Prologue
Pt. 1
14, September 2022 12:00
"You know, you really should get your head out of those books and go outside sometimes…"
I looked up to a tangled mess of black hair. Kiyoi. I blinked a few times at the proximity, slowly moving back to retain some of my personal space. Her face lowered further, taking my personal space yet again. I sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.
She wasn't going to let this go unless I answered.
"I like books." I say plainly… should be sufficient
"What are you even reading? I don't know how you get through those thousand page slogs."
"You'd be able to get through them if you applied yourself."
"Oh? How's that smarty pants?"
"You're smarter than me, so you can understand them just fine. You just don't give the book enough time to hook you."
"Hmm… Is that so?"
I stared at her wordlessly. She knew my answer and I knew she was planning something.
"What do you want?"
"How much do you want me to go through one of those?" She gestured to the book I was currently re-reading, a copy of the 3rd book in the Inheritance Cycle novel series by the name of Brisingr
"I would quite like that." I answered honestly, raising an eyebrow at her intense contemplation
If she got to the 4th book, I'd be excited to see her disappointment at the ending. While not liking it myself, it made sense in a way that meant you could only mourn at the bitterness it evoked. A stark contrast to most other endings in media.
"How 'bout this. If you pick up ONE hobby where you have to talk to other kids your age I'll read the first book. Each hobby after that is a new book."
My other eyebrow shot up, leaving me with a shocked but deeply interested look on my face.
"One?" I asked with skepticism
"One."
"Alright, sis." I put a bookmark on page 239, closing it and resting it on the nightstand near our living room couch
I walked to the door, slipping on my leather coat. It was from some video game, bearing an N7 on the left chest. I had no clue what game it was from, but I liked the design and I guess others did from the compliments I got over it for the first few weeks I started wearing it.
"I'll be out till 16:00. I'll make dinner before mom gets home." It was my day to cook
"You better not be late! You know I hate cooking!" Kiyoi shouted to me as I exited
She was obviously as excited by the concept as I was.
What hobby though…?
I thought for a brief moment, mind drawing blanks. Better head to the mall. It might give me some better ideas. I briefly looked up and to the right as I tried to remember the way to the subway station. Ah. It was just past that nice coffee shop.
I made my way left, hands entering my pockets for convenience rather than cold fingers. It was actually pretty warm for early September…
I dropped down the steps to the station 2 at a time, ignoring the pain in my right knee that flared up. It wasn't going to go away anytime, but my pain tolerance was perfectly competent at driving any physical response. I slid my pass through the ticket reader and walked through the turnstile, heading to the train. I was careful to stand behind the line as the train rolled up. I entered the train with the LEDs stating it was departing to Koenji, a popular shopping district.
I sat down in the seat right next to the window, looking up at the old man that held onto the hanging strap that hung from the ceiling. I sighed lightly before offering him my seat.
He accepted.
After the ride, I entered the shopping district. It was populated with electronics stores ranging from computers to appliances and even cars. I pulled out my wallet and stared at the bills that occupied it. After a short count, I realized I had a grand total of ¥255,924. Being I wasn't originally from Japan, it took me a few moments to convert it to American dollars.
I had $2,300. Well, not exactly 2,300 but it was not far above that. I hadn't spent much of my wages from my part-time job, and now it was painfully clear.
Sis was right. I need a hobby.
But what to choose?
I wandered around for a short while before glancing at a storefront. It roughly read Nerve Gear VR SOLD HERE. My Japanese wasn't the best when it came to writing, but I was fluent verbally. I glanced at my jacket before entering. My senses were assaulted with the covers of hundreds of video games. They ranged genre from something called fps (I had no clue to its meaning to VR, that one I knew from the articles on Nerve Gear to something called an "RPG".
I looked to the display for the Nerve Gear. It was supposed to replace all sensory input with that of the choice of a game developer. Essentially one would be put in the video game. It was a league above other forms of VR from what I read of the medical reports. It was even capable of blocking out the user's own sensations and completely overwrite them with the game's.
I curiosity was piqued.
How much did it cost?
I picked up the pamphlet that was in a little cubby that hung from the cardboard. I read the "facts" that it listed. Most were subjection from the beta testers of the only game developed for the system. It was called Sword Art Online, and according to the pamphlet, it was a VRMMORPG. I was slightly confused by the acronym until it was spelled out later in the pamphlet. Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. What roles were there to play? His interest grew as he went through the mechanics of the game as described by these Beta Testers.
Only one question remained…
How much did it cost?
I saw the ¥229,000 price tag and nearly did a spit take. That would take almost all of his money… but he felt compelled. It even came with a copy of the game, but due to bandwidth issues involving the servers, the game would be released in three stages. Each would take a month. First would support 10,000 players, a number the company wouldn't be able to make a profit off of. Second would support 100,000. Depending on the success of the game they would keep tacking more server space on to support the growing player base as needed in stage three.
It was a sound marketing decision.
They incorporated a lottery for each stage too.
I turned to the store clerk who had been looking at him in interest. Did the clerk know I wasn't a gamer?
"Are you going to buy anything?" The clerk seemed jaded
I thought for a moment.
"One of these." I pointed to the cutout
The clerk's head rose from his bored expression to surprise.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It looks interesting."
The clerk grabbed one of the boxes under his desk, which I quickly recognized as a Nerve Gear Box. Apparently, if I got into the first 10,000 I would have a copy of the game in the box, and if I I had the second stage one I'd get a rebate for the game. Third would get a digital code.
I handed him the bills and headed out of the store with a slight skip to my step. I nearly stumbled as I realized this. I've never been this excited for something other than a book…
I opened my front door, closing it behind me and placing it on the table. My sister gave me a funny look. I gave her a smile in return. Her confusion grew to a question.
"Ok… I've never seen you like that before… like ever. What is it?"
"My new hobby." I said, unpacking it on the kitchen table
Kiyoi got up, unsatisfied by my answer to her question. She watched me unpack the Nerve Gear and a small cartridge about the 3 inches long, 2 wide and 1 thick. I held the cartridge with wide eyes. Just with the 100k in supply, It would be a 1 in 10 chance of me getting into the first stage. I squealed at the realization.
"What is it?!" My sister snapped at me, not liking being kept in the dark
My face illuminated.
"I get to play Sword Art Online on release day."
Her eyes grew several sizes. She gamed lightly, but even she knew of the massive backlog on the servers of SAO. The chances of me getting this were low, so she hugged me.
"You're so lucky!"
20, September 2022 12:55
I fidgeted nervously.
It was almost time.
I looked at the clock… 12:57.
Couldn't time run a bit faster?
12:59.
I fumbled with the cartridge, nearly dropping it a few times
13:00
"Link Start!" I said in clean English, excitement brimming my tone
Colors flew past my vision as I felt my sensations die. Panic took me for a moment as I couldn't feel my body, but soon I felt a calm breeze. It was the perfect temperature. I sat in a blue void, a message asking my preferred language. I switched the default from Japanese to English. I definitely don't want to misread any menus, so I'll stick with my first language.
Log in.
I snorted when I saw the sign-up button. Who in their right mind wouldn't have signed up by now?
I pressed Login using my username and password.
Username: Amat
Password: ***********
Ok Cancel
I selected OK, as the menus faded to character creation. I saw sliders to my right, but I touched the face of what I presumed would be my character and felt the area give. A smile grew on my face as I realized I could sculpt their face. I was actually quite good at sculpting, though not really a hobby. I only ever did it for art class. Once my character's face was to my liking, I brushed through the menus to change things like skin tone and hair color. Once satisfied, I selected the confirm character button.
Colors flashed by me again, and the same lack of sensation followed it but I was prepared for it. I felt the warmth of a mild summer day beat down on my back as I looked around.
It felt real.
All of it.
I touched my face to realize it felt natural despite the different geometry.
My grin turned feral as I sped up to a full sprint. I felt no real drain on my stamina. I felt invincible! Stopping by what I think is a shop, I stumbled through the menus a moment until I saw a free item.
*New Player Guide- by Beta Testers*
I selected it, accepting the 0 Col cost. I opened it and looked through the first page. It had detailed descriptions of the weapon types and their uses. I memorized the content of the page as I walked to the exit. I'd done a bit of research before the game into RPGs. Apparently, it was important to be careful with your skill choice. The first skill any player should pick is their weapon skill. At the moment I was unarmed and according to the manual, I'd receive one upon selecting a weapon skill.
What weapon type do I want to take?
Maces were slow, but did massive damage and were especially effective against undead and heavy armor due to their blunt damage.
Axes were moderately faster than maces, dealing nearly the same damage, but had no bonus to blunt damage nor undead, but instead, it was in bladed which had a damage bonus to light armor.
Swords were the jack of all trades, as described by the book. The only bonus they received was a slight increase to critical damage. They were moderately fast and had no obvious weakness in any specific category.
Estocs were faster than swords, received a critical damage bonus and had high puncture damage to living targets. Estocs did less slash damage than swords and had a small bleed chance.
Rapiers were the second fastest, boasting a massive puncture damage but next to nothing in just about any other category. They ignored 50% of a target's armor on critical.
Daggers were the fastest but had next to no damage. They ignored all armor upon critical or sneak attack. They did a moderate bleed damage on each strike, but as the weight of the armor increased, the bleed damage lowered.
Spears were listed to the side and their description made him chuckle.
Spears are slow, do low damage, but have really good reach. Don't pick this. They're trash.
I hummed as I stood around 20 feet from a wandering boar. It was marked as an enemy to him, but it wasn't attacking. I figure that trend will continue until it was provoked, so I'll have time to decide. I want to be fast, and swords sounded boring. That leaves me the Dagger, Rapier, and Estoc. The Dagger is a no go because the range sounded terrible. I took fencing classes at one point so I figure I'll be good with the Rapier, but I want to branch a bit… Estoc then?
Yeah.
Estoc.
I pressed the button, smiling at the flashy animation that played for the acquisition of the skill. Now… from what I read up online there something called sword skills. They did the most weapon damage and you gained more with the level of your weapon skill. Now… where was that thing? I fiddled through the menus until I finally found out how to do the first Estoc move.
It was called Flowing Stream.
I looked at the boar, edging into the range to provoke it before holding the flat of the blade parallel and pushing forward. My heart raced as I was sent flying past the boar, killing it in the process. I blinked in surprise at the range of the technique.
This was going to be a lot of fun…
I glanced to the clock to see 15:15. That was real-world time. It's nearly time to log off of the game as it was time to make dinner. Mom would be coming home at 16:00 and she'd forget to eat if it isn't placed in front of her.
I do a quick once-over and find no logout option.
I do another. Nothing.
My heart races as I search through and find an empty slot. I jam my finger into it as many times as possible, but nothing happens. I try to settle my panic by rationalizing the situation. Maybe they made a mistake? It's got to be fixable. That or Kiyoi will pull the helmet off my head. I'll be able to…
I feel a tingle as a bright light overcomes me.
I close my eyes in recoil of the offending light, but when I open them I do not appear to be where I was before. I'm in a large plaza with roughly 10,000 players. A mass summon? I look around in confusion as the other players are just as confused as I am. Is this to soothe the concerns about the inability to log out?
Polygons spread across the sky, their red color washing a tint over the crowd. It seems to expel some liquid the color of blood before the liquid formed into a mass in the sky. I watched carefully as robes formed and a figure took place through the liquid. It introduced itself in a smooth, and supple Japanese accent.
"Hello, I am Kayaba Akihiko, Lead developer of Sword Art Online!"
Worry crept into my posture.
"I am grateful to each and every one of you for following in the stead of VR to be here today. As the more astute of you may have realized, the Log Out feature has been disabled for each and every player."
He took a dramatic pause.
"This is intended and should be considered a feature." Gasps of horror fled through the plaza, "For each and every one of you are a resident of Aincrad now. This should be what you consider your new world. As to mimic the trials of the real world and to give it meaning, I have instituted a Permadeath rule. This is for the game and real life. In other words, if you die in the game, you die in real life."
The Kayaba's tone had never changed from it's polite if slightly curt ring.
"Now, you may be wondering how or why I could do such a thing… The simple answer is that is part of the prize for completing the game. As there is no level cap, the only way to complete the game is to go through Aincrad's 100 levels. Once you beat all 100 levels, you will be granted with two things. Freedom and an answer."
"Now let me establish one last thing: For those who dare to think outside the box, there are a total of 9 unique skills. These will be spread to the greatest of the classes. So I hope you dare to think…"
The figure began to disintegrate before he spoke one last phrase that killed all hope.
"Oh, and before I leave… removing the Nerve Gear from your head is fatal. Hopefully, the media will learn after those first deaths… Farewell!"
I felt my knees give as I realized my mistake. I knew next to nothing about games. I had no hope. I'd have to wait for the pros. I was useless…
No.
Rocks dug into my hands, but I didn't bother worrying about them. The pain was almost nonexistent.
I have a wealth of knowledge. I know I can learn. The people are going to panic. I can help with that first. My fists clenched with purpose. I know what I need to do. I know how to help.
I can do this.
Character Profile:
Name: Taiyo Sukai
Age: 15
Sex: M
Sexual Preference: Heterosexual
Personality Type: INTJ - The Mastermind
Avatar Name: Amat
Avatar Class: Estoc Badesman
Avatar Level: 1
XP to next level: 43
Stats:
Agl: 1
Str: 1
Vit: 1
Def: 1
Sword Skills:
Flowing Stream:
DMG: 3x Base
Range: Default
Throw Distance: 19.685ft (Converted from 6m)
Cooldown: 2s
Required Level to Unlock: 0
A/N:
Hello there!
I got bored and to cover a bit of my writer's block I decided to write this.
I'm planning on having this focus on one of the more interesting aspects of SAO. The world and the people are poorly explored and often just as poorly developed. The show skipped by all of this in favor of the action. So, as far as tone goes, this story is going to be more similar to Log Horizon. It will cover the struggle of getting used to the game from a non-Gamer's perspective.
Expect a great deal of politics and antics with OCs.
And for those of you who want to see Kirito…
As the most powerful solo player, he's going to have to get wrapped into the politics just as Taiyo is going to have to farm and raid with the front liners.
Well, See Ya!