It won't be long before this place is getting packed, and he more or less know that he should probably get out and head to the fall's summit through the path adorned with pretty flowers. It is the only obvious path available as of now. Here's hoping that no one else is already at the summit...yet.

Shinji just stands at his spot dumbfounded by the sudden end of his battle. It all happened a bit too quickly. Only a few minutes passed and already the quest is over, all thanks to Cordelia. As he watches her waving at him and rushing out of the clearing, a friend request window pops in front of him, the sender being Cordelia. He stares at the window as he feels a little hesitant to press either button. Another window pops up and tells him that the Hoya Pendant is now added to the inventory.

Just like that, he got extra experience from the quest without killing the minotaurs. It's a bummer that the thrill of his battle got stolen by her, but seeing that she has urgent business to do, and that he practically got free experience too, he simply shrugs his shoulders.

Oh well, he thinks to himself. It's only one quest, after all. There is always time and more monsters to slay anyway. Letting out a small sigh, he presses the green button in the friend request window, accepting her friendship. He wonders when he will ever see her again...assuming that she is still alive.

"Tch..." he says as he slightly cringes while looking at the ground. The thought of loss disturbs his mind again, but he shakes his head and tries to toss it aside as far away as possible. He then opens his inventory and summons the Hoya Pendant into his hand, and stares at it in detail. The pendant appears to be heart shaped, red in color. As he read that the pendant can take in any form, he wonders if this one's referring to his own heart....or love...or companionship...or a reminder of his loneliness.

"This is nonsense..." he mutters as he takes his leave and finds his way out of the forest, and eventually reached back to the Starting City.

THREAD COMPLETE

SHINJI: 1 SP + 2 QUEST SP = 3 SP

200 COL

Hoya Of Minos

@Cordelia: 1 SP + 2 QUEST SP = 3 SP

200 COL

ID: 135750 -- BD: 8 + 1 ACC = 9 (No ACC based critical) -- MD: 8

Sword Art Used! (x2 Straight)

Shinji: HP 87/100 -- Energy 7/10

Minotaur: HP 35/45

The minotaur's thick skull crashes into Shinji's breastplate, causing an unsettling sensation to spread all over his body thanks to the impact of its skull. But in spite of this, Shinji still stands his ground, though both are now struggling to shove off each other. The attack felt like he was hit by a boulder that was thrown directly towards him.

Shinji grunts through clenched teeth as his facial expressions resembles a man who has enough of evil in the world and is now hell bent on destroying it as violently as possible. He bashes the minotaur's head with the hilt of his sword numerous times until he is able to shove it off him, then quickly bending his knees, he lets his sword glow green in color and unleashes his Sword Art upon the beast. The jagged blade lances through the minotaur's stomach, then it is withdraw and swung across the same area. The minotaur reels backwards as it roars in pain while holding onto its new wound for a second before recovering and stomps its way towards Shinji, its curved horns facing him.

@Cordelia

Screw it, let's just eat and be on my own way, Shinji thinks to himself as he adds lamb and sweet potato wedges into his own plate, then retreats to a table near the edge of the tent. Sitting down with his back facing the event, he eats quietly while admiring the stars at the sky. If only Aincrad has visible constellations that he could see, maybe even the ones that existed in the real world like Orion or the Southern Pole.

At the same time while he eats, he still feels slightly nervous around the increasing number of players here, and hopes that should he ever get pulled into a conversation, he could either wedge himself out of there or at the very least make himself sound decent and not too awkward. His neutral expression remains on his face as he ponders the reason he comes here.

I...it's not like I come here to mingle around, it's impossible, Shinji thinks to himself. Yeah, surely it must be for the food and the Sapphire Falls right? He could go up to its summit and just sit there alone, and enjoy the view while getting lost into his own dreamscapes. He will need that fresh air. 

...and the food's damn tasty. Shinji acknowledges this by thinking that he should get some more of his own portions.

ID: 135749 -- BD: 2 + 1 ACC = 3 -- MD: 5

Shinji: HP 100/100 -- Energy: 8/10

Minotaur: HP 45/45

It is too late for Shinji to take a swing against the charging minotaur, so he quickly side steps as its curved horns graze his breastplate. The minotaur stops and turns around only to see its foe already swinging his sword towards it. It quickly deflects his attack with its own horn, and for a minute or so, the fight consists of Shinji and the minotaur dodging and deflecting each other's attacks, the sounds of Shinji's sword clashing against the minotaur's tough horns fill the air.

At one point the minotaur attempts to grab Shinji with its bare hands, but for some reason Shinji delivers a punch into the minotaur's eye, temporary blinding it while he retreats and stands in his fighting stance. The sword's teethed tip is pointed towards the bull man. Meanwhile, it recovers and roars out to Shinji as it scrapes the ground with its hoof before letting out a loud moo while charging its curved horns towards Shinji on all fours.

@Cordelia

Finding himself warped into Floor 22 through some warp gate, Shinji arrives at the base of the Sapphire Falls and the tent of the gala. From what he heard, Floor 22 is sparsely populated by NPCs and players, and probably one of the most peaceful floors in Aincrad. Ironically, despite belonging among the intermediate tier of floors, it is the easiest as most mobs are nothing but animals and don't even attack players unless provoked. Even the settlements are small enough to be considered villages or hamlets. Overall, a nice place for peaceful players to live in....assuming they can afford a house here.

Shinji looks at his own suit and brushes it with his finger before looking ahead while letting out a sigh. He had to find a tailor shop in the Starting City and after some time of walking, managed to find one. For some reason, the NPC tailor inside suddenly talked to him when he brings up an invitation window he just received an hour or two prior. The invitation invites him into this gala, and mentioned that attires for males must be formal, with suits, ties and stuff like that.

Shinji listened to the NPC who talked a bit about the gala before handing him a suit. For free! Well, it is one suit and without a tie...but still, it's still better than having no suit at all. The only condition the NPC gave him was that the suit must be returned to her in its pristine condition. Shinji accepted the offer without questions and thanked the NPC with a smile, then he headed back into a room he rented in a tavern to dress in it.

The suit he now wears consist of a white dress shirt, white dress pants and black dress shoes, all which he had worn first. A black jacket was worn over his body, covering his entire torso except for the front, though it can be buttoned up to cover the midriff region. A black bowtie sits just below the white shirt's collar around Shinji's neck. Some sort of white napkin was folded and neatly placed into the jacket's breast pocket.

Back to the gala, Shinji is greeted by an elderly NPC that appears as a woman in her 60s, dressed in purple like a noble. Beside her is a butler of sorts wearing formal wear, black and white. After bowing to them respectfully and giving his name, he was told to step in and enjoy the gala as he pleases. Shinji nods at them with a "Thank you" and steps into the tent.

This tent has its transparent sides withdrawn, leaving only the roof intact, which is also made of the same see-through silk. There is food and drink served on some tables, and seats and tables for people to sit at. Candelabras hang under the tents roof, and more candles serve as the gala's source of light for some reason. At least those candelabras are as bright as electric ones...or are they electric too?

Shinji also notices some players that already arrive earlier than him, all dressed formally like they are going to prom or something. He is alarmed as he notices a female player with an orange diamond. A player killer. Why she is here is a mystery to him, but since he now develops nervousness towards that girl, he decides to keep his distance from her. He moves away from everyone, not making eye contact or say hello as he stares at the food and drinks.

Cordelia's childish grin honestly makes Shinji himself smile a little since he is entertained by her childlike behavior and her proud boast about her speed. Up until now, it has been years since he smiled thanks to a real person. It feels refreshing, and...a little sad, as a part of him starts to regret spending his days as a NEET.

Shinji's face wears a serious expression as he readies his sword and walks through the arc. Soon, he could see the structure within the mist, and it turns out to be really a Greek temple with no roofs and broken pillars. It has a large hole where its presumably large door should be. The pillars aren't many in number so Shinji could see its barren insides. Nothing but concrete floors....he suspects that the entrance must be downstairs...

The thought only lasts for a few seconds as though he is close to the entrance, he already perceives the mysterious figure approaching him, which is revealed to be a Hoya minotaur. Must be one of the two. Shinji lets out a grunt as he slowly approaches the creature, which lets out a snarl towards him in return. The minotaur, an unnatural offspring of a human and a beast, walks on a pair of bull legs and hooves and is humanoid in build. The body is close to human, but covered entirely in fur. The head is that of a bull, but with sharp teeth, ferocious eyes and two pairs of curved horns.

It roars at Shinji as it starts to charge towards him on all fours like a real bull.

@Cordelia

"Y..yeah," he says as he holds up his sword and looks at the silvery blade and its twirling leaves, admiring the decoration while he still keeps his vicinity within Cordelia's at walking speed.

"I used to favor a sword and a shield, but overtime I saw that not only greatswords deliver more pain, but just wearing armor without a shield is enough...assuming you can afford a decent set. Maybe chainmail or plate. Plate's better. Shields are getting obsolete in my line, and they are nothing but extra luggage to carry around if you are wearing full plate."

Shinji lowers his sword and attempts to hide his blush by looking at the trees and away from Cordelia's face. He didn't expect himself to speak in full sentences in only a few minutes after he first met her. Maybe it is because whatever he just spoke of is something he is fond and have knowledge of...

He turns his head to look at Cordelia's sheathed katana, then looks back ahead of his path as he says, "Katanas are great too...very fluid...very sharp...but...I don't find it as a superior weapon itself...what matters more is the hands wielding it."

Shinji stops as he begins to make out a clearing ahead, and at that clearing is a stone gateway arch. Behind the gateway arch is something muscular in build standing still. He couldn't make out the figure within the mist, but it looks like it is guarding a small building that resembles a ruined Ancient Greek temple.

@Cordelia

Cordelia's question makes Shinji's heart jump in a second as he is surprised that she could tell what kind of character he is. Himself being cooped up in accommodations was what he had done a lot of times ever since the death game started. Every time he finished a quest, he would often go back into the settlement, eat, maybe wander around for a bit, and then sleep or just lie down in bed. He finds no energy in getting out to socialize at least one person as he is still clung to his loneliness and shy to start a conversation with people. It was just like his NEET days in Tokyo except with a fantasy setting.

Shinji retains his neutral expression on his face as he turns his head to look at Cordelia, only to see some creature peering at him while perching on her shoulder. It surprises him as he never heard of the familiar concept in SAO. And now that he has seen one, he could read up about familiars when this quest is over.

"I...well..." he says in his usual soft voice as he keeps walking alongside Cordelia while trying to find the proper words to speak. "I was...resting. Perhaps a bit too much after my fight with a Queen Wasp and a Mantis. Slaying both of those were rewarding but especially for that Mantis, the fight almost sapped much of my energy. It was exhausting and...violent."

@Cordelia