Chapter 1
Error: System Reboot
It's… over. I thought as Heathcliff's…no…as Kayaba Akihiko's sword pierced through my chest. I looked up, waiting to see the final 'you are dead' appear in front of me, but nothing happened. I only saw Kayaba's utterly surprised face.
Wondering what took place that so shocked him, I checked my HP bar only to notice an impossible five percent life remaining. Wait, it just moved up to ten percent. After a moment of confusion it became clear what happened. My [[Battle Healing]] skill! It restored my HP just before it hit zero! I can't let Asuna's death be in vain! I have to end this NOW!
Gaining new-found feelings of hope, courage—and rage—I took advantage of the demon's ongoing shock and stabbed him with both my [[Elucidator]] and Asuna's Rapier, [[Lambent Light]], over and over, until I saw his HP drop to zero.
Just before he shattered into countless polygons, Kayaba chuckled and said something that would change my life forever.
"I will keep my word. However, everyone, including you, will all come right back here again in a few seconds."
"What the—" Three seconds later, I realized exactly what he meant. Only too late, I saw everything go white. Then everything, all of my memories, started to play in reverse. I felt myself slowly losing consciousness, succumbing to the black void that appeared just as the rewinding stopped.
Suddenly, I realized just what this might mean. If time rewound like I think it did, then Asuna should be alive again!
"Yes, the system overload caused by my boss and master's premature defeat has caused a meltdown of the entire system." A female voice, resounding throughout the void, said. "This…error… caused the fatal flaw of the system to activate, something even Kayaba didn't foresee until far too late."
"You mean that the fatal flaw, just a system meltdown, would cause time itself to rewind for the entire world, not just SAO?!" I exclaimed, not believing that what I had just suggested turned out to be true. The voice materialized into a girl, who simply nodded.
"You are the one I have chosen as my champion, so I have four gifts for you. Two of them are a unique set of swords, originally meant to be obtained by the wielder of dual blades on the 90th floor. The next one is unique as well, being that you can use dual wield at the start of this vile death game, though I recommend you keep it a secret, at least until you master it. The last, which is meant for use solely on dual wield skills, is to use skills without the system assist, meaning you can move freely while using dual wield skills. You will only be able to use this once you master dual wield. The same goes for the two ultimate swords. Farewell, my black prince."
As she faded from view, I checked my inventory to find that all of the items she described were actually there, in an extra folder, called [[Gifts from Rinko]].
Then everything went white.
[[ERROR: SYSTEM REBOOT]]
"Okay… Goodbye Klein." I said, feeling terrible for not being able to help more. I started to walk away further into the dark alleyway.
"… Kirito! That avatar you had was cute! Totally my type!" he said playfully.
Obviously, he was trying to lighten my spirit, with successful results. I smiled.
"And that rugged look suits you ten times better!" I replied lightly, wondering if I would ever see him again.
I ran down the alleyway, getting halfway to the corner before turning around. Tears started to build up in my eyes when I noticed that he had disappeared, possibly forever. I ran further into the alleyway, not stopping as I reached the outside of the city, and the field beyond. I noticed a [[Frenzy Boar]] in my way, so I charged up a sword skill while running towards it, determined not to let the pitiful mob get in my way.
I unleashed the sword skill, destroying the boar in one hit, not even noticing the level-up window left in my wake. I'm going to survive. I'm gonna win!
Three Weeks Later
The [[Dire Wolf]] proved itself a strong, dangerous opponent. It had a tendency to form packs when hit, and I, currently fighting an entire pack of six of them, knew I wouldn't live unless I came up with a strategy or they formed an opening. Three of them only needed one hit from my dual blades, which were currently in the process of leveling up, but that wouldn't help much in my current predicament. I got it to around 450/1000 and that wasn't good enough. Both of my blades, one known as the rare quest reward, [[Anneal Blade]], and the [[Tree Cutter]], the strongest normally acquired sword on the first floor, were refined to +6.
Currently I was barely hanging on to the green color of my HP bar. Each hit I got from a [[Dire Wolf]] eliminated a noticeable amount of my HP, enough that if I received two to three hits from each of them, I would die.
I eyed the mobs closely, noticing that the one with the most HP started slowly moving forward, making a triangle. Perfect. If I defeat all six, it should put me just past level eleven. Let's test out my new skill, shall we? I thought.
I started unlocking dual wield skills left and right, so I decided to finally test one of them out. [[Triangle Cut]] would allow me to attack in a straight line, cut through all mobs until there were no more in my line of sight, then turn right at a sixty degree angle, eliminate enemies in that direction, and then turn back to the direction of the first mob I destroyed, and cut back, all in blinding speed.
Activating the aforementioned skill, I dashed towards the left side of the triangle formed by the wolves and executed the skill perfectly. This resulted in sending six [[Dire Wolves]] into the abyss known as the [[Cardinal System]], where they wait to respawn.
I noticed that I had made a miscalculation when judging the amount of EXP I gain, not knowing that using a dual wield skill multiplied the amount of EXP gained by one point five. Thus, I went up to level twelve and gained a bunch of materials needed to upgrade my weapons to the maximum limits, as well as the A-class weapon I tried constantly to retrieve, the [[Dire Claws]].
"Very impressive Ki-Bou! You defeated six [[Dire Wolves]], reached Level 12, and got my Claws! I knew I could count on you!" an all too familiar - not to mention annoying - voice chimed out. I sighed.
Argo [[the Rat]], an infamous information broker, and the only one who knew about my dual wield skill.
She found out about it by accident, bumping into me in the [[Forest of Wolves]]. In exchange for keeping quiet about my skills, she asked for one thing: the [[Dire Claws]], a rare drop from [[Dire Wolves]], which has a ninety percent chance of being of the Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, or Ancient class. These particular [[Dire Claws]]were of the Unique class, giving her the bonus of [[Movement Speed + 3]].
"Now, will you please not tell anyone? I had enough of a headache getting these to you." I said, hoping to Kayaba that she would keep her word so I could go back.
"Of course! I would never go back on an agreement, especially with Ki-Bou." Argo said enthusiastically. "But you're just going to go back in there for more leveling, right? Let me know if you get these in Legendary or Ancient class, and I'll tell you about possible girls in your harem!"
"Whatever, Argo. Let's just friend each other. F-for business purposes!" I said, suddenly finding our surroundings very interesting. Wait a second, that's—!
"Oh, Ki-Bou, this is all going so fast—" She started, fortunately not getting to finish before I pushed her out of the way just in time to avoid a two-wolf attack. Unfortunately, I landed on top of her in a compromising position, holding myself over her with my hands on her chest.
"A-a-aaah! I'm sorry Argo!" I exclaimed, hoping against hope that I'd be spared another week of blackmail. I did not want her to have something else on me.
"Baka Ki-Bou, I'd gladly let you do anything to me any time." It's official. My life is over. My bleeding nose is proof. More importantly, we have twelve angry dire wolves to fend off.
"Argo, what level are you?" I asked impatiently. "That, Ki-Bou, will cost y—"
"ANSWER ME NOW!" I shouted, not leaving room for verbal retaliation.
"Ten." She replied meekly. I did out-level her by more than ten in the beta, and she knew that sometimes I took my revenge later on instead of at that moment.
"Good. You take the pack on the left, I'll take the pack on the right! With your new Claws, you should be able to do it!" I ordered fiercely.
And it began. First, I used [[Triangle Cut]], to thin out some wolves unluckily positioned in the perfect formation. Then, I took to doing what Dual Blades do best — launching an extremely fast and overwhelming offense. When three of the mobs surrounded me, I unleashed a devastating attack. By spinning around three times and hitting each mob, I sent a wave of thousands—no, millions—of polygons flying out in all directions. The only problem? That attack left me dizzy and vulnerable to attacks.
Luckily, Argo appeared just in time to defend against an oncoming attack from the accursed mob, then was gone as fast as she appeared, going back to fighting her share of the irritating Dire Wolves.
Finally recovered from the dizziness, I moved on to the next stage of my onslaught. I performed a series of slashes in rapid succession, so fast that it almost reached the system's speed limit.
Left, right, up, diagonal-up-left, right, down.
Once the first Dire Wolf shattered into countless polygons, I moved on to the next one, and finally to the last one, repeating a similar series of slashes each time. Having finished, I noticed a level-up window, signifying that I reached level thirteen.
I turned and watched with awe as Argo sent the last of her set of dire wolves back into the recesses of the [[Cardinal System]]. A level-up window appeared, upping her level not once but twice, right up to level twelve. To put this in perspective, average players were levels five to six. Beta-testers were level seven, eight at best. Argo and I were both beta-testers, but we took our leveling a step further than necessary. We didn't whittle away at mobs at our level or lower. No, we took it as high as we could, going up to mobs at least two levels higher. Of course, the first floor mobs plateaued at the [[Dire Wolf]], at level ten, the same level as the boss.
"Argo, great job." I said with quiet enthusiasm, giving her a thumbs up. Those Claws definitely suit her well. They prioritize speed, and with enough upgrades, they become the strongest and fastest Claws up until the fifth floor.
"Thanks Ki—huh? Who's that?" Argo inquired curiously. I turned around to see a girl with long black hair shining in the moonlight, her large bust covered by light armor, and her stunning emerald eyes staring straight into mine, as if piercing my very soul. Her armor consisted of a light breastplate, a pouch strapped around her waist (most likely containing throwing picks), lightweight boots that came up to her mid-calf, and half a set of [[Dire Claws]]on her left hand. As she stood up, her hair cascaded down to her knees, shimmering beautifully under the system-simulated stars.
"Kamiko…?" I said, remembering her claim that she used her actual appearance in the beta-test. She still looked stunningly beautiful as always. The girl in question just stared at me, eyes boring deep into my soul, before stammering, "Ki-Kiri-kun…?"
Tears started building up in her eyes, and just like that she vanished, leaving said tears in her wake.
"Wait, Kamiko! I'm sorry! It's not your—huh, it's no use." I said sadly, feeling sorry for her, still blaming it all on herself.
"Kamiko, Kamiko, Kamiko… where have I heard that name before? WAIT A SECOND! Was that Kamiko [[the Queen of Claws]] from the beta!? The one who constantly showed her affections for my dear Ki-Bou!?" Argo asked, flabbergasted.
"Y-yea, but I'm not yours, Argo." I said, blushing from remembering Kamiko's overly-nice attitude towards me up until the incident, everything suddenly clicking into place quite nicely.
"Baka Ki-Bou, you really didn't notice that she loved you?" Well, at least she didn't treat my blushing that way.
"That's right! I was about to warn her about where she ran off to! She went towards the den of the [[Alpha Dire Wolf]]! We have to go save her!" I exclaimed frantically. I could never live with myself if I let my best friend from the beta die!
"Let's go, Ki-Bou!" she said while sending me an invite to join her party. I quickly accepted, and we set off. Dashing through the [[Forest of Wolves]], I could only keep up with Argo because of the speed boost I got from dual blades. We were still a ways away when Argo looked at me and said slyly, "Ki-Bou may have to use his love charm again!"
"WHAT!? I don't have—*sigh*, whatever. What do you mean, anyway?" I asked, annoyed. Argo couldn't make any less sense if she tried. Then it clicked. "You don't mean—"
"Yup, she saw your dual wield skill! You'll have to make use of your effeminate love charm!" she said giddily, probably hoping to see some sort of love hypnosis skill or something.
"I am not effeminate! Whoa!" I said, just as a large tree came into view right in front of me. Acting on impulse, I sheathed my right sword, and then used my right hand to swing myself around the tree, kicking off of it to catch up to Argo, who got a few meters ahead of me while I evaded the tree.
"You're right though, I do have to do something to make her keep my dual wield a secret. And no,I will not use my so-called 'love charm'." I said contemplatively, wondering what I could do to make her willingly keep it a secret. I don't want to force her, especially now that we've yet to be friends in the official game. Hopefully she would accept my friend invite this time too.
Finally reaching the den of the field boss, the [[Alpha Dire Wolf]], we found Kamiko on the ground, struggling to stand up. Standing over her in its [[Werewolf Form]] at over three meters tall. With two of its four health bars depleted, the Alpha certainly made for a menacing sight. Without thinking, I drew my [[Anneal Blade]] and charged at the horrid beast.
"WRAAAHH! I'll KILL you!" I screamed angrily at the beast, charging at it while charging my [[Chain Skill]], which allowed me to use multiple sword skills in rapid succession. I could use one or two blades for as long as I want, in exchange for the combined cool-down time of all of the skills I used once I finished, plus a 25% cut in defense for five seconds.
I opened with a [[Sonic Leap]], coming back down and continuing with a [[Slant]], jumping back and perfectly executing a [[Crooked Fang]], and ending it with a [[Blink Cut]] - a dual wield skill I recently learned. Unfortunately for me, [[Blink Cut]]has a handicap that the field boss unwittingly exploited.
When I use [[Blink Cut]], I move blindingly fast, but I can only move in a straight line. When my blades make contact with the target's body while using the skill, my own body phases through the target while my blades cut through it. If the target points a sword or other blade in my direction, I still execute the skill, but the mob's blade cuts through me and deals immense damage.
The [[Alpha Dire Wolf]] exploded into polygons, leaving nothing behind but a message saying that I got the [[Last Attack Bonus]]. I stood a few meters behind where the field boss had been, with giant claw marks all over the left side of my body - just barely missing my heart in some cases. My HP in the red, a measly five points out of eight hundred eighty five, did not frighten me for some strange reason, but made me feel oddly satisfied. I had saved Kamiko.
Everything faded into black.
A/N: So, how'd you like it? Love it? Hate it? I'd love to see reviews to tell me if there's anything wrong. Also, PLEASE don't hate on me for having OCs, I need just a tiny amount for the plot to proceed smoothly. And trust me, there will be KiritoxAsuna in later chapters, I just need a little time to get the trusty old S.S. Kirisuna into seaworthy condition.
If you have constructive criticism for me, go ahead. I'll definitely listen to your ideas, and try to change my story accordingly.
I'm planning on having a harem (outdated, there will be no harem. Sorry to those of you looking forward to a rewrite with that included) going in the future, but for a while, Kirito gets no one, completely by choice I might add. Yes, Kirito will most likely be solo for quite some time, so sorry to anyone who wanted a party or a guild immediately. (Again, outdated. After Cirdan, though, he goes solo for a while. That doesn't mean that he doesn't meet up with some main characters periodically though.)
Please keep in mind that this is my first fanfic (though it is being rewritten), so it may be a little rough around the edges.
Rewriting edit:
I kept most of the stuff from the original first chapter, just taking out the crystals, 'cause a few people complained about that being too similar to another fic which I myself hadn't started reading until a few days ago. I also replaced some passive writing and weakened the Chain skill, for those of you who didn't notice.
May happiness be with you,
OMG
Original Skill Information:
Skill Name: Crooked Fang
Color: Orange
Weapon Type: One-handed Swords
Description: The user strikes their target with a two-handed strike, dealing damage based on the level difference between the user and the target.
Number of Hits: 1 Hit
Cooldown/Post-Skill Effect: Deals 50% more damage if the target is 3 or more levels below the user, deals 25% more damage if the target is 1 or 2 levels lower, deals normal damage if the target is at the same level, deals 10% less damage for every level the target is above the user.
Notes: This skill is very effective for farming lower-level mobs for rare drops or Col.