CHAPTER 3
THE FOOL, THE HERMIT and FORTUNE
-:-
The boy awakens to the dark ceiling, a very clear sign that it isn't the standard time for a normal human being to wake up. Just like always, his head is racked by the indecision of either waking up completely or returning to bed.
Just like always, his indecision leads to his ears being mercilessly pounded by his alarm clock.
Just like always, his alarm reads an annoying 4:30 AM.
"Seriously…" The boy is annoyed at himself for being unable to remove this habit from his system.
He rises… or atleast attempts to, but a weight on his chests keep him down. He removes the blanket and finds a snow white fairy nestling on his chest. Despite her appearance, she feels pleasantly warm and very much alive.
"Well… this is new" The boy thinks to himself.
"Hmmm…. we do share the same room… she might have gotten to the wrong bed by mistake" And with that thought, he lets the matter slide.
He gentle moves his sister aside and rises. Once again, he is hindered by his sister, who suddenly grabbed him by the waist.
"*Sigh*…. If we weren't blood related, this anime-like setting would have been heaven…" He mentally complained to his sister. "I bet the guys at school would rip me apart if they knew I was at the receiving end of this cute side of THE EMPRESS"
He proceeds the gentle yet annoying process of getting away from his sister. After a few seconds of struggling, he stands and traces the wall to find the light switch. The moment he touched the wall…
"Huh? Wood? My room is made of concrete…." The boy looks around to see an unfamiliar room.
The bed, floor, chair and everything else was made of wood. The design made the room look like it was something out of a medieval fantasy anime. He heads near the window to find a familiar yet unnatural sight.
The town outside of his window matched the theme of his bedroom. Despite being dark, he could tell that all of the buildings from the nearby are medieval in architectural design. The grassy field between his current home and the town also did not exist in his hometown of Tokyo.
After seeing the sight, his sleepy mind finally starts getting in to gear
"Shit….. I forgot…. We are trapped in SAO" The boy… no…. Faux finally gets up to speed.
It has been one month since the start of the death game, SWORD ART ONLINE. So far, about 2000 deaths have been confirmed, and the first floor hasn't even been beaten.
The sad fact is…. There are 99 more floors to go
"Moping here wont solve anything" Faux thought.
He brings down the menu and begins equipping his armaments. A grey leather jacket (He always wondered why people like those longcoats), Black shirt and pants (You cant go wrong with basic black) and his trusty weapon, the BREAD KNIFE.
People might be thinking "BREAD KNIFE? That sounds weak". Sorry to disappoint you, not only does it sound weak, it also LOOKS weak.
But just like everything in SAO, looks are very deceiving. Instead of a blunt tip that every day bread knifes have, his BREAD KNIFE has a sharpened end which allows stabbing attacks.
Along with the ANNEAL BLADE (Gawain's current sword), Faux's BREAD KNIFE and Czarina's STAINED GLASS SWORD are weapons from HORUNKA VILLAGE that can be used until the 3rd floor.
"If anything, I am very proud of THIS blade" He thought as he equipped his weapon.
Call it dumb luck, fate, karma or divine assistance, but his BREAD KNIFE has +6 (5S1D) enhancements
For those who didn't know, there are 5 weapon enchantment parameters present in SAO. These are Sharpness, Durability, Quickness, Accuracy and Heaviness. As Gawain explains it, the last 3 affects the weapons' ease of use, while the first 2 means increased damage and slower durability decay.
Faux geared his dagger to deal high burst damage. Add the dagger ability to launch sword skills after sword skills with barely any delay, it has the potential to exceed the DPS of any weapon.
"Hmm…. Im ready as I'll ever be…" Faux finished setting up his equipments.
He silently walks out the door and begins to make his way down stairs. Before leaving the building, he passes the room where Gawain was sleeping.
"Sleep well bub" Faux thought as he bro-fists the door.
Gawain is a nice person and that is a fact. Back in AESIR Online, he was willing to help anyone who was in need, which in turn, made him extremely popular. The only time that he turns down an invite to a boss hunt is when there are conflicts in scheduling. On the flip side, Gawain has never experienced being truly hated before, thus he is currently under a lot of stress.
The first 2000 deaths were unjustly blamed at the beta testers for abandoning the newbie's to their fate. Even if no one knows that Gawain was a beta tester, he feels responsible for their deaths. Every insult aimed at the beta testers cuts him so deeply, that he even looses sleep over it.
With Czarina's inability to wake up early and Gawain's much needed rest, Faux heads out alone to train.
"They normally wake up around 9 – 10 am. They cant expect me to wait for them to wake up" Faux thought as he heads out.
They were currently lodging at a windmill just outside of TOLBANA, the city closest to the pillar where the 1st floor boss resides. It only costs 100 gold to rent the spacious 3 floor, 4 bedroom house. A very good bargain if he says so himself.
He walks through the dark fields for thirty minutes until he reached the entrance to the dungeon. He draws out his dagger and thought
"Time to grind"
Maybe its called bravery, or maybe its stupidity, or maybe its what many called a GAMERS PRIDE... whatever it is, it drives Faux to risk his life once again.
-:-
"HAHAHAHAHA!" A crazed laugh is heard along with the grunts and roars of the nearby monsters.
Faux runs with all his might while keeping an eye on his radar. 2 large red dots were about 4-5 meters behind him while another dot was about 30 meters away. The enemy 30 meters away took a heavy combo from Faux, but he completely missed the weak spot by accident, thus unable to kill it in one go.
"Gotta love the SEARCHING skill"
SEARCHING is normally used to scout ahead for any potential dangers, but it also has an unexpected perk in combat. Thanks to its radar-like ability, Faux didn't need to constantly look back to check on his enemies. By using the terrain and positioning, he can beat enemies that are numerically superior.
"Just like those Spartans in 300"
Faux is currently in a dance of death with 3 RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER. If a gamer saw this scene, he would come to the conclusion that Faux accidentally lured the other 2 monsters while fighting one of them.
But that is not the case.
Faux intentionally lured the 3 of them so that he could fight them all at once. In a normal RPG, it is a fine way to test how well the user can use his own character. True enough, if he can pull it off, Faux will be able to level at an astounding pace.
But in the death game called SAO, such risks are suicidal.
To Faux, who plays games for such challenges, the risks are ignorable. Sure enough, if he makes a mistake, it will be fatal one.
"…. Then I just have to perfect!"
He keeps running for a few seconds until he reaches a stairs that he has been waiting for. He jumps down the 20 flight stair and turns the moment he lands. As expected the first of the kobolds jumps the stairs with the second one just a few seconds behind it.
"Oh yeah.. you are so dead"
Faux executes his favourite combo.
Faux launches LINEAR.
Hits the still-in-mid-air RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER at the head.
Damage: 21%
RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER HP: 79%
Faux rushes forward as RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER lands and launches the two hit dagger skill, X.
Critically hits the RUIND KOBOLD TROOPER in the neck
DAMAGE: 57%
RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER HP: 22%
Faux changes his grip into a reverse grip and throws a boxing like sword skill called HOOK
Critically hits the RUIND KOBOLD TROOPER in the neck
Damage: 83% (OVER KILL)
RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER HP: 0%
The enemy shatters into a thousand pieces and fades with a blue light.
This is the advantage of daggers compared to larger weapons, the ability to launch one sword skill after another with no delay
There are 3 factors to consider that affects the execution of Swords Skills.
The input of the user
The weight of the weapon
The after effects of the Sword skill
The first one is something all of the players should know about. As long as the player gets his initial movement right, the system assist will kick in and execute the sword skill.
The last one is something that no one can control. Things such as cool down time or giving the user a bit of inertia to a certain direction is system imposed, thus cannot be overwritten no matter what.
The second one is where all the daggers magic happens. Size and weight of a weapon is directly proportional to the amount of effort to set up for the next attack.
Let's take the Sword skill HORIZONTAL for example. To execute HORIZONTAL, the user must raise the sword to the middle of his body before the system recognizes it. It takes more effort to raise a two handed sword than a one handed sword, thus the one handed sword can execute it faster. After that, in order to move to the next Sword Skill, the player must once again reposition himself, which in turn, creates a delay.
That delay simply does not exist in daggers. With little to no effort in setting up for a sword skill, dagger users has the potential to become sword skill machine guns. Faux's 4 hit 3 sword skill combo looked like a single 4 hit combo if it wasn't for the light effects.
LINEAR is a simple rapier like sword thrust, but for some reason, he cant seem to aim it properly. He keeps missing the weak spot of the enemy thanks to that. He mostly uses this when there is still a bit of range between him and his enemy.
X is a two hit dagger only skill that can only be executed at close range. His arm simple moves like someone bitch slapping someone from right to left, and back again. Thanks to the close proximity, he can easily aim for the enemy's weak spot.
And for his coup de grace, the reverse grip dagger skill HOOK. Though very strong, it has an incredibly short range because his arm is kept bent. A side effect of HOOK is that it gives the user a bit of inertia, forcing him to stagger to the left, thus unbalancing him. Most dagger users found this annoying but Faux saw the hidden potential in it. If the player rides the momentum instead of fighting it, HOOK can be used as an escape mechanism.
With a lot of practice, he can launch and finish the combo in 2 seconds flat.
The second RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER lands to his right, but thanks to HOOK followed by a dodge roll, there is a bit of distance between them, giving him a bit of breathing room. In his radar, he spots a blue dot about 18 meters to his left, an indication that the 3rd enemy is in a higher elevation.
He looks up and spots the 3rd RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER with about 7% HP in mid air
"Heh… Perfect"
In one fluid motion, he sheaths his dagger, takes out a throwing knife and without bothering to set up a sword skill, hurls it at the enemy 18 meters away. It lands on the enemy's neck, effectively killing it in one shot.
Out of all the things Faux can do, he is most proud of his blade throwing skills. Blade throwing has a maximum range of 10 meter, any more than that will not be assisted by the system. With this, sure hit long range skills are non existent in SAO. In order to hit something outside the 10 meter range limit, the user needs to aim it manually, which subjects the projectile to the rules of physics such as gravity, wind speed and deceleration rate. Add the lack of crosshair, Faux's ability is considered to be astounding.
The drawback is its lack of damage. If Faux doesn't hit the weak spot perfectly, it wouldn't even do 1% damage. On the flip side, if a near death enemy is surrounded by enemies with full life, the options were either run away or plow through them. To Faux, neither are attractive options.
The enemy in front of him quickly closes the gap and starts a familiar 3 hit sword skill, catching Faux flatfooted. He draws his dagger and sloppily parries the first, resulting in a lightly damaged shoulder and a -8% in HP. He ducks to dodge the second swing and before enemy could prepare for the third swing…
"YOU BITCH!"
-LINEAR-
-X-
-HOOK-
Faux explodes, launching a savage counter attack that turned the enemy into blue confetti.
When the blue light effect disappears, Faux finally calms down.
"*sigh*…. And I thought I could go with no damage this time" Faux thought. "Well… its time to head back…. *sigh*"
Faux has been trying to get through the dungeon and return with zero damage received. It goes without saying that he has constantly failed this pursuit, much to his frustration.
"Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow."
He turns and retraces his steps towards the entrance.
For one month, it's been a habit of his to train in the nearest available dungeon before his comrades wake up. As a very early riser, the 5-6 hours wait for his friends to wake up is pure agony, thus he might as well spend his time constructively. Thanks to his habit, he not only has the experience of a soloist, but also has the level of one. He isn't sure but he might be 1 or 2 levels higher than Czarina and Gawain, and neither of them knows about it.
As he headed back, he met a few more enemies which he dispatched one at a time. He didn't bother doing his usual 3 on 1 fight after losing HP, simply because he lost the drive.
-:-
After back tracking for a couple of minutes, Faux spots a peculiar sight. He sticks close to the wall and observes from the corner.
A shieldless black haired swordsman is fighting off 2 RUINKOBOLD TROOPER with a familiar looking one hand sword, the ANNEAL BLADE. He skilfully blocks and parries the attacks, but for some reason, he does not go for the counter attack. He stubbornly stands his ground and keeps on the defence
This baffles Faux. He could tell that the black haired swordsman is much better than he is, thus dispatching 2 at the same time should be a cake walk.
After a bit of squinting, he finally realizes why the swordsman refuses to move. Leaning on the wall behind the swordsman was a hooded figure. From what he could see, the hooded figure wasn't even conscious.
Alarm bells rang on his head and his body moved as expected of him. He rushes out of the corner where he was hiding, drew his dagger and set it to reverse grip. He lunges low until he felt the sword skill kick in, and pounces at the closest enemy with the basic dagger skill STAB.
The unexpected attack from behind causes the RUIN KOBOLD TROOPER to stagger forward. It tries to face its new attacker, but Faux gives it no opportunity to do so as he pummels its back with sword skills until its hp drops to zero.
Though surprised by the turn of events, the black haired swordsman quickly recovers and makes short work of his current enemy. He parries an incoming blow then chops the KOBOLD in half with one swing.
"…. Damn… You're good." Faux watch in awe.
"Not really. Its all in the flick of the wrist" The swordman replies calmly yet jokingly
"Ha ha ha, I heard better lies from my retarded uncle"
"I must be a horrible liar then"
"No… my uncle used to be in politics. He cant even say GOOD MORNING without lying twice."
"HAHAHAHA"
"HAHAHAHA"
The two laughed like they have been friends for a very long time. Despite the chumy atmosphere, Faux has already pieced together the identity of the black haired swords man.
"… You're are BETA TESTER aren't you" Faux said which caused the black haired swordsman to stiffen up, his face full of fear.
"H-how?" The swordsman asks with a certain level of anxiety in his voice
"It's actually very easy. Your moves, from the well placed parries to the flawless counter attack, were perfect…. Too perfect to be precise."
The swordsman's face further stricken in fear, which is not exactly what Faux wanted
"Oi oi don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those beta tester haters" Faux said.
The swordsman looks at him in surprise
"Didn't expect that huh?"
The swordsman shakes his head left to right
"Well then, let me ask you this. How did I figure out that your moves were TOO PERFECT?"
The swordsman thinks for a bit then comes to a conclusion.
"You compared me to someone…"
"Well… I am impressed, you ARE good. Anyways, back to the topic. A good friend of mine has been keeping our party alive for the past month. Just like a mentor, he has been guiding us ever since day one, teaching us the SAO basics and all that jazz. And to confirm your suspicion, yes, he is a beta tester. I've always thought that he was the best when it came to the one hand sword. But after seeing you fight, he looked like crap, thus allowed me to piece together that you must be a beta tester"
The swordsman relaxes a bit, though Faux could tell that he still had his guard up.
"He acts like your typical naïve I WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY protagonist, but due to the social stigma of the beta testers, he really couldn't help out everyone freely. With that in mind, he joined Argo in making the guide book. And yes, I also know that Argo the Rat is a beta tester."
The swordsman relaxes at the sound of Argo's name.
"As you can see, your secret is safe with me. Oh.. that rhymed." Faux said
"I see. That's good." Said the swordsman as he relaxes completely
"Anyways, what happened to that guy?" Faux points to the hooded figure by the wall
"Oh her…. From what she told me, she has been training in this dungeon for 4 days straight now. She hasn't returned... since she began" The swordsman sighs
"4 days?! That's crazy! Where the hell does she sleep?"
"Apparently in the safe zone"
"No way…" Faux said. "The place is crawling with noisy monsters and the floor is freezing cold. There is no way she can get any decent sleep here!"
"You're right. That's why she's unconscious, and that's why I've been trying to get her back to town"
"You know… you could have just dragged her in the safe zone and waited until she woke up"
The swordsman looks at Faux in surprise. His face states that the thought never even crossed his mind
"W-well… you know… The thought of a girl sleeping on the cold floor is just… you know…" The swordsman laughs at his pathetic excuse of an excuse.
"Ha ha ha! Well whatever." Faux shrugs. "How about this, seeing how I'm already heading back, how about I'll help you for a small fee"
"err…. I don't have much money" The swordman replies while turning his pockets inside out
"Don't worry about it! Give me some pointers from here till the exit and you can consider my services as paid in full."
"I see. Very well umm… I'm Kirito" The swordsman said as he reached out his hand
"I'm Faux. Till we get out of here, I'll be under your care Kirito-sensei"
"Same here" Kirito said as he dryly laughs at his new title
After a handshake between men, they set out for the exit.
-:-
The 2 players made good time despite carrying a dead weight that considerably slowed their progress. They navigate the long, confusing maze with little to no effort, but seeing how Faux comes here twice a day, it shouldn't be surprising (1st run: before party wakes up. 2nd run: with party till night).
Faux took the vanguard position and killed any monster that got in their way. On the other hand, Kirito walked behind him while carrying the hooded girl on his back.
"Must be nice having those decently sized boobies rub your back" Faux teasingly said to Kirito while he scouts ahead.
"SHUT UP!"
"HAHAHAHA"
The two continued on with Faux defending Kirito from attackers. If worse comes to worse, Kirito will put down the hooded girl and assume an aggressive defence. Fortunately for them, Faux was strong and experienced enough to avoid the worst case scenario. Even against a two vs one scenario, Faux proves that he is more than capable of defeating them.
After about an hour of back tracking and a few encounters with the local monsters, the two finally exits the tower. In abidance with their deal, Kirito gave Faux quiet a lot of advice, mostly concerning quests on the higher levels.
"I'm impressed though… I never seen anyone move like that…" Kirito said as he walks beside Faux
"Not used to seeing high level dagger users?"
"Yeah… even during back then (he means the BETA TEST PERIOD, but does not say it out loud), not a lot of people use daggers"
"I kinda understand. Aside from its obvious damage disadvantage, daggers force the user to go close and personal with the enemy. With SAO emphasizing on facial detail, the players can see the enemy's hate and rage in its full HD glory." Faux explains. "Most people would freak out from that"
"True…" Kirito replies. "But why aren't you freaked out?"
"Hmm… who knows…. Do you know why you aren't freaked out while fighting monsters?"
Kirito thinks for a bit
"Maybe because I'm used to fantasy games…."
"That's a good reason… I guess im like that too"
"…. What a half assed reason"
"Then stop giving such good reasons for me to copy"
The two laughed in unison as they follow the familiar dirt road within the forest just outside the dungeon. After walking 100 meters or so, Kirito stops at a clearing and puts down the hooded girl on the grass. Kirito then faces Faux and said
"This should be far enough"
"Eh? You're not gonna bring her to town?" Faux asks
"Nah… She might get mad if we take her too far away from the dungeon. She didn't spend all those hours training just to have someone force her away from the dungeon, right?"
"Good point. HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED " Faux said with the later part of the sentence in English.
"Er… sorry, I didn't get that last part"
"It means that nothing is more annoying that a pissed off woman. Of course, it wasn't a word per word translation but that's the main idea" Faux said. He then positions is hand for a handshake. "Even though we just known each other for a little while, you have taught me a lot of things. Thank you Kirito-sensei"
"Yeah. Thanks for helping out. If you ever need help, you know who to call"
They shook hands, and with one final wave, Faux leaves Kirito and the hooded girl.
-:-
Tolbana City bustles with activity as its citizens awaken to a new day. As he passed through the entrance, he spots merchants setting up shop and players heading to the dungeon for their early grind. There are also a few people, like him, who are returning from the dungeon after their early morning grind.
He checks the time and notices that he has about 20 minutes to spare before his comrades wakes up.
"Hmm… I am a bit hungry…" Faux then takes a short cut through the alleys with the intention of getting to the merchant that sells black loaf breads. It tastes like crap, but he has some cream that he got from a previous quest, which made the bread bearable.
He takes a familiar short cut through some tight alleyways to get to his destination. He walks for a few minutes until he spots a peculiar sight, about 6 girls gathered around a small booth owned by a chuby yet kind looking bespectacled woman.
'Why is it such a peculiar sight?' you ask?
The answer is simple. Female players are as rare a gold in the real world. Having 6 (in one place 7 if you add the stall owner) is like hitting a multi million jackpot. He approaches the booth to see what was so interesting.
"Ah…. So that's it…" Faux thought as he spots a deck of cards laid out on the table.
The cards had weird symbols on them, a clear indication that they weren't playing cards. They were larger than playing cards, and from what he can see, there are the cards with the suite THE MOON, THE PRIESTESS and THE LOVERS on the table.
"Ho… tarot cards huh?" Faux said
7 pairs of eyes looks at him, 6 of them contained a bit of hostility.
"Oh shit… when did I get here?" He thought as he suddenly realized that he was already standing within the crowd of girls. "Curiosity killed the cat huh…"
On the other hand, the chubby woman welcomed him with no hostility
"Hello there, friend! What do you think of divination?" She said to Faux
"I think it's a load of crap" Faux said which earned him 6 death glares. "Still interesting though" he quickly adds
"Ho ho. You're a non-believer yet still willing to accept the absurd"
"There are some things that science cant explain, or atleast that's what I think"
The fat fortune teller thought for a second.
"You're pretty open minded, aren't you?" She asks Faux
"There are always more than one side to a story. I always thought that everything in existence cannot be viewed from one perspective alone" Faux replies
"Then you wouldn't mind giving divination a try?" The chubby woman said, as if challenging Faux
Faux checks on the time
"Sure, I've got some time to kill"
The girls squealed as they make room for him.
"So, what would you like me to divine?" The fortune teller asks as she gathers up the cards on the table
"Hmm…. Lets make it challenging… I want you to divine my party"
"Where are they?" The fortune teller looks around for other new arrivies
"They aren't here. I did say want this to be challenging" Faux said sadistically
"Ho… I see. Which aspect should I divine?" The fortune teller asks, clearly pumped up
"Fu fu fu, lets make it general." Faux said
"Ho ho ho! Very well. Then I'll ask one final question before I begin, how many and what is the gender of your partymates?"
"That's two questions you know? Well, whatever." Faux shrugs. "Our party has only 3 members, including me. One of them is a girl while another is a guy. That's enough right?"
"Yup, more than enough. Well then, I'm going to explain the things I can do. Because the other two aren't here, I can only divine who they and their general state of mind, which limits me to only 2 cards. Do you understand?"
"Hahaha, not the all mighty fortune teller I see. Sure, I'll go along with it"
"Very good. Next up is about your divination. Since you're here, I will divine the card that represents you, and a bit of your future. For that, I will need 3 cards, agreed?"
"Sure sure, lets get on with it!" Faux said with excitement, which made the girls giggle.
Faux does not believe that it is possible to view the future using such a retarded method, but he does enjoy watching the crap that a fortune teller spots during the divination.
"Oh, before I start, I would like to ask if you prefer the usual peaceful divination or the cryptic version?"
Faux thinks for a bit
"Cryptic, definitely" Faux replies after sensing that this one might do something interesting
"I see, very well. Oh, one last thing, since you want the cryptic version, do you mind if I do some introduction? You know, just to set the mood"
"JUST DO IT DAMN IT!" Faux said in impatiens, causing everyone around him to laugh
After a few seconds of laughter, the chubby woman makes a serious face and begins her intro.
"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate…." She says as she arranges the deck
"Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope." She puts the lightly colored cards away and replaces it with a set of black cards with tribal looking design.
" Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed."
The crowd goes silent for a few seconds, until Faux breaks the ice
"Crypticness: A+ Showmanship: A+ Originality: E" Faux said in as a matter of fact way
"HEY! Why did I get an E in originality?!" The chubby complains while slamming she fist on the table
"Though the intro was awesome, it came from a game that was released way back in 2006. It was called PERSONA 3" Faux said with the EAT THAT BITCH face.
"Damn… I didn't think someone else would be playing such vintage games"
"You'd be surprised. A bit of us gamers believes that the old school games still outclasses the newer games. Anyways get on with the divination." Faux said arrogantly
"*sigh* Well whatever. Let's begin with the other guy in your party, coz divining guys is boring" he said as she pushes the card towards Faux. "Shuffle it in any fashion you want"
"Why?" Faux asks.
"Its your friends, your life, your fate. I just read what information you provide"
"Ho… not bad." Faux shuffles the deck then hands it back
The fortune teller takes the card at the very top, she places it down for everyone to see
"THE HERIOPHANT. This man must be some sort of mentor or teacher in your party. Correct?"
Faux's face is filled with shock as he nods. The girls around him cheers at the fortune teller's success.
The fortune teller takes another card from the top and places it on the table
"THE MOON is the representation of his current mental state. The card represents uncertainty, doubt or fear. He must be agonizing about some issue that causes him to lose sleep."
Faux's jaw hits the floor
"Y-you just might be the real deal" Faux said
"Hahaha so I was right. Well then, lets move to the female in your party. Take all of the cards and shuffle it again" The fortune teller ordered which Faux followed
Once again, she took the first card on the top and placed in on the table
"THE EMPRESS represents beauty and sensuality. Her beauty might have made her a bit cocky. Is this true?" He said as he looked at the open mouthed Faux. "I guess I was right… you must introduce me to her. I would like to know how she stays beautiful"
"Dream on!" Faux replies instantly. "No way I'm introducing my sister to someone suspicious"
"Tch… fine. The next card is…. Oh my… THE DEVIL" she said as he put the card on the table."If you put THE EMPRESS into consideration, this might signify that she has a bit of obsession, or maybe its lust, for something, and she will use whatever means, even her beauty, to attain it"
The girls squealed noisily
"Well… she does have a bit of an obsession with me…. I doubt it though….. I think?" Faux pushes it out of his mind for now
"Well… whatever. Move to the next one" Faux said as he took the cards and shuffles it again.
"Fine… Lastly, we divine you. First card is… THE FOOL" She said, which caused the girls to laugh."Now now ladies. Despite its name, THE FOOL signifies a man with great potential. Just like the number zero, he is empty, yet because of that, he can be anything. In a way, he is like a protagonist in a story"
"Ooohhh" "He is kinda cute.." was said among many other things.
"Just keep going man" Faux urged. He wasn't feeling very comfortable with 6 pairs of eyes staring at him.
"Fu fu fu. Not used to popularity I see. Very well, lets move on to the cards for your future. Oh my… THE TOWER. This one usually signifies very sudden, very great and very horrible change…. Tough times await you my friend." She looks at Faux with a bit of pity in his eyes.
"As for the final card, ah-" the fortune tellers attempts to take a card but accidentally takes 2, which falls off her finger tips.
"Oh…. I guess your divination is ruined?" Faux asks, seeing how the fortune teller required only 3 cards.
"No, its fine. In tarot cards, everything happens for a reason, and this is no exemption. Lets see… you have some very nasty cards here. JUSTICE which represents the coldness and cruelty required to do what is right. DEATH represents an ending of a current trend or cycle, but I doubt that's what it means here. If you put JUSTICE in with DEATH, then it reads Someone who delivers justice even if he has to force someone's cycle to end. In short, you will become something close to a VIGILANTE"
The crowd is silent after the fortune teller ends her speech.
"….. If you're trying to scare me, you're doing a good job…." Faux said in a grim tone
"… I really hope that's the only thing I'm doing right now…" The fortune teller replies in kind
-:-
Faux sits on a restaurant table with his hands on his forehead. Even his Flay Lin Pie (its some random in-game food which tastes similarly to his favourite dessert, Egg Pie), couldn't lift his spirits. 10 minutes has passed since he met the fortune teller, but her words still weighed heavily on his mind.
"Faux Ani-sama, whats wrong?" Czarina asks with the face of concern that she would only show to her family members.
"THE EMPRESS…. THE DEVIL…. Beauty… Lust… Obsession…" Faux thought
"She's right man… you're not acting like yourself." Gawain follows
"THE HERIOPHANT… THE MOON… Teacher… Uncertainty… Fear…" Faux thought. "Why the hell is that fat ass so accurate?!"
Faux sighs and replies
"It's nothing… I just met a very interesting person…*sigh*" Faux said
"I-if you say so… Ani-sama" Czarina then goes back to her Lee Kyon Ru Spaghetti (just a normal spaghetti with a fancy name attached to it), still very worried about Faux.
"Hey did you know about the meeting?" Gawain says in order to change the mood.
"Meeting?" Faux asks. He knows what Gawain is trying to do, and he truly appreciates his concern.
"Yeah… this afternoon by the amphitheatre in the middle of town, there is the First Floor Boss Strategy Meeting." Gawain said, which instantly catches Faux's interest. Even Czarina stops her for in mid air.
"They found the first boss?" Faux leans forward
"Yeah…. The bosses in SAO are tough to beat, and with the death game and all, there is a chance that I might die… but I'm joining the boss raid." Gawain said with conviction. "What about you guys?"
Faux smiles and replies….
"Bitch please! You'd be a nervous wreck if I'm not there. Besides, we've been through a lot man, no way I'm letting you get all the fun"
The two performs the brofist, a sacred sign that only men could ever understand.
Gawain the turns to Czarina
"How about you? Will you be joining us Czarina?"
Czarina takes a sip of her juice then speaks
"Where Faux goes, I go. Someone has to keep you retards in check"
"How mean" The two said in unison
"I never insult anyone. I just state the obvious facts"
The three laughs as the mood returns to the normal carefree atmosphere. Faux suddenly feels a heavy hand over his shoulders.
"So it really is you! I'm surprised how quick I found you"
He turns to see a familiar chubby bespectacled woman. She is in her early 20's sporting a short ponytail, thick rimmed glasses and a motherly face. Faux stands about an inch taller than her even if she is older. Despite her chubbiness, she doesn't look ugly at all.
"Oh, you're the one from earlier" Faux says as he stands
"Yes. Im Tamil, nice to meet you" The girl reached out her hand
"Im Faux, nice to meet you too" He said as he shakes her hand. "Anyways, why are you looking for me?"
"I would like to apologize to what I have said earlier. It seemed to have caused you a bit of discomfort" Tamil replies
"Don't worry about it. I was asking for it, so I shouldn't be angry when I got it" Faux waves it off.
Tamil stares at him for a bit
"…. I'm impressed…. Such a mature answer for your age…"
"That's just how it is, I guess" Faux said with a shrug
*BAM!*
Czarina suddenly slams her cup on the table, startling everyone
"ANI-… FAUX! Who is this pig standing in two legs?" Czarina said in a very arrogant manner
"What an insolent child!" Tamil replies, readjusting her glasses. "Just because you're pretty doesn't mean that you can just-…. Oh…"
Tamil suddenly realizes something and looks at Faux for confirmation. Faux nods in reply
"I see…. Then this one is…" Tamil looks to Gawain
"Let me introduce them to you. The handsome guy is Gawain, our defacto leader, and the white girl is Czarina, my sister" Faux said
"HMP!" Czarina turns away
"Nice to meet you" Gawain said and shakes her hand. "Anyways, what the hell are you talking about?"
Tamil begins to explain but Faux quickly cuts her off with his hand.
"Doesn't your job have client confidentiality?"
Tamil looks at him for a second, then nods.
"Faux, I am an alchemist, or atleast I'm still starting. As for my apology for earlier, I'll make 12 potions for you for free." Tamil said. She quickly adds Faux into her friends list, then she bows and leaves.
"Faux… what the hell was that?" Gawain asks
"You don't hear me prying into all of your failed pick up attempts, do you?"
"Ouch… right in the nuts man…"
"Hahaha, well I'll tell you anyway. We had an argument about which vintage games were better …. And she sent me home crying…. Not exactly something I want to share…." Faux lied.
Luckily, the two simply laughed and called him names. They believed him and inquired no further.
"They are better off not knowing"
Suddenly, he receives a private message from Tamil
"- Hope I was wrong-"
Faux then replies
"- You and me both-"
-:-
The day went by quickly and without incident.
They went to the dungeon for some light grinding before heading back to the town to attend the meeting. The meeting was led by a player named DIABEL, who belonged to the party that found the boss room. Faux spotted a few familiar faces such as ARGOS the Rat, his new friend KIRITO and the hooded girl.
Faux wanted to call Kirito out but he was too focused on the meeting that he never got a chance.
There was a slight incident with a man named KIBAOU and his hatred for the beta testers. He demanded that beta testers to surrender all the items they have horded as a form of apology to the 2000 who died in the first month. Gawain took this pretty hard, with his entire body shaking the entire time. Faux feared that Gawain would have probably done what Kibaou demanded, if it wasn't for the timely interruption of a large man named AGIL.
Agil pointed out that the beta testers were the ones that provided free guidebooks for everyone, yet despite that, 2000 players still died. It only means that those people who died, especially those MMORPG veterans, were careless. He also pointed out that infighting amongst the players would only doom everyone.
Diabel was able to steer the discussion away from the beta testers and back to the task at hand. When the time to form parties came, the trio were split up into different groups.
Gawain, the second most popular in their group, became part of team C (3rd of 3 tanking group) along with Diabel.
Czarina, the most popular in their group, was fought over by nearly all of the parties because she didn't bother hiding her beauty. After wasting few minutes in negotiations, she ended the quarrel by deciding to join team B (2nd Tanking group) due to her heavy armor, under Agil.
Faux, with the popularity of a nameless movie extra that dies first, joined the polearm team F who was short one member. He didn't know any of them, thus he became an outcast within the group, though he doesn't really mind. Earlier, Czarina demanded she joined the same group as Faux, but he convinced her that she needed to stick with her role if they wanted to come out of the boss fight alive.
Faux was able to say a quick hi to Kirito who formed team G with only 2 members, the other one being the hooded girl. Faux would want nothing more than join their group, but what's done is done.
After the meeting, the trio went for a light grind up the tower, then came back before 9 pm for an early rest.
After a warm, delicious and fairly expensive dinner, the trio went to bed early. As usual, Gawain tried to convince Czarina to share a room with him, and as usual, Czarina firmly and cruelly declines.
Faux enters the room, moves near the window and watches the beautiful night view. He has a lot of things in his mind, and sorting it is a tiresome ordeal. Suddenly, a small frame forcefully squeezes itself underneath his left arm. He looks down and spots Czarina hugging him by the ribs.
"You've been very clingy for the past month… you never do that IRL" Faux said
Czarina stays silent for a second, then answers.
"We weren't in a death game back IRL, but now…." Czarina replies quietly. "…. I'm sorry ani-sama…. I'm just scared. The question What if Ani-sama dies? kept bugging me since the meeting. The thought of it….. scares me…" She wrapped her arms around his ribs tighter
Faux pats her on the head
"*sigh*…. I hate it when I cant say anything to comfort you…. Sorry"
"Then…. Let me sleep like this until morning…. That's good enough" Czarina replies
Faux agrees but on the back of his head, the tarot card of THE DEVIL haunts him til he falls asleep.
-:-
The Next Day- 12:30 noon
The raid group of 44 people stood in front of the double doors leading to the boss chamber. As usual, Diabel was able to keep the group optimistic, without a shred of anxiety in the air.
The trio gathers for one last time before they enter the chamber.
"Go die in a ditch retard" Faux says to Gawain
"May a spear get shoved up your ass, forever alone guy" Gawain replies jokingly
Faux and Gawain performs their sacred bro fist, then headed to their respective groups. Czarina meets him before he could reach his group, then suddenly leans her forehead on his chest.
"Be careful, Ani-sama…. I dont think I'll be able to live without you" Czarina says in a small voice
"Don't be like that. Remember sis, I'm so much better than you at this types of thing" Faux replies jokingly. He was expecting a sharp retort from Czarina but none came.
"Yes…" Czarina replies softly, surprising Faux in the process.
With one last hug, Czarina returns to her group, and Faux does the same.
In his group, he was met with eyes of hatred and disgust. Though he has an idea why they are doing it, he asks innocently.
"Hey… whats with the death stares?" Faux asks.
The leader of the group named CoorDude (CoolDude… Japanesse and their ENGRISH ^.^ ) stands and replies
"Isnt it obvious?! Your flirting with such Czarina-sama in public! How in gods name aren't we pissed?!" CoorDude says with a bit of hatred in his voice. The other people in the group voices their displeasure in unison.
"Wait... Czarina-sama? Already?! ... Oh god…. What a bunch of closet pervs" Faux thought
"FYI, Czarina is my biological sister." Faux says, much to the surprise of the group.
"B-but you don't look like each other" another party member speaks up
"I'm inherited most of my looks from our father, while Czarina took more from our mother. She is also a natural born Albino, so its no surprise that we don't look alike"
The group stays silent for a sec… then they suddenly rush to him, begging for them to be introduced to his sister.
"Bitch Please! As an older brother, it is my sworn duty to protect my sister from…" Takes a look at his partymates "…. suspicious people"
They continued to beg but all of their words were ignored.
Diabel stands in front of the group, signalling it was finally time to begin. Tension fills the air as Diabel places his hand on the door.
"- Lets go" He said as he pushes the door open.
The room they entered was a massive 20 meter wide and 100 meters in length, as if it was to house something massive. Out of nowhere, a large figure suddenly lands in the middle of it, causing the ground to shake. On top of it appeared its name, ILLFANG THE KOBOLD LORD, holding a bone axe on one hand and a leather buckler in another, while strapped to its back was the massive Tawlar which was to be used when the HP drops to a certain level on the 4th bar. Near it, 3 RUIN KOBOLD SENTINEL appears within a blue flame.
Faux cant help but admire how precise Argo's and Gawain's info is.
Diabel raises his sword and swings it down.
2:40 pm of December 4, the 1st floor boss battle begins.
-:-
The boss battle was going surprisingly well.
The 1st HP bar was taken away by team C with Diabel on its lead. The 2nd bar followed suite after group D switched with group C. After 2nd bar, group D took a bit of beating, and with Diabel's command, group F moved into the fray and let lose a barrage of high damaging sword skills. Faux fought smart and attacked ILLFANG from behind with his most relentless combo, while his teammates had the threat. He retreated the moment he overtakes his team in DPS to avoid being targeted by ILLFANG.
The boss group didn't have to worry about the RUIN KOBOLD SENTINELS thanks to the efforts of group E and G. In Faux's opinion, he was more thankful of Kirito's and the hooded girl's relentless pace in eliminating the mobs. They easily put Kibaou's 7 man group to shame.
After a few minutes of combat, ILLFANG finally throws his axe and buckler to the ground. At this point, Diabel commanded group C and F to surround him. The kobold reaches to his back and draws the TAL-…
"Wait… somethings off" Faux thought as he spots ILLFANG's weapon. "The word TAWLAR sounds like a word with middle east origins, yet ILLFANG's sword looks very japanesse…"
"Thi... this won't do, fall back! Retreat quickly――――!" A voice said from behind
The moment Faux realizes that it was Kirito's voice, he jumps back with all of his might. A millisecond later, a massive blade misses his stomach by an inch. The others near the kobold weren't so lucky and were blasted back, with 20% hp missing from their hp bars. Luckily for them, they wore heavy armors befitting a tanker, if Faux got hit by that, his hp would have probably dropped 90%.
Despite the urgency of the situation, no one moved to help group C and F. They probably were under the impression that this was going to be a cake walk. Add the fact that their leader, Diabel, was blasted to his butt with one hit, no one can really blame them for being shocked.
Just to make things worse, everyone that got hit by the whirlwind slash were stunned. With no distractions to stop it, ILLFANG was able to recover from the skill cool down and began preparing to launch another sword skill to the person with the highest threat, Diabel.
Group B, with Agil in the lead, moved to provide support… but it was too late.
ILLFANG launches a sword swing, blasting Diabel into the air. But the carnage does not end there. In blinding speed, Diabel was hit but a vertical slash, then a downward slash, and finally ends with a thrust. The knight is blown 20 feet away, landing somewhere outside Faux's vision, but that was not his concern. Faux moves quickly to another fallen knight while the threat is still not focused on them. He found Gawain curled up like a ball with his hands on his head.
"Gawain! Get up now!" Faux says as he tries to drag Gawain off the floor, but the knight refuses to move an inch.
"Im so sorry, Diabel! Its not the same as the beta period! Im so sorry!" Gawain apologized to someone that wasn't there anymore.
"USELESS PIECE OF SHlT!" Ofcourse, that only remained in Faux's head. He understands the guilt Gawain is experiencing from giving the wrong information. He also knew that Gawain has always been bad under pressure. But now is not the time to cave in like a pansy.
Faux quickly scans for anyone who still has their head in the game. Group B under Agil rushed to ILLFANG to buy the others time to escape. Thankfully, Czarina was also able to keep her wits about. Most of the others were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. And finally, he spots the man he was looking for, Kirito and the hooded girl. After making sure that Gawain was no longer a threat to ILLFANG, Faux dashes to join them.
"Kirito, you guys going for it?" Faux asks
"Yeah, we will. But theres a bit of a problem" Kirito points to the back of the room, near the throne where ILLFANG sat. There were three pillars of light, and within them, 3 RUIN KOBOLD SENTINELS dash out.
The guide book said that there were only a total of 12 sentinels that are to be summoned during the boss battle, but with the new arrivals taken into account, there are now 15 sentinels that are summoned. Kibaous group E were still currently engaged with the 2 remaining sentinels, thus unable to keep up with the respawn rate.
Faux sighs, accepting his fate that he wont be part of the group that kills the boss.
"Leave the small fries to me" Faux said to Kirito
"Are you crazy!" The hooded girl suddenly says, much to his surprise." 3 vs 1? Theres no way you'll surivive!"
"Let me do it" Faux tells Kirito in a serious manner. "You've seen what I can do. Let me do it"
Kirito stares at him for a second then says…
"Don't die"
"You should worry if I could kill those sentinels faster than you can kill ILLFANG" Faux replies as he runs to intercept the 3 sentinels.
To the hooded girl, Kirito just sent Faux to a suicide mission.
To Faux, he feels right at home
-:-
3 RUIN KOBOLD SENTINELS, which he labelled as enemy A, B and C, approaches him in a triangle formation. The moment they clashed, Faux unleashes his combo at the nearest kobold, enemy A.
LINEAR (crit!) – X (crit!) – HOOK
"SHIT!" Faux exclaims.
He may have landed the first 2 perfectly in weak spot, but HOOK missed by an inch. In this situation, that inch was as good as a mile. Though their HP is a bit higher than their trooper counterpart, if all hits landed perfectly, he can kill the sentinels in one go.
Enemy A HP: 2%
He dodgerolls to the left thanks to the effect of HOOK.
Enemy B raises its polearm and swings down on Faux.
Faux dodges by using his hands to vault himself from the floor.
He runs away for a few seconds with the 3 sentinels behind him, with the intention of getting some distance between them. Enemy B is 10 meters away from him, A is 18 and C is 23 Faux sheaths his dagger and in one fluid motion, turns and hurls a throwing dagger at enemy A, hitting it in its weak spot and killing it.
He draws his dagger and rushes towards enemy B.
Enemy B raises its weapon to execute a familiar 3 hit sword skill.
Faux lunges forward to dodge the first horizontal strike, and before the second strike could commence, Faux launches his combo. With barely a meter between the two, and Faux having a clear view of the weakspot, the combo yields enormous damage, killing enemy B in one go.
"One more FOR THE WI- oh shit"
Faux was just starting his dodgeroll when he realizes that enemy C has already positioned its weapon and swings at him
"This is gonna hurt"
Enemy C performs a baseball like swing, hitting Faux in the head and blowing him 5 feet to the right.
Faux HP: 31%
Thankfully, the attack was not a sword skill, thus even if it did land in a vital spot, Faux did not receive a fatal blow. If it was a sword skill, Faux would have been dead for sure. Unfortunately, the blow left him disorientated for a few seconds, not knowing where is where.
By the time he got his bearings back in order, Enemy was already on top of him with its weapon in a direct line with his head.
"Damn…. What a lousy way to go…."
Faux accepts his fate, but if he had his way, he would be up against the boss, dying in a blaze of glory.
…..
Like a miracle from the heavens, a white trail of light goes right past his head and smashes into enemy C's chest.
"HA!" A female voice roars as the two hand sword blows enemy C 10 meters back
"Ani-sama! Thank god I made it in time!" Czarina hugs him, unable to hold her tears. "I thought I was going to lose you!"
Faux hugs her back in relief
"Sis… For a second there, I could have sworn you were an angel. Thank you, you're a godsend." Faux replies. He gently pushes Czarina away and readies his dagger once more. "But we're not out of the woods yet."
Enemy C HP: 28%
Faux cant help but be impressed by the power of the two hand weapons. Despite not hitting the weak spot, Czarina was able to take a large chunk of life with one HORIZONTAL. To replicate Czarina's damage, Faux needs to launch his combo without hitting its weakspot.
Enemy C stands at the ready and begins its wild charge back at them.
"Sis! I'll be the forward, switch after I strike!" Faux commands as he rushes towards the enemy
"Understood Ani-sama!" Czarina replies in a peppy voice, not fit for the situation.
Enemy C raises its weapon to perform a 3 hit sword art. Faux meets the first strike with HOOK, causing both to get knocked unbalance.
"SWITCH!" Faux shouts
Czarina rushes past him and performs a thrusting two hand sword skill, IRON HORN.
"DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Czarina roars with full rage. Her sword is driven into the enemy and blows it into the blue oblivion.
Faux kneels down on the floor at the sight of the enemy's defeat. A second later, a large roar explodes from the middle of the battleground. Faux spots Kirito performing a 2 hit one hand sword skill VERTICAL ARC on ILLFANG and killing him in the process. Any remaining sentinel disappears along with their king.
The light fades from the room and silence reigns.
A window appears in front of the players, stating the EXP, items and gold gained.
"Its… over?" Faux asks to no one in particular
Finally, roars of celebration echoed throughout the chamber, a very clear indication that the 1st floor boss has been defeated.
"Ani-sama! We did it" Czarina jumps on Faux and hugs him. "Thank god! We're all right!"
"Yeah… Good job" Faux pats her on the head.
Faux, with Czarina clinging onto his arm, heads to Kirito to congratulate him for a job well done.
Suddenly, a shout cuts the celebration short
"- WHY! Why did you leave Diabel to die!" roared Kibaou
"Let him die….?" Kirito asks as if not fully understanding the words.
"That's right! Because... Because you knew the skills the boss used, didn't you! If you gave us that information from the start, Diabel wouldn't have died!" Kibaou replies with hate in his voice
With those words, doubt begins to spread amongst the raid group.
"Shit" Faux reaches for his dagger.
He readies himself to attack anyone who attacks Kirito or Gawain. He cares little for the members of the raid group, and if they attempt to attack any of his friends, they are going to have to go through him.
"I... I know! This guy, he's a beta tester! That is why, the boss' attack patterns, good hunting spots and quests, he knows all of them! He hid them despite knowing about them!" a man from Kibaous group yells.
"Even so, the guide that was handed out yesterday, it was written that it was only information on the boss's attack pattern during the beta period, right? If he was really a beta tester, wouldn't his knowledge be the same as in the guide?" Agil says, as if to calm the group with reason
Unfortunately, people only hear what they want to hear
"That strategy guide was a lie. Argo's information shop was selling lies. That person was a beta tester after all, there's no way she would have given us the truth for free." Kibaou roars
Faux steadily unsheathes his dagger. If worse comes to worse, Kibaou is going down….. hard.
Suddenly, an arrogant laughter silences everyone. This came from none other than Kirito himself
"Beta tester, was it? ...Don't lump me together with those amateurs." Kirito said arroganty
"Wha... What was that...?" Kibaou replies in disbelief
"Listen here and remember this. SAO's CBT «Closed Beta Test» had a ridiculously low pass rate for the lottery draw. Out of the one thousand people, how many real MMO gamers do you think got selected? Most of them were just «Newbie» players who didn't even know methods of leveling properly. You guys here are much better than that lot." Kirito explains in an arrogant manner "…. But, I'm not like those guys."
Kirito stays silent for a second, as if to set the mood. He then speaks in a loud voice
"During the beta test, I reached floors that no one else could reach. I learned of the Katana Skills the boss used since I kept fighting mobs that used katanas from a floor way higher. I know way more other things too, there's no way even that Argo person could even match me."
"...What, is that..."
"That's... no longer on the level of a beta tester... that's totally cheating, you are just a cheater!" Kibaou replies in a hoarse voice
The crowd suddenly joins in cursing him, much to Faux's chargin. Among the words thrown at him, the word BEATER was heard
"….. BEATER….that has a good ring to it."
Laughing and grinning, Kirito looks around and arrogantly states
"Exactly, I am a BEATER. From now on, please do not lump me together with those former testers." Kirito says and turns around and heads for the next floor. Kirito opens his menu and equips a black long coat, a move that made his appearance even more menacing.
Faux didn't have to think too much to know what Kirito was doing. He was trying to pull all the hatred for the beta testers onto himself… a BEATER. If his plan goes well, the majority will hate the BEATERS alone, leaving the rest of the beta testers in peace.
"I'll go on and Activate the second floor's transfer gate. From the exit up there it will be a short walk to the district town, if you want to come along, be prepared to be killed by any mob that comes along." Kirito said as he climbs the stairs
…
There was only silence in the cavern as the black swordsman left towards the next floor.
The hooded girl… she already removed her hood thus Faux will now describe her as the chestnut haired girl, chased after the black swordsman.
Faux, together with Czarina and Gawain (Faux is still very VERY pissed at him), began the long journey back.
On the way back, Faux is able to squeeze in a private message to the hero of the day
-To Kirito-
- If you ever need help, always remember, I got your back. Got it?-
-From Faux-
A few seconds later, a reply came
-To Faux-
- Thanks. I'll see you guys later-
-From Kirito-
December 4, 2022- 3:16 PM
The 1st floor was cleared.