Am I the only one streaming Sword Art Online on the entire internet?

"Hmm—is there anything else you don't understand, Brother Suolin?" she asked.

"It's nothing. Thank you." Sorin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her address, and watched the girl walk out of the room in her large nun's robes before letting out another deep sigh.

The room seemed to be rarely used; in a space of less than ten square meters, there was a cast-iron bed, a table and chairs of the same material, a small bookshelf, and a cabinet, making it look somewhat cramped. He lay back on the bed, covered himself with the blanket, and began to think about his plans for the next day.

"The purpose of the 'Call of Duty' setting is probably to prevent us from using some seemingly illogical or buggy methods to get through here, such as sneaking away with Eugeo or similar methods. However, one thing worth noting is that it doesn't specify what to use to cut down the tree; as long as we can knock it down, it's fine. So it seems we need to investigate this village after the morning prayers tomorrow; there should be some clues or quest hints."

Sorin tried his best not to think too much about the strange thing: "Why are almost all the people he's met along the way not like NPCs in a typical game, but more like normal humans with their own souls?" He subconsciously thought that his situation was similar to Yuna's back then, and that as long as he continued on his way or the people outside made great progress, they would naturally get him out. So he naturally focused more on "how to complete the first playthrough of this game".

Of course, there was another reason why he was so engrossed in thinking about the game strategy—any other thought would involuntarily remind him of Yuna and Ivyxin, who were still outside. This feeling of separation was unpleasant and could even drive him to the brink of collapse. He could only try his best to avoid thinking about it.

"I'm sleepy... Time for bed, goodnight... okay."

There was no response. Suolin was stunned for a moment, then realized with a start that her eyes were already filled with glistening tears.

------

"knock knock"

There was a knock at the door. Sorin groggily opened his eyes, thinking that it was almost time for morning prayers, so he quickly got up, dressed, and went to the door to open it, where he saw Seruka already standing there.

“It’s already 5:30. The children have all gotten up and washed their faces. If you don’t hurry, you won’t make it to the morning prayers.” She stared at Solin seriously, but after less than two seconds, she turned her head away shyly, her face flushed.

"Anyway... you absolutely can't be late, and you must wash your face at the well outside before you come over!"

Seemingly to cover her embarrassment, she hurriedly disappeared outside after uttering those words. Sorin shook her head helplessly and called upon "Stia's Window" to check the durability of her garment. It displayed "44/45," so it seemed there shouldn't be any problems for now.

"Morning prayer... what a nostalgic activity," Solin said, his thoughts drifting back to a long, long time ago, when he still lived in Vladivostok. When he came back to his senses, he realized that he had missed it for far too long.

"There should be about twenty minutes left. Let's just get through this morning prayer first, and investigate the village later."

Underworld, March 6, 378th year of the Human Calendar

“Stia, our Lord, grant us peace and joy this day, that we may not suffer wounds or be tainted by sin. Let us overcome all anxieties and troubles and turn away from the temptations of evil, so that we may sing praises to you with joy this morning. Stia, our Lord, you are the Lord who cares for all things, may you be praised forever.”

"This prayer is quite simple, similar to what I used to feel," Sorin thought to himself. He watched as the people around him closed their eyes devoutly and waited for a moment before starting to eat under the nun's guidance. So he picked up his breakfast as well—bread and milk, which probably represented the flesh and blood of the saint.

"The texture is awful. I bet all the bread in the village tastes like this big loaf of bread. It reminds me of the dry bread we ate back when we were clearing land in SAO." He shoved the bread into his mouth with difficulty, relentlessly complaining about its texture. "I need to find a way to go to a bakery sometime and make something myself. Who the hell can stand this kind of bread all the time..."

Of course, despite his words, he now knew he had no choice. Even if the bread was hard to swallow, he had to eat it obediently, since he still had to work today.

After the meal, most of the children in the church went to the church school run by the nuns, while Sorin, who had long passed this stage and did not yet have his own calling, went to Eugeo to ask him if he had anything better.

After all, he didn't have a very high level of goodwill towards the other people in the village, and rashly inquiring about information might lead to some unexpected events that he didn't want to see.

From yesterday's work, he roughly understood what his current role's initial attributes were—similar to his situation in reality, much stronger than the average person. This gave him confidence that he could fight normally, instead of starting out as a decorative figurehead and bearing the pressure.

“Eugeo, there should be an axe here that’s even more powerful than this ‘Dragon Bone Axe’... or something similar that can chop.” He asked tentatively.

"How could that be? Dragon bones are already the most powerful weapon material in the world. If there is anything more powerful, it can only be... the divine artifacts in the hands of the Integrity Knights."

Eugeo spoke haltingly, and Sorin waited quite a while before he finished. After speaking, he remained silent for about five seconds before leaning close to Sorin's ear, his tone suddenly becoming mysterious.

"However... if it's something similar... there is actually a sword."

"Oh?" Solin immediately perked up, realizing his thinking was correct, and quickly asked, "Where is it? What kind of sword is it?"

“It’s in that little warehouse from that day… but I really doubt you can lift this sword, Sorin.” Eugeo looked at Sorin’s slender body, which seemed even younger than his own, and said hesitantly, “Although you swung the axe smoothly yesterday, this… is still a little different. I’ll go get it when we get there, but it’ll take a while. Don’t tell anyone else, okay?”

"Okay, I understand." Sorin looked directly into Eugeo's eyes and replied obediently, not caring that Eugeo seemed to unconsciously regard him as a helpless girl. "I won't tell anyone, don't worry."

When Eugeo saw Sorin like this, he froze on the spot, his fair face turning bright red in an instant.

“Hey!” Solin protested.

"Ah...sorry, Sorin. But you really do look a lot like my childhood friend." Eugeo finally snapped out of his daze, shaking his head violently and repeating to himself, "Sorin is a boy, Sorin is a boy," before continuing, "He can cook, has a kind heart, and is very cute..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Are you reminiscing about your childhood sweetheart or just teasing me?" Sorin interrupted Eugeo's reminiscences, then his expression turned serious as he pressed, "Can you tell me more about your childhood sweetheart? I still don't know her name."

Sorin's question wasn't a sudden whim. In other single-player role-playing games, names frequently mentioned by characters early in the game often became key points in the later plot. His current "main quest" involved helping Eugeo rescue his childhood friend from the Integrity Knights, so finding out about her was essential.

After all, no one knows how long this peaceful life will last. Eugeo had previously mentioned that a considerable number of dark forces exist on the other side of the End Mountains, so even if Eugeo stated they couldn't cross the End Mountains…

Having played so many RPG games, Solin knew very well that this kind of setup usually involves enemies suddenly appearing from over there, followed by a big battle, blah blah blah. It's cliché, but effective.

“Her? Her name is Alice.” Eugeo’s expression suddenly darkened. “She started learning sacred arts in the church when she was very young. She is a true genius and will become the next nun.”

"Is that so? Then she's been taken away, so she can't take over from the current nun, right? I remember seeing a little girl practicing holy magic yesterday, her name was..."

“Seruka, she’s Alice’s sister. She only became Ms. Asalia’s apprentice last year, which is to say, a novice nun.” Eugeo picked up where Sorin left off, and continued, “We don’t know yet whether she has the same talent for holy magic as Alice, but I think she seems to be overworking herself.”

"Did you try too hard?"

“That’s right. Although Alice also studied sacred magic at the time, she didn’t live in the church like Seruka did. She would go to study every morning, bring me a lunchbox at noon, and go home to help in the afternoon. But she said that the study time was not enough, so she simply moved into the church to live.”

"I see. He sounds like a very hardworking child, maybe he really is working too hard, just like you said."

Sorin murmured thoughtfully, pausing in the cabin before looking at Eugeo once more.

"Let's stop talking now, come on, let me see that sword."

Underworld, March 7, 378th year of the Human Calendar

Eugeo said he was going to get his axe, so Thorin waited there, bored. Of course, he wasn't just waiting idly; while waiting, he kept using his dragonbone axe to reduce the Devil Tree's Destiny—its durability. Although he knew it was just a drop in the ocean, a few swings would still speed things up.

After a long while, Eugeo came running back, panting, carrying a long, thin bag about 120 centimeters long, looking completely out of breath.

"Wow... Pong, are you alright?" Sorin stood beside Eugeo, staring at him worriedly, and asked with concern, "Um... do you need any help?"

Eugeo simply nodded as if he had no energy left to answer, then tossed the long, thin bag to the ground. A heavy thud followed, and the mossy carpet of earth caved in. Sorin handed Eugeo the water bag filled with water, then turned to look at the object lying on the ground.

"May I open it?" Sorin asked Eugeo, seeking permission.

"Hmm... please be careful. If it falls on your foot, it won't be a simple scrape."

Eugeo had barely uttered those words in his dry throat when Sorin nodded at him and reached his entire hand inside. The next moment, he felt a heavy weight pressing down on his hand.

“It is indeed quite heavy.” Sorin lifted the sword up with a little effort, his breathing still a little uneven. “Judging from its weight, this is indeed an unusual sword. You’re right.”

He reached out his left hand and removed the leather scabbard from the sword. Before him lay a magnificent longsword that drew gasps of admiration. It had a finely crafted silver hilt, while the handle was wrapped in layers of white leather. The guard was designed to resemble leaves and vines, and Sorin deduced from the flowers on the upper part of the handle and the leather scabbard that they were rose vines.

Although the longsword exuded an ancient aura, it was free of any dirt or grime, and even carried an air of noble aloofness.

“You were actually able to lift it, that’s really impressive. I can’t even lift this sword off the ground. Its name is the Blue Rose Sword, although I’m not sure if that’s its real name, but that’s what it’s called in fairy tales.” Eugeo looked at Sorin’s eyes, which were filled with a mixture of surprise and doubt, and suddenly explained, “Three hundred years ago—among the first settlers who built villages on this land, there was a swordsman named Bercouli. There are countless adventure stories related to him, but the most famous one is the story of ‘Bercouli and the White Dragon of the North’.”

Eugeo paused here, then looked into the distance, and continued in a slightly melancholic voice:

"Simply put, it's about Bercouli, who, while exploring the End of the Mountains, got lost and stumbled into the White Dragon's lair deep within a cave. Fortunately, the White Dragon, the guardian of the human world, was taking a nap, so Bercouli immediately prepared to escape. However, before leaving, he inadvertently discovered a white sword among the treasures scattered throughout the lair. He desperately wanted to possess the sword, so he carefully picked it up and prepared to flee. But suddenly, countless blue roses sprouted from beneath Bercouli's feet, engulfing him completely. The sound of his fall also woke the White Dragon... That's roughly the story."

"It really fits the typical Western fantasy style, with dragons that love hiding treasure... Does that white dragon also have a pair of bright blue eyes, and when it's in a good mood, it turns into a beautiful silver-haired girl?" Sorin patiently listened to Eugeo finish the story before starting his unique style of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of online commentary/criticism). "Then the next part should be an even more cliché story, right? The hero defeats Blue-Edragon, who guards the treasure, takes the sword, and then passes it on to his descendants to be passed down through generations... That's how it's usually written in stories, isn't it?"

"No, that's not it, Sorin. Anyway, a lot of things happened afterward, and in the end, Bercouli finally got the white dragon's forgiveness, put down his sword, and ran back to the village with his tail between his legs. That's the end of the story... It's a very ordinary fairy tale, right? If it weren't for some children wanting to verify the story's authenticity..."

When Sorin saw Eugeo suddenly become very downcast when he got to this point, he thought to himself that "some kids" probably meant him. However, he didn't call him out on it directly, because Eugeo obviously hadn't stopped talking yet, and it would be very impolite to interrupt someone's story.

"Just like we were back then. Six years ago, Alice and I went to the End of the Mountains to find the legendary white dragon. But the dragon was gone, replaced by a pile of bones covered in knife wounds."

"So this dragon really did exist, huh? Covered in knife wounds and all that... It must have been done by a bunch of one-handed hunters who were just giving it a pedicure." Thorin finally couldn't suppress his burning desire to complain, or rather, he felt that this game had just too many flaws. "But it doesn't sound like a normal flying wyvern or any other dragon... It should be considered an Elder Dragon, right? Or maybe a Tempered one."

Of course, his words were also a further test, because he had thought about it carefully and realized that if another player were looking at him, they might not see him, a particularly serious role-playing player, as just a regular player. If Eugeo also had this characteristic, and the two were still hiding things from each other, who knows what problems might arise. However, after he said this, Eugeo only showed a puzzled expression, indicating that his guess was still incorrect.

“What tempered dragon? Ancient dragon? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Eugeo looked at Sorin with a puzzled expression and asked, then continued, “We don’t know what happened to it either. Anyway, there was a mountain of gold coins and treasures piled up under the bones, including this ‘Blue Rose Sword.’ Of course, we couldn’t get the sword back at the time… Later, Alice and I went to the wrong cave entrance on our way back and ended up in the Dark Kingdom across the mountains. After that, it’s what I told you, you should have heard about it.”

Underworld, March 8, 378th year of the Human Calendar

After listening to Eugeo's account, Sorin remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then, he suddenly leaned back, pointed his right hand straight at Eugeo, and with an expression that said, "There's only one truth," he loudly proclaimed:

"You haven't forgotten Alice, and you still want to use this sword to save her, am I right?"

After saying this, he casually swung the "Blue Rose Sword" in his hand a couple of times, then stared intently at him and continued, "Although I've lost many memories, I still remember many things... At least I remember that I used to be a swordsman. I can help you. Do you want to become stronger, young man?"

"I want to... but I still have my duty. I can't leave here until I cut down this tree!" Eugeo, provoked by Sorin's words, shouted back, his voice filled with helplessness and resentment, "Do you have a way to help me cut down this tree?"

"Whether there's a way or not, we'll only know by trying! The incredible thing about humanity is the incredible thing about courage, although that's not exactly what they said... But I'll show you!" Thorin answered loudly, stretching out his left hand to draw the "SC" symbol, opening the Window of Stasia, revealing the destiny of Gigas Cedar to him and Eugeo. "Watch closely! What I'm going to tell you is that nothing is impossible!"

Eugeo stared palely at the Window of Stysia that Sorin had suddenly summoned, which still displayed the 260,000 Fate of Gigascedar. Sorin, on the other hand, stood firmly on his feet, casually placed his sword beside him, and closed his eyes slightly.

"Though the enemy outnumbers us, we will slay them all with a single blow!"

Eugeo vaguely saw the battlefields that Sorin had experienced before—the encounter with the red-named players in the forest on the fourth level, the battle against the living statues in the underground of the fifth level, the silver figure charging and dodging amidst the encirclement of countless gnolls... All of this made him feel dazzled, and at the same time brought him a considerable degree of shock.

"Is this the battle... Sorin experienced?" He wondered, but the dazzling, chilling light of the blade interrupted his thoughts. A series of slashes, shimmering with blue and silver light, struck the central mark on Gigas Cida, causing the entire giant tree to tremble. Gigas Cida's destiny was visibly declining: 260127, 259173, 258787...

Is this his true strength...? Eugeo stared at the scene in disbelief, not even knowing what to say. This exhilarating yet breathtaking sword dance continued until Gigas Cedar's Destiny reached 258,000 before stopping. Sorin planted the magnificent Blue Rose Sword diagonally in the ground, gently leaning on the sword as he looked at Eugeo once more.

"This...this is amazing, Sorin!" Eugeo exclaimed excitedly, his eyes shining. "If I could be as strong as you, I could definitely cut down this Demon Tree sooner and then head to the Central Region to rescue Alice. But..."

“There’s no ‘buts.’ Be more confident in yourself, Eugeo. Everyone is the protagonist, everyone is the unique hero in their own story.” Sorin smiled and patted Eugeo’s shoulder firmly, then handed him the Blue Rose Sword. “Believe in yourself. If you’re willing to take that step, I will do everything I can to help you.”

“Is that so? Everyone… is the only Hero in their own story…” Eugeo murmured to himself, tentatively taking the Blue Rose Sword from Sorin’s hand, but was immediately pressed to the ground by its heavy weight. “No… no, Sorin, I still can’t lift it.”

"How could that be? I didn't think it was that heavy..." Sorin looked at Eugeo, who was bending over and trying to lift the Blue Rose Sword, with surprise. He thought to himself that if it wasn't the young man's mental illness but a physical condition, wouldn't all his verbal sparring just now have been for naught? However, Eugeo quickly answered his question... or rather, he discovered some clues himself.

"Wait a minute, this should be an MMORPG world, so powerful equipment like the Blue Rose Sword should have its own equipment requirements." Sorin's mind raced, but at the same time, he had some doubts about his own idea. "But... I've never seen any level settings here. There should be other equipment requirements, right? What could they be?"

He thought for a long time, then suddenly realized that he could use the Stia Window to check information about the Blue Rose Sword. So he drew the symbol "SC" in the air, opened the information about the Blue Rose Sword, and saw something different—something he had seen before but hadn't noticed.

First, at the top of the data column is something that looks more like a number than a name, such as "UNIT ID:NND7-6355". The next row below is "Durability", which is usually referred to as fate or durability. The value above it is a staggering 197700.

These were fairly standard data points, so Solin continued looking down. The next line contained two other data points, one displaying "Object Control Authority: 45" above and "System Control Authority: 1" below.

"I admit, I shouldn't have skipped so many programming classes back then." Solin was now very regretful about his undergraduate life of slacking off all day long, but now was not the time to care about such details. Anyway, when he was in the second grade of elementary school, he also guessed the meaning of a series of English characters that he could not understand. The situation now was quite similar to that time.

Judging from the literal meaning, the first number should be related to the use of the item, and 38 should be the level required to use it proficiently. He checked his current level and found it to be 47, which was just enough to use the sword.

He didn't check Eugeo's situation, because he vaguely felt it would be extremely impolite to rashly use the Stysia Window to examine someone else's destiny. However, he could also guess that Eugeo's attributes weren't sufficient to wield the Blue Rose Sword. The remaining problem was that he didn't know how to increase this level; he could only figure it out slowly.

“I know why you can’t use this sword. I’ll help you figure something out, but for now… let’s finish your work for today.”

Underworld, March 9, 378th year of the Human Calendar

Today is my second day in this wondrous world. I seem to have found a way to quickly cut down Gigas Cedar, but it looks like Eugeo can't lift the sword, so I'll probably have to think of another method.