Chapter 117: Information Gathering
--- Akira ---
Creating my character was easy.
It was not supposed to be a particularly complicated thing to do, in the first place.
There was just one problem.
[Please select your preferred weapon]
[Sword] [Spear] [Dagger] [Hammer] [Axe]....
All around me, weapons appeared.
Of course, I wanted to choose Sword. With that, I'd have an enormous advantage over anyone else. But just before I was about to pick the Sword, I was forced to stop.
[You cannot select that Weapon]
[Your Talent [Sword] rejects the game class [Sword]]
[The Authority of the Sword chimes in, explaining that choosing the [Sword] class would taint your current path. A [True Swordsman] has a deep bond with their sword, which can be ruined if you wield any other one]
...I had a feeling this would happen.
Even though what I'm about to dive into is just a game, I cannot see it like that.
Since Sword was not available, I chose the option immediately close to it.
[You have selected the [Spear]]
[You will gain a Skill associated to the [Spear]]
After this, came the most useless aspect in the game
[Please select your Avatar's appearance, gender...]
Leaving aside the appearance, why do you have to choose the gender of your Avatar...
Of course, I didn't change a thing and went default to mirror my original appearance. I didn't really care about it either way.
[What will be your displayed name?]
[_____]
I pondered it for a second.
...
I suck with names, so it's not like I magically connected the dots and came up with a good nickname just like that.
Instead of overthinking it, I decided to imitate Kirigaya Kazuto.
He took the first part of his name, combined it with the last part of his surname, and thus the nickname [Kirito] was born.
Copying him exactly would be bad, so I decided to do the complete opposite, just for the fun of it.
The name of this identity is Temiya Haruto.
So... my new nickname will be...
[You have selected the name [Haru]. You will not be able to change it anymore]
[Are you sure?]
[Yes] [No]
Yes. Let's go with that.
We'll be complete opposites, in a way.
---
[Welcome to [Sword Art Online]]
As soon as I was transported to the Town of Beginnings, I sighed, as other prompts immediately filled my vision.
[You have entered [Sword Art Online]. As such, the System will synchronize with the [Cardinal System] for the duration of the 3rd Trial]
[Your [Status], [Quests], and [Inventory] will be readjusted]
[Status]
[Name: Haru]
[Level: 1]
[Skills: Spear(Lv. 1)]
[You have 2 Skill Slots left]
[Inventory:
Beginner's Spear x1]
I wanted to stop for a moment and focus on what was in front of me, but right now, I didn't have the time.
I need to reach Level 10 or 11 as soon as possible so that I can challenge the 1st Floor Boss all by myself.
You might think it's impossible to solo a floor boss, even at a high level difference.
But in reality, we need to look deeper into how SAO actually works.
This was merely a test, but as I expected, I'm right.
Although my body's strength is limited to that of a level 1 player, reflexes, or more specifically, the strength of the mind, vary from person to person.
With my current mind, I am in no way comparable to a normal human.
My reaction speed, my thought process, my calculations...
All of these aspects—there's no real restriction that can be used on me.
If we add my experience on top of it, I'm actually a really unbalanced character.
All those things lead me to a single answer.
If it's me, soloing a Floor Boss won't be impossible.
But why am I going to such lengths?
The reason is simple.
I want to completely outclass everyone.
You might think my real enemy is Kirito, but he's not.
He and I will have our showdown on the 75th floor. Until then, I have no reason to care about him, aside from stealing as many resources from him as I can.
My true enemy is the 'God' of this World, Akihiko Kayaba.
No matter how strong I get, he can simply readjust his character to be stronger than mine.
In that case, there'd be no way for me to complete the second clause of my Trial Quest.
[Become the No. 1 in the Rankings]
But what if I can solo the 1st Floor Boss?
From the sheer amount of experience I'll get, I'll probably be able to completely raze the 2nd Floor to the ground in the same way.
That wave will die out when the game's difficulty curve spikes upward, but until then, I'll be recognized as No. 1 by the Cardinal System, thus completing the task.
Although Kayaba wants to play the game himself, he won't interfere with a player holding the No. 1 position for a while.
At most, I'll be forced into a duel with him to be recruited into his guild.
If my conjectures are right, at the very least, I'll be killing two birds with one stone, as I also have to reach level 100.
The only thing left to address is the [Unique Skill]. The only thing I know about it is that there are supposed to be about 10 Unique Skills in the game, and the conditions to obtain them are all kind of random.
For now, I'll follow my plan while searching for a solution to this problem.
---
Or at least, that's what I had in mind.
What were the chances of meeting one of the main characters right off the bat?
I was mostly testing how much strength I could actually use without relying on the weapon provided by my class.
It's actually better than I imagined.
Although my true strength is limited to [Extreme] in the Third Trial, that only refers to the real world.
In the game, that [Extreme] is quantified by the Cardinal System and added to my avatar as strength free of charge.
Of course, that's an unfair advantage, but otherwise, if everyone were perfectly equal in strength, it might cause problems in both directions.
Stronger people wouldn't feel like the body they were in was theirs, while weaker people wouldn't be able to exert that strength properly anyway.
And even aside from this aspect, in war, every single weapon is legal.
It's a problem of other players for being such lazy asses, fr.
"Heeelp!!"
I snapped out of my thoughts as the proud girl who said she could easily kill a Frenzy Boar was now running away from one.
Asuna, really...
I sighed.
Although there's no way she'd die from this, one can never be too sure.
For the sake of my backup plans, I really need Asuna.
What if my initial plan to solo all the bosses fails?
I have no plans to join any guilds, as they are a waste of time, but a single member for a party does not sound bad.
She also has immense talent, so there's no reason for me not to consider her.
In a way, my thoughts are not that different from Kirito's.
It's just that we have totally different aims.
Thus, if we didn't coincidentally meet like this, I was planning on searching for her as soon as Akihiko Kayaba's speech started anyway.
That was the only time all the players in the entire server converged in a single location.
No better time to get information on her aside from that moment.
But anyway, I should save her before her ass gets bitten.
Without much thought, I accelerated towards the monster. With one swift motion, I raised my leg high into the sky and brought it down with crushing force. My foot connected with the boar's head, deforming it instantly.
The Frenzy Boar's corpse dissolved into a shower of experience points and gold coins.
"You... no matter how many times I see it, that's insane! How can you kill monsters like that!?"
To be honest with you, it's just skill issues on your part.
Not like I could tell her that.
"You'd be able to do this soon, if you tried. You're only going to die if you keep running away like that"
Asuna crossed her arms and pouted, denying my statement. "That's not true! I just don't have enough experience fighting yet. I'll be able to do it soon enough, believe me!"
Why was she so fixed on this?
Up until now, she had lived a completely normal life. It made sense that she was having trouble adjusting to the mechanics of Sword Art Online.
It was unfair to compare us in the first place.
In the not-so-distant future, she would get much stronger anyway.
But still, she didn't seem to care. She just wanted to smash monsters around.
Was she always this fiery of a character?
I honestly don't remember her being like this.
Maybe her personality changed after Akihiko revealed the truth about this game.
I don't know, nor do I care.
"Alright, alright, I believe you," I retorted, holding up my hands in surrender.
I then reached into my inventory and pulled out my Beginner's Spear, feeling its weight and balance in my hands..
"For now, I'll begin by teaching you how to properly use the Skill associated with the weapon"
It's better for her to start growing her strength much faster than planned.
Otherwise, there's no way she'd be able to keep up with me.
Asuna's eyes widened in excitement, and she eagerly nodded. "Thank you, I appreciate it!" she said, a genuine smile on her face.
With this, at the very least, I believe she wouldn't refuse if I asked her to form a party with me in the future.
Nice.
---
Author's Note:
If you do not know SAO or do not remember, the Cardinal System is essentially the main AI that directs Sword Art Online.
I recommend to not underestimate it.
Anyway! Onto the Statuses you were waiting for!
Aurora:
[Status: Fused with World Core(Unknown)
Titles: Diablos, Demon of Origin...
Class: Weakest-level God
Level: 2500+
...
Combat Prowess: Transcendent
Mastery: ???
Arts: ???
Traits: Infinite Magical Power, Space Manipulation, Weakest-Level Creation, Weakest-Level Manipulation...
Active Skills: Territory Management(Lv. MAX), Limited Creation(Lv. MAX), Foresight(Lv. MAX)...
Magic: Territory Creation(Lv. MAX+), Law Enforcement(Lv. MAX+)
Resistances: Magic(100%), Physical Attacks(100%)
...
Talent: Magic(Lv. MAX+++), Body(Lv. MAX+), Determination(Lv. MAX), Wisdom(Lv. MAX), Intuition(Lv. MAX), Sight(Lv. MAX), Fusion(Lv. MAX), Adaptability(Lv. MAX)...
You have 2500+ unused Skill Points(Cannot use Skill Points)]
Shadow:
[Status: ???
Title: True Lord, Fate Destroyer, Plot Armor Emperor
Class: Lord of Shadows
Level: 3500+(Impossible to Estimate)
...
Combat Prowess: Transcendent+(Impossible to Estimate)
Mastery: True Magic(95%), True Sword Arts(99%), Bulshitting(100%),
Shadow Arts: Shadow's Sword Arts(...), Ordinary Shadow's Arts(...), I am...Atomic(...)....
Active Skills: Shadow Hunter(Lv. MAX), Martial Arts King(Lv. MAX), Absolute Magic Control(Lv. MAX), I am Invincible(Lv. MAX),
Passive Skills: Impossible Perception(Lv. MAX), War Commander(Lv. MAX), Battle Analyzing Monster(Lv. MAX), Killing Intent(Lv. MAX), Impossible Plot Armor(Lv. MAX+++), Absolute Body Control(Lv. MAX), Reality Bending Strength(Lv. MAX)
Magic: Body Strengthening(Lv.MAX+++), Sword Infusion(Lv.MAX+++), Slime Manipulation(Lv.MAX)...
Resistances: ???
...
Talent: True Magic(Lv. ???), True Sword Arts(Lv. ???), Plot Armor(Lv. ???)
You have 3500+ unused Skill Points(Cannot use Skill Points)]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone