The Apathy of a Gamer

"I can't believe it." Kirito said to himself.

It was the second week of the death game. Earlier in the morning, Kirito had searched for the boss room, only to figure out that it was moved from it's original location in the beta. He had just gotten back into town when...

Clack, clack, clack. Boots walked across the gravel as voices began sounding throughout the town. Groups upon groups of people had just entered «Tolbana».

"When did so many npc's come into town?"Kirito said in denial. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. It was all a nightmare. Surely Kayaba was just messing with him. There's just no way these people could possibly be...

Players... Right?

He tried to ignore it, but as each day past, more and more of them showed up, like a perpetual cycle that would repeat itself for eternity...

Where the hell did all these guys come from!? They were practically sprouting from the damn ground!

Days later, and it carried on without fail. Players of all sorts of looks, colors, and equipment poured into the vast town of «Tolbana». What previously lay a vacant city was now the hot spot of all of Aincrad. And with each passing day, Kirito's happiness slowly dissipated into a deep, dark trench, like it was never there to begin with.

Now, it had almost been a month since the death game began. Currently, Kirito was sitting on a bench near the center of town, dressed in basic, everyday gear, water flax in hand, feeling tired, and pissed off.

"I can't believe it." Kirito muttered to himself for the one-thousandth time. It was all gone. The ambiance, the peacefulness, the walking space! It was so perfect, and it was snatched away from him all too quickly. "I wish I could've enjoyed it more." Kirito said, reminiscing the good old days.

He'd already found the new location for the boss room a few days ago. Since «Tolbana» was packed full of players, he abstained from entering it as much as possible. Sometimes, he'd sleep in trees in the forest just to get away from them. Because he was away from «Tolbana» so much, he had a lot of spare time to look around in the dungeon and sure enough, he found the boss room.

Kirito felt another sigh escape him. Nothing about the situation he was in was good. He tried to think of the positives with having other players around, but couldn't think of a single one. He couldn't even wear his good gear in here. It was bad enough he drew attention because of his «Anneal Blade».

The town square was a little more noisy than usual. Looking in the direction of the noise, Kirito saw that a bunch of players were forming around something.

The crowd also drew attention from other nearby players. In the middle of the group, there was a player with an awfully fancy sword on his hip. The sword just so happened to be the much sought after «Anneal Blade». His buddies were surrounding him in awe as he stood up straight, chest puffed up in pride and arrogance. The sword arose a lot of attention, and he definitely wasn't shy about showing it off.

They weren't the only players who had «Anneal Blades». Most players figured out that «The Secret Medicine in the Forest» quest rewarded the strongest weapon on the beginner floors. This was probably because a beta tester leaked the information. If Kirito didn't know any better, he'd say it was Argo the Rat.

She was the best info-broker a player could find. If you needed to know something about the game, chances are, she'd know it. Kirito never really needed her though. It wasn't like they've never met before, as they've shared info with one another plenty of times in the beta. It's just that everything she knew about SAO was information he'd already known or figured out.

He deleted her and every other friend on his friends list when the beta test ended. He wanted to remain anonymous so he could have the best gaming experience possible, and he couldn't remain anonymous with other people knowing who he was, especially if that person was Argo.

«The Secret Medicine in the Forest» was currently the most popular quest, and almost everyone knew about it. The only problem was the other people doing it.

Just like Kirito predicted, players were MPK'ing other players. More often then not, they were successful. It's a good thing that the ovule only rarely spawns in, so deaths haven't occurred a whole lot. Still, it wouldn't stop with just this quest. People will continue to harm and kill each other for good items.

As long as they survived, then who cares?

A few players have already banded together to try to prevent any sort of violence between others. Kirito couldn't help but have a little respect for them. Even though they have a chance of dying in this game, they still look out for other people.

'At least some people can step up and lead... They'd be better than me anyway.' He hated thinking about it. Every time he thought about his decision to abandon the other players, a huge amount of guilt made its way to his stomach. He couldn't stand it, so he did his best to ignore it and pretend that players wouldn't need his help.

They'd be okay on there own.

Another player looked at him, and he saw their eyes trail up to his back where his sword laid. The sword was difficult to get now more than ever. With so many people attempting the quest, you'd be lucky if you even seen the ovule. Looks like he made the right choice to complete the quest before doing anything else. At most, there were probably about ten players who owned an «Anneal Blade», including him. 'I bet their «Anneal Blades» aren't +10 though.' Kirito thought, trying to cheer himself up.

It took a lot of grinding out in the field, but Kirito managed to get himself an «Anneal Blade +10». Eight of the upgrades were used on sharpness, while the other two were used on durability. He really didn't care much for using upgrades on durability, but because he was almost always out in the field, his weapon's durability fell rather quickly. It was much more convenient to use two upgrades on durability than run back and forth to a blacksmith.

Kirito overheard another group of players talking to each other. "Hey man. Did ya here? There's a bunch of guys that are gonna meet up tomorrow in the amphitheater at 7:00 a.m. Rumor says that their gonna talk about how to find and beat the first floor boss. You wanna go?" The player said excitedly. "Yeah-" Kirito tuned them out after that.

'So, they're having a meeting on the first boss already?' Earlier that day, Kirito was out grinding in the dungeon when he heard sounds of walking. He hid behind a rock with his «Hiding» skill. It was a full party of players decked out in gear. Players like them were what would pass as the strongest in the game right now. Other than him, of course. They were headed directly to the boss room. After a few moments, they walked back with both happiness and anxiousness. He knew they found the boss room. The only reason he was grinding out here in the dungeon instead of the «Deep Forest» was so he would know firsthand if someone found it. He didn't expect them to call for a meeting right after finding the boss room, but it didn't matter.

He took a drink from his flask. 'I wonder how mom and Sugu are doing.'

He missed them, but this was for the best. He disgraced them for the last time, especially Sugu. She would never forgive him for what he done, and he doubted that she would ever want to see him again. She was probably happy that he was trapped in this game. At least she didn't have to berate him anymore. The National Kendo Tournament was a couple weeks ago, and he didn't have a second doubt that she would win.

'Looks like I missed that one, too.' He grimaced, depressing himself further. It was best not to think about it. He was stuck in here now, so the real world didn't matter anymore. As far as he's concerned, it doesn't even exist.

Kirito sighed, glancing up at his level.

Kirito

LV: 17

He was mildly proud of himself. He wanted to be level eighteen before any other players found the boss room, but couldn't accomplish it in time. It was a long shot anyways. In SAO, xp was surprisingly hard to come by. Any player can go out and grind, but grinding for several hours takes it's toll. It gets even harder to level once you've out-leveled every other monster on the current floor. Nobody's had that problem yet, except for Kirito. Even grinding against the toughest monster on floor one, the «Dire Wolf», would take him days to level up.

Finishing his drink, he decided it was time to walk back to his inn room. He grinded for nearly twenty hours today, so he needed some sleep. It was about 5:00 p.m. and most players were still active. Afternoons were always the best times for Kirito to sleep. Once everyone was asleep at night, Kirito would wake up and grind. For normal players, this would be inconvenient, as it is harder to see and there are more monsters out, but for Kirito, it was perfect. Besides, he preferred nighttime anyway.

He stepped inside the inn, and overheard another conversation. This one more specific to him.

"No way man, Kirito is definitely alive! I'm sure of it! He's the best player in the game!" A player said to his friend.

"Well where is he? Surely someone must've found him by now. It's almost been a month and we haven't even gotten past the first floor. Either he chickened out and is hiding in the «Town of Beginnings», or he's dead."

"Dude I'm telling you, Kirito's alive! He has to be! There's no way we could beat this game without him..." The player said, defending Kirito.

"Give it up man, he's gone. We can't just wait around for him to appear, if he ever does."

"..." The player went silent.

Kirito sighed and headed up the stairs towards his room. He sat down on his bed, his thoughts trailed back to the other players, and how he abandoned them.

Evidently, while he was off doing his own thing, everyone in the «Town of Beginnings» was asking for him. "We need Kirito! Where is Kirito!? Dont worry, Kirito will save us!" Apparently, everyone who'd gotten a copy of SAO knew about him, and apparently, everyone thought he'd be their knight in shining armor. That he'd be the one to defeat Akihiko Kayaba and release them from this hellhole.

Apparently, they thought wrong.

Kirito didn't know how to approach the situation. It wasn't like he could come out and say, "Hey everyone! I'm Kirito! Sorry I was gone for a month! I was to busy avoiding you!" He couldn't just do something like that, nor did he want to. There was no way he could expose himself to the public. It would be like RAIZE all over again. Every time he logged in, or in this case, stepped outside, he would be bombarded by other players. He couldn't stand being around them. He understood why they liked him, and why they needed him, but he didn't care. He wasn't gonna let SAO end up like RAIZE. He came to this game to have fun, and his fun would be ruined if he revealed himself.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he took off his equipment and laid down with an arm over his eyes. There was no way to fix this. If the public ever found out about him, they'd undoubtedly be pissed off at him. They would probably accuse him for abandoning them and stealing all the good items for himself. He would probably be ridiculed and hated by everyone. There wouldn't be a single person who wouldn't know his face and there wouldn't be a single thing he could do about it. The worst part was...

They'd have every right to be angry.

Kirito WAS suppose to help them. Kirito WAS suppose to be the knight in shining armor. Kirito WAS suppose to be their beacon of hope. Kirito WAS suppose to guide them to success, and prevent as much deaths as possible.

To get them out safely.

Why? Why was Kirito supposed to do all these things for people he didn't even know?

Because Kirito was the best.

Only the best step up in times of crisis to save those in danger. The players who couldn't fight needed a hero, someone to rely on. He knew, deep down, it was HIS responsibility to get them out of the game.

But he couldn't. He just couldn't step up to the position. He would never admit it, but he was afraid. He was avoiding responsibility. The only reason he even played video games in the first place was because he never had to worry about anything. He could freely do what he liked without any repercussions. Without a care in the world. But now, everyone here is trapped inside a death game, forced to fight for their lives.

But he ignored it. If he truly wanted to, he could guide everyone and beat the game easily. He had the power!

But like always, he was just... running away.

Running away from the real world, his family, Suguha, people in general. He played SAO to forget his problems and to become someone he wasn't, or would ever be. To be Kirito.

Before all this started, Kirito DID help players, Kirito WAS fearless, and even though he didn't like it, Kirito WAS the guy everyone looked up to. Kirito was...

The hero.

None of this would even matter if SAO was a normal game. He would play solo and no one would care. Now that their lives are at risk, they suddenly want him to step up and lead them to victory.

But he wouldn't. He wanted to play the game. Just because Kayaba added death to the game didn't matter. It wasn't gonna stop him from playing. He knew it was selfish. To abandon everyone else all because he wanted to play a video game. It was a horrible act. Unforgivable.

So he ran from it.

He wasn't the hero anymore. He wasn't 'Kirito.' He was a kid who wanted to play a game. The unmasked Kazuto Kirigaya.

The kid who always ran.

---

It had just hit 1:00 a.m. Street lights dimmed the town as players were inside their inns, sleeping the night away. Kirito had just woken up fifteen minutes ago. He was scrolling through his menu with lightning speed and precision, triple checking his items to make sure he had everything he needed.

He placed a safe number amount of potions on his belt in case he needed a quick heal, and then he equipped his armor of «Defiance», as well as his «Ring of Charos». He looked outside the window with «Searching», making absolute sure there wasn't any other players still roaming the streets. He was sure it was safe to come out. If there was anyone, he could hide in an alleyway's shadow and outrun them. Having his gear equip was a must today.

Because he was planning to take on the first floor boss. Alone.

If it was any other player, they would laugh at you, saying that fighting a boss on your own was impossible, calling you crazy. For Kirito, going one on one with a boss would be an achievement. There wasn't a single person in the beta who ever solo'd a boss before. The only sort of major accomplishment people knew of was Kirito soloing a mini boss on floor seven. A couple other players tried to copy him and solo their own mini boss.

Needless to say, it didn't end so well for them. People began praising Kirito even more for his skill as a pro gamer. As impressive as it was, Kirito wasn't content. He wanted to be the kind of player who could solo floor bosses, not just a random mini boss. Ever since the beta, he'd been hoping that the day where he would have a chance to fight a floor boss by himself would come.

That day was today.

Quietly opening the door, Kirito crept out of the inn and outside onto the street. He used «Searching» once more, doubling checking for any wandering players.

It was better to be safe then sorry.

Once again, there was no one in sight. Deeming it safe to proceed, Kirito quickly left town and onto the path of the dungeon.

Monsters appeared next to him to knock him off course, but he easily sidestepped them. It was pointless to waste anymore time killing them off. If he was a lower level, he might of had a problem with the number of mobs that were spawning, but at his level, they couldn't even damage him.

Kirito was confident he would win. He was a strong level seventeen, way over leveled for the first boss. He heard around town that a "strong" player would be around level eight or nine. A few really good ones have even hit level ten. It felt good knowing you were seven levels above the top players. In SAO, your numbers meant everything.

He equipment was also top tier. It was the strongest he'd ever seen anywhere, including the beta test. It was leaps and bounds better than anything else you could get for awhile. Each armor piece gave him major boosts to his defense and health stats. A nice bonus they gave was that the gloves had a 5% strength boost, and the boots had a 5% speed boost.

Kirito had arrived in the area before the dungeon entrance, the «Deep Forest». There was a walking path that split the forest into two sides. Along this path would lead directly to the door to the dungeon. This path was fairly safe. Monsters rarely spawn on the path, while most of them spawn inside the forest.

He opened his menu to check the time. It had only taken him nine minutes to get here. He had more than enough time to fight the boss. He was just about at the halfway point when he heard the sounds of wolves howling and crystals shattering.

'Wait a sec. There are players out here? At this time of night?' Kirito thought, surprised. It was common knowledge that nighttime was the most dangerous time to fight. Out on the open fields, it wouldn't be much of a problem, but it was way more dangerous inside the «Deep Forest».

The only mobs that spawned inside the «Deep Forest», were the «Dire Wolves». The forest was their turf. They range from level eight to ten, and come in packs. In the daytime, only two or three spawned in at a time. Fighting them would be difficult, but efficient, as their drops were good.

Nighttime was a different story though. The minimum amount of wolves that spawned at night was always three, that could go as high as six. Each wolf was always level ten. Plus, there is a greater chance for the mini boss to spawn. The «Dire Wolf Leader».

She was also level ten, but level numbers on bosses were deceiving. It's strength surpassed a normal wolf's by a huge margin. It was also three times their size, and had two health bars. You did NOT want to come across her. Most players run away. Only a select few of players have banded together and beaten it. Kirito had solo'd it a few times by now. It wasn't to difficult for him, since he knew it's patterns and his level was greater. It was actually how he managed to increase his sword's strength to its max.

More often than not, you wouldn't have to worry about it spawning in, as long as you don't go too deep in the forest If you stayed on the outskirts of the forest or walkway, the «Dire Wolf Leader» would never spawn, and you could grind on the normal ones without worrying.

Because those players were so deep inside the forest, there was a HUGE chance of the boss spawning.

Kirito's footsteps slowed to a stop. He was debating if he should go check out the noise and see if they were okay, or to keep on walking. His morale began guilt trip him. Those players could die if they weren't careful. As deep as they were in the forest, the boss could spawn at any time. Maybe that was the point, and they wanted the boss to spawn?

In the end, his morale won out, and he decided to at least spy on them. He didn't plan on interfering with their fight.

He bent low and crept up to the noise. He used his «Hiding» skill so he wouldn't be detected, in case one of them had the «Searching» skill. He doubt any of them could see past his high leveled «Hiding».

'I'm sure they know what their doing. The guidebook even said to be careful in the «Deep Forest».' During the first week, Argo and a few other beta testers wrote out a guide book for the beginners. It only cost ten col, and they were purchasable at any store.

Hiding behind a bush, he peeked over it to see who these players were...

Or... Player?

'What? There's only one person here?' Kirito thought, surprised for the second time. Keeping «Searching» activated, he looked around to see if anyone was hiding. Sure enough, only he and the player were around. He couldn't see who the player was because the figure wore a red cloak with their hood covering their face. The player used a rapier, and was facing off against two «Dire Wolves». The player's health bar was in the red zone, and it seemed that they were beginning to tire out. They dodged a wolf and struck the second right between the eyes. It died, and the remaining «Dire Wolf» pounced on them from behind.

Kirito unconsciously reached for his sword, preparing to save them from dying, when the player suddenly whipped around and stabbed it through it's open jaws, killing it.

'He's got a pretty good reaction time.' Kirito thought, taking his hand off his sword.

The player was breathing hard, and placed their hands on their knees. After catching their breath, they sheathed their rapier and walked over to a nearby tree. The player sat down and took their hood off.

Kirito's eyes widened. 'H-Holy crap! It's a girl!' Never in a million years would he of thought the player would be female. 'She's... really pretty.' He couldn't help but stare at her beauty. There was no way a girl this cute would be playing SAO, right?

The girl had an ethereal appearance. Delicate amber hair that glistened in the moonlight, big doe eyes that held the prettiest color of hazel, creamy white skin that looked softer than any pillow, and the most perfect figure that any guy could ever wish for. All in all, she was the most beautiful girl Kirito had ever seen.

'Wow...' Was all Kirito could think as he stared her down behind the bush.

He watched as she opened her menu, taking out a few health potions. Her face held a disdainful look, and she squinted her eyes when she gulped down the red liquid. She gave an audible sigh of relief when she checked her hp bar was no longer red.

The girl began scrolling through her menu again. From the grump look on her face, it seemed she was having trouble navigating through it. Her pouting was rather cute in his eyes.

She managed to find what she was looking for, pulling out a water flask and a low-tier loaf of bread. 'Wait, she's taking a break now?' Kirito thought as the girl began to eat. 'Doesn't she know that its way to dangerous to start eating right now!? Just because she wants to take a break doesn't mean the wolves will stop spawning! They could spring up on her any second!' Kirito palmed his face. He thought that she may have been a beta tester, considering her skills with a blade, but now he could clearly tell she was a total noob. No one in the beta would make such an amateur mistake like taking a break that far inside the «Deep Forest».

'What should I do?' Kirito thought to himself. 'Should I approach her and tell her she's in danger? Kirito was torn between helping her, or leaving her and continue on to the boss room. She was cluelessly in danger. She's too distracted in her meal to focus on anything else. Maybe he really should help her. Then again, she obviously wanted to be left alone.

Looking in her eyes, he got a vague sense of familiarity in them. It was strange. It wasn't that he knew her, but something about her eyes made him feel something very familiar inside. It was almost like they said she was...

Running away.

Kirito gulped down his nervousness. He made his decision. It was time to be a man. Whether she liked it or not, he had to help her.

'This is so surreal.' Kirito thought. It was almost like she was some sort of damsel in distress and he was here to save the day.

Well, that's what he thought about it, anyway.

Kirito stepped out from behind the bush. 'Be brave!' He told himself, trying to calm his nerves. This may be the toughest challenge this game had thrown at him.

Talking to a girl.

"U-Uh, h-hey there." Kirito said, putting his hand up in a waving gesture. The girl jolted slightly, looking in his direction with wide eyes. Before he could say anything else to her, she'd already put her hood back over her face, her body becoming rigid.

'W-Woah! That was lightning fast!' He was surprised by how fast she could put her hood back on. She must have done it hundreds of times. He decided to ask her about it. "You know, I've already seen your face, there's no point in hiding it anymore." Kirito said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

The girl didn't show any recognition to his comment and continued sitting there, not moving a single muscle. 'Not very friendly, huh?' Kirito thought, his plan of attack shattering into a million pieces. "U-Um, ah, I-"

"Go away."

That surprised him, and he felt himself recoil. He didn't expect her to talk so suddenly. "Why?"

"Because I said so." The girl seemed angry at him.

'Good going Kirito, you say two words to her and she already hates you.' Kirito belittled himself. 'Oh well, nothing to lose now, I guess.'

He decided to skip any sort of formalities and just wing it. "Why are you out here all by yourself?" Kirito asked, slowly walking next to her and sat down. The girl immediately scooted a few feet away from him.

"That's none of your business." The girl said, sounding more annoyed.

"B-But you know th-"

"I can take care of myself." The girl interrupted again. "Don't even think that I'm some damsel in distress who needs some boy to save her. I am perfectly capable of doing things by myself. Don't even think about making a move on me, or I'll beat the crap out of you." She told him off.

Here he was, going out of his way to try to save her life, and she had the nerve to call him out? No, he wasn't having it. He felt his shoulders stiffen and his eyes narrow. "Now listen here." He said, his voice turning serious. "I don't think you know, but your in serious danger right now. I only stopped here to help you, not so I could get bitched at."

"Oh yeah right! Your just tryi-"

"No I'm not!" Kirito raised his voice over hers, cutting her off. "Think about it! You were fighting a hole bunch of wolves a second ago! You think they're going to magically stop fighting you so you can take a break!?"

The girl's anger receded into shock. She went silent, and her head turned down. She opened her mouth to say something, only to shut it again. Kirito looked away in irritation. The atmosphere was heavy, and the only sound that could be heard was from a few ravens on nearby branches. The girl finally spoke up.

"Oh." Was all she could think to say.

Kirito looked back at her. Her hood blocked her facial expression, but he knew that she must of realized that he was right.

"Sorry." She spoke again. From the sound of her voice, she was being truthful.

He sighed. "Don't worry about it. If I was in your shoes and a stranger walked up to me like that, I would've told them off too." Kirito said, knowing he'd of reacted the same way she did.

"Still... it was rude of me to assume you were hitting on me. I guess it's happened so much that I've gotten used to it." His eyes widened from that. She wasn't being some stuck up bitch because she wanted to, but because she had to.

"Oh I see now." He realized. "I guess when people saw your face, and they saw how pretty you were, they began approaching you in hopes of getting lucky." He assumed.

"When guys see how pretty I am, huh?" She quoted him. His shoulders stiffened up again.

'Crap! I just called her pretty!'

"I-uh." He stammered, feeling her glare at him. "Oh come on, give me a break." He sighed out exasperatedly.

"Hmph." He heard from her. He thought she was angry at him again until he saw a barely visible smirk from under her hood.

'Is she teasing me?' He thought, his nerves wandering in multiple directions.

"It's alright." She said. "I guess it's okay if you think I'm pretty." He could feel the mischievous smirk on her face get bigger. "Still, I don't appreciate being yelled at. Apologize and I'll forgive you."

'This girl.' Whoever she was, she really knew how to get on his nerves. He sighed again. "Okay, okay, you win. I'm sorry." He said in defeat.

"Hmph." The girl wore a cocky smirk. "So Mr. Fancy Pants, what's your name?" The girl teased him even further.

He ignored her rudeness. 'Fancy pants? Wha- Oh...' He'd almost forgotten. He had on his Defiance gear right now. 'Well, I doubt it even matters if a noob like her sees it." He could tell that she was a complete beginner at the game, she probably didn't even care about his equipment. Although, he wasn't about to let her get away with calling him that. It was his turn to smirk. "Oh? How crude, asking someones name without giving out your own. Very improper for a "pretty" lady such as yourself, miss." He knew he'd gotten her.

He could see her cheeks puff up under her hood. "Oh you think your clever huh? Well I just so happened to figure out that your a beta tester!" She pointed at him, saying the two forbidden words.

Even a noob like her knew about the hatred people had towards the beta testers. Evidently, the beta testers ran off with all the good loot and quests, leaving all the beginners in the dust. That was only half true. Only self-centered beta testers like himself were apart of the half that left the beginners to fend for themselves, but the other half really did help them, hence the release of the guidebook. Still, not even the guidebook got rid of the hatred people had for betas.

Her knowledge didn't bother him though. "Did it really take you that long to figure it out? Wow, maybe you should dye your hair blonde so that you'd at least have a reason to act so stupid." He knew he may of crossed the line with that one, but it was time for some payback.

She gasped and her head whipped around to face him. "I am not stupid!" Unbeknownst to her, the hood covering her face fell off, directly revealing her beauty to him.

His heart skipped. Now that he had an even closer look at her, it was confirmed. She was no doubt the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, real or otherwise. He'd never even dreamed of a girl this hot. His jaw dropped.

She continued to glare at him. "Take that back!" She shouted. After he said nothing, she spoke again. "Why are you so silent!? Answer me!" The girl noticed his stunned expression, and began to get creeped out when he suddenly pointed to her face. She had no idea what he was referring to until she felt a cool breeze hit her hair. Looking behind her, she saw her hood had fallen off her head.

"Wah!" She shrieked away. The hood was back on her head at lightning speed, and she stiffly turn towards him. "Did you see?" She asked, nervously.

'What? Did I see? Is she seriously saying that?' She reacted like he'd just walked in on her while she was naked.

"Y-Yeah, of course I saw." He stuttered. He felt a glare coming from under her hood. "A-Are you seriously getting mad at me? It was your fault." She scoffed and crossed her arms. He sighed. "You really shouldn't make a big deal out of it."

"I don't have a choice but to make a big deal out of it. If I show my face to others, everyone in the vicinity starts to surround me. They spout things like protecting me from harm, but I know what they really want..."

She went quiet. Kirito was at a lost for words.

'She's just like me.' He knew exactly where she was coming from. Ever since 'Kirito' became a famous pro gamer, he was practically trampled on by his fans. It may seem great, but for a guy like him, it was bothersome. 'I see. That's why she wears the hood.'

He gulped down his nervousness. The ambiance between them was getting thick, so he decided to alleviate the tension. "Yeah I can see why. Your hot." He said daringly.

She punched him in his arm. "Jerk." Looking away, she hid her smile. She understood what he was trying to do. It was... kind of sweet. A dust of pink brushed against her face.

A smile crept onto his face. "Careful now." He reprimanded. "If you hit me hard enough, your cursor could turn orange."

"My... cursor?" She questioned.

"...You really are a noob, huh?" He muttered under his breath. She didn't even know that?

"Huh?" She asked with cute curiosity. He sighed again, knowing full well she was gonna make him explain every single detail about cursors, as well as everything else she would need to know about the game.

"Okay." He began. "Since your so obviously clueless on how to play SAO, or any other video game for that matter, I guess I have no choice but to give you a run down."

The girl felt offended. "Hey! I'm not that clueless!" She protested.

Kirito deadpanned. "Show me your stats."

"Um, what?" He knew he had her again.

"Oh its pretty simple. I mean, EVERY player in the game at least knows how to do that. Since your not "that" clueless, I'm sure you know how to do it too, right?" His smirk was full of cockiness as he watched her face flush. She started sputtering nonsense to try and defend herself, but she eventually slumped over in defeat.

"Fine." she grumbled. "Tell me what you know."

"Before I do that." Kirito stood up, holding out a hand to her. "You should follow me. We're still in a dangerous area at the moment. I know a safe spot just outside the forest."

"Oh, right." The girl took his hand and stood up. He only held her hand for a few seconds, but he'd remember its softness for a long time to come.

---

He led her inside a meadow just outside the forest. It was small but useful because monsters didn't spawn anywhere nearby. They each sat down in a comfortable spot, and Kirito began to teach her all the basics on what she'd need to know about video games, rpg's, and how to survive in SAO. He showed her how to operate her menu efficiently, how to assign skill points, and what skill and stats she should use for her character type. He taught her to use sword skills efficiently and to always keep your guard up while outside a safezone. He scolded her for fighting against multiple monsters at once and to only fight if you knew what you were getting into. He made sure she knew to never let her hp hit red and to always have healing items on hand. He also berated her for letting her equipment become so degraded and informed her about blacksmithing shops.

Before either of them knew it, he'd lectured her for over an hour. Midway through, she'd dropped her hood in respect of him teaching her, and because he'd already seen her face. Kirito was secretly glad she did so, but decided not to comment about it, in favor of giving knowledge to her.

Eventually, Kirito finished lecturing her. Judging by the swirls in her eyes, he'd guess she had a hard time taking everything in.

"Is it over?" The girl asked as she cradled her head. In school, she was the top student in her grade, but not even she could comprehend everything he said.

"Quit being so dramatic. I only told you the basics of the game. There's still a whole lot more you'll eventually need to know to stay alive in this world."

"WHAT!? THERE'S MORE!?"

"You really haven't played a video game before, have you?" It was kind of obvious. Of course a girl like her had never played a single game before. She's too pretty. Based on her looks, he'd guess she was a popular girl who would often get asked out by a bunch of sports guys. Hell, she could even catch the eyes of celebrities. 'So why the hell is a girl like her inside a game like this?'

"Was it that obvious?" She said, placing her hands in her lap.

"Yeah. I can't believe you even survived this long without knowing any of that. Most people would of probably died by now."

"Well at least I know it now!" She replied, her enthusiasm restored. "Wow, I never knew it would be so difficult, playing a video game." A devious smirk appeared on her face. "Your totally a nerd, aren't you?"

Kirito felt his stomach sink. His shoulders stiffened. 'Idiot! Your suppose to sound cool! Now she thinks your a nerd!' He needed to recover from this, she couldn't find out that he really is a nerd. He took a deep breath. "N-no-o, I-I-" He said, ruining any chance of recovering himself.

The girl began laughing. "Oh my gosh! You totally are!" Kirito felt his face begin to redden. He quickly turned away, too embarrassed to look at her.

"Aww, come on. Being a nerd is an asset in here." Adding another insult to his open wound. He scowled, no way was she going to get away with this.

He turned back. "Yeah? And I'm guessing you're as dumb as a mule."

"Hey!" The girl said, taking offense. "I'll have you know that I was the smartest student in my grade."

"Oh really? Wouldn't that make you a nerd, nerd?" It was her turn to feel flustered. Her cheeks reddened in anger as his insult burrowed deep inside her.

'He seriously called me a nerd! Just because I work hard in school does NOT mean I'm a nerd! How could he say something like that!?' She tried rebutting with a snide remark, only to end up stuttering.

"W-What do you know!" She said in an attempt to defend herself.

"A lot more then you..." He trailed off.

She growled as her frustration began getting the better of her. "That's it!" She was ready to jump up and wipe that smirk off his face, but she hesitated, remembering that her cursor would turn orange if she attacked a player. If she hit him, she would no longer be able to enter towns.

Kirito saw this and his smirk grew. "Hey, looks like your not as dumb as I thought."

"Shut up."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Kirito sat in mirth from his victory until he heard the sounds of giggling.

"Hmm?" Taking another look at her, he saw she had a hand covering her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles. She noticed his confusion and explained. "It's just, I never knew I would have so much fun in here." His eyes widened in surprise. She was... Enjoying their conversation? A moment ago he thought she wanted to kill him, but out of nowhere she starts laughing.

'Girls...' He thought. 'Still, it's nice... Hearing her laugh.' He watched her laugh with a calm silence. Seeing her smile made him want to as well. After first getting told off by her, he thought he'd just guide her out of the forest and go on his way, but here he was, actually having a normal conversation with her. He even made her laugh!

'Come to think of it, we've talked for awhile now.' He opened up his menu as her laughter began dwindling down.

2:17 a.m.

Pretty soon, he would have to leave for the boss room. A spark of melancholy hit him as he realized he wouldn't get to talk with her anymore. "Wait, I feel sad that I won't get to talk to her anymore?' It was then Kirito realized, he actually enjoyed the time they'd spent talking with one another.

'That's... definitely a first.' He never thought he would see the day when he'd enjoy talking to someone.

He stretched his arms over his head as the chestnut haired girl opened her menu and brought out a water flask and some unappetizing bread. She looked at the bread in distaste before shutting her eyes and taking a bite.

"That bread must taste good, eh?" He taunted her.

She responded with a glare before swallowing. "Be quiet. A beta tester like you should know that this is the only thing edible in here." She took another bite of it, groaning as she tried washing it down with water.

"Well..." He began, opening his menu. "How bout you throw that garbage away and eat some of this."

She gave a sideways glance at him. "What are y-" She gasped, words dying in her mouth.

The girl was stunned into silence, staring as Kirito took a bite of freshly baked cookies and a drink of cool milk.

"B-But y-you.. h-how?" She managed to get out before falling silent again, hypnotized by the delicious treats he was holding.

Watching her reaction, he had to comment. "Do you need help picking your jaw up from the floor? Or is that an invitation?" He dared. 'On second thought, I probably shouldn't of said that.' Kirito mentally cringed at his salacious joke, hoping she wouldn't react badly.

The awe-struck girl managed to snap out of her stupor and look at him incredulously. "And what exactly is that suppose to mean?"

He quickly coughed. "Oh, here! Take this!" Avoiding her question, he quickly pushed the cookies and milk into her hands.

The angered female was fully prepared to tear him a new one before her hands were suddenly filled with delicacies she thought she'd never see again. She gazed upon the food in amazement. She began to eat with ladylike grace. After a bite, she couldn't help falling into temptation, devouring the treats almost instantly. Unbeknownst to her, Kirito released a quiet sigh of relief, thankful he had dodged a bullet.

The girl herself gave a sigh of bliss. "Oh wow... I wish every meal were as good as that." She closed her eyes in satisfaction, happy she'd finally gotten the chance to eat good food in what felt like forever.

"I know what you mean." Kirito said after a bite. "The things we took for granted in the real world are now the things most sought after." After being trapped for a couple days, Kirito learned the truth hidden under SAO's death game. The everyday privileges normal people took for granted in the real world were no longer available to the people trapped in SAO. The only way for you to get such necessities would be from fighting out in the front. There was only so much of those things to go around. The people in the «Town of Beginnings» would have it the worst. Not having the everyday accustoms you've lived with all your life would really mess you up, even to the point of insanity. If there was anything about SAO that scared him, it was losing himself like that.

They both sat in silence as Kirito drunk the rest of his milk. His words hit deep within the girl. She was completely unaware of that. She and everyone else were only worried about the death game, now she had another thing to be afraid of.

She decided to change the topic before she got depressed, and ask something that had been bothering her. "So why are you out here this late?"

"Pardon?" He asked while patting the crumbs off his gloves.

"Back inside the forest, you asked why I was out fighting «Dire Wolves» in the middle of the night, but I never got to ask why you were also there. Care to explain?" She asked suspiciously.

He gave her a look of apathy. "That's all? I was in the forest because I was searching for the quest item called the «Moonflower». As the name states, its a type of flower that blooms at night. Because of that, I had no choice but to come here at night." He said, displaying his incredible lying skills.

His lie was completely believable. There really is a quest that involves the player entering the «Deep Forest» at nighttime to collect the «Moonflower». He'd already done the quest awhile ago, but she had no way of knowing that. Although it was hidden, he was a little surprised she asked that.

"Oh." She replied, not knowing what else to say. Kirito scrolled through his menu and took out more cookies and milk. Her suspicion disappeared instantly.

"How many of these do you have!?" She was once again astounded by the fresh scent of cookies permeating the air.

He looked at the item in his menu. "Seventeen."

"SEVENTEEN!?" She shouted, nearly spitting up milk. "BUT HOW!? She assumed he originally got the food from a rare quest, but there was no way that was possible.

"A quest." He answered, closing his menu and proving her wrong.

"But a quest doesn't give out that many items! Does it!?"

"Well typically, you'd be correct." He told her. "But there are some quests that can be done multiple times. I simply did the quest over and over and it gave me duplicates."

A smile formed on her face. "So does that mean I could go do it too!?" If she could do the quest for herself, then she would have her own supply and wouldn't have to eat that sickening bread anymore!

"Not possible." And just like that, her dreams of eating good food were put to an end.

"But why not!?" She protested. If there were requirements in order to do the quest then she'd do it! Nothing would stop her!

"Because of limit capacities on quests."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, some quests can be done multiple times. Very few quests can be done infinitely. The quest I did to get the food is not one of them." He paused to take a bite. "Since the quest was completed so many times, it's no longer available."

She groaned, laying her head back in frustration. The moment something good finally came around ends up being a ruse. "That's so disappointing." Another groan escaped her. "Seriously, why hasn't anyone else even mention anything about the quest? If I would have known about it I would've done it!" She complained.

"Yeah. I'm sure other people would've done it too if they known about it." Kirito said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't really know what to tell ya. Sorry."

She pressed on. "I mean, surely someone must of talked about it. I didn't hear anything from info-brokers or the guidebook. It's not like there was just one single guy who hogged the quest all... to... himself..." Her words slowed down as realization hit her. She glared at him with all the hate she could muster. "YOU!"

"Oh! Would you look at the time!" He interrupted her, rising up to his feet. "I should be heading off-"

"Don't even think about it mister!" She stood in front of him, hands on her hips. "How could you do something so selfish!? Do you know how many days I've had to eat that nauseating bread!?"

He put his hands up. "Come on, don't give me that. You know as well as I do that someone else would of got to the quest before you would've."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Look on the bright side, at least you got to eat something good today. Not everyone can get that kind of luxury."

She seemed to consider what he said. She let out a huff and sat down. He let out a breath and sat down as well.

"Fine, I guess your right." Her scowl still remained plastered on her face.

They finished their food as silence befell them once more. Kirito closed his eyes, feeling the virtual wind as it gently blew the grass around them. Every once in a while, a bird nearby would chirp and flap its wings, flying off into the night. He glanced at her, it seemed that she had also noticed how calm it was. She took a fresh breath of air, watching the grass dance around them.

It sure was peaceful.

But he couldn't sit here forever.

He looked at the in-game clock.

2:29 a.m.

'I guess I really should get going now.' He couldn't waste anymore time with her. If he did, he might not be able to fight the boss in time before the raid took it on. He knew he couldn't just leave out of the blue so suddenly. He needed something to say that would end this meeting with proper closure.

'I got it.' He thought, putting his plan together.

He stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Well, its getting pretty late. I think now's the time to go our separate paths." He said, playing it cool.

"O-Oh yeah, your right. Its getting late." She stood up again and dusted herself off. "I should go as well."

"Here." He scrolled through his menu into the «Social» tab, sending her a trade request. "Take this as a parting gift."

She raised an eyebrow at his actions before accepting the request.

«Chocolate Chip Cookies x15»

«Farmer's Cow Milk x15»

He accepted the trade. Her mouth dropped in surprise. "B-But, why!?"

"Eh, I guess I'm bored of milk and cookies. Besides, I know a few places on the second floor to pick up food." She didn't really understand his reasoning, but she wasn't gonna turn down his offer. She quickly collected herself and accepted the trade.

A bright smile appeared on her face as she looked at the items inside her inventory. "Thank you!" She looked him in the eyes. "Is there any way I can repay you?"

He saw her intense gaze before looking away and scratching his head, hiding a blush. "Nah, its cool. Don't worry about it."

She silently cheered to herself. He watched her cute antics with a smile before turning around. "Well, it's about time I head out. Bye."

He walked away from her, placing his hands in his pockets. "Wait."

He turned back. "Hmm? What is it?"

She went quiet, and once again, she began giggling. 'What's so funny?' He raised an eyebrow at her actions.

"It's just." She said between giggles. "We've been talking this whole time, and we completely about it!"

More laughter escaped her, and his interest was now peaked. "Really? What is it?"

"Don't you remember? I asked you for your name, Mr. Fancy Pants!" Oh, that's right. They forgot to introduce themselves. The girls laugh faded into a gentle smile. "I'll start. My name is Asuna. Now you."

He smiled back. "I'm K-" He jolted, biting his tongue. Panic made itself known on his face. 'Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! I nearly gave out my name! I'm such an idiot!' He reprimanded himself. She caught him off guard. He was too immersed into their conversation that he lost focus. What a stupid mistake!

Asuna saw him turn away in surprise. "What's wrong?" What just happened? Everything seemed fine before and then he just suddenly flipped out. All she did was ask for his name.

"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" He said, more forceful than he meant. 'What should I do? I can't just tell her my name? Can I?' No, there was no way he could tell her his name. If he did, she'd tell everyone! She wasn't trustworthy! She's just some stupid noob!

...

Wait a second. 'She's a noob! There's no way a girl like her would know about me, right?' He was only famous in the world of gaming, and she already said earlier that this was her first video game. Could she really be trusted? Would it really be okay if she knew who he was? What would happen if she did know? What if-

"Hello? Are you in there? Are you okay?" She said nervously with a look of concern.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay." He answered back, calming himself down. It wouldn't do any of them good if he stayed like that.

"I'm sorry for asking." Asuna spoke up. "I didn't know it was such a sensitive topic for you.."

She... she's letting it go?

"N-No, its fine.. Its not like you knew.." He had no idea what to tell her. He didn't want to reveal his name to anyone. He never even planned on talking to someone as long as he did. Maybe it was because he never talked to a girl like her before. At first he thought she would be some stuck up bitch, but after talking with her, he found out she was actually really nice. "I shouldn't of freaked out on you like that. I'm sorry." He knew he overreacted. He made her worry for no reason. She didn't deserve that.

She wanted to reply, but couldn't find the words to respond.

'Should I... tell her?' At the beginning of the game, Kirito swore that he would never tell anyone his name. Under no circumstance would he ever give it out, even if it was an absolute emergency. And yet here he was, considering giving this random girl, Asuna, his name. His hair shadowed his eyes.

His voice was serious. "Asuna." Should he really be doing this?

She noticed his serious tone "Y-Yes?" She asked with hesitation.

"If you swear to me, right now, that you'll never tell anyone, I'll tell you my name." Could he really do this?

"No, no, it's okay. You really don't need to tell.. me.." Her voice died down as she looked into his eyes. They were dark. He wasn't joking. It was like he was staring into her very soul, waiting. She felt a cold sweat fall from her eyebrow.

He was beginning to scare her.

"Asuna." He said, this time louder. "You have to swear. You won't tell a single soul." Is this the right decision to make? "I'm serious." Is she trustworthy?

Now he was really scaring her. Was this guy a criminal? She looked at his cursor and it was green, so that couldn't be it. Whoever he was, it must be important. Asuna gave an audible gulp and nodded her head. "I-I swear. I won't tell anyone." Her voice shook.

He looked at her fearful expression and sighed, calming himself down. He was freaking her out again. His face dropped to it's usual, apathetic look. "Sorry, it's just, revealing my name to people is a big problem for me. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Asuna released a breath she didn't know she was holding, glad he was normal again. "You really scared me, you know? I didn't know how serious this was."

Kirito pondered out an explanation in his head. "Well, think of it like your hood. You don't want people seeing your face because you know they'll approach you. Its almost the exact same thing with my name. Its the reason why I haven't told anyone."

"Really?" Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "I'm gonna be the first to know?"

"Yep." He coughed to clear his throat, giving her another smile. "So, you ready to know?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She said, now excited to find out his big secret.

He let out a breath. 'I hope this was a good decision.' He thought, finally deciding to put his trust into someone. "My name is..."

It was extremely quiet, the wind no longer blowing, like the whole entire world came to a halt. He spoke his name.

"Kirito."

Things began moving again as the wind came back, almost like it had never stopped in the first place.

"Ki-ri-to." She sounded it out. "Kirito's your name?" He nodded. "Huh. I thought it would be something super crazy, like DragonSlayer!" She laughed at him.

Kirito deadpanned. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh I'm just kidding. Kirito is a nice name." She smiled at him, and he found himself hiding another blush. It was kinda nice hearing her speak it..

"Yeah well, just make sure you never say it. Ever. Okay?"

"You got it. I promise I won't." Hearing her make that promise made him feel joy. Now all she had to do was keep it.

She spoke up. "May I ask you a question, Kirito?"

"Ask away."

"Specifically, why do you hide your name from people?"

He almost chuckled at her ignorance. "I'm not surprised you wouldn't know. Lets just say I'm a little popular." That left her unsatisfied. Did he have to be so vague?

Kirito looked at the time again.

2:46 a.m.

'Damn, I really got to get going.' He closed his menu. "Well, this is where I take off. I'll hold you to your promise. Take care, Asuna." He began walking away, hand raised in a 'goodbye' gesture.

"Hold on, Kirito." She said, stopping him for the second time.

His foot stopped on the ground, dragging dirt under it. "Yeah?"

She clasped her hands together, and her feet began to shuffle on the ground. "Will you... Add me? As a friend?"

His eyes widened. She wanted to add him? But why? Sure they talked for awhile, but they still don't even know each other. Wouldn't she feel uncomfortable with someone like him on her list? "Why?" Back in the beta, Kirito added numerous amounts of people. He did it mainly because they wouldn't stop bugging him until he did. The only one he talked to regularly was Argo.

In the end, he deleted her and everyone else on his friends list. He couldn't have liabilities like them following him around once the real game began. Now that it was a death game, he did feel bad about doing it. Still, taking on the first boss should be more than enough compensation for hiding himself.

It was hard to see against the moon's light, but a blush spread across Asuna's face. It didn't go unnoticed, and Kirito felt himself looking away, afraid that watching her blush would probably make him do so as well. "W-Well, you know. We've been talking for awhile now, a-and it wouldn't hurt if we got in contact with each other again, don't you think?"

He looked up in thought. Should he really add Asuna to his friends list? It wasn't like she was a fan of his, so he doubted that she would message him constantly. Plus if he did add her, he could keep a better monitor on her because the game lets you track friends. He still couldn't fully trust her. He still thought there was a chance she would reveal his name to the public. This way, he would have a much easier time making sure she wouldn't betray him.

Asuna began to get nervous at his silence. She was beginning to have doubts when he finally responded. "Yeah, sure. I'll add you."

She smiled with glee. "Great! So... how do I send it?"

Of course she wouldn't know. Oh well, no big deal. "I'll do it." Kirito said while sending her a friends requests. She looked down at the pop up and quickly pressed the blue circle, accepting it.

Asuna suddenly felt elated. She thought she would be all alone in this game, but now she finally had a friend she could talk to. This game was really starting to look up for her. Meanwhile, Kirito thought this whole situation was surreal. That he would wake up and it would all be a dream. Did he really give his name away? He thought his defenses were strong. Then a cute girl suddenly came by, and they all came crashing down. 'There's nothing I can do about it now... As long as she keeps quiet about it, I should be okay.' He thought. Still, it didn't really stop him from feeling nervous.

It was time to leave. "Okay, I'm off to go get the «Moonflower» before its daytime. I don't want to have to wait another day for it to bloom again." Kirito said, sticking to his lie.

"Do you want me to go with you? Wouldn't it be safer if we go together?" Asuna asked him.

"No, its fine. I know my way around the forest without many wolves spawning in. No worries." He declined her. She looked upset that he said no, she was also uncomfortable knowing that he was going by himself. He got an idea. "You should head back to «Tolbana» and get some sleep. They're having a meeting about the floor one boss at 7:00 a.m. in the amphitheater. If you go to sleep now and set an alarm, you could still catch it."

Asuna perked up. "Really!? Were finally going to beat floor one!?" Her sadness was replaced with enlightenment. "I guess I should hurry and get some sleep if I'm going to catch it!" She began running back to town with a hop in her step. "See ya later Kirito!" She waved back at him.

He felt himself flinch. She just yelled "Kirito" without any precaution. Good thing no one was around, or that could of been dangerous. 'Were gonna have to work on that.'

Sighing at her carelessness, and giving her a small wave back, he once again set off for his real destination, the floor one boss.

Illfang the Kobold Lord.

---

It was 6:58 in the morning, and Asuna had arrived at the amphitheater. She was tired, as she only found out about the meeting last minute and couldn't get her full eight hours. Nevertheless, she was glad she made it on time.

Cloak hiding her face, she looked around for a certain someone amongst the people who had already arrived. "Where is he?" She mumbled. Opening her menu, Asuna watched as another minute went by with no sign of Kirito.

'Maybe he slept in? he was up longer than I was looking for that flower. Should I message him?' No, he probably wouldn't like it if she bothered him like that. She knew that she shouldn't message him just because the opportunity arose...

...

What if he was in danger? What if he died last night? What if...

No no no. She was being too clingy. She'd only met the guy yesterday. 'I'm sure he's fine. He's a beta tester and has all that fancy equipment. He's fine...' Asuna looked down at her foot and saw it tapping repeatedly against the ground. Was she really that worried? Surely she was overthinking things and he was just running late...

...

Nope. She couldn't take it. Opening her friends list, she was just about to send him a message when she saw an icon next to his name. She pressed it down.

Kirito

Status: Alive

She felt herself release a breath she didn't know she was holding. What's his problem? How could he make her worry like that? She should message him right now and give him a piece of her mind!

...

'What am I doing?' She began questioning herself. Was she going crazy? From this one simple guy? She didn't know that not having any friends for an entire month would have this kind of effect on her.

...

Now that she thought about it, Kirito never actually did say he was going to come to the meeting. He only told her when and where it would be and that she should go to it...

...

THAT WEASEL! HE DID THAT ON PURPOSE!

Asuna felt her eyes twitch in irritation. The next time she saw him...

Before she could think anymore on the subject, she heard a voice. "Good evening everyone!" Looking in the direction it came from, she saw a blue haired man standing at the bottom of the amphitheater. "Now that everyone is here, let's get this meeting started!"

'Wait a second, this is everyone?' Looking around, there were probably less than fifty people who showed up to the meeting. Where was everyone? Surely there had to be more people who wanted to beat the boss. Didn't they want out of this game? Asuna began feeling nervous. Could they even beat the boss with this number of people?

"So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming. My name is Diavel, and in this game, the job I rolled is knight!" The man now named Diavel said, pointing a thumb to his chest.

People began laughing at him. "Dude, there's no job system in this game!" A player yelled out.

More people started murmuring to themselves. "Do you guys wanna hear this or not?" Diavel said. The laughter died down, and everyone was suddenly tense.

"Right. Well, let me be blunt. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower yesterday." Gasps were heard as people leaned forward in suspense. Even Asuna herself was shocked at the news. "We need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two. The next step is-"

Before Diavel could say anything else, an announcement was heard all throughout Aincrad.

Attention. The first floor has been cleared. The second floor has now been opened.

...

"WHAT!"