If I had to describe the scene I saw when I opened my eyes as the light faded, it would be this: a grassland. A wide stretch of green covered the land, and monsters were scattered all across it.
"It's not that different from the First Floor, but the monsters are a little more upgraded... is that it?"
"I suppose so. Though rather than upgraded, to be precise, this is more of a ranch."
"Wow... Kazuma's right. It really does look like a ranch...!"
Maybe it appealed to some hidden fantasy of hers, because Kazuha stared with sparkling eyes at the cows—or cow-like things—running through the meadow.
"...So they're experience points on the hoof,"
"Agreed. I'll take the right."
"Then I'll take the left."
"W-wait, what?!"
For some reason, Kazuha's face went pale at the perfectly synchronized replies Kirito and I gave, as if we'd rehearsed them.
"What's wrong, Kazuha?"
"Already?! More importantly, why do both of you look so scary all of a sudden?!"
"That can't be right, Kazuha. We just looked at those experience points and felt a sincere desire to clear them as efficiently as possible."
With a bright smile, Kirito lowered his body slightly like he was ready to spring out at any second.
"Right. Strictly speaking, that isn't slaughter. It's just feeding."
"That's even worse!"
"This really is a world built on survival of the fittest to the extreme," Elia remarked dryly.
Using Kazuha's scream as our starting signal and Elia's disbelief as fuel, Kirito and I took off at the same speed and began thoroughly cleaning out the grassland on our respective sides.
Later, after witnessing our brutal hunting spree, Kazuha spent a while sniffling over the destruction of her innocent dreams. Then Asuna, who came up to the Second Floor afterward, saw her like that and turned on us—or more precisely, I slipped away through sheer verbal evasion, so only Kirito got lectured for a good while.
Of course, I wasn't about to waste that time, so I partied up with Kazuha and helped her level.
Thanks to that, the people who came up behind us were treated to the sight of an utterly empty grassland for a while. A small incident, really.
**
"Urgh...! I know the status system is helping, but after moving around like that, it feels like my whole body is stiffening up."
"That's not actually possible, so to put it simply, it's accumulated fatigue. In other words, it's all in your head."
"No, no, no... this is way too obviously exhausting to dismiss as being all in my head..."
In a village we'd found on the Second Floor, Kirito and I were sitting under a nearby tree, taking a break.
It had already been three days since we arrived here, and the rumors had spread long ago. Players from the First Floor were starting to make their way up to the Second Floor.
Even so, considering the level of the monsters here, only players above a certain level could really enter, so the actual number wasn't that high.
That was why, until just a little while ago, Kirito and I had been using a simple, idiotic strategy: kill every field monster in sight. And that was how we ended up here.
A few minutes later, Kazuha came over and sat beside me while Kirito and I traded replies in time with his usual light banter.
While Kirito rested, I'd taught her a few things, and she picked them up quickly. Before long, she was good enough to hunt monsters without any real trouble.
Her fundamentals really were solid. Her cutting form was clean and sharp. If she just became more proactive, she'd definitely be skilled enough to join the front-line clearing group.
"Still, you two leveled up a ton, didn't you? Honestly, killing all those monsters before they could even respawn sounds ridiculous."
"By the end, it had turned into a contest over who could clear the field first, so we got a little fired up."
"It was a valuable experience. By the way, where's Asuna?"
"Oh, Asuna went back to the grassland. She said she needed to level up too."
"Did we inspire her, maybe...?"
Kirito scratched his cheek awkwardly. I hadn't known him that long, but was he still that timid? Or maybe...
While I was wasting time on such pointless thoughts, I turned my attention toward Elia's voice, audible only to me.
"...How is it? Find anything useful?"
"There are three things. Two pieces of information related to extra skills, and one piece related to an incident."
"...Start with the incident."
"Yes. The incident is a rumor involving weapon destruction. Supposedly, a blacksmith was enhancing several pieces of equipment when one of the weapons vanished. It is only a rumor for now, so the details would have to be confirmed in person. As for the extra skill information, one concerns [Martial Arts]. Since it is already known information, the details have been confirmed. The quest is received from a certain NPC, and the content involves breaking a specific rock with one's fists, but..."
"What kind of meathead nonsense is that...? So what's the other one?"
"It concerns the [Katana] skill... This one is also only a rumor. After seeing the katana used by the Kobold Lord during our boss raid, many players have started speculating that it might become usable later. It seems there was mention of it during the beta as well."
"I see... Good work, Elia."
"Thank you, Kazuma."
Ever since people started reaching the Second Floor, quests had begun popping up explosively, one after another. Among them, apparently there was a highly capable information broker named Argo.
She was already famous back on the First Floor, and when it came to handling and gathering information, I figured there probably weren't many people in the same league as her besides Elia.
"...Kazuha, if you end up changing swords later, what would you switch to?"
"Huh? If I changed swords...? I guess... since I practiced kendo in real life too, a katana would probably suit me best."
"All right. I'll remember that."
"Uh... what?"
Leaving the bewildered Kazuha behind, I headed for the village. Naturally, it was because the [Martial Arts] Elia had told me about had caught my interest.
In the world of SAO, the system assist let us activate Sword Skills. But put another way, that meant fixed patterns had been decided in advance. If we relied only on those Sword Skills, then what exactly would be the difference between us and the monsters?
As the floors rose higher and higher, what would happen if, by the hundredth floor, we faced monsters capable of thinking completely like humans? That question wouldn't leave my mind.
Cardinal had created every system, and that naturally included every Sword Skill.
If it were me, I'd obviously make a boss monster that either possessed every player Sword Skill or could read them all like a master swordsman.
Still, since Akihiko Kayaba had clearly presented an exit, he wouldn't let us leave easily, but he would at least have opened a path that humans could clear. So maybe that line of thinking went a little too far.
Even so, I absolutely couldn't believe that Akihiko Kayaba had created some dull game where everything was just patterns.
"If that's true, then I need to distance myself from the system as much as possible... is that it?"
But that would be something I needed when facing monsters on the uppermost floors. What I needed right now was a Sword Skill that would let me crush the monsters in front of me without trouble.
A Sword Skill that let me strike directly with my own body had more than enough appeal to quicken my steps.
"Oh, Kazuha. I'm going to be doing a quest for a few days, so I might not see you during that time."
"...Huh...?"
At my words, Kazuha's expression froze over instantly. Then she lowered her head slightly and forced the words out in a trembling voice.
"K-Kazuma. D-does that mean..."
Seeing tears start to fall from her eyes as she hiccuped, I realized I'd let my phrasing invite another stupid misunderstanding and lightly chopped her on the head.
This girl really had always shown unusually strong emotions toward me, even back in the real world.
"Ow!"
"I don't know what you're imagining, but I'm not saying we're splitting up here. I really am just doing a quest, and I don't know how many days it'll take. If I were actually planning to leave you behind, there wouldn've have been any reason for me to find you on the First Floor in the first place."
"...Even so, I want to stay with you, Kazuma."
"No, I mean... it might be boring, you know?"
"Even so!"
I tilted my head at Kazuha's insistence that she was coming with me no matter what.
"Hmm... All right then. How about this? The condition is that you stay nearby and level up around the area."
"Okay... got it. I'll do that."
"Then come with me."
That finally stopped her tears, and she hurried after me. I immediately accepted the quest from an NPC and found a boulder near the village that was about as tall as I was.
There had been some story about a hunter living out in the wilderness or something, but I hadn't cared enough to listen. Looking at the rock now, though, I had to admit it fit the NPC's whole vibe perfectly.
"All right, then. Kazuha, you focus on leveling until you can hunt the monsters around here without any trouble."
"O-okay. Got it."
"And rest when you get tired. Don't push yourself. Getting stronger matters, sure, but surviving comes first."
"...You're kind, Kazuma."
For a moment Kazuha looked blank, then she gave me a gentle smile and said that softly.
"...? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I'm off."
"Okay."
With that short reply behind me, I drove my fist straight into the boulder in front of me. Thud. A small effect scattered from the impact, but the rock didn't budge in the slightest.
It was probably designed with durability based on the expected Strength of players on the Second Floor, enough to take several days. There was no way it would break after just a few hits.
Then all that was left was to keep hitting it until it broke.
With that thought as my final word, I focused solely on smashing the rock.
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"...Ka..."
"...zu...ma."
"...Kaz...ma."
"Kazuma!!"
"...? Hm?"
I had no idea how much time had passed, but at the sudden voice, I turned my head and found the person calling me.
"Kazuha. What's wrong? Oh, are you done leveling up?"
"What's wrong? You're asking that after seeing the state you're in?!"
"Me...?"
I didn't understand. What was wrong with me? No status abnormalities. No physical issues. Aside from feeling a little tired, there wasn't anything unusual.
"What's strange about me?"
"What's strange?! You've been hitting that nonstop this whole time! You've been at it since yesterday already!"
"Since yesterday...?"
I looked up. The sun was still high in the sky. No, more precisely, it was tilted just a little less than it had been before.
That was definitely enough proof that a whole day had passed.
"I see. So it's been almost exactly a day. Then if I keep going until tonight, I should be able to finish it."
As I roughly estimated the damage values and the rock's durability in my head, Kazuha grabbed my arm with tears in her eyes.
"Kazuma, please take breaks while you do this. You told me not to overdo it, remember? Please?"
Looking at her pleading face, I felt that this was the truly strange part—then I understood why.
"Ah, is that it? If you're worried because of the time, you don't have to be, Kazuha. I'm used to staying up all night. I've done it a lot."
"Used to it...?"
"Yeah. I, uh... you know, I sometimes did computer-related work. As a part-time job, sort of. Basically, you can think of it as freelance work."
That was my mistake. I was so used to pulling all-nighters because of work now and then that I hadn't considered how that would sound from the perspective of an ordinary student like Kazuha.
"E-even so. Take breaks while you do it. I don't want you pushing yourself either, Kazuma."
"...Sorry for worrying you. But I'm really fine. Once I finish this, I'll sleep."
To reassure her, I patted her head again. Maybe she liked that, because her eyes narrowed softly.
"...Promise me."
"All right."
Then I started hitting the rock again. This time, at least, I made a point of glancing up at the sun every so often.
**
Kirito must have found out late, because he joined me that afternoon and started punching a different rock. We kept at it until nightfall, then went back to the village together with Kazuha.
Apparently Kirito wasn't the type to pull all-nighters. Kind of surprising, since he seemed like he had at least a little of that hardcore gamer temperament... And as for me, I went straight back to the village NPC and turned in the completed quest.
Then, under Kazuha's suspicious supervision, I made sure to go properly to sleep.
**
The next morning, I left the inn again feeling refreshed, probably because I'd slept so deeply after staying up all night. The morning grassland still didn't have many people around. Actually, there were only three.
One of them was already hammering away at a rock, so I approached another one instead, careful not to interrupt.
"You're working pretty hard this early in the morning, Asuna."
"...Probably not as hard as you, Kazuma."
"Haha, so you saw me yesterday. I'm used to staying up all night because of work, so I was fine, but Kazuha didn't seem to think so."
"...Work?"
"I do some computer-related part-time work. Thanks to that, I don't get much studying done, though."
"Even so, I think that's impressive too."
"...You do?"
"Yes. Because I can feel your drive to improve. In this death game, where even the slightest mistake can cost you your life, I think it's amazing that you can work this hard while enduring that kind of mental pressure."
...That surprised me a little. Maybe she paid more attention to the people around her than I'd thought. I might need to raise my assessment of Asuna as a player.
My response came a little late, and Asuna hesitated before asking me something.
"Um... do you happen to know where Kirito is right now?"
I smiled faintly at her question. It wasn't like I hadn't noticed. They'd made a good pair during the First Floor boss raid, but after coming to the Second Floor, they hadn't really met much.
I hadn't expected Asuna to make the first move toward Kirito, though.
"So you really are curious about Kirito, huh?"
"...! Wh-?! N-no, it's not like that..."
"He's doing a quest right now. If everything goes normally, he'll probably finish around tomorrow."
"R-right. Thank you..."
Watching her pull her hood down even farther in embarrassment, I gave a slight nod and returned to the village to meet Kazuha again.
Sitting by a small fountain in the square, I found myself thinking about the extra skill [Martial Arts] I'd acquired yesterday. So I opened my status window and skimmed through the list, but then...
"...Huh?"
The moment I saw one more skill than I'd expected, I couldn't hide my confusion.
I already knew the Sword Skills I had before the First Floor boss raid. But besides the [Martial Arts] I'd gained this time, there was another one—one that stood out in my vision as if demanding attention.
[Thrown Blade Arts].
"...Elia. Search for [Thrown Blade Arts]."
"...Search complete. There are zero matching records."
"Zero... records?"
I hadn't expected that at all. As I stood there thoroughly shaken, Elia supplied additional information.
"There does appear to be a skill generally referred to as [Throwing Blade], but at present, there is not a single record of [Thrown Blade Arts]."
"To add to that, I would estimate with high probability that this may be a [Unique Skill]."
"A [Unique Skill]?"
"It was something briefly mentioned by the game's operator after the beta test. They said there were rare skills distinct from those that could be obtained normally."
"That mention led to all sorts of speculation online for a while, and among those rumors, the operator leaked a little more information, calling those rare skills [Unique Skills]."
After hearing Elia's explanation, I started assigning a very high probability to this skill being a [Unique Skill].
More than anything, it was a name I'd never heard among Sword Skills before, and I had no idea what the acquisition condition could have been.
"I see... If it's called a [Unique Skill], then naturally only the person who obtained it would know the condition. But what could have triggered it...? Don't tell me."
For a moment, the image that flashed through my mind was the scene where I hurled my sword at the Kobold Lord with all my strength.
But I immediately found grounds to argue against it.
"No, that can't be it. If simply throwing a sword could create a [Unique Skill], then it wouldn't be unique at all. Besides, there was already a normal [Throwing Blade] skill to begin with..."
"Ugh... I can't even estimate how difficult the acquisition condition is, so I still can't be sure whether this really is a [Unique Skill]."
"Even so, I believe it would be best to conceal it from others for now. It is a skill that has never appeared before, and if we infer that you obtained it around the time of the boss raid, then the probability that it is a [Unique Skill] seems quite high."
"That's probably for the best. Still, I should take a quick look at how the skill is structured."
Unlike my existing skills, [Thrown Blade Arts] had an arrow on the right side of its rectangular window. When I pressed it, I found that it was organized by category.
The three skills displayed now were [Spatial Awareness], [Watcher's Eye], and [Thrown Blade Inventory Creation].
"...I'll have to investigate this more thoroughly later."
Feeling that this might become a bigger issue than I'd imagined, I quietly closed the window and gave a short morning greeting to Kazuha, who had just walked up to me.
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