The collaboration with "SA:o" was nothing for Seven. The reason I accepted and participated was to pursue the possibility of full diving techniques.

Akihiko Kayaba commissioned Kirito and his friends to spread the word "the seed" of free software. This made it easy for anyone to create virtual worlds, albeit with the conditions that need to be met, and the era of countless VRmmos was born.

What is the possibility of a world that also uses "the seed" and reuses "SAo" servers and data? Seven said that out of the scientist's curiosity to pursue this goal, he agreed to add his name to the development team.

And it was the Seven who sent an invitation to Kirito and others, who had a deep relationship with him. Give me an address where I can get permission to participate in the "SA:o" closed beta.

At first glance, you can't help but feel happy that you can play the newly released game as soon as possible, but at heart, the founders are the ones who lock up innocent players who log in at will and keep an eye on them at all times. Go to a world very similar to "that world", where there is a person in charge who can kill you at any time.

No matter how many invitations Seven sends out, Kirito and other friends who are gamers will be worried after receiving the invitation, and it will be difficult to take the first step to open the new game's closed beta license seal. Don't. Even Kirito can choose to decline the invitation and tear it up, or he can choose to ignore it and flee to ALo.

However, Kirito and the others made up their minds and decided to jump into SA:o, a world that is very similar to that world.

Because we all have a common feeling in our hearts that Seven is pursuing the possibility of all-submersible technology, but more importantly, for us, it is another real world that is very similar to "that world". Being able to go to a strange world is a curiosity.

"That world", known as the game of demons and the world of demons, is indeed worthy of its name. Sometimes I see people dying in front of my eyes, and sometimes I'm afraid that I might actually die.

However, they did continue to live in that world for two years and built something solid in it, as evidenced by the fact that SAo survivors could play together. Kirito and his friends didn't want to deny it, so they clicked on the address on the invitation seven, downloaded the SA:o beta app to the Amusphere they were using, and set off.

Reality Fusion Network – The name is taken from the initials of "Reality Fusion Network", which is very similar to the "Sword Art Online" stage "Ayn Grant" and "Ainground".

When Kirito and his friends land on the "Aing Ground" (often referred to as the lobby in other VRmmo), the city they are in exists at the starting point.

A city frequented by Al N Grant and has everything you need to start your adventure.

It's also where the bell rings for the start of the abominable death game, and where the ritual of teaching people to have a world manager takes place.

The inn in the town is simply called "Initiation City", and it is the largest stronghold of "Angeji", and it is also where Kirito and others currently live.

"Ah, what just happened is crazy"

"Uh, that's just too clumsy, isn't it?"

Kirito Shino lay weakly by the lake, in a corner of the meadow, the grass was luxuriant, and the blue sky seemed to extend forever, constantly breathing, as if to stabilize himself.

"Even I can beat something like that"

\"Yes, even if you and I become human dragons, it's not good that the level difference is so far. \"

Kirito lay on the grass as soft as a luxurious carpet and turned to face the owner of the "voice" echoing in his head.

Its huge body, more than five meters tall, was covered in white-gold fur, with a golden mane like human hair on its head, horns like holy swords on its forehead, and a bird of prey on its back. The dragon, with its wolf-like silhouette and huge wings similar to its kind, sat beside the two of them, breathing equally heavily.

Before I could call out the name, Shino, who was sitting next to me, stopped me.

"But I didn't expect this to happen, is the game suddenly too difficult?"

"SA:o" is said to be spread over an extremely large area, but perhaps because the closed beta has only just begun, and the game itself has only just begun, there is no transfer yet. Entering through the door is a place called "Lyustria Steppe".

In a large inn in the Capital of Origins, Kirito reunites with his former friends who have endured hardships and teleports to the Rustian steppe with Shino and Leland to investigate the site and collect items. Go out and find a place.

It's a bit like the prairie of the first battlefield of Ayn Grant, which was once the starting point of the game of conquering death, and many people died.

Kirito almost remembered his time in Ayn Grant, but remembering the title of this game, he canceled it and regained the essence of the world itself.

This world is not "SAo", but a game with a name and scenery very similar to "SAo". It's a game that makes us more empowering and relaxed than ever before. Although it is still in closed beta, this is just a game that will be released to the world one day.

Thinking so, and reassuring the nearby Shino and Lilan, Kirito set off for the Great Plains of Reustoria.

The three of us walked together in a landscape that was both nostalgic and fresh, bathed in the warm breeze, occasionally fighting monsters, occasionally sitting on the prairie, just like we did when we were at SAo. The search was extremely peaceful, but it was cut out for a short time when they arrived somewhere.

"Episode enemy" Spectrum Tree Man "appears! Adventurers in the surrounding area, evacuate to a safe place, or join us on the crusade. ”

Suddenly, Kirito, who is considered the captain by the system, sees the warning and a window with such a message appears. At the same time, Lilan moved her ears as if sensing something, and turned her gaze a little. Just when Kirito and Shino look back at the situation, they discover the cause of the alarm.

A little further away from us, a huge shadow appeared. It is about seven meters long, and the branches protruding from it are human arms, legs, and head, and the human head also sticks out with some insect-like eyes, which is a tree dyed purple.

Not only Kirito and Shino, but even Lilan was not surprised by this appearance. Human-like Dryads - colloquially known as "Trent" - often appear in fantasy titles like this game, and several times in "SAo" and ALo, where they also encounter and fight each other.

So they weren't surprised when they saw a tree turn into a human form, but the three of them had different surprises.

Above the Treant's skull, there is the name of the 'Spectrum Treant', with his name and four 'Health Bars' displayed at the top, but the level number displayed next to his name is ninety-six.

Just now, Kirito and the others were still at the initial level of level 1, but by engaging in a slight battle with the enemies around them, they accumulated experience points and leveled up. Although he had managed to increase the number to three, the level of the ghost torrent in front of him was more than thirty times higher than his.

For players who are just starting to play this game, monsters that should not appear on the field. Just when he was surprised to see it standing on the field with an indifferent face, the gaze of the ninety-sixth-level demonic beast fell on Kirito and hit him with a bang.

No matter how many difficulties we overcome in "SAo" and "ALo", we are still at level 3 and our weapons and armor are still in their infancy, so we have no way to face them. If you get hit, you're sure to return to the base and respawn.

Kirito, full of hatred, gave an order to the level 96 monster and ran at full speed. Along the way, they were all discovered by wild boar, plant, and bee monsters of the same level as themselves, but they did not hesitate to escape.

As for Lilan, he was on the run, and before he knew it, his form had changed to a "familiar" form, but he just ran with Kirito and Shino, and did not confront the tree people who were chasing him.

After such an escape drama is over, Kirito, Shino, and Lilan come to the area called "Lake Stiasil", where they are now. He managed to escape from the eyes of the monster that killed him for the first time.

However, this does not mean that Kirito does not have experience with such tasks. Even in the original "SAo" of "SA:o", it was common for missions to suddenly appear on the battlefield, and it was a common occurrence in previous mmoRpG.

The previous quest was probably something similar, but it could be said that the level was too high. Is this a misconfiguration or was it added on purpose? If the latter is true, it is clear that there is malice or prank towards the person who initiated the game.

"Maybe the mission that just happened is the one that happened on its own in the field. But I didn't expect that they would prepare something like this from scratch. ”

"It's not a death game at all, but it's in bad taste. \"

After answering Shino, Kirito looked at the owner of the "voice" echoing in his mind again.

The "Floating City of Aingrunt" is the source of this "Ainground". Ever since they met in the Sword Art Online game, they have been fighting together, overcoming difficulties, and supporting each other.

After completing Ayn Grant, Yui is a wolf dragon who lives together as a family. Kirito looked at the creature named Lilan, and what was particularly striking was its fur. Lilan's platinum fur shimmered with a rainbow of colors, and his whole body was bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

The grass on which he lay was very soft, but the white fur was fluffier, so comfortable that it was almost like a luxurious blanket or something, and he could fall asleep immediately when he leaned on it. In fact, during Ayn Grant's time, he often slept against Lilan's fur.

Now I'm tired of running and want to lean against that fur, but the reality is that I'm just as tired. Even though they are already tired, they may be even more tired if they lean on us.

Perhaps because of this, Kirito decided to endure on the grass. But at the same time, I felt a sense of relief.

"That's true, anyway, Lilan, it seems that you really showed your anxiety."

"That's it. And you, too, must have been resurrected\"

"Ahh

This "SA:o" was created using the free software "the seed" developed by Akihiko Kayaba, also the developer of "SAo", as well as the avatar data used in "ALo" - technically, I could log in by converting "I've been using it since SAo".

By using this function, I was able to land in the land of "SA:o" as the virtual characters of "SAo" and "ALo", although some of the data and numbers were reset, but at that time, it seems that the "Messenger" used in "ALo" was also converted, and the information of "Messenger" that Kirito had was also applied to Lilan.

Like "ALo", Lilan appears as a werewolf and a wolf dragon in "SA:o".

And the moment he logged in to SA:o for the first time, Kirito realized something. The blue gauge at the bottom of the "hp bar" and "sp bar" that only existed in the "SAo" - I don't know the name, so it was called the "human-dragon meter" at the time. — but it reappeared.

This fact was the most surprising thing for Kirito and at the same time the thing that made him happy.

"Does this mean that the relationship between you and me has returned to normal?"

"This may be the case from a system point of view, but nothing goes backwards. \"

Ruiran's appearance in "SA:o" has changed from "SAo" to "ALo", while retaining the concept of "wolf dragon". The current appearance is very similar to the appearance of Kirito when he first met Kirito in SAo.

However, there are some differences, such as wings, which were associated with the word "dragon wings" at the time, but now they are covered with feathers like angel wings, and a golden mane has appeared on the head, and it is difficult to say that the situation has completely returned to its original appearance.

Like that time, Lilan received the 'One Dragon Rule' and reverted to the appearance of a wolf dragon, but his words were right.

"Yes, we're still moving on, this game is also a closed beta for new games, and we're not coming back"

Kirito paused before finishing his sentence, then turned to the girl sitting beside him.

Although her outfit is different, she wears a relatively revealing combat uniform with yellow, green, and blue as the main colors, and a blue scarf around her neck, but her black hair is longer than her short hair, and her sideburns are curly, which is very distinctive. The hairstyle with a white ribbon is almost exactly the same as the "SAo" in the real world.

Yuichi, who Kirito met by chance during SAo, has fallen in love with her since then, wants to protect her, and vows to spend the rest of his life with her. In the real world, she is Shino Asada, and in VRmmo, she is a girl named "Shino". Kirito's eyes almost reflected her whole body.

Shino tilted her head to look at Kirito, although she was also the person she loved, but she was suddenly stared at, and she probably felt strange.

"Kirito, what's wrong?" ”

“”

Although Shiina's eyes reflected his own shadow, and the color of those eyes was different from his own, black, beautiful and cute, Kirito didn't care.

At that time, Shino was given something special when she was forced to log in to the Demon Game by a wicked person who claimed to be a SAo administrator.

In a world where only one-handed swords, rapiers, daggers, greatswords, curved swords, spears, one-handed clubs, and other weapons that can be used for melee attacks, this weapon can rival the ranged attack of one-handed swords. Lilan's Breath, a unique skill that allows you to "shoot" with a bow and arrow.

It is an innovative, undiscovered weapon that constantly stands in the rear, pulling the bowstring at the right moment and shooting arrows to attack. Not only Kirito, who can only use one-handed swords and dual-wielding swords, but even informants have no relevant ways to deal with them.

A set of weapons and skills that no one has used in SAo. Despite being randomly given a weapon that she couldn't even use, Shino was able to use it brilliantly and was known as the strategy group of the time for her fighting style of shooting from a distance and destroying enemies. Defenders, support Kirito from behind.

In addition, Shino's archer skills have also been refined day by day, and finally reached the point of No. 5.

Kirito also received great help from Shino's "shooting skills", which are said to be the fifth strongest in the "Knights of the Blood Pact", and the memories of that time are still deeply engraved in his mind.

Shiina, who traveled through the world to "ALo", continued to fight with a bow and arrow, but after coming to "SA:o", the situation changed completely. The thing on Shino's back is changing shape.

Shiina's back has always been carrying a bow and a quiver. When I landed on the land, there was only one spear.

When I heard about this from Shino herself, there didn't seem to be the ability to shoot in SA:o, and no matter how much I tried, it didn't seem to be possible to transfer the bow and arrow, so I had to choose a spear that seemed easy to use, and that's what he did.

The "dual wielding" used by Kirito in "SAo" and "ALo" was originally a unique skill in "SAo" that was limited to those who could use it, but in "SA:o" it became a universal skill that seemed to be implemented in taue, and Lilan, who had actually mastered the dual-wielding skill in ALo, was also equipped with dual wielding when she joined SA:o.

However, although "dual wielding" was achieved, "shooting" was not achieved. As a result, Kirito was able to see nearby Shino holding a spear in both hands, using the spear's unique sword skills to disperse enemies.

So far, Shino has only fought from a distance, but now she wields a spear like a dance, fighting from the middle and close. Although Kirito felt very strange, his appearance, fighting style, especially the gun and Shino himself, made Kirito think of a human in his mind.

She had short dark blue-black hair with short bangs, a slender body wrapped in pale blue clothes with blue lines, and tears on her face. The overall temperament is relatively weak.,But the eyes are full of kindness.。

Like Shino, he also met in SAo, because of his vulnerability, Kirito wanted to protect him until the end, but he couldn't. The regret of the world that I wanted to protect but couldn't.

Kirito called the girl's name in his heart.

(Luckily)

When he was imprisoned in Ayn Grant, Yuki, who belonged to the Moonlit Night Black Cat Guild, used the gun on his back as a weapon to fight at Shino's location.

However, Yuki is quite afraid of monsters, and even finds himself unable to move when faced with monsters. Because they are so weak and dangerous, Kirito and other guild members often come to their rescue.

Yuki and Shino are different in appearance, personality, language, fighting style, atmosphere, and time together, and even their personalities, fighting methods, and time together are completely opposite. Most importantly, he and Shino love each other from the bottom of their hearts, and they understand all the pain and suffering that Shino has endured so far.

What the two have in common is that they both use spears to fight, both are people Kirito wants to protect deep down, and sometimes they show a vulnerable and short-lived side. That's it.

However, every time Kirito sees Shino fighting with a gun, just by seeing Shino holding a gun next to him, Kirito's image of Yukito flashes in his mind, and when he sees Shino and Yuki together, he even has the illusion of overlapping.

Luckily and Shino are different.

Sachi is not in this world now.

The person I need to protect and love is Shino.

From now on, I will stay with Shino, protect her, love her, and live with her.

It was supposed to be like this.

That's how I should have decided. Nevertheless.

The things that had solidified the time spent with Shino now shook in Kirito's heart like an earthquake.

And that's not all. Maybe Shino will die like Yuki. In the end, he failed to protect Shino and faced the same ending again.

"Kirito"

Hearing this, Kirito suddenly came back to his senses. At that time, her body was hugged by Shiina, and her face was buried in her shoulder. This is what Kiritto often does for Shino, and it is also something he often asks Shino to do for himself.

"You're feeling bad right now, aren't you?"

“”

"Your face looks painful. That's right, you were trapped in SAo earlier than I did, and suffered terrible things. Maybe you'll remember that time. \"

But it doesn't matter now. It's not a death game, and the culprit who tortures us is dead. Everything that threatens us is gone. Besides, I'm also by your side so it's okay now. ”

“”

Shino said in a tone that seemed to comfort herself. Indeed, looking at his face now, I think it hurts to think of all the tragedies that happened in SAo. However, the content seems to be correct, but it is actually wrong.

I had an agreement with Shino before. Don't hold anything alone. I will tell Shino as much as I can, and I generally don't hide anything. Basically, I'll say whatever I want to say. I didn't do that last time and it led to a horrible situation, so I don't want to repeat that again.

Thinking of this, Kirito slowly removed his face from Shino's shoulder and took a deep breath.

"It's not like that. Well, that's not the case. \"

“？”

Kirito speaks his thoughts, but is stared at by Shino who is stunned and Lilan next to him. Ever since Shino came into this world, everything about Shina, her troubles, and her luck.

\"The way I fight is a lot like that guy, I've always been curious\"

"Ahh You're not lucky, and I've never taken you as lucky. But when I saw you fighting with a spear, I couldn't help but remember"

Shino looked sad and apologetic. It's as if there's something wrong with him.

"Sorry. In that case, it's time for you to change your weapons. Let's change it now, right? \"

"That's not true. Shino, I want you to stay as you are. I can rely on your fighting style. \"

"But what about you"

Indeed, Shino's current fighting style and weapon appearance are exactly the same as Yuichi's. Looking at the nearby Shino battle, you will be reminded of what kind of tragedy Sachi ended up in.

Therefore, I was worried that something similar would happen again, and I could easily imagine that moment, my body trembling.

But that's not all. The fear that such a tragedy would not happen again was as strong as the uneasiness and trembling, and the desire to protect Shino with more strength than usual arose.

Thanks to Shino's fight with a gun, Kiritsu remembers what he has to do, what he has to do, and how important it is. Thinking so, Kirito put his hand on Shino's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. Thanks to a fight like this, I feel like I'm going to protect you. I can remember what I need to do. I can't protect Yuki, but I can't protect you either. I'll protect this, that's what I'll do for the rest of my life. That's why I want you to keep fighting with your spear. ”

This is a very sudden request. It seems that this sentence has changed suddenly. Shino continues to look at Kirito with a nervous expression, but eventually her expression softens and turns into a smile.

\"I can't help it if you say that. I will continue to fight with this weapon. And, when you protect me, I will protect you too. This weapon is for this purpose. \"

"Oh, let's do it."

\"Well, from now on, I will continue to lend you the power of this purpose. \"

That's it. My strength is for Shino, and the power of my 'dependents' is also for Shino, and it is also for the protection of the 'dependents' themselves, the head that came to me to reconfirm the facts. Shino turned her head to look at the source of the 'voice' inside.

"Yes, Zhilan. Your strength is my strength, and my strength is your strength. Let's continue to protect each other as we did at the beginning. ”

"Yes, let's do it."

"Let's do it"

Time has passed, and circumstances and locations have changed dramatically. However, what we have to do has not changed, and neither has the fact that we will be together forever.

Some things have changed, but there are also things that haven't, and in fact, some things shouldn't change. What he has to do is something he can't change-Kirito, who realized this again, nodded deeply at the two.

\"Then again, Kirito. I also have something to tell you. \"

"What?"

I mean, SA:o" is completely redesigned from SAo's server data. Well, I wonder if there's something there there as well......\"

Shino looked ahead as if she was looking for a place to return. By looking at each other, Kirito finally understood the full meaning of what Shino wanted to say.

Unfolding in front of me was a lake, albeit a little smaller. I had a similar scene when I was still trapped in "SAo". This is a wooden house on the 22nd floor of Al Grande that he began to live in after meeting Shiina. The haven I lived in until I cleared SAo.

"It's a bit rude to say that, but there have been many times when I've wished I could go back to that place at SAo. If I could go back to the cabin, you, I, Riran, and Yui. I wish I could stay there one more time. It is said to be a cursed game or a demonic game, but that house is there. ”

Kirito gently put his hand on Shino's hand, and Shino whispered with a somewhat lonely expression, looking for the original place.

According to the story, this "SA:o" uses all the data of the "SAo", from the field to the monster. Then, the place corresponding to the 22nd floor of Ayn Grant must exist, and that house exists somewhere in this Ayn Grant.

It's still in closed beta, so I don't know how far I'll go, but whether it's closed beta or official service, if I continue to conquer Aingground, I'm sure I'll be able to get to that house..

Then, the four of us will be able to live together again as poetry wishes.

"It doesn't matter. There is a place in this world. So let's find it. Then we'll make it our place in the world, and the four of us will live together again. ”

"In order to do this, we must advance our strategy as quickly as possible. It seems that the level 96 monster has disappeared, so let's resume the strategy.

Hearing the wolf dragon's 'voice', Kirito and Shino stood up together, and they were the largest of the families living with them. Just as Kirito was about to walk towards the back of the field, he suddenly felt a strange sensation and stopped.

Something was watching me??。 I couldn't help but feel like something was staring at me, not a player, not a monster. Until now, whenever something like this happened, something worse would happen, so Kirito immediately looked around.

“！”

"Y-Where are you?" Kirito thought as he turned around and saw someone in the shade of the tree.

The indigo hair is cut short, and the sides of the head are flanked by deformed wing-like blonde hair ornaments. A girl with light blue eyes and a crying mole around her right eye, petite in stature, only Yui is tall, and wears light blue loose clothes.

A girl I didn't know at all was standing alone by a tree, staring intently at me. Finally, Shino and Lilan noticed their presence and looked at Kirito and Maiden over and over with slightly surprised expressions.

"Uh, who is that girl?"

\"What, you seem to be looking at me? \"

The nameless girl's footsteps moved slowly, making the sound of stepping on the grass, closing the distance. What, what's going on? The girl walked up to the three of them, and the three of them could only stare blankly at the situation in front of them, unable to understand the situation, and finally stopped in front of Kirito.

"You"

As if in answer to his words, the petite girl looked up at Kirito and opened her mouth, still looking up.

“... I'm lost. ”

Hearing the girl's words, the three of them were stunned. "Look, we're here. Thank you for your hard work. ”

The current location of Kirito and his party is the portal square of the City of Origin.

Just after saying goodbye to his friends, Kirito travels to the Great Plains of Luustria, Shino and Lilan, but the figure who was not present at the time is now here.

A petite girl with short dark blue-black hair, a tear mole, and a light blue loose dress.

After escaping from a monster that can only be regarded as a wrong setting, the girl who was watching me from behind a tree by the lake was the fourth member of the team that was currently by Kirito's side. It was the member himself.

“”

As soon as she arrived in the town, the girl stopped and looked around repeatedly. A yellow cursor will appear above your head to prove that you're an NPC, not a player, and there's also a yellow cursor on it! Mark showed up. It is held by NPCs that appear in towns and fields and offer quests to players they encounter.

Shino saw that the girl looked around without saying a word, so she called out to her with something floating above her head.

"I'm able to get back to town now, but I'm glad I did."

"I had a mission marker on top of my head at the time, so I guess that's a good thing, I guess that's where I'm going."

Lilan, who had returned from her werewolf form to her werewolf form, also called to her, but the girl did not attempt to answer.

Kirito and the others walked a few steps to get here. First of all, as soon as the girl met Kirito and them, she begged Kirito and said, "I got lost and lost Kirito on the way, so I want you to take me to the city." "Announce that the mission starts above her head. \" A mark appeared.

Although it happened so suddenly that Kirito and the others couldn't hide their surprise, they still accepted the task for the time being. The three of them returned the same way while protecting the girl who had no strength to fight the monsters, most of whom were wiped out by the wolf dragon Ruiran.

In the midst of all this, I was worried that the incident of the first murder of the monster that made him run away at first sight would happen again, but surprisingly, it didn't happen, and he was able to take the girl into the city with relative ease. It's possible.

However, at this moment, Kirito discovers something unusual about the girl. At that time, the girl who came out from behind the tree had an "hp bar", but the "name" that should have been on it did not.

All of the NPCs that appear in the game have HP bars, and while many of them are commonplace, they all have solid names. This girl is supposed to be one of those NPCs, but like everyone else, she only has an "HP bar" and no name.

Even if I check now, the girl will only see a "HP bar" and a yellow cursor on the top of her head, and there will be no words that appear to be her name.

Seeing this scene, Kirito immediately remembered the Lilan incident. Kirito gave him the name Lilan when he first met him, and established a relationship between the beast tamer and the demon.

Maybe the girl is similar to Lilan's time or some other "familiar" acquisition, or maybe she'll be given a name later. In any case, there must be some kind of event involved. As soon as Kirito wanted to call the girl again, he heard a voice coming from the road leading to the shopping street.

\"Ah, Kirito-kun, Shino! \"

"Sister!"

When the four of us turned around, we saw multiple figures walking towards us. They were all girls, so I recognized them as Kirita and Shino - or rather, they were actually girls in a group of lost friends.

The girls walked through the crowd of players around them, and soon, Asuna, who was at the front, shouted to them.

Kirito-kun and they went to the wilderness. \"

"Ah, I'd better go and see it. Asuna: Are they shopping in the city? \"

\"yes. Although a lot has happened in the City of Origin, it is still a nostalgic place, so we will bypass it. Kirito and they wanted to come with us if they could, but by then we were already gone. \"

Asuna said as she surrounded her friends Kirito, Shino, and Lilan, all of whom were girls who had overcome difficulties. The sight of the girls who met in "SAo" becoming trustworthy friends and fighting together can be seen not only in "SAo", but also in "ALo" and the real world, which in itself is a symbol of peace, so to speak.

However, among today's girls, there are Yui, Streya, and Jupiter, who would not have been able to gather together in the real world, and most of them have satisfied expressions on their faces, as if they had bought something.

"The environment and weather in the wild seemed to be good, so it was easy to explore, but I ended up encountering some amazing monsters."

"Here's the thing. But now that you've got Lilan, you'll be able to defeat him, right? ”

Lifa, who was standing to Asuna's right, said this, but the girl, who was about to become Kirito's "acquaintance", shook her head in shock.

"It's not an opponent I can beat at all, after all, it's an internal test, and it seems that a lot of things haven't been adjusted well."

"It's amazing that there is an opponent that I can't beat even if I play a rematch"

For Filia's words, Kirito could only smile wryly and nodded.

In "SAo" and "ALo", I overcame a lot of difficulties by unleashing Lilan's power to defeat any monster.

But if I had to defeat that level 96 monster, all I could say was impossible, and I couldn't help but feel that this kind of thing was not right in that place in the first place.

Although it is the first day of the closed beta, ?? Kirito still felt the hem of his clothes being pulled, and he realized once again that Lilan's statement about the apparent lack of adjustment was correct.

When I turned around, I noticed that the strange girl I met at the place where I was fleeing from the monster was pulling Kirito's coat.

"Well, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm giving this to you as a thank you for letting me come back here."

At the moment when the girl stretched out her hands, a window appeared in front of Kirito. Report that you have successfully completed the task and received your reward. Kirito couldn't help but notice what he had seen in "SAo" and "ALo".

"Uh, the reward is one?"

The voice was louder than expected, and the people around them all reacted in unison, approaching Kirito one after another, and each said "so-and-so" at different times. One of them, Lizbet, tries to peek through the window in front of Kirito from the side.

"Kirito, you're on a mission. \"

"Ah, I think so, but look at this."

With that, I manipulated the window so that everyone around me could see it, and the girls responded. Everyone was surprised, confused, and tilted their heads, which was exactly how Kirito reacted when he first saw the contents of the window.

"Uh, there's only one reward?"

"What is it? Neither SAo nor ALo has such a task. \"

"It doesn't seem worth it. This is not normal. ”

Listening to the order of Sirika, Araki, and Kem, Kirito put his hand on his chin.

Perhaps we were given the task of escorting this NPC girl to her destination. Tasks in the form of protecting the target from monsters and reaching the destination are relatively common and are also present in SAo and ALo.

However, these missions are more difficult than others, as escort targets tend to have weaknesses, such as weak health bars or weak equipment, which are not so easy to complete.

Perhaps because of this, the rewards for clearing the NPC Protection quest are often more commensurate with the job, such as stronger equipment, special items, and large sums of money, all of which are worse than what is sold in the store.

However, I thought the task I just completed should be the same task, but I only got a cor. It's not that it's not worth it.

Moreover, this NPC girl herself is also very strange. There is a wide variety of quest NPCs in "SAo" and "ALo", and all of them have a base story that they will say to match that story.

This "SA:o" using data from the "SAo" and the server should have a similar format, and all quest NPCs and their quests should have an origin story.

However, the girl suddenly appeared on the field, suddenly turned her gaze to him, and began to walk towards her, and suddenly triggered a mission, making the original story undecipherable.

Who the hell is this girl? What is this task? Kirito's thoughts swirled as if they had entered the depths of his brain.

(Wait?) ）

Come to think of it, you don't even know the girl's name, and the mission itself starts and ends abruptly, giving you a cor as a reward.

Until now, however, such bizarre quests have usually come in the form of so-called sequels, and after completing them, a continuation quest will appear.

Perhaps the girl's mission, the girl herself, is part of the sequel's mission. The task we completed was the first, and I think the next one will start from now.

"What!? Is there such a thing?! ”

Just when Kirito thought he had found the answer, a voice came to his ears, and he suddenly came back to his senses. Unconsciously, Yui raised her voice as she walked up to the girl. His expression was very surprised, and so were the girls around him.

\"What's wrong, Yui? \"

"Dad, I just scanned this NPC and found out who it is."

Usually, NPCs who play an active or important role in "this world" are always set up as characters and personalities such as small-town girls, businessmen's children, etc. NPCs who are given roles and settings behave just as they should and continue to play their roles faithfully.

Since she is one of those NPCs, this brunette girl has the same premise and character as everyone else - but this girl is all set up as "Null", which suggests nothing. Yui explained that it was in its full initial state as shown in the picture.

"Not configured? What's wrong? ”

In response to Shino's inquiry, Yui shook her head. Then, his gaze turned to a strange girl.

"I don't know. Was it a mistake on the part of the staff? Whether something went wrong or not is not clear at the moment. At the moment all I can say is that this NPC does not have a role role and is an unspecified quest NPC. ”

After Yui, who inherited her mother's ability to analyze information, explained, all that was left was the commotion of other players.

This girl who suddenly shouted at me on the field couldn't understand who she was, why she was there, why she existed.

A girl who has nothing, as if she has been left alone in a different place, as if she is outdated. At the moment, he was just looking up at the sky blankly, but the inorganic expression on his face for some reason gave me a sense of pity.

"Hey, Kirito. I don't think this man has a name. \"

"Ah, it seems that the name hasn't even been decided yet, what a pity."

After answering Lilan's question, Kirito suddenly remembered something.

In this world, in the predecessor of "SA:o", there is a werewolf dragon he encounters. My own 'dependent', who later received the name Lilan, became a member of my family, and now has the form of a werewolf, originally a nameless werewolf dragon.

When I think back to that scene, I see that the girl's image overlaps with Lilan's appearance when she was a nameless werewolf dragon.

"In that case, let's come up with a name of our own. Okay, let's do it! ”

Everyone turned their heads in surprise and saw Lizbet suddenly raising her voice. Shino refuted the seemingly unreasonable content with a shocked gesture.

"Oh, we'll come up with a name."

"I mean, if you were nameless forever, I'd feel sorry for you, and most importantly, hard to call. At least let us give you a name. ”

Indeed, the possibility of not meeting this girl in the future and not participating in the event is not zero, and I don't know who I am talking about when I mention this girl. Everyone must have realized that Lizzebet's suggestion was right, and everyone began to think as if they were thinking, "What's the name?" "What should I do? Voices began to sound. To be heard..

Eventually, Kirito becomes one of them and begins to think of a suitable name for the girl, but when he does, he flashes back to the first time he saw Lilan.

When we meet in the Lost Forest on the thirty-fifth floor of Ayn Grant, Lilan, who was originally a nameless werewolf, loses her memory and forgets everything about herself, including who she is.

Kirito was forced to give it a name because he had the character of forcibly shutting down and then restarting because of a malfunction, so he chose the name Lilan, which is an IT term that means to restart. I attach it.

This girl also looks very similar to Lilan at the time. Should we give it a name that means "restart" or "restart"?

When we talk about reboots or reboots, words like "reboot" and "reboot" come up, but when asked if this should be the name of the girl, most people are not.

What's going on? What am I going to do? Just when she hadn't thought for a long time, Asuna, who was probably thinking like everyone else around her, said as if she had suddenly thought of an idea.

"Hey, where's the Prime Minister?"

When everyone's attention was focused, Jupiter, who was next to him, tilted his head towards his mother, Asuna.

"Prime Minister?"

"yes, premiere also means to open the curtain or something, this girl has nothing, nothing is decided, so I think I'll just call her premiere, which means to open the curtain."

The word "premier" was originally used to mean something expensive, something rare, or a first-round release, but its original meaning was just the beginning. The girl has been left with the default settings for a long time, but thanks to our involvement, the story has already begun.

The name Prime Minister is very suitable for such a girl. Everyone around them smiled and nodded in agreement. One of them, Lifa, said approvingly.

\"It's okay Prime Minister! Let's go with the Prime Minister! \"

"From now on your name is Prime Minister, but I guess it's okay."

When Filia asked, the girl seemed to have no idea what was happening. Kirito hurriedly added.

"We are thinking of calling you Prime Minister. Prime Minister is in your name, is that okay? ”

"Prime Minister, my name is Prime Minister."

"Yes. Do you like it? ”

"Like"

They didn't seem to understand the meaning yet, but the moment they saw the girl nodding, they were all relieved, but something strange happened above. Above the "hp bar", where there should normally be a name, a word appears.

"Prime Minister, Prime Minister". On the top of the girl's head, the name that Asuna had just proposed and that everyone had decided on was clearly visible. When the mission starts and is completed, everyone is surprised by the sudden change, and Yui immediately shouts to Kirito after noticing it.

"Dad, this person has changed, his name has changed to Mr. Prime Minister, and besides, this person's patrol route in the City of Ancestors seems to have changed."

"Does this mean that the mission has progressed?"

\"That's right. Dad just completed the task of only getting one Cole's mission, but if he continues to receive the task of Mr. Prime Minister in the future, it is very likely that he will gain something. \"

Kirito listened to Yui's story as he turned to the prime minister. The premiere begins abruptly, ends abruptly, and presents a pointless task, in which they offer a corm.

Regarding the pursuit of this girl, the prime minister himself may regret it and will never consider doing so in the future. Premier is definitely an NPC with a sequel mission.

I don't know when I'll get there, but it's possible that I'll reach a task that can't be compared to when I started.

You should delve into Premier and its missions, and you should continue to observe them. When I thought this in my heart, the girls around me had already begun to get along with the prime minister.

The atmosphere is like a new student or transfer student coming to the class. Kirito looks at the scene full of joy as if everyone has met a new friend, but discovers that one person is not like this.

Shino personally went into battle and effectively participated in the task of the prime minister. Although she is one of the happy girls, she just looks at the prime minister with suspicion or suspicion. Or it may seem like you're experiencing a sense of déjà vu.

Kirito quietly walked up to Shino and called out to her.

"Shiina, what's wrong? \"

\"Hey, Kirito, didn't you see anything at the premiere? \"

“？”

"I feel like I've seen premieres somewhere before. I don't quite remember where, but I think I've seen it before. ”

Kirito, who has experienced SAo and ALo, meets various NPCs and accepts their missions. I've never seen a girl like the Prime Minister among them, and I don't remember doing that task.

The \"SA:o\" copies and reuses the \"SAo\'s server data, so it wouldn't be surprising if there was a premier in the \"SAo\", but the truth is that there is no memory. It also applies, after all, Premier can be said to be an NPC that is only identified in this "SA:o".

Shino must have misremembered something.

(Wait?) ）

No, that's not true. I've seen it before. I've never seen the Prime Minister look like her, she wears a light suit with a relaxed design in navy blue and white, her dark blue hair is cut short, but there is a familiar feel to her eyes.

The Prime Minister has a weeping mole around his right eye, something that all the girls here don't see. However, Kirito soon understands that Shino has not noticed this, but has a sense of déjà vu.

It's the eyes. I remember seeing Primemir's eyes somewhere, a pale blue unlike her clothes, and there was an inorganic aura in her eyes, but they seemed to contain a certain emotion. I can't help but feel like I've met and spent time with someone who has a very similar eye to premier before "SA:o". This is probably the feeling of déjà vu in the poem.

However, I can't remember that important person. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't be sure who that person was, so he stopped thinking and told Shino what he could have come to on the spot.

"Maybe it's Pryor's eyes?"

"yes. Did you receive it too? ”

"Ahh I've probably seen the Prime Minister's eyes before. But where? I'm sure I saw her, but"

"yes, I don't know why I can't remember. I feel as if I remember something, but"

I couldn't help but think about it, but I couldn't find anyone who looked like the Prime Minister's eyes, probably because I had seen countless NPCs and players.

But what is certain is that the Prime Minister, who resembles that person, is an important NPC and is able to complete her primary mission. The missions in Premiere are a continuation, and while it may feel pointless at first, I'm sure that eventually something big will await them.

Kirito watched the premiere intently while listening to his experience playing mmoRpG such as SAo and ALo.

He still looked like he was listening to the girls with a cold face, but I could tell he seemed to be having a little more fun than before.

It's been three days since the start of the "SA:o" closed beta.

After school and dinner, Kirito immediately logged into SA:o and landed in the capital of the beginning where the sun had completely set and the night sky was occupied by stars and the moon.

Maybe this setting is based on the age group of late night logins, but in ALo the time is set faster. As a result, sometimes even though I log in at night, the local area is daytime, but the SAo server data created by copying and reusing the SAo server data associated with the real world time, :o\"The time points to the same time as the real world.

Perhaps because of this, Kirito they can only log in during the daytime on holidays.

However, although it is a closed beta and the number of people is limited, because it is a new game, it is difficult to see many players and NPCs fulfilling their duties as townspeople, both at night and during the day. The area where Kirito is now is also a situation where many players and NPCs come and go.

Kirito looked around and spotted a young girl. Three days ago, an NPC suddenly appeared in front of them, asked them an unintelligible task, and gave them a dollar.

Petite girl dressed in light sea blue and white, with short dark blue hair, light blue eyes, and a crying mole around her right eye.

Seeing what they named Prime Minister, Kirito raised his voice and shouted.

"Hey, Prime Minister."

The Prime Minister did not answer. He was just walking, and his steps seemed to be walking in the direction of the exit of the business district area at any time. I don't know if it's because of the noise of the players around him, he can't hear it clearly.

Out of curiosity, Kirito walked forward, approached the prime minister, and called out to her again.

"Hey, it's the Prime Minister."

“！”

When Kirito got some distance closer, Pleimir finally noticed and turned around. There was no surprise on his face, and the expression on his face was lifeless.

"Good evening. By the way, my name is Prime Minister. ”

"Ah, I guess you just didn't react because you're not used to being called. You're just walking, so maybe you're just walking? ”

"I didn't do anything special. I'm just taking a walk. ”

"I guess we're just going for a walk after all."

"So be it." The Prime Minister replied as expressionless, as always.

Since meeting with Kirito and others three days ago and giving her the name of the prime minister, the prime minister has been walking around the town and designating patrol routes. Quests can now be triggered by meeting the Prime Minister in the city and saying a specific word.

The content of the quest is the same as the original, it is an escort quest that takes you somewhere in the wild, but the reward is still the same, there is only one cor.

The strange thing is that you only gave him a cork and asked him to escort you. When you complete the task, something will happen.

Kirito thought so at first, and for the past three days he has been inviting friends - mainly those who went with Lilan and Strea - to come and watch the premiere, but the coverage is not good. There has been no progress in the story of the mission, and nothing has changed in the Prime Minister himself.

And, according to the plot, when the Prime Minister is not on a mission, he seems to just walk around for no reason, and sometimes shows strange reactions like other NPCs. If there was no such thing, it seems that nothing would have happened.

In fact, the current premiere only caused a feeling of inorganic and did not show anything out of the ordinary.

There have been no changes to the premiere since three days ago. We haven't made any changes to Premier. - Just as I was thinking this, a voice came from not far away.

"Hey, you two over there."

"Yes"

When I turned back with the Prime Minister, there were four girls there. Lisbeth has gorgeous pink hair and red and white clothes, Lifa has long blond hair with a ponytail and wears light green and white clothes, and Lifa has bright brown double ponytail hair that is orange. Silica is dressed in three colors, brown and white, with blonde hair that is different from Lifa's, a red coat on the right side of her body, and white gold wolf ears on her head and buttocks. Grows out.

Kirito replied softly, and the four of them closed the distance, and it didn't take long for Lizbet to speak mischievously.

"Looks like I wonder if they're dating."

"No, no, I just called him because I found him. It seems that he is just wandering aimlessly. ”

Then, in the real world, Kirito's younger sister Lifa's expression is slightly solemn. Kirito's eyes widened slightly, as if he had grasped something important.