"Link Start!"
As soon as this system command was voiced by Rozen, the gaming device on his head activated.
The dim light passing through his tightly shut eyelids vanished in an instant.
The flow of visual information to his optic nerves was interrupted, plunging Rozen into complete darkness.
After a moment, a burst of rainbow-colored light flashed before his eyes, followed by the appearance of several windows.
These windows all confirmed the connection to his brain's neural signals. Only after all the checks were complete could the connection be confirmed, allowing the player to enter the virtual world.
As such, one by one, the "OK" marks began to flash on the windows, indicating to Rozen that his brain's neural connections were being successfully established.
Then, a solemn startup melody began playing in his ears.
The sensation of lying on the bed and the feeling of his body weight gradually disappeared as well.
When the final "OK" finally appeared, Rozen found himself in a dark space filled with a futuristic atmosphere.
"Welcome to the world of Alfheim Online."
A gentle female voice delivered the message, welcoming him into the game.
Rozen knew exactly what this meant.
This was the process that all new players without a character profile had to go through—creating and establishing their character, guided by the system's prompts.
So, in front of Rozen, a virtual keyboard emitting a blue-white glow appeared, floating at chest height.
"Please enter your account and password."
Upon hearing this, Rozen thought for a moment, then swiftly entered the account he had been using since the days of SAO on the virtual keyboard and clicked confirm.
"Please enter your character name and gender."
Without hesitation, Rozen entered the character name "Rozen" and selected male.
"Please select your race. You may choose from the following nine races."
In the air above Rozen, several figures appeared in succession.
These were avatars showcasing the physical traits and appearances of the nine races in Alfheim Online, each rotating in place, awaiting Rozen's selection.
His target was right in front of him—a boy with insect-like pale green wings and golden hair.
That was the image of the Sylph.
Of course, not all Sylphs looked like this.
The appearance of each player was randomly generated, with only some features being consistent, such as fairy-like ears and wings, while other details varied between races.
For example, Sylphs generally had a more elegant appearance, Salamanders tended to look rougher, Cait Siths were typically cuter, and so on. Wings and hair color also differed depending on the race.
Once a character's appearance was generated, it couldn't be changed unless using a paid feature or obtaining a rare item.
Rozen wasn't too concerned about how he looked, so he quickly selected the Sylph race.
"Selection complete."
"Randomly generating character appearance."
"Since you have chosen the Sylph race, you will be transferred to the Sylph capital."
"Good luck."
With that, the space around Rozen suddenly lit up.
...
Alfheim.
This was the setting for the next-generation flight-based game, Alfheim Online, a continent with the meaning of "Realm of Faries."
Just as SAO's main setting was the floating city of Aincrad, in Alfheim Online, Alfheim was the stage of the game.
This continent was roughly divided into eight regions.
Each region contained the capital of the respective fairy race, each with its unique appearance and culture.
For instance, the Sylph territory consisted mainly of grasslands and vast ancient forests, with the landscape primarily composed of these two environments.
Each of the major races possessed its own territory, and within Alfheim, they could freely explore, conquer, or even engage in battles.
This was the world of Alfheim Online.
In the capital of the Sylph territory, the town known as Swilvane, many Sylphs were bustling around different parts of the town—some moving between shops, others chatting and laughing, while still others flew into the sky, dispersing in all directions, creating a lively scene.
As one of the more popular races among the nine, the Sylph capital, Swilvane, had earned the nickname "Emerald Capital."
The town was made up of tall, slender spires.
A network of intricate aerial walkways connected the towers.
The entire town, though varying in shade, shimmered entirely in shades of emerald green.
The sight of these buildings illuminated in the night sky was nothing short of fantastical, especially the lord's mansion deep within the town, which was as majestic as any structure in Alfheim.
In a small section of the town, a radiant figure appeared as a light, much like the transfer phenomenon from SAO, shone brightly.
It was a boy who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, though his height wasn't short. He was wearing the standard beginner equipment of a Sylph, with pointed ears and pale green wings, and his hair was a dazzling golden color. His appearance resembled that of a scholar more than a fairy.
As the boy appeared, the surrounding Sylphs turned to look.
"Another newcomer?"
"He looks quite handsome, and he has a scholarly vibe. I'm so jealous."
"Yeah, I wonder if his appearance was randomly generated or paid for."
"If it was randomly generated, he hit the jackpot."
"Definitely."
People chatted like this but weren't surprised by the boy's arrival.
Hearing these voices, the boy slowly opened his eyes.
Upon closer inspection, the boy's eyes were a brilliant emerald green.
After surveying his surroundings, the boy muttered to himself.
"So, this is Alfheim Online, huh?"
The style was completely different from SAO's, but compared to SAO, it didn't seem lacking in the slightest.
At the very least, Rozen could feel the sensation of the breeze clearly brushing against him, as well as the slight sway of his hair in the wind.
This feeling, more realistic than the real world, was something only SAO could provide.
"A game comparable to SAO really lives up to its reputation."
Rozen smiled slightly and then waved his left hand downward, summoning the game's main menu with a pleasant, chime-like sound effect.
In this aspect, the operation was exactly the same as in SAO, with the only difference being that in SAO, the menu was summoned using the right hand, whereas in Alfheim Online, it was done with the left.
Aside from that, the design of the main menu was almost identical to SAO's, with only minor differences in the details.
At the top of the main menu, Rozen saw the familiar name "Rozen" and the race "Sylph," with an HP bar below, but the level and experience bar were gone, and an MP bar had been added, proving that magic could indeed be used in this world, unlike in SAO.
The character's stats were also simplified, with no sign of the "Strength" or "Agility" stats from SAO, proving that in this world, a character's abilities weren't as important, and the focus was on the player's skills.
As for the skills...
"This is..."
When Rozen opened the skill menu, what he saw first left him momentarily stunned before his expression shifted to one of disbelief.