December 4th, 2022, First Floor, Dungeon

My purpose in this virtual world is still unknown. From the first day until now, I have been searching for a way to make my time here meaningful. Klein's words still hang on to me because they are what reminds me of who I can be...they set me apart from soulless murderers. So what's the difference between me and a mindless killer? I still don't know. I can recall somewhere in my subconscious that I get a thrill from killing people, but even now, I'm still haunted by my actions. So which am I? A cold-blooded killer or an outcast looking for redemption?

My thoughts eventually faded away as our raid party stopped at the entrance of the dungeon. Diavel, our charismatic raid leader that fancies himself as a knight, stuck his sword into the dirt and puffed his chest.

"Alright, this is the entrance to the dungeon. Make sure you stick by your party members, and have health potions at the ready. This may not be the boss, but these mobs can be just as dangerous" Diavel announced. He then raised his fist up in the air and yelled "Onward!".

"Yea! Let's do this!" Kibaou screamed

"This dungeon's got nothing on us!" Another player said. Merry chants and battle cries went all around, and everybody seemed anxious to venture into the dungeon. Diavel is a natural leader and I'm actually grateful that he's our first raid leader. Without his charisma and courage, these players wouldn't be able to work up the nerve to challenge the first boss. I looked through the raid party and saw the player that harassed me the other day, Kirito, with a player in a hood.

*huh, I guess they're a duo like Zak and I*

As if he had eyes on the back of his head, he turned towards me with his usual dark gaze and frowned. If I didn't know any better, this was probably an added warning to the ones that he gave me yesterday

"O-oy, Kishi, the raid group is heading into the dungeon" Zak said with a tremble in his voice.

*Sheesh I'm not going to kill you*

I looked at Zak with a single glance, and he immediately went into a feeble defensive pose, as if I was about to hurt him.

"Alright, let's go then" I replied. I turned my head and hid my grin.

*This guy is so easy to mess with*

Our first encounter was with a mob of Ruin Kobold Troopers that wields hand axes. They are about 6 feet tall with a very bulky build. Despite their appearance, they are very fast creatures, and if you're not careful, they could flank you and take your life away.

"Everybody, split up into your party and clear these things out!" Diavel yelled. Battle cries soon followed and parties rushed to their individual monster. Zak is a one handed sword and shield user, therefore I forced him to be my forward. With his shield, he is able to block incoming blows and switch out with me when the monsters stop their barrage. One kobold trooper approached us just as I relayed my plan with Zak. It let out a hiss and started charging at us with its axe.

"Alright, you know the plan Zak. Once you block his attack with your shield, switch out with me and I can handle the rest. Then later, I can be the forward," I briefly explained.

"Y-you sure about this?"

"Yes I am. Now be ready, before I kick your ass myself"

Zak let out a small whimper, and reluctantly grasped his sword and shield tightly. The monster was about 3 feet away from Zak, and it swung down its axe with great force. With amazing speed, Zak predicted the trajectory and successfully repelled the the monster's attack.

"Switch!" I yelled. I pushed from the ground and unsheathed my curved blade that was strapped on the back of my hip. I let the blade rest on my shoulder, and it let out a brilliant red glow. The system assist started kicking in, and I could feel myself being weightless. I held the blade in front of me, and slashed the monster's abdomen. It let out a small cry and was dazed for about 3 seconds. By the time it recovered, Zak was already in front of me, ready to block another attack. Just as we predicted, it mindlessly hacked at Zak's shield and was blown back by it. I then activated my sword skill Reaver again and slashed it at the same place I did 10 seconds ago. We repeated this process once more, and managed to defeat it. Even though I got the last hit, the items that it gave me wasn't that significant. I gained one Kobold Skin and 40 Kol. By the time we defeated our monster, everybody seemed to be finishing up also, except for Kirito's group. Both him and the hooded figure seemed to be standing still.

*They already finished with their monster already? How good are they?*

Despite the fact that these kobolds are easy to predict, they are still very durable. It takes about 3 Reaver hits to just take it down. How did they manage to finish theirs off so quickly? The only thing I could think of is that they have superb teamwork. I felt a sense of inferiority to Kirito, and I became agitated.

*Tch who the hell cares about that kid*

I had lost track of time, but by the time we got to the boss room, it seemed like it was already afternoon. Everybody seemed to be teeming with energy still, and my partner Zak seemed to be less intimidated by me. I guess that's a good thing. At least he trusts me to some extent. Everybody settled down in front of the door and Diavel made his way to the front of the crowd. He stuck his sword into the ground once more and surprisingly said only one line.

"Let's win"

He turned around and gave the large 8 foot door a slight push. As it opens, everybody yelled and lifted their spirits. We ran straight into the room, and saw a very large silhouette sitting on a throne. The whole room was painted in dark obsidian until we got to the center of it. The obsidian faded away like a shadow, and unveiled the room's true color. The floor was of a light blue marble, and the walls were white like clouds.

*Alright, this is it. The very first battle* I glanced over at Zak

"Let's do this Zak. Our job is to take care of the Ruin Kobold Sentinels surrounding the boss. We, Group F, are to provide support to Groups A,B, and C once we clear the sentinels."

"U-Uh yea. Let's do this!" Zak scratched his brown hair.

The silhouette rose up from its throne, and lifted off from the ground like a rocket. Once it landed, it broke the floor with its tremendous weight and revealed itself. With a large roar, Illfang the Kobold Lord asserted his presence.

*ROOAARRRR*

4 health bars appeared next to his head about the same time as the Ruin Kobold Sentinels spawned.

"Group A! Get to the front and prepare to block!" Diavel screamed.

It seems like Diavel's group practice yesterday paid off. Everybody seems to be coordinated with each other and not one person is left out. Maybe I should have went to practice after all. No. That can't be possible. They wouldn't allow a PKer like me to socialize with them. I felt a sense of loneliness as I thought about my current social status as a player. No one would approach me, and I can't even venture into town without being noticed.

"Oy Kishi, snap out of it" A familiar voice called out to me "We gotta clear those Sentinels!"

I let go of my wandering thoughts and focused myself on the situation at hand. Zak was looking back at me in a rushed expression.

"Yea, my bad. Let's go" I murmured.

Both of us kicked from the ground at once and targeted a sentinel to the left of Illfang. Since Zak was the forward during the dungeon crawling, it was my turn to fulfill that role. I got ahead of Zak and sheathed my curved blade.

*oh how easy it would have been if I could equip the katana*

I rested the blade on my shoulder and mentally called out the first beloved sword skill I learned, Reaver. My sword glowed red and my body started speeding up. The sentinel immediately noticed us, and anticipated our attack. It swung it's katana down just as I approach it's chest. Its sword sliced off a piece of my hair. Using all of my core strength, I shifted my body to the right and dodged the blade by a mere inch. I stumbled a little bit but immediately got up. As if the sentinel could read my thoughts, it swung it's katana horizontally once again.

*Tch these sentinels aren't as stupid as the troopers. They won't let you have time to counterattack*

I activated my sword skill once again, but this time I held my blade from where my knee is. As I was 3 feet away from the sentinel, I grasped my sword tightly and swung up. The sentinel's katana and arms were knocked up in the air, leaving about a 4 second window.

"Zak, switch!" I screamed.

"I got this!" Zak replied with fervor. His sword glowed blue as he was activating a basic one handed sword skill, Slant. Zak slashed straight through the kobold, and knocked it back about 10 feet. Its feet dragged along the floor, and let out an ear-piercing screech. The kobold lifted up its head and charged once more toward Zak. This time, its katana glowed red.

*An unknown katana skill. Shit*

I immediately searched somewhere in my mind what kind of technique it would use. I analyzed its pose and tried to match it with the many skills that I learned when training with my uncle. The kobold had its sword at its waist and was charging at Zak with its shoulder pointing forward. I definitely know this move. It's about to slash upwards, from bottom left corner to upper right corner. Attempting to be the perpendicular line to the kobold's trajectory, I activated Reaver once again and charged. As it was about to swing at Zak, I slashed at the kobold with all my might. My sword dug into its left shoulder, and went through to its neck. The monster flew back 6 feet, and the wound was glowing red on its body.

"Zak! You and me, let's deal the finishing blow!"

"You got it!"

I caught up to Zak and we both sprinted at the downed kobold. We swung our blades down as hard as we can and a loud *clink* sound let out. It was not the sound of sword meeting flesh, but sword grinding against sword. The kobold managed to block both of our swords on its back, and pushed us back 3 feet. Quicker than my eyes can perceive, it got back up on its feet and slashed at Zak.

*Shit*

Zak's HP bar immediately turned to the red zone, and I looked back in fear. No, now is not the time to be distracted. I must use this as an opportunity. If I don't kill it now, Zak will still be in danger. I swung my blade horizontally and it locked sword with the sentinel's katana. It pushed me back once again and I lost balance. The kobold then use this opportunity to hack at me from left to right. Thanking Richard in my mind for taking me to yoga lessons, I twisted my body and tucked my right arm behind my back. My blade deflects the katana from my back, and I wasted no time to counterattack. I flipped my blade and held it in a reverse manner; like a dagger. I slashed at it 3 times, so quick that it only reacted to the 3rd hit. The kobold's body swelled up and broke into small pieces. My attention turned back to Zak, who was lying on on the floor with 10 percent of his HP left. I ran toward him, disregarding anything around me. Once I was 25 feet from him, I felt an eerie sensation behind me. Trusting my instincts, I ducked and a forceful wind flew above my head. It was Illfang's axe that was swinging down diagonally to the ground. Straight at Zak.

*No, this can't be happening*

I dropped my sword and sprinted as fast as I could toward my injured party member. His bright red eyes reflected the feelings of defeat and relief. He has already accepted his fate

*No don't do this to me*

Illfang's axe, now only inches away from Zak's body, suddenly flew back. A familiar figure used the skill Vertical to deflect the axe. His jet black hair and determined eyes was a sight for sore eyes. The person that seemed to distrust me, has saved Zak's life. Wasting no time, I pulled a potion out from my inventory and shoved it in Zak's mouth.

"Hah, you actually do care about other people" Zak said feebly while smiling.

"Shut the hell up and take this potion. Once you finish this, grab your sword and back me up. We still have a job to do" I replied in my coldest tone.

*That was close. Thank God he's alive*

Zak immediately got back up and gripped his sword. 3 more kobolds spawned and the solo groups(Kirito and Kishi's groups) charged towards them. I looked at Kirito, and he looked at me. It was only for a mere 5 seconds, but it was as though we exchanged words.

*
"Thanks"

"Don't flatter yourself. I won't let a player die here today. If it was you under that axe...that would have been a different story"

End.

A/N: Hey guys! sorry for taking so long on this. I've been reading the progressive novels lately, and decided to revise a lot of my writing. I just started school so it may take about 2 weeks for the next chapter. It might be sooner, but it just depends on how much free time I have. Please give me feedback, what you want to see in this series, and what you liked about it! Feel free to message me anytime. As for this chapter, I wanted to further the rivalry between Kirito and Kishi, but at the same time, I wanted to show the lighter side of Kishi. I will delve deeper into Kishi's resolve and his purpose in SAO in the next couple of chapters. I'll be following the progressive novels in terms of floors so expect to have a detailed account of Kishi's adventures! Thanks for reading guys!