SAO: Rebooted
"Link start!" I shouted with my nerve gear placed tightly on my head, is saw a rainbow of colors rush past my face, and soon felt unable to move my real body. The login screen popped up along with a keyboard, I moved my fingers to click the keys but my fingers didn't move, however the nerve gear knew what I was doing. I logged in with my username: Arun, and my password *******. The screen went black for a few moments. I lay in in a mix of excitement and anticipation; of what was to come, I did not have the luxury of playing the beta of this game but now that I had it I was certain I would figure it out like it was second nature.
I opened my eyes as I materialized in a large square, a message popped up in the menu welcoming me to Sword Art Online, and the town of beginnings. I looked around and saw players everywhere, many of them materializing just like I did. I knew what I was going to do first, I opened my menu with the swipe of my hand, and opened my character page, I was level 1, and I had 55 HP. The only equipment I had was a full set of "Trainee" armor, and a "basic iron dagger" the armor was a basic black shirt with a leather chest piece over it, and light brown boots and pants. I was using the character I had imported from another game from the makers of Sword Art; my character was around five feet 9 inches with spikey dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. The next thing I did was locate the Town of Beginnings map and found some weapon shops. Col was this games currency and I had started with 500, which I was sure was enough for a decent sword to start with.
It had taken me about 20 or so minutes just to move through the town of beginnings, there were so many people walking around everywhere, I had to fight every step of the way moving people aside trying to squeeze through crowds and such. When I finally arrived at the bazaar street all I saw was total chaos, people trying to push their way through the crowds and every shop stall had lines of around 30 or so players, The sword stall had almost double that. The best sword there that I could afford was 400 Col; I guess it was pretty noticeable how I was eyeing the sword because I was approached by a boy.
"Looks like your itching to get your hands on that sword huh?" the boy asked, he was a head shorter than me, and he had blue eyes and long light orange hair, wearing the same armor as me except his shirt was yellow, and his boots and pants were black. He stood waiting for me to respond.
"Uhh yeah," I started looking back at the basic short sword and then back to the boy, "I want to start grinding for experience as soon as I get some better gear but this line is so long it'll take forever." The boy smiled like I had said some magic words.
"I could help you with that" the boy said opening his menu, "I have that same sword, and I'd be willing to part with it if you're willing to part with some extra Col." This caught my attention, I was eager to start my grinding and learn the combat system.
"How much extra?" I asked carefully since I only had 500 Col to start with anyway. The boy sent me a trade request.
"Since you've just started that means you only have 500, so I'll take all of that," the boy said raising his arms to stretch, "or you could just wait an hour to get it for 100 less". I knew I was being played into paying more money than the sword was worth, but I did not want to have to wait an hour just to buy a sword.
"Deal," I said accepting his request, a menu popped up with slots to place items in and a text box to input money amounts. There was a side on the menu for each of us, each side had our names above it, and his name was Kleff. A sword icon appeared on Kleff's side of the trade box with some text next to it, "Guards short sword" was the weapons name, I used the virtual key board to type 500 in the Col transfer box, once both sides had the agreed items to trade we both accepted the trade, and I lost 500 Col but gained a one-handed sword.
"Pleasure doin' business with you Arun," the boy commented as he walked away. I said nothing in return, I simply watched as he disappeared into the crowd of players. I opened my menu found the "Guard's short sword" and equipped the weapon to my back, I then opened my map and found the nearest exit of the city.
I took my first steps into the field and a message popped up, the message notified me that I was leaving the Town of beginning's safe zone and that I was now vulnerable to take damage from AI enemies, and other players. I could contain my excitement no longer and I just started to run, I didn't stop until I couldn't see any other players around me. I was in a hill environment, it was grassy and the only enemies here were boars, and the occasional green slime. I heard some growling from behind me, I turned to see a boar; he was stomping around and growling at me as if to warn me to back off. "You wanna' go?" I asked as if the beast could answer me, it responded with more thumping and growling. "Alright, let's go," I said as I drew my sword and the boar charged me, I lifted my sword ready to strike, I rolled to the side just in time to slash up and the pig, I could see a strange red cut mark, but it didn't look like I wounded a creature, it looked as though I had wounded a programing. The beast turned back to me, and its originally blue eyes turned red, it charged at me the same way it did before except this time it was much faster. I attempted to attack the same way I did before but it was too fast and its horn tore into my lower left side. I didn't feel pain, it was more like a minor shock, it hurt just not nearly as much as a gash that size should have. The boar turned to attack again but this time I was ready, I pointed the tip of my blade at the boar and it began to glow blue, the monster attacked, and I met it head on driving my sword deep into its skull, the creature blurred for a second before exploding into glass like shards that disappeared moments later.
"AHH!" I heard someone scream from close by, I turned to see to guys in the distance one was watching the other, the other guy was on the ground. The one standing and watching had long black hair, and the one on the ground had red hair, and was holding his crotch in pain. I just chuckled at the sight and started to walk away since one level one boar isn't much of a threat, even with the hit I took, I still had 50 HP left.
"Congratulations you have reached level 4" said the message on my screen, I had been grinding for a few hours but the first fields on this floor only spawned low level enemies that gave little experience. On the bright side I made 1400 Col in the time so I was just about ready to go and buy some new better armor. I was going to make a little more experience before I return to the Town of Beginnings. The sun was ready to set soon, it was 5'oclock pm and I was almost ready to log off for the night. I continued to walk in the fields stopping from time to time to take in the breath taking view, taking in all that the world of Aincrad had to offer. I saw something that peeked my interest in one of those moments, I could only faintly see it in the distance, but it was a slime, not a normal green slime, but a slightly bigger blue one. Maybe a mini boss? I thought to myself as I drew my blade. It felt lighter now that I've used it so much; it felt not like a weapon, but as a part of me. Do I really want to take that thing on if it is? I thought to myself as I got closer to it, I couldn't see its stats because my enemy assessment skill wasn't high enough. All I could see was its health bar, not the actual number of its HP, just the bar itself. What the hell, not like ill actually die if I lose to it, my new opponent turned to me and started at me with a cold blank stare; a message popped up on my screen "Event started: Slime Mother".
"Slime Mother? Please don't tell me that means," As if on cue to answer my question, the blue slime shot balls of slime around me that rose and turned into enemies. They weren't strong, they were level 1 "newborn slimes" and they only had 6 HP each, but they had surrounded me. They all leapt at me at once, they were high jumpers which gave me the opportunity to slide under them and slice up. I killed one with one hit this way, and I didn't even have to use a sword skill. They attacked one after another, and one after another I cut them down, but they didn't stop coming. I soon realized that every time I killed one the mother slime just spawned one more to replace it, there was constantly 7 newborns attacking at all times. "Fine ill just kill you first!" I shouted as I activated a sword skill and slashed and the Mother as I rushed past her. I looked back and saw that I had only done a tiny fraction of the mother's health, it didn't even go into the yellow zone, and to top it off to of the newborns leapt, and fused with their mother completely healing her. She could just continue to spawn more slimes to wear me out, and every time I attacked her she would just heal herself with her infinite supply of slimes.
Without me noticing I was surrounded again, the slimes continued to draw closer and close until they all pounces me gain. I though fast and activated another sword skill, this time my blade glowed a shade of crimson and with all of the strength I could summon up from my character I spun with my blade out slicing each of them in half, and without thinking I charge the mother again. I went berserk, slashing again and again until she was in the yellow zone. The slime had had enough, I thrust my sword into the monster only to have her suck it in. and with a tentacle like arm that appeared from her back, she impaled me and sent my flying like I was nothing. I felt actual pain, I had only 15 HP after that attack, and I had a bleeding effect that was taking 2 HP from me every second. I though fast and used the freebee potion that I had gotten because I had bought a hard copy of the game. It healed all negative status effects, and I had taken it just in time too, because I only had 3 HP left. Now or never! I mentally shouted to myself, I stood up and with the last bit of courage I could muster I charged the mother before her little minions could fully heal her. I had jumped inside of her, I was surrounded by the blue slime. And in one final act of defiance to the boss that was meant to be unbeatable by one player I grabbed my sword activated my sword skill which the sword turned red and against the density of the slime I was engulfed in, preformed the spin attack. Making the boss loose the last of its health and explode into glass like shards.
A screen followed notifying me that I had reached level 6. Wait level 6? Didn't I just turn level 4 before? I questioned, and last was the loot I had obtained. "Hardened mother slime armor" I had put it on right away, it was like blue plate armor, that was a pure see through blue that showed my black shirt underneath. It also had a built in shield like armor on the left arm. I wonder how good it is. I pondered forgetting that I could just check the stats. I equipped my starting dagger held it to my chest and plunged it at myself. It snapped on my armor like it was a twig, even though I never used the dagger, its durability couldn't hold its own against my new armor. That's OP as shit. I thought to myself as I watched the dagger hilt disappear in a similar animation as an enemy dying.
I felt a strange tingle in my body, almost like a chill in my bones before I suddenly found myself in the square at the Town of Beginnings. More and more people kept appearing the same way I had until the entire giant square was completely packed with people. "Look!" I heard someone shout and all at once everyone looked at one spot in the sky, I looked where they were, and I couldn't believe that what happened next was real.
The sky was bleeding; it was dripping red until it formed a somewhat oval shape in the sky. The ball continued to morph until it took that shape of a hooded man, a hooded man whose face was completely shadowed out by his hood. "Attention players, I welcome you, to my world," the man said. I could feel some eyes on me as well because of me being the only one who didn't have some of the basic floor one armor. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment I am in control of this world," He said, I didn't know what to think at first. People in the crowd were muttering silently, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. "I'm sure that most of you have noticed that there is an item missing from your main menus," he continued, "the log out button, let me assure you this is not a defect in the game. I repeat this is not a defect, this is how Sword Art Online was designed to be." At this point people were already starting to silently panic in the crowd while others tried to calm them down so we could hear the rest of what Kayaba was trying to say. "You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the nervegear from your head," continued, at this point I was legitimately afraid, I opened my menu to see he was not lying, and that there truly was no log out button. "If anyone attempts to do so a transmitter inside the nervegear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life," I could not believe what I was hearing, I was hoping to god that this was some sort of sick effed up joke. Kayaba continued "Despite my warning the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the nervegear. An unfortunate decision to say the least." At this point I was actually believing what he had to say and I thought of that fight with the Slime mother, and how I nearly died, and if I did would I have been allowed to go back home. "As a result the game now has 213 less players than when it began they've been deleted from both Aincrad, and the real world," kayaba said as he continued this announcement, "As you can see international media outlets have round the clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. "At this point its safe to assume the likelihood of the nervegear being removed is minimal at best." I felt anger, actual anger swell in me as I tried to convince myself that this couldn't be real. "I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important to remember the following, it is no longer possible to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever." People were looking around frantically trying to figure out if this was real or not, "And the nervegear will simultaneously destroy your brain." When Kayaba said this my mind again went to the battle with the slime mother, and how I was so reckless because I thought t wouldn't affect me in the real world, I was wrong. "There's only one way for a player to escape now, you must clear the game. Right now you're gathered on floor one, the lowest level of Aincrad, if you can get through the dungeon, and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100, and you will clear the game." People were frantic; the crowd was going to turn into chaos soon if nothing was done.
"last but not least, I placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look." Kayaba said, and as if rehearsed everyone took out the item. It was a small hand mirror, I looked down at my fake face and not soon after I found myself surrounded by a blue light. When it had subsided I saw that everyone was going through the same thing, and everyone's appearance was changing. When I looked down at the mirror again, I didn't see my avatars face, I saw my own face, my own Hazel eyes, my own short combed dirty blond hair. "Right now, you're probably wondering why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online, and nervegear do this to us?" Kayaba said, which is what I was thinking at this point "ultimately my goal was a simple one, the reason I created Sword Art Online, was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see I have achieved my goal." I didn't know what to do, what to think my mind was shutting down from the shock. "This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." And slowly he disappeared in a blur, and the sky returned to its normal state. I wasted no time I ran, I ran out of the square and made for the fields, I was already over level for floor one, but I couldn't die here I couldn't let myself lose at Kayaba's game.
A little more than three months had passed since Kayaba revealed that this game, Sword Art Online, was a death trap. We reached floor 5 already but we've lost a little under twenty-five hundred players since this game started 213 of those players didn't even have the chance because their friends or family tried to take their nervegear off. "Hey I got the sword," Kleff said as he entered the tavern I was in and walked to my table. He sent me a trade invite and sat down across from me. Kleff and I partied up when we fought Ill Fang, the floor one boss, ever since we have been a two person team. Kleff was by far the best merchant I knew, and a contender for the best player merchant in the game, he made screwing people out of their Col look like it was a fine art.
"Good," I said as he gave me the sword and some of my money he didn't spend on it. I equipped it to my side and unsheathed it, it was a sabre made of a white speed raising metal, and it had a gold hand guard with a leather grip on the handle.
"Ya know I could have talked him into trading some awesome armor for that chest piece of yours," Kleff said with a sigh as he put his feet on the table. He wasn't wrong for wanting to trade my chest piece, it was rare but we started seeing better creatable armor since floor 4, but none of the armors so far offered my built in arm shield that allowed me to use it like a shield without sacrificing mobility.
"Yeah but none of the defense boosts are worth losing the shield arm," I said getting up from the table; Kleff followed me into the streets.
"Yeah because that's so great," Kleff deadpanned, this made me somewhat mad. We continued down the street to the city gate.
"So, I guess we're going dungeon clearing then?" Kleff asked as we made our way through the crowds of mingling player, to be honest it was kind of refreshing to see people making the best of a bad situation, it gave me hope.
"How else am I supposed to test out this new sword?" I rhetorically asked as we continued. We were almost at the town gate when I spotted a familiar black coat in the distance. "Hey, Kirito!" I shouted as I changed course to his direction. Kirito turned and waved to me and Kleff as we got closer. Kirito, Kleff, and I had been in a party when we fought the boss on floor one, there was another girl too but I never got her name. "Hey man, how's it goin'? We haven't seen you since the floor four boss fight last week." I said when we were close, Kirito was wearing a black coat, black shirt with a gold plate protecting his upper chest, and black pants, all that to match his black hair.
"Fine, and yeah it's been a while, were you going to go dungeon clearing?" he asked as he and I low fived.
"Yeah, you want to come?" I asked opening my menu and sending him a party invite. He stood quiet for a moment, as if weighing his options.
"I'm up for it," he started in a questionable tone, "but I've already been in there today, and I was going to rest up for a bit." I took notice that he didn't deny the invite so there was still a chance I could convince him to tag along.
"Are you sure? The liberation Army is offering a 15,000 Col reward for the first person to complete the dungeons map, and we are really close," I pleaded trying to appeal to the greed that according to Kleff, was in everyone if you dig deep enough, "split that three ways and we all pocket 5000 Col."
"Hmm I could use the money…" he paused a moment before accepting the invite.
"There we go," I said happily. Kirito may not have looked like it but he was the strongest player I've ever seen, even I would have trouble beating him, if I could beat him, and all I do in this game is fight.
"Sweet, I can already taste the money," Kleff said before licking his lips humorously, this getting me and Kirito to laugh at his greed. "I was being serious," Kleff huffed, making us laugh even more.
"We know, we find it funny how much of a money grubber you are," I said after our laughter was discontinued. "Now, let's clear us a dungeon!" I shouted enthusiastically raising a fist in the air.
"Yeah!" shouted Kirito and Kleff simultaneously making the three of us laugh for a bit more. It was good that I had friends like them, because in this world, the only things we can enjoy are the little things.