Back in his own body at Sakura Dormitory, Hozuki Nozomi felt a familiar surge of anticipation. Today marked a significant milestone—the official open beta launch of ASO's virtual reality world, Aincrad. The game that would soon capture the attention of players worldwide was finally opening its digital gates.
He settled onto his bed, connected the data cable to his game device, and positioned the helmet comfortably on his head. A deep breath, then:
"Link start."
The moment the words left his lips, a soft chime resonated in his mind. The world around him blurred, colors bleeding into formless light, then slowly reconstituted into something new.
When his vision cleared, he stood in a dreamlike space—the character creation chamber.
[Ding! Please set your character appearance.]
The Game Life System's prompt appeared before him. Sliders and options materialized, offering infinite customization: height, build, facial features, hair color, eye shape. Everything was adjustable.
Hozuki Nozomi examined his reflection in the virtual mirror and shrugged. He was satisfied with how he looked. No need to tinker.
"Skipped."
[Ding! Please set your player name.]
"Hozuki Nozomi."
No need to change that either. When you had a cheat system, anonymity was optional.
[Ding! Welcome to Aincrad, Player Hozuki Nozomi. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.]
[Note: Although this is a game, it is not a joke.]
Hozuki Nozomi's eyebrow rose at the final line. Kayaba Akihiko's handiwork, no doubt. The genius creator's cryptic warnings were already manifesting.
He dismissed the prompts and focused on what mattered.
The system had promised that today, the Elf Crystal would hatch.
[Ding! The Elf Crystal has successfully hatched. Does the player wish to retrieve the elf?]
"Retrieve it."
[Ding! Artificial elf, Yui, has returned!]
[Ding! Due to world characteristics, the artificial elf has transformed into equipment: Elven Holy Sword.]
[Elven Holy Sword: Armament transformed from the artificial elf Yui. Exclusive equipment for Player Hozuki Nozomi. Cannot be dropped. Cannot be damaged. Possesses the characteristic: Ignore Defense.]
Light coalesced in his right hand, solidifying into the shape of a blade. When the glow faded, he held an ordinary-looking novice longsword—the kind every starting player received. Unremarkable. Forgettable.
But his eyes caught the details others would miss. The hilt bore intricate engravings, patterns that resolved into divine script when studied closely. The characters spelled a single word: "Liberation."
This sword's ordinary appearance was merely a disguise. Its true power lay dormant, waiting to be unleashed.
And there was more. This wasn't merely a virtual item. The connection ran deeper—he could summon it in the real world as well. The Holy Sword was simply the armament form of the elf herself. By summoning Yui, he summoned the blade.
Two modes, he discovered upon closer inspection. The current form—Elven Holy Sword, armament mode. And true form mode—where Yui would manifest as herself, a companion who could adventure and fight beside him.
[Ding! Artificial elf successfully retrieved. Congratulations to the player for unlocking a special template: Magic Module!]
[Ding! Special skill entries controlled by the player have been automatically recorded in the Magic Panel.]
Hozuki Nozomi's pulse quickened. This was the real prize.
"Open Magic Panel!"
The interface materialized before him, displaying his newly acquired abilities in crisp, organized categories.
[Magic Panel]
[Magic 1: God-Dragon Flame (Magic awakened by the player's bloodline)]
[Magic 2: Demon-Breaking Eye (Comes with Demon-Breaking Light)]
[Magic 3: God-Dragon Armament]
[Magic 4: Elf Armament]
[Magic 5: Magic Skill Creation: When the player enters a world containing magic, observed magic can be recorded into the magic skill slot. Note: Magic observed in the real world can also be recorded.]
Hozuki Nozomi's eyes lit up.
This changed everything. The Magic Module concretized his abilities, organizing them into a coherent system. Skill entries that required magic power or could be amplified by it now fell under this panel's purview.
And Magic Skill Creation... that was enormous. Once he left the game, he could seek out Frieren for guidance. The ancient elf possessed countless spells accumulated over her long lifetime. All he needed to do was observe, and the system would record them.
One copying session, and he'd become proficient in magic that took others decades to master.
If future virtual worlds focused on magic were developed, he could enter those too, expanding his repertoire further. He was developing into a hexagonal all-rounder magic warrior—competent in every domain.
Combined with his shrine inheritance, divine artifact collection, and growing status as a divine envoy... he was practically on the path to becoming an omnipotent god.
But that was a distant goal. One step at a time. Of the divine artifacts scattered across the world by the goddess, he'd collected only one so far: the Infinite Corridor. Plenty of work remained.
He refocused on the present.
The Elven Holy Sword hummed in his hand. Time to meet its true form.
"Convert to human mode."
Light flared, bright and warm. When it faded, the sword was gone.
In its place stood a girl.
She was perhaps twelve years old in appearance, with hair as black as midnight and skin fair as fresh snow. Her cheeks held a natural pink flush, and her large blue eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity. Slightly pointed ears peeked through her dark locks—unmistakably elven heritage.
The girl's gaze found him immediately. Her face lit up with recognition and joy.
"Daddy!"
She launched herself at him, small arms wrapping around his waist as she pressed her cheek against his chest, rubbing vigorously like an affectionate kitten.
Hozuki Nozomi's expression softened. He raised a hand and gently stroked her dark hair.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yui. I'm here to take you home."
"Mmm! Daddy is the best!" The girl's smile could have outshone the sun. She'd actually hatched before the open beta began, he realized—but she'd waited, absorbing data energy, until the official launch to reveal herself.
"Now then, Little Yui." He crouched to her level, still petting her hair. "Tell me about your capabilities. What can you control in this world?"
Yui's small chest puffed with pride. "Daddy, this world is built around sword skills! There's a 100-floor labyrinth, and each floor has designed magical beasts and monsters to defeat. Besides that, there are virtual game characters—NPCs. They live according to their programmed rules, but they don't have real souls. Just fixed quest guidelines. They're tools for players to accept missions and level up."
"And Yui?"
"I can see every quest! Their conditions, their locations, their rewards!" Her blue eyes sparkled. "If Daddy wants to level up fast, Yui can help you soar through the ranks!"
Hozuki Nozomi smiled warmly. "That's amazing, Yui. What else?"
The girl's pride swelled further. "Of course there's more! Yui can control everything in this world, Daddy. Everything." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Logging in. Logging out. Even the flow of time itself."
His eyebrows rose.
"Think about it, Daddy. If you want, Yui can set the time so that one year inside the game equals only one day outside."