Inside the "Black Iron Palace" on Aincrad's first floor, a colossal stone monument stands in silence. The names of every player trapped in this world are engraved upon its surface. Whenever a player's Hit Points reach zero and they perish, the system strikes a horizontal line through their name at the exact moment of their death.
The design is chillingly meticulous, recording the cause of death, the time, and the location.
The first victim since the "Death Game" announcement was a single man. Driven by his own theory that disconnecting from the system would restore consciousness—based on the physical design of the NerveGear—he scaled the outer rim of the first floor and hurled himself into the abyss. Whether that void even has a bottom remains unknown.
The fate of the man who fell, leaving behind only the echo of a piercing scream, became clear within minutes. A horizontal line slashed through his name, with the details noted below: Death by falling from a great height. Quite frankly, I'd rather not imagine what he saw or felt in those final seconds. Regardless, even if such an escape attempt actually worked, players in this world have no way to communicate with the outside to confirm its success.
Besides, if escape were truly that simple, everyone would have been freed long ago.
Ten days had passed since the Death Game began.
Far from the crowds of players who had retreated into the safety of the starter cities, I—Mitsuki Mishima, player name: "Mitsuki"—was sprinting through the dense forest.
I gripped my spear with both hands, isolating the monsters hunting me from the rest of the pack. Dark gray wolves—officially named "Dire Wolves"—trailed my path. These creatures usually roamed the grasslands surrounding the cities, but they had gradually shifted their habitat. Behind me, the rest of the pack was beginning to gather.
Wolf-type monsters possess a specific trait: when their HP drops into the "yellow zone," they let out a howl to summon nearby allies. Furthermore, there is a risk that the entire pack will focus their attacks on the player targeted by the howling wolf, surrounding them in an instant. It was essential to lure one or two wolves away from the howling range before engaging them.
Why was I hunting in such a place at night? The reason was simple: a "Quest."
After parting ways with Kirito, I had traveled at full speed toward a specific village. After passing through several settlements to rest and level up, I reached a small farming village barely visible on the map unless one looked closely. This village, called "Ragru", was inhabited only by elderly NPCs; there was no sign of youth. The quest involved protecting the village from wolves that had migrated nearby and begun ravaging the fields.
The quest is completed by exterminating a set number of wolves. By finishing the task three times—with the target count increasing with each attempt—the player receives a reward: the "Anneal Spear". It was a repeatable quest, requiring 5 wolves first, then 10, and finally 15. My current "Bronze Spear", my starting equipment, would see its final action in this third attempt.
I continued hunting until I had slain eight of them. Seven remained to finish the quest.
「Growl!」
I dodged to the left as a wolf lunged with a fierce snarl, unleashing my "Shaft" skill with full force against its exposed flank. The wolf's health bar plummeted, skipping the yellow zone and turning deep red. Normally, it would have howled for its pack here, but...
「Hup!」
Taking advantage of a basic Sword Skill's short "post-motion delay," I thrust the spear the moment I regained control. The wolf's HP hit zero, and it dissolved into polygonal shards that vanished into the air.
This style seemed effective for dispatching enemies, but from a combatant's perspective, it was reckless. Any slight timing error would bring the entire pack down on me. You have to fight while precisely calculating the damage a Sword Skill deals, timing your strikes to maintain control of the situation. In traditional MMORPGs, managing such details wasn't exhausting, but in this game where failure meant death, it was a gamble.
However, relying on slow, basic attacks would take too long, increasing the probability that one of the wolves I killed would respawn nearby. With my current stats, facing two wolves at once was my limit. If I were surrounded by more, I would have no choice but to flee.
—If only there were magic at a time like this, things would be much easier...—
While I muttered my complaints, I unleashed a horizontal-slash Sword Skill, "Helical Scythe", cutting down two lunging wolves in a single blow. As they vanished into shards, leaving behind their death cries, the words "!!Congratulations" appeared in bold before my eyes, accompanied by a celebratory chime. Simultaneously, my level rose from 5 to 6.
「Four left... this is truly exhausting.」
Nearly three hours had passed—and if counting from the first attempt, three days—of fighting the same enemy. Sword Skills require high concentration because they are triggered by specific physical movements. Although I relied on the basic "Shaft" skill with its simple motions, I didn't know how much longer my focus would hold.
Honestly, I wanted to end this quickly and rest. But to finish fast, I would have to face at least two wolves at a time—a highly dangerous prospect. If I were in a "Party" with other players, I wouldn't have to worry about this. But Kirito and I had both decided to walk the path of the "Solo" player since leaving the city. It seemed I had matured enough to stick to my decision without wavering.
I opened the menu screen and quickly distributed my attribute points. As a spear user, I assigned the three points I gained: one to Strength (STR) and two to Agility (AGI). I intended to increase Strength as we ascended to higher floors, but for now, I prioritized Agility.
「Time to get back to it...」
The moment I began to move, my ears caught a strange sound.
—Hah!— —Yaah!—
Was that a battle cry? It seemed someone was fighting nearby. And also...
「That voice... a woman?」
I told myself it was impossible, yet I strained to listen. A sharp cry rang out again. Depending on how you heard it, it could have been a high-pitched man, but I suspected otherwise.
「...I'll go take a look.」
I whispered to myself and moved cautiously toward the source.
In SAO, male players far outnumber females. It is a natural demographic split; without fear of prejudice, the "hardcore" gamers who fall into addiction are predominantly men. That isn't to say skilled female players don't exist, but they are rarely this committed to the grind.
「Good grief...」
I couldn't help but gasp at the sight. In the direction of the noise, a female player was locked in a fierce struggle with wolves. She possessed an appearance rarely seen in this world—features so symmetrical they made you wonder if she were truly born in the real world. She had clear blue eyes, pale skin, and most strikingly, long golden hair tied in a braid that shimmered under the moonlight. She looked exactly like a "Saintess" from a legend.
This was the first time I had encountered another player since we were imprisoned here.
「—Yaah!」
The golden-haired girl readied her one-handed sword and unleashed the vertical Sword Skill, "Vertical", against a wolf's flank. It appeared to be a "Critical Hit," and the wolf's HP dropped rapidly. It crossed from blue to yellow and then into the red. It seemed she would finish it, but...
「—Damn it! It's still not over...!」
The wolf's HP bar stopped just short of zero.
At this rate, the pack would swarm this location in massive numbers. From her movements, she clearly possessed decent skill, but if five or six wolves appeared at once, she wouldn't stand a chance. Moreover, she didn't seem to be monitoring her surroundings at all.
Meanwhile, my "Searching" skill picked up wolves rushing toward her from every direction.
「Blast it —!」
I drew my spear from my back and unleashed a surprise "Shaft" on a wolf that had closed in on her.
「—Who are you?!」
「Talk later! The pack is coming!」
I stood back-to-back with the golden-haired girl; I leveled my spear, and she readied her sword. In the next instant, the gray wolves lunged with fierce snarls—
「Huff... huff... are you alright?」
「...Yes. And I'm glad you're safe as well.」
We managed to wipe out the pack and took a moment to check on each other while gasping for air. I sheathed my spear—starting to worry about its durability—and looked at the girl behind me.
「It wasn't strictly necessary, but I thank you for the help.」
「It's reckless regardless of the reason—a girl out here alone... and you're not a Beta Tester, are you?」
The player, who had sat down against a nearby tree, was clearly a sword user. She appeared to be using starter equipment from head to toe. If she were a Beta Tester, her first destination after leaving the "Town of Beginnings" would have been the village of "Horunka", where Kirito went, not here.
「A Beta... Tester? I don't know what you're talking about, but it's annoying to be underestimated just because I'm a woman.」
「Listen... you realize it, right? We only have one life in this world. Grinding for levels is fine, but you have to prioritize survival first.」
「And have you ever seen a creature with more than one life? Why are you stating something so obvious?」
Her tone shifted from polite to sharp, making me feel a sense of dissonance. This player's logic didn't seem to align with mine at all. I could understand her confusion regarding the term "Beta Tester," as many new players only became interested in SAO right before the launch.
But hearing her words now, I got the impression she didn't even grasp the fundamental truth that this world was a "game." In a sense, she had been the fastest to immerse herself in this second reality—perhaps too deeply.
「...I'm going back to work.」
Ignoring my thoughts, the golden-haired girl caught her breath and began to walk away, sword in hand.
「Wait, hold on... Sorry to ask, but what is your current Level?」
「Level...?」
「I mean, your name is in the top left of your vision, right? What is the number written right next to it?」
「...It says 4.」
「I'm 6. That means I'm a bit stronger than you right now. If you're going to keep hunting, I'll go with you. From the look of it, you've hunted a lot, but it would be a pain if you died because of a mistake like that again.」
From her movements, she clearly had combat experience. But since she didn't understand the behavior of the wolves she had presumably fought many times, I couldn't leave her alone.
「Grrr... I don't understand what you're saying. Why should I move with someone I've just met? Don't worry about me; I can fight alone. I won't make a mistake like that again. Goodbye.」
The golden beauty, teeth gritting in frustration because I had touched a sore spot, spoke rapidly before turning her face away to leave. I expected an answer like "I'll tolerate you until my level goes up," but it seemed the delicate girl had vanished, replaced by someone far more stubborn than I anticipated. Does she hate being looked down upon?
Fine then...
「Alright, I'll rephrase. I'm on a wolf-hunting quest in the neighboring village. I have four left. Help me with that.」
「And is there anything that obligates me to do so?」
「If I hadn't saved you, my quest would probably be over by now.」
「You chose to help on your own. Besides, didn't we just fight a huge number of wolves?」
That was true. When I stepped in, I had dealt with about six wolves in total. However...
「But you dealt all the finishing blows, so they didn't count for me. If you help me, I was planning to teach you a lot about this world and other things...」
After a short silence, my plan to appeal to her conscience worked. With a hint of dissatisfaction, we agreed to "Party" up.
「Fine, let's work together until the quest is finished, at least. I'm Mitsuki. What's your name?」
「My name is... Alice.」
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