The Impossible Game (Sword Art Online SI)

Game

Thoughts

"Talking"

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"I gotta log off, man. It's opening in an hour!" A Japanese-accented voice resounded through Ken's headphones, causing him to wince as his friend's microphone failed to accurately convey the shout, turning part of it into an ear-blasting static. 

"You got a whole hour." Ken said with a twinge of annoyance in his American voice, "And stop yelling until you get a new mic, dickhead."

"Oh yeah, sorry. I keep forgetting that my old one broke." The older boy said, "But I really gotta go! You should too! We need to log in right when it opens, or we're gonna fall behind!"

"I just said to stop shouting, Ryoutarou, you asshole," Ken said, more annoyance dripping into his voice. He idly flicked his hand, his mouse scrolling the Steam page for Sword Art Online, "We'll be fine. It doesn't take an hour to turn on my nerve gear." 

"Just make sure you're there, okay? This is our chance to get rich!" Ken's longtime friend said, shouting and peaking his mic again despite Ken's insistence that he stop.

"This is your chance to get rich. If you played a bit more aim trainer, you'd already be rich, like me." Ken said, smirking at his screen as his eyes idly read through the Sword Art Online summary. Despite his uncaring attitude, Ken had already read everything on the Steam page at least 20 times.

"Yeah, yeah. We can't all be naturally good at everything like you are. Not that I'm complaining, your skill is gonna make our guild rich!" Ryoutarou giggled as he spoke.

"I still can't believe they named the game 'Sword Art Online.' There's gotta be some copyright issue with that, right?" Ken asked Ryoutarou.

"Copyright? From what?"

"The anime, jackass. This whole 'I've never heard of SAO' bit is getting old." Ken groaned.

"I'm serious! I've never heard of it!" Ryoutarou shot back.

"Suuuuure you haven't. You're a Japanese guy who would've been a teenager when it aired, but you've never seen Sword Art Online. It was, like, the biggest anime ever for a good year. I think there's literally a guy named Ryoutarou in the damn show!" 

"I still think you're fucking with me. I've watched tons of anime, and every video I could find about this game. I think I'd have seen if there was an anime with the same name." Ryoutarou said, "Anyway, I'm gonna go make sure the rest of my friends don't need help setting up their nerve gear."

"'Friends?' Is it more than just Dale this time?" Ken asked curiously.

"Yeah, I've got a few more buddies joining this time. Most of them also like games, but Dale's the only one who speaks English." Ryoutarou explained.

"Eh? Are any of them any good, or am I gonna have to carry all of your asses?" Ken teased.

"Don't act like you need to carry me, bitch. Dale's decent, and I used to be a pro too, y'know?"

"Not a very good one." Ken hummed in reply.

"Hey! I was pretty good, everyone's just shit compared to you. Everyone looks humble next to you too." Ryoutarou said, a slight edge of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah. You know I'm kidding. I'll be on by 12, so just stay in the starting zone if you load in before me. I'll come find you." Ken said, "What's your IGN gonna be anyway?"

"I'm thinking Klein."

Ken rolled his eyes at his monitor, "Sure, sure. You haven't seen the show, but you're naming yourself Klein. It'll be fun having to look through the other million people also named Klein to find you."

"What? I thought I was pretty unique in choosing that!"

"Whatever. See you in an hour." Ken said as he left the call, not humoring Ryoutarou. 

Acting like he hasn't seen the show when he's naming himself Klein. What a dumbass. Though, the games definitely passed the show in popularity at this point. The creator must've been a big fan.

The popularity of 'Sword Art Online' had exceeded anything Ken had ever seen, even with the game not being out yet. The beta tester slots, which had been open to 100,000 customers, had filled in less than a minute. There wasn't a recording feature in the nerve gear yet, so the few videos of the game that did come out, from trailers to interviews, got tens of millions of views within a few days.

In retrospect, the anime thinking that the first ever completely immersive VR game, where even your senses worked, would only get ten thousand players on release is pretty dumb.

Ken read the features tab on Steam for what must've been the 50th time, excitement building within him that the game was finally coming out.

It looks like it was inspired a lot by the anime. The creator was definitely a huge fan.

The game, 'Sword Art Online,' had taken the anime's concept game to a whole different level. The creators said it would be as world-changing as the invention of the internet, suspecting that it would take more than a decade for anyone to clear even the base game, not including the DLC's and updates that they planned on adding. This was what had grabbed Ken's attention. While Ryoutarou had been drawn to the many monetary opportunities that came from the largest game in history being released, Ken had been drawn to the difficulty. 1000 floors. One thousand floors, with the difficulty ramping the higher you climbed in the tower.

Ken's competitive drive was stoked, and he could imagine all the fun he'd have. Fighting other guilds on his trip to the top, or maybe teaming up with them to defeat a near-impossible boss. An immersive class system, with skills for practically everything. A leveling system that allowed for optimization. The largest and most popular game in history. The whole world would be watching for who would emerge as top players, and Ken was eager to be at the very top. He would be number 1.

Ken stood up out of his chair, glancing at himself in the human-sized mirror that hung on his wall. The image was not what you'd expect the best video game player in the world to look like. He was tall, standing at 6'4, with a squareish head that framed his sunken cheeks. To say he was handsome was an understatement. As if his handsome face wasn't enough, his body was large and toned. Muscles were visible through his clothes, his low body fat making them look as aesthetic as a bodybuilder. Despite his large muscles, he was also lean, looking like an elite athlete.

Which he was. Or, had been. Ken's immense, almost unfair, talent didn't just extend to video games. While he'd been playing games since he was a child, his parents had been determined for him to be an athlete. So he had been. They made him play every sport he could growing up, culminating in him becoming a national icon when he proved himself as one of the best football, basketball, baseball, track, and weightlifting athletes in high school. A single athlete dominating so many sports was unheard of, and sports fans everywhere expected him to have a career as one of the greatest athletes in history. His talent was truly unfair.

Unfortunately for his parents, and sports fans around the world, Ken didn't hold a passion for athletics. After his second year of highschool, which was two years ago, he put his all into video games. His ascension came out of pretty much nowhere in the Esports community, becoming signed as a pro for multiple games and dominating them. As of right now, his IGN, which matches his real name of 'Ken,' was a household name for any video game fan. Inevitably, he'd gained a ton of fame and fortune, both from his sports and videogame endeavors. 

Ken walked away from his computer setup, heading towards his large bed that sat in the corner of his room. Next to it laid his nerve gear, and a small piece of paper. Ken glanced down at it again, ensuring he had memorized the numbers written on it correctly. The small sticky note read: NGID: 158421074. It was the nerve gear ID for one of the few friends he'd made during the Sword Art Online beta, Koichiro. 

Becoming a beta tester had been a near-impossible endeavor for most. The official Sword Art Online website had opened up applications at midnight one day, with the first 100,000 people to sign up being allowed to play the beta. The signups had filled in less than a minute due to the popularity of the game, and the majority of beta testers had utilized bots to ensure they got in.

When you have an unmatched reaction time, along with a top-tier gaming setup that has almost no input delay, you don't need a bot. Ken had gotten in easily. Unfortunately, most of his friends hadn't. And by most, he meant Ryoutarou. He'd known the older Japanese man, who was 22 compared to Ken's 17, for almost half a decade at this point, and he was his closest friend. Ken had found it difficult to have meaningful friendships after he became famous for his athletic achievements, so he was glad to have known the man before his fame ascended. 

Ken sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling out his phone and idly scrolling through social media. His parents had gone out earlier in the day, heading to a concert and leaving him home alone.

I'm glad. I bet I'll be playing SAO all day, so it'll be nice to have no distractions.

The clock on his phone ticked by slowly, eventually growing closer to the 12 o'clock time that SAO was set to open. He grabbed his nerve gear, slipping it over his head. A blur of different colored lines filled his vision, and then he was on the character creation screen.

[Welcome to Sword Art Online!]

[Please input your desired gender:]

Ken quickly typed in that he was, in fact, a man.

[Gender chosen: Male]

[Please input your desired name:]

[Name chosen: Ken]

The usual IGN.

[Please customize your character's appearance:]

Ken ignored all the various customizing options, instead pressing the 'same as real life' option. 

I've never been one to roleplay.

[Please select your desired class:]

Offensive Starter Classes:

[Swordsman]

[Archer]

[Rogue]

[Brawler]

[Mage]

[Warrior]

Defensive Starter Classes:

[Tank]

[Guardian]

[Armorer]

[Barrier Maker]

Support Starter Classes:

[Healer]

[Buffer]

[Charmer]

[Tamer]

"The same as the beta, that's good," Ken hummed to himself as he stared at the classes, thinking about the pros and cons of each, "You can change it later, so it's not the end of the world if mine isn't the best, but having a good one for the early game would be nice. But I mean, the starter classes are…"

Playing in the beta had taught Ken that the starter classes were, for the lack of a better word, "Dogshit."

Beta testers had quickly figured out that the starter classes were terrible, mainly because they locked you into a certain path. A mage might've had strong and amazing spells, but they're weapon proficiency with all melee weapons was capped very low. The same was true with all the starter classes: A healer was essential for healing party members, but would never be useful outside of healing. An armorer could boost the stats of both his and others' armor, but he could never have even close to the level of DPS of a swordsman, or the HP of a tank. 

Luckily, there were a ton of other classes that could be obtained through quests. From pure DPS classes to even classes that prioritize the social aspects of the game, such as [Merchant]. This leads every player to the same debate: Whether to keep their starter class or to change to one through a quest.

This seemed like a no-brainer in the beta, with nearly every player ditching their starter class for a stronger or more versatile one, but that no-brainer turned into a debate towards the end of the testing period. One of the few testers to keep their starter class found out about a certain hidden mechanic: Evolution. One's starter class could evolve, making said class much stronger than quest classes, but at the expense of versatility. 

However, Ken had heard whispers of a certain class in forums and discord servers. The evolution of a starter class that leads to both a versatile and extremely powerful class…

"...The magic swordsman. You maintain the OP ass sword skills, while also being able to coat your sword with decently strong magic, and even utilize normal low-level magic." Ken mused. It was an enticing class to Ken, who had originally used [Swordsman] in the beta before ditching it for [Weapon's Master] - a class that gave him proficiency and skills with all weapons, though they were considerably weaker on average than the [Swordsman]'s skills.

"I'll start off with [Swordsman] and see how it feels. I can always just switch to a different DPS class later." Ken hummed, selecting [Swordsman].

[Class chosen: Swordsman]

[Please select your desired race:]

This was also a huge selling point for Sword Art Online, with there being hundreds of races to choose from, each with unique skills, abilities, and quests. Becoming a [Elf] would give you unique skills, a boosted speed and accuracy stat, along with a boosted reputation with Elf NPCs at the expense of having lower strength. Being a [Orc] would allow for a higher strength stat, along with a higher proficiency with large weapons, at the expense of a lower speed stat. Every race had extremely personalized aspects to them, adding to the endless possibilities of Sword Art Online, with some races even leaning towards non-combative aspects, such as the [Succubus] race.

However, Ken only had one race in mind as casually looked through the race list, ensuring there weren't any new ones added after the beta that he didn't know about. He tapped his chosen race, which was undoubtedly the most boring of the options.

[Race chosen: Human]

It's not cool or flashy, but it has zero downsides. Being versatile and able to adapt as the meta of the game changes is essential. I can't create a niche build that could end up useless on the higher floors.

[Charater Creation Complete!]

…

[Nerve Gear ID: 1, you will achieve a special reward for being the highest-level beta tester.]

Oh, was I the highest level when the beta ended? I had no idea!

Ken, in fact, did have an idea. He grinded for hours to ensure no one could pass him. He also might've spent a pretty penny to buy the first-ever created nerve gear, ensuring he had ID: 1. 

[Skill Acquired: Eyes of Theia]

Eyes of Theia? What does that do? I never heard of it in the beta.

[I have high expectations for you, Ken Kanei. You are the only one who can clear this game, and give me my dream ending. I hope to meet you on the 1000th floor.]

Ken blinked.

That doesn't look like game dialogue. I never inputted my last name, so how does it know?

Suddenly, Ken felt himself standing on hard ground, the bright light of the sun flooding into his eyes. He glanced around, a pop-up appearing at the top of his vision.

[Town of Beginning: Spawn Square #1]

Ken looked around, taking in the large circular area around him. He was in a giant circular plaza, with towering pillars surrounding the edge of the circle, giving the area a Roman-esque feel. Ken pushed the final message he'd seen out of his thoughts.

This is the most revolutionary game ever made, it probably used the nerve gear to do a facial scan and get my last name or something. Must be a predetermined message that everyone sees.

Ken flicked his hand, bringing up the interface, which was the same as it was in the beta. He navigated to his skills, tapping on his recently awarded skill.

[Eyes of Theia] - Gives the user the ability to see others stat interface.

"Well, that's a pretty shit reward. Thanks, game devs, for nothing." Ken sighed as he dismissively swiped away the interface.

It's nice to see other player's stats, but I'm sure someone will just rip the UI and make a stat tracker page online soon enough. 

Ken had no way of knowing that said stat tracker would never be made.

Ken looked around, not spotting Ryoutarou right away.

I should've asked what he was going to make his character look like. Oh well, I look the same in here as in real life, and he's seen me before, so hopefully he'll come find me.

As Ken stood idly in the starting square, he swiped up his interface again, typing in the ID he'd memorized to message his friend from the beta, Koichiro.

[This user has not created a Sword Art Online account!]

"Eh? He's not here right as the game is opening?" Ken said out loud, startling a fellow newly logged-in player as they appeared next to him, "That's surprising, he said he wanted to grind this when it came out fully."

Ken instead turned his attention to his own stat interface, pulling it up.

[Ken]

[Swordsman]

Wallet: 1000 Cor

Level: 1 (0/500XP)

HP: 100/100

MP: 25/25

STR: 5

AGI: 5

DEF: 5

DEX: 5

ACC: 5

INT: 5

Skill Slot #1: [Empty]

Skill Slot #2: [Empty]

Special Skills: [Eyes of Theia]

Ah, same old SAO stats. Only two skill slots when you start, but you gain another for every level up, so you never really run out of room at the start. After level 20, it becomes a lot harder, and you only get another on at level 50, then one every 50 levels from there. I'm glad the new skill counts as a special one, it'd be annoying if I had to work around only having one skill slot on the first day.

"Oi! Ken!" A voice resounded in the square, which was starting to fill up with more players as people finished their character creation. Ken looked over, seeing a tall man with red hair walking towards him, and a short girl with pink hair walking behind him.

"Ryoutarou?" Ken asked, looking the man up and down. He wasn't dressed in the traditional [Swordsman] starting gear, which was just black and gray leather armor. He instead was covered head-to-toe in red clothes and was wearing a red headband. "Where did you get all that stuff? 

Wow, not only did he name himself Klein, but he even made himself look like Klein from the anime. He even got the clothes the same. This fuckin' troll, acting like he hasn't seen the show when he's doing this shit.

Ken suddenly had a bad feeling wash over him, but pushed it away as the man and short girl walked up to him.

"I bought it! We start with 1000 cor, remember?" The man said, grabbing Ken's shoulder as he grinned down at him. "I'm glad I found you early, this place is starting to get packed!" 

"You say that, but you took the time to buy all that shit before looking for me?" Ken asked blandly, then pointed at the short girl, "Who's she?"

"Oh, that's Dale!"

Ken blinked, staring at 'Dale,' "Seriously? I didn't pin you as a crossdresser."

"I'm not, I swear! I fucking picked one of the default characters by mistake, and I didn't know how to go back." Dale groaned, putting her/his hands over his/her face.

"It's fine, you can just make a new character real quick," Ken told the distraught man-in-a-small-girls-body. 

"No! It'll take forever to meet up again with all these people. Just do it tomorrow!" Ryoutarou, now known as Klein, said as he grabbed both of their arms and dragged them toward the center of the square, "We need to find the rest of the guys! Look for a 'Dynamm,' 'Issin,' 'Kunimittz,' and 'Harry One!'"

What is with that last name?

Ken didn't have any more time to think about it as he was dragged all over the square, and then all over the numerous other starting squares at they looked for Klein's friends. Klein was talking to them via messaging to find out where to meet up, as just wandering around and looking amongst the millions of players logging in would've been impossible, but it still took over an hour for them all to meet up and introduce themselves. 

After Ken had finally met all of Klein/Ryoutarou's friends, they were in a group of 7.

"Alright, now, let's make a guild!" Klein started but was cut off by Ken.

"You need 10,000 Cor to make one."

"Oh. Then let's go get some cash! Where do we start, Mr. Beta Tester?" Klein asked Ken with a smirk.

"Follow me. I know a good boar hunting spot." Ken said, taking the lead. He led them through the busy city streets as they left the [Town of Beginning], chatting as they walked for another 15 minutes, carefully avoiding grabbing the aggro of any of the monsters in the plains surrounding the city. There were a bunch of other players testing out the combat system around them in the huge plains, and Ken watched as a new player charged into the field boss, the [King Boar], and was broken into a pile of crystals from one hit.

It's weird seeing so many players here. The map felt so empty in the beta, as it's meant to hold millions of players at a time, as opposed to the hundred thousand in the beta.

Ken led them to a huge rock, with a forest on one side and the plains on the other. There was a pack of 4 boars standing between them and the rock. Ken stopped, holding up his hand to halt the others.

"This is the spot. The boar's spawn abnormally fast here, as the spawning range is blocked by the trees and rock. They'll all spawn in this little area, instead of being all spread out."

"Nice!" Klein said, pulling out his red samurai sword. 

Ken eyed the sword, deadpanning at Klein, "That sword is even worse than the beginner one."

"Yup, but it looks awesome!" Klein said, jumping at one of the boars. He was unceremoniously launched back as said boar tanked the sword slash and barreled his head into Klein.

"Ow! That hurt!" Klein groaned as he lay on the ground. The boar tried to charge at him again but was quickly stopped as Ken stepped forward, slashing through its head in one swing and killing it.

+5 XP!

"Huh? How'd you do that?" Harry, formally known as 'Harry One,' asked as Ken one-shot the mob. His character was a tall elf with long silver hair, which wasn't an optimal choice considering he picked the [Warrior] class.

"I was gonna give you guys some tips so you didn't have to learn the hard way, but this idiot seems to only want to learn the hard way," Ken said, smirking down at Klein as he hastily stood up, "The boars are starter mobs, so they're really weak. This game is also hyper-realistic, so targeting critical spots does more damage. Beheading a mob will one-shot almost all non-bosses on the first floor."

"Nice, lemme try!" Dale shouted, sprinting at another boar and swinging his huge club at it. It was a strange sight, as Dale's character was a small girl despite being a [Tank], which made his starter weapon a giant club. Dale slammed his club into the boar's head, but instead of shattering into crystals, it reared its head, charging at Dale. Ken stepped in again, slashing the boar's head off. 

+5 XP!

"You're a tank, and you have a club, Dale. You should target its leg instead, to make it unable to move, since you can't slice its head off like I can with a sword." Ken explained.

"Oh." Dale said, scratching the back of his head, "Yeah, that makes sense. My bad, I got a bit too excited."

"You both did. We aren't even in a party yet." Ken sighed.

"Oh, right! That'll share our XP, right?" Issin, a mage whose character looked like an older skinny man, said.

"Kinda. It shares 20% of the XP you get with the party, but you still get that XP too. It's pretty much a 20% boost." Ken explained.

The group quickly formed a party and spent the next few hours chatting as they farmed boars. Ken noticed that the XP needed to level up seemed higher than in the beta, as despite them farming for more than 10 hours throughout the day, he only gained two levels, with the rest of the party only gaining one.

It's pretty slow, but it's better to get our levels and cor up a bunch before we go to riskier places. Dying means losing a lot of XP and cor. If we die a lot at the start, we'll fall behind a ton. 

Ken shook his head in disappointment as he slashed another boar.

I mean, I'd be fine, but these guys wouldn't. Klein's gotten a hang of the combat already, but the other five would probably end up dying.

A thought abruptly entered Ken's head as he was listening to Dynamm talk about what happened at work a few days ago, "Ryoutarou, I thought you said only Dale could speak English?"

"Yeah, the others are pretty bad with their English," Klein responded as he sliced the head off a boar.

"Huh? But they've been speaking pretty fluently this whole time. Do you just have high standards?" Ken asked with a tilted head.

"What do ya mean? They're speaking Japane- wait, Ken, when did you learn Japanese?" 

"I didn't," Ken responded blandly.

"Nah man, don't say that! Your Japanese is great! I can totally understand you!" Klein said supportively, patting Ken on the back.

"No, I mean, I literally didn't. I'm speaking English. So are you guys, to me at least. I guess this game has a translator function." Ken summarized.

"Oh, really? That's sick!" Klein said happily.

"Man, I need to head to bed," Issin said abruptly, sitting down on the ground.

"Eh? It's only been 10 hours! We'll need to grind a lot more if we wanna become a top guild right away." Ken said, looking incredulously at Issin. 

"Sorry, man. I need to get up for work in the morning." Issin said apologetically.

"Yeah, same here," Dale said, nodding along with Issin.

"Ah, they're not used to the videogame grind like us, Ken. It's not realistic for them to pull all-nighters like us!" Klein said, a smirk of superiority on his face as he looked at Issin, then turned to Ken and scratched the back of his neck, "On that note, I actually have work tomorrow too."

"Eh, whatever. I'll keep playing. I'll be able to carry you guys against stronger mobs when you get back on." Ken said dismissively, pulling up his interface. He swiped up to chat he tried to open with Koichiro earlier, this time seeing that they had an account and were online.

[Chat]

[Ken; yo, koichiro. its ken]

Ken frowned as he watched the 'read' icon appear next to his message, but no message in response came from Koichiro. However, his thoughts were dragged away a moment later.

"Um, Ken?" Klein asked.

"Yeah?"

"Look, I don't wanna sound like a noob or nothin', but where's the logout button?" Klein asked sheepishly. Ken felt a sudden drop in his stomach.

There's no way.

"Seriously? This is the same guy who used to do Esports for a living. It's right he-" Ken started to joke as he felt a sense of dread, but cut himself off as he swiped to where the logout button usually was, at the bottom of the interface scroll, but saw nothing.

"Um… I don't see it either." Issin said. A chorus of agreement rang out as Dale, Dynamm, Harry, and Kunimittz looked for their own logout button.

No way. No way. I know it's called Sword Art Online, but this can't actually be fucking SWORD ART ONLINE.

"Yeah… that's weird. I don't see it either. Maybe it's a bug?" Ken said. His breathing started increasing, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest.

It's a bug. Just a bug. SAO is an anime. This is a game based on the anime. I bet this is a prank or something. The devs are fucking with us. This type of stuff doesn't happen in real life.

"Hah! Who's the noob no-" Klein's words were cut off as a flash of light appeared in Ken's eyes, and suddenly he was standing in the [Town of Beginning] again. He looked around, the square plaza filling with thousands of players as they all teleported in. Another flash of light appeared, and suddenly a giant creature covered in a huge robe was floating in the air above him.

No, fuck you, no. This isn't happening. This is literally the start of the fucking anime. This is a prank. It's gotta be a prank, and it's not fucking funny.

"Hey, this is a lot like Sword Art Online, right? It's probably a prank, right?" Ken asked a large Orc-raced man who was standing next to him. The man turned and looked at Ken, tilting his head questioningly.

"Eh? We're playing Sword Art Online right now, you know?"

"No, no! I mean the anime! It's a lot like the anime, right?" Ken explained rapidly, his heart rate increasing.

"An anime called Sword Art Online? Never heard of it, but I'll check it out. I love anime." The man said simply, turning away and looking up at the robed creature again. 

The creature floated silently as more players teleported in, and Ken rapidly walked from person to person, asking the same question.

"The anime this game is based on? I don't know, man."

"A death game anime? What, like the hunger games?"

"Bro, you're tweaking right now. I'm a huge weeb, and I've never even heard of that. Wanna have a weeb off? Ask me anything, I know it all!"

Ken paced away from the last person, his heart pounding in his ears.

fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

Ken was dragged out of his thoughts, which only consisted of the word 'fuck,' as the creature started to speak.

[Greetings, players. Thank you all for coming to the opening day for Sword Art Online!]

"Hey, why the fuck can't I log out, shitty dev?" Someone a few feet away from Ken shouted up at the creature. A rang of similar shouts followed, as people who had discovered the lack of a logout button voiced their concerns. The large creature swiped their hand, and suddenly all the sound stopped. Ken looked to the side, watching as the man who had been complaining was opening and closing his mouth, but no sound came out.

[As some of you may have noticed, the logout button is no longer available. Do not worry. This is not a bug, but one of the many features that makes Sword Art Online the greatest game of all time.]

No, you fucker. This prank isn't funny. Stop this fucking prank.

[The nerve gear you are wearing to access this game has a secondary feature: The kill switch. You will no longer be able to logout until the 1000th floor is cleared. However, upon dying within the game, you will also die in real life. An electromagnetic pulse will be sent to your brain through the nerve gear, frying it instantly.]

All around him, a silent panic ensued. He watched as players started screaming, crying, running, some even falling to their knees in anguish at his words. Ken would've laughed at the sight of the silent outrage if he wasn't panicking himself, his mind whirling.

No. No. This can't be. No one knows the anime. Ryoutarou is actually Klein from the fucking show, and I'm actually trapped in Sword Art Online.

Ken stared at his clenched fist, his heart pounding.

No, not the same Sword Art Online as in the show. There aren't a thousand people trapped here. There are millions. There aren't a hundred floors. There's a thousand.

Ken stared down at his fist. He unclenched it. Then clenched it again. Unclench. Clenched. His fist opened and closed over and over again. Slowly, a psychotic grin filled his face.

"The world will be watching. Families, governments, news stations, youtube…" Ken's eye twitched, his smile trying to grow bigger, but unable to as it already spread his entire face, "Everyone. Millions are trapped. The world will be watching. Waiting for the game to be cleared. For the impossible game to be beat."

Ken spoke out loud, but no sound came from his mouth, just as everyone else around him. His breathing quicked.

"This is it. This is my time. I'll be the best. Undisputed. The man who cleared the unbeatable game. The man who saved millions. This is the biggest stage in history. This is…" Ken looked up, staring at the robed creature, his breathing coming out quickly and raggedly, "... perfect."

There are a few misconceptions about Ken Kanei. The biggest misconception being: Ken Kanei has talent. It's a reasonable assumption. The man who dominated countless sports at the same time. The man who ascended to the top of gaming in a mere two years. How could this man not be immensely talented?

But, he wasn't. Ken Kanei was just a normal boy. He had no special talent. No physical gift. What he did have…

Ken gripped his chest, his grin turning feral.

What Ken Kanei had was an unmatched competitive drive. A desire in his very soul, screaming at him to win. To win in everything.

Another misconception about Ken Kanei was that his parents forced him to play sports. Ken's parents were immensely supportive, encouraging Ken to chase whatever dreams he had. And yet, Ken Kanei, who hated sports, became one of the best athletes in the world.

When Ken Kanei entered high school, a senior on the football team bumped into him. It was an accident, but the boy didn't apologize. He just kept walking.

For any sane person, they would've written the incident off and went about their day. This is where the third misconception appears.

Ken Kanei is not a sane person.

Ken joined the football team, becoming the starting quarterback so the boy who bumped into him would have to move to the bench. However, that wasn't enough. Ken became the best high school football player in the nation, using his fame and looks to steal the boy's busty girlfriend. 

Then, the boy became angry. He talked to his friend, who played basketball, about how much he hated Ken. So, Ken became a basketball player. The story repeats - because Ken is not sane. Ken felt no small amount of joy in winning. He saw himself in a battle with the boy, and then with the boy's friend. He felt more pleasure from taking everything from them than he did when he fucked their women.

However, to call Ken Kanei a sociopath would be wrong. Ken wasn't confused about if what he was doing was right or wrong. He knew it was wrong. He knew he was the villain. But he didn't care, because one feeling overpowered all of that.

The desire to win.

To call Ken Kanei a psychopath would be… correct. He wanted to win, and he wanted everything that came with it. He wanted the world to love him. For the boy he took everything from to not think Ken was doing it out of spite. He was just unlucky, happening to go to the same school as an athletic prodigy. He was simply unlucky, that his girlfriend fell for the famous Ken Kanei.

Ken was always careful. Always looking like the good guy. Always looking as if he'd done no wrong. No one would know from a glance that he was a raging psychopath.

Not even you.

Ken could already see it. Him, defeating the final boss, as the leader of the strongest guild. The world giving him praise for freeing the trapped players. His fellow players worshipping him as their hero, not knowing that he had crushed any other potential 'heroes' under his feet.

A world without rules. A world without laws. A world where the players made the rules. A world where the players made the laws.

A blank slate, with a glaring opportunity to become a hero. With an opportunity to win.

"This world… will be my greatest victory."

Ken stared up at the hood of the floating creature, which covered its face in a shadow. However, even with the shadow covering his face, Ken could feel the being staring back at him.

They were different in every way. One was a trapped player, who would have to struggle desperately to survive. The other was a god-like being in this world, who had trapped him and the other players in a world of his creation. Despite their differences, they both shared the same thoughts as they locked eyes.

This will be fun.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"'Let's Work Together'?" Klein asked incredulously, staring at Ken like he was crazy, "...I don't mean to doubt you, man, but what the hell is this name?"

"Personally, I like it!" Dale said, the man looking more like his real-life self now, except for the minor changes his [Orc] race affected him. He was a large man with an equally large belly, but his skin was now a darker color, and his ears tipped due to his race. 

"Yeah, it's not cool, but it shows that we're friendly, right?" Issin, who now looked like a tall middle-aged Japanese man, said in support. 

"But our guild name needs to be awesome! Like, like, like, um… Wind! Forest! Fire! Mountain!" Klein said, hitting a pose with each word. Ken, Issin, and Dale all stared at him like he was stupid. They were the only four standing in the guild hall, as Dynamm and Kunimittz had already headed to the inn for the night.

"That sounds ridiculous." Dale deadpanned, shitting all over the name that Klein had originally given their guild in the anime. Klein fell over in an overly dramatic fashion.

"Klein," Ken said, patting the man on the back, "We need to show that we're friendly, not that we're badass. Hundreds of thousands of players died over the last couple of days, and not all of it was from mobs. You know that this game is dangerous right now. There are no rules in place yet."

"Yeah… but this name is so lame…" Klein moaned.

"That's the point, Klein!" Ken said with a grin as he patted his back again, "Just think about how many dumbasses are gonna start beef with us because of our cute lil name, then get their ass beat!"

"Yeah, I guess that would be fun." Klein said, a small smile on his face, "I'm just surprised you came up with it, Ken. You're kinda the best gamer in the world, y'know? I thought you'd want something more intimidating."

"Now isn't the time to be intimidating, Klein. We need to make friends. There are already groups of PK'ers roaming the plains after sundown, and even more groups of 'PK hunters' who are killing anyone who looks at them funny." Ken explained.

"Yeah, I guess this is for the best. I trust your judgment way more than mine anyway, Ken." Klein said, standing up straight with a grin, "Now, I need to hit the hay! Let's go to the inn!"

"Hell yeah! Let's go!" Dale said, leading the group out of the guild hall in the [Town of Beginning]. 

"You guys go ahead, I'm gonna hit the bar first," Ken said with a grin.

"Eh? Tonight too, Ken? You're only 17! I didn't think you'd be such a drinker!" Issin asked in surprise.

"I couldn't drink yet in the real world, so I gotta enjoy it while I can in here. Not that you can really get drunk anyway. It's just a little buzz at best." Ken explained, breaking off from the group and heading toward the nearby bar.

Two days had passed since the start of Sword Art Online, and things had been going similar to how they went in the anime so far, except on a bigger scale. That was expected when there was a 1000x more players. 

The majority of players were too scared to even leave the [Town of Beginning], instead using the 1000 cor they started with to hole themselves inside an inn room. Luckily for Ken, this was exactly what he wanted.

I would've liked a badass guild name too, but this is better. You gotta think about the long-con, Klein.

Ken quickly pulled up the 1st Floor map, which was kind enough to show the entirety of the floor, with locations you've been to already being labeled. This wouldn't be the case for the higher floors, as you'd need to either explore the floor yourself to reveal the map or get shared the map from a player who had. 

The [Town of Beginning] was on the southernmost area of the map, making up nearly a 5th of the entire floor. It was called a 'town,' but it was more like a city, comparable to Tokyo in size. It was a semi-circle, with the back being cut off abruptly as it gave way to the edge of the castle, [Aincrad]. This was where thousands of players had thrown themselves off the edge, desperate to get out of their virtual prison. Ken pinched his fingers together, zooming in on the city and scrolling along it, marking a waypoint at every bar nearby. Then, he swiped away the interface, turning back to the building in front of him.

Ken looked up at the bar sign, which simply read 'Bar of Beginning.' It was the most popular bar in the city, mainly because of its large capacity and cheaper prices. Despite the majority of the player base being confined to the [Town of Beginning], it didn't have the feel of a major city. Nearly a tenth of the ten million players had died already, with the leading cause being suicide. Another tenth had left the [Town of Beginning], residing in the many towns that were scattered throughout the first floor, acting as safe zones for parties who were actively trying to clear the floor and farm mobs. 

This left roughly 8 million players within the [Town of Beginning] on the third day, and Ken estimated that around 3/4ths of those players were holed up in Inns. The devs had been extremely kind to newbies if you ignore the whole 'trapped and dying in real life' thing: Inn's were cheap, had cheap meals, and had infinite space. As long as you had 50 cor, a room would be generated for you. There were millions of empty houses in the [Town of Beginning], but even the smallest apartments cost over a million cor, so no one had been able to purchase one yet. There were cheaper homes in the more remote villages on the first floor, but even those cost a couple hundred thousand cor.

Ken suspected that only the most efficient beta-tester parties, or maybe someone like Kirito who was extremely skilled and abusing one-time quests, would have enough cor for an actual house in the city at this point. Ken's relatively safe farming method, which he'd been using both to ensure his guild was safe and for another ulterior motive, had allowed his guild to rack up about 200,000 cor collectively. While his farming method was on the safer side, it still utilized his knowledge from the beta test to be more efficient, meaning that normal newbie parties were farming even slower and weren't even close to being able to afford 

Which was the goal of some of the parties. Some of the braver groups of newbies had decided to try and rack up enough cor to last them for years, then try to live relatively normal lives in the [Town of Beginning]. It was a better plan than hiding inside the Inn for a week or two until their funds ran out like most players were doing.

Ken walked through the bar door, a shout ringing into his ears as he entered, "Those damn beta testers! They're taking fucking everything, and leaving us to rot!"

Ken just happened to enter the same bar Kibaou was in the night before, but even if he hadn't, he would've been able to see this sight in any bar, inn, or street in the city. The majority of the players were furious with the beta testers, as they used their prior knowledge to take hidden items, one time quests, and monopolize the best hunting spots.

Those morons can only think short-term. No fucking game-sense. They're so desperate to survive that they're taking all the good loot, and making everyone hate them for it.

It'd happened the same way in the anime, but Kirito had been so skilled that he never suffered any consequences for making himself a villain. Ken could've done the same thing, but he had a much better plan in mind.

I'm sure I'm even more skilled than Kirito, but a few first-floor items aren't even close in value to having everyone hate you.

"Ay, don't speak so generally, Kibaou!" Ken said as he wrapped his arm around Kibaou's shoulder. Kibaou was sitting on a stool in front of the bar, a crowd of men and women listening to him rant.

"Ah, if it isn't brother Ken! These beta-testing bastards might be fucking us over, but he's one of the good ones, alright?" Kibaou said with a laugh as he shouted towards the crowd around him, "He's one of us! Using his beta-testing knowledge to rack up cor, but using it to support us newbies!"

"Oh, yeah! You bought me a meal at the inn the other day! Thanks again, man!" A man in the crowd said loudly, patting Ken on the back.

"Are you the same Ken that won Evo last year?! I'm a huge fan!" A teenager said from a stool a few seats over.

"Y-Yeah, I remember! You were in the guild hall giving out tips for newbies last night, right?" A woman said, smiling up brightly at Ken.

Ken laughed loudly, "Don't even mention it! I'm getting tons of cor because I learned a lot during the beta test, so it's only right that I help out the new players, right? Drinks are on me tonight!"

I'd rather use this cor on better equipment, but this is a more long-term strategy. This is what really set me apart from everyone else in my Esports career. My game-sense is top-tier.

"HAHAHA! I told you guys, he's for the people!" Kibaou said loudly, "Ken! Ken! Ken!"

A chant started to ring out around the bar as Ken walked up to the NPC bartender, inserting a couple hundred cor to cover the drinks. It was like pennies to Ken at this point, as he'd been racking up cor all day. Ken and the rest of his newly formed guild, which just consisted of Klein, Dale, Harry, Issin, Dynamm, and Kunimittz, had been hunting rather efficiently the last two days. It was nowhere near as effective as it would've been if Ken hunted alone, but it was still decent. Ken had taken them to a hunting spot he knew from the beta test today, allowing them to hunt stronger mobs while still being relatively safe, and also letting them gain more money.

Not that they were making a lot of cor, but it was a lot compared to what these people had. Sword Art Online had been nice to the new players, making the cost of a night in the inn only 50 cor. A decent meal was only 20 cor, meaning you could afford a night's sleep and a meal every day by only killing one boar.

Despite the low cost, a lot of the players were terrified of even leaving the city, making Ken look like a hero when he used a couple of pennies to buy them food or a room. 

It adds up to buy stuff for so many people, but it'll be worth it. I need these people to be dependent on me, or at least idolizing me.

This was the first part of Ken's long-term plan, going in line with the name he chose for his guild.

What? The 'Let's Work Together' guild want the last hit bonus? Of course! They're always helping everyone out anyway, they deserve it! Huh? That up-and-coming Guild's guildmaster randomly disappeared? Why would it be Ken, he's always helping us newbies out!

Ken assumed that the player base would continue this way, just as it had in the anime. Even when the starting cor ran out, most players still only went as far as killing a few boars, never leaving the first floor.

In the show, there were over 6,000 players still alive during the last boss fight, but less than 100 were a part of the raid team. They won't fight, so they won't have a clear picture of the frontlines. It's like politics. No one really knows what's going on unless your deeply involved, so you just vote for whoever helps you out the most. In this case, that's me.

Ken headed back to the bar, the man sitting next to Kibaou offering up his seat for him. Ken drank and chatted with Kibaou and the crowd, which had only grown larger since his arrival, before standing up.

"Eh? Leaving already, brother? The nights just getting started!" Kibaou asked, eliciting a roar of agreement from the small crowd gathered around them.

"I'd love to drink more, but I need to go patrol the ally and make sure no one's going hungry tonight." Ken explained, smiling like a saint and receiving looks of awe from the people around him. One of the women nearby swore that she saw a holy light radiating from him. "A lot of people got scammed out of their starting cor and can't afford food."

"By those beta-testing bastards, I bet! We need to do something about those fuckers!" Kibaou yelled angrily, slamming his drink on the table.

"Y-Yeah! It's all these beta testers! They're taking everything!"

"We need to do something about them!"

"Yeah! All of those beta-testing fuckers need to die! E-Execpt you of course, Ken!" 

Ken smiled softly at the people around them, "I'm sure they're just desperate to survive, just like we all are, but I don't like how they're hoarding information and items."

"S-So kind, even giving those demonic bastards the benefit of the doubt…"

"Is he a saint?"

"Anyway, I need to go hand out the meals," Ken explained as he walked through the crowd, heading towards the door. He paused at the door, shouting behind him into the bar, "But, hey! I'll be back tomorrow, and all the drinks will be on me!"

A roar of approval came out behind him, a 'Ken!' chant reigniting as he left the bar. As he left, he pulled up his chat with Koichiro again. Calling it a 'chat' was a stretch, as it was very onesided.

[Chat]

[Ken: yo, koichiro. its ken]

[Ken: koichiro, you good?]

[Ken; youre still alive right???]

[Ken: i got a good party if you need help]

[Ken: im in the Let's Work Together guild. lmk if you need help]

Ken sighed as he headed toward a large ally, where most of the players who couldn't afford to stay in the inn sat at night. Koichiro had been looking at his messages but had yet to give him a response.

Hope he's alright. He was a skilled player, and a good guy too.

Ken might've been a complete psychopath who was using the poor newbies for his own gain, but he still cared about his friend. Ken walked into the ally, clapping loudly to draw the attention of the lines of players who were sitting on the dirty floor, "If anyone's hungry, I got lots of food to hand out!"

His words caused a flurry as a crowd of players quickly formed around him.

"R-Really? Food, for free?" A small boy, who couldn't have been older than 12, asked as he stared up at Ken.

"For free." Ken confirmed, pulling a [Small Inn Meal] out of his inventory and handing it to the boy, patting his head as he did, "I apologize for not being able to buy you all inn rooms tonight, but I'll try my best to get enough cor for the future."

"Is it because of those beta-testing bastards!?" An older man stepped up beside the child, and Ken could tell just from looking at him that he'd wasted his starting cor on booze.

"Partially," Ken said with a smile as he handed the man another meal, "I'm a beta tester too, but all of the good hunting spots are being prioritized by beta-tester parties."

"Kick their ass and take the spot! They don't deserve that damn cor and equipment anyway." A teenage girl spat out as she walked up, taking a meal from Ken's hand.

"Then I'd be no better than they are, y'know? They also just want to live like the rest of us, and I want as many people to survive as possible!" Ken said, a shining smile on his face as the players looked at him appreciatively.

That's it. Love me. Idolize me. Support me when I eventually take over this city, kay?

"Y-You're too kind…" The teenage girl said, staring up at him in awe.

"Besides, I couldn't even if I wanted to. My whole guild is newbies besides me, and the big parties full of all beta testers are more than willing to kill anyone who tries to take their farming spots." Ken said, a sad smile on his face.

I'm kind enough to forgive them, but you shouldn't be, alright?

"Those bastards! How can they kill people like that?"

"Yeah! We're all humans!"

"Murderers, the lot of them!"

"What's your name, Mister?" A young girl asked as she walked up to him for her meal. 

"I'm Ken, with the Let's Work Together guild! If any of you ever need help, I'll be at the guild every night giving out advice I learned from the beta test! Come see me if you need anything!" Ken said with a large smile.

"W-wow…"

"He's so kind…"

"The same Ken that won ALGD last year? You're so cool!"

"Thank you, Mister Ken!"

"Don't worry about it. Helping others is just what a good human should do, right?" Ken said as he patted the little girl's head, smiling brightly. He continued handing out meals, having to go through the hundreds that were filling his inventory until each person had one. 

Ken had to resist sighing as he looked at his wallet, which had dipped down to below 10,000 cor. He'd gotten roughly 50,000 over the past two days, but half of it had been spent on better equipment, as he couldn't exploit one-time quests for good loot as Kirito did, and the other half had been spent on helping people.

Ken swiped the interface away and headed toward the next bar. This had been his routine for the last two days, and he spent this one the same way: Going from bar to bar, ally to ally, giving out food and drinks to everyone he met. After being out for nearly another 3 hours, Ken decided he'd done enough for the day.

Ken finally headed back to the inn that his entire guild was staying at, renting a room and flopping onto the bed. He laid in the bed, staring at the ceiling as sleep drifted towards him.

This was how he'd spent the last two days, and it was how he'd be spending the next few weeks. His plan was simple: In the day, he'd go and hunt with his guildmates, slowly leveling up and getting better equipment. He had to be slow and methodical, or else the rest of the players would view him as one of the bad beta-testers, who were hoarding all the good items. At night, he'd be as nice and helpful as possible to all the newbies, making them love and rely on him. He would carefully stoke the fire against the beta-testers while also openly showing that he didn't blame them for their actions. This way, he'd have the newbies and the beta testers on his side. 

The last part of his plan was a bit harder, as he needed to expand his guild. If he wanted to take control of the city, he'd need a large and strong guild to keep any competing guilds in check, along with having more members to help out the newbies. He couldn't spend every day personally handing out meals, so he'd have to lock in on farming once the boss room was discovered, and then go to the second floor. The problem with expanding his guild ironically came from his own actions, as he was dancing a fine line between the beta testers and the newbies, trying to look appealing to both of them.

If he invited someone like Kibaou to his guild, the beta testers would view the guild in a bad light. In the same vein, if he tried to track down the highest-level players so far, then the newbies would look at the guild negatively. It was for that reason that he'd looking for two people in particular the last two days: Koichiro and Asuna.

Ken had all but confirmed that the anime had somehow become reality. No one he talked to knew about the anime, and the Klein he knew was the only Klein he could find. On top of that, he'd been hearing rumors about an informant called 'Argo the Rat' already. He had to assume that Asuna would be in the game too. She would eventually become a fiery frontliner, who'd fearlessly challenge bosses and guildmasters alike, but she was nowhere close to that yet. In the show, she'd hidden in an inn until she ran out of starting cor, then thrown herself into a dungeon with no intention of living, believing that she would never escape the game anyways. Ken had been handing out food and buying newbies inn rooms, spreading his name around the city, and hoping that he'd either run into Asuna when helping people out or that she'd come looking for him when she ran out of cor. 

I can't trust that the events in the show will repeat themselves. The game is already so different, with the thousand floors and millions of players. I need to find her quick, since there's no guarantee she won't just throw herself off the edge of the tower instead of entering the dungeon, considering that the game seems even more hopeless with 900 more floors.

The second person he was looking for was Koichiro, his friend from the beta. Ken assumed that the older boy must've taken the same actions as most of the other beta testers: Abandoning everyone and speed-running the hidden quests and rare items.

It wouldn't look good to have someone like him in my guild, but he's my friend, and he's also extremely skilled. He'll be an exception.

Or, he would've been an exception - if Koichiro would ever answer his chat messages. The boy had read all of them, nearly immediately after they were sent too, but had never responded.

He's not muted, right? Is that even possible? Maybe he killed someone on day 1 and became a red player, and can't use messages or something?

Gray wasn't sure why his friend from the beta test wasn't answering him, but he had decided that he'd keep pestering Koichiro until he either answered or Ken ran into him somewhere. Ken pushed the thoughts away, laying flat on the bed as he let sleep consume him.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[NGID - 158421074: Hi.]

Ken stared at the chat message, not sure how to respond. Two weeks had passed since the start of Sword Art Online, and Ken had nearly given up hope in Koichiro responding. However, just as he had been about to head out to take on a dungeon with his guild, he'd received a response. His chat only showed the nerve gear id, as Ken hadn't added him as a friend yet.

[Ken: yo Koichiro. You good man?]

Ken stared at the chat as the read receipt appeared, and he thought for a moment that Koichiro was going to ghost him again, but then a response came through.

[NGID - 158421074: Yes.]

[Ken: thats good. i was worried. U need help?]

Ken was once again hit with a pang of anxiety as Koichiro didn't respond for a few minutes, and Ken almost gave up and left his Inn room. However, once again, a response came.

[NGID - 158421074: Yes. Can we meet?]

[Ken: fs where at?]

Ken was left waiting for the longest period this time, which was strange considering the response that finally came was so short.

[NGID - 158421074: fs?]

Eh? What's he confused about?

"He is Japanese though. Maybe the translator fucked it up." Ken said out loud. 

[Ken: I meant For Sure. where do u wanna meet at?]

The response was quicker this time.

[NGID - 158421074: Oh. Yes. Please meet me at the starting area.]

[Ken: gotcha. which one?]

Ken quickly pulled up the guild chat, letting Klein and the rest of the guild know that he'd be late as he waited for Koichiro's reply, which only came after nearly 10 minutes of waiting.

[NGID - 158421074: Um… the first one.]

Did he just type 'um'?

[Ken: ok cya there]

Ken swiftly departed from the Inn, heading to [Spawn Square #1] on the map. The area was relatively empty compared to the first day, only a couple groups of people milling around or walking by compared to the thousands that were there the first day. Ken leaned back against one of the towering pillars, looking around the square for Koichiro. His eyes scanned the square once. Then again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

Sufficient to say, Koichrio was taking his time getting here.

"Where is this bastard?" Ken sighed leaning his head back against the pillar after waiting for nearly an hour, the virtual sun blaring down on him.

"U-um, ah, u-u-um, are you K-Ken?" A high-pitched and soft voice asked to his side, and he looked down to see a small hooded figure. He couldn't see their face, but the long chest-nut hair flowing out of the hood let him know that it was girl.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ken answered, a rehearsed friendly smile filling his face, assuming that the girl had been one of the many people he'd given meals too, likely coming to him for more help.

"I-um, I'm, ah, um," The girl said, fidgeting her hands in front of her as she searched for the right words, finally spitting out, "I'm at the, the um, m-meeting spot."

Ken blinked in surprise, "Koichrio?"

"Um, ah, y-yeah, but I'm-" Ken cut the girl off, laughing as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Eh? Is this why you weren't answering my messages?" Ken laughed widely as he pressed the girl into his side, "I didn't take you as a roleplayer, but I don't judge, man! We're still friends, I don't care if you're a girl or not!"

"Ah, u-um, actually- I'm, um, not Koichiro…" The small girl trailed off, looking up at him. 

"Eh? What do ya mean you're not-" Ken cut himself off as the girl pulled down her hood, giving him a clear view of her face. She looked a year or two younger than Ken, with an angular and soft face. Big hazel eyes stared up at him, her face blushing lightly. Her ears were angular, showcasing that she had chosen the [Fairy] race.

Asuna?

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"T-Thank you…" Asuna said with red cheeks, biting into the small cream-filled piece of bread Ken gave her. Ken watched her stare at it with wide eyes from across the table as she took a bite.

After Ken had realized that the girl in front of him was, in fact, Asuna, he'd led her to a small table with an umbrella shade. They were sitting in front of a buyable restaurant, but there still weren't many players with enough Cor to afford real estate at this point, so it was empty and ownerless. 

"No problem, have as much as you like," Ken replied, smiling softly at the girl. She took his words to heart, and Ken blanched as he watched the small girl devour the piece of bread in a few seconds. He swiftly pulled another one out of his inventory, handing it to the girl.

"Another one?" Ken asked with a grin.

"T-Thank you…" Asuna echoed her earlier words, devouring the bread with the same vigor she had with the last one.

"Have you not been eating or somethin'?" Ken asked with a raised eyebrow, handing the girl yet another cream-filled bread. Asuna blushed at his question, taking a smaller bite of the bread this time before she answered.

"U-Um, not anything besides bread for the last two days… I've also never had anything this good…" Asuna trailed off, looking in awe at the bread in her hand as she took another bite. Ken couldn't blame her for liking the bread so much, as it'd cost him 200 Cor per piece, as compared to the 20 Cor a [Small Inn Meal] cost. It was probably a huge step up for Asuna, who had been living off of the bland and tasteless [Free Bread] for a couple days. It was called 'free bread,' but you could only get one free piece from the church a day, with any more pieces costing 1 Cor a piece. You didn't actually need to eat in the virtual world, as it wouldn't cause you to lose health or die if you didn't, but there was a very real sense of hunger that would appear if you didn't eat for long enough. 

"You mean the free bread from the church?" Ken asked, getting a nod of confirmation from the girl, "You don't have enough Cor for a proper meal?"

"Ah, um, n-no." The girl said, looking at her feet and blushing, "I spent all of the starting Cor at the Inn."

Seeing the fiery and stubborn Asuna looking feeble and shy was odd, but Ken knew this was how she'd also been before the first-floor boss fight in the show.

"Here, accept this," Ken said, opening up a trade window between him and Asuna. He tapped in 20,000 Cor.

"W-What? This much?" Asuna said, staring up at him with wide eyes, "A-Are you sure?"

"Take it." Ken said, giving the girl a comforting smile, "I can just leave you to sleep on the streets, y'know?"

"Thank you…" Asuna said for what felt like the 10th time that day, blushing and looking down at her feet again as she hit the accept button.

"Now," Ken said, bringing her attention back to him as she looked up, "Do you know Koichiro, or did you just buy the nerve gear off of him or somethin'?"

Ken already knew the answer, but he couldn't just say that.

"Koichrio is my older brother," Asuna explained, "He was really excited to play this game, but had to go on a last-second business trip, so I took his nerve gear…"

"Oh, Koichiro's sister?" Ken said, faking his surprise, "He's mentioned you before! It's nice to finally meet you, Asuna."

"A-Ah, yes, nice to meet you too!" Asuna said, smiling brightly at him, "You must be one of my brother's online friends, right? You don't look Japanese."

"Yup! I'm American!" Ken confirmed, "Even though I never met Koichiro in person, I consider him one of my best friends. As his sister, if you need anything, anything at all, feel free to ask! I'll do whatever I can to help!"

That's not really true. I like Koichiro, he was a good guy and a top-tier player, but best friend? Not even close. I haven't even spoken to him since the beta, but she doesn't need to know that.

"A-Ah, n-no way," Asuna blushed for the hundredth time that hour, looking at her hands as she fidgeted, "You already helped so much with giving me that much Cor, there's no way I could trouble yo-"

"Asuna," Ken said, interrupting the girl and smiling comfortingly at her, "You're Koichiro's sister. I'll do whatever I can to help you. I wouldn't be able to look him in the eye once we get out of here if I didn't."

"Thank you…" Asuna said again, returning his smile with a soft one of her own, then waving her hands in a panic for a moment, "Ah, and um! Sorry for not answering your messages until now… I was scared to talk to anyone after the announcement. I just went straight to the Inn."

"Don't sweat it," Ken responded, "You didn't know who I was, so I can't blame ya. I just thought Koichiro did some dumb shit and got himself muted or something. What made you finally answer?"

"Ah…" Asuna didn't meet his eyes again, looking embarrassed, "I was sleeping in an ally the last couple of days, but I had to move to a different one because it started to get too crowded. I met a nice little girl at the one I moved to, and she said someone named Ken kept coming by to hand out Inn food. Your first message said you were Ken, and you kept saying my brother's name, so I thought I'd at least try to meet you…"

I'm glad to see that my charity work is paying off. She must not know how to use the forums if it took her hearing it personally from someone else.

Sword Art Online had a forum-like system, having a different section for each floor. Since everyone was still on Floor 1, the current forum was visible to everyone. This was part of the reason Ken started doing his charity work, as he'd be able to get his name spread around in a positive way regardless of the massive player count. He'd been right, as he'd already become one of the more famous players through the forums. The people he'd helped wasted no time praising him, and he'd gained a reputation as both being 'one of the only good beta testers' and as 'the bridge connecting beta testers and newbies.' His fame had skyrocketed even more as people realized he was the pro-player Ken, leading to hardcore gamers and beta testers admiring him.

"Well, I'm glad you did," Ken smiled at her, "It's been great talking with you."

"Though, I gotta get going soon. My guilds taking on a dungeon today. We're on each others friends list now, so when I message you it should show up as my actual name," Ken said, getting ready to stand up and leave, "Sorry that I can't buy you a house or anything, we're not that loaded yet, so you'll have to settle with the Inn room for now."

"W-What?" Asuna said, waving her hands in front of her, "The Inn is more than enough! I could never accept-"

Ken cut her off again, holding up a hand, "Nope, I don't wanna hear it. You're Koichrio's sister, there's no way I'm gonna let you stay in those cramped-ass Inn rooms for the next decade!"

Asuna paused, looking down at her lap. She stayed silent for a moment, then spoke hesitantly, "How do you do it?"

Ken blinked, "Do what?"

"H-How… how are you going out there, risking your life?" She asked, putting her hands over her face as she leaned into them, "How can you be so positive…"

She looked up, peeking through her fingers at him. Ken saw her arms shake, her eye twitching as she stared at Ken, "A thousand floors… It's already been two weeks and not even the first floor is cleared yet! Even if they cleared the first floor today, I'd still have to spend almost half my life in this hellhole by the time we get out… and it's only going to get harder… we might never escape…"

Her whole body shook as she stared down at the table, and Ken knew she was on the verge of collapse after sitting in a dark Inn room for weeks, hoping that the nightmare would end. This wasn't the strong-willed Asuna that joined the frontlines. This was the hopeless Asuna that dove into a dungeon with starter gear, breaking her only weapon as she aimlessly hunted monsters, looking for a place to die. 

"Asuna," Ken said comfortingly, reaching across the table and placing his hand on the top of her head, patting her head gently, "There are two types of players in this game."

Asuna looked up, her distraught eyes locking with his as he continued, "One group is sitting in this town, holing themselves in a dark room, desperately hoping that someone will come to save them. That the outside world will get them out, or that the players in here will clear the game for them."

Asuna looked down, not meeting Ken's eyes, knowing she was a part of that group.

Ken took his hand off her head, leaning back, "The second group is rushing desperately towards the end, trying to clear the game as soon as possible. Risking their life to free everyone trapped here. Trying desperately to return to the real world."

"N-no," Asuna said, her body shaking again as her eyes filled with panic and fear, seeing where the conversation was heading, "I c-cant… I can't fight, I don't play games, I've never, I, I, I don't, I can't, I-I-"

"Asuna," Ken interrupted her, grabbing her hand and smiling comfortingly, "They're both wrong."

Asuna blinked, pulling out of her state of panic, "W-What?"

Ken stood up, walking around the side of the table. He stared out at the nearby starting square, which was more like a huge circle, "Where do you live, Asuna?"

Asuna turned around, moving her legs around to the other side of her chair, "Why do you-"

"What city, I mean," Ken clarified with a chuckle.

"A-Ah, Tokyo. I'm in Setagaya."

"Do you have anywhere you want to travel to?" Ken continued, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I guess. I always wanted to go to Europe, and my brother wanted to take my whole family to see America sometime…" Asuna trailed off.

Ken gestured up at the towering pillars around them, which stretched hundreds of feet into the sky, "Do you think you could see this in either of those places?"

"Ah, I guess not…" Asuna said again, standing up from her chair and standing by Ken's side, looking around at the pillars.

"Once you get out of here, Asuna, whether it takes us ten years, or even twenty, you'll have the rest of your life to live in the real world," Ken said, gesturing to the towering structures around the [Town of Beginning]. The towering walls that surround the city, stretching thousands of feet into the air. The church and the castle, which looked straight out of a medieval textbook. The homes that filled the city, and small houses stacked on top of each other like apartment buildings. 

"Everyone wants to leave the game so badly, that they're missing what's around them. This is a sight that we could never see in the real world, and this is only the first floor," Ken said, turning to Asuna as she stared up at him with awe in her eyes, "I saw only a fraction of what waits above us in the beta, but even that will blow your mind. Mountains that reach into the heavens. Cities that make Tokyo look like a small town. Creatures straight out of a fairy tale. This isn't a hellhole, Asuna." 

Ken smiled brightly down at the girl, "This is a video game. A game made for players to have fun in. A world beyond our imagination. Here, you have no responsibilities. No job. No schooling. I can keep fighting because it's not a struggle. I'm not miserable. I'm having fun. You'll have the rest of your life to enjoy the real world, so have fun while we're here, alright?"

Asuna stared up at him, stars in her eyes, her body no longer shaking. Then, abruptly, she stepped forward, hugging him.

"Thank you…" Her voice muffled into his side, her face pressed into the casual black t-shirt he was wearing, his armor currently unequipped. Ken patted her head softly, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her further into him. He saw her face blush lightly, and she smushed her face deeper into his side to hide it.

"There's even a hotspring on the fourth floor. I'll take you there sometime, alright?" Ken said calmly.

Asuna glanced up slightly, her eyes peaking past his hand as he stroked her hair, "R-Really?!"

"Really." Ken smiled.

"Thank you!" Asuna squeaked, sounding muffled as she pressed her face into his side harder to hide her blush, her arms tightening even more in her hug.

If anyone had been watching the two, it would've almost seemed like a sweet sight. Two figures hugging, the taller one comforting the smaller one. Maybe they were siblings. Friends? Possibly even lovers. It almost looked like the personification of human affection, as a girl who was on the verge of suicide was given a new outlook on life. 

Almost.

Man, this is too fucking easy. This is all it took to get a future top-player to be reliant on me? Not only that but a top-tier waifu too!

The sight of them was almost beautiful, if not for the near-maniacal smile spreading across Ken's face. Luckily for him, they were tucked away in the corner of the starting square, no one able to see the large grin on his face. Asuna's head was pressed into his side, ensuring that her vision was covered.

This world will be mine.

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Thanks for reading! Not sure how often I'll update this story - that largely depends on you guys. If you guys like it and want me to update it more, the best ways to let me know are through commenting or supporting on Patreon (Patreon.com/Koyon)