Sword Art Online: Reverse/Return
Chapter Four: The First Day Part III
Author's Note
I would have gotten this out earlier today, but I had to write the notes at the top and bottom. Still, I got it out on time, so I guess it's fine!
To be perfectly frank, this is the last chapter in my reserve, meaning I don't have any to fall back on if I lose inspiration .From here on out, I have to write all-original material. I'm not finished with the next chapter yet, but I'm confident that I'll be able to get it out on time next Saturday.
Anyway, that's it for now! See you at the bottom!
"You're doing it, too, right? The «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest, that is."
That was unquestionably the title of the quest I received at the private house in the village earlier. There was no more reason to deny it if he had already read my intentions that far. Upon the nodding of my head, he grinned while shifting his hand to those unseen glasses once again.
"That's a vital quest for one-handed sword users, so I'm not surprised," he continued, unintentionally letting on that he at least suspected of me what I knew of him. "After all, that reward, the «Anneal Blade», is good all the way up until the third floor's labyrinth."
"It's appearance isn't really much worth talking about, though."
As I added that bit in, the boy let out a bright laugh. After he finished, he opened his mouth after a short pause. The words that left it were quite different from my expectations.
"Hey, this is a rare chance. How about we work together on the quest?"
"Huh? I think that it's an individual-only quest, though."
This reply flew out of my lips so spontaneously. There were quests hat allow all members of a party to clear it by running through it together, and those that did not. The «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest belonged to the latter. There was only one of the crucial key item, the «Little Nepent's Ovule», and thus, only one would drop. Even when challenging it in a party, the number of items that would need to be collected for each member to get the reward item would have to be equal to the number of people involved in the end.
However, as though he had predicted my words, the boy gave me a smile. "Well, that might be true, but the chances of one with a flower appearing will increase if the normal ones get hunted down as much as possible. Pushing that to the extremes as a pair is more effective."
The situation was just as he said. I couldn't aim for monsters not by themselves as a solo player of my level, if we teamed up, we could go up against two of them at the same time. Along with the advantage of shortening the time choosing targets, the number that could be hunted down would increase accordingly. With that, of course, the chance of one with a flower appearing would increase in turn.
Just as I was about to nod my head in acceptance, I harshly stiffened my avatar up. I had thought about the right I had to form a party, after abandoning the cheerful cutlass-user, Klein… the first friend I made in the game, just a short hour or so ago.
The boy before me took my hesitation the wrong way, shaking his head in a fluster. "Don't worry, I won't make you join a party with me. You got here first, so I'll let you get the first key item. If we continue to hunt at the same pace afterwards, the second will definitely drop soon, so if you can stick with me until then…"
"Ah, you're right. Well then…"
With that murmur of a reply, I nodded my head. If we were to fight as a party, all drops would go not into our individual inventories, but a temporary one instead, technically giving ether one of us the ability to make off with the key item for the quest. That was probably what he thought was the source of my hesitation. Although, truth be told, that hadn't even crossed my mind yet, there was no worth in correcting him now.
At my acceptance, the boy laughed lightly once more, then stepped up and offered his right hand. "That's good to hear. Well, let's work well together for the time being. My name is Coper."
If he was originally a beta-tester like me, it wouldn't be all that strange if I knew him already. However, I had no recollection of his name.
But of course, there was always the possibility that he had changed his name from that of his name in the beta period. And either way, his name was not displayed on his color cursor, so I couldn't even really confirm if that was his real name or not. The same principle applied for me as well; however, I was terrible when it came to character naming, so for me, a person who simply used an abbreviation of his real name in various net games he had played before, making a false name on the spot was simply an impossibility.
Just before I replied, a strange feeling surfaced in my stomach, nearly making me fall to the ground. I heard a voice that sounded eerily similar to this boy's— no, it was his— introducing himself in different words.
"That's good to hear. Well then, I'll be in your care for the time being. I am Coper."
When I snapped out of my thoughts, I found him looking at me expectantly. I swallowed the feeling of unease in my stomach, taking his hand and giving it a light shake.
"… Likewise. I'm Kirito."
Upon the mention of my name, the boy, now known to me as Coper, lightly tilted his head to the side. "Kirito, huh? Just where di I…?"
Somehow, it looked like he indirectly knew me from the beta. Reflexively thinking that this might have a negative effect on our partnership, I immediately diverted the attention away from my name.
"We should get hunting," I said, voice betraying no emotion as I looked around for more «Little Nepents». "We have to get two «Ovules» before the other players get here."
Seeming to have dismissed the contemplation of where he had heard my name for the moment, he said, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go for it."
No more words needed to be said, and with nods to each other, we targeted a pair of «Little Nepents» grouped together and dashed towards them.
As expected of a beta-tester, Coper's prowess in battle was nothing to scoff at.
He knew quite a bit about the distance to keep away while using a one-handed sword, the behavior the monsters exhibited, and the usage of «Sword Skills». In my opinion, he was focusing a bit too much on defense, but that was completely understandable, given the dangerous situation we were in. We settled into a routine with good synergy, with Coper first luring the target, then me striking at its weak point with all my might, reducing our prey into polygon fragments one after another as a pair.
The hunting went rather smoothly, but there was still one oddity that came to mind.
The entire time thus far, not once did we exchange a single comment about the situation that SAO was currently in. was Kayaba's proclamation the truth? If we died here, would we truly die in real life? Just how would this world turn out from then on? All of these questions and more must have entered Coper's mind as well, but there was no talk of anything beyond items and quests between us, from start to finish. And yet, despite that, our conversations really flowed naturally.
It must have been because both of us were heavy MMO addicts. Even if the world were to change into a death game, and the logout were to disappear, as long as we were in the game, it was time for quests and experience earning. We were likely beyond help by that point. However, thinking back on it, Coper, too must have applied to the beta test, so there was no question that his very core was that of a net gamer. To put it in laymen's terms, beyond the fear of death, we merely prioritized the urge to strengthen out characters—
No. that's not it at all. It must be because… neither of us can face reality yet.
Leveling up efficiently, exhausting the spawn rate; even if we went through these near-sighted actions, our thoughts on the foundation were still in suspension. We turned a blind eye to the reality of the «Nerve Gear» discharging high intensity electromagnetic waves, frying our brains as soon as our HP reached zero. As an avenue of escapism, we simple aimed for the goal directly ahead without prior consideration. Thinking about it that way, the players who remained in the «Starting City» could even be said to be substantially more calm in their understanding of the situation. At least they were able to grasp the gravity of the situation fully.
However, if that was so, then the fact that I went up against deadly monsters like the «Little Nepents» constantly, fighting on my own free will, meant that I was completely unable to comprehend the current reality. Being unaffected by the anxiety of dying for real was the entire reason why I could still dodge the pointed vines and dangerous corrosive fluids, which were entirely capable of killing me off, with the slightest of movements.
The instant I realized that, a premonition came to me.
Sometime in the future… if I continue on like this, I'll definitely wind up dead.
Actual death, in other words, the first rule of a death game; to not understand that rule was to not look out for the line that one must not cross. It was no different from walking along the edge of the cliff in the dead of a moonless night, entrusting all to fate as darkness kept you from seeing anything. Thinking back on it, exiting the «Starting City» on my own, stepping into this forest at night, when my vision would be far from its finest, was already a deed that bordered on extreme foolhardiness.
An intense chill ran down my spine, going all the way to the tips of my hands and feet and putting a stop to my avatar's movement.
At that exact moment, I aimed at the «Little Nepent» before me and swung my sword towards its weak point. If I had remained frozen stiff for even a split second longer, I would without a doubt have received a painful counter in return.
As I came back to my senses, the reactivated «Sword Skill», «Horizontal», sliced off the plant's stalk, ending my precarious situation. A shattering sound rang out, formless, glass-like flakes passed through me, scattering into the air.
Turning around, I saw Coper, who, fortunately, didn't seem to have noticed my abnormal behavior, battling another Nepent. Taking up five more seconds and annihilating the enemy without a single skill, he turned around with a sigh.
"It still hasn't appeared…"
As expected, his voice was laced with fatigue. Over an hour had passed since we teamed up. Although close to, maybe even a little over, a hundred and fifty Nepents had been taken down by the two of us by that point, the spawning of one with a flower had yet to occur.
To shake off the chills that were still reverberating throughout my avatar's frame, I gave my shoulders a firm jerk. "Maybe the rate at which it appears has been changed since the beta test," I pondered, frowning lightly. "This wouldn't be the first time I've heard of an MMO lowering the rate of rare drops after it officially goes online…"
"Yeah, that's true…" Coper replied despondently, before his tone changed to a lighter one. "So, what now? We did manage to level up quite a bit, and the durability levels of our equipment have dropped by even more, so returning to «Horunka» for now might be a good…"
When Coper trailed off after that point in his speech, a faint red light came to life under a tree a mere ten meters or so away from us. Rough and unevenly shaped polygon blocks were rendered, connecting to each other to form a fuzzy image. A sight I'm sure he and I were both used to – the spawning of a monster.
A Coper had just mentioned, we gained quite a lot of EXP from the excess farming we had done, with both of us reaching level three. A safe level to clear the first floor was around ten, from what I could remember of the beta period. Thus, even though it was still too early to proceed onwards, there was really no need to scramble for every single «Little Nepent» that spawned. The color of their cursors were changing from magenta to a regular red, only affirming our ascent in level.
The two of us stood still on the grassy patch, continuing to absentmindedly gaze at the spawning. Within a few seconds, the Nepent, number one-hundred and several tens, received a distinct appearance of its own, setting about on its path with its vines coiling about. A lustrous green stalk, the proof of its life in this world; a speckled pattern aborning its prey-trapping mechanism that was unique to it; and above that, glistening a toxic red even in this dismal lighting, was an enormous flower that resembled a tulip.
We remained silent, watching the creature in a daze for several more seconds before silently turning to each other.
"… —!"
With muted war cries, we swung our swords forth. With a vigor akin to that of a cat assaulting a mouse, we charged towards the flower-attached Nepent that had finally appeared and—
Right before engaging the creature, I made an emergency brake with both feet while restraining Coper from continuing with my left hand.
Why?! His face showed this shout of a question. Answering him without words, I flicked out the index finger of my left hand to what laid beyond the one with a flower, not so far away.
It was hard to see through the many trees obstructing our vision, but the shadow of another Nepent could be seen in that direction. I spotted it thanks to my «Searching Skill» and my slightly improved proficiency at it. Perhaps due to not having taken up the searching skill yet, Coper had to strain his eyes through the darkness of the forest, taking several seconds to finally appear to have confirmed it by sight.
If the Nepent beyond the flowered one was a normal one, there would be no reason to hesitate in attacking; we could just slay the second one at the same time. But of all the absurd timings it could have appeared, a big lump just had to be hanging right above the second prey-trapping mechanism, gently swaying back and forth.
If said lump was a flower as well, I would have no choice but to retract my proclamation of my terrible luck. That said, the thing dangling on the end of the slender stalk of the second one was s spherical ball with a diameter of around twenty centimeters – a «seed». If even the tiniest of scratches were inflicted onto that, swelling out as if it would burst open at any moment, it would immediately rupture and cause foul fumes to spread out. These fumes would draw in swarms of raging Nepents, doubtlessly plunging us into peril from which we could not hope to escape, even with our levels raised.
What should we do?
I was lost. There was always the possibility of defeating the one with a seed without hurting said seed with my combat capabilities. However, that was not definite. If there was even the slightest chance of death, it would be best to be patient and wait until the ones with the flower and seed were separated, far enough away from each other that they would not both come after us.
However, there was a rumor that I heard during the beta period that added to our dilemma. If the «Little Nepent» with the flower, a precious, exceedingly rare monster that drops the key item for a quest, was left alone without being hunted down, it would change into the extremely dangerous trap monster, the one with a seed. Or, at least, that's what I heard back then.
It wasn't impossible; on the contrary, it certainly was a plausible tale. Even while looking on from the bushes, the petals of the flower on the Nepent, moving around about ten meters ahead, could be seen falling as they fluttered, a perfectly round seed growing out. If this continued, it would result in a group of two Nepents with seeds when counted with the other one there.
"What are we going to do…?"
I murmured this without thinking. The fact that I faltered here was proof that I had yet to draw the line between danger and safety. In this state of hesitation, falling back seemed to be the better, more rational choice, but at that moment, I was seriously questioning my rationality.
While I stood there frozen, as though afflicted by a stun-causing attack, Coper's low whisper reached my ears.
"Let's go. I'll draw the one with the seed's attention, so please finish off the one with the flower quickly."
In an instant, thousands of images combined with voices flashed through my mind, creating a movie of sorts that seemed far too real for comfort.
Just ahead, the partner that I had unexpectedly gained, Coper, was skillfully handling the Nepent's assaults with his sword and buckler. Perhaps because he specialized in defense from the beginning, it seemed that he had enough control to face this way, even in the heat of battle. Giving off an aura of grave seriousness, with slightly narrowed eyes, he stared right at me.
Something in his gaze caused my feet to halt.
What was it? Why was Coper looking at me with those eyes? As if they were filled with distrust, or possibly even pity.
Easily fending off the Nepent's vine attack with his buckler, as Coper broke off the bout, he delivered a short line while looking at me as I stood, stock-still.
"Sorry, Kirito."
He returned his sight to the monster, forcefully raising the sword in his hand above his head, blade glistening bright blue. He had activated a «Sword Skill». That motion… it was that of the single-hit vertical skill, «Vertical».
"No, he can't be…"
Even with the confusion caused by his earlier statement, I murmured this, mind numb.
The upper portion of the stalk, a weak point of the «Little Nepent», was obstructed by a sturdy prey-trapping mechanism. As such, vertical attacks were ineffective. In addition, there was a reason, clear as day, why Coper should not be using a vertical attack right then. He should've been well aware of that.
However, the skill he activated was already past the point of no return. His avatar, half-taken over by the system assist, kicked off the ground savagely, his glowing blade driving into the Nepent's prey-trapping mechanism – or, at least, what was above it: the wobbling, round «seed».
BAAAN!
That explosive sound shook the whole forest at a monstrous volume.
That was the second time I heard this sound. The first was, of course, during the beta test period. At the time, one of the members of my party carelessly poked it with a spear, and due to the swarm of «Little Nepents» attracted by the odor, the four of us, all level two to three, died before we could even try to escape.
Coper's «Vertical» continued past the smashed seed, slicing apart the Nepent's prey-trapping mechanism along with it and cutting through its HP gauge. The monster soon blew apart, but the vague green fumes left behind in the air and that horrible stench that reached my nose did not fade away.
Facing Coper, who had avoided the fumes and jumped aside with vigor, I spat words out in a daze. "Wh… Why…?"
That was no accident. That attack was intentional. Coper smashed that «seed» of his own free will, bursting it open.
The beta-tester who fought beside me for one whole hour repeated himself once more, averting his eyes away from my shocked gaze.
"Sorry."
When I came out of whatever had happened to me, I saw Coper getting out from the cover of the bushes. Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist, pulling him back before he had the chance to go any further.
"What is it?"
These words, their tone, only added water to the notion forming in my mind. That dream— the one that I just had— wasn't just a dream. Somehow, I knew. It was a scenario that would undoubtedly play out, should I let him continue with his plan. And somehow, I already knew his motives in both the dream… and reality.
"No. I'll take out the one with the seed," I said firmly, keeping a strong hold on his wrist. "You can get the one with the flower, and I'll let you have it."
"But why?"
These words— no, the tone they were spoken in— completely confirmed my suspicions. I continued to speak, undeterred by his question.
"You're tired. You must have thought it wouldn't have taken this long, and you're incredibly tired of killing them over and over with no results. You just want to get the item, go back to «Horunka», and complete the quest. I'm almost the same, so I understand…
"I understand why you wanted to kill me for the item."
Author's Note
Completed: I don't remember, but it was before last week's chapter
Edited: N/A
Yeah, this marks the first divergence from canon. Trust me, it won't be the last.
I can't think of anything imperative for you to know other than that I won't be using the novels as a direct reference anymore. So, I guess all I have to do is give a disclaimer and let everyone get on with their lives!
I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything/one I use from them!
See you all next week!