This desolate world—Dark Blood Online—crushes dreams and vitality. The tavern [Headless Ox] in the [Dying City], built from the ruins of SAO's Starting City, teems with NPCs drowning their sorrows in fleeting pleasure.
Weirdly, I can't help but see emotions in NPCs. Back in SAO's Starting City, I refused to rot. Fresh from trembling in my inn's corner, I saw players using NPCs as bait to hunt mobs. Rage took over; I turned orange. The judgmental stares and hellish karma recovery quests still sting.
Snapping back, I scan for the player from the letter: a young woman with a blonde ponytail avatar. No sign of her yet.
"Real time… 2:30 PM."
Meeting's at 3:00. Too early? I sit at the counter, eyeing the saloon-like tavern, doubling as an inn upstairs. Scantily clad female NPCs strut in risqué dresses. DBO has no age restrictions, right? Bad for kids. CERO, do your job.
"Wait, SAO had that ethics code bypass…"
No, no, no! That didn't exist! No way Kayaba, that grand maestro, would include such a shameless feature!
…Fine, I'll admit it. That function was irrelevant to me. Damn it! Not like I'm jealous! Being a virgin in reality and VR at my age isn't shameful!
I was 13 when SAO trapped me—a kid with romantic fantasies. Still have some, but I'm less idealistic about women now. More accurately, love scares me. How many times did female players' charms nearly get me PK'd in SAO? Enough to justify my trust issues.
Still, I'm not completely uninterested, thanks to her. Her brother complex is a flaw, but I like her enough to dream of a home run. Though, I'm probably not on her radar.
"…It's 3:30. She's late."
The tavern's empty of players—service day one, it's off most radars. Tucked in a grim alley, it's no event hub. Still, her being late is odd. She knows I hate VR. Even furious, she wouldn't pull this roundabout stunt… I think. She'd call or storm my place for a physical scolding.
Why meet in the first-release VRMMO on an Amusphere III, a cursed machine? Why spend over 100,000 yen on gear? Either it's something only discussable in VR, or DBO itself holds secrets she needs me to see. Likely the latter. This [Dying City] is a trauma minefield for SAO survivors. She might want my input after seeing it.
…Or, wishful thinking, she wants to party up and play the latest game! That's gotta be it! Nothing else makes sense!
"Mind if I sit?"
A young man's voice yanks me from my fantasy. A blue-haired knight with a friendly smile stands beside me, armed with a kite shield and longsword—classic hero vibes.
"Uh, s-sure…"
Don't just talk to me out of nowhere! My countryside uni life, hiking mountains and forests, has tanked my social skills. Sensing my unease, the knight sits next to me anyway. In this big tavern, next to me?
"Waiting for someone? You looked deep in thought."
"Kinda, yeah."
My avatar's a shifty mercenary. Stammering ruins the vibe—I need to act tougher.
"You waiting too?"
"Nah, looking for a party. Tried the field outside, but the first area's brutal. Don't want a death penalty, so I'm hunting for temp allies. No luck so far."
"Got it. I looked free?"
"Hard to say," he grins.
His radiant aura's overwhelming. Definitely a real-life heartthrob. A natural leader—party commander or guild head by popular vote. Honestly, I'm tired of waiting for her. VR or not, I'm curious about this game. The tutorial cooled me off, but I want a taste.
"Alright, let's party. I'm a noob, though—don't expect much."
"Same here. Just numbers for now. Oh, mind if I send a friend request? It's fate, right?"
Too perfect. I accept the party and, after a beat, the friend request. Friending a guy like him makes quitting tough, but his charisma's infectious. Maybe I can enjoy this game a bit, casually.
"Cool, [Kuri]. Let's do this!"
"You too, [Diavel]."
We shake hands.