30 Chapter 30: Wait.

*Teng!* (Sound of bell)

*Teng!*

*TENG!*

*Fwissh* *fwissh* (Player materializing.)

"What the hell's going on... Why can't I log out !?"(Player A)

"What is this...did SAO have this kind of event?"(Player B)

"The heck... Why the game master is not responding..." (Player C)

*Chatter* *Chatter*

Players from all around the area are forcibly coming to the origin, town of beginning again.

Compared to 6 hours ago, it is more crowded since each and every player has finally gathered without missing a single one.

However, the darkened place, sunset, the bell sound, and worries of players are making the atmosphere ominous than ever.

Just like.....

Pre-event of something cruel and sinister.

*Fwissh*

"...(Slowly open eyes)....It finally 'begun', huh." (Rein)

In the middle of this chaos, Rein appeared in the plaza too, without any form of worry while observing his surrounding.

Fear, anger, frustration, and panic.

Just like a pandemic, it is spreading in a fast progression without any sign of stopping at all.

Worse, it will explode immediately.

Due to one person.

(Now then, I guess 'he' will come in any ti--) (Rein)

In the middle of his thought,

[Warning! Warning!]

The source of this problem and the 'god' of this world has finally appeared before them.

The red alerts are ringing and materializing around the sky until it makes a dome surrounding the plaza.

When the sky is fully covered in red,

'It' has appeared.

*swiiii*

The liquid-ish object is pouring out from the red alert itself slowly until it forms a giant person wearing a red cape floating in the air.

However, the players are unable to see the 'face' behind the cape since it's covered with black gas.

"What, what is that...." (Player A)

"Is this...some kind of event ?" (Player B)

"I'm scared..." (Female Player)

To players who see that thing appeared in front of them suddenly, only one word pops out into their head.

Ominous.

While in the middle of this chaotic situation, the giant man who has no mouth speaks loudly to everybody in the plaza.

No,

A declaration would better fit more.

{To players who come, welcome to my world.} (???)

"...My...world?....!!" (Kirito)

Kirito, who has also forced transported to this place, realized the identity of this creature.

My world.

There's only one person who has the right to say that.

{My name is Kayaba Akihiko, the creator and game master of SAO.}

******

How do you define a world?

Some scientist may argue with that by explaining the earth is our world for humans to live.

or, artists may argue to the society that the world is the place and surrounding you have lived.

Now, Kayaba Akihiko has added another answer to this question.

What he created is truly a game where a player experienced it with their own body and mind at the same time.

However,

{All of you players who have gathered here, I'm sure you have noticed the irregularity of the situation.} (Kayaba)

{In your interface, there will be no logout button to choose for you to go out from this world.}

By adding one extra factor, it becomes a complete world itself.

"That's...That's right! Fix this error immediately! You are the game master right!" (Player A)

"It's troubling all of us!! I need to go back home!" (Player B)

"How can you leave this kind of problem!?" (Player C)

Hearing the 'Error' he has mentioned, players finally wake up from the stupor and ended up voicing their complaint as loud as possible.

They are all players and 'citizen' of this world the moment they entered it.

However, that doesn't mean they themselves wanted to permanently become one of it.

They have their own family to wait, dreams to accomplish, and many other reasons to do.

However, from this moment on, all of that attachments will be meaningless.

Because the moment they entered this world,

There will be no turning back, whether they want it or not.

{To that, I have an announcement to make.} (Kayaba)

{The problem that you all have mentioned, It's NOT AN ERROR.}

{I repeat, it is not an error but the ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF SWORD ART ONLINE.}

".....Eh?" (Players)

*Shiiin* (Silence)

Just for a moment, everybody in this place doesn't understand the meaning.

Not an error, but the original purpose?

What for?

If there's no log out button...

"....!!! DON'T JOKE AROUND!!" (Player A)

They won't be able to leave this world anymore.

{Now, I'm sure you won't feel this is real or just an illusion. But, as the creator myself, I declare without any falsehood that all of you CAN'T LEAVE THIS WORLD.}

""...WHAT!?"" (Players)

Just like what Rein had said,

This is a prison.

But of course, a prison has also a door and a key to escape no matter how thick it is made.

The problem is,

(That wall may be too high to climb.) (Rein)

{If you want to leave this world, there is only one way. Any of you is fine. Reach into the floor 100 and defeat the boss waiting there for you. If it's accomplished, then you all will get logged out automatically.}

*Duk!* (Sound of felling knees)

Hearing that, many players have fallen in despair without the spirit to stand up again.

They do still think that this just a dream or some extra event to surprise them in the corner of their heart.

But, it's just them avoiding from reality and nothing else.

After all, having them unable to log out is already a proof that all of what Kayaba Akihiko said is the truth and nothing more.

Moreover, clearing until floor 100?

Thinking about it, it is very difficult to reach the top in the first place. After all, each floor has the floor boss and the city to go. Therefore, the players may take a very long time, even years to reach the goal line.

Even so, the goal needed to accomplish has already be spoken clearly without any lies to it. All they need is to just chase it.

That's all.

Then why did they lose spirit immediately?

"...No way....that's impossible.." (Player A)

"Not even the beta testers achieved that..." (Player B)

That's why they already give up even before the start.

Because their predecessors already did this game but unable to reach the end, it becomes a clear limit for them.

Eventually, some people reached into one mind after running from this cruel reality.

(That's right! If the nerve gear's battery will be to zero, then--) (Players)

However,

{Next, your nerve gear.} (Kayaba)

That will be an impossible dream.

{The nerve gear that you currently wear in the real world right now, it is made with an internal battery to recharge themselves and function for years without needing any maintenance.} (Kayaba)

{In the past, some did ignore the warning of taking off the nerve gear even while the player is still playing. Due to that, tens of players have retired eternally by the high voltage of electric frying their brain. Therefore, players have no need to worry about it and just focus to play this game.}

Before, no. The moment Kayaba Akihiko started the SAO project, he always created it with a mindset of SAO being a complete world.

Therefore, to the players who usually come to this world periodically, he ended up trapping them here forever unless they can finish it.

Not as a player, but as an 'individual' of this world.

Kayaba Akihiko is undoubtedly a super genius born once in a century. The proof is this world itself.

However, geniuses have always been lining up like lunatic from society's viewpoint.

A coin with a different side.

In order to reach own ultimate goal, he plans it shrewdly without caring the heavy consequences.

That's why he is a sick bastard who lacks 'moral' to be said as a normal human.

{The moment when your hitpoints have reach zero in any situation, there won't be any resurrection item nor a facility available anymore to revive you. At the same time, your nerve gear will give your brain high volts of electricity that will fry your brain immediately. In other words,}

{You will die.}

"!!!" (Players)

There won't be any outside influences able to disturb nor save them.

They have been checkmated from the start.

Most of all, there is no hope to hold.

In order to fulfill one man's dream,

To make this world into 'reality'.

Kayaba Akihiko has become one of the world's worst criminal recorded in history.

******

"..Ahhh...AHHHH!!!" (Player A)

"...This is all a lie..A LIE!" (Player B)

Sounds of despair are coming in every place.

No matter who they are, they can only feel hopeless and cry for the unfairness of the world.

However, it won't change.

All of the negative emotions are gathered and compressed in this place, making it uncomfortable even for breathing.

Ever since coming to this plaza, Rein could sense it.

The curse is floating around, being attracted by the negative emotion of the players and slowly gets bigger in the shape of black smoke.

Moreover, this curse isn't able to get viewed by other players since they don't have any particular reaction.

The curses are slowly expanding and headed to the top of the tower.

With this, it's confirmed.

[Mission: "The core of the world's despair is located in the red tower piercing the heaven."]

(...I won't what it will be, but the answer would be in the last place.) (Rein)

Now, he could clearly accomplish his main mission of coming to this place.

*Chatter* *Chatter* (Voice of Panic)

No matter how many screams they will cry out, it won't amount to anything.

Rein, who see this scene directly from his eyes, felt something similar.

(I guess, this is what people look like when you are the bird in a cage.) (Rein)

To him who has already get heavily coiled around the chain of fate, this scene is something trivial already because what he experienced is much worse than a simple death.

In the end, he was able to break all of it and free himself because he himself didn't give up until the end.

Therefore, he won't succumb to this obstacle.

No matter what price he will have to pay.

(Fuuuhh...Let's do this.) (Rein)

While renewing his determination, Kayaba Akihiko still continues his speech without caring for the players' emotion.

Due to his action, this world already functions itself properly as a new one.

However, he adds one more factor into it to add more realism.

In a sense, he is a sick bastard to the point of no saving.

{Now then, to you who are going to conquer this world, I have a present for you to use. Check your item box on key item section. It will be my last parting gift to you all.}

"...A parting gift, huh." (Rein)

Rein himself won't even bother to check it because his avatar is already exactly the same in the real world.

The item is more of a 'curse'.

But the others who don't know this fact immediately check it.

*Fwissh* (Item materializing)

Hearing his words, all the players immediately open their item box in order to get little advantage they could get.

However, it is not an advantage but just a mirror.

"...What? A mirror?" (Player A)

*Fwiiing* (Players covered in blue particles)

"Whoa!?" (Player A)

"What is this!?" (Player B)

"Kyaaa!!" (Player C)

The function of the mirror itself is simple.

Make your avatar exactly the same as the one in the real world.

This is possible because before they come to this world, they need to touch their body all over for nerve gear to scan their body.

In a few moments, They will reappear again with their 'true' self.

*Fwissh* (Players Reappeared.)

"...What? Hey, are you Ritsu!? Why do you look so different!?" (Player A)

"You too!? Wait...what is really happening !?" (Player B)

"You were a man !?" (Player C)

"You lied to me being in the 20s !?" (Player D)

The sound of shocks and exclamation are coming here and there when seeing the players' true self. It is more surprising for people who change their age greatly or even the gender itself so it's natural.

Players generally want to customize their appearance according to their desire because it is the form of their ideal.

To be more beautiful and handsome, to be somebody who you can't be.

In fact, that is the one crucial factor for a game to be fun.

But this is not a game.

It's a new reality.

That's why Kayaba rips all of their fake skin and mask to be their 'real' selves.

{With this, you have finally play Sword Art Online fully.}

Seeing the game master still continuing his speech, the players retract their surprises in order to focus what information he will add after all this.

However, it's not an additional speech but a reminder.

A cruel reminder for them to wake up.

{Now, I see that all of you still don't believe my words right now. I will repeat this the last time. You all have to reach the top floor for able to log out. The death of this world is equivalent to the death of real life. Therefore, struggle to conquer this world. If not...}

{YOU WILL LIVE IN THIS WORLD, ETERNALLY.}

*Shiiin* (Silence)

Other waves of silences descend to this area again. However, this time, it is not due to shock.

It is due to despair.

"....."

Each and every person who plays this game is just a normal citizen who lives in a peaceful country.

Some go to the school fulfilling their youth, Some go to their workplace for their own purpose.

However, at this moment, at this time.

All of their identity has been replaced as a player.

A player to struggle for their own survival, a player to conquer this 'world'.

A player...that will bet their life on the line.

Could they be blamed for their current predicament?

No.

No matter who they are, they only have been involved by a crazy researcher just to fulfill own's dream.

Therefore, it is natural for them to despair. It is also obvious for them to avoid and run from the cruel challenges that will face toward them.

All of them have succumbed to their unfairness of the world.

Kayaba, who have witnessed this scene only look at it silently and try to finish his speech.

However, who could have expected it?

Even facing this hopeless situation,

{....I have said everything I need to say. I pray for all of you players--} (Kayaba)

"Wait."

One person hasn't lost its brilliance.