Two months have passed since this so called game have started. Me and Lillian were hanging around the town close to the tower on Floor one. We had listened in to the meeting a group of players had about the first boss, but had refused to join them in attempting the boss. A guy named Kibal was really fed up with the Beta-Testers, but I couldn't see his point. As a guy named Agil pointed out, the shops have been handing out strategy guides written by the beta testers for free, and I had made sure to grab one. Me and Lillian had survived because, unlike most other solo players, we worked together.

Me and Lillian were walking the streets, observing the occasional duel, when we were stopped suddenly by a man with a blue cloak. He had a dagger on his hip. "Hey, you that hot-shot two man team around here, going by Shades of Peace?"

I stopped, wondering where this guy was going. "Yes, we are. May I ask what you want?"

Lillian looked at me. "You sure he's okay, Zycron?"

I looked over the guy. "With just a dagger, if he goes for an attack I can easily disarm him. Plus we are in a safe-zone. We can't die here." I looked back up at the man, who seemed to be waiting for me and Lillian to finish. "Go on."

The man nodded. "I've heard you two are a Solo-Team, quite rare here in Aincrad, having two solo players team up," he held out a hand, "my name's Renold, nice to meet you."

I looked at Lillian and she nodded, then I shook Renold's hand. "I'm Zycron, and this is Lillian."

Lillian gave him a distrustful look. "Renold, I don't know if we can trust you, but may I ask if your in the guild we've been hearing about, the one called Laughing Coffin?"

Renold looked slightly surprised, but showed his player info. "You can check my records here. I'll never join that Player Killing guild."

Lillian nodded and swiped the info screen back to him. "Good. And I can tell from your cursor that your green."

I put a hand on Lillian's shoulder, and she eased up a bit. "Sorry, Renold, we've been getting stressed out by this game. It never hurts to be too careful."

Renold smiled and gave a thumbs up. "That's good, you two. Anyways, have you heard? A group of people beat the boss just twenty minutes ago. Apparently the head was KIA, but most everyone else survived. Then there's the guy who got the final blow. People say he's a "Beater", a mix of a beta tester and beater."

I looked up at this, having thought over what I was being told. "This "Beater", did he have black hair and used a one-handed sword?"

Renold nodded. "People are starting to call him the Black Swordsman, due to his chosen gear," he seemed to think, then a notification popped up near him. "Hey, I've got to go, but if I ever see you two later, I'll make sure to say hi." Renold then ran off.

Lillian looked at me, then in the direction Renold ran. "That was a strange guy, but he almost reminded me of you, Zycron."

I nodded. "I can see that. Anyways, it's getting late already. We should get a bite to eat then check into an inn."

Lillian nodded, stretching. "Makes sense. I'm starving."

I put a hand to my stomach, an audible growl being heard. "Same."