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🕑 Added 2024-12-18 06:03:15 +0000 UTC[Finally, let me show you the proof that this world is now your only reality. Inside your inventory, I've prepared a little gift for everyone. Please, take a look.]
Asuna's hand moved almost reflexively, following his instructions, as if guided by an unseen force. Around her, the other players mirrored her actions, and the plaza filled with the chiming sounds of digital notifications.
Opening the inventory tab from the main menu, Asuna quickly located the item Kayaba had mentioned. At the top of the displayed item list was the gift, Hand Mirror.
Muttering to herself in confusion about the peculiar gift, she tapped on its name. A window appeared, and she selected the option to materialize it. With a shimmer and a soft sound effect, a small, square-shaped mirror manifested in her hand.
The mirror reflected a sharp yet youthful face—a face she had grown used to in this virtual world.
But in the next instant, blue light began to flicker across the bodies of all the players in the plaza, including Asuna. The glow lasted only two or three seconds, but when it faded, the world they saw was drastically different.
Gone were the handsome, idealized avatars. All around her were strangers—faces she had never seen before.
Gasps and exclamations of shock filled the air as players turned to each other, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
"Who are you?"
The phrase echoed across the plaza like a chorus.
Gradually, realization dawned. Players frantically touched their faces and then looked back into their mirrors.
What they saw was their real-world selves.
Asuna's reflection had changed slightly—her hairstyle was a bit different, and her features looked younger and softer. But overall, her appearance remained largely familiar.
Roy glanced around, noticing several players whose avatars had dramatically shifted from female to male. It was not an uncommon choice for gamers, and Roy understood the sentiment. After all, he too preferred playing as female characters in some games.
"Female avatars are simply more efficient."
But the plaza was now a sea of groans and laments.
Many players had tweaked their in-game appearances to be more attractive—just a slight boost, nothing too extreme. But now, stripped of their digital facades, they were left exposed as their real-world selves.
Before Roy could fully process the situation, a voice beside him exclaimed in astonishment, "How come you didn't change at all?"
Turning, Roy saw a middle-aged man with a round belly and an unremarkable face. His appearance was almost comical, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and envy.
Roy shrugged nonchalantly. "This is what I look like in real life."
The man fell silent, and soon, so did the others who overheard him.
An awkward tension spread as male players exchanged uneasy glances.
Having someone exceptionally attractive nearby always created a peculiar dynamic. While good looks often drew admiration from the opposite sex, they also invited subtle hostility from peers.
When someone's appearance stood out too much, it triggered an instinctive need for others to create distance. Few wanted to admit their inferiority, and if jealousy took root, it often manifested in petty acts of exclusion or mockery.
Such behavior wasn't always overt—it might be as subtle as avoiding conversations, stirring trouble at inopportune moments, or reveling in someone else's embarrassment. Over time, these minor slights could escalate into full-blown bullying, a phenomenon disturbingly common in Japanese schools.
The targets? They were usually those who excelled—handsome but reserved, academically gifted yet socially awkward, or, worst of all, a combination of both.
In short, bullying tended to focus on those who lacked the confidence to defend themselves.
Meanwhile, Kayaba's voice continued without pause, as if oblivious to the chaos unfolding below.
[Right now, many of you must be wondering why. Why would I, Akihiko Kayaba, the developer of Sword Art Online and the creator of NerveGear, do such a thing? Is this a large-scale act of terrorism? Or perhaps a kidnapping scheme for ransom?]
For the first time, Kayaba's voice—previously devoid of all emotion—carried a hint of feeling. Even Roy had to admit that Akihiko Kayaba was a man of extraordinary charisma.
Roy knew of this young genius.
Renowned as both a quantum physicist and a visionary game designer, Kayaba was the creator of NerveGear and the architect of Sword Art Online. He had also conceived The Seed, the foundation for virtual worlds that could shape an era.
A man with an unremarkable appearance yet the ability to alter the course of history.
It was a shame that Kayaba had chosen this path.
[This is neither an act of terror nor a ransom demand. In fact, I no longer have any purpose or motivation to speak of. If you were to ask why I did this… the answer is simple, because this situation itself was my ultimate goal. Creating this world and watching it unfold—that is why I invented NerveGear and created Sword Art Online. And now, I have achieved everything I set out to do.]
A brief silence followed before Kayaba's cold, detached voice echoed once more through the grand hall.
[This concludes the official tutorial for Sword Art Online. To all players—good luck.]
The final words lingered in the air for a moment, then faded into silence.
The crimson figure of Kayaba, draped in his voluminous cape, began to ascend silently. Starting from the tip of his hood, his form melted away, blending seamlessly into the blood-red system message that loomed over the sky.
Bit by bit, his shoulders, chest, and limbs disappeared into the crimson tide, leaving behind only ripples that slowly spread outward. Moments later, the ominous message covering the entire sky vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
The plaza fell silent, save for the faint whistle of wind and the soft strains of background music performed by NPC musicians in the distant streets.
The game's world seemed to return to normal. The only difference? The rules had irrevocably changed.
A group of 10,000 players finally began to process the horrifying reality they faced.
A deafening wave of noise erupted from various corners of the plaza, shaking the ground beneath them.
The moment the red barriers surrounding the area vanished, Roy didn't hesitate. Grabbing Asuna's hand, he bolted.
Asuna startled as she was dragged along. Roy barely spared her a glance before sending Kirito a private message.
[Run. Grind. Do you want Suguha to cry over your corpse? We'll split up and farm mobs separately for efficiency. Message me if anything happens.]
Kirito blinked at the abrupt message. His pulse quickened, and he swallowed hard. Without wasting a second, he grabbed Misumi, calling out urgently, "Let's go—start farming!"
He turned, expecting to see his usual party member. Instead, he found himself staring at a girl with short, striking purple hair and delicate, gemstone-like violet eyes.
The girl was undeniably beautiful, her features soft and captivating. But what caught Kirito off guard was her sudden transformation—from towering nearly two meters tall to standing at a petite 165 centimeters.
The warmth of her hand in his own jolted Kirito back to reality. He gulped involuntarily, his heart skipping a beat.
It wasn't entirely his fault. Apart from holding his sister's hand, Kirito had never experienced this kind of close contact with a girl before.
Blame it on his reclusive older brother, who had spent years dragging him into the depths of gaming. Thanks to him, Kirito had become a full-fledged otaku.
