[Different world laws were detected! Do you wish to temporarily adapt to the 'Aincrad'?
Yes or No?]
Since it was only temporary, he accepted.
After accepting, Harry passed through the glowing barrier that had formed on his doorstep, right under the watchful gaze of the two Sword Art Online players.
He entered Aincrad without any further trouble. A short look above him revealed something floating above him.
Harry Potter, Lv. 36
'Huh, my level is halved.' He noticed, and then a notification appeared in front of him.
[ You are currently operating under the World Laws of 'Aincrad' and have entered the SAO compatibility mode. Mental and charismatic statistics are not relevant for the world system but still affect you.
Your 'public' level has been translated to a fitting state for Aincrad. Any form of magic is sealed until you leave this world. Any skills you pick up in this world system will be supported and adapted to your own system.
You can gain experience and grind your skills as always. The compatibility mode will run under the same rules as this world system. Any skill of SAO origin has to be equipped in skill slots and follows the same rule as the game even outside of the Game. ]
'Okay, that's nice. So no magic, but my swordsmanship is still a thing. Since I can get their skills, it doesn't hurt to pick some up. There is supposed to be an unlimited amount of them; the artificial intelligence of the game creates new ones when needed.' He mused as he read through the information.
"Birsingr!" He said, and nothing happened, "Lumos!" 'Yep, magic is out of the question. Status.'
[Name: Harry J. Potter
Class: The Gamer
Gender: Male
Level: 72 SAO-Level: 36
Next Level: 67.2%
Title: The Boy Who Lived
Age: 16
Species: Elf/Human (Magical/Dragon Rider)
HP: 550 MP: 4158
Strength: 56 (47)
Vitality: 54 (45)
Intelligence: 250
Wisdom: 100
Dexterity: 57 (48)
Charisma: 60 (50)
Luck: 10
Points: 20
Empty SAO Skill Slots: 6 ]
"It seems like I can help you guys more actively. I can't wait for the boss fight. By the way, how do I get more skill slots?" Harry asked after he saw the new entry on his status screen.
Both of them looked a bit dumbfounded at his current level, with them being only Levels 2 and 3 right now. It was still the first day of Sword Art Online.
"Eh, by leveling up. As far as I am aware, you start with 2 and get a third at Level 6, a fourth at 12, another one, and a fifth one at 20; after that, I have no idea. The furthest anyone got in the beta was to floor 10, and no one unlocked a sixth slot." Argo replied, having regained her wits.
"Kay~ I have six. My guess would be around Level 30. So you were in beta. Perfect, you will be able to provide us with more information." Harry said it with a pleased nod.
She would be able to tell them more about the system and how to exploit the shit out of this game.
"Just what is going on? Who are you? What do you mean by different worlds?" Argo asked in confusion.
"Ah, let's go back into the shop. I am the owner of the Dimensional Trader! This Store." Harry said as he entered back into the store and waved his hand, "Lucky Lisbeth, over there, has managed to find a connection to my store, which is connected to different worlds."
"Different Worlds? So I am no longer in the game right now? Won't it melt my brain out there?" Argo asked in shock.
"Close the door, Lisbeth!" Harry said as he watched Argo receive the same notification as Lisbeth had before, "No, this will only happen if you leave through any door in this store to another world than your own. If you do, you will get bound to your avatar more or less, and you can do whatever you want without Aincrad's system, I think. I'm not sure about that; Lisbeth is my first customer in Aincrad, and I don't want to push anyone to try it."
"Oh? So I can run away from SAO right this second if I want to."
"You could; I wouldn't recommend it, though." Harry shrugged. "First of all, your current bodies are seriously underrated for even Japan. I have a system similar to SAO's by myself and can tell the strength of people. Technically, you are currently weaker than children; it's just that because the world you are currently inhabiting is a game world, you won't feel the level. And my level isn't the true representation of my strength. I have several more statistics that aren't getting considered in SAO's system and other limitations, effectively halving my level."
"Okay, what level would the people of your world be?" Argo asked.
"Hmm, teenagers are above level 10. Average adults are around Levels 20–30. Stronger ones may even surpass the 50s in SAO's system. Your statistics are a bit hard to translate from 1 to 1. But that applies only if you compare statistics. What you have to include in your calculations are skills too. From Level 30 on with skills, I would guess you can be considered superhuman in strength. But this is only based on my estimations." Harry explained that, after all, normal humans don't have skills that make them stronger.
"So you are superhuman in strength?" She pointed it out.
"Yes, but only barely physically. I am restricted in SAO because the world itself doesn't permit magic. My build is focusing on magic, so I am a lot weaker." He said, while summoning a small flame at the tip of his finger, that back in his store he could use magic again.
"Huh, magic is out of the question, then. Too bad. It would have been so useful. What are the other reasons why I shouldn't leave SAO right now?" Argo asked, remembering that it had been only the first point.
"Oh, it all has to do with your current strength. There are so many things a game system can grant you, including useful skills in combat and crafting. High-level items that you could bring into the real world, and so on. And I am not living on Earth right now. In truth, your game is the closest connection to an Earth I have gained yet. I am currently stranded in a medieval world, where I became a lord and have many comforts most people don't. I would love to have more modern appliances. Any world you could leave to right now wouldn't be safer than Aincrad. But we could benefit from each other." Harry stated it factually.
"How so?" Argo asked while Lisbeth was also listening in interest.
"As far as I understood from Lisbeth, there are right now around 10.000 people trapped in this death game. For me, every last one of them is a potential customer, but I have no interest in granting everyone access to my store. There are many different characters. You two could become intermediaries for my shop. Lisbeth mentioned that Food Grant's Buffs, my Weapons and Armors are a few levels advanced, and so on. Everything that could save many lives right now if we play our cards right and allow us to profit." Harry said before pointing at Argo, "And that's where your knowledge from the beta comes into play. How can we exploit the fact that I can get things that are not yet available to you?"
"I like how you think, Harry!" Argo's eyes glimmered as she pulled out a pen and paper, while Lisbeth just watched the exchange: "What you got available?"
"Remember that the current technological level of my world is medieval. Foods—nothing industrial—but I have access to grains, vegetables, different fruits, fish, meats, milk, eggs, and similar. I am still a bit away from having any active trade, so my access to anything more luxurious is limited. There are weapons, armor, tools, primitive consumables, and raw materials like wood, stone, and ore." Harry counted.
Argo's eyes widened. "Do you have an anvil, medical kits, sewing kits, fishing rods, or something similar?"
"Some of them. I am not sure whether the medical supplies my people use count as medical kits. Anvil is easy. I even have a surplus of ore that I can easily grant you for the right price. Sewing kits and fishing rods too, though there are some rather primitive versions of them. Although I get most of it, why fish?" Harry asked as he thought about the items he could bring in.
"Based on the information I have, fishing is a floor 20 activity. It brings additional items, experiences, secret enemies, alchemy ingredients, and so on. With your help, we can jumpstart all the crafting professions early." She said it with excitement.
"Huh, floor 20 items early. That's broken." Harry nodded before looking at Lisbeth. "Lisbeth interested in becoming a blacksmith? I will sponsor you. You can save a ton of lives. Sorry for assuming, but you don't look like the front combat type."
"I would love to try that. I was already planning to go the Blacksmith Route in the game, if it were a normal one." The brown-haired girl said it toughly.
"Perfect!" Argo said, "I will make sure to get the customers. Harry, we will need an anvil and a hammer to unlock the skill. If you somehow can get us a furnace, even better! There are a ton of skills that need to be leveled up for smithing. By the way, do you have bows and arrows?"
"Sure, I can get you even a furnace. I also have some bows and arrows there. Try it." Harry said as he pointed at a wall.
"Oh, I already see that this will be a very profitable transaction!" Argo grinned.
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