[SP–F1] «Earning a Living» (Complete)

[Kira 0]

It was my first time in Aincrad, but it felt like I’ve been there forever. As I walked down the cobblestone streets, I smelled the freshly baked bread and bore witness to multiple sales being made here and there for some of the most plain and some of the most exotic things. Players and NPCs alike walked past me left and right, and I stopped to breathe in that fresh virtual air. Closing my eyes, I tried to differentiate fantasy from reality. There was no difference. The sun shined brightly on my face as it did during the warm summers of Japan and the breeze gently caressed me like it did that morning. As I tried to shade my eyes with my arm, I noticed an elderly man named Earl working diligently in a store amongst a raging fire and a cloud of black smoke. His diligence caught my interest and so I paced myself towards his quaint little shop, heart pounding from the unique experience that await.

[Kira 0]

Earl was a rather small and frail looking man - maybe reaching just up to my chest - and his hair was gray all over. A bald spot sat on the very top of his scalp, and an unkempt mustache lingered menacingly over his upper-lip. Approaching the man, I noticed an exclamation point floating above his head. Reaching out to him, I thought about all of the possibilities that this quest giver could have bestowed upon me.

“So a quest giver, huh? I wonder what I have to-“

As my hand drew closer, he quickly turned around and slapped it away.

“What do you think you’re doing, sonny?!†said Earl with a look of annoyance.

I took a step back in surprise.

“Nothing, sir! I was just wondering if you needed…help…with…anything?â€

He scanned me up and down, probably appraising me for any amount of worth. Nodding to himself, he merely gestured for me to follow him, and I shadowed him into the back of the shop.

[Kira 0]

“Think you’ve got what it takes, kid?â€

I nodded with gusto and a hand was thrown in front of my face telling me to stop. Turning towards the smelter, Earl pulled out a small copper ore from a wooden crate and held it out for me to accept. Without hesitation, I added the ore to my inventory and waited eagerly for the next step of my quest.

“Alright, sonny! If you want to be a blacksmith, you have to first learn what makes a blacksmith a blacksmith!†said Earl, throwing a fist in the air.

“Oh…†I thought to myself. “This must be one of those profession quests…Blacksmithing, huh? Sounds pretty useful…â€

And without any warning, Earl shouted, “That’s because it is, boy-o!â€

Surprise overtook my face as I flinched.

“Did you just read my mind, sir?!â€

Earl nodded with the sternest face a man could ever make. Just when I was about to believe him, he began to burst out laughing, slapping me on the back.

“You’ve got to be the most gullible apprentice I’ve ever taken up! And let me tell you, I’ve taken up plenty!†said Earl with a smile. “Alright, kid. I want you to take that ore and smelt it down into a fine copper bar. Can you do that for me?â€

Nodding, I walked over to the smelter, threw the ore in, and forged my first copper bar. Excitement swelled in my heart as I completed the first step of my first quest in Aincrad. The old man nodded his head in approval. Now, it was on to step two.

[Kira 0]

With a newly made copper bar in hand, Earl directed me towards the store’s anvil. He held out his hand, and I gave him the bar. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Setting it gently down onto the anvil, he pulled out a hammer and stared at the copper intently. Earl raised the hammer into the air and stayed still in that position for what seemed like an eternity. My fists clenched from the anticipation, but nothing was happening. I looked around to see if anything was disturbing the quest. Maybe it was a bug? Most games had bugs during their launches, especially MMORPGs. Hesitantly, I built up the courage to speak.

“Sir-“

“SHHH!†sounded Earl. “This is the most important part, sonny. Just stay quiet and watch.â€

Receiving a response reassured me of this quest and the anticipation took hold of me again. With one deft swing of his hammer, Earl smashed down on the face of the bar, causing it to glow brightly. In a matter of seconds, it began to take the shape of a shield. He took a step back and made way for my approach.

“Go ahead, boy. Pick it up,†he said, muttering it underneath his breath.

Standing over the shield, I locked eyes with my reflection, sending me deep in thought about the simplicity and complexity of what had just occurred. Things were so easy, yet so difficult, in Sword Art Online and this was merely just my first exposure to it all.

[Kira 0]

Finally snapping out of my daze, I added the shield to my inventory and equipped it instantly. I inspected the shield with awe and let the weight - or the lack thereof - sink in on my left arm. Slowly, I swung my shield left to right to see if I could get used to it, but there was nothing to get used to. It felt natural to hold a shield and it felt like fate was telling me I knew how to use one all along; like I was born with a shield in hand. Rotating my arm, I noticed two leather straps held the copper shield tightly against my body. It felt more like an extension rather than an addition. Regardless of how it all felt, something still seemed off.

“Sir…may I ask you a question?â€

Earl nodded in approval.

“What am I going do without a weapon to go with this shield?â€

I could tell the question struck him as a bit of a surprise. Closing his eyes and scratching his chin, he pondered this dilemma with the utmost concentration. When it seemed he had reached an appropriate answer, he locked his eyes with mine and shrugged nonchalantly.

“I didn’t really think about that…â€

[Kira 0]

In utter amazement, I palmed myself in the face and sighed deeply.

“For a master blacksmith, you sure don’t seem like much of a master…†I thought to myself, shaking my head disappointingly. “Do you, by chance, have another quest? One to make a sword, perhaps?â€

Earl chuckled to himself as if this had been all set up as one big joke. Returning to the anvil, he looked around for something particular and returned with a pickaxe in hand. Staring at it blankly, I shrugged in confusion.

“Maybe I spoke too quietly…Do you! By chance! Have another quest to make a sword?! I would much prefer a sword over some hacking weapon, such as that pickaxe!†I said loudly, as if Earl was succumbing to hearing loss due to his age.

His face cringed at my words and a faint shade of red slowly painted his skin.

“I’m not deaf, you imbecile! Take the bloody pickaxe and let me start up the next step of your quest!†yelled Earl, breathing heavily in his exasperated breath. “You’re not even done with your current quest and here you are trying to start another!â€

I raised by hands in fear of being hit with the pickaxe. Making the most apologetic expression, I clasped my hands together, pleading for my dear life. Earl sighed.

“Time for you to go run some errands, boy-o.â€

[Kira 0]

Adding the pickaxe into my inventory, I turned towards the door and reached for the doorknob. I, being the overambitious guy that I am, realized I was missing one key piece of information. So, I turned back around to face Earl and saw him scratching his brows in frustration. I smiled to try and lighten the mood.

“I just realized that I don’t know where I’m going…†I said, muttering those words as quietly as possible.

To my surprise, a box of text popped up right in front of me. It read, “Earl has offered to share his map data with you. Do you accept?†At the bottom of the textbox was a circle and an x, indicating acceptance and rejection respectively. With the tip of my index finger, I clicked on the circle and a map opened up with a view of the nearby plains. I studied them meticulously.

[Kira 0]

“Do you see that cave over there on the corner of your map?†asked Earl.

I traced the main road and noticed a small path that trailed off deep into the plains. A dark mountain-like symbol sat at the end of the path at the top-right corner of my map.

“That cave is where you’ll find the most veins of copper anywhere near the Town of Beginnings. I used to mine there when my stock of copper ran dry. It should still be a viable location.â€

My body tensed up from the excellent news, but the phrase “used to†and “should†made me feel a little uneasy. I tried to not give it anymore thought than was necessary.

“But,“ said Earl, causing me to feel my heart stop even though I knew something was coming, “there is a bit of a catch.â€

Of course, there always had to be some kind of a catch; some kind of loophole to make things worse.

“That cave is home to some of this floor’s most ravenous beasts: wolves. All you have to do is go into the cave, fend off or kill the wolves that stand in your way, and use that pickaxe I gave you to mine some copper ores.â€

My brow raised with doubt. He made it sound like it was supposed to be something simple.

“So…let me get this straight. You’re going to send me into a den full of hungry, rabid wolves with just a shield and a pickaxe that I can’t even use as a weapon…â€

Earl nodded with a smile. What the hell was this man thinking?

[Kira 0]

We both stood there in utter silence. Earl locked eyes with me and made me believe he was actually being serious. There had to have been something more that I was missing. Maybe it was an item I had in my inventory; something he might have thrown in there while I wasn’t looking. Pulling up my menu, I scrolled through what I had, which wasn’t more than a few lines long. I sighed.

“Alright…alright…I’ll be back before sunset…†I said in a depressing tone.

I turned towards the door and exited it with an extreme lack of energy. The news sucked me dry and made me think of possible solutions to this predicament. After taking a couple of steps, a hand tugged on the back of my coat, stopping me in my tracks. As I turned around, a bright light reflected off of something shiny and caused me to squint. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw Earl holding a sword using both of his hands, holding it out like he was offering it to me. He gave me a wink, and I realized what had just went down.

[Kira 0]

“Oh…I get it!†I said energetically as if I knew exactly what he was doing. “You wanted to test my courage as a warrior and see if I would still continue to pursue this quest even when the odds are stacked against me! That’s it! It has to be it! I’m good, huh? Tell me I’m good!â€

Trying as best as he could to hold back his laughter, Earl eventually failed and a flood of laughter filled the streets. He eventually fell to the floor from over-exhaustion. I took the sword that he dropped and equipped it.

“Was it something I said?â€

Wiping away his tears, he said, “Kid, it’s everything you just said! I was just messing with ya! I would never send some hotshot kid to his death! I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night!â€

My eye twitched at his words. “You have a weird sense of humor, old man…â€

[Kira 0]

As I turned towards the east, I headed directly for the town’s exit. Earl sent me off with a smile and a wave, and I was right back where I started. Walking through the marketplace, I smelled that freshly baked bread, which was a pleasant change from the suffocating black smoke that the forge exhumed. My feet felt the pressure of my weight pressing against the cobblestone street and the light breeze welcomed me back with open arms. It was just like before, but it also wasn’t. I felt more comfortable, to say the least, with my surroundings and every small detail that I might have missed before was becoming more and more apparent. My awareness seemed to have shifted gears from the clear to the obscure. It was a nice change of pace. Looking at my reflection against the blade of my sword, I smirked to myself, trying to raise my own morale.

“You can do this, buddy. I believe in you.â€

[Kira 0]

Before I knew it, I was standing in the shadow of the massive gates that led outside to the world unknown to me. To my left was a sign that read “The Great Plains†and something was etched into it underneath those words. When I drew closer to see what it said, I regretted getting near such taboo. Etched into the bottom was the word “Beware.â€

“God…Did I really have to psyche myself out like that?†I said in dismay.

Banging my sword against my shield, I exited the town and found myself standing at the edge of a new world. The scenery was breathtaking and it looked like it was something pulled straight out of some movie. The wind blew gently against the tall grass, and I could see the light reflecting off of vertical patches. The reflection rolled horizontally across the surface of the plains, causing the grass to appear like waves. They crashed along the large rock formations just like they would at a beach. A flock of birds flew overhead and cawed a friendly greeting. Everything about it soothed my soul and the fear had slowly subsided until it was virtually no more.

[Kira 0]

Although everything was captivating, I shook my head vigorously to remind myself of why I was there. Looking towards the horizon, I walked along the main road, kicking dirt and rocks up into the air with each and every step. After a few meters, I stopped. Something was coming. It felt like the air was dense, and I was able to sense some kind of presence. It seemed to come off as a bit vicious. A patch of grass shuttered to my right and something crept within the shadows. I could vaguely make out a shape. Was it a dog? A lion? Did lions even thrive in plains? So many questions plagued my mind all because of the uncertainty of what was lurking in the tall grass. Then, it hit me. Readying my sword and shield, I locked my gaze onto its body, waiting for it to come rushing at me from the grass.

“Let’s go, you oversized dog…â€

A nose and mouth plopped out from the safety of the grass and the rest of its body followed suit. It growled at me with glowing red eyes, revealing its fangs and sharp, bloodstained teeth. With a quick kick, I threw some dirt into the air to try and worsen its vision.

Initiating Battle

Battle Dice: 3

Walking slowly through the cloud of dust, the wolf approached me with the intent to kill. Having no effect, it leaped into the air to try and take me down to the ground. I pulled up my sword and shield to try and retaliate.

Kenji's Health: 3/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Rolling out of the way, I regained my footing and lunged at the wolf with my sword tightly gripped.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 2

Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough and the wolf dodged my attack. My sword barely grazed the tip of its fur near its neck. As soon as it landed, it quickly crouched and lunged towards me tackling me to the ground. I fell hard and dust flew up into the air. I clenched my teeth and gripped my sword tighter, trying my best to figure out a strategy that would optimally deal with this animal. Things were looking bleak. Was I going to die before I could even get to the cave? Was this all that I was worth? As I stood back up, I dusted myself off and observed the wolf as it circled around me, like a shark trapping its prey. Taking in a deep breath, I spread my legs and entered a readied stance.

"I just have to read it's movements better..."

Kenji's Health: 2/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

The wolf continued to growl, but this time, it was getting louder and the tone was becoming more and more aggressive. Sweat dripped down the side of my forehead as my eyes scanned left to right, trying to track the wolf's habits. It liked to attack from its left more than its right because its left legs were slightly wounded and that would allow it to push off of its healthy ones. The wolf's teeth, although sharp, were not being used. This came off as peculiar to me.

"Why tackle me when you could have clearly ripped off a piece of me?" I thought with the utmost curiosity.

Just as I made that mental note, the wolf pushed off of its right legs just as I predicted. Readying myself, I brought up my shield for protection.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 5

Running straight into my shield, I deflected its attack and pushed it back a few feet, allowing me to create some room for a counter-attack. Pulling up my sword, I tried to focus on landing any hit rather than a difficult one.

Kenji's Health: 2/3

Wolf's Health: 3/3

[Kira 0]

Swinging down with my sword in a deft vertical motion, I saw the sunlight reflect off of the side of my blade.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 10

Using that light to my advantage, I tilted the blade slightly to blind the wolf. It worked like a charm and my sword was able to cut deep into its front right leg. This made it much more vulnerable to successive attacks. While my sword was still dug deep into its legs, I pulled my sword towards my body, eviscerating its tendons and muscles. I had completely cut off its leg and the leg disintegrated into lost data. By leaving the wolf with only one healthy leg, I felt that my victory was assured. It wouldn't be able to attack so viciously and it would also have a hard time trying to dodge my own attacks. Jumping backwards, I readied myself to deliver one final blow.

"I've had enough of this. Let's end it!

Kenji's Health: 2/3

Wolf's Health 1/3

[Kira 0]

My instincts were telling me to thrust my sword into the wolf's skull for the quickest method of achieving victory and the swiftest death possible for it. Although this was just some video game and the wolf was just some superfluous structured code, I wanted to make sure that the game wasn't changing who I was. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to revert to some primitive instincts and that I would remain human through it all. Besides my inner-battle for moral supremacy, I knew I had to survive because death here meant death in reality, and I wouldn't have that. I could not accept the fact that I could die to a beginning level wolf, but I further couldn't accept the fact that this game was going to mold me into something that I was not. I wanted to give this wolf as merciful a death as possible, especially since I took away its main means of survival. Digging my sword into its skull was probably not the most merciful option I could come up with. So, switching to an off-handed stance, I readied my shield in front of me and rested the blade of my sword against the shield's edge. Without anymore hesitation, I lunged at the wolf for what I hoped would be the last time.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 5

Coming at me at the same time, the wolf slid right along the surface of my shield and took my original position behind me. A failed attempt. We both turned around and locked eyes.

"Just accept defeat! I don't want to make this worse than it already is!"

Kenji's Health: 2/3

Wolf's Health: 1/3

[Kira 0]

Taking in a deep breath, I left myself vulnerable, attempting to lure the wolf in for a final blow.

Battle Continuing

Battle Dice: 2

To my surprise, the wolf used maximum effort to leap towards me. Unable to react fast enough to hit it, I took a step to the side and let the wolf fly right past me.

"I didn't expect that...I'll give you some respect. I didn't think you had it in you to move at such a speed in your current condition...Nevertheless..."

Staring at my own reflection on the surface of my blade, I closed my eyes in dismay and pointed at the wolf with my sword.

"You leave me no choice..."

Kenji's Health: 2/3

Wolf's Health: 1/3

[Kira 0]

Banging my sword against my shield, I taunted the wolf to approach.

"Come on!"

Battle Ending

Battle Dice: 5

Rearing its hind legs, the wolf ran towards me with whatever energy it had left.

"I'm sorry..." I muttered.

Taking a step back, I built up momentum for my final strike. As the wolf jumped into the air, I shoved the blade straight into its chest and stopped it dead in its tracks. For a split second, the wolf let out a weak cry and disappeared into a sprinkle of data. My plans to give it the least painful death possible failed, and I learned how truly difficult it would be to maintain one's self while traversing through this cursed game. With a mixed sigh of relief and discomfort, I sheathed my sword and restarted my course down the main road. It wasn't long before I reached the fork in the road. Seeing a thinner, much wilder path to my right, I took it in hopes of reaching the cave entrance. A few minutes had passed by and a hole in the mountainside sat before me.

Kenji's Health: 2/3

Wolf's Health: 0/3

[Kira 0]

Trying to forget about my previous encounter with the wounded wolf, I entered the cave cautiously, remembering Earl's information about there being a den of wolves present within the cave. With each step leading me deeper and deeper into the cave, I felt like I was entering some demon's mouth. The spikes that lined the cave's floors and ceilings resembled sharp teeth and the water that dripped from the tips felt warm like saliva. I just wanted to get the ore Earl needed and leave. Without any warning, a growl bounced from wall to wall until it reached my ears. By the sounds of it, the wolf had to have been just a little further in. Unsheathing my sword, I readied myself for whatever lied ahead.

I continued to walk on high alert. It wasn't until I turned a corner that I saw three wolf-like figures playing around with each other. As I drew closer, my grip on my sword grew tighter, and I studied their movements as I approached the pack quietly. The longer I spent my time in the dark, the clearer my vision became. Eventually, I was able to make out the three wolves to be pups. The pups noticed my presence and barked aggressively at me, trying to scare me away. They were cuter than they were vicious, so I put away my sword and carefully approached them with empty hands.

"Don't worry, guys...I'm not going to hurt you...I'm just looking for-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I noticed some oddly colored stone that was a part of the wall behind them. Getting closer to inspect them further, I smiled with great joy because I had finally reached a vein of copper. Equipping the pickaxe that Earl gave me, I tapped the vein and a copper ore was added to my inventory. Staring at it with smiling eyes, I turned towards the pups and nodded to them.

"That's all I came here for..."

Carefully walking past them as to not scare them away, I finally walked past their pack and walked backwards towards the way I came in. As soon as I was able to verify that the pups were no longer afraid of my presence, I ran towards the exit and headed all the way back to the Town of Beginnings to turn in this god forsaken quest.