ch1/DIAWOS-Diving into a world of swords

(2 months…well terms in SAO December 2.)

when Nobu opened his eyes, he could see the beauty of the graphics the game emitted. it was…here…clenching his fist, Nobu swore to look for his sister. "Aki…you big idiot…Just…don't do anything stupid to get yourself killed…" 

After Nobu began to walk around the Merchant district to the Plaza, mumbling to himself. "I should start hitting the levels."

Before Nobu could go and grind some frenzy boars, he stumbled upon and saw a girl crouching on the ground. it looks like she had a hard time understanding what's going on. but it's not like him to just mind his own business and turn a blind eye.

He started approaching the girl, kneels on his knee, and waits for her to look up.

"Are you okay?" The girl suddenly looked up, it looked like she had been crying. she still has some marks under her eyes, they almost look lifeless.

"I want to go home…"

"Then get strong enough and survive…in this world, only the strong can thrive. it only favors the strongest, so stop and go and level up. this is just the beginning."

The girl look stunned and almost a little frustrated. "How could you…say that…"

"Did you want me to lie…I don't want to create false hope, and it better to come in terms with due of lack motivation…weak willed people who only depend on others who is stronger."

"...leave me alone…please…"

"...All right…my name is Nobu…If you are still here, let me know."

"...Its Koharu…"

"Then…I see you soon…Koharu."

"..."

That encounter could have been better so he would say himself, but he needed to focus on what he would do. Nobu walked through the Plaza and out the Origin plain and equipped his LV.1 sword.

He approached the frenzy Boar, slashed the boar with a vertical slash, and soon drew aggro. The boar grunted and it howled a cry as it started to charge up with a dive towards Nobu.

But Nobu kept his calm and as it started to get close, Nobu jumped over the boar cartwheel in midair and slashed the boar spine as it soon fell and dissolved into pixels.

Nobu after landing back on the ground equipped his second sword in his inventory.

his inventory consists of all just swords, daggers bows, and spears. He approaches the boars one after one and as he keeps going even if he feels tired as it all was to make sure he is strong enough to protect Aki if anything happens.

(6 hours of broken swords, broken daggers, and broken spears)

Nobu is seen sitting on a hill under the shade of a big three. his breathing as he is out of the air and he has no energy to get up and do anything other than just catching his breath again.

"ha…ha…ha…phew…if only Aki held to her promise…I wouldn't be sitting here and prepare my plans on how to progress…this stupid…game…"

He leaned his body forward and placed his hand on his knee as he looked out the view and took a moment of quiet.

"well…I hate to admit…it still a beautiful world…"

Nobu got up. the wind howled through his hair and it went side to side, his eyes shone under the shade, and started to walk on the trail back from hunting different mobs and return to the merchant district to buy the highest sword he could use thanks to his LV is 12.

Thanks to his trip to the merchant district he stumbles upon two people discussing a blue-haired knight going around and gathering strong players.

"Excuse me…" Nobu approached two and they turned around looking at him surprised and maybe thinking he overheard him.

"Where can I find this blue-haired self-proclaimed?"

The two quickly shared a glance towards each other before they turned to him and responded. "Well…He told anyone strong to meet at the Tolbana meeting place and he will further indulge in what he was going to share."

Nobu kept his stoic expression and turned around and told him his thanks before going his way.

After even more grinding and days passed, Nobu went to the colosseum leaning towards a column where he found Diavel and a few others who were sitting and complaining about why there wasn't a class system or job in SAO.

Diavel started joking about being a self-proclaimed knight at first, but his mood changed, and he revealed that a team found the boss's room at the top of the tower.

He declared that they, as the current strongest players of the game, had a duty to defeat the boss and reach the 2nd Floor, as well as inform the other players in the Town of Beginnings that it was possible to clear the game.

His proclamation was received with enthusiastic approval. Diavel suggested the players form parties with each other, as a raid group would stand a better chance against the boss than a typical party. a party of 6, far more than a normal party. Nobuleft before anyone could see him standing alone to try to invite him too.

He didn't want to deal with this Kibaou's rants about being weak, and not getting help from Beta testers. the knowledge is only up to the 10th floor so it would be pointless as they progress and things might change, since this is the full-release game.

that is what he heard when the otaku in his class talked about he wished he had more knowledge about the anime but it was what it is.

It was perhaps a good idea from Diavel because the boss monster Illfang had 4 hit-point bars, a large amount of good defense, and minions to distract the members.

Nobu noticed what he was going to stock up on. He bought a large amount of healing potion and some extra weapons like a dagger, bow, and spear. Since his, he want to have one for each opportunity and other occasion.

He went and leveled up his proficiency with his other weapons and kept going until the day they would raid the floor boss.

— a few days later—

The walk through the forest as you can expect was calm somewhat loud as the party started and talking with each other, few were discussing and others were just holding their mouths shut. Nobu was walking with a mask he bought from an accessory store. a clean black shape with two eye holes and 3 green stripes on the side.

Upon reaching the gate, and defeating the monsters guarding them. Diavel placed his sword on the ground. "Okay, everyone listen up. There's only one thing I can say to you...Let's win." with a determined expression on his face. In contrast, everyone else looked uncertain now that they had reached this point.

Once again, he opened the gate door with a determined expression. "Alright, come on! " The door opened with just a slight touch of his, making the door a rusty crack when it opened up.

Everyone followed behind Diavel, and carefully made their way through the dark large space, as soon everyone was inside the room lit up in color, and from above [Illfang the Kobold Lord] appeared with his big red body creating dusk from his landing and stood towering over everyone, standing over two meters tall, muscular, covered in red fur large bone axe and a leather shield to attack.

Behind its waist, it carried a meter and half-long nodachi weapon. and to think people mistakenly believed it was a talwar when they could see it well, even if they mistook it was without a doubt, a nodachi attached to his waist.

as it roared out a red crystal appeared on top of him and it stood, his name [Illfang the Kobold lord}. As the roar ended his minions appeared and the kobold minions had knight armor, the weapon which I believe looked like cotton candy balls on a stick but it was more like a mace, a blunt weapon, and a heavy hitter.

[Ruin Kobold Sentinel]

Diavel wasted no time and lifted his sword in the air. "Commands…attack." his sword pointed at the boss and the minions and everyone from his rear ran past him to fight them.

an 'epic' sequence of a clash as everyone rushed forward. I was dealing with the minions before I went to the boss,

*slash* *clang* the strikes from hitting each other weapon as they connected, I quickly leg-swept the Kobold Sentinel and stabbed it through his chest. 12 [Ruin Kobold Sentinels] were spawned in total and most of them were killed, leaving only 4 remaining as Kirito and Asuna among two others dealt with their pack of Kobolt.

I glanced at the kobold Lord and he growled like a mad Chihuahua. his HP was on the last bar and he threw away his shield and his axe in mid of switching out to his Nodachi.

Kibou regaining confidence and trusting the guidebook, formed a smile grinning awkwardly.

"Looks like the guide book was right…"

Immediately after. "Stand back, I got this!" shouted, Diavel rushed towards the boss thinking it was going to be talwar like in the beta but he was wrong, not carefully considering everything changed in the alpha, the complete game.

Kirito noticed too and shouted at Diavel to stop, but it didn't reach him. Kibaou glanced at Kirito on why he would know…

Suddenly the [Illfang the Kobold Lord] jumped up towards a pillar with fast movement and jumped from pillar to pillar to confuse Diavel. It managed to do it and smash the ground sending him flying and sending a devastating blow toward his abdomen until Nobu blocked it in the last minute, he always wondered if something would change if he was saving a character that was supposed to die according to what he knows, so he guess he just wait and see.

The [Illfang the Kobold Lord] Nodachi was sent up thanks to the parry and the stomach was wide open and I stabbed toward it with no hesitation. The [Illfang the Kobold Lord] stepped back as the other players charged at it maintaining the formation.

"Y-you…" I'm glad he couldn't see my face. I want to remain hidden until it's time.

"..." Nobu didn't say anything to his response and focused on the [Illfang the Kobold Lord].

Kirito felt a sense of change, they all risked their lives, not only thinking of themselves but how others would survive, and it seemed like those two might be beta testers like him…but different, Diavel went out of his way to encourage others despite being a beta tester with low likability in the SAO community. And he only thought of himself on how 'he' would survive, and then there was that person all covered up that you could only see his hair poking out and his light chocolate skin sticking out like a sore thumb.

He might not seem to be all reliable and more sketchy giving a mysterious bad vibe, but he saved him and feels like a person you can trust if you get to know him/her.

Kirito gripped tight onto his blade and with Asuna on his side activated a sword skill against the boss [Illfang the Kobold Lord] to block the attack on cooldown for Asuna to switch, but the [Illfang the Kobold Lord] managed to recover fast enough to strike a shot, but Asuna dodge in time losing her worn cape and deliver a powerful strike at the boss.

Kirito seemed to be in a trance seeing Asuna for the first time before the [Illfang the Kobold Lord] growled, making him stand up and land another block for Asuna to strike.

They continued with their tactics until Kirito made a mistake and got hit, slamming into Asuna. Agile saved them from receiving the final blow and told them to recover while the rest held the boss off. After they recovered, Kirito and Asuna gave one last hit and Kirito received the last attack on the boss, defeating the boss with Kirito obtaining the Last Attack bonus item, the [Coat of Midnight].

Diavel let out a sigh, he really wanted to have the last hit, but he knew he could get a chance later on...probably.

Everyone celebrated their victory until Kibaou and his group reminded everyone that stated that Kirito withholding information that he knew the boss's attack pattern, and accused him of being a beta tester, not knowing that Diavel was a beta tester also. Everyone suspected each other of being beta testers. Even me with the mask.

Kirito looked at Diavel, even though he wanted to fight for himself, Diavel reached out a hand to these people and wanted them to fight together, and if he was meant to be the bad guy, he would be the bad guy.

Diavel's view changed for Kirito; he would review him as the one who took the burden for beta testers and would stand by his side.

Kirito the Beater..

After the boss fight, Kirito went to the teleportation gate and had a little chat with Asuna. after exchanging a few words Kirito left and she shortly followed…

Before Nobu went to the 2nd floor, he decided to find Argo and get her on my side.

He was looking for a young girl with a hooded cloak and had painted whiskers, how difficult could it be, and it proved to him it was quite difficult. Many people now headed to floor 2, but there were still many thousands left because they were afraid to move to the next floor.

I wandered quite a bit before I finally stumbled onto the person I was looking for. "Argo?" We met eyes at the plaza as she was done speaking with her clients and now she was looking for some quiet piece. Doing business is good, but taking care of herself is the most important.

"Yeah, your looking forr me…~" She crossed her arms and looked smug.

Nobu responded to her question with little change in his tone. "My name is Nobu…I'm here to make a contract."

Argo's ears stood up like a cat listening carefully. "Ho, and what will I gain?"

"You will gain 50 000 Cor for every floor, and for material requests once on every floor as well as 3 services on each floor. They don't stack, I'm afraid...so use them wisely..."

Argo went through a deep thought, looking at the mysterious masked person. "And what do you want from me?"

"I want to form an alliance…"

"Hmmm…" Argo kept her grin ever as high "you yourself got a pretty good deal~"

"I…also want you to find someone named Konno Yuuki and Aki while at it…or at least let me now where… "

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