Wulfrin

"Right now," Wulfrin said as he stepped up to the boulder. "I'm just glad I'm still even getting to experience this place. It's odd honestly. I have to remind myself that this isn't my life, that it all has to end." Wulfrin took his stance and prepared to strike. "It's weird I almost feel like I belong here more than the real world. It's like some kind of advanced Stockholm syndrome, but if you look past the whole death game aspect, it's actually a pretty decent experience." Wulfrin reared his fist back and struck the boulder. The collision was solid and continued to chip away at the boulder's

"Heard of it? Yes. Been there? Not yet." Wulfrin replied. "But it is on the list." Wulfrin cracked his fist against the boulder once more, this time he struck true. The crack expanded more and more, the visible damage finally starting to show. "Shouldn't be too long before this thing shatters." Wulfrin said as he took a step back, clearing a way for Morningstar. "Honestly it will take a lot to get me to go somewhere other than near Coral. It's kinda nostalgic. I just wish I had more people around my skill level. This game is designed to be tackled by parties of players, but I'm basically flyin

The constant reminder of not rushing to the frontlines rang through his ears. It was true he had been pushing himself to level up as quickly as possible, but that seemed the only way to progress. Here your numbers literally determined if you would live or die. He hadn't been thinking of SAO as what it was meant to be, a whole new world where someone could start and live a whole new life. Wulfrin's thoughts must have wandered too far off course, as he struck the boulder pain shot through his arm. Was it as bad as if he had done it in the real world? No, he had the system's pain absorber to than

"Levels and allies are the current goal," Wulfrin replied to his companion's question. "I would love to start getting my hands dirty on the frontlines, but in my current state, I would at best just be there for the exp, or more likely some monsters morning snack." Wulfrin contemplated his own intentions. "To be more direct, yes. I was looking forward to collecting the skill. Way back when I was younger, my parents enrolled me in a class that was a mix of sword play and martial arts. I had fallen out of practice as I got older, but since getting trapped in here, the skills have kind of resurfac

Eager to take on the final test, Wulfrin stepped up to The Boulder. Wulfrin took a moment to prepare himself with some limbering stretches. Then he took a combat stance and cleared his mind as best he could. This was less about damage and more about accuracy, as he and Morningstar could hit this thing multiple times with no repercussions. Physical obstacle course? He may of been out of shape in the real world but here he was way more agile. Mental control? Definitely a weakness he'd have to overcome. Punching a boulder? He was confident that would be no issue. Wulfrin took in a deep breath and

"Definitely not," Wulfrin said patting Morningstar on the back. "Turning one's body into a weapon isn't meant to be easy. That was brutal." Wulfrin took off his boots and waded to wards the waterfall. Mental concentration has never been Wulfrin's best skill. His mind often wandered away from him allowing him to be easily distracted. This was a slight advantage in the heat of combat, since he could notice and react quicker to his opponents moves, but for an exercise that required mental focus, it was definitely going to be a hinderance. Wulfrin took a seat beneath the torrential waterfall.

"So we have to train our body and mind then smash a boulder?" Wulfrin repeated the steps aloud. "Why do I get the feeling we are about to go through a Karate Kid training session?" Wulfrin pondered a moment as he limbered up his virtual body. He had undergone mental and physical trainings before. but that was when he was in his early childhood years. "Honestly I wouldn't even question it. I've already seen plenty of references to other media in this game. It wouldn't surprise me if Cardinal was designed to pull from the real world in real time." Martial arts was always something Wulfrin wanted

Wulfrin made use of Morningstar's help to get to the top of the wall. Wulfrin reached down and help Morningstar up the rest of the wall. "Here's hoping I continue to meet more," Wulfrin said as the duo took a short break. "Each one that I meet passes on more info that I didn't have before. So far they are the only reason I've progressed as far as I have. Otherwise I might still be in the Town of Beginnings waiting for someone else to free me from this virtual prison." Wulfrin looked up the next section. They had already traveled a good portion of the mountain. "We shouldn't have too much farth

"Looks great," Callum said as he inspected the new blade. Judging by the stats of the weapon Wulfrin was certain the new rapier was not much better than a weapon that a first time player would receive. "Its a decent blade, a little rough on the edges and the blade is a bit warped, but for a first craft its not bad." Callum handed the weapon back to Wulfrin. Holding the blade, he could see the imperfections, but at least it was his own. He hadn't intended for one, but a small signet was cast into the blade. A phoenix with wings outstretched as if rising from its ashes. He always thought himself

Shop Post Transaction Date 2/22/24 Cost of Transaction free for <<Earning a Living: Blacksmith>> Crafter's Profession <<Earning a Living: Blacksmith>> Crafter's Rank 0 Item Name Simple Rapier Item Tier T1 Item Type Saber(Rapier) Item Rarity Uncommon Item Enhancements Accuracy I

The trip back to Tolbana was very uneventful. The paths were well traveled and monsters kept their distance allowing for a swift return. Wulfrin navigated to the back ally smith shop where Callum did his work. The sounds of metal being shaped with rhythmic strikes of a hammer filled the soot filled interior. The workspace was still cluttered, but as suspected there appeared to be a larger stock of scrap pieces. Callum was at the anvil shaping another ingot into a long thin blade. A rapier perhaps? "Ah, welcome back," Callum said as he quenched his current project in the nearby barrel. "I

Wulfrin cast the line for the final time. Success or fail didn't matter the only things he would keep were if he opened another chest. Any additional materials he managed to scrounge up would be confiscated by the system, but that was never his goal. He wanted a chest to expand his inventory a bit. The more options he had, the more he could offer to other players, or upgrade his own gear. A new future in Aincrad was withing reach he just had to catch it. He watched the bobber intently. Time seemed to elongate as he watched every small movement. Just as he was about to reel in the line, the bob

"Perhaps I'll take a trip to the various floors," Wulfrin said to himself. "See if I can find a plot of land I like." He started to think about his future as he cast his line into the river. The forge he planned to run would be simple and open to the elements. Completely enclosing the forge was a bad idea. Besides there was the view. If he was going to live somewhere he may as well enjoy the view while he worked. The higher he went the more likely to find other players looking for gear. He couldn't provide gear for the frontline players, but he was going to fast track his progress to that goal

Wulfrin returned to the river. He welcomed the break, and it had helped him complete the quest. The boar wasn't that bad of a fight either. "Maybe," Wulfrin thought out loud to himself. "Maybe I could grind them for col and additional stock if I'm ever bored. It's also good to know for future hunting trips." He cast his line back into the river. This time he truly didn't care what happened at the end of the line. In the end he had already found the required materials, so everything else was just bonus. Getting this finished would allow him not only to craft gear of his own, but also get some a

The boar had left itself wide open. With a swift strike of another sword art to fully exposed flank, the boar let out another shrill screech as his HP bar fell to 0. The boar must have taken a critical injury, but it was hard to tell as based off Wulfrin's mental calculations, the boar would have fallen to even a regular strike from his sword art. The boar shattered into a confetti of tiny polygons leaving be hind a small pouch. Upon retreiving the pouch, an info panel appeared detailing the contents of the boar. "Let's see," Wulfrin said to himself as he browsed the contents of the boar. "A h

It took a while, but finally Wulfrin located a pack of wild boars near where he was fishing. He patiently waited for one to break off from its herd, knowing they wouldn't attack unless provoked. Once the boar broke off he led the boar out of agro range of the others. He had fought these mobs before but he was definitely not prepared to face a full herd. Once he had the boar far enough away, he lunged outward. His sword glowed with the brilliant blue light of his sword art. Wulfrin slashed into the boar's flank as it let out a loud squeal. The HP bar dropped well into the yellow. It was definit

Wulfrin cast his line once more. This would be his last before he took to other methods of material gathering. His luck so far was terrible when it came to fishing. Even starting the profession was egregious. At the very least he wasn't doing it for nothing anymore as even a failed attempt at least awarded him with experience. The bobber lazily bobbed along the surface. Not even a nibble was happening. Either the fish truly weren't biting or Cardinal was toying with him. The silent staring contest continued for about an hour before Wulfrin retrieved his line. He had nothing to show for the att

"I'm woefully out of practice," Wulfrin replied between strained breaths. "Haven't gone climbing since before the game, when I was much younger. Only thing I have going for me is the fact that this body is virtual." Wulfrin thought about how best to answer the question. "Truthfully, I haven't been at it long. If it weren't for players like yourself taking on quests on the lower floors, I definitely would not be making all the progress I have." Even though the progress was limited, Wulfrin still knew that often times he was pulling the higher level players away from their work on the frontlines

"Neat trick," Wulfrin replied with a slight shake. "Disguises aren't quite my style. That being said, I'm sure it will be a very unwelcome surprise when you come back, assuming the system lets him remember you." Wulfrin let his mind wonder. Do NPCs hold grudges? He decided to shake the idea away. "Anyway thanks for the boss encounter. That mid-boss guarding the arena for the four real bosses was kind of a push over, but it was still a good learning experience." The two made their way to the teleport gate. Wulfrin was excited to get the desert floor behind him. He had grown tired of the sun, sa

Having recast his line for the second attempt of his three attempt cycle. Cardinal was definitely mocking him since it always seemed to wait until his last attempt to grant him his desired item just to keep him hooked. He definitely intended that mental pun as he watched the bobber dip up and down with the waves. At least the weather was nice. To be fair, the weather was always decent in Aincrad. If you wanted to experience other types of weather than the default of the floor, you had to either wait for an event to change it or go to a floor with the desired settings. That was one benefit to b

"You mentioned you've been baiting him," Wulfrin asked his companion. "You mean you've been trying to get him to lash out at you?" Wulfrin pondered the possibilities. His temper had cooled significantly on their walk. He still harbored hatred towards those who exploited those below them for their own gain, but at least the thought of possibly finding a lair seemed to satiate the anger. It also gave him something to look forward to. "These dungeons you mentioned," Wulfrin found the idea of dungeons exciting. "How do you access those and are they worth doing?" Wulfrin could see the gears turning

"Ah," Wulfrin said as he accepted the offered snack. "Another player that just has random snacks. You're the second player that I've traveled with that has a secret stash of comfort snacks." Unfortunately Wulfrin didn't have a resource to get these snacks so whenever he was offered them, he took them with out hesitation. The two made their way to the main mountain path. It was intimidating steeper and more jagged than Wulfrin had traversed before, but it shouldn't be too bad to travel. "Sure hope all the sources were correct about there being no danger for combat. Fighting while worrying abou

Having gathered what they could from the "rich guy mafia", the duo started their trek back towards Abdullah. "I take it those thugs aren't part of the quest itself?" Wulfrin asked. "I'm not complaining, I felt like I contributed more to the ruffians. That and it felt good to stick it to the man." Wulfrin could only wonder if that was how Cardinal saw the real world. The arid desert was worse now that the sun had reached its peak. The rays scorched the area to the point Wulfrin was afraid he may start to see HP drain. "I doubt Abdullah is going to be too happy wen h finds out about his goons,"

"Wulfrin," The man replied accepting the handshake. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Star." Wulfrin did a quick look over his inventory. "I'm as read as I think I can be. From what I understand, this quest has limited danger, so I came geared for a more exploratory adventure." Wulfrin listened intently as Morningstar explained the travel plans. "It's been a while since I've had a nice mountain hike." Wulfrin looked over his map. This was his first time moving through the mountains, so he decided it would be best to differ to the one who seemed more versed in the terrain. "While I like to t

Wulfrin recast his line and materialized a honey bun from seemingly nowhere. This was a gift from Freyd. He had a fellow player that would make small treats like this all the time. Freyd had an abundance of them and offered some to Wulfrin. It was a bad habit to have, but it kept Wulfrin rooted to the real world. The snacks often served as a welcome reminder to the life he left behind. They only satisfied the urge of hunger in the game, but if he had survived this long his body must have been getting nutrients somehow. Likely he was in a hospital linked up to some massive array of life support