Aincrad, the Starting Town.
As fragments of light gradually gathered, a figure appeared in the central plaza.
"Phew…"
Sato looked around and let out a long breath, opening his eyes to this world that felt both real and illusory.
[Kirito: Sato, are you in yet?]
A translucent panel suddenly popped up in front of him, showing a message from Kirito, whose real name is Kirigaya Kazuto.
[Satoshi: Just logged in!]
[Kirito: Good. I'll send you the coordinates. Hurry over, the raid's about to start.]
[Sato: Got it!]
Soon, Kirigaya Kazuto sent over a detailed set of coordinates.
That location was exactly where the final boss of the first floor of Aincrad resided.
Aincrad was the name of the world in SAO, a floating world made up of one hundred layers.
The ultimate goal of the game was to clear the boss on the hundredth floor. After clearing it, all players would supposedly receive a mysterious grand reward.
Of course, that was just what the Hero Association told the public.
In reality, clearing the hundredth floor granted nothing at all. The real purpose was to push players to keep leveling and challenging themselves, stimulating their in-game experiences to awaken latent abilities in their real-world bodies.
According to information from Hiratsuka Shizuka, the number of players in this game had already reached tens of thousands, and almost all participants were under thirty.
To prevent younger players, especially students, from becoming addicted, the game also had a strict time limit, a maximum of four hours per day.
After several days of progress, many players had already surpassed level ten and discovered the boss location on the first floor.
Defeating that boss would unlock the second floor.
Before school ended, Kirigaya Kazuto had specifically asked Sato to log in tonight, planning to carry him and help him gain some experience.
So this is what it feels like to be carried by a pro?
Sato could not help but smile. A real pro was probably someone who would drag you along to level up even if you did not want to.
"The distance is still a bit far. Better get moving."
After checking the distance between himself and the boss, Sato set off.
He did not care much about levels, but he could not exactly disappoint the one carrying him.
…
Outside the Starting Town lay a vast stretch of plains, inhabited by monsters that were nothing more than ordinary beasts with little threat.
After all, this was only the first floor. It would not be filled with overly difficult enemies.
Yet in this world that felt both virtual and real, countless players had fallen at the beginning to wild dogs, black wolves, and boars.
Combat here was no longer about pressing keys and clicking a mouse to move stylishly and unleash skills at will. Players had to move their own bodies, stay alert to their surroundings, and commit their full attention.
According to Hiratsuka Shizuka, a small number of people awakened their abilities at this stage. Many others, however, developed psychological trauma and never logged in again.
To stimulate players, the Hero Association held nothing back, not even censoring anything. Seeing beasts die gruesomely was one thing, but seeing your own body torn apart…
That was enough to keep anyone from sleeping.
"Roar!"
A crouching wild dog suddenly lunged out from the grass, biting toward him, clearly lying in ambush. The monster AI in this world was frighteningly advanced.
But Sato seemed to have expected it. He casually sidestepped, drew his sword, and sliced upward across the dog's neck.
The cold blade cut through flesh, opening a deep wound as blood gushed out.
With his instincts and the "Martial Arts Master" module, dealing with these small monsters was effortless.
The wild dog collapsed, killed instantly with a fatal strike.
[Ding! Congratulations, you've reached Level 7!]
Since he was not particularly focused on leveling, Sato's level had always lagged behind most players.
Beyond the plains was a forest, and the final boss's coordinates were inside it.
The Dark Forest.
Dense fog filled the forest, making it eerily quiet. Towering tree canopies and thick white mist obscured vision, and even sound seemed muffled.
"How did those people even manage to explore this place…"
Sato looked around. Visibility here was extremely poor, and the twisted branches hidden in the fog looked like ghostly hands reaching out.
"Help…"
Hm?
Sato raised an eyebrow. He thought he had just heard someone calling for help.
"Help… is anyone there?"
When the voice came again, he turned toward his front right.
Without hesitation, he rushed in that direction.
After pushing through layers of thick fog, he soon arrived near a swamp. The mist here was thinner, and the view more open, with withered trees wrapped in vines.
"Swish!"
Pitch-black vines suddenly shot toward him from behind.
Sato remained calm, swinging his sword backward and cleanly cutting the vine in half.
Meanwhile, the cries for help grew clearer.
He quickly moved deeper into the swamp and soon found the source, a massive dead tree standing in the mire.
In the dim environment, a striking girl dressed in white was trapped on the tree. Numerous black swamp vines coiled around her body.
Some bound her hands, while others climbed up along her pale thighs.
The moment she saw Sato, her eyes lit up with unprecedented hope as she shouted excitedly:
"Help me!"
Her voice echoed through the hollow, quiet swamp, lingering for a long time.
Sato looked at the trapped girl with a strange expression.
What is this, some kind of bondage play?
The game designers sure have some interesting ideas.