Chapter 1: The White Samurai

When I come to, I find myself in a verdant forest. The grass beneath me is soft and nice. The leaves of the trees above me rustle with the wind. Sunlight shine on my face and I realize I am outside, away from my computer in my room.

I lift my body up and sit on the grass. How did I end up here? I was playing Elder Tale a minute ago and then a blackout washed over me. The next thing I realize is that I end up in this place. I look down at my hand then shock hit me like a tsunami. My arms are covered in a smooth purple cloth with golden sakura flower imprints. I stand, scrutinize myself carefully. I am dressed in a long-sleeved purple kimono secured with a red sash tied on the back. It is short, only till my knees. My legs are donned with black leggings and a pair of ankle boots. Two long and thin objects dangle from my waist. I reach out for one of them and find out they are swords encased in white sheaths adorned with golden swirls. Something in my mind is triggered. What I am wearing now is similar to my avatar in Elder Tale.

Wow, this dream is so vivid it felt so real.

I rub my head. My hair is extraordinarily smooth and long. It is as white as snow—wait, white?! I grab the ends of my hair to my face and my eyes bulge out from their sockets as the truth is evident. My hair IS white.

This must be a dream. Snap out of it. I pinch my arm painfully so I would wake up. Nothing happen. The trees are still there. The grass is still beneath my feet.

The truth hit me like a bomb from nowhere.

"I AM IN ELDER TALE?!"

No way. No freaking way. How can I end up in a game? I am just in front of the computer screen, online to wait for the update of the 12th expansion pack, Homesteading the Noosphere. This must be a dream. A dre—

"Help!"

I hear a girl's scream from nearby. I recognize it as Akira's voice. She is a human Cleric who I am travelling with a few moments ago. Because she is only a beginner and I'm the first friend she meets in the game, so I often kept tabs on her. After a while, we became travelling partners. I used the Teacher System so that I can train her to be stronger.

"Sirius-nee!" her voice snaps me back into reality. Did Akira come into the game as well? I run into the direction where the scream comes from. My entire body is lighter than it should be. My legs run faster than I always did in reality. The wind slapping against my face feels real. I slowly accept the fact that all of these are real. I am real. Elder Tale is real. This is not a dream. I'm no longer sitting behind a computer screen anymore.

This is not a virtual game. This is reality.

When I reach an empty plain in the midst of looming trees, Akira is on the ground, breathing heavily. Her head jerks up when she hears my footsteps. When she sees me, she runs toward me and hugs me tight. This Akira is just like the Akira I always see in the game. She is shorter than me, reaching to my chin. Her cerulean hair is tied into two ponytails. She wears an overgrown green sweatshirt with a pair of leather shorts and matching leather boots. Her hand is grasping tight to a wooden wand with a star adornment. Tears brim in her big brown orbs. I gently touch her hair as she hugs me. She must be scared after finding herself in an alien place. After all, in real life, she is only 15.

"It's ok, I'm here," I say gently, coaxing her to calm down. She wipes the tears from her face, trying hard to stop herself from crying again. I stare intently at her. A black dialogue box pops out near her head, just like the one in the game when we meet our friends. It shows the basic information of the player, for example the face, name, class, level, guild, HP and MP bars. Akira is a human cleric, level 22, no guild affiliated.

Oh wait! If this is just like the game—

I gently tap the air in front of me. Just like that, multiple black dialogue boxes emerge. They represent the command menu that I am familiar with. In the centre is a picture of a katana placed horizontally—the symbol of the samurai, which is my class. Four smaller boxes branch out from it, indicating 'Skills', 'Quest', 'Equipment' and 'Items'. On the upper right is my status box:

Sirius

Race: Human

Class: Samurai Level: 90

HP: 13240

MP: 6900

No guild affiliated.

On the upper left is the location where I am now. I'm currently in a forest outside of Akihabara. On the bottom left is the 'Logout' box and 'Friends List' box.

Logout?!

I quickly press the button, but to no avail. A red 'no entry' sign pops out. So it means that I am stuck in this place. I can't logout like the game. I sigh and turn the other buttons. I press 'Item' and it branches out to more buttons. One of them is Dezanegg's Magic Bag and I press it. All the items that I previously got from the game are still there. That's a relief.

I turn to another button, which is the 'Friends List' button. It shows a long list of friends that I befriended. Some of the names are lit up in white while some are grey in colour. Can the ones lit up meant they are also in the game? I scroll down and spot a few familiar names that are lit up: Akatsuki, Crusty, Henrietta, Maryelle, Naotsugu, Nazuna, Nyanta, Shiroe, Soujirou…

Souji's in the game too? Maybe I can connect him through voice chat.

I am disrupted when Akira yells again. "Sirius-nee! Look out!"

I look away from my command menu, just in time to dodge a goblin that lurch for me. I immediately jump away from the goblin. It isn't alone. A few of them have us surrounded. They are so realistic, with their dark green skin, pointy nose and yellow mean eyes. Their average levels are 20, so it should be no problem to deal with them. I unsheathe my swords and ready for battle. Akira stands behind me for cover.

When the goblins attack, I too launch myself forward. One of them swings its axe at me and I parry with my right katana. I open my command menu with my left hand to activate a skill but another goblin slashes my side. I jump away, feeling slight pain coursing through my veins. Red liquid oozes from my wound. It is blood. Like real life, we can bleed if we get hurt. My HP decreases minimally. I reach again to activate my skills but the goblins are swarming on me. Their attacks are irregular and have no specific pattern. They are much tougher than I expect.

I fall back as far as possible to widen the gap between me and the goblins. This isn't a game anymore. I cannot use game knowledge to beat them.

I quickly assess the situation. There are six goblins, levels 20 and above. It's useless to use the command menu during battle. I will get hurt if I'm hit. I need to use skills if I need to beat them immediately but how?

I have an idea in mind but I'm not sure if it will work.

"Akira, ready to heal me if my HP gets below 50%," I say to the girl behind me. She nods.

I launch myself at the goblins. My katanas glows in purple as I slash at them with two wide arcs, just like the skill 'Double Wide Arc'. The goblins are hit and two of them die instantaneously in a flurry of bubbles, leaving money and items behind. I smirk. I know how this works now. It's pointless to use the command menu in battle. The only thing to do to is to feel the motion of the skills and let the system do the rest.

Two more goblins swing their weapons at me. I dodge one and parry the other. Another goblin finds the opportunity to tackle me to the ground, its bloodthirsty axe raised aloft. I stab it through its gut, ripping it into half. It vanishes in thin air and the rewards land on me. I roll away as another axe lands at the spot where I lie. Jumping to my feet, I began to move both my swords from the right to the left horizontally at the level of my chest. The purple glow signifies the activation of the skill 'Wide Wind Slash' and two more goblins defeated. The remaining one does not back up because I have too much aggro to keep it attracted to me. I lurch and use 'Wide Wind Slash' again. It loses its entire HP and vanishes in the form of bubbles.

I breathe through the exhaustion and sheath my swords. Akira comes to my attention and heals me with one of her spells.

Her eyes glitter with pure excitement as she speaks. "That's a good job, Sirius-nee!"

I pat her head. "Yeah. I'm starting to like this place. It feels like the game but it is now our reality." I stretch my limbs. "We needa do our best so that we don't get killed." She nods in agreement.

"Where should we go now?"

I look up at the sky. The setting sun has dyed it orange and red, a contrast to the blueness I'd seen just now. "We should go to Akiba. I bet a lot of other players are there right now. It's much safer in the city at night." I remember all the monsters that lurk in the darkness. With the new expansion pack, they probably had gotten stronger. I alone can't handle them all.

Akira leads the way back to the city because she is much more familiar of the route than I am. We are silent on the way because we have to stay alert for any more monsters. When nightfall has arrived, Akira comes to a halt. Her head is lowered and she holds her stomach like she is in pain.

"Akira? Are you okay?" I ask. She looks up at me. Her face twists in agony. Then her stomach growls.

"I-I'm hungry," she replies bashfully, like hunger is something to be ashamed of. I sigh, calling out my command menu. I make a hamburger with the ingredients I have and hand it over to her. The hamburger looks appetizing, with its fluffy bun and juicy meat. She takes it from me, murmurs thanks and takes a huge bite from it.

"So, how does it taste?" I ask as the hamburger has lure out my appetite too. But Akira has frozen in mid-air, with part of the hamburger still in her mouth. She stops chewing and does not swallow but her face turns pale. She notices that my eyes linger on her and somehow forcibly swallow the remains of the food in her mouth. Her fists thump her chest to make the food go down her throat into her stomach. She is acting like eating is the worst thing that could happen.

"Are you ok?" I ask again, and she shakes her head. She hands me the remaining hamburger and gestures me to try. I have a bad feeling about this. I take a bite and regret instantly. The prefect image of a hamburger with fluffy bun and juicy meat shatters. I taste neither bun nor meat. Instead the entire thing tastes like soggy cardboard. I force myself to swallow.

"What is this?" my voice comes out weak. "Why it has no taste, despite looking so delicious?" I look at Akira, expecting an answer but she shakes her head.

"Sirius-nee, does this mean all the food will taste like this?"

The very thought sends shivers through my spine. This horrifying truth hits me harder than when I find myself in Elder Tale. Are we going to eat soggy cardboard for the rest of our lives here? I feel like crying. Eating is my second most essential necessities, the first being sleeping. If soggy cardboard is the only thing we can depend our lives on, I rather die.

"Maybe we should just hurry on to the city. Someone must have something good to eat," I suggest. Akira nods, looking disappointed too. We fasten our pace to the city, praying to God that we will get good food.

It probably took us half-an-hour to reach the outskirts of the city. I look at glimmering lights of the largest city in Yamato that are finally visible. We are close. The only thing in my mind is food until Akira shakes me back into reality. Emerged in front of us are two kids, a girl and a boy. They look young, even younger than Akira. The girl has short brown hair with a small pigtail on the left of her skull. She wears the typical white-and-red Kannagi clothing. The boy has army-cut brown hair and wears a plate armor over his chest. He carries a katana on his back. They resemble each other, so they are probably siblings. I don't see any hostility in them because I believe they are beginners. Finally we get to see other players who are also stuck in the game. They look shocked when they find me and Akira wandering in the woods at the time like this.

Akira gleefully steps forward, with a big smile on her face to greet the two. She is always the enthusiastic one to meet new friends. "Hi, I'm Akira. This is my partner, Sirius. Where are you guys going?"

The girl's mouth opens to speak but closes back. She presses her lips together and musters her strength to open it again. "I'm Minori. This is my brother, Tohya. We are just trying to see how Elder Tale works outside the city."

"Oh. So you guys come from Akiba?"

They both nod. "If we want to get accustomed to this new life, we have to break free from our comfort zones," the boy, Tohya adds. He seems to be enjoying his new life in Elder Tale. I see no fear etched on his face. His sister looks otherwise. She looks tense when she first saw us, but relaxed a little when Akira initiated a friendly conversation.

I sigh. Tohya is getting too hyped. Minori is wary about everything around her, which is a good thing because it's best to stay on your guard in a new place. "You guys shouldn't be wandering around at a time like this. It's dangerous. Go back to the city."

Tohya looks surprised from my comment. "B-but—"

"You are beginners. I doubt you can take the monsters on now. Some monsters become stronger at night. Plus the new expansion pack probably gave them upgrades. Just like how we end up here." I am not sure how the new expansion pack sucks players into this, but it has to be related in one way or another.

Minori looks at her brother apologetically. The boy's face turns gloomy. My words are a letdown to him. Akira stares at me with her big brown orbs. Puppy eyes pleading method. I know what she is going to ask.

"Let's do it this way. We'll all go back to the city for the night, and then we'll come out again in the morning. I'll use the Teacher System on you guys so that you can level up. Ok?" I suggest. Their eyes glimmer with hope and gratefulness.

"Y-you would do this for us?" Minori asks. She is completely relaxed now after hearing my offer. It's abnormal for a stranger to offer them help in such short notice. But at least they don't have to worry that I'm some perverted pedophile. Not that I'm one.

"This is going to be great!" Tohya jumps excitedly, pumping his fists in the air. "It'll be just as fun as the one when Shiroe-san taught us! Thanks Sirius-san!"

Shiroe? I am surprised to hear his name. The villain-in-glasses is actually a friend of theirs and too used the system on them. From my previous adventures with the man, he is by far the most ruthless and smartest villain-in-glasses. His strategies and veteran knowledge makes him a renowned player in the game. Even so, he is actually a kind-hearted man who is shy in lending a hand to others. It's not much of a shock to hear him helping out beginners.

"Well then, let's go back to the city!" Akira leads the way again. On the way, Tohya keeps asking me about my Samurai experience and Minori chatters away with Akira. When the city is just before us, greeting us with its warm lights, Tohya runs forward. A bridge separates us from the city that is protected by a magic barrier to keep monster at bay.

I notice aside the pretty lights, there are a few figures shuffling about just outside the city. My instincts nag me that something is wrong. I chase after Tohya and grab him by his collar. He comes to a halt and look at me with a questioning stare. The shadowy figures close in on us. I pull Tohya with me, backing away to where Akira and Minori are standing. When the figures are close enough, I realize they are not monsters, but players instead. They observe us intently, scanning us with their sharp eyes. I grit my teeth. I know what is going on. I can see by the looks on their faces. They look at us like a predator glaring at its prey.

The worst possible thing to happen right now.

"PK," I mutter. Akira's head jerks up when she hears the word. She turns back to the people in front of us, eyes with concern and fear. Immediately, she pulls Minori and Tohya behind her. They look at her without any hint of what is going to happen.

I glare with detest at the PK players. It is quick for them to resort to PK as a way to earn a living. But they are going to regret this. "What's wrong? Do you guys need help?" I shout, my hands linger over my swords. Visibly there are only four of them, but I bet there is probably more hiding in the forest, waiting for their chance to attack.

"Of course," says a female elf with dark olive skin, clads in pink. Her status bar shows the name Rikopin. "Leave us all your money and we will let you live."

I hear Minori gasp. Tohya is balling his fists and itches to launch himself forward but I give him a look to stand back. He gets it and tries to calm himself. "Why should I anyway? You think I'm afraid that you will kill us?"

The only Wolf Fang in the group, Smash, laughs. "There's only four of you. Correction—one of you that can fight. You the Samurai girl. The others are pretty much useless. The two young ones are only mere beginners. The other girl is probably a Cleric or a Druid. It's a win for us. Just hand over your stuff and we'll make this easy for you."

I scan the remaining two. One of them has a large build in heavy armor named Katsuomaru. The other is covered in dark robes named Stroganopp. The previous two look like Assassins while the latter is a probably a Guardian and a Healer.

This is going to be one heck of a battle. But I'm not going to surrender. "PKs need to be taught a lesson, huh?" I mutter and Akira nods.

The current situation is simple. I am the only capable fighter to fend them off. Akira can heal me if I am injured. Minori and Tohya do not have the skills to support in battle yet. I'm not a Guardian so I cannot be the tank to attract their attention on me. Plus there are still some who are hiding to wait for the right moment to attack. Possibility of winning is less than 30%.

But this is what makes the entire battle thing fun.

I unsheathe my swords. They take it as a sign that combat is about to commence and walk casually towards me. I nod at Akira to keep the other two safe. She nods back. I walk towards the PKs as a glow envelope me. A Kannagi shield is casted over me. I silently thank Minori but I doubt the shield can last long.

As I take another step forward, my legs are glued to the floor. Chains that emerge from the ground hold me firmly so that I cannot move. The sole female PK, immediately launch herself at me and I parry with my swords. The Wolf Fang unsheathe his swords and slash at me. I dodge by moving my torso. I can't keep myself glued to here.

"Sirius-nee!" Akira's scream jerk me back to where she is standing. The bulky man advances towards them, killing intent emanating from his figure. He is really going to kill them. I grit my teeth.

The chains retract from me since the casting time is up. I jump away from their attacks onto Katsuomaru, drawing his attention to me. His counterattack pushes me further from Akira and breaks the shield Minori casted. I breathe heavily, adrenaline coursing through my veins. The main three fighters have their eyes fixated on me. The girl launch another attack and I parry, and then I counterattack with a wide slash. I narrowly dodge the swords the Wolf Fang slashing at me. The bulky man smashes the ground that I just stand with his hammer-like weapon. It would shave off 20% of my HP if I didn't dodge.

My HP is gradually decreasing with every attack. It's time to use my trump card.

I raise one of my swords in the air. I begin to enchant. "Oh heavenly guardian, hear my prayers. Come to my aid. Bring forth disaster with your wings. Destroy evil with your breath. Tear the enemies apart with your claws."

The three fighters are taken by surprise with my chanting. "No way. She's a Summoner?!" one of them says.

The Wolf Fang yells. "Don't be fooled. She's just fooling us with that chant! Kill her!"

They immediately run towards me, faking their bravado so that they are not intimidated. I smirk.

I finish my chant. "Summon forth, the sole child of the legacy, Divine Dragon!" Purple light surround me, shining brighter with every passing second. When the light fades, I feel a heavy object weighting on my shoulders, its sharp claws clutching my flesh. I hear the flapping of a pair of strong wings and feel hard scales touching the back of my neck. Immense heat surge the back of my skull.

"Meet my dragon, Ryuuta."

Ryuuta roars, booming my ears but instilling fear in the PKs. He flaps his wings and takes off, breathing fire at them. They jump away as fast as possible, but the fire cuts off 10% of their HP. They are so shocked seeing a dragon with their own eyes they can barely try to attack. Of course. Ryuuta has a special effect. He can paralyze his enemies for 10 seconds during his first appearance in a battle.

I take the liberty and aim for the healer first. I use 'Double Wide Slash' on him and he falls to the ground, losing half of his HP. I attack again until he has only 5% of his HP. I can't kill him because I don't know if he can revive after that. In fact, I can't kill all of them because I don't know what it will do to them. The only way to stop PK is to give them taste their own medicine. How ironic.

"Ryuuta! Don't kill them! HP 5% would be enough!" I shout at the dragon. He roars and swoops in at Katsuomaru, baring his fangs at him. Ryuuta is as large as the man so the man falls to the ground when Ryuuta lands on him and claws at his armor. A Kannagi shield is casted on Ryuuta and a new one is recasted on me. I glance at Minori for appreciation.

I immediately change my target to the healer who is petrified a few feet from me. I slash at him multiple times, cutting his HP down to only 5%. After 10 seconds, the PKs regain their mobility. The three fighters began their assault on Ryuuta but he flies over them and breathes fire. The healer intends to heal him and his companions but I smash the hilt of my sword into his throat. He holds his throat dearly and chokes. For the next fifteen seconds he cannot speak nor use any spell.

Fifteen seconds is more than enough to defeat them.

My feet launch off into the battle that is heating up. One sword parries the attack from the female elf and the other sword slashes her gut. I jump away when the Wolf Fang nearly cuts me with his swords. I jump away again from the hammer's attack. My hands land the ground and I kick the Wolf Fang in his face. Ryuuta seizes the opportunity, grabs him by his shoulder, carries him high in the air and then lets go. The Wolf Fang descents on to the hard ground and his HP is cut off half. The bulky man lurches for me, hammer raised aloft. However, my impeccable speed slashes his gut before his eyes can capture the attack. His HP is more or less 5% remaining as he stumbles to the ground, pressing his wound to stop the bleeding.

"Ryuuta, the forest!" I yell. He gets what I am talking about and breathes blue fire at the bushes nearby. I hear screams and shrieks. Two cloaked men run out from their hiding spot, fire catching their clothing. Ryuuta swoops down and lands on them. He roars and booms their ears apart.

I return my focus on the healer, who is finally released from the spell I casted upon him. His mouth begins to chant the words of a healing spell. But I am faster. My hilts smashes his opened mouth and I use my momentum to topple him. He falls to the ground with a loud thud. I place my foot on his mouth, making sure he stays still. When he realizes he does not need words to cast his spell, my sword stabs the ground next to his face. Shock and fear mix on his face. He turns pale within a millisecond.

I glare at him. "Don't even think about using a spell. Try it," my other sword lingers over his face, only a few inches apart. "And I will stab this in your face. You'll die. But who knows for sure. Maybe you will return to our old world. Maybe not. Maybe you will die just like how people die in the real world. No revival at the cathedral. You will feel nothing but emptiness in your goddamn soul." My sword inches closer. "You wanna try that out?" I won't kill PKs, but that doesn't mean I will show mercy on their mental suffering. If I cannot solve PK by killing them, I will give them some good old-fashioned mental-torment blackmail.

The healer's face is paler than ever. I look at the rest of his companions. They are half-dead by now. The Wolf Fang glares at me, cursing. The only one standing is the female elf, but she is too scared to even fight back. Her legs falter and she collapses to the ground, begging mercy. She looks at me, and mutters something incoherent. The words repeat themselves and I realize what she is talking about.

"N-no way… it's her… it's her…" she mutters.

The Wolf Fang is infuriated by her frailness. "What are you talking about?!"

"T-the White Samurai! T-the one with the dragon! The Dragon Slayer!"

The Wolf Fang, hearing the title, appalled. He looks at me and notices my white hair. "You're kidding… right? Her strength rivals even the Sword Saint, Soujirou Seta!"

I'm that famous? I didn't know.

I sheathe my swords. They shiver in fear as I walk pass them to my friends. Before we enter the city, I look back at them.

"Only move after 10 seconds me and my friends enter the city. Or else," I do the gesture where I threaten to kill them off by slitting my throat with my thumb. "Commit PK one more time and I will kill you again. And again."

I give them a ruthless glare. "As many as it takes."

Hi guys! This is my new fiction and the very first about Log Horizon. It will span from the anime's first and second season so this story is probably gonna be a long one. I'm currently working on another one too about Assassination Classroom so will update as soon as possible. Hope you can enjoy this story!