Klein and the surrounding players were suddenly enveloped by a white light. At the same time, I was also surrounded by the white light. All I could see was a pale white.
In just two to three seconds, the light disappeared, and the original scenery appeared before his eyes again…
That was not right.
Klein's familiar face was not in front of me.
The armor that was made of sheet metal, the scarf with vulgar patterns, and the red hair that was soaring into the sky were all the same as before. However, only his face had changed into another person's appearance. His originally slender eyes had turned into a pair of large, sunken eyes. His thin and straight nose became a long hooked nose. Moreover, there was stubble on his cheeks and chin. If the original character was a cheerful young samurai, then now he looked like a defeated samurai, or a bandit.
I completely forgot about the current situation. I only muttered in a daze,
[Who…are you?]
In the end, the man in front of me asked the same question as me.
"Hey…who are you?」
At this moment, a premonition flashed through my mind. At the same time, I also understood what was going on with Hayata's gift of a " small mirror in hand."
I quickly raised the mirror and looked into it with my eyes wide open. What appeared in the mirror was…
She had very ordinary black hair and a pair of weak eyes under her long bangs. If she went out with her sister in casual clothes, she would still be mistaken for her sister's slender face.
A few seconds ago," Kirito "'s " valiant-like face " had disappeared. Appeared in the mirror-
It was a real face in the real world that I really disliked.
[Oh…Isn't that me…]
Klein, who was looking at the mirror like me, was shocked.
The two of us looked at each other again and shouted at the same time,
"Are you Klein?" "Are you Kirito?"
Both of their voices had stopped because of the voice effect, and there was an obvious change in their tones. However, they did not have the extra energy to pay attention to this at this time.
After the mirror fell from our hands to the ground, it disappeared with a slight shattering sound.
Looking around again, he realized that the people who looked like handsome men and beautiful women in fantasy adventure games were all gone. Instead, it was a group of young people from the real world who gathered the guests in the game exhibition venue and made them wear armor. What was even more terrifying was that the ratio of men to women had changed considerably.
Why did this happen? Klein and I, as well as all the Players around us, had transformed from our own characters into the real world. Although it was still made of a hexagonal material, and the details were still a little strange, it could still be said to be quite an impressive simulation. It was as if a 3D scan had been applied to our faces.
Scanning-
[... I see!]
I looked up at Klein and squeezed out a soft voice.
" NERvGear covers the user from head to face with high-density signal components. In other words, not only the brain, but even the surface shape of the face can be completely grasped…"
"But, but, what about information like height and... weight?」
Klein replied in a softer voice as he looked around.
The players around him looked at him and the others in silence. Their average height was obviously much lower than before the " transformation ". In order to prevent the height difference from the viewpoint from hindering the movements, I set the height of the character to be the same as the height in the real world. I think Klein should have the same idea as me. However, most of the other players were probably set to be 10 to 20 centimeters taller than they were in the real world.
Not only that, but the average height of her body had also increased by quite a bit. However, NERvGear shouldn't be able to scan this information.
Klein immediately answered this question.
[Ah…wait. Because I just bought the NERvGear yesterday, I still remember it very clearly. The first time we put on the helmet, there was a program called…measuring device adjustment, which required us to touch our bodies everywhere. Maybe it's because of that…?"
" Ah, yes, yes... Yes, that must be the case..."
The so-called adjustment of the measuring device was to measure the wearer's body surface sensation and grasp the reference value based on the action of " how much the hand should move to touch the body." This was equivalent to having his physical data recorded in NERvGear.
Therefore, in this SAO world, it was indeed possible to transform all the players 'avatars into real world characters.
The motive for doing so could not be any clearer.
[Reality…]
I whispered.
[That guy just said that this is reality. The character in the shape of a triangle and…the numerical health points are our real bodies and also our lives. The thatched cottage is trying to force us to understand this, so it recreates our appearance and physique in the real world..."
[But…but, Kirito…]
Klein scratched his head with all his might, his big eyes shining under his headscarf as he roared,"
"Why? Why did he do this…?」
I didn't answer his question. I just pointed up and said,
[Let's wait a little longer. Anyway, he would answer soon.」
The thatched cottage didn't betray my predictions. A few seconds later, a solemn voice came from the blood-red sky."
"Everyone must be wondering why now. Why did SAO and NERvGear's developer, Kazuhiko Hayaba, do this? Was this a large-scale terrorist operation? Or a kidnapping for ransom?」
Mao Chang's tone, which had been completely emotionless before, now carried some emotion. Although the situation wasn't right, the word 'longing' still appeared in my heart. He knew that this was not the time to think like this.
"These are not my goals. It could even be said that I no longer had any motives or reasons. If I had to say why…it was because to me, this situation was my ultimate goal. To create this world and watch it, I invented NERvGear and created SAO for this purpose. And now, all my goals have been achieved.」
After a short period of time, the sound of the thatched cottage returning to its original state could be heard.
"... That's all for the official operation of SwordArtOnline Sword God Domain. Good luck, players.」
The last sentence left some echoes and then disappeared.
The huge bright red cloak rose silently, starting from the tip of the hat. It seemed to melt and gradually assimilate with the system information that covered the entire sky.
Its shoulders, chest, and limbs slowly sank into the blood-red water, leaving only a ripple that spread out. Then, the information that filled the entire sky suddenly disappeared, just like how it had appeared.
The sound of the wind blowing over the square and the performance of the NPC orchestra, the BGM on the streets of the town gradually approached from afar, steadily touching our hearing.
The game returned to its original state. The only change was that some of the rules of the game had changed.
And then-things had come to this point, and finally…
Only then did the 10,000 players react as they should.
All in all, there were overwhelming noises coming from many places, causing the entire square to shake.
"It must be a lie... What's going on? It must be a lie.」
[Stop joking! Let me out! Let me out of here!"
[I'm very troubled by this! I still have an appointment with someone!"
"No! Let me go back! Let me go back!"
Wailing, roaring, screaming, cursing, pleading, and roaring.
In just a few minutes, some of the players turned into prisoners. Some squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands, some raised their hands to the sky, some hugged each other, and some even began to defend and scold each other.
As I listened to the countless shouts, my thoughts gradually calmed down.
Everything was real.
What Hayaba said was the truth. If it was that man, it was indeed possible that he would do such a thing. It should be said that it was not strange for him to do so. The impression that Maochang gave people was that of a destructive genius, and this was where his charm lay.
I won't be able to return to the real world for a period of time-a few months, or even longer. I won't be able to meet my mother and sister, or even talk to them. And I might never have the chance to see them again. If I die in this world...
It meant that I would truly die.
Because his brain was burnt to death by the game console, which was also the prison lock and torture device, NERvGear.
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
Klein, come here for a moment."
In the real world, the curved sword operator was much taller than me. After I grabbed his arm, I quickly walked through the crazy crowd.
It seemed like we were at the periphery of the crowd. We quickly passed through the crowd. When we walked into one of the streets that spread out from the square, we immediately rushed into the shadow of the carriage parked there.
[Klein...]
I used my most serious voice to call out the man's name again, even though he still looked like he had lost his soul.
"Listen up, I'm about to leave this town and head to the next village. You should come with me.」
Klein stared at me with his eyes wide open under his vulgar bandana. I lowered my voice and continued,
"If what that guy said is true, then in order to survive in this world, we have to do our best to strengthen ourselves. I think you should be very clear about this. Online role-playing games are a battle for resources between players. The more money, items, and experience points the system provided, the stronger the player would become. Those who have the same thoughts as us…should be training in the area around the Town of Beginnings, so the resources will soon be exhausted. In the end, it would only be everyone constantly looking for the system's monster spawn point. Therefore, it was best to use the next village as a stronghold now. I know the path to the next village and the dangerous locations very well. Even if I'm only level 1 now, I can still reach it safely.」
Klein didn't move as I finished my long speech.
After a few seconds, he said with a bitter face,
[But... but.] As I said just now, my good friends from other games and I queued up all night to buy this game. Those guys should have already logged in, and they should have been in the square just now. I can't leave them alone..."
「…………」
I held my breath and bit my lips.
I could feel the emotions in Klein's nervous eyes.
This man, this cheerful and likable man who should be very good at taking care of others, hopes that I can take all his friends with me.
However, I couldn't agree to it no matter what.
If Klein was alone, even if he was only level 1, I was confident that I could protect him from the warlike monsters and safely reach the next village. However, if two more people were added-no, if one more person was added, the situation would be quite dangerous.
If there was a victim along the way, and the result was as Mao Chuang said, the player's brain was burnt and he died in the real world…
This responsibility would have to be placed on me, who suggested leaving the safe Town of Beginnings and was unable to protect the lives of my companions.
I really can't bear such a heavy responsibility. It was absolutely impossible.
Klein seemed to be smart enough to see the reason for my sudden hesitation. A forced smile appeared on his stubble-bearded face as he slowly shook his head.
"No…I can't continue to cause you trouble. No matter what, I was the guild leader in the previous game. It's fine. With the skills you just taught me, there shouldn't be any problems. Moreover…these might just be a boring prank, and he might be able to log them out soon. So you don't have to worry about me, just go to the next village.」
「…………」
I remained silent. In a few seconds, I felt an unprecedented struggle in my heart.
Then, I chose to say the words that made me suffer for the next two years.
[I see...]
I nodded and took a step back. I said in a hoarse voice,
"Then let's break up here. Send me a message if there's anything…I'll take my leave then, Klein.」
Klein called out to me, who had lowered my head and was about to turn around.
[Kirito!]
「…………」
I used my eyes to ask him why he called me, but he only shook his cheek bone slightly and didn't say anything else.
I waved my hand gently and turned to the northwest, in the direction of the next village.
When I walked about five steps, his voice came from behind me again.
[Hey, Kirito! Your real face is quite cute! She's my type!"
I smiled bitterly and turned my back to him.
[That down-and-out samurai face of yours really suits you!]」
With my back facing the first friend I met in this world, I walked forward with full concentration.
After walking for a few minutes on the winding path, he looked back, but of course, he could not see anyone.
I gritted my teeth and suppressed the wonderful feelings that were stuffed in my chest. I started running.
He ran toward the northwest gate of the starting town, the vast grasslands and forests, and the small village after passing through these places. He ran with all his might toward the endless lonely battlefield of survival that would continue in the future.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]