Author's Note

Well, I took out the whole beta tester hate portion during the meeting. While I do think it's a very realistic problem that would exist if SAO was real, I didn't want the hate for beta testers to rise in this moment. Although I don't have the complete picture planned out, I do have a plan for the whole beta tester hate.

Third chapter of the story, enjoy!

[Text] - In-game item or monster names

[[Text]] - SAO terms

«Text» - Game menu text or skill names

[Text] - In-game locations

Text - Flashback (FOR THIS CHAPTER ONLY)

X-Sword Art Online:Realization-X

Kirito stared into the clearing with a blank expression on his face. He was sitting alone in the amphitheater which was located in front of the fountain. The area was large enough to hold hundreds of people. It was made of stone tiles, the same that you would find throughout the city. The seats were made of the same material, but were made with more precise and clear cuts. It surrounded the center, which was made for the main speaker or performer.

He understood why the strategy meeting would take place at such a place. In fact, it was too good of a place to exist in a normal RPG game. No doubt Kayaba created the spot on purpose, knowing that a large area was needed in order for a meeting to take place. That left him wondering, what the hell was the madman doing right now? Was he seriously watching all of them individually? A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.

He shook his head repeatedly in a sideways motion multiple times in order to try and get rid of the idea. He didn't want to even think that someone was watching them at every moment's glance. Instead, Kirito focused on the many people that were waiting for the meeting to start. It wasn't going to hurt in knowing the progress of his comrades in arm.

His eyes scanned every member, taking in the sight of their weapon, accessories and armor. Kirito, having played the beta, knew of the many different equipment that was available in the very first floor of the game. However, unlike Argo, he didn't know the requirements, nor the prices of the items. He was unable to make an educated guess on the levels of those around him.

As he looked at the gear, he grimaced a bit. Although it was only the first floor of the game, many people were opting for the same build. They all consisted of a longsword, or a one handed sword with a shield. Kirito doubted that it would pose a large problem in the first few floors of the game, but he wouldn't be surprised if they encountered a problem in the later floors. Combined with the fact that each and every build was inflexible, it meant that these players would have to invest in their current build, unless they were willing to sacrifice a few of their stat points for the other players.

He sighed again as he thought of his own current build. He wasn't even able to hold a shield. All his stats were focused on offense. He was too afraid to use his stat points on defense, as another good weapon such as his [Anneal Blade] might appear. No doubt that weapon would require a ton of offensive points too. His playstyle was risky without a doubt, but he was confident he could dodge or parry the attacks of the monsters. It was just scary that he didn't have the safety of a shield..

Because of the [Mirror] that Kayaba gave them, every one of the players had their real appearance. It surprised Kirito that there were many diverse players. The game was only released in Japan so far, and there were people of many different skin colors, although it was noticeable that almost all of the players were male. In fact, Argo was one of the few female players that he even noticed. Even in the beta testing, he rarely saw any other players of the opposite gender.

Kirito glanced at the game clock, as it was approaching the time for the meeting to start. Another uncomfortable feeling hit him as he saw the amount of people gathered. If he were to make a guess, the number would barely reach 50 players. He clicked his tongue. They had to win against the first boss. In fact, he would stay in the first floor for a few days in order to help players announce that the first floor was cleared. They were never going to clear the game with the current amount of players working in the front lines. He prayed that more players were going to join.

His thoughts were invaded by a voice entering his ears. He looked up at the game clock again, noticing that it was time for the meeting to start. His eyes searched for the voice's owner, noticing that it belonged to a male that was standing in the center of the amphitheater. Was that the person who arranged the whole meeting? If so, Kirito wanted to give him credit.

He himself was never the type of personality that lead others. If there was no progress at all, then he would be forced to try and make a meeting, but he wanted to wait until the last moment. Thankfully, it seemed that someone who was used to being a leader appeared. Kirito smiled, thanking the heavens that a natural leader was gathering the players.

Was that natural blue hair? Kirito stared in shock at the man who was standing in the center. Looking through the player's gear, Kirito noticed that the man was better equipped than the others. Kirito had made multiple characters in the beta before to test out builds, and he noticed the shield that was attached to the man's back. It was the [Augmented Iron Shield], which was easily the best shield to obtain on the first floor. The quest was fairly simple. The drawback was that the quest giving NPC was hard to find.

If Kirito wasn't so focused on getting the [Anneal Blade], he would have opted for the shield too. It was just that he preferred the [Anneal Blade] so that he would have a solid weapon for the first few floors. That was why he placed so much priority on gaining the weapon. If only he knew that it required so many offensive stats…

"Hello players! My name is Diabel, and my job is a knight!" He casually replied as he tapped his fist into his chest. His words caught the attention of the players gathered in the amphitheater, and laughter rang out at his words. Kirito himself chuckled a bit at the words.

"There's no class system in this game!"

"C'mon, is this meeting a joke too?"

Other playful banters emerged, and Diabel let the laughter continue on for a moment, before a serious expression appeared on his face. The players followed suit, and a silence filled the amphitheater. Kirito gave Diabel a silent whistle of approval. The man had opened up with a joke, allowing the players to send their own jokes and banter to appease the tension. Although he was the leader, he let himself appear approachable, as a friend. But he also drew the line that he was the leader, making the situation serious again.

"My party was able to find the [[Boss Room]] three days ago." Cries of approval rang out through the crowd. Kirito gave his own approval, as he couldn't find the location himself. Although to be fair, he focused on getting the [Anneal Blade] the whole time. Still, he farmed monsters in a broad range of locations, and he wasn't able to find the [[Boss Room]] at all.

"Many people are afraid, unable to even leave a single step outside the [City of Beginnings]. Because of the creator of this game, Kayaba Akihiko, it became the player's responsibility to defeat this game. Everyone, we will defeat the boss of the first floor and advance, showing everyone that this death game is beatable!" Kirito smiled, clapping his hands slowly. Other players joined, and the amphitheater was filled with the noises of the players clapping. Diabel was thinking of the same idea that he was. The most important resource in the game was the players themselves, and they needed as many players they could get.

"Before we begin the official meeting, I want everyone to gather into a party, possibly into groups of four to six players." A frown showed on Kirito's face, but this was unavoidable. It was the best way to enter a boss fight. Kirito looked around the crowd of players, spotting a group that held five players.

"Mind if I join your group?" He asked hopefully. The players nodded, and Kirito seated himself next to the players. They exchanged small greetings, and Kirito tried his best to memorize the names of each player. The leader of the group sent a party invite, and Kirito was about to accept the request, before his eyes caught a single player that was sitting away from the crowd. It seemed that the player was participating in the boss raid, but he wasn't sure.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help but notice someone didn't have a party at all. I'm going to form a small party with them." The group members stretched their necks to see where he was pointing. They nodded their agreement, and Kirito headed towards the lone player. He sat himself next to the loner and frowned as he noticed that the player was slowly scooting away from him, maintaining a small distance between them.

"Do you not have a party yet?" Kirito sighed as he asked. His face scrunched up in a comic way as the player didn't respond to him. Maybe he should've stayed with his first group. He shook his head at the thought, planting his foot into the ground. He would form a party with this silent player no matter what. He gulped as he saw the appearance of the player. The player's face was completely hidden from view by a red cloak. Was this person a lost cause?

"Yeah…" Kirito blinked. Maybe this player wasn't a lost cause after all! Still, the player spoke so quietly that he thought he imagined the voice. The voice was feminine and soft. He assumed that the player was a female from just the voice, but he didn't want to guess incorrectly. So he stayed silent.

"Do you want to form a party? Diabel did say that we should form a party. Besides, it's the best strategy when fighting a boss. At least, just for this fight." He hesitantly asked. The player tilted their face towards Kirito, and he could only see their nose, mouth, and chin. He really wanted to rip the hood off, to see who was underneath it. He resisted the urge, waiting patiently for the player's answer.

The player nodded slowly, and he let out a sigh of relief. Kirito navigated through the game menu, sending the invite to his new party member. The player accepted the invite that appeared and Kirito's eyes zoomed in on the player's name immediately. Although the username of the player didn't give away any important information about the player themself, it was still something he could work with.

'Asuna?' he thought as he read the name. Each individual hint leaned towards the fact that the player was a female. Still, there were those players that chose their player model to be the opposite gender, even going as far as to choose a feminine name on purpose to fool others. His eyes widened as he read the level of his new party member. It read level 5.

"Well then, I will continue on with the meeting if the parties are formed." Diabel started to speak.

"A few beta testers wrote information on the first boss." He continued as he pulled out a leather book from his inventory.

"If you read it, you'll find out that the boss's name is [Illfang the Kobold Lord]. The boss is assisted with weaker enemy mobs called the [Ruin Kobold Sentinels]. His primary weapon is a [Large Bone Axe], holding a [Leather Shield] as his secondary item. The guide here states that the shield is used more offensively than defensively." Kirito nodded his head as he listened to each description. Everything was correct so far.

"The boss has four health bars, and three more [Ruin Kobold Sentinels] spawn every time a single health bar is depleted. When the boss is in the red zone of his last health bar, he discards his axe, opting to equip himself with a [Talwar], a [[Curved Sword]] type of weaponry which has different attack patterns than his axe." he finished.

Diabel gave the players a moment to absorb the information, before he explained the battle strategy.

"As it seems that the battle starts with 21 [Ruin Kobold Sentinels], the battle strategy will consist of the following: Each party will be assigned a letter. As we have exactly 51 players here, we will have 7 parties that hold off the sentinels. Each party will be responsible for killing three sentinels each. The remaining members will focus on the boss, taking turns blocking and attacking. Once we get rid of the first health bar, we will rotate the groups, allowing two new groups to focus the boss while the others get to rest. This pattern will continue until the boss is on his last health bar. When it comes to that, we will all focus on the boss. Any questions?" Diabel asked.

Kirito stroked his chin as he went over the strategy in his head. It was no doubt overkill in any other MMORPG to have 50 players fight a single boss. However, being as there lives were being gambled on each fight, Kirito wouldn't have minded having all 20,000 people fighting the first boss. The strategy was safe and made sense. A surplus of people would be killing the weak sentinels, while a small percentage of the players focused on the boss.

With each health bar down, the players that were fighting the boss get rotated out, allowing them to take the time to heal and rest. Two new groups would then fight the boss, the cycle repeating. It was a plan that was well thought out.

"What about the drops? How will they be shared?" A husky voice asked. The players turned their head around, and Kirito gagged on his own breath as he saw the player. Having orange hair was weird enough, but were those seriously spikes on his head? Did Kayaba have bugs on the [Mirror] item? Seriously, nobody could have hair that ridiculous.

"Gold from the final boss will be automatically distributed to everyone. Those that obtain items from killing the boss or the sentinels will keep the items to themselves. Exp will also be distributed automatically to everyone. Drops are based on luck anyways, so whoever gets them gets to keep them." Diabel said. The orange haired man frowned, but accepted the answer.

"And finally, we will meet here tomorrow at morning. The reason why I made the meeting 6 PM today, well, it's because of this. Let us all have a feast before we defeat the boss tomorrow!" Diabel yelled. The players all cheered with him, walking towards the center to shake hands with their leader. Kirito was about to follow suit, until he noticed that his party member, Asuna, left without saying a single word.

Kirito scratched his head, contemplating on whether he should join Diabel, or follow Asuna. He sighed, as a difficult decision had to be made. He decided to go to Diable, as it seemed that he would be the leader in most of the raids for the bosses. He would talk to Asuna later.

As he approached the group that was greeting Diabel, Kirito made eye contact with him. Kirito raised his eyebrows in question as Diabel smiled when he met him. The group made their way to a restaurant, as they started the feast. Kirito took a seat, and his eyes widened as he noticed Diabel sit in front of him.

"I was wondering what you doing." He said.

"Huh?" Kirito responded. Diabel smiled.

"I saw you during the beta. Although you never really hung out with the other testers, I noticed that you always left the beta facility with a smile on your face." Kirito nodded in understanding. He had talked to some of the beta testers, but was surprised that someone actually recognized him.

"Well I'm Kirito. It's kind of disheartening, seeing that there's only 51 players that are attempting to clear the first floor." Kirito started, initiating a different conversation. Diabel hummed in agreement.

"Say, Kirito, what level are you right now?" Diabel asked.

"Level 7." He replied. Diabel's eyes widened in shock as he stuttered. Was it that high? He knew he was one of the hardest grinders, but the surprise Diabel showed worried him. Kirito started tapping his fingers with uncertainty.

"Most players are level 3-4. I'm level 5 and I'm one of the highest level people around." Kirito stopped his tapping, staring at Diabel.

"Most people are afraid to venture out. Even for players that are, they stick with slaying the weaker monsters. It's because there were deaths of some people aiming to achieve a high level. Kayaba made it so that weaker monsters yield less Exp, so the rate of leveling up is ridiculously low. Even me, a beta tester, is taking no risks at all. I guess you're different." Kirito stared at the table. Holy shit, Asuna was one of the highest level players then?

Most people were fairly uncomfortable with the full dive technology. They still felt awkward with the system. If it wasn't for the hundreds of hours he played during the beta, Kirito would be in the same position as them.

"Say Diabel, do you know what some of the main stats do? I figured some of them out, but I still don't know what others do, such as CON, RES, FOC, ATU, and LUC." Diabel opened up his menu, before messaging someone. He waited for a while, before a familiar face appeared and sat with them.

"Argo?" Kirito asked as he saw the familiar brown patch of hair. Said player looked towards Kirito before stuttering a bit. She quickly calmed herself, sitting down next to Diable. She glared at Kirito, who just smiled back towards the girl.

"Well well well, it seems that it is the job of the intelligent to teach those that are ignorant." She started as her glare continued. Diabel raised his eyebrows, confused as to why the player was acting so hostile. Argo took a deep breath, appeasing her nerves before taking on a serious face.

"From what I know, CON is constitution. It's a defensive stat, and if you invest points into it, then you gain increased resistance towards magic attacks from the enemies. And although not confirmed, there are rumours that it increases the durations of any buffs that are applied.

RES is resistance. It's another defensive stat that does a couple of things. First, it decreases the chances for debuffs to apply. For example, if there is a enemy that has a poison weapon, your chances of getting poisoned by each attack is decreased. Also, even if you do get the debuff, the damage and duration is decreased.

FOC is focus. It does a single thing, which is to increase the damage that [[Sword Arts]] do. It may seem useless, but many people claim that it increases their damage by a huge margin.

ATU, I'm sorry but no one in the game knows what it does yet, it's still a mystery.

Finally, LUC is luck. It increases the chances of a rare drop and the success rate of upgrading. Not only that, but it also increases the chance for a player to land a [[Critical Attack]]." Argo finished.

Kirito mentally noted the effects of each stat.

"Is there any other you want to know?" Argo asked. Kirito thought for a moment, before asking.

"Can you tell me the exact descriptions of VIG and END then?" Argo sighed, before answering.

"VIG is vigor, which is the main stat that increases health. It also minisculely raises your raw defense, but it's barely noticeable.

END, or endurance, is that stat that raises your defense. It also increase the stat of [[Poise]]. Although that's another stat that many people don't really have a clue about." Now Kirito knew exactly what his [Armlet of the Brave] did.

"Though I can't help but notice, they are all defensive stats. Hey, don't tell me you didn't invest any points into defense." Argo asked in a skeptical manner. Kirito avoided eye-contact with both Argo and Diabel, as he felt sweat run down his face.

"Ummmmm… No! It's just that I upgraded those stats without paying attention to what they did. That's all! Ahahhahahah…" His voice trailed away as the two players sitting across him gave him disbelieving looks.

X-Sword Art Online:Realization-X

Kirito made his way out of the feast that was going on, locating where his party member Asuna was. He stayed at the feast for a small duration, laughing at the antics of the other players. There were drinking contests and other activities made to ease the tension. He would have loved to stay, but he needed to keep his earlier promise to himself, which was to break his party member out of his or her shell.

Thankfully, the game allowed one to locate their party member's locations. Because of it, Kirito learned that Asuna was currently in a inn. Although he may have been interrupting his party member's sleep, it was still worth trying to talk to his party member. He arrived to the inn, which seemed to be one that was very cheap. The building looked worn out, as the wood used to build the building seemed to be old. As Kirito opened the door, he couldn't help but notice the high pitched creaking noises.

He made his way up the stairs, cringing as every step made the wood creak under his weight. The inside of the inn was no better. The smell was that of mold, and the lights inside the inn were flickering on and off repeatedly. There was a poverty system in SAO, but it was the first time Kirito experienced it first hand, as he always had the money to spend on a lodge that was of good quality.

Passing some old paintings, Kirito arrived at the room which Asuna resided in. He took a deep breath, knocking on the wooden door. He could hear the game notification bell ring inside the room, making his eyes open wide. There was a security system that made it so that outsiders couldn't hear anything inside a inn room. Was the inn so bad that he could hear everything going on inside?

A moment later, the door opened up, and his jaw dropped to the floor as he saw his party member. A small face that reflected surprise stared back at him. Vibrant orange hair entered his eyes, and Kirito's eyes wandered around the face of his party member. He blinked repeatedly, as he stared at the hazel colored eyes and round face. Her skin had a pale complexion. Without a doubt, his party member was a female. No man could look that beautiful and feminine.

He took a deep gulp of his own saliva, before she slammed the door on his face. His face was replaced with confusion, as a moment later, the door opened again. This time, she looked as she had in the amphitheater, red hood covering her face. He sighed, as he remembered that Asuna was someone who was either cautious, or enjoyed isolation.

"H-how did you find this place?" She asked. He stared at Asuna. Did she not know the simple functions of the game?

"Because we are a party, we can locate each other on the map as long as we aren't on separate floors. At least, that's how it was in the beta." As he answered, he noticed that Asuna's face turned towards the minimap, mouth widening in surprise as she saw his icon on her map. Her mouth opened and closed, before speaking.

"Cancel the party."

"What?" Kirito asked in response. Where was this coming from?

"I don't want you to know where I am. Your stalking tendencies are scaring me." His eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he heard Asuna's words.

"Excuse me, but I was only doing the good deed of checking upon my socially inept party member." He replied, voice emphasizing on the socially inept part. His words formed their desired effect, as Asuna twitched in response.

"I'm not socially inept! I just chose to be by myself as everyone already formed their own party!" She yelled at him, making him smirk. It was good to know that she wasn't actually socially inept. If he had to guess, it was that she was just well guarded around people. Well guarded, but easily flustered. Boy, he was going to have fun teasing her.

"Oh really?" He replied in a comic villainous voice. "I guess I assumed incorrectly. But you have to understand, I could only reach that conclusion because someone wouldn't say a single word to their party member, nor could she sense the concern in her party member's action. Heck, she wouldn't even participate in a feast!" Kirito shrugged his shoulders, exaggerating every action he made. He hesitated as he saw Asuna's fists clenched tightly. They were also shaking with anger. Okay, maybe he should stop.

"What. Do. You. Want." Each word was filled with malice, and Kirito gulped nervously.

"Well, I was wondering why you wouldn't participate in the feast with everyone else. It's a good time to try and make connections to these people you know." He was being a little hypocritical, but he had made some connections. Two to be exact. One of them was Argo, which he knew beforehand. Okay, he was being very hypocritical.

"I don't care about any of that. If that's it, then goodbye. Don't forget to cancel the party, we can reform it in the morning anyways." She slammed the door shut for the second time that day, leaving Kirito to stare at the door. This woman!

"And you wonder why I think you're socially inept!" He yelled back at the door.

"Shut up!" He was surprised when she responded. He turned around and left the inn, a smile on his face. His party member wasn't what he thought she would be, although she was quite cautious and rude. Then again, it seemed that every female he talked to hated him so far. He was two for two in that category. It was a statistic that dealt a blow to his ego, but there were far more important things to worry about.

His smirk widened, as he decided not to cancel the party. He would no doubt feel the wrath of Asuna when they meet again tomorrow, but it was a good excuse to get her talking. He breathed in a large volume of air, heading towards his own inn. Tomorrow would be the day that hope gets restored. Tomorrow would be the day where they advance in the game.

X-Sword Art Online:Realization-X

"Ahahahaha…" Kirito laughed nervously as felt the tip of Asuna's sword press against his throat. Luckily, they were in a [[Safe Zone]], so she could deal no damage to him. Still, the feeling of cold metal pressing on his throat didn't feel welcomed at all.

"Why didn't you disband the party last night?" She asked, sword still pressed against his neck.

"Could you put away the sword? You're attracting the attention of many people." He replied calmly, while his hands were raised in surrender. She looked around, noticing the stares of the other players. She coughed lightly, sheathing her sword. He let out a sigh of relief. It was shortly lived, as he swore he felt the glare of his party member, even when she had her hood to cover her eyes.

It was morning, and the group was meeting in order to head towards the [[Boss Room]]. Surely enough, Kirito was correct in that his action would stir the wrath of Asuna. She seemed to be readying another barrage of threats, but couldn't as Diabel's voice rang out.

"Alright, all the members are gathered. Let's head out! Make sure that you follow my lead!" Kirito silently thanked Diabel's timing, and moved forward with the group. He noticed that Asuna moved closer towards him as the group of 51 players all started to huddle and move. He gasped dramatically in hope as he saw the action.

"W-what?" Asuna said as she heard his gasp. Kirito didn't respond to her question. It seemed that she at least trusted him the most out of the 51 players. That was a good sign, right?

Instead, he stretched as he continued to follow the group. He had fixed his schedule specifically for this day. Just for today, he had allowed himself to sleep in, which abled him to sleep for almost over 11 hours. His body felt slightly tense at the aspect of fighting the boss. He had double checked his inventory, making sure that he had stockpiled enough [Health Potions].

"Ms. Socially inept?" He called out to his party member. The response was immediate, Asuna growling as she faced him. He raised his hands as an offer of peace, before he continued.

"I wanted to discuss my plan with you yesterday, but I'll say it now as it isn't much. Because we're in charge of the stray sentinels, being a party of only two people, we most likely won't have to face many of them. We probably won't have any problems fighting them individually, but we have to have a plan just in case. If we face against multiple sentinels, or if a single sentinel is stronger than we thought, then we switch from individual action to [[Switch]], alright?" He asked.

"?" The small tilt of the head shocked Kirito. No way… Did she not know what [[Switch]] was? Well, he should have expected it as she was someone who kept to herself.

"Listen closely, as we don't have that much time." He started. "[[Switch]] is the most basic but efficient way to fight monsters. It starts with one player attacking. When the player is able to land multiple successful attacks on the enemy, or [[Parry]] the enemy monster's attack, the opportunity to [[Switch]] appears. Because a player is usually stuck in downtime and unable to attack after a [[Parry]] or a barrage of attacks, the party member comes in right away, allowing the party to take advantage of the monster that is stunned from the multiple combo attacks or from the [[Parry]]." He concluded.

She nodded slowly. Whether she truly understood or not, he didn't have a clue. Still, she nodded confidently, so he believed that she understood his explanation perfectly. It seemed that he was able to explain just in time as the group came to a stop as they arrived in a hidden area of the forest.

"Oh." Kirito said as they stopped in front of a large door. He had been in the area multiple times, but did not notice the hidden passageway that lead to the [[Boss Room]]. It seemed that he needed to focus on his environment more when he traveled around Aincrad. It would help locate the possible location of the [[Boss Room]].

"Everyone, are you all ready!?" Diabel called out. He nodded in satisfaction as he heard the group yell out their answer. The group yelped in surprise as Diabel pushed the door open. It caused the ground to shake, causing some groups to fall to the ground as they lost balance.

Kirito himself held a tree trunk that was next to him, keeping his balance. He felt a tug near his elbow, causing him to look at his arm. A small hand was grabbing onto the cloth of his clothes. He noticed that it was Asuna. He smirked in response, which caused the girl to punch his arm slightly as she saw the smug look on his face.

All traces of humor vanished as the shaking stopped.

They all walked into the room, gripping their weapons tightly. The strategy commenced immediately as the different parties were spreading out. [Illfang the Kobold Lord] was visible in the center, but because not everybody entered the [[Boss Room]] yet, he stayed in his idle state. That changed, however, as the final member entered the room.

The doors shut close, and the room lit up with light, allowing Kirito to examine his surrounding.

The design of the room was almost the same as the beta, with small pillars lining up the side. The room was filled with weird lights, which seemed as if they were moving. They were shining with different colors. The [[Boss Room]] was large, allowing the players to spread out. Considering the boss's attack patterns, it was good for them that the room was large. The health bars lit up, showing the four bars. Bright lights emerged from the ground, showing the [Ruin Kobold Sentinels].

"Groups A and B, initiate attacks against the boss! C-I, make sure you draw the aggro of all the Sentinels! Group J, make sure you get rid of the stray sentinels and help any groups that need assistance!" Diabel yelled. Everyone followed suit as the battle formation was taking place.

The groups drew the attention of the 21 Sentinels, allowing Groups A and B free passage to attack the boss. Kirito and Asuna took their own formation, scanning the area for any stray Sentinels. Kirito grimaced as he saw some stray Sentinels spawn. Of course it was going to differ from the beta.

"Let's go!" He called out, pointing towards the direction of the stray Sentinel. Asuna nodded, heading towards the enemy. As it was a single enemy, Kirito would be able to handle the enemy easily. Still, it was a grace period to try and attempt the switch. He already knew where the [[Critical Spot]] was, as he slayed many of them in the beta, as well as in the quest to get his [Anneal Blade]. He twisted his sword to the side, stabbing the sword straight through the small gap that existed between the Sentinel's head armor.

The Sentinel let out a strangled noise, one which Kirito had recognized.

"[[Switch]]!" He yelled out. He gasped in surprise as he felt Asuna rush by him. From the speed alone, he could tell that she had put an abundance of points into AGI. It was impossible to move that fast during combat otherwise. He focused his sight onto her choice of weapon, which he noticed was a rapier. Although he didn't know the stat requirements of a rapier, he understood that it would require agility.

Her sword flashed, seeming to be activating a skill. She thrusted her rapier, a torrent of consecutive straight thrusts appearing. They hit the unarmored body of the Sentinel, causing it to be stunlocked. She then continued with basic attacks, slashing in multiple directions. The Sentinel was easily defeated, exploding into particles. Considering that his [Anneal Blade] was at +5, combined with the fact that Asuna was level 5, it was no surprise that they were able to defeat the sentinel with ease.

He snapped his eyes back towards the battlefield, searching for more enemies. There was no time for rest, as lives depended on the fight. The groups were all doing their respective jobs, and Kirito smiled as he saw the first health bar of the boss deplete. 12 players were attacking the boss, so it was no surprise that the damage output was high.

"Groups A and B, switch out and use potions if you have to! Groups C and D, come charge into the boss! Other groups, continue your actions!" The groups complied with the order, moving in a systematic way. It was amazing. They didn't have any practice beforehand, but they all worked together in a smooth way. It seemed that a common goal was allowing teamwork to form.

More Sentinels spawned, and Kirito resumed practicing [[Switch]] with Asuna. He wanted her to get used to the tactic. The battle continued in a steady manner, the strategy working perfectly. Morale was high, and people were already letting out premature celebrations.

The last health bar was left, and everyone fell back as [Illfang the Kobold Lord] let out a roar that signified the last stage of the fight. The boss threw away both of it's weapons, the [Large Bone Axe] and [Leather Shield], about to pull out a weapon.

Kirito was fighting a Sentinel at the moment, eyeing the boss with the corner of his eyes. They widened as he saw Diabel run towards the boss. The leader was abandoning the plan? He searched his brain for a reason, before understanding.

"For the stupid last hit bonus?" He yelled out. No doubt the slayer of the boss would get a rare drop, the worst possible drop being probably a green uncommon. Because no item in the first floor was even green, he could understand why someone would break formation to get the bonus in any other MMORPG. But lives depended on this for fuck's sake! This wasn't a casual RPG!

The boss surprised both Kirito and Diabel as the boss attacked immediately after pulling out it's new weapon. Diabel was pushed back, [[Staggered]] from the blow. [Illfang the Kobold Lord] jumped from the pillars, gaining high elevation in the air. It aimed it's sword upwards, allowing Kirito to get a good look at it.

"It's a [Nōdachi]? Asuna! Take care of this one!" He screamed as he kicked the Sentinel away. He rushed towards Diabel who was [[Staggered]]. The boss was falling towards Diabel, about to make its attack.

"Make it in time!" Kirito roared as he activated «Explosive Charge». He never used the attack skywards before, but he needed to use it to intercept the attack. Kirito felt the momentum pile up while the system registered the motion, and he soon felt his body airborne as he was propelled towards the boss at maximum speed.

His desperate voice echoed throughout the room as it was soon replaced by the sounds of two blades colliding. Kirito's body was slammed straight towards the ground as the force from the blow caused his body whiplash. He made hard contact with the floor, the wind being knocked out of him as he tried to stand up. Other party members dragged him and Diabel back.

"Thanks.." Diabel said as he looked away, regret reflecting on his eyes.

"Are you crazy! You're the one who took the responsibility of leading this group! Do you plan on abandoning all of them?" Kirito yelled as he grabbed the collar of Diabel's shirt. It was obvious that Diabel already knew the fact. Kirito grit his teeth, pulling out a potion, healing his health. Diabel proceeded to do the same.

Kirito stood up, heading towards the back of the room where the boss couldn't reach. He sat down, breathing heavily. They had almost lost their boss raiding leader. He tried to calm his beating heart, as he glanced at the battlefield. It wasn't looking good. The boss's attack patterns were completely different with the [Nōdachi]. People were being blown back by the attacks, and even Diabel seemed lost as to what he should.

Kirito swore under his breath. Of course Kayaba would make the boss much more difficult. He even gave the boss [[Hyper-Aggression]], a status effect that could only be found in the higher levels of the beta. The effect made the monster attack relentlessly, almost disregarding all forms of defense. It was understandable why the beginners were having such a hard time adapting to the sudden change. It was difficult for even the best beta players to defend against monsters with the effect.

"So tell me, why did you charge in by yourself suddenly?" Kirito asked as Diabel sat himself down next to him. He already suspected an answer, but he wanted to hear Diabel's own words.

"You already know don't you? We're stuck in this game. The better items a player obtains, the better chance of survival a player has. I wanted the bonus so I could increase my chance of survival." Diabel said as he sighed.

"Well, you almost got killed because of that thought. Like I said, you're the one who gathered this group. You have the responsibility to lead it now." Kirito grunted as he stood up. He didn't have to say anymore. It was obvious that Diabel knew of his stupid mistake.

Having his health replenish through his item, Kirito walked towards the boss with the [Anneal Blade] in hand. His slow walk transitioned into a faster pace with each step, sprinting at the end. He clenched his teeth tight, landing a blow on the boss as its attention was focused elsewhere.

The boss, registering the abnormally high damage, turned around, identifying Kirito as the main threat. The large body shifted to face him. The [Nōdachi] swung down towards him, and Kirito rolled horizontally to dodge the attack. The [[Hyper-Aggression]] kicked in for the boss, attacking Kirito again and again.

The other members were yelling cries of surprise at Kirito, but he couldn't hear them over the sound of his beating heart. Adrenaline was flooding his body, blood rushing to every part. He was dodging every attack by a small margin. A single blow would lead to a chain of another, which would likely lead to his death. There was a temporary chance, however.

Monsters with [[Hyper-Aggression]] had a small window of vulnerability after their attack has finished. Albeit the timing being ridiculously short, it would be enough to finish the boss, considering the low amount of health it had.

One, two, three, four, the number of attacks kept coming, and Kirito was concentrating to find the small window. The boss attacked two more times, which it then reared its sword back in a large motion. This was it! If he missed this chance, he would have to attempt to dodge the onslaught of attacks again. He charged forward, activating a skill. His blade shined a bright blue, and Kirito bolted forward, arm flowing in the familiar attacking motion.

He felt the blade cut through the boss, as he swung, and the boss dispersed into particles a second later. Kirito sheathed his sword, exhaling repeatedly as he was trying to steady his rapid breath. A smile appeared. They had defeated the first boss. It signified so much, the hope of the trapped players, the progression of the death game, and the fact that the game could be beaten. He couldn't wait to see the surprised expressions of those in the [City of Beginnings].

« Congratulations, Illfang the Kobold Lord has been slain! »

He yelped in surprise as he felt his body get lifted, being thrown in the air multiple times as the party celebrated the victory. Kirito laughed, allowing himself to enjoy the moment. A game notification appeared in front of him, showing the drops that he got. He exited the window, not giving a damn about what he got. How could he, when something so much more important just got achieved?

X-Sword Art Online:Realization-X

Asuna stared at the man who was getting thrown into the air by the other players. Under the hood, her eyebrows were furrowed deeply, and her eyes were reflecting anger. She felt her own heart jump with tension when everyone cheered prematurely, thinking that the boss was going to die easily.

She was frozen in fear as she saw the leader almost get killed. She was broken out of her stupor by her party member's yell. The Sentinel was kicked towards her, and she could only watch with despair as her party member charged straight towards the boss. Somehow, he had saved Diabel.

Small hope resurfaced her heart again, but it was quickly dispersed as she stared at the boss. Everyone was crying in fear, and the group was falling apart due to chaos. The boss was slashing his weapon relentlessly, causing injuries to players.

Her legs were shaking in fear as she stared into the red eyes of the boss. Her grip on the rapier was loosening, and she crumbled to the floor as the boss made its way towards her direction. She closed her eyes and blocked her ears with her hands, waiting for her life to end right there.

One, two, three. Asuna counted the seconds in her head, daring to look up when her count reached well over a minute. Hazel eyes widened as they saw a single player fight the boss. It was her party member. While everyone else, including her, was cowering in fear, he was standing defiantly until the end.

She started to breath heavily as the boss attacked mercilessly towards the lone player. Smoke was rising everywhere from the impact of the boss's attacks, and she couldn't see her party member anymore.

When the smoke cleared, she let out a small cry as only one human figure was standing. He had managed to singlehandedly defeat the boss. Her nails dug into her palms as she looked towards the ground.

Didn't she promise to herself that she would go down while fighting? That she would fight no matter what to justify her own existence? Instead, she cowered in fear, breaking her own promise. Her party member was what she wanted to be. Someone who fought until the end.

She glared at the player who defeated the boss. He was currently being thrown into the air as celebration. Asuna gritted her teeth as she turned around to leave.

X-Sword Art Online:Realization-X

Afternote

This was chapter 3! I hope you readers enjoyed it!