The Beginning of the Battle

Wang Yang hadn't encountered a Frenzied Boar before, but he knew from anime that Frenzied Boars were the lowest-level monsters in SAO. Even so, for a newbie player encountering SAO for the first time, a Frenzied Boar was still a difficult monster.

The reason was none other than the combat system in SAO!

Could this unassuming short-haired player be a beta tester?

Wang Yang hadn't expected that tens of thousands of players had already spent about four hours leveling up. For those players, those four hours were very precious, allowing them to initially learn the correct stances that the system would recognize. Therefore, Frenzied Boars were naturally nothing to them.

Unfortunately, Wang Yang lacked this experience and the conditions to adapt to it, because currently, any engagement with monsters came with a life-threatening danger.

Seeing Wang Yang's surprised expression, the short-haired player didn't mind and chuckled, "You're still level 1, right?"

"How did you know?" Wang Yang's eyes narrowed as he blurted out.

The short-haired player scratched his head and gestured towards Wang Yang's body, his meaning self-evident.

Wang Yang looked down at his chest and then suddenly understood. Because he wasn't wearing any equipment and was still standing at the counter hesitating, these two factors made the short-haired player certain that Wang Yang was a level 1 player. It was precisely for this reason that he kindly suggested Wang Yang choose the Bronze Thin Armor, which offered the greatest armor bonus.

The short-haired player said, "Just listen to me, it's foolproof. And you haven't bought a weapon yet, have you?"

"..."

Wang Yang really wanted to bury himself in a hole at this moment. He had gone to the equipment shop first, and while considering buying armor, he had forgotten that he also needed a weapon.

This was a common problem among online game players – they would buy equipment without thinking, solely to enhance their stats.

Wang Yang broke out in a cold sweat, inwardly blaming himself for even considering spending all his Kael on equipment. Fortunately, this short-haired player had appeared in time; otherwise, without a suitable weapon, even the highest armor would be useless.

"Thank you for your reminder and advice." Wang Yang expressed his gratitude, still feeling a sense of lingering fear.

The short-haired player pushed up the strip of cloth tied around his forehead and gave a hearty smile, "You're welcome. I don't know why you're still level 1, but if you don't mind, I can take you leveling up. Oh, my in-game name is He Gu. Please guide me."

There are still good people in this world!

Wang Yang couldn't help but shout inwardly. He quickly nodded in agreement and then gave his own in-game name.

With someone by his side, he wouldn't have so many reservations about getting used to the combat system. However, before that, Wang Yang needed to buy his equipment.

Soon, Wang Yang bought the Bronze Thin Armor, which provided a 68-point armor bonus. He then opened his item inventory and eagerly pointed his index finger at the name of the Bronze Thin Armor, selecting the "Equip" option from the pop-up window.

A faint white light flashed across his body and disappeared. A thin, bronze-colored armor materialized on him. At the same time, Wang Yang felt a slight heaviness from the thin armor, but this heaviness became a source of security for him.

Afterward, under He Gu's guidance, Wang Yang went to the weapon shop and bought the only weapon available – a Short Sword.

With He Gu's explanation, Wang Yang learned that the Items and Materials dropped by Frenzied Boars could be sold for a decent price. Therefore, Wang Yang spent his last Kael and bought a Small Round Shield.

"Alright, let's go!"

With preparations complete, He Gu raised his arms and shouted, appearing very excited.

Looking at He Gu's demeanor, Wang Yang almost doubted if he was in the world of SAO. Why wasn't He Gu afraid of fighting monsters? It was as if death was a distant concept to him.

Perhaps He Gu didn't know that many people had died on the first day of the game, or perhaps he didn't have a clear concept of the death explained by Kayaba Akihiko. That's why he could feel excited about leveling up.

Wang Yang didn't know, but he secretly admired He Gu regardless. This kind of open-mindedness wasn't something anyone could achieve easily. At least in the current SAO, he dared to say that the number of people with such a mindset on the first day of the official game could be counted on one hand.

Perhaps influenced by He Gu, Wang Yang found himself completely free of fear. This brought him joy and made him feel fortunate to have met He Gu. Otherwise, he might have found himself in a very awkward situation after a day.

"Let's add each other as friends." Wang Yang suddenly said as they walked towards the East Gate.

"I forgot." He Gu was slightly stunned, then laughed heartily. His hands moved quickly, and within seconds, he sent Wang Yang a friend request. His movements were so practiced that Wang Yang secretly clicked his tongue.

He Gu has sent you a friend request.

A virtual menu popped up before his eyes. Wang Yang clicked "Accept" directly, then opened his friend list. He saw two names lit up: Arthurslin and He Gu.

"Huh?" Seeing Arthurslin still in his friend list, Wang Yang couldn't help but frown. He hadn't expected Arthurslin to not delete him. Normally, people would unhesitatingly delete a friend after his careless remarks. He didn't expect that girl not to delete him.

"What's wrong?" He Gu asked upon hearing Wang Yang's surprised exclamation.

"Nothing." Wang Yang closed his friend list and smiled. By this time, they had just walked out of the city gate.

Outside the Starting Town was an endless plain. Of course, this was just the terrain of a local area. Beyond the plains, there were quite a few forests, swamps, mountains, and other terrains. As the First Floor, it occupied the largest area among the hundred floors and also had the most resources.

All players started from the First Floor. As long as they gained enough Profit on the First Floor, it would create a chain reaction, making their stats and strength grow stronger. Of course, this was under the premise of not encountering death.

After leaving the town and venturing into the wilderness, players were everywhere. Most of them formed small groups to level up, targeting Frenzied Boars. Considering the current average level, continuing to level up by fighting Frenzied Boars wasn't a clear choice because the experience gained would decrease with level. However, players who had just adapted were generally very cautious. Although the Profit was lower, the risk was also lower.

"He Gu, are you a Beta Test player?" Looking at He Gu's familiar way of leading the way, coupled with his practiced friend request earlier, Wang Yang finally couldn't help but ask the question he most wanted to know.

"Beta Test player? No." He Gu shook his head.

"Then why are you so familiar with system operations, like sending friend requests?"

"Haha." He Gu laughed heartily. "That's because I've operated it many times."

"Ah?" Wang Yang's eyes showed confusion.

"Hehe, I added over twenty friends yesterday while leveling up." He Gu smiled back.

Wang Yang's mouth twitched slightly. This must be the type who makes friends easily...

The Frenzied Boars wandering the plains generally appeared in groups of two or three; it was rare to see a lone one. To allow Wang Yang to familiarize himself with combat, they could only choose one Frenzied Boar at first. This required a Spawn Point where only one Frenzied Boar spawned.

Coincidentally, He Gu knew of such a Spawn Point. Under his guidance, after crossing a Hill, they arrived at a Lowland Terrain. Down a sloping path, a Frenzied Boar was leisurely pacing on the grass. A few car-sized stones were scattered irregularly around it, and nothing else.

"This is it."

My fingers hurt, and my arms are sore. Just one chapter.

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