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

"Drink!"

A fleeting white flash appeared and disappeared in an instant. After severing the branch with a single sword strike, Sorin casually flicked it upwards and caught it in his hand. The heavy weight immediately acted on his wrist, and the branch itself felt icy cold to the touch.

“If I’m not mistaken, this should be enough to forge a sword as powerful as the Blue Rose.” Sorin nodded with a smile, but his expression turned somewhat confused the next moment. “But… if there’s only one, it will only be a burden to me. My true calling isn’t as a swordsman, but as a weapon master… Have you heard of that title?”

"A weapon master? That's quite extraordinary." Kalita's expression suddenly turned to extreme surprise. He looked Solin up and down before slowly saying, "That's a divine calling recorded only in ancient texts, a duty possessed only by the Elven race. Boy, who exactly are you?"

"I'm just a lost wanderer," Sorin replied calmly, without a trace of fear in his eyes. "It's not that I'm hiding anything from you, it's just that even I don't know myself. Maybe I really do have some connection with those elves who have completely disappeared."

"Let's not talk about that for now. I understand what you mean. So it seems that having a sword with exceptionally high individual strength would indeed be a burden. How about this, try taking some branches from the vicinity, but I can't guarantee they'll have the same strength." Kalita finally sighed, then pointed to several branches of the Gigas Cida. "My suggestion is that you still forge this sword. While the Gigas Cida's branches are also very strong, you might always encounter enemies who can overwhelm you with the weapon's inherent strength. You understand the principle of being prepared, right?"

“I understand, thank you, Grandpa Kalita.”

The Sakarya Sword Tournament, August 1th, 378th year of the Human Calendar

"Ding~"

The crisp sound of swords clashing rang out. Sorin remained standing there unharmed, while Eugeo was knocked to the ground by the immense force of Sorin's strike. He gasped for breath and lay flat on his back.

This was the umpteenth time he had been knocked down by Solin today. The sweat from his long practice session blurred his vision, and even the glaring sun seemed less dazzling.

This was their fifth month since leaving the village. Sorin wanted to teach Eugeo as much swordsmanship as he knew before participating in the swordsman tournament, so after a hurried journey, they stopped at a farm near the town of Zakaria, staying in the farm's stables and earning some money by tending the horses for the farm owner.

"The success rate is too low. If it's still like this by the time of the sword tournament, you might as well consider giving up on using the [Insightful Slash] technique." Sorin's voice was very cold, with a hint of inexplicable emotion hidden within. "So it really is too early for you to learn Insightful Slash now..."

"Let me...let me try again! I can definitely do it!" Eugeo struggled to his feet and pointed his sword at Sorin once more. "I've mastered all the sword techniques I learned before, even that one you said was difficult, the [Swallow Return]..."

“The principles are different. This may also be related to the direction of your training all along.” Sorin sighed, waved for Eugeo to sit down, and then sat down next to him. “The sword techniques I taught you in the past were all one-way. When you used those scarecrows as targets, you could easily use them as long as the movements were correct. But the Insightful Slash is not like that. Rather than the standard of the movements, this sword technique values ​​the control of timing and the insight into the opponent’s movements more.”

"Understanding your opponent's movements?" Eugeo nodded thoughtfully, recalling his feelings from practicing the Insightful Slash with Sorin these past few days, and then asked, "Sometimes I can find that feeling, but most of the time... why is that?"

“You haven’t practiced enough. When I practice with you, I clearly explain each move, but your opponents obviously don’t.” Sorin picked up the standard iron sword from his lap and brandished it in front of Eugeo. “You’re different from me. My swordsmanship was honed in life-or-death battles, while you haven’t encountered any significant crises until now. Perhaps you’ll understand after that sword tournament…”

"What difference would that make? Sword tournaments probably don't allow injuring your opponent during a match, like that night with Zeke." Eugeo was clearly confused when he heard Sorin say this. "And why do you say you shouldn't try to use the 'Insightful Slash' technique unless the success rate is 100%?"

“Let me explain step by step. First, you need to understand that the number of people who stand out in the sword tournament is very small. It's like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge; everyone is confident in their swordsmanship and has aspirations for their future. Even if it's not a life-or-death battle, it will still feel like one. That's easy to understand.” Sorin patted Eugeo on the shoulder, giving him a “you're still too young” look, and then explained, “As for why you shouldn't use it if the success rate isn't up to par… that's even simpler. If you don't include it in your options, then when the enemy's sword comes at you, you either choose to block or dodge. However, if you know it, but only half-bakedly, you might end up using the Foresight Slash to counter the enemy's attack, and if that fails and you get hit, you're instantly killed.”

“…I understand. Let’s try again, Sorin. I’m rested enough.” Eugeo took a deep breath, stood up, and assumed a fighting stance facing Sorin. “I’ll succeed this time!”

“Instead of that, I think we should wait a bit.” Sorin shook his head and pointed to two almost identical girls walking over from the farm behind Eugeo. “Good morning, folks. Is it breakfast time yet?”

Good morning, Sorin and Eugeo!

This was a greeting from the girls in unison. The twins were the farmer's daughters, nine years old, named Trin and Trür. They had the same red hair and brown eyes, and the patterns on their loose coats and skirts were identical. The only distinguishing feature was their different colored hairbands—red for Trin and blue for Trür.

However, the two mischievous girls would occasionally exchange ribbons, deliberately confusing Solin and Eugeo.

"Good morning, Terin..."

Seeing Eugeo's dazed expression, Sorin patted him hard on the shoulder, then gave the twins in front of him a knowing smile, and greeted the girl with the red ribbon, "Good morning, Terul... Is that Terin over there? You two really love to play."

"You got it right! As expected, Sister Sorin is still better than Brother Eugeo!"

The twins looked at each other's faces, then shouted in unison, quickly bringing their hands, which had been behind their backs, to the front. Each of them held a square wicker basket.

"As a reward for answering correctly, breakfast today is a mulberry pie!"

“So I’m still very curious, why can you always tell…” Eugeo looked at Sorin with admiration and sighed, “and why does every girl who sees you call you ‘sister’?”

"Do you think I want to? Even the will of this world is preventing me from cutting my hair short, what can I do?" Solin shrugged indifferently, then smiled and took the basket they handed him. "Thank you for your hard work... and could you call me Brother Solin? It's really bothering me that you always call me that."

"No way! Sister Solin is so pretty, how could she be an older brother?" Terin tilted her head, feigning confusion, and gave Solin a sly smile. "If Sister Solin really wants to refute this, she'll have to come up with some solid evidence, otherwise Teruer and I won't believe her~"

"These kids these days..." Solin sighed silently, then vented his frustration on the pie, glaring at Terin and Terul while eating.

The Sakarya Sword Tournament, August 2th, 378th year of the Human Calendar

"Solin, do you really think we can..."

"No, no, no, please stop asking. If you keep asking, I'm going to panic. My swordsmanship isn't particularly good to begin with."

Sorin gave Eugeo a helpless tap on the head, then relaxed and lay down on the pile of straw that he had already laid out.

“I can’t believe I’ve put up with these awful living conditions for so long… If I had money, I would have found a comfortable bed in a hotel and spent the night there.” He rubbed his lower back, which was red from being pricked by the straw, shifted his position to lie on his side and looked at Eugeo, then suddenly said, “Sometimes I think I might be too harsh on you, after all, you’ve only been learning swordsmanship for a short time…”

“It’s nothing, Sorin. I know you’re doing this for my own good,” Eugeo replied softly. “Speaking of which… you seem to have regained some of your memories? If it’s convenient, could you tell me about them?”

“I don’t remember much, just the parts related to my calling and my past battle experiences,” Sorin replied coldly. “There’s not much to say about those battles. Some of the enemies were strong, but most were quite weak and couldn’t do anything to me. As for my calling… maybe it’s true, as Grandpa Kalita said, that I do have the impression of living in the forest for a long time, but I can’t recall anything more specific.”

That wasn't the truth, of course, but since Sorin had used the so-called "lost ones of Vector" as an excuse from the start, there was no need for further explanation now. However, he didn't seem to realize that Eugeo was simply trying to chat with him because he couldn't sleep.

As for why he couldn't sleep... it was probably due to nervousness, after all, the Zakarian Swordsmen's Tournament was the next day. This was also the first step on his journey of salvation, or rather, the first hurdle he faced. He had to defeat every enemy in his path to gain the right to continue.

"Then... why have you persisted in fighting for so long, Sorin? With your strength, you should have been able to resolve many things without much effort long ago."

Eugeo stared intently at Sorin's profile, vaguely realizing that he seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter... or rather, that he could satisfy his curiosity and get Sorin to continue talking to him instead of going to sleep alone and testing his willpower.

"To survive. As my strength increases, so does the strength of my enemies. It may be hard for you to understand, but that's the truth—if we can't win, all that awaits us is death sooner or later, without exception."

Suolin gently closed his eyes, then brushed a few stray hairs that had fallen onto his forehead behind his head, and then sighed heavily.

"That's why I said your swordsmanship hasn't been honed in life-or-death battles. Because you haven't been pushed to that level yet, and I truly don't want you to be pushed to that level. Actually, I'd rather take all the battles on my own shoulders and lead you all the way to the Central Capital so you can see your Alice... But that won't work. You have to walk your own path, or rather, if it were just relying on my abilities, you wouldn't feel good about it either."

"I just think you're overthinking things, Solin. I can see that you've long been used to carrying a lot of things that you shouldn't have to bear. That's probably why you look so mature even though you're younger than me."

Eugeo had somehow ended up sitting next to Sorin, looking down at the handsome young man lying quietly on his side. He then sighed and lay down on the pile of straw to Sorin's right.

"You're overthinking it. I'm 27 this year. That's almost a whole size older than you." Sorin calmly stopped Eugeo's wild thoughts, then casually pushed out the kerosene lamp that was placed on the open ground. "Go to sleep, go to sleep. If you stay up too late now, you might as well give up right away tomorrow."

Hearing this, Eugeo stopped dwelling on these trivial matters. He closed his eyes, trying his best to fall asleep, but his mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, making it difficult for him to drift off. After an unknown amount of time, he finally forced himself into a restless sleep.

Unbeknownst to the two, a third pair of eyes was observing them from within the not-so-large stable. This observer was small, only about five millimeters^3 in size. It used its right hand to cast a spell, covering Eugeo and Sorin with some straw, before burrowing into Sorin's waist-length silver hair.

"What incredible children... Master should be able to forgive such slight interference..." it murmured to itself, turning its body to the same silvery-white color, then tightly hugging Solin's hair and fixing itself to it. "Speaking of this child... it's hard to believe that he's actually a boy. This way, I'll be interested in continuing to observe him."

As it pondered these thoughts, it closed its eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

------

"Actually, before I saw it with my own eyes, I always doubted whether the city of Sakarya really existed."

"Oh? Why is that? Tell me."

Sorin looked at Eugeo with great interest, while the latter was examining the western gate of Zakaria, making continuous sounds of admiration.

"Because none of the adults in the village have actually seen Sakarya. A place that no one in the village has ever been to, and that no one has ever seen with their own eyes, is practically nonexistent, isn't it?"

“Indeed, sometimes people tend to make preconceived notions about facts based on their own impressions, just like that wonderful misunderstanding between Indians and India,” Sorin replied with a smile. “Fortunately, Sakarya really exists. Since this place is real, then Central City Santoria is not an illusion.”

“You know what, Sorin, even though it’s been five months since we left the village, the fact that that village isn’t the whole world still makes me realize how big the world is… it really is huge. But… what are Indians and India?”

Eugeo nodded, then uttered a sound of similar sentiment.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about the details... Wait, look over there!"

Solin answered casually, then suddenly saw a horse in front of him with its forelegs raised high, thrashing wildly and violently.

"Take that guy down, or it will hurt people," Eugeo said decisively.

"Oh well, whatever you want."

The Sakarya Sword Tournament, August 3th, 378th year of the Human Calendar

At that moment, the spirited horse let out a bloodcurdling scream, as if it were being slaughtered, and struggled to throw the Zakaria guard off its back. The guard frantically pulled on the reins, trying to stop the horse, but to no avail.

Normally, an individual who can become a guard should have the authority to manipulate a dynamic object like a horse. However, the reasons for refusing to accept the rider's control and causing a disturbance can be limited to a very small range.

“An animal’s instincts are easy to guess. The reason this horse is so uneasy is basically only due to a threat from nature. For example, an impending natural disaster, a giant wild beast foraging nearby, its own intense hunger and thirst, and…”

As Solin said this, he dodged the horse that turned and charged at him, and then pulled something small out of the brown fur on the side of the horse.

The moment he pulled the little creature out, the Hummer quickly calmed down, as if the previous riot had never happened. Sorin gently stroked the horse's nose, pressed his head against it, and whispered comfortingly, "Good boy~ It's alright now. Sir, you don't need to pull the reins so hard anymore."

The young guard on the saddle, his face pale, nodded, loosened the taut reins, and returned to his original position on the right side of the stone bridge. He looked at Solin, who had straightened his clothes and was standing there again, smiled at him, and then said:

"Thank you so much, little girl. Thank you."

“Wdnmd blyat…” Sorin’s previously decent expression suddenly turned quite dangerous. He turned his head away forcefully, and then, as if to explain something, showed Eugeo the thing he had just grabbed.

"Do you know what this is, Eugeo?"

“This is…” Eugeo glanced around hurriedly, then, after confirming that the guards and pedestrians around him were not paying attention to the two of them, he whispered in Sorin’s ear, “Great Swamp Fly? This thing only attacks livestock, but… it’s not a species that should live in this area. It should only be in those swamps.”

“I see. The distance between the nearest swamp and this town is probably too great for this bug to fly over.” Sorin nodded thoughtfully, then took Eugeo’s hand and walked into the town. “There are two possibilities now. One is that this thing came here by chance on a caravan that came from those areas. But I don’t think that would be the case that this little guy would just happen to come and attack us.”

“Then the other one is…” Eugeo suddenly had a bad feeling. Although he asked the question, he already had an answer in his heart. “No, what do we have that’s worth… is it the Blue Rose?”

“I don’t think it’s the Blue Rose. At least you haven’t pulled it out since we set off,” Solin shook his head and continued walking towards the city gate. “So, they’re more likely after us. You know, releasing a poisonous insect that only bites livestock at the city gate isn’t against the taboo list, but if the timing is right like just now, it could indeed trample one of us seriously and disqualify us from participating in this sword tournament.”

"How could it be like this? Shouldn't a duel between swordsmen be fair and square? Why is it like this?" Eugeo asked in surprise, as if he had heard something unbelievable that overturned his simple worldview. "Isn't this contrary to the beliefs of a swordsman?"

"So you're still too young, you haven't been through the real world, you don't know how cruel it is..." Sorin patted Eugeo on the shoulder with an air of maturity, then looked around the town. "It's pretty much the same town I remember, nothing special..."

“Mr. Sorin sounds like a very knowledgeable person,” Eugeo teased, deliberately emphasizing the word “Mr.” “But more importantly, let’s find a place to eat first. We can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

“That’s true. You know this place… never mind, you’ve never been here before, so let’s just leave it at that.” Sorin was about to ask Eugeo, a local, if he knew any good places to eat, but then he realized that Eugeo hadn’t been here either, so he gave up on that idea. “This reminds me of a long time ago when we were pioneering the land… never mind, I won’t go into it.”

------

The two didn't spend much time eating. After a quick meal at a steamed bun shop, they walked along the 500-meter-long West Avenue towards the "Gathering Place," the largest facility in Zakaria. The Gathering Place was a rectangular plaza with the same length and width as the city walls, surrounded by tiered seating. This space was used for lords' commentary, performances by orchestras and theater troupes, and naturally, it was also the venue for today's sword tournament.

For some reason, seeing this place always reminds Sorin of a place in SAO, the town closest to the dungeon area on the first floor, which is similar in shape and size. Perhaps it's because that's where the story begins. A story of a seemingly simple high-level player gradually shouldering heavy responsibilities, carrying the hopes of everyone as they slowly move forward. Sometimes Sorin wonders, if he hadn't stood up then, or hadn't been so prominent when Ya-Oh questioned him at the end, would all of this have happened?

But later he stopped dwelling on the issue because he realized something: without those things, he probably wouldn't have met Yuna or gotten to know her.

Because admission is free, many citizens had already arrived more than two hours before the sword tournament was scheduled to begin at noon, hoping to secure a good spot. For humans, bound by the double guarantee of "Call of Duty" and "Taboo Index," this annual tournament is a rare moment of enjoyment.

On the other hand, Eugeo, who had never seen much of the world, was genuinely frightened and nervous by such a grand scene. At this moment, his already pale face had completely lost its color, and his hands, which were placed beside him, were trembling.

"I said... Solin... do we really have to compete in a place like this?" he muttered in a hoarse voice.

“Let me correct you, it’s us who are going to crush everyone we meet in a place like this. Have some confidence in yourself, you’re my student.” Sorin looked at Eugeo helplessly, shook his head, and then walked towards the participant registration window set up at the main entrance of the gathering venue.

The Sakarya Sword Tournament, August 4th, 378th year of the Human Calendar