My name is Kazuto Kirigaya and I am currently trapped in the real world. More specifically, I was trapped in my math teacher's office as I waited for said person to show up. The rhythmic tick of the mechanical clock on the wall slowly drained my sanity away and I was left wondering why time flowed so much faster when I was in the world of Aincrad. The bell signaled the dismissal of the students and normally I would have been the first one to book it out of here. But today, I was chained here and forced to watch as my classmates filtered out of the school gate in their little cliques. For a second, I indulged in the fantasy of being a part of one of them, but that vision was quickly crushed when the door opened behind me.
"Kazuto," Mrs. Nariyuki greeted me as she sat down behind her desk. "Apologies for the wait."
"It's okay." I lied, it was not okay. Sitting here talking to her was the last thing I wanted to do right now. If it wasn't for this meeting, I would have skipped my classes altogether. I might have skipped them anyway if it was a meeting with any other teacher. Unfortunately, I owed her way too big a debt to do that.
"Do you know why I called you here today?"
"I assume you are about to tell me."
She ignored my witty comment and took out a crumpled sheet of paper instead. "I read your post-secondary plans and I must admit that I am very surprised by your choice."
"Here to make fun of someone going to community college?" I asked in a mocking tone. I thought after I submitted it, I wouldn't have to see that cursed thing ever again, but I guess I was wrong. I must have rewritten it a hundred times before I hurled it against my bedroom wall in frustration. It had been the source of so many arguments that I was tired of looking at it at this point.
"You know that isn't the case. I would support your decision whatever it may be. But just like when you came to me and asked for two whole weeks off, I would like to know the reason. I also heard that you recently quit the kendo club even though you guys were on track to make nationals this year. So if there's anything that's going on in your life right now, and you need someone to talk to, I want you to know that you don't have to handle it alone." She patiently waited for an answer but there wasn't one I could give her. There wouldn't be anything she could do to help anyway. Not that it was any of her business.
When she realized that I wasn't going to talk, she took out a blank form and handed it to me. "Kazuto, you've worked hard for these marks. With scores like these, even the top universities in Japan would admit you. Give it some more thought over the weekend and hand it back to me on Monday."
"Am I free to go now?" I asked quietly as I put the form in my bag.
"Yes. Enjoy your weekend, and sorry for holding you today." Mrs. Nariyuki was a good teacher and meant well but I had already made up my mind. A top university in Japan, huh? Going to Tokyo Institute of Technology was once a dream of mine but 500K a month in tuition and living cost is simply not doable for me. If only I knew sooner, I would have started doing freelancing in my freshman year but no use crying over spilled milk now.
I put in my earbuds and pulled up an MMO stream on my phone to listen to for my ride home. "The VRMMORPG Sword Art Online has been the most anticipated title ever since the announcement of its development back in 2012 and needless to say, it has not disappointed. It has received some of the highest ratings we've ever seen from IGN and is expected to win multiple awards this year. The first 10,000 copies on today's initial release have already been completely sold out within the hour. Our sources have confirmed that some of these gamers have been camping outside for nearly three whole days awaiting the game's release. Now an interview with the lead developer, would you please welcome the talented…the amazing…Kayaba Akihiko!" The sound of the wind drowned out the voice of the reporter as I pedaled as fast I could. The cool refreshing air hit me full force and for a brief moment, I was brought back to the day I first discovered the world in that floating castle.
When the list of the one hundred beta testers came out, I was surprised that I had made the cut. Argus, the company that produced Sword Art Online, had flown us out to their headquarters for a two-week-long testing session. None of us knew what to expect but we all wanted to put our best foot forward considering it was the first VRMMORPG to have ever been created. After signing a mountain of NDAs that put the fear of god in every one of us not to leak anything, we got to meet the man himself, Kayaba Akihiko.
To be honest, the speech he gave about the vision he had for the game bored me half to death. A living and breathing world that adapted to the players' decisions and allowed people to become the hero of their own story. He sounded more like a snake oil salesman than a game designer. He also briefly mentioned how the data collected from the players would advance, not only the field of virtual reality but also various branches of medicine such as critical care and psychology. Finally, he went over the features and mechanics of the game. Most of what he said sounded too good to be true, but I at least thought it was cute of him to try and hype us up for the game. The most outlandish claim was the ten thousand unique abilities with various builds and skill paths for each. All of us were seasoned gamers and that statement alone made us skeptical. I mean, talk about a nightmare for the balance team. Many made little effort in trying to hide their doubts, so rather than keep talking, the man simply smiled and let his work do it for him.
When the first play session came to an end, he made a believer out of all of us. The two hours we spent in the world of Aincrad could only be described as magical and from then on, every single one of us bought into his vision. The two weeks that followed were the best two weeks of my life. Every single day, I got to experience something I never thought was possible in-game and outside the game, everyone around me was more than happy to discuss what they had discovered about the world. The rush I felt in combat was on a whole other level even compared to the intense kendo matches I've had. The revolutionary quest system did away with monotonous fetch and kill quests and introduced compelling stories that had multiple endings. The NPCs and locations were all so expertly crafted that it all naturally fell into place and made me want to explore more of this world.
Kayaba also stuck around and listened to our feedback whenever he had the time. Despite being a multi-millionaire at such a young age, he was surprisingly down-to-earth and fun to talk to. There was a melancholic feel to him when he explained how this would be the legacy he leaves behind for future generations. The way he said it, you'd have thought he was on his deathbed, but the man was only in his late twenties. I guess even geniuses have their quirks. By the end of the beta test, Kayaba Akihiko had not only earned my respect but became a role model of the type of game designer I wanted to be in the future.
"Follow the hero's torch."
That was the last thing he said to me on the closing day of the beta test and even all these months later, those words still resonated inside my head. Follow the hero's torch…what could it mean?
When I got home, my aunt was sitting in the living room and was packing a small bento for my cousin, Suguha. She looked up when she saw me walking in and greeted me, "Kazuto, how was school today?"
"Same as always." There was an awkward silence in the air due to the recent events but nonetheless, I tried to start a conversation. "I'm surprised you're home this early."
"Just for a little bit, I'll have to go back to the office later."
"I see." Another late night. Another weight on my consciousness.
After another long pause, she continued, "I heard one of your teachers wanted to speak with you about something."
"Yeah, Mrs. Nariyuki. Always chews me out for not finishing my homework," I said as casually as possible.
"Anything else?" I paused and tried to come up with something believable, but I've never been good at hiding stuff from her. "Kazuto, if this is about the university stuff…"
"Auntie, please. Let's not argue about it again." I sighed as I stood up from the stool at the kitchen counter. The word 'auntie' sounded so strange coming out of my mouth. I wished that I could call her mother again but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't go back to the way things were.
"I don't understand why you are being so stubborn about it. We're not strapped for money right now, I can put both you and Suguha through school."
"It's not that simple," I said as I tried to go up the stairs to my room.
But she didn't let me go so easily, "Then, please, help me understand."
"What if something were to happen to you?" I said as I turned around to face her.
There was a look of regret in her eyes mixed with something else, "Nothing is going to happen to me, Kazuto."
"You don't know that! Nobody ever thinks bad things will happen to them until they do." I was the same. One second I was messing around trying to see if I had any cool ancestors and the next I was finding out that everything I thought I knew was a lie. "I know what our finances look like. If I take the money to go to university and something happens to you or uncle then there won't be enough left for Suguha. I can't- I won't have that on my conscience."
"Don't do this," I couldn't look at her, but I could hear that her voice was cracking, "don't make yourself seem less deserving of it than Suguha."
"She's your daughter and I'm just your nephew, I am less deserving of it. Plus, I'm almost 18 now. I shouldn't be relying so much on you to pay for everything. You work hard enough as is." I waited for a moment before continuing. "Once I graduate from high school this year, I'm planning to move out. I won't burden you anymore."
"Kazuto!" She got up from her chair instantly and I could see the hurt in her eyes but before she could say anything else Suguha came down the stairs.
"I'm off to prac- Is something wrong?" she asked as she looked between me and her mom.
"Nothing's wrong, baby sister," I said as I messed up her short black hair. "Have fun at kendo practice."
"Hey!" She swatted my hand away as I walked past her up the stairs to my room. "If you play too many games, you're going to turn into a NEET wizard."
I waved her off as I turned the corner and the moment I got into my room, I closed the door behind me and fell onto my bed. Why did the real world have to be such a pain in the ass all the time? Can't it just let me enjoy the release of my favorite game in peace? I sighed and put on the NerveGear that was lying on the pillow beside me. "Whatever, just get me out of here." I felt my body slowly being submerged in cold dark waters and as I sank deeper and deeper, the light from the real world faded to black. "Link start." My empty consciousness started filling up with multicolored stars and, suddenly, as if I was sucked into a wormhole, I whizzed past them at the speed of light.
Touch…ok!
Sight…ok!
Smell…ok!
Sound…ok!
Taste…ok!
Logging in…
Beta test data still available. Would you like to use it?
Yes.
Character creation complete!
Assigning 1 out of 10,000 unique Sword Arts…
[Blood Arts]
Feel the life drip away.
Skills no longer cost Stamina and are more effective, but you lose a percentage of your current Health on cast.
Welcome to Aincrad, Kirito!
The sound of my heartbeat was the first sign that I was now in the game. A soft breeze rustled what sounded like leaves above me. I breathed in a lung full of fresh air as I slowly opened my eyes to adjust to the natural light of the sun that spilled through the tree's cover. It felt like I was waking up from a dream, but I guess in this case it would be more appropriate to say that I've woken up in a dream. The atmosphere was so peaceful that I could probably spend a whole day under this tree. For minutes on end, I simply lied there and enjoyed the tranquility of nature. The feeling of the blades of grass that tickled me whenever the wind blew over the hills combined with the warmth of the early afternoon sun melted the troubles of the real world away. I wished that I could stay here forever.
A few birds landed on top of my chest and began building what looked like a little nest. I would have laughed but I wanted to stay as still as possible to not startle them. "What are you doing?" The sound made them scatter and I tilted my head up to see who had so ungraciously interrupted my pleasant nap. To my surprise, it was a girl with long flowing chestnut hair and beautiful hazel eyes. She was attractive but at the same time felt approachable. Maybe it was the simple starting gear she was wearing that gave her the girl next door vibe.
"Just chilling," I said as I tried to recover my nerves from the shock of being ambushed by such a pretty lady.
"Aren't you going to play the game?" she asked.
"Who says I'm not playing the game right now?" I countered as I raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're not playing the game right now, you're taking a nap!" she said as she giggled. "I thought people were supposed to kill monsters and go on adventures in games like this."
"Games like this? You mean MMORPGs?"
"Is that what it's called?"
"You must be new to this."
"That obvious, huh?" She sat down next to me and extended her hand. "I'm Asuna, by the way."
"Kirito," I responded as I shook her hand. "Let me give you some tips then, Asuna. Forget about what you're 'supposed' to be doing and just do what you want to do. If you want to dungeon crawl and kill monsters then do it. If you want to embark on an epic adventure to save the princess in the tower then do that. Games are all about having fun so just do what you find fun. And if a guy finds taking a nap under a tree fun…"
"Then he should be allowed to do that without distractions."
"I never said you were a distraction."
"It was just heavily implied." We both laughed at that and I was genuinely happy that the first person I met in this game was someone I got along well with, especially someone that looked to be close to my age. I didn't have that many close friends at school because apparently I'm too direct with my words and I have a shitty sense of humor, according to Mrs. Nariyuki and Suguha.
"This is why you are not popular with the girls in your class, Kazuto."
"This is why you'll never get a girlfriend!"
"This place is breathtakingly beautiful though." Her voice snapped me out of those two painful flashbacks, and I turned to see that she was just as mesmerized by the scenery as I was.
Any direction you looked to, the landscape popped with warm, vibrant colors that made you feel like you were actually in a fantasy world. "Right?" At that moment, the wind gently blew her hair back and she reached up to tuck a strand of loose hair back behind her ear. When she turned to look at me, I realized that I had been staring at her for a bit too long and promptly looked away.
"So how did you get your hand on a copy of SAO on the date of release? I don't suppose someone new to games would camp outdoors for three days when they've never touched an MMO before."
"This is actually my brother's, the NerveGear too. He couldn't play due to a sudden business trip and this had been all over the news, so I was curious to try it out."
"Ah, did your brother mention that each copy can only be used to create one character?"
"Oh…" Asuna went quiet for a moment before sticking out her tongue, "oops!" Cheeky.
"Well, since you're here, might as well enjoy yourself and see what this game has to offer to its fullest," I said as I finally got up. "Feel like killing some stuff?"
"Sounds like fun!"
"You know, only serial killers and psychopaths get this excited over killing."
"You're the one that asked!"
Do you accept the party invitation?
O Accept / X Decline
Accept.