Journey to Planar World

The Next Day.

On a vast expanse of green grassland, Asuna stood awkwardly before a giant bee monster named Yellow Wasp, about the size of a basketball, buzzing menacingly.

Nearby, Mito watched, giving her instructions.

”Okay, Asuna! Remember what I said! Don’t panic, focus on its attack pattern!”

Asuna tried to follow, but when the Yellow Wasp darted toward her, instinct took over.

”Hyaaa!”

Her legs trembled, and she unwittingly fell backward, landing on the grass with a thud.

The Yellow Wasp didn’t pursue its attack. It hovered in place, buzzing softly. It was a monster that wouldn’t attack unless provoked first.

Due to this trait, Mito chose the Yellow Wasp as the perfect training target for Asuna.

”You’re still scared, Asuna.”

Holding a large scythe, Mito approached Asuna, her eyes observing the Yellow Wasp while thinking of the best way to teach her friend.

”You’re right. Here’s how…”

Taking a small dagger from her belt, Mito held its blade in a specific stance, and the dagger emitted a faint purple glow.

*WHOOSH!*

Seconds later, Mito dashed forward with startling speed. She threw the dagger in her left hand with precision at the Yellow Wasp.

*SWOOSH!*

*PU-CHI!*

The dagger struck the Yellow Wasp, shredding its body, followed by its HP bar depleting rapidly. The monster’s form then shattered into fragments of light.

”Amazing.”

Asuna was awestruck by Mito’s skill. Compared to her own clumsiness, Mito seemed like an expert.

”Instead of relying entirely on the Motion Assist system, you can use your own body to control and enhance the speed and power of your Sword Skill.”

As a beta tester, Mito’s knowledge of Sword Art Online far surpassed that of regular players, at least for now.

Though Sword Art Online was an RPG, it lacked magic as a power system like typical RPGs.

Sword Skills were the only way to fight.

Sword Skills weren’t just sword techniques. They were a series of combat moves assisted by the system.

A Sword Skill activated when a player performed the correct Pre-Motion for a skill, like raising a sword above their shoulder.

Once the system recognized the motion, the player’s weapon glowed in a color specific to that Sword Skill. The player could then let the system take over, automatically executing the skill at a speed usually impossible for players. This process was called a Sword Skill.

That was how players fought in this death game.

Of course, players could attack freely without Sword Skills, but the power, speed, and accuracy would be lower compared to using them.

Interestingly, Sword Skills didn’t need to be assigned to specific slots to improve. Players only needed to perform the specific starting motion.

A Sword Skill’s proficiency increased with frequent use, and new Sword Skills unlocked once certain conditions were met, creating a dynamic combat system that encouraged players to master each move.

”…”

Asuna stood, aiming her rapier at a Yellow Wasp. Her other hand extended forward, supporting the blade. Her weapon glowed with a faint purple light. Then, with a single step, Asuna lunged forward.

*PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!* *PU-CHI!*

She stabbed the Yellow Wasp in a swift single strike, her body darting past the monster, now standing behind it.

*CRUSH-BANG!*

The defeated Yellow Wasp shattered into light fragments.

”I did it!”

”That’s right! That’s called an Outside System Skill! It’d be great if you could master it quickly.”

Praising Asuna’s first monster defeat, Mito reminded her about Outside System Skills.

Outside System Skills often involved using system-controlled skills unconventionally, exploiting system gaps, or leveraging a player’s physical abilities to enhance gameplay beyond normal limits.

”No, something feels off…”

Swinging her rapier, Asuna tried to recall the sensation of her earlier attack.

”But why did we come this far from town? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to stay closer?” she asked, lowering her rapier.

”As I said before, MMORPGs are all about securing resources. If we fall behind even a little, it’ll be hard to survive.”

”The area around the Town of Beginnings is already crowded with players, so it’s harder to find monsters we can defeat efficiently. That means there’s no room there to train Sword Skills while fighting.”

”This place is a secret for now, but it won’t take long for other players to find it. Once we level up, we need to head to the next town.”

Walking out of the knee-high grass onto a path, Asuna couldn’t help but admire Mito’s critical thinking.

”You know everything, huh?”

”Figuring things out—”

”Is one of the best parts of this game, right?” Asuna cut in, finishing Mito’s sentence with a faint smile.

”Huh?”

Turning back, Mito was surprised to hear Asuna recall her words. Her cheeks flushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

”Let’s keep fighting a bit more.”

Taking a combat stance, Mito targeted a Frenzy Boar passing in front of them.

”Mm.”

Asuna nodded, following Mito to hunt the Frenzy Boar.

The two girls were still unaware of an invisible stalker who had been watching them since yesterday, hovering above as an unseen guardian shadow.

Lying comfortably on a large, invisible floating cushion, Charlie watched Asuna and Mito battle the Frenzy Boar, occasionally tossing popcorn into his mouth.

The cushion mimicked the one owned by the Third Fairy King, Harlequin. Charlie crafted it using various monster drop items from his expedition in the Planar World Dungeon: Danmachi. Thanks to his Mystery Development Ability, he could create magic items.

’Good thing I have plenty of food stored in my Space-Time Cache. I was worried I’d have to hunt for food here.’

While Asuna and Mito slept soundly in a small village, Charlie conducted some tests. He wanted to understand his limits in this virtual world.

For instance, since he wasn’t a player and wasn’t bound by SAO’s system, he found he couldn’t buy anything from NPCs. Furthermore, when he defeated monsters, no items or money dropped, meaning the loot system didn’t apply to him.

Charlie was also curious if defeating monsters would grant him Excelia—experience points in the Danmachi world—or not.

However, the monsters on Floor 1 were too weak. No matter how many he defeated, he wouldn’t gain a single Excelia point.

’Hearing Mito explain how Sword Skills work, I understand why SAO’s system considers Kirito the best player and gave him the Unique Skill, Dual Blades.’

’In the real world, Kirito was just a weak guy, even weaker than most teens his age. But he once trained in kendo at his grandfather’s dojo before giving up and living a somewhat decadent life.’

’Though Kirito’s body weakened from lack of exercise, his reaction speed, experience, and muscle memory from sword training remained. In this virtual world, without the real world’s physical limitations holding him back, Kirito could perform exceptionally and maximize every move he learned.’

Recalling how much Miguel despised Kirito, Charlie wondered how Kirito’s life was now after Miguel disrupted his progress.