"N-No way!"
"Let us go!"
"Let us go, now!"
"I can't be here! I have an appointment after this!"
"Help me!"
"No! Please save me!"
The plaza descended into chaos.
Some people fell to the ground, their shoulders trembling violently in fear.
Others staggered backward, their eyes wide with horror.
Some players screamed hysterically, some cried, their loud voices mixing into a piercing cacophony of fear, anger, and despair.
Of course, not everyone succumbed to despair. There were always rational people. In the midst of the mayhem, some had already begun to act, especially the beta testers.
'As expected of the beta testers, they are aware that resources are limited. While the majority of players haven't adapted to the harsh reality, a minority of players are seizing this opportunity to strengthen themselves to improve their chances of survival.'
Still hovering in the air, Charlie watched several players leave the plaza in a hurry as if their lives depended on it.
The description was indeed not wrong. With ten thousand players trapped on Floor 1, the available resources clearly wouldn't be enough to sustain everyone.
Although monsters could respawn every time they were defeated, respawning happened periodically and in fixed numbers. This meant players had to scramble for limited EXP.
The most valuable resources were in-game Quests that granted a lot of EXP, but these were one-time occurrences.
In short, it was first come, first served!
The beta testers and some rational non-beta players understood this. That's why they acted quickly, before the wave of panic subsided and the majority of players began to adapt.
'Kirito has already moved.'
Glancing at Kirito pulling Klein's arm and taking him to the plaza exit, Charlie refocused his gaze on Asuna, who was talking to a girl with purple hair tied in a ponytail and carrying a scythe as a weapon.
'If I'm not mistaken, that girl's name is Mito, right?'
Having watched Sword Art Online anime for too long, Charlie had forgotten many things. However, he remembered that the girl named Mito was Asuna's friend in the real world.
'Should I use the same method I used on the Nakano quintuplets and Uesugi Fuutarou?'
Seeing Mito pull Asuna away from the bustling plaza, Charlie flew after the two girls. He hovered invisibly above them, considering the best protection plan.
"For now, let everything run its course. I will protect Asuna from the darkness without her realizing it."
After weighing the pros and cons, Charlie decided not to intervene at all. At least not yet.
He wanted to use Asuna as bait to lure the Assassin-type Abyssal Devourer out of hiding. That way, Charlie could kill the monster in one go.
Meanwhile, Mito and Asuna, running on a path in the middle of a grassland, were surprised by the sudden appearance of two Dire Wolf monsters in front of them.
*SWOOSH!*
*PU-CHI!*
Clearly, Mito, being a beta tester, easily defeated the first Dire Wolf. With just one swing of her scythe, she managed to kill the monster.
Unfortunately, she failed to finish off the second Dire Wolf, which ran past her.
"Asuna!" Mito cried out in panic.
Asuna standing stiff, paralyzed by fear, could only watch the Dire Wolf pounce on her.
"GRRRR...."
"Hyaaaa—"
"No! No!"
Fear filled Asuna's heart as she watched her HP bar rapidly drain to yellow and gradually turn red.
'Should I intervene?'
Charlie, witnessing the scene of Asuna dying from above, hesitated whether to save her or not.
'Seems unnecessary. As long as Miguel and I don't make direct contact with Asuna, the butterfly effect won't happen.'
*SWOOSH!*
*PU-CHI!*
Charlie saw Mito rush to Asuna's side and stab the Dire Wolf from behind just as Asuna's HP bar was barely left.
"Come on, Asuna."
Asuna brushed Mito's hand away. She was still trembling violently after her near-death experience.
"What the hell is this? I don't understand any of this! We can't get out of the game?! What the hell is this?!"
"Calm down."
"My entrance exam is coming up soon! Why did this have to happen to me?!"
Not only did Mito fail to calm her, but Asuna continued to be hysterical.
"Now is not the time to think about that—"
Before Mito finished her sentence, Asuna cut her off again.
"I don't know anything about this game!"
"Asuna..."
"Mito can move forward because you're good at playing games, right? But I'm different from you! So just leave me alone!"
"..."
Mito was speechless facing Asuna's harsh reaction.
She felt guilty. After all, she was the one who instigated Asuna to play SAO.
In other words, Mito had a responsibility for bringing an exemplary student like Asuna into this life-threatening danger.
'Well, this is a normal girl's reaction. It's Mito's calmness that is the anomaly. In the future, Asuna will be known as the Flash by many players for her fast and deadly swordsmanship.'
'Conversely, Mito, who currently seems extraordinary, will have her prestige plummet far below the now fragile Asuna.'
There was nothing else he could do but be an invisible observer. Charlie could only comment on the scene he witnessed, like a football commentator.
'I guess this will be a long Quest. Should I make a large pillow like King's from the Seven Deadly Sins series?' Charlie thought to himself, continuing to hover invisibly above the two girls.
Below, Mito hugged Asuna to calm the girl's hysteria.
"Please, I beg you, don't say that." Mito whispered softly. "I understand you're scared, but trust me."
"I will teach you everything about Sword Art Online. So, let's clear this game together. Then, we'll go back home."
"Um."
Asuna nodded slowly, her sobs subsiding. Mito's action was successful; Asuna calmed down again in her friend's embrace.
"Asuna already knows how good I am at playing games, right?"
"Um."
"So I will definitely always protect Asuna."
What Mito didn't know was that she failed to keep her promise. Fate had a different path, and later, that protection didn't come from Mito.
After that, Mito and Asuna continued their journey toward a remote village that held a rare Quest.
Of course, information about such hidden Quests was only known by beta testers like Mito.
The two young girls continued to walk, completely unaware that an invisible stalker was always watching them from above.