Inside the quiet tent, the small stove flickered, its faint light casting soft illumination across the interior. Satoru lay on his side, his body throwing a wildly distorted shadow against the fabric behind him. Beneath him was a soft fur rug. The embers crackled from time to time, accompanied by Sheeta's steady, gentle breathing.
With his back to her, Satoru lay still, quietly taking in the silence.
He slid open the interface window. A soft system chime followed, and a pale glow lit up his face.
23:15.
Late, but not that late.
He rose soundlessly, careful not to make a noise, propping himself halfway up. Turning his head, he looked toward the sleeping girl a meter or two away, watching her in silence.
Aincrad's physics engine had its own clever design. Not everything within your field of vision was rendered in full detail. Instead, whatever you focused on would be specially optimized, saving a tremendous amount of processing.
Just like now. Within Satoru's gaze, even the tiniest dust motes could be seen drifting and swaying. In the soft firelight, they shimmered faintly, floating around the sleeping girl.
A faint smile lingered on her face. She looked completely defenseless. Her golden hair, slightly dimmed under the light, was tied back behind her head.
"Just like a newborn fool."
Satoru murmured softly.
I can't tell what you want. I can't tell where that carefree, worry-free smile of yours comes from. Forcing your way into someone else's life isn't exactly likable, especially for someone who's already built layer after layer of defenses around their heart.
Sometimes, kindness is the sharpest blade. It cuts clean through walls built only to defend against malice.
Dealing with hypocrites and people with ill intent. That's something I know all too well.
Satoru's gaze flickered.
And yet, when it comes to someone like you. The kind that should be easiest to deal with. I'm completely helpless.
Like a flower not yet in bloom. Like ice that has yet to freeze.
He let out a faint chuckle, then frowned.
Within his mind, the world reflected there was a blood-red sunset, a filthy, chaotic bed, the constant hum of cooling fans, a lingering haze of pale gray cigarette smoke, expressionless features, and a soul rotting further by the day.
This was him. A wretch who used a computer like a broken shovel or claw, capable only of digging at graves.
A man with nothing. Even if he had once poured his heart and soul into something, he treated those results as expendable, trading them away for something else. Whether it was honor or the satisfaction of victory. In the face of his own insignificance and fragility, he used the rules of reality to shine in the virtual world.
Yet in true reality, he was utterly defeated.
That alone was enough to overturn everything.
Like the simplest multiplication. No matter how vast the string of numbers before it, multiply by zero at the end, and the result is still zero.
"That's right. I can't afford to forget that, even for a moment, Satoru."
His smile faded as he spoke quietly.
And what about her?
Elegant and graceful, innocent and charming, with sharp, resolute sword skills. Compared to him, she stood at the opposite extreme. An existence in the light.
A ghoul clinging to life on a decaying land. If it touched that light, it would be torn apart by its very mercy. And the light she stood in was too bright. So bright that all he could see before him was a blank white void. Behind him lay pitch-black nothingness. Ahead of him, another kind of emptiness, bathed in daylight.
So how are you supposed to dye me into a beautiful amber color?
"Idiot."
He slowly reached out, brushing a few strands of hair from Sheeta's forehead.
The girl suddenly rolled over, making Satoru think she had woken up. But after turning, she mumbled something and fell back asleep.
"Nero… I won't… listen to your explanation… Kizmel-onee… mm…"
She even let out a soft, cute snore.
Satoru froze for a moment.
"You little dummy."
He let out a helpless, amused sigh.
After silently watching her back for a while longer, Satoru sighed and stood up. Carefully stepping around Sheeta, he made his way to the tent entrance and lifted the flap. The cold night air rushed in, hitting his face. He took a deep breath, and the last trace of drowsiness disappeared.
Looking up at the star-filled night sky, Satoru equipped his gear and headed toward the entrance of the Dark Elf camp. Along the way, he skillfully lit a cigarette, a trail of smoke drifting behind him.
...
First Floor, 1:00 a.m.
In the wilderness, monsters continued to spawn tirelessly, wandering about. Under the moonlight, the shadows made them seem more aggressive than during the day, though it was only a visual effect. In reality, aside from special monsters, they gained no bonuses at night.
The Frenzy Boar stared deeply into the distant, pitch-black horizon.
Perhaps even within its simple AI, barely more than a dozen kilobytes, there was a trace of pride as a wild creature.
It pawed at the ground, flexing its sturdy muscles. Those bulging slabs of meat, if cut and cooked, would probably need at least an hour or two before they became tender enough to chew.
The next moment, a sharp disturbance cut through the air. The boar twitched and turned its head, only to be brushed by a flash of blade.
With a howl, it shattered into fragments.
Several men holding weapons stood where it had fallen. Their poses were like players out hunting in the night, full of flair. Yet beneath those dramatic stances, every one of them wore the same weary, defeated expression.
"Could the drop rate for this material be getting reduced because our levels are too high…?" one player groaned, clutching his head. "We've already killed nearly three hundred boars! We've practically wiped out this entire area!"
"Well, whose fault was it for selling off all the materials you stockpiled back then…?"
"How was I supposed to know that something that looked like a typical low-level material would turn out to be essential?! That's straight-up quality fraud! A green-quality item with such a terrible drop rate!"
"If we'd held onto them and sold them now, who knows how much a pack would go for."
"Alright, alright." The apparent leader of the down-on-their-luck group clapped his hands. "At least we're killing them fast. No way we're getting taken out by these boars. We're level 12 now, running around the third-floor labyrinth. Act like grown men."
"Even if the EXP and Col are pitiful, just treat it as grinding skill proficiency." In the end, that was the only way he could comfort himself.
"By the way, how many are we short?"
"Let me check… yeah, a little over twenty more." One player opened his inventory to count.
"So we're basically farming until dawn…" they groaned in unison.
Still grumbling, they spread out again to look for newly spawned Frenzy Boars nearby.
"Hey, boss… isn't it kinda bad if we keep farming like this? Aren't we just wiping out resources other people might need?" someone asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I guess… but at this point, who actually needs to farm level 1 boars on the First Floor? Even if it's for confidence, that's just sad," the leader replied calmly.
Just then, a figure appeared in the distance, wandering over.
The group fell silent.
As the person drew closer, a clear look of confusion could be seen on his face. He seemed just as puzzled about why all the boars in the area had vanished.
"That guy is…" The leader narrowed his eyes, staring carefully. After confirming, he called out, "Hey, isn't that Yuyu?!"
"Hm?" The figure quickened his pace, equally surprised. "Klein?"
"It really is you. It's been over a month since we last met, right?"
His face looked just like it did in memory. Scruffy stubble, the kind of unlucky guy who looked like he'd been caught up in mass layoffs at a failing company. Though with a bit of makeup, he could probably pass as some nameless samurai about to die in a historical drama.
What made him seem more spirited at first glance was his upgraded armor. The curved blade in his hand wasn't cheap either. It must have taken real effort to get.
"Seriously, not even a single message all this time? That's way too distant!" Like meeting a long-lost hometown friend far from home, Klein's eyes shimmered as he moved in for a hug.
"Oh. Oh…" Satoru was pulled into a tight bear hug.
"You've got some strength now. Looks like things have been going well." Satoru gave a wry smile.
"Of course they have! Come on, guys, tell him our current level!" Klein laughed loudly, thumping his chest. Behind him, his companions leaned back at a dramatic angle and shouted in unison, "Level 12!"
"..."
"So? What about you?" Klein asked confidently.
"I'm… almost level 20, I guess." Satoru answered as evenly as possible.
Thud. Klein dropped to his knees.
"That's just how RPGs work. The ones who get ahead early gain more advantages. Catching up takes serious effort." Satoru sighed. The typical example being those "Legend Braves". Only through exploiting weapon gaps or joining that one decisive boss raid could others catch up.
"Yeah… makes sense. You're already one of those assault team guys, huh. But it must be tough, right?" Klein suddenly stood back up, wearing a tired smile. He patted Satoru's shoulder, like an older brother looking after a struggling junior. "With limited information and tough monsters, hunting must be rough. You're more of a lone type too. Being stuck at the back of the assault team like that, you've probably had it hard."
"Dealing with those sharp, calculating frontline players must be exhausting too, right? Like splitting boss loot. Since you're alone, some parties probably edge you out. I get it. I know exactly how those people are in online games."
His expression grew even more sympathetic.
"Yuyu, join my party. We're straightforward people. No scheming. Let's work together."
"No, I just became the vice of the Divine Dragon Alliance yesterday…"
"The Divine Dragon Alliance? Yeah, I've heard of them. The top guild, right? You must've worked hard to get in, but you're not a core member yet, are you? By the time it gets to you, all the benefits are already divided up. That's just how those people are." Klein shook his head, cutting him off with a sigh.
"Oh right, you said 'vice' just now. Vice-captain, right? Probably some F-team handling nearby mobs or something?"
"…Yeah." Satoru nodded seriously.
Sigh. I knew it. Klein slapped his shoulder even harder.
"Since we ran into each other here, we can't waste this reunion. Come on, let's go back to town and grab a drink. Whatever's been weighing on you, just let it all out."
"I'm actually doing fine…"
"Yuyu, self-hypnosis like that doesn't last forever." Klein looked at him earnestly. "Even if your goal is to become Vice-Commander of the Divine Dragon Alliance, and you pulled off some solo heroics in a life-or-death boss fight, got entrusted with a major mission by the higher-ups, and even have a cute girl assigned to keep you company… that kind of life is straight out of James Bond. No one lives like that. You've got to face reality."
"For someone who isn't a beta tester, you've already done really well!"
"…"
"I really do have something to take care of."
"…I see. Need any help?"
"It's just something small. No need."
"Alright. But if anything comes up, don't hold back. We're friends, after all. Don't let appearances fool you. Back in high school, everyone knew Klein, the 'Red Comet'."
Your nickname had that kind of meaning?!
"But next time, drinks are on you, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Watching Klein and his group leave, as if they'd forgotten what they originally came here for, or were heading back with something unfinished, Satoru felt a faint wave of exhaustion wash over him.