SAO - A New Matrix

-IV-

East Field, right next to the Town of Beginnings, 1st Floor

"Good, you got the moves," I said...and wish to wear a Spiderman suit while saying it.

After an hour of a quick guide to SAO, Lisbeth was already getting in the mood of an independent player. Her gaming mindset was definitively above the average, enabling her to digest and apply most of the basic concepts quickly.

She was now facing a Lvl 3 «Frenzy Boar».

"Heya!" The mob attempted a frontal tackle, but Lisbeth sidestepped at the last moment and countered with a horizontal swing of her «Starter's Mace», hitting the boar from the side.

The first element I introduced to her was the importance of observe and collect intelligence from your foes. Sometimes, instead of God reflexes or latent gaming talent, the only thing that you need to play well and safely is a clear image of 'what your opponent can do'. In the case of farming, the type of monsters you face decides what kinds of attacks you can expect.

Second, once you get the picture, test it. Calculate the motion speed of the monsters, as well as their flexibility and reaction time they have. During the trial, make sure you switch to 'defensive mode' to avoid any risks of a critical hit that labels you almost dead. Average 'unnamed' monsters will do and repeat the same patterns past the first 30 segs of fight. Also, apply precaution to the levels of such monsters; there's a significant disparity in combat performance between a Lvl 1 «Frenzy Boar» and a Lvl 5, even if their margin level isn't big.

"It's coming back. Now, try your skill amid its charge!"

Reacting to the boar's rushing, Lisbeth initiates the Sword Skill [Crack] by raising her mace above her head.

And third, understand how your avatar moves. Even if Argus achieved a breakthrough in interpreting our neuronal intentions to generate movements and sensations in VR, the technology is far from being flawless. I consistently experience a minimal lag, which can create a disconnection between actions, intentions, and senses. You can't compare the end results of putting on a helmet to introducing a metal sting directly in your brain. Therefore, even if you have real-life combat experience, practice with your avatar will mark the difference in successfully activating skills, and executing precise attacks.

The brown-haired woman shouted before delivering a red-glowing downward smash, connecting just before the «Frenzy Boar» could reach her. A distinct sound of breaking followed, indicating the mob's demise.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, jumping and raising her mace to the heavens in celebration.

"Well done." I applauded her efforts.

"That felt sooo good. Like playing the Whack A Mole at the arcade, but 10 times better!" She turns towards me.

"Addictive, isn't it?"

She nodded energetically.

We were nearing the end of the afternoon; the sunset hour was close. Lisbeth turns around, admiring the scene before us.

"It looks so incredible," she muttered.

I casually strolled until stand beside her. "It truly is...and it's just getting started."

"What do you mean?"

"Other games are meant to follow SAO's path. It represents an incredible leap in gameplay and immersion, unlike anything seen before." I focused my gaze on the artificial sun. "It will bring fierce competition among the developers, and competition will drive excellence. An unending cycle that will lead to more games like this."

A new era is on the horizon. The world won't be the same after this day...and that's what brings me here...what brings this crushing unease within.

Giant squid-like machines soared through the air, their tentacles undulating gracefully as they navigated the skies. Sentinels—thousands upon millions—filled the heavens, their metallic bodies gleaming ominously with the little light that pierced through the clouds...looking for something, for someone-

"Oiii, are you there?" At some point, Lisbeth started to wave her hand right in front of me. "You good? You were making quite a face." She pulled me out of my daydreaming moment.

A thing most gamers don't realize is that this world exists thanks to an Artificial Intelligence. Don't realize, not that they aren't informed, but because they don't truly understand its implications. It's simple; All next games who want to compete will need their own AI, each version becoming more powerful and sophisticated than the last. Technology is advancing at an incredible pace, but laws and regulations over these changes aren't. If some reckless programmer of those teams makes a mistake with the codes, things will scale fast...especially because these AIs are already connected to the internet.

"No..." I regained control over my mask but expressed my true feelings. "I'm not okay. But I will...in time," or at least I hope so.

...

...Ok, I made a perfectly normal and peaceful environment weird out of nothing. Good job me. Quite a charming man and all.

"W-well...uhm..." Feeling the obvious tension in the air, Lisbeth let out a nervous chuckle. "Ah...yes, there's something I want to ask you." Changing the subject, huh? "Neo, you are a Gaikokujin, aren't you?"

Gaikokujin, a foreign country person. In SAO, there's no way to tell how you truly look, unless you purposely choose the default option to create your avatar. Players can even change their voices, allowing a 50-year-old man to role-play as a 12-year-old girl in the game without anyone finding out. Quite disturbing for some people.

But getting back to the topic, even if I tell her that I really look like this, I have no way to prove it. Which makes her question quite fair.

"What gave me away...was the accent?"

She nodded. "It was...and your pronunciation of English was perfect. But your Japanese is super good! Like, I never have interacted with other foreigners, but you don't stutter at all."

"Thanks. Took me a while to get it right." I smiled while looking back at the sun. "Life brought me to this peaceful country, so I thought 'may at least know how to properly communicate with its people'"

Lisbeth smiled back at me, and the atmosphere of companionship and fun was back.

Wait, what time is it?

17:25

"Sorry, but time is short for me. I must explore by myself until a little later," I said, looking at her with uncertainty before making a decision. "Want me to add you as a friend?"

"M'kay!"

We exchange farewells and depart. I suggested her exchange the loot for Col inside the city before logging out.

As I ventured deeper into the forest, I reflected on my findings: In just three months the mechanics of the game become easier to execute. Now, even first-timers in a couple of hours can achieve a decent performance. During the Beta, people struggled to perform Sword Skills for a whole week, and that was with sweaty gamers who played games all day.

Things are moving fast.

The AI is evolving. If I cannot keep up with it, nobody else will. I am the only one who knows...if things spiral out of control again...no! Don't think that way. I almost have a full grasp of how the Cardinal system operates, just a little more and-

The ringing of bells resonating in the distance interrupted my train of thought, followed by the complete change of scenery...