November 15, 2022. 11:00 AM – Western Fields, Floor 1
After receiving the beginner's guide from that mysterious girl in the Town of Beginnings, Silver began venturing beyond the city walls.
For the first few days, he joined a group of three players led by a guy named Batgum. Hunting monsters that way was safer, but the leader kept most of the loot and half of the col they earned. So, on the third day, Silver said goodbye and started fighting monsters on his own.
By then, he had enough confidence and experience to handle wolves and boars without much risk. Everything he earned he sold, buying potions, food... and always keeping at least one teleport crystal for emergencies. He even managed to get a slightly better sword. Nothing flashy, but more reliable.
His sword skill usage was improving.
As Renji had told him, his natural coordination allowed him to adapt quickly to the digital environment.
He mastered single-strike attacks early on.
"Vertical. Slant. Reaver. Slash."
He no longer needed to dodge as much. Now he anticipated. Attacked at the exact moment.
He was starting to feel like part of the system.
But progress was slowing down.
Enemies gave less experience.
And with so many players in the low fields, finding monsters was becoming harder and harder.
That forced him to spend more time in the open, wandering into less crowded areas.
After a couple of hours, he sat down with his back against a rock.
Opened his inventory. Pulled out a piece of bread. Held it in his hand for a long moment.
And he couldn't help but remember her.
The golden eyes.
The gentle way she treated him.
Not just him. All the downcast players she found in the streets.
What did she gain from it?
He had thought about it many times but never found an answer that made sense. Bread wasn't expensive, but it wasn't something you could just hand out carelessly.
Not in Aincrad.
Not when everything had a price.
When every col meant food, lodging, repairs, potions, crystals...
Why did she do it?
At last, he ate the bread.
Drank a little water.
And stood up.
There were still many hours of daylight left.
And the field was vast.
December 2, 2022. 10:13 AM – Western Fields, Floor 1
Sunlight filtered through the branches, drawing beams of light across the field. Silver moved with controlled precision through the brush, careful not to step on dry twigs, eyes fixed on a small group of boars grazing ahead.
They weren't dangerous if you knew when to strike. They never attacked in groups. You could hunt them one by one.
But he wasn't alone.
About twenty meters away, a pack of three gray wolves rested. Level 5. Curved fangs, eyes glowing with uncomfortably real artificial intelligence. He knew that if he drew their aggro, they would attack as one.
So he kept his distance.
Steady steps, not looking directly, not rushing.
Then, the sharp sound of a stone slicing through the air.
WHOOSH!
The rock flew just over his shoulder and struck one of the wolves on the forehead. A guttural roar broke out.
Silver spun around.
Behind him, a hooded player—face hidden, name concealed by privacy settings—was smirking from the hillside.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
He raised a glowing crystal, activated it with a quick motion, and vanished in a flash of blue light.
—You bastard! —Silver shouted, turning back toward the wolves.
Too late.
The first was already in the air.
Leaping, claws out, fangs ready.
One bite, one fall, and his health bar would plummet.
Silver barely managed to swing his sword.
—Horizontal Arc!
A blue trail slashed across the screen. The blade carved a wide arc, smashing into the wolf and knocking it aside mid-leap. It landed badly, growling, but didn't fall.
—Damn it!
The other two were already circling him. One lunged at his legs. The other at his right flank. Silver rolled back, narrowly avoiding fangs tearing into his arm.
One bite.
One fall.
And his health bar could be halved in a blink.
Think. Think. Don't get cornered!
He jumped left, pivoted on one foot, and thrust quickly at the first wolf charging again.
—Reaver!
The blade pierced the monster's side, making it howl and stagger back, its health bar trembling in the red.
But another was already on him.
A claw raked across his chest. Not real, but the phantom pain was.
Silver grunted, dropped to one knee, cold sweat running down his back.
His health was dropping, and the assault left no time to grab a potion from his inventory.
"I can kill one more. But not three. Not without help."
He triggered another skill:
—Spinning Upper!
His sword whirled upward in a vertical slash, lifting the second wolf off the ground. In midair, he struck again, straight at its throat. Critical.
The wolf burst into shards of light.
Two left.
One wounded. One almost untouched.
Too many.
Silver's health bar was dangerously low. One more hit like that, and he'd be finished.
Not today.
He pulled the teleport crystal he'd learned to always keep handy and activated it.
—Teleport! Tolbana! —he roared.
A blue light wrapped around him just as the third wolf leapt again.
In an instant, he was out of combat. Back on the city outskirts.
He fell to his knees on the cobblestone, gasping for breath.
The crystal was gone from his inventory.
Used up.
Damn coward. How dare you drag me into that and disappear...?
He looked at his still-drawn sword, hands shaking from the lingering tension. He sheathed it with force.
I killed one, nearly two. That wasn't a loss.
But... I used the crystal.
And that was a loss.
Silver sold everything he'd gathered to buy a new teleport crystal. He had heard how important they were, and now he had proven it to himself.
He wandered the city, looking for familiar players, and found some he'd crossed paths with in the fields before to trade information.
He told them about the player who had drawn the wolves' aggro and abandoned him, leaving him in danger. They said it wasn't an isolated case.
Some prowled the fields looking for solo players to lure monsters onto them. In one case, a player had driven five wolves straight into a party fighting boars. He activated a crystal right in front of them, and the wolves attacked mercilessly. Two died. The third barely escaped.
One of the listeners shouted in outrage, saying no one could be that vile. Another, with a scar cutting across his right eyebrow, just shrugged and said:
—Everyone has their own way of having fun. In the end, this is just a game.
Before he could walk away, Silver grabbed him by the neck of his light armor.
—Don't you get it yet? This "game" is a death trap —he said, staring into his eyes.
The player shoved him off.
—Don't be ridiculous. That death thing is just lore. The ones who don't come back had their characters deleted. If the creator really wanted to kill us, all 10,000 of us would already be dead.
He walked off, but before disappearing into the crowd, shot Silver one last threatening glance.
—Ignore him —said another user, who went by Veget—. He just wants to provoke.
Then he changed the subject:
—Are you joining the group assault on the boss chamber?
Silver shook his head.
—I don't know anything about that. I spend my whole day hunting in the western fields.
—Two days ago, a party led by a player named Diavel said they found the location. They updated the beginner's guide from the beta testers. You should get the new version.
Veget looked at him intently.
—If you want, we still have room in our party. It's a rare opportunity.
—When's the attack?
—In two days. We'll meet in the town square.
Silver nodded.
—I'll keep hunting. If I feel up for it, I'll look for you to join. If someone else shows interest, add them instead.
He walked away, steps steady.
He had decided to keep leveling up. Even if progress grew slower each day, he knew with effort and persistence he'd make it.
And if there was one thing he excelled at above all others, it was pushing past his own limits.
