Hozuki Nozomi surveyed the group that had gathered around him. The faces looking back at him were familiar: Aragaki Ayase with her characteristic serious expression, Kosaka Kirino trying to hide her nervousness behind a mask of indifference, Yukino Yukinoshita maintaining her usual elegant composure despite the circumstances, and Asuna Yuuki glancing around with barely concealed anxiety.
The others—Shiina Mahiru, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, Kato Megumi, and the rest—hadn't logged in this time. They'd missed the start of what was shaping up to be a rather interesting experience.
Not that they'd miss much real-world time. Yui had already adjusted the temporal flow: one day inside the game equaled one minute outside. Even if a full month passed in Aincrad, only about thirty minutes would elapse in the real world. Plenty of time to explore, adventure, and deal with Kayaba's madness.
In the central plaza, confusion rippled through the crowd of ten thousand players. They'd been enjoying their gaming experience when suddenly—teleported here without explanation. Murmurs of discontent spread like wildfire.
Then the sky cracked open.
A rift split the heavens above, and from it gushed torrents of blood-red liquid. The crimson tide coalesced, forming into a towering figure wrapped in a hooded robe. Its face remained obscured, hidden in shadow.
"Whoa! What is that?!"
"So intense! Is this some kind of official event?"
The clueless players oohed and aahed. The beta testers, however, went pale. They'd already noticed the missing logout button. This was wrong. Very wrong.
The hooded figure spoke, its voice echoing across the plaza.
"Greetings, players. Welcome to the world I have created: Aincrad." A pause. "I am the creator of this game, Kayaba Akihiko."
The crowd stilled.
"Some of you may have noticed that the logout button has disappeared. This is not a bug. This is by design."
Murmurs of confusion rippled through the masses.
"I repeat: the logout button's disappearance is not an error. It is my deliberate action."
"What?!" Angry shouts erupted. "Why would you do this?!"
"SILENCE!"
The command boomed with enough force to physically stagger those closest to the projection. Silence fell.
"Now, listen carefully. From this moment forward, the resurrection function has been disabled. Cherish your lives, players."
He continued, his tone flat and clinical. "This world consists of one hundred labyrinth floors. You are currently on the first floor, in the beginner's town. Each floor has a final boss. Defeat the boss on the one-hundredth floor, clear the game, and everyone will be granted safe logout."
A pause heavy with implication.
"If you lose your life in this game, the helmet you are wearing will emit a special electrical wave that destroys your brain. You will die—truly, permanently. Do not attempt to have others remove your helmet from outside. Doing so will also trigger the device's fatal function."
Gasps. Cries of disbelief.
"Unfortunately, some have already ignored this warning. Currently, one hundred and twenty-one players have permanently left Aincrad—and the real world."
He raised a hand, and floating displays appeared, showing the information of the "deceased" players.
Hozuki Nozomi watched with inward amusement. Those displays were pure fiction, generated by Yui to deceive Kayaba's monitoring. The mad genius had transferred his consciousness entirely into the game, abandoning his physical body. But here, in this digital realm, Yui was absolute sovereign. Fooling Kayaba was trivial.
"You're a criminal! A murderer!"
"Why would you do something like this?!"
"I want to go home! Let me out!"
The plaza erupted into chaos as players processed their new reality. Some screamed. Some sobbed. Some stood frozen in shock.
Kayaba's projection remained unmoved. "Now, please enjoy the game." A final note: "I have prepared a gift for each of you. Please check your item boxes."
The phantom dissolved.
Trembling hands opened inventory screens. Mirrors materialized. When players looked into them—
Light bloomed across the plaza as every player's avatar transformed, reverting to their true appearance.
"AHHHHH!"
"What's happening?!"
"Wait—YOU'RE a man?!"
"You're the one who's a man! You made a female character to deceive people!"
Two players who'd been embracing moments before suddenly found themselves staring at each other—both large men, their carefully crafted female avatars stripped away. The disgust on their faces was palpable.
Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at Hozuki Nozomi, comprehension dawning. This was why he'd said she didn't need to modify her appearance.
"You knew this would happen?" she asked, a hint of accusation in her tone.
He smiled. "In a game this real, it makes sense that players can't hide behind false appearances forever."
Nearby, Kosaka Kirino and Aragaki Ayase stared at their reflections with expressions of utter dismay. The mature, big-sister images they'd so carefully constructed were gone. In their place stood their true selves—short, young, undeniably loli in appearance.
If Kayaba's words were true, this game now carried life-or-death stakes. Every decision mattered. Every mistake could be fatal.
Amidst the surrounding chaos, Hozuki Nozomi reached out and gently placed a hand on each girl's head, ruffling their hair with casual affection.
"Kirino. Ayase. Don't worry." His voice was calm, reassuring. "I'm here. Remember, I contributed to this game's development. Kayaba's crazy actions are troublesome, but for me? Not a big problem."
Through Yui, he already had the entire world monitored. If a player died, their soul would be preserved while Yui fed false death data to Kayaba. No one would truly perish.
Kosaka Kirino's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. The warmth of his hand on her head sent an involuntary blush across her cheeks.
"I... I believe you, Nozomi."
Aragaki Ayase exhaled slowly, the knot of fear in her chest loosening.
Asuna Yuuki, eavesdropping on the exchange, felt her own anxiety diminish. Being trapped in a death game was terrifying—but having an ally who understood the system made it slightly less so.
....
After the initial panic subsided, players began organizing. Beta testers immediately started accepting quests, racing to secure advantages before others caught on. Hidden quests were limited resources, after all.
Hozuki Nozomi felt no such urgency. He led the girls to the wilderness outside town and began teaching them the basics of Aincrad's combat system.
Yukino Yukinoshita's performance particularly impressed him. His fiancée was a natural genius, and swordsmanship came to her as easily as academics. Watching her execute perfect forms with fluid grace filled him with pride.
After ensuring the girls had a solid foundation, he made an announcement.
"Time to log out."
And they did.
Cheaters, after all, played by their own rules.
....
Hozuki Nozomi opened his eyes to his familiar ceiling. Beside him, Yukino Yukinoshita stirred, removing her own helmet. She'd been lying next to him the entire time, both of them connected to the same game world.
She turned to look at him, her expression troubled. "Nozomi... isn't this a bit wrong? We're out, but we've left all those other players inside, terrified and trapped."
He pulled her onto his lap, settling her comfortably against his chest. "What does it matter? Their lives aren't in danger. Yui's protecting everyone."
A pause.
"Besides, coming out first gives us time to deal with Kayaba Akihiko properly."