Welcome to my first SAO fanfiction, this is kuro-yuki-ryu a new author and I hope this goes really well
NOTE ; this author is still inexperienced , so do not expect an amazing fic from him , reviews that would point out the mistakes on this fic is gladly appreciated but flames will be doused with a fire hose. There will be mentions of other series so don't be surprised when you see something from another anime.
Disclaimer : i do not own anything related to SAO except the plot of this story (Parts that isn't cannon anyway), the ocs , the weapons, and the identity of the weapons/oc
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S.A.O. also known as Sword Art Online, apparently it was the first game that uses a fully functional virtual reality (not the ones where you can see and hear but not move) via the nervegear which was made by Kayaba Akihiko and coincidentally, he is also the maker of SAO. It's a shame that apparently, no one decided to apply the full dive technology in other things.
For example learning to cook something via reading is just not enough. There are some things you can't just learn through reading only but if it used the VR tech then learning will be much more easy.
But back on the main topic, as the manual says, the game does not use magic. A pretty bold decision to do if you ask but there is an unlimited amount of skills waiting to be explored and that is what makes me exited and what's this! Whoa ten unique skills that will be given to players if the secret conditions are met. (Source is from the SAO wiki) Ohh and Players are allowed to make their own original skill. (AN: It's a function from ALO but I'm going to use it here)
Good thing I managed to grab myself a copy of the game and the equipment necessary to play it.
I have to thank my uncle for sending the nervegear and the game to me. How did he manage to get one, I will never know.
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Those were the thoughts of one Raijin Kusanagi as he continued to read the guide, trying to learn as much as he can before the game officially starts.
He has crimson eyes and spiky black hair, with jaw length bangs framing either side of his face. His height is about 5'5" and has a slightly tanned complexion. Currently he is wearing a plain black shirt and faded jeans. It is Saturday and he doesn't have any classes at that.
Setting up the nervegear, he laid down his bed and grinned.
"Link Start!" then a multitude of colours assaulted his vision.
Touch OK
Sight OK
Hearing OK
Taste OK
Smell OK
Language English
Log in
Username: Kusanagi
Password: **************
Character Creation
Beta Test data available.
Would you like to use it?
Scarlet (F)
[Yes] [No]
Raijin's jaw dropped as he saw the beta test data named [ Scarlet ] now he understood how his uncle got a hold of the game and hardware, he was a f***ing beta tester!, however he realized that his uncle's character IS a female and wondered how he managed to modify the body. Pressing the no button and chose another save slot, he was ok with using female characters in a game but this one is different, it will surely feel like he's trapped in a woman's body and he didn't like that.
That and he didn't want to use his uncle's avatar which was probably made to be the prey of his perversion.
"This is certainly amazing" Raijin said as he observed his surroundings. He is standing in a pure white space but surrounding him are the choices for his character appearance. They are just there, floating around him. He smiled, he is not even in the actual game but the things he saw were something he can only hope to see in a sci-fi movie.
"Hm? What's this?" He mused as he checked out the default button. Looking at his character model, which was blank earlier, he saw that it looked exactly like him. 'So that's it' He thought.
Pressing the default button again, the character model became blank again
Gender :
Hair :
Hair Color :
Eye :
Eye Color (L) :
Eye Color (R) :
Face :
Body Type :
Skin Color :
Height :
"So you can set different colors for each eye" He mused to himself. Checking the table once more, he started to fill it out.
Gender : [M]
Hair : [Default]
Hair Color : [White]
Eye : [Default]
Eye Color (L) : [Blue]
Eye Color (R) : [Blue]
Face : [Default]
Body Type : [Default]
Skin Color : [Default]
Height : [5'5"]
"An inverted version of me, Perfect!" Raijin exclaimed as he observed the character model in front of him. It looks exactly like him but the colors are inverted. Checking the character once more, he nodded in approval.
Character Name
Do you wish to change your Player name?
Name : [(Default) Kusanagi]
Y/N
(AN: Starting at this point, I'm going to refer to him as Kusanagi )
"I think I'm sticking with that" He mused to himself. Pressing the ok button, a congratulatory message appeared then followed by a welcoming message.
Welcome to Sword Art Online!
His vision once again was assaulted by different shades of blue aligned like a tunnel of sorts then a bright flash and next thing he knew, he was in the middle of a plaza of some sort.
'Most likely the starting point' He thought to himself. Checking his surroundings he grinned. 'This game is awesome' Seeing a fountain he walked towards it and looked at his reflection 'It really is the character I made earlier' He thought, touching the face of his avatar.
"This game is awesome….Seriously awesome…Ridiculously awesome!" He exclaimed, making a lot of people look at him. Coughing to rid himself of the embarrassment, he checked his Items and as expected, everything is the basic beginner items with the exception of the weapon but in its place is a question mark, Raising an eyebrow he pressed the unknown item and a window appeared in front of him.
Choose your weapon
*One Handed Sword
*One Handed Curved Blade
*One Handed Dagger
*One Handed Axe
*One Handed War Hammer
*Wild Dance (Claws)
*Two Handed Assault Spear
*Bow
"That's a lot of choices, wait a minute, Why is there a bow in a sword themed game?" Kusanagi asked, stupefied by the last option before he shrugged. 'Most likely to give players the chance to fight at long ranges' He thought to himself. Choosing the One Handed Curved Blade, the question mark changed into Training Blade which is basically, a wooden blade.
Training Blade
Type : One Handed Curved Blade ( 0 / 1000 )
Rarity : D
Desc : A wooden blade used for training
Kusanagi nodded in acceptance. Of course they would give the training ones first then allow the players to buy the real ones. Checking his money, whatever it was called in this game, He sighed
Col : 1000
Of course it was just a little amount, walking to a shop he looked at the weapons displayed. Nothing impressive of course, this is just the starting point after all.
Checking the steel blade once, he checked its stats.
Steel Blade
Type : One Handed Curved Blade ( 5 / 1000 )
Rarity : D
Desc : A simple steel blade. Try not to cut yourself with this.
Price : 750
Picking up the blade, he was once again impressed with the game. 'It feels as if I'm really holding an actual blade' Kusanagi thought to himself with awe.
"Would you like to buy that blade sir?" Kusanagi turned around at the source of the voice, seeing the NPC there, he nearly searched for a dialogue box but stopped himself in time. 'It's like buying things in the real world, just as the manual said it is' he mentally reminded himself.
"Yes" Was his reply and a confirmation message appeared.
Are you sure you like to buy these items?
Steel Blade x 1
Total: 750
Y/N
Pressing the yes button, the item was sent into his inventory. Opening his inventory, he tried to equip the Steel Blade but failed.
Insufficient Skill Level
Please raise your One Handed Curved Blade Skill first
One Handed Curved Blade
( 0/1000 )
"Ah, so I can't equip other blades unless I upgrade this one huh?" Kusanagi mused as he equipped the Training Blade Instead. Placing the wooden blade on the left side of his waist, he left the shop. 'There are a lot of girls here… I wonder which one is real?' He thought to himself. Normally, girls dislike RPG games like this but seeing a lot of female avatars made him wonder if all these avatars are actually girls or just pretending to be one.
"Maybe I should start fighting the monsters here?" Walking towards the middle of the Town of Beginnings, He opened the map. Seeing that the map only shows the whole Town of Beginnings, He observed his surroundings. Looking at the fully geared players, he decided to follow the majority those as they are bound to go out the fields and fight sooner or later, following two players in particular, a red haired one following a black haired one.
$========={==================================================
His actions proved to be the right decision as right now he was at the West Field of the Town of Beginnings, and to be honest he felt like an idiot right now.
The reason?
He was killing those boars …. Using a wooden blade. The problem was he was trying and failing to use a sword skill.
"GAH! Why won't it activate!?" Kusanagi shouted in frustration. He levelled up a twice now and he can't still use a sword skill. Sighing, He sat down on a rock and checked his stats.
Kusanagi
Lv.3
STR - 14
AGI - 26
DEX - 14
Unused points - 0
$==={========
Skills
1.
2.
$==={========
Sword Skills
One Handed Curved Blade
( 13/1000 )
Reaver
( 0/1000 )
Fell Crescent
( 0/1000 )
'So every kill I do with normal attacks increase my One Handed Curved Blade mastery huh' Kusanagi thought as he checked his sword skills. 'I wonder what happens if I equip two weapons at once' When that idea entered his mind, he immediately equipped his Steel Blade which appeared on the right side of his hip. Drawing his Training Blade with his right hade and the Steel Blade with his left, a message box suddenly appeared.
Warning!
Equipping two weapons will disable your sword skills.
Please unequip one
(Unless you unequipped one, your sword skills will remain disabled)
[Y/N]
"Well, I can't use my sword skills anyway" Shrugging, he pressed the no button and got to the settings menu before disabling all warning pop outs. Switching the two blades, he held the Training blade in a reverse grip on his left and started to search for more monsters.
"Well, time to test out my own moves" Kusanagi mused as he charged through an unsuspecting boar.
$========={==================================================
"That's a risky way to fight" A black haired boy commented as he observed the white haired one who was fighting not too far from them. 'He's equipping two blades purposely and disabling his sword skills as a result'He thought as he saw the Training Blade and Steel Blade in his hands.
"Huh? What do you mean, Kirito?" The red haired one said as he faced his companion/instructor for the time being. The black haired one pointed at a certain player and watched as the white haired one blocked the charging boar using the wooden blade in his left before he stabbed it on the head with his Steel Blade, dealing critical damage and effectively killing the boar.
"Equipping two blades at once disables your sword skills and since most of the high damaging attacks are sword skills, you're stuck with your normal damage" Kirito explained and Klein nodded in response.
"Maybe he has problems with the sword skills like me?" Klein mused as he watched Kusanagi kill another boar with the same method. Kirito nodded in response at that as he watched him behead another boar using the same method.
"Left for defence and right for offense huh" Kirito mused to himself as he watched the stranger block the boar's charge with his Training Blade before pushing upwards and by extension, the boar before swiftly slashing at its neck using the blade on his right, killing yet another boar. Sure, the stranger's fighting style IS risky but it does have its own merits.
"Let's talk to him!" Klein said as he marched forward. Kirito just sighed and followed him.
-With Kusanagi-
"So hitting the vital areas are considered critical hits huh, good to know" Kusanagi mused as he killed another boar by stabbing it in the head.
"Hey" Klein called. Kusanagi looked around him, searching for any people nearby. Seeing no one, he pointed at himself and Kirito nodded at the silent question.
"I'm Klein and the one behind me is Kirito" Klein said as he pointed at himself then behind him.
"I can introduce myself you know….." Kirito said which was ignored by Klein.
"Kusanagi….What can I do for you?" Kusanagi asked.
"Well… we were watching you fight earlier and we were wondering …. Why won't you use your sword skills?" Kirito asked hesitantly.
"Ah.. that…..well you see…..I can't use my sword skills …I don't know how to execute those so I tried dual wielding." Kusanagi answered, slightly embarrassed of the situation and Klein laughed in response to that.
"Well, we can teach you if you want" Klein offered and Kusanagi nodded in response. Kusanagi unequipped his Training Blade and opened his menu.
Kusanagi
Lv.4
STR - 16
AGI - 28
DEX - 16
Unused points - 4
Putting two points into STR and AGI, he closed his menu and asked the two in front of him.
"Should we start now?"
$========={==================================================
"You know, I still can't believe it, no matter how many times I see it….." Klein said as he watched the sunset in the world of Sword Art Online. "That we are really in a game….. Whoever made this is a genius"
"Yeah… Think of all the possibilities this technology can do" Kusanagi said as he thought about his sister.
"What do you mean?" Klein asked, Kirito was also curious about this although he had a clue where he was going with this.
"You know how the Nerve Gear works right?" Kusanagi asked.
"By intercepting the electronic signals the brain sends throughout the body and uses it as the controls right?" Kirito answered and Kusanagi nodded in response.
"Imagine if you made a blind person use the Nerve Gear….." Kusanagi trailed off and Kirito widened his eyes.
What he was expecting was something like an online school or something via Nerve Gear but what Kusanagi has in mind is a lot more better than what he was expecting.
"The blind person can see while he or she's online!" Kirito exclaimed and Klein gasped in surprise.
"The Nerve Gear can do that?" Klein asked, as if Kirito's words were lies.
"Yes, it can do that. In fact, there are rumours about a modified version of Nerve Gear made for hospital patients." Kusanagi answered.
"Man, I am really glad to be born in this time" Klein said, awed by the news.
"Well, I'm with you on that"
"You two really make a big deal out of everything." Kirito said.
"It's my first full dive!" Klein shouted.
"Same here"
"Then, this is your first time playing a game with the Nerve Gear?" Kirito asked.
"Does the word 'newbie' and 'first VRMMORPG' ring any bells?" Kusanagi said, sarcasm evident in his voice.
"….."
"… Thought so" Kusanagi smirked
"How about you, Klein?" Kirito asked.
"I rushed out and the hardware to play SAO, I was lucky to get even one of the ten thousand copies" He said before pointing at Kirito "You're ten times more lucky, getting into the beta test, Only a thousand people managed to do that" Klein said with a hint of envy in his voice.
"I guess…."
"How far did you get in the beta?" Klein asked?
"Over a couple of months, only to floor 8" Kirito answered. "This time, it will only take a month" Kirito said confidently.
"You're really into this, aren't you?" Kusanagi's words were more of a statement than a question.
"To be honest, during the beta test .." Kirito began, drawing his One Handed Sword "SAO was the only thing I can think of day and night. In this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go" he glanced at hiss reflection on the blade "It's a virtual world but I still feel more alive here than in the real world"
"Any ways, do you guys want to hunt some more?" Kirito asked
"I'm in" Kusanagi answered, standing up.
"Hell yeah!" Klein said but a growling sound was heard and everyone's eyes are on Klein's stomach. "But I'm starving …..so I'm logging out"
"Eating food here will only make you think you're full" Kirito said.
"Don't worry about me, I already ordered a hot pizza for 5:30!" Klein said with a thumbs up.
"You're so prepared" Kirito commented with a sweatdrop.
"Of course! After eating, I'm getting back here" Klein said as he stood up. "Hey guys, after this I'm going to meet some people I know from other games, want to friend them too?"
"Sorry but… I don't like adding people I do not know in by friend list" Kusanagi said and Kirito just looked away.
Klein, sensing the awkwardness, said "Of course you don't have to if you don't like to, it's ok , I'll just introduce you two to them on a later time."
"U-uh …. Yeah, sorry." Kirito said with a hint of awkwardness in his voice.
"Anyway, I'm going to repay you for this sometime . . . .Mentally" Klein said, placing a hand on Kirito's shoulder.
"I'll see you around, If there's anything else you want to know, just tell me. That goes for you too, Kusanagi. " Kirito said, shaking hands with Klein.
"Thanks, I'll hold you to that" Kusanagi replied.
"Yeah, I'll do that" Klein said, waving at them. Opening his menu, he searched for the logout button but … "Huh?"
"Something wrong?" Kusanagi asked.
"The log out button is not working" Klein answered, still pressing the log out button repeatedly.
"Are you sure?" Kirito asked, doubting his words.
"Let me try" Kusanagi said, trying to log out but only to get the same result. "Huh? Klein's right, it's not working"
Kirito also tried to log out only to get the same results as Klein's. "You're right…" Kirito said, thinking about the possible reasons it happened.
"Well, it's the first day out of beta, there are bound to be some bugs and I'm sure the server people are freaking out… " Klein said, dismissing the odd occurrence.
"You'll be freaking out too… and soon" Kirito said with a smirk.
"Huh"
"Its 5:25" Kusanagi said, realizing what Kirito was saying.
A horrified look came over Klein's face as he panicked. "My, teriyaki mayo pizza and ginger ale!"
"Just call the GM" Kirito said
"They won't answer" Kirito and Klein looked at Kusanagi and saw that he was trying to contact the GM. 'What happened. There must be a reason for the malfunction' Kusanagi thought to himself.
"Is there any other way to log out?" Klein asked.
Kirito frowned before explaining "No, if a player wants to log themselves out, they have to go through the menu"
"So in other words, there is no other way out?" Kusanagi asked and Kirito shook his head in response.
"That is both right and at the same time wrong" Kirito said. Seeing Kusanagi's questioning glance, he continued. "While that is the only way the players can log themselves out, the admins can just shut down the servers, forcibly logging out everyone but there isn't any announcement…." Kirito explained.
"Then I'll just rip the Nerve Gear off my head." Klein said, moving as if he was removing a helmet from his head.
"That won't work" Kusanagi said. Klein looked at him for an explanation. "The Nerve Gear intercepts the signals the brain sends to our bodies which means we can't move in the real world no matter how much we tried here" Kirito nodded at the explanation.
"Our only option is to wait for the admins to fix the bug or wait for our families to remove the Nerve Gear from us" Kirito said.
"But I live alone" Klein complained. "What about you?" He asked.
"I have a mom and a sister so I think they'll notice by dinner time…" Kirito answered.
"Well, I have a younger sister too and the landlady will probably visit us too…" Kusanagi answered.
Both teens were surprised when Klein suddenly took a hold of their shoulders with a creepy smile on his face.
"H-how old is your little sister?" Klein asked all the while shaking both Kirito and Kusanagi.
"She's on the sports team" Klein stepped once, Kirito and Kusanagi stepped backwards "And she hates games" Klein took another step and both of them stepped back again. "She has nothing to do with people like us" Kirito said.
Klein placed his other hand (The one on Kusanagi's shoulder) on Kirito's shoulder and said. "That doesn't mat-" but didn't finish as Kirito kicked his crotch.
Klein was writhing in pain for a few seconds before reminding himself on one fact. "Right, it doesn't hurt" He said.
"More importantly, don't you find this weird?" Kirito asked.
"Yeah. Most of the MMORPG games that I played are always alert for errors or bug reports" Kusanagi answered.
"This isn't a bug" Kirito said. Kusanagi looked at him with a face that said 'explain' and so he did. "If we can't log out, that will pose a serious problem for the game's future"
That moment, the familiar sound of a bell rang out the entire field which grabbed a lot of player's attention.
"Whoa!" Kusanagi said as he was enveloped by a blue light.
"What's happening?!" Klein shouted in surprise as he too was covered by the same blue light that took Kusanagi.
"Forced teleportation?" Kirito said before he too was forcibly teleported.
$========={==================================================
Town of Beginnings, Central Plaza
Kusanagi observed his surroundings when the light faded and noticed that he was back at the Town of Beginnings and that other players are being gathered here via forced teleportation.
"Kusanagi-san!" Kusanagi turned around to see Kirito and Klein behind him.
"Why do you think we were gathered here, Kirito-san" Kusanagi asked, knowing that Kirito has more knowledge about the game. Kirito just looked up and pointed at something
WARNING
"That's …." Kirito whispered. The warning message was suddenly accompanied by a lot of system announcement messages that completely covered the sky and blood like fluid started to pour between the gaps. The crimson fluid gathered on one place before morphing into the form of a cloak of sorts, there was also smoke coming from the holes of the robe.
"What is that?"
"A Game Master?"
"He doesn't have a face.."
"Is this some kind of event?"
"I'm scared"
"It's just an event"
"Attention, players" The faceless person spoke in a booming voice which silenced the players, prompting them to listen.
"Welcome to my world"
"My world?..." Kusanagi whispered to himself. 'I have a bad feeling about this.' He thought to himself.
"My name is Kayaba Akihiko and as of this moment, I am the sole person who is capable of controlling this world"
Kirito gasped for some reason but Kusanagi paid no heed to that as he frowned, the bad feeling won't subside and he can't ignore it even if he wanted to.
Most of the time, this would mean trouble is coming, and fast.
"Is that really him?"
"He probably spent a lot of time on this"
Players were chattering again once more the moment they heard those words.
"I am sure you have already noticed that the log out button is missing from the main menu" The now identified Kayaba Akihiko said as he opened his own menu, proving his earlier words. "However, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat this is not a defect in the game, It is a feature of Sword Art online"
"Shit" Kusanagi cursed. He can somewhat think of several possibilities of the main purpose of this event.
"A-a feature?" Klein said, stuttering as he did.
"You cannot log out of SAO yourselves and no one on the outside can shut down or remove the Nerve Gear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the Nerve Gear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and ending your lives as a result"
Kusanagi grit his teeth in frustration and anger, knowing that all of the lives of the players are literally on the Game Master's hands.
"What?"
"He must be kidding"
"Oi stop that"
"Come on, enough already"
"This isn't funny anymore"
"What he's talking about? He's got to be nuts" Klein asked.
"He's right that the transmitter's signals work just like microwaves, if the safety is disabled, it can fry a brain." Kirito replied.
"Long story short, If he wanted to, it will just take a few buttons to kill us all" Kusanagi said and those around him that heard what he said started to get scared and will probably panic soon.
"What if we cut the power?" Klein asked.
"It won't work. The Nerve Gear has an internal battery" Kirito answered.
Klein just gritted his teeth in frustration. "This is crazy! What is going on!" He shouted at the both of them.
"How am I supposed to know that!" Kusanagi snapped at him and Klein realised his mistake and apologized.
"Unfortunately, several player's family and friends have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the Nerve Gear and as a result, Two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both aincrad and the real world."
"Things are getting worse now…" Kusanagi muttered as he glanced at the panicking players around him. Sure he is afraid but panicking like the players around him would do him no good do he supressed his fear as much as he could and one could see his hands shaking.
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it!" Klein shouted, shaking his head.
"As you can see, News organizations across the world are reporting all of this, the deaths included, thus you can assume that the danger of a Nerve Gear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game"
Kirito gritted his teeth as he watched the multiple screens shoeing different news networks reporting this incident.
"But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game, if your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost and at the same time, the Nerve Gear will destroy your brain"
Kirito and Kusanagi and a lot of players froze as the situation finally caught up with their minds.
"There is only one means of escape, Complete all one hundred floors of this game any all of you will be freed and finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves"
All the players opened their menu and got the item which was a mirror, much to the confusion of the players when all of the players were once again engulfed by the blue light and once it subsided, All players looked different, and there was other things he noticed.
Younger now looked older.
Older now looked younger.
Girls wearing boy's clothes, some of it were oversize. Cute if he was asked.
Boys wearing girl's clothes. No comment.
"Kirito, Kusanagi, are you ok" Kusanagi looks at Klein and noticed that his hair looked shorter now.
"Klein ?" Klein nodded.
"Your colors are inverted?" Kirito asked. Klein and Kusanagi looked at him and noticed thet the hair looked a lot more shorter and he looked a lot more …. Feminine? Girly? Kusanagi will not say out those words out loud.
"Who are you?" Klein asked.
"Kirito?" Kusanagi asked and Kirito nodded in response. "And before you ask again, yeah I inverted my hair and eye color, nothing else" Kusanagi said, chuckling a little .
"So this is the mirror's purpose huh" Klein said as he observed the other players around him."I wonder how.." he mused.
"It's probably that scan" Kirito said, getting their attention. "The Nerve Gear covers our entire head with a high density signalling device so it can see what your face looks like" He explained
"But our height and body shape…." Klein asked.
"We have to calibrate it at first right? The one where we hat to touch every inch of our body" Kusanagi asked and Kirito nodded in response.
"But… why do they have to do this anyway?" Klein asked. 'It seems he's still in shock of the situation' Kusanagi thought to himself as he observed Klein, not like he was any better but the shaking on his hands have diminished.
Kirito pointed at the Game Master "I'm sure he'll tell us" he said.
"Right now, you were probably wondering, "why, why would kayaba akihiko, the developer of the Nerve Gear and Sword Art online do all of this?" … My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason . . . . . .To create this world and intervene in it and now it is complete."
"This concludes the tutorial for the official launch of the Swor-"
"I have a single request!" Kusanagi raised his hand as he shouted, making his two companions look at him in shock. He got the feeling that the game master is amused at the development right now.
"What is it?"
"Can you at least enable the Original Sword Skill function earlier?" Kusanagi asked and all of the players looked at him as if he is an idiot.
"Kusanagi-san, what are you doing!?" Klein asked in shock, which Kusanagi ignored. The Game Master stared at him and checked his player name.
"Kusanagi, was it?" Kayaba asked and Kusanagi nodded in response. "Give me a reason enable that function earlier" He said and Kusanagi sighed in relief.
"You are literally holding our lives in your hands and now that the revival function is now disabled, can you please give us more of a fighting chance in clearing this game?" Kusanagi asked, Kayaba chuckled a bit before he spoke again.
"Why the Original Sword Skill function?"
"I know for the fact that you won't release any of the Unique Skills so I aimed for the second best choice" Kusanagi explained and Kayaba nodded in response. He was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.
"Kusanagi…I will remember that name. Clear the first ten floors and I will activate that function. Any Questions" Seeing as the crowd are still dumbstruck at the turn of events, he spoke once more. "This concludes the tutorial for the official launch of the Sword Art Online. Good luck, players" was all he said before Kayaba's avatar somewhat turned into mist before fading.
"Thank you for complying, Kayaba-san" Kusanagi whispered and he swore he heard him chucking but he was gone right?
"You really have balls of steel you know, asking him up front just like that" Klein said, chuckling.
Kirito suddenly dragged the two of them into an alleyway. Kusanagi wondered why but as soon as he thought that, he heard screams coming from the main plaza. 'It seems like they started panicking now' He thought to himself.
"You two, listen to me" Kirito suddenly said, seeing as he got their attention now, he continued "I'm going to head to the next village now. Do you want to go with me?" He asked.
"What brought this on?" Kusanagi asked. Kirito just opened his menu and started to press at it, whatever he was doing he had no idea.
"If what he said is true, then the only way to survive in this world is making yourself as strong as possible. The resources in a virtual MMORPG such as the EXP and gold id limited and I am sure that the fields surrounding this area will soon be hunted clean. We need to get to the next village now if we wanted to head to the next village now." Kirito said as he sent them the map data for the entire first floor. "I know all the paths and dangerous areas. I can safely go there even if I'm level one" Kirito explained and Klein looked conflicted at this.
"But…. But you know…. I spent a whole night in line to buy this with my friends from other games I played." Klein explained and Kirito knows where this will go. "They are out there in the plaza and I can't leave them there like that you know" Klein said. Kusanagi placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded.
"I know what you meant to say, go now and find your friends, they will need your presence there. Don't worry about us." Kusanagi said and Klein smiled in response.
"You're a good man, Kusanagi." Klein said before he shook his head. "I used to run a guild in my last game so I'm sure I'll be fine and I can use what you thought me to get by!" He said.
"Alright, good bye, Klein. If something happens, don't hesitate to message me" Kirito said as Klein nodded and waved back as he waked towards the plaza.
"Oh and by the way Kirito" Klein said as he looked back at them for a moment. "You are actually pretty cute. That's my type" He said.
"I didn't know you swing that way" Kusanagi suddenly said as he smirked, making Klein stumble in his steps.
"Oi I don't swing that way! I'm a MAN!" Klein shouted indignantly. Kusanagi and Kirito just chuckled at that.
"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Just make sure you survive so we can meet again" Kusanagi said with a smile.
"And by the way, that unkempt face of yours suits you ten times better" Kirito said with a smile before Klein waved back and ran towards the plaza to search for his friends.
"How about you, Kusanagi?" Kirito asked and Kusanagi thought for a moment before answering.
"I'm going to prepare myself first, mentally and stock on supplies, then I'll follow you there. Thanks for the map data by the way" Kusanagi replied.
"No problem. Message me if something happened, I'll try to help us much as I can" Kirito said as a Message box appeared in front of him.
Kusanagi has invited you to his friend list.
Will you accept?
[ Accept ] [ Decline ]
At Kirito's questioning glance, Kusanagi spoke. "How are you supposed to find me if I'm not in your friend list?" Kirito nodded at his logic and pressed the accept button.
"Good bye, Kusanagi" Kirito said as he turned around to leave.
"Kirito" Kusanagi said. Kirito turned to look at him to see him smirking. " I prefer 'See you later' Rather than 'Good bye' you know." Kusanagi said before he waved back. "See ya later, Kirito" Kirito just smiled at that before he spoke "Likewise, Kusanagi" then he ran away.
Kusanagi just chucked before he left the alleyway.
$========={==================================================
Town of Beginnings, Market Area
Kusanagi hummed as he walked around the market, checking several items as he did. Approaching an NPC, he picked up a health potion and spoke. "Can I have twenty of these?"
"Of course" The NPC replied. This time, a female one and she entered the house behind her.
"Excuse me" Someone spoke beside him. Looking at the person, which is a girl. She has thin hair, which is dark, tied in small ribbons by the side of her face with the back cut short. Her height is about 5'4" and her skin is pale and her eyes are somewhat a combination of grey and black. In her hands is a bow and a training one at that (Which he based material and design) but she doesn't seem to have arrows. Her gear seems to be the starter set which was given at the beginning of the game.
"Yes?" Kusanagi asked. He was about to check her Player Name but stopped when he realized that it might be considered rude.
"You are Kusanagi-san, Right?" She asked.
"Yes, and you are..?" Kusanagi trailed off.
"Sinon" The now identified Sinon answered.
"So Sinon-san, what can I do for you?" Kusanagi asked as the NPC returned and a confirmation message appeared in front of him.
"Can you please add me to your party?" She asked and Kusanagi looked at her in surprise.
"May I ask why?" At her questioning look, he elaborated. "There are a lot of other players at the plaza, why search for me?" He asked.
"You seem calm throughout the entire situation and you even have the courage to ask the GM for something even when most of the players are panicking or scared." Sinon explained. Observing her once more, he noticed that her shoulders are tensed and her hands are tightly gripping at the bow. 'still scared, I guess' Kusanagi thought to himself. He can't blame her though, not many people can quickly calm themselves in that kind of situation. Deciding that a traveling partner won't be that bad, he opened his menu.
Invite
Kusanagi invites you to join his party.
[ Accept ] [ Decline ]
"I guess a partner won't hurt" Kusanagi shrugged as Sinon stared at the message before pressing the accept button.
Kusanagi [LV.4]
Sinon [LV.3]
"Thank you" She said and Kusanagi nodded in response.
"Have you bought any supplies?" He asked.
"Supplies?"
"You know, potions, extra weapons, arrows in your case…" Kusanagi explained. Seeing her shook her head no in response, he sighed and walked over to another store.
"Buy some arrows and potions first, I'll be right over there." Kusanagi said as he pointed at a male NPC holding a hammer, a blacksmith. Sinon nodded and he left.
$========={==================================================
"You done?" Kusanagi asked Sinon. He just finished his business with the blacksmith which was just repairing his Steel Blade and checked his inventory for anything he might need.
"Yes, I'm done here" Sinon said and he nodded in response. Kusanagi started walking and Sinon followed, however, she noticed that he's taking a different route and asked. "Where are we going?" Sinon asked.
"A friend said we should leave this area as soon as possible" Kusanagi said lowly so that other players won't hear them. At her questioning glance, he explained. "Look around us" She did as she was told and saw that the players are approaching different NPCs, taking quests most likely. "Players are going to run this place dry in a matter of days and an acquaintance of mine told me that we should leave for the next village as soon as possible." He answered and she nodded in response.
"Your acquaintance is a beta tester isn't he?" Sinon asked and Kusanagi blinked in surprise.
"You're pretty sharp aren't you?" Kusanagi chuckled and Sinon turned away to hide the mild blush on her face. "Yes he is a beta tester. He taught me the proper way of using sword skills" He answered. Well, probably I'll use those when I get myself a longer blade, something like a katana perhaps?" Kusanagi mused to himself.
"Not using skills are risky you know, especially now that this….." Sinon stopped talking at that point.
"Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing" Kusanagi reassured her, patting her on the head which she swatted like a fly. "It's just that the sword skills are too … basic for me at this point. Seriously! A simple thrust is a skill here! What a waste." Kusanagi ranted off. They have just left the town of beginnings and Kusanagi opened his map to follow the path to the next village. Kusanagi looked at the road in front of them and sighed, Drawing out his blades, he mentally prepared himself for the risk he was about to take.
"Hey, are you prepared?" Kusanagi asked. Sinon looked at her bow for a moment and took an arrow from her quiver before she nodded at him. Looking back at the road, he noticed that there are three [Wild Wolf] on their path.
"Cover me?" He asked and Sinon nodded in response. Charging towards wolves, there was only one thing in his mind.
'This world, this game, I'm going to survive this no matter what.'
$========={==================================================
AN: For those who thought that I'm abandoning my other story, The Corrupted Phoenix, Then I'm glad to tell you that you are wrong. I just have a poor time management skills. I can't divide my time properly between school, work, myself and writing.
I really wish I can update like Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer. Seriously, his update speed is crazy, I didn't see any other author update as fast as that author.
Well I can start training in that then.
See ya later!