Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a familiar sight—a floating character creation window.
With buttery-smooth precision, I crafted my avatar: six foot six, built like a war god, a lethal face that could ruin lives, and long, flowing black hair that framed it all perfectly.
I hit Next.
A new screen slid into view.
Please enter your name.
Without hesitation, my fingers danced across the holographic keyboard with practiced ease. Enthralled. Just like every time i played a game, in my dreams or out.
I pressed Next again.
Light exploded outward—no, inward—rays shooting toward me, swallowing me whole. My body dissolved into brilliance, and before I could even process it—
—I was standing in a crowded medieval city.
Noise crashed into me from all sides: chatter, footsteps, merchants shouting. An NPC immediately approached, gesturing stiffly, trying to guide me toward the starter shop.
I ignored him.
Instead, I looked around. Dozens—no, hundreds—of players moved through the streets, each with a green marker floating above their heads.
With a casual flick of my fingers through the air, I opened my inventory.
Starter gear.
Without a second thought, I unequipped everything—armor, boots, all of it—leaving only the basic sword every player began with.
Now standing there in nothing but white boxers, I barely registered the stares.
Let them look.
I broke into a sprint.
Out of the City of Beginnings.
I weaved through crowds, slipping between players and NPCs alike without slowing down. The city gates loomed ahead, and then—
Freedom.
Rolling green plains stretched endlessly beyond the walls, the wind brushing against the grass in soft waves. It was beautiful.
Familiar.
I couldn't even count how many times I'd had this dream. Every time I slept, I woke up in Sword Art Online. But something felt… off.
Before, I always spawned where I logged out. A loop.
But this time?
A new character.
A new beginning.
The moment I stepped into the low-level spawn zone, I saw it—
A double-horned boar, already charging.
Perfect.
I didn't slow down.
It lowered its body, committing fully to the attack. The instant it did, I dropped low—sliding across the grass—and slashed horizontally.
A clean cut.
The boar shattered into fragments before it even understood it was dead.
Another one.
This one hesitated.
Smarter.
It stood its ground, waiting for me to make the first move.
I grinned and ran straight at it.
At the last second, it shifted, preparing to dodge—
Too slow.
I jumped.
My body twisted midair, core tightening as I rotated above it. For a split second, I was directly over its head—
My blade flashed down.
It died instantly.
Four more.
This time, they moved differently.
Two charged from the front, splitting left and right—trying to cut off my slide. The other two lagged behind, pacing themselves, waiting to punish me the moment I landed.
They were adapting.
I almost laughed.
This dream feels too real.
For a brief moment, a strange ache hit my chest.
Because it wasn't.
Focus.
I leaned slightly to the right, baiting the boar on that side. It committed—muscles tensing, preparing to intercept.
Then I shifted.
Left.
A single, sharp slash—clean and precise.
Dead.
The second boar barely had time to react.
Using the same momentum, I pushed off my planted foot and launched myself upward, vaulting over the remaining two. Midair, I twisted again, blade carving a brutal arc—
Steel met flesh.
One of them collapsed instantly.
I landed.
Didn't stop.
The third boar tried to turn, too slow—my blade cut it down before it could even face me.
Only one left.
I slowed.
Took a stance.
My sword began to glow, a faint blue light gathering along its edge.
Then—
I dashed.
A streak of blue followed me as I tore forward, closing the distance in an instant.
The final boar never stood a chance.
Silence.
I exhaled, smiling.
Two levels gained.
A drop.
A combat knife—Wild Boar's Tusk.
Not bad.
Then—
Something new appeared.
A red system window.
Not the game's.
Different.
Entities killed: 6System points: 600Would you like to open the system shop?
"…What?"
I stared at it for a few seconds.
Then dismissed it.
And kept killing.
Time blurred.
Boars fell one after another—dozens of them. My movements sharpened, my body flowing from one kill to the next like it had done this a thousand times before.
Maybe it had.
Then—
Everything vanished.
I reappeared inside a massive cathedral.
Players.
Hundreds of them.
The scene was unmistakable.
Just like that moment in Sword Art Online.
Confusion hit me instantly. I swiped my hand through the air, opening the menu—going straight for the settings.
No exit button.
My stomach dropped.
Before… in the dreams—
No.
Not dreams.
Memories?
Every other time, I could log out.
But now?
Now I was—
Stuck.
"This is ridiculous…"
I wasn't even from the SAO world. I had no reason to be here.
I looked up.
The sky above the cathedral glitched—error messages stacking over one another, distorting reality itself. Then the crimson liquid began to drip downward.
Blood.
But I didn't care.
I moved.
Shoving past players, forcing my way through the crowd with raw strength, my larger frame bulldozing a path toward the edge of the cathedral.
Kayaba's voice droned on behind me.
I ignored every word.
Around me, players began to change—avatars flickering, shifting into their real-world appearances.
I didn't.
I stayed the same.
Very different from my real self.
A very mature ten-year-old.
The barrier dropped.
And I ran.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
I ran.
And ran.
And ran.
And then ran some more—just to be safe.
If this was the launch of SAO…
Then all those previous "dreams" were the beta.
Which meant—
I knew what came next.
The next town.
About an hour away.
Perfect.
On the way there, I could kill everything in sight. Grow stronger. Get ahead.
A wide grin spread across the young kids face, stretching from ear to ear.
Excitement bubbled up inside him, overwhelming, almost spiritual joy.
he proclaimed to himself, If this was my new reality…
Then I would make sure of one thing.
For as long as I remained in this world—
I would know nothing but that joy.