Disclaimer: I do not own the Sword Art Online series. This is a fanfiction purely made for entertainment.
CHAPTER 02: Illusionary Dawn
November 7, 2022:
A certain disgruntled high school student who's the hero we need but not the one we deserve once said that "to work is to lose." It is a phrase that matched the unfortunate wage-slave reality that awaited most artists and animators. On that note, may the people who work at Japanese animation studios have good fortune; they truly toil numerous sleepless nights just to produce the entertainment for us to enjoy.
But this quote has the misfortune of not working in this virtual world.
To not work is to lose, the exact opposite of the previously mentioned adage, rang true for us gamers now forced to live in this new reality.
That doesn't mean that I completely abhorred the work that awaits me from here on. It was true that this new occupation of Adventurer in a virtual-reality video game was forced upon me against my will.
I did not hate the prospects of this new job at all.
No sane, youthful, and hot-blooded male, especially those who had spent their younger days playing video games and indulging in fantasy stories, would not enjoy killing monsters for a living. It's our dreams now turned to actual possibility as self-inserts.
Sure, let's all forget the fact that going out to hunt monsters for drops and loot could significantly increase your chances of dying.
It's with that mood-killing thought where I finished stretching out my limbs and glanced out the window of the inn. Taking the moment to watch the sun slowly rise out of the horizon and mark the beginning of a new day, I briefly recalled what I had studied about two hours ago.
Information is absolutely crucial in any situation whatsoever. I don't want to be that guy from that online video advertisement who goes around claiming how he's in his garage with a brand new Lamborghini due to reading books for knowledge, but sometimes taking a moment to research on the most basic of things can be that one small yet defining factor between life and death.
I'm talking about reading the beginner's manual.
Located in the Main Menu, under the Help tab in Options. I could finally access it now that I learned how to do so by observing the players interacting with their own system commands yesterday. A plethora of information spread out in a digital layout before me: Inventory/Equipment, Items, Skills, Friends/Guild, Communications, and Maps/Quests. All organized in simple, easy to comprehend instructions along with a quick overview of the interface and the various systems of the game.
This was one of those really simple things that people tend to overlook, and I'm honestly scared to consider the number of casualties that could have been prevented if people actually took the time to read the damn manual so that they can get the basics engraved into their new daily lives.
To be fair on their part, people hate studying, which is essentially what reading all of this is.
Objection! This isn't prep for school exams, this is making sure you have a solid foundation for survival! You either suck it up and do it, or risk the dire consequences in a death game!
I exited my rented room and headed downstairs to where I vaguely remember is the inn's kitchen, ready to eat breakfast that was included with the room fee that I paid the night before.
…
It took me so much effort to not just stare blankly at the dish placed in front of me and let out a depressed sigh. That would be rude to the NPC innkeeper, who's standing nearby and still looking quite nervous around my presence.
All that's being offered for breakfast was just a loaf of bread per person, apparently. Not even toasted or seasoned with anything, and no side dishes whatsoever.
With a twitch in the corner of one of my eyes, I bit into it and do my best to break off a piece of what essentially felt like hardened stone.
[Black Bread - Quality : Stale]
…
Ugh.
But free food is best food, so I gnawed at the dry sand-like texture and repeated the mechanical movements of chewing until it was safe for me to swallow. Repeat said process until the hunger in my stomach disappeared with the consumption of the simple meal.
Does it even count as a meal if we're not actually eating real food? Everything here is virtual, after all.
…I'm just going to conclude that Kayaba is an insane genius who can make people feel like they're eating real food despite their real bodies not able to physically obtain sustenance and nutrients without the IV drips provided in hospitals when everyone's comatose bodies moved there.
You do know that one black bread here is pretty much worth 1 col in the market, right?
Ignoring the last thought, I activated my personal interface once again and opened up my Inventory, before blinking at the curious sight before me.
…
…What.
… No, seriously. What.
According to the beginner's manual, attempting to do battle without Sword Skills is largely ineffective, equivalent to waving a weapon around without doing damage. I somehow luckily managed to deal with all of those boars from before by whittling away at its health with continuous punches, kicks, and shield bashes even if those weren't really Skills, but if I want to efficiently progress, I should actually use a bladed weapon for attacks.
Sitting in my Inventory was a Basic Sword, along with the Basic Top, Bottoms, Gloves, Boots, and Shield.
However, the notification next to the sword marked across the weapon I wanted to access as [Unequippable].
"…The hell is going on here?" I muttered out loud to myself.
Is this some kind of bug? How come I can't equip the Basic Sword?
I furiously tapped on the equip button multiple times, but only get the exact same window response that the weapon was unequippable each time.
And I can't even resort to asking a GM in the Main Menu's Help tab courtesy of Kayaba Akihiko hijacking the server for his dastardly plans, as well.
…Ugh.
So be it, then.
Until I find someone who's willing to party up with a severely limited player that I am and help carry me or get another weapon that I can use or something, I'm going to have to resort to doing what I usually did before. I mean, I managed to survive on my own so far.
I'll just have to exercise even more caution so that I won't end up getting slaughtered by a monster ambush or another violent player.
Before I exited the town gates, I spent the first half of the day exploring the immensely large town and trying to not get lost in the maze that made up the stone-paved roads. Now that the urgency of trying to figure out what to do from last night cooled off, I greedily took in the sights of the Town of Beginnings.
According to the digital map, this starting town was apparently large enough to hold a city district. There was the central circular stadium-like plaza where everyone got the shocking news, a large black palace at the north side, and a lot of facilities that were essential for starting adventurers.
As an aspiring creator myself, I could appreciate the amount of time and effort that must have been spent on designing the buildings, the streets, and the inhabitants.
I made it a point to not make eye contact with the other players who were sprawled out in the alleys still despairing.
In order for me to obtain quests for experience points, money, and loot, I had to actually go speak to the every NPC that I could find going about their programmed days, and hope that they had something they want me to do for them due to my lack of experience that beta testers probably already had. Even if they're machinated programs designed to be as human as possible to interact with, my social anxiety made it a bit difficult for me to simply go up to them and be all like, "Yo wassup?"
Get over it. Don't let your dreams be memes and just. Do it.
Which was what I inevitably did, since I actually needed to progress and get work done. Even if I end up embarrassing myself, at least that's better than doing nothing and stagnating like the ones who end up just staying at this town for years until the game ends… or their physical bodies expire.
An extremely buff chef with a rough and grouchy appearance, who was waiting outside of one of the restaurants, offered to reward me if I provided 15 Raw Boar Meats, which I had plenty of after all that wandering around during the first day. Upon submission, I nearly leapt up in surprise when my entire body glowed a golden hue for a quick minute.
Apparently I leveled up. Yay~ Now I'm one level closer to endgame.
Speaking to the same NPC once again apparently prompted another quest where this time I'm asked to deliver a sandwich to his relative who worked at the blacksmith's forge several blocks from here. Upon relying with a confirmation, I was given a lunchbox all packed nice and pretty in a straw basket decorated with a patterned cloth.
[Grilled Pork Sandwich with Lettuce & Tomatoes - Quality : Heavenly]
For a brief second, I heard the devil within whisper into my ear, tempting me to simply take the sandwich for myself as that pathetic excuse of a breakfast earlier wasn't satisfactory enough.
Just look at how fine the pork slices were grilled to perfection! The fresh crispiness of the lettuce that almost appear to sparkle when briefly exposed in the sunlight and teasing all those who spot it, juicy tomatoes all diced in equal amounts to balance out the meat with the bread and satisfy both the carnivore and vegetarian within each of us…!
But I immediately discarded that abrupt thought and tantalizing visual images away.
For all I know, there could be a hidden karma system in this game that's measuring each of the players. I know I would have implemented such a system if I had Kayaba Akihiko's ability, time, and resources to create a game of my own similar to Sword Art Online so that people would actually see the world as real, with real consequence to each of the player's actions and decisions.
…Don't give me that suspicious look. I know that I may come off as an asshole jerk who would kick a dog for money at times, especially with how rotten my eyes appear to be, but you simply don't mess with food. Especially food that already belong to others.
Upon reaching my destination located around south-west of the restaurant, I entered the forge called "Swordsmith Nekos" and met with the only person inside: a young woman with a small figure, a youthful face with her eyes always shut like those of a fox, and a beautiful smile that would have made my heart skip a beat if I had not already known beforehand that she was an NPC. Lazily balancing on her shoulder was a small gray cat that meowed at me when I stepped inside.
Must be because of this cat that this forge was called its current name, huh.
Handing over the lunchbox to her provided me with some pretty satisfactory results, along with a huge surprise. Enough EXP to level up once again as well as filling up the next EXP bar to half, some materials to enhance certain equipment, and ultimately, discounts up to 60% of the original price if I ever shop at her forge or purchase meals at the previous restaurant!
Holy cow did I luck out or what?
"It's simply a sales tactic," the woman whose name I learned was Hanna, answered warmly upon seeing my bewildered face. "If word gets out about how people can benefit from helping me and my younger brother, that could bring more of you adventurers to my forge and purchase some of my finest work available. These weapons are made to be used than to be hung on the wall like decorations."
…Huh?
"I'm sorry, I must have misheard, but did you say, 'younger' brother?" That chef with a permanent scowl on his face from earlier looked like he was in his late thirties, while you look like you're in the prime of your youth!
"Why, yes." Hanna replied back, never dropping that smile of hers as she daintily placed one hand on her cheek with a soft "Ara, ara." It was at that moment I noticed just how toned the muscles in her arms deceivingly were. All that strength from the physical act of meticulously hammering away to mold iron, yet deceivingly thin as if to preserve her good figure. I couldn't help but think that chief and Hanna here swapped roles. "I know my immature Lenphad has a scary appearance, but really he is a kind person who aims to please. I beat all the bad aspects out of him back when we were children, after all, fufu~"
…
That background lore of her's is scary… I could almost see a Hannya mask engulfed with a dark miasma floating menacingly behind her for a brief second right when she said that, and all this time she had never dropped that now-unnerving smile nor shifted her fox eyes!
After receiving additional information about how she's also capable of teaching adventurers she found acceptable the Blacksmith skill (apparently I didn't make the cut for some reason, though upon asking she does confirm that she and other blacksmiths can accept any hand drawn designs to forge if provided the necessary materials), I attempted to purchase a sword from her with what little col I had left, only to discover that just like my Basic Sword, the Iron Sword that she had on sale was also marked with an [Unequipable] status window when I attempted to grasp to it.
…Am I forever incapable of wielding swords or any bladed weapons in here for whatever reason? I bet all my col that out of the 10,000 players here, I'm the only one cursed with this weird affliction! I call hax! Unfair play!
It's only been the second day since you're here, you don't even that much col to support such an outrageous claim anyways.
After giving me some comforting headpats while I was still moping in disappointment over my small inability, Hanna listed off two more quests with an apologetic smile, which I immediately accepted despite the obvious dangers. This time, I had to obtain ten Wolf Pelts and five Bulbous Tails from the monsters outside of the town, and submit them to a tailor store and Lenphad's tavern respectively before the day ends.
All that with just my current initial equipment and no weapons excluding my shield. Which doesn't really count.
After waving goodbye at the friendly NPC and strolling out of the stone gates that circled around the district, I currently find myself on the outskirts of the Town of Beginnings, facing down a small pack of four Rabid Wolves.
As their name implied, the brownish-gray furred canines had foam frothing from their growling mouths gaping wide open. Their exposed yellowed sharp jaws snapped repeatedly while I adjusted the shield strap on my right arm and widen my stance to brace myself. As I lightly hopped on my feet to keep myself from placing too much weight on the ground, one of them lost their patience, and with a series of furious barks, sprinted off towards me.
The moment the wolf's fangs got within my range, I immediately backhanded the feral animal's snout with my shield. Its glowing eyes comically widened with surprise as it yelped and stumbled about on the dirt and grass.
Remember what you went through and learned from that hell back then.
The other three wolves' growls only grew louder, and they slowly begin to pace around while eyeing me like a piece of high-grade raw steak.
First, distract Wolf B with a feint.
Then guard target's blind lunge.
Cut with cross to left cheek
Discombobulate.
The second wolf's attempt to follow up with another attack resulted in it wobbling around, hearing the ringing of its virtual brain bouncing around its digital skull due to the pair of precise palm strikes that struck its temples at the same time. The first stunned wolf finished shaking off its dazed status and proceeded to flex its hind legs in preparation for another leaping chomp.
Employ a guard with left arm; counter to Wolf A's ribs.
Duck under Wolf C's follow-up bite.
Grab C's front and rear legs… Now use target's body to block Wolf D's strike.
The last wolf's teeth pried free from the jugular of the previous wolf as the latter let out a dying whine before bursting into a shower of digitized fragments. The remaining wolves were wary now, eyeing the figure as they circled around and finally surrounded him.
Rush at Wolf B and swing edge of shield at kidneys.
Repeat two more times… Terminated.
Spin around and guard Wolf D's tackle.
Push back right at that moment to throw target back onto the dirt.
Pounce and traumatize stomach with shield until neutralized.
As the fragments from the remains of the second and fourth wolf fade away, somewhere deep within the first wolf's programming was a tiny prompt to run. The initial settings overruled it nonetheless, and the wolf let another foamy drool drip from the corner of its black lips before attacking once again with another bark of rage.
Heel-kick to diaphragm.
Roundhouse kick to head.
Dislocate jaw entirely with a shield bash.
Wedge shield down Wolf A's mouth and hammer.
In summary: three dead, one fading with lower half of head ripped off, left arm damaged, shield durability down 17%, HP down to 64%. Physical recovery, 2 hours. Gained 140 EXP, 160 col, and four Wolf Pelts.
I gasped and collapsed to the ground, panting and sweating from the exertion that I just went through. My virtual lungs felt like they're on fire, exhausted from all of the forced controlled breathing that I willed my entire body to endure in order to stay focused for combat.
Months of inactivity before my SAO debut, and already I felt like a drowning, panicking swimmer who suddenly could not feel any sensations in their limbs due to not stretching prior to entering the pool of water. Which is especially weird since this "physical" body of mine was supposed to be my virtual avatar and therefore I shouldn't be feeling this sort of extraneous strain whatsoever.
Perhaps what the mind feels is real actually makes it real?
Well, I really shouldn't have just been satisfied with simple running miles everyday, and actually push myself for more effort before.
"I-I'm… going to have to change that…" I huffed in between agonized breaths. "…Eventually. Not today… Let's not do that again… Too risky…"
Instead of aggroing multiple enemies at once, you really should have just aimed for one-on-one fights, idiot.
It's after eleven more boar thrashings and five more one-vs-one wolf wrestling matches when I finally encountered the monster that drops my last required material of Bulbous Tails for my quests.
A Bulbari. Apparently a small but rare monster species and a minor offshoot of the Little Nepenthes, another plant-like monster that I never heard of before. The Bulbari resembles a hedgehog-like version of a Bulbasaur sharing the height of an average chihuahua, with more leaves and flowers growing on the back of its white fur instead of spikes.
Apparently they spend most of the time with their main body buried under the soil with their decorated backs exposed as camouflage, as I accidentally kicked this little monster out from its hiding spot while walking in a random direction. Judging by its hate-filled red eyes, I definitely got its attention as it scrambled back up to its feet.
Squeaking in protest, the Bulbari trotted up to me to attack, but I simply let my shield take the brunt of its tackle before whacking away at it with my shield, dusting it with three hits and obtaining the first tail drop of the day.
It's actually weaker than a common mob such as the blue boars, and they provided almost triple the amount of EXP one would obtain from slaying a single boar. Unfortunately, they're also much more difficult to encounter, as it took me until late afternoon to finally gather all of the quest items required to turn in my quests from these monsters.
Basking in the orange glow of the descending sunset as small wyverns cawed like ravens high up in the sky, I trekked back to the Town of Beginnings and walked past another group of players who also appeared to have finished their day of farming. They were led by some dude with blue hair, who I unfortunately did not recognize any of them.
Blue hair? Ah, right. There were hair dyes in this game. I remembered that Lisbeth had gotten pink hair or something. Where do you get them?
Ah, they already left. I couldn't ask them if I could had joined their party or about the hair dyes. Dammit.
But judging by the lack of urgency in their behaviors, I doubted that they were former beta testers rushing for better gear. Or maybe I'm wrong and that the leader's trying to support a group of newbies.
Either way, it's good to see that a small minority of the common players are beginning to take a step forward instead of wallowing in self-pity.
With a ghost of a smile, I returned to the block where Lenphad's tavern was located and submitted the Bulbous Tails to the NPC, who let out a rough laugh and stepped inside the restaurant.
…Huh? Where's my reward?
…
Okay. Guess I'll just wait then…
About four minutes of me awkwardly shuffling around outside while listening to clanging noises and an occasional roar of "What are you?! An idiot sandwich?!" Hanna's younger brother (still questionable! I call doubt!) returned and handed off a round of EXP, col, and a bottle filled with what appears to be a light pink fluid to me when I brought it up close to examine it.
[Bulbous Petal Tea - Quality : Calming] ~ Regen 5% of max HP for 40 seconds, cures Paralysis
Oh wow.
"Thanks a bunch, Lenphad," I graciously bowed to the chef who waved it away and shot me a stiff thumbs-up in response. "But this wasn't listed in the rewards. What's the occasion?"
"Just a little somethin' special. You're good in my book. Unlike the other Adventurers who I asked to deliver the meal to Anego, you were the only one who didn't run off with it."
…NPCs that actually keep track of the players' actions? That's legit both scary and amazing at the same time.
But damn, people actually did that?!
Lenphad must have seen my look of utter faithlessness in humanity on my face since he just let out another harsh laugh.
"Listen, boyo, it ain't a huge loss. The loss of materials can be made up with another quest that other boys can end up doin'. Plus, since this mornin' the little numbah of adventurers I've met today seemed awfully busy with somethin'. Rushin' about and everythin' like the castle's fallin' and the world's endin'…"
All I could do in response to that was let out a weak chuckle. Cus really, everyone here just lost their access to their original world. It might as well be the end of the world.
The chef pointed to a shop across the street. "That there's the tailor shop. But first how about ya tell me what ya want for dinner? I'll get mah boys to whip it up while you hand over the goods and have it ready when finished."
I do have a meal discount for Lenphad's tavern from the earlier quest… Might as well start using it now.
"I'll take the cheapest dinner set that you got." I said, before rushing to explain myself upon seeing one of his busy eyebrows rise up questioningly. "I'm just a starting adventurer, I think I should at least try to save up for supplies, weapons, and enhancements later. I promise that once I have more col, I'll try out your fancier meals."
"Hm… sounds good." He nodded with approval before entering his restaurant. I sweatdropped as Lenphad's angered exclamation of "Get back to work!" and "I never, ever, ever, ever met someone I believe in… as little as you!" echoed out of the windows.
Don't question it… Just walk away and pretend you're not involved…
Entering the above-mentioned shop with a bell ringing from the door's motions, I saw a flamboyantly dressed player engaged in a heavy discussion with the plain-looking shop NPC, who raised a finger upon noticing my entrance which abruptly ended the conversation.
The player shot me a dirty look for the interruption, which I mindfully disregarded. Oi, oi, glare any harsher than that and I'll think that you can shoot laser beams out of your eyes, woman!
"Don't mind me," I said while opening my Inventory and pulling out the Wolf Pelts into my arms. "Just turning in your quest."
The NPC woman gave me her thanks as she accepted the drops and proceeded to provide me enough EXP to gain another level up. I would had celebrated briefly in my head if I couldn't feel the other player still peering at me as the golden glow dissipated.
…
Yeah, she's still staring at me for whatever reason.
Sighing, I narrowed my eyes and focused on this person. Messy looking hair, a simple gaudy coat with a fur collar, and sharp eyes that continue to stab daggers straight at me. "Got a problem?" I briskly asked, almost defensively as she let out a snort.
"Your eyes are rotten. Unmotivated. Exhausted. Belying a bestial nature within."
…
G-goddammit it's always my eyes, huh?! Low blow! I may have come to peace with it, but even I don't want to hear that again here!
"But you…" She continued on, humming a bit to herself while drumming her fingers on her other crossed arm. "You have absolute determination. No matter how difficult the challenge, how painful the journey, you would only accept the ending that you obtain with your own two hands." A chuckle escaped from her lips as I hesitantly inched closer to the door. Just what is she going on about? "Yes, I see it now… A natural hidden gem, made brighter by the rough edges and flaws that surround it. I can tell that you will be a fine subject for me to design, indeed."
…
Nani the heck?
Did I just get character psychoanalyzed with just five minutes of observation? By a stranger, no less?
"Nope, that's wrong." I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head back and forth with a half-turned self-deprecating smile. Ah, the universal 'I don't know' pose, how useful you are. Even the simplest of individuals would understand what that means. But overall it was to shake off my initial discomfort with the way she hit a bit too close to home. "I don't think that I'm that simple. I'm just a side character who's a slothful liar and a selfish coward with soulless eyes, as you first said. Who are you again?"
A smirk spread across her face. "Remember the name Ashley, for I will be the one to own the fashion industry here in Aincrad! Clothes make the man, so I shall become Fashion itself!"
…Nope, still don't know you are. And not with that gaudy coat you got right there.
Haah, you may end up just eating your own words if you're not careful, me…
[Baked BBQ Baby Back Boar Ribs - Quality : Savory]
For what's supposed to be the cheapest meal in the restaurant, Lenphad's cooking was extremely delicious. That night when I returned back to the tavern and took a seat at an empty table, I couldn't help but tear into the meat the moment the dish was placed in front of me by a waiter and my nose picked up it's appetizing scent
Judging by how there were only other NPCs inside the restaurant, I was pretty shocked to discover that I was the first player to actually buy a meal here.
Most MMORPGs are all about them high numbers: high attack power, high defense, etcetera, etc. Hardcore gamers wouldn't really focus on the simplier things like what in-game food tastes like - unless they give stat boosts or any beneficial perks like increasing rare drop rates.
Once the meal was scarfed down and firm inside my stomach, I, very satisfied and pleasantly full, said my farewells to Lenphad and returned back to the inn. With all of today's quest rewards all cashed in, I had more than enough to stay for five more nights, and I got confirmation by the chef NPC that I could repeat each of those quests once every day.
All in all, it was a very productive and successful second day on Sword Art Online for me. A proper foundation established for me to get started for the next day and after.
You still didn't get any upgraded gear, nor any usable skills whatsoever.
U-urusai! Having a concrete plan on what to do is more important, and once I'm sufficiently prepared I can move on to slightly more difficult content!
I followed the same schedule for the upcoming days: a quick breakfast of stale bread at the inn I stay at, delivering Lenphad's meal to the forge, repair the durability of any damaged equipment while selling the accumulated useless loot at Hanna's, grinding and farming for monster EXP and loot in the hunting fields, then submitting the missions and obtaining dinner at the tavern at the evening before tucking in for the night.
…
…
…
And lo and behold, a week has gone by since the disastrous First Day of Sword Art Online's official launch.
I was on my way to Swordsmith Nekos to deliver Lenphad's heavenly pork sandwich when I chose on a whim to take a different route than usual. One wrong turn there, several stairways forward, and a random split-second decision to enter through an ominous-looking door resulted in me standing before the Monument of Life.
It was an extremely large stone tablet that resembled more like an obelisk deep inside a temple located near the main plaza. In a better world, it would have continued to be the Room of Resurrection from the beta instead, where players would simply respawn when they get killed in an action-packed video game, joke or rage about their loss, and try again once more.
But here? Nothing but a solemn reminder of what things could have been. A chamber filled with deafening silence.
I stared in horror at the 10,000 player names that were engraved in a very fine font on the tablet's surface.
Specifically, the notably marked names that were spread throughout the entire list. More than 200 names were crossed out, with the details all recorded right next to them in the available spaces.
Arvin [~ 20:30 AST, November 06] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]
Coper [~ 20:46 AST, November 06] - Killed by [Little Nepenthes]
Kara [~ 01:05 AST, November 07] - Killed by [Blue Boar]
Kobatz [~ 23:01 AST, November 06] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]
Kojiro [~ 12:36 AST, November 07] - PK'd by [Musashi]
Moony [~ 02:43 AST, November 13] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]
Obotz [~ 17:18 AST, November 08] - Killed by [Grass Serpent]
Rikuvi [~ 22:44 AST, November 06] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]
Tenbu [~ 11:57 AST, November 10] - Poisoned by [Infested Bat]
Yugaro [~ 08:34 AST, November 08] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]
…
…Dear god, all of those suicides… all of those deaths… And there's already a couple of recorded player kills here and there.
Just looking at this makes my head spin.
How many people could you have prevented from getting their in-game names crossed out here if you actually tried something to benefit the community instead of being so concerned for yourself? Tried to at least speak someone out of suicide even if that's extremely unlikely? Or even done anything as small as spreading word to check out the in-game player manuel?
This wasn't just an unnecessarily large tombstone; it was a blatant and chilling reminder that Death was always lurking about and ready to snuff out another flame of life.
"It's pretty shocking, isn't it? All those who died…"
My eyes scrolled down the names, all neatly arranged alphabetically. A Japanese name here, a made-up fictional name there… I could even spot some names that were blatantly taken from myths and legends.
As well as some rather uncreative names as well. Who thought it would be a good idea to go by "N00bm(a)ster69"?
…
Ah, I see Asuna's name near the top. Kirito's closer near the middle, as well as the other main casts' scattered amidst the crowd. Good, they're still alive and kicking.
I stopped and stared at the one name that caught my eye when I was about to turn and leave. It's firmly listed in place up above, easy to be forgotten but still physical proof of its existence
Domeki. My character name, up there among the 10,000 listed.
…I guess this is actually, really happening, huh.
"Are you looking for some people on this monument?"
I numbly turned to the side, finally acknowledging that I was not the only person in this haunted room.
A nimble-looking girl, donned in a messy hooded cloak that nearly concealed her messy golden-brown hair. A form-fitting top, baggy bottoms, and simple traveling boots can be seen in between the gaps of her cloak, and I noted that her arms and ankles were securely wrapped in bandages. The green cursor above her head indicated that she is a fellow player.
I couldn't help but let my OCD notice the bits of chuuni-influences in her choice of attire.
You shouldn't be saying that when you yourself have a pretty dark history back in eighth grade. In fact, you know for sure that it isn't fully cured after all.
"Hey now, my eyes are up here. I know that I'm beautiful, but trying to take a peek at my feminine figure will cost you."
Initial surprise turned to annoyance as I stare at the speaker with as much deadpan as I could muster. "I've seen better." I retorted with mild disdain, not bothering to mention that they were only in NSFW art and model poses for drawing class. Why are you looking at me like that? I'm still a young hormonal male with no prior relationship experience! Plus, it provides additional research for the human anatomy for character designs!
Dude, that's still way too much unwanted info.
"But making fun of me isn't why you approached me in the first place, isn't it?" I continued without missing a beat. "So, who are you, and what do you want from me? I'd rather not beat around the bush."
She took a step closer, and I could see that whisker-like makeup was applied on her cheeks. Add in her revealed smirk, she overall gave off the impression of a cat that just spotted its next prey to toy with. "Girls won't like you if you rush them," she taunted, wagging a finger that I'm tempted to just chomp at with how close it was dangling at my face.
But then her eyes took on a more formal and serious shine as she composed herself. "I'm Argo the Rat," she placed a hand on her chest as she introduced herself.
"And I want your help and contribution in compiling data so that I can create a guide book to give everyone a better fighting chance of surviving this death game."
Author's Note:
I cannot help but feel ever so grateful to the people who worked on the Sword Art Online wiki for providing the foundations for me to expand my imagination and add my own touch to the world that is Aincrad for this fanfic. My god, that timeline they got there is a godsend. I can't believe how huge this world is (and how much the anime has chosen to skip past to get through the plot back when it was airing), but I can tell that production values force many animation studios and other departments to prioritize different things that the original fans may not see eye-to-eye with.
I was a bit hesitant about some parts in this chapter, especially with that small scuffle with low-level mob monsters and how I added OCs to be interactable NPCs, but I decided that this is the way I want the story to flow (though I may change how I write the combat scenes in later chapters). As a self-insert fic, I feel that in regards to the quests and such it's pretty inevitable to have OCs, so I'll do my absolute best to limit the number. Plus, too much was left undiscussed in the one-month time skip between Episodes 1 and 2 of the anime, so I did some research in the beginning chapters of the Progressive manga so that I could get a better image of the world and the character interactions.
Fans may discover that there were a couple of cameo appearances. Ashley, who would later become known as Aincrad's number one tailor, and the legendary information dealer herself, Argo, at the very end. I'm still bothered at how the original story skipped over Argo until she was further expanded upon in the Progressive novel, but it is what it is.
As of August 13, 2019, the time when this A/N is made, there are 119 views, 15 followers, 13 favorites, and 2 reviews. Compared to how my previous works started, I can't help but feel ever so grateful for the good starting response, even if it may be because of the differences in popularity between SAO and the other games that my fics are based off of.
Shoutouts to Unknown-Ark for being the first person to favorite this small project of mine, and Angron for being the first person to post a review. Thank you for the positive feedback and recommendations; it's the small things that help boost my confidence and creativity to continue the things I love.
Alright, that's all from me. If you enjoyed this fic, please post a review, and feel free to PM me any questions that you got. As always, thanks for reading, and have a nice day, y'all~