-1615- A game that let you fly

"What's the matter?"

The sudden sound made Rozen pause slightly, looking in slight surprise at the person responsible.

That person was none other than Suguha.

Suguha wore a face of surprise and disbelief as she looked at Rozen.

However, despite Rozen's momentary surprise, Suguha quickly recovered.

"N-nothing."

She immediately shook her head, picked up her rice bowl, and said nothing more.

But judging from her expression, it seemed like she was ready to listen carefully.

Seeing this, Rozen felt a bit confused but didn't think too much of it.

Meanwhile, Kirito continued asking.

"ALO, huh? What kind of game is it?"

As an expert in gaming no less skilled than Rozen, Kirito clearly intended to help evaluate the game.

Rozen recalled the information he'd found online and explained it to Kirito.

"It's a game focused on skills, emphasizing player technique, and it encourages player-versus-player combat. In terms of tension and intensity, it surpasses even SAO."

Rozen continued speaking.

"Once players log in, they must select one of nine fairy races for their character. Each race has its strengths and weaknesses."

"There's the Sylph, who excels in flight speed and hearing and can use basic healing magic."

"The Salamander is skilled in weapon usage, with high offensive power."

"The Undine specializes in healing magic and underwater activities."

"The Gnome has excellent endurance and excels at mining."

"Additionally, there are other races: the Spriggan, who are adept at treasure hunting and illusion magic; the Pooka, who can manipulate monsters through music; the Imp, who excels in night flying and vision in the dark; the Cait Sith, with high agility, excellent vision, and expertise in taming beasts; and the Leprechaun, known for weapon crafting and intricate craftsmanship."

"The beauty of this game lies in the absence of a level system. Although players can improve various skills through practice, grinding monsters won't increase attack power much. Combat depends on player movement ability, similar to SAO but with magic. The visual fidelity and movement precision are said to be on par with SAO."

Upon hearing this, Kirito was immediately surprised.

"Comparable to SAO? That's amazing!"

It seemed that Kirito shared Rozen's thoughts—finding a game comparable to SAO was indeed astonishing.

Rozen chuckled before continuing.

"Since players from different races can fight each other, the game highly encourages PvP. Without levels, it places heavy importance on player skill. Players without skills won't make much progress no matter how long they play, but a skilled player could rise to fame almost instantly. As a result, competition for talented newcomers is fierce among races, while weaker players are often suppressed."

"In other words, players like us—game addicts like you and me—could quickly make a name for ourselves in ALO."

Although skill proficiency could still be an issue, with enough practice, anyone could rise to the top.

But that wasn't the most exciting part.

"The most important thing is..."

"In this game, every spirit race has wings and can fly freely using a flight engine."

Rozen's words immediately piqued Kirito's interest.

"Flying?"

Kirito's eyes widened slightly.

This was indeed remarkable.

Since the release of NerveGear, there had been several flight-themed VR games, but they all required the use of devices for flying—none allowed players themselves to fly.

The reason was simple: humans in the real world don't have wings.

In a virtual world, players control their avatars by making the same movements they would in reality. NERvGear interprets brain signals to move virtual muscles, enabling movement.

Without wings in real life, even if an avatar had wings, people wouldn't know how to use them to fly.

However, ALO broke this limitation with its flight engine, allowing players to soar freely.

"This is also why the game emphasizes player skill—without some expertise, most beginners rely on joystick-like controllers to fly. Only experienced players can fly with a single thought. Some even become flying masters, performing aerial stunts while enjoying breathtaking landscapes that can't be experienced in reality. This feature has made ALO highly popular in the industry."

Rozen's explanation finally ignited Kirito's gaming spirit.

Seeing Kirito's sparkling eyes, Rozen couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, how about it? Tempted to give it a try?"

Rozen teased Kirito.

A true gamer wouldn't be able to resist such an enticing game.

And as the perfect gamer, Kirito was now clearly hooked.

"Well…"

Kirito hesitated, considering what to say.

"Don't even think about it." Rozen playfully shot him down. "I'm entering ALO for a mission, not for fun. You'll have to wait until I'm done before you can tag along."

"Fine…" Kirito sighed, extinguishing his enthusiasm.

However, he still had one more question.

"What will you use to play ALO? Are you still using NerveGear?"

This wasn't just Kirito's concern—Suguha was worried as well.

After the SAO incident, the once-revered NERvGear had become known as a dangerous device.

Since it had the capability to destroy a person's brain, no one wanted to wear it again.

"I think you should use AmuSphere," Kirito suggested.

—AmuSphere.

This was the successor device released six months after the SAO incident. A well-known company guaranteed its safety, and even before SAO was cleared, AmuSphere had already surpassed other gaming devices in market share, gaining worldwide popularity.

Unfortunately...

"I'll stick with NerveGear," Rozen shook his head in refusal.

He had already found a way to handle NerveGear.

On the other hand, Rozen didn't trust AmuSphere at all.

That was because AmuSphere was developed and sold by RECT.

Knowing RECT's involvement, Rozen couldn't bring himself to trust the new device.

Even though Rozen had grown stronger and was no longer helpless against such machines, he had no intention of falling into another trap.

"I'll log in tonight, so don't worry."

Rozen gave his reassurance.

Kirito and Suguha reluctantly nodded.

Meanwhile, Suguha, who had been unusually quiet, continued eating, lost in thought.

Thus, Rozen prepared to venture into a new game.

A new story was about to unfold.