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| Chapter 5 | | '''Chapter 5''' |
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| After ending my fight with a formidable enemy that prowled the <Labyrinth Area> of floor seventy-four, I recounted my way back, as well as the past, and let out a sigh of relief as I saw the light of the entrance.
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| I emptied my head, walked quickly out of the passageway, and took a deep breath of the fresh, clean air.
| | Setelah menyelesaikan pertarunganku dengan musuh yang kuat yang sedang berpatroli di <Labyrinth Area> di lantai 74, aku mengingat jalan kembaliku, begitu juga dengan masa lalu, dan menghela napasku ketika aku melihat cahaya dari jalan keluar. |
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| In front of me, a narrow lane went into the thick, overgrown forest. Behind me, the labyrinth area I had just come out of soared high into the sky—until the bottom of the next floor to be more precise.
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| Because the game was based on getting to the top of the castle, the dungeons in this world weren’t underground labyrinths but existed as towers. However, the basic setting hadn’t changed: monsters stronger than the ones you met out on the fields roamed within, while the boss monster waited for you in its deepest reaches.
| | Aku mengosongkan kepalaku, berjalan dengan cepat keluar dari labyrinth area, dan menghirup udara yang segar dan bersih dalam-dalam. |
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| Right now, eighty percent of the seventy-fourth floor labyrinth area had been explored, or in other words, had been <mapped>. In a couple of days, the boss room would most probably be discovered, and a large-scale team would be made. Then, even I, a solo player, would take part.
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| I smiled at myself for feeling both expectant and frustrated at the same time and started walking down the lane.
| | Di hadapanku, lorong yang sempit berubah menjadi hutan yang lebat dan penuh dengan pohon. Di belakang ku, labyrinth area tempatku keluar barusan menjulang tinggi hingga ke langit—atau lebih tepatnya hingga ke permukaan bagian bawah lantai selanjutnya. |
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| For the moment, my hometown is the biggest city in Aincrad, <Algade>, which was located on the fiftieth floor. Well, in mere size, the Starting City was larger, but that place had now totally become <The Army>’s base of operations, so it was a little uncomfortable to walk around in.
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| As soon as I made it out of the now darkening plains, a forest full of old trees stretched out before me. If I walked for thirty minutes through there, I would arrive at the <Housing Area> of the seventy-fourth floor and just use the <Teleport Gate> there to warp myself over to Algate.
| | Karena tujuan akhir gamenya adalah untuk mencapai puncak tertinggi dari kastil ini, dungeon di dunia ini tidak menuju ke bawah tanah melainkan berbentuk menara. Tapi, setting dasarnya tidak berubah: monster di labyrinth area lebih kuat dibandingkan monster yang berada di jalanan, dan boss monster menunggu di bagian terdalam dari labyrinth area. |
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| I could always use one of the instant teleportation items in my inventory to return to Algate at any time. But since it was a little expensive, I was reluctant to use it unless I was in a dangerous situation. There was still some time before the sun disappeared completely, so I resisted the temptation of returning to my house as fast I as could and entered the forest.
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| As a rule, the edges of each floor in Aincrad were usually open to the sky, apart from the support pillars. The trees burned red from the light that entered through that gap. The mist that flowed in between the rays of light shone brilliantly as it reflected the light of the sunset. The cries of the birds, which were common during the day, were hard to hear now, while the sound of branches swaying in the wind seemed magnified.
| | Saat ini, delapan puluh persen dari labyrinth area di lantai 74 telah di jelajahi, atau dengan kata lain, telah di <mapped>. Dalam beberapa hari, boss room mungkin akan ditemukan, dan sebuah team untuk melawan boss dengan anggota yang banyak akan dibuat. Saat itu, bahkan aku, seorang solo player, akan ikut ambil bagian. |
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| I knew quite well that I could fight the monsters that appeared in this area even while half-asleep, but the fear that comes with the dark was hard to suppress. A feeling, similar to the one I had as a kid when I was trying to get back home after losing my way, filled me.
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| But I didn’t dislike this feeling. I had forgotten about this primitive fear sometime when I was living back on the other side. The feeling of loneliness that you get when you’re traveling the wilderness with nobody in sight however much you look—you could call this the essence of an RPG.
| | Aku tersenyum pada diriku sendiri karena merasa tidak sabar dan frustasi pada saat yang sama dan mulai berjalan melewati jalur yang ada. |
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| While I was absorbed in these nostalgic memories, a cry that I’d never heard before suddenly entered my ears.
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| It sounded only for a moment, high and clear like a reed pipe. I stopped my feet and carefully searched for the direction the sound came from. If you heard or saw something that you’d never experienced before in this world, it meant that you were either very lucky or the opposite.
| | Saat ini, rumah tempat tinggal ku berada di kota terbesar di Aincrad, yaitu <Algade>, yang lokasinya berada di lantai ke 50. Yah, dari luasnya, Starting City lebih besar, tapi tempat itu sekarang sudah menjadi markas <The Army> sepenuhnya, jadi berjalan di sekitar sana menjadi agak tidak nyaman. |
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| As a solo player, I’d trained my <Scan for Enemy> skill. This skill prevented ambushes and when you became more proficient at it, it gave the player the additional ability of being able to detect monsters that were in "hiding." Through it, I could see a monster hiding between the branches ten meters away.
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| It wasn’t very big. It had green fur to camouflage itself in the leaves and had ears longer than its body. As I concentrated on it, it automatically became my target and a yellow cursor appeared along with its name.
| | Segera setelah aku keluar dari padang rumput yang mulai menggelap, sebuah hutan yang berisi pohon-pohon tua membentang di depanku. Jika aku berjalan selama tiga puluh menit lewat sini, Aku akan sampai di <Housing Area> dari lantai 74 dan bisa menggunakan <Teleport Gate> disana untuk teleport ke Algate. |
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| I held my breath as soon as I read the name: <Ragout Rabbit>. It was rare enough to earn the adjective "super."
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| It was the first time I’d actually seen the real thing. The plump rabbit that lived in the branches wasn’t all that strong, nor did it give you that many experience points, but-
| | Aku bisa saja menggunakan satu dari instant teleportation item didalam inventory ku untuk kembali ke Algate kapanpun. Tapi karena harganya sedikit mahal, Aku enggan menggunakannya kecuali jika aku sedang berada dalam situasi berbahaya. Masih ada sedikit waktu hingga mataharinya menghilang sepenuhnya, jadi aku menolak godaan untuk kembali kerumah secepatnya dan akhirnya masuk kedalam hutan. |
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| I silently drew a thin throwing pick from my belt. My <Knife Throwing Skill> wasn’t all that high. I had simply chosen it as a branch on my skill tree at some point. But I’d heard that the Ragout Rabbit was the fastest monster among the ones that were currently known, so I didn’t really have much confidence in catching it with my sword.
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| I had one chance to attack before the opponent noticed me. I raised my pick, praying mentally, and assumed the <Single Shot> position.
| | Sebagai catatan, ujung-ujung dari setiap lantai di Aincrad biasanya terbuka lebar langsung ke langit, kecuali bagian tiang penahannya. Pohon-pohon menjadi berwarna merah api karena terkena cahaya yang masuk melalui celah tersebut. Kabut yang mengalir diantara cahaya matahari memantulkan cahaya dengan indahnya. Suara kicau-an burung, yang sering terdengar disiang hari, menjadi sulit terdengar, karena suara batang pohon yang bergoyang-goyang karena tertiup angin yang kencang. |
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| Well, however low my skill was, my hand was backed up by my high dexterity and threw the pick in a blur of motion. The pick glinted once and then was sucked into the trees. As soon as I attacked, the cursor, which showed the direction the Ragout Rabbit was in, turned red and the HP bar appeared beneath it.
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| A high pitched scream sounded from the direction which I’d thrown my pick. The HP bar faltered a little and then went down to 0. The familiar sound of polygons shattering resounded.
| | Aku tahu dengan jelas kalau aku bisa bertarung dengan monster di area ini meskipun aku mengantuk, tapi rasa takut yang datang bersamaan dengan kegelapan susah dihindari. Sebuah perasaan yang mirip dengan ketika aku tersesat dan tidak bisa pulang waktu kecil menyelimutiku. |
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| I made a fist with my left hand. I raised my right hand and opened the main menu. I opened the inventory quickly, with even my hand movements seeming too slow to me, and it was there at the very top of the newly acquired item list: <Ragout Rabbit’s meat>. It was a rare item that could be sold to other players at a minimum price of one hundred thousand Coll. That amount of money was enough to tailor a full set of the best armor and still have change leftover.
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| The reason that this was so expensive was pretty simple, as it was set as the most delicious food ingredient among the numerous ingredients available in the game.
| | Tapi aku tidak membenci perasaan ini. Aku kadang-kadang melupakan rasa takut ini ketika aku masih di dunia nyata. Rasa kesepian yang kau dapatkan ketika kau berkelana sendirian di tempat asing tanpa seorangpun yang terlihat seberapa keraspun kau mencoba melihat—kau bisa menyebutnya sebagai dasar dari RPG. |
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| Eating was just about the only pleasure in SAO, but the only thing you could eat usually was the soup and bread that tasted as if they were from the European countryside—well not that I knew; but the fact was that it was plain. A few players who had trained their cooking skill had established this after a lot of thought in order to let the other players eat a wider range of foods. But even this wasn’t that easy to get across, so as a rule the players were all deprived of taste.
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| Of course, my current situation wasn’t much different, and I didn’t dislike the soup and full wheat bread the NPC restaurant that I frequented sold. But from time to time the need to eat at least a mouthful of juicy meat overtook me.
| | Ketika aku sedang terpaku mengenang masa lalu, sebuah teriakan yang belum pernah kudengar sebelumnya memasuki telingaku. |
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| For a while I stared at the name of the item and kept wondering what to do. The chances of me getting this sort of ingredient again were very low. To be honest, I really wanted to eat it. But the higher the ingredients' rank, the more skill was needed to actually cook it. So I had to find a master level cook to cook this for me.
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| But I didn’t know any. Well, I did know a few, but hunting them down for something like this was annoying. Even more than that, it was about time I got a new set of equipment. Consequently, I decided to sell it.
| | Itu terdengar hanya sesaat, keras dan jelas seperti suara sebuah peluit. Aku menghentikan langkahku dan mencari dengan seksama ke arah suaranya berasal. Jika kau mendengar atau melihat sesuatu yang kau tidak pernah alami sebelumnya di dunia ini, itu bisa saja berarti kalau kau sangat beruntung atau bisa juga sebaliknya. |
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| I closed the window as if to get rid of any regrets, and scanned the area with my skill. There wasn’t a very high chance of a bandit appearing on the front lines, but you couldn’t be too careful when you had an S-class item in your hands.
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| I’d be able to buy all the teleport items I wanted once I sold this, so I decided to minimize the risk involved and started rummaging through my pouch.
| | Sebagai seorang solo player, Aku melatih skill <Scan for Enemy>ku. Skill ini mencegah serangan tiba-tiba dan ketika kau sudah ahli menggunakannya, itu akan memberikan kemampuan tambahan pada si player untuk bisa mendeteksi monster yang sedang "bersembunyi." Dengan itu, AKu bisa melihat seekor monster bersembunyi diantara batang pohon di jarak sepuluh meter dariku. |
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| The thing that I’d taken out was a crystal shaped like an eight sided pillar that shone a rich blue. The few magic items in this world where <Magic> had been excluded were all shaped like gems. Blue was for instant teleportation, pink for recovering HP, green for antidotes, and so on. They were all convenient items that produced instant effects, but they were also expensive. So in most cases people used cheaper items such as slow-acting potions after running away from a fight.
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| Telling myself that this was, without a doubt, an emergency situation, I grasped the blue crystal and shouted.
| | Itu tidak terlalu besar. Itu mempunyai bulu hijau untuk berkamuflase diantara dedaunan dan mempunyai telinga yang lebih panjang dibandingkan tubuhnya. Ketika aku berkonsentrasi kearahnya, secara automatis monster itu menjadi targetku dan sebuah cursor berwarna kuning muncul bersama dengan namanya. |
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| “Teleport! Algade!”
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| There was the refreshing sound of many bells ringing and the crystal in my hand shattered into pieces. At the same time, my body was engulfed in blue light and the forest disappeared from my vision as if it was melting. A brighter light then flashed, and when it disappeared, the teleportation was over. In place of the sound of the rustling leaves, the sound of a smith hammering and the loud sounds of the city invaded my ears.
| | Aku menahan napasku saat aku melihat namanya: <Ragout Rabbit>. Itu cukup langka hingga bisa mendapat gelar "super." |
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| The place I appeared at was the <Teleport Gate> that was situated in the middle of Algade.
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| In the middle of the circular plaza, a gate made out of metal stood over five meters high. Inside, the air swirled as if a mirage, and people who were teleporting, or who had just teleported, came and went.
| | Itu pertama kalinya aku melihat yang asli. Kelinci yang hidup di batang pohon itu tidak begitu kuat, juga tidak memberimu banyak experience points, tapi- |
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| Four large roads stretched in all four directions out of the plaza, and on the sides of all these roads, countless small shops were gathered. The players who sought a short refuge after a day of exploring shared conversations in front of the food menus or pubs.
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| If someone tried to describe Algade in one word, it would be <messy>.
| | Aku diam-diam mengambil sebuah throwing pick kecil dari sabuk ku. <Knife Throwing Skill> ku tidak begitu tinggi. Aku baru saja memilihnya sebagai cabang di skill tree ku beberapa waktu yang lalu. Tapi kudengar kalau Ragout Rabbit adalah monster tercepat dari seluruh monster yang diketahui saat ini, jadi aku tidak terlalu percaya diri untuk menangkapnya dengan pedangku. |
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| There were no big streets like the ones you could see in the Starting City and crisscrossing alleyways covered the whole city. There were shops that you couldn’t even tell what they were selling, and inns that looked like you could never get back out once you went in.
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| Actually, there were a lot of players who’d accidentally gone into one of the alleyways of Algade and wandered for days before getting back out. I’ve been living here for almost a year now, but I still can't remember half of them. Even the NPCs here were strange people whose class was hard to guess, and it makes you think that people who use this as a hometown these days are all sort of strange.
| | Aku punya satu kesempatan untuk menyerang sebelum musuh menyadari keberadaanku. Aku mengangkat pick nya, berdoa, dan bergerak mengikuti posisi gerak awal skill <Single Shot>. |
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| But I liked the feel of these streets. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the only time I felt at peace was when I was sipping some strange smelling tea at a corner shop I frequented. The reason behind this was that I felt a little sentimental because it reminded me of an electronics store I used to frequent—well not really, or I hoped not.
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| Thinking that I’d deal with the item before going back to my house, I started walking towards a shop.
| | Yah, sekecil apapun skill ku, tanganku dibantu oleh dexterity ku yang tinggi dan melempar pick nya dengan gerakan yang agak terlihat kabur. Pick nya berkilau sekali dan menghilang dibalik pepohonan. Segera setelah aku menyerang, cursor kuning yang tadinya menunjukkan lokasi Ragout Rabbit berada, berubah menjadi merah dan muncul HP bar dibawahnya. |
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| If I followed the road that led west out of the central plaza, I would arrive at the shop after working my way through the crowds for a little bit. Inside, it was so small that five players would feel cramped in there, and it had the trademark dizziness of a player shop: the tools, weapons, and even food ingredients were mixed up.
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| The shop owner was busily getting worked up bargaining.
| | Sebuah teriakan kencang terdengar dari arah pick ku terlempar. HP bar nya semakin mengecil dan kemudian mencapai 0. Terdengar suara polygon pecah yang tidak asing lagi. |
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| There are two ways of selling items. One was selling to an NPC, a character controlled by the system. There was no danger of being tricked but the price was always the same. To stop inflation, the price was set lower than the actual market price.
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| The other was trading with another player. In this case, you could sell the item for a high price if you bargained well, but you had to find someone to buy it, and arguments between the players after completing the trade weren’t uncommon.
| | Aku mengepalkan tangan kiriku. Aku mengangkat tangan kananku dan membuka main menu. Aku membuka inventory dengan cepat, meski begitu gerakan tanganku terlihat terlalu lambat bagiku, dan benda itu ada di bagian teratas dari item list baru kudapat: <Ragout Rabbit’s meat>. Itu adalah rare item yang bisa dijual ke player lain dengan harga minimal seratus ribu Coll. Uang sebanyak itu cukup untuk membuat satu full set dari armor terbaik dan masih ada sisa kembaliannya. |
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| Therefore, merchant players who specialized in trading items appeared.
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| Merchant players couldn’t live on trading itself. Like the technician classes, they had to fill half of their skill slots with battle unrelated skills. But that didn’t mean that they could stay off the fields. Merchants had to fight for goods and technicians for ingredients, and, of course, they had a harder time than warriors. It was hard for them to feel the exhilarating feeling of beating an enemy.
| | Alasan kenapa benda ini sangat mahal simpel saja, karena benda ini adalah bahan makanan yang paling enak dibandingkan bahan makanan lainnya di game ini. |
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| Therefore, the reason that they chose these classes would be the noble one of helping the players who fought on the front lines every day. So I respected them deeply, if secretly.
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| …well, I respected them, but it was also true that the character in front of me was someone who was very far from self-sacrificing.
| | Makan adalah satu-satunya kenikmatan di SAO, tapi makanan yang ada biasanya hanyalah sup dan roti yang rasanya seperti berasal dari negara eropa—yah aku juga tidak begitu tahu; tapi kenyataannya rasanya biasa saja. Beberapa player yang melatih skill memasak mereka juga berpikir seperti itu dan tidak puas hanya dengan makanan itu. Tapi melatih skill memasak bukanlah hal yang mudah, jadi banyak player yang tidak bisa melakukannya. |
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| “Okay, it’s settled! Twenty-five <Dust Lizard’s hides> for five hundred Coll!”
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| The owner of this shop I often came to, Egil, thumped his bargaining opponent, a weak looking spearman, on the back with his thick arm. Then he quickly opened the trade window and entered the amount in his trade list.
| | Tentu saja aku tidak berbeda. Aku tidak begitu membenci sup dan roti gandum yang sering kubeli dari restoran NPC. Tapi sekali-sekali aku juga ingin makan daging. |
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| The opponent seemed to be thinking, but as soon as he viewed Egil’s face, which looked frightening enough to resemble one of a seasoned warrior—in fact, Egil was a top class axe warrior as well as a merchant—he hurried to put the items in his trade list and pressed OK.
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| “Thank you every time! Please visit again!”
| | Selama beberapa waktu aku melihat kearah nama item itu dan berpikir apa yang harus kulakukan. Kemungkinan ku mendapat bahan seperti ini lagi sangat rendah. Sejujurnya, aku sangat ingin memakannya. Tapi semakin tinggi peringkat bahannya, semakin tinggi pula skill yang dibutuhkan untuk memasaknya. Jadi aku harus menemukan orang yang sudah menguasai skill memasak sepenuhnya untuk memasakannya untukku. |
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| Egil thumped the spearman’s back one last time and smiled brightly. The hide of the Dusk Lizard could be used to create high standard armor. I thought that five hundred was too cheap however you looked at it. But I stayed silent and watched the spearman leave. Take this as a lesson to never give any ground when bargaining, I muttered in my mind.
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| “Hey, you’re going about your business shamelessly as usual.”
| | Tapi aku tidak tahu satupun. Yah, aku tahu beberapa, tapi mencari merekalah yang membuat repot. Selain itu, sudah waktunya aku membeli satu set equipment baru. Jadi, aku memutuskan untuk menjualnya. |
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| The bald giant looked my way and smiled when I said this behind him.
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| “Hey, Kirito. Our shop’s motto is to buy cheap and sell cheap,” he said without any sign of remorse.
| | Aku menutup window nya untuk menyingkirkan semua rasa menyesal, dan menscan area di sekitar dengan skill ku. Kemungkinan bandit muncul di garis depan sangat tipis, tapi kau tidak akan pernah terlalu berhati-hati ketika kau mempunyai sebuah S-class. |
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| “Well, I’m a little suspicious about the ‘sell cheap’ bit but that doesn’t matter. I want to sell you something too.”
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| “You’re a regular, so I can’t trick you. Well, let’s see…”
| | Aku bisa membeli berapapun teleport item yang kubutuhkan setelah aku menjualnya, jadi aku memilih untuk mengurangi resiko dan mulai merogoh saku-ku. |
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| As he said this, Egil stretched his thick, short neck and looked in the trade window that I’d offered.
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| The avatars in SAO were all replicas of the player’s real body which had been created through scans and calibrations. But every time I looked at Egil, I always asked myself how someone could have a body that fit him so well.
| | Benda yang kuambil adalah sebuah kristal yang berbentuk seperti pilar bersisi delapan yang berwarna biru terang. Sedikit dari magic item di dunia dimana <Magic> tidak ada semuanya berbentuk seperti permata. Biru adalah untuk instant teleportation, pink untuk menyembuhkan HP, hijau untuk penawar racun, dan lain-lain. Mereka semua adalah item praktis yang menciptakan efek secara instant, tapi mereka juga mahal. Jadi orang-orang lebih sering menggunakan item yang lebih murah seperti potion yang memiliki efek lambat setelah kabur dari pertarungan. |
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| All 180 centimeters of his body were packed with muscle and fat, and the head that rested on top of it looked as if it’d fit a pro-wrestler villain. On top of that, he had set his hairstyle, one of the few things that could be customized, to be bald. The effect was at least as scary as the barbarian monsters.
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| Despite that, he had a charming face that looked childlike when he smiled. He looked in his late twenties but I couldn’t even guess what he did in the real world. Not asking others about <The other side> was an unspoken rule in this world.
| | Berpikir kalau ini adalah, tidak salah lagi, sebuah situasi darurat, Aku memegang kristal biru itu dan berteriak. |
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| The two eyes that were below his thick eyebrows widened as soon as he saw the trade window.
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| “Wow, it’s an S-rank rare item. <Ragout Rabbit’s meat>, it’s the first time I’ve actually seen one… Kirito you’re not that poor are you? Don’t you have any thoughts of eating this?”
| | “Teleport! Algate!” |
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| “Of course I have. It’ll be hard to come across something like this a second time… But it’s sort of hard to find someone who can cook something like this…”
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| Then someone behind me tapped my shoulder.
| | Ada suara banyak bel bergema dan kristal di tanganku pecah menjadi kepingan kecil. Pada saat yang sama, tubuhku diselimuti oleh cahaya biru dan hutannya menghilang dari pandanganku seperti meleleh. Sebuah cahaya yang lebih terang bersinar, dan setelah itu menghilang, teleportasinya selesai. Dari suara daun-daun bergesekan berganti menjadi suara palu para smith dan suara keras dari kota memasuki suaraku. |
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| “Kirito.”
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| It was a feminine voice. There weren’t many female players who knew my name. Well actually, in this situation there was only one. I grabbed the hand on my left shoulder and said.
| | Tempatku muncul adalah <Teleport Gate> yang berada di tengah Algate. |
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| “Cook acquired.”
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| “Wh-What?”
| | Dibagian tengah dari plaza yang melingkar, sebuah gerbang yang terbuat dari logam berdiri setinggi lima meter lebih. Didalamnya, udara berputar-putar seperti sebuah pusaran dan orang-orang yang teleport keluar masuk. |
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| With her hand in mine, the person stammered with a suspicious expression on her face.
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| The small face, which was surrounded by long straight chestnut hair that was split neatly in two, was egg-shaped, and her two sparkling hazelnut eyes were almost blinding. Her thin body was covered by a red and white knight-like combat uniform, and there was an elegant silver-white rapier sheathed in her white leather scabbard.
| | Empat jalan utama membentang di keempat arah dari plaza, dan disisi dari semua jalan itu, banyak toko-toko kecil yang berdiri. Player-player yang pulang setelah seharian menjelajah berbincang-bincang di depan toko makanan atau minuman. |
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| Her name was Asuna. She was so famous that almost everybody in SAO knew her.
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| There were a lot of reasons, but the first was that she was one of the very few female players, and that she was the owner of a face that lacked nothing.
| | Jika seseorang mencoba mendeskripsikan Algate kedalam satu kata, itu pasti adalah <berantakan>. |
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| It's hard to say this in this world, where everyone had their real bodies, but beautiful women were a super rare presence within it. You could most probably count the number of players that were as pretty as Asuna with your fingers.
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| Another reason that she's famous was because of her red and white uniform which belonged to the guild <Knights of the Blood>. The members are called KoB by taking the initials from <Knights of the Blood>, and, out of the many guilds, everyone acknowledged them as the best.
| | Tidak ada jalan besar seperti yang ada di Starting City dan banyak jalan gang yang bersilangan di seluruh kota. Ada toko-toko yang kau mungkin tidak tahu apa yang dijualnya, dan penginapan yang terlihat seperti kalau kau tidak akan pernah bisa keluar jika kau masuk kedalam. |
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| It's only a medium-sized guild of about thirty players, but they were all high leveled and seasoned warriors, with the leader of the guild being its strongest player and almost a legend within SAO. Also, contrary to her delicate frame, Asuna was the sub-leader. Her sword skill was so exceptional that it had earned her the title <Flash>.
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| So her appearance and sword skill were at the zenith of six thousand players. It would have been strange for her not to have become famous. She had numerous fans, but among them there were some stalkers who virtually worship her, and there were also those who hate her, so it seems like she's having a hard time.
| | Sebenarnya, ada banyak player yang secara tidak sengaja memasuki salah satu gang di Algate dan tersesat selama beberapa hari sebelum bisa keluar. Aku sudah tinggal disini hampir setahun sekarang, tapi aku masih tidak hapal setengah dari jalan disini. Bahkan NPC disini adalah orang-orang aneh yang pekerjaannya susah untuk ditebak, dan itu membuatmu berpikir kalau orang yang menjadikan tempat ini sebagai tempat tinggal sekarang ini adalah orang-orang aneh juga. |
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| Well, since she is a top class warrior, there shouldn’t be that many that would challenge her directly. But as if the guild wanted to show that they would protect her, she's often trailed by two or more bodyguards. Even now, there were two men a few steps behind her fully equipped in metal armor and KoB uniforms. One of them, with his hair in a pony tail, was glaring at me, who had grabbed Asuna’s hand.
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| I let go of her hand, shook mine in his direction, and replied.
| | Tapi aku menyukai jalan-jalan disini. Aku tidak bohong saat aku pernah bilang satu-satunya waktu aku merasa tenang adalah ketika aku meminum teh berbau aneh di sebuah toko di pojokan yang biasa kukunjungi. Alasan dibaliknya adalah karena aku tempat itu terasa sedikit mirip dengan toko elektronik yang sering kukunjungi di dunia nyata—yah tidak terlalu juga sih, atau kuharap tidak. |
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| “What’s up, Asuna? For you to be coming to such a rubbish heap like this.”
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| The face of the man with the pony tail and the shop owner’s faces convulsed; one because I didn’t call Asuna with her title and the other because I called his shop a rubbish heap. But the shop owner...
| | Berpikir untuk menjual itemnya sebelum kembali kerumah, aku berjalan ke sebuah toko. |
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| “It’s been a while, Egil-san.”
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| ...gave a sunny smile after hearing Asuna’s greeting.
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| Asuna looked back at me and pouted her lips in discontent.
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| “Hey, what’s this? After all the trouble I went through to see if you were alive for the boss fight that’s going to take place soon.”
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| “You’ve already listed me as a friend so you’d be able to tell if you just looked at that. Anyway the only reason you could find me was because you used a friend trace on your map.”
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| Asuna turned her head to the side as soon as I answered.
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| She was also responsible for progressing through the game in the guild as well as being a sub-leader. That job included searching out selfish solo players like me and forming a party to fight bosses. But even then, to actually come to see me, there should be a limit to how devoted a person could be.
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| Looking at my half-tired, half-amazed expression, Asuna put her hands on her hips before saying with a motion that was akin to raising her chin.
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| “Well, you’re alive and that’s all that matters. M-More than that, what do you mean? You were saying something about a chef or something.”
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| “Oh, right right. How high is your cooking skill right now?”
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| By what I knew, Asuna was particularly focused on raising her cooking skill whenever she found time in between training her sword skills. She answered my question with a proud smile.
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| “Listen and be surprised! I <Completed> it last week.”
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| “What!?”
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| She’s…an idiot.
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| I thought that for a second. I didn’t say it out loud, of course.
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| Training skills was mind-numbingly boring and extremely time-consuming, and could only be <Completed> after leveling them up 1000 times. On that note, levels didn’t have anything to do with skills and went up by gaining experience points. The things that went up with the levels were HP, strength, stats like dexterity, and the number of <Skill Slots> which decided how many skills you could learn.
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| Right now I had twelve slots, but the only ones that had been completed were my one-handed straight sword skill, Scan for Enemy skill, and my Weapon Guard skill. It meant that this girl had spent a lot of time and effort on a skill that wasn’t even of any help in battle.
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| “…well, I’ve got something to ask you to do, trusting that skill.”
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| I waved her over and put my window on show mode so that she could see it. Asuna looked at it suspiciously, and then her eyes widened at the name of the item.
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| “Uwa!! That…that’s an S-rank food ingredient!?”
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| “Let’s trade. If you cook this, I’ll let you have a bite.”
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| Even before I stopped talking, that right hand of <Flash> Asuna grabbed me by the collar. Then she pushed her face to a few centimeters before mine.
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| “Give. Me. Half!!”
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| [[Image:Sword Art Online Vol 01 - 092.jpg|thumb]]
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| My chest stopped at this sudden ambush and I nodded without thinking. When I got back to my senses it was too late, and she was waving her arm with excitement. Well, let’s consider it a good thing that I can watch that delicate face from so close. I convinced myself.
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| I closed the window and spoke while looking at Egil’s face.
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| “Sorry. I’ll stop the trade.”
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| “No. It’s fine but…hey, we’re friends right? Eh? Can’t you give me a taste…?”
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| “I’ll give you an eight hundred word essay on it.”
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| “D-Don’t be like that!”
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| As I cold-heartedly turned my back on Egil, he called out in a voice that seemed as if it was the end of the world. As I made to walk away, Asuna grabbed the sleeve of my coat.
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| “Cooking’s good, but where are we going to do it?”
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| “Ah…”
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| If you're going to cook, then you needed some cooking appliances, such as a stove or an oven, as well as the ingredients. It wasn’t as if my house didn’t have them, but I couldn’t invite the sub-leader of the KoB into a messy place like that.
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| Asuna looked at me with an unbelieving expression on her face.
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| “Well, your house wouldn’t have the proper appliances anyway. But I could serve it to you in my house just this once.”
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| She said something shocking in a calm voice.
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| Asuna ignored me, who was standing there frozen as if I was lagging while my brain processed this, and turned to her guards and spoke.
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| “I’m going to teleport to <Salemburg> soon, so its fine if you go. Thank you for your hard work.”
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| “A-Asuna-sama! Coming into the slums was bad enough, but to invite someone as suspicious as him to your house. Wh-What are you thinking!?”
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| I couldn’t believe what I just heard. <Sama> he said. He must be one of the worshipers. As I looked at Asuna with these thoughts, the person in question had an annoyed expression on her face.
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| “OK, maybe you could call him suspicious, but his skill is unquestionable. He’s most probably ten levels above you Cradil.”
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| “Wh-What are you saying? To say that I’m not even equal to someone like that…!”
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| The man’s voice sounded all the way out to the alley. He glared at me with his heavily lidded eyes. Then his face scrunched up as if he suddenly recognized something.
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| “That’s right…you, you were definitely a <Beater>!”
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| Beater was made by mixing <Beta tester> and <Cheater>. It was a word meant for people who used unfair means and a swearword that was unique to SAO. It was something I’d heard a lot of times. But however many times I heard it, it still hurt me deeply. The face of the person who had first said it to me, who had once been a friend, suddenly appeared in my head.
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| “Yeah. You’re right.”
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| When I affirmed it with an expressionless face, the guy started talking excitedly.
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| “Asuna-sama, these sorts of guys don’t care about anything as long as they’re fine! There’s nothing to gain from mixing with these kinds of people!”
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| Asuna, who had been calm until now, suddenly knotted her eyebrows in disgust. A crowd had suddenly appeared and the words <KoB> and <Asuna> could be heard here and there.
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| Asuna looked around and said to the man who was getting more excited by the minute.
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| “Well, please leave for today. That’s an order.”
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| She spoke bluntly and grabbed my belt with her left hand. Then she started walking towards the gate plaza, dragging me as she went.
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| “Err…hey! Is it okay to leave them like that?”
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| “It’s fine!”
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| Well, I’ve got no reason to complain. We made our way through the crowd, leaving the two guards and Egil, who was still disappointed. When I glanced back one last time, the furious expression of the man called Cradil stuck to my vision like an afterimage.
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Chapter 5
Setelah menyelesaikan pertarunganku dengan musuh yang kuat yang sedang berpatroli di <Labyrinth Area> di lantai 74, aku mengingat jalan kembaliku, begitu juga dengan masa lalu, dan menghela napasku ketika aku melihat cahaya dari jalan keluar.
Aku mengosongkan kepalaku, berjalan dengan cepat keluar dari labyrinth area, dan menghirup udara yang segar dan bersih dalam-dalam.
Di hadapanku, lorong yang sempit berubah menjadi hutan yang lebat dan penuh dengan pohon. Di belakang ku, labyrinth area tempatku keluar barusan menjulang tinggi hingga ke langit—atau lebih tepatnya hingga ke permukaan bagian bawah lantai selanjutnya.
Karena tujuan akhir gamenya adalah untuk mencapai puncak tertinggi dari kastil ini, dungeon di dunia ini tidak menuju ke bawah tanah melainkan berbentuk menara. Tapi, setting dasarnya tidak berubah: monster di labyrinth area lebih kuat dibandingkan monster yang berada di jalanan, dan boss monster menunggu di bagian terdalam dari labyrinth area.
Saat ini, delapan puluh persen dari labyrinth area di lantai 74 telah di jelajahi, atau dengan kata lain, telah di <mapped>. Dalam beberapa hari, boss room mungkin akan ditemukan, dan sebuah team untuk melawan boss dengan anggota yang banyak akan dibuat. Saat itu, bahkan aku, seorang solo player, akan ikut ambil bagian.
Aku tersenyum pada diriku sendiri karena merasa tidak sabar dan frustasi pada saat yang sama dan mulai berjalan melewati jalur yang ada.
Saat ini, rumah tempat tinggal ku berada di kota terbesar di Aincrad, yaitu <Algade>, yang lokasinya berada di lantai ke 50. Yah, dari luasnya, Starting City lebih besar, tapi tempat itu sekarang sudah menjadi markas <The Army> sepenuhnya, jadi berjalan di sekitar sana menjadi agak tidak nyaman.
Segera setelah aku keluar dari padang rumput yang mulai menggelap, sebuah hutan yang berisi pohon-pohon tua membentang di depanku. Jika aku berjalan selama tiga puluh menit lewat sini, Aku akan sampai di <Housing Area> dari lantai 74 dan bisa menggunakan <Teleport Gate> disana untuk teleport ke Algate.
Aku bisa saja menggunakan satu dari instant teleportation item didalam inventory ku untuk kembali ke Algate kapanpun. Tapi karena harganya sedikit mahal, Aku enggan menggunakannya kecuali jika aku sedang berada dalam situasi berbahaya. Masih ada sedikit waktu hingga mataharinya menghilang sepenuhnya, jadi aku menolak godaan untuk kembali kerumah secepatnya dan akhirnya masuk kedalam hutan.
Sebagai catatan, ujung-ujung dari setiap lantai di Aincrad biasanya terbuka lebar langsung ke langit, kecuali bagian tiang penahannya. Pohon-pohon menjadi berwarna merah api karena terkena cahaya yang masuk melalui celah tersebut. Kabut yang mengalir diantara cahaya matahari memantulkan cahaya dengan indahnya. Suara kicau-an burung, yang sering terdengar disiang hari, menjadi sulit terdengar, karena suara batang pohon yang bergoyang-goyang karena tertiup angin yang kencang.
Aku tahu dengan jelas kalau aku bisa bertarung dengan monster di area ini meskipun aku mengantuk, tapi rasa takut yang datang bersamaan dengan kegelapan susah dihindari. Sebuah perasaan yang mirip dengan ketika aku tersesat dan tidak bisa pulang waktu kecil menyelimutiku.
Tapi aku tidak membenci perasaan ini. Aku kadang-kadang melupakan rasa takut ini ketika aku masih di dunia nyata. Rasa kesepian yang kau dapatkan ketika kau berkelana sendirian di tempat asing tanpa seorangpun yang terlihat seberapa keraspun kau mencoba melihat—kau bisa menyebutnya sebagai dasar dari RPG.
Ketika aku sedang terpaku mengenang masa lalu, sebuah teriakan yang belum pernah kudengar sebelumnya memasuki telingaku.
Itu terdengar hanya sesaat, keras dan jelas seperti suara sebuah peluit. Aku menghentikan langkahku dan mencari dengan seksama ke arah suaranya berasal. Jika kau mendengar atau melihat sesuatu yang kau tidak pernah alami sebelumnya di dunia ini, itu bisa saja berarti kalau kau sangat beruntung atau bisa juga sebaliknya.
Sebagai seorang solo player, Aku melatih skill <Scan for Enemy>ku. Skill ini mencegah serangan tiba-tiba dan ketika kau sudah ahli menggunakannya, itu akan memberikan kemampuan tambahan pada si player untuk bisa mendeteksi monster yang sedang "bersembunyi." Dengan itu, AKu bisa melihat seekor monster bersembunyi diantara batang pohon di jarak sepuluh meter dariku.
Itu tidak terlalu besar. Itu mempunyai bulu hijau untuk berkamuflase diantara dedaunan dan mempunyai telinga yang lebih panjang dibandingkan tubuhnya. Ketika aku berkonsentrasi kearahnya, secara automatis monster itu menjadi targetku dan sebuah cursor berwarna kuning muncul bersama dengan namanya.
Aku menahan napasku saat aku melihat namanya: <Ragout Rabbit>. Itu cukup langka hingga bisa mendapat gelar "super."
Itu pertama kalinya aku melihat yang asli. Kelinci yang hidup di batang pohon itu tidak begitu kuat, juga tidak memberimu banyak experience points, tapi-
Aku diam-diam mengambil sebuah throwing pick kecil dari sabuk ku. <Knife Throwing Skill> ku tidak begitu tinggi. Aku baru saja memilihnya sebagai cabang di skill tree ku beberapa waktu yang lalu. Tapi kudengar kalau Ragout Rabbit adalah monster tercepat dari seluruh monster yang diketahui saat ini, jadi aku tidak terlalu percaya diri untuk menangkapnya dengan pedangku.
Aku punya satu kesempatan untuk menyerang sebelum musuh menyadari keberadaanku. Aku mengangkat pick nya, berdoa, dan bergerak mengikuti posisi gerak awal skill <Single Shot>.
Yah, sekecil apapun skill ku, tanganku dibantu oleh dexterity ku yang tinggi dan melempar pick nya dengan gerakan yang agak terlihat kabur. Pick nya berkilau sekali dan menghilang dibalik pepohonan. Segera setelah aku menyerang, cursor kuning yang tadinya menunjukkan lokasi Ragout Rabbit berada, berubah menjadi merah dan muncul HP bar dibawahnya.
Sebuah teriakan kencang terdengar dari arah pick ku terlempar. HP bar nya semakin mengecil dan kemudian mencapai 0. Terdengar suara polygon pecah yang tidak asing lagi.
Aku mengepalkan tangan kiriku. Aku mengangkat tangan kananku dan membuka main menu. Aku membuka inventory dengan cepat, meski begitu gerakan tanganku terlihat terlalu lambat bagiku, dan benda itu ada di bagian teratas dari item list baru kudapat: <Ragout Rabbit’s meat>. Itu adalah rare item yang bisa dijual ke player lain dengan harga minimal seratus ribu Coll. Uang sebanyak itu cukup untuk membuat satu full set dari armor terbaik dan masih ada sisa kembaliannya.
Alasan kenapa benda ini sangat mahal simpel saja, karena benda ini adalah bahan makanan yang paling enak dibandingkan bahan makanan lainnya di game ini.
Makan adalah satu-satunya kenikmatan di SAO, tapi makanan yang ada biasanya hanyalah sup dan roti yang rasanya seperti berasal dari negara eropa—yah aku juga tidak begitu tahu; tapi kenyataannya rasanya biasa saja. Beberapa player yang melatih skill memasak mereka juga berpikir seperti itu dan tidak puas hanya dengan makanan itu. Tapi melatih skill memasak bukanlah hal yang mudah, jadi banyak player yang tidak bisa melakukannya.
Tentu saja aku tidak berbeda. Aku tidak begitu membenci sup dan roti gandum yang sering kubeli dari restoran NPC. Tapi sekali-sekali aku juga ingin makan daging.
Selama beberapa waktu aku melihat kearah nama item itu dan berpikir apa yang harus kulakukan. Kemungkinan ku mendapat bahan seperti ini lagi sangat rendah. Sejujurnya, aku sangat ingin memakannya. Tapi semakin tinggi peringkat bahannya, semakin tinggi pula skill yang dibutuhkan untuk memasaknya. Jadi aku harus menemukan orang yang sudah menguasai skill memasak sepenuhnya untuk memasakannya untukku.
Tapi aku tidak tahu satupun. Yah, aku tahu beberapa, tapi mencari merekalah yang membuat repot. Selain itu, sudah waktunya aku membeli satu set equipment baru. Jadi, aku memutuskan untuk menjualnya.
Aku menutup window nya untuk menyingkirkan semua rasa menyesal, dan menscan area di sekitar dengan skill ku. Kemungkinan bandit muncul di garis depan sangat tipis, tapi kau tidak akan pernah terlalu berhati-hati ketika kau mempunyai sebuah S-class.
Aku bisa membeli berapapun teleport item yang kubutuhkan setelah aku menjualnya, jadi aku memilih untuk mengurangi resiko dan mulai merogoh saku-ku.
Benda yang kuambil adalah sebuah kristal yang berbentuk seperti pilar bersisi delapan yang berwarna biru terang. Sedikit dari magic item di dunia dimana <Magic> tidak ada semuanya berbentuk seperti permata. Biru adalah untuk instant teleportation, pink untuk menyembuhkan HP, hijau untuk penawar racun, dan lain-lain. Mereka semua adalah item praktis yang menciptakan efek secara instant, tapi mereka juga mahal. Jadi orang-orang lebih sering menggunakan item yang lebih murah seperti potion yang memiliki efek lambat setelah kabur dari pertarungan.
Berpikir kalau ini adalah, tidak salah lagi, sebuah situasi darurat, Aku memegang kristal biru itu dan berteriak.
“Teleport! Algate!”
Ada suara banyak bel bergema dan kristal di tanganku pecah menjadi kepingan kecil. Pada saat yang sama, tubuhku diselimuti oleh cahaya biru dan hutannya menghilang dari pandanganku seperti meleleh. Sebuah cahaya yang lebih terang bersinar, dan setelah itu menghilang, teleportasinya selesai. Dari suara daun-daun bergesekan berganti menjadi suara palu para smith dan suara keras dari kota memasuki suaraku.
Tempatku muncul adalah <Teleport Gate> yang berada di tengah Algate.
Dibagian tengah dari plaza yang melingkar, sebuah gerbang yang terbuat dari logam berdiri setinggi lima meter lebih. Didalamnya, udara berputar-putar seperti sebuah pusaran dan orang-orang yang teleport keluar masuk.
Empat jalan utama membentang di keempat arah dari plaza, dan disisi dari semua jalan itu, banyak toko-toko kecil yang berdiri. Player-player yang pulang setelah seharian menjelajah berbincang-bincang di depan toko makanan atau minuman.
Jika seseorang mencoba mendeskripsikan Algate kedalam satu kata, itu pasti adalah <berantakan>.
Tidak ada jalan besar seperti yang ada di Starting City dan banyak jalan gang yang bersilangan di seluruh kota. Ada toko-toko yang kau mungkin tidak tahu apa yang dijualnya, dan penginapan yang terlihat seperti kalau kau tidak akan pernah bisa keluar jika kau masuk kedalam.
Sebenarnya, ada banyak player yang secara tidak sengaja memasuki salah satu gang di Algate dan tersesat selama beberapa hari sebelum bisa keluar. Aku sudah tinggal disini hampir setahun sekarang, tapi aku masih tidak hapal setengah dari jalan disini. Bahkan NPC disini adalah orang-orang aneh yang pekerjaannya susah untuk ditebak, dan itu membuatmu berpikir kalau orang yang menjadikan tempat ini sebagai tempat tinggal sekarang ini adalah orang-orang aneh juga.
Tapi aku menyukai jalan-jalan disini. Aku tidak bohong saat aku pernah bilang satu-satunya waktu aku merasa tenang adalah ketika aku meminum teh berbau aneh di sebuah toko di pojokan yang biasa kukunjungi. Alasan dibaliknya adalah karena aku tempat itu terasa sedikit mirip dengan toko elektronik yang sering kukunjungi di dunia nyata—yah tidak terlalu juga sih, atau kuharap tidak.
Berpikir untuk menjual itemnya sebelum kembali kerumah, aku berjalan ke sebuah toko.