Kirito's surprise was justified. He had been with Seiya since the beginning of the game. Seiya had no time to complete any quests to earn money. Moreover, even if he had, there was no way to get that much money in such a short time on the first floor. In short, Seiya had to have cheated.
"Hey, hey, we're on the same side. Saying I cheated is a bit much. Don't you know there's another way to get money fast in a game?"
Kirito was no fool. On the contrary, his mind was sharp, and he instantly realized Seiya was talking about "microtransactions." He immediately opened his menu to the so-called cash shop. Unfortunately, ever since Akihiko Kayaba modified the program and severed external connections, the cash shop in SAO was gone. Kirito had never seen a cash shop in SAO because there wasn't one during the beta test. A beta test is a trial version; it's not a commercial product, so it wouldn't have a cash shop.
Seiya's money came from a cash shop that was now closed. This meant Seiya had paid for his in-game currency at the very beginning of the public launch. If Kirito remembered correctly, the exchange rate was one Japanese yen to one Copper Cor. This meant the handful of gold coins Seiya just pulled out was equivalent to several hundred thousand yen! This guy, who had never played the game before, had spent hundreds of thousands, or even a million, yen on game currency right at the start!
"The most important thing in a game is to have fun. You can't have fun without money. It's that simple."
Kirito wanted to protest, but his words changed to, "Sir, can you lend me some money?" Kirito wanted to have some dignity, but the reality was that with enough starting capital, they could level up much faster and gain a huge advantage in the early game.
"I can lend you money, but not for free. There will be interest. And I'll only accept repayment in real-world currency."
Kirito's face darkened. He felt that Seiya was even more of a greedy merchant than Messi. But the thought of getting a head start and making a fortune in the game was too tempting. After some hesitation, he gritted his teeth and agreed to Seiya's exploitation.
"The loan interest is 30%. One gold coin for 10,000 yen. When we get back to the real world, you just have to pay me back 13,000 yen."
Kirito was prepared to be taken advantage of, but he was furious at Seiya's outrageous interest rate.
"You call that interest?! That's loan sharking! We've been friends since we were kids! This is your 'conscience discount?'"
"You think this is too much? I could shout out right now, and people would be willing to pay 20,000 or even 30,000 yen for one gold coin. The only reason I'm even giving you this offer is because we're friends," Seiya replied without a hint of emotion.
Kirito's teeth ached, but he had to admit Seiya was right. Now that they were trapped in the game, the money in the real world was just worthless paper. The in-game currency, especially in this early stage with limited resources, could guarantee their survival. Seiya could ask for a 1:5 or even 1:10 exchange rate and still have plenty of customers.
Of course, Seiya knew that Kirito was broke, especially as a student in the real world. Seiya's terms were simply a way to get Kirito to join his business venture. He had the money, but Kirito had the game knowledge. Seiya wanted to start a guild in SAO, and he needed Kirito, a beta tester, to help him get a head start.
Soon, while chatting, the two arrived at the plains Messi mentioned and found the "Dire Wolf Leader." The Dire Wolf Leader was one of the first-floor field bosses. Not only did it have higher stats and better combat ability than regular wolves, but it also had a special "Calling" skill that allowed it to summon a pack of wolves from anywhere.
Seiya and Kirito had a clear plan. They would first attack the Dire Wolf Leader together. When it used its "Calling" skill, one of them would distract the summoned wolves while the other continued to fight the boss. They didn't have a specific plan for who would do what; they just decided the person closer to the boss would stay and fight.
As Seiya's sword struck the Dire Wolf Leader's flank, its HP dropped to half, and it let out a ferocious howl.
"Howwwwl—!"
As the howl echoed, several wolves, smaller than the leader, emerged from the surrounding areas with a flash of light, roaring as they ran toward them.
"According to the plan, I'll handle these pups. The boss is all yours." Kirito quickly sliced each of the summoned wolves and then dashed away. The wolves' aggro was now locked on him, and they all followed their new "loyal little brother" in a single file.
Seeing the Dire Wolf Leader all alone, Seiya grinned and charged again, drawing his sword. Although it was a field boss, the Dire Wolf Leader's attack patterns were simple to Seiya. As long as he avoided getting overwhelmed by the summoned pack, the Dire Wolf Leader was nothing more than a wolf with more HP and better stats.
"Ding—!"
Using Weapon Parry, Seiya blocked the Dire Wolf Leader's claw attack. As the boss's massive body recoiled from the block, Seiya gripped his one-handed sword and thrust forward.
"Wenren Sword Style, Third Form—'Break Army'!"