3 Years: 200 Days: 6 Hours: 30 Minute: 57 Seconds Remaining
The second-floor dungeon takes the form of a series of mine shafts that crisscross in an upwards pattern. The tunnels are stylized with wooden supports and soft torches that illuminate the oranges and reds of the clay. As you ascend you start to encounter ancient artifacts and ruins until you find the boss room which takes the form of partly ruined sandstone coliseum.
At the moment, along with a group of over fifty players, I am approaching the final boss room. Most of them are grouped into a party of eight. I'm in a party of two: Iota and I. Ever since we met, not quite a week ago, we've spent a decent amount of time playing together. He helped me unlock martial arts skill and has been teaching me how to use them. From what he's told me, he actually did a fair bit of martial arts in real life so he has a lot of tips that have helped me take advantage of the system and make the skills more effective. Although the system will carry your movements when you activate a skill it seems that having experience allows you to refine the skill. It's similar to how my real life k3ndo experience helped me understand the sword strikes within the game.
Currently, I'm listening to Iota explain how kicks are used in karate. Although I find it interesting, a decent bit of the information goes over my head, so I let my attention wander a bit. A large percentage of Diavel's old group is in various parties. Although most of the group has split, Jackson and Matrix have remained together and every time I look their way, they shoot me a dirty look. However, I find that I don't really care anymore. He can blame me all he wants but if he's going to mess with the bull, he'll get the horns, as they say.
I also notice a few returning players for the boss raid. Kibaou has formed a new party and Asuna seems to have teamed up with Agil and some of his group. Although Kibaou reacts in the same way that Jackson and Matrix do when I look his way, and often when I don't, Asuna and Agil either haven't noticed me or are ignoring me. Strangely though, despite the fact that I actually liked both of them, I didn't feel any regret about our current relationship. We were not particularly close, to begin with, and if things hadn't gone the way that they did, I doubt I would have met Iota. Even though I've only known him for a little while, he's the closest thing I've had to a friend. Not once since I met him has, he even mentioned my face which still looks gaunt and sickly. I feel like, for the first time, someone truly accepts me.
My thoughts are interrupted as we approach the final boss room. Unlike last time, we did a few reconnaissance missions. A party of especially brave, or perhaps risky, players triggered the boss fight in order to collect information. They mostly kept their distance but they were able to make it back with information that vastly changed our raid plan. During the beta, the second floor introduced the concept of mid-bosses. Essentially, they are just field bosses that must be beaten before you challenge the actual boss. As the floor was meant to introduce players to the concept, both the mid-boss and actual boss were significantly weaker than Illfang. However, that made the second floor the easiest to clear in the beta. The reconnaissance party found that in order to buff the second floor, the final boss in the beta was made into a second mid-boss.
Our plan going into the first boss battle was adjusted to split us up in order to fight two enemies at once, but the basic premise remains the same. During the last fight, I had nearly all the available information on the boss going in. However, I'm in the dark about anything else the reconnaissance party found, mostly because I haven't even seen Argo since I went into town with Iota. I'm sure Argo has been data mining as usual, but since we haven't been keeping in touch, I'm unaware of any changes, outside of the second mid-boss.
"Something on your mind?"
After a moment, I realized that Iota asked the question.
"Oh, I just feel a little underprepared compared to last time. Normally, I would have gotten a detailed description of exactly what happened during the reconnaissance raid", I chuckle a bit, "But since I haven't been talking to Argo I really don't know much."
"Still a bit bitter over the whole Argo thing?"
"A bit I guess."
"Don't be, man. Those kinds of things happen. Sometimes people just need some distance. And even you guys don't reconcile, people drift apart all the time."
"I suppose you're right."
Iota turns and smiles at me.
"If it's any consolation, you'll do just fine in the fight. Even if you're a bit lacking on information, you're a natural at sword skills and your martial skills are improving pretty rapidly."
"Thanks, man."
He turns back to face forward.
"Alright then, let's take this on."
3 Years: 181 Days: 3 Hours: 24 Minute: 9 Seconds Remaining
Two and a half weeks later, I look forward and see Asuna and Agil make the final push against the fourth-floor boss, marking the fourth floor we've cleared. The first floor excluded, our more recent fights haven't had anywhere near as many complications. Which is surprising considering how the more recent fights have been far less coordinated. Personally, I think we spent too much time leveling on the first floor. Most of the monsters on the second floor and up have been pretty easy. Although the boss fights have been difficult, we haven't really come any closer to failing than we did on the first floor.
"That went pretty well", Iota comments to me.
"Yeah, the martial skills worked pretty well in the boss fight."
"For sure."
After a moment of musing, I look down and notice that I've increased to level 18 and that I've leveled up my one-handed sword skill enough to unlock new skills.
"Oh nice, I got some new skills", I comment.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I got one called 'Overhead Strike' and another called 'X-Slash'"
"What's do they do?", Iota asks.
"'Overhead Strike' is just a more powerful vertical. It just puts more force behind the blow but in turn, leaves your body more open to attacks. 'X-Slash' is just two slanted attacks."
"Hmm not bad."
Both Iota and I take a few more minutes organizing our inventories and discussing loot.
"You ready to see the fifth floor?", Iota asks.
"Technically, I already have, but sure."
We climb up the stairs and emerge on the top of a hill leading to the next floor. Surveying the landscape, I see that unlike the fourth floor, which had its entire climate changed, the fifth floor remained faithful to the beta. The floor consists mostly of rolling fields and countryside with occasional farms dotted here and there. The distinguishing feature of the fifth floor is the ancient ruins. The main settlement Karluin is built over the top of a massive section of ruins. It's supposed to be reminiscent of new civilization reusing and reinventing what was there before them. I remember especially liking this floor during the beta.
"So, what can I expect from this floor?", Iota asks.
"Well, most of the dungeons are ruin based. The fifth floor introduces undead enemies, things like skeletons and wraiths. If I remember correctly, it's supposed to be reminiscent of the French countryside and feudal ruins."
"Neat! The campaign continues until the ninth floor, right?"
"Correct."
The campaign Iota is referring to is the "story" of Aincrad. It's divided into sections as you climb the castle, the first of which being the Elven War. This portion of the campaign started back on the third floor. Players can choose one of two sides to aid during the war, namely the dark elves and the forest elves. The idea is that the dark elves revolted against the forest elves in order to gain more representation in the governing body of the elves, the council of elders. Normally the elves are very ethnocentric, but as the campaign progresses both sides will slowly start the accept human assistance.
"Shall we head to the settlement?", Iota asks me.
"Sounds good to me."
The stairs deposited us on the southwestern portion of the floor. To our right are the massive area of ruins that Karluin is based out of. However, the city only takes up a small portion of the ruins closer to the center, so we have a small walk to make before we enter the city. Iota and I take off towards the city.
"You been able to check out the Laketop Fortress quest yet?", Iota asks me.
"No, I've been spending most of my time lately grinding in the Forest of Wavering Mists," I say, "There are a few decent quests in there and the deeper you go the more difficult monsters you'll find."
"You should try it out when you get the chance." Iota responds, "I found a couple of other people to do the quest with me while you were leveling up your sword last Wednesday. They were pretty fun to fight with."
"Oh? Who are they?", I ask him, mildly curious about the kinds of people Iota gets along with. I recently realized I don't know a ton about him, so I've been trying to ask questions that will tell me a bit more.
"Nobody you would know. They seemed like pretty hardcore MMO players. They also seemed to like practical jokes. Said they usually trolled other players in other games."
"Ah, one of those groups", I remark.
Personally, I've never really interacted with those kinds of MMO players. I never really had that much interest in trolling players, but I do understand the appeal. I love a good practical joke as much as the next guy (by which I mean watching others do them on YouTube). However, I get the feeling the practical jokes wouldn't be as nearly appreciated in SAO where that kind of thing could have lasting consequences.
"Yeah, I actually told them I would meet them later tonight for another quest, you wanna tag along?" Iota asks.
"I would, but I'm pretty exhausted. I've been up for almost twenty-four hours now. I'll probably just hang around town and get some rest."
"Sounds like a plan."
Eventually, we enter the town. The buildings of Karluin are made from darkened, weathered stone. Walking along the streets we see multiple construction teams renovating the long-abandoned buildings. Despite that, many of the buildings look empty or have partially caved in. As we get closer to the center, we see many leather and canvas tents being used for a market, which is reasonable considering the lack of buildings to be used as stores. In the town center is a fairly big square which is where most of the inns are located. What was most surprising about the town was the soft snow that was falling, even if it wasn't more than a light dusting on the streets.
"You know, come to think of it, I think it's around New Year's Eve in the real world", Iota remarks as we arrive in the town square.
"I guess you're right", I reply, chuckling. "It is funny though, I didn't even think about it."
"Guess so", Iota replies. "In any case, I've got to take off. I'll open up the teleport gate on my way out."
"Alright, see you later then."
After Iota leaves, I enter one of the inns. I ask the NPC innkeeper for a room and head up to my new base of operation. To start I unequip all of my equipment. Although I don't tend to wear armor, any item you equip has weight and even though I'm using a virtual body, the system sends neural impulses to make me feel sore. Although I want to sleep, I'm currently feeling pretty hungry, another impulse that the NerveGear sends my brain. I once again question how exactly Kayaba was able to implement these features without anyone questioning how viable they would be in an actual video game. I open my inventory to grab some food, only to find that I seem to have eaten all my reserves.
Sluggishly I make my way downstairs. I head out into the town square before quickly entering the building a few doors down, one of the only actual restaurants in Karluin. Its undeveloped nature means that most food is purchased at markets or bought from vendors. I enter the building and am seated at a table along the wall. I only now realize how pathetic I must look, eating alone on New Year's Eve. I lean back in my chair a bit and look over to my right...before suddenly realizing who the party on my right is.
Asuna and Agil both are both seated at the table to my right along with the rest of their current party.
"...then I said to the guy: 'You better pay up'. I drew myself up and pulled back my shoulders. You know, take full advantage of my stature. The guy nearly tore his pants trying to get his wallet out of his pocket", I hear Agil telling his party.
"People never change do they", another player remarks. "You do a lot of trading right; any player ever try to scam you like that?"
"Not in the same way. Since the trade system forces both players to put in their items in order to complete the trade, it's usually not a problem. I do get a lot of hecklers though. Some guy tried to get me to give him an Elven Knight Blade for 5000 col. Unbelievable."
The rest of their party laughs and I see Asuna smile. After a moment she seems to notice me. I must have been staring because she says something.
"Kirito", she acknowledges me coldly.
Agil turns over his shoulder.
"Oh, it's you."
Agil's stature is very imposing but for some reason, the way Asuna carries herself almost seems to exert even more pressure. I feel too tired to really converse with them, but I decided to attempt to make some small talk to lighten the mood.
"Asuna, Agil", I say nodding to each of them respectively. "The raid went pretty well today huh?"
I can tell close to immediately I've said something wrong. Agil tighten his fight and looks away with a grimace on his face. Asuna sigh shortly afterward.
"Color me surprised that you seem to have completely ignored just how badly that raid went."
"What do you mean?", I ask nearly wincing afterward at Agil's reaction.
Asuna remains composed and says, "Five people died in the raid today, more than any other one before. Although it seems you were too preoccupied joking around with Iota to notice anything else."
I had no idea. I've fallen into a habit of ignoring people after boss battles, and the fact that I was able to overlook five deaths in the raid today stings. But I can't just give in to what Asuna is saying either.
"You seem to be pinning the blame directly on Iota and me", I reply.
"I'm surprised you managed to pick up on that considering how much trouble you had recognizing the atmosphere after the battle. Both of you were in a position where you could have saved at least one of those people. But, no, you both were too busy waltzing around and showing off."
"Look, even if I tried to save those players, it may not have changed anything. It's entirely possible I could have caused even more death. You're just blaming me so you don't have to admit that you couldn't anything either."
It looks like what I said struck where I had intended. Asuna slams her fists against the table and stands up.
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't have tried. Those are five people who will never get to see their families again", she yells at me. "Just like Diavel."
"I'm so tired of you all blaming me for Diavel's death", I say raising my voice. "All I had was the knowledge of the advanced skills. That doesn't mean anything. Do you think all those players would have been able to adapt fast enough to counter them? In fact, trying to get them to switch strategies in the middle of a boss fight is likely to get even more of them killed. I didn't kill any of those players, SAO's system did. The system doesn't have feelings, it's designed with the possibility of killing us in mind."
"That doesn't make it right to let them die. Everyone wants to get out of this game. All of our families are on the other side, waiting and hoping for us to come home. You can't be bothered to think about anyone besides yourself."
"NO! It's you who won't think of anyone besides yourself. You treat those players like martyrs because it lets you escape the fact that you lived and they didn't."
I seem to have hit home with that. She looks down and tenses her body. I get up and leave. Even with the entire restaurant staring at me, I stand by what I said. The players of this game need to stop treating those who died like saints just because it's convenient for them.
I leave the restaurant and start heading back to the inn. Even though I'm still hungry I no longer have any interest in eating. As I walk away, I hardly notice the fireworks going off behind me and once again I can't escape the feeling that I've done something horrible.
3 Years: 180 Days: 13 Hours: 49 Minute: 59 Seconds Remaining
The day after my outburst at the restaurant I walk through the streets of Karluin. A short distance away from the center of the city is a massive castle. Although it is abandoned, the castle is in decent repair, especially when compared to the rest of the city. The castle itself serves as a massive dungeon, but my destination today is a little different. Not far from the castle is the entrance to a dungeon known as the catacombs. Although the first floor technically resides within the town limits. The levels below that are all part of a dungeon that houses both strong enemies and high-tier loot. I agreed to meet up with Iota here today but he messaged me saying he would be a bit late and to go ahead and get started.
After a bit more walking, I end up in front of the narrow stone staircase that leads down into the catacombs. The passage is drilled into stone and the walls are slick with moisture. I make my way down the steps carefully because even in SAO you can slip on wet surfaces. I once again curse Kayaba for his attention to detail.
After a few more minutes the passage empties into the slightly taller and wider corridors of the catacombs. Much like those in modern day Europe, the walls of the catacombs are covered in skulls and human bones. As I walk through the maze-like passages, I notice worn inscriptions in a foreign language. It seems to be Latin-based, making it even more difficult for me to decipher what it says.
After studying it a moment longer I continue to walk forward. I don't really remember any of the catacombs from the beta so I begin to map out the corridors. From there it doesn't take long to find another set of steps that leads me down to the next level of the dungeon. Once I've entered the second floor, I start to encounter enemies quickly. At first most of them are just bare skeletons, but as I progress, I begin to encounter more difficult enemies. Skeletons begin to have equipment and armor and occasionally I find a zombie. As I continue to progress through the dungeon my skills as a player a consistently tested, just the way I like it. Most of the loot that can be obtained from the catacombs take the form of relics, items that can be traded in at a collector's shop for money. Occasionally though, players can find well-preserved equipment.
I turn another corner and find a phantom blocking my path. Phantoms are one of the most difficult undead enemies, especially this earlier in the game, mostly because they take reduced damage by comparison. However, smiling a little to myself in the face of the challenge, I run forward and began to take it on. I dodge in and out of the phantom's attacks, landing a hit when I can. Every time the phantom's attacks do connect, the area where it hits becomes cold, yet another one of Kayaba's weirdly specific game mechanics. Noticing that the phantom is close to being finished I activate my new skill "X-Slash", which connects to finish it off.
However, after the challenge the phantom provided, most of the enemies thereafter seem weaker by comparison. Eventually, my pace slows down to a walk and I start to avoid enemies when I can. While I am peeking around a corner to check for enemies, I feel something cold and sharp against my back. I instantly jump forward and spin around...only to find Iota there smiling.
"What was that for?", I all but shout.
"You didn't respond to a single one of my messages. I knew you were just absorbed in fighting as usual, but I thought I'd surprise to get back at you."
I chuckle a little bit and let my nerves calm down, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry."
Turning back to face him I notice something. The marker above Iota's head is back to being orange.
"What happened this time?", I ask.
"Oh, it was really just a practical joke gone too far."
"You didn't get into a fight, did you?"
"Am I really that transparent? Yeah, I saw some guy picking on his weaker party members."
"I know you are trying to do the right thing and don't ever really want to kill anyone but, in this world, you gotta be careful."
"I know, I know. That aside though, you ready for some exploring?"
"Sure."
Although I answer affirmative, for some reason I can't quite feel as excited by the prospect of fighting as I thought I would be. The feeling I get when he mentions continuing, while not foreign to me, is not something I thought I'd feel in SAO. I quickly push away the notion and follow Iota further into the dungeon.