Thud.
The Elf warrior's sturdy body slammed onto the ground from the force, his model-perfect face still frozen in disbelief.
Leaning on his curved blade, Satoru bent forward, gasping for breath, too exhausted to straighten up.
Wasn't this a bit too intense?
He was so tired he couldn't even be bothered to look at the guy anymore. That fight had been downright nerve-wracking. Even a normal attack hit as hard as a skill. If he hadn't gradually figured out the opponent's patterns and cycled through skills from both the one-handed sword and curved blade weapon systems, there was no way he could have worn him down.
Even so, with Sheeta acting as the secondary attacker, it had still taken a tremendous amount of effort.
By comparison.
Satoru shot a conflicted glance at the Dark Elf onee-san they had chosen.
The Dark Elf woman, holding a black sword, wore a similarly stunned expression. Her onyx-black eyes shimmered with shock and confusion, as if she simply couldn't believe her opponent had really been defeated.
What's with that look…? Why does it feel like you were hoping I'd die?
An eerie silence fell over the scene.
For a moment, Satoru even wondered if the quest had bugged out and frozen.
But there was no support channel to report it. There was no way he'd have to redo this, right?
Anything but that.
Ever since he'd accepted this "Dark Elf onee-san" quest, that beautiful girl's gentle smile had always felt slightly off to him.
"Uh… well… hey, Elf." Satoru hesitantly broke the silence. Looking at the somewhat sluggish Dark Elf onee-san NPC, who seemed like she was lagging from a data conflict, he quietly prompted, "The enemy's already been defeated."
A few seconds passed before she finally responded.
The cold-looking Dark Elf blinked her gem-like eyes, as if sorting through information. She looked at him and Sheeta, then slowly walked to where the Elf warrior had been. The body had already been absorbed back into the system, leaving only a few dropped items behind.
After another brief pause, she stepped forward, picked up a small pouch, and held it to her chest like it was something precious, letting out a very human sigh.
"With this, the Sanctuary is protected."
It was the kind of line he couldn't really relate to, but it fit the tone of the quest.
Seeing that things were finally progressing normally, Satoru let out a sigh of relief.
After carefully putting the pouch away, the Dark Elf stood up and faced them, her tone solemn.
"Thank you, brave human swordsmen… With your help, I have fulfilled my duty. Now I can return and report with peace of mind. Words alone cannot express my gratitude. If you would, please accompany me back to the camp. The commander will surely reward you as well."
"We must thank you properly."
Satoru and Sheeta exchanged a glance.
"Mm, thank you, onee-san," Sheeta said politely with a nod.
The Dark Elf, marked with the activated quest icon above her head, didn't respond immediately. In Satoru's view, there were two possible reasons. One, that kind of vague reply wasn't enough to trigger the AI. Two… maybe it was because of the overwhelming presence Sheeta had just shown, smiling as she carved the Elf warrior down bit by bit until he was completely helpless.
"No, that's what I should be saying." The Dark Elf replied with a gentle smile, her response perfectly fitting.
"Whoa…"
Satoru was genuinely impressed. For it to factor in what had just happened and respond accordingly, the amount of data behind it must be enormous.
Isn't that how chatbots work? They give preset responses based on certain inputs. But to combine prior events with context and still sound this natural… just how much data went into this?
He had assumed that was just flavor dialogue, and that progressing the quest would still require a clear confirmation. But before he could say, "Let's head to the camp," the Dark Elf gave them a nod and started walking ahead on her own.
At that moment, Satoru felt nothing but admiration.
Technology really advances fast.
"Nero, why do you always sigh or gasp whenever onee-san reacts?"
Sheeta's innocent, student-like question rang out beside him again.
Nope. Absolutely not answering that. One word and he'd walk right into a trap.
Keeping a straight face, Satoru followed after the Dark Elf. Sheeta puffed her cheeks slightly.
With no further obstacles, the three of them moved smoothly through the Forest of Wavering Mists. As an NPC, the Dark Elf was treated as part of the party and would actively help whenever monsters appeared. After all, she was essentially a special elite unit. A few swings of her black military sword were enough to deal with those minor enemies.
Watching the EXP notifications continuously pop up, Satoru felt a bit tempted. Maybe he could gather a large group of monsters and let her help him farm efficiently.
But the sharp and composed female warrior clearly had a fixed objective, leaving no room to make such a request.
Moving as casually as if they were in a safe zone, they soon arrived at their destination.
Within the thick fog, only a few black flags fluttered, marked with indistinct patterns.
"The entire camp is under concealment magic. Normally, humans wouldn't have the chance to come into contact with it," the Dark Elf murmured, as if speaking to herself.
"It's really a hassle that only the enemy gets to use magic…" Satoru couldn't help but think of that Minotaur boss that used Thunder Breath. Even in a world centered on swords, traces of magic still existed. Unfortunately, the most players could access were things like blessing buffs from churches.
What a malicious design.
"No, our spells aren't really magic either. They're just remnants left behind from ancient times. Once we were separated from the earth, we lost all ability to use magic."
Satoru paused when he heard that.
That response speed is incredible… And it almost feels like she's about to spill every hidden detail?
Aincrad itself is a floating castle suspended above the clouds. That's a basic setting anyone learns right away. But beyond that, the amount of lore you can actually experience in-game is surprisingly thin. What's left is just a vague impression, like a typical fantasy world.
Kayaba Akihiko. That game creator. Did he deliberately abandon straightforward exposition and instead choose this kind of exploratory approach, letting players uncover the world and its lore themselves?
Satoru shook his head with a hint of regret.
But for that genius, none of it matters anymore. In this twisted world, no one would feel curious about a nightmare that binds their freedom and threatens their lives. In other words, players who care about story and lore were wiped out from the very beginning.
Still, he wanted to try.
In large-scale online games, developers often leave behind Easter eggs. Some just enrich the story, but others lead to real benefits. Hidden quests, rare item acquisition methods. Even the second floor's boss had been discovered by Argo through side quests.
Maybe… he could even get a glimpse of that man's intentions.
A true creator pours emotion into their work. Sometimes it's metaphor, sometimes just a fragment of belief. Like films or novels, the creator's feelings shape the final result in decisive ways.
Sword Art Online. The thing that man abandoned his ethics and brilliant future for.
Somewhere in this world, there must be something he carved out of his own soul, shaped and embedded into it.
What does that man want to see?
Even now, he's probably watching the entire floating castle from behind a screen.
What is it he wants to see?
Players and creators are ultimate adversaries, and also the final ones.
And the kind of opponent he finds most troublesome… is the one he doesn't understand at all.
That lack of understanding is deeply unsettling.
If possible, even catching a faint hint would be enough.
"Since the moment it separated from the earth, it must have been a very long time, right?" Satoru asked cautiously.
Without hesitation, the Dark Elf nodded.
"Yes."
"…This floating world has become completely independent. Even divided into layers, each one like its own separate world." There was a trace of tension in his voice.
"Mm, that may be true, but at the end of each layer there are powerful magical beasts or rulers. Opening the path to the next level is very difficult."
The so-called Floor Lords.
Satoru quietly took a breath.
"Then."
He spoke carefully, word by word.
"I've always been curious. About the highest floor… what kind of legends are there?"
"…"
This time, she didn't answer right away. Instead, the Dark Elf turned to look at him, and Satoru's expression shifted slightly.
Thinking about it, those amethyst eyes could just be the output of an NPC shaped by system data. Or… they could also be one of the countless eyes of Kayaba Akihiko, the one who rules over this virtual world.
Within those deep, pale-purple pupils, something gleamed.
And in their depths, Satoru felt as though he glimpsed the figure of that meticulous researcher in a white coat.
His hand tightened unconsciously.
"As for the highest floor, there are many different accounts," the Elf said softly. "But most are just legends and stories. No one truly knows what it's like. "We Lyusulan can rely on the lingering echoes of our ancient magic to travel between floors, but even so, we are limited to the ninth floor and below."
I see…
"But still, I'd love to see what lies higher… Not just the higher worlds, but also the land that has long since been left behind."
"Hmm?"
The Dark Elf unexpectedly showed a look of longing and smiled faintly.
"The ground we walk on can be called earth, but in truth, it's the ground of the sky. Beneath the clouds lies that thick, true earth. I've wondered since I was a child what it would feel like to step on something so solid. It seems that simple curiosity to explore is something every living being shares."
"Since childhood… but…" Satoru frowned slightly.
"Ah, the difference in lifespan between humans and elves must make it hard to grasp," the Dark Elf said, misunderstanding.
"That's not quite it…" Satoru didn't know how to explain. Were there really this many hidden details? Even a quest NPC had a fully imagined life?
At the very least, her calm, natural expression, full of quiet emotion, showed no trace of anything artificial. It all felt completely natural.
And in her eyes, the shadow of that man had now faded entirely.
"That's a shame. With such different lifespans, if a human married an elf, it wouldn't end well if one died first, right, Yurnero?"
Sheeta suddenly spoke up.
"…"
The Dark Elf let out a soft laugh.
"I've never heard of such a thing. But a shorter lifespan doesn't mean being weaker. After all… weren't you the ones who just saved me?"
Satoru looked at her smile.
A mix of familiarity and unease filled his thoughts.
That conversation had clearly demonstrated her intelligence. And yet, everything felt too smooth. That was exactly what bothered him.
"Oh, right."
As if remembering something, the Dark Elf's tone became more sincere.
"In the rush, I forgot to introduce myself. How rude of me. My name is Kizmel. And you? Human swordsmen?"
"Yurnero…"
"Sheeta."
Looking at the slightly hesitant Satoru and the gentle, composed Sheeta, Kizmel softly repeated their names, then nodded as if committing them to memory.
"Then, let's head inside, Yurnero, Sheeta."
Her slender fingers lightly tapped the mist. Ripples spread outward, as if something had been lifted. The hazy view ahead gradually took shape.