Sword Art Online Progressive - Volume 01

by Chapter 1 + Intermission

  I also experienced this many times in the beta test, but it is a big test of willpower. Rather, in reality, after a boss fight, no one will come forth and say anything (in other words, someone kept the drop), so there were many rather awkward raid disbands.

  Diabel, probably to prevent this kind of development, used the «Drop to person» rule. What a truly perceptive Knight-sama.

  At 5:30 PM in the afternoon, the meeting was ended and dissolved with similar messages as yesterday like 'Let's work hard!' and 'Yea—!', and then the group split into threes and fives, disappearing inside bars and restaurants. While moving my awfully stiff-feeling shoulders, I wondered if this stiffness was an illusion, or if my real body were actually tense, though it would not matter either way— "……So, the explanation, where shall we do it?"

  …'What did you say', I was confused for a moment, then I hurriedly faced the rapier user.

  "Ah, yeah…Anywhere is fine with me. How about that bar?"

  "……No. I don't want to be seen by anyone."

  That speech almost pierced me for a moment, but then I rallied my spirits by arbitrarily supplementing the part she omitted as «seen together with any male player» instead of «seen together with me», and I somehow managed to calmly nod.

  "Then, how about an NPC house…but, someone might enter. An inn room can be locked, but that's no good either, right?"

  "Of course."

  This time I sustained a light piercing damage from those words that were like the point of a rapier.

  Since this is a virtual world, I could somehow manage to talk to female players, but until one month ago, I was a 2nd year middle school student whose interpersonal skill was so low that I even had difficulty talking with my younger sister. In the first place, how did only I, who followed the straight path of a solo player, end up in this kind of situation? I understood that I couldn’t help but enter groups when it came to boss battles, but when I thought about it carefully, all other seven parties are male-only groups, so if I had joined those then it would be over without so much bother…

  While I was timidly thinking about these things, the rapier user sighed and continued.

  "…Anyway, most of the private rooms at inns in this world cannot even be called a room. A space less than six tatami mats with only a bed and table, just that costs 50 col a night. Eating doesn't really matter, but since only sleep is genuine here, I want to sleep in a slightly better room."

  "Eh…R-Really?"

  I unconsciously tilted my head.

  "If you search for it, you can find better housing conditions somewhere, right? Though it will cost a bit more…"

  "You say 'search,' but there are only three inns in this town. The rooms are all similar."

  Hearing that reply, I finally understood.

  "Ah…I see. You only checked places with [INN] signboards, right?"

  "Yes, since…INN means inn7."

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  7 The all-capitals ‘INN’ is said in English as the common game term, while the lower case ‘inn’ is said in Japanese

  "True, but on lower floors like this one in this world, it just means shops where you can sleep at the cheapest price for the time being. There are plenty of other rooms besides those at inns that you can rent with col."

  The instant I said that, the rapier user's lips became open-mouthed.

  "Wha……Y-You should have said that earlier……"

  Feeling like I had finally found a clue to counterattacking, I grinned and promptly started bragging about the room I was currently renting.

  "The place I rented in this town is on the second floor of a farmhouse at the cost of 80 col a night, but it has two rooms that come with the bonus of getting all the milk you can drink, it has a bed with a scenic view, and on top of that there is also a bathroom attached…"

  I had gotten carried away talking, but at that moment.

  Extending forward at a godly speed like the «Linear» I had seen in the depths of the dungeon, the rapier user's right hand grabbed my grey coat's collar with force just shy of triggering the Crime Prevention Code. Then a low husky voice barked out forcefully.

  "………What did you say?"

  7

  Although she had said it herself already, Asuna thought that, among all the acts within this world, the only act that could be called real was «sleep».

  Everything else was a virtual imitation. Walking, running, talking, eating, and fighting. It would not be a lie to say that all these actions were nothing but data-code calculated by the server that ran Sword Art Online. Since, no matter what one’s avatar did, the body in the real world that was lying down somewhere would not move a single finger. The only exception was when the avatar slept on a bed, and one’s real brain also went to sleep. Therefore, she wanted to at the very least sleep soundly which was done when she slept at town inns—however, this was actually rather difficult.

  She got caught up in the heat of battle when she fought in fields or dungeons, so she had no time then to look back and reflect, but when she returned to town and laid down on the bed of her single room, she would inevitably replay her actions from a month ago in her mind. Why, on that day, did she have such an unusual whim?

  Why had she not been satisfied with just touching the Nerve Gear?

  Why had she put the grim headgear on her head, and say the single phrase "Link Start"? —That was what she thought about.

  She would fall into a shallow sleep while thinking of such regrets, and naturally saw bad dreams. Her classmates, ridiculing Asuna at having hugely stumbled at the important time of their third year of junior high, all because of a mere game. Her relatives, pitying Asuna for have dropped out from the race that would continue on during the many years ahead. And—her parents, staring at Asuna’s comatose body on the bed of some hospital, with expressions that she could not see—…

  With a trembling body, she would suddenly jump up in bed and see at the time displayed in the lower left corner of her vision, indicating that, even though a long time had passed since she went to sleep, the actual amount of time she had slept was less than three hours. After that, no matter how many times she closed her eyes, she simply could not fall back asleep. Then again, if she had slept properly every night, she might not have been able to drive herself to fiercely fight for three or four days continuously in the dungeons.

  Therefore, Asuna had always wanted to at least spend the money she saved up on a high-class bedroom and bed. The rooms in this world’s inns were all narrow and gloomy, with beds made out of unknown materials that were rustling and hard. If it was made of Italian high-elastic and high-tech urethane foam…or at the very least normal cotton, she might have been able to turn her three hours of sleep every night into four hours. And speaking of things she wanted, she wished that there was a bathroom or at the very least a shower attached to the rooms. Even though bathing here was nothing more than a virtual experience and her body in the real world would probably be regularly washed by the hospital staff, this was just problem of feeling. She was already prepared to die alone in the depths of the dungeon, but before that she wanted to just once, even if it would only be virtual, dip her hands and feet as much as she liked into some warm water……

  ——And that ardent wish of hers had been directly hit by the black-haired swordsman’s words.

  "………What did you say?"

  Asuna asked with a hoarse voice, while unconsciously grabbing the other party's collar. If she wasn’t having a hallucination in her brain’s hearing, the swordsman had really said just now that…

  "A-All the milk you can drink…?"

  "After that."

  "I-It has a bed with a nice view…?"

  "After that."

  "T-There's a bathroom…?"

  —It seemed that she hadn’t heard wrong after all. After letting go of his collar, Asuna continued as if becoming impatient.

  "You said that your room costs 8
0 col to stay one night?"

  "Y…Yes, I did say that."

  "How many of those are still available at those lodgings? What's the location? I want to rent one, too, so please show me the way to it."

  At that point, the swordsman seemed to finally realize the situation. After coughing once, he put on a strangely solemn face and spoke.

  "Ah, didn't I just say that I rented the second floor of a farmhouse?"

  "…You did say that."

  "I meant that I rented out the entire second floor. Therefore, there are no vacant rooms. Incidentally, there are no rooms for rent on the first floor."

  "Wha………"

  In that moment, she became weak from the knees and she was just barely able to brace herself.

  "……t-that room……"

  Though she only said that, he seemed to be aware of what was omitted. His black eyes flitted about, and with an apologetic expression he said,

  "About that, actually, I am already very satisfied after staying there for about a week, and I would be more than willing to give it to you, but…the truth is, I have already paid in advance for the rented room system’s maximum number of days…ten days' worth of rent. And, there's no way to cancel it."

  "Wha………"

  Her body staggered again, but this time Asuna somehow withstood, as she was hit by a huge conflict.

  What the swordsman before her had just told her was 'there are rentable rooms besides those within inns, and in addition, there are also deluxe versions among them'. In that case, if she searched hard enough, there might still be available rooms with bathrooms in Tolbana village that she could find. But, dozens of players aiming to reach the next floor had already gathered within this village in throngs. Naturally all the good rooms were already taken, and that was precisely why this black-haired swordsman had paid rent for the maximum number of days.

  Then, what if she went back to one of the previous villages? But, after sunset there would be strong monsters that shouldn’t be underestimated roaming about the surrounding fields, and tomorrow morning she had to meet with the clearing group at 10

  AM at the fountain plaza. Even though she originally had little interest in this boss clearing group, it was simply not in her character to disregard her duty and be late or absent without notice—for such a trivial reason, no less.

  So then, there was only one option left.

  For a few seconds, Asuna was conflicted in body and soul. If this were the real world, she would not do such an action even if the sky and earth turned upside down.

  But, this was merely a virtual world where everything was made of digital data, and her own avatar was also no different. Besides, the person in front of her eyes could not be considered a passing stranger anymore. They had eaten cream-covered bread together, been pushed into the same party for the boss fight, and, that's right, this man had said earlier that he would explain something or other to her somewhere anyway. If she used this opportunity to receive that explanation, that should serve as a proper excuse somehow…right? Definitely. Probably.

  Turning to the swordsman whose gaze was wandering aimlessly as usual, Asuna suddenly lowered her head—and spoke at a volume that could somehow only be heard by him.

  "……Let me borrow the bath at your place."

  The farmhouse that the black-haired swordsman had rented was situated along a small pasture in the eastern part of Tolbana. It was much larger than she had expected. If the barn and main building were included together, the place would be about as large as Asuna's house in the real world.

  A beautiful stream flowed through the side of the farm grounds, and the installed small waterwheel made peaceful pitter-patter sounds as the water passed through it. At the two-storey main building, there lived a NPC farm family on the first floor, and the cheerful missus of the house directed a wide smile at Asuna when they arrived at the entrance. There was old woman who was sleeping on a rocking chair near the fireplace and had a golden [!]

  mark—the indication for a quest starting point—floating above her head that was worrisome, but she ignored it for now.

  Asuna followed the swordsman up to the massive staircase to the second floor, where there was but one door at the end of a short corridor. When the swordsman touched the doorknob, there was a sound of a lock opening automatically. Had it been Asuna who touched it, this door would definitely not have opened.

  It was completely impossible to unlock rooms rented out to players, even with the «Lock Picking» skill.

  "…W-Well, please come in."

  The swordsman pushed open the door, and made an awkward welcoming gesture.

  "…Thanks."

  Expressing her gratitude in a low voice, Asuna then entered the room—and at that moment, she cried out unintentionally.

  "W-What is this? So large……T-There’s only a twenty col difference between this and my room!? I-Isn't it too cheap……?"

  "Being able to find a room like this quickly is a fairly important Outside System Skill…Well, in my case…"

  At that point, the swordsman cut off his words unnaturally so she turned to look at him, but he only shook his head slightly. Asuna then looked around the interior of the room again and let out a big sigh.

  The room the two of them were in right now was at least twenty-tatami8. If the door that could be seen on the east wall was the bedroom, then that room was certainly about the same size as well. And on the western wall, there was a door with a [Bathroom]

  plate hanging on it. Those alphabet letters, inscribed in a strange typeface, seemed to release a magical attractive power to Asuna.

  The swordsman quickly unequipped his one-handed sword from his back and the defensive equipment on his hands and feet, and comfortably sank his body into the soft-looking sofa among the set of furniture that was simple yet possessed an excellent ambience.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  8 A tatami is Japanese floor mat made from the straw, in this case it was used to describe the size of the room big enough to fit 20 of them (approximately 330 square feet).

  After giving a long stretch of the body, the swordsman looked at Asuna, who had been lost in thought for a while, and then he cleared his throat and spoke.

  "Erm, well, you probably can tell just by looking, but the bathroom is over there, so…F-Feel free to use it."

  "Ah…o-okay."

  Asuna couldn't believe that she would visit someone else’s room and then suddenly rush into the bathroom, but it was too late to show restraint now. As she muttered "Well, then" and headed to the door, the swordsman's voice called after her.

  "Oh yes, I’ll tell you just in case, but even if it’s called bath, it’s not the same as in the real world. The Nerve Gear seems to be inadequate at recreating a liquid environment…So, don't set your expectations too high."

  "…As long as there is a lot of hot water, I don’t desire anything more than that."

  Responding with complete sincerity, Asuna opened the bathroom door. She slipped inside and then immediately drew back the doorknob firmly.

  …In addition to the hot water, another feature of the bathroom was that it could be locked.

  She stared at door that was merely closed and considered adding that precaution, but regrettably, it was unlikely that she could do so. She couldn't find any kind of notch or button in the vicinity of the doorknob, and even after tapping with her fingertips just to make sure, it seemed that the operation menu couldn’t be called up by Asuna, who was not the tenant of this room.

  Nonetheless, the presence or absence of a lock was already a trifle in this situation. After all, she had intruded into a room belonging to a man she just met yesterday and was borrowing his bath.

  She couldn’t grasp neither the age nor character of the black-haired swordsman—come to think of it, she still didn't know his name either—but at the very least he shouldn't be the type to suddenly break into the bathroom, probably. Well, even if by any chang
e he did rush in, he shouldn’t be able to do anything here «within the city boundary» where the «Crime Prevention Code» or something would activate, but…

  Thinking up to there, Asuna finally removed her gaze away from the door, and turned around to face the south.

  "……Amazing……"

  And then she involuntarily spoke out in a small voice.

  This room was also fairly spacious. The northern half was a dressing room, with a thick carpet laid on the floor and solid wood shelves built into the wall. And the floor of the southern half had a spread of tiles made of polished stone, while the majority of that section was occupied by a white bathtub in the shape of a ship.

  High on the western brick wall was a hot water faucet in the shape of a monster’s face, and from its mouth cascaded large quantities of clear liquid. It filled the bathtub to the brim while raising pure white steam, and water overflowed from the edge and flowed into a drain in a corner of the tiled floor.

  —Based on common sense, such large-scale hot water supply facilities should not exist in a Medieval European manor house that this building was modelled after. However, Asuna didn't have the heart to complain about the errors of historical research in the virtual world. She brought up the Main Menu window with an aimless hand motion, and pressed the button to unequip all her armor and weapons in the «Equipment Figure» that was displayed in the right half of the window.

  Her hooded cape that she had always covered herself with up until now, the copper armor covering her chest, both her gauntlets and long boots, and the long and slender sword hanging at her waist; all of these disappeared, and her long, straight chestnut hair flowed out behind her. The only clothes that remained were a wool tunic with three-quarter-length sleeves and some tight leather long trousers. The button she just pressed changed to «Unequip all clothing», so she pressed it again. The tunic and pants then disappeared, leaving only two simple pieces of cotton underwear.