Disclaimer: I DO NOT own SAO and its cast. Credit belongs to Reki Kawahara. All I own is my OC.
A/N: On another note, I'm sorry if there'll be any inconsistencies to the story. I've decided to follow the first SAO LN but with a sprinkle of Progressive as well as a few originals here and there.
Also, I admit I'm more of a casual player when it comes to MMOs so the terminologies and certain quirks that usually happens in most MMOs are a bit foreign to me but I'll research it as much as possible for better reading experience.
- o - o - o -
I dodged the rampaging boar, the attack barely scratching me but the damage enough to lower my 《HP》 gauge to ninety-six percent. Two more from the herd of boars I was attacking flanked me from behind, with three kobold henchmen closing in from the front as if wanting to join the party.
I readied the sword in my hand, my mind assessing the possible strategies I could use. "Any minute now," I mumbled- eyeing my health before facing the hoard.
The boar I previously dodged tried to aim for me again, its cries enough to force the two behind me to make room, the lapse of attention the perfect timing I needed to exploit.
"Take this!" I yelled, my feet digging into the soil before I lunge for the boar careening towards me. I steadied my blade and aimed in between the eyes, my momentum quickly stopped as we both collided. I grit my teeth at the impact, my hand shaking when my sword harshly connected with the boar's head.
With one final yell, I pushed with all my strength and dug the sword deeper into the boar before raising it up to pull it out in a quick arc. I huffed when the huge animal collapsed, its body shattering into a million pixels.
The cry of the other boars and kobolds behind me leave me no room for a breather, my sword already shakily at the ready as I turn to the remaining group beginning to circle me. "Five left..." I mumble, assessing my enemies once again.
I noticed a small one lingering behind the group, noting that I could probably kill it with two or three strikes without damaging myself. It's only assuming if I get a successful critical in between and if the others were as patient like last time.
Which, sadly, wasn't the case given that my last attack had also damaged them. Why did I believe that I could handle six monsters on the get-go?
The boars came rushing in first, my body immediately moving to dodge their moves. I've already established their weaknesses but due to the weight of the sword- I might not make it out unscathed if I stuck to it. Running would have been an option but my pride refused to do so. It was cowardly and it was a trait I detested the most in people. I'd rather lose than run away.
After all, it's just a game, right? It's not like I'd really die if I lost here.
I dodged another attack and put a few distance between the hoard and myself - just enough for me to go and switch out with a rapier.
The moment the rapier materialized in my hand, I quickly aimed for the boar's head, before backing away and delivering more quick jabs at the boar until its health reached zero.
Four more to go.
"Hraaa!" I jumped onto the back of one of the larger boars after I switched back to a sword, the animal beginning to jump like a mad bull. I stabbed the blade into the enemy, keeping my place on its back as it continued its dance.
"Let... Me... Kill... You!" I shouted between the boar's jump before I pulled out the sword just as the boar got me out of the circle they herded me in. With blinding attacks, I managed to take down the boar before I noted that my health had now fallen to ninety percent.
Three.
I switched back to a rapier now that I was within a distance and aimed for the first of the kobolds that reached me. The thin blade connected with its back before I spun around and ended it in five successive blows. I ducked and rolled to dodge the other kobold, my rapier stabbing it in the side before immediately backing away when I got up. Two more hits to the back ended it just as the last kobold charged for me, my rapier slamming against its own weapon before being harshly taken away from me at the impact.
I clicked my tongue as the kobold charged again, my sword coming in too late as I took the blow full on. "Ghck!" I unconsciously yelped at the impact, my gauge lowering to about eighty-one percent due to the attack being a critical. Luckily, my hand remained gripping onto my sword, the victory obviously on my side amidst the damage I received.
After a few successive slashes, I defeated the entire hoard, a sigh of relief escaping my lips as I collapsed to the ground. Even though I can't feel the pain of the attacks, the mental strain of how nearly realistic the game was still tired me out. It makes me realize once again how amazing the programming had been put into this game to make it feel so life-like.
Almost like I had been whisked away into a different world.
The sound of somebody clapping made me turn my head to the side to see two men approaching my position. My hand immediately gripped my sword tightly, using it as a crutch to help me stand when they stopped. My eyes assessed their movements carefully, wondering why they would approach me so casually when I barely knew them.
"You sliced through those monsters like it was nothing! I could barely see you when you moved." The man with red hair commended me, his eyes showing no form of evil intention behind them. But, then again, this is a game. I doubt I'd be able to read people here as easily as I did in the real world.
Although, his voice did sound rather cheery and earnest so maybe he didn't pose much of a threat as I suspected him to be. Now his silent companion on the other hand-
"AH! We forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Klein by the way." He then gestured to his partner who looked rather hesitant at being introduced. "This here is a new friend- Kirito."
"Camellia." I returned the gesture with a light dip of my head. The moment I fully looked at them- that was when my eyes widened, my mouth barely parting when I finally recognized the man beside Klein.
"You're that guy from the beta test!" I nearly exclaimed, the man Klein called Kirito tilted his head in confusion at my greeting. "Oh! How rude of me. I'm the one you helped in the fourth floor, remember?"
When no recognition flashed across his features, I couldn't help but turn red when I realized that I had no choice but to disclose the embarrassing stunt I had done during the beta test before another person.
I sighed at the thought but nevertheless proceeded to tell them. "The one who decided to roll in the sand only for my foot to get stuck in a quick sand."
I could see Klein trying to suppress a laugh just as Kirito finally realized who I was, his eyes widening in recognition as he pointed at me. "You're the one who lost her shoe right? The one they called Cinderella during the beta test!"
It was at that moment that Klein had finally lost it.
- o - o - o -
"You didn't have to let him know my infamous nickname too..." I frowned at Kirito after I spoke, Klein's laughter dimming to chuckles at the memory.
"Sorry, I didn't think it was funny seeing as you nearly suffocated then."
"It's only a game. I doubt I'd die in real life. Still-," I decided to wave off the issue just to save whatever dignity I had left before continuing, "-it's good to see you here on the launch day of SAO. I could tell you were a true-blue gamer on the day I met you at the beta so I was a hundred percent sure I'd see you here again."
"R-Really? I don't think I did anything that would warrant that much of an attention..."
"Are you serious? You practically climbed until floor nine! I barely even made it to the sixth floor." I pointed out, Klein's eyes widening like saucers at us.
"What the- what kind of people are you?! I feel like such a noob when I'm around you guys." He shook his head dismally, earning him a chuckle from both Kirito and I.
"Hey, being a newbie isn't bad. In fact, I'm not really as good in this VRMMORPG as I look when I fought those hordes," I assure him, explaining that I had barely managed to perfect the use of a sword skill before they met up with me.
"I was only part of the casuals who tried the beta because they had connections. My uncle knew someone who got me a free pass so I decided to try it." I continue on to explain before pulling out my sword and raising it to the sky, its metal glinting against the dipping sunset. "This is our beginning, see. I think of SAO as a different world to me- a place where I can start again... So I don't think being called a newbie means you're weak."
"I guess that came out weird, huh?" I chuckle awkwardly when they were watching me in confusion.
It was Klein who spoke first, his dampened spirits lighting up ever so slightly. "Well I got the gist of what you're trying to say. So thanks for that, Camellia."
"No problem, Klein. This is just a game, after all- so we can take it slowly. I just got the heads up on how the game works since I took the beta test that's why I look capable but I'm just like every casual player if you make me play a game for the first time." I waved off with a joke, their company actually relaxing. It's been a while since I had a decent conversation, one of the many reasons why I love playing RPG games.
RPG games gave me a chance to change myself outside the mistake of a life I have in the real world. My obsession with the 2D world was frowned upon by my parents and those around me. A hobby considered unbecoming for the next in line as the future head of the leading pharmaceutical company in Japan.
I even lost my so-called friends when they found out about my secret, calling me a game otaku and a disgrace to my parents' name. Only my 'estranged' uncle cared about what I wanted. He was the reason why I even got to try the beta test in the first place. Amidst my parents' hatred towards him because of his laid-back personality, he was actually the only person I even considered family.
He apparently worked for the very man who made the game- Kayaba Akihiko. I practically worshipped the guy ever since I played the beta for SAO; the way he revolutionized the whole gaming industry and his intellectual prowess that made this VRMMORPG possible.
"Oi, Camellia- you okay there? You're making a weird face-" I snapped back to reality when Klein called me out, my cheeks probably turning pink when I realized that I had ended up losing focus again. I'm usually very observant but I guess in a world like this? I feel like I can live in it forever...
"Ah, sorry!" I apologized while scratching the back of my head embarrassingly. "I was just thinking of how surreal this world is... Kayaba really outdid himself with SAO..." I trail off, admiring the setting sun like it was the real thing.
The clouds moved silently in the sky, pockets of floating islands with their own flora and fauna danced like ships across the sea of expansive scarlet hue. The wind moved the grass we were surrounded in, the scent of earth and the countryside vivid to my senses even if they were only made of ones and zeroes.
《The Town of Beginnings》 or the place where a new me begins. "It all feels so real I-," I was at a loss for words, my reaction enough for them to know what I wanted to convey.
"It feels like a dream, right?" Kirito finished to which I nodded.
"A dream I don't want to wake up from..." I mutter too low for them to hear, my eyes returning its gaze to the scenery before me.
"I'm up for another round of hunting," I decided to finally say aloud, hoping to relish in these remaining moments before time moved again and I had to go back to the real world.
The reality of my monotonous life.
"Do you guys want to party up and hunt over at the next town? 《Tolbana》has a good spot for farming," I add, noting how Kirito seemed to perk up at the prospect of a good hunting spot. Knowing that I had snagged Kirito, I turned my eyes to Klein- waiting for his response.
"It's a good offer... But I'll have to decline." He smiled apologetically, "I have a pizza being delivered over at 5:30 and I don't want that to get cold."
"I see." My smile faltered ever so slightly. Here I was hoping we'd be playing until evening but I guess I was the only one who considered this place more of a home than my real one. Klein must've noticed my dejected look, guilt obviously marring his features as he stood up.
"Now don't go giving me that look. I'm still coming back after I eat. I have a few friends waiting for me back at 《The Town of Beginnings》, after all. If you'd like- I can introduce you both to them."
"Really?!" I exclaimed rather excitedly, the prospect of adding new fellow gamers to my friend list an opportunity I didn't want to miss. Finally! Friends who actually share the same interests as me.
Turning to Kirito, I had noticed that the news made him blanch, his lips curving downward into a light frown. It seems he didn't share the same sentiments I did- but then again, he really didn't seem that ecstatic when Klein introduced him to me even after he found out we previously met back at the beta test.
Could it be that he was bad at social interactions?
It could explain why he always remained in the sidelines during the beta stages; having heard of him as a solo player who only joined groups during a boss raid. He was also alone when he saved me then so it could be that the rumors were true.
"Maybe next time, Klein." I ended up blurting out, surprising Klein at my sudden 180 at the prospect of meeting his companions.
"Whoa, you were excited just a minute ago, Camellia. Why the change of mind?"
I could feel Kirito passing me a thankful gaze, my fingers twirling my loose side bangs when I decided to reply to Klein's question. "Don't you think you should be getting that pizza? You only have five minutes left." I immediately changed the topic. The trick worked, with Klein forgetting all about the question when he realized that he had yet to log out.
"Crap! I still haven't fixed the house yet," he panicked before turning to us to quickly give a farewell. "Be seeing you later guys! I'll pay you back when we meet up again, Kirito. Consider it a reward for giving me a tutorial!"
Kirito and I shook his hands vigorously after that before I turned to Kirito when Klein began to open up the menu and proceeded to the log-out option.
"I propose a challenge," I smirk, my declaration earning me an equal gesture.
"I'm listening."
"First person to kill 20 《Kobold Henchman》 earns the right to this 《Anneal Blade》I got from a quest at a town called 《Horunka》. How about it?" I explained before pulling out the new blade from the menu. Kirito's eyes widened like saucers at the gleaming blade, my pride swelling at having gained the upper-hand against him.
"Amazing. I didn't think that someone would end up making it to 《Horunka》after just a few hours of the game starting. Usually, they'd go over the tutorials before gambling their chances to leave the town."
"I'm a beta-tester like you, remember. I wanted to see if there were any changes to the game as compared to the beta." I remind him before returning the blade back into my storage. I was just about to explain to him what changed about the requisites to complete the quest when Klein's voice pierced through our conversation, his tone sounding completely baffled.
"Uhm... Where did the log-out button go?" His question earned him a surprised expression from both Kirito and I, our conversation forgotten when we turned to him in confusion as well.
"Did you forget where it is? It's right after you open the system menu." I reminded him, even showing him my own menu to guide him.
It was only when my finger landed on the blank slot that I froze, Klein's words ringing true as I stared dumbfounded at the slot where the log-out should be.
"It isn't here..."
"Right. But then again it's to be expected since the game just came out. I wouldn't be surprised if there were bugs at the start."
"Easy for you to say, Klein. Don't you have a pizza waiting for you back home," Kirito teased, both him and I chuckling at Klein's expression that morphed into horror.
"My anchovy pizza and ginger ale-,"
"Why don't you try calling the GMs then?" Kirito decided to supply to which Klein shook his head in defeat.
"I have. But they aren't even replying..."
"Weird. I mean, I doubt they'd be this sloppy since they practically hyped up the whole game."
"I know what you mean. A bug this obvious should've been sorted right away and yet-," Kirito stopped midway, his body going rigid as if he had discovered something ominous.
Meanwhile, Klein was busy shouting 'Log-out', 'Return', and the like- something I found funny since SAO doesn't posses that kind of voice command. Kirito reminded him soon after of his useless endeavor but the worry seemed to never leave his face.
"You look worried, Kirito. I noticed that something dawned on you a while back- care to explain?" I decided to call him out, seeing as anything we could discover was really needed right now to help Klein.
It wasn't like I was bothered anyways of the bug. There wasn't anything waiting for me back in the real world except for a cold dinner with me, myself, and I. My parents were out on a business trip and I doubt they'd be back until next week or so. The servants tend to leave me alone and my uncle should be busy fixing this issue right about now.
So yeah, it didn't bother me unlike Klein who had a pizza waiting for him back home.
"Sorry. It just dawned on me that besides the log-out menu... There really isn't any other way to leave this game," Kirito explained.
"Even forcibly pulling out the NerveGear is a no-go since the actions are rerouted to prevent our real body from getting hurt if we were a little rough here in the game," I added, recalling the manual I read right after I purchased the NerveGear.
Of course, my explanation came too late when I saw Klein trying to pull out an invisible helmet off his head- the sight enough to make anyone think he had lost his mind.
"No luck... I guess we can't do it manually ourselves..." I sighed at Klein's delayed observation and looked out to the autumnal sky that was beginning to grow dark.
"Nope. Unless someone pulls out the gear then we're stuck here," I continued on. "Which is funny, given that rather than leave us here- the management should've at least forced us all to log-out themselves."
"It's been 15 minutes since we discovered the bug. I wonder why they haven't forced us out yet? I mean, the company that made this is known for their amazing customer care. It's odd for them to be slacking off right now, especially since this is the first VRMMORPG... " Kirito joined in, making me nod at his hypothesis.
The last they would do is earn the wrath of their customers... So why isn't anything about the bug being announced yet?
A bell in the distance snaps us out from our little investigation not long after though, our eyes searching for that ominous tolling that reverberated around us.
"What the-," My eyes returned to Klein whose voice sounded panicked, his body engulfed in a bluish light before he disappeared. Kirito and I followed next, the light blinding enough to force me to close my eyes-
-Not knowing that this was a prelude to something far terrible awaiting me in the horizon.
- o - o - o -
"Camellia! Kirito!" I slowly opened my eyes to see Klein running towards me. Next to me, Kirito had just recently materialized along with probably almost all the players also currently online.
We were all huddled in a medieval-looking plaza- the heart of 《The Town of Beginnings》. The sound of people incessantly complaining was painful to the ears, my voice lost to the sea of dissonance around us. I decided that talking was useless unless I had to shout in someone's ear so I decided to stick close to Kirito and Klein who looked just as confused as I was.
A beeping alarm in the distance nearly silenced the entire populace, my eyes looking up to see a blinking red announcement with words 'system announcement' and 'warning' written on the sky. I noticed from a side-glance that Kirito had relaxed then, having probably reached the same conclusion as me.
I guess the GMs finally announced that we would have to be forcibly logged out due to the bug-
Or so I had thought.
Rather than return to my cold and lonely house, my eyes remained trained to the sky that had now felt ominously dark. The picturesque sky I had grown to love began to flicker until something viscous like blood oozed from it like those from a horror movie.
Instead of raining down on us though, the liquid slowly formed into a hooded figure whose face was hidden- or rather- non-existent within the scarlet robe.
"Players... I welcome you all to my world," the robed figure spoke. His foreboding words brought to life the recently silent crowd, all of them suddenly began erupting into murmurs.
"Is this an event?"
"What does he mean 'my world'?"
Those were just some of the conversations that floated around me. I didn't bother to overhear anymore of their chatter, focusing my gaze onto the floating hulk of a figure before us. The voice likely belonged to a male but this was a game so chances were that he could be a she. His presence felt like I was facing a final boss, my mind already imagining what skills he could do or how many life bars he had.
"My name... is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only one who can control this game..." I nearly choked on my own saliva, if it was possible in SAO, at the hooded man's announcement.
He can't be talking about 'the' Kayaba Akihiko?!
But why? My uncle had always told me that Akihiko was more of the silent type who worked in the shadows. What prompted him to finally walk into the limelight?
"I think some of you have already realized that the log-out menu has disappeared from the main menu. I assure you all- this is not a bug. In fact, this is all part of the 《Sword Art Online》 system!" Kayaba announced, waving his sleeved hand as if gesturing to us all.
The weight of the announcement had shocked us all to the core, my avatar unable to move at the absurdity of his words.
Several nervous laughs resounded around me, most of them shouting about the ridiculousness of his statements and to stop with the jokes. Yet, this was Kayaba Akihiko we were talking about- to make a joke like this? It isn't like him at all.
He would gain nothing beneficial by incurring the hatred of the players with a cruel joke like that.
"Until you reach the top of this castle then you cannot leave this place. Please be forewarned that any attempt to escape this place half-way by having someone pull your NerveGears off will result in terrible consequences..."
As if it couldn't get any worse- Kayaba's next words were the icing on top of this twisted nightmare cake.
"The sensors in your NerveGears will send an electromagnetic pulse into your brain... Frying it in the process." That was enough to get the people around me to panic, the mention of death heavily weighing in our minds.
"In fact, 213 people have already lost their lives due to this. Rest assured, the police and media have been warned and so your bodies should already be sent to the hospital wards to get proper treatment..."
He spoke of it like it was of trivial matter. 213 lives already lost before the game even truly started. Lives he casually tossed aside as if they had already served their use- is this really the man I looked up to? My uncle never said anything about this side of Kayaba-
Wait, my uncle! Surely he would've known by now, right? But even then- what could he possibly achieve?
We were at the mercy of this man... Even my uncle would only endanger our lives if he tried to intervene. It only means that we have no choice but to follow what Kayaba said- end this game by reaching the final floor.
But did I even want it to end?
Amidst the fact that certain defeat here means death and even intervention from outside forces means the same- I did not, one bit, feel it to be any different than the real world.
It's surprising, that my hands barely shook when he announced the death game. Didn't I say before that if given the chance- then I would never want to leave this world where I could start again?
I mean, death is inescapable after all. This is no different than living in the medieval times. Magic didn't exist too, which meant relying on your own skills with weapons just like any ordinary weapons expert. It's possible to learn, Kayaba didn't totally limit our capacity. We could learn any skill the game provided, all in exchange of clearing this game.
Yet- as I watched the people before me already in hysteria - I knew that I envisioned was nothing more than a farfetched dream.
Not everyone here was, in a hundred percent, expert of the said game. SAO was a hyped game after all. So anyone who was fast enough could get their hands on the game- may they be experts in MMO or not. I wouldn't be surprised if there were kids here too, those cheating their ages to be able to play the game.
Their cacophony of cries resounded in the suddenly claustrophobic plaza- all echoing the same words that I myself, just minutes ago, would have never said-
"I want to go home! My children are waiting for me!"
"Let me out- I have work tomorrow so stop spouting lies!"
"Mommy! Daddy!"
These people, they cared about the reality and I- who hated it- didn't have the right to act like I was thankful this happened. The realization of this made me see how pathetic it was to actually think that I could be happy here...
SAO had now become a prison rather than my sanctuary...
We always crave for power and control- to manipulate others to our own benefit. That is what Kayaba has done to us. That is SAO's flaw and only now had I realized it. This isn't a world where I can start in- this is merely Kayaba's play room where he could control us as he saw fit. That isn't the kind of life I want- it's no different than what I went through in reality.
I had to get out if I wanted to achieve my true freedom.
"Let me prove to you that is your reality now," Kayaba's voice boomed amidst the throngs of shouting, those words that I once accepted had now become sickening to hear. "In your inventories- I leave a gift. Take it."
I clenched my fist at that command, unable to deny it like everyone in this room. Even Kirito and Klein had gone and opened theirs, accepting this new fate that they never wanted. Even in this world, I have no choice but to obey.
"《Hand Mirror》," I said the item's name aloud, the small hand-sized mirror materializing in my palm. Brick-red hair sported into a high-ponytail and hard gold eyes stared right back at me from the reflection, the face of the avatar I had designed looking completely clueless and frustrated.
It was only when people started shouting that I had noticed we were all glowing, my eyes closing for barely a few seconds before I slowly opened them- a look of horror morphing on my face at the familiar face now looking back at me.
Messy ebony black hair that reached until the small of my back and startling crystalline blue eyes replaced my previous look- Kayaba's words ringing true.
'This is your reality now.'
"Camellia? Is that you?" I turned behind me to see two strangers looking right at me, one about my age and the other a few years older.
"Wh-Who are you people?" I ended up stuttering before I immediately covered my mouth with my hands. Even my voice-
The 'me' I had desperately hated and tried to hide -how?!
"It's you, isn't it?" The older of the two spoke, his outfit already giving me a clue as to his identity. "K-Klein?" I guessed earning me a tired smile that accentuated the age on his face.
"The one and only..."
Turning away from Klein, I faced the other stranger next to him, his boyish features completely different from the mature and calm avatar he donned in both the beta and a while ago. "Kirito?"
Kirito merely nodded solemnly, his form showing how scared he looked as compared to before. In fact, Kayaba's cruel goal had lifted the fantasy veil of SAO- the people around us no longer living in the confines of the game's alluring lies of escapism.
Children and adults gathered in the center, their images mismatching the armor they once wore with confidence. The mirror in my hand cracked after it had served its purpose, disappearing into pixels in my palm. Even my level had been returned to one- my life bar glaring at me like a death mark.
I barely registered this reality that Kayaba spoke of when an ear-splitting scream resounded in the short-lived silence. Kayaba's frightening hooded avatar had long since vanished from the sky, the red errors disappearing to reveal the now ominous blue one I once admired.
Suddenly, people around me began pushing, rushing to the outside of the plaza like antelopes being chased by lions. I felt my body being crushed against the heap of bodies, the screams deafening to the ears.
"Camellia!" A hand grabbed me harshly by the arm, pulling me against the crowd. I was surprised at the strength they had to go against the hysteric sea of people, their grip barely slacking until we were pulled into the alleyway where a few people were in.
"Are you alright?" The familiar voice of Klein pierced through my muddled mind, my body barely registering any command my brain tried to give.
I guess I was still in shock, my body still slowly trying to accept what my mind had long since done.
"I'm barely hanging," I admit shakily, resting my back against the wall of a building. "Where's Kirito?"
Klein's face was a mix of worry and sadness, the people behind him making me realize what Kirito had done- what any former player of this game would have done. "He left for the next town, didn't he?"
"I'm bad at hiding it, I guess." Klein chuckled, noting the defeat in his tone. "A person like him... He gets guilty easily and I know that what he's suggesting is a good idea but placing our life in his hands? I think there's only so much a person can take."
"I see..." I admit before turning to all of them. "And you guys? What do you plan to do? By now, the outside plains will be crawling with people. Leveling up here is nearly impossible unless you take the risk to the other town."
"I know but I guess we'll try to do what we can. It's too much of a big gamble if we rush out like Kirito. We aren't as good as him, after all."
"Then let's form a party," I suggest, surprising both Klein and his friends at my proposition. "In a larger group, we can at least get by against stronger foes. The 《EXP》we get is the same as that of the starting monsters if it's divided. Right now, 《Horunka》 is our next bet to secure a safe zone. I'm pretty sure Kirito will be heading there as well."
"Woah, woah!" One of Klein's friends stopped me, "Isn't that a bit reckless? Sure we have a large group but if one of us gets attacked then that damage is only taken by one person. It's too risky."
I bit my lip at his retort, knowing well that he was the kind who wouldn't risk even a sliver of chance to get stronger. In fact, none of Klein's friends looked to be the type to, making me realize why Klein was adamant to stay behind.
"I understand why you're in a hurry, Camellia. I guess you're like Kirito in a way... There's a reason why I stayed behind but it doesn't mean that you have to as well," Klein assured me, prompting me to sigh at him.
"Tsubaki..." I correct him, his head tilting in confusion at my odd reply. "My real name's Tsubaki. You're my friend now so you have the right to at least know my real name."
Klein's smile seemed to widen at my response, the first smile given to me after the grueling ordeal we just went through. My menu blinked soon after that, only to see that I had been sent a notification from Klein himself.
《Klein added you as a friend. Do you accept?》 the notification said. "Well, friends have to at least make sure they stay in touch, right?"
I grinned at his response as I accepted his friend request. "Ryoutarou. That's my real name. Stay safe alright, Tsubaki?" He gripped my shoulder in a reassuring squeeze after he spoke.
I nodded one final time at Klein before turning to his friends waiting behind him. "Stay safe too guys. I hope we meet again."
After exchanging our farewells, I turned around and made a run towards the outskirts of 《The Town of Beginnings》, towards the distant horizon where my fate would soon entangle me in an adventure far greater than I could have ever imagined.
-To be Continued-