Kazuto Kirigaya began explaining the meaning of sword skills to Asuna and the precautions she needed to take when using them.
Since Kazuto was a good instructor and Asuna had a knack for picking things up, she soon grasped the basics.
Unfortunately, she still hadn't gotten used to the game.
Kazuto told Asuna to defeat the wolf in front of her. She gripped the rapier in her hand, looking a little frightened.
"Asuna, what are you doing?"
"Your strikes need to be swift and forceful! Switch between sword skills faster!"
"Yes!"
"Asuna, dodge! When you see a blue flash, either dodge or interrupt the enemy's sword skill!"
"Got it!"
On the grassland, a blond boy stood nearby, loudly scolding a chestnut-haired girl.
"Keep your movements steady. You need a firmer grip on your sword."
"Y-yes!" Asuna practically ground her teeth together. She glared at the wolf in front of her, imagining it had Kazuto's face, and jabbed at it with all her might. The wolf's HP emptied, and it vanished in a flash of blue light. Asuna breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She looked over at Kazuto. His expression was still cold as he met her gaze, his reddish-gold eyes so calm that they were hard to look at.
"Keep going, Asuna," Kazuto said flatly.
"I can't anymore." Asuna panted for breath.
Kazuto shook his head. "Wolves are only as strong as the most basic slime-class monsters. You should be able to kill one with a single strike."
As he spoke, Kazuto stepped forward and gripped his iron sword. He drew a deep breath, pictured the Sword Draw Style of the Sword God Style in his mind, and suddenly lunged forward.
He planted his right foot and raced ahead. As he reached the Magic Wolf, he gripped the sword in his right hand and thrust it forward. A streak of cold, white light flashed across the wolf's neck. His movements were swift and fierce.
His stamina dropped sharply, but didn't empty completely. This was the Sword Draw Style of the Sword God Style.
A slash across the neck should have triggered a critical hit. And the Sword Draw Style was twice as powerful as an ordinary sword move. Even so, it hadn't been enough to kill the monster in one blow.
Before the Magic Wolf could react, the boy reversed his grip on the hilt and triggered a second slash. A cold flash streaked toward it.
The Magic Wolf let out a howl, then its body dissolved into specks of blue light.
It shattered like a mirror and met its end, leaving not a trace behind.
That was death in the world of SAO.
"Asuna, you need to move faster. Picture the sword skill activating in your mind, and make the opening stance too. Once you unleash a sword skill, you can't cancel it!" Kazuto coached her from the side.
Asuna pursed her lips. "I feel like you're really annoying when you lecture me!"
"Sword Skill—Rapier Basic Skill—Linear Attack."
A straight silver line flashed through the air. Thanks to Asuna's high Agility stat, all you could see was a flash of light. It was incredibly fast, almost instantaneous, and ideal for striking first.
Its damage wasn't high, but it was extremely fast and fluid: a single-hit, instant single-target attack skill.
The rapier struck the wolf beneath its jaw. Asuna pivoted, adjusted her stance, and swiftly followed up with a Basic Attack.
That's right, a Basic Attack.
They were only Level 1, so everyone's skill panels were still completely empty. All she could do to add more damage was use Basic Attacks.
But it worked. Basic Attacks were more useful for staggering an enemy than dealing damage.
Sword skills had cooldowns.
The reason Kazuto could kill monsters in a single combo was that his original body had spent a year practicing with wooden swords.
Clearly, his sword skills hadn't been recognized by the system or added to its list of sword skills.
If they had been recognized as sword skills, they would have been faster and their attacks would have been swifter.
After all, if the strongest attack of the Sword God Style couldn't beat a slime—not that Slime Aotian—then Paul from next door would have laughed himself to death.
They continued leveling up together, with Kazuto leading Asuna along the way. Since this was the beta, hardly anyone came around to compete for the monsters here. Everyone tacitly agreed to hunt on their own.
Asuna was still immersed in how real the game felt.
After clearing a stretch of low-level monsters, the two of them quickly reached Level 3.
The boy put all his basic stat points into Strength and Agility, then led Asuna onward.
They headed for the enormous tower. After walking a while, they encountered all sorts of strange insect-like creatures.
There were things like hornets, all around Level 3. They moved more nimbly, so this was when the Throwing skill came in handy.
Kazuto began explaining the hornets' behavior and attack-stagger timing to Asuna. He held a stone in his hand. A blue light appeared around it, and he quickly threw it. The stone whistled through the air and struck the hornet squarely in the body. Hornets had very little HP. "You need to learn the Throwing skill too. It's a very simple sword skill, but it can be crucial in certain situations."
Asuna answered listlessly.
Seeing her like this, Kazuto's mouth twitched. He couldn't help giving her a hard smack on the head.
"Hey, listen properly when I'm talking to you. You might need this someday."
"Seriously, are you going to use stuff from a game in real life?" Asuna retorted.
Kazuto sighed inwardly. Girls in their rebellious phase were such a handful. Now she was already talking back to her old man.
Kazuto put on a stern face. "No backtalk."
Asuna's face flushed. "I'm older than you!"
"I'm your senior."
"I'm taller than you!"
"I'm your teacher."
"But—"
"I'm your teacher."
"Why do I still have to listen to your lectures in a game?" Asuna grumbled.
Ignoring her complaints, Kazuto led her onward as they hunted monsters. Before long, they reached the entrance to a forest.
Kazuto stood at the entrance and peered inside.
He thought it over. Since he was in the beta, death was nothing unusual. Charging in a little recklessly was no big deal.
"Let's go, Asuna." Kazuto gestured for the girl to be quiet, then led her inside.
Before them stretched a slightly narrow path. The light and shadows around them looked incredibly realistic. The canopy overhead blocked the sunlight, and dappled shadows spilled across the ground. They could even hear insects chirping nearby.
Leaves rustled beneath their feet. Asuna looked around curiously and murmured, "It feels so real. Th-this is just like another world."
The forest was quiet, so her soft voice didn't escape Kazuto's notice. He thought for a moment, then said, "There's no need to push yourself so hard in real life. I told you—you need to balance work and rest. Playing games in moderation can relax your mind and improve your focus."
Asuna listened quietly. This time, she didn't argue.
That surprised Kazuto.