Days passed, and fear had become the new currency of Aincrad.
The plaza of the Town of Beginnings had grown quieter. What had once been filled with laughter and awe was now overshadowed by silence and tension. The number of active players was shrinking — not due to logout, but because of death.
Kirito watched as names vanished from the player list one after another. Each disappearance was a vision fulfilled, each a stark reminder of his failure to change the outcomes he had foreseen.
He needed strength.
Every day, he hunted for hours, training his sword skills, studying enemy patterns, and pushing his limits until his arms burned and his health points flickered dangerously low. Every strike, every dodge, every movement was calculated and guided by the faint whispers of a future that danced just out of reach.
Still, the weight of those deaths lingered heavily on him.
On the fifth day, he heard the rumor:
"The boss room's been found."
The words spread like wildfire through the fields of the First Floor. Players who had been hiding in towns emerged from the shadows, their eyes filled with cautious hope. The first step toward escape — Floor 2 — was finally within reach.
Kirito packed his supplies and set out, heading to a small village north of the Tolbana Plains for the meeting point. When he arrived, he found over a hundred players already gathered — the largest group he had seen since the launch.
At the center stood a man clad in steel armor — Diavel. He was charismatic, smiling, his voice clear and confident.
"Everyone," he began, "we've suffered. We've seen death. But today, we fight to win. Today, we take back our hope!"
A murmur of agreement swept through the crowd.
Kirito remained at the edge, arms crossed, quietly observing. He noted the array of weapons — swords, spears, axes — and a few magical items. Most players were under-leveled; some hadn't even ventured outside town since the lockdown.
He sighed softly. They're not ready for this.
His gaze caught on her.
A girl in red and white armor stood apart from the others, auburn hair glinting in the sunlight. Her stance was rigid, her eyes cold and focused. She didn't speak to anyone.
Asuna.
Kirito didn't know her yet, but something about her felt different — sharp, determined, like a blade honed too early.
Their eyes met briefly before she looked away.
The raid began at dawn.
Rows of players marched through the dungeon, torches flickering along ancient stone walls. Every footstep echoed like a drumbeat.
Kirito positioned himself near the middle, his mind divided between the present and the foreboding glimpses of the future. Occasionally, his vision would flash — a trap trigger, a stray blow, an impending hit — and he would subtly intervene: a warning here, a deflection there.
The others began to take notice.
"How did you know that was coming?" one player whispered after he stopped an ambush before it started.
Kirito shrugged. "Instinct."
But the truth was much darker. He was glimpsing it all — the faint echoes of what would happen just moments before it did.
Finally, the massive iron doors loomed ahead. [Boss Room Detected] flashed on their HUDs.
Diavel turned. "Everyone, this is it! Remember the plan — tanks up front, DPS behind. Healers, stay back and watch your positioning!"
The doors creaked open.
Inside was a vast circular arena, the stone floor cracked and stained. At the center, standing atop a dais of shattered stone, was a towering creature — blue skin, a wolf-like face, twin axes resting on its shoulders.
Illfang the Kobold Lord.
Its growl reverberated through the room.
"GO!" Diavel shouted.
The raid surged forward.
The first phase unfolded smoothly. Tanks rotated, DPS attacked in intervals. Kirito moved like a shadow, his sword carving arcs of light through the air.
Each strike felt guided by something beyond instinct. The world around him slowed — he could see the angles of every attack, the timing of every dodge.
> Left sweep incoming in 3 seconds.
> Rear flank vulnerable in 5.
> Player "Lance" HP critical — one second from death.
He darted across the battlefield, deflecting a blow that would have claimed a lower-level player's life.
"Thanks!" the man gasped.
Kirito didn't respond; his mind was racing, his eyes glowing faintly blue with every flicker of foresight.
Then it happened.
A shift.
The boss roared, its health bar dipping below a quarter. The system glitched for a fraction of a second — then Illfang's weapon shattered.
Everyone froze.
"What's happening?" someone shouted.
Illfang reached behind its back — and drew a massive nodachi.
Kirito's blood ran cold.
That's not right.
He recalled the beta test; the boss was supposed to draw a talwar — slower, predictable. But this…
He saw a flash — Diavel charging forward, attempting to block the strike — and dying instantly.
"NO—!" Kirito screamed, his voice cracking.
He sprinted, faster than thought, as his Future Sight flooded his vision with overlapping timelines. His mind burned with the effort.
If I go left, I die.
If I go right, Diavel dies.
If I parry, the blade breaks.
He made his choice.
Kirito slammed into Diavel, knocking him aside just as the boss's blade tore through the space where he had been standing, the air rippling with the force of the attack.
He made his choice.
Kirito slammed into Diavel, knocking him aside just as the boss's blade tore through the space he'd been standing in. The air rippled with light.
The crowd gasped.
Illfang's nodachi came down again. Kirito blocked — sparks flew, his HP dropping dangerously low. He gritted his teeth, pushing back.
"Kirito!" someone shouted.
"I've got him!"
He activated Precognition (Tier II). The world exploded into light.
The future unfolded before him — dozens of possible outcomes, each one ending in death, failure, or blood. But one — only one — showed victory.
He lunged.
Steel clashed. His blade found the opening — a precise strike at the boss's exposed ribs between swings. The sword art Vertical Arc triggered automatically, his body moving faster than his mind could keep up.
Four slashes, one after another, glowing blue.
The final hit connected.
The Kobold Lord howled, its body dissolving into light.
For a moment, everything was silent — then the system message appeared above them.
> [Congratulations! Floor 1 Boss Defeated]
Cheers erupted. Players cried, screamed, laughed — some collapsed in relief.
But Kirito just stood there, staring at the fading light where Illfang had fallen. His vision blurred — another flicker.
He saw Diavel again, alive, smiling, surrounded by other players.
Then the vision twisted — Diavel, dead on another floor.
The future was never still.
"Hey!" someone shouted. "You! You knew the boss's attack pattern changed — didn't you!?"
Kirito turned slowly. A group of players glared at him.
"He pushed Diavel out of the way like he knew! How did you know!?"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Suspicion. Fear.
Kirito's hand tightened on his sword.
If they found out about his ability, if they thought he was manipulating them — it would destroy him.
"I'm just fast," he said coldly. "Faster than you."
He turned and walked away, ignoring their shouts.
But Asuna stepped forward, her eyes narrowing.
"You saw it, didn't you?" she whispered. "Before it happened."
Kirito froze.
Their eyes met again — and in that instant, his Future Sight flared. He saw her — standing beside him on higher floors, fighting, bleeding, smiling. Then he saw her falling.
He clenched his fists.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said softly. Then he disappeared into the crowd, leaving her staring after him.
That night, as the players celebrated the first victory, Kirito sat alone under the Aincrad moon, the boss's roar still echoing in his mind.
He could save lives — but only by changing the future faster than it could change itself.
And the more he used his power…
…the more it began to change him.