"Hey... is this the real thing?"
"In one sense, yes. In another, it's a total fake," Ai replied.
Hachiman frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Simply put, this is a 'minor change' version of Aincrad. The city functions are restricted, and there are hardly any NPCs. The monsters in the field are basically the same, but the number of quests has been slashed. Right now, only this floor actually exists."
"Right now?"
The phrasing caught Hachiman's attention. He turned his gaze toward Ai, seeking clarification.
"Yeah. Because of server limitations, we can only download two floors at a time," she explained. "The Town of Beginnings is the fixed entry point from our side, so it stays. But if we had them load the third floor, we wouldn't be able to go back to the second—or rather, we'd have to ask them to re-install it just to return. Argo-san's been tweaking the configuration so we don't have to keep backtracking."
"I see... I doubt that's an easy job. We really owe Argo for this."
"Mhm. I'm truly grateful to her."
"Fair enough," Hachiman muttered. "Next time I see her, I'll give her a full-blown princess carry on your behalf to show our thanks."
Ai giggled. "Yes, please do."
With that, the three of them stepped out into the streets of the Town of Beginnings.
"So," Hachiman asked, looking around the nostalgic scenery, "what's the plan?"
"I want you to show us around the city," Ai said.
Hachiman paused, his eyes narrowing. "…Did someone tell you I was an SAO survivor?"
"Yep. Argo-san did."
"Of course she did. Fine—is that all you want?"
"Well, I'd like to reach the boss today, ideally. But for now, just the tour."
"Got it."
The trio began their walk through the sprawling stone city. Eventually, they came across a structure that seemed to serve no current purpose: a massive monument for swordsmen. The name remained unchanged: The Monument of Life.
"The Monument of Life, huh..." Hachiman murmured, his voice heavy with a sudden, quiet gravity.
"Yeah," Ai whispered.
"Originally, this thing listed the names of every single player trapped in SAO. Whenever someone died, a line was drawn through their name. That's what this place was. A ledger for the dead."
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