Chapter 2

Looking at the NERvGear virtual helmet in his hand, Shengzai, who had hung up the phone, couldn't help but let out a big sigh.

He was noncommittal about all the various sales pitches Kazuto Kirigaya had just made for "SAO."

Things like the full-dive experience, sword techniques feeling just like reality, powerful monsters and enemies, and being able to better train one's sword technique level, etc.

These so-called "advantages" were the reason Kazuto Kirigaya had just been crazily promoting this game to Shengzai.

"That guy Kazuto, in order to get me to play this game, really blew it up to be something that exists only in heaven and not on earth.

However, although the game is a good game, the danger is also truly dangerous; after all, this death game is really playing with one's life!"

As for why Shengzai would say this, it is naturally because he is not a local, but a transmigrator.

So he is quite clear about what will happen next.

A certain crazy researcher obsessed with his dreams trapped 9,500 players in the game on the day of the SAO open beta, causing SAO to become a truly genuine death game.

As a transmigrator who is familiar with the plot, Shengzai could have avoided such danger.

After all, having transmigrated into this world, although he didn't obtain earth-shattering supernatural powers like other transmigrator big shots.

But in this modern society, with his current resume and grades, becoming a social elite after graduation is almost a certainty.

Taking a step back, even if he didn't want to work and just inherited the family dojo to barely make a living, that would be no problem at all.

In fact, Shengzai had originally planned to do just that; after all, he even intended to stop his good friend Kazuto Kirigaya.

After all, knowing there is a life-threatening danger and still jumping into the pit—what is that if not stupid?

However, just as Shengzai intended to take action to change the plot, the crowd-pleasing system suddenly appeared.

The appearance of the system initially made Shengzai overjoyed, thinking that his already winner-of-life existence would go up another level.

But who knew that he would soon be told that his system was still in a semi-activated state, and the reason it appeared suddenly this time was to warn Shengzai not to mess around blindly.

According to the system, Shengzai can change the direction of the plot, but it is not recommended that Shengzai directly shake the foundation of this world.

Simply put, the world of Sword Art Online is originally centered around the initial SAO.

If the "Kirito-kun" doesn't enter SAO, then the foundation of this world would be shaken, and such a shaking of the foundation could even lead to the collapse of this world.

Just like if there were no cards in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, or even no card players, then the meaning of the world's existence itself would be shaken, or even collapse!

After all, if even the thing that serves as the world's origin is gone, then the world itself will no longer be that world.

And if the world itself collapses, then as a member who transmigrated into this world, Shengzai naturally wouldn't be able to escape unscathed either.

Finally, after hearing the system's warning, Shengzai chose to follow the advice quite submissively and abandoned his original idea of courting death.

It's a simple truth: letting the "Kirito-kun" enter the death game, although a bit dangerous, at least there is a way to survive, and as the Son of the World, the survival probability is quite high.

But if one were to stop all of this from happening, then that would be shaking the world's foundation, and everyone would be finished.

Of course, actually, as long as the "Kirito-kun" enters the game, the world's foundation won't be shaken, and Shengzai himself, even if he doesn't take risks, should be fine.

But the second piece of information the system gave him was to explain to him that if he wants to fully activate the system, he must play this death game with the "Kirito-kun" and complete the prerequisite tasks for system startup.

This system task is not mandatory; Shengzai has the right to refuse.

Whether to accept the task and fully unlock the system's functions, or to choose to refuse and continue being an excellent ordinary person in this world—this is for Shengzai to decide himself.

And Shengzai himself actually hesitated for a long time over this choice before finally having an answer.

Hesitation is normal; after all, SAO is a real death game, with ten thousand people entering, yet thousands of them forever remained in the game.

Shengzai is not the "Kirito-kun," the chosen one; worrying about his own life safety is only human nature.

However, after hesitating for several days, Shengzai finally decided to give it a try.

After all, he is already a transmigrator; if he were to still act like a dried salted fish, wouldn't he be lowering the average level of the transmigrator army?

Moreover, SAO is a full-dive game; with his current real-world sword technique level, he would at least be a high-level player in the game.

Plus his relationship with the "Kirito-kun," even if he doesn't have the protagonist's fate, he at least has the "cockroach" fate of the protagonist group; how could he be easily finished off?

After carefully analyzing it, Shengzai felt that this matter was very promising, so he finally decided to do it.

After all, don't look at how he will be a social elite after graduation; to put it bluntly, he would just be a high-level corporate slave.

Now that there is a chance to be invincible in the real world, and the risk of this matter is still within a controllable range, Shengzai really has no reason to refuse.

After buying the NERvGear terminal helmet, Shengzai took the train home, and when he walked to his own door, Shengzai discovered a figure standing at the entrance of his dojo.

The figure waiting in front of the dojo was a cute girl with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a student sailor uniform.

Seeing her standing on tiptoe, intending to look inside the house, Shengzai, who had already walked to her side, couldn't help but give a dry cough as a reminder.

"Ahem, ahem, I don't remember Suguha being a girl who would peek into other people's houses.

The feeling you give me right now is a bit like the kind of perverted stalker often mentioned on TV... um, a stalker girl."

Probably not expecting Shengzai to suddenly appear beside her and see her such impolite behavior, Suguha Kirigaya, who was originally on tiptoe, almost stumbled and fell to the ground out of panic.

But fortunately, Shengzai at the side was quick-eyed and fast-handed; just as the girl was about to fall, he reached out and hugged her, which avoided the girl's bottom making intimate contact with the ground.

"Shengzai brother, why did you suddenly come back? Just now... no, listen to my explanation, I am not a stalker girl.

I knocked on the door outside for a long time, but there was no response, and the phone was always busy.

Mom made some cupcakes, so I wanted to bring some over for you to taste, so I..."

Hearing Shengzai treat her as a stalker girl, Suguha Kirigaya was obviously a bit anxious, waving her hands repeatedly in front of her, and nervously began to explain with a tense expression.

(End of chapter)