Chapter 3: The pale-skinned male

After sorting his thoughts, Kotton excitedly clenched his fists while looking around the medieval-looking town around him.

"I'm really inside SAO, huh? Well, I already experienced reincarnating into another world (Gaia). Entering the 2D world is something I can accept" (Kotton)

"Still, is this place really the same SAO from the one I watched? Or just someplace similar" (Kotton)

While muttering to himself, Kotton started walking out of town. Since he got transmitted into this world, it is better to get stronger fast, considering his main quest has a time limit of one year.

Kotton thought about the plot of SAO. If this SAO is the same as he had watched by this time, Kirito should be teaching Klein about the basics of the game in the wild boar area. He decided to go and confirm whether this was the same SAO while learning about the basics from Kirito and getting acquainted with him.

After walking a few minutes, Kotton arrived at the wild boar area and tried to activate his sword skills. He failed at casting it three times, so he decided to look for Kirito and found the two men talking to each other and decided to approach them.

The two men saw him coming over. Kirito looked at Klein, wondering if he knew him. Klein shook his head and turned his head to face Kotton.

"Hello, brothers! I'm Kotton" (Kotton)

"Sup, names Klein and this is Kirito. Nice to meet ya" (Klein)

"I came here planning to grind some monsters and saw Kirito teaching you how to use sword skills. I'm wondering if I can learn too. I have tried casting it before, but it keeps failing" (Kotton)

Kirito gazed at him and thought for a while before agreeing.

"Sure, since I'm already guiding Klein and adding one more won't make much of a difference." (Kirito)

The corner of his lips slowly turned upward, turning into a grin. His plan to make acquaintance with Kirito has succeeded, and now he only needs to learn how to fight effectively and get stronger faster than the other Dimensional players.

After a while, Kotton and Klein finally grasp how to cast sword skills efficiently. The three of them added each other as friends. They talked while looking at the setting sun before Klein decided to log out to get his pizza.

"Huh? There is no log out button" (Klein)

"Take another look" (Kirito)

"Yeah, I can't find it anywhere" (Klein)

Kotton gazed at his new friends while feeling amused. His otaku heart is screaming and shouting with joy. Back then, he could only watch this scene from a computer, but now he is watching it live in front of him. After a while, the three of them were teleported to the central plaza of the Town of the Beginnings. The game master Kayaba Akihito informed them the only way to log out was by clearing all one hundred floors of the floating castle of Aincrad and that death in-game spelled death in real life. Before leaving, Kayaba gave everyone the mirror item, which made the player's original appearance override their current avatar.

Kotton has been looking around since the start of Kayaba's speech. He was trying to remember the appearance of the people around him. Because the Dimensional players joined SAO with their actual bodies, the mirror item should not affect them.

He was trying his luck whether he can find other players by checking whose appearance did not change after using the mirror item.

Kotton found three people looking the same as before.

One was a pale-skinned male that is wearing a school uniform. He looks like a Korean from his past world. He is probably from the Snow kingdom.

One was a big man that looked like a bear wearing the military uniform of the Eastern Mountain Kingdom. It was the kingdom where Kotton was from.

And the last one surprised Kotton. After looking closely, he saw a young female wearing all black and a facemask. It was the same young woman who had come to the store earlier.

Kotton immediately went beside Klein and Kirito and mingled with them, hoping no other players would notice him. He was planning to pretend to be a native player of SAO since no one other than him should be able to recognize the world of SAO and its characters.

"Klein, Kotton, come here quick" (Kirito)

Klein and Kotton looked at the running Kirito and went after him. They caught up to him in an abandoned alley.

"Where are you going?" (Kotton)

"I'll be heading to the next town as soon as possible. You guys should come too." (Kirito)

"If everything Kayaba said was true. If we want to survive in this world, it's vital to get stronger." (Kirito)

"The resources available in an MMORPG are limited in number. The fields around the starting town will be soon wiped clean of mobs. The best course of action would be to move to the next town quickly." (Kirito)

Klein then asked Kirito whether they could take his friends along. Kirito, unable to bear the heavy burden of Klein and his friend's lives, wordlessly disagreed. Klein decided to part ways with Kirito and Kotton to help his friends.

"How about you, Kotton?" (Kirito)

After thinking for a moment, Kotton shook his head and answered Kirito.

"For now, I have something to do, so let's part ways for a while." (Kotton)

Kirito nodded his head and left as if running away from something.

"Well, that guy is kind of awkward, but he isn't bad." (Kotton)

Kotton smiled while looking at Kirito's running figure. After a moment of silence, Kotton suddenly talked.

"Now that everybody has left, can you come and stop hiding?"

Suddenly a familiar figure came out from the dark. It was the pale-skinned male wearing a school uniform.