"Money creates happiness"
Seiya Minamoto firmly believed in that statement. After all, the gaming experience of a rich player and that of a broke one were two completely different worlds.
The wealthy could enjoy the bliss of premium benefits with just a tap — slicing through enemies like gods while others struggled endlessly. Ordinary players, on the other hand, had only two choices: sacrifice sleep and grind endlessly, or pray for divine luck and rare drops.
Seiya wasn't exactly filthy rich, but his family's dojo business and the inheritance from his grandfather left him comfortable enough to live stress-free at least until his thirties.
Glancing at the recharge screen before him, Seiya didn't hesitate long. He dragged the slider straight to the maximum amount and pressed the confirm button.
In Sword Art Online, the in-game currency was called Cor — consisting of gold, silver, and copper denominations at a 1:100 exchange rate.
Every new player started with only 100 copper Cor, barely enough to buy a rusty iron sword and a small healing potion.
Out of ten thousand players, some were bound to spend money, but Seiya doubted anyone would go as far as he just did — dropping one million yen right at the start.
The exchange rate was simple: 1 yen = 1 copper Cor, which meant 10,000 yen = 1 gold Cor.
So right from the beginning, Seiya's backpack now contained 100 gold Cor.
While everyone else began their journey with 100 copper, he started with 100 gold.
In other words, Seiya's starting wealth was ten thousand times greater than the average player's!
If everyone else was a free-to-play player, then even combined, they wouldn't come close to his balance.
Of course, anyone seeing this would probably call him insane and laugh in his face.
But four hours later, they'd learn who the real fool was.
Because in just four hours, this game would transform into a real-life death game.
For most players, the hardest part would be the beginning — when panic set in, resources were scarce, and experience was nonexistent.
Most of the casualties in SAO would fall during these early hours.
Money wasn't everything in this world… but having none was definitely not an option.
While the best equipment and rare drops could only be obtained from dungeon bosses, money in the early game still meant survival — better gear, better potions, and a higher chance to stay alive.
Not everyone was like Kirito, able to dance through danger with insane skill and reflexes.
When the Death Game started, one empty health bar meant instant death.
Having enough resources to stay alive from the start? That was a head start no one could underestimate.
While Seiya was busy indulging in his newfound pay-to-win power, Kirito finally located him using the party's tracking feature.
"Just as I guessed — you really did enter the game using your real face," Kirito said as he approached. "With looks like that, though, everyone probably assumes you customized it."
When Kirito spotted Seiya among the crowd, he recognized him instantly. His friend hadn't changed a thing — not even his face model — so he stood out like a celebrity in a crowd of avatars.
Seiya looked at Kirito's more mature and rugged face and blurted out, "Whoa, who are you supposed to be again?"
"It's me, Kirito! Kirito!" he exclaimed. "Even if you're a total noob, you could at least read the massive name floating above my head!"
Seiya smirked. "I know it's you. I just didn't expect you to make your avatar look so mature. What happened — realized your real face looked too soft? Too girly, maybe?"
Kirito twitched, visibly annoyed.
In a role-playing game, running into someone who knew you in real life was always awkward — especially when they could mock your avatar.
Normally, if everyone used custom models, it wouldn't matter. But since Seiya was running around in his real face, Kirito had become the only target of teasing.
"If you keep talking, I might just forget to teach you all the tricks to level up fast," Kirito threatened, trying to regain some dignity.
Despite being the gaming expert, he was already losing face to his so-called newbie friend. Clearly, he needed to remind Seiya who the real master here was.
Their banter caught the attention of a nearby player — a brown-haired man wearing a bandana.
He had overheard the two and quickly joined in, his tone easygoing and friendly.
"So, you're a veteran, huh?" he said to Kirito. "Mind if I tag along and learn a few things too?"
Kirito glanced at Seiya. "What do you think?"
"Why not?" Seiya replied. "The more the merrier. It'll be less boring that way."
Seiya recognized the guy from the original storyline — Klein, one of the few players Kirito would actually call a friend. Straightforward, loyal, and good-natured — the kind of person Seiya instantly liked.
Since Seiya had no objections, Kirito just shrugged. Teaching one newbie or two made little difference.
Besides, showing off his skills in front of an audience sounded way more satisfying.
"The name's Klein," the man said cheerfully. "I'm into samurai culture, so when I heard about SAO — a full-dive game centered on sword combat — I jumped right in."
Kirito nodded stiffly. "Kirito's fine."
"Seiya Minamoto," Seiya said with a smile. "This guy's my so-called bad influence. He's the reason I got dragged into this game in the first place. Nice to meet you, Klein."
Compared to the introverted Kirito, Seiya was clearly much more comfortable with socializing.