Floor One of Aincrad — Horunka Village.
Situated amidst the vast greenery that blankets most of the first floor, this small village sits directly opposite Ragru, where I had spent my time grinding through previous quests. This village is often the first stop for players following the direct path to clear the floors. It offers a quest to obtain the "Anneal Blade", a weapon that serves as a reliable partner for any one-handed sword user in the early game.
"Let's go. We must save that girl quickly."
"That's the spirit. I'll lead you to the best hunting grounds."
Alice stepped out of the NPC's house, radiating determination. I followed her, quickly checking our location on the map before leading the way to find our targets.
We had come to Horunka specifically so Alice could get a new sword.
The quest here, titled "Forest Toxin," requires players to retrieve a "Little Nepent Ovule" to craft medicine for a young girl suffering from a terminal illness. The reward, the "Anneal Blade", is an excellent weapon capable of remaining effective until the third floor, provided one continues to enhance and reinforce it.
"The areas where Nepents spawn frequently are here and here. It's risky, but we should split up to save time. You stay in the area near the village, and I'll head deeper into the woods. As soon as one of us gets the Ovule, the quest is done."
"And why must we separate?"
"I'll explain on the way. First, did you buy enough healing potions?"
The targets for this quest are "Little Nepents", plant-like monsters that attack with sharp, long vines and caustic fluids. They resemble giant pitcher plants that walk on roots used as legs. They also possess wide mouths—unlike anything in the real world—that drip sticky sap as they approach players. It was a sight that struck terror into many beta testers.
As for the "Ovule" required to finish the mission, it is a rare drop obtained by defeating a special variant of these monsters that sports a flower on its head. As you fight regular Little Nepents, the probability of this flowering variant appearing increases, though its base spawn rate is usually no more than 1%.
While we could hope to stumble upon one by chance, grinding through monsters is more practical. It allows us to gain experience points while waiting for the target to appear.
However, we couldn't afford to be complacent. Over ten days had passed since the game started, and skilled new players would surely begin arriving at this village one after another. Despite its small size, Horunka is a "Safe Zone" with supplies and equipment; it was only a matter of time before the surrounding fields swarmed with players.
"Nepents require a specific technique to defeat efficiently. Watch my movements closely; pay attention to how the monster reacts."
While scanning the field, my "Searching" skill picked up several signals. I found my target among them, drew my spear from my back, and sprinted forward.
As I approached a regular Nepent, the creature sensed my presence and raised its side vines high.
Fighting a Nepent is simple in theory: dodge its attacks, then strike its weak point—the junction where the pitcher meets the stem. In practice, however, doing this on the first try requires high combat intuition. The swaying vines are unpredictable, and the caustic fluid requires precise timing to evade, or the monster's maw will follow your every move.
Thanks to the battles on the road, I had reached Level 7. This monster didn't scare me, but I remained cautious.
If the caustic fluid hits you, it erodes the durability of weapons and armor at an insane rate. It also turns into a sticky substance that hinders movement. In this world, losing your weapon or armor is a death sentence.
I ducked under a vine attacking from the right and moved to its flank, thrusting my spear into its weak point. Its health bar dropped by nearly 40%. I repeated the movement. Suddenly, the monster's body bloated—the sign it was about to spray fluid. This attack has a five-meter range; jumping backward wouldn't save me.
"—(Now!)—"
Despite its danger and range, the caustic spray has a very narrow arc. I waited for the exact moment the monster stopped bloating and lunged to the left with all my strength. A pale green liquid hissed through the air, hitting the ground far behind me. Before my feet even touched the grass, I used the reach of my spear to deliver a snap-thrust to its weak point while retreating. Infuriated by its third consecutive miss, the monster swung its vines at my feet. I performed a short hop to clear them, then pulled my spear to the right. A sky-blue light coated the blade.
"—Hah!—"
I triggered the two-handed spear skill "Helical Scythe" while still mid-air. The horizontal strike carved through the monster's stem with precision. I felt the resistance of the flesh for a moment before the upper half separated from the base. The Little Nepent, sliced in two, shattered into blue polygons and vanished into the air without even a death rattle.
I exhaled deeply and sheathed my spear. Alice, who had been watching from a short distance, approached me.
"How was that? Do you understand the method now?"
"I understand the required movements... though this book is much clearer than your explanation."
"A book?"
Alice held a small, parchment-bound notebook that resembled a diary.
"I found it at the tool shop while buying potions. I glanced through it while watching you fight. It covers all the warnings regarding combat against mobile plants. Now I understand the secret to your style."
"Ah, you mean the Strategy Guide."
Only two weeks had passed since the launch of SAO, but some players had already made a profession out of information gathering. The most famous was a player nicknamed "Argo the Rat", who sold books containing vital strategies for survival. Even at 500 Col, the book was worth every penny for the safety it provided. I had also bought every book available in previous villages to bolster my beta-test memories.
It seemed Alice, despite her tight budget following the inn incident, had used the money I set aside for her to buy this guide.
"Good, then there's no problem. The information in the guide matches the beta version, and I haven't noticed any changes in actual combat. If you study it well, you'll be able to take them down easily. Finally, as it says in the book: be extremely careful of the monsters carrying fruit on their heads."
I emphasized this final, most important point before heading deeper into the forest where the monsters were more numerous.
●○●○●
Alice watched the spearman disappear among the trees, then turned back to re-read the guide. She immediately understood his warning about the "Fruiting types."
Among Little Nepents, there is a variant that carries a round fruit on its head, appearing with the same frequency as the flowering type. This variant isn't any stronger than the others, but if a sword skill shatters that fruit, it releases spores that summon every nearby Nepent to the location.
The solution was simple: she would use only horizontal cutting skills during this hunt to avoid hitting the head.
(While we are here, that girl is still suffering. I don't remember much of my life before coming here, but for some reason, I feel an overwhelming urge to save her. Something deep in my chest screams that I must do this.)
Alice stowed the book in her bag, drew her sword, and set off toward the fields near the village. Soon, she spotted an ugly plant monster. Sensing her, the creature raised its vines threateningly.
"—Hah!—"
Alice evaded the sharp vines with graceful, fluid movements. As she passed the monster, she swung her sword at its weak point. She felt the blade bite into its body, and its health plummeted. The damage was slightly higher than what the boy had dealt earlier; this monster was more vulnerable to slashing than piercing, a detail also noted in the guide.
She turned quickly to assess the enemy's next move. And now—
"—Caustic fluid!"
Alice saw the signs preceding the spray and immediately lunged to the left... but realized her mistake the same instant.
"Dammit...!"
The caustic fluid tracks the target if the player dodges too early. Although the guide mentioned this, and although she had seen the boy fight the same way, Alice had rushed her evasion. In this position, she would be drenched in sap and might lose her precious sword. More importantly, she flatly refused to look pathetic, covered in slime from such a repulsive creature.
(Think! How do I get out of this?!)
Time seemed to slow as she searched desperately for a solution. Her memory surfaced a specific image: the moment the boy had finished his last monster.
Instinctively, Alice's body moved on its own. She twisted her frame into a low stance close to the ground, cocking her sword in her right hand toward her left. Immediately, the blade glowed with a pale blue light.
In the next heartbeat, Alice kicked off the ground with her fingertips and launched into a high-speed, low-altitude dash.
The single-hit dash skill "Rage Spike" sent Alice sliding beneath the jet of caustic fluid. The tip of her rushing blade pierced the weak point with absolute precision. She tore through the monster's body, sliding behind it. She waited anxiously for the "Post-Motion Delay" to end, watching over her shoulder.
The monster, reeling from the unexpected assault, had yellow light icons spinning rapidly above its mouth. It was "Stunned"—a status effect triggered by powerful, sudden strikes.
Seeing her enemy helpless, Alice whipped her cloak around and closed the distance, pulling her sword to the right until it glowed with sky-blue light.
"Se—yaaaa!!—"
With a sharp cry, she unleashed the horizontal slash skill "Horizontal" with all her might, cleaving the Little Nepent in two.
"Phew... that was just a mimicry of what I saw, but it worked somehow."
Activating a sword skill while performing an evasive maneuver—something that looked easy when the boy did it—was actually incredibly difficult.
Sword skills depend on the system detecting a specific physical posture to trigger. If the stance is unstable or the movement is erratic, they won't activate. Attempting them in mid-air or during complex shifts can lead to a "Skill Fail," freezing the player in place and leaving them vulnerable.
Despite her success, Alice decided internally not to take such a gamble again. Though it piqued her pride, she resolved to ask the boy to teach her the proper technique later. She then set off to find her next prey.
●○●○●
"...Phew, I think it's about time for a flowering type to show up..."
I watched a Nepent dissolve before me and scanned the surroundings. My leveled-up "Searching" skill showed three light points indicating monster locations. I had been fighting for nearly two hours, but the target had yet to appear.
"As for Alice... she seems to be doing fine."
I opened the map to take a short break while waiting for respawns. I saw a blue dot moving actively some distance away. That dot, representing my party member, was undoubtedly Alice. Her HP bar showed no signs of danger; she was either avoiding damage entirely or healing herself regularly.
"...Is she really a beginner?" I muttered to myself.
Based on what I had seen of her combat so far, and focusing purely on martial skill, Alice possessed abilities on par with the top beta testers. Even with sword skills—where most players let the system lead them—she was enhancing her power by moving her body in perfect harmony with the system's assistance. This wasn't something learned overnight. Even Kirito and I had failed repeatedly in the beta, ending up paralyzed and nearly losing our lives.
Did she do it by instinct? If so, I could only bow to her talent. But this raised another question.
Alice claimed to remember nothing but her name and how to fight. Since she had been using sword skills since our first meeting, it meant her fighting style was perfectly aligned with SAO's system.
But therein lay the contradiction.
"Why does she know specifically about sword skills and nothing else...?"
After our meeting, I had explained everything about the game to her from A to Z. While I summarized some parts, I told her everything I knew. Based on her questions and serious listening, my conclusion that she "lacks general gaming knowledge, not just SAO" had to be correct.
If so, how could someone ignorant of gaming basics master the most complex system in this game—"Sword Skills"—at such a high level?
I turned over several possibilities, shaking my head in confusion, but none were convincing.
"It's no use. I'll never understand it."
I wiped my brow and exhaled, noticing the area had filled with Nepents again. And among them—
"—Finally! I've been waiting for you!"
I pushed those thoughts aside, drew my spear, and sprinted toward the monster that stood out from the rest—the Flowering Type.
"Shooooooo!"
The flowering monster let out a screech that sounded like a mix of insect and beast, slamming its vines into the ground. Its attacks were rapid, with very little delay between the two vines, but I evaded by circling toward its outer flank.
We traded blows and dodges until its health bar dropped into the yellow zone. I parried a vine attack to create distance, then triggered the two-handed spear skill "Fatal Thrust".
I lunged with all my strength, delivering a strike coated in yellow light.
After a moment of silence, the flowering monster let out a death cry unlike any I had heard today and exploded. It left behind a fist-sized sphere that dropped from the flower on its head before its body shattered.
I sheathed my spear and picked up the fallen object—the "Little Nepent Ovule". I celebrated the achievement internally; this was the item I would give to Alice. Even if I had taken the quest myself, I wouldn't have benefited from it beyond money and experience, since I was a spear user.
Still, the thrill of obtaining a rare drop made me realize I had become a "gaming addict" in one way or another.
"Right... let's head back."
I placed the precious item in my storage and headed toward the village. I checked her HP in the menu; it remained almost unchanged. She had clearly absorbed the guide's information and was fighting brilliantly.
After walking for a while, I reached the area where Alice was supposed to be hunting...
"—Yaaaa!!—"
A sharp cry, a flash of skill-light, followed by the same death rattle I had just heard. Before my eyes, the polygons of a Little Nepent vanished, revealing Alice behind them. She had a look of pride on her face as she carefully picked up an "Ovule."
"—Oh, you're back. Look at this! Now we can save that girl!"
Alice brandished the Ovule in front of my face triumphantly.
For a moment, I thought about coolly telling her, "Oh, that? I have one too," just to see her reaction, but I remembered how terrifying she was when angry and chose safety instead.
"Congratulations. Let's get back to the village quickly."
"No need to tell me. Let's go!"
I stared at Alice's back as she jogged ahead of me. I opened my mouth to say something, but—
"What are you doing? Hurry up!"
Scolded, I followed her in silence.
When we returned to Horunka, we saw groups of players who had formed "Parties" gathering in the village square. As I expected, the first wave of skilled beginners had arrived.
We weren't doing anything wrong, and Alice was hiding her face with her hood, so we could have crossed the square normally. However, to avoid trouble in case someone tried to talk to us, we took the back alleys to the quest-giver's house.
It was 4:00 PM. Walking back to Tolbana would take a long time, so I wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"We apologize for the delay."
Alice knocked politely and entered. The mother of the sick girl looked up, her face pale. She was still cooking something on the stove, just as she had been when we accepted the quest. A golden "!" appeared over her head, signaling quest progression.
"This is for your daughter..."
When the woman saw the Little Nepent Ovule Alice presented, her weary face transformed, glowing with joy. After a barrage of thanks, she placed the Ovule in the pot. Then, from an old shelf in the corner, she pulled out an ancient-looking sword. Despite its simple appearance, it had a powerful presence compared to the "Small Sword" Alice was currently wearing.
"...Thank you. I will use it with the utmost care."
Alice received the sword with both hands as if receiving a treasure. A quest completion message and results screen appeared in the center of my vision. Even though Alice had taken the quest, I received the experience and money rewards for being in her party.
"That concludes the quest. Let's go."
I closed the screen and prepared to leave, but Alice didn't move. Though she had put the "Anneal Blade" in her bag, she was silently watching the woman stir the pot containing the Ovule.
"...Alice?"
"Can we... stay here for a bit? I want to see the end for myself."
"...Alright."
We sat on nearby chairs, listening in silence to the bubbling pot in the quiet room. In cold, logical terms, our relationship with that woman ended the moment the quest was complete. No matter how long we waited, she wouldn't even offer us a drink of water. If we tried to speak to her, she would only repeat fixed lines like, "Thank you, this will save my daughter."
For a solo player focused on efficiency, like me or Kirito when we left the Town of Beginnings, this was meaningless—a waste of time.
But Alice, watching the woman, saw her differently. She didn't see her as soulless data, but as a human living in this world.
To be honest, I could understand that feeling. Even in traditional games played on screens, we wished for the happiness of characters who endured tragic circumstances. It seems this lingering sentiment in me was why I chose to stay with Alice rather than leave her alone.
After several minutes, as I began to feel drowsy, I felt a touch on my shoulder. It was Alice, sitting opposite me. She pointed toward the woman, who was now pouring the contents of the pot into a wooden cup.
The woman took the cup and disappeared behind a door at the back of the room.
I watched in amazement. In the beta, there was no information about such a scene occurring after quest completion. Usually, that door remained locked to players by a system protection. It seemed this event was only available to NPCs interacting with one another...
"Let's go, too."
I followed Alice behind the woman.
The room the woman had entered was dim, though the sun hadn't yet set. It contained only a simple bed, a wardrobe, and a small chair. On that bed lay a girl who appeared to be seven or eight years old. The mother tried to help her sit up to take the medicine, and Alice stepped forward to assist, revealing the girl from beneath the blankets.
Her shoulders and neck were incredibly thin, and her skin was pale enough to be noticed even in that dark room. This was undoubtedly the girl suffering from the terminal illness.
"Agatha, these skilled travelers brought the medicine from the forest. Drink this, and you will surely get better."
The girl—Agatha—looked at the cup, then turned her gaze toward Alice standing beside her. Alice dropped her usual stern expression and smiled at the girl to reassure her, nodding.
Perhaps because of that smile, the girl took the cup with both hands and slowly drank the medicine to the end. Unfortunately, she didn't jump up full of energy; this wasn't magic. But the pallor of her face gradually faded, replaced by a faint hint of color.
"Thank you, big sister."
The girl thanked Alice in a soft, tiny voice. Alice knelt to meet the girl's eyes.
"I pray that you recover. You were brave and held on for so long."
She then gently stroked the girl's head. The girl squinted as if tickled, then noticed me at the doorway. Our eyes met.
I, who hate eye contact in the real world, hesitated to look away for fear of hurting her feelings. While I was flustered...
"And you too, big brother, thank you."
She gave me a weak but sincere smile. Despite knowing she was an NPC, her actions were so human they stunned me. I could only respond with an awkward smile.
"My goodness, I never imagined your smile would be so hideous. I almost thought that girl's condition would worsen after seeing your face."
"That's harsh... though I can't entirely deny it."
After leaving the family's house, we took the back alleys again, heading toward Medai, the next stop after Horunka. We had stayed too long; Horunka had few places to stay, so reaching the next village would guarantee us a bed.
"...Will that girl really recover?"
"I'd like to say she will... but the truth is, she won't."
The quest we finished is available to any player who visits that house. This means the girl will suffer from the illness over and over again as long as there are players to accept the quest. It's a horrifying thought if you dwell on it.
"But... when you stroked her head, I think those words saved her, at least in that moment. No one in this world cares about NPC feelings as much as you do."
「I hope that's true... no, I'll believe it. You say good things "sometimes."」
"That "sometimes" was unnecessary. —Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's eat something as soon as we reach Medai."
"I flatly refuse to eat that dry black bread we had yesterday. I'm not asking for luxury, but at least something better..."
"Don't look down on that bread! Do you know that the quest reward in the next village is...—"
Under the moonlight, two shadows walked side-by-side, arguing. It seemed the distance between them had narrowed slightly since last night.
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Hope you guys enjoyed the story.
if you want a bonus chapter the goal is 30 power stones and you'll get one