The red figure spoke under the gaze of the uneasy players.
"Players, welcome to my world."
"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am now the only human who can control this world."
It seemed to be the first time many players had faced Kayaba, the game's developer, directly. Many exclaimed in surprise and curiosity, while much of the tension and unease dissipated.
Thinking about it, they were in the presence of the game's developer. This scary, tense atmosphere was probably just some kind of game easter egg or something.
Moreover, Kayaba, the genius who developed SAO, this groundbreaking game, was undoubtedly well-known among the players.
Generally, you might not notice who develops a game you play, but SAO's influence was too great, unprecedented.
During the months of anticipation, you'd obsessively collect all information about the game, including, naturally, who the developer was.
The giant figure, or rather, Kayaba, showed no reaction to the players' exclamations and continued.
"By now, you should have noticed the logout button in the main menu has disappeared."
"But this is not a game bug. It is the intended way to play [Sword Art Online]."
"Players cannot voluntarily log out of the game, and no one on the outside can stop or remove the NerveGear. If anyone attempts to do so forcibly..."
Kayaba paused, pulling up dozens of news images that hovered in the air.
The content of those images was all news related to SAO.
There were ambulances transporting patients, lists of the deceased, and warnings issued to the families of all players inside SAO.
Without a doubt, this incident had already drawn the attention of the entire Japan.
Tens of thousands of lives 'kidnapped' into a game was no small matter!
"If the NerveGear is forcibly removed, the high-powered microwaves emitted by its signal unit will destroy your brains."
"Unfortunately, some players' families ignored my warning and forcibly removed the NerveGear. The consequence is that 213 players have permanently left this world… and 'this world' naturally includes the real world."
Ignoring the terror, dissatisfaction, and anger below, the giant figure continued.
"One more thing to note. From this moment on, all means of resurrection in the game will be invalid. The moment your HP reaches zero, your character will vanish, and simultaneously, your brain will be destroyed by the NerveGear."
"There is only one method for you to be liberated. Clear the game. Fight your way from the first floor to the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss on the 100th floor."
"Finally, in your storage menu, you will find a gift from me. Please confirm."
As soon as he finished, almost every player present instinctively opened their storage menu and saw the 'gift'.
"A hand mirror?"
The players were puzzled, then took it out. But the next moment, the mirror erupted with a blue light, enveloping their entire bodies.
Yusei and Shiro did the same, also enveloped in the blue light.
When the blue light faded, an incredible change had occurred on the field. Many players who were originally female, or originally handsome men, had turned into males, or into sleazy-looking middle-aged men.
This transformation led many players to guess… this was an item to revert them to their real-world appearances.
They stared blankly at everything. The events of today seemed to be an overwhelming amount of information for them.
The blue light faded from Yusei and Shiro, but strangely, there was no change. They still looked the same as before.
Yusei looked to the side, where Kirito was, 'According to the plot, the originally mature young man should have turned into a boy about my age, right?'
Although he was younger, in terms of youthful appearance, Yusei felt they were probably about the same, maybe Yusei was a tiny bit more mature?
However, when the blue light dissipated, Yusei's mouth involuntarily fell open slightly.
Where the short-haired young man had been, now stood a girl with hair reaching down to her waist. Her youthful face held an innocent quality, but even undeveloped, her incredibly cute features hinted at her future potential.
And 'Kirito' also seemed not to have processed her own change, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror.
The next moment, as if remembering something, she quickly looked towards Yusei, only to see him pointing at her in disbelief.
"Kiri... Kiriko?"