Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return
Chapter Two: The First Day Part I
Author's Note
Okay, this got out a little earlier than I expected. But that's good, because now I can tell you about what's going to happen in the future of this fic. You'll see what I mean in the bottom note, but I assure you, it's not a spoiler.
Anyway, I should probably inform you that this chapter, as well as the following few chapters, will be based heavily on the story from the source material, known as, The First Day. I'm not directly copying anything, but I'm still making the chapter resemble the story very closely. This is only part one, since the whole thing would probably end up being over ten-thousand words.
So yeah, that's about it for this note! See you at the bottom!
A death game.
There is no precise definition for such a phrase. If it were simply considered a match involving bodily risks, then the definition would include martial arts, rock climbing, sky diving, and even motor sports. There is but one thing, one condition that separates true death games from these dangerous activities and sports.
Having the absolute penalty of death listed as one of the rules of play.
But not as the result of an accident. A forced death, one served as the consequences of the player's mistakes and defeat, or possibly as punishment for violating the rules. In short, a murder.
With this premise established, the world's first VRMMORPG, known as «Sword Art Online», had now unquestionably become a death game. A mere twenty minutes ago, its creator, and as such, its ruler, Kayaba Akihiko, had personally appeared before all of the players and made that clear declaration without the slightest hint of doubt.
The declaration that if your HP were to reach zero – that is, on defeat – then you would be killed. And also that if the «Nerve Gear» were to be removed, thus violating the rules of play, you would also be killed.
It didn't feel real. Well, it's not like it should have; the whole thing seemed so outlandish. Even now, countless suspicions, countless doubts, raged around in my mind like a fiery storm of anger, disbelief, and most of all, fear.
Is something like that even possible? The device he used, the «Nerve Gear», was just a gaming machine fit for households, so how could it have the power to destroy the brains of human beings?
And even if it could, why would he do something like this? Holding players hostage in a virtual world for ransom would make some degree of sense. But putting the lives of the players at stake just to see his game cleared? That doesn't do him any good; there's nothing he could get out of it. If anything, doing this made him lose all the good rep he had as a game designer and quantum physicist, effectively making him into the worst criminal ever recorded in history.
I don't get it. It just doesn't make sense.
These were but a few of the thoughts that flew through my mind with wings of fire, launching even more unsettling thoughts into any space left in my brain. And yet, despite the chaos raging within my mind and soul, my instincts understood the situation painfully clearly.
Kayaba Akihiko's proclamation held no lies whatsoever. The nature of the stage where SAO takes place, the floating castle known as «Aincrad», had changed, warped from a parallel world filled to the brim with passion and excitement, into a cruel cage of death trapping ten-thousand innocent people within. The words he has uttered at the end of his tutorial, that the situation itself was his goal; those words were most likely his real intentions, as maddening as it sounds.
Merely for the sake of realizing his death game, the insane genius known as Kayaba Akihiko created «Sword Art Online», and thus, had created the «Nerve Gear».
It was because of that belief that I, a level one kid with only a one-handed sword to defend myself, am presently running as if my life depends on it. Running all by myself, in the middle of the vast prairie. I abandoned the first friend I made in this world, all for one thing…
To keep myself alive.
The floating castle known as «Aincrad» was made up of one-hundred circular floors, each one narrowly piled on top of the ones before it. The floors were wide in the lower sections, slowly narrowing as they rose in number, making the castle as a whole take the shape of a cone.
The diameter of the first and widest floor amounted to ten kilometers. The main settlement, or in other words, the largest city of the first floor, the «Starting City», reached out in a semi-circle with a diameter of one kilometer on the southern tip of the floor.
Tall castle walls stood guard along the edges of the city, effectively reducing the chances of monsters invading to a safe zero. Though it didn't really matter, for the insides of the city were guarded by the «Anti-Criminal Code», which made it impossible for a player's HP, which had now become their actual life force, to fall by a single pixel. To put it in laymen's terms, if one were to stay in the «Starting City», they would have no chance of death whatsoever.
However, despite the inviting idea of remaining safe, I made the choice to leave the city as soon as Kayaba Akihiko ended the tutorial.
There were several reasons for this decision that might have seemed reckless and downright stupid to most people at the time. The lack of confidence in the «Anti-Criminal Code» remaining in effect forever. The desire to avoid the discord and mistrust that would surely be forming between the other players, even as I ran. But, most of all, the determination and tenacity to level up and become stronger of an MMO gamer, ingrained in my very core.
If I wanted to level up, there would be no time to stand around idly in the «Starting City» and the areas near it. The relatively safe grassy fields surrounding the city would very likely be soon filled with players who decided to exit the «Safe Area» like myself. I'd give it a couple of hours at best before the fields would be hunted clean of all mobs.
The monster spawn rate in SAO was fixed to a certain amount within a certain time frame that varied with each different area. After the initial targets in the immediate surroundings of the «Starting City» were hunted down, the players would go into a frenzy, searching for the newest monster that had respawned, and from that point forward, occasionally stealing targets from others would certainly become an unavoidable consequence, which, of course, would lead to conflicts between players.
To avoid such annoyances, as well as to have an effective leveling rate, I deemed it necessary to set my sights beyond the relatively safe areas surrounding the «Starting City».
Of course, if one did not have any sense of direction, then doing that in a game they just started would essentially be suicide. For me, however, this was no danger; due to a certain reason, although it only applied to the first ten floors, I already knew many things – things such as the layout of the floors, and even the types of monsters that appear in SAO, which officially went online earlier that day.
Northwest of the «Starting City», through the vast grasslands and a maze-like path within a forest, a village named «Horunka» resided. This was my destination. Though it may have been small, it still had an inn, a weapon shop and a tool shop within the «Safe Area» that it provided the players. In the forest surrounding it, there were no monsters which had skills to paralyze, poison, or destroy the equipment of players, so it would be hard for even a solo player like me to die from getting overwhelmed by enemies.
With the village of «Horunka» as my first base, I would be able to raise my level from one to five before the change of date. The time was six-fifteen in the afternoon. The grasslands to the west of the village were dyed golden in the setting sun from the outer walls of «Aincrad» itself, while the forest to the east was bathed in a pale blue light by the dusk quickly settling in. Luckily for me, even at night, strong monsters would not spawn around this village. If I hunted nonstop until the next change of day, I would gain enough stats and equipment to safely head for the next location before «Horunka» filled up with the players behind me.
"Selfishness can be helpful, too, huh… man, I'm the walking definition of a solo player."
As I ran with all my might towards my destination, I whispered this in a humorous tone. Why?
If I didn't make a joke about it, then the fear and self-hatred threatening to make themselves known in my voice would have no chance of ever being destroyed.
If only that friendly curved sword user were at my side right then. Helping him level up, as well as assuring his survival… those honorable acts would probably have been enough to wash away at least some of these feelings of guilt. Hell, most of my guilt stemmed from not doing that in the first place anyway.
That's right… I abandoned him. Some friend I am.
I deserted my only friend in this world, Klein, in the alleys of the «Starting City». Well, to be more accurate, I invited him to head towards «Horunka» with me, but he turned me down, telling me he couldn't leave the comrades who were in the guild he led in a previous game.
Then let's bring them, too. That proposal was the one he wanted me to make. However, I just couldn't suggest it. Unlike the grasslands where only wild boars and caterpillars that could be defeated even by a level one player appeared, the forest beyond had more dangerous breeds of monsters that spawned such as poisonous bees or predatory plants. One slip up, and your HP could drop to zero in a flash… in other words, one could die after just one mistake in battle.
The chances of Klein's friends ending up dead— no, the reaction of Klein the moment that it happened… that was what I was afraid of. I didn't want to be haunted by the weight of their deaths, I didn't want to be hurt. With that belief and nothing else in my mind, I abandoned the one who reached out to me, the one who invited me to play as a party for the first time in this world.
"Damn it…"
Feelings of disgust for myself, made worse by my self-torturing monologue, swelled up from the recesses of my mind. I gritted my teeth, forcing my right hand to grip the sword equipped onto my back.
In a clump of bushes slightly ahead a single blue wild boar spawned not a second later. They were non-aggressive monsters, so I had planned to ignore them all until I got through the grasslands, but I needed something to take out my anger on. Out of impulse, I unsheathed the simple straight sword from my starting equipment, assuming the initial motion for a single hit sword skill, «Slant».
Reacting to being targeted, the wild boar turned and glared at me, violently tearing at the ground with its right foreleg to assume the motion for a charge attack. I knew that if I were to falter here, stopping the charging of my skill, I would end up receiving large amounts of damage instead of the «Boar». With the mixed feeling of calmness and irritation towards myself, I glared back at the monster, unleashing my skill towards its weak point: the back of its neck.
The blade of my sword faintly glowed a light blue, and along with a sharp sound effect, my virtual body moved swiftly on its own accord. The «System Assist», a trait unique to «Sword Skills», directed my slash towards my target. While taking care not to go against the movement of the skill, I intentionally accelerated my leg and right arm, increasing the momentum and power of the skill.
The stats of my level one avatar, along with the specifications of my starting equipment, was obviously extremely weak. Even so, if a boosted «Slant» were to deal a critical hit at the weak point of the blue wild boar, officially dubbed the «Frenzy Boar», its HP reduced in a single hit would be just over what it actually had.
The slash that I unleashed that head-on struck the mane area of the already-charging «Frenzy Boar» returned a strong recoil, sending the beast violently flying backwards by a total of one meter and twenty centimeters.
With a terrified scream, it bounced off the ground, stopping unnaturally in the air. With the sound effect of shattering glass, along with a flash of blue light, the wild boar turned into thousands of polygon fragments before exploding.
I didn't even cast a solitary glance at the window indicating the EXP added, and the ingredient items now in my inventory; I knew it would disappear in a few seconds. Without even stopping for a moment's rest, I walked right through the drifting light effect. Even after killing the «Frenzy Boar», I didn't feel even a fraction better. Angrily forcing my sword into the scabbard on my back angrily, I saw the dark forest I had been running for in the distance, prompting me to run as fast as my «Agility» stat would allow.
It goes without saying that I took great caution in the forest to avoid the «Reaction Radius» of the monsters lurking about, yet I still ran down the path as fast as I could, determined to reach my destination.
I arrived at «Horunka Village» just before the sun finally set. I quickly surveyed the village of a mere ten buildings, including both private houses and shops, from its entrance. The color cursors all around my field of vision were all marked as being those of NPCs, confirming that I was the first player to arrive. However, thinking about it now, it was to be expected. After all, I did dash off at full speed with barely any conversation the moment that Kayaba finished his tutorial.
The first objective would be to head for the weapon shop facing the narrow plaza. Before the start of the tutorial, Klein and I hunted down several monsters, leaving me with several materials and ingredients in my item storage. I had no desire or reason to level up any production-type skills, so I could sell them off to the shopkeeper NPC without a second thought.
Using nearly all my gold, which had increased somewhat from the sale of my items, I bought a brown leather coat with a decent defense stat. I touched the instant equip button that comes after buying an equipment-type item as soon as it appeared.
Over the white linen shirt and gray leather vest that composed my initial equipment, a long, brown leather coat that exuded a sense of durability appeared, releasing a small light effect. My breath caught for a moment as I dwelled in the slightly increased sense of stability, before glancing to my left at the large full-length mirror installed onto the weapon shop's south wall.
"Is that… me?"
I unconsciously muttered these words, causing the elderly shopkeeper NPC polishing a dagger's scabbard at the counter to raise his eyebrows before returning straight back to work.
The avatar reflected in the mirror, aside from height and gender, was a far cry from the Kirito that I went through hours to design.
The body was thin and slender, without a single trace of masculinity in the facial features. Long, black bangs framed the face. The eyes, too, were black, or possibly even darker. An appearance that mirrored my own in real life, recreated with an astounding level of detail.
Just imagining this avatar, with what the previous Kirito wore, equipping gleaming metal armor, sent a vehement spasm of denial surging through my entire body. Luckily, in SAO, even with lightweight leather equipment, speed-type one-handed sword users could attain sufficient defense. Of course, they had no chance of becoming tanks, the players who could draw the monster's attention to themselves, but there was no need for a tank built if you were a solo player.
You know what? From now on, I'll stick to leather equipment as long as the situation allows it. It goes without saying that they'll be as plain looking as possible. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention.
Making this vow in my mind, I departed from the weapon shop. With my «Buckler» set aside for the moment, my weapon still remained the initial sword. Rushing into the tool shop next door, I hurriedly bought as many health and antidote potions as my currents funds would allow, bringing my money to an absolute zero.
There was a reason why I didn't purchase a new weapon to replace my initial one. The only one-handed straight sword sold in this village, the «Bronze Sword», had more power than my initial weapon, the «Small Sword», but its durability dropped easily, and it was weak against the corrosive liquid fired from plant monsters as well. If one were to face them frequently, staying with he «Small Sword» was the best choice. Even so, it's not like I could keep using the weak initial sword forever, as its stats were still low, and it still had a low maximum durability. Leaving the tool shop, I dashed towards a private house deeper in the village and made it there in no time at all.
Stirring a pot in the kitchen, an NPC that gave the impression of a village missus turned to look at me and spoke. "Good evening, journeying swordsman," she said in a kind voice. "I do wish to offer you food, but I do not have any at the moment. All I can give you is a single cup of water."
Without missing a beat, I answered her, pronouncing my words clearly so that the system would recognize it. "That will be fine."
To be frank, a simple, "That's fine," or, "Yes," would have been enough, but these things were for setting the mood. If I were to say the even more polite phrase, "Don't mind me," nothing would happen.
The NPC poured water from a water jug into an old-looking cup, setting it down on the table before me with a clunk. Sitting down in one of the chairs, I took the cup and drank its contents down in a single gulp.
With a slight smile, the missus turned back towards the pot. Despite something simmering, "not giving any food" was meant to be a small hint. Upon waiting a few more seconds the steady sound of a child's coughing could soon be heard on the other side of the door to the next room. This missus's shoulders seemed to fall in sorrow.
After waiting a few more seconds, a golden question mark finally appeared, shining bright above the lady's head. The sign of a quest activation. Without a moment's delay, I called out to her.
"Is there something troubling you?"
This was one of the many possible phrases used to accept quests from NPCs. Slowly turning to face me, the question mark over the missus's head blinked rhythmically.
"Actually, my daughter…"
And so she told her story. Her daughter had been stricken with a severe illness that was unfazed even when treated by the medicine from the market (this filled the contents of the pot), and there was no way to cure her other than to drink medicine produced from the ovules of predatory plant monsters inhabiting the forest further to the west of the village. The problem was, plants of that particular variety were extremely dangerous. In addition, those that actually produced the ovules were rarely seen, resulting in her complete inability to obtain any. If only a swordsman would retrieve it for her, she would gladly offer a one-handed sword passed down in her family as a sign of gratitude.
This was the general synopsis of the missus's speech that she gave with dramatic gestures as I listened patiently. The quest would not progress if her speech was not heard to the end, and I was unable to bring myself to harden my heart against the sporadic dry coughs of her daughter during her story, even if she was just an NPC.
The missus finally closed her mouth, and the tasks on the quest log displayed on the left of my vision refreshed to show my new objective. I stood up, nearly shouting, "Please leave it to me!" this line was unnecessary, but it was used to set the mood. I rushed out of the house and into the street.
Immediately after I exited the house, the bell in the plaza rang throughout the village, notifying me of the time. Evening, seven o'clock.
Just what was the situation on the other side right then? Needless to say, a huge uproar must have occurred. Beside me, lying down on my bed in my room with the «Nerve Gear» on my head, the figures of my sister or mother, or perhaps both, were probably there right about then.
I wonder what they're feeling right now… shock, maybe? Doubt? Fear? Or maybe… grief?
Even so, the fact that I was still there, within «Aincrad», was proof that neither of them had torn off the «Nerve Gear» in a foolish attempt to save me. In other words, they probably really believe in it. In Kayaba Akihiko's warning… and that I would return alive.
But in order to do that, there is no choice but for someone to break through the top floor of this floating castle that reaches up to a hundred levels, then defeat the monstrous final boss of a terrifying form that I couldn't even begin to imagine, to clear the game.
Of course, I had no intentions of attempting such a deed myself. What I should have been doing— no, the only one thing I was capable of— was to struggle for my life with all my might. That's it.
First of all, to become stronger. At the very least, on the first floor, regardless of the type and numbers of monsters coming at me, or perhaps, even to the point where I can protect my own life when a malicious player attacks me. That was my first goal. Anything beyond that would be thought about when the time came.
"I'm sorry, Mother. For making you worry… I'm sorry, Sugu. For letting something like this happen because of the very VR games you already hated…"
These words unintentionally left my lips, causing my eyes to widen a fraction in slight surprise. The last time I called my sister that nickname was at least three years ago, or maybe even earlier.
If I survive and return, I promise I'll face her directly and call her, "Sugu" once again.
Thinking these thoughts, I passed through the village's gate, striding through the plains and towards the forest covered in the ominous night.
Author's Note
This seemed like a good place to stop to me, so I decided to cut it off here. Hopefully this is an okay spot to stop to tide you guys over until the next update.
Speaking of updates, I put a poll up on my profile page that basically asks this: should I update as soon as I finish a chapter, or try to keep to a one-chapter-a-week schedule? I gave two options, one for each path I could take, so I was hoping that you, the readers, would be able to vote on that.
Keep in mind that if I just update as soon as I get a chapter finished, then I won't have as much time to do quality edits to make the story flow smoother. Also, if I update weekly, that will give you a time to expect chapters instead of just hoping that I'll release something soon. On top of those, releasing chapters as I finish them puts a huge strain on my inspiration to continue.
Well, I guess I just have to do one more thing before I let you go!
I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations other than a copy of Hollow Fragment's Taiwanese/English subtitled release, or anything/one that I use from them!
See you next chapter!