In the distant past, the land was kept in balance by the black and white "Sacred Great Trees." The Black Elves, who worshipped the Black Sacred Great Tree, established the Kingdom of Rusla. The Forest Elves, who worshipped the White Sacred Great Tree, founded the Kingdom of Kalesia. Both kingdoms thrived thanks to the trees' blessings and powerful magic. In addition to these two, there was also the "Nine United Kingdoms" established by humans.
But one day, the Elves, seeking bodies that could not be harmed, decided to slice open the Sacred Trees and drink their sap. This act triggered a war. As the mages of the two kingdoms prepared to unleash their most powerful magic, a strange phenomenon occurred. A ten-kilometer-diameter halo of light encircled the battlefield, severing it from the land and lifting it into the air. The capitals and major cities of the two kingdoms, along with numerous Elves, humans, and Dwarves, were also lifted and stacked vertically into a massive, floating disc.
This event became known as the "Great Land Sundering," and from it, Aincrad was born. This is the background of the SAO game.
After logging in, Seiya, clad in a beginner's outfit, appeared in the Town of Beginnings on the first floor of Aincrad. As blue lights shimmered around them, more players, also in basic gear, materialized nearby.
The game had a character creation feature, including options for gender and facial customization. Many players spent a considerable amount of time perfecting their characters. Seiya, however, knew what was about to happen and skipped the process entirely. He didn't even bother to create a game name, simply using his real name, which made him one of the first few players to enter the game.
The Town of Beginnings on Aincrad's first floor is vast, but with 10,000 players crowding the space, it was difficult to find someone. In the search bar for friends, Seiya typed "Kirito" and, upon finding him, immediately sent a friend request.
A short time later, Seiya received a notification that the request had been accepted, along with a message from Kirito. "Seiya, why did you enter the game with your real name?" Kirito had already told him that his game name would be "Kirito," a name he had used for many years.
"I thought it would be a hassle to come up with a fake name. Is there something wrong with using my real name?"
Upon seeing Seiya's reply, Kirito looked speechless and typed another message. "It's not that there's anything wrong with it... but wait, you logged in so quickly, you didn't even customize your face, did you?"
"Customize? What do you mean?"
"I mean, modifying your facial features, like making yourself more handsome or something..."
"I think there was a step like that, but I figured my face was handsome enough. I was already satisfied, so I just skipped all those steps."
Kirito was once again at a loss for words. He had intended to tease Seiya for being a noob, but somehow, he felt a sting of disappointment. He realized that the face he had painstakingly created was not as good as Seiya's original one. Despite using technology and effort, he was subtly mocked by Seiya's natural looks.
"You really are a complete beginner. It's common sense to change your name and appearance in a full-dive game like this. You've used your real name and didn't even change your face. What if you offend someone in the game or want to be an online troll? You'll get doxxed immediately!"
Acting as a veteran player, Kirito patiently lectured Seiya on gaming common sense. As he did so, he couldn't help but feel a secret delight.
From Seiya's actions, his friend was undoubtedly a genuine "noob," not a pro disguised as a beginner. Kirito had been worried about whether his in-game sword skills could surpass Seiya's real-life kendo. But now, all his worries vanished. Seiya didn't even know the basics of gaming. He was a complete rookie, and if Kirito couldn't beat him, what right did he have to call himself a seasoned player? He might as well just get himself cremated.
While teaching Seiya, Kirito was also reveling in the moment. Anyone who has guided a newbie knows the feeling. In the real world, Seiya was the absolute pro. But in this game world, Kirito was the true veteran.
Because the Town of Beginnings was so vast and more players were logging in, Kirito told Seiya to stay put and not wander off. He would use the party search function to find him. Seeing how dedicated Kirito was, Seiya obediently closed the in-game map, deciding to play the part of a pure rookie and wait for the pro to find him.
The wait was tedious. Many players still hadn't logged in, either because they were struggling with names or were obsessed with perfecting their characters' looks, so the big boss, Kayaba Akihiko, had yet to appear. To pass the time, Seiya opened various game menus to get a better understanding of the game.
SAO is a role-playing adventure game centered around swords. It has various skills, but sword-related skills make up almost half of them. What was even more impressive was that players could create their own unique skills through their actions. As long as a move was recognized by the system, players could create their own skill and even name it.
"Is this... the microtransaction interface?"
While exploring the game's various features and menus, Seiya quickly discovered a hidden gem: the cash shop!
Yes, SAO had a cash shop. After all, developers create games to make money. Even games that claim to be "free-to-play" often end up with a cash shop, as without money, there's no way to create a fun and balanced game environment.
Since Kayaba Akihiko had not yet made his grand appearance, the game's code remained unmodified. SAO was still just a normal game with a working cash shop. After barely half a minute of hesitation, Seiya entered his account information and password into the text box.