I became a solo player on the front lines, but later in this horrifying death game, I joined a small guild called "The Moonlit Black Cats." There were only six of us, including me. Their levels and stats were way lower than mine, but they were good players and could change the way the front lines operated and saw things. On June 22, 2023, the guild finally acquired enough money to purchase a home for the guild. Keita left for the Town of Beginnings to bargain out for one. After Keita left, the rest of us decided we wanted to impress him and earn items and money from monsters higher than we had ever faced. We were broke so I agreed with them. While exploring the Layberinth on the Twenty Seventh floor, we came across a hidden room with a treasure chest in the middle of it. While opening the chest, Ducker accidentally triggered a trap, causing the room to be sealed in an Anti-crystal area. The room was sealed off and Elementals and Dark Dwarf Miners flilled the room. The whole Guild was wiped out and I was the only surviver. This is where our story begins. My name is Kirito, and this very same night, the moon shines the brightest on June 22nd as a reminder of what happened, what I caused, and how I could of stopped them from going in that room. I killed them and there's nothing that could change that fact. I was the one who could have saved them.
"Goodbye Sachi.. please forgive me for not being able to save you.." I set a red rose on her grave and walk away into the night.
"If only I did not hide the fact of my higher level from all of you. you probably would still be alive and for those reasons I am sorry." I say with a tear falling from my cheek.
"It's time for me to head back home, rest easily Sachi.." I say as my final words, then leave. I walk into a grassy field where I saw a man in red armor.
"Hyah! You bastard come at me!" Klein shouts at a pack of drunken apes.
"Oh.. Klein.." I say quietly. I think back to that day, when I first met Klein. On the day this death game started, and where we parted separate ways. Klein went with his friends, that he waited all night with to buy the "MMORPG Sword Art Online." I was departing for the closest town as a solo player, because of the fact that there is only so much money, items, exp, and quest to go around.
"Gah! Damn you!" Klein shouts at one of the apes for smashing Klein into the ground.
"Klein! Hold on!" I shout at the apes, "Over here you big bastards!" I draw my sword and slash at the first ape.
"GRAAAA!" Ape roars at the top of his lungs in pain and swinging his weapon at me.
"Not so fast!" I say while parring the ape's weapon. I quickly slash upwards then side to side killing one of the apes.
"Don't just sit there Klein! Help me!" I yell at him while running away from the other 4.
"Oh right!" Klein gets up and charges at one of the apes.
"Thank you Klein, but there's still 3 more!" I yell while dashing at one of the apes slashing downward and up killing the third ape.
"Get the second one off me Klein!" I said while dodging the attacks of both apes. As Klein came rushing to help me, a flash of green light dashed twoard the apes killing both of them instantly.
"Whoa.. what was that?" I said looking puzzled while I turn my head twoards the figure standing in the middle of Klein and myself.
"Asuna! Where did you come from and how did you get here?" I said yelling at first but calmed down as I said, " Well... anyways, for whatever reason. Thank you asuna, me and Klein appreciate the help."
"Kirito I don't mind, but it's gonna cost you lunch." Asuna said as she puts away her sword. Asuna looks at me stareing off into the night sky.
"The moon sure is full tonight." I said knowing what day it was and gripping my sword tightly. I trembled just hearing their names in my mind.
Asuna walks to me and taps me on the shoulder to get my attention. She yells in my ear, "Kirito! Hey Kirito? Hello? Kirito!" She looks at me and then punches my arm.
"Ow! what was that for Asuna?" I said to her holding my arm in pain.
"You should no better than to ignore me mister" she said crossing her arms. Then she walks off heading back to K. O. B. which is SAO's top guild.
"Wait asuna!" I say while grabbing her arm to stop her.
"What kirito?" She says with a confused look.
"I just wanted to thank you.. for saving us back there." I say to her staring at the ground because of that harsh memory of my guild.
"Oh, that was no big deal, really it wasn't." She said with a little bit of a cocky attitude. "Anyways I have to head back to the guild." she said as she walked away.
"Alright Asuna, I'll see you around, maybe in the next boss raid." I said to her smiling and waving goodbye.
"Sounds good kirito." She said smiling back at me then walking off.
"Hey Kirito, what's up with you and the second commander?" Klein said with this weird ass grin on his face.
"W-what do you mean? Nothing is happening between us, just old friends.. you know? Ha.. ha.. ha.. I honestly tried to answer that the best I can Klein." I said to Klein as I looked up at the moon.
"Well Mr. Solo, you need to hurry up with that because your missing out on a lot, if you know what I mean." Klien says giving me another grin.
"It's not like that klien! Besides Im a solo player and others would ruin my reputation." I said trying not to punch klien where it matters. "Anyways Klein, we should get going, who knows what might spawn next." I said laughing a little.
"Yea your right, I'll see you around Mr. Solo." klien says laughing while he walks away.
"I told you not to call me that!" I yelled at him, I was almost willing to throw a bolder at him if it wasn't for a fact that it was a death game. It was a long journey back to my little apartment on the 14th floor of SAO. The mobs are getting stronger the more this death game progresses. There seems to be no end to every floor we manage to clear. Everyday, more and more players lose their lives to mob spawns, boss raids, and even red players... Just thinking about PK players just makes me sick. To think that players knowing you can kill someone in the real world, would still drive their sword into any player they can get their hands on. I hear something in the bushes behind me, I quickly draw my sword out and say to whatever is approaching, "Who goes there! Come on out and show yourself!"
"Gahhh! Kirito!" Silica comes jumping out of the bushes and hides behind me. "It's a pack of blood wolves!" Silica said pointing south to where we were at the time.
"Alright, stay back I got this. " I said smiling at her then facing my approaching enemies.
Next chapter: Familiar Faces
YOU ARE READING
The Solo Knight
ActionA few years later after this death game had started, I was on my own and all I cared about anymore was to survive. Nothing mattered anymore but to live and beat this death game known as.. the MMORPG...Sword Art Online..
