SAO x Dark Souls Volume 1: Cinders of Aincrad

Aincrad Pt. 2: Illfang the Kobold Lord

While on the way back, I felt like someone was watching us. My suspicions were proven correct when a male player revealed himself to us a few minutes later.

???: Hi there.

"Hi," I said

???: That was some mighty fine skill out there, I must say.

"Thanks," I said

???: Are you after the Anneal Blade as well?

"Yeah," I said

???: I see I see. Well, I'm gonna need you to hand over that berry then.

"Not a chance. If you don't have the patience to wait for a certain enemy to spawn then good luck surviving anything in this game" I said

???: You misunderstand. I do have the patience to wait, but when an opportunity presents itself to me, I take it. Imagine my surprise when I saw you get it on the second wave. I was planning to take it from you without fighting, but that is no longer an option.

The player drew his sword and slowly began advancing. Knowing he wouldn't back down, I drew my sword. He charged at me with a yell but I sidestepped and slashed him across the back. His HP went down a quarter and he seemed pissed.

???: You're going to pay for that.

"No, you are," I said

I raised my claymore, activated the skill, <Stance>, and lopped one of his arms off. He fell back in shock and tried to crawl away. I held my sword to his neck and slowly pressed into it until I saw his HP bar begin decreasing slowly.

Kirito: U/n, what are you doing?!

"Im not above killing you for trying to get rid of us via monster PK, but I'm feeling generous today. If you want the Anneal Blade that badly, then suck it up and complete the quest like a normal person" I said

I put the claymore back into the sheath on my back and walked away with Kirito following closely.

Kirito: What the heck was that?

"what do you mean?" I asked flatly

Kirito: You almost killed that guy. Don't you know what that means now?

"Of course I do, but he was planning to kill us first. Would you rather I have let him kill me and then you?" I asked

Kirito: No.

"I'd much prefer not having to kill other players to survive, but if anyone gets in the way of our survival, I will cut them down," I said

The two of us walked back into town silently. Once we reached the cottage, I handed the NPC the berry.

NPC: Thank you, thank you so much. Come inside and I'll get your reward.

We followed her inside and waited as she went to the back and came out with a sword wrapped in cloth. It wasn't the same size as it was in the beta, however. In fact, it seemed to be the same size as a greatsword.

NPC: This sword was once the most potent weapon in my hometown. Take good care of it.

"We will," I said

A celebratory horn blared as the quest complete icon appeared. I was granted 1000 XP and 500 Col.

"Hey, I'm going to go upgrade this," I said

Kirito: Okay. I think I'll hold off on upgrading for now. I'll wait for you in the village square.

"Alright," I said

With the quest now complete, I left the cottage and headed to the blacksmith. Before interacting with the NPC, I unwrapped the sword. In my hands was a rare type of weapon that functioned both as a longsword and a greatsword. The curved hilt and medium-length blade made it a bastard sword.