All of a sudden, there was a sound like a bell or an alarm, and Klein and I were both startled.
[What…]
"What's going on?"
The two of us shouted at the same time and looked at each other, then widened our eyes.
Klein and I were completely surrounded by a blue light pillar. Looking out through the blue membrane, the scenery of the grassland gradually faded.
I've experienced this phenomenon several times during the closed test. This was the " transfer " after using the field movement tool. But I'm not holding a prop right now, nor am I giving any commands. Even if it was a transfer initiated by the operating company, why wasn't there any announcement?
Thinking of this, the light surrounding my body became even stronger, making it impossible for me to see anything.
As the blue light gradually faded, I could see the surrounding scenery again. But I was no longer in the grassland under the setting sun.
What could be seen now was a vast stone floor, surrounded by trees, and a street with a medieval style. In the distance ahead, there was a huge palace emitting black light.
There was no doubt that this was the central square of the " Town of Beginnings ", the starting point of the game.
Klein and I looked at each other with our mouths agape. Then, the two of us looked back and forth at the crowded crowd.
Looking at these handsome men and women, as well as their various equipment and hair colors, I can confirm that they are players of SAO like me. It looked like there were thousands of them-nearly ten thousand, to be exact. All the players in the game might have been transferred to this square like Klein and me.
In a few seconds, the crowd fell silent because they did not understand the situation. Then, they began to look around in panic.
Not long after, noisy sounds began to spread from various places, and the volume gradually increased. "What's going on?"」[Can I log out like this?] [Hurry up and let me log out!] In this case…
After a while, the noise of the crowd began to have an anxious atmosphere, and one could also hear the words,"Stop joking!"」[GM, come out!] Such an angry roar.
Suddenly…
Someone's voice drowned out the noise.
[Ah…look up!]
Klein and I looked up reflexively. Then, he saw a wonderful scene.
100 meters above, which was the bottom of the second layer, was dyed with a layer of bright red checkerboard pattern.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the pattern was formed by two English words. As for the two words written in bright red font, they were Warning and System Announcement.
I was quite surprised for a moment. After seeing the single word, I thought to myself," Ah, the announcement from the operating company is finally here." I heaved a sigh of relief. At this moment, the noise in the square also subsided. It felt as if everyone was pricking up their ears to listen to the contents of the announcement.
However, what happened next completely betrayed my expectations.
The red pattern covered the entire sky. Its central part was like a thick drop of blood that slowly dripped down. However, the blood did not drip onto the ground. Instead, it suddenly changed shape in midair.
The one who appeared was a giant that was nearly 20 meters tall and wore a dark red cloak.
No, that was not quite right. Since we were looking up from below, we should be able to see the face in the hat pulled very low. However, there was no face in that part. It was completely empty. We could even clearly see the inside of the hat and the stitches on the edge. There was also only a faint darkness under the long hem of the dress.
I've seen a cloak like this before. It was the uniform that the GMs who were members of ARGUS would wear during the closed test. However, at that time, male GMs were definitely old men with long beards who looked like magicians. If it was a female, it would definitely be a female character wearing glasses under the cloak. Perhaps it was because something had happened that I couldn't create a new character, so I had to at least let the cloak appear first. However, there was nothing under the dark red cloak, which made me feel an indescribable sense of unease.
The countless players around me should have the same feeling as me. Because everywhere you can hear,"Is that the GM?"」"Why don't you have a face?" Such a voice.
At this moment, as if to stop these sounds, the right sleeve of the cloak suddenly moved.
From the expanded sleeves, one could see pure white gloves. However, the sleeves and gloves were clearly separated from each other. There was no physical part at all.
Then, he slowly raised his left sleeve. On the heads of the 10,000 players, the empty white gloves were opened to the left and right. It felt like a faceless man was opening his mouth. Then, a man's deep and clear voice came from afar.
[Players, welcome to my world.」
I couldn't understand what it was saying.
What is Minecraft? If that red cloak was the GM of the operating company, then he was indeed like a god, with the authority to control this world. However, there was no need to mention something that everyone already knew.
Klein and I looked at each other speechlessly. At this time, the red cloak slowly put down its hands, and its words continued to reach our ears.
[My name is Hayaba Akihiko.] He was the only one who could control this world.」
Because I was too shocked, my clone, and perhaps even my real body, choked.
The thatched cottage-Jingyan!
I know this name. How could he not have heard of it?
A few years ago, ARGUS was just one of the many weak game development companies. Today, it was the driving force behind the development of the largest game development company in the industry.
He was not only the developer of the game, but also the basic designer of the NERvGear.
As a gaming fanatic, the thatched cottage was something I looked forward to. As long as it was a magazine that reported on him, I would definitely buy it, and I would repeat the few interviews I had so many times that I could almost recite them. Just hearing the short voice just now, the clever face of Mao Chang, who often wore white clothes, automatically appeared in my mind.
However, up until now, he had only stayed behind the scenes and tried his best to avoid appearing in the media. Of course, he should have never played the role of a GM. Why would he do such a thing?
My entire body was stiff as I tried my best to circulate my thoughts that were about to stop, hoping to grasp the current situation as much as possible. However, the words coming from under the hollow cloak sounded like they were mocking me, who was trying hard to understand the situation.
"I think all players have noticed that the logout button has disappeared from the main menu screen. But this wasn't a problem with the game. I repeat. This was not a problem with the game, but the original version of SwordArtOnline.」
[The…the original version?]
Klein whispered hoarsely. Mao Chang seemed to cut him off and continued to announce in a low and smooth voice,"
[From now on, you will not be able to log out of this game before you reach the top of this castle.」
I couldn't immediately understand what 'this castle' meant. In this starting town, where exactly did the castle exist?
However, Mao Chang's next words instantly swept away my doubts.
"... In addition, there is no way to stop or disable the operation of NERvGear by an outsider. If anyone tries to do that-"
There was a brief silence.
The following words were slowly spoken in the heavy silence of ten thousand people holding their breaths.
"The microwave emitted by the NERvGear signal component will destroy your brain and stop your life activities.」
Klein and I stared at each other with a blank expression for a few seconds.
Although my brain seemed to refuse to understand the meaning of those words. However, Mao Chang's very concise declaration directly penetrated me from head to toe with its brutal hardness and density.
Destroy the brain.
In other words, it meant to kill someone.
If the power supply of the NERvGear was cut off, or if the lock was unlocked to remove it from the head, the user wearing the NERvGear would be killed. This was the declaration of Hayaba.
Sounds of commotion came from all parts of the crowd. However, no one shouted or rioted. I think it's because everyone, including me, has yet to understand or refuse to understand what Mao Chang said.
Klein slowly raised his right hand, as if he was trying to grab the helmet that should exist in the real world. At the same time, he let out a hollow laugh.
" Haha... what is that guy talking about? This was simply impossible. This was simply impossible. NERvGear…was just a game console. How could he…destroy the brain? Don't you think so? Kirito!"
His voice was hoarse by the second half of his sentence. No matter how much he stared at me, I couldn't nod in agreement with what he said.
NERvGear used countless signal components buried inside to emit weak electromagnetic waves to give the brain cells a simulated feeling when doing something.
It could indeed be said to be the most cutting-edge technology of the era. But in fact, household appliances with the same principle had been accepted by all Japanese families as early as 40 years ago. That was the microwave oven.
As long as there was sufficient output power, NERvGear could indeed cause the water in our brain cells to vibrate, and then steam our brains through friction. But…
"…In theory, it's not impossible…But I think it's just to scare people. As long as the power cord of the NERvGear was unplugged, it would not be able to emit such high-power electromagnetic waves. As long as it doesn't have a high-capacity battery inside…"
Klein should have already noticed the reason why I couldn't continue halfway.
The tall and handsome man moaned with an empty expression,"
[Indeed…there is a built-in battery.] It was said that it was a battery that took up 30% of the helmet's weight. But this didn't make sense! What if there was a sudden blackout?」
At this point, Mao Chang seemed to have heard Klein's words, and his voice continued to come from above."
" To be more specific, if the external power supply is cut off for more than ten minutes, the network is disconnected for more than two hours, and the attempt is made to destroy the NERvGear body or remove the fixed lock-only under these conditions will the brain destruction program be executed. These conditions had already been announced to the outside world through the company and the media. "By the way, at this point in time, there are already many players 'family and friends who ignored our warning and tried to forcefully disable NERvGear. The result is…"
When the loud metallic voice reached this point, it took a deep breath.
"Regrettably, 213 players have left the real world and Ain Grand Tree forever.」
The only mournful cry came from somewhere. Other than that, most of the players in the surroundings either couldn't believe it or didn't want to believe it. They only smiled or were in a daze.
My brain still refused to accept what Mao Chang said. However, my body betrayed me first. My feet suddenly began to tremble.
My knees were trembling, so I took a few steps back. It was not easy for me to hold myself up from falling. Klein, on the other hand, had a look of exhaustion on his face as he sat on the ground.
There were already 213 players…
This sentence kept repeating in the depths of my ears.
If what Mao Chang said was true, then at this point in time, more than 200 people had already died?
There must be players who are closed beta players like me. There might even be players whose names I've heard of or whose faces I've seen. NERvGear had already burned their brains-did Mao Chang mean that these people were already dead?
[I don't believe it…I don't believe it.]」
Klein, who was sitting on the stone floor, said hoarsely,"
[It's just to scare people. This was impossible. Stop nagging and get me out of here. I don't have time to play with you here. That's right…all of this was part of the game. It was a performance for the opening of the game, right? That's right."
Klein's words echoed in the depths of my mind.
However, as if to destroy the hopes of all the players, including me, the announcement of work matters in the thatched cottage began again.
"You don't have to worry about your bodies in the real world. Now, all the television, radio, and online media were repeatedly reporting this situation, as well as the appearance of many victims. Therefore, the risk of the NERvGear being forcibly removed from your heads can be said to have been reduced to a relatively low level. From now on, your bodies in the real world should be transported to the hospital or other facilities during the two-hour buffer time when you wear the NERvGear, and then carefully taken care of. I hope that everyone can rest assured…and focus on the game guide.」
[Wha...]
At this point, I finally couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a sharp cry.
"What are you talking about! You want us to focus on the game? How could he play the game without being able to log out?」
Glaring at the huge red cloak floating near the bottom of the upper level, I continued to roar,
[This is no longer a game!」
As a result, it was as if Hayaba Kyokihiko had heard my words again. He continued to use his calm voice to announce,"
" However, I hope everyone will pay special attention. For everyone, SwordArtOnline is no longer just a game, but another real world. From now on…all resurrection functions will be canceled in the game. "Therefore, the moment your HP drops to zero, your characters will be destroyed forever. At the same time…"
I could completely predict what he would say next.
[Your brains will be destroyed by NERvGear.]」
For a moment, I felt an urge to laugh from the depths of my stomach, but I tried my best to suppress it.
Now, in the upper left corner of my line of sight, there was a thin, blue line. Upon closer inspection, the numbers 342/342 were displayed.
HitPoint。The residual value of one's life.
The moment it reaches zero, I will truly die. According to Hayashi, I will die immediately from my brain being cooked by the microwave.
This was indeed a game. It was a game that truly concerned life and death. In other words, the game of death.
I had probably died hundreds of times during the two-month-long SAO closed test. Every time, I would revive in the palace located in the north of the square, the Black Iron Palace, accompanied by unpleasant laughter, and once again join the battlefield.
This was what the so-called RPG was all about. It was a game where players constantly died and gained experience points to improve their skills. Now, he actually said that there was no way to revive? And once he died, he would really lose his life? What was even more ridiculous was that he still couldn't take the initiative to stop this game?
[... How stupid.]
I groaned.
Under such conditions, would anyone want to run to the danger zone? All the players would definitely hide in the safe street area.
However, it was as if the other party could constantly see through my thoughts and the thoughts of all the players. He made a new announcement.
[There is only one condition that can free you from this game. I just mentioned that we should reach the highest level of Ain Grand, which is the 100th level, and then defeat the final demon king waiting there. I guarantee that at that moment, all the surviving players will be able to log out of the game safely.」
The 10,000 players fell silent.
Now, I finally understood why the thatched cottage had said " to reach the top of this castle ".
This castle was the one that swallowed us at the lowest level, with ninety-nine levels above it, the floating castle known as Aingrunt.
[Break all of them…to the hundredth floor?」
Klein suddenly roared, quickly stood up, and raised his right fist toward the sky.
"How, how could it be possible! It was said that it was very difficult to attack during the closed beta!」
Klein was right. The 1,000 people participating in the SAO closed test had only cleared six floors in two months. Now that it was officially launched, there were about 10,000 players in the game. However, how long would it take for these players to clear the 100th floor?
I think all the players gathered here are probably thinking about this unsolvable problem. The silence that enveloped the scene was soon drowned out by the low noise. But there was hardly any sound of terror or despair in the clamor.
I think most of the players are still unable to determine whether the current situation is a " real crisis " or just an " extra performance in the opening event ". This was because Mao Chang's words were too terrifying, so it didn't feel real.
I looked up at the sky and stared at the empty cloak, trying to integrate my thoughts with the current situation.
I can't log out of this game now. There was no way to return to his room in the real world, nor was there any way to return to his original life. Someone has to defeat the demon king at the top of this floating castle before we can return to our daily lives. Before that, if my HP drops to zero, I will die. True death will descend upon me, and I will disappear from this world forever.
But…
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't treat this information as reality. Five or six hours ago, I was still eating the lunch my mother made and talking to my sister before going upstairs.
I can't go back to that place? Was this really a realistic situation?
At this moment, Red Cloak, who was always one step ahead of me and the other players, lightly moved his right hand and announced in an emotionless voice,
" Finally, let's show everyone that this world is the only evidence of reality for you. I have prepared a gift for you in your equipment bar. Please take a look."
Upon hearing this, the two fingers of my right hand almost automatically waved downwards. The surrounding players did the same thing as I did. A series of electronic ringtones sounded in the square.
After tapping the item tab on the main menu that appeared, the item list that appeared on the top of the list had the gift that Mao Chuang had mentioned.
The name of the item was [Hand-held Mirror].
While thinking about why he gave us this kind of thing, he clicked on the name and selected the materialization button from the window that appeared. With a bright sound effect, a small square mirror immediately appeared.
He held it in his hands with trepidation, but nothing happened. What I see in the mirror is just a character with a brave face that I painstakingly created.
I felt strange as I looked at Klein, who was standing beside me. I noticed that the warrior with a resolute appearance was also holding a mirror in his right hand like me, and his face had a dull expression.
At this moment-
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]