SAO: Strawberry Bunny

Side Note: I will be doing all 100 floors. I think anime missed a lot of potential in not doing all 100 of them, so I'll be reading the manga and light novels to get a guideline on details.

Onto the story...

Since Strawberry's notifications were turned off, she didn't see the world announcement congratulating her on her victory over the 1st Floor boss.

Every player became aware that a player had actually been able to solo a labyrinth boss monster.

All across the 1st Floor, rumors started spreading about the player Strawberry.

"[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: The 1st Floor Boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord, has been defeated. A single player has cleared the boss. Congratulations to the player, STRAWBERRY!]"

The message rang out across every corner of Aincrad, flashing before the eyes of all active players on the 1st Floor and beyond. Players paused mid-battle, stopped in the middle of conversations, and stared wide-eyed at the notification, stunned into silence. Someone had soloed the boss? For most of them, the idea was inconceivable. The 1st Floor Boss was supposed to be tackled by raid parties consisting of dozens of players. And yet, one player—Strawberry—had managed to do the impossible.

In the Town of Beginnings, a group of players sat in a bustling tavern, their voices lively as they discussed strategies for leveling up when the announcement flashed before them.

"Did you see that?" one player gasped, his mug of ale frozen halfway to his lips.

"A solo player? That's gotta be a bug, right?" another asked, her brow furrowed in disbelief.

"No way! That can't be real," said a third, shaking his head. "No one's strong enough to take on Illfang alone."

"But it was an official system announcement," the first player argued. "It's real. Whoever this Strawberry is, they must be a beast."

As soon as the announcement sank in, rumors began to spread like wildfire throughout the town. Everyone wanted to know more about this mysterious solo player who had managed to take down such a formidable boss without any help.

"I heard Strawberry used a rare, powerful weapon that instantly killed the boss," someone whispered in one of the town's bustling marketplaces.

"No, I heard they've been training nonstop since the game started and reached a higher level than anyone else," another player countered.

"There's no way one person could have taken down all those Sentinels and Illfang. Maybe they're part of a hidden guild that's super strong and just wanted the solo credit?" suggested a third player, shaking his head.

Some players were awestruck, marveling at Strawberry's skill and bravery. Others were skeptical, convinced there had to be some trick or exploit involved. But regardless of the theories, everyone was talking about Strawberry.

Over in Tolbana, the closest town to the labyrinth, groups of players were already strategizing how they would tackle the boss. Some had been planning to form raid parties, convinced that the boss still stood undefeated. They were shocked when the announcement reached them.

"I can't believe it," said a player clad in light armor, his jaw clenched. "We spent days preparing for that boss, and now it's already gone."

His partner, a tall man with a heavy sword strapped to his back, shook his head in disbelief. "Whoever Strawberry is, they've just done what no one thought possible. That takes skill… or something more."

Whispers rippled through the town, each one speculating on Strawberry's identity.

"Maybe Strawberry's a beta tester. They've gotta be. No one else could pull that off," a cloaked figure murmured to his companion.

"Maybe it's a trap," another player said, his eyes darting nervously. "Someone soloing the boss… that doesn't sound right. What if they've hacked the game?"

But most players, even if they didn't say it outright, felt a new wave of hope. If one player could take down a floor boss solo, maybe they had a chance after all. It was a flicker of light in an otherwise grim situation, and many players saw it as proof that escape from this death game was possible.

Meanwhile, in small enclaves of the world where players had banded together to grind experience, the name Strawberry quickly became legendary.

"You guys heard about this Strawberry, right?" one player said excitedly as he dispatched a low-level boar. "The player who soloed the boss?"

"Yeah, I heard they used some kind of cheat or exploit," replied his companion, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Nah, man, from what I hear, Strawberry is just that good. Took down Illfang and all those Sentinels solo. Must be insane with Sword Skills."

"That's wild. I wonder if we'll ever run into them."

As the rumors spread, so did the myth of Strawberry, the solo player who had defeated the 1st Floor Boss against all odds. Some players began to idolize them, picturing Strawberry as a lone hero, cutting through enemies with ease and taking on challenges most would flee from. Others saw them as a potential ally—someone to look up to and maybe even follow.

Farther out, in the fields beyond the Town of Beginnings, where small groups of players were still grinding for experience, the announcement hit just as hard.

A group of players hacking away at boars paused mid-swing when the notification appeared in front of them.

"Wait… Strawberry defeated the boss? Already?"

"No way! There's no way one person could do that alone!" one of them shouted, his sword lowering in disbelief.

The youngest in the group, a timid player with a small dagger, looked around, wide-eyed. "Does this mean… we can go to the 2nd Floor?"

The group leader, a stocky man with a heavy shield, frowned. "If it's true, yeah. But the fact that someone soloed Illfang? That's not normal. I've been in other games, and bosses like that take coordination."

"Or they just take skill," the dagger-wielding player muttered quietly, almost to himself.

"Whoever this Strawberry is, they've got guts," the leader said, shaking his head. "But now that the boss is down, we need to step up our game. Things are gonna change. Players are gonna want to catch up, and we've already wasted enough time down here."

Despite the ongoing rumors and chatter, Strawberry herself had no idea what was happening. Her system notifications had been turned off ever since she had entered the labyrinth, and she hadn't bothered to check them after the fight. She was still focused on leveling up and preparing for the next floor, completely unaware of the storm of speculation swirling around her name.

As she trekked across the 2nd Floor's dry plains, Muffin hopping excitedly along her shoulder, she was blissfully unaware that she had become a legend in Aincrad. Everywhere she went, people whispered her name, and as she pushed farther into Aincrad, more players would soon be looking for the elusive solo player who had defied the odds.

Strawberry, however, wasn't interested in fame. She had floors to conquer, bosses to defeat, and a goal to escape this death game.

And if the rest of Aincrad wanted to speculate, they could do that without her. She had a journey ahead of her—a long, dangerous one—and she intended to face it her way.

0*0*0*0

Strawberry stepped through the Teleport Gate, the swirling blue light fading away to reveal the landscape of Aincrad's 2nd Floor. Immediately, the difference between the floors hit her—the atmosphere, the music, and the very air around her felt heavier, more somber. The sorrowful tones of an oboe drifted faintly in the background, the melody casting a strange sense of melancholy over the savanna realm before her. Where the 1st Floor had been alive with the sounds of strings, creating a sense of determination and adventure, this floor carried a quieter, more introspective mood.

The sight that greeted her was unlike the verdant labyrinth or the dark dungeons she had previously fought through. The plains stretched out endlessly, broken only by looming, flat-topped table mountains that rose above the savanna like ancient sentinels. Boulders dotted the landscape, their shadows long in the midday sun, and scattered among the open plains were clusters of tall, dry grass swaying in the gentle breeze. In the distance, she could see the buffalo-type monsters, grazing lazily but undoubtedly dangerous.

Muffin shifted on her shoulder, his tiny claws gripping the soft fabric of her Hooded Coat of the Rose Moon, as he looked out over the open terrain. The little horned bunny seemed more at ease in the wide-open space, his nose twitching as the wind carried the scent of dry grass and the faint musk of the creatures that roamed the floor.

"Feels different here, doesn't it?" Strawberry muttered, her eyes scanning the horizon. The floor wasn't as immediately threatening as the labyrinth, but the open plains had their own dangers. Buffalo-type monsters might not attack right away, but they were massive, and any direct confrontation with a herd would be lethal. Still, there was something about the floor's quiet, mournful beauty that drew her in.

Strawberry took a deep breath and began her trek toward Urbus, the main settlement on this floor. The city was about a kilometer away, nestled inside a crater excavated from one of the many flat-topped mountains. It didn't take long for her to spot it—a massive stone structure carved into the rock, surrounded by walls that blended seamlessly into the landscape. From her vantage point, she could see the winding stairs leading down into the city, each step worn from use.

As they made their way down the stairs, the architecture of Urbus came into full view. The city was structured with an almost uniform height, making it possible for someone to jump from rooftop to rooftop. It was as though the entire city had been carved out of the mountain itself, its stone buildings blending perfectly with the surrounding rock. There was something ancient about Urbus, like it had been here long before the players arrived, untouched by time.

Ten minutes in, Strawberry was leaning back against the edge of a rooftop in Urbus, the warm, late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the stone streets below. The city's architecture, carved directly into the mountain, provided a quiet stillness that helped ease the weight of the battles and grind from the past few days. She had spent most of the day exploring the northern plains and caverns, collecting loot and dispatching buffalo-type monsters, but now it was time to take stock of everything she'd accomplished.

Muffin, ever-present, was perched on her lap, eyes half-closed in contentment. His tiny claws pressed lightly into her soft, Hooded Coat of the Rose Moon, as he twitched his nose in the soft breeze. They both deserved a break.

"Alright, let's see how we're doing," Strawberry murmured as she opened her player menu, the familiar interface springing into existence before her. With a quick swipe, she navigated to her stats page.

Stats - Player: Strawberry

Level: 17

HP: 1,720 / 1,720

Strength: +45

Agility: +60 (+10 from Hooded Coat of the Rose Moon set)

Perception: +55 (+10 from Hooded Coat of the Rose Moon set)

Dexterity: +40

Charisma: +10 (+5 from Hooded Coat of the Rose Moon set)

Weapon: Anneal Blade (Enhanced) – A reliable one-handed sword, infused with enhancements gained through battle.

Passive Skill:

Rose Moon's Aura – A faint pink glow surrounds your blade, boosting Agility and Perception by 10. This passive aura adds a subtle but mesmerizing light pink sheen to all Sword Skills.

Loot Collected:

Iron Ore x 15

Silver Ore x 8

Mithril Ore x 2

Herbs (Healing Potions) x 10

Buffalo Horns x 6

Ox-hide x 4

Rare Gem x 1

Polished Buffalo Figurine

Strawberry smiled in satisfaction.

Level 17 wasn't bad for having just cleared the 1st Floor Boss solo and spent a little over a day on the 2nd Floor. She was more than holding her own against the monsters here, and the Rose Moon set was doing wonders for her agility and precision in battle.

Her gaze drifted down to Muffin, who was now resting his head against her knee, his little horns gleaming softly in the sunlight. The little bunny had proven to be more than just an adorable companion—he'd helped her spot hidden paths and loot on multiple occasions, and his presence had made the journey through the labyrinth less lonely.

"Guess we're making good progress," she mused, closing the stats menu. "But it's time to offload some of this loot."