3. Death Game

[My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world.]

This man is a game designer and a genius in the field of quantum physics, the man who made Argus, which a few years ago was just one of many small companies, into one of the companies that can regulate the world economy.

He is the development director of SAO and at the same time, the designer of the Nerve Gear.

[I think almost everyone has noticed that the Log Out button has disappeared from the Main Menu. It's not a bug, it's part of the «Sword Art Online» system.]

[Until you reach the top floor of this castle, you cannot Log Out.]

[…in addition, it is forbidden to stop or remove Nerve Gear from the outside. If such things are done…]

[The signal transmitter in your Nerve Gear will send out a powerful electromagnetic wave, destroying your brain and stopping all your bodily functions.]

I see shock on people's faces

[To be clear, switching power supply for 10 minutes, disconnection from the server for more than two hours, or attempts to unlock, shut down, or damage the Nerve Gear. If any of those conditions are met, the brain-destroying process will begin.]

[Those terms have been informed to the government and to the public through all the media in the outside world. For the record, there have been cases where family or friends have ignored his warnings and tried to forcefully remove the Nerve Gear. Result--]

[--unfortunately 213 players have left this world, and the real world for good.]

[Players, you guys---]

I stopped listening when a thought crossed my mind.

'Was this body originally one of the victims of brain destruction?'

'Aren't you pretty unlucky buddy? or should I say we're pretty unlucky'

'On the one hand a game where when HP reaches 0, the game avatar will disappear and at the same time the brain will be destroyed by the Nerve Gear'

'On the real side of the world, our bodies don't have any defenses, an event that is deemed to damage or hinder the performance of the Nerve Gear will destroy the brain'

[----In your Item Storage there will be a gift from me. Take it.]

My thoughts were distracted as white light slowly shone from everyone. When I looked around again, the crowd was no longer filled with people who looked like characters from fantasy games. A bunch of normal youths had already taken their place. It's like seeing a group of people in the real world in a game club wearing armor-like costumes. Even the difference in the number of men and women changed drastically.

Immediately I pressed my index finger and thumb together and pulled it down. I pressed the item button in the menu that just appeared and there was an item there.

The item name is—«Hand Mirror»

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I think it would be better if I grouped the types of conversations or thoughts into different punctuation marks.