CH-2: Hunting!

Parting from where we were, we advance in the direction of the nearest herd, a mass of 3 boars. We decide to find a strategy before starting the fight, so in a low voice, we dropped our idea.

- Yuki, do you have an idea how we should handle it?

- I think our best strategy is to use you as a decoy and the time they run to you I hit them on the side. What do you think of it?

- Sure, since I have a shield I will be able to block most of their charge and I will try to get some hit.

We high five and I go do my part of the plan, I crouch to be less visible. When I approach I remark that a green bar float above their head with the name of the animal. I straighten my posture and lend a vertical blow to the beast in front of me, looking at the green bar slowly reduced by the sudden take damage. I take three jumps back waiting for them to charge at me, the one I hit howl and charge with the other two following. With my left arm, I block and push it on the other two, at the same time Yuki charge on the furthest from me landing three hits, the same she show me earlier. Her hit looks effective, the bar of the one she hit is now an orange color and just half full. Looking where she lands her blade? I can see three red dots on the boar. The reaction time of this one is phenomenal after it receives the blows it turns around and hit Yuki in her stomach, she jumps back with a cry of pain but automatically stop as if she wouldn't have been hit. Like the boars she have a big red dot on her belly, I think the red zone replaces the blood, it is sure more practical for the graphics. Lost in my mind, I get wake up by one of the boars in front of me, the charge it lands put me on the floor. A few seconds and I'm submerged by the animal, trying to block the boar's tusks with my shield, I find myself trapped under it. The only thing that comes to my mind right one is stabbing the beast with my sword and its what I did, I tighten my hand on the handle and I pierce his neck, push it to the side raising my sword over my head waiting for the best moment, hearing a noise over my head but when I see the boars neck I slash down in a violet color cutting through the body and finally cutting it in half when my blade touch the ground. The boars head did the same to finally disintegrate in blue particles and throw away in the air, I look down and a window write "CONGRATULATION" and some information the lower part;

[ Congratulation ]

+Boar's skin.

+15 XP.

+15 one-handed sword skill XP.

+10 shield skill XP.

+15 Vertical slash skill XP.

+10 Cor.

Skill? I lose my focus when I hear Yuki's voice.

- Anastasia! Can you come help?

- Yes, I'm on my way.

I run toward her, she's in a 2v1 fight with the boars, and she's not the one in the best condition. She got a lot of red dots on her forearm forming a bite form, observing the other details I saw her life being in the red. I propel myself with a jump shield in front and my legs in the air, I successfully hit one of them, I roll back on my feet and as a result of pushing the boars, it roll down the hill and land on a tree making is life go all the way down. The particles disappear in the air. At the time I turned around Yuki have already finished the other. I receive another notification.

[ Congratulation ]

+15 XP.

+20 shield skill XP.

+10 Cor.

- Pfiou! we made it!

Yuki let herself fall on the grass and enjoy the view in front of her, I decided to open my inventory and go on the skill section, to my surprise I possess one skill name Vertical Slash which is equipped on my first slot. Looking at it, I don't remember having one when I check.

- Ho! its make sense!

- What?

- You know, the violet slash I did on the first boar?

- Ah. Sorry, my concentration was fully on the beast in front of me, haha!

- No prob. But why don't you check too, to see if you have a skill.

- whaaaat! A skill?

- Yes! I accidentally activated mine during our fight.

- But I would have noticed if I have one, no?

- I was thinking the same but, look I got one!

She open her inventory and looks at the skill tabs. She exposes a stupefaction look on her face, I turn my head looking in front of me when I hear the noise of a sprinting creature but unfortunately this time my reaction time is slow. When I fully see on my right, the noise of flesh being pierced through. Yuki is skewered on boar's tusks and her life bar drop to zero and her body transforms in the same blue particles.

- Yuki?

A horrific expression showed on my face. I wasn't ready for that! Hopefully, she will respawn. But I don't have the choice I'll need to fight it in a fair one versus one fight. I position myself on guard, a foot in the back serving as an anchor in order to resist the charge of the boar. Luckily I anticipated it, and it push me back one meter back but I don't lose my stand, I place my shield in front of me and rise my sword above my head, activating my skill a violet skin cover my blade. I wait for the shock of the boar on my shield. Bang! I swing the sword down and it successfully hit, the hit point of the beast goes down to half of the bar and turns on the orange colors. I jump back and I will try to use the same scheme. I fully put my attention on the boar losing all sight of the rest, it charge again but surprisedly it jump trying to hit my head, I tried to squat to avoid contact but I wasn't fast enough. The hoof of it hit my head reducing a little bit my life but I'm not the only one that has been wound I plant my sword in his flank. Unfortunately, my grasp weakened when I got hit resulting in me losing my sword in the boar. The boar's howl startled me, I can feel his frustration and at the same time, he run at me and jump again. I take a step to the side and re-grab my possession, the blade slides out and the beast finally dematerialized.

[ Congratulation ]

+ boar's skin.

+ 15 XP.

+ 15 one-hand sword skill XP.

+ 15 Vertical slash skill XP.

+ 15 Shield skill XP.

+10 Cor.

I relax my muscle and mind, I look at the windows in front of me and close it. I wait sit in the grass for Yuki's return. While I wait I decide to observe how the other players are doing versus the boars and to my surprise there are not a lot of people who decide to start a quest but I spot two familiar-looking guys training not too far away. It looks like the black hair one is the teacher, the red one is the student, and the boar is the bully. It amazes me how he got charged at his under-belt zone and it looks like is in pain, he finally realizes that he feels no pain.

After a few more minutes, I felt alone, so I decided to open my profile and go check my skill since I've been interrupted. I open the tab and start reading about my only skill.

■■■□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

[30/200]

[ Vertical Slash ]

a one-hand sword strike that

give the possibility to make a

power up vertical slash, add

×2 on the damage of the current

wield sword. To activate this

ability you need to have your

sword above your head for 3

seconde.

Interesting! It would be a good one to master, so I could one tap low monster or lower a lot the upper one. After I finish analyzing my skill, I close the tab and take a glance at my level.

■■■■▪︎□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

[45/200]

It's a little bit more higher than my skill, 45 out of 500! I will need a lot of boars.

I wonder where is Yuki, she takes a lot of time going back here. I decide to message her via the friend list, so I re-open my profile and go to the friend section.

- Whaaaaaat! Why?

I look at the screen in stupefaction, The name of Yuki is nowhere to be found. Is it because I don't protect her? If it's for that, it's a fucking childish one. I don't think it's that, maybe a bug. I decide to ask someone who looks comfortable with all the systems. I look around and find the duo of teacher and student and it looks like he finally kill the bully, haha! I stand up and walk to them.

The red hair one is the first to see that I'm coming toward them, he is also the first to speak.

- Hi, pretty girl.

- Is it really like that you address to a girl, how pitiful Klein. Hi, I'm Kirito.

Looking at them I notice how Klein is frustrated that Kirito interrupts him.

- Hi, I'm Anastasia. Sorry to bother you Kirito but I notice earlier that you look used to this game and I have a question to pose.

- It's nothing, with Klein we were just taking a break. Go on ask me the question, I'm a beta tester so I know a lot of things.

- Ho! You are one of the lucky 1000. Ok, my question is that I'm concerned about my friend and when I was about to write to her she wasn't on my friend list when we, of course, add each other before. Do you think ist just a bug or not?

- It's impossible I've never seen a problem in S.A.O but if you want to confirm we can add each other.

- Add in friend? can I too?

- Haha! Of course, I can you both, there is no problem.

We open our respective profiles and we add each other, Klein looks too excited for nothing. Unfortunately, we successfully add us.

- I would prefer a malfunction, haa.

- Why would you say that, I'm happy that works.

- It's not against you Klein, It's because I was with another girl and we were killing boars but when she hit 0hp her name vanished from my list.

- Ho! sorry, I didn't know. Ha ha.

- It's ok, I think she is just childish a bit too much. This isn't the only reason she would have unfriended me.was because she die and I didn't do something.

- Ok ok, It's not that I don't like talking to you but I have a pizza that waits for me.

- Ok, take care and see around.

- See you tomorrow Klein.

Klein takes a step to the side and starts his business.

- So Kirito, How was the beta testing?

But he didn't have the time to respond.

- What the fuck! Kirito are you sure you have never seen a bug?

- Yeah, why?

- I don't find the log-out button.

- How, it's in the setting and the last case.

Opening the setting at the same time as we talk, we approved with Klein, there is no log-out button in the setting. Looking at Kirito's face, I can see the confused look he takes but rapidly returns to his calm state.

- How is this possible? It never happen before.

- Is there another way to log out? Escaped! Log out!

- No Klein, you can only log out from the button but somebody can from the outside like if they remove or unplug you're nerve gear. You can also try to call the game master.

- Ok I do it, It's ringing.

I and Klein look confused and a little scared and unfortunately the call didn't work. Klein shouts about how he missed the delivery guy with the pizza he order earlier today.

The song of a bell can be heard toward the town of beginnings. The second after, we have all been teleported to the center of it.