Sword Art Online: X

Moonlit Black Cats - X

How did I get myself into this situation?

I don't know.

"To X!"

The sound of cups clashing together, followed by sounds of drinking.

"Okay, cool, so why am I here?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, we kinda owe you, since if you didn't step in at that moment, we probably would've been wiped out!" The apparent leader of the group grinned.

"I'm Keita, and these are the rest of the guildmates!" The rest of the guild introduced themselves.

"Alright, it's very nice to meet you and all, but you still haven't answered why I'm here."

"Well, to put it in short, uh, what's your level at, by the way?"

I checked my level, "I'm level 45. I'm one of the front liners taking a break."

Keita's eyes bulged, "And you're a solo player?"

I nodded, still unsure about what is going on.

"Well, X, why don't you join the Moonlit Black Cats? You said it yourself, you needed a break from the front lines, so why don't you spend some time with us? Even though most of us are around level 20 or so, we could certainly use somebody with your... assets to assist us."

"Nah, not interested." I deadpanned.

"Alright, welcome aboar- come again?"

"I said no, I'm a solo player. I don't do guilds."

I'm saying that, yet I don't want these guys to somehow die.

After a moment of thought, I sighed, "You know what? I changed my mind. I'll join your stupid guild, but only so you people don't die."

The only girl of the guild, Sachi, cheered nervously, "Y-yay?"

I sighed, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be with you forever. Only until you've leveled up enough to fight somewhat close to the front lines."

Keita smiled, "That's all we're asking for."

...

And so, my experiences with the Moonlit Black Cats have begun. 

At first, I couldn't stand their antics. They were annoying, loud, and overall kinda useless.

They were good at cooperating, I'll give them that, but overall, their skills are too isolated. They need to use their sword skills in rapid succession.

I notified them of this mistake, but I just left them to figure it out for themselves, "The best way to learn is to do it hands-on. Go fight some monsters or something, I'll make sure you don't die."

Keita eventually asked me to mentor Sachi for her to switch from her position as lancer to use a sword and shield.

Bitch, I use a dagger myself, how the hell am I meant to teach her to use a sword and shield?

Nevertheless, I still had the experience, so I decided, sure, I'll teach her if it improves the guild's overall performance.

So I decided to mentor her.

If she got too close to half health, I would intervene and kill the monsters around her.

"Use the sword and the shield in tandem to attack. Not just the sword. Remember, when compared to a lance, your range will be shorter, which makes you more susceptible to enemy attacks, however, you have a massive piece of metal on your left arm, which can be used to block almost anything."