Well… here we go again. Skip this note if you want cause it's gonna get kinda long and maybe a little pretentious. With my first SAO story, I wanted to make it a musical. Now, that sounds really ridiculous, but I really believed I could pull it off. Unfortunately, I was somewhat misguided and lost sight of what made the characters so great. After that, my second attempt manifested in the form of Heroes of the Fairy Dance, the magical girl spinoff about twenty people asked for. While it had its moments, the relationship development was forced and I tended to unintentionally write myself into corners. But thanks to some help from SaintInfernalNeos, I have learned a lot and thus begins my third attempt at writing an SAO story. The idea occurred to me in a flash: What if SAO was just a regular game, and Kirito just spent the series having fun with his friends while slowly falling in love with Asuna? So, here I go!
Sword Art Online. The first game to truly use the full potential of FullDive technology, which allows players to feel as if they were inside the video game world. On launch day, the game reached twenty million downloads, one of them being a former beta tester for the game. His gamer handle: Kirito.
"Link start!"
After the familiar rush of colors and the login menu, Kirito found himself once again thrust into the colorful Town of Beginnings. His avatar from the beta test had thankfully carried over, but not his stats.
And with that, his journey began.
Kirito picked up a simple quest to kill monsters called Frenzy Boars. The standard for MMOs. As he entered the wide-open field that was supposed to be full of them, he began to wonder why they were called such.
"AAAAAAAAGH!"
Oh, that was why.
A red-haired male player was currently running away from one such boar at a frenzied rate.
"DUDE HELP!" he yelled as he ran right towards Kirito.
Without wasting a second, Kirito pulled out his shortsword, swiftly stepped around the player, and sliced right through the boar.
Kirito turned on his heel for a second slash and sliced the pig in half. Before long, the Frenzy Board disintegrated into pixels, and the other player breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, that was a close one!" he laughed. "Good thing I ran into you, huh?"
"Yeah…" Kirito awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Why were you running from that thing anyway? It's weaker than a slime from other games."
"Seriously?" said the player. "Darn it! I thought I aggroed some mid-level boss! I'm Klein by the way. Hey, you must be one of the Beta Testers! Think you can give me some tips?"
"Uh, sure?" said Kirito. "My name is Kirito For starters, which weapon did you pick when you made your character?"
"The katana, of course!" Klein pulled out a curved weapon. "I'm a huge fan of the warring states period! Especially samurai!"
"I see." Kirito explained. "The katana is a slashing weapon that doesn't do that much damage but compensates by allowing the use of D.O.T. effects."
"DOT?" said Klein.
"Damage over time," said Kirito. "Your best Skill with the basic katana is called Reaver. Use it to finish off weak enemies from your DOT.."
"Sounds good…" said Klein. "But uh… how do you use the skill?"
Kirito stared blankly before taking a deep breath. If you haven't figured it out by now, he wasn't very used to talking to others.
"To use a skill, you need to first take the starting position…" Kirito raised his sword at his side. "Then say the name of the skill you want to use. After that, just rush towards your enemy and the system will do the rest. Rage Spike!"
Kirito's sword glowed as he rushed forward and thrusted. The light faded as the skill ended.
"Just like that!" he said.
"Okay…" Klein glanced towards another boar. He pulled back his katana. "Reaver!"
Klein dashed past the boar and expertly slashed right through it. As it faded into EXP, he let out a victory cheer.
"Yes, I did it!" he fist-pumped. Kirito watched at his somewhat overblown celebration.
"Okay… we have to kill a few more to finish the quest."
"Right! Let's do it!" Klein drew his sword once more. "Hey, how do I get new skills?"
"Well, when you level up you get Skill Points you can spend on new skills, in addition to Attribute points which you can use on your base stats. You can also unlock advanced skills by using basic ones. If I keep using Rage Spike, I'll end up getting Vertical Arc. Finally, you can learn skills by equipping different items, like jewelry or armor.'
"I see." Klein nodded. "Say, isn't there magic in this game as well?"
"Sure," said Kirito. "Sword-users use it to buff their attacks. There are also wands and staves that rely solely on magic, and Archers who also use it. But most of them still have swords in some way or form. It's called Sword Art Online for a reason."
"I see…" said Klein. "Thanks for helping me out, Kirito. Wanna finish this quest together?"
"Sure." Kirito shrugged.
So Kirito and Klein spent the next few hours questing together, Kirito sharing more of his advice with his new companion. Klein was somewhat thick-headed but learned quickly enough. Before long, the two of them had reached level 9.
"Phew!" Klein rested his head onto the grass. The virtual sun was beginning to set, sending an orange glow across the lake they stood before. He looked upon the sight before him and sighed. "No matter how many times I see it, it just boggles my mind that this is a video game."
"I suppose it would be different for you." Kirito chuckled. "But the way I see things, games are more real to me than… well, reality. Not to sound pretentious or anything."
"Nah, we all got our quirks and guilty pleasures!" Klein laughed. "Speaking of which, I'm getting kinda hungry."
"Oh yeah," said Kirito. "The food here only makes you feel full. It does taste pretty good though."
"I bet." Klein started flipping through the menus. "Well, thankfully I've set up everything so a pizza will be delivered right to my apartment at exactly 5:30! Speaking of which, I better log out so I can eat it. Hey, wanna friend each other before we leave?"
"Sure!" Kirito tapped the accept button on the friend request. Klein's eyes suddenly widened at the menu.
"Hey uh, the logout button isn't working."
"Huh?" said Kirito. "What are you talking about?" he opened up his own menu and tapped the logout button. Indeed, nothing happened.
"Must be some kind of glitch…" said Klein. "Oh well, I'll just turn the NerveGear off using the neural controls! System command: End task, Sword Art Online!"
Still, nothing happened.
"Oh boy, that's not good…" Klein nervously scratched his head. "Is there some kind of emergency logout feature? Maybe if I raise my heartbeat enough I can force myself to wake up!"
Kirito shook his head as Klein suddenly looked like he was straining.
"It's no use. The NerveGear blocks any signals from your brain to your body. Our best bet is to either wait until they fix it or someone in the real world wakes us up."
"Well, that's a problem for me," said Klein. "Considering I live alone. You?"
"Well, I live with my mom and my sister," Kirito stated. Klein seemed to forget about the logout problem and he stepped much closer.
"Seriously? How old is she? Is she single? What's she like?"
"She's fifteen, likes sports and hates games!" Kirito winced at his sudden change in attitude. Suddenly a glowing light enveloped both of them.
When the light faded, Kirito found himself in the middle of what seemed like the town square. The large bell tower was ringing violently, as many other players appeared around him in a similar fashion as him.
A forced teleport? What's going on?
A towering red-hooded figure appeared in the darkening sky, eliciting gasps from the crowds.
"Greetings players!" he said with a booming voice. "I am Kayaba Akihiko, creator of the game you have chosen to play. And I welcome each and every one of you to my world!"
"My world?"
"As the one who controls this world, you may think of me as the King. And I'm sure you've all noticed that the logout button is non-functional. Let me be the first to tell you that this is not a defect."
"WHAT?"
"The reason I have removed the logout button is quite simple," Kayaba said. "The world you now find yourself in is one I have worked my entire life to create and perfect. From the details and architecture of each floor to the AIs that run it all, I have created it. And to present my creation to the world, I knew I had to release it with a bang!" he began to laugh. "And thus, by removing the logout button, I have created the perfect launch day celebration event!"
"...What?" said Kirito.
"Yes, this will truly be a night to remember!" Kayaba said, as the sun sank under the horizon and stars began to shine in the night sky. "With more than ten-million players here and many more to come, we will make gaming history! Do not fear, for the logout button will return shortly. But until then, I have a gift for all of you which I placed inside your item storages."
At once, everyone started opening their inventories. Kirito found an odd new item called "Mirror." Upon gazing at his reflection, he gasped at once again being engulfed in light.
When it faded, Kirito saw not his avatar's face staring back at him in the mirror, but his own from the real world. Glancing about, he noticed all the other players experiencing the same thing. Kayaba laughed and laughed, some players even joining in.
"As you can see, I have given you a mirror that replaces your avatar's appearance with your own! Do not fret, you may use the mirror again in twenty-four hours to replace your appearance. I simply wish that you discover what it is like to walk about in a game with your own face." Kayaba said. " One more thing, it is time for me to announce one of the key feature of Sword Art Online."
The entire crowd buzzed with anticipation, much to Kayaba's amusement.
"As I have said, I am the King of the floating castle Aincrad. However, I don't intend for it to stay that way." Kayaba waved his hand and a holographic display of Aincrad appeared. "On each floor of the castle, there is a dungeon, at the end of which you will find a Floor Boss. Defeat that boss to reach the next floor. And on floor 100, you will find the Ruby Palace, where of course I will be waiting! If you are successful in defeating me, that player shall become the new King or Queen of Aincrad!. This concludes the tutorial for Sword Art Online. Consider yourself lucky to have been one of the many players to witness this event, for future players will only receive a cutscene. With that, we begin the launch day festival! Finally, I wish that each and every one of you have fun."
Kayaba paused for a long time and glanced to the side. "After all, isn't that what games are truly about?
And with that, he vanished. Immediately, a makeshift festival began to generate in the town square, as Kirito suddenly encountered a familiar-looking face.
"Kirito?"
"Klein?"
The two men stared at each other in complete shock. They opened up their menus and sighed out of relief now that the logout button was right where it should be.
"Oh, thank heavens!" said Klein. "I thought we were gonna get trapped here forever!" Then he began to laugh. The kind of laughter you have after you get scared and then something funny happens. Kirito, recovering from that semi-harrowing experience, laughed along, all in good fun.
"Can you believe it?" said Klein. "A title that only one player can have! King of Aincrad! You think you'll try and get it?"
"Maybe…" said Kirito. "If I can defeat all the non-player bosses, that's still quite an achievement, don't you think?'
"I guess, but doesn't the fantasy tempt you?"
"I guess. Well, I better be going," said Kirito. "It's almost dinner time."
"Great, I'm gonna get my pizza!" said Klein. "Wanna hang in the festival together?"
"Sure!"
And with that, he logged out.
The next day…
Kazuto Kirigaya, otherwise known as Kirito, awoke that next day with bags under his eyes and the NerveGear on his desk. As his usual routine went, it was time for him to go to school.
Kazuto pulled on his uniform and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. After that, he walked down to the kitchen where his sister was already getting breakfast together.
"Good morning, onii-chan!" she said, bright and early as always.
"Morning Suguha," he said, walking to his seat and grabbing a piece of toast. "Kendo practice today?"
"You bet!" she said, eyeing her shinai in the corner of the room. "How's that new Sword Art thingy?"
"It's Sword Art Online," he responded, as Suguha sat next to him. "And it's pretty darn cool."
"I see…" Suguha leaned in a bit closer.
The thing to note here is that Kazuto and Suguha aren't actually siblings, they're cousins. When he was young, Kazuto's parents had died in a car crash, so he lived with his Aunt Midori and his cousin Suguha. At the time, young Kazuto grew up thinking they were his mother and sister, until about a year ago when he figured it out after hacking into some classified files.
"You sure spend a lot of time in those games of yours," she said. "You should really talk to people more, it'll affect your health."
"Oh, I talk to people." Kazuto chuckled. "Just yesterday I met a nice player named Klein. We killed Dire Wolves and Frenzy Boars together."
"Right…" Suguha rolled her eyes. To tell the truth, Suguha didn't actually have anything against games, she just wished her brother would spend more time with her.
"Well, better get to school!" Kazuto grabbed his bag and headed out the door.
"Bye, onii-chan!" Suguha waved goodbye. Once he was gone, she sighed. "I wish he would notice me more…"
School.
"Alright, the test scores have come in." said the teacher. "I will pass them out now."
Kazuto looked at his score discreetly. Ninety-nine. Not a surprise, but still good as always.
"Wow, Asuna! You got one-hundred!" said a random girl. Kazuto glanced over at a chestnut-haired girl who had apparently gotten a perfect score.
"Oh, stop it, it's not that big of a deal!" Asuna chuckled. "You probably did pretty well yourself, Rika!"
Asuna Yuuki. A dedicated young girl from a wealthy family, she always did extremely well in school. Not only that, but she was also recognized as the most beautiful girl in the school. Couple that with a charming personality, and any boy would easily sell his left tooth to go on a date with her. Well, except Kazuto.
Kazuto had long since resolved that he was not very good at relationships. Even in his favorite virtual worlds, he never actively attempted to meet up with the same person and tried to mostly focus on solo content. And in real life, he was the kind you would see in the middle of the class, as opposed to the kind you see sitting next to the window at the back. Not that he really cared, he had his games and that was enough. Beyond that, he could get his fill of social interaction from a friendly chat with a fellow gamer, or a dungeon run with a random party. As a result, Kazuto mostly remained a loner. He didn't think that to himself, god forbid he become the kind who actively seeks out loneliness out of sheer laziness.
At lunch, he usually sat by himself and browsed over a gaming wiki. At the end of school, he went straight home, no club activities to speak of. Sometimes he would pick up Suguha from her school, and they would go home together. After that, he would bury himself in his game of choice and wouldn't take a break until dinner.
Thus was the cycle of Kazuto's life. He didn't think of changing it, he was satisfied with his current life of borderline self-indulgence. Of course, he had no intention of becoming a NEET, he got good grades in school. He would find a job and live a comfortable life on his own.
A pleasant cyclical routine, plans for the future, and nothing from the past to weigh him down. What could he possibly want more of?
That particular day, however, Kazuto was itching to become Kirito once more. Kirito was the kind of boy who could slay a dragon if he wanted to. He could sweep a girl off her feet and love her till the end of time. He could see the entire world of Aincrad, and maybe even become the King. Compared to that, Kazuto often felt like… nothing.
He let out a sigh, as the teacher began the next lesson. That evening, he could return to Aincrad.
~SAO~
This was it. Kirito was going to try and get to the next floor. He had grinded enough, done a couple dungeons, and upgraded all of his gear. All that was left was to kill the boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord.
Entering the first floor of the dungeon, he encountered his first obstacle. A simple Ruin Kobold Trooper. Kirito grinned, this was going to be.
SMACK!
Easy?
The next thing he knew, Kirito was standing atop the resurrection shrine. He let out a sigh. Of course, a dungeon was designed for multiple people, preferably one tanking the blows, whilst others did the damage, another healed the others. He then remembered his character's extremely low defense, due to him putting points into AGI instead. In addition, his agility would be virtually useless against an enemy capable of stunning him with a single blow. That, of course, was irrelevant due to the kobold's ability to one-shot him.
This would be a minor setback. He would grind more to enhance his ability. Provided, the grinding spots on the first floor were extremely inefficient for his level, but he would have to manage, especially due to the game lacking a Group Finder for some odd reason. The virtual matchmaking tool had been his savior in every other MMO he played.
As he pondered, a second player appeared next to him, a figure wearing a red hood.
"That kobold was a lot stronger than I thought…" she muttered. Well, at least Kirito assumed it was a she.
"Were you in Illfang's Lair too?" Kirito asked. The other player suddenly noticed him there and ran off.
"Weird…" he said. His eye drifted to the corner where he discovered something on a nearby bulletin board.
Raid on Illfang's Lair: New Players welcome! Meeting in Tolbana city amphitheater at 5:10. All are welcome to join.
"Well, would you look at that?" Kirito chuckled. "There is a way to make groups in this game. Guess I'll have to pay this guy a visit."
A bit later…
After a short walk and a teleport crystal, Kirito made his way into the amphitheater at 5:05, where a large crowd of players had formed.
In the center stage stood a blue-haired player, presumably the raid leader.
"Hello and welcome everyone! Thank you for joining us today! My name is Diavel, and in SAO, my job is a Knight!"
What followed was a round of laughter from the audience.
"Dude, there's no job system in this game!'
"What is he, some kind of chuuni role-player?"
"H-hey! I am not a chuuni! Ahem, more importantly." Diavel cleared his throat. "Due to the somewhat controversial decision of Kayaba's to make every dungeon boss a raid-level monster, nobody has gotten to the second floor yet. And I intend to make that change right now, so we can be the vanguard in this new world! Are you with me, my friends?"
That met with a much more positive response, as Diavel received a round of applause for his speech.
Looks like this guy knows what he's doing. Kirito noted. That's good, I'm really not that good at motivational speeches. I'll just do what he says, follow the group, and get to the second floor! It'll be great!
"That's what I like to hear!" Diavel laughed. "Now, before we do anything, everybody form parties of six."
Oh no, my only weakness! This is the one thing I hoped I would never have to face, but it's becoming increasingly obvious! I can deny it no longer!
Around him, everyone seemed to hop into their conveniently sized social groups and formed small parties.
I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS! AAAAAAAAH THIS RUINS EVERYTHING!
Just then, he noticed a familiar red-hooded figure sitting a few meters away. With everyone else in parties, he quickly shuffled over and took a deep breath.
"Hey there!" he said. "You don't have a friend-group either?'
"Uh…" she said. Yep, definitely she. "No, I have my own reasons."
"You don't have any friends either?'
"Wha…" the girl blushed and looked away. "I… I have friends. Sort of…"
"Nevermind that." Kirito chuckled. "Wanna party up? It'll really increase our chances of success. Just for this fight.'
"I… okay."
The girl tapped the button to accept the party invite. Kirito saw her health bar appear underneath his own.
Her name is Asuna? Huh, just like Yuuki-san. Hey, maybe she goes to the same school as me. Have to think of that later, gotta focus.
"Alright, looks like we're all in groups now!" said Diavel. "Now let's talk strategy. Everybody line up with your groups, and I'll assign you to one of three roles: infantry, artillery, and cavalry."
"Eh? There are horses in this game?" said Asuna.
"I don't remember there being any horses…" Kirito pondered.
Diavel continued.
"Infantry groups consist of a tank plus a series of melee DPS; their job is to hold aggro and protect the artillery groups. Artillery groups consist of ranged DPS and high-damage melee DPS. They do the bulk of the damage from the back. Finally, cavalry consists solely of high-mobility melee DPS. Their job is to deal with trash mobs, harass, and occasionally pull the aggro off the tanks in case things go south and we need to regroup. Now let's get started!"
Each group lined up along the edge of the amphitheater, Kirito and Asuna on the far right. Diavel started from the left and looked at the first player's name tag.
"Agil's group: Infantry A. Asada's group: Artillery A. Kibaou's group: Infantry B." he continued along the line, assigning infantry and artillery groups. However, Kirito soon noticed he didn't name any cavalry groups. Finally, it was his and Asuna's turn.
"Kirito's group…" he looked left to right. "Wait, is it just you two?"
Kirito awkwardly cleared his throat and nodded.
"Okay then. You guys are cavalry."
"Just us?" Asuna said incredulously. Diavel shrugged.
"The guidebook from the beta testers said there isn't gonna be too much trash, just some small kobolds. Anyways, we kinda needed the others for DPS.'
Once that was done, Diavel walked back to the center of the stage.
"Okay, now that we're grouped up, let's go over the information on the boss." he pulled out a small book from his inventory. "I can't open a wiki, but the beta testers prepared this handy guidebook. According to this, Illfang's weapons consist of an ax and a buckler shield. In addition, he'll summon several Ruin Kobold Sentinels during the fight. He has four health bars, and when the last one is in the red, he'll switch out both his weapons for a talwar. At that point, we'll lock him down with CC and try and finish him off before he can access his enhanced mobility. Healers, focus mainly on your own party members, or the cavalry group if they need it. In terms of gear, favor Cold damage and Slashing resistance. As for loot distribution, money and EXP are automatically divided, items go to the person that found them. That's all I have to say, so get some rest and we'll leave tomorrow at noon! Meeting adjourned."
Soon enough, the large crowd began to disperse. Kirito noticed Asuna walking off. With a sigh, he checked the time. It was 6:00, he still had another hour or so before dinner.
A little bit later.
Kirito soon came across Asuna sitting by herself on the edge of a brick wall, eating a loaf of crumbly brown bread.
Considering I have to work with her in order to make it to the next floor, I should probably talk to her… Okay, I can do this. This is not real life, she doesn't know anything about who I am, this won't affect anything in the long run.
"Hey…" he said. "Can I sit down?"
Asuna said nothing. Kirito sat down anyway. Asuna shuffled a few feet away from him.
You blew it noob! Okay, calm down. Find something to comment on… a-hah! That's the bread I like!
"It's pretty tasty, isn't it?" he said, trying to smile. Asuna said nothing and continued to eat. "Of course, it's pretty dry on its own. Try this."
He handed her a small bottle. Curiously, she unscrewed the lid, poured the contents on her bread, and gasped.
"C-cream?" she said.
Kirito laughed and pulled out a similar loaf. As he started pouring on his own cream, Asuna took a small careful bite of her bread.
After that, she quickly devoured the loaf in a few seconds, much to Kirito's amusement.
"See?" he laughed again. "You can get the cream from the farmer in the previous village. You have to do The Heifer Strikes Back quest beforehand though. Wanna see how I beat it?"
"Maybe some other time," she said. "I didn't come here for the food."
"Okay… are you trying to get to the next floor, like me?" said Kirito. "I mean, not to brag, but I like to think of myself as the type who tries to complete their games to a hundred percent. A tryhard, if you will."
"Well, that is somewhat similar," she said. "I guess that, above all, I'm trying to stay true to myself. I don't want to bother around with minigames or casual conversation, and I'm not trying to become Queen of Aincrad. I want to beat this game… maybe because if I don't I'll feel like I've lost in some way. I suppose you could consider me a tryhard too…" she laughed a little bit. For a brief moment, Kirito thought her voice sounded a bit like music. "Then again, I'm not as skilled as you are. Or as knowledgeable."
"Hey, I don't care about stuff like that," he said. "If you're just as determined as me to get to the endgame, I really can't do anything but respect that. And don't worry, I was always a tryhard, but I was still a noob at some point."
The two of them ate in silence for a good while.
~~SAO~~
One excruciatingly slow dungeon crawl later…
"Okay everyone, that went great!" said Diavel. "I mean, sure we may have lost a few people, and sure we didn't see those golems coming, which was a pretty big problem since nobody spec'd up against Earth-type enemies, but it's fine! Also, it seems that Kayaba made yet another controversial decision in making real-life athletic abilities transfer into the game!"
"EVERYTHING HURTS!" said a random guy.
"Why'd I have to skip the gym…"
"Oh gosh, I'm sweating so much…"
"Okay…" said Diavel. "Let's take a short break and let everyone recover. In the meantime, allow me to go over my elaborate plan for taking down the boss. First, Infantry A will…"
As Diavel explained his plan, Kirito noticed Asuna wasn't panting like everyone else.
"It sure is a good thing I stayed in shape…" she said. "Although, I'm dropping my diet after this. At this rate, I'll have the body of a Russian gymnast so I might as well eat what I want. With protein, of course."
"No kidding," said Kirito. "I guess kendo training paid off after all. I should really thank my grandpa..."
"You took kendo lessons?"
"Well yeah, but my sister is a lot more serious about it."
"Okay, break time over!" said Diavel. He tapped the large swinging doors of the boss room, causing them to open on their own. "Now we're ready to pull. We'll start by using the well-known tactic known as…"
"LEEROY JENKINS!"
A random heavy-armored blonde woman started making a break for the boss room.
"Goddammit!" said a random guy. "That's not even relevant in this country! Nobody here gets that joke!"
"What joke?" said Kirito.
"Never mind that!" said Diavel. "Stick to the plan, let's move it!"
The doors to the boss room opened, revealing an elegant hall of stained glass windows. An enormous red kobold leaped from a stone chair and roared, extending his weapons. Twelve or so smaller armored kobolds ran out from behind the pillars and began to rush towards the players.
"Cavalry, get on it! Infantry, follow that Leeroy Jenkins girl! Artillery, hold fire until the tanks get the aggro!"
"Right!"
Kirito drew his sword and slashed at three Ruin Kobold Sentinels at once. Instantly, they all screamed and raised their weapons. Kirito quickly ran to the next group, Asuna running behind him.
"Rage Spike!" Kirito plunged his sword into one of the kobolds. Another one raised its weapon to strike, which he swiftly parried, sending it toppling.
"Asuna, switch!" he yelled.
"On it!" Asuna ran in and finished off the kobold in the blink of an eye.
Holy crow, she's way better than I thought! I can barely even see the tip of her sword!
"Here comes another!" she said.
"Right!"
Meanwhile, things were going just as planned regarding the boss.
"Infantries A and C, switch! Artillery B, back up! Cavalry, protect Artillery D!"
"Understood!" said Asuna, swiftly dismantling a kobold that was about to attack a nearby archer.
"Taunt!" yelled Kirito. Several of the other Kobolds headed in his direction, whom he proceeded to unleash a flurry of blows on each of them, while Asuna made quick work of each of them one-by-one.
The advantage of a rapier, such as Asuna's, is the ability to excel in one-on-one duels with players or mobs, while a short-sword, like mine, is a great all-rounder in terms of attack and defense. With this in mind, I can pull mobs and deal large sweeping arcs of damage, while Asuna runs through them individually to kill them quickly. It's an excellent combination that yields great results. This will go smoothly and without incident, just as…
"AH! THE TANK IS DEAD!"
"Infantry B! Run in and grab that aggro! Infantry A! Fall back and join Infantry C!" said Diavel, snagging another bit of health off of Illfang.
"AH! THE HEALERS ARE DEAD!"
"Push forward!" said Diavel. "Come on, he's almost to the last phase!"
"AH! THE OTHER TANKS ARE DEAD!"
"Cavalry, switch in!" said Diavel. "A-hah! We've reached the last phase! He's about to switch weapons!"
Illfang threw his shield and ax to the side, and reached behind his back.
"Alright, I'll start the CC chain!" Diavel rushed in as Illfang pulled out a long curved sword, with a red tint. Kirito's eyes widened.
"Diavel, fall back! That's not a talwar, it's a nodachi!"
"What's the difference?" he said.
Kirito was about to say something when Asuna chimed in.
"A talwar is a type of curved sword or saber from the Indian subcontinent, while a nodachi is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, distinguished by having a blade length of ninety-point-nine centimeters or thirty-five-point-eight inches. While both are primarily slashing weapons, the Talwar was favored by light-armored infantry and cavalrymen, while the nodachi was mostly used for measuring male genitalia!"
"...What?"
"Just kidding! The nodachi was popular among samurai and favors a downward sweeping motion for the primary means of attack, while a talwar is a lot more flexible with its unique-styled grip and ability to draw-cut, in exchange for having less force. In addition, the nodachi is notorious for being difficult to carry on a conventional sheath, and the talwar was favorable because you could easily use it on a horse!"
"I don't see the point… GAH!" Illfang promptly slammed Diavel into the ground with a swift downward motion, before the knight disintegrated into pixels on the spot.
Kirito cleared his throat.
"The point is, a nodachi is a lot slower than a talwar, but has more reach and does more damage. Also, talwars require side-to-side while a nodachi favors vertical slashes. But I guess this is kind of a bad time for a history lesson. Also, you have all that memorized, Asuna?'
"Well yeah," she said. "I'm studying for a test next week on historical weapons."
"Huh, nifty," he said. Wait a minute… I'm studying for a test next week on historical weapons. And so is the Asuna from my school. Could it be… Nah, that'd be a ridiculous turn of events.
"AH! THE LEADER IS DEAD!"
"We know that!" said a random guy.
"SORRY!"
"Asuna, let's finish this together!" Kirito shouted.
"Right!'
Illfang raised his sword for another attack, but Kirito was already ready to block. With a swift bang, he deflected the blow, and Asuna ran in with her rapier ablaze.
"Linear!" she yelled, thrusting into the kobold lord. Illfang retaliated quickly with a second sweep of his nodachi, which Asuna narrowly leaped away from, her red hood tearing off in the process but Kirito didn't notice.
At this point, the other raiders got over their shock and ran in, weapons at the ready. Illfang was quickly struck by a series of sword attacks, followed by a barrage of arrows and spells. He pushed back, slashing once more and killed one of the infantry groups. With his health dropping lower by the second, Illfang was on his last leg.
"Let's finish this!" Kirito yelled. He and Asuna rushed in together, right when the beast was stunned by a random shield bash.
"Rage Spike!"
"Linear!"
"Vertical Arc!"
"Quadruple Pain!"
"Horizontal Square!"
The duo unleashed a whirlwind of colorful attacks, alternating slashes, and thrusts, Illfang unable to react due to the stuns. With Kirito's final attack, the Kobold Lord exploded into pixels, letting out one last roar.
The words "Congratulations!" flashed above the boss room. The players erupted into cheers and celebration, as they received their rewards.
Kirito let out a sigh of relief.
"It's finally over…" he said. "Boy, that was intense. How are you doing Asuna… ASUNA?"
He had only gotten a glimpse of her face during the battle, but now it was extremely clear. Long, chestnut hair, hazel eyes, pale skin, and an unmistakable voice.
"I'm doing fine, thank you!" she said. "Aw, that monster ruined my hood. I could get it fixed… Nah, I'll just buy a new outfit. Ooh, that boss dropped a necklace! I'm totally equipping that."
"Y-you're…" Kirito stammered. "You're the girl from my class!"
Asuna did a double-take.
"What?"
He shook his head.
"You're Yuuki-san, you sit four seats away from me, you always have good grades and you're super popular with the other boys!"
"WHAT?" said Asuna. "How did you know all that?'
"Uh…" Kirito found himself blushing. "You know that kid with the dark hair who sits in the middle of the classroom, doesn't really talk much, is usually doing something video-game related?"
"Yeah?" she raised an eyebrow.
"That was me… Kazuto. Or Kirigaya if you want to be formal." Kirito bowed.
Asuna blinked. She looked the slightest bit closer at Kirito's face and gasped.
"Oh my gosh, you're right!" she said. "I just didn't recognize you because… well… don't take this the wrong way, but you don't really draw attention."
Kirito's eyes darted about.
"So… when did you start playing MMOs? That seems to contradict… everything I've known about you."
"Oh, I just started yesterday when the game came out," she explained. "My brothers on a trip to China so I decided to try out his NeverGear."
"I see," Kirito said. He shuffled a bit closer. "How do you like the game?'
"Oh, it's great!" she said. "I mean, it's pretty fun, but I don't really plan to stay that long. I'm not really a gamer, to be honest."
"What do you mean?" said Kirito. "Your skills with that rapier far exceed the other players of your level. You joined a four-hour raid to kill this boss! Heck, you told me how much you wanted to beat this game! And considering the lifestyle you lead, you might be even more of a gamer than I am!"
"Well you see… uh…" Asuna began to sweat. "Okay, I admit it, this game is the greatest thing I've ever experienced but my mom says games are a gateway to being a NEET and I sort of need to keep the appearance of an overachieving high-school girl so she doesn't find out about this so…" she dropped to her knees and begged. "Please don't tell anyone at school about this! My reputation will be ruined forever!"
"Woah, calm down!" said Kirito. "I swear I'm not gonna tell anyone about seeing you in the game! And I won't act any different around you at school either!"
"Oh thank you!" Asuna got up and sighed. "Anyway, what did you get?'
"Let's see… ah! It's a new coat!" Kirito said as the garment manifested before him. He slipped it on and turned to Asuna "How do I look?"
"Very nice!" she laughed. "Just like the hero in an anime!"
"Well, I'm not really trying to be the hero." he chuckled. "Just an achiever."
"The MVP chart begs to differ!" Asuna smirked.
"Wait, what?"
Kirito then noticed a new object in his menu labeled "MVP votes". He opened it, revealing a list of players each with a number next to them. There was also a second screen for voting for people.
Diavel: 20 votes
Kirito + Asuna: 18 votes
Agil: 9 votes
Sinon: 3 votes
Kibaou: 1 vote.
Already, Diavel came running into the boss room panting.
"Phew! I'm back guys! What did I miss?"
Suddenly, he was lifted upwards, carried by the arms of his followers.
"What the… huh?"
"We beat the boss because of your tactics!"
"You're the hero Diavel!"
"MVP! MVP!"
Soon, almost the entire raid group was chanting "MVP!" as Diavel was tossed from arm to arm.
"Oh come on guys, I don't deserve this!" he laughed. "You guys did all the hard work!"
Still, the cheering continued.
"Now that's a hero," Kirito stated. "Well, I guess we better get going to the next…"
"Hey, it's Kirito and Asuna!" said a random player. Already, a smaller crowd began to form around the two of them.
"That was so cool how you defeated the boss!"
"Can you give me some tips!"
"You guys are awesome!"
"Three cheers for Kirito and Asuna!"
As the crowd cheered, the two of them found themselves blushing.
Woah, this never happens in other games! This is actually kinda nice to be the center of attention for once. Guess I might as well give them what they want.
"Thank you, everyone!" Kirito said. "But the game is not over yet. Let us be the first to step onto the second floor of the game!'
Another round of applause, followed by the raid group hurrying up the stairs to the next floor, eager to explore.
Kirito and Asuna exchanged one last look.
"So…" he said. "Thanks for helping me with this dungeon."
"You too," she replied. "I really don't know why you're so quiet in school, you're a really nice person. Actually, one more thing."
She flicked through her menu and tapped a few buttons. A message popped up on Kirito's screen.
A friend request.
Kirito grinned and tapped "Yes."
With that, the two new friends journeyed on to the next floor.
SAO~~SAO
Kazuto walked into the school like any other day. As he did, he noticed Asuna walking in the courtyard towards the building. By herself.
For a brief moment, he considered walking over and striking up a conversation about the loot they had received but decided against it. I promised her I would act any different around her at school
And with that, he went on with the slow drudge of the day, thinking of his next adventure in the world of Sword Art Online.
"Kirito!" Asuna turned around and said. "Hey Kirito! How are you doing?"
"Huh?" Kirito blushed and said nothing. "Uh… my name is Kazuto."
"Oh right!" Asuna snapped her fingers. "It's taboo to call someone by their in-game name, isn't it?"
"Yeah…" Kazuto started walking faster. Already, people were starting to stare at them.
"How on earth is that nerd being noticed by Asuna?"
"What on earth is a Kirito?"
"Don't tell me Asuna-san is secretly an otaku gamer!"
Kazuto and Asuna exchanged looks.
"Run." he said.
And so, they stayed relatively quiet for the rest of school