Chapter 12: Two Black Haired Boy and Girl
December 1st, 2022
There are approximately 2000 players who died in Sword Art Online. Among this number, there are about 300 beta testers. This figure will continue to grow as the game progresses.
It's been a month and so many victims have fallen in that one month. They died either from monsters or from suicide.
The first death coincided with the first day players were trapped.
At that time, there was a player who wanted to prove a theory that he could regain consciousness after being disconnected from the server by jumping from the side of Aincrad.
None of the players knew whether he succeeded or not. But it was also at that time that the player became the first death that occurred in Aincrad.
Everyone who witnessed it became hesitant at the idea. Some decided to jump in, simply because they are desperate.
Meanwhile, many of the deaths were due to them dying while trying to kill monsters.
Of course, they died for not knowing the basics of this game and it was their negligence.
Even though some of them have tried hard, it's still not enough to survive here.
After the death toll reached the thousands, many of the other players started to get scared and decided not to do anything while restraining their intention to do anything that endangered their lives.
However, it seems that this does not apply to Rey and his group who still keep leveling up.
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"You should pay more attention to the enemy's attack patterns before attacking, Yuuki!"
Rey and his group, along with their new members, Asuna and Mito, are farming in a dungeon while training. Fighting on the field directly is of course the best experience.
They're dealing with minions in this labyrinth.
Rey was watching and instructing where the group went wrong.
The group had started this thing a month ago, and this was their first time visiting this labyrinth.
He wanted his group to become stronger so they could take better care of themselves.
They need to be able to protect themselves from all threats because Rey can't possibly protect everyone all the time.
There must have been times when he was away they would get into trouble and Rey couldn't come to help.
"I understand!" Yuki shouted.
She was trying her hardest to exterminate several [Ruin Kobold Troopers].
These monsters have large and muscular bodies. They were demi-human monsters that could be found in labyrinths.
They had no armor and only relied on their bodies as protection.
They also carried a large axe as their weapon.
If normal people saw these humanoid monsters, of course, they would panic and not know what to do.
All of that was because these monsters also had intelligence, different from monsters outside the labyrinth.
They carry weapons and can think of tactics too.
If you were an idiot, then you would die right away from directly attacking them for underestimating them.
"Asuna! You mustn't let your guard down when dealing with an enemy!"
"Okay." Asuna nodded in understanding.
She was facing two kobolds and was clashing swords with them.
In the end, she got an opening and managed to stab them both in their necks.
After the two monsters died, Asuna switched to another monster.
The six of them were dealing with many monsters of this kind.
Supposedly, they were outnumbered by the sheer number of monsters. However, Rey remained calm because everything could still be overcome.
If the situation were to become dire, he would order everyone to retreat.
"Sinon, you can test your training results now!"
Rey ordered Sinon who was beside him. She was waiting for orders from Rey for her turn.
"Ha-hai!" With a halting tone, she nodded.
But it seems, seeing all these sights gave some doubts in her mind.
"Are you sure I can do it, Rey?"
Before she started her attack, Sinon suddenly asked Rey.
Rey, who was watching his group fight, turned his gaze to Sinon. He wasn't surprised when he heard her say that.
After all, it was already normal for Sinon to lower herself and fill her mind with doubts.
"Ouch!"
Suddenly, Rey pinched Sinon's cheek to wake her up from her useless thoughts.
"Don't think about unnecessary things! Quickly help them and show me everything you can!"
Rey gave Sinon a weapon that suited her best.
After several trials, Rey could conclude that Sinon's potential lay neither in swords nor in melee attacks.
She wasn't good at melee attacks and would freeze stiff if faced with an enemy head-on.
She has tried various ways but her progress is always hampered. In the end, Rey finds Chakram instead.
This weapon can be used for both long and close range.
In Aincrad, there weren't any ranged weapons like a bow. The only types of ranged weapons were weapons used by throwing them like the javelins or chakrams that Sinon used.
He knew Sinon was more adept at using ranged weapons than melee. When they play games, she always uses firearms in FPS games or other games.
Even for games that didn't feature firearms, Sinon always used a bow or throwing knives as her main weapon.
That was the main reason Rey gave her the chakram and told Sinon how to use it.
The skills in this game can be obtained as you climb each floor and complete various quests. However, Rey knows some of the basics of how to use chakrams and teaches them to her.
Well, though you can just look into the weapon description. But either way, Sinon would prefer Rey for the one who explained it to her and teach her.
It could be said that Sinon's potential in this weapon was quite good and it seemed she would get even better in the future. She has a bright future.
Sinon who heard that looked at Rey for a while and finally nodded seriously.
"Got it!"
She doesn't want to be a burden on her team and wants to be more useful.
With full confidence, Sinon took a stance and tightly gripped the two chakrams in her hands.
Then, with all her might, she hurled her two chakrams at the monsters that had managed to escape from the front lines.
The chakrams flew by, cutting off the body parts of some of the monsters.
They didn't have time to stop the chakrams flying at them and ended up getting cut.
Some of them are still alive while the rest end up dead like broken glass.
The chakrams that had been thrown earlier flew back into Sinon's hand miraculously.
In contrast to the real world, in Aincrad, as long as the weapon is not destroyed, it will return to the user's hands for a throwing weapon type.
Meanwhile, Aiko was also helping her sister. The two of them were so in sync that Rey was amazed by their skills.
After seeing the performance of the two of them together, Rey felt that their strength had doubled. Maybe it's because they are twins and they know each other so well.
They were certainly different, but such cooperation would make up for the shortcomings of each of them.
If anyone were to attempt to counter them, that person would find it difficult to find an opening due to how well-matched they were to one another even though he was a pro player.
Even Rey himself would be overwhelmed by the two of them.
On the other hand, Mito had managed to kill several monsters alone.
She swung and spun her scythe skillfully. As if dancing with her huge weapon, she slashed at the monsters that surrounded her.
Mito noticed that Rey was staring at her. Then, Rey smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
Mito replied with a nod and smile on her face before she moved on to the next monster.
"Okay…" Rey then looked behind him and found several monsters coming.
He then took out his sword that he just got from a quest a few days ago.
It was a scimitar identical to its long curvature blade.
He squared off before fighting these monsters.
"...it's your turn, come to me!" After he said those words, he jumped up and charged at the incoming horde of kobolds.
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After finishing exhausting themselves, Rey and his group decided to wrap things up for the day.
Currently, it was still day and they had just exited the labyrinth.
"How was it?"
Rey asked his group who were walking exhausted.
They looked very limp like they had just come out of very tough military training.
"Ugh…what do you mean how? Of course, we're not doing well you ruthless…!"
Yuuki complained after they were forced to fight against that many monsters.
Meanwhile, the other four people besides Mito also agreed with Yuuki.
They were extremely exhausted after fighting those monsters for two hours.
Although they didn't need to worry about their lives being threatened because Rey would help them. But still, all that practice was really too much for them.
In terms of teaching, Rey is merciless and very strict. And they want to stay away from Rey like that.
"Did you say something, brat? Do you want me to send you back inside?"
Rey said it with a wide grin and showed it to them.
Yuuki, who saw Rey put on a face like that, immediately gasped and gulped while sweating coldly, as well as the other three people.
"Ah-haha, no-no! Of course not, sir!"
They shook their heads simultaneously. They didn't want to go back inside again and could only be silent if they didn't want to be thrown into that place again.
Right now inside their minds, they were cursing at Rey while glaring at him, especially Yuuki.
They'd rather run from him than have to deal with him, but running from Rey was certainly not something they could do.
After seeing his extraordinary abilities, they thought that Rey was not just a normal human.
He managed to defeat the field boss alone and can kill a bunch of monsters by himself. Even though his level wasn't much different from theirs, his skills were practically above average.
If compared to the world's top players, he may enter the top ten solo players.
They didn't know how Rey could be that great. When they asked him about it, Rey didn't want to answer and only said that it was a 'secret'.
Even though Yuuki kept pushing him, Rey still didn't want to tell them and in the end, they gave up.
Who knows? Maybe in the future, Rey would tell them himself.
Regardless of how good Rey was, the girls had grown a lot and there was no way they could compare to when they first came here.
All of that, of course, thanks to the hard training that Rey gave.
It was because of guidance from Rey that they made it this far.
Currently, they were planning to return on foot. The distance between the labyrinth and the starting city was quite far.
Hence, they decided to stay at a nearby inn not far from the labyrinth.
There is a small village that provides lodging just like in the city.
They walked casually through the shady forest on the path while chatting casually.
"Oh right…! Are you guys sure you want to join the gathering tomorrow?"
Rey asked his friends in a hesitant tone while scratching his cheek.
Everyone who heard Rey's question immediately turned to Rey.
The next day, several people decided to discuss how to clear this first floor.
Someone named Diavel announced for those who wanted to join them to gather in the city of Torbana tomorrow.
Rey and his group got the announcement that was spread.
"Well, of course, we will," Yuki replied.
"What? Are you still worried about us? We told you we'd be fine you know!" Aiko also voiced her participation.
"But…?"
Rey still couldn't let them participate in the floor boss subjugation. He still had worries for the three of them.
Conquering floor bosses is certainly no trivial thing. It was a monster that was clearly different from the usual monsters.
It took some time to defeat it. Not to mention, the death rate which was higher than usual also haunted the players.
And that's what Rey was afraid of.
"Rey! This is our decision. We will always follow you wherever you go. If you decide to participate, then we will too. If you don't, then neither will we."
Aiko said seriously. Sinon and Yuuki also looked seriously at Rey.
At first, after they found out about the plan, Rey refused to let the three of them go along.
However, after some arguing and scolding, Rey finally gave up and let them come along. Asuna and Mito also helped the three asking Rey to let them come along.
In the end, Rey could only step back and leave the final decision to themselves.
After hearing what Aiko had just said, Rey bit his lip in hesitation. He contemplates briefly in his mind.
But after that, he could only sigh.
"Fine…"
Rey accepts it reluctantly. He really wished he could at least change their mind. However, it seems that his attempt failed.
The three girls who received approval from Rey smiled and nodded slightly.
"But, there is one condition…" He paused.
The three immediately turned their attention to Rey again. They wanted to know what conditions Rey had to put on them.
"...you should take extra care of yourselves when you are really in danger."
They could have jumped to help people who were in danger. In the end, they put themselves in that danger, and Rey knows they would do it.
"Okay! You think who you were talking to?" Yuuki said it confidently while puffing out her chest.
Sinon and Aiko both nodded in agreement with her.
Rey just glanced at them from the side of his eye. He was glad at least they didn't look as gloomy and hopeless as they had the first few days.
But he also couldn't rest easy if they always went their way and put themselves in danger. They're still kids after all.
"Calm down Rey! We will also help to ensure they are safe."
Asuna said to him with a smile on her face. She put her hand on Rey's shoulder after approaching him. She tried to ease his worries.
"Un, calm down Rey. Both of us will help you protect them."
Mito also came over and nodded in agreement with Asuna.
After a month had passed, the two of them had also become close to Rey.
In this life-and-death situation, they depended on each other and that created a good relationship between them.
Rey, who heard the two of them, felt the burden on his mind ease a little and smiled warmly.
"Thanks, both of you."
They continued their trip toward the nearest inn.
However, after exiting the forest, they ran into a duo of people walking in the opposite direction from them.
'Hmm, I feel like I have seen those two before, but where…?'
While the other girls didn't notice it, Rey pondered in his mind. He felt something familiar to the two of them, especially the black-haired boy who was carrying a sword on his back.
He walked into the forest together with a girl who was about the same age as him and had black hair too.
'…meh, maybe that's just my feeling."
Rey decided not to think about it anymore and just let it go.
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