Anime: Re:Zero - Jobless Reincarnation

One hundred meters above the ground, at the bottom of the second layer, there was a bright red checkerboard pattern.

If you look closely, you can see that the pattern is formed by two English words arranged alternately. The two words written in bright red font are "warning" and "systemannou".

"Is this the GM?" Naoki Kiritani fell into deep thought. This was the first time he had seen a GM in real life.

The red pattern that covered the entire sky had a central part that looked like a huge drop of thick blood that was slowly dripping down. However, the blood did not drip onto the ground, but suddenly changed shape in mid-air.

What appeared there was a giant nearly twenty meters tall, wearing a crimson cloak.

He revealed his face from inside the hat that was pulled very low—but there was no face in that area, it was just a hole, and one could even clearly see the inside of the hat and the seams on the edge. And inside the long drooping hem, there was also only a faint darkness.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 37: Death Game (Part )

The tense expression of Kazuto Kiriya gradually eased. He had seen such a cloak before. It was the clothing that the GMs of Argus members would wear during the closed beta test. But at that time, male GMs must be old men with long beards who looked like magicians.

If it was a female character, she would be wearing glasses under the cloak. Now, maybe something went wrong and they couldn't create a character, so at least they let the cloak appear first, but there was nothing under the crimson cloak, which made Kiritani Kazuto feel uneasy.

At this moment, as if to stop these sounds, the right sleeve of the cloak suddenly moved.

From the expanded cuffs, pure white gloves can be seen, but the sleeves and gloves are obviously separated from each other, and no flesh can be seen at all.

Then the left sleeve slowly rose up. Above the heads of the ten thousand players, the empty white gloves opened left and right, and it felt like the faceless man was opening his mouth, and then immediately a man's deep and clear voice came from far above.

"Dear players, welcome to my world."

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. I'm 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. I repeat. This is not a problem with the game, but with the original version of Sword Art Online."

"The... the original version?"

Countless players were in an uproar and the crowd was boiling.

"From now on, you will not be able to log out of this game until you reach the top of this castle."

The man named Kayaba Akihiko paused for a moment to let everyone digest the information in his words, and then continued to speak to everyone:

"…Besides, there is no way for an outsider to stop or disable the operation of the nervgear. If someone tries to do so—"

There was a brief silence.

The following words were spoken slowly in the heavy silence of ten thousand people holding their breath:

"——The microwaves emitted by the signal component of the NervGear will destroy your brains and stop your life activities."

Kayaba declared that if the power supply of the nervgear is cut off, or the lock is unlocked to remove it from the head, the user wearing the nervgear will be killed.

Asuna's pupils constricted beside him, and Naoki Kiritani also showed a hint of appropriate shock.

Asuna grabbed Kiritani Naoki and said with a stiff expression, "This can't be, this can't be, he must be lying to us, what is the original version, I want to get out, I want to get out."

Naoki Kiritani didn't know what to say, so he simply didn't say anything.

Now all the players are going wild.

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 home from get off work, and then encounter such a bad thing while playing a game. Anyone would be full of resentment.

In just a few seconds, the crowd was in an uproar. Countless people were whispering to each other. Some people said loudly to their companions: "Haha...what is that guy talking about? This is impossible. This kind of thing is impossible. NervGear...is just a game console."

"The brain destruction program will only be executed if the external power supply is cut off for more than ten minutes, the network is disconnected for more than two hours, and an attempt is made to destroy the nervgear or release the lock. These conditions have been announced to the outside world through our company and the media. By the way, at this point in time, many of the players' family and friends have ignored our warnings and tried to forcibly release the nervgear, and the result is..."

The loud metallic voice took a short breath when it came to this point.

"——Unfortunately, two hundred and thirteen players have permanently left the real world and Aincrad."

A single scream sounded from nowhere. Apart from that, most of the players around either couldn't believe it or didn't want to believe it, with only a slight smile on their faces or a dazed look on their faces.

"You don't need to worry about your bodies in the real world. All TV, radio, and online media are reporting this situation over and over again, and there are many casualties. So the risk of your nervgear being forcibly removed has been reduced to a very low level. From now on, your bodies in the real world will be transported to a hospital or other facilities and carefully cared for during the two-hour disconnection buffer period when wearing nervgear. I hope you can rest assured... just focus on clearing the game."

"However, I hope everyone will pay special attention. For you, "Sword Art Online" is no longer just a game, but another real world. From now on... all resurrection functions in the game will be cancelled. So the moment your HP reaches zero, your character will be destroyed forever, 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 fried by the microwave.

This is indeed a game. A real game of life and death. In other words, a game of death.

Asuna's face turned pale. Feeling her lost mood, Naoki Kiritani held her hand and whispered in her ear, "Are you okay? Asuna."

The girl's appearance was truly worrying, and only a big hug from Naoki Kiritani could comfort her.

Asuna lowered her head, feeling very unhappy.

Naoki Kiritani looked towards Kazuto Kiritani and found that even he was in a very bad mood.

The worse speeches continued.

"There is only one condition that can free you all from this game. That is what I just mentioned. You must reach the highest floor of Aincrad, the 100th floor, and defeat the final demon king waiting there. I guarantee that at that moment, all surviving players will be able to log out of the game safely."

Kayaba Akihiko's words were like a spark that ignited a powder keg, and everyone immediately started to quarrel.

It’s New Year’s Day, so it’s not too much to say a few words, right?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 38 Game (Part )

"Finally, let me show you the proof that this world is the only reality for you. In your item slots are the gifts I prepared. Please take a look."

Asuna followed his instructions and swung her finger almost automatically downwards. The surrounding players also did the same thing, and a series of electronic bell effects rang out in the square.

After tapping the item bar tab on the main menu that popped up, the gift Kayaba mentioned was at the top of the list of items displayed.

The name of the prop is - "Handheld Small Mirror".

As Asuna muttered why she was given such a thing, I clicked on the name and selected the button to materialize it in the window that appeared. A small square mirror immediately appeared with a glowing sound effect.

The mirror reflected a face that was angular but very young.

The next moment, blue light flashed on the bodies of all the players, including Asuna. The light only lasted for two or three seconds, but when the vision opened up again, all they saw were strangers.

Those handsome and good-looking players disappeared, and many players showed surprise and disbelief. Their companions looked at each other, and almost the entire square was echoing with a voice:

"who are you?"

Then they suddenly realized, touched their faces hurriedly, and looked at themselves in the mirror.

This is exactly who I am in the real world.

Asuna's hairstyle has changed slightly, and her face has become a little younger and more childish, but she still looks basically the same.

Naoki Kiritani looked around casually and found several players who changed from female to male. Such players were definitely not a minority. He could understand their feelings. After all, he also liked to play female characters when playing games.

It’s not that male characters are not fun, it’s just that female characters are more cost-effective.

But the players were all wailing.

After all, everyone has some secrets to adjust their appearance to a certain extent. Everyone will improve their appearance a little bit. Is this not too much?

But now, everyone shows their true face.

But before Kiritani Naoki could react, a player next to him asked in surprise, "Why haven't you changed at all?"

He was a middle-aged fat man with an ordinary appearance. He was obviously overweight and had a big belly, which gave people a funny feeling.

Naoki Kiritani shrugged and said, "This is what I look like in real life."

The fat man fell silent. Not only him, but all the male players who heard this fell silent.

For a moment, Naoki Kiritani was terribly silent.

What should I do if there is a very good-looking person of the same sex nearby?

Although guys with good looks are very popular with the opposite sex, at the same time, most guys with good looks will be ostracized by the same sex.

When a person's appearance is at the top among the same sex, most people will subconsciously stay away from him even though they will not have the intention to exclude him.

After all, no one wants to admit that they are inferior to others.

Once they are inferior to others, if it is within an acceptable range, they will find ways to make things difficult for the other party.

The method of making things difficult for the other party does not need to be deliberate. It can be by not talking when meeting, or by making a fuss at a critical moment to make the other party look bad. Then, as the number of people increases, the situation will become more and more serious and eventually lead to school violence.

This is the case in Japan. The targets of school bullying are usually divided into three categories: those who are handsome but difficult to talk to, those who have good grades but are difficult to talk to, and those who are handsome and have good grades but are difficult to talk to.

In short, school bullying usually targets those who are difficult to talk to and have low self-confidence.

Kayaba Akihiko continued speaking without any pause.

"Everyone must be wondering why. Why did SAO and NervGear's developer Kayaba Akihiko do this? Is this a large-scale terrorist act? Or is it a kidnapping for ransom?"

Kayaba's tone, which previously had no emotion at all, now had some emotion in his voice, and even Kiritani Naoki had to admit that Kayaba Akihiko was a very charismatic person.

Naoki Kiritani knew this young genius.

Kayaba Akihiko is known as a quantum physicist and a genius game designer. He is the foundation of NERvGear and the designer of SAO. He created the seed of the world: The Seed.

A man with ordinary appearance has the ability to change the times.

It’s a pity that he chose this path.

"These are not my goals. I can even say that I no longer have any goals or reasons. If I were to ask why... it's because this situation is the ultimate goal for me. To create this world and enjoy it, I invented NervGear and created SAO for this purpose. And now, all my goals have been achieved."

After a brief moment of silence, Kayaba's cold voice began to echo through the halls.

"…This is the end of the official game description of Sword Art Online. Dear players, good luck to you all."

The last sentence left a trace of echo before disappearing.

The huge bright red cloak rose silently, and starting from the tip of the hat, it seemed to melt and gradually assimilate with the system information covering the entire sky.

Its shoulders, chest, and limbs slowly sank into the blood-red water, leaving only a ripple spreading out. Then, the message that filled the entire sky disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared.

The sound of the wind blowing over the square and the BGM played by the NPC orchestra on the town streets gradually approached from afar, steadily touching everyone's hearing.

The game returned to its original state. The only change was that some of the rules of the game had changed.

A group of 10,000 players showed the expected reaction.

In short, there were overwhelming and loud noises in many places, causing the entire square to shake.

The moment the red barrier around them disappeared, Naoki Kiritani pulled Asuna and ran away without even thinking.

Before Asuna could react, she was pulled away by the boy, who sent a private message to Kirito.

Luo Ya: Let's go, kill the monsters. Do you want Suguha to cry over your corpse? We can kill them separately. It's more efficient. If you have anything to say, please chat privately.

Kiritani Kazuto:.

Before Kiritani Kazuto could react, he saw the message. Suddenly, his pupils contracted, he swallowed, grabbed Mitt, and hurriedly said, "Let's go, kill the monsters."

When I turned around, I saw a girl with short purple hair and a cute and pretty face.

The girl was very pretty, with purple eyes like purple gems.

However, the girl's height had dropped from almost two meters to only about 1.65 meters, which made Kiritani Kazuto a little unable to react.

Feeling the warm touch on his hand, Kiritani Kazuto swallowed subconsciously.

It’s not his fault. Apart from holding his sister’s hand, he has never had close contact with other girls since he was a child.

I really can't blame him. It's all because of that stay-at-home older brother who took him to play games every day and made him a otaku.

After I finish writing about the first level BOSS, I will continue writing about Re:Zero, which will be the Alice chapter at that time.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 39 Level Up

On the other side, Naoki Kiritani held Asuna and said seriously, "I think you know everything."

Asuna had a sad face and murmured, "It's over."

Naoki Kiritani slapped the girl on the forehead in annoyance and said seriously, "Cheer up, our current goal is to defeat Kayaba Akihiko and crush his conspiracy."

Asuna's eyes suddenly lit up. She looked at Kiritani Naoki expectantly and asked curiously, "Do you have a solution?"