December 2022, a month later, 1st Floor
It's been a month since this death game started and a week since I've stopped following my brother. I'm amazed he didn't even spot me at all since a few times I was within ten meters from him. He's showed me where all the good power leveling places are and quests with nice rewards.
I'm currently level fourteen and Kirito was level eleven the last time I saw him. I'm a higher level mainly because I'm training both One-Handed Sword and Hiding at the same time. I've also gone on other quests that will improve my Hiding even more just so I can level up faster. At my current level, I am able to hide from weak monsters and most players.
Although Kirito and I have gotten off on a great start, many other players haven't. The game has been out for one month, and two-thousand players have already died. During the beta test, the beta-testers were way past the 1st floor in a month's time. But now, we are just stuck here, unable to find the boss room in the Labyrinth.
Of course, I cared little for the boss room. Although I want to clear this game as soon as possible, I also want to make sure I'm strong enough to fight everything in my path whether I'm doing it solo or not. My goal right now is to hit level twenty before the 2nd floor is reached, and at the current rate which things are occurring, I am almost there.
Later that day, Dusk
I reached level fifteen today which is a good thing for me. In five more levels, I'll be able to unlock another Skill Slot. Currently I have four Skill Slots which are occupied by One-Handed Sword, Hiding, Parry and finally Searching. Two of them are combat related while the other two are for utility purposes. Now, I'm deciding to get to the closest city as soon as possible. From the looks of it, it is the Starting City which is still an hour or so away.
I stretched my arms as I looked up at the night sky. Hundreds of stars twinkled as the moonlight touched my face. A cool wind breezed past me, making me feel more relaxed. It's almost impossible to tell that all of these things I am sensing are merely virtual sensations.
I admired the beautiful night sky as I casually walked to the Starting City. All was peaceful until I heard a twig snap nearby. I panicked completely and unsheathed my sword. I did it with such speed that it almost flew out of my hand and hit my face.
"Who's there?" I asked. It was most certainly a player since my Searching skill confirmed it. I could also see the faint green Color Cursor of a player.
"I mean no harm, but I beg you for help." I heard a soft, but weak voice spoke.
From the moonlight I saw a cloaked figure in black poke their head from the tree they were hiding behind. It was a girl, about a year younger than me. She had a hood on that masked her hair. The moonlight illuminated her face, letting me see her eyes. They were the darkest, blackest eyes I've ever seen. Despite the fact that they are as dark as the night, they glistened in the moonlight like a puddle of water.
I moved my eyes to the rest of her body and examined her. Her equipment is all torn up, including her cloak and shirt. She wore boots that went up to her knees, but they were also badly torn up. A scabbard holding a dagger rested on her belt. Just by looking at the hilt and her current equipment, I could tell they were the worst of quality.
"I'm lost. Can you point me to the nearest town?" She asked me.
I pointed towards the Starting City and she turned her gaze towards that direction. She began limping her way to the far-away city and I just stood there completely dumbfounded.
Suddenly she fell to her knees and started coughing. I put away my sword and ran to her aide. I rested her head on my lap and observed her current avatar's status. Her health was in the yellow zone, close to half. She was poisoned and continuously lost health at a slow rate.
I scoured through my inventory to find an Antidote Crystal but I had none. I searched for a Healing Crystal but remembered that I had used my last one yesterday when I got caught off-guard by a monster. I cursed under my breath and looked back at the suffering girl
"Please, help me." She pleaded with a weak voice.
I pulled at her hood to reveal her full face. Her hair was jet black with purple streaks. Those dark eyes twinkled in the moonlight as tears formed in her eyes. I can't possibly just leave her here to die.
"Put your arms around my neck, and hold on tight" I told her. She did what I told her and I picked her up.
Based on her health bar and the rate of which her health is decreasing, I estimate that she only has thirty minutes until her HP drops to zero. The Starting City is still 1 hour away. I had to run. Faster than I have ever ran before. At the same time, I have to avoid all of the monsters that I encounter. I have to save this girl, even if I risk my life. I can't just let someone who needs me more than anything else die alone.
And so I ran. I ran faster than I've ever run before. The speed of which isn't even physically possible for a human being. I could feel the strain I'm putting on my body, but adrenaline pumped in me so fast that I couldn't feel any fatigue. I need to save this person, even if it's the last thing I do.
Almost half an hour later
I see the Starting City. Her health was in the red zone, and so was mine. Despite the speed at which I'm running, some monsters like wolves are still quick on their feet. I'm forced to fight them if they happen to gnaw on my leg, which only makes matter worse.
As long as I get her into the Area, she can't die. She has approximately one-minute left, but the Starting City is still five minutes away. There's no way I can do this I thought in my head, I'm too tired to run that fast anymore or to fight.
"It's ok." The girl said, "You can leave me here. You've done everything you can to help me. I don't deserve that kind of help."
My eyes stung from her words. This must be the first time I've cared for someone this much in a long time. Hearing her say that she doesn't deserve any help is like hearing her say that she doesn't deserve to live.
"It was stupid of me to venture off into the wilderness alone with barely any equipment. Not just stupid, completely insane. Please leave me. I don't want anybody dying for me."
She then touched her hand to my face. Despite it being a game, the warmth of her hand felt so real. Then we made eye-contact. Tears started forming in her eyes, and the same for mine. She gave a warm smile, and then... I snapped.
"No..." The voice that came out of my mouth didn't sound anywhere like mine. It sounded more like a demon. "Both of us will live. I will not let someone whose life depend on me just die. As long as I stand, there is no way I will let that happen!"
I ran harder and faster, but it still wasn't as fast as when I started. Everything still moved past me in a blur. She has approximately twenty seconds left and the gate is right ahead. Players near the gate noticed me and panicked when they saw the speed at which I was approaching them
Ten seconds. Almost there! Five seconds. Her health bar is literally empty except for that one pixel of HP, glowing dark red. Three! Two! One!
I dove for the gate, carrying the girl with me and making sure she's protected. I entered the Area and watched as the girl's health stopped dropping. The one red dot continuously flashed red but her HP did not drop to zero. I sighed in relief but immediately noticed my next problem.
I was moving too fast. My momentum is carrying me a great distance. I landed on the ground and slid on the slippery marble surface, heading straight for a giant pillar. Although I won't die, it will surely leave me dizzy or unconscious. I turned around so the girl would be safe from the impact and braced myself. I didn't even hear anything because the moment I hit the pillar, everything went black.
Two minutes later
"Hey" I heard a voice call out for me. It sounded like a girl... "Hey…Hey!"
I woke up startled. The girl I had saved sat by my side, shaking my shoulder vigorously. She smiled as she saw me open my eyes and began crying. Her tears were that of joy and not sadness.
"What happened?" I asked her. All around us, a huge crowd had gathered.
"You've been knocked out for two minutes now. Got me a little bit worried." She answered back at me.
The crowd is now double of what it was a minute ago, with all eyes staring at me. And then I saw one face that I didn't expect to see, nor did I want to see. It was Kirito. His face was full of shock and anger, which only doubled when we made eye contact with each other.
I realized that I attracted too much attention. My HP was still red and I was still recovering from my head-on collision with this pillar. Regardless I stood up went to the opposite side of where Kirito was at, and once again ran.
Even though I was terribly tired, I ran with the same speed I've been running with and made dozens of turns. I turned into a different street about ten times before I settled down in an empty alleyway. I should've lost them, so I guess I can rest here for a bit.
I leaned against the wall and tried to catch my breath. I breathed in deeply three times before finally relaxing myself. Now that I'm here, I should head towards the weapon shop. After all, it is the main reason why I am returning to this place. I was about to exit the alley when I ran into the girl again.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked me. Her Searching skill must be at a high level if she managed to find me even with all those turns I made. Even so, I still asked her: "How did you find me?"
"Your friend gave me help. From the looks of it, it appears that the two of you need to make up."
With a warm smile she shifted her position so that I can make direct eye contact with my brother Kirito. I should've expected that she didn't find me by herself. After all, she looks terribly weak and it doesn't seem like she would even bother leveling up her Searching skill.
"Hey little bro, long time no se-"
I got interrupted when Kirito moved in lightning speed and pushed me against the wall. He held me by the collar of my shirt and pinned me there.
"Why... Why are you here?" He asked me in a really angry voice.
"You should know me already Kirito. I am a gamer like you. How can I miss out on something as big as SAO?"
He looks really pissed off. I couldn't tell if he's pissed off at me being inside SAO, or he's just pissed off at me specifically.
"How in the world are you a higher level than me? I've been power leveling ever since we got trapped here."
"I've been following you for a while." I informed him, "I've seen all those good hunting spots and quests. I stopped a week ago when I noticed that there were no more spots for farming. I trained my Hiding significantly as I followed you through the entire floor. Even if I didn't, I think my One-Handed Sword is still higher than yours"
My brother pinned me against the wall even more, making me even more uncomfortable. Maybe I should really not try to piss everyone off so much, especially those who want to keep their pride.
"You think you're better than me you piece of sh-"
"Hey! You forgetting something here?" The girl interrupted. Honestly, I did almost forget about her. "I'm not entirely sure what's going on between you two brothers, but I don't really like it when I get ignored. Can I at least have your name?"
She addressed the question to me, and I looked at Kirito, asking him to put me down. He didn't seem too happy about it, but he obliged and set me down. My brother then began to walk away, leaving me with the girl.
"Don't follow me ever again Mortifer." Kirito grunted before disappearing from my sight.
"So..." the girl began speaking, "I guess we can start off with introductions. Ahem… My name is Violet. What is yours?"
"Mortifer, my name is Mortifer."
"Mortifer-san huh?" she wondered, "Well I should thank you for saving my life. I owe you a lot for that. And so here is all my money."
Before she withdrew her money I stopped her. I did not want to take money from others especially when it seems like they need it. However, I did get curious by her current equipment.
"That outfit, mainly that cloak. Where did you get it?"
She gave me another one of her smiles. There's just something in her smile that tilts me off. It wasn't necessarily bad. In fact, it gave off a positive vibe.
"I made it myself. Since I didn't really find an interest in combat, I've stayed here in the Starting City making clothes by hand. There's been many instances where people want to buy the apparel that I create. I also do custom orders. My level in Tailoring is two-hundred.
I almost laughed at her to spend her time leveling a skill that's almost useless. I was also amazed at how fast she leveled up the skill. I'm also wondering how much money she must've made off of making all those clothing. Maybe I can get her to make something for me
"Will you partner up with me for the time being then? Your skills interest me and travelling alone is always boring." I offered her.
"I think I'll take you up on that offer. After all, I sort of owe you for saving my life."
I nodded my hend and configured my menu. I sent her a party invite which she accepted with the press of the button. Her next action however, caught me completely off-guard. She stood right next to me and held my hand while curling her arm through mine.
"I think it's a little too early for that." I told her while scratching my head. I could feel myself blush.
"Yeah you're right. Sorry about that" she replied with a slight chuckle. "I didn't know what I was thinking. You just reminded me of someone."
The next morning, Starting City Market Plaza
"Do you think this dagger would be a suitable weapon for me Mortifer-san?" Violet asked me as she swung a short dagger around.
"Just call me Mortifer." I told her, "As for your weapon, it all depends on your preferences. Just by looking at you, I think you are a speedy and lightweight swordswoman. Based on that, then it's either a dagger or a rapier. With a dagger you can move faster and attack faster since it is lighter. A rapier however will give you more range and damage. In my opinion-"
"Okay, okay I get it. I think I'll go with the rapier."
Once she bought I immediately showed her one of the basic rapier skills. I also bought her some leather armor for protection. Afterwards, I still had money left for a few potions, which I bought without hesitation. We need them after all.
"Does this leather armor make me look fat?" Violet asked me. I replied with a face palm. Even so, she still looked at me with a question mark on her face.
"You don't look fat. You're perfect." I told her, "Can we go to Horunka now? You need to catch up with my level so you can go to the places I'm going."
"Okay."
As she responded, I saw her cheeks turn into the faintest red I've seen. It must've been because I told her she was "perfect". I can't really blame her. Lots of girls have asked me out and I've turned down all of them since they're just not my type. This girl however… She's different from all of the others.
"Alright let's head to the next town. We can gather resources there so you can make me what I want."
Later that day, afternoon
"Yes! This is perfect!" I exclaimed.
Violet had sewn me a black cloak similar to the one she wears, though it had many differences. First, the cloak was fitted to my size. It covered my backside all the way to my feet. Second, I told her to add a few tears into it to make it look a bit intimidating. And finally, the hood was combined with a mask that we bought from someone.
The mask we bought had the appearance of a skull. A rather human looking skull but it had a few razor sharp canines. It was supposedly made of the bones of a random monster that the guy we bought it from killed. Nonetheless, I loved it.
"Are you trying to look scary on purpose? In fact, what are you even trying to look like?" Violet asked me.
"I'm trying to look like a grim reaper. You know, the image of Death. The one with the scythe and-"
"I know what a grim reaper is Mortifer." She quickly put in before I could continue, "But, why do you want to look like a Shinigami?"
Good question. I also thought about why I choose a grim reaper as my idol. I still don't know why I like grim reapers.
"I don't really know if I have a dark personality or it's just me. I just find death to be fascinating as well as the darkness. After all, nobody cares about me and I don't really care for them in return."
At first I thought she would say I'm crazy. Most people's first impression of me is that I seem like I'm going to kill them or beat them up badly. The face she held is the same face that every other person had when they see me for the first time. Even so, she started giggling
"I guess I'm not the only one who has a dark side to them that is shrouded in a veil of light." She smiled.
"Yeah, well I'm not exactly sure if my soul even exists."
