Sword Art Online - Volume 9 - Alicization Beginning

by Reki Kawahara

  There’s no need to carry out any continuous hits. Just a normal horizontal swing on the middle right side will do. If I have to borrow a name for this sword skill in SAO, it would be «Horizontal». It’s a basic skill that could be learnt at the beginning of the game.

  I adjusted my breathing and moved my weight onto the right foot before moving the sword back slightly. I lifted my left foot up due to the inertial weight of the sword. It looked like I’m about to end up sitting down on my butt, but I have to fight this no matter what until the sword tip reaches the target. I stamped my right foot on the ground and shifted my weight to the left side of my body, converting the strength in the swinging motion inside the legs and waist from the hands to the tip of the waist, and I carried out my horizontal swing.

  The sword let out a glow, and even though it doesn’t accelerate on its own, my body still traced the posture for a sword skill perfectly. Let the left foot land on the ground create a tremor, move the large and heavy sword and use the inertia that’s not forcing me back yet, and go forward with the ideal trajectory—

  However, this could only be used as a demonstration. My legs were unable to stand firm, and the blade itself hit the tree bark.

  GIIIINNN!! A sharp sound was heard as the birds on the trees all flew off. However, I can’t see all this as I couldn’t endure the feedback and let go of the sword while my face had an intimate moment with the moss on the ground.

  “WAH! Didn’t I say this would happen already?”

  Eugeo ran towards me, and with his help, I managed to sit down and spit out the moss in my mouth. Besides the face that hit the ground first, my wrists, waist and knees are all hurting so much I feel like screaming. The pain would still last for quite a while, but I continued to squeeze out such words.

  “…This can’t do…the status’ still red…”

  In the old SAO, if one equips a weapon that doesn’t have the required STR, a window will pop out to state this. However, these words probably never reached Eugeo as it seemed to worry him all the more. At this moment, I hurriedly add on,

  “No, that…I just lack body strength. Also, is there really a swordsman that can wield such a monstrous weapon?”

  I let my shoulders sink, rubbed my right wrist and turned over. Eugeo followed me and looked behind.

  Both of us are stunned.

  The Sword of Blue Rose, that beautiful sword that was swinging in the air is stabbed into half of the Gigas Cedar.

  “…No way…just one hit can cause…”

  Eugeo suddenly stood up and said with a hoarse voice while being speechless for the time being.

  He tentatively reached out his right fingers to touch the intersection of the sword and the tree.

  “The blade’s not damaged at all…and it really cut two centimeters into the Gigas Cedar’s bark…”

  I endured the pain all over me and stood up, patting away the dust on my clothes.

  “This, this is just to test the outcome. That Sword of Blue Rose far exceeds the Dragon Bone Axe…in terms of attack power. Try looking at the life of the Gigas Cedar.”

  “U, un.”

  Eugeo nodded and again drew the seal before knocking on the bark. He looked at the window that popped out..

  “…232,314.”

  “Wha, what!?”

  This time, it’s my turn to be shocked.

  “Just a little? So much was cut into…why…don’t tell me it won’t work if it’s not the axe…?”

  “No, that’s not the reason.”

  Eugeo pulled his hand back and shaked his head.

  “It’s that you’re cutting it at the wrong place. If it’s not the bark but the core that’s hit directly, its life will decrease greatly. That’s what I feel…and when that happens, my Sacred Task will be over…—however.”

  Eugeo turned away, giving a complicated expression, and bit his lips lightly.

  “But that’s if we can use the sword well. If it hurts just by swinging once, and if we keep missing the part we’re aiming at, it’ll be slower than using an axe.”

  “I can’t do it, but what about you, Eugeo? You should be a lot stronger. Try swinging it once.”

  I continued to hassle Eugeo, and though he gave a hesitant look, he finally said that he’ll try it and faced that tree again.

  His hands held onto the Sword of Blue Rose’s hilt that was entrenched into the large tree and did a prying action. The blade finally left the bark of the tree, and Eugeo’s upper body swayed. The tip of the blade landed on the ground, letting out a clear and crisp sound.

  “It, it’s really heavy. I can’t do this, Kirito.”

  “If I can do it, you definitely can, Eugeo. The basic is about the same as swinging an axe. You need to use more of your weight than when swinging an axe. Don’t just use your wrist’s power. Keep your body steady.”

  I can’t guarantee how much of the words actually reached him. Eugeo was really someone who’d been using the axe for a long time as he didn’t even need a moment to understand this. His honest face became serious as he nodded and bent down to lift the sword.

  After moving back slowly to lift the sword, he paused for a while, and then took a deep breath before quickly swinging the sword with tremendous speed. The right foot stepped right forward, and this series of weight lifting skills caused me to be flabbergasted. A blue trail was left behind in the air as the tip of the blade charged towards the center of the cut.

  —But at the final moment, the left foot supporting the whole body weight slipped slightly. The sword that was swung, hacked a V sign at the top, and let out a deep sound and stopped. Eugeo then fell back in the opposite way, as I did, and hit the back of the thick trunk before groaning.

  “Ugh…”

  “O, oi, are you alright?”

  I hurriedly ran over to Eugeo, who raised his right hand to show that he was alright, but was still frowning. Looking at him like this, I finally realized the truth that pain also existed in the world.

  SAO, ALO, these VRMMO games that existed would send the pain that should be felt from the brain to the «Pain Absorber» unit to nullify it when the avatar’s damaged. Without this, no one will go through a physical battle where the hit points are destroyed.

  However, it seemed that there was no entertainment mindset here in this world. Even though the pain finally eased up, my wrists still felt a sharp pain as if I sprained them. If I get severely injured by a weapon, how painful will that be?

  In Underworld, if I am to clash with other people, I’ll have to make a realization completely different from now. No matter what, I was never able to imagine the pain of being hacked at by a blade with weight at all until now.

  Eugeo, who is more tolerant to pain than me, used only 30 seconds before the pain on his expression vanished, and he stood up gently again.

  “Un, I still can’t do it, Kirito. Our lives will decreased by a lot before we actually hit it accurately for once.”

  Both of us stared at the tree again. The blue rose hit the top of the opening at a slight angle, bounced off and stabbed into the ground.

  “But I think your footwork isn’t bad…”

  I wanted to say that Eugeo was a little indecisive, but after seeing him looking like a kid being lectured, I could only forget about it and seem to give up as I picked up the white leather scabbard that was lying on the moss. Eugeo drew the Sword of Blue Rose and cautiously put it back into the scabbard in my hand. He then put it inside the leather bag, tied the rope up and put it not too far away.

  Fuu, Eugeo exhaled and took up the Dragon Bone Axe beside the Gigas Cedar before shouting,

  “Uwahh, this axe feels as light as a feather—alright, we dilly-dallied enough just now. Got to work hard for the afternoon.”

  “Ahh…sorry for making you do such a thing with me, Eugeo…”

  On hearing my apology, the youth turned around and gave an innocent smile. That smile can only be described as honest.

  “It’s fine Kirito. I’m happy about t
hat too. Then…I’ll start with 50 first.”

  KON KON. The rhythmic sounds came as the axe was swung. I looked away from Eugeo, walked towards the Sword of Blue Rose that was laid down and stroke the leather jacket.

  I was definitely thinking in the right direction there. If I used this sword, the Gigas Cedar can definitely be toppled. However, it’s just like what Eugeo said. If I swung it wildly, there’ll be quite the price to pay.

  Since the sword exists in this world, there should be someone in this world who can wield it at will and equip it. Eugeo and I just don’t have the necessary conditions in this system.

  In that case, what would the conditions be? Class? Level? Status? What exactly is it, and how should I start investigating…

  “…”

  On thinking about this, I opened my mouth slightly. It was due to the shock of my own slow-wittedness.

  Of course, I just needed to open my status window to check it. Yesterday, I summoned a «window» on Eugeo’s round bun…and I tried to turn off the lamp in the church’s room; I didn’t think of that at all. How stupid.

  I reached my left hand out and drew the command mark from before. I pondered and tapped the back of my right hand. Just as I expected, there was a ring and a purple rectangle appearing in my sights.

  Unlike the bread’s window, there were many lines of words here. I subconsciously started to search the key, but I just couldn’t find it no matter what.

  First, there’s the line [UNIT ID:NND7-6355] at the top. Unit ID; this caused me a chill, but now’s not the time to dig deep into this. I kept the alphanumerical values in mind, since it should be a serial number commonly used in this world.

  Below it is the Durability that could also be seen on the bread and the Gigas Cedar, the «Life» Eugeo talked about. The indicated value is [3280/3289]. Normally speaking, the left side is the current value while the right side is the maximum value. The reason why it decreased slightly may be because I just swung it wildly. I then looked down.

  The next line is [Object Control Authoriy: 38]. Below it is the line [System Control Authority: 1].

  These are the only things. The required experience value in an RPG, level, status indicator; there wasn’t anything there at all. I bit my lips and repeated them.

  “Un…Object Control Authority…this…”

  The term gave me a feeling that it should be a numerical parameter related to the tool. However, I had no idea how big is the parameter 38 here.

  I sighed and looked up to see the back of Eugeo swinging the axe diligently. As I watched him, I suddenly had an idea, so I removed my own window and tried to check out the information on the Sword of Blue Rose. I undid the rope knot slightly, showed a bit of the hilt, drew a mark and tapped it lightly.

  The window that appeared showed the life value 197700 that could match the Gigas Cedar and also the thing I wanted to see. Below the life value, there’s a [Class 45 Object] indicated there. There was a very high chance that this had something to do with the Control Authority I just saw. My Authority’s 38, far less than 45.

  I removed the window of the sword and tied the bag up before sitting beside the sword. I looked through the gaps between the leaves of the Gigas Cedar and looked up at the sky, and couldn’t help but sigh. I got a lot of information, but I still couldn’t wield the Sword of Blue Rose. This fact itself was confirmed by the numerical value I saw just now. I probably could do it if I raised my Authority level to 45, but I couldn’t find any way.

  If this world used an ordinary VRMMORPG system, I will have to continuously practice or beat monsters to gain experience. I really have no idea if I have enough time to try out the former, and I haven’t found a monster yet. If I met a situation of ‘Getting a rare item but not at a level high enough to equip it’, the normal response was to gain experience here by working here. However, I’m only left with despair if I can’t find a way to raise my experience.

  The MMO game is most interesting when there’s no clearing website and the player has to start from the beginning and test everything out—that’s what the heavy users would say, and they would definitely not say this once they returned to reality. As I’m thinking about this, Eugeo finished his 50 swings, wiped his sweat away and turned around.

  “How about it, Kirito? Do you still want to swing the axe?”

  “Ahh…my pain has subsided somewhat.”

  I staggered up with my feet and reached my right hand out to grab the Dragon Bone Axe. It was really a lot lighter than the Sword of Blue Rose.

  Well, let’s pray that swinging the axe will increase that parameter. I thought as I wielded the axe and took it back by pulling it behind.

  “Uahhh…this is absolutely paradise…”

  I soaked my body that was still not used to the fatigue and soaked myself inside the warm water and couldn’t help but say that out.

  The bath hall of the Rulid church was built with a large bronze water tank that had burnt tiles under it and had a furnace built outside the wall to add firewood to heat the water. It really reminded me of the middle ages bathhouses in Europe. I have no idea whether it’s designed as such by the creator of this world or an outcome of a self-evolution through simulation of several hundred years.

  After dinner, the two females Sister Azariya and Selka used it, and after that, I entered with the other 4 boys. After some ruckus, the kids finally left. However, there was no dirt in this container full of bath water. I used both hands to raise the transparent liquid and splash it hard at my head before letting out a delayed sound. Ufuee~

  At this point, I’ve been in this world for about 33 hours.

  The FLA acceleration rate as I dive is unknown, so I can’t deduce how much actual time has passed. If it’s of equal rate—the same rate as reality, and if I’m missing, my family members and Asuna will be panicking.

  On thinking about this, the anxiety rose up my throat, causing me to be unable to relax in the bath and frantically thought of a way to leave this place. But on the other hand, I really wanted to find out other mysteries in this world.

  I, who was able to keep the memories of Kirigaya Kazuto as I arrived in this world, can only think that there’s something abnormal going on. That’s because my own actions alone will cause a drastic deviation in the simulation test. The researchers probably don’t want to see me corrupt this grand experiment that has lasted for at least 300 years.

  In other words, the moment I encountered such a shocking crisis, I may have encountered a once in a thousand chance as well. That is, I can discover the real identity of RATH—which has lots of financial power that doesn’t match its size and visibility—the mysterious organization. This was the first and last chance for me.

  “No…this may be, another, excuse…”

  I dipped my mouth into the water, let out bubbles and said this.

  Or maybe, I’m simply driven by my desire as a VRMMO player. I am driven by this absolutely foolish and immature desire to «clear» this «world»—this world that doesn’t have any manual, and barge through using my own knowledge and instincts, refine my sword skills and beat lots of amazing guys to head for the goal to be the strongest.

  Being strong in the virtual world, to put it simply, is a false impression created by the values of the parameters, and I thought of this many times in the past. When Heathcliff broke through my highest level dual-wielding sword skill, when I collapsed in front of the Fairy King Oberon in a very ugly state, and when I was pursued by Death Gun and wondering whether I should run away when I’m at my wits end, I gritted my teeth all the time and swore that I wouldn’t make the same mistake the next time.

  But at the same time, the flames burning inside me seemed like they wanted to devour me in fire. That Sword of Blue Rose I can’t wield, how many people can easily wield it in this world? How strong are the Integrity Knights that protect the law and the Dark Knights of the dark world? What kind of guys are the ones at the top positions of the Axiom Church in this world…?

  I su
bconsciously waved my right hand to break the water surface, and the water that flew hit the wall in front of me and let out a slight sound.

  At the same time, a sound could be heard from the door leading to the changing room, causing me to recover.

  “Arre, is anyone inside?”

  I realized that it’s Selka, and hurriedly stood up.

  “Ah, well, it’s me—Kirito. Sorry, I’ll get out immediately.”

  “U…un. Take your time. Remember to remove the stopper of the tank when you go out and turn off the lamp. Good bye then…I’ll be going back to my room, so good night.”

  Realizing that Selka was about to leave, I suddenly called her to stop her from behind the door.

  “Ah…Selka. I have something to ask you. Are you free tonight?”

  Selka suddenly stopped and remained silent for a while in a seemingly hesitant manner, but finally said in a barely audible voice,

  “…A little can do. The kids in my room should be sleeping, so I’ll wait in your room.”

  She walked over in small steps without waiting for my answer. I hurriedly got out from the tank, removed the stopper at the bottom of the tank, turned off the lamp and walked towards the changing room. Even if I didn’t wipe myself with a towel, the water droplets would dry off quickly. I put on some home clothes and returned to the peaceful corridor before climbing up the stairs.

  I opened the door to the guest room, and Selka, who was moving her legs as she sat on the side of the bed, lifted her head. Unlike last night, she was wearing a cotton nightgown, and her brown hair was tied in three tails.

  Selka didn’t show any change in expression as she took up the last glass placed on the table beside her and handed it over to me.

  “Oh, thanks.”

  I received the drink and sat beside Selka before drinking up the icy cold well water. It felt like the water was entering my thirsty body as it seeped to the tip of my limbs drip by drip. This feeling caused me to exclaim,

  “Uu—nectar, nectar!”

  “Nectar? What’s that?”

  After that, Selka tilted her head while looking like she didn’t understand. Damn it, this term doesn’t exist in this world. I panicked when I realized this.