"Foo~, alright, let's get to it, I've only got a day to get into the beta-test for SAO."

 

Ryuji walks away from the front door of the Dicey Café with his hands stuffed into his cargo pants pockets as he starts to think of ways to get into the beta-test. A thought then hit him as he walked down another alley, and he took his hand out of his pockets.

 

'System, show me the function of Gold.'

 

[Gold: 10,000]
[Depending on the currency, Gold may be converted into real-life currency, or in-game currency. Real-life currency, or in-game currency may also be converted into gold, depending on the currency.]
[1 Gold = 100 Japanese Yen.]

 

"Well that's quite handy. That's what... a million yen if fully converted?"

 

'System, convert 10,000 gold into Japanese yen.'

 

Immediately after Ryuji's mental command, a stack of 100 10,000 Yen bills appeared in his hands, causing a smirking smile to appear on his face.

 

Then, after putting the stack of bills into his pants pocket, Ryuji sped up his walking pace and made his way out onto the sidewalk of a what seemed to be a main street here in Taito Ward. He continued his walk down the street as he tried to find an apartment complex to set up camp at.

 

After finding a green-roofed apartment complex just down the road, Ryuji went up to it and tried to get an apartment. The young lady there at the front desk happily gave him a room key after he paid in full for a 3 month stay.

 

Then, making his way up to his new room, he thought about how he should go about getting into the beta-test, and what to do with this world.

 

Originally, he thought about taking over Kirito's place, becoming the hero of SAO, and the lover of Asuna Yuuki, but... that just seemed wrong in his head. Plus, it most likely won't work out the way he thinks it will.

 

Being a friendly ghost of Kirito and the people around him seemed like a more plausible plan. He could gather money, power, and people with the help of the system, so staying anonymous lying low in the shadows seemed like a better plan.

 

His thoughts briefly paused as he took the final step and opened the door to his new and temporary living space. Honestly, it surprised him with how spacious it was, and considering the place was already furnished, he didn't really have to do much.

 

Ryuji turned on the lights as he went around the spacious apartment, checking out the bedroom, closets, kitchen, etc.. The place satisfied him for now, but his main focus was brought back to the front of his mind as he once again thought about how to enter the beta-test, with only little more than one day left.

 

He checked the basic clock on the wall and saw that it displayed '1:55AM'. So, without further or due, he flopped down on the queen sized bed, and closed his eyes.

 

*

 

"*Yawn~ Man, that was the best sleep EVER. Now, what was I going do...?"

 

His tired eyes then immediately snapped open, and he remembered all that happened earlier this morning.

 

Fully awake, his eyes darted towards the clock and saw the time displayed as '7:47AM'.

 

Without wasting any more time, Ryuji exited the apartment and locked the door behind him, before making his way down he stairs.

 

He walked, and walked, and walked, until he found himself at his first destination. An electronics store.

 

A small smirk sprouted on his face as he entered the electronics store and greeted the receptionist with enthusiasm.

 

"Hello Miss! I would like to see the best mobile phone you have."

 

His enthusiastic greeting and request snapped the beautiful receptionist out of her seemingly sleepless daze. She then came out from around the desk like the flash, before saying, "Follow me, please."

 

Almost as is she couldn't wait, Ryuji had to speed walk to keep up with her vivacious and jubilant stride. The lady stopped at a row of different styled phones, and gestured to a sleek pure black phone, before giving an introduction about it.

 

"This here is the newest Solar-phone in store called the KeyG2, it offers a higher resistance to the elements than other phones, and includes the ability to charge via the sun. Going at a market price of 249,000 yen, this will be your most optimal phone of today."

 

Speaking the entire time with a large professional smile, the receptionist introduced the phone to Ryuji and stated the price.

 

Then, without batting an eye, Ryuji spoke up and paid in full. "I'll take it, paid in full."

 

A little while later, he walked out of the electronics store with a new phone and less cash, but other than that, he headed towards his next destination.

 

Soon enough, he was standing in front of the Toto Institute of Technology, where he would confront Tetsuhiro Shigemura, Akihiko Kayaba, or Rinko Koujiro.

 

One of these three people were bound to be his key into the beta-test, but at this time, he knew not of none of their whereabouts. So, as a place where all of them had been before, Ryuji decided to go here in search of them.

 

His gaze went from the top of the building to the front door, before he went towards it, and walked in.

 

The receptionist there at the front desk was quite nice as she took his words and notified Tetsuhiro Shigemura. Less than a minute later, the voice of Shigemura was heard through the phone on the desk as he spoke to the receptionist and told her to tell Ryuji that he would see to him now.

 

The receptionist simply nodded to Ryuji and told him where Shigemura's office was located.

 

Hoping that this was his chance, Ryuji made his way to Shigemura's office. After turning the gilded doorknob and opening the sleek wooden door, he found an old man with grayish hair and an extended goatee beard. He also wore a white lab coat over a shirt with a green tie and a nametag, adorning a pair of thin-rimmed oval glasses on the bridge of his nose.

 

"Hello, Mr. Shigemura." Ryuji spoke to the old man who seemed to be absorbed within his work.

 

The old man snapped out of his workaholic daze and looked at the peculiar looking young man in front of him. His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke to Ryuji and leaned back in his chair.

 

"So... I hear you want to enter the beta-test. You should know that this isn't how it works, but some things can be worked around. With only 2 remaining slots open for the beta-test, why do you think you should get one?"

 

"I know things about Sword Art Online that others don't, and I wish to fulfill my passion of gaming. I want experience another world. Now I know that this isn't enough to-"

 

"No... that's enough. Here, take it."

 

Almost as if the gods had directed the conversation, Shigemura interrupted Ryuji, then opened one of his desk drawers, and pulled out a boxed-up nerve-gear. He set it on the desk and pushed it towards Ryuji as he nodded ever so slightly.

 

"Why?" Shigemura's answer bewildered Ryuji, so he asked.

 

The old man leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk's surface before interlocking his fingers and speaking with a small smile on his face.

 

"The conviction, knowledge, and passion in your eyes tells me all that I need to know. So... take it."

 

Shigemura nudged the boxed-up nerve-gear before leaning back in his chair once again, looking at Ryuji with a smile. Ryuji was slightly hesitant, but this he came for, and this is what he'll get. He grabbed the box and stood up slowly, before bowing to the old grey-haired man.

 

"I thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Shigemura." Ryuji said so with sincerity in his voice, before turning around and walking out the office with a slight smile.

 

After walking out of Shigemura's office, Ryuji made his way downstairs and out of Toto Institute of Technology. A slight smile was ever-so present on his face as he quicky made his way back towards his apartment.

.

Ryuji dropped off his new nerve-gear at his apartment and immediately marked his new destination in his head. Right now, he planned to get a pre-built computer so that he'll be able to use the nerve-gear whenever the Beta-Test for SAO releases. Honestly, he was psyched, he couldn't wait to dive into such an immersive virtual world, however from he knew, Project Alicization was way more realistic, in fact, it could mistaken for reality if not for the Stacia Window.

 

For now though, he'll buy and set up a PC in his apartment, before hooking up the nerve-gear and researching some things on SAO.