[Players, welcome to my world.]
I didn't understand it at first, what kind of greeting was that for a MMO?
[My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world.]
Something about his statement had rung alarm bells in my head, but I had tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in my heart.
[I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the [Log Out] button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is a feature of «Sword Art Online»]
I felt a cold feeling wash over me, the sinking feeling deep in my stomach as my worst fears were realized. While the other players around me continued to listen with rising confusion, I already knew what was going on. For Kayaba was someone I felt I knew.
[Until you get to the top of this castle, you will not be able to log out]
A genius had created this world. That was my thought when I had played the beta, the amount of detail was simply staggering. But yet I wondered, what was the purpose of creating such an intricate world by himself? What did he truly want from the players of SAO? He was already rich enough of course from the Nerve Gear alone, but what had caught my eye was the articles they had done on him.
[...also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted...]
Kayaba Akihiko had spent the past 10 years of his life researching VR and creating SAO. Along the way, he spoke fervently of something called the «SEED», something he said held unlimited potential. Yet his very few interviews stuck in my mind.
[...the signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions]
Someone like that who worked his entire life into one thing would never be satisfied with simply releasing SAO. That was my first impression upon playing the game, wondering what a person who didn't even hold a passion for MMOs wanted from it.
The mirror item that showed up to reveal everyones true appearances was met with scared confusion, as if just realising that maybe this wasn't a joke.
[You will all most probably be wondering, 'Why?' Why am I - the creator of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko- doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?]
Of course not, money was never your objective.
[None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because... this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve Gear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized]
God complex? Maybe. But I felt like he truly believed in something. Like by doing this he would have unlocked something unreachable.
I never wanted to destroy something more in my entire life. Glaring up at the figure that deemed itself a creator, I wanted to shatter his goals more than anything.
[...Now, I have finished the official tutorial for «Sword Art Online». Players- I wish you luck.]
A myriad of emotions rose up within me.
Ignoring the screams and shouts of the confused players, and gripping my hands hard enough to draw blood - had it been the real world - I steadily walked away from the mass of confused prisoners.
Stepping out of the city, there was really only one thing I wanted to say.
"I'm so sorry Suguha..."
The night was eerily silent, devoid of the usual signs of life that a forest would usually have. Even for a virtual forest, the aura that the area seemed to radiate was an ominous one. Situated quite far from the starting city, the «Lost Forest» was considered the hardest zone within the first level of the SAO. Populated mostly with wolf-type monsters, the average player would not want to be caught alone in such an area.
In the death game known as «Sword Art Online», where the majority of the players still huddled near the starting city, rarely venturing beyond the beginner areas. It was indeed considered suicidal for anyone or any party to consider venturing into the forest. The monster levels were consistent with the second floor mobs, and even worse was the fact that wolf-type monsters were aggressive-types meaning that they will attack on sight, and will naturally attract their packmates.
No one sane would risk dying for the sake of the experience bonus given by the high level area. Death in this game would ultimately mean the death of your body outside, the NERV-Gear would serve as an execution device in electrocuting your brain. Or so the mad creator had said... no one really wanted to test that theory.
Two weeks.
The length of time the players had spent trapped in this death game... yet there were still people who desperately clung on to their disbelief. That this was a mistake, some sort of malfunction, or a cruel prank. As the days continued to stack up, people end up with three choices.
The first choice was obvious, to try and beat this game by clearing all one-hundred levels. A very small percentage of the population chose this route. Even that small percentage rarely ventured out alone, mostly preferring to level safely in large groups and on monsters several levels behind them. It was very slow and tedious, but safety was on the forefront of their thoughts.
The second choice was the easiest to make, it was simply the route of passiveness. The great majority of the population chose to remain in the starting city, refusing to set out. Instead, they either holed themselves up somewhere, passing the days by either picking up a profession or simply socializing. To wait and see, and to cling to their remaining hope.
The final choice... the choice of desperation. Those who simply couldn't comprehend the idea that they were prisoners in a game. Those who wanted out of the maddening situation, who wanted to erase this entire event from their minds... threw themselves off the edge of the world. To the survivors, they effectively committed suicide, yet to them it was considered freedom.
Complete and utter madness.
A fourth, unmentioned group was one that was spoken in contempt and anger. The solo players, otherwise known as the «Beaters». The players that participated in the exclusive beta testing, who ventured out alone and chose to leave the new players in the dust. They were hated because their levels far exceeded the normal players, and also because they had simply left the newbies to fend for themselves. The safest, most luxurious players in the game... or so that was what everyone thought.
The lone figure that strided through the «Lost Forest» with grace was someone that many would assume belonged to the fourth group. Yet the darkly clothed figure was even an exception to that group. Surpassing even the solos in experience and wealth, he was someone that simply existed past the expectations of the general population.
Where most of the known solo players would monopolize the relatively easy dungeons and farming areas to themselves, Kirito had gone further. If the normal players only grinded on mobs that were at least a level behind them, and if the solos grinded on mobs equal or a level higher, then Kirito took it even further.
In the first floor of Aincrad, the highest monster level was 10. Only two monsters were of that level; the «Dire Wolf», and the boss of the floor «Illfang the Kobold Lord». Although the wolves held the same level as the boss, they were noticeably weaker than even the Kobold Sentinels that appeared with the boss. With a group of five the risks of fighting dire wolves would be relatively low.
But the wolf type mob was unique in «SAO». Not only did they attack in packs of four or more, they also targeted the player with the lowest health. As such, not even the solos would consider leveling on the wolf mobs, even if they teamed up.
Kirito suddenly stopped in the middle of a clearing, pulling out his sword for the main hand, he reached for the second sword strapped to his back. Just in time to backstep as a snarling wolf leapt outside of the treeline directly at him. Slashing diagonally he prevented the second wolf from biting onto his forearm, receiving a loud cry of pain from the monster. His second sword cut through the air just in time to injure the third wolf that jumped out.
Dual-Wielding. Something that every single player in «SAO» was allowed to do at a large cost. «Sword Skills»; the only 'magic' type skill that you were allowed to use could not be activated while dual-wielding. A severe handicap since «Sword Skills» did considerably more damage than just slashing at a monster.
If Kirito were a normal player, he would eventually be overwhelmed by the lack of damage he was doing.
But as the fourth wolf joined the fight and leapt from behind him, Kirito twirled dexterously and pierced the wolf directly through the throat with both swords. The shattering of polygons sounded through the ominous forest.
Weak points.
«Sword Art Online» was created by an incredible mind, insane though the person might have been. There were little things in the game that brought out just how detailed it was. The fact that you could move your body and weapon freely with no system assist meant that duels were mostly skill based. The fact that every monster had weaknesses were capitalized in the right hands. And the sheer atmosphere of certain areas made the game seem alive. Something that Kirito had noticed steadily.
It was cruel to trap someone in such a detailed world. Instead of fighting bitterly in despair, everyone could have been admiring the dedication that went into creating such an awe inspiring world.
Deftly dodging the next pounce from the angry pack of wolves, Kirito dispatched another wolf with the same thrust. Idly readying himself again, he noted that the wolves had grown angrier and larger, a side effect of killing their packmates. With only two left, he went on the offensive, dashing toward the closest one, his swords flashed in response. Four strikes and he veered to the left, dodging the wolf he had ignored. The injured wolf growled and tried to bite his legs but was swiftly dispatched into polygons as Kirito staked one sword into its back.
With one opponent remaining, Kirito expertly manipulated his game menu and stored his left handed sword. The last wolf, with all of its pack members dead made for a grim sight. Towering at four feet tall, the wolf had grown and its eyes was a gleaming red; a special ability of the «Dire Wolf». The large beast roared in anger as it stared down the player who had killed its friends.
Charging the beast with reckless impunity, Kirito slid under the beast, arms blurring as he activated a sword skill; «Sharp Strike». His sword glowed brightly and successfully slashed at the underbelly of the wolf, leaving a red wound. Kirito flinched back in shock as the wolf stood up on its hind legs, roaring in pain before swiftly slashing out with one of its claws. The strike connected heavily and Kirito was sent tumbling through the air only to land painfully against a tree.
The drawback of the powerful «Sword Skills» was that you were often vulnerable after executing one. His health had dropped into the orange zone, a mere 60% remaining. Kirito grimaced as he eyed the monster rearing up for a charge. He would have to time this perfectly else he will end up with red HP or less.
The «Dire Wolf» roared as it charged toward Kirito, its immense figure made for an intimidating sight. As it reached Kirito it leapt once more in a powerful pounce, claws fully extended in the as the beast reached Kirito, he spun to the left, the graceful dodge causing the beast to miss by a hair's breadth, and instead to crash painfully into the tree behind Kirito.
"How about this!" Once more activating a sword skill, this time one that required more prep time. His sword glowed red as he used a newly acquired «Sharp Flash» to swiftly slash into the beast twice in succession.
The familiar sound of polygons breaking was a relief to Kirito, but what was even more of a relief was the soft and melodious sound indicating a level up.
«Congratulations you have reached Level 9!»
Mission accomplished.
Exiting the gloomy and rather dangerous forest, an exhausted Kirito headed towards the main city. Grinding steadily for a full eight hours was rather taxing to the body, and if he wasn't trapped in this game, he would have taken breaks in between. Since it was virtual reality though, he only had to deal with the heavy mental fatigue that was especially present in VR games. Hunger and thirst could be steadily ignored if you had the will, but it was always present in the back of your mind.
Lazily browsing through his inventory, Kirito absently categorized the drops he had gotten today and organized several items into different sections. He was rather happy about today's loot since he had gotten two rare items, and enough materials to further upgrade his sword. In terms of experience rate, the wolves would not be efficient at all since they tended to spread apart in the forest, and you had to venture deeply before you found another pack. What he had grinded for however, was not experience, but rather items. The wolves dropped considerably better items than any other mob and a lot more in quantity too.
It was all towards one purpose; to upgrade his [Anneal Blade], which was already at an impressive +5. One of the beta advantages that Kirito knew was the quest in which the blade was rewarded. The blade itself was not really outstanding when you looked at its base stats, but when you considered that it was the only sword that you could upgrade 10 times this early in the game meant that it was easily the best sword for the next three floors or so. Of course that was only if you managed to upgrade it many times in success without failing.
Satisfied with his inventory, Kirito tapped two items and smiled as they appeared. A flask of water appeared in his left hand, and a large loaf of fluffy bread in the right. Munching happily on his food, he was thankful that the game emulated food senses extremely well. Enough so that he could tell the water was very high quality, and the bread was not bad either.
Suddenly, he paused in his trek as he heard the tell-tale sounds of fighting. Since it was night time, there was usually no people outside of the town simply because of the decrease in vision and sometimes increase in monster strength.
Deciding to satisfy his curiosity he walked towards the source of the noise, absently noting the area was where the «Greater Boar» mobs spawned. At level 6 these mobs were particularly hard even in groups as they tended to charge and knockback. At least to the regular players.
Peeking his head through the shrubbery into the large green clearing, he attention was immediately drawn towards the lithe figure seemingly dancing around a large red boar. The player wore an old looking cloak that served to protect his or her identity. What was interesting to Kirito was the fact that the player wielded a rapier, a rather uncommon class of swords due to how 'girly' it seemed to most guys.
The figure was very agile against the boar, striking with rapid sword strikes that glanced off the boar's thick hide, but still causing minor damage. The boar let out a roar, striking out with his tusks, but hitting nothing as the lithe figure jumped back.
Kirito watched in surprise as the player calmly waited for the boar to finish its preparations for a charge - its hind legs moving in anticipation. With a roar the boar charged alarmingly fast, but much like how Kirito had sidestepped the dire wolf, this player waited until the last second before dodging. As the boar hastily tried to stop its charge, the player pounced on the beast, raining blow after blow on its back.
The figure's sword glowed green in preparation of a sword skill - the sword struck the boars head once, and Kirito gasped as the figure was thrown off the boar. As the boar once more charged the downed player, Kirito watched in shock as the player got back up and proceeded to use sword skill after sword skill on the boar until the familiar lights of dispersed polygons filled the area. That crude method of finishing the monster however clearly left the player in low health.
Grimacing at the rather crude showing, he watched as the figure sat down and likely imbibed one of the cheap herbs you could get from the npcs. They healed at a very slow pace, but it was faster than waiting for your hp to naturally regenerate. He could tell that this player had been doing this for awhile considering he couldn't see anymore of the «Greater Boar» mobs in the area.
Kirito stepped out of the tree line and into the field, immediately gathering the attention of the player - who immediately stood back up warily. He didn't know why he was doing this but he felt that this player really could use some help.
Stepping into talking distance, he raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Hey."
The player stared back in silence, and from here Kirito could only see the shape of the players chin.
"Um... I couldn't help but witness your battle just now." He began nervously as the figure in front of him didn't even twitch. "You were really great in the beginning but near the end, you just kept spamming your sword skills. Which is why you kept taking damage, you should have kept up normal attacks until his charge and then used your sword skills to pre-"
"Does it matter?"
Her voice was so soft and melodious that Kirito almost missed it. "Huh?"
"I killed it in the end right? What does it matter..."
The lithe figure was a girl. The tone of her voice, her posture, and as he regarded her figure his eyes met briefly with hers.
Empty.
That was the feeling he received from just a glimpse; of a person without purpose.
"Still..." He muttered. "You shouldn't put yourself in unnecessary danger. Every little bit of HP counts in this game you know?"
The girl gritted her weapon tighter. "I don't care."
He grimaced at the person in front of him, seemingly teetering on the edge of something he couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Well I care."
The girls head twitched at his reply, this time fully raising her head to meet his.
"Beautiful"
Locks of orange-brownish chestnut coloured hair framed her face, intense hazel eyes and a face that simply radiated beauty even with her blank expression... she was simply an oddity in this trapped world. Kirito was stricken by the emptiness in her eyes.
"Why?" She asked in monotone.
He absently looked away from her piercing stare. "Do I need a reason? Every life is precious... and if you won't care for your own then I will in your place alright?"
At his words she looked confused, before frowning. "It doesn't matter... everyone will die soon enough..."
He glared sharply at her, before softening at her look of despair. "Only if they think that way." At her unchanged expression, he elaborated. "Look, this situation we are in is not impossible to break out of. You simply have to believe in yourself, and in each other. With enough people we can clear this game!" He wanted to add that he was a beta tester to cement his claim, but he really didn't want to alienate her further.
"When was the last time you rested?" He suddenly asked.
The girl thought for a moment before answering. "Two nights...?"
Shocked at her answer he shuddered as he asked another. "And the last time you had something to eat?"
"..."
He felt deeply sorry for this girl who was obviously in a dangerous state right now. If he could he wanted to hug her and tell her that everything would be alright... but he knew that it wouldn't work on this particular girl. She still had determination if she could resist eating for this long, and there was always her pride.
"Look... I can't promise you that things will look up, but I will promise you this. As long as I still have hope, I will never give up.. and as long as I'm still alive, I will protect you." He felt rather awkward as he spouted the last bit, but it seemed to work as the girl looked up at him in a new light - he wasn't sure what the expression was supposed to be. "Listen... I know I can't really make you, but promise me you'll eat some of this." He paused to open up a trade menu, where he swiftly handed her the remainder of his food and water. "And...as well, please get some rest. You must be on the verge of collapse right now."
The girl was surprisingly compliant to his words, and Kirito hoped deeply that she would head to town soon after.
Surprising her, Kirito closed the distance between them and grasped her left hand with both of his. "Stay safe okay?"
Piercing brown eyes met her dazed hazel ones as she nodded minutely. Smiling as he dropped her hands, he started his trek back onto the main road.
"Wait." Her voice called out, noticeably louder than her previous words.
He looked over his shoulder at her in question.
"What's your name?" She asked softly.
"Kirito." He replied kindly. "See you around."
Waving a hand behind in parting, he left for the main town, inwardly wishing the best of luck towards the pretty girl and hoping that she will make it out of this death game.
Staring at the retreating figure of the boy who had more or less shaken her out of her lost mind - Asuna absently looked down at the hand that the boy had held.
"So warm..."
Manipulating her inventory with a finger she found the items that Krito had given her and selected the [Light Bread] x11 and was surprised as the large loaf of bread appeared in her hands. Sheathing her rapier, she took the loaf of bread in both hands and absently nibbled on it.
The taste...it was good. Before she knew it, she had finished the entire thing and felt more full than she had since the start of the game. Resting tiredly on the grass, she absently noted the scent of the air, the feel of the soft grass and the steady stream of tears that ran down her face. Bringing a hand to wipe away the wet tears she relished in the feeling she currently felt.
She smiled... finally feeling alive.
"Ki-bou~"
The voice was loud and rambunctious, attracting everyone's attention in the immediate area. Kirito immediately braced his body for impact.
"OOF"
Not too late apparently as a small figure jumped onto his back in happiness, causing him to grunt in surprise and exertion. The figure was revealed to be a girl with curly auburn hair and light violet eyes. Perhaps her most distinctive feature was the 'make-up' that was applied on her face... in the shape of three whisker marks on each cheek.
«Argo the Rat»
Her SAO title held little to be desired, but the mousy girl accepted the nickname with pride. Serving as a seller of SAO information or as a middle man, she was an information broker; an unofficial class of merchants. For the right col you could buy information about almost anything and anyone from her.
Hastily adjusting his hands in order to safely hold onto the girl on his back, Kirito awkwardly carried the girl in a piggy back. Almost wishing he could press the harassment icon and send her to the system created jail.
"Argo." He sighed, feet moving in order to steer them away from the curious eyes of the players that roamed the market district. "Must you do this to me everytime?"
She tilted her head cutely before snuggling deeper into his neck, causing Kirito to blush. "But its Ki-bou!"
It wasn't as if he was unused to this sort of thing from her as they did share a history. A history that even went further than the beginning of this death game. Rather, he met her during a time where SAO could be considered simply just a game... during the beta test. She was the same way back then, slowly merchanting her way to the top. Of course back then she was less affectionate but more teasing, but ever since she had recognized him despite his different appearance, she had only shown a rather affectionate side with light teasing in between.
He supposed it was due to the heavy atmosphere of the general population. Suspicious glances thrown around, anger and despair lurking beneath the surface.
A week ago, someone had wanted to buy the names of all the known beta testers from her. She refused, and a fight broke out. The aggressor and three of his friends pelted her with jeers and taunts, claiming that she was probably another «Beater».
Kirito quickly put a stop to it since he was nearby, but the damage was already done. Suspicions surrounded the air and accusing stares had followed her ever since. Argo never showed a sign of the unspoken accusations hurting her but he could tell that she was someone who bottled her emotions very well.
Ignoring the jealous stares from his fellow males, he stopped by a nearby fountain and gestured for the girl to get off his back. She did so with a pout but nonetheless sat down beside him by the fountain.
"Did you finish my request?" He asked quietly.
Nodding slowly, she replied. "Yep... although Ki-bou, I don't really understand why you asked me to put out that message."
As a well-known information broker she had access to a network of players who acted as a secondary voice for her. In such a way, Argo was the best way of spreading requests or announcements of any kind, and even rumours.
"Its necessary..." He muttered. "Everyday we continue like this, the more the players will lose hope. We have to do something, anything to show progress."
Indeed, without any sort of guidance the players had fallen into a routine. They stayed near the town, venturing out during the day for some experience, but never too far and never too late. At night the players gathered back into the starting city - much like a group of children, scared of their curfew. Without a clear leader, even if some of the players wanted to advance, they would never want to do so alone.
They needed a voice.
"And you will lead the way?" She asked him curiously. "Really Ki-bou?"
"If no one else will." He answered with confidence.
For the sake of those who were still level 1 and hopelessly lost, he would give them a glimpse of hope. As long as there was a chance, however slim it might be, he hoped that more players will look towards clearing the game.
"Nishishi, If its you Ki-bou, then it's surely possible." She said, causing him to look away in embarrassment.
Suddenly smirking, she poked him in the cheeks. "Hey hey, so did you get my item?"
"Uhm... the claw right?" He replied, fending off her fingers.
Manipulating his rather full inventory he found the item he was looking for and opened up a trade menu. Dragging the item [Bloody Claw] onto the screen, he pressed the confirmation button and successfully completed the trade. It was a fairly rare drop from the wolves that really wasn't worth anything since nobody used claw type weapons. Argo was simply the exception, preferring the claw-type weapons and light throwing weapons..
"By the way..." He began, watching the girl giggle to herself as she equipped the rare claw. "What level are you?"
Scanning the girls figure up and down he tried to estimate her current level. Of course it only ended up looking like he was checking out the girls figure, causing her to blush slightly.
"Why Ki-bou thats a rather personal question! - but for you, a limited time offer... 500 col only!" She replied coyly.
Sighing in exasperation, he got up from his seat and waved lightly at the smirking girl. "See you tomorrow Argo."
He almost made it out of range but it was not to be.
"Hey we were supposed to sleep together tonight!" She shouted in the background.
Absolute silence as everyone in the vicinity turned their eyes towards the two.
"Urk..."
Escaping from the situation with Argo was uncomfortable to say the least.
"What a troublesome girl." He thought wryly.
The time was now midnight but Kirito found he could not sleep. Tomorrow would be a very important step on the way to eventually clearing the game. Whether or not enough players could show up and work together was decidedly unknown. Even if only ten people showed up it would be enough in his opinion.
He was interrupted from his thoughts as the soft familiar sound of a bell sounded through his head. Pulling up his menu, he was alarmed to see several rapid messages from one of the few people on his friends list.
«Silica is missing!»
Hastily adjusting his current path, Kirito immediately headed for the place he knew the girl was most likely at.
Arriving at his destination, which was the single bridge that overlooked a river in the starting city, he was met with a familiar sense of deja-vue. For what sat under the railings of the bridge, with legs dangling idly was the small figure of a girl. From afar he almost mistook the girl for a small child, but as he came a bit closer, he could tell that she was just a very young school girl.
He recognized her immediately from her distinctive twin-tailed hairstyle. Light-brown hair and ruby eyes that stared down at the river in silent contemplation, she made for a solemn sight.
"Silica."
At the sound of his voice, the girl jumped in surprise. Turning her head towards him, she gave him a small smile. "Kirito-san."
Kirito sat next to her by the bridge, legs also dangling alongside hers. Silica was near the group of the youngest players that were trapped in this game. Even though SAO had an age rating of 15+, not many players obeyed, including Kirito himself; who was only 14. For Silica however, he was sure that she couldn't be any older than 12.
"You're up pretty late you know." He said quietly, causing the girl to look at him. "I'm sure Sasha is pretty worried about you."
Silica frowned slightly at the mention of her temporary caretaker. Sasha was an university student who had taken upon herself to look after all of the younger kids, making sure they did not endanger themselves in this situation. She had taken a majority of the kids under her wing and had a place inside of the church. Her presence served as an anchor for the children too young to truly understand why they couldn't log out.
Kirito had heard of Sasha through Argo, and had immediately set out to visit her. Seeing first hand the dozens or so of younger players that were trapped in this game had given him a renewed sense of purpose ever since. He tried to make it a point to give a portion of his earnings to her so that the children could at least enjoy some small luxuries.
To the kids at the church he was referred to as 'Onii-chan' much to his embarrassment, but he still tried to spend some time with them during the lapses in his training sessions. That's where he had met Silica, a rather lonely girl who was old enough to grasp her situation but not young enough to put it to the back of her mind. He had spent a bit more each visit on her in order to break her out of her shell. It had worked somewhat, as Silica talked a lot more these days, but he was still worried about her long-term health.
"I don't want to go back..." She stated softly.
Kirito blinked in surprise, he didn't think she had any trouble with the players in the church. "Why not?"
"Everyone there..." She hesitated slightly before continuing. "They act like everything is fine, when it's clearly not... playing around, laughing, acting like this is just a game." Hugging her knees to her chest, she laughed bitterly. "We can't go back anymore can we Kirito-san? My mom and dad..."
Talking about your life outside of the game was considered taboo to the players. Nobody wanted to be reminded of their loved ones waiting for them on the other side. Of the fact that they were effectively cut off from all they had ever known, potentially forever.
"That's not true." He stated firmly. "Theres a way out, and its possible if we try."
Watery eyes stared back at him, causing him to flinch. "100 floors... we have to beat the boss of each floor, and yet no one is even talking of defeating the first floor boss."
Kirito looked up at the night sky in thought, wondering why everyone seemed to be so pessimistic these days. "That's true." With about two weeks into the game, the average player level would probably be around 5, and 6 if they were lucky. From that pool of players, only a very small handful would likely even consider doing the boss, simply because they were scared of dying. "Nobody wants to talk about the boss because most of them are still waiting for a sign. Something out there to save us, but you know that's not likely to happen anytime soon."
She nodded in agreement. "T-the government should have done something already."
This situation they were in would be world-class news. A terrorist situation which held 10,000 of japan's youth hostage was simply not going to be looked over. Specialists from all corners of the world had likely assessed the issue and had come to the same conclusion. Kayaba Akihiko's insane plan had no holes, and as such, the government was powerless to help them.
They were alone.
"But you know Silica." Kirito began. "Soon enough they will wake up and see that there is no other way but to clear this game. Its simple human nature." To adapt, to survive, and to live long enough to see their family again. "It might take awhile... several months, maybe years, but you know what?"
He held her gaze steadily with his own. "We will clear this game."
She smiled slightly before hiding her face in her hands, trying to muffle the sound of her laughter. His expression, and the seriousness of his stare was simply too amusing to her.
"H-ha ha Kirito-san, you were just like an anime hero there!"
Pouting on the outside, but inwardly happy that he had broke her out of her funk, he reached out with his hand and patted the girl on her head. "Hai Hai... laugh at me all you want."
Getting up from beside her, he offered a hand to the giggling girl. "Come on, lets take you back to the church."
Silica took the hand with a smile. The two were the only ones on the street this late, and Silica felt unusually safe with Kirito. Even though she was going back to doing nothing at the church, she felt much lighter than before.
"By the way Silica." He suddenly said.
She looked up at him curiously.
"The first boss will be cleared sooner than you think."
The market district was particularly busy during the afternoon. Despite the fact that the majority of players were not even leveling at all, there was still a big demand from the front liners. In typical MMO fashion, the market district was usually monopolized by a few merchants who sought to earn the most col by setting up their business early.
Of course since you were not allowed to purchase any property in the city of beginnings, many merchants had taken to setting up temporary stalls by the side of the streets. Where Kirito currently walked was filled with several of the 'cosmetic' type of professions. Stalls with several cloth type clothing that was actually high quality in appearance, although lacking any stats, and other stalls selling dyes and other accessories were quite popular. The material required for these professions were fairly cheap, being obtainable by questing or even from the level 1 boars.
Further along the district you had the general section where players sold monster drops to each other, mainly just haggling and talking since most players wanted to conserve what little col they had. Kirito actually frequented this section constantly since he had an overabundance of drops. He made sure to deal only with the one merchant he trusted in order to remain somewhat anonymous. Today, he wasn't here to sell his goods at the moment, despite having a rather full inventory.
What Kirito was heading towards was known as the 'weapons district'. For a typical MMO, every player liked to focus on their main weapon, and often spent the most on the weapon slot than any other item. For a game such as SAO, which had every skill scale mainly around your weapon, the preference in upgrading was without a doubt in your main weapon.
This area also had the most amount of front liners that gathered together, and subsequently the most richest district. If Kirito wanted to, he could probably sell his [Anneal Blade] +5 for an overwhelming amount of col, likely more than what an average party could afford. He had even received multiple requests through Argo, although he never bothered responding to any. In a game where having the best equipment ensured your continued survival, having the best weapon was simply priceless.
It was actually for this purpose that Kirito was heading towards the weapons district, a place he usually avoided since he had no need to look for better weapons. His main hand was already the best item possible for the first floor, and his off hand was another rare drop, [Sharp Steel]that he had gotten off a mini-boss. A weapons true potential in SAO was largely attributed to the amount of times it could be upgraded. The fact that his [Anneal Blade] could be upgraded a total of 10 times made it astonishingly good since his other weapon could only be upgraded 5 times.
Spotting the familiar pink hair of a certain blacksmith, Kirito made his way towards her stall. It wasn't so much a stall as there was only a large wooden board that sat behind her, displaying the prices for her services. She was currently bent over a blacksmiths anvil and whacking her way at a customers sword. He was oddly amused at just how many male players had lined up for her services, even if most of them were only looking for a quick repair. Female SAO players were of course quite rare, even more so were the ones that seemed approachable.
Finishing her upgrading job, and deeming it a success, she handed it back to a blushing male player. Her personality was light and friendly, and with her uniquely dyed pink hair and eyes, she made for a pretty sight. Her name was Lisbeth, the lone female blacksmith of the district, known for her unmoving stance on prices.
When she finally finished repairing all of the players' weapons, Kirito stepped up causing her to blink in surprise. "Kirito!"
"Yo Lisbeth." He said in greeting. She smiled in response and seemingly dusted off invisible dust from her apron before getting up to greet him from her crouched position.
"Well well well, if it isn't Mr. Upgrade, are you back for more?" The way she said it caused Kirito to blush lightly in embarrassment. To 'upgrade' an item in SAO was relatively simple, all you needed was some raw materials, some col, and a blacksmith. Player blacksmiths were slightly more successful than the NPC's. The trouble was that the amount of materials increased with each upgrade along with the col. There was also an increase rate of failure depending on how upgraded the weapon currently was. As such, there were usually no players at this point in time that sought to fully upgrade their mediocre weapons.
"Um... please don't call me that." He pleaded quietly, causing her to giggle. "And yes, I would actually like to upgrade my sword 3 times." Lisbeth paused in her laughter in order to gape at him in shock.
"Isn't it already +5?!" She shouted, attracting some attention.
Kirito shushed her, placing a finger to her lips. "Hey not so loud!"
She huffed in exasperation, putting her hands against her hips in an expectant posture. "Well? Lets see it then."
Manipulating the trade menu, Kirito offered his hard-earned materials and enough col to cover the costs. Lisbeth looked on wide-eyed as she took stock of the amount of materials she had received. Looking appraisingly at the player in front of her, she really wondered if he was a solo player like he had told her.
"Very well, lets give it a shot." Even though her voice was riddled with confidence, inwardly she was struggling not to break out in sweat. Upgrading the sword three times in succession without failure was likely impossible, and for some reason she truly did not wish to disappoint the person in front of her.
Manipulating her game menus, Lisbeth selected the materials and loaded them into the anvil item. Taking the offered sword from Kirito, she placed it onto the anvil and equipped her smithing hammer. Selecting the upgrade direction of «Sharpness» she took a deep breath before swinging her hammer down. Again, with practiced motions that was quite familiar to her now, she swung a total of 10 times before a confirmation window appeared.
«Upgrade Complete - [Anneal Blade] +6»
Letting out a breath of relief she turned expectantly to Kirito. The boy blinked in slight confusion before smiling. "Good job."
Somehow his praise made her slightly giddy, until the expectant look on his expression brought her to reality. She had to do it two more times.
Turning back towards the anvil, she thought back to when she first met this strange boy in front of her. It was actually during the first week of the game that she had finally decided to do something about her situation instead of just leveling on weak monsters. So she had taken up a profession, and had selected blacksmithing of all the other choices. She felt that tailoring or sewing wouldn't be as useful as making weapons, and so she had taken upon herself to train blacksmithing.
It was hard at first, having no idea where to begin and having very little col to invest with, she was lost. But referring to the guidebook that had been available at the general store, she did the best she could and eventually leveled up enough such that she could begin repairing and upgrading weapons. With happiness, she had bought the required items in order to set up her current stall and had waited for her first customers.
They had been friendly enough, and she had fun bantering to them about her business. When they wanted her to upgrade their weapons however was when the trouble started.
Six times.
That was the amount of times she had failed in a row. Three from her first customer and two from his friend. Understandably, they were upset but couldn't really blame her since it was mostly the system randomization at fault. Still, they called her bad luck and was resentful for the lost of their col and materials.
She was crushed. All her hard effort to no avail, from wanting to make a difference in the game to making players angry, Lisbeth wanted to quit right then and there. But then that strange pretty boy had suddenly walked up to her, saying words that had surprised her deeply.
"Hey, can you help me?"
Even though she had just failed to upgrade a weapon 6 times in a row, the boy in front of her had wanted his sword upgraded four times in a row. They had drawn a small crowd, and Lisbeth still wanted to leave, but there was something about the look on his face that made her stay.
Like he had believed she could do it.
Whether or not it was all in her head, she still chose to do it, and in a trance-like state she had managed to upgrade his weapon, all four times a success. Immediately afterwards, her first two customers had realized their mistake and had apologized deeply. Yet, as she looked up at her first successful customer, he only had a smile on his face.
Like he had known all along.
Shaking her head from the past, she smiled wryly at the effeminate player in front of her, daydreaming could wait, for now she wanted to succeed. Turning her full attention towards the weapon on the anvil, she glared deeply. Putting all of her feelings into her hammer strikes, she repeated a mantra in her head.
"Please work."
Another confirmation message appeared.
«Upgrade Complete - [Anneal Blade] +7»
Sighing in relief, she felt unusually exhausted after twenty strikes of a virtual hammer. Looking at the boy from the side of her eyes, she felt her face heat up due to his light clapping.
"One more Lisbeth."
Groaning slightly into one hand, she nonetheless turned back towards the weapon on the anvil. Taking one last deep breath, she began swinging her hammer once more.
"Please work!"
Again her mantra seemed to be a success, as the familiar message appeared.
«Upgrade Complete - [Anneal Blade] +8»
Sagging deeply against the stone wall behind her, Lisbeth closed her eyes as the feeling of relief ran through her body.
Kirito deftly picked up the sword and swung it twice in succession, a purely aesthetic move, but nonetheless served to satisfy him as he grinned in happiness. "Great work Lisbeth!"
Again, she blushed slightly at the way his praise seemed to affect her. "I-it was nothing."
She watched as Kirito sheathed the sword onto his back before turning back to her with a thoughtful expression. "Are you busy right now?"
"What?" She asked in surprise.
"Well, I was thinking of taking you out for lunch as a way of thanks, of course I'll pay your usual fee too, but if you're too busy maybe next time?" He answered causing her eyes to widen.
"Ah, ahm... Okay!" She shouted. Ignoring the fact that her business was likely at its peak hours at the moment, and that she would be losing out on business, she happily packed up her stall.
Turning towards the amused looking Kirito, she avoided his stare as she fell into place beside him.
"By the way... do you wear your blacksmithing uniform everywhere?"
She blushed heavily.
"Shut up Kirito."
A steady eye roamed through the area, doing a quick headcount.
Forty-one players, an incredible turn out, but considering the nature of the topic, Kirito doubted even half of them would qualify for this purpose.
'First Boss Information Session' had been the title of the event he wanted spread around. The basic purpose of the event was simple; to discuss all of the strategies that would be required to down the boss. Probably none of them expected an actual boss attempt strategy session at this time.
The majority of the players were in parties and consisted of the front-liners that had continued to grind everyday. The leftovers would either be the solos who were interested or even some from the general population who wanted more information. Either way, he hoped that a good number of them would leave here with a good idea of the method required to beat this game.
The place he had chosen for the meet was outside of the city of beginnings. He did not want a large crowd of unrelated spectators after all. Selecting a large pond that was a short minute walk from the southern gates, it was an ideal area since there was a scattering of rocks and logs that acted as seating and most importantly was the single large tree that acted as a landmark.
Sitting directly in the centre amongst the crowd, Kirito felt slightly nervous as tensions were quite high. Looking to his right where the unaffected Argo sat beside him, he wondered if she was nervous at all. As the coordinator for this meeting, many thought Argo would be the one to lead the session.
Another ten tenseful minutes passed and Kirito grunted as Argo elbowed him on the sides. Reluctantly standing up and attracting all the attention of the players he coughed lightly to gather their attention.
"Alright then." He began, noting many looks of disbelief. "Thank you for coming to this information session." Already he could see faces of discontent on their faces as they deduced that he was just a random unknown. "My name is Kirito, you probably don't know me, but thats irrelevant. We're here to discuss methods of taking down the first floor boss."
"Hey." A voice immediately piped up near the front. The speaker was a player with an oddly shaped cactus hairstyle, his expression was set in a frown. "I've never seen you before on the frontlines, just who do you think you are?"
His tone was arrogant, and Kirito frowned down at him. He ran through several scenarios in his head, but decided on a more passive route. "What level are you?"
The arrogant player blinked in surprise before answering. "Level 6."
If he expected Kirito to be impressed he would be sorely disappointed. Kirito met his stare with one of nonchalance. "I'm level 9."
At his words the whole crowd gasped in surprise. Even amongst the solo players, finding a player above level 7 would be impossible. Yet here was a player that stated he was at least two levels ahead of the highest known players. Many wanted to call him out on his claim but the way that Kirito held himself deterred them. He was simply standing there as if daring someone to challenge his claim.
As expected the rude player opened his mouth in disbelief, but before he could retort a hand was firmly pressed onto his shoulder from behind.
"I think we should let Kirito-san speak." The speaker this time was someone that simply felt off to Kirito. Expertly groomed blue hair, confident expression, and a face that was quite handsome compared to the average SAO player, he was an oddity.
"But Diabel-san!" The rude person tried again, only for the blue-haired player now known as Diabel to clasp him once more on the shoulders.
"I'm sure Kirito has some much needed information for us, else we probably would have been dealing with Argo-chan." Something about the way he had said the last part made Kirito want to hurt him.
Seeing that the rude interruptions finally died down Kirito continued. "Anyhow... the first floor boss. «Illfang the Kobold Lord» is his name, obviously a kobold type mob, his main weapon is a rather large tulwar." The crowd payed close attention to his words, knowing that the information being spread was not found anywhere else. "His first phase is simple enough, wear his hp down while avoiding his large swings. This boss has 4 health bars, and as each depletes, he summons multiple «Kobold Sentinel» mobs. Each group should have three to one kobold sentinel since they have a rather large health pool." He paused to let the crowd soak in the information. "Shortly after all 4 health bars are depleted he will enter the second phase, where he unlocks several special abilities including large AoE techniques. This phase should be taken slowly, since a direct hit will be likely fatal."
In the beta test, a full raid group of 48 players could easily clear it even with the majority of players only being level 5. The situation is entirely different when you consider that everyone will be playing extremely defensively, making sure to make no mistake when engaging, and backing off at the slightest hint of critical damage. Most importantly would be the transitional stage, as the bosses tended to behave erratically and Kirito wasn't sure if the boss mechanics stayed the same. Fatality rate in the beta was a rather daunting 30%, and Kirito wasn't sure if they could avoid a fatality even with over-leveling and playing safe.
"I have a question." A rather calm voice called out, belonging to the blue-haired Diabel.
Kirito faced him calmly. "Yes?"
He stood up from amongst the whispering crowd, smiling confidently. "While we appreciate the seemingly accurate walkthrough, I have to ask. How do we know this information is accurate?"
A question that was likely coursing through everyones head at the moment, a fact that Kirito was not unaware of. Looking briefly down at the contemplative girl beside him, he scanned through the crowd, trying to decide how to answer. Most of them were simply looking interested, but a select few were now glaring at him, already assuming where he had gotten his information from. Either he was a «Beater» or he had gotten it from one - likely even the girl sitting beside him.
"I was a beta tester." His simple statement sent shockwaves through the crowd. He was unsurprised when a great many of them scowled or let out noises of discontent. Also surprising was the amount of people that was gazing at him with neutral expressions. He assumed those were also beta testers, or simply didn't care.
"I see..." Diabel accepted the answer, shifting his face into a neutral expression, yet Kirito detected a flash of understanding in his eyes. He was interrupted from his thoughts as an angry voice shouted through the air.
"You bastard!"
Unsurprisingly, the voice belonged to that certain cactus-shaped player. The rather pudgy looking player rose to his feet along with several of his comrades. "I refuse to believe a word coming from this guy's mouth!"
Kirito grimaced as his seemingly peaceful meeting was turned into a mess.
"How can we trust a guy who left us all in the dust! Huh? Look at this guy's items, no doubt way better than ours!"
His friends chimed in, likely also feeling quite frustrated. "Yea, and look at his level!"
"He has probably been hoarding secret areas to himself!"
"Leaving the newbies to fend for themselves, while he likely breezed his way through quests."
"There are people dead because of you!"
"Selfish punks, I refuse to work with beaters!"
"BEATER!"
Absently noting that Argo had gotten up to stand beside him, Kirito gazed on impassively as probably half of the crowd was pulled into the hateful spiel that the boy spouted. Listening with half an ear as they continued throwing jeers and insults, Kirito kept an eye on those who didn't participate. A surprisingly good many simply hung in the back waiting for things to cool down, and those that met his eyes were the ones that he kept note of.
"Is that all?" He suddenly asked in a bored tone. The angry group of players suddenly stopped as Kirito finally showed a sign of being affected by their insults.
"Pathetic."
The group bristled and opened their mouth to retort before he swiftly continued.
"Pointing fingers, shifting blame... like a bunch of children." His impassive gaze suddenly turned judging as he met the eyes of his opposers - every single one of which turned away from his stare. "You believe that beta-testers are somehow responsible for what? 'Not helping you?' or was it 'not helping newbies' or maybe it was for not helping the players that jumped off towards their deaths?"
The entire crowd was silent, no one dared to speak as they took in his grim expression. "You seem to have forgotten something. Beta-testers... of those 1000 selected participants, how many do you truly think could make it out there alone as a solo? How many do you think are amongst you right now, trying their best to get by as a group?" Of the selected few, maybe half of them would have MMO backgrounds, and even then a small percentage of that would maybe be skilled at MMOs. "And something else... you seem to think that beta-testers are not trapped in this game with you, like somehow we are playing a different game. Well guess what? We are in the same prison, trapped by the same madman, all of us wishing to beat this game... to see our family once more."
He was glad that some of them had the dignity to look ashamed at his words, but some like the cactus-haired player still retained a heavy glare.
"And some of you also seem to think that we beta-testers never helped." Swiftly manipulating his inventory, Kirito pulled an item and had it materialize in his hand. The items appearance was that of a brown book. "[Beginners Handbook] was distributed free of charge through the general NPCs... the first edition was published by Argo and a select few other beta-testers in collaboration." At this revelation, several of them continued to look abashed, even his main opposer seemed less sure.
"The second edition that was published the next day was from me. " This statement caused several of them to gasp in surprise, alarmed at just how much the player in front of them knew. The second revised edition of the handbook merely added one section to it; combat, but it held well over 20 pages of guides and instructions, even referring to several real life techniques to assist in posture or accuracy. It was vetted as something any player wishing to level should read.
Glaring once more at the thoroughly ashamed crowd, he continued. "Maybe some of you will continue to resent us so called 'beaters', but atleast make sure you have your facts right. Maybe when you wake up and look at the facts, you will see that we only have one enemy in this game... the «Final Boss»"
No one dared to speak. "And maybe when you grow up a little, we can all work together."
He felt a hand rest softly on his shoulders, and Kirito finally noted that none of the resentment lingered in the air.
Sighing loudly Kirito dropped his angry gaze much to the relief of the crowd. "...I will call another meeting in another week's time. If you still wish to work with me to defeat the boss then come... if you refuse to work with a beta tester then so be it, we will clear it without you. " Even though he had said 'we' Kirito really had no idea if he could get anyone besides himself to join him.
Sensing their dismissal the crowd started departing, most of them lost in thought. Kirito made sure to acknowledge those that met his eyes as they left, noting that many of the solo players gave him looks of respect.
Hearing light clapping he turned slowly to see Argo with a wide grin on her face. "You are amazing Kiri-bou... simply amazing."
Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, he finally realized that he had basically scolded a bunch of players that were probably older than him. "Well, I feel like I turned away a good many players today. It's going to be hard from now on."
"That's not true." A voice rang out from behind him.
Turning around he was shocked to find familiar pink hair. "Lisbet?"
"Heya." Her smile was bubbly, and Kirito was about to ask further before he noticed another person beside her.
"Silica?!" The shorter girl met his gaze meekly.
"Kirito-san..."
Head swimming, Kirito felt extremely confused at the presence of the two girls he least expected to be here.
"Fufufu~ I see you started on your harem early Ki-bou." The statement caused the two girls in front of him to blush deeply.
"Urk...
Before he could scold Argo once again for saying outrageous things in public, another voice called at him.
"Kirito."
Still soft and beautiful as ever, he recognized the voice immediately. Turning around and meeting the familiar Hazel eyes was his confirmation.
"The solo player?" He wondered astoundedly. "Could she have been here the whole time?"
Her next words however turned his world upside down.
"Please take responsibility."
Feeling, rather than seeing the triple killing intent coming from the other girls, Kirito wondered what he had done to truly deserve this.
A/N: What an incredibly long chapter for me.
I want to start by thanking everyone for the reviews, especially those who wrote paragraphs and those who wrote to me. All reviews are appreciated.
Now about this chapter, initially I was considering either Sinon or even Yuuki as a potential party member for Kirito but I don't feel its very viable near the beginning. You can already tell where I deviated from the main storyline, about 2 weeks ahead. Although I do try and stay near the main characterizations, feel free to tell me If I made a character too OOC or awkward.
Suguha unfortunately won't be in SAO with Kirito, because I think if she were in it then Kirito would be vastly different. He would focus most of his time on protecting her, and would likely not interact with others much. Of course that would be perfectly fine for a Suguha/Kirito fic, which I think there should be more of.
So Kirito's current party consists of Argo, Lisbeth, Silica, Asuna. Theres room for one more, but I think that will be filled later on, probably by Sinon (Its easier to write a background/characterization for her than Yuuki). Silica may or may not continue onwards to the front lines, as she is quite young. She will definitely be in the guild though.
I think Argo had tons of potential in actual SAO, I mean come on every anime needs a bubbly character like her to tease the MC. Lisbeth doesn't even come close to Argos level of teasing. Plus, she's actually quite cute (look up her picture).
Anyways, let me know what you guys think about this chapter, and about the current girls/future girls.
Thanks for reading.
Next Chapter: Royal Swords