Chapter 116: Seeking Outside Help
Hisako's question struck Hayashi—and even Erina—like a bolt of lightning, leaving the two of them, who had thought they had everything figured out, dumbfounded on the spot.
In the Shokugeki world, Hayashi had relied on the Nakiri Family to operate; in the Pokémon world, there was Professor Oak; in the Disciple world, everything was handled by Master Kōetsuji; and in the Konosuba world, who the hell needed identification documents?
But in the Overlord world, this wouldn't work! Even if the Interdimensional Gate could allow Hayashi and the others to physically enter the game world to level up, the most crucial part—RMT (Real Money Trading)—would be impossible in a futuristic world without bank accounts!
They were screwed. Completely screwed.
"So, our main priority now is… finding a way to obtain identification documents in the Overlord world?" Hayashi propped his forehead on his hands, utterly stumped. "But the question is—how the hell do we do that?"
Hisako also clutched her head in frustration. "According to the setting of the Overlord world, its real world is a highly developed capitalist society with particularly brutal exploitation of the lower classes—if we expose ourselves as visitors from another world in such a social structure..."
Erina sighed and said, "I don't know what the outcome will be, but it definitely won't be like the Pokémon world—full of love and peace."
Love and peace and robots?
Oh, no robots.
Only Magearna.
Hayashi nodded in despair and said, "So, obtaining identification through legitimate means is almost impossible! Which means..."
Erina chimed in, "We'll have to resort to unconventional, perhaps even illegal, methods to get our hands on proper identification."
Hisako asked, "But then the question arises—how do we find a hacker capable of breaching the database of a high-tech society that created full-dive games, just to fabricate a legitimate identity for us?"
Erina shrugged and said, "And even if we find one, how do we convince them to work for us?"
Hayashi let out a hopeless chuckle and muttered, "Someone with the technical prowess of full-dive game development, yet easy to persuade... Where the hell am I supposed to... Huh?"
Like a dying man suddenly sitting up in bed!
Hayashi abruptly straightened his posture and muttered blankly, "Wait... I think there actually is someone like that?"
"???"
Erina and Hisako immediately stared at him with looks that screamed, "How the hell did you think of that?" and asked in unison, "Who!?"
Hayashi stared blankly at them and said, "He developed the first fully immersive VR game in his world, and unlike the Overlord world, you don't need a neural port in the back of your head to play it..."
That's right, it's...
...
...
World: Sword Art Online
Timeline: Half a year before the story begins
Location: Kayaba Akihiko's laboratory
"Yo—"
Seeing the man in a white lab coat push open the door to the break room and step inside, Hayashi cheerfully raised his hand in a wave and said, "Nice to meet you!"
This time, the initiative was in Hayashi's hands, so he was brimming with confidence—so much so that even if Yukari Yakumo stomped on his face, he'd dare to suck her toes until her skin wrinkled!
Erina glanced at Kayaba Akihiko and curled her lip—after learning about what he had done, she held little goodwill for this "murderer" who orchestrated a death game.
Hisako stood up and gave a slight bow, saying, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kayaba Akihiko."
Yunyun, on the other hand, stared at Kayaba with a serious expression, but a closer look at her eyes revealed sheer confusion—"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?"
"..."
Kayaba took a slow step back as he observed the one man and three women before him. He glanced at the nameplate on the door to confirm this was indeed his break room before standing at the doorway and asking softly, "Which country are you from?"
Seems he mistook Hayashi and the others for foreign agents?
"No, no! We're not who you think we are," Hayashi waved his hand dismissively. "How should I explain this...? Ugh, my mouth's dry—Gengar, get me a cola."
"Geeheehee!"
A small, purple chubby figure emerged from the shadows and handed Hayashi an ice-cold cola cooled by its Ice Punch, then grinned at the wide-eyed Kayaba before slipping back into the darkness.
"What was that?"
Kayaba's previously composed expression was gone, replaced by barely restrained excitement as he took two steps forward. "That wasn't holographic or CGI—the cola in your hand is real! So it's genuine?"
Could there really be things in this world he didn't know about?
"This little guy is called Gengar, a Pokémon from the Pokémon world," Hayashi said with a smile, then patted the head of Yunyun sitting beside him. "And this one is Yunyun, a mage from the Crimson Demon Clan in the Konosuba world—"
Hearing Hayashi introduce her, Yunyun quickly raised her left hand and conjured a flame to prove her identity.
"..."
Kayaba's eyes practically glowed with excitement—after all, the whole reason he created Sword Art Online was to fulfill his "otherworldly dream." As for why it became a death game? Well, in his mind, an otherworld without real stakes wouldn't feel truly real.
"You're... from another world?"
"To be precise, the four of us—plus the Pokémon—come from four different worlds."
"I'm Hayashi, from a completely ordinary world. If there's anything notable, it's probably the virus that's still wreaking havoc globally."
"This is Erina Nakiri, my girlfriend. She and Hisako Arato here come from the same world—a modern setting where food is exceptionally delicious, a world that prioritizes gourmet cuisine above all."
"And this is Hisako, my girlfriend's personal assistant. Don't let her serious demeanor fool you—she's actually incredibly capable! She's basically the team's external brainpower now."
"Phew..."
Kayaba exhaled deeply. "This otherworld sounds suspiciously like a game world."
Hayashi chuckled. "Every world has its own rules! I remember there's one world where all newborns are male, and men can transform their... ahem... into sacred swords to duel other men. The loser—whose sword gets broken—turns into a woman and marries the winner."
"???"
Even Hisako and Erina couldn't keep their composure at that, staring at Hayashi in shock—such a world existed? But then the question arose: if a man was a 170cm, 300-pound behemoth, would he turn into a delicate beauty after losing?
Kayaba's lips twitched. Though he was passionate about otherworlds, this "sacred sword" world was a bit too much for him—he was too old to risk turning into a woman.
"Then may I ask—" He adjusted his glasses, appearing calm (though internally thrilled) as he spoke. "What brings you, esteemed guests from other worlds, to seek me out?"
"Well, it's because we've run into a little trouble—" Hayashi extended his thumb and forefinger, saying, "And after screening the characters we know, we chose you."
"..."
Kayaba pondered for a few seconds before speaking, "From what you just said, it seems you're quite aware of my abilities? And you're from another world... Hmm... Could it be that quantum information transmission has caused events from our world to spread to other worlds and be recorded?"
Hayashi twitched the corner of his mouth—this was why he disliked these high-IQ characters! You guys are so annoying—
Scratching his cheek uncomfortably, Hayashi said, "That's about right—we not only know your abilities but also what you're planning to do."
"Oh?"
"Death game, right?"
Kayaba fell silent again for a few seconds, then slightly raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Then, first tell me what exactly you want from me?"
"It's like this..."
Hayashi shrugged and explained the basic plot of the Overlord world to Kayaba.
...
...
"...So we came to you, hoping you could help us forge identities in that world. In exchange, I can show you a real otherworld. How about it?" Hayashi raised a finger and said, "And if you level up in the Overlord world, after crossing over, you'll gain incredibly, incredibly powerful abilities!"
Kayaba was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Hayashi and asked, "Can I be a bit greedier? Just visiting one otherworld might not satisfy my curiosity anymore."
Hayashi was taken aback, then gave a thumbs-up, saying, "I think that's doable!"
Kayaba nodded and said, "Good, then I'll pack my things now. Let's set off immediately."
"?"
Hayashi blinked, scratching his head somewhat innocently. "Uh, seems that won't work! The Interdimensional Gate's rule is that you have to stay in a world for at least half a year before you can take its lifeforms away. So you'll have to wait six months."
"?"
Kayaba was stunned.
He felt like a fully geared player who logs in daily just to do dailies with nothing else to do, only to hear the next major update is half a year away—his mind filled with just one thought:
I can't stand this version for another second.