December 2, 2022 Diavel had sent an invitation to every player currently fighting on the front line, along with an important announcement: his party had successfully located the route leading to the First Floor Boss room.
Forty-nine front-line players gathered on the tiered stone seating beside Tolbana’s fountain plaza, an arrangement that made the place look vaguely like the stands of an ancient Roman arena.
Compared with the original timeline, there were five additional players present—Shindo, Aiko, Yuuki, Yuna, and Nautilus.
Of course, having more than the forty-eight players allowed in a full raid did not mean everyone present would actually participate in the battle against the Floor Boss waiting on the twentieth level of the Labyrinth.
“Kirito!
Over here!” The moment Kirito arrived, Shindo spotted him and promptly dragged him over before he could object, introducing everyone in his group one by one.
With Shindo keeping the conversation moving, Kirito gradually stopped looking so uncomfortable around the others.
Before long, he could at least exchange a few words with Nautilus without appearing as though he wanted to escape.
“Seriously, Shindo, aren’t you leveling a little too fast?
I only caught up to your level yesterday, and I’m pretty sure you’re still way ahead of me in EXP.” Shindo stared at him in disbelief.
Hearing something like that from Kirito, of all people, was almost offensive.
In the original timeline, Kirito should only have been around Level 12 by now.
Apparently Shindo’s presence had awakened the boy’s competitive streak, because Kirito had pushed himself hard enough to reach Level 13 instead.
“Kirito, you’re a solo player keeping pace with people who grind in full parties.
Don’t you think that’s the ridiculous part?” Shindo sighed helplessly.
“Actually, Shindo-kun, Mito and the others have spent the last couple of days helping Yuna level,” Yuuki explained.
“Since Yuna doesn’t really have much direct combat ability, they set the EXP distribution so most of it went to her.” Yuna had originally fallen far behind the others, but after two days of intense grinding with a full party supporting her, she had managed to reach Level 9.
That was barely enough to keep pace with the lower end of the front-line group, though there was still an obvious gap between her and players like Shindo or Kirito.
Since an SAO party could contain no more than six members, Shindo himself had not joined those sessions.
Even so, he had deliberately left most of the best leveling areas and resources to Yuna’s group.
His own EXP gain had slowed considerably as a result, though it had continued climbing little by little.
“That’s not like you, Shindo.” “Well, Kirito, even lone wolves occasionally return to the pack.” Shindo gave him a meaningful look.
“And so do you.” “Yo, Shindo-kun!
Kirito-boy!” Argo’s unmistakable voice interrupted them.
She was small and young beneath her cloak, but for some reason she had taken great pleasure in calling Kirito Kirito-boy.
Shindo could only regard it as one of the information broker’s more questionable hobbies.
“Kirito, what’s with that nickname?” “Ahem…” Kirito awkwardly scratched his temple and clearly had no idea how to explain it.
There probably wasn’t an explanation beyond Argo thinks it’s funny.
Argo looked around at Shindo’s companions.
“Speaking of which, Shindo, don’t you have way too many people with you?
A party caps out at six.” “That’s why I already counted you in, Argo.” “Keep dreaming, Shindo-kun.
I’m an information broker.
Fighting isn’t my specialty, and I have absolutely no interest in doing something this dangerous when there’s no col in it for me.” Argo folded her arms and spoke with open disdain.
“Right, right.
As expected of Argo the Rat.” “Miss Argo, what’s with your face?” Asuna had apparently been staring at the whisker-like markings on Argo’s cheeks for a while.
Yuna, who had both arms wrapped comfortably around Asuna’s slender waist, looked just as curious.
“It’s a disguise,” Argo replied without hesitation.
“An information broker needs to preserve an air of mystery.
If too many people know what I really look like, I lose the advantage.” “Ooh…” Before anyone could continue the conversation, an excited voice came from outside their group.
“Wait—isn’t that the mysterious swordsman who saved us in the cave?
It is, right?!” Shindo and the others, most of whom were wearing cloaks, turned toward several players staring at them with excessive enthusiasm.
“There’s no mistake!
I’d recognize that high-quality chest armor and sword anywhere.
They stand out like crazy!” Another player pointed toward the group.
“And those two female swordsmen were there too—the ones with those insanely fast, flashy sword techniques…” His confidence immediately collapsed when he looked at Asuna and the others, however.
With so many girls standing together beneath cloaks, he could no longer tell which two had actually helped them in the cave.
“If you don’t mind, why don’t you join up with us?” Shindo suggested.
“That’ll give us enough people to form two full parties.” The rescued players accepted with almost embarrassing enthusiasm.
Shindo glanced toward Argo again.
She planted both hands on her hips.
“Don’t worry about me.
I sell information; that’s all.
You people can handle the dangerous Floor Boss stuff yourselves.” A commotion suddenly spread through the fountain plaza.
Shindo stopped talking and turned toward the source.
Diavel had jumped onto the stone edge surrounding the fountain like some courteous knight stepping onto a stage.
His handsome appearance and confident manner immediately drew attention.
He clapped his hands sharply.
The sound carried across the plaza, and the forty-odd front-line players sitting on the stone steps turned toward him.
“Sorry, everyone!” Diavel raised his voice.
“I’m about five minutes late, but I think it’s time we got started!
Could everyone move a little closer?
Those of you farther back—would you mind coming down a few steps?” His relaxed confidence brought the gathering under control almost immediately.
When the one-handed swordsman turned fully toward them, a small stir passed through part of the crowd.
Diavel was an unusually handsome young man with long sky-blue hair.
Two wavy locks hung down beside his face, giving him something of the wild, unpolished appearance of a wandering swordsman from Japan’s feudal era.
And since no stores or item shops on Aincrad’s First Floor sold hair dye or similar cosmetic items, that blue hair was his natural appearance.
Looking at him, Shindo could not help thinking that Diavel felt strangely out of place in SAO.
He had the aura of someone who ought to be effortlessly popular in the real world—a social butterfly, one of life’s natural winners—rather than someone trapped inside a death game.
Once he had everyone’s attention, Diavel gave the gathering a bright, open smile and raised one hand.
“Thank you all for answering my call and coming to Tolbana’s fountain plaza!
Some of you already know me, but I’ll introduce myself anyway.
My name is Diavel, and I like to think of myself as a knight.” The deliberately theatrical opening immediately earned him whistles and teasing calls from the audience.
“More like the hero leading everyone off to fight the Demon King!” Laughter spread through the steps.
Strictly speaking, SAO did not have traditional character classes.
Players were free to learn whatever Skills they wanted, choose whichever weapons and equipment suited them, and place the relevant Skills into their Skill Slots.
There were exceptions in practice, of course.
Players who focused heavily on production or commercial Skills naturally came to be called blacksmiths, tailors, cooks, and similar occupations, but those were player-created roles rather than formal classes enforced by the system.
Still, one look at Diavel made the word knight understandable.
Bronze armor protected his chest, shoulders, arms, and lower legs.
A large sword hung from the left side of his belt, and a Western-style kite shield rested across his back.
He certainly dressed the part.
Diavel’s speaking ability quickly earned him the goodwill of the assembled players.
Even among those meeting him for the first time, there were few who seemed to come away with a poor impression.
“As for why I asked everyone to come here today, I imagine most of you already have a good idea.” Diavel raised his right hand and pointed toward the enormous tower visible in the distance beyond Tolbana.
The First Floor Labyrinth.
Then, seizing the moment, he continued.
“That’s right.
Today, my party discovered the staircase leading to the uppermost level of that tower.
Which means that tomorrow—at the latest, the day after tomorrow—we should be able to reach the room containing Aincrad’s First Floor Boss!” A visible wave of excitement passed through the crowd.
Even Kirito looked slightly surprised.
Argo, on the other hand, remained noticeably calm.
When she caught Shindo looking at her from the corner of her eye, she merely smiled.
The First Floor Labyrinth consisted of twenty levels, and many of the front-line players present had only explored somewhere around the lower teens.
Most of them had not realized that mapping of the nineteenth level was already essentially complete.
“It took us almost a month to get this far!” Diavel’s voice grew more passionate.
“But we still have to defeat the Boss guarding this floor and advance to the Second Floor.
We need to show everyone still waiting in the Town of Beginnings that this death game can be cleared, and that one day we really will reach the end!
That’s the responsibility of those of us who chose to fight on the front line!
Don’t you agree?!” His enthusiasm swept through the plaza.
Cheers rose immediately, followed by applause from many of the assembled players.
Nothing Diavel had said was particularly objectionable.
It was the kind of noble declaration that was almost impossible to argue against, because it placed righteousness itself on his side.
Unfortunately, even the best-written performance could still be interrupted.
“Hold it right there, Mr.
Knight!” A low voice suddenly rang out.
Shindo barely reacted.
The scene had arrived almost exactly on schedule, and if anything, he found it faintly amusing.
With his unmistakable spiky hair, Kibaou made his entrance right on cue.
Under the eyes of everyone present, he came rushing down from the highest row of seats, leaping the final steps before landing in the plaza with an awkward stumble that only barely avoided becoming a complete embarrassment.
He swept his gaze around the gathering and raised his rough, hoarse voice.
“Before any of that, there are some things we need to settle first!
Otherwise, I’m not interested in playing along with this corny little friendship act!” Despite the sudden interruption, Diavel showed no obvious irritation.
He merely smiled, gestured invitingly, and allowed Kibaou to continue.
“What exactly do you want to discuss?” Then Diavel looked toward the audience.
“I’m happy to hear anyone’s opinion, whatever the subject.
But before speaking in front of everyone, shouldn’t you at least give us your name?” “Hmph.” Kibaou turned his head away and stomped forward with an openly aggressive attitude.
Reaching the fountain, he spun around to face the crowd.
“My name is Kibaou!” The introduction was as short as possible.
Then his eyes swept over everyone present before his voice dropped into a harsh growl.
“There should be five or ten people sitting here who owe everyone an apology.” “An apology?” Diavel asked.
“To whom?” Like a comedy routine where one performer needed the other to feed him his lines, Diavel smoothly supplied the question, spreading his hands in a gesture that may or may not have been deliberate.
Kibaou did not even look at him.
“Who else?
The nearly two thousand players who’ve died in SAO so far!” The murmuring among the gathered players stopped.
“Those selfish bastards hoarded all the resources for themselves, and that’s why two thousand people died in a single month!
Isn’t that right?!” Only then did everyone understand who Kibaou had been referring to from the beginning.
Diavel’s expression turned serious.
“Kibaou-san…
are you talking about the former beta testers?” The smiling, charismatic knight who had controlled the entire flow of the meeting from the moment he arrived now looked almost grim, as though he shared Kibaou’s anger on behalf of the dead.
“Who else would I mean?” Kibaou shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, making the plates of his bronze armor knock together.
He glanced at Diavel before turning back to the crowd.
“The moment this damn game started, those beta testers rushed straight out of the Town of Beginnings.
They abandoned more than nine thousand beginners who didn’t even understand what was happening.
They monopolized the best leveling areas and all the quests with the biggest rewards.
They only cared about getting stronger themselves, then pretended they didn’t know anything.
And I’ll bet some of them are sitting right here.
Sneaky bastards who hid the fact that they were beta testers and now have the nerve to show up when it’s finally time to clear the floor.
Unless they get down on their knees, apologize, and hand over all the gear and money they gained unfairly, there’s no way I can fight in the same raid as them.
And I’m sure as hell not trusting my back to people like that!” “May I say something?” A deep, resonant baritone carried across the plaza.
Shindo turned.
A huge man had risen from among the players.
He was tall and powerfully built, to the point that the heavy two-handed battle axe strapped across his back almost looked small against his frame.
His bronze skin, gleaming bald head, and strongly defined features gave him an imposing presence before he even spoke.
The muscular man gave the gathered players a brief nod, then turned toward Kibaou, who looked considerably smaller standing beside him.
“My name is Agil.
Kibaou-san, if I understand you correctly, you’re saying the beta testers failed to help the beginners, which led to all those deaths.
Therefore, they should accept responsibility, apologize, and compensate everyone.
Is that right?” “Y-Yeah!” Kibaou instinctively took half a step backward before quickly forcing himself into his previous posture and glaring up at Agil.
“If those bastards hadn’t abandoned us from the beginning, two thousand people wouldn’t be dead!
If the damn beta testers had shared their information, items, and col, there should be ten times this many people standing here right now!
No—forget that.
We would’ve already cleared the Second Floor, maybe even the Third!” “You say that,” Agil replied in his steady voice, “but while the beta testers may not have handed out their money and equipment, they did share information.” He reached into the large pouch hanging from his waist and pulled out a small bound booklet designed to resemble parchment.
The cover displayed a cartoon rat with round ears and three whiskers on each cheek.
Argo’s handiwork.
“You received one of these too, didn’t you?
They’re being distributed free at the item shops in Horunka and Medai.” Quiet voices rose around the audience.
“I got one.” “Yeah, me too.” Agil looked back across the assembled players.
“So it isn’t true that the beta testers did nothing.” His powerful voice carried easily through the plaza.
“And more importantly, I don’t think this is the right time to argue over who’s to blame.
What we decide at this meeting could determine whether some of us end up dying just like the people we’re talking about.” Diavel stepped back into the conversation.
“I know everyone here has their own feelings about this, but for now, I hope we can work together and clear the First Floor.
If anyone absolutely refuses to fight alongside former beta testers, then as unfortunate as it would be, you’re free to leave even now.
Cooperation is the most important thing in a Boss raid.” At that point, Diavel could no longer control the direction of the discussion as completely as before, and Kibaou, deprived of most of his support, visibly lost some of his confidence.
After muttering something about settling the matter later, Kibaou returned to his seat.
Agil had no interest in pursuing the argument any further.
With the disruption finally over, Diavel announced the end of the meeting.
Shindo had watched the entire exchange without any desire to involve himself.
The others looked somewhat troubled afterward, but nothing serious had come of the confrontation.
A few jokes from Shindo were enough to loosen the mood again as everyone rose to leave.
The meeting was over.
Tomorrow, the same cycle of fighting would begin again.
As they walked away, however, Aiko and Yuuki gradually fell behind the rest of the group.
Even when Asuna took their hands, the sisters remained unusually quiet.
Shindo noticed and slowed his pace.
“Aiko, Yuuki.
What’s wrong?” Aiko hesitated before speaking.
“Shindo-kun…
why don’t we defeat the Boss ourselves?” Yuuki quietly added, “Then our names could be left on the Monument of Challenge in the Town of Beginnings.” That made Shindo pause.
Another inconsistency with the original timeline had just occurred to him.
The official version of SAO he remembered had never contained anything called a Monument of Challenge.
Yet Shindo had seen it himself during the beta, and it undeniably existed in the version of SAO he was currently experiencing.
Because it had always been present from his perspective, he had never thought of it as strange before.
“The Monument of Challenge…” Looking at the sisters, Shindo suddenly understood why they had been so obsessed with leveling, why they threw themselves into battle every day as if becoming stronger was the only thing that mattered.
“If that’s what you want, it’s easy enough.” His voice softened.
“We have enough people to split into two parties now.
You two can lead them.
If your party contributes to the Boss kill, your names will be recorded there.” “Mm…” Neither sister looked particularly happy or disappointed.
They simply nodded, so slightly that the movement was almost impossible to notice.
Perhaps because they already knew their lives had an ending waiting for them, Aiko and Yuuki were doing the same thing they would one day do in New ALO.
They were fighting desperately for the chance to leave proof that they had existed in this world.
Shindo could not reject a wish like that.
Even though he had already decided that he would save them if there was any possible way to do so, their desire to leave something behind was still their own.
In fact, that determination was part of the reason he had accepted the so-called God’s World Setting Compendium in the first place.
Shindo slowly clenched both hands into fists.