What the game name was didn't really matter to Wang Yang. In his haste, he'd even considered giving his real name, but then he remembered that he might want to join the party later. If he gave them a fake name, Arthurslin's teammates might not be happy about it.
At that thought, he hurriedly opened the system menu to check his name. His fumbling made Kadi and the other three frown in unison.
If a newbie like this joined the party, they wouldn't just struggle to gain an advantage quickly—they might even put the whole party in danger.
Kadi glanced at Arthurslin, then waited patiently.
After searching for a while, Wang Yang finally found his name above the character equipment slot.
Xiang Kong.
"My game name is Xiang Kong!" Wang Yang announced, relieved.
At that, Arthurslin also opened her system menu. With a tap of her index finger, she brought up her Friend List and sent Wang Yang a friend request.
Wang Yang accepted. A name appeared in his lonely Friend List.
"Xiang Kong, is it?" Kadi said coolly. "What level are you?"
"Uh... level one." Wang Yang's face reddened.
"Level one?!" Kadi stared at him in disbelief, then turned sharply to Arthurslin, his expression darkening. "Lin, you knew what level he was?"
Arthurslin bit her lip and nodded. "I did."
Kadi was angry now, angry at Arthurslin's reckless stubbornness. His tone turned cold. "I don't agree to him joining the party."
He'd originally planned to use the danger of their upcoming mission to make Wang Yang back down. It might take some convincing, but he was almost certain it would work. Now, though, there was no need.
The reason was simple: Wang Yang was only level one. A level-one rookie couldn't do a thing at this point.
Arthurslin knew her stubbornness could have consequences for the party. But now that the game had become like this, she just couldn't bring herself to leave Wang Yang behind.
Some people were like that. A change in circumstances could transform them completely. When SAO had been a normal game, Arthurslin could have simply left Wang Yang alone. It was just a game; there was no real danger. A small group like Kadi's might even have offered Wang Yang some practical help. But now that dying in SAO meant dying in real life, everything between them had changed.
Knowing that dying in the game meant truly dying, Arthurslin couldn't bring herself to abandon Wang Yang. Kadi, thinking of the party, wouldn't care what happened to him.
I won't back down.
Arthurslin stubbornly met Kadi's gaze. He could easily read the meaning behind that defiant look.
Kadi held back his anger, raising his voice. "Can't you see he doesn't know even the basics of the game? I'm starting to wonder if he's only just logged in."
"That's exactly why we can't leave him behind!" Arthurslin raised her chin slightly and said excitedly, "If we leave him here, what's he supposed to do when he doesn't know anything?"
"So you want the whole party to stay in the beginner leveling zone with him until he catches up?" Kadi said coldly.
"I..." Arthurslin opened her mouth, but she couldn't make a decision for the whole party.
Wang Yang stared blankly at Arthurslin's back as he listened to her arguing with the others. He felt a warm glow in his heart, along with a deep sense of guilt. He'd also realized that Arthurslin's party had never intended to take him in. Now he'd given up on joining them—and didn't even want to drag this sweet, kind girl down with him.
Star Envoy saw that the argument was about to get worse and quickly tried to intervene. "Kadi, don't be so harsh. We're all on the same side. What's gotten into you?" Then she turned to Arthurslin and spoke gently. "Lin, I understand how you feel. But have you thought about how Sword and Fire Squad won't be able to clear the game on the front lines if you bring him along?"
"Don't forget why our party was formed in the first place," Thor interjected coolly. "If you insist on this, then leave the party."
"Thor!" Star Envoy snapped. "What are you talking about?"
Kadi was taken aback, and Sparrow even shouted, "You've got to be kidding! You'd make Lin leave the party over one rookie?"
Unfazed by his teammates' reproaches, Thor looked at Arthurslin and said coolly, "I understand that you want to help him. In that case, leave the party and help him. As for the rest of us, we'll work toward the day tens of thousands of players are freed."
Kadi, the party leader, said nothing. His silence showed that he approved.
Sparrow and Star Envoy panicked at this. One secretly admired Arthurslin, while the other treated her like a little sister. Neither of them wanted her to leave the party.
Arthurslin was beginning to understand just how unreasonable it was to ask the party to take Wang Yang in. So she decided to leave and teach him the basics of the game herself.
"Then I..." She made up her mind and was about to say she'd leave the party when a flippant, contemptuous voice cut her off.
"Tsk. My first hunt failed. Looks like I can't use people's sympathy to profit in SAO anymore." Wang Yang put on a disdainful sneer, while his mind raced to dredge up everything he knew about SAO to make his act more convincing.
The five people present froze at Wang Yang's sudden outburst. Arthurslin looked especially disbelieving.
"What did you say?" Kadi was the first to react, fixing Wang Yang with a cold stare.
"Isn't it obvious?" Wang Yang shrugged, his face expressionless. "I thought this girl was a bit dumb, so I figured she'd be easy to fool. Didn't expect her to have a party, though. Then again, the revival point at the Black Iron Palace is probably gone now. Since dying means really dying, players have naturally become selfish. That's bad news for a hunter like me, who profits by exploiting their kindness."
"Xiang Kong, you're lying, right...?" Arthurslin's eyes widened. She could hardly believe it. How could a rookie who didn't even know how to open the system menu know there was a revival point at the Black Iron Palace?
It was obvious now that she'd been deceived. But when she thought back to her first meeting with Wang Yang, she still couldn't believe he'd been acting.
"Ha..." Wang Yang looked at her with a Merciful Gaze, then laughed at her without restraint. "You're not just dumb—you're unbelievably stupid. Did you think someone who got one of the limited-edition NerveGears wouldn't know anything about games? You know why I exposed myself? Simple. You're all Beta Testers. There's plenty to be gained, but the risks are bigger."
"I only go after targets with high returns and low risks. Bye, stupid little girl."
Wang Yang laughed loudly, then turned and strode away. But the moment he turned his back, the cold expression he'd put on vanished.
Sparrow glanced at the devastated Arthurslin, angrily drew his spear, and pointed it at Wang Yang's retreating back. "Xiang Kong, if I ever see you outside a safe zone again, I'll kill you."
"I never would have guessed he was a hunter." Star Envoy frowned, pulled Arthurslin into a hug, and comforted her. "Don't dwell on it. There are all sorts of people in games. It's no surprise to run into one yourself."
"Be careful next time. You can't revive anymore. Dead is dead. Some players are more frightening than monsters," Kadi sighed.
"Hunters are worse than Red Players from the Beta Test. Lin, it's a good thing we moved up our meeting time. Otherwise, you'd have been in danger." Sparrow also began comforting Arthurslin.
Kadi nodded. "Lin, you can't judge people by appearances. Don't dwell on it."
Arthurslin gently pulled away from Star Envoy's embrace and forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, Party Leader Kadi."
"Forget about it." Kadi waved the matter away, then grew serious. "All right, let's set out now. We'll try to get all our gear on the first day."
"Okay!"
The moon shone bright and clear that night. Even without any lights, Wang Yang could see where he was going. He slipped into the first alley he came across.
From the shadows, he quietly watched Arthurslin surrounded by the other four, then saw Sword and Fire Squad leave the Small Plaza.
"I never would've guessed you were so naïve when I first met you. Maybe it's better this way—you'll learn how cruel people can be." Wang Yang murmured to himself and rubbed his chin. "But with those people around, I guess I went to all that trouble for nothing. Whatever."
Wang Yang leaned against the wall and slowly sat down. The chill beneath him made him shiver. He looked up and stared blankly at the clear moon, suddenly feeling very lonely. Half a day ago, he'd still been sleeping in his dorm. In the afternoon, he would've played ball with a few friends, gotten sweaty, then gone back to the dorm to shower and chat with his buddies. Now he was all alone in the world of Sword Art Online.
"First, I'll figure out the system menu by myself." Wang Yang shook off his gloomy thoughts and opened the menu, tapping here and there.
In the anime, Sword Art Online's first-person view showed a Health Bar and a name. But in his own view, he couldn't see either. The only thing visible was the Green Diamond Marker above other players' heads.
That was the first thing he wanted to figure out.
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