This Might Be a Game, But It's Not Something You Play

The entire square was filled with a crowd, with various noisy voices rising and falling, and an anxious atmosphere spreading among the people.

In contrast, Eriri and her three companions appeared very calm, even showing interest in observing the changes in the space around them.

A transparent white screen filled with flashing code appeared again in front of Lala, but no one in the panicked crowd around them noticed what Lala was doing. All of her operations within the game were shielded from the system's detection.

At that moment, as if she had discovered something from the ever-changing code, Lala shifted her gaze from the screen and looked up at the sky.

"The opening scene is about to start."

As soon as she spoke, the entire sky suddenly displayed a layer of red, chessboard-like patterns.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these patterns were made up of alternating, red English words commonly seen in computer systems: 'Warning' and 'System Announcement.'

Seeing this, the noisy crowd gradually quieted down, and the panicked mood eased slightly. They all thought that the game's official announcement had finally arrived, and they would soon be able to log out.

But what happened next left everyone except Eriri and her companions in shock.

In the middle of the red patterned sky, a huge crack suddenly appeared, from which a large, thick drop of blood slowly dripped down.

However, the massive drop of blood didn't hit the ground. Instead, it suddenly changed shape in midair, forming a giant about twenty meters tall, wearing a dark red cloak.

There was no face visible inside the cloak; only a void could be seen. You could even clearly see the inside of the hood and the seams along its edge. The long, dangling hem of the cloak also revealed nothing but a slight darkness.

Seeing this bizarre sight, the crowd started buzzing with speculation about the identity of this giant figure.

"Lala, did you discover anything?" Eriri withdrew her gaze and asked Lala, who was beside her.

"Yes, this figure is the mental aggregate of the game's developer. His consciousness is highly integrated with the game. If his physical body dies, his soul will immediately be converted into data and exist within the game. Kayaba Akihiko is truly a genius, managing to conceive the idea of digitizing his soul in this era."

Receiving Lala's praise indicated that Kayaba Akihiko indeed had exceptional talents. In a sense, this kind of soul conversion could be considered a form of alternative immortality.

At that moment, as if to silence the noise in the square, the right sleeve of the giant red cloaked figure suddenly moved.

From the wide sleeve, a pure white glove could be seen. However, it was clear that the sleeve and glove were separate, with no visible body part between them.

Soon after, the left sleeve slowly lifted. The hollow white glove stretched out to the sides, resembling a faceless person opening their mouth. Then, a deep, resonant male voice came from above.

"Welcome to my world, players."

Upon hearing the voice of the cloaked figure, the square once again fell silent, with everyone focusing on what he would say next.

After a few seconds, when the square was quiet, the giant red cloaked figure slowly lowered its hands, and the voice once again emanated from its form.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and I am the only person who can control this world."

This statement was filled with an imposing sense of authority, as if declaring himself the god of this world, while all the players in the square were the inhabitants of this world.

Hearing Kayaba Akihiko's voice, the square, which had finally quieted down, erupted in noise again, even more intense than before.

The name 'Kayaba Akihiko' was not unfamiliar to the players. As the developer of Sword Art Online and the designer of the NERvGear system, Kayaba Akihiko was an idol to most of the players present.

Hearing the voice of their idol naturally excited the players, leading them to believe this was some kind of special fan event. Little did they know that despair awaited them.

"I assume you players have already noticed the disappearance of the logout button from the main menu screen, but this is not a malfunction of the game.

I repeat, this is not a game malfunction, but rather the original feature of Sword Art Online."

He paused, scanning the square, as if to emphasize the gravity of his next words.

"In this world, I have made it impossible for anyone to stop or disable the NERvGear from the outside. If anyone attempts to do so..."

At this point, Kayaba Akihiko's voice paused again, as if surveying the square.

In the heavy silence, with every player holding their breath, Kayaba Akihiko slowly delivered an incredible statement.

"...The NERvGear's signal transceivers will emit a powerful burst of microwaves, destroying your brain and stopping all your vital functions."

As he spoke, players in the square began to disappear one by one, clearly not logging out in the normal way.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the crowd erupted like a bomb, with voices of disbelief and curses ringing out. Everyone thought it was a cruel joke by the game company. After all, in their minds, this was just a game; how could it kill someone?

Ignoring the outbursts, Kayaba Akihiko's voice echoed from the sky once more.

"To be more specific, if the external power supply is cut off for more than ten minutes, if the network connection is severed for more than two hours, or if the NERvGear itself is tampered with or forcibly removed…

The brain destruction protocol will be activated. These conditions have already been publicly announced through media outlets around the world.

Unfortunately, as of now, two hundred and thirteen players have permanently logged out from both the real world and Aincrad."

As Kayaba Akihiko's voice fell, several screens suddenly appeared above the players, broadcasting news reports about the situation. The screens showed players who had died in hospitals and their grieving families gathered around their bodies.

With a cry of despair, the scene began to spiral out of control. People tried to run out of the square, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.

Most players in the square were either forcing themselves to smile or in a dazed state. They couldn't accept, or perhaps didn't want to accept, the reality of the situation.

Only Eriri and her three companions remained calm, standing still amid the crowd. While Eriri, Gabriel, and Lala were indifferent to the surrounding despair, Asuna's eyes revealed a trace of compassion as she looked pleadingly at Eriri.

"Eriri, can't we do something to help them?"

Eriri shifted her gaze back to Asuna, giving her a helpless look before turning to Lala and asking, "Lala, how much have you cracked the game? Can you weaken Kayaba Akihiko?"

Lala's eyes remained fixed on the transparent screen in front of her, her fingers tapping rapidly as she calmly responded to Eriri's question.

"I've cracked most of it. I now have partial GM privileges and can modify most of the game's rules. While I can't erase Kayaba Akihiko's consciousness, limiting him is easy."

"Can you remove his immortality? Make him just like a regular player within the game, and lower the boss difficulty as well. That should reduce the casualties significantly."

"No problem," Lala agreed without hesitation, as if such tasks were as easy as pie for her.

Eriri turned to the taller Asuna, patting her brown hair. "Does this work for you? With these adjustments, as long as no one does anything stupid, the game should be a breeze."

"Yes, that's more than enough. Thank you so much." Asuna expressed her gratitude to both Eriri and Lala.

Eriri retracted her hand and addressed Lala again, "Lala, later on, can you give us some 'cheats'?"

Hearing this, Gabriel's interest was piqued, and she eagerly asked, "What kind of cheats?"

"Nothing too outrageous, just a tenfold increase in experience points. After all, we're not going to be in the game all the time. Without a boost, how could we possibly keep up with the players trapped in the game?"

"Is that it? Couldn't you throw in a little something special too, like a one-hit kill or something?" Gabriel seemed a bit disappointed, but then her eyes sparkled with excitement as she repeated her request for a powerful cheat.

"What's the fun in that? Rejected," Eriri replied, rolling her eyes as she playfully pinched Gabriel's face.

"Experience boost by tenfold, right? No problem, I'll set it up right away."

"While you're at it, how about some good gear for each of us?"

"Consider it done!"

"If we're getting good gear, how about some exclusive super skills to go with it?"

"Good point, I'll add those too!"

"..."

As Eriri, Gabriel, and Lala continued their lively exchange, Asuna couldn't help but twitch her lips in disbelief. With these cheats, she wondered if they would simply bulldoze their way through all 100 floors of the game.

The atmosphere between the four of them was entirely different from that of the rest of the square. Meanwhile, Kayaba Akihiko, still monologuing in the sky, was oblivious to the fact that his control over the game was being stolen.

Taking note of the agitated crowd, Kayaba Akihiko resumed his announcement, his voice as steady as ever.

"You need not worry about your physical bodies in the real world. All relevant information about the situation, including the deaths of several players, has been broadcasted across all media platforms.

Therefore, the risk of someone forcibly removing your NERvGear has been significantly reduced.

From now on, your bodies in the real world should be transported to hospitals or other facilities where they will be carefully monitored while you remain connected to the NERvGear.

Please, put your minds at ease and focus on conquering the game."

As these words reached the players, they grew even more furious, and the square erupted with shouts of anger directed at Kayaba Akihiko.

Kayaba Akihiko, clearly anticipating such reactions, remained unfazed and continued his steady announcement.

"But please pay special attention. From now on, Sword Art Online is no longer just a game; it is another reality.

Going forward, all revival functions in the game will be disabled. If your HP reaches zero, your character will be permanently erased, and...

Your brain will be destroyed by the NERvGear."

By this point, the players' initial outrage had dissipated, replaced by a growing sense of despair that enveloped the square. Cries and sobs echoed through the crowd.

"Lastly, to show you that this world is now your only reality, I have prepared a gift for you all in your inventory. Please take a look."

A moment later, all the players, except for Eriri and her companions, held a small, square mirror in their hands, nervously examining their reflections.

Suddenly, white light surrounded each player, enveloping them.

After two or three seconds, as the light faded, the scenery reappeared, but the players' appearances had undergone drastic changes. Everyone had reverted to their original faces and bodies, and those who had been playing as the opposite gender were restored to their true selves.

At this moment, the players finally understood the purpose of the mirrors Kayaba Akihiko had given them: to make them confront the reality of their situation.

This might be a game, but it's not something you play.