Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

Chapter 04: Beta Testers.

Ren walked like a shadow, each step feeling as though he were being dragged forward.

His heart raced, not entirely out of fear, but because his instincts told him that any resistance would only make things worse.

The space around him seemed to close in with every step, until he realized he was standing before three unfamiliar faces.

The young man sitting in the middle with brown hair and a confident smile looked like he had just stepped out of a fairytale. Handsome, rugged, and exuding an air of someone who always took control of the situation.

He stood up and said:

"Tarek, right?" The young man spoke, his voice deep with a hint of warmth but not lacking in confidence. "You're late."

Tarek's lips twitched slightly. A crooked smile appeared on his face, as if trying to hide his discomfort. He spoke in response:

"Hey, Mr. Beta Tester." He elongated the last two words with a mocking tone. "I'm here to collaborate, not to become your underling."

His gaze shifted to Copper, a flicker of envy briefly flashing in his eyes, as though disturbed by how relaxed his counterpart was, controlling the conversation from the very beginning.

The girl sitting beside him suddenly laughed. She adjusted her high ponytail, her bright eyes filled with curiosity, scanning the group.

Then her gaze landed on Ren.

"Oh," she tilted her head, the corner of her lips curving slightly. "A newcomer?"

Ren stiffened, instinctively taking a small step back, but Tarek placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. The sensation made Ren's spine chill.

"Don't mind her." Tarek replied briefly, his hand tightening on Ren's shoulder as a silent warning.

The girl kept smiling, but there was a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes as she looked at Ren. "What's your name?"

Ren swallowed nervously. He didn't know whether he should respond or not.

He felt like a small animal locked under the gaze of a predator. Her interest didn't feel threatening, but it didn't make him feel any better either.

He hated being looked at that way. Ren didn't like being the center of attention. One thing he had learned from his brief life was that being noticed was never a good thing.

Doubt and unease enveloped him like a thick fog. But before he could say anything, the other man in the group spoke.

He had been silently sitting there like a statue from the start. His deep voice echoed, coming from behind the hood of his cloak, obscuring his face.

"Stop being so curious, Eylis." The man pushed his glasses up, his eyes sharp, seemingly able to peer into the hearts of others. "We have business to discuss."

"Right. I hope you don't disappoint us," Tarek said with a greedy smile, his gaze fixed on the brown-haired young man.

"You can relax. Here, we have three seasoned Beta Testers with a wealth of experience."

Copper paused, then slowly added:

"Though… we haven't reached the highest floors in the beta test."

A strange glimmer appeared in Copper's eyes.

A strange light.

Tarek froze for a second, his expression turning dark.

"What?"

"What?!" Tarek growled, his rough hand slamming down on the old wooden table, producing a sharp, crisp sound, like a whip cracking through the air.

The glasses on the table rattled, and some of the people around them subtly shifted their chairs away.

Ren jumped in shock.

The others around them gave quick, nervous glances, but no one dared to intervene.

Tarek gritted his teeth, his eyes darkening.

"So you're just a bunch of frauds?" 

The atmosphere in the tavern seemed to freeze.

Ren clenched his fists, trying to suppress the unease swelling in his chest.

He didn't know what kind of situation he was caught in, but one thing was certain... things would not be as simple as he had hoped.

The air in the tavern seemed to sag.

Tarek continued to glare at Copper, his simmering anger slowly rising. But just as he was about to say something, a low voice interrupted.

"Looks like you don't want to cooperate anymore."

All eyes turned to the owner of the voice....Scholar.

He was still sitting there, almost motionless, but his voice clearly conveyed disdain. Scholar gently pushed up his glasses, his sharp gaze hidden behind them, reflecting the dim light of the tavern.

"Need help from us?" Scholar smirked slightly, his tone cold, but every word felt like a blade cutting into Tarek's pride. "We don't lower our standards that much."

His words acted as a spark, igniting the fuse in Tarek's mind.

"What did you say?"

He snarled. His eyes turned bloodshot as he instinctively grabbed Scholar by the collar.

All the noise seemed to be swallowed up. The people around them lowered their gazes, pretending not to hear anything, as if showing any hint of interest in the wrong moment would bring trouble their way.

An invisible tension filled the air, tightening it like a rope about to snap.

Ren held his breath, feeling everything slow down. Too familiar.

That image slammed into his mind like a deep wound, his breath stolen, his body unable to resist, the dull ache spreading from bruises yet to heal. The only difference this time was that it wasn't him being grabbed.

He could see the rough fingers tightening on the worn fabric of Scholar's cloak.

Ren didn't know what Scholar was thinking. He didn't resist Tarek's violent action but simply looked at him calmly through his glasses, as though Tarek's anger was meaningless.

Just as the tension was about to reach its breaking point.

"Enough. Stop before things go too far."

Copper spoke up.

Unlike Scholar, Copper acted immediately. He stepped forward, his steady hand grabbing Tarek's wrist, pulling him away from Scholar's collar.

Tarek instinctively tried to shake Copper's hand off, but Copper's grip was too firm, forcing him to release his hold. Scholar calmly adjusted his collar, maintaining his composure as if nothing had happened.

Copper gently wiped his hands, then faced Tarek.

"First, I apologize for my teammate's behavior."

His voice remained confident, but his sharp eyes flicked to Scholar for a brief moment, a silent reminder. Then Copper leaned forward slightly, a gesture of minimal deference to Tarek.

The tension in the air still hadn't fully dissipated. Tarek stood there, his fists still clenched, his breath heavy with lingering anger.

Ren silently thanked Copper for stepping in. Not because he trusted him, but because he knew only someone strong would dare intervene in Tarek's fury.

But what made him uneasy was Copper's calm demeanor, his eyes unwavering, as though he had anticipated everything.

Ren could feel Tarek's shoulder muscles tighten, as though he still wanted to smash something to release his frustration.

Copper noticed it but didn't let the situation escalate further.

After a brief hesitation, Copper spoke again:

"But pointless conflict will lead nowhere. If you want, we can sit down."

He lowered his voice, trying to maintain a more peaceful atmosphere.

"I'll explain everything in detail."

Tarek's anger still hadn't subsided. He glared at Copper. But what he saw in Copper's eyes was a calmness that ran deeper.

Eventually, the brute had to relent and sit down, but his anger still smoldered within.

"I'll keep this brief, because we've already been left behind by others. We have no more time to waste," Copper said.

All eyes were on the handsome young man.

"From the moment the announcement began, every player was transported back to the starting city. Even Beta Testers, no matter how far they got from the beginning, had to start over."

Tarek smirked, as though mocking Copper's words. Then he spoke again:

"It's only been two hours. There's no way they could have pulled so far ahead of the other players."

Ren flinched. No, he understood. Copper's words were entirely reasonable. Compared to Kirito, Ren had no idea how far his new friend had progressed in the beta test.

But one thing was certain, Kirito had left ordinary players far behind. He had bypassed all the resources in the starting town and moved on to less competitive areas.

Copper simply shook his head lightly.

He paused for a moment. His sharp eyes scanned the room before slowly continuing:

"If I'm not mistaken, by this point, many players have already reached level 3 and completed several quests with the best equipment available."

Tarek snorted in disbelief.

"So... what are you still doing here? Don't you want to get ahead?"

Scholar pushed his glasses up, his voice still as detached as before, but each word seemed to strip away the harsh truth:

"A new player like you wouldn't understand."

He paused, scanning the faces around him who were trying to keep their composure. Then, slowly, he continued:

"As Beta Testers, we've been ahead by several steps from the start. We know all the hidden monster spawns, the safe paths to the next town. We know which quests offer the best rewards, and which are useless traps for those without the right information."

Scholar tilted his head, a slight smirk on his lips, his gaze filled with meaning as he looked at Tarek.

"And you? What do you have besides a bunch of thugs and a few hours of stumbling around like a rat in a maze?"

"It's too late to start now. All the monster spawns near the starting town are already crowded."

Scholar said, pausing briefly.

"But I spent most of my time in the beta wandering around the first floor."

The atmosphere in the tavern grew heavy. Tarek's subordinates tightened their grips around their weapons, a few of them grinding their teeth as if a single nod from their leader would send them charging.

But no matter how angry they were, none of them could refute Scholar's words.

Because he was right.

People like Tarek could be strong, aggressive, but in this game, strength wasn't just about fists.

The Beta Testers had surpassed them without even needing to fight. With just a bit of information, they could avoid dangerous paths, skip time-wasting quests, and grab the best equipment before the Newbies even realized it was there.

That made Tarek despise them even more.

Behind his glasses, Scholar slowly lifted his gaze, his sharp eyes like needles. No emotion was visible, no sign of threat... just a quiet assertion that he always knew more than others thought.

"It's not because I'm weak. It's simply the importance of information. I know all the hidden dungeons, all the best quests in this starting town."

"And that's the goal of this meeting."