Sword Art Online: Forgotten Edition

Fragment 6 - A Loss

"I challenge you!" A sudden confrontation from the young boy.

"I'm sorry?" Agil had him repeat what he said as if mishearing it.

"I want to fight you! I'll prove to you that I can fight for myself! I didn't spend one month in this game doing nothing ya know!" Haru wanted to make his point get across. He spent his first month in the game acquiring the best material to create the best weapon and armor available on the first floor, and he succeeded.

"Hmph. You have a lot of guts kid I'll give you that...Fine, I'll fight. If I lose you can join in on the fight, but if you lose you opt out of it. Got it?" Fair rules were laid out before they fought against each other.

Haru didn't have any complaints and sent an invitation to have a duel. Players could fight each other in safe areas like towns or villages because their HP would never hit zero. Once a duel would begin, the first person to hit red in their HP bar loses.

"You're on!" Haru equipped his spear, preparing himself. Agil, on the other hand, brought out his large battle axe that had an intimidating look. People began to surround them soon creating a fighting circle. Cheers came from both sides, but the audience had no clue if the fight was for fun or for a different reason.

Two individuals pass by the man-made circle only glancing at the people fighting.

"Fighting in the middle of town? What are they part of a circus?" Said a black-haired individual as he tried to identify the players clashing. I know the big guy was there at the meeting just now, but who the hell is that kid. "My bets on the big guy," despite calling them fools he called out his winner.

The person behind him in a velvet cloak didn't respond, rather they just stood, watching the fight take place.

Is that.. No, it can't be, I told him to stay at the orphanage like everyone else. The cloaked individual seemed to have a resonance with Haru, but their relationship is unknown.

"HYAAH!" a war cry echoed from Haru's mouth as he slashed down continuously on Agil's body, pinning him in a tight situation.

This kid isn't bad. At this rate, I might really lose. Agil couldn't back down even if he was fighting a kid. His pride was also on the line. So, with brute force he broke through Haru's attack with a parry from his glowing green axe and struck down a powerful attack, landing a large hit on the young boy's body. Haru's HP hit the yellow zone— almost red. Both were at a standoff as their HPs remained yellow. Whoever made the first move would have to make it a good one.

Taking that chance, Haru swiftly thrust his spear forward to Agil's head, missing by a centimeter but still instilling minuscule damage. Unable to retract his spear fast enough, Agil found an opening in Haru's defense.

"CRUD—" the axe sliced down on the right side of his body, the force pushed Haru down as his HP steadily turned red.

The fight was over, Haru lost but he didn't seem upset at all. He was a good sport and shook Agil's hand to acknowledge the fight was well fought between them. Agil had grin on his face and this time he didn't seem so taunting. The crowd dispersed while some stayed and congratulated Agil and Haru for putting a great show.

"You're not so bad kid. But since I won this fight you gotta opt out of the front lines," there was a sign of concern in his voice.

Over six hundred players have died in the death game so it was important to look out for each other young or old, experienced or inexperienced. Haru had been watching out for himself this whole time so having someone talk about his safety made him feel at ease. Being a young player in the game Haru thought himself as a nuisance, and the only way to not become one was to be stronger than anyone else. His resolve to have fun in the game and become the strongest were the goals that propelled him to work hard.

Once Haru said his good-byes to Agil and the other players, he made his way to a nearby INN to quell the hunger of his stomach after the fight. Walking in the building he had a strange feeling that multiple eyes were on him, making him uncomfortable.

What's with the crazy feeling I'm getting. A chill went down his spine but continued to make his way to the kitchen to get his order.

"That's him, the kid that's level fifteen," whispered one player.

"Fifteen? You're joking, grinding levels on the first floor practically become impossible after ten. Experience (EXP) is practically a joke, even the beta testers aren't hitting above ten," replied another in disbelief.

Haru bought a simple sandwich about the price of 50 col (the currency in the game). He looked around for a place to sit but the place was filled, so he decided to eat outside which seemed more relaxing to do. With the sandwich in his hand, he took a seat on a bench located near the water fountain. Many players were conversing with each other like people normally did at a park, the game had a lot of realism to it that sometimes brought back old memories from the real world.

Before Haru was able to grab a bite of his lunch, two players approached him with cruel and menacing looks on their faces. One player had piercings in his ears and mouth, yellow hair in the shape of a mohawk. Another had eyes like a dead fish, his eyebrows were scrunched together making him look mad all the time, his dark blue hair was shaggy and unkempt. Together they looked like a pair of delinquents from a high school.

"H-Hello," Young Haru was no doubt intimidated, Agil was big but his aura was much different from the guys that came up to him.