SAO x Dark Souls Volume 1: Cinders of Aincrad

Aincrad Pt. 3: Red-nosed Reindeer

Six months in SAO had passed. People began to grasp their new reality after Floor 1 was beaten. They were trapped in a world where one minor miscalculation could mean the end of their life. But they also had renewed faith that escape was possible. The events of Floor 1 were published in a newspaper run by an info broker named Argo. Naturally, when people saw me they jeered and called me all sorts of names. I was U/n the beater, infamously known for withholding information from the likes of people like Diavel and Kibaou. Over the past few months, whenever we met at boss raid meetings, Kibaou never failed to give me the filthiest of looks. He made his hatred of me known to all.

Kirito and I remained a duo team, even all these months later. Asuna had joined a guild and was now on the front lines damn near constantly. The resentment at me and Kirito for being beta testers continued to grow every day. To some, we were heroes they could put their faith in. To others, we were demons. That's why I was surprised to find the both of us surrounded by a group of people at a table in a restaurant on Floor 25. The leader of the group introduced himself as Keita.

Keita: To U/n and Kirito.

Group: To U/n and Kirito.

"Come on guys, your gratitude isn't necessary," I said

Kirito: Yeah. We were just doing our duty of defending our fellow players.

Keita: If it weren't for you, we would've died back in that dungeon. Your level must be high to be that strong.

I looked up at my HP bar and stared at the level 45 icon next to it. If only they knew. They didn't know Kirito and I were former testers and we planned to keep it that way.

"Not really, I'm only around level 20 or so. I'm not that much stronger than you guys" I said

Kirito: Im level 20 as well.

Keita: Well whatever the source of your strength might be, we want you in our guild. What do you say, guys? Would you like to join the Moonlit Black Cats?

I thought about it for a bit and decided to give them a chance. After all, it might do us some good to have other people around.

"Sure, why not?" I said

Kirito: I'm down.

Keita: Excellent. Welcome to the team.

We both got guild invites and accepted them immediately. The moment I pushed the button, an icon of a cat in the moonlight appeared next to my HP bar. Over the next few days, we helped our new guild with quests and farming while giving them advice. We got to know the other members of the guild too. Tetsuo, Sasamaru, Ducker, and Sachi along with Keita were all friends IRL. Currently, Keita and I were relaxing on a grassy hill while the other four of our compatriots were goofing off not far away. Sasamaru, Tetsuo, Kirito, and Ducker got into a friendly brawl while Sachi stood by and watched. I was soaking in the sun while Keita sat and read the latest issue of the Daily Argo newspaper.

Keita: Wow. The assault team has already reached Floor 38. At the rate this is going, we'll be out of here before too long.

"Don't get too cocky Keita," I said with my eyes closed

Keita: I'm not, it's just good to have something to put our faith and hope into. Otherwise, what's the point?

"I guess so. But I'm not focused on clearing, I'm focused on living. While I still participate in the raids, I try to risk my life needlessly as much as possible. That's not to say I'm scared of death, I'm just very cautious. Kirito and I also have each other's backs whenever we go anywhere" I said

Keita: You make a good point.

Ducker: Hey, come join us guys.

"I'm good Ducker. I don't feel like getting tossed around today" I said