First Encounter

When Wang Yang heard the voice, thick with panic, he couldn't help stopping. He could tell that the girl's fear was genuine. Like most players at the moment, she was struggling to keep her emotions in check on the second day of the game.

As someone who knew what the game would be like a month later, he understood how the player community would change. At first, as time passed, emotions like fear and despair would gradually subside. But when rescue failed to arrive, all those suppressed feelings would come surging back with a vengeance.

The players would be utterly frantic then. But it was only after going through that madness that they would resign themselves to truly accepting this world. That was still a month away, and it was also when攻略 would finally get underway in earnest.

It was only the second day of the game. It was no surprise that he'd run into a player as sensitive as this. To avoid upsetting the cloaked girl any further, Wang Yang said nothing and made no sound.

Asuna had never imagined she would end up in this situation. Why had she, on that fateful day, inexplicably put on the NerveGear she'd never used before, lain back in her chair, and spoken the command to enter the game?

And now she was trapped in a vast cage she couldn't escape... She wanted to return to reality... But was that even possible?

The game had only been going for two days, yet she'd already heard people discussing the player death toll. It had reached as many as three hundred. The game had only begun two days ago.

Unable to believe it, she'd come to the Monument of Life to see if it was true.

If it was true, could they still escape this enormous cage?

It couldn't be. So many people couldn't have died in just one day!

When Asuna saw the names crossed out one by one, she wanted to run back to the inn and never come out again. But just then, the sudden sound of footsteps truly startled her.

After she'd called out to challenge the person behind her, they fell silent like a ghost.

Asuna felt her body stiffen. It was a response from her nerves.

She slowly turned around. A young man with black hair came into view, wearing battered equipment. He was extremely handsome, but his face was rather pale, and his dark eyes looked dim at that moment, making him seem almost incorporeal.

Fortunately, the Green Diamond Marker above his head identified him as a player, which put Asuna somewhat at ease. After a pause, she thought that perhaps he had come here for the same reason she had. She lowered her head slightly and hurried toward the door.

Wang Yang saw that the cloaked girl seemed to want to leave, so he instinctively stepped aside. The doorway was wide enough that he didn't need to, but he did it without thinking.

Asuna walked quickly, so hurriedly that anyone watching would think she was truly terrified. Wang Yang couldn't help sighing inwardly.

"Give up on waiting for rescue."

Perhaps he felt he ought to do something. As Asuna passed him, Wang Yang spoke in a flat voice.

Asuna jolted and stopped without thinking, a meter away from Wang Yang.

"There's only one way to log out of the game: clear it. So even if you don't fight, give up on waiting for rescue. That way, you won't be too disappointed."

With his back to Asuna, Wang Yang spoke in a strange tone.

Asuna gently bit her lip and stared at Wang Yang's back for a while before turning and leaving.

Give up on waiting for rescue?

Waiting for rescue was her only hope. How could he expect her to give that up?

When Wang Yang reached the Monument of Life, he looked back and saw that the cloaked girl had already left. Remembering what he'd just said, he couldn't help smiling wryly.

Why had he said that? Perhaps he simply didn't want the panicked girl he'd met to be disappointed—nearly driven to despair—a month later. Or perhaps he'd been trying to convince himself not to be a coward. He'd put those words out there, even though they were meaningless...

Did all the girls these days like wearing cloaks?

He'd run into two cloaked girls in a single day. That had to be a pretty rare coincidence.

Wang Yang silently grumbled to himself. He had no idea the person who'd just passed him was Asuna. He lifted his eyes slightly to the names on the Monument of Life and slowly scanned from the left. He had no interest in counting how many players had died. He only wanted to find He Gu's name and his own.

When someone turned to Fragments and vanished from this world, all that remained was their name, crossed out on the Monument of Life. In essence, the enormous stone monument before him was a gravestone for the players.

Generally speaking, gravestones were places where people sought solace. But players later came to avoid this place, because whenever they saw a name crossed out, they could almost see their companion dying before their eyes.

After searching for a while, Wang Yang finally found the crossed-out name He Gu in the left section of the monument. A brief note beside it gave the cause: killed by a monster...

His own name was in the lower-right section. Perhaps one day, his name would be crossed out too. That is, unless he hid like a coward.

Wang Yang gazed silently at He Gu's name for a long time, then turned and left the Black Iron Palace. He crossed the bustling plaza, entered the quiet East Street, and found an ordinary inn. After paying 50 Kael, he checked in. Then he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Before that, he hadn't had time to check the items in his inventory. But there was no doubt that its contents would let him find an inn and rest without any trouble. Right now, all he needed was a good night's sleep.

Exhausted, he slept deeply. By the time he woke the next day, it was already two in the afternoon.

Wang Yang didn't know that around ten that morning, players in the Town of Beginnings had begun losing consciousness and collapsing one after another. This was because people in the real world had started transferring the players' bodies to hospitals. But it had no effect on Wang Yang, since his body in the real world was already in a hospital.

After a good night's sleep, Wang Yang woke feeling refreshed. The mental exhaustion from the previous day had completely vanished.

The first thing he did was open his inventory. He hadn't even looked at the spoils from killing the Wild Boar Leader the day before.

Wild Boar Meat x32.

Tusks x25.

Wild Boar Bristles x80.

Broken Tusks x65.

Cloth Headband x2.

Cloth Leggings x1.

He skipped over more than half the assortment of items before reaching the drops from the Wild Boar Leader.

Minor Healing Potion x5.

"Healing Potions!" Wang Yang's eyes narrowed. These were lifesaving items. He quickly opened the item description.

Minor Healing Potion: Restores 26 HP per second for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

At this stage, it only took about ten seconds to restore all of one's HP. These were the potions sold at the item shop, where each bottle cost 500 Kael.

Even if He Gu had had a Minor Healing Potion back then, he wouldn't have survived that final blow. Ten seconds was simply too long.

Thinking of He Gu's death, Wang Yang's gaze dimmed. Not everyone was as lucky as he was and able to meet a player who taught him how to fight. Most players who died in the first month had been killed by monsters because they didn't know how to fight.

He sighed softly and continued searching through his inventory. He scrolled down to the next page, and the name of the first item caught his eye.

Recovery Crystal x1.

Seeing the Recovery Crystal, Wang Yang froze.

Just what level was that Wild Boar Leader? It had even dropped a Recovery Crystal?

Suppressing his surprise, Wang Yang selected the item's materialization option. A Pink Octagonal Crystal appeared in his hand. It was the first time he'd gotten a close look at a divine recovery item from Sword Art Online... an item that could instantly restore all HP.

Gently kneading the pink crystal, Wang Yang felt his heart grow heavier.

There was another page in his inventory, and he hadn't checked the items below the Recovery Crystal yet. But he could be sure that most of the Wild Boar Leader's drops were valuable.

The credit belonged to two people, but now he was the only one who could enjoy the spoils.