[SP-F1] [COMPLETED] A Contemplative Search

[Koumori 0]

It was about time I start looking for materials. If I ever wanted to move up in this game I would need to get good gear. The first thing I had my sights set on was a sword. So today I decided to do what I do best and go out solo. I've been distracted by a lot of tangents lately so I was itching to venture alone. I don't know what it is but I always feel more comfortable when I'm left to act of my own accord, without any interference from others. Anyway, having made up my mind to gather materials I left the town rather early, at about 10. I wanted to have plenty of time so I left right after breakfast. I stepped out to the Wild of floor one and a smile instantly formed on my face. Time to get down to business. 

Edited October 22, 2015 by Koumori

[Koumori 0]

I decided I'd stay out in the grasslands for the time being. I walked out into the field and took in a breath before I began. Today really is a nice day I thought. The environmental settings must have been pretty close to the ideal levels. Granted the weather usually is pretty nice around here, it was particularly noticeable today. If SAO wasn't such a horrible death trap it would be truly amazing. All of this detail, it was almost better than the real world. Of course, the selected rendering that builds objects you focus on in greater detail kind of breaks the illusion. Oh well, the servers do have a limit. After one last look around I was ready to get to work. It really did feel nice to be alone for this. It should be pretty productive.

 

>ID: 26372

     >LD: 3

>ID: 26373

     >LD: 18

>ID: 26374

     >LD: 6

>ID: 26375

     >LD: 1

>ID: 26376

     >LD: 15

>ID: 26377

     >LD: 9

Materials +2

 

 

[Koumori 0]

I wasn't doing too bad so far. Sure it was a boring task but what else could I do? Just like any RPG you had to grind, very rarely are there exceptions to this rule. I didn't mind it too much though. It was peaceful and it gave me something to do. I was beginning to wander more and more into the fields in my quest to find materials. I hadn't brought a lunch with me so I knew i would eventually run into trouble, but it wasn't close to any feasible lunch time so I still had plenty of juice left. I should probably think of something to occupy my time, and I mean that literally. Deep thought always does me good.

>ID: 26378     >LD: 5

>ID: 26379     >LD: 3

>ID: 26380     >LD: 19

>ID: 26381     >LD: 5

>ID: 26382     >LD: 12

Materials +1

[Koumori 0]

Yes! I was getting close. I only needed two more things before i could head to a Blacksmith. This material gathering was working out better than I thought....but i was starving. I don't know who they hired to code those empty stomach feelings and gurgles but right now i was really wishing they didn't exist. In my haste i forgot to bring any food with me and i couldn't very well ask another player for a bite of whatever they had. The only option I had was to head back to town. But I couldn't leave yet, I had to keep searching. Eventually though my stomach got the best of me and I headed back to town.

>ID: 26385     >LD: 11

>ID: 26386     >LD: 15

>ID: 26387     >LD: 4

>ID: 26388     >LD: 9

>ID: 26389     >LD: 4

Materials +1

[Koumori 0]

I must've been lucky today. Just as I was about to reach town I fought it glittering in the distance: the last piece of the puzzle, the long lost gem...my last material. I quickly ran over and scooped it up. Inside I was overjoyed but I of course let none of that show. In my excitement even my hunger disappeared as I headed back to town. The next step would be to go to a blacksmith. I had heard things about an excellent blacksmith on the fourth floor, but I had never been up that high before, I didn't know what to expect. Oh well, if I wanted a good sword that's where I'd have to go. Time to see what the rest of Aincrad is like. And with that I entered the teleport gate and I was off.

>ID: 26391     >LD: 1

>ID: 26392     >LD: 3

>ID: 26393     >LD: 16

Materials +1

 

(Sorry if these seem lackluster, I don't have much time to write)

[Koumori 0]

(If the loot die is below 16 I'm just not going to bother showing it)

It had been awhile since I had gone out material hunting. The last time I spent a lot of time on it was when I was determined to get a new weapon. It really had been awhile. Seeing as my level is much higher now, I could've chosen to do it on any number of floors, but I chose to come back to floor one. Not only because it would be easy in terms of enemy encounters but because this was where it all started. (The rewards are the same anyway) This was the place where my adventure began, the place where I made my first friends, and the place that held the most memories. For some reason I was in a very sentimental mood and wanted to reflect on my experiences so far. I stepped out of the town of beginnings and walked only a few feet out into the field before I stopped and took a deep breath, smelling the fresh air. It was as beautiful as ever. The morning sun shone vibrantly through the narrow slit or sky between the floor and the ceiling and cast everything in a bright morning glow. The light winds caressing my hair and face, i finally began walking once more. Brought back memories just as I thought. Time to begin picking. 

Edited September 8, 2015 by Koumori

[Koumori 0]

As I began to wander out into the fields so did I let my mind. The first person that came to mind was, unfortunately, Mack. Why had I thought of him first? I liked literally everyone more than him. So why? Maybe its because he was the one I had the strongest emotions for? I shuddered at the thought. It seemed I hated Mack more than I liked anyone, even Glory. She probably would feel insecure about that. But in any case, my mind drifted to Mack so our whole relationship played through my eyes. Everything had started from something as stupid as a misunderstanding. He thought I did something wrong, I thought he did something wrong, and it grew from there. But at this point I had plenty of reasons to hate the guy besides my initial one of he seemed to be unstrustworthy. He forced me into a duel (which I conveniently won), axed me out of his shop, verbally assaults me, and forced his superiority and guild down everyone's throats. God he really rubbed me the wrong way. With the way things were going I didn't think there was anything that could get us to kiss and make up. Ugh, I wanted to reflect on good things not him.

ID: 30817

LD: 18

+1 Mat

[Koumori 0]

Luckily I was able to redirect my thoughts to someone who was a little more agreeable: Shirosu. Okay, a lot more agreeable. Shirosu was my newest friend in SAO and one of the best if not the best. The girl and I were practically one in the same. Our senses of humor were identical, our approaches were identical, and so the list goes. The bottom line was, we always hand the most fun together. But we didn't start out that way. I originally met Shirosu when she first landed in Aincrad. I was among a group of other players who attempted to show her the ropes. Back then she didn't seem as fun loving as I know she is now, and she was even a little aggravated. I originally thought she didn't even like me because of my constant bickering with Mack. It only made it worse that she was there when he ejected me out of his shop. In any case, our second meeting was on the sixth floor where we spent the whole day in a quest together. That's when we realized that we were great with each other. Situations that would be awkward or even romantic were just joke material for us. So much so that if anyone saw us on the street they would probably think that we were an item. Of course it didn't help that that's how we referred to each other on a regular basis (either that or weirdly close siblings) Our friendship, and status as partners in crime, only grew when we met up again on floor four. Id never forget that snowball fight. You know what, that seals it. Shirosu was definitely my best friend. I hope that doesn't change. 

[Koumori 0]

As I continued my searching I looked up to find the sun had moved up quite a bit in the sky. Probably not yet noon, but I had been out there for awhile nonetheless. Unfortunately, all I had to show for all that time spent so far was one mat. It was a little disappointing to only find one after a few hours but I wasn't deterred so I continued. Unconsciously my thoughts drifted to Starrine. My relationship with her was an interesting one. We met when I overheard her talking about her birthday. I offered to spend the day with her and we went up to the four floor to chill in the snow. It started off innocent enough but only got worse from there. We were consistently being put in romantic situations until it culminated in me seeing her panties, grabbing her breast, and kissing her. Of course that didn't go unpunished. She ran away in tears as I was verbally and physically abused by players who saw what happened. Fortunately we were able to work it out but things stayed awkward between us, I was sure that she liked me. After that we went to an inn and I haven't seen her since. It's almost like she disappeared. She wasn't dead because she was still present on my friends list but I didn't know of anyone who's recently had contact with her. I really did wonder what happened to her. We never really got a chance to be friends. 

[Koumori 0]

I decided to stop a bit and rest under a tree. If I had a dollar for everytime I sat under a tree I'd have....a lot of dollars. This was a tree I had never been under before on the far end of the main field. I had a good view of the sky and the smaller floating islands out in the distance. It was late into the morning, almost noon, so the sun was in a place that could no longer be seen from the floor. Obviously the whole area was lit like there were no obstructions, but there was a massive ceiling above our heads. As I sat there a took in the beautiful weather I had enjoyed in this way so many times before. I always talked about "optimal weather settings" but it seemed like the weather was never bad on this floor. There was no wind and no one near me so there was almost absolute silence. It was peaceful. But it wasn't real. This was just a game, just pixels and polygons. Realistic yes, but not real. I wasn't sitting under a tree, I was laying in a hospital bed back in Japan. Scary thought. I didn't need to be thinking about that now. I needed to get back to work. 

[Koumori 0]

I was able to return my thoughts to those which I wished to have. This time it was Abalasster that I remembered. Abalasster was I first male friend in SAO. I came across him like I came across many of the people I knew: in a group of people who had inexplicably formed to help out a new girl. I don't know what the deal was but we also seemed to gravitate towards new female players, never males. In any case, Abalasster formed an early trust in me for reasons I stil don't know today. After he confided in me we became slight acquaintances. But as time went on we met more and more times and we became a little closer to what you could call friends. Eventually we crossed that barrier and became real friends. Since then we have even gone on a quest together, dumb bees never knew what hit them. All in all, Abalasster is a pretty good guy. Always seems to be happy and I don't think I've never seen him get into an argument with anyone. He's a good friend. 

ID: 31008

LD: 20

+1 Mat

[Koumori 0]

I was getting a little bored with material searching. With all the hours I had spent out there I only managed to find two so far. The results were a little depressing. I remembered the days when I could find 3 in only a few minutes. How did they even keep putting out updates for a game like SAO? It's not like there were still developers working on it. Looking around I tried to find something to do until I found a herd of boar. instinctively I bent down to pick up a rock. I paused midway up as I realized what I was doing. A little while ago I had played a game with Hirru where we would stand facing away from a group of boars and attempt to hit one with a rock. Smiling I turned around and shuffled the rock in my hand. As I heard the telltale sign of a sword skill I released it with a whoosh. I immediately heard the explosion of my target. When I turne back around I was greeted by one less boar but no knew material. Going back to Hirru, he was another one I haven't heard from. I wondered what he was up to. 

[Koumori 0]

After some more time of being extraordinarily lucky I thought I'd go back to town to each lunch. It was 1:15 at that point and I was beginning to get hungry anyway. I stuck my hands in my pockets and began the sizable walk back to town. I reached the front gates and casually walked in. I turned down some streets and ended up one a familiar market. This was the place I met Glory. But I was saving her for later. Brushing the thought aside, I entered and looked at some of the fresh food cards. Some of the items looked pretty good 

[Koumori 0]

I left through the gates of town newly satisfied. With a full stomach I was ready to get back to hunting. Hopefully I'd have better luck. As I walked through the field to get back to where I was before I looked at all the players training. Too many times had I become acquainted with players I had seen on this field. As a matter of fact, the very first person I ever talked to in SAO I had met on this field, not too far from where I was. That person was Miriko. I remembered how surprised I was when she randomly came up to me and asked if i was "looking at the colors of the skies". She had seen me looking out into the distance and apparently felt like striking up a conversation. We ended up going on a quest together, a very stronge quest, and ended up saying goodbye when we were done. Miriko was another one that had mysteriously disappeared. From my understanding no ones heard from her in awhile. If she had stayed around longer she might've even been my first official friend but that honor still belonged to Glory. 

[Koumori 0]

You know you can only search for something for so long before you get tired of it. I was reaching that point. The sun was bearing down on me as I toiled with no result. The measly two materials that I had gotten were not worth all this work. I thought this earlier and I started thinking it again: something was definitely different. I was sure I was able to find materials much more easily before. Almost like I could search for more at a time before, or something like that. The Cardinal system was a pain. 

[Koumori 0]

My time out in the field ended as suddently as I expected. After hours of not finding anything I got sick o walking around and returned back to town. That was weeks ago. I haven't went material hunting at all since then. That's why I was surprised that I had the strange urge to do just that when I woke up this morning. Without really thinking about it I ended up standing in the fields at the crack of dawn. So here I am, digging in bushes and questioning my life decisions. 

[Koumori 0]

I figured it out. I know what the problem is. Materials have been programmed to disappear when I'm wishing five feet of them. That must be it. What else could explain my inability to find anything? I was practically ripping things out of the ground at this point. And I think at that moment divine intervention occurred. "Yes! Finally!" My hand hit that elusive substance that I was looking for. One mat in the books. 

ID: 35800

LD: 16

+1 Material

Edited October 21, 2015 by Koumori

[Koumori 0]

Unfortunately for me my luck came and went almost instantly. At least half an hour had passed since I struck gold and I hadn't found anything. Instead of getting all worked up over it I let my thoughts wander. Eventually I ended up thinking about my recent lull. I had been pretty active from the start; joining parties, completing quests, making friends, and then for about a month nothing. I don't even know what happened myself I kind of just stayed in town and passed the days sitting in random shops. The only motive I could think of was that maybe the shock of the events of SAO, instead of hitting me at the beginning, had welled up inside me and had only then come to the surface. I wasn't entirely sure that was it though because during that time I wasn't really unhappy but I did miss my friends. Especially Glory, Shirosu too. Speaking of which, it might become I problem for me in the future if all my friends continue to be girls. That might get awkward. But then again, Shirosu is practically my twin so I shouldn't have any problems there. 

[Koumori 0]

As I continued I started to think back on myself again. One thing that had changed about me since "coming" to SAO was my status as a loner. Back in the real world I barely talked to anyone at all. If it was up to me I always chose to stay at home and do my own thing. But now I'm different. All the people I've met here, all the things I've done, they've helped me to see a new perspective. Sure I still like to be alone but I also like to be with friends and find new groups. Maybe that's what makes me stop whenever I see a gathering of players. In any case, I think this is definitely a change for the better. If I never let anybody in in here, I'd probably lose my mind. And if that had happened I wouldn't be able to collect this mat that I found. 

ID: 35833

LD: 16

+1 Mat

[Koumori 0]

It was about time that I called it a day. I had spent hours and didn't have much to show for it. I was beginning to think that maybe those expeditions were better for introspection than they were for actually hunting materials. But then again maybe that was a good thing. A little soul searching never hurt anyway. Maybe it was worth it to go out like this after all. Even if that was the case, I was still done for the day. I stood up and dusted myself off before starting to walk back to town.