A black hooded cloak fluttered around me as I sprinted through the heart of a forest cloaked in night. I didn't stomp the ground; instead, I glided forward, silencing my footsteps.
Suddenly, a scream mingled with the wind whistling past my ears. I leapt mid-stride, grabbing a nearby branch to steady myself. My long-dormant Acrobatics skill—learned once out of pure curiosity—proved its worth. I scanned the area. My Detection skill highlighted four markers ahead: one green, three orange.
Since I could see them with my own eyes without the map, they were less than fifty meters away. I leapt from tree to tree like a ninja, closing in on the markers.
After several leaps, I found them in a deep clearing where moonlight filtered weakly through the canopy. The green player was cornered against a massive tree, surrounded by three orange-named criminals.
"Not them," I whispered after checking their faces.
If one had been wearing a mask, I would have intervened immediately, but they were all bare-faced. I had no business here and prepared to leave, but a voice stopped me.
"Enough talk! Hand over your items now! Killing someone like you is light work. Do you hear me?!"
"No, please! This... my friends need this!"
"Tch, how annoying. I don't give a damn what happens to your friends—!"
A painful scream followed the sound of a heavy stab. I turned to see a massive sword driven into the green player's leg.
"Listen, do you want to die? Give us the loot—"
Suddenly, a crimson flash streaked through the dark, ripping the sword from the leader's hand. Before he could process the shock, someone lunged forward, grabbed his face, and slammed him into the dirt, dragging him violently across the ground.
"What?! Who are you?!"
"Do you have any idea who we are?!"
"The 'Devil's Blade' guild. Though calling it a guild is a stretch—you're just a three-man gang of highwaymen who only prey on the weak. That's all I've heard about you."
"You bastard... You think you'll get away with mocking us—Gah?!"
"Take your complaints to the information brokers. I'm only repeating what they say."
I crushed the leader's throat with my boot to silence him. His comrades lunged at me, swinging weapons glowing with sword skill effects. Their blades struck my body, but my HP bar barely moved. Even when it dipped slightly, my Battle Healing skill filled it back up instantly.
Ignoring their attacks, I pulled my spear from the ground—the same spear I had thrown moments ago to disarm the leader. Seeing this, the other two tried to run, but a horizontal sweep of my spear caught their legs, sending them crashing down.
"Don't resist. Don't you want to stay alive?"
The three members of Devil's Blade collapsed in despair as I leveled the tip of my spear at them.
"... Dammit."
I cursed softly under my breath in an inn within Mishe, the central area of Floor 35. Even though the front lines had reached Floor 75, this was a hub for mid-tier players.
Five days had passed since that disaster. I had abandoned the front lines, spending my time hunting the shadows of killers in the lower and middle floors. But even with the information I bought from city brokers, I only found petty thieves. This time was no different. I expected as much; every broker except Argo lacked precision. I needed to find a new source before they drained my remaining funds.
I opened my menu and navigated to my inventory. The storage was nearly empty, containing only a few health potions and an item called a "Corridor Crystal." The number next to it indicated the remaining stock.
"One... only one left."
On that day, I had gathered everything of value from my home and sold it. That money was meant for potions and information fees, but I spent every last Col to hoard Corridor Crystals from various shops.
Since teleport crystals aren't sold in NPC shops and are rare, I could only find five—or perhaps I should say I managed to find five. I set a rule for myself: if I encountered an orange player and had a crystal, I had to send them to prison immediately.
I knew I was clinging to a desperate hope. I couldn't go back there—I didn't have the right to. The urge to kill "that man" still burned inside me. The sound of his mocking laughter still echoed in my ears; it had faded slightly, but it returned the moment I stopped to listen.
And yet... to my own regret, I had programmed all five Corridor Crystals to the Black Iron Palace prison. I wondered... what if I found that man before these crystals ran out?
On that day, when I returned to the city, I did everything I could to control myself. The laughter of ordinary players and the voices of NPCs transformed in my head into that hideous cackle. From the moment I teleported, I felt like I was losing my mind. I could do nothing but flee to my house, shutting my eyes and ears to the noise.
As I huddled against my locked door, hands pressed tightly over my ears, I thought I heard a very familiar voice. That sound helped me regain a shred of sanity, and perhaps it was the reason I chose this path.
But now, only one crystal remained. If I didn't find him next time, it would be over.
It is incredibly difficult to capture a criminal player without a Corridor Crystal to send them directly to prison. It's even harder if the killer is experienced in combat. Even during the Laughing Coffin crusade, everyone chipped in to buy teleport crystals before the raid.
I could have saved this vital tool. I could have ignored the small-time thugs and saved the crystals only for those about to commit murder. That was my original plan, but I couldn't be as cold as I thought. Every time someone cried for help on the brink of death, those old memories resurfaced. If I ignored them—if I abandoned a life I could save...
"What are you saying now? Aren't you the selfish Beater? Back then, you abandoned many lives you could have saved and left the Town of Beginnings alone."
That's right.
"You were alone from the start. You were only with strangers because your interests aligned for a while. Now everything has returned to how it was. Why are you worried?"
That's true... true, but...
"Are you afraid? Afraid she will give up on you? Afraid she'll scream in your face, calling you scum and a monster because you didn't save them?"
Dammit... yes, I'm terrified.
No matter how isolated I was, no matter how much I avoided others, she always looked at me. She cared. I leaned on her existence the whole time. I was afraid she would accuse me directly, so I deleted the friendship without a word.
"Then... will you stop now?"
... I can't.
"Why?"
Because it's a responsibility I must fulfill.
"What responsibility?"
That man said, "It's my fault." I don't know his goal, but every time he targets me, someone innocent dies.
Not only that, but I was trying to end this alone in my own selfish way. After the crusade, I made sure that man wasn't among the survivors. I should have checked the Monument of Life in the Black Iron Palace, but at that time, I was burdened by the fact that I had killed five people. I closed my eyes and assumed he was dead. If his name didn't have a line through it, if he was still alive... I might have to kill someone again. I ran because I was afraid of that. I didn't want to kill anymore.
But he is alive. He targeted me again, I killed again, another person died because of me, and he escaped again.
... It's all because of me. So, I must do this alone so no one else gets involved. I have to end it myself.
At that thought, the voice inside my head finally went quiet.
The next day, I held my breath as I read the information I bought from a new broker.
An orange player from the remnants of Laughing Coffin is hiding on the 35th Floor.
"Can you guarantee the accuracy of this info?"
The suspicious-looking broker gave a sinister laugh.
"I only sell information. Whether you believe it is up to you—but my personal estimate says the probability is high."
"I won't pay extra."
"Heh. I've met the famous 'Vigilante,' so we'll call the tab settled with that."
"What did you say?"
I asked, startled by the unfamiliar title.
"What, you didn't know? You've become a famous hero around these parts."
"You must have the wrong person."
I pulled my hood down to hide my eyes and left quickly.
"A hero? What a joke—"
How could a coward like me be a hero? Then again, didn't someone say, "Kill one man, and you are a murderer; kill a hundred, and you are a hero"? If we take that literally, with two thousand deaths in the first month of the game, maybe I am a hero.
I laughed bitterly at myself and headed toward the location where the former Laughing Coffin member was reportedly hiding.
The "Forest of Wandering" in the northern part of Floor 35 is a vast area divided like a chessboard. If you stay in one spot for more than a minute, the space connections change randomly, and you find yourself lost in an instant. That was where the player had been sighted.
I had my doubts, and they grew when I reached the site. The sun was setting, casting long shadows. Once night fell, visibility would be near zero, and I would have to rely on the faint glow of primitive plants to move.
It was hard to believe someone could definitively claim a sighted person was a "former Laughing Coffin member" just by looking. That would require proof—like seeing the smiling coffin tattoo members put somewhere on their bodies.
"Either the broker lied, or someone sold him fake information..."
I couldn't rule out the possibility that the story was just a "sighting of a suspicious person" that blew up. But assuming an orange player was there, I had to watch out for a trap.
I activated my Hide skill from my quick-menu, adjusted my hood, and vanished into the shadows of the setting sun.
After hours of searching—and avoiding the "Drunken Ape" mobs roaming the path—I spotted two shadows. Both were green, but their features were unclear.
"Are those the people mentioned in the info...?"
Even though their cursors were green, five days had passed since the incident. If they hadn't committed a crime since then, it was natural for their color to return to green.
I approached cautiously, hiding behind trees, hoping to hear their voices. When I got within ten meters, I began to catch their conversation.
"Hurry up... or I'll kill you!"
"What are you saying... I can't do that!"
The silhouettes were a man and a woman. The man's voice sounded nothing like "that man."
They looked like ordinary players... but the words I caught didn't sound friendly. As I listened to decide if I should intervene, an orange cursor suddenly appeared in my field of vision.
"Dammit—run, now!"
At the man's shout, an orange player dressed in black jumped from behind a different tree. The man stood in front of the woman to protect her as if he had lost his weapon, throwing his arms out—and that's when I lunged.
I drove the blunt end of my spear forward, swinging it to clip the lower right side where my opponent held his weapon. The sharp tip grazed him, creating a small damage effect on his right arm, and the orange player jumped back to gain distance.
"From that movement, he's no ordinary criminal—this is the killer from the reports!"
He was different from the petty thieves. Those usually start with threats to steal money. This one attacked without a word—a movement clearly intended to end a life.
I cautiously checked behind me—ready for a counterattack at any moment—and felt a silent relief when I saw the two behind me hadn't drawn weapons. My suspicions had been wrong. I barked a short command.
"Leave this area immediately. Use crystals to return to town. Got it?"
"Who are you?!"
"Got it?"
"Y-yes..."
The two grabbed teleport crystals and vanished through a gate. Now this criminal wouldn't know where they went. If he tried to chase them, he would have to pass through my spear's range.
"Now, what will you do? I'd appreciate it if you surrendered and went to prison quietly."
No answer came. Instead, I heard a laugh like a hiss. As I struggled to suppress the noise starting in my head, the unknown killer lunged at me.
The fight ended quickly. I had been on the front lines until recently, and the level gap was massive. The outcome was logical.
I raised my hand to take the Corridor Crystal from my storage, but I froze.
Before me, the red player lay on the ground, his limb joints severed, rendering him unable to move. Due to the HP reduction from the limb loss and the poison effect from my spear, his life was slowly draining. If I left him like this, he would die soon.
If I sent him to prison with the crystal, he would go to a "Safe Zone" where his wounds would heal instantly, but he wouldn't get out until the game ended. It also meant I would permanently close my own path back.
"Use it! You prepared it for this. Finish it."
"Stop! If you use it, everything is over. Do you intend to kill every criminal in Aincrad until you find that man?!"
Two conflicting voices battled in my mind—one inciting me, the other holding me back.
I gripped the crystal, my breathing quickening. I... I—!
"Dammit—Corridor... Open—"
In response to my hoarse voice from between gritted teeth, the massive crystal shattered. Space distorted before me, and a gate opened directly to the Black Iron Palace prison. I kicked the red player's body into the portal as if venting my rage. As the gate closed, my strength suddenly gave out. I couldn't stand anymore; I leaned against a massive tree and slid to the ground.
"I can't turn back now."
I opened my inventory with a shaking hand. The name "Corridor Crystal" was gone from the list. That was natural; I had consumed it. But to me, it felt like the road I came from had collapsed, leaving only an endless path of thorns.
"I'm sorry... I broke my promise... Dammit..."
From now on, I would kill many players. I would take many lives with my own hands and turn into the worst butcher in Aincrad. Stained with blood, I no longer had the right to see her. No right to stay by her side.
And yet, even now, I was harboring a selfish hope. I slapped my cheek with all my strength. No matter how hard I hit myself, my HP only dropped a fraction, and the pain that could kill this hope never came.
"Stop acting like a child. Is this kind of weakness allowed?" I had to atone. I had to fulfill my responsibility. I would kill every criminal in Aincrad—I needed that kind of resolve.
... If only I could see her face one last time so she could finish me off. "You're the worst killer," "Don't ever show your face again"—if she said that, the chains of regret pulling me toward her would break, even as I fell into the abyss.
Yes. If that happened, maybe...
"Dammit... dammit—"
Why wouldn't these feelings vanish, no matter how much I tried to convince or scold myself?
I don't want to. I don't want to hear that from her. I don't want those words to come from her mouth. I don't want to be away from her—!
I want to see her... I want to see Alice.
"Alice... save me—"
Suddenly, my vision blurred. The exhaustion of days spent without sleep or rest finally took its toll.
This is bad, I need to teleport—
As my consciousness faded, I thought I heard the sound of someone running toward me.
When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar sight. It took a few seconds to realize I was looking at the ceiling of a room. I sat up abruptly.
"Where am I?"
This wasn't my house in Danac. Nor was there an inn with this decor on the 35th Floor. So... was it someone's house?
I looked around and found the answer immediately. Slumped beside the bed I was in, a girl with beautiful golden hair was sleeping peacefully, her head resting on the edge of the mattress.
This was Alice's house. Whether by chance or not, she had found me unconscious in the Forest of Wandering and brought me here. Even though I'm light because I don't wear metal armor, carrying someone in SAO isn't easy. Did someone help her?
... Regardless, I had to leave. I slipped out of bed cautiously so as not to wake her and scanned the room. I couldn't find my spear. I opened my menu, terrified the notification sound would wake her, and found the spear still in my equipment slot. That meant it was stored in another room. I opened the door slowly to leave the bedroom.
"..."
I looked at Alice's sleeping back. Since I had deleted our friendship, she had no way to track my location accurately. And yet, she found me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy, but the guilt was stronger. I was about to crush all her efforts.
Fortunately, the spear wasn't hidden; I found it leaning against the living room wall. I prepared to leave and headed for the front door.
A strange weight settled on me as I reached for the handle. It was as if my soul was resisting, telling me that if I opened this door, I would never return. I placed my left hand over my unmoving right hand and managed to turn the knob.
I opened the door quietly. It was just before dawn; the night breeze brushed my face—and at that moment, a hand grabbed mine from behind.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Sorry... did I wake you?"
"I asked you, where are you going?"
This hurt.
"Just a bit of hunting."
"Then I'm going with you."
This was tearing me apart.
"No. The monsters I hunt are disgusting. Alice... I mean, you wouldn't like them."
"I don't care. Being by your side is enough."
I don't want to go.
"Don't worry. I've slept and regained my energy. Also, I'm monopolizing the hunting ground, so if you stay with me, people will say whatever they want about you."
"They'll say that about you even if you're alone."
Please notice.
"I'm used to it. It's fine. I'm okay."
Save me.
Alice gripped my arm tightly.
"Liar...!"
"Alice...?"
"There's no way you're okay!!"
She pulled me hard, pinning me against the wall as she grabbed my shoulders. The door shut beside us with a soft click.
"Listen to me! Saying you're used to it just means you've learned to tolerate it! It doesn't mean you don't feel the pain anymore! To take all those false accusations, to be insulted by everyone—your heart can't stay whole after two years of that treatment!!"
Tears streamed from her eyes as she screamed in pain.
"You aren't a silent doll. You're a human with a heart! If you're hurt, you feel pain. If you feel pain, you cry! You are human! If you're hurting, say it! If you're suffering, say it! I can't stand seeing your heart being wounded anymore!!"
Her words seeped into me one by one, slowly melting the ice. The warmth of her words was irresistible, and everything I had suppressed exploded at once.
"Ah... yes. I'm hurting. It hurts so much. Ever since that time, the whole time—"
On that day we defeated the first-floor boss, I branded myself with the title of "Beater." I didn't think the road would be this miserable, but I was prepared for it to be hard.
Actually, I thought I was doing well. Despite how players looked at me, I contributed to the fight. I helped anyone who needed it. Despite the insults, I comforted myself knowing I helped them. I thought I was fine—until that time.
"Die, you damn Beater."
For the first time since coming to this world, someone wished for my death to my face. From that moment, I started thinking... did the players we couldn't save die hating us like that? Do the two thousand who fell at the start of the game wish for the gruesome death of us "Beaters" who survived over their corpses?
I told myself I would finish this game and then die. That was my motivation. But—
In the crusade against Laughing Coffin, which was a chance to atone for what happened to those girls, I lost my mind and killed five people. And yet, I couldn't get revenge. In the end, I tried to atone out of self-love.
Alice stood by me despite all my flaws. I loved her smile and decided to fight to protect her—I found a reason to fight other than dying for atonement.
But when "that man" appeared again, I let someone die before my eyes. Then I killed two, and the last person I tried to save, I failed to save him too. I didn't kill to protect. I killed because I failed to protect—even killing didn't protect anyone.
It was all because of my weakness. If I were stronger... this wouldn't have happened.
"His laughter never leaves my head. The moment I hear someone laugh, my head fills with his voice... and my hand reaches for my weapon without thinking."
If I stayed with Alice, I would inevitably point my spear at her. My dark feelings would stain her smile—I'd rather die than let that happen.
"I can't stay with anyone anymore. I can't stay by your side—"
Before I could finish, Alice pulled my head to her chest and hugged me tightly.
"Close your eyes and don't think of anything. Just focus on my heartbeat."
It wasn't her usual firm voice. It was a voice full of tenderness.
Through her blue dress, I felt her heartbeat—thump-thump, thump-thump. Even if it was an artificial heart in a virtual world, the rhythm was incredibly warm and gentle.
"Can you still hear the laughter that was torturing my Mitsuki?"
As I surrendered to her embrace, I listened. The hideous laughter that wouldn't leave no matter how hard I tried to drive it away was suddenly silent.
When I told her that, she whispered "Thank God," released my head, and cupped my face with her hands.
"Mitsuki, I'm by your side. Even if the whole world wants you dead, I want you alive. I will always stay by your side. I will have your back. I won't leave you alone, no matter what. You might see me as weak and unreliable, but... will you let me love you?"
"Am I... am I good enough for you?"
"I want you."
"Can I... can I stay by your side?"
"I want that. Please, do."
"You're a fool..."
"No, you're the fool. Because you carried all this pain alone until you ended up like this."
"I love you, Alice... I want to stay with you forever."
"Yes. And I love you, Mitsuki."
I found myself hugging Alice and crying like a child. I feel embarrassed now for showing such a weak side, but Alice held me until the tears stopped.
"Are you calm now?"
"Sorry... I showed you a shameful side."
I sat beside Alice on the bed after I finished crying.
"We didn't know each other well enough. We hid our feelings thinking it was for the best, but we realize now we were wrong. So... let's talk. Let's let out everything we suppressed. Let's talk a lot."
After that, we each revealed what was in our hearts. Alice was sometimes shy and flushed, other times she pouted, and it all seemed wonderful to me. I felt like I was laughing from the bottom of my heart for the first time in a long time.
I don't know how long we spoke. Suddenly, we realized it was the middle of the night and heard the city bell announce the change of date.
"Mitsuki, do you know what day it is today?"
"Hmm... is there an occasion?"
The date had changed to October 29th. I felt like there was something, but I couldn't remember.
"What a man... at least remember your birthday."
"My birthday... right, it's time."
"Last year, your birthday coincided with a boss fight and we couldn't celebrate—even though someone didn't tell me when his birthday was until the last second."
"It's not something to be proud of and announce to everyone..."
"Nonsense. This is the day you were born into this world, so let me celebrate you."
She said that and brought her forehead close to mine.
"Happy birthday, Mitsuki. Thank you for being born, and thank you for meeting me."
Her close smile pulled me in—and I kissed her.
Our lips touched for a moment, and she jumped back in shock.
"W-what...?!"
"Sorry. Did that bother you?"
"It... it's not that... but, I mean... not so suddenly, you should have... ah..."
She returned to her usual firm tone as she tried to hide her embarrassment, her face flushing deep red as she began to mumble incoherently.
I gently pulled her shoulders as she looked at me from the corner of her eye—and I kissed her again, deeper this time.
I felt her heat transferring to me. Could she feel my heat too? I pulled away, feeling regret for leaving her lips.
"That's not enough—I want more."
Moonlight filtered through the window—two shadows formed, then merged into one.
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