Sword Art Online-Vol 2 Chapter 4.3: Red-nosed Reindeer (Aincrad 46th Floor, December 2023) Part 3

Part 3

During the four days remaining until Christmas, my level went up once more, to 70.

During this time, I did not sleep at all. This would be the price. Sometimes I get these piercing headaches, as if I was being struck by nails, but I think that even if I were to lie down, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

Since that encounter, Klein's guild Fuurinkazan had never been to the ant's valley again. I continued to mix in line with the other guilds, hunting the mechanical ants alone. The expressions of those players who saw my eyes had also finally turned from ridicule to disgust. Although sometimes there are still players that respond to me, as soon as anyone met with my line of sight, the face would immediately turn away from me.

Among the group of players whose target was the Christmas gift, the biggest question was where exactly was the giant fir tree that «Nicholas the Renegade» would appear under—regarding this question, I took advantage of the wait time in the ant valley, and obtained a very likely answer.

I had gone to the coordinates that I bought from various intelligence businesses, but even though the exteriors appeared to be Christmas trees, they were in fact not fir trees, but pine trees. The needles on pine trees are not the same. The front end of fir leaves has a thin and elongated oval shape. Because in the real world I have these two types of trees in my back yard, I know this.

A few months ago, I was on the thirty-fifth floor's training area where there was a random transfer dungeon called the "Lost Forest", and in a particular corner I found a giant curved tree. I thought that there had to be some hidden meaning to the shape, possibly the starting point of some unknown task and so carefully investigated, but nothing was found. In retrospect, that giant tree was a fir tree. On Christmas – that is, tonight, special Mob «Nicholas the Renegade» should appear there under the tree.

I listened to the calling sound that indicated I was now up a level to 70 without any feeling, and after the ant mob around me was dealt with, I took out from my bag a teleport crystal. Without greeting the players currently in line, I went straight to the frontline floor where I was lodging, to the main street area of the forty-ninth floor.

I raised my head to look at the transfer gate plaza's clock tower, to see that it was three hours away from midnight. Probably because they wanted to spend Christmas Eve together, around the square was full of players in couples. I quickly crossed them to go back to the hotel.

Charging into my hotel room, I immediately opened the storage box installed in the room, taking from the item window that popped up all the restoration, detoxification crystals and potions and the like. Although these alone could count up a hefty balance sheet, I would not pity it even if all of them were used up.

As soon as I took out a single-handed sword from my collection, confirmed its durability, I took off the sword on my back that I used to fight the ants and exchanged it. Then I also exchanged my leather coat and armor and everything else for new items. When I had finished, I was about to close the window when I saw my inventory and stopped my hand.

There, in addition to the «Self» written there, my own inventory page, was another label that read the name «Sachi».

This is the result of a very good relationship between two players, but one which has not progressed to «Marriage» —such players set their own common items window. This is different from the way that all items in marriage are shared in that only items in this separate window are shared.

Sachi, who had never asked for a confession or to hold hands previously, requested shortly before her death to set up this window. When I asked for the reason, she gave an answer that was difficult to accept, that it was for easily exchanging healing potions and similar items—if this was the purpose, there was clearly already a guild open that could be used for that. But I nonetheless agreed, and set up this window to share only between Sachi and me.

Though Sachi died, this window still remained. Of course, the friend list would also still retain Sachi's name, but it would be a grey that could not be contacted. And the few remaining healing potions left in the shared inventory, these would also not be used. After half a year, even with the guild page deleted without feeling, I was unable to remove the label of Sachi's name. Of course—the reason was not that I believed she could be resurrected—I just couldn't forgive the self that would have been able to feel better after having deleted her name.

I only recovered and closed the window after looking at Sachi's name for ten minutes. It was two hours until midnight.

As I walked out of the room and towards the direction of the transfer gate, I kept thinking about that expression on Sachi's face in her final moment, what she was thinking, and, what exactly she wanted to say.

Transferring to the gate on the thirty-fifth floor, I came to a completely different square from that of the frontline, one that was very quiet. Maybe because there was still some distance from here to the main battlefield of intermediate players, the main street area was simply not worth strolling through. But still, I pulled up my coat's collar to avoid the eyes of several players in the area, quickly leaving the street.

Unwilling to spend time fighting against the small fries, I started running after checking that no one was chasing after me from behind. With the level I managed to gain during the past one month, my agility went up a lot, and my feet that stepped on the snow were as light as feathers. The aching pain that came from the temple never disappeared, but it caused my mind to be unable to sleep at all.

After about 10 minutes of running, I arrived at the entrance of the forest maze. This field dungeon was segregated by numerous 4-sided polygons, and as the areas were connected to each other, it could be said to be impossible to break through if there's no map.

After opening the map, I stared at the marked areas and went into. After memorizing the path in my mind, I went alone into that silent forest.

After two battles that I couldn't avoid, I entered the area in front of all the trees that covered the target without any difficulty. There was still more than 30 minutes.

Then, I would be fighting against this boss monster alone that would likely take my life—a high chance at that. I couldn't feel any fear inside. Or rather, maybe that's what I was expecting. To die in battle to revive Sachi may be the only way I could accept death—

I didn't want to say something heroic like I'm looking for my resting place. I caused Sachi and the other four allies to die meaninglessly, and I have no right to look for a significance in dying.

What's the point of doing this? Sachi once asked me. And I answered her, there was none.

Right now, I could finally turn those words into reality. Sachi died meaninglessly in this meaningless death game SAO that the insane genius Kayaba Akihito created. With that, I'll die in a place no one would notice, not remembered by anyone, and to die meaninglessly like that.

If, I beat that boss and survive, that revival item would turn from rumor to reality. That was what I thought. Sachi's soul would return from the Death Road or the River Styx, and then I can finally hear her last words. Finally—just finally, let me wait for this moment...

Just when I was ready to step forward and finish walking the last few meters, several players appeared from the warp point behind me. I jumped back in shock as I held the hilt of my sword behind me.

What appeared was a group of 10 people, and standing right in front was a samurai guy in light armor, a katana on his waist, and a headscarf—Klein.

The main members of the Fuurinkazan guild each looked nervous as they moved closer to me from the warp point behind them. I continued to look at Klein's face and squeeze out a hoarse voice.

“...Were you following me?”

Klein grabbed the hair that was made straight by the bandana and nodded.

“Yeah. We have someone with good tracking skill.”

“Why me?”

“Because I bought the information that you bought all the tree coordinates, and for safety measure, I went to look at the sentry gate at the 49th level, but found that you were moving towards the level where there was no information on. I felt that your battle ability and gaming instincts were really strong, stronger than the clearing group...even more than that Heathcliff. So...Kirito, you can't die at a place like this.”

Klein reached out his right hand, pointed his finger at me and shouted,

“GIVE UP ON THAT RECKLESS SOLO ATTACK AND PARTY WITH US! LET THE PERSON WHO GETS THE REVIVAL ITEM DROP KEEP IT, OKAY!?”

“...In that case...”

I couldn't believe that Klein said that to me because he viewed me as a friend, that he was worried about me.

“In that case, it's meaningless...I have to attack alone...”

I wielded my sword hilt tightly, and my mind was burning crazily and somewhat unconsciously thought.

—Let's just kill everyone.

In the past, when the death game started, I abandoned Klein, this beginner who didn't know anything, and went on to the next town. I regretted over this for a long time, and was relieved that Klein was able to live on in such a fine fashion.

At that time, I was seriously wondering, do I have to achieve my aim even if I had to slay one of my few friends and fall as a red player? My heart was weakly screaming that this was meaningless. However, the other side was giving a voice, hoping that I would die meaninglessly, but was roared back in an overwhelming fashion.

I really believed that if I drew my sword slightly then, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from that moment on. And Klein was looking at me sadly while my right hand trembled and continued to struggle.

At that moment, a 3rd group of intruders arrived.

Also, this group wasn't just 10, but about 3 times the party. I stared at that large party blankly and muttered to Klein, who turned back in a similarly shocked manner,

“Seemed like you guys were followed too, Klein.”

“...Ahh, looks that way...”

At the boundary that looked like it was 50m away, there were people I recently saw at the anthill, staring wordlessly at Fuurinkazan and me. The Fuurinkazan swordsman that was standing beside Klein leaned beside the leader's face and whispered,

“Those guys are the «Sacred Dragon Alliance», a group of guys who can become orange just to attack the flag boss.”

I heard that name often too. Their name was as famous as the Knights of the Blood, the largest guild amongst the clearing group. Those guys should each be below me in level, but I had no belief in beating that many people.

But—perhaps the outcome should be the same.

Suddenly, I felt that whether I was killed by a boss monster or a guild, it would all be meaningless. But then again, at least it would be a better choice than fighting with Klein, right?

I decided to draw my sword from my back. I was lazy to even think. I just needed to be like a robot and focus on swinging my sword, destroy everything in front of me until I break down.

However, Klein's shout caused my hand to stop.

“DAMN IT! THOSE BASTARDS!”

The katana user drew out the weapon at his waist faster than I could and growled at me from behind.

“Get over there, Kirito! Leave this to me! Go beat the boss! I won't allow you to die though! I won't forgive you if you dare to die in front of me! Never!”

“...”

There wasn't much time left. I turned my back on Klein and entered the last warp point without saying thanks.

The large fir trees, the location where I memorized, and the curves of the memories, they were all standing there silently. There didn't seem to be any other 4-sided areas of trees as the landscape was glowing with pure white snow, and it looked like a barren land with all life extinguished.

As the timer in the corner of my eye reached zero, an alarm sounded from somewhere, and I lifted my head and looked over at the treetop.

The pitch-black night sky, or rather, with the base of the upper level as background, those lines of light continued to reach over. Looking at them closely, I found that it was a strangely-shaped monster dragging a giant sled.

As it reached the top of the trees, a black shadow flew down from the sled, and I took a few steps back.

What landed hard and scattered the snow was a monster that was 3 times my size. He still appeared to be human, but his arms were extremely long, and because his body was bent forward, those arms almost touched the ground. The small red eyes were glowing under the abnormal bulge on the forehead of the shadow. The lower half of the face was full of curly grey beard, and the length even reached the waist.

Strangely, this monster was wearing a red and white shirt, a cone-shaped hat that was of the same color, wielding an axe with the right hand, and a large bag full of things on the left hand. The designer who designed this guy probably wanted to let a large group of players to be scared yet amused once they see this ridiculous ugly version of a boss Santa Claus. But to me, who's facing this «Nicholas the Renegade» solo, the appearance of the boss wasn't important.

Nicholas may be starting to say the lines for this mission as he got ready to move his tangled beard.

“Shut up!”

As I muttered this, I drew my sword, and my right foot kicked hard into the thick layer of snow.