The next day, we went out into the forest surrounding Horunka and hunted [Grass Beetle]. These Level 2 monsters looked like grasshoppers but were as big as dogs and the grass growing on their backs acted as camouflage within the green forest. Even though they had less Health than the [Frenzy Boar], they were much faster and stealthier.

"For players like us who're more agile with light armor, these guys will be easier to farm than the [Frenzy Boar] and offer better EXP. The problem is that they are usually hard to find with their camouflage," I said as I took out a small bottle of juice that I purchased earlier at the village.

[Nepenthes Juice]

Attracts [Grass Beetle]

Rarity: Common

"This juice is made out of the fruit that grows atop the heads of [Little Nepenthes] and the [Grass Beetle] go crazy over it. So all we have to do is use this to attract the beetles to us."

"Okay, sounds good." She then saw the look I was giving her and began to worry. "What?"

"I never promised this to be pleasant," I said after I finished pouring the juice on both of us. The liquid was viscous and to have it slathered all over your body was not a nice experience, to say the least. The slimy fluid ran down my back and glued my clothes to my skin, instantly making me regret this decision. The one thing I could not complain about was the smell. It was a fruity perfume that wasn't overbearing but it was so uncomfortable on the skin that I doubt anybody would use it as such.

"Ugh, I want a bath!"

"Bear with it for now, we'll get one once we get back to the village tonight." We waited for a few seconds for the beetles to show up and as the buzzing of wings got louder and louder, I drew my katana and turned to Asuna. "Just so that you are ready, there are going to be a lot of them showing up."

"What's considered a lo-" Before she could finish her sentence, more than fifty [Grass Beetle] came out of the trees and swarmed us. "Why is half the ecosystem of beetles chasing after us?!" she yelled as both of us ran for our lives.

"This is what maximum efficiency looks like," I yelled back. "Watch!" I spun around and slashed at the swarm, and without even having to aim, my blade cleaved through three of them.

"Kirito!" screamed Asuna when she saw the rest of the beetles jump on me.

"I'm fine," I called out to her from a completely different spot after using [Flash Step]. "Kill a few and then [Lunge] out before the rest of them can retaliate." After running for a little bit longer, she gave the move a shot and turned around for a few jabs but the grass beetles were too close. She managed to kill two of them but ended up suffering some damage in return before she was able to dash out.

"Take it slow. You need to create a gap between the ones you kill and the ones that are behind them," I instructed as I pulled part of her swarm with me. With their numbers almost having doubled, it was a lot harder to find an opening to turn on but that just meant that I had to create one on my own. I took sharp turns that had the earth turning under the sole of my shoes and zigzagged between the trees to use them as cover against the beetles that tried to jump on me. It also helped spread out the swarm over a larger area, instead of being compact when they were chasing a target that was running in a straight line. When I found the spacing adequate, I ran around a large tree and used it to cover my left side while I killed the beetles that were on the right side.

As soon as those fell to my sword, I ran in the opposite direction while the monsters chasing me were still trying to get around the large tree. With the sheer number of bodies coming at me, a simple obstacle easily became a roadblock. The bad thing was that they were now compact and I had to re-run the route to get them to spread out again. After running for so long, my Stamina was almost out so it was time to dip into my Health pool. I slowed down to a jog to allow my pursuers to catch up and turned to face them.

'Hassō-no-kamae.' I took a deep breath and felt the air fill my lungs and slowly exhaled. 'Adapt like the wind.' As soon as the first dozen came within reach, I unleashed a series of quick and violent slashes that not only decimated the beetles in front but also the ones behind them. I was using the proper form but the [Curse of Muramasa] was still quickly draining my Health. The beetles surrounded me in a dome forcing me to go on the defensive. I dodged as many as I could, using spiral footwork to move like a leaf in the wind, but eventually, I was forced to retreat again with [Flash Step].

I waited for my skill to come off cooldown and engaged the beetles again with Hassō. Since [Curse of Muramasa] only took a percentage of my current Health, the lower I got, the more I could use my skills with reckless abandonment. If I were alone, I would have felt a little pressured to reach the EXP threshold before my resources ran out but I wasn't the only one contributing to the Level-Up.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Asuna as she rejoined me after having finished off the ten beetles that I left her with. Combined with the ones I've slain so far, it pushed us over the EXP threshold.

Level-Up!

"You're right on time," I said as my Health and Stamina regenerated back to full from the Level-Up. "Ready to take on your share this time?"

"Send them over," she replied with confidence. I split the remaining twenty or so with her and watched as she used her [Lunge] to create a sizable distance between her and her swarm. Then, with all the time in the world, she was able to line up her attacks and by the time the monsters reached her, not one of them was able to escape the speed of her blade. Some were unlucky enough to be struck on their Vital and instantly exploded from within.

"Well done! Good job taking advantage of the speed of your weapon," I said as the last beetle fell to my blade.

"A fair warning would be appreciated next time," she said with crossed arms. "But thanks for stepping in when you did. The way you led those guys on a wild goose chase was amazing."

"Spacing and timing will come with experience. Once you fight enough in an environment, you'll also get a feel for how to use it to your advantage." I took a look around us and saw that there weren't any more monsters showing up. "Let's assign our skill points and move onto the next area."

"Got it."

For my second skill, I was debating between [Way of the Phoenix], [Peonies of Futility], [Primary Gale Slash], and [Moon's Reflection].

[Way of the Phoenix]

Gain lifesteal based on missing Health for a period of time.

*Jōdan-no-kamae

[Peonies of Futility]

Your next attack will slow the enemy if it hits. A valid strike to one of the key areas will stun the enemy instead.

*Gedan-no-kamae

[Primary Gale Slash]

Damage the enemies around you and apply the bleed effect.

*Hassō-no-kamae

[Moon's Reflection]

Create a mirror image of yourself.

*Chūdan-no-kamae

The crowd control (CC) from [Peonies of Futility] was very useful but Gedan was my weakest stance as it wasn't commonly used in a match. The placement of the sword is pointed downwards and since attacks against the lower body weren't allowed in kendo, it wasn't a stance that I had much practice in. As for [Moon's Reflection], even though it was an amazing PvP skill that I could use to trick my opponent, I wasn't sure how useful it would be during PvE. Finally, [Way of the Phoenix] was a way to get some sustain but Jōdan was an aggressive form which meant even though I would heal from my attacks, I would be taking much more damage as well. Ultimately, I decided to go with [Primary Gale Slash], it was an area of effect (AoE) attack that would make hunting [Grass Beetle] a lot easier, and Asuna picked [Riposte].

[Riposte]

Parry all incoming attacks for a split second, then stab in a direction.

*This skill can trigger Vitals.

By the end of the day, with Asuna's speed and my AoE attacks, we were able to break through the EXP threshold for Level 4 but we were still a long way away from Level 5. "Looks like we're not gonna be leveling-up again today so let's go back and have a nice long rest before tackling a quest tomorrow."

"Thank god! Get me out of these clothes, I'm about to go insane! Please tell me we're not doing this again tomorrow."

I chuckled, "Don't worry, we'll be hunting [Little Nepenthes] tomorrow." Asuna cheered but I had no doubt she would find little enjoyment in hunting those hideous monsters next. Nevertheless, she didn't know that yet so I didn't burst her happy bubble. Instead, I checked on the new skills we got and the loot we gathered from the monsters we hunted today.

[Way of the Phoenix]

Gain lifesteal based on missing Health for a period of time.

*Jōdan-no-kamae

[Rhythmic Strike]

(Passive) After triggering a Vital, gain a burst of attack speed.

"I was naïve to think that I could overcome the downside of my Sword Art so easily." Even with [Way of the Phoenix], without another Health refill in sight, my efficiency still dropped by a lot as my Health got lower and lower.

"Do you regret picking it?"

"All the skills improve on certain level milestones so I think, eventually, I'll be able to use it to sustain myself. Although Hassō is much better when we are hunting. I guess the limitations are set like this so that the Sword Art remains balanced."

The loot we got was nothing to write home about but I decided to keep it all in case it was materials that could be used to upgrade our gear. Inventory space was limited but we haven't gotten to that point yet. "We still have some boar meat left," I said as I looked to Asuna. "Rock-paper-scissors to see who cooks it tonight?"

Before she could answer, someone else called out to us. "Kirito?" When we stepped back into the village, the first person who greeted us wasn't the NPCs but another player. "You're Kirito, right? I remember you were one of the Clearers from the beta," said the browned-haired man that looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He was wearing similar leather armor and was equipped with a shortsword and buckler.

"Friend of yours?" asked Asuna.

"Umm, uhh." Unfortunately, I had no idea how to respond. His face looked kinda familiar but I had no clue what his name was. I felt a little awkward and embarrassed for not knowing the name of someone who knew mine but in my defense, there were a hundred beta testers at the event. 'There's no way I'm expected to have all their names memorized, right?' "Apologies, what was your name again?"

Asuna shot me a look as if asking if I was serious but luckily, the guy just shrugged it off. "No worries, I'm not surprised you don't remember me since I wasn't part of the Clearer group. Name's Coper, by the way, it's an honor to meet the infamous Black Swordsman."

"The Black Swordsman?" She looked between Coper and me for a moment as she processed the information. "You're the Black Swordsman from the song?!" I physically cringed at the mention of that horrible song again and it only added more fuel to the fire when she repeated the lyrics. "Slayer of monsters by day and slayer of maidens by night, that's you?"

"It's slayer of drago- never mind, the point is it's over-exaggerated. Most of the song is blown way out of proportion, the closest thing I've ever killed to a dragon was this basilisk on Floor 10."

"That's the part you want to correct?"

"There were no maidens either, I thought that part was a given." I turned to Coper. "Help me out here."

"Well, I don't know about dragons or maidens but he did get that nickname from the beta because all he wore was black."

"Edgy," whispered Asuna.

"Shut up," I said as I turned back to Coper. "Are you here for the [Anneal Blade] as well?" One of the main reasons why I chose Horunka as our first stop was because there was this quest called [Secret Medicine of the Forest] which rewarded the player with the [Anneal Blade] upon completion. It was a big upgrade to the [Iron Katana] I had and solid gear can act like levels on their own so picking that up early was a priority of mine.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be a good idea to do this quest while there aren't as many players in Horunka. The drop rate of the ovule is already low as it is and I didn't want to deal with kill stealing."

"Kill stealing?" asked Asuna.

"It's when someone comes and takes the last hit of the monster you are fighting, effectively stealing the EXP and material."

"Ugh, that's a thing? Why not just party up instead?"

"There's a maximum party size of six and your share of EXP gets diluted. Then there's the issue of how the loot should be divided among party members."

"New to MMOs?" asked Coper.

"Yeah, this is the first one I've ever played."

"Well, you've made a great choice." Asuna and I looked at him before the three of us burst into laughter.

"Alright, enough standing around, I need a bath ASAP."

"It is getting dark," I added, "care to join us for dinner?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Really?" As expected, Asuna got [Cooking Mastery Lvl.1], however, she only acquired the skill after cooking the first piece of meat. Which she gave to me, her partner. "You're really doing this to me?"

"It's because Coper never made fun of my cooking skills."

"But I apologized already," I grumbled to myself. "Can't you just make another one?"

Coper laughed as he sat by the fire with his boar meat sandwich already in hand. "You two bicker like an old married couple."

"Don't think you're safe just because you already have yours. I'll confiscate your meal too," said Asuna as she turned back towards him with a glare.

"Oh yeah?" He cocked his eyebrow before shoving the entire sandwich down his throat, "Wah orf ou goomph to foo ow?"

She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stuck in a death game with dumb and dumber."

It took him a few moments to swallow the entire thing before asking, "Can I have seconds?"

"Wha- No!" The expression on her face was priceless and both of us laughed so hard our stomachs started to hurt. "Boys," she said to herself as she shook her head. We could kiss our next few meals goodbye but it was well worth it.

After we finally recovered, the three of us gathered around the campfire and talked. "I'm surprised you guys are already Level 4. How did you level so fast while sharing EXP?"

"Kirito poured this sticky liquid onto us and it attracted a bunch of monsters," said Asuna.

I nearly fell out of my seat when I heard that. "Can you please watch the way you phrase things?"

"The way I phrase thin-" Her face turned red as realization set in. "Oh, eww! No! I meant juice! Juice!"

Coper laughed as Asuna tugged at my ear. "This is abuse. You're the one who said it like that."

"You knew what I meant!"

"You two fight like this while hunting as well?"

"No," Asuna answered, "he is surprisingly professional when it matters."

"Don't add 'surprisingly' in there," I grumbled. "Let's talk about something else. What's your Sword Art, Coper?"

"I got [Equilibrium]."

[Equilibrium]

The balance of power is the scale of peace.

You have a new resource bar called Equilibrium. Taking damage fills the bar and dealing damage empties the bar. When the bar is empty, you take less damage and deal less damage. When the bar is full, you take more damage and deal more damage.

I perked up at the mention of that ability. "Chrysheight's Sword Art."

"Yeah."

"Who's Chrysheight?" asked Asuna.

"He was another one of the Clearers in the beta test," I answered. "His main role was tank but thanks to his Sword Art, he could step in as a secondary damage dealer when we got into trouble." I chuckled a bit as I recalled the time from the beta. "He got a lot of flak from the other players during the feedback session because of how broken it was."

"I was one of those people," Coper chimed in, "but now I know, he made it look a lot easier than it actually is."

"How about you join our party then?" asked Asuna. "It sounds like it would be super helpful to have another knowledgeable beta tester and a powerful tank on top of that. We can also avoid stepping on each other's toes since we're going for the same quest."

"What do you think, Kirito?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me. Nepenthes are tough creatures, even the little ones would take a lot of effort to take down at our current level. With a good tank in our party, it would make our lives infinitely easier. We'll both complete the quest and whatever happens, we'll take it from there."

"To new friendships then," said Coper as he raised his waterskin.

Asuna and I joined him as we raised our own. "To new friendships."

Behind the Page:

1. Kikuoka Seijirou, the man who introduced Kazuto to the Death Gun problem in the Phantom Bullet Arc and the person in charge of Project Alicization, is known as Chrysheight in ALO. Canonically, he was also one of the original 1,000 beta testers so I decided to keep his in-game name the same.