Anime: Passive Inheritance System

Countless white-walled, red-roofed houses lined the streets—this was the hallmark of the 35th floor.

Though Kai had seen this street during the Christmas event, now that it was early spring, the thick snow was gone, replaced by a rustic, countryside charm.

Kai stepped out of the teleport gate and looked around. Then he headed directly down the main street toward a two-story building that was noticeably larger than the rest.

Weathercock Pavilion.

Though it was an inn run by a system NPC, the food here was said to be delicious and relatively affordable compared to other high-grade ingredients. Since the 35th floor had been conquered, the inn had enjoyed great business. It even surpassed the popularity of player-run inns.

Kai pushed open the twin wooden doors. It was lunchtime, so the first floor was lively with players eating, laughing, and chatting. It suited the fantasy adventure theme of SAO quite well.

He scanned the room but didn't see the person he was looking for. Frowning slightly, he walked to the inn's counter to ask for information.

"Dear customer, are you here for lodging or a meal?"

The system NPC behind the counter smiled according to its programmed behavior.

At the same time, a silver-bordered payment window popped up, with the amount still empty.

Kai glanced at the menu hanging behind the counter, then placed 10 Cor into the window.

"One Deep Chill Breath."

"Certainly. Please wait a moment."

As the NPC turned to prepare his order, Kai didn't close the window. Instead, he continued adding money.

Ding-dong!

A crisp system notification rang out across the inn's first floor. Though not loud, it immediately quieted the players' chatter.

Everyone looked toward the sound's source—a lone swordsman in a black coat leaning against the counter.

In Aincrad, more than 70% of players used swords, and many liked black outfits. But to be dressed entirely in a black coat without even a single piece of visible armor? That was rare. Only total newbies or foolish players did that.

This was a death game, after all. If you died in the game, you died in real life. No one treated it as just a game anymore—not after Akihiko Kayaba said those words a year ago. So no one dared to risk their life over fashion.

Especially frontline raiders. Every piece of armor raised survival chances. Even though this was just the 35th floor, anyone who made it here was considered above average. No one made rookie mistakes.

So Kai's appearance marked him as an anomaly. But more attention was drawn to the massive golden transaction window floating above his head.

At the center of the trade window, a long string of digits sparkled like a slap to everyone's face.

"1... 100,000... 100,000 Cor..."

"...Who is this guy?"

"He doesn't look like a frontliner. How can he afford that much?"

One hundred thousand Cor—a fortune for any mid-level player, enough to live luxuriously for a year. And this black-coated swordsman just offered it up casually. Naturally, everyone became curious about his identity.

"Your Deep Chill Breath, sir."

Ignoring the stares, Kai accepted the tall glass from the staff. He swirled the blue liquid inside for a moment, then said calmly,

"A girl named Silica stayed here recently. If anyone can tell me where she is now, this 100,000 Cor is theirs."

Silica—rare beast tamer job, young girl. Kai had come to the 35th floor specifically to find her and prevent certain events from happening. But in the original story, her whereabouts during February were vague. All it mentioned was that she stayed at the Weathercock Pavilion. Since she wasn't around, he had no choice but to offer a bounty.

Despite her low level and limited combat skills, Silica was a Beast Tamer and a cute girl. Her popularity among regular players was high—almost as famous as the frontline raiders. So Kai wasn't worried about finding someone who knew her.

Sure enough, just after he spoke, a tall, heavily-armored man near the window stood up.

"I know where Silica-chan went!"

Silica... chan?

A nearly two-meter-tall, brawny man with a square jaw spoke with the greasy tone of a shut-in otaku.

What a surreal image...

Staring at the serious and calm face of the male player, Kai couldn't help but wonder if he had just misheard something. But in the next second, the man continued, "This morning, I sent my heartfelt greetings to Silica-chan. It was then that I overheard a player traveling with her saying they were heading to the Foerst of Wandering today..."

Forest of Wandering?

Kai froze for a moment at the man's words, then his expression immediately darkened.

He was still a step too late!

In the original story, Silica encountered danger on the 35th floor—in the Forest of Wandering.

Now it was February, the exact time the event took place.

And with his involvement having already altered the plot to some extent, Kirito, who originally saved Silica just in time, might now still be grinding in some front-line labyrinth area. In other words...

"Damn it!"

Quickly assessing the consequences in his mind, Kai cursed under his breath, then turned into a black blur and vanished from the inn.

"..."

Everyone on the first floor of the inn, including the man who had given Kai the information, was left utterly stunned by the pitch-black shadow streaking through the air.

So fast! Too fast!

That kind of speed and agility... Just how high must his level be?

Level 60? 70? 80?

Even the front-line raid group likely didn't have anyone at level 80 yet.

By the time the players snapped out of their shock, the shadow had already dissipated. The inn returned to its usual appearance. Other than the faint ripples in the highball glass of blue [Deep Chill Breath] on the counter, it was as if the black swordsman had never appeared.

Until the shrill scream of one player broke the silence.

"Ah! My hundred thousand Cor!"

A tall, burly male player wore a pained expression, gritting his teeth as he cried out.

Others around him cast either gloating or sympathetic glances. Before long, the inn returned to its previous lively atmosphere. Players resumed eating, drinking, and chatting.

Only now, the topic of their conversations had shifted from random gossip to speculations about the identity of that black swordsman.

They discussed his level, his speed, his real identity, and why he had come all the way to the 35th floor just to find a young girl.

Though Silica, the "Beast Tamer," was quite famous among ordinary players—comparable to front-line raiders—it was mostly because these players had no contact with the top-tier ones. To the true elites, Silica was just one of thousands of low-level players… maybe slightly cuter, at most.

Those who constantly risked their lives at the front lines had no shortage of admirers. If they wanted a girl, they didn't need to come down here. A mere snap of their fingers would have beautiful young women lining up.

Yet, not a single player questioned Kai's status as a front-liner. His speed alone exceeded what they could even imagine. If someone like him wasn't a front-liner, then the entire raid group might as well not exist.

At a round table in the corner near the inn's entrance, a male player with spiky hair stared at the door, a twisted smile spreading across his face.

"A top-tier player like that, showing up on the 35th floor just for Silica… things are getting interesting."

...

The wind howled past Kai's ears. The simulation system transmitted the sensation directly into his nervous system, bringing a startlingly realistic sensory experience.

Red and white houses zipped by on either side of his vision. With one hand on his sword hilt and powerful footsteps slamming the ground, Kai's body became a blur, moving at several times the speed of a level 78 player.

He left the Weathercock Pavilion, crossed the road to the teleport gate plaza, then took a narrow street just wide enough for six people walking side-by-side. He quickly passed through the main district from south to north, entering the PvP zone where fighting between players or against monsters was allowed.

The cobblestone road turned into soft grass and dirt. The red-and-white houses gave way to dense trees. The tall trunks blocked the surroundings, the leafy canopies obscuring the sky. In this area, if you stayed in one place for over a minute, the forest would randomly shift. Even teleport crystals would only transport you to another random spot within the woods. It was truly a maze.

This forest on the north side of the 35th floor was known by players as the Forest of Wandering. Without a map, entering blindly almost guaranteed getting lost. The name was quite accurate.

Kai's target—Silica, the Beast tamer girl—was now somewhere within this maze.

Staring ahead into the dark depths of the forest, he pushed his speed to the limit, darting through one section after another, searching for any sign of her.

Since Kai didn't know her exact location, he had no choice but to use the most basic method: divide the forest into hundreds of zones and search them one by one.

Even with his incredible speed, this was an enormous task.

As he continued searching, the time passed from afternoon to dusk. The setting sun bathed the forest in a gorgeous golden-red hue.

Noticing the change in the surroundings, Kai frowned deeply, tightening his grip on the sword hilt.

...

Deep in the Labyrinth Forest, Silica looked up at the dimming sky. The thick canopy blocked the view, but she could guess that the sky was now blanketed in twilight.

It had been over an hour since she argued with her team and stormed off alone. Without a map, even though she kept heading north, her agility wasn't high enough to cross a zone within a minute. Running along winding forest paths, dodging giant tree roots, had drained her stamina far more than expected. She had given up running and was now trudging through the forest one block at a time, praying she'd be lucky enough to be transferred out.

Feeling her unease and growing fear as night fell, the small dragon on her shoulder—Pina—cooed softly and nuzzled her cheek with its neck.

The warmth and affection from Pina only deepened Silica's guilt and regret.

She regretted her arrogance that led to the fallout with her team. If she could go back, she'd definitely reflect and never think she was special again.

She also felt sorry for Pina. To have such a vain and prideful master, easily flattered into recklessness… it wasn't fair.

Full of remorse, she entered another section of the forest, enduring the brief dizziness of the transition and sincerely prayed for a miracle.

But what she saw next made her wonder if she was dreaming.

It was the same dark forest. Not a hint of the grassland beyond the trees. It was as if the gods were mocking her. From behind a mossy tree, low growls echoed. As she focused her gaze, three yellow markers appeared in her view.

"No way..."

She instinctively stepped back from the sight.

Three large, muscular beasts covered in dark red fur, one carrying a gourd, another wielding a rough wooden club.

Their name: [Drunk Apes]. Among the highest-level monsters on the 35th floor. The strongest creatures in the Forest of Wandering.

Hearing her footsteps, the three apes all turned to face her.

"Eek...!"

Meeting their bloodshot eyes filled with madness, Silica let out a soft cry. Pina took flight, hovering between her and the monsters.

Seeing Pina's light blue form steadied her a little.

Despite usually being treated like a mascot under her teammates' protection, Silica had been invited to many parties and reached level 45—ten levels above the floor average.

So the monsters weren't overwhelmingly dangerous. Even three top-tier apes shouldn't be too much for her.

She had to protect Pina. It couldn't face them alone.

Silica forced away her fatigue, gripped her dagger tightly, called Pina back, and entered combat stance.

"Huff... Huff..."

Sensing her fighting spirit, the apes bared their teeth, raised their clubs, and roared.

The frontmost one charged first. Silica's dagger glowed orange as she activated the intermediate skill [Rushing Fang], slashing the ape and taking off nearly one-sixth of its health.

It was working!

Seeing the result of her attack, Silica smiled with hope. Pina chirped cheerfully above.

But...

As she spun midair to prepare her follow-up skill [Chasing Blade], the slight delay between sword skills gave the apes a chance to counter.

A healthy one replaced the injured ape, which began drinking from its gourd.

To her shock, the damaged health bar began refilling—bit by bit—until it was nearly full.

"What?!"

Staring in disbelief, Silica went cold, but before she could react, another ape swung its club at her.

She barely blocked with her dagger and was knocked flying.

"Yah!"

Pina launched a series of colorful bubbles, momentarily blinding the apes.

"Thanks, Pina!"

Silica tumbled, regained balance, popped a healing crystal, and readied her next skill.

...

Several minutes passed. The apes continued rotating, one healing while the others attacked.

Silica's panic turned to fear.

They could heal by drinking?!

But she had already used all her healing crystals.

One more hit and she'd die.

And if she died here, she'd die in real life.

The nervegear would fry her brain with microwaves.

She might actually die...

The thought hit her like lightning, freezing her limbs.

Until now, all her battles had been under protection. This was her first brush with real danger.

She stared at the ape raising its club—frozen, helpless.

This wasn't a game. It was life and death.

Kayaba Akihiko's words from the beginning echoed in her mind. This was a killing game.

The club swung down.

Silica tried to raise her weapon, but she couldn't move.

She was too scared.

Just as she braced herself for death, a small blue figure flew in front of her.

"Bang!"

A dull crash echoed as a burst of blue feathers scattered. Pina's tiny health bar dropped to zero in one shot.

"Pina…"

Silica couldn't believe what she saw.

Why? Familiars were supposed to be autonomous. Why did Pina shield her?

Staring at the fallen tail feather, pain stabbed her chest like a blade.

"No… Pina… don't leave me alone…"

She collapsed, tears falling onto the feather. It glowed and vanished.

The three apes advanced, raising their clubs.

Then—

"Clang—"

A cold, clear sword cry rang out from afar. Crimson wind swept past the apes.

Invisible, yet deadly. Their bodies split apart without even a scream, vanishing into pixels.

Silica felt no pain—only the apes' death sounds. She looked up and saw a man approaching, sheathing his sword.

He had black hair, black eyes, a black coat. Tall and dignified, radiating overwhelming presence. His face was calm yet awe-inspiring. Especially his deep black eyes—it was like staring at a god.

Silica didn't know what gods looked like, but this man was the closest she could imagine.

...So, he was still too late.

Kai stepped before the kneeling girl, glanced at the blue tail feather, and shook his head with faint regret.

Then he said, "I'm sorry I couldn't save your friend…"

At his words, Silica's nose twitched. Tears welled again as she clutched the feather and cried, sobbing her thanks.

"…No… I was just… too useless… Thank you… for saving me…"

Looking at the girl sobbing her heart out in front of him, Kai scratched his head in slight frustration, unsure what words could properly comfort her. In the end, he decided to just go straight to the point.

"Actually, your friend still has a chance to be revived."

"…Eh?"

Tears still covering her face, Silica looked up at the calm, black-clad swordsman before her, stunned. For a moment, she almost thought she'd misheard.

"I said, your friend still has a chance to be revived."

Kai repeated the words while looking into her eyes, then opened his inventory and handed her a handkerchief.

"Th-thank you…"

Realizing she'd just broken down in front of a stranger—who also happened to be her savior—Silica blushed furiously. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Is… is there really a way? To revive her… to revive Pina?"

As she asked, it felt like her whole being was hanging by a thread. She desperately wanted to hear the answer she hoped for, but feared she'd only be disappointed.

"Yeah, of course there is."

Smiling gently at the anxious girl, Kai scrolled through his menu and took out a shiny red apple, handing it to her.

"Here, have this first. I'll explain everything once we're out of here."