Chapter 27

In reality, Kirito—Kazuto Kirigaya—was only 14. He had a baby face to begin with, and while he followed a style similar to Naoki's original self, the difference was stark.

Naoki's real-world persona had veered into androgynous territory, almost like a pseudo-girl, whereas Kazuto at least looked unmistakably like a boy—albeit a cute one.

Still, Kazuto clearly wasn't happy with his appearance. He'd deliberately crafted a more mature look for his avatar.

According to him, it was modeled after the "hero" he pictured in his mind.

To Naoki, though, it just looked like an uncle.

An uncle without a beard, sure, but still an uncle.

"Your design feels so weird," Naoki said, barely holding back a laugh.

Kazuto scoffed, blunt as ever. "Who uses their real face in a game? I get that you're good-looking, big bro, but aren't you worried about people tracking you down in real life?"

"Eh, doesn't bother me," Naoki said with a grin. Besides, Kazuto would have to show his real face eventually too.

Knowing Kazuto disliked his slightly feminine looks—just like Naoki's original self had—Naoki let it slide.

"By the way, what about the other person? Didn't you snag two beta slots? Who'd you give the second one to?" Kazuto asked, curious.

Naoki scanned the crowd and spotted a clumsy girl with chestnut hair. He waved loudly, "Over here, over here!"

Asuna heard the familiar voice and turned, her eyes landing on a tall, handsome blonde with a sunny vibe.

She let out a relieved breath, hurried over, and stopped in front of him. "Naoki, there you are! What's with this ID—'Roya'?"

Naoki chuckled. "It's just a cool name I came up with—kinda like a legendary figure."

Asuna nodded, not pressing further. Names like that weren't her thing anyway.

Kazuto blinked, surprised, as he sized up the pretty girl. "And this is…?"

"My student," Naoki said.

Asuna shifted her gaze to the boy beside Naoki. He was shorter—about half a head below Naoki—and had the look of a grizzled middle-aged man.

Kazuto kept insisting it was a "heroic" design, but Naoki preferred calling him "uncle."

"Speaking of which, Asuna, you're using your real appearance too?" Naoki asked, giving her a curious once-over.

Her chestnut hair was tied into a braid, and her clear eyes radiated warmth. Asuna was strikingly beautiful—delicate features, a doll-like cuteness, and a slim, graceful figure that hinted at regular exercise.

She wore a simple white cloth outfit, standing there between the two.

Asuna's looks needed no explanation—she was undeniably stunning.

Kazuto stared, slightly stunned, then shot Naoki a questioning look. "She looks like this in real life too? I figured most people tweak their faces a bit."

Pinching a face was usually about enhancements—whiter skin, a sharper nose, bigger eyes—all standard stuff.

Going full natural was rare.

Asuna fell silent for a moment.

Then she said slowly, "Wait, that was the face customization? I just hit confirm."

Kazuto let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. She'd skipped the editor entirely and gone in with her default face.

No wonder she looked like that.

She had total newbie vibes.

Since entering the game, Asuna had been gawking at everything, brimming with curiosity.

Wait—newbie.

Kazuto suddenly realized something serious.

He asked cautiously, "Asuna, have you played games like this before? This type, I mean."

Asuna looked blank, turning to Naoki. "You didn't tell him?"

Naoki shrugged. "Her mom's super strict—barely lets her touch games. She's only here because I dragged her into it."

Kazuto sighed helplessly. "Great. I was hoping to race you to see who could take down higher-level bosses."

Naoki grinned mischievously. "We can still do it. I'll level Asuna up, and you can find a partner too. Same old rules—one month, see who clears more floors."

Kazuto hesitated, glancing between Asuna and Naoki. He sensed something between them but didn't dwell on it and wandered off.

Naoki turned to Asuna. "You know what sword skills are?"

Asuna stared blankly.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere first." Naoki grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

By now, Asuna wasn't the shy Asuna Yuuki from years ago. After nearly six years of tutoring with Naoki, she'd grown used to this level of casual contact—no resistance, just familiarity.

Naoki wasn't exactly a saint, though. Holding hands during tutoring? No big deal.

Getting a little close? Totally fine.

He'd snagged all the small perks over the years.

They'd spawned in the starting area—the Town of Beginnings.

At the northern end of this floor loomed a massive tower, 300 meters wide and 100 meters tall.

A key spot on the floor, "Tolbana," was the bustling town nestled in a valley near the labyrinth zone.

The streets were surrounded by grassy plains teeming with animal-type monsters like boars and wolves, plus insect-types like worms, beetles, and wasps.

Heading south from the town, the landscape opened into endless grasslands dotted with low-level wolf creatures.

The magic wolves prowled on all fours, their eyes fierce but showing no intent to attack.

Naoki pointed at one of the mobs. "I'll explain what sword skills are."

He drew the iron sword at his side.

A line of text popped up:

[Beginner's Iron Sword]

[Quality: White]

[Attribute: Sharpness I]

For some reason, Naoki's system interface differed from Kazuto's.

More precisely, the gear descriptions weren't the same.

The same item showed different attributes for each of them.

It didn't matter much, though.

He tested the sword-swinging mechanics.

Thanks to his real-world swordsmanship experience—both from his original self and a year of practice—it only took a moment to get the hang of it.

Sword skills.

A unique system-assisted feature in SAO.

In this game, which emphasized physical sensation, triggering a skill with the right stance let the system enhance your movements and speed, pulling off superhuman feats you couldn't manage otherwise.

You could mimic the motions without activating a skill, but the power, speed, and precision wouldn't compare.

On the flip side, since sword skills were system-driven patterns, you couldn't adjust or stop mid-move until they finished—making it crucial to read an opponent's prep stance in a duel.

In short, regular players relied on sword skills to achieve what was impossible in reality.

But using them came with a catch: a brief wind-up and a post-skill freeze, letting opponents counter if they predicted your move.