Crossover PS 200 (Patreon)

Horunka.

This was the core newbie village on the first floor, and many beta testers knew about this place.

Relying on his memory of the anime, Minoru took the two of them to find NPCs and accept a bunch of quests.

[Boar Hunting] — An entry-level monster-slaying quest.

[Secret Medicine of the Forest] — A hidden quest only known to beta testers, which requires finding the old woman in the village to accept.

[Lost Calf] — A fun quest discovered by the information broker Argo in the original series.

After accepting the quests, the three of them started grinding monsters in the newbie area.

Minoru was primarily responsible for teaching and crowd control.

Kiss-Shot served as the main damage dealer. She didn't need the system's Sword Skills at all, her hundreds of years of combat experience were more than enough.

Under Minoru's tutelage, Erii coordinated with Kiss-Shot.

Every strike landed precisely on the monsters' weak points, making their efficiency several times faster than that of ordinary players.

[Boar Hunt] was easily completed.

[Secret Medicine of the Forest] required clearing out the wild wolves in the forest. Relying on his memory of the original series, Minoru led the two girls to Horunka to accept the quest from the old apothecary before entering the forest.

The three hadn't walked far when they heard urgent cries for help. A novice player was being besieged by three wild wolves, his health bar already flashing red.

"H-Help!"

Minoru delivered a sword strike and the three wild wolves simultaneously shattered into fragments.

The player looked at Minoru, his mouth forming an 'O' shape. "T-Thank you!"

Minoru waved his hand and continued deeper with the two girls.

Once the wolves were cleared, they conveniently obtained the Anneal Blade.

The [Lost Calf] was a fun side quest. The three searched for a lost calf deep within the forest.

Kiss-Shot clicked her tongue in annoyance and slammed her novice sword onto the ground.

Minoru had previously granted her account minimal permissions, allowing her attacks to push the limits of the system's detection and trigger an area-of-effect shockwave.

The shockwave swept through the entire patch of grass. The surrounding minor mobs had their health bars depleted and dissipated into fragments.

Even the calf hiding in the depths let out a startled "moo" and poked its head out of the grass.

"Looks like we're in luck." Minoru glanced at Kiss-Shot and said.

"Of course." Kiss-Shot nodded with her arms crossed.

Erii's eyes lit up when she saw the calf. She crouched down and whispered, "Don't be afraid, come here."

The calf blinked and actually walked toward her, nuzzling its head against her hand.

Erii held the calf as she smiled.

After completing the quest, they obtained some bread and sour cream.

As the three were about to leave, a faint rustle came from the branches overhead.

Minoru looked up and saw a petite girl wearing a brown cloak with whisker-like patterns painted on her face. She was crouching on a branch, a blade of grass in her mouth, staring intently at the jar of sour cream in Erii's hand.

She leaped to the ground and smiled at Minoru. "You're pretty good. I just figured out the prerequisites for the [Lost Calf] quest and hadn't even written it into my intel manual yet, and you've already finished it? A beta tester?"

Minoru smiled slightly. "Yeah, just finished."

Argo's eyes brightened. She scanned the Anneal Blade at Minoru's waist and instantly understood the situation. She didn't ask further, only waving her hand with a smile.

"Alright, I'll give it to you, you're good. I'm Argo. If you want to buy info later, look me up anytime. I'll give you a twenty percent discount."

With that, she vanished into the nearby woods, leaving only a faint mumble drifting back.

"Clearing hidden quests on the first day of launch... just what kind of monsters are they? I'd better keep a close eye on them."

...

At 2:30 PM.

The three had completed all the quests in the current area.

Kiss-shot was Level 7, the same as Minoru's registered level. She had hardly stopped slaying monsters, seemingly enjoying this simple method of combat.

"This is more interesting than lying around in the Infinity Castle." Kiss-shot remarked.

Erii was Level 6. Although her leveling was slower, her progress was visible to the naked eye. 5he frequency of her speech had increased, and her sentences became longer, growing more and more confident.

Minoru hadn't expected SAO to have such an effect.

As for the other players...

Because they were no longer affected by the death game, their passion for playing was clearly much stronger. Levels were rising much faster than in the original series.

"Minoru, where are we going next?" Erii asked.

Minoru looked toward the towering stone tower in the distance.

Tolbana.

The Floor 1 Boss was at the top of that tower.

"Over there." Minoru pointed at the stone tower. "Let's see if there's anything interesting."

Kiss-Shot raised an eyebrow. "A boss?"

"Possibly."

Kiss-Shot smiled. "Let's go."

Erii gripped her sword tightly. Although she didn't know what a boss was, if Minoru said to go, then they would go.

Minoru knew very well that in the original series, the Floor 1 Boss wouldn't be defeated by Diavel's party until a month later. But to Minoru, these so-called difficulties and rules had never held any meaning.

...

At the foot of Tolbana.

Quite a few players had already gathered. Some were discussing strategies, some were forming parties, and some just stood beneath the tower, their faces filled with curiosity.

Minoru led the two girls through the crowd toward the tower entrance.

Just as they reached the door, a voice sounded.

"Hey, you guys!"

Minoru turned around.

A samurai-style player wearing leather armor and a bandana was walking quickly toward them. He was followed by several others in similar attire.

Klein, the leader of Fuurinkazan.

"There are only three of you?" Klein glanced at Erii and Kiss-Shot behind Minoru, his brow furrowing. "You're going into the Labyrinth Tower?"

Minoru nodded.

Klein's expression became serious. "Take my advice—it's dangerous in there. It's only the first day of launch, and everyone's level is low. It's too risky for three people to go in. We have eight people here, do you want to party up?"

Minoru looked at him and smiled slightly. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Klein was stunned for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

Klein opened his mouth to try and persuade him again, but seeing Minoru's calm eyes, he swallowed his words.

"...Fine then. Be careful."

"If you run into danger, run back. The first floor of the Labyrinth Tower isn't too big, you'll still have a chance if you run out. Otherwise, it'll be heartbreaking if your equipment drops."

Minoru nodded. "Thanks."

Klein turned to walk back, muttering under his breath, "What a weirdo..."

He didn't notice a black figure standing in the corner.

Kirito.

The black-haired beta tester was currently leaning against a stone pillar by the tower, watching the scene. His gaze fell upon the sword at Minoru's waist.

The Anneal Blade.

A hidden weapon from the beta period, recognized as the best one-handed sword for the early game.

It could only be obtained by completing the [Secret Medicine of the Forest] hidden quest. Even for him, it had taken two full days to finish that quest during the beta.

To have obtained this sword on the first day of launch, while leading two girls who didn't look like pro players at all...

A flash of intense curiosity crossed Kirito's eyes.

'Interesting.'

He didn't step forward to talk but silently committed that face to memory.

A girl draped in a cloak stood on the edge of the crowd, gripping the rapier at her waist. Her eyes were fixed on the direction where Minoru was.

The girl was none other than Asuna. She had been standing here for a long time and watching one group of players after another pass by, in groups of three or five, discussing strategy routes, team compositions, and monster-grinding techniques.

She opened her mouth several times, but not once could she find the courage to make a sound. She had been like this since she was a child.

Her father was the CEO of RECT, and her mother was a professor. Her family had paved every path for her and demanded that she walk each one well.

Elite training, noble girls' schools...

Every step was arranged with absolute clarity.

She had never made a decision for herself.

Including this time.

Simply out of curiosity, she had borrowed the NerveGear her brother brought home, wanting to see what this legendary Full Dive game was really like. And then she was swept into this chaos.

Fortunately, that terrifying 'Death Proclamation' was severed by a flash of a blade, and the game turned into an ordinary game that could be logged out of at any time.

But once her mother found out, the phone call came immediately.

"Log out immediately. Stop playing, it's a waste of time. The transfer procedures for next month are already done, and the cram school has been arranged for you. Before you get into the University of Tokyo, don't touch these useless things."

Asuna nodded at the time but after hanging up the phone, she didn't quit playing.

In her whole life, had she ever made a decision for herself? Even if it was just for a game?

So she stayed.

Then she discovered that she didn't even dare to speak up to join a party.