Virtual Hell (Sword Art Online X Male Reader Remake)

Level 3 - Break Beat Bark!

The city buzzed around me as I walked through the nearly empty shopping centre, my eyes focused on the ground beneath my feet. The bag of food hanging from my shoulder felt heavier with every step, but it wasn't just the groceries weighing me down. It was the weight of another day I just wanted to forget. I could hear people laughing and talking loudly, their voices rising above the hum of the city. But I didn't want to engage. I kept my head down, trying to avoid anyone's gaze as I walked by.

I couldn't help but overhear a group nearby.

"Are you going to take part in the Ordinal Scale event tomorrow?" one of them asked.

Another voice responded dismissively. "No way, man. I'm not built for that AR gaming stuff. Sounds way too complicated."

The first voice came back. "Yeah, but it's gonna be huge! You sure you're not going to miss out?"

"I'm good. Maybe you'll have fun, but I'll pass."

I didn't care about any of that. They were all so wrapped up in their own little worlds. For a moment, I wished I could just slip away into one of those conversations and forget about everything else. But I couldn't. I had my own life to deal with, and it wasn't as simple as talking about some event.

My phone buzzed in my pocket—another notification.

It was the second one today. The first was from my dad: "If you want to, we can meet up for-"

I didn't even bother to open it fully. I just swiped it away and deleted the notification before the second one came through.

A reminder from my Augma device: "Remember to wear your Augma at all times. Your well-being is our priority."

I groaned. The device had been sitting in my bag all day, and I'd been putting it off. But now, I couldn't avoid it any longer. With a long sigh, I pulled it out of my bag and strapped it on.

At first, nothing happened. But then the screen flickered to life, and I could see all the usual information—unfinished tasks, medication reminders, therapy sessions—and then a pop-up appeared.

"Glad to see you're wearing the device provided. Please keep it on at all times for monitoring purposes. Have a good evening, and see you for tomorrow's session. - Mr. Kanoi."

I groaned again. The Augma was already proving to be more of an annoyance than anything else. It was like a walking advertisement, always in my face. I didn't need this right now.

"Well, well," a soft voice suddenly said, breaking through my thoughts.

I sighed, already knowing what was coming. I didn't want to talk to her, but I knew she wouldn't leave me alone.

Khloe, the AI girl, appeared in front of me. She had short brown hair and blue eyes, was wearing a simple jumper and jeans, and looked like she was trying way too hard to seem like a friendly childhood friend. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to look at her.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Khloe pouted, crossing her arms.

"I don't feel like talking to you," I muttered, trying to keep my focus elsewhere.

"No need to be hostile, friend. I'm Khloe, your personal AI therapy buddy here to help with all your needs!" she said, her tone far too enthusiastic.

"You say that every time," I grumbled, not in the mood for her usual spiel.

Khloe tilted her head, a smug smile spreading across her face. "That's because you don't seem to realize just how helpful I can be, Y/N. Let me break down Project Khloe for you one more time." She closed her eyes as if she were getting ready to deliver the same speech again.