Author's Note: I decided to rewrite "Sword Art Online: At First Sight", a story I first wrote in 2014. I hope you enjoy!
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It was a game of life or death between the ten thousand players trapped within Sword Art Online. Their only salvation was to conquer the hundredth floor of the floating realm of Aincrad. This was the first FullDive experience for many of its users. Through the use of a NerveGear, the 2nd generation machine developed by Argus, users were able to fully immerse themselves in virtual reality.
At its release on May of 2022, there were about two hundred thousand players in possession of the device. Later that year, Sword Art Online officially started its service on November 6th, marking the beginning of the entrapment of the ten thousand unsuspecting players and their journey to escape the death game created by Kayaba Akihiko.
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A lone girl wandered through the Sunshine Forest, a dungeon on the twentieth floor of Aincrad. She had just turned twenty-two a few months ago, almost a year from the beginning of Sword Art Online. Having been used to the dangerous nature of the game by now, she trekked through the beautiful dungeon with utmost caution.
She had level up to fifty-seven less than an hour ago, despite spending most of her day on a low-level floor. Most of her points were allocated into her dagger skill, and, with each level up, she concentrated two stat points towards her agility stat, leaving only a one stat point for her strength (Sword Art Online had a plethora of skills but AGI and STR were the only main attributes). She didn't wear much armor, allowing for more movement at the detriment of protection. Her outfit usually consisted of dark blue shorts and a light iron breastplate with an olive green tank-top underneath. Her dark brown hair was cut in a chic bob that revealed a pair of dark green eyes.
The target of her self-endowed quest was a material dropped by a Killer Mantis, a somewhat common monster that roamed under the canopy of the forest dungeon. Her weapon of choice was the Sword Breaker, a dagger that was sold in the middle floors of Aincrad. Its appearance resembled an ordinary dagger with a sawtoothed spine. When parrying an opponent with the spine, it slightly increased the chance to destroy their weapon.
Her philosophy was to play alone. She was a skeptic of the death game and its varying characters. Especially having already lost those she called friends to the overbearing nature of the game, she naturally grew distant from the other players. Although, as months passed by without anybody to turn to, she started to yearn for a close relationship.
"There," she said to herself as she noticed a Killer Mantis in the distance. She quietly approached it, studied her prey, and drew her blade. Its body was green and had four wiry legs. Two scythe-like arms protruded from its torso as well. Its right arm boasted a metal blade while its left arm was green, much-like the rest of its body.
After a quick study, she sprinted towards the oversized mantis with haste and swung her dagger at the base of its metal arm. It detached with ease as she struck its chest repeatedly, leaving multiple red incisions. Signaling the end of an effortless fight, the monster's health vanished and its body dematerialized into fluorescent blue shards. Following the spectacular display, a reward message appeared. It gave the girl 352 Exp and 180 Col, an average prize for the Killer Mantis.
Having been slaughtering the enlarged insects for the past few hours, she decided to take a break. With her agility amplified by the game, she was able to climb up one of the trees to acquire one of her favorite sights in Aincrad. She gazed past the canopy above her, inspiring herself with the sight of another floor. Above her, there were people in floors twice as high as the one she occupied. The frontline, as they were called, were fighting to end the death game and free the thousands of individuals trapped within. The thought itself was enough to inspire and tire her at the same time. As dangerous as it was, the tranquility of the moment was enough to make her fall asleep.
Hours passed as the girl continued to doze off into the night.
"Excuse me…" The quiet voice and the sudden shifting of the sturdy branch caused the oblivious girl to awake from her dreamless nap. In front of her was a girl that looked about the same age as herself. She wore a navy blue pleated skirt with a long-sleeved shirt that had a dark and indistinguishable color. Her hair was tied back in a messy light brown ponytail, revealing her fair skin. The most noticeable feature about the mysterious girl was her lack of equipment. She only wore a silver breastplate and bore no visible weaponry.
"Is there something wrong?" The girl asked her waker.
"Stay still…" She moved closer and brushed her unsuspecting face.
"What are you-" There was an attempt made to push the mysterious girl away, but it ended in vain as the sudden movement caused both parties to fall off the branch.
"Ah!" They both screamed as their bodies made impact with the ground.
"I'm sorry!" The enigmatic girl was already on her knees and apologizing. It seemed comical as the other girl giggled at the scene.
"What were you trying to do?" She questioned the apologetic girl.
"I saw something weird on your face!" She replied nervously, taking the other girl aback with her sudden remark.
"A bit rude, aren't we?"
"Ah! That's not what I meant!"
"Don't worry about it," the freshly-awoken girl stood up and held out her petite hand, "my name's Minako."
The mysterious girl grabbed the outstretched hand and was hoisted up onto her feet. "I'm Saki. I'm really sorry about all of this." She brushed herself off and asked Minako a question that would seem intrusive by most standards. "Do you have a place to stay?" Minako tilted her head, questioning the validity of the question. Realizing her suspicious inquiry, Saki attempted to validate herself. "You were sleeping in a dungeon so I thought that you might not have a place to stay. I'm not a suspicious person! I swear!"
Clapping her hands together as if asking for forgiveness, she smiled playfully, hoping to lighten the mood. Her vibrant blue eyes glistened in the darkness and her hair gently swayed with the wind. Despite the fact that Minako preferred being alone, Saki's intriguing character made her feel otherwise.
"I don't actually have a place to stay. I imagine you can show me to one?" She replied gracefully, surprising Saki. Despite her lack of social interaction in the past year, Minako had a somewhat magnetic aura that, coupled with her cool and attractive features, brought friendly and, sometimes, adoring gazes from those around her.
"Yeah! Follow me!" She was evidently elated about Minako's open-mindedness as her smile became even brighter. She ran towards the nearby town with her new acquaintance following closely.
After a short and leisurely walk, the two arrived in Lunril, a nice and cozy town on Aincrad's twentieth floor. Its cobblestone streets, illuminated lanterns, and merchant stalls added to a feeling of medieval romance. For a low-level town, its aesthetic beauty was seemingly unrivaled.
Their destination was Cloudborne Inn, an establishment characterized by its comfortable mattresses. Much like other inns, the inside was decorated with a plethora of chairs and tables as well as festive lighting that brought out a lively atmosphere.
Whilst Saki was asking the innkeeper about their rooms, Minako found herself at the bar with a pint of virtual beer.
"Minako?" Saki tapped the drinking girl on the shoulder.
"Hm?" Minako turned around, revealing a foam mustache to her unsuspecting partner.
"It turns out that-" As Saki began to explain the situation, her eyes locked onto her companion's newly acquired facial hair, causing her to giggle.
"What? Is there something weird on my face again?"
"You-" Unable to continue due to her uncontainable giggle fit, she buried her face into the chest of the perpetrator. Minako was unaware of the foam mustache, but the actions of Saki caused her cheeks to redden in embarrassment.
"Saki?" Minako tried to get her attention in hopes that she would gather herself. "What happened?" Saki lifted her head and stared at the foam above Minako's lip. With a quick and decisive move, she licked a piece of foam off its host and stuck her tongue out to show the contents. She then withdrew her tongue and pointed at the foam mustache. Minako -whose embarrassment grew- realized what Saki had been laughing at and wiped the foam off her face. After a few lighthearted fits of laughter, the two girls settled down.
"Anyways," Saki continued her previous statement, "they only have one room available so I booked it for you."
"Where will you be staying then?" Minako asked after taking another swig.
"Don't worry about me. I'll find another place to stay for the night." Her reply seemed to show disappointment. Minako noticed this.
"Why don't we share the room? I don't mind." Minako offered her.
"Are you sure? We just met-"
"Don't worry about it. I won't bite," Minako assured her companion.
"I'll take you up on that offer then, Minako."
After finishing her drink, Minako followed Saki up to their newly acquired lodging. The average-sized room was furnished with an ornate wooden dresser and mirror, a sturdy table and set of chairs of the same quality, a large wooden trunk encased in smooth brown leather, and a single queen-sized bed made of exquisitely soft materials.
Minako pulled downwards with her right index finger and thumb together, opening the menu. From there she equipped a pair of navy blue pajama pants and tank top and readied herself for bed. Saki followed suit, letting down her hair and changing into a matching pair of seafoam green pajama shorts and t-shirt.
As the two were tired and barely attentive, they sat on the bed at the same time. This caused both girls to realize the fact that there was only one bed. They both looked at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.
"There's only one bed," Saki broke the silence.
"So it seems," Minako confirmed the statement as she scanned the room. Still tired from her sudden awakening earlier, she quickly decided the best course of action. "I'll take the far side, and you can have the other." Startled by the offer, Saki refuted with her own plan as Minako slipped into the bed.
"I'll just sleep on the chair-" Without hesitation, Minako was already pulling Saki into the bed with her. "Minako?"
"Shh…" Minako shushed her, slowly drifting into a slumber. Saki smiled and stared at the sleeping face before her.
"I think I've fallen for you," she whispered before falling asleep.
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