Author's Note
Hey everyone. So the system is finally here. There is not going to be any ID-Create BS, Sentient Systems or Party Functions. Though I will have a store with major restrictions which will limit the power scaling to very reasonable levels.
I'm not going to have the MC be an idiot and tell the world his secrets. There is not going to be item/xp sharing either. Honestly, all the horrible tropes I will tend to avoid unless it makes very reasonable sense to go against my believes.
Anyway, let me know of any corrections/additions I should make.
Thank you all for reading!
- 10/14/2021
Arc 1-3
Minutes tick by.
The screen flickers as I type in a name.
[Username Denied.]
Once again it rejects my original name.
[Please Enter Your Name: - - -]
[Emyr_10]
[Username Denied.]
[Please Enter Your Name: - - -]
[Emyr Brenin 101]
[Username Denied.]
I admit I am a rather persistent lad. However, even I couldn't out last this blasted screen. No matter how I try to change my username, for some reason it rejects it.
[Please Enter Your Name: - - -]
"Ah!"
Just take the fucking name already!
Why must you torment me so?
John [Denied], William [Denied], Kazuro [Denied].
Even, 351132412 was…
[Username Denied.]
No matter what sort of combination I came up with, everything is rejected. The game refuses to accept anything I typed in. Almost as if it were to mock me.
"There is still one more name I could try." It is an infamous name which is from canon. "Surely it won't force me to…"
The name slowly appears across the screen. I gulp nervously for my future.
[Kirito]
[Username Accepted.]
This is an outrage!
How dare this game mock me!? I do not want to be called Kirito! I refuse to accept this!
I am Emyr! Not a 3rd rate protagonist!
No matter how much I rage, the blasted game doesn't even care about my dilemma. I do not dare to admit it. I never wanted this to occur.
Sadly, the reality of my situation seems set in stone.
As I am indeed 'Kirito'…
Depression sets in. This was supposed to be fun. I did not want the world to force me down this worrisome path…
I just want to live my own life. Free of this body's fate and create my own future.
Finally the title screen comes into view. Thus I am forced to suck in my inner reluctance.
I may be forced to accept this slot in life, but it does not mean I have to like it!
I may no longer be Emyr… But I for sure will refuse to become Kirito…
"Uh, well maybe it is a Kazuto?"
Damn this is rather confusing. Was Kirito just his monitor name or is Kazuto the real name used in the Japanese release?
I am honestly starting to hate this world… It has yet to be a full 24hrs and fate already mocks me.
With no way around this predicament, I reluctantly click [Continue].
A white flash whisks my mind away as I find myself in an open plane. An area devoid of reason with a mirror like floor which reflects the cloudless sky above.
If I didn't know better, this would've been an ideal afterlife. A type of event horizon I could've accepted when I passed away.
Another screen appears. However, it is unlike the cold blue monitor from earlier. This screen has a black backdrop and golden font.
It is a major change from the rather bleak screen as this one contains a majestic aura to it.
But, this isn't what caused me to pause in mid rant.
At the very top of this new status screen is a familiar name.
[Emyr Brenin]
The system actually fixed my dilemma. I almost cried out in relief as I saw my original name.
"Hell yeah! Kayaba you glorious bastard! You actually fixed it!"
It seems like fate can indeed suck it. If even the antagonist is unknowingly helping me out with my problems, then for sure the future is bound to change drastically.
[Emyr Brenin
Race: Human (M), Age: 16 (+)
Titles: NA
Class: NA; Subclass: NA
Hp[1.0] - MP[1.0] - STM[1.0]
Level: 0
Status Points: 100
{Strength[0] - Agility[0] - Endurance[0 ]- Vitality[0] - Intelligence[0] - Wisdom[0] - Luck[0] - Mystery[0] - Control[0] - Resistance[0]}
Store: Locked]
Honestly I am amazed how quick Kayaba found out. Seems like his AI's are truly no joke. Even the Light Novels made them appear omnipotent.
[Distribute Status Points to Continue.]
Well since someone took their time to help me out, I better not leave them hanging.
There are a hundred points to distribute between the ten categories. To begin with, I need to work on my abysmal HP.
Like what the hell Kayaba? Is this why so many people died within the first week? Was everyone playing as a glass cannon and you just left them to their own devices?
That is too harsh. Not a cool thing at all even if you want to be seen as an evil mastermind.
Kayaba you need to be more lenient. At least give them a chance to reroll their attributes.
"*Cough* Well anyway…"
Three of the attributes appear rather pointless. What does Mystery, Control and Resistance even do?
Though, I should start with my resources first. It's always a good idea to have them rather high at the start of any RPG. Having 100 in each one seems to be a nice start.
Status: Hp[100] - MP[100] - STM[160]
Well since I'm going to be using Stamina as my main resource, I should be more generous. Since in most games I've played, I tend to abuse this mechanic a lot.
With this settled, I no longer need to fear being 1 shotted by a wild bunny of all things.
Like seriously? Game Master?
You are one sadistic fuck to allow players to adventure out into the wilderness with a single hit point worth of health.
Even I could not bring myself to be this cruel.
However, I know I am in no position to change how others will end up playing the game. I can only worry about myself and the 74pts I still need to distribute.
Now that I know of the sinister trap Kayaba has created, I do not dare leave a single attribute unattended to. It has been shown that anything remaining a zero will prove detrimental for my continual survival.
I will create a solid five point spread to each of my stats then work from there… Which leaves me with 39pts left over.
It's time for the final decision which will either make it or break it.
Any sort of Magic, tends to take a long time to become mildly useful.. However, I doubt Wisdom and Luck play a major role in this alone.
To be on the safe side, I will add a little to Wisdom and more into Luck. For the rest of the points, they will be deposited into Strength and Agility.
In this way I can be a heavy hitter. A melee user who has low magic capability, but enough Strength to carry through the start with ease.
I finalized my decision and took a look at my current set up.
Strength[16] - Agility[13] - Endurance[16] - Vitality[10] - Intelligence[10] - Wisdom[8] - Luck[12] - Mystery[5] - Control[5] - Resistance[5]
"This isn't bad at all."
For a stamina build, I will end up using a greatsword or warhammer. This should hopefully demolish the early game mobs with the least amount of effort involved.
Satisfied with the results, I click [Confirm] as I lock the attributes in.
The event horizon pulsates around me. Wisps of red, green and blue fly into the sky as the whole world shrinks towards me at the origin.
I instantly found myself in an unknown clearing.
There are a few trees nearby, as I'm in some sort of woodland.
Trial Quest: SAO - Class Basics I
Difficulty: NA
[ ] - Try out the [Fighter Class].
[ ] - Try out the [Mage Class].
[ ] - Try out the [Rogue Class]
Bonus -
[ ] - Try out an Advanced Class.
Reward -
[100] System Points, [Skill: Shock [ 0/25]], [Skill: Heavy Slash [0/25]], [Skill: Sneak [0/25]]
The black and gold screen appears with a quest. Without thinking more on it, I click [Accept].
Hopefully this will be considered tame compared to what I experienced earlier. I will be a happy guy if no mishaps occur during this Tutorial.
I do not want to deal with anymore bugs since experiencing the numerous rejections.
I shudder slightly from the prior experience as the quest vanishes from sight.
[Class: Mage (Common) - Temporary Acquisition -
Skills:
[Shock 0/25] - Emits static electricity. +2% Lightning Dmg]
A faint form of energy spreads within. Tingles travel down my limbs as the foreign feeling lingers.
As I thought of the Skill, a nudge pushes its way outwards. A soft glow emits from my palms as sparks appear.
"Wow." This is beyond what I expected. "I do not know how they replicated my senses so well, but this is beyond my imagination. In fact, I might've thought this was the real world if I didn't know better."
I flex my arms as the magic travels up to my shoulders. Though the spell seems pitiful at first, it still made for a nice light source. Perhaps at the higher levels, it will grow in power and become something to truly fear.
The upkeep it needs barely puts a dent in my reserves. In fact, my own mana regen outpaces the constant drainage it needs to manifest.
It wouldn't even be a problem If I kept this up all day. It could potentially be a fairly easy skill to grind in my spare time.
The spell suddenly flickers out of existence as if to prove me wrong.
What happened?
I thought this was going to be easy.
Though on a different thought I came to a realization.
However, I must make sure this hypothesis is right, so I reignited the spell and purposely lost my focus.
And like before, the skill ends without my consent.
Seems it requires a constant state of focus. Otherwise the spell will vanish without any prompt on my part.
With clarity in mind, I brought [Shock] back to existence. For five minutes there is no hint of a change.
Eventually, I tried pushing more fuel into the spell. The sparks grew in size as the upkeep grew in cost. Finally, it came to the point where my regen could no longer keep up and it dissipated.
I marvel over this finding. This is more realistic than I thought. It is beyond what I imagined this world could potentially have.
I do not know where to start to further push the boundaries I have found. Of what sort of features have I yet to discover?
"Dang, magic is super cool. Maybe I should have chosen differently and put more points into MP?"
Though it is far too late for me to change. I'm past the point of return. I do not dare to tempt fate.
I would rather avoid the identity crisis from happening all over again. Two times is far enough for it to last the remainder of this year.
[Class: Fighter (Common)- Temporary Acquisition -
Skills:
Heavy Slash [0/25] - User's body weight is thrown behind this strike. [+5%] Physical Dmg]
The [Shock] spell ends, but the foreign energy remains inside of me. This resource, or mana, lingers and awaits for my command.
As much as I want to continue messing with it, I am on a time limit.
After accepting the next trial Class, an iron sword appears in hand. A new ability awaits to be tried out. And who am I to keep it waiting?
I held the sword in one hand. The edge lines up to a stationary tree.
A single motion moves the blade. I instinctively activate [Heavy Slash] as my stamina takes a hit due to the required compensation.
Without my knowledge, I find myself leaning my weight behind the blow. A sideways slash rips through the bark and becomes stuck.
"Great." It appears my rotten luck isn't over yet. "Though, did I really manage two inches?"
Indeed I did. My sword is rather far inside of the trunk. From the videos I've seen, this could be considered abnormal. Though I will contrive this to the game-like world I am in.
Still, it's unsettling how naturally this slash came to me. When I swung the sword, it was almost like I went on autopilot.
Is this how I activated the spell too?
I will consider this a boon. A bonus in which I do not need to think about using my skills if this acts similar to muscle memory.
The only limit I see, is the number of slashes I can make before I drop from exhaustion.
I move to my sword. A simple thought of removing it causes it to vanish from sight. Along with the disappearance, the next class is given.
[Class: Rogue (Common)- Temporary Acquisition -
Skills:
Sneak [0/25] - Automatically activates once the user intends to sneak. [+3%] Critical Chance, [-2%] Detection Radius]
Eh, this isn't very exciting. Unlike the other two Classes this one seems rather lackluster. Sneaking has never been my forte. And I do not know how well the AI is able to replicate this.
The implications involved when establishing a proper awareness mechanic tends to fail more often than not.
I just hope SAO will not be like those old school shooters I use to play. Where any foe will instantly find you no matter how well you thought you were hidden.
"So, how do I activate this? Do I need to try sneaking for it to work?"
It felt kind of stupid, but I still ended up crouching.
At first there was no difference I could tell. So I moved through the trees while looking for the local wildlife.
I remained prone as my target is a bird. I slowly crept in, much further than I originally thought possible.
Surprisingly, I came within five feet of it. However, one more step threw away my disguise as the bird flew away after sensing my presence.
"Hm, this isn't so bad. If I end up as a Ranger or an Assassin, it would come in handy. Though I don't think it may be very practical with what I'm building towards."
With no desire to continue, I end this tutorial. And the last text box appears.
Bonus: Try out an Advanced Class
[Yes][No]
Since I came this far, I might as well see what the mid-game content has in store.
[Shinobi (Advance), Samurai (Advance), Storm Mage (Advance)]
Three different choices. Each one represents a potential path for the beginner classes. However, since I'm lacking in magic and dislike sneaking around, Samurai would be the best choice.
With my current build I believe I'll get the most out of it compared to the other two.
[Class: Samurai (Advance) - Temporary Acquisition -
Skills:
Whirlwind [0/100] - Increases attack and movement speed. [+2%] Attack Speed, [+2%] Movement Speed
Quick Draw [0/50] - Weapons can be drawn in a single motion. Increases the attack and speed of the following attack. [+1%] Critical Chance, [+3%] Attack Dmg, [+1%] Attack Speed]
After I accept the trial version of [Samurai] an iron greatsword manifests.
Now how does a two-handed weapon hold up to the meta?
"Psh Meta? The game hasn't been released yet." Let alone the game will be a death trap right from the start. "I highly doubt there ever is going to be a meta in SAO."
A bit of humor is always nice. Especially when I've been monologuing for so long. If I didn't crack a joke or two, I might consider myself half crazed.
With a fresh outlook, I began to use the new skills.
I start with [Whirlwind] and dash forward. I notice a small increase in speed. Seeing if it would carry over to my blade, I swung forward with the greatsword.
Astonishingly, it flew faster than I gave the lump of metal credit for. It might've been a good choice to go all in with Stamina.
The next skill to try out is [Quick Draw].
"How am I supposed to activate this?"
I'm a bit confused about what I should do. However, I eventually came to a reasonable solution… sort of.
"It may be similar to those old duels, like in the movies, Of those who end up drawing their blade first will tend to gain the first strike."
I took a stance similar to my memory.
Though I may not have much knowledge when it came to this sort of technique, I still am banking on my prior knowledge of Japanese Swordsmanship.
Except I'll be reenacting a Katana Stance… but with a greatsword.
"I feel so stupid right now… I hope the System helps me out."
The greatsword rests on my hip as I allow the skill to lead me.
The sword arcs to the opposite side. The wind breaks as a slash cuts deep into the tree.
The blade continues its war path and avoids becoming stuck. It exits with a burst of red pixels drifting away from the damaged section,
A red gash is all that was left behind. Signaling the damage I have inflicted.
"Hm? Shouldn't the trees be Immortal? I guess you do learn something new every day."
A small chunk of health has been taken from the plant. However, I am not done yet. I must see if these two skills can be chained together.
"If Kirito can do it, then I can too."
[Whirlwind][Quick Draw]
There is a noticeable difference.
The sword has more heft behind it due to the faster speed. The bonuses applied appeared additive and created more damage against the defenseless tree.
A larger gash appears which correlates with the HP taken away.
"Oh my. What if I add [Heavy Slash] into the mix?" It might further increase its power. "Hm? Did I just complete the Tutorial?"
[Trial Quest: SAO - Class Basics I (Completed)
Reward:
[100] System Points
Skills Learned:
Shock [0/25], Heavy Slash [0/25], Sneak [0/25]]
"Dang. I still wanted to play with this Class. Why do you have to end my fun so soon?"
"*Sigh* I guess, you win some and you lose some. It seems the tutorial is officially over."
The vegetation in the distance disperses into the air. The encompassing void draws nearer as the darkness surrounds me on all sides.
The next thing I saw is a town.
[Welcome to Sword Art Online.
The Town of Beginnings is the start of your Grand Adventure. As nothing of value is under your name, it is now your job to make use of the System to achieve whatever you desire. Please use the prior experience to your advantage.
There is currently one week until the Official Release.]
At least I knew where I am now.
Though, I can't help but consider this message a little odd. It seems a bit personal if I had anything to say about it.
"Well there is no use worrying over things beyond me. Since, there happens to be a city here begging to be fully explored." Excitement builds for the adventure which awaits. "Now it would be a real shame if I kept myself waiting. Let me see how accurate this virtual world truly is."
Post Notes -
Next release is going to feature our favorite character in SAO. Lol you may not be expecting who I am talking about. Anyway, heads up the MC knows SAO's canon story. However, what people look like and what they were doing which was not shown in the anime/novels is going be a blind spot for him.
Like certain characters who were in SAO but never were mentioned until seasons 2,3,4 which have them as a MC.
Though this isn't a hint to the character I have in store for us.