Chapter 37: Death Game (Part 1)

Kazuto Kirigaya's initially nervous expression gradually eased. He had seen such a cloak before. That was the clothing that the GM, who was a member of Argus, would definitely wear during the closed beta. But at that time, the male GM must have looked like a magician, an old man with a long beard;

If it was a woman, there must have been a female character wearing glasses under the cloak. Now it may be because there was some problem and they couldn't create a character, so at least let the cloak appear, but the dark red cloak was empty, which made Kazuto Kirigaya feel an unspeakable unease.

At this time, as if to stop these voices, the right sleeve of the cloak suddenly moved.

From the enlarged cuff, you could see pure white gloves. But the sleeves and gloves were obviously separated from each other, and you couldn't see any part of the body at all.

Then the left sleeve also slowly raised. Above the heads of ten thousand players, the empty white gloves opened to the left and right, feeling like a faceless man was opening his mouth, and then a man's low and thorough voice came from far above.

"Welcome, players, to my world."

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am the only one who can control this world now."

"I think you players should have noticed that the logout button has disappeared from the main menu screen. But this is not a problem with the game. I repeat. This is not a problem with the game, but the original version of 'Sword Art Online'."

"O… Original version?"

Countless players were in an upRoa, and the crowd was boiling.

"From now on, you will not be able to log out of this game on your own until you reach the top of this castle."

The person named Kayaba Akihiko paused, gave everyone time to digest the information in his words, and continued to say to everyone:

"… In addition, there is no way for people outside to stop or cancel the operation of the NerveGear. If someone tries to do this—"

A brief silence.

The next paragraph was slowly said in the heavy silence of ten thousand people holding their breath:

"—The microwave emitted by the NerveGear's signal component will destroy your brains and stop your life activities."

Cutting off the power to the NerveGear, or unlocking the lock to take it off your head, will kill the user wearing the NerveGear, that was Kayaba's declaration.

Asuna's pupils shrank beside him, and Naoki Kirigaya appropriately showed a hint of appropriate shock.

Asuna grabbed Naoki Kirigaya and said with a stiff expression: "No way, this shouldn't be, he must be lying to us, what is the original version, I want to go out, I want to go out."

Naoki Kirigaya didn't know what to say, so he simply didn't speak.

Now all the players were in an upRoa.

Naoki Kirigaya could understand the players. If he was told that he was trapped in the game, and death in the game was also real death in reality, he would be angry too.

After all, he finally got off work and went home, and he could still encounter this kind of bad thing while playing a game. Anyone would be full of resentment.

But after a few seconds, the crowd suddenly boiled, and countless people whispered, and some people said loudly to their companions: "Haha… what is that guy talking about. This is impossible. This kind of thing is impossible to do. NerveGear… is just a game console."

"The brain destruction program will only be executed if the external power is cut off for more than ten minutes, the network is disconnected for more than two hours, an attempt is made to destroy the NerveGear itself, or the lock is released - only under these conditions. And these conditions have already been announced to the outside world by our company and the media. By the way, at this point in time, many players' family members and friends have ignored our warnings and tried to forcibly remove the NerveGear, and the result is…"

The loud metallic voice took a breath after speaking to this point.

"—Unfortunately, 213 players have already left the real world and Aincrad forever."

The only cry of grief sounded from somewhere. Apart from that, most of the players around either couldn't believe it or didn't want to believe this fact, and only a few smiles or a dazed state appeared on their faces.

"You don't need to worry about the bodies you left in the real world. Now all the TV, radio, and online media are constantly reporting this situation, as well as the situation of many victims. So the danger of the NerveGear on your head being forcibly removed can be said to have been reduced to a very low level. In the future, your bodies in the real world should be transported to hospitals or other facilities within the two-hour disconnection buffer time while wearing the NerveGear, and then carefully taken care of. I hope you can rest assured… just focus on clearing the game."

"However, I want everyone to pay special attention. For all of you, 'Sword Art Online' is no longer just a game, but another reality. From now on… all resurrection functions will be removed from the game. So, the moment your HP reaches zero, your character will be permanently deleted, and at the same time…"

"Your brains will be destroyed by the NerveGear."

Hit Points, the remaining value of life.

The moment it reaches zero, I will truly die—according to Kayaba, I will die instantly because my brain will be microwaved.

This is indeed a game. A game where life and death truly matter. In other words, a death game.

Asuna's face was pale, feeling her somewhat lost mood, Naoki Kirigaya held her hand and whispered in her ear, "Are you okay, Asuna?"

The girl's appearance was truly worrying; only a big hug from Naoki Kirigaya could comfort her.

Asuna lowered her head, feeling very down.

Naoki Kirigaya looked towards Kazuto Kirigaya and noticed that even his mood was terrible.

Even worse announcements continued.

"There is only one condition to free you from this game. That is, as I mentioned earlier, to reach the highest level of Aincrad, the 100th floor, and defeat the final boss waiting there. I guarantee that at that moment, all surviving players can safely log out of the game."

Kayaba Akihiko's words were like a spark igniting a powder keg, and the crowd instantly erupted in noise.