Chapter 10: You

“Relax, this is definitely just a bug in the game—once the admins notice, they’ll fix it.”

Some players were panicked and uneasy, but others remained calm; even a few who claimed to be beta testers said this was likely just a technical adjustment, urging everyone to stay composed.

“Impossible. A phenomenon-level game like SAO could never have such a simple glitch.”

“Besides, this never happened during the beta test.”

Compared to the other calm players, Kirito now felt his unease growing stronger.

“Maybe it’s exactly as I said—this is the game developer’s opening ceremony.”

“They just didn’t mention it in the announcement because they wanted to surprise us?”

Before Shengzai or Kirito could respond to Klein’s words, someone else answered his question.

Information boxes, like red bricks, rapidly spread and enveloped the entire square.

Immediately after, a towering figure clad in a red robe appeared in midair—its face completely obscured, resembling a grim reaper.

“This is indeed a grand ceremony prepared for you—but not the welcome you imagined. It is a true death invitation.”

“Let me introduce myself: my name is Kayaba Akihiko, the developer of this game.”

“Many of you have probably noticed—your logout button is gone.”

“But I want to say: this is the true rule of SAO. Players cannot voluntarily exit the game.”

“If anyone outside forcibly disconnects the helmet, it will instantly emit high-power microwaves, destroying the brain.”

“The only way to leave here is to successfully clear all one hundred floors of Aincrad and defeat the final boss.”

Many naturally doubted Kayaba Akihiko’s words, but he quickly produced overwhelming evidence.

He stated that 213 people had ignored warnings and removed their helmets—and were now dead.

News of their deaths was already spreading wildly in the real world.

Seeing the news projection released by Kayaba Akihiko, many players who had still entertained ideas of resistance now dared not move.

“So we just need to clear all one hundred floors of the Sky Tower, right?”

Clearing all one hundred floors of the Sky Tower was no easy task—during the beta, the highest floor any player had reached was only the eighth.

But the beta tester who asked this question was not discouraged.

He knew well that players in the game world were like the Fourth Catastrophe; no matter how difficult the dungeon, with “immortality,” clearing it was only a matter of time.

The number of public test players now far exceeded the beta numbers—beta players took a month to reach floor eight.

With so many players here now, clearing all one hundred floors would take at most a year.

“Of course, I can guarantee this: once you clear all one hundred floors, I will return you to your original time.”

“But I must remind you: in this game, if your HP drops to zero, the helmet will again emit microwaves and destroy your brain.”

Hearing Kayaba Akihiko’s words, the beta testers who had still held some confidence now shattered mentally.

“What the hell! This is clearly just forcing us to die!”

“Exactly! Die in-game, die in real life—this is just a one-life Tongguan !”

Facing the flood of player curses, Kayaba Akihiko paid no attention, continuing calmly: “I already said this is a true death game.”

“If you truly treat this as just a game, what’s the point of trapping you here?”

“Enough. Before I go, here’s a little gift for you—and I wish you all a pleasant game.”

As he finished speaking, the towering grim reaper claiming to be Kayaba Akihiko vanished from midair.

Only after he disappeared did every player in the square find a mirror in their hands.

Under the mirror’s light, every player revealed their true selves—returning to their real-world appearances.

Handsome guys turned into fat nerds; once-cute girls became scruffy, hairy men—purely a massive online dating disaster.

Kirito and Klein beside Shengzai were no exception—soon they transformed into a youthful-looking boy and a weathered, middle-aged office worker.

Shengzai, however, held his mirror and kept adjusting it—his face showed no change at all.

The mirror given by Kayaba Akihiko was a one-time-use item and vanished after use.

Its effect needed no further explanation.

Since Shengzai entered the game in his true appearance, the “Mirror of Truth” did not activate.

Looking at the mirror in his hand, Shengzai recalled that Kayaba Akihiko later seemed to have created an alt account and blended into the player base.

So the question was—if he gave this mirror to Kayaba later, would it expose his true form?

Compared to most players who suffered instant social death, Kirito and his group’s appearance changes were still within acceptable limits.

When Klein, now transformed from a charismatic gentleman into a slumped, weary office worker, saw Shengzai unchanged, he stared in shock: “Wait, why are you the only one who didn’t revert?”

“That’s his real face. Shengzai didn’t modify his facial model at all when entering the game.”

Hearing Kirito’s words, Klein groaned in disbelief: “Wait, this is so unfair! If I remember right, you said this guy won the sword fighting championship?”

“Being young and talented is one thing—but he’s even hotter than the face I designed? Is that even fair?!”

Watching Klein’s stunned expression, Kirito walked over, patted his shoulder, and said he understood completely.

Because he, Kirito, had felt this exact pain for years!

“But aren’t there more important things to focus on right now?”

“Like the leveling zone Kirito took us to earlier—limited nearby resources will be fought over by many players, won’t they?”

Shengzai’s words made Kirito pause, then quickly nod: “You’re right. Resources in the Xinshoucun are limited—if we don’t move fast, someone else will get there first!”

Shengzai’s words made Kirito pause for a moment, then he quickly nodded: “That’s right—the resources in the starting village are limited; if we don’t hurry there now, someone else will get there first!”

(End of Chapter)