Still clutching his groin, Klein glared at Seiya as the boar's body shattered into pixels and vanished.
"Seriously, Seiya? I treated you like a Friend, and you and Kirito were teaming up to fool me, huh? You're actually a beta tester too, aren't you?!"
No wonder Klein thought that way — if Seiya was really a newbie, then what did that make him?
They were both supposed to be beginners, yet while he was still struggling to pull off a single sword skill, Seiya had just one-shotted a monster like it was nothing.
That flashy move just now nearly blinded him.
"You call that a newbie? Come on, even Kirito doesn't show off that much!"
"Klein, you've got it wrong," Seiya sighed, raising his hands innocently. "I'm the same as you — first time playing SAO, totally new.
If you don't believe me, you can ask this guy."
He jerked his chin toward Kirito.
Though reluctant, Kirito was still honest enough to nod. "He's telling the truth. This is his first time playing SAO.
The beta tester slots were extremely limited. If Seiya was one of them, I'd definitely know."
Klein frowned but had to admit — there was no reason for two skilled players to set up such an elaborate prank on a random salaryman like him.
But that only left him more confused. He grabbed Seiya's shoulders, eyes gleaming.
"Oh, I get it now! You're using some kind of cheat program, right? Come on, we're Friends — share the good stuff! Just let me try that 'instant kill' feeling once, okay?"
Seiya nearly facepalmed. "Cheat program? Really?"
Before he could respond, Kirito cut in sharply, shaking his head like a tech purist whose faith had been questioned.
"That's impossible. SAO is the first full-dive VR game powered by the NerveGear. It was developed by Argus, the top mechanical engineering company in Japan.
Forget cheats — even serious bugs are practically nonexistent. That was already proven during the beta."
Any seasoned gamer knew that beta testers always tried to exploit glitches and loopholes.
But even those hardcore veterans hadn't found any real exploits in SAO.
So the idea of using third-party cheats was just ridiculous.
Klein blinked. "Then how the hell did Seiya one-shot that boar?"
Kirito crossed his arms. "Simple. He used his own skill.
Like I said earlier — in SAO, while sword skills are system-based, real-life technique can still matter.
Seiya's a national kendo champion in real life. That move he used? It was his actual sword technique.
And since he struck the monster right at its weak point, the system multiplied the damage. That's why he killed it in one blow."
Klein's jaw dropped. "Wait—you're telling me this guy's a kendo champion?!"
Seiya rubbed the back of his neck. "It's really not that big of a deal… just a middle-school level tournament win."
Both Kirito and Klein stared at him in disbelief.
Kirito finally sighed. "Not that big of a deal? You crushed the second-place finisher, and even the judges said your technique was good enough to compete with high-school or even adult champions."
Kirito's tone grew more analytical. "You see, in real life, tournaments are split by age and physique — for fairness.
But in SAO, there's no such difference. Aside from equipment and level, everyone's stats start equal.
That means even a scrawny gamer can beat a gym freak — if he's got the skill."
As he said this, Kirito slowly drew his sword, his expression sharpening.
"Seiya, let's have a PVP match.
We're both level one, both using beginner gear, and in this world, our physical strength is the same.
I've got my beta experience — you've got your real-world kendo skills. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
For the uninitiated, "PVP" stood for Player versus Player
Kirito hadn't planned on challenging Seiya this early. He'd thought Seiya was just another newbie.
But after watching that boar go down in one clean strike, his hands were itching.
He already knew Seiya would adapt fast to a sword-based game like SAO…
but this fast? It was absurd.
If he didn't challenge him now, Kirito had a feeling that in a few more days, he'd be the one getting crushed.
Seiya smirked. "So that's your real reason, huh?
All that talk about SAO helping me 'hone my swordsmanship' and 'bonding through gaming'— total nonsense.
You just wanted to beat me up, didn't you, Kirito?"
Kirito smiled faintly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"So, Kendo Champion… will you accept my challenge?"
---
(End of Chapter)