The game

In the beginner tower, Conan and Haibara Ai arrived at the center hall of the tower to see the Beta player they had been seeking.

"Are you sure that is him?" Conan asked, needing confirmation.

"I'm certain. He's a Beta player and a veteran," Haibara Ai replied.

"Why does he look so depressed?"

"I don't know. Let's go ask him," Haibara suggested.

The Beta player that both Haibara Ai and Conan were looking forward a cooperating was undoubtedly Kirito.

Kirito was a main character in an anime named Sword Art Online. He was the one who won against Kayaba Akihiko, who used hack but lost in a stupid way.

However, in this world, Kirito appeared unusually gloomy. A dark aura emanated from him, visible even to Haibara Ai and Conan.

Determined to uncover the reason for Kirito's state, they approached him.

Four Hours Earlier.

A figure stood on a stage, addressing a gathering of players. "Due to the changes BB made, the restriction is removed. This means we can lure the boss outside its lair. This theory has been tested and confirmed successfully. However, the boss will give up the chase if it deems it meaningless," the man announced loudly.

As soon as they heard this news, Beta players became happy.

The news was a game-changer.

No longer would they need to enter the boss's lair, which always put them at a disadvantage.

Fighting the boss outside offered them the chance to prepare traps and organize a larger force. This new strategy sparked hope among the players.

"Also. The scout team has confirmed the 1st floor boss. It's IIIfang, the Kobold Lord, the same boss from the Beta"

Hearing this, the players' spirits soared.

That meant every moves and attacks were known. The threat of facing the unknown was greatly reduced.

"So. To have a safe and successful raiding, I suggest we should discuss together how to clear the boss fast and efficiently."

A lively discussion ensued, with players exchanging ideas and strategies.

They had their unique idea.

Only Kirito and a hooded girl didn't have an acquaintance to discuss together.

This moment pulled their fate closer.

Kirito decided to break the silence. "So, what do you think about this hunt?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

"I think it'll be good," the girl replied, a bit clumsily.

"I hope so too. Many things have changed. NPCs now behave like real people. They express their unique emotions. It feels like this is no longer just a game," Kirito shared his thoughts.

"No longer a game, indeed," the girl agreed.

"What about you?" Kirito asked with a smile.

"Me?" The girl shrugged. "I guess it's fine."

"Yeah, it's fine," Kirito echoed.

They became silent since they didn't know what to say.

A loud clapping stopped their talking.

"Alright, everyone. We'll meet at the floor tower to challenge the boss at 4:00 PM sharp. Don't be late," the raid leader commanded, his eyes scanning the crowd. "This is mandatory. We need to prove that we, the players, can conquer this death game."

With that, the meeting concluded.

Kirito watched the raid leader leave, sensing a deep-seated nervousness in the man. But Kirito wasn't worried. After all, this was a boss he had defeated in the Beta version. He didn't see any reason to be nervous—at least, that's what he thought.

The time came and he arrived as promised.

He joined the last team since he didn't have any acquaintances.

"Our first task is to lure the boss out of its lair," the raid leader said, pointing at Kirito's team.

"Your team will be responsible for this part. The rest will wait outside."

Appointed as the bait team, Kirito didn't object. To achieve mutual cooperation, he had no choice but to agree, no matter how risky it was.

They entered the 1st floor, expecting to find IIIfang, the Kobold Lord, sitting in the middle of the room.

They did find IIIfang, the Kobold Lord in the room but not in the way that they had expected.

The room was painted with blood, and IIIfang lay seemingly dead before them. Confusion spread across their faces. Kirito quickly focused on the HP bar above the boss.

[ IIIfang, the Kobold Lord:

Level 35 ]

It still showed the information meaning it was still alive.

IIIfang felt the strange presence entering his lair. He immediately rose up and looked at the intruders.

The bloody eyes stared at them penetrating their souls.

Players could feel a sense of crisis in their hearts but they didn't know the cause.

Suddenly, an arrow flew toward IIIfang, stabbing into its shoulder. The boss looked at the arrow with dull eyes, pulling it out casually.

"RUN!" the player who shot the arrow shouted out loud.

Kirito and the others immediately turned and fled. IIIfang chased them with incredible speed, moving like a cheetah, only to slam into a wall beside them. The team let out a sigh of relief.

IIIfang had some trouble standing up again but this was fortunate for them.

They hurriedly exited the tower and moved to the promised location.

IIIfang struggled to stand, its body twisted grotesquely. Black mud seeped from its mouth and wounds.

It looked like a monster without bone.

Outside, the ambush team received the bait team's message and prepared for action. Kirito glanced back, seeing IIIfang still in pursuit. BB had indeed altered the game's mechanics—now, the boss could leave its lair at will.

On their way to the ambush location, they could see IIIfang chasing behind them.

The way of running was very strange but they didn't have time to pay attention to these small details.

After running for a while, they arrived at the open space where all players could easily spawn their skill and arrow.

The bait team jumped over a hidden pit covered with leaves. IIIfang, blinded by rage, stepped on the trap and fell into the pit.

"NOW" A loud voice rang out.

Immediately, various kinds of spells and attacks were thrown into the pit.

Under the bombard of players, IIIfang couldn't do anything except be beaten like a sandbag.

Kirito took a deep breath and looked at the health bar. It was still a long way before the boss was killed.

The boss wasn't willing to let players have an easy fight.

Muttering his strength, he jumped out of the pit easily.

A smoke scene blocked the sight. Without the smoke, Kirito could see the boss staring at him with a threatening gaze.

For some Wibu reason, it only targeted him whose job was a swordsman while the tanker who stood beside him didn't become a target.

Kirito couldn't do anything to appease IIIfang's madness and anger. The only thing he could do was show a confidence and beaming smile.

With a roar, it manifested a club out of thin air.

"Be careful. He's coming with a club and he is very angry" A tanker in his team said.

He immediately used taunts to attract his attack.

The skill failed and IIIfang lunged at Kirito with terrifying speed, its massive frame blurring as it closed the distance. Kirito braced himself, raising his sword in a defensive stance. The enormous mace swung down with bone-crushing force.

Kirito used a counter-attack just in time, feeling the rush of air as the weapon smashed into the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth.

The ground cracked beneath the force, but Kirito held his ground, quickly counterattacking with a precise slash at its side. His blade connected, but it barely made a scratch on the IIIfang's red skin. The monster's laughter boomed, echoing through the air.

Kirito skidded across the ground, pain radiating through his body, but he quickly got back on his feet.

IIIfang roared, swinging its cub in a wide arc.

Kirito leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the attack. His mind raced, searching for a strategy, a weakness he could exploit while his teammate kept attacking beside him.

Despite the combined efforts of his teammates, the boss remained fixated on him.

Even so, Kirito continued fighting. He wanted to hunt down this boss. He could feel the adrenaline rush to his brain.

Kirito charged forward, slashing at the legs, hoping to slow it down. But the Kobold barely flinched, its skin repelling the blows like armor. Kirito rolled to the side, avoiding another devastating swing, then dashed behind it, aiming for the back of its knee, where the armor might be thinner.

The attack landed, and the Kobold grunted, but the damage was minimal and his sword was broken. Kirito cursed under his breath.

The Kobold showed sharp teeth, spinning around and delivering a swift kick to Kirito's abdomen. The force of the blow sent Kirito flying, crashing into the ground.

Kirito gasped for air, his vision swimming as he struggled to rise. The Kobold was rushing towards him while his teammates were hugging his legs.

His hands grabbed his neck and lifted him.

With a flick of its wrist, the Kobold tossed Kirito to the side like a ragdoll. Kirito hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop near a tree. His HP had dropped dangerously low, and his body screamed in protest as he tried to push himself up.

Seeing the dilemma situation below, the leader of the raid decided to tackle it in close combat.

"All charge."

"Ahh" A battle cry roared out, shaking the ground.

The Kobold didn't care how it would die. It only cared about the death of Kirito.

Something came from Kirito that made IIIfang want to kill him.

IIIfang slowly approached him with a tattered body.

Someone came and saved Kirito from the incoming danger.

One after another engaged IIIfang.

Kirito looked at this scene releasing the sign of relief.

Kirito forced himself to stand, his hands trembling nonstop. He glared at the Kobold, determination burning in his eyes.

"Maybe. Next time, I will give you a good fight as a solo player." A smile bloomed on his face. He could find enjoyment in fighting against an opponent who was stronger than him.

For a moment, he felt like he was a hero in a fairy tale.

Under the union attack of all players, IIIfang, the Kobold Lord, collapsed to the ground.

His eyes lost the light and the health bar disappeared.

Seeing this, players stopped attacking.

One after another player collapsed to the ground. They were happy that the first boss was finally eliminated by them.

This boosted their spirit while fighting for their life in the death game.

"We did it. We won."

"I'm so glad that the boss could be easily killed like this."

Kirito had won. But as he lay there, barely moving, he couldn't help but wonder—had this really been a victory or just another twisted game in BB's cruel world?

Kirito thought hard but decided to let it pass.

"Maybe BB wasn't cruel like a rumor" Kirito muttered.

While he was lying on the ground, people came to hear to throw him into the air as a way to celebrate their victory.

"Alright, everyone. I need to break. My bones are killing me" Kirito said in a begging tone but people kept tossing him into the air.

While people were celebrating their victory, 3 players came to the corpse to inspect IIIfang's corpse.

"This boss should've disintegrated into data by now. Why is it still here?" one of them asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it's another change," another replied.

They were Beta players so they could spot a problem.

Even a wild monster outside the safe zone and NPC in the safe zone will disappear if they are killed.

Normally, the boss would automatically disappear after HP dropped to zero.

"Hey guys, something is leaking from the corpse"

They observed more carefully and indeed, there was something that was leaking.

"This is a mud. Right."

"Yes. It's a mud."

One of them took a branch and poked it. When nothing happened, they dismissed it as harmless

"So. What are we going to eat, tonight?"

"Anything is fine. I think."

"Okay. Let's go eat pizza."

While they were immersed in talking, the black mud slowly moved towards them.

It moved until it touched one of their heels.

The person who got touched by mud looked down with disgusted eyes.

"Great. My shoes are dirty. I have to wash it again." the player complained, bending down to remove the shoes.

Suddenly, the black mud caught his hands.

As soon as it touched, he was sent to another space.

In this space, he saw the city was on fire.

When he looked back, he saw a man with a body filled with tattoos looking down at him.

"Tell me. What is your wish?" The unknown entity said.

Outside.

"What's wrong? You got scared by the mud coming from the monster."

"It's not a big deal. I know you like those shoes but you can wash them and use them again. No need to throw it" One of his friends said.

Out of expectation, a sword stabbed right into his heart. His HP bar dropped to 0 instantly.

"What the hell, dude?" he quickly reached for his weapon. Before he could do that, his hands got cut.

"F*ck you. What's wrong with you?" His scream immediately attracted other players.

They immediately came in and stopped this meaningless fight.

"What the hell are you doing?" A random guy shouted out.

He accidentally touched the black mud.

"Stop. Stop this mad man."

They rushed to see the situation. The black mud touched them without realizing it.

Kirito, who was lying down, saw the fuss from afar.

Originally, it was a small fight.

Gradually, it escalated into a big fight.

Players were killing each other.

"What's wrong with those people?" Kirito asked, worry etched on his face.

He looked around and saw a horrific scene—players were killing each other as if they were facing their worst enemies. Kirito instinctively stood up in confusion.

"Stop all of them, they become crazy."

Kirito picked up a small knife ready to stop this fight.

A group of madness slaughtered each other. The other looked with confusion not knowing how to settle down this matter.

After a mad player died, the black mud leaked out of their body.

The more players died, the more black mud grew.

Kirito realized a problem immediately warning other sane players.

"Stay away from that mud. That thing is the main problem."

Hearing this, people kept a safe distance against the black mud.

But it was too late. The players descended into a frenzy, killing each other as the black mud continued to spread.

"What to do now?" Someone asked

"I don't know" Kirito answered.

Looking at the situation, Kirito couldn't help but curse at BB inwardly.

Present Time

Conan and Haibara Ai observed Kirito from a distance. "He looks hopeless. Can we find someone else?" Conan asked.

"No," Haibara Ai replied.

"Why not?"

"Because the others are behaving the same. Some have locked themselves in their rooms. Fear is in their eyes."

"What's happening to them? Something is so bad that even adults got trauma." Conan wondered.

In the Real World

In a dimly lit room filled with detectives, Hyoue Kuroda glanced at the clock. "Turn on the TV now," he ordered.

His assistant switched on the TV, revealing a beautiful girl with purple hair—BB.

"Okay, folks, I know you're here by the government's request," BB said with a wicked smile. "They want me to spare the rich kids stuck in the death game in exchange for my freedom and human rights. Honestly, I don't know whether to laugh at them. Do they think I need their approval? How foolish."

The detectives remained stoic.

"Anyway, back to the main topic," BB continued, adjusting her suit and pulling out a stack of papers. "To spare those rich kids, you must clear the game I've created. That's the deal between me and the government. Japan and the USA will be a team in this game, but BB prohibits any cooperation with other teams. If you do, you'll be disqualified. Got it?"

The detectives nodded.

"Good. Now, let me tell you the main objective of the game."

A mail was sent to their phone. There was a surprise but they quickly subsided it.

They picked up and checked.

It was a link.

"Download it and play the game. By the way, the game name is One Piece." BB stopped a short time before continuing.

"To achieve victory, there are 2 things you must do."

"One. Long before, there were many islands but lots of them sank to the deep of the sea. You must find the location of the last island. Its name is Joy Land."

"Two. The world has been governed by a powerful government for 800 years. You must defeat that government."

"So any questions."

One of them raised their hands but BB ignored his hands.

"Okay. Good. No question. Let's play the video so that you can understand the overall game situation."

"Let go" With a remote in her hand, a summary video was played.

What greeted them first was a boy's laugh.