You're kidding, are you all taking turns messing with me... I just want to play the game in peace...

Wang Shui stretched, his face sour, then lowered his head and continued writing down the information from memory.

Gradually, night fell over the enormous "Town of Beginnings." The streetlights around the square came on, and more than ninety percent of the people there had left.

The players who had gathered in the square earlier had not been the entire population of over 220,000.

According to information released before the game officially launched, the floating castle Aincrad had been adjusted for the open beta: the first floor's radius was ten times its original size, and the number of starting towns had increased to six, to accommodate an expected maximum of 300,000 players.

There were probably between thirty and forty thousand players in Wang Shui's starting town. He just didn't know whether Kirito and the others were nearby.

The map had grown larger, and there were more biomes. Supposedly, there would be more quests too.

The differences from the closed beta were growing, and the closed beta players' advantage might shrink.

As Wang Shui thought, he kept writing. Despite the oppressive feeling in his heart, he was more grateful that he had entered the game.

If he hadn't taken part in the game, his chances of dying would probably have been even higher, and he would have died without knowing why.

The clock tower in a corner of the square struck twelve times, and Wang Shui put down his final period.

The rough paper before him was packed with writing. Because he had been writing quickly, he had used extremely abbreviated cursive in places where the details weren't important.

Where details were needed, there were even finely drawn illustrations in red ink.

Eleven straight hours of writing had yielded 202 precious pages of information. Wang Shui spent some more time sorting them into piles, then, unable to endure the intense, high-pressure work of organizing them any longer, collapsed heavily onto a bench at the edge of the square.

The aroma of baking grain woke Wang Shui.

In the virtual world of SAO, players couldn't starve to death. A fierce hunger would only torment them endlessly. The settings did deduct HP, though-huh?

Wang Shui was startled to see his HP falling extremely slowly but steadily, with a shriveled stomach icon beside it.

The [Reality] divergence tag suddenly sprang to mind.

Did "reality" mean its influence on this virtual world?

Wang Shui stumbled over to a bakery that had opened early, only then belatedly noticing the currency information beneath his inventory.

[Cor: 0]

His inventory contained only the two pens he had spent all his starting funds on, a total of 400 sheets of low-quality paper, a starting small sword, and a set of simple coarse-cloth clothes.

I'm not really going to starve to death, am I?! That would be such a pathetic way to die!

As if possessed, Wang Shui took out ten unused sheets of paper and said woodenly to the NPC he regarded as a puppet:

"Boss, I'm really hungry, but I don't have any money. Could I trade this paper for some food?"

Before Wang Shui could realize how foolish he was being, the bakery owner-a tall, thin, middle-aged man in clean clothes with a small brown goatee-frowned in a remarkably human manner, looking both annoyed and helpless.

"My first customer today wants to barter? Hey, you look like a new adventurer. Are adventurers really short of this little bit of money?"

The conversation and the logic behind the words were so natural that Wang Shui opened his mouth, suddenly wanting to ask whether a real person was playing the NPC shopkeeper.

"All right, all right, stop making that stupid face in front of my shop. People will think my bread makes them stupid. Sigh, this is the smallest loaf of whole-wheat bread. It costs less than ten sheets of paper, but I'm not short of paper here. Do you still want to trade?"

Wang Shui hurriedly nodded, took the forearm-sized loaf of whole-wheat bread, and returned dazedly to the bench.

So this is reality?

Before entering this world, Wang Shui hadn't paid much attention to the so-called divergence tag,

and the stallholder who sold him the key hadn't warned him either... So the tag has that much influence on the story? Then why didn't the awakened ones who explored this place on the first two occasions discover it?

Oh, right! They didn't know the story!

Wang Shui took a fierce bite of the whole-wheat bread. It was completely different from the food of the same name that a fitness-minded coworker had shared with him before he came to this world.

Sour, coarse, and hard to chew, it put his mouth through an ordeal.

Thanks to the slight softness and grainy aroma of a freshly baked loaf, Wang Shui dispatched his opponent in a few bites.

The shriveled stomach debuff icon disappeared, and his HP, which had already fallen by a fifth, began recovering at an even slower rate.

Whatever it tasted like, he did feel much more at ease after eating.

Licking his somewhat dry lips, Wang Shui suddenly realized that survival in SAO had become harder for the players in the original story who had kept their heads down in the starting town or the lower-floor cities. At the very least, they couldn't solve the problem of food by enduring hunger.

Rather than worrying about those players who merely made up the numbers, Kirito had probably taken his first step as a solo player last night.

Quite a few strong-willed players who refused to fall behind were already leveling like mad, too.

Aside from the closed beta players, there were also plenty of veterans who had only started playing in the open beta. As long as Akihiko Kayaba's death announcement hadn't scared them weak at the knees, these veterans would be a solid force in clearing this world.

It was time for Wang Shui to get moving too.

He mentally connected to his personal information screen. Here, Wang Shui didn't swipe open SAO's menu screen. Instead, he opened the awakened one's page provided by his boss-the Dream System.

The biological brain [Computing Terminal] that acted directly on his brain successfully created the display, but Wang Shui keenly noticed that his basic attribute [Physique] had turned gray.

His perpetually empty status bar had also gained an icon called [Deep Meditation].

His only two production skills, "Forging" and "Mechanical Engineering," had also turned gray.

It wasn't hard to understand. Wearing NerveGear, Wang Shui was judged by the biological brain to be in [Deep Meditation], probably something akin to sleep.

And the game character's body, through which he could currently perceive vast amounts of information about his surroundings, was merely a virtual construct created by NerveGear sending a huge number of sensory signals to his brain.

So the basic attribute [Physique] had become meaningless... As for his only two skills, was it because the SAO system didn't recognize them?

Although he knew checking his supernatural attributes wouldn't reveal much, he still had to take the proper precautions. An old customer of Wang Shui's had told him to check his status first whenever he entered an unknown area.

Next, Wang Shui looked through SAO's status screen. There was little to see in the rows of bare zeros and empty equipment slots.

Even so, he patiently opened each button to inspect and test every function, all while walking out of town through the north gate.

The scenery on the first floor of the floating castle Aincrad was quite beautiful.

Beyond the north gate was a savanna stretching into the distance, dotted with a few rolling hills. Far away stood a dense forest like a dark green sea, and overhead was an earthen-colored sky with a metallic sheen-that was the world of the second floor.

The view in every direction was worth photographing and keeping forever.

A considerable number of blue boar monsters were scattered across the vast grasslands near the Town of Beginnings. The diamond-shaped markers above their heads were yellow, indicating that they were semi-aggressive monsters that wouldn't attack players unprovoked, beginner leveling mobs like the slimes in other games.

What surprised Wang Shui was that there were hardly any players around the town.

In the original story, only ten thousand people had been trapped in this floating prison, and for a long time after the game began, the vast majority had indeed made no active effort to clear it. They had crowded into town, buried their heads in the sand, and waited for rescue from outside.

Only when they had nearly spent all their money did they band together to hunt low-level monsters... or their own kind (other vulnerable players).

But with a player base of over 220,000, there shouldn't have been only a dozen or so people leveling on the second day. Was it because it was still too early?

Or had they already ventured out to more distant villages on the first night?

Wang Shui pondered. If veteran players close to the second leveling tier were already this far ahead of him, just how strong would the [clearing group] be compared with the third or even fourth tiers, who were many steps behind?

Thinking broadly was a good habit, and more thought brought more rewards, but he couldn't neglect leveling either.

Wang Shui, who placed himself in the third tier, drew the [Small Sword] at his waist. It was a starting weapon of the [One-Handed Straight Sword] type, and everyone had one.

Its blade was narrow and thin, and its grip was short. Holding it felt like holding a long dagger.

According to the guide, there was a cheap weapon shop in town where players could use their starting 1,000 Cor to buy decent weapons like a [Bronze Sword] or [Bronze Scimitar].

Having spent all his Cor, Wang Shui had no choice but to farm beginner mobs with this long dagger.

More than the joy of having his boyhood fantasy finally come true when he first logged into SAO, Wang Shui wanted to experience the core feature of the world of SAO-

the [Sword Skills] system.

A level-one player like Wang Shui had only two skill slots, while there were many skills that could be equipped at level one.

There were weapon skills like [One-Handed Straight Sword], [Dagger], [Scimitar], and [Club], and support skills like [Hide], [Searching], and [Reaction Evasion]. Beneath each unique icon was a proficiency system capped at level 1,000 and a vast Sword Skills tree.

That was right. The so-called skills could be understood as passive abilities, while the hidden skill trees contained the Sword Skills and support abilities themselves.

To use a particular Sword Skill, players not only had to equip the corresponding weapon but also put the corresponding passive skill into one of their limited skill slots.

The operation was simple: just drag and drop...

[Error: Unable to learn skill!]

The bright red text on the small white pop-up was glaring. Wang Shui, who had been feeling a little excited and expectant just moments ago, suddenly froze in place as if his game had lagged.

He dragged it again.

[Error: Unable to learn skill!]

He dragged it again!

[Error...]

After repeating the action several times like an idiot, Wang Shui took a deep breath and opened the panel provided by his boss, Dream System Unlimited. The innate awakened ability displayed there seemed to shine:

[Arrogant Knower (dark silver): Cannot obtain a supernatural class or change bloodline. Can only obtain skills through learning. Learning ability is unrestricted and greatly enhanced.]

...Seriously, man? Are you messing with me?!

This is a game! A game! It's the character in the game learning the skill! Not me personally! What the hell are you butting in for now?!

Hey, hey, hey, Brother Kayaba, are you there? Something here has surpassed your system! Come take a look and see if you wrote this error pop-up!

Wang Shui, who had spent half a year in the infinite world working only as a blacksmith and repairman, broke down. He had never imagined a damn situation like this.

He began pacing back and forth across the grassland, scratching his head and ears, the sword in his hand stabbing into the grass at his feet.

Only a few days ago, he had been bluffing Shino, talking smoothly with a calm, composed face.

He lay down in the grass, and for some reason a sentence popped into his head: "I'm Messi, and I'm freaking the hell out right now."

Having chased away the old meme, Wang Shui now just wanted to take out his phone and search:

[Urgent: I've entered SAO and can't use Sword Skills. How do I hug the clearing group's toes?]

Forget their toes. With this level of realism, without skills, even making money, eating, and staying alive will be a problem!

When a dump truck had first sent him to Iron Edge City, the station for the infinite world, Wang Shui had been in just such a predicament, and had then become a blacksmith to scrape by.

Somewhat dependent on that path, he now wanted to return to the Town of Beginnings and pick up a forging hammer...

Unfortunately, his advanced Forging skill wasn't recognized by SAO... Should I find a blacksmith NPC and learn from scratch?

His mind flashed, and Wang Shui suddenly remembered a small tip in a guide post he had read a few days ago.

"When a player's skill proficiency reaches a certain level, the corresponding Sword Skills still won't appear directly in the skill interface.

"The player must either figure them out and master them independently, or go to the Town of Beginnings and learn from the corresponding skill instructor. A great many rare hidden Sword Skills must also be mastered this way."

Skill instructors... They sound more like Sword Skill instructors. Will they teach basic skills from scratch?

And learning Sword Skills seems to cost money...

Unsure what lay ahead and with no other choice, Wang Shui ran quickly back to town.

Taking an alley northwest from the central square, Wang Shui came to the backstreet mentioned in the guide.

There were no shops on the backstreet, only a dozen or so training-ground-like buildings with signs bearing skill icons.

Wang Shui headed straight for the [One-Handed Straight Sword] skill instructor. Under the instructor's humanly puzzled gaze, Wang Shui narrowed his eyes, opened his mouth wide, and immediately burst into loud sobs!

"Instructor! Aaaah, my dear instructor! Boo-hoo! Instructor, please save me!"

The highly realistic NPC instructor was dumbfounded.

"Stop, stop, young man, I said stop. What's wrong?"

"Boo-hoo, honored instructor, I-I-I was tricked! Someone, someone used this small sword to swindle me out of all my money!"

The skill instructor still didn't understand. "Doesn't every new adventurer receive one of those small swords?"

"But, but I didn't know! They tricked me before I got my sword. Boo-hoo, instructor, please save me."

"Uh..." The skill instructor very intelligently gave him a look reserved for idiots, then said:

"That shouldn't make any difference. You have a one-handed sword now, so you can go clear out the monsters outside town and earn money."

"But, but I don't know the [One-Handed Straight Sword] skill..." Wang Shui lowered his head and spoke softly, dejectedly, tears splattering onto the ground.

"Wait, haven't all adventurers completed training in every basic skill?"

"I... my situation is a little unusual. I come from a remote village nearby, and I'm rather slow. I only learned the [Dagger] skill from my late brother. He said mastering one weapon skill was enough, that as long as I could help the town clear out the low-level monsters nearby, I could make a decent living..."

With the scene set, there were only three possible outcomes.

First, the skill instructor's AI personality was rather tough and threw Wang Shui out. In that case, Wang Shui would change his story and try the [Dagger] instructor next door.

Second, the skill instructor took pity on him but didn't want to teach an idiot, and simply gave Wang Shui a starter dagger. Then Wang Shui would go to the [Dagger] instructor next door, produce the dagger, and say someone had tricked him into buying it, but he only knew the One-Handed Straight Sword skill. He would beg the instructor to teach him, without even needing to change his story.

Third, the skill instructor took pity on him and agreed to teach him the [One-Handed Straight Sword] skill. If he could master it, he would go to the [Dagger] instructor next door... Oh, it seemed he wouldn't need to go this time.

Anyway, that was roughly the idea. It was just acting, and he had no other options for the time being.

Fortunately, Wang Shui had once studied the two extraordinary books An Actor Prepares and Social Engineering, and he had a very thick skin.

Under Wang Shui's pitiful, expectant gaze, the skill instructor sighed and said:

"According to the town's regulations, someone who hasn't mastered all the required skills cannot become an adventurer. I have to revoke your adventurer status and forbid you from leaving town to fight monsters, as well as forbid you from learning any more skills."

Damn it! What kind of regulation is that?! Player terms? Kayaba, you've screwed me over again!

Things seemed to have gone badly off course. Wang Shui instinctively wanted to bolt through the door, so he could at least keep his adventurer status.

But just then, the skill instructor suddenly sighed.

"Sigh, but if I do that, you'll have to make a living in town on your own. Looking at how slow you are (huh?), you'll probably end up in the slums. The situation there is complicated. Two powerful bastards have controlled the slums for years..."

Hey, hey, man, you're going off track! Stop talking. If you keep telling stories, a question mark will pop up over your head. I have no skills or levels right now. I can't do your quest!

"Your late brother was right. In fact, mastering one weapon skill is enough to deal with the monsters that occasionally wander in from the wilderness. By the way, what was the name of your remarkably insightful brother?"

"Hei. I called him Brother Hei. He died a really miserable death."

Even a moment's hesitation would have been an insult to Brother Hei's character.

"I haven't heard of that adventurer. It's good that a nearby village has an adventurer's teachings as sensible as his. Unlike most people, who think that because they've mastered a lot of skills, they can charge headlong into clearing high-level monsters and get themselves killed early."

Instructor, you know you're getting a little long-winded? Can you get to the point? If there's nothing else, I'm going to find the [Dagger] instructor next door.

"Sigh, since things have come to this, it's just a matter of teaching you the basics and movements again. Better than letting you end up in the slums as a thug for those two bastards. Oh, I still don't know your name."

"Instructor, my name is [Half a Heavenly Book]."

Wang Shui gave his in-game nickname. It was a name he had often used online before being iai-slashed by a dump truck.

It sounded rather grand, but in fact it was just a disparaging nickname his former classmates and coworkers had teased him with.

Back in his hometown, the phrase referred to someone who knew only a little but liked to show off his knowledge. It was an insult.

Wang Shui had a compulsion to learn and particularly enjoyed reading all kinds of specialist books, but his enthusiasm always faded quickly. He knew a little about everything but had mastered nothing. He also spoke without thinking and had a strong desire to show off, so he often talked excessive nonsense and made people dislike him.

But Wang Shui... had long since trained his skin to the point where he could let spit dry on his face, so he simply adopted teasing names like [Half a Heavenly Book] and [Half Bottle of Water] as online nicknames. He also had similarly embarrassing alternatives such as [Wang the Half-Immortal] and [Little Zhuge].

"Half a Heavenly Book? What a strange name." Even the instructor couldn't resist commenting.

All right, at least I didn't call myself [Attack Helicopter] or [Walmart Shopping Bag]. I was afraid they wouldn't pass review.

"All right, Banbu, let's go to the training ground inside."

Uh, teacher, wouldn't [Heavenly Book] roll off the tongue more easily?

Banbu sounds like you stopped halfway through a sentence. It's really bothering me.

"Banbu, why are you still standing there? Banbu, come here. Banbu, say something?"