November 6th, 2022
I slumped hard against a wall in some alleyway located deep within the Town of Beginnings. Slowly sliding towards the ground, I scrunched up, pulling my knees towards my face, trying to take in everything that had just happened in the past half an hour or so.
I was one of around 10,000 whom had been deeply traumatised by the grim news which had just been announced no more than 15 minutes ago. In the streets just beyond this alleyway, gathered hundreds of players, whom were probably at this moment weeping, panicking or having a hard time believing or trying to comprehend the current situation.
You may be wondering what could possibly have everyone on edge? Well, let me explain everything.
Today was the release of a long anticipated game, the world's first VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) known as Sword Art Online. The game uses full dive technology to simulate all five senses through a machine known as a NerveGear. Anyone wearing this machine during a dive is paralysed in the real world, they cannot move or control their real life body, instead controlling their in game avatar through brainwaves. Kind of like a dream.
Anyway, just half an hour ago, the creator of Sword Art Online, Akihiko Kayaba appeared before all current 10,000 players, announcing that the disclusion of a log button is not a defect in the game, and that if a player is to die inside this virtual world, then the NerveGear would fry their brain in the real world, meaning instant death. He also mentioned that the only way to beat the game was to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad, the gigantic floating castle in which SAO is set in.
Well, now you know why and how we landed in this situation. The real question is now, what do we do from here on out? How do we beat a game that we only get one shot at beating? That's something only a real pro could do. Luckily we have some players whom already know their way around, some that can get a head start and begin clearing the first few floors. They're known as beta testers, those whom had the opportunity to participate in the month long SAO beta. I would know this as I am one myself.
I pulled my head up, turning my gaze away from the stone floor and towards the streets in the distance. I could hear faint cries and sobs coming from distraught players whom may probably never see their family or friends again.
Wiping my own tears from my face, I quickly composed myself, and slowly gathered the strength to pull myself to my feet. I swiped my hand down, opening the game menu, and scrolled through my inventory, selecting a dark blue jacket that I'd bought from the city's marketplace earlier that day. In an instant, a flash of blue light enveloped my upper half before fading as quick as it appeared. In it's place, was the jacket that I'd selected.
Brushing my messy blond hair out of my eyes, I began to make my way out of the alleyway and into the city's streets. All around me, depressed players leant against the walls and floors, some looking as if they were clinging onto their last drops of sanity. Others looked more full of rage than sorrow, quarrelling or taking their anger out on other players. I avoided eye contact, it was best not to get involved.
I continued to wander through several twists and turns, pushing past distraught players whom were drowning themselves in their own tears, making my way to one of the city's four main gates.
As a beta tester, I felt it was my responsibility to use what I had learnt from that month of continuous diving to get ahead of the other players and begin clearing Aincrad's 100 massive, imposing floors. To do so, I had to begin levelling immediately, I needed to become stronger.
I also wanted to find two players in particular, if they were even online. For their case, I hoped that they weren't, but knowing them, that probably wasn't the case. It was likely they had both left the city already, either together or separately, heading to the next town or out in the plains, slaying as many monsters as they could in order to gain exp.
I had met them during the beta. Over the course of that month the three of us had ventured through Aincrad, beating dungeons, grinding, crashing at inns, all the while sticking together the entire time. Too bad the game reset my character data after the beta, including my friends list, so I couldn't check where they were.
In no time I was already gaining distance from the city's walls, having fled the cramped, twisted labyrinth of streets for wide open plains which surrounded the circular city. I looked over my shoulder at the tiny rooftops and spires protruding from the above the miniature walls in the distance. From here, it was hard to believe that it was the largest city in all of Aincrad.
I looked up at the amber sky, and even further up at the dark grey concrete of the floor above, looming over everything in sight. It was beginning to get dark, and I definitely wasn't up to facing any of the nocturnal monsters, especially at my current level. If I wanted to reach the next town soon, I needed to get moving, and fast.
Suddenly, I heard the familiar sound of an enemy materialising about 20 feet behind me, with a bright blue glowing light visible out the corner of my eye. I swiftly swerved around to face my foe, realising my opponent was two large, blue boars. I stared them both down, swiping my finger down to open the menu, and selected my sword.
The weapon then materialised in my right hand, and I immediately got into an attack position, spreading my legs apart, bending my knees, and raising the sword above my right shoulder. The system recognised this movement, and my sword began to glow a bright blue.
All the while I didn't once take my eye off the two boars, which had now begun to charge in my direction. I waited for the right moment, allowing them to get into the right alignment, before I swung my sword forward, the system carrying out the rest of the attack. The whole world around me seemed to stop for a second as I shot forward at lightning speed, leaving a trail of neon blue light behind me. A second later, my feet landed on the ground again, and I found myself at least 20 feet further than I was a second before. Behind me, I heard two explosions of polygons and blue shards. This was a sword skill known as Sonic Leap. I didn't need to turn around to know that I had won.
A transparent window appeared before me, displaying the exp, item drops and Col (Aincrad's currency) that I had gained. I also noticed that I had levelled up, and had now reached level 3.
"Kyaaa!"
Suddenly, a faint cry caught my attention, followed by the sound of a sword clashing and a low growl. My gaze immediately shot towards the source, which appeared to be just beyond a small hill in the distance.
I darted towards the slope, sword gripped tightly in my hand. I recognised the growling sound, it was from a monster that was a rare sight in these plains, even on an evening like this. As for the sudden cry of fear, it sounded very feminine.
As I reached the top of the hill, I found that my suspicions had been confirmed. Sprawled on the ground against the base of a tree, was a young girl, not much older than me, with long, dark brown hair, a look of complete and absolute fear in her eyes. She waved her sword frantically at a singular wolf, which was slowly creeping on her, baring its sharp fangs, ready to strike. The girl tightly shut her eyes, looking as if she was ready to accept her fate.
The wolf bent it's knees, before pouncing at her. Claws at the ready, mouth agape.
Suddenly, there was a flash of bright blue light, and an explosion of many tiny shards and polygons.
When the girl finally opened her eyes again, the wolf was gone. Instead, I stood in it's place, the glow from my sword subtly disappearing. I turned to face the girl, whom stared at me wide eyed and with her mouth agape.
"Are you okay?" I asked, offering a hand.
The girl just stared at me for a moment, before suddenly realising that I had spoken to her.
"Ah! Y-yes...I'm fine" She grabbed my hand as she said so, allowing me to help her up.
"T-thank you! You really saved me there!" Her words were followed with a low bow, which I quickly dismissed.
"A-ah! Don't mention it!" I impatiently said.
An awkward silence then followed for a moment afterwards. She stared at me with her cute hazel eyes. I met her gaze and blushed a little, before speaking again.
"So...uh, what were you doing out here by yourself? Don't you know it's dangerous?" I questioned her.
"Um...well, I was with someone, I swear! But...I turned around for just one moment and they were gone!" Her eyes began to well up with tears. "I do hope he's okay...wherever he is..."
To think you could so easily lose someone in a huge, wide, open area like this.
She looked at me. "W-what about you?"
"Me? I was just heading to the next town. Trying to get ahead of everyone else."
Idiot. Why would you just blurt that out?!
"Y-You are?! In that case...do you mind if I tag along?" She looked at me with hopeful eyes.
Normally any guy would easily let a cute girl like her tag along. But I was rather cautious, was she just going to slow me down? Plus, she'd probably get lost again anyway.
Nonetheless, I gave in.
"Fine...just keep close okay? And I guess we can keep an eye out for your friend while we're at it" As much as I would have rather just continued alone, I couldn't just leave her, and besides, it was safer in numbers, especially at this level.
"Really? Thank you so much! I promise I won't be a burden!"
I let out a small sigh.
"By the way, my name's Ayumi. It's a pleasure to meet ya! And you are?" The girl looked at me expectantly.
"The name's Ren" I finally replied after a moment of silence, but in a tone that only some sort of serious shounen anime protagonist would use.
I looked up at the sky, the virtual sun had begun to creep behind the mountain range in the far distance.
"Hey Ayumi, we should really get moving soon, it's almost dark" I subconsciously put my hand on her shoulder.
"Right! But...which way's the next town?"
"Just beyond that forest in the distance" I raised a finger to point to the small, bushy collection of dark green trees in the distance. "Just follow me"
I began to head in that direction.
"H-how do you know? Have you already explored that part today?" Her question stopped me in my tracks.
"No, I was a-" I stopped myself, did I really want to reveal the fact that I was a beta tester to her so soon? Many players had already developed a distrust to beta testers already, seeing as how many had refused to help the noobs earlier today, some even going as far as purposely stealing other player's kills, or even killing other players, unaware of the consequences. Generally, acting cocky and superior.
Of course, I hadn't done any of those things, though I did refuse to help two kids earlier. I worded it kindly of course, but they didn't look too pleased with my answer nonetheless. If I revealed to Ayumi now that I was a beta tester, she could develop a distrust for me, then go off by herself and ultimately end up getting herself killed.
I turned my head towards the brunette.
"It's...just a hunch"
She just stared at me for a moment as I continued onward, I could sense the slight look of disbelief in her eyes. But she didn't decide to press on the subject any further, as she quickly caught up with me a few seconds later.
A short while later, the two of us were strolling along a small woodland path. On either side of the dirt path, was a small but steep slope, with trees sat at the top, looming over the edge, the entanglement of branches covering the entirety of the path below.
If I remembered correctly, the next town, Horunka, shouldn't be too far ahead. About 10 minutes on foot at the very least. My right hand rested on the hilt of the sword tucked into the sheath at my waist, ready for anything that could jump out at us.
I looked over at my shoulder at Ayumi, whom had not spoke in quite a while. The girl had a worrisome look on her face, but also looked deep in thought. I didn't want to disrupt her thinking, but this silence was too much, even for me.
"Hey, Ayumi" I said, managing to catch her attention.
"Hm?"
"Are you alright? You haven't spoken much at all since we entered this forest"
"Um...yeah, I'm fine, it's just..."
"Your friend?"
"Yeah...I just hope he's okay is all"
"I see" clearly this friend of her's meant something to her if she was this on edge. Were they perhaps friends in real life? Or more possibly?
"Hey, Ayumi...what's this friend of yours like? Are you two by any chance...in a relationship?" I shot her a curious look.
Upon hearing my words, she immediately blushed madly, frantically waving her hands and shaking her head nervously. Look's like I guessed correct.
"No no no! You got it all wrong...he's my brother"
Well, it's not like I haven't assumed wrong before.
"We both bought this game and logged in at the same time earlier today. Once that big scary guy appeared in the sky, and told us that we were trapped in here, he comforted me, and told me that he'd protect me and get us both out of here. That's when we both left the city, in search of the next town, but then...we got separated...and then you showed up."
The brunette began tearing up.
"My brother's always been there for me, always fought my battles, always stuck up for me. I really owe him a lot, yet I've never had the chance, or rather, seized the opportunity to repay him. I'm just nothing but a useless, pathetic excuse for a sister"
Her tears rapidly trickled down her cheeks and hit the dirt path below us, instantly vaporising however.
I found myself bringing my hand up to her shoulder.
"Hey, listen, none of those things are true. It doesn't matter if you haven't been able to repay him in the past, I'm sure he still cares for you deeply wether you do things for him or not. Besides, if you really want to prove your worth, maybe this death game will be the perfect opportunity."
I gave my best attempt at a smile.
"You've already shown that you also care deeply about him by being so determined to find him, so isn't that enough?" I added.
Her frown slowly curled upward into a smile as she brought her hands up to her eyes and wiped away her tears.
"Thank you Ren, for everything" She tilted her head slightly and beamed at me.
I returned the smile, before looking up at the darkening sky. The last slither of light was slowly creeping it's way behind the mountain range in the distance. No longer than a moment passed before it had completely disappeared, leaving the sky a dark blue.
Suddenly, an abrupt howl caught us both off guard, causing Ayumi to gasp a little. I readied my blade, moving into a defensive position. Ayumi didn't fail to do the same, and scrolled through her menu before selecting a sword similar to mine in design.
A low, vicious growl sounded not too far to the right. I reduced the distance between Ayumi and I. It was likely she was going to need some backup.
I looked up the slope towards the bases of the trees, noticing multiple black shapes slither in between the trunks.
"W-what do we do?" Ayumi asked, fear evident in her voice.
"Stay close to me. At our level, especially around these areas at this time of day, the monsters are stronger, and are more likely to cause status effects. So keep your guard up at all times, ya hear me?"
"Right!" She tried her best to sound brave, but her voice still quivered slightly.
If this was just any old game, the only thing we'd have to lose is probably a few items and get sent back to the last town. But this time, it's a matter of life and death. That's why Ayumi and I absolutely cannot afford to lose here.
Suddenly, one of the black creatures leaped from between the trees and out onto the dirt path in front of me, letting out a malicious bark as it did so. It was soon followed by three others, which proceeded to surround us like sharks circling their prey. Ayumi and I stood back to back in the centre of them. Her shoulder brushed up against mine as she let out a small 'eep'.
I focused, watching the wolves movements. With them surrounding us like this, it's impossible to wipe them all out with a Sonic Leap like I did before.
Normally I'd be okay with taking on four enemies by myself. But this time I had to look out for Ayumi as well. I just hoped she'd at least had some practice with a sword throughout the day. If it did come down to Ayumi's HP taking a big hit, I had some some HP Potions in my inventory. But I'd need to focus on defeating the rest of the wolves before I could tend to her.
I quickly ran all sorts of ideas and conclusions through my head, considering every scenario.
Suddenly, the wolf in front of me began to charge, before pouncing with its fangs bared, straight towards my face. I quickly brought my sword up to my face with lightning reflexes, and the creature bit into the blade, claws still frantically trying to slash at my face however. The creature managed to catch my cheek a little, before I used all my strength to push it away using my sword.
The wolf landed on it's side, skidding across the ground. I barely had any time to regain my composure before the next one came lunging at me. I managed to swerve aside just in time, catching the creature with my sword as it flew past, leaving a large, deep amber gash on the wolf's side.
The creature landed swiftly on it's feet, skidding a little as it came darting in for another attack. I stood my ground this time, holding my sword up high, before slashing down from top left to the bottom middle, just striking the wolf as it came into range of the attack. I then readjusted my wrist and my sword began to glow a bright blue, before slashing from the bottom middle up to the top right. This was the sword skill Vertical Arc. As soon as the sword reached my right shoulder, the glow faded back to the basic metallic silver, and the wolf glowed bright blue for a second, before exploding into hundreds of blue shards.
As soon as this one evaporated, the former wolf I had knocked aside came charging at me once more. I quickly swerved around, bringing my sword down just above my crotch, pointing it directly at the wolf. Just as the creature came within range, it broke into a leap. My arm quickly lunged forward and upward at the creature's exposed torso, striking it straight through it's chest. The creature let out a dying whimper before vaporising into an array of polygons.
I let out a long sigh, relaxing a little, before remembering that Ayumi was with me, and quickly turned on the spot to check how the girl was doing.
The brunette had gained at least 20 feet between us. The two other wolves were nowhere to be seen. All that remained was a very heavily breathing Ayumi. The girl turned her head in my direction, and let out a brief smile.
Honestly, I was surprised that she managed to take on two at once. Especially when she could barely handle one earlier.
Her expression soon changed when she seemed to stare into space.
"Um...Ren? What's this weird purple bubbly thing next to my HP bar? and why is my HP dropping rapidly?"
Crap. Poison.
"Hold still! Moving will only increase the effectiveness!" I quickly rushed over to her, opening my inventory.
"Quick Ren! It's going into the red!"
I had to hurry, I couldn't let her die on me, not when we were so close to the next town. I frantically scrolled through my 'remedies' menu, looking desperately for an antidote.
Gah! Why do I have so many different things?!
I briefly looked up at her, noticing the fear in her eyes. I needed to hurry.
I soon found the antidote I had gained from a monster drop earlier. This was the only one I had as I idiotically forgot to buy any. I pressed my finger down on the icon. I had never pushed down on something so hard in my life.
The antidote immediately materialised in my hand, it looked like a small jar full of a strange amber liquid. I handed it over to Ayumi. A cold sweat came over me.
In one swift movement, the girl downed the contents of the jar.
"It's gone"
A wave of relief flowed through the pair of us.
Though it was fairly stupid that I hadn't formed a party with her. That way I could have monitored her HP and her status conditions.
A brief moment of silence passed between us, both on edge but also greatly relieved.
"Hey...Ren? How come you know so much about this game? I mean, you seem to know your way around here quite well, and when I said my HP was dropping, you seemed to know exactly what to do...Were you...by any chance, a beta tester?"
My eyes widened upon hearing this. Her question caught me completely off guard.
I turned away from her, unable to meet her gaze. What do I say? If I tell her the truth, how will she react? I swallowed, and cleared my throat.
"S-so what if I was? Would it really matter? Would you...hate me?" I said in a barely audible tone.
"Hate you?! Why would I hate you? You've done so much for me that I couldn't possibly feel that way towards you"
I turned my head and met her gaze.
"R-really?"
"Yeah of course! Besides, my brother was also a beta tester"
"He was?!"
"Mhm. I have absolutely no problem with you being one as well. What reason would I have?"
Clearly, she had not heard of or seen any of the things some of the beta testers did today.
"Um...I don't know, just forget it, I was just being stupid"
She smiled at me.
"Sure!"
I cleared my throat.
"A-anyway, we should continue! We're almost out of this forest and you should get a clear view of the town when we get to the top of this hill" I said, gesturing to where the path began to slope upwards.
"Lead the way!" She replied happily.
The pair of us darted up the small slope, all the while still keeping an eye out for any more approaching enemies.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, we laid our eyes on the familiar sight of the small town of Horunka. It was a fairly small, but peaceful town. Nestled in the middle of the forest, it contained around 10 buildings, including an inn, weapon shop and tool shop, the rest being private NPC houses, some of which offered quests.
"Wow! It looks so pretty!" I heard Ayumi exclaim beside me.
"You bet it is. There are also no monsters that spawn in the forest around it, and it can be used as a hunting base" I told her. By now, I felt more comfortable sharing information with her as she knew of my being a beta tester.
I checked the clock in the top right hand corner of my vision. The display showed '19:45'. It had been roughly an hour and a half since I'd left the Town of Beginnings. The sky had grown an even darker blue, with the huge black concrete bottom of the second floor looming above us. The town in the distance was glowing a bright, orange haze, like a huge wildfire had started in the forest.
"C'mon Ren! Let's get moving!" I heard Ayumi call out, whom had already run off ahead. I quickly began to follow behind.
The bottom of the slope lead into a small open field, containing a few animals such as deer and rabbits. Beyond that, the field became a forest again, with a small path leading to the entrance of Horunka.
After about 10 minutes of strolling along the dirt path, we had finally came across the entrance of the small town.
The town consisted of a small square with a teleport gate in the centre. Surrounding it was all the town's main facilities, with a gap in between for the road leading into the residential district.
Beyond that, was more forest, which also happened to be where the Secret Medicine of the Forest NPC Quest mainly took place. I remembered taking that quest during the beta, the reward being a sword known as the Anneal Blade. I wondered if I should take it again, seeing as the sword proved to be quite useful up until the 3rd floor.
There didn't seem to be very many players here, only one or two scattered here and there. Clearly everyone else was either still cooped up inside the Town of Beginnings or risking their lives out in the plains or forests.
Ayumi let out a small yawn and stretched a little.
"I don't know about you Ren, but I'm beat"
I pointed over to a small stone building on the other side of the square.
"You can rest in there for a small price" I explained, trying not to reveal my own drowsiness.
"I hope he's in there, or at least close by" I heard her mutter.
"Isn't he on your friends list? I mean, you can pretty much track him from there" I asked.
"Well...no, I guess we kind of forgot to add each other as friends" She replied, looking away.
I scratched the back of my head. Seriously, you're brother and sister, you log in together and yet you forget to add each other?!
"I guess it can't be helped then"
I sighed.
The pair of us wandered across the square towards the wooden door of the inn. The square was greatly lit up due to a large number of streetlights on every corner.
Ayumi gently pushed the door open, while I lingered back a bit.
"What's wrong? Aren't you coming in?" She asked over her shoulder.
I stood there in silence for a moment before answering.
"I'm sorry, I can't, I need to look for someone...well, two people actually"
"Are you sure? You look pretty tired. I mean, can't you at least have a meal or something first?" She looked at me and spoke in a worrisome manner.
"No, sorry...I can't rest until they're found"
She shot me a look of understanding.
"They must really mean something to you"
I nodded.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways then" She looked up at night sky, there were only a few stars visible due to the light pollution of the town, but it's not like they were real stars anyway. She continued.
"Thanks for everything again, without your help, I probably would've wound up dead"
She smiled at me.
"Don't mention it. I hope you find your brother"
"And I hope you find who you're looking for too"
An awkward moment of silence passed between us.
"Well...I guess I'll see you around then"
"You too"
I began to wander in the opposite direction, along the brightly lit street. I could sense that she was still watching me as I gained distance from the inn.
I soon came across a wooden bench and collapsed onto it. I sat back and relaxed for a bit, watching as other players made their way towards the inn, and NPC's locked themselves inside their homes.
I recalled the events of the past day, still trying to comprehend the fact that I was trapped inside this death game. It was all just too much.
It was likely I'd never see my mother and sister again.
I felt a single tear escaped my eye, but I quickly wiped it away, taking in a deep breath. I had to be strong, I had to beat this game.
Suddenly, a small 'ding' interrupted my thoughts. I raised an eyebrow, and swiped my finger down, opening up my menu and noticing I had 1 new friend request.
It was from Ayumi.
I smiled to myself a little, and gladly accepted it. It was enough to make me feel warm inside.
I glanced up at the sky once more, and even further to the concrete bottom of the second floor. A look of determination on my face, I silently promised to myself, my family and my friends that I'd beat this game, and someday return to the real world.
I clenched my fist tightly.
"Bring your worst, Kayaba"
And with that, the first day of the Official Sword Art Online Server came to an end.
Feel free to criticise! This is the first time I've ever published anything I've ever written so I would love to hear your feedback on how I can improve! Well, bye for now!