Kirito's initially tense expression gradually eased; he had seen such a cloak before. It was the attire that Argus members acting as GMs would always wear during closed testing. But back then, male GMs were always old men who looked like magicians with long beards;
If it's a female character, there should be a female character wearing glasses under the cloak. Right now, there might be some problem preventing the creation of a character, so at least let the cloak appear for now, but the empty space under the crimson cloak gives Kirito an inexplicable sense of unease.
At that moment, as if to silence the sounds, the right sleeve of the cloak suddenly moved.
Pure white gloves can be seen through the widened cuffs. However, the sleeves and gloves are clearly separate, and no fleshy parts are visible at all.
Then the left sleeve slowly rose as well. Above the heads of ten thousand players, the empty white glove opened to the left and right, like a faceless man opening his mouth, and then a deep and clear male voice came from the distant sky.
"Welcome to Minecraft, players."
"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I am the only one who can control this world right now."
"I think all players have noticed that the logout button has disappeared from the main menu screen. But this is not a problem with the game. Let me repeat: this is not a problem with the game, but rather a problem with the original version of 'Sword Art Online'."
"The...the original version?"
Countless players were in an uproar, and the crowd was in an uproar.
"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 man named Kayaba Akihiko paused, allowing everyone to process the information in his words, before continuing:
"...Furthermore, there's no way for outsiders to stop or disable Nervgear. If someone were to try to do so—"
A brief silence.
The following words were slowly spoken in the heavy silence that held the breath of ten thousand people:
"--The microwaves emitted by Nervgear's signal components will damage your brains and stop your life activities."
Kayaba's declaration was that if the power to the NervGear was cut off, or if the locking mechanism was unlocked in preparation to remove it from the head, the user of the NervGear would be killed.
Asuna's pupils constricted, and Kirigaya Naoki also appropriately showed a hint of shock.
Asuna grabbed Kirigaya Naoki, her expression stiff, and said, "No way, this can't be right. He must be lying to us. What do you mean by 'original version'? I want to get out, I want to get out."
Naoki Kiritani didn't know what to say, so he simply remained silent.
All the players are now in an uproar.
Naoki Kiritani can understand the players. If he were told that he was trapped in a game, and that death in the game was also real death in reality, he would also be angry.
After all, you finally get off work and come home, and then you run into this kind of mess while playing a game. Anyone would be furious in your situation.
Within seconds, the crowd erupted in cheers, whispering amongst themselves. Some shouted to their companions, "Haha... what is that guy saying? This is impossible. There's no way this could be done. NervGear... it's just a game console."
"The brain-damaging program will only execute under the following conditions: external power cut-off for more than ten minutes, network outage for more than two hours, attempt to damage the NervGear itself, or unlocking the restraints. These conditions have already been announced to the outside world through our company and the media. Incidentally, at this point in time, many players' family and friends have ignored our warnings and attempted to forcibly remove the NervGear, and the result is..."
The loud, metallic voice paused here, taking a slight breath.
"—It is regrettable that 213 players have now permanently left the real world and Aincrad."
A single, mournful cry rang out from somewhere. Apart from that, most of the surrounding players either couldn't believe it or refused to believe it, their faces showing only slight smiles or a dazed expression.
"There's no need for you to worry about your physical bodies in the real world. All television, radio, and online media are constantly reporting on this situation and the numerous casualties. Therefore, the risk of your NervGears being forcibly removed is now quite low. From now on, your physical bodies in the real world should be moved to a hospital or other facility during the two-hour disconnection buffer period while wearing the NervGears, and then carefully cared for. I hope you can relax... and focus your attention on the game."
"However, please pay special attention. For you all, 'Sword Art Online' is no longer just a game, but another real world. From now on... all resurrection functions will be removed from the game. So the moment your HP reaches zero, your character will be permanently destroyed, and at the same time..."
"Your brains will be destroyed by the Nervgear."
hitpoint, the residual value of life.
The moment it becomes zero, I will truly die—according to Kayaba, I will die immediately because my brain will be cooked by microwaves.
This is indeed a game. A real game of life and death. In other words, a death game.
Asuna's face was ashen. Sensing her dejected mood, Kirigaya Naoki took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Are you alright, Asuna?"
The girl's condition was truly worrying; only a big hug from Naoki Kiritani could comfort her.
Asuna lowered her head, looking very upset.
Naoki Kiritani looked towards Kazuto Kiritani and noticed that even he was in a terrible mood.
Even worse comments continued.
"There is only one condition that can free you all from this game. It is what I just mentioned: reach the highest floor of Aincrad, the hundredth 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 into an uproar.
It's New Year's Day, so it's not too much to write a few words, right?