"What kind of monster is this Seiya? First, he's a kendo prodigy, and now his learning speed is off the charts?"
In the initial melee, Kirito had the advantage. Looking at their decreasing HP bars, he was certain he would win. But that was two minutes ago. Now, with only a minute left, Kirito realized that Seiya, who had started off with rigid movements, was becoming fluid and agile. He had just used the Sprint skill, which he didn't even know how to use at first, to close in on Kirito. He even imitated Kirito's combo, landing a Slant that sent him flying! This guy wasn't just talented; his learning ability was unbelievable.
Kirito understood that if he let Seiya adapt any further and take control of the fight, he would lose, no matter how fast his reflexes were. He had to finish this now. Any more delay would only decrease his chances of winning.
Kirito, who had been launched backward by the Sprint and Slant combo, slid across the ground but quickly regained his footing. He picked up a stone and used the Throwing skill. This wasn't cheating. This wasn't a formal kendo match; in-game PvP, all skills were part of the strategy. The Throwing skill was a character skill and not a violation of the rules. It was a form of "Sword Throw," and the stone was simply a substitute for a sword.
"Ding—!"
Seiya instinctively raised his sword to bat away the incoming stone. The moment he did, Kirito's Sprint skill cooldown ended. He gripped his rusty longsword and shot forward like a cannonball. Seiya's body was in a state of "rigidity" after using his sword to hit the stone. If Kirito's sword connected, it would drain a significant amount of Seiya's HP.
But just as Kirito's sword was about to touch Seiya, an invisible wall appeared, and a message reading "Cannot attack" popped up. The reason was simple: the three-minute PvP time limit had ended. Any further attack would be considered an illegal PK.
The final outcome was shocking: "Draw." Seiya and Kirito were both speechless.
"I think I won this one, because you would have been hit if we had one more second." Kirito was clearly frustrated by the draw. He had invited Seiya to play SAO to vent his frustrations, but this guy was so much more ridiculous than he could've imagined. He had every advantage and still couldn't defeat Seiya.
"That's not a sure thing. How do you know I didn't have a hidden move for that exact moment? If you can't accept this result, we can go again. It's only three minutes, after all. What do you say, Kirito-kun?"
Kirito hesitated for a moment but ultimately refused. The reason was simple. Seiya hadn't fully grasped the game yet and was still able to fight him evenly. In the final moments, Seiya's movements became noticeably more fluid. If they had another match, Kirito was certain he would lose. He was disappointed with the draw, but it was better than being utterly destroyed by Seiya.
"You two, please consider my feelings as a regular player. After watching you two PvP, I honestly feel like we're not even playing the same game! Kirito-kun, fine, you're a beta tester, but Seiya..."
Before Klein could finish, he noticed something strange. His lower body was disappearing right before his eyes. It wasn't just him; Seiya and Kirito were experiencing the same thing.
"This is a forced teleport! But there shouldn't be a mechanism or a trap like this around here! What in the..."
Before Kirito could finish his thought, his body, along with Seiya and Klein's, vanished. When they reappeared, they were in a massive town square. Other players were also being teleported to the same location, looking just as bewildered.
Klein, not yet realizing the gravity of the situation, excitedly said, "I get it! It's a game opening ceremony! Some games have these to set the mood, you know?"
Unlike the optimistic Klein, Kirito felt a sense of dread. He knew from the beta test that no such event or plot point existed. And if there was an opening ceremony, there should have been a system announcement.
While Klein was excited and Kirito was worried, Seiya opened his menu and noticed the "Log Out" button was missing. He looked up with a "just as I thought" expression. "Did you guys notice? The Log Out button seems to have disappeared."
Seiya didn't speak quietly. With the high population density in the square, his words were heard not only by Kirito and Klein but also by the surrounding players. When everyone opened their menus and confirmed that the log-out button was indeed gone, a wave of panic washed over the crowd. This was a full-dive virtual reality game; if they couldn't log out, how could they wake up?
"We're not trapped in the game, are we?"
As the first whisper of fear spread, the unease and panic went viral, spreading through the crowd with alarming speed.