Chapter 11: Kirigaya: You Didn

SAO’s “Cheat User” is not just Kirigaya alone.

Previously, everyone still viewed it as a game; resources were important, but not worth fighting over.

But the current situation is clearly different from before.

SAO is now a true death game!

In a game where you can die only once, all in-game resources are guarantees for surviving better in this world.

Thus, it’s predictable that the limited resources in the Xinshoucun will be fought over by every player.

This isn’t about letting others have it—it’s a dangerous world where no one doesn’t want to grow stronger and survive to the end.

As an alpha tester, Kirigaya naturally knew where the Xinshoucun resources were, so he immediately wanted to recruit Shengzai and Klein.

But Klein said he entered the game with his close friend.

He also knew his own strength well—that joining Shengzai and Kirigaya would only hold them back, so he voluntarily chose to step aside.

Shengzai and Kirigaya respected his decision and rushed at top speed to the nearest task resource point.

But the truth proved that clever players were far more numerous than just Kirigaya.

When they arrived at the nearest task zone at top speed, the task resources there had already been completely cleared by others.

Seeing this, Kirigaya couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh.

This was the closest task resource location—if they were too late here, there was no point going anywhere else.

“Who says all the tasks have been claimed? That man over there with the greedy look—he’s the task NPC, isn’t he?”

Hearing Shengzai’s words, Kirigaya first looked toward the direction with surprise, thinking it might be a task missed by the Cheat Users.

But when he saw who Shengzai was pointing at, his face immediately fell with disappointment: “The person you mean is indeed a task NPC.

But his task isn’t one the Cheat Users refused—it’s one no one can accept.”

Seeing Shengzai’s confused expression, Kirigaya continued explaining: “This NPC’s name is Mercenary Merchant Meixi . His current problem is:

His goods have been raided by a group of ‘Hungry Wolves’ on the grasslands.

If you complete this task, he’ll reward you with a rare early-game one-handed sword—the Windflower Blade.”

“Hungry Wolves are monsters dwelling on the grasslands—significantly stronger than Rampaging Boars—and they’re pack creatures.

The ones who raided Meixi ’s goods are the ‘Hungry Wolf Leader DireWolfLeader,’ a Wild Area Boss-level monster.

Of course, though it’s a Wild Area Boss, I know its mechanics well; with our combined strength, defeating it isn’t impossible.

But the only problem is, to accept this task from Mercenary Merchant Meixi , you must pay a deposit of one Gold Kael.”

After hearing Kirigaya’s explanation, Shengzai finally understood why he’d said this task wasn’t accessible to everyone.

As previously mentioned, SAO players start with only one hundred Copper Kael.

A deposit of one Gold Kael equals ten thousand Copper Kael—where would players even find that much money at the start?

During the alpha test, if you failed to challenge the Hungry Wolf Boss, the deposit was non-refundable.

Now, with players having only one life, failure means death.

Though high risk means high reward, the sheer upfront investment alone is enough to deter most players.

Even during the alpha test, Mercenary Merchant Meixi ’s task wasn’t taken until later stages.

By then, players had cleared above Floor Five, so taking down a Floor One Wild Area Boss was trivial.

“Let’s take this task—we have no other options, right?”

Watching Shengzai walk toward the NPC, Kirigaya could only follow helplessly.

Kirigaya guessed Shengzai was trying to haggle with the NPC, but he already knew the outcome.

During the alpha test, many had the same idea—but sadly, all were rejected.

“You’re also here to help me recover my goods from those damned Hungry Wolves, aren’t you?

But since my goods are extremely valuable, if you retrieve them and run off, I’d be in serious trouble.

So you must pay a deposit of one Gold Kael—no negotiation allowed.”

Hearing Meixi ’s words, Kirigaya wore an expression of “I told you so.”

Just as Kirigaya was about to tell Shengzai not to waste time—that they’d have better luck elsewhere—Shengzai, to Kirigaya’s stunned gaze, pulled out a gleaming gold coin.

“You’re Mercenary Merchant Meixi , right? Don’t worry—we understand the rules. Unlike those penniless beggars before us, we’re noble youths from a major city, here to experience adventurer life.

One Gold Kael? We don’t even notice it. We have zero interest in your meager goods.”

After tossing one Gold Kael to the visibly surprised merchant Meixi , Shengzai then, as if performing a magic trick, pulled out a handful of gold coins.

Seeing Shengzai’s palm full of gold coins, not only did Mercenary Merchant Meixi stare in shock, but even Kirigaya beside him was dumbfounded.

The gold coins Shengzai held numbered at least dozens—dozens of Gold Kael in wealth? Even in Floor Eight during the alpha test, that was an astonishing fortune.

As a fully immersive virtual game, SAO’s NPCs possess high AI intelligence—they don’t just recite fixed lines.

And now, seeing Shengzai’s astonishing wealth, Mercenary Merchant Meixi ’s previously dismissive expression changed completely.

“Two adventurers… oh no, two noble young masters—I was blind before, mistaking you for those penniless adventurers.

Since you’re willing to help, honest Meixi trusts you completely. The deposit? Forget it. I’d be deeply grateful if you’d patronize my business in the future.”

No wonder he’s called Mercenary Merchant—once Shengzai revealed his wealth, the man’s attitude and tone became entirely different.

In the end, Shengzai and Kirigaya not only successfully accepted the task, but even saved the deposit.

After leaving the town, Kirigaya, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, stared at Shengzai in disbelief: “You didn’t really hack the game with some cheat software, did you—just as Klein said?”

(End of Chapter)