Sato stood silently in his room, gazing at the gaming device in his hand. Now that he understood the game's origin, his last trace of concern dissipated.
Finally, he lay back down on his bed.
After all, such a realistic virtual game world... Claiming he wasn't interested would be a lie.
"Link Start!"
As the command was issued, Sato's vision began to shift, accompanied by that familiar sensation of weightlessness and darkness.
When his sight returned, he found himself once again in the central plaza of the city.
At the center of the plaza was a fountain, the sound of water flowing could be heard, and many white pigeons fluttered around the fountain, cautiously pecking at leftover bread crumbs on the ground.
There were fewer people around compared to before. Some stood in place, dazedly observing their surroundings and the sky, while others sat on benches, lost in thought.
Any normal person entering this game would question their reality!
For those still living in the 2G era, this level of virtual reality technology was akin to a miracle. Not just for 2G, even the 5G era couldn't achieve this!
Moreover, beyond the exaggeratedly realistic modeling, the game featured an unimaginable five-sense system.
The cool breeze brushing against the skin, the faint noises in the ears, the scents wafting through the nose, and the solid ground beneath the feet...
It all felt so real!
While some were still questioning their reality, others with thicker skin began to "play" the game.
Sato saw several people asking nearby NPCs about quests, only to be met with expressions suggesting they were crazy.
The AI technology in this game was excessively advanced!
In this open-world game with a medieval backdrop, adventure was likely a crucial element, so the existence of quests made sense. These people's thoughts weren't wrong.
After all, the game's purpose was to stimulate potential abilities in latent individuals, so the method of stimulation was understandable...
Issue quests!
Send these people on adventures!
Let them experience real dangers to stimulate their potential.
Sato silently analyzed the situation, then looked around.
The number of people in the plaza was gradually decreasing. Just as Sato moved, a light screen popped up in front of him.
[Adventurer, please confirm your name.]
[Satoshi]
[Confirm?]
[Yes!]
[Generate virtual appearance?]
[Yes!]
After casually choosing a name and customizing his appearance, Sato was finally free to move. He walked to the fountain and looked at his reflection in the water.
At first glance, his current appearance was entirely different from before, but perhaps due to his familiarity with himself, Sato could still see traces of his former self in this face.
Looking around, Sato decided to explore the city and get a feel for the environment.
This city, with its distinct European style, was much larger than he had imagined, and the number of NPCs was astonishing. In contrast, the number of players was pitifully small.
Sato recalled that about 3,000 people had appeared in the plaza initially. If this game had only one server, it meant there weren't many potential ability users in Japan.
"Looking at it this way, it's barely acceptable."
Sato murmured, stroking his chin.
Besides trying out the game, he was also probing the depths of this hidden world.
However, it seemed that supernatural beings were rare, which explained the world's relative peace.
The game also featured an attribute panel, displaying quantifiable stats and a "talent" attribute.
To his surprise, his talent was still "Intuition," described by the game system as:
[Intuition: Greatly enhanced perception of danger, allowing the user to anticipate threats and harmful entities.]
If he didn't know this was a game, he might have thought he'd traveled to another world again.
Scanning the system panel, Sato found the friend system in a corner.
Recalling his agreement with Kirigaya Kazuto, he entered the name "Kirito."
"Whoa!"
When the system displayed the avatar, Sato raised an eyebrow and sent a friend request.
Soon, Kirito replied:
[Sato?]
[Currently grinding! Chat later!]
This guy...
Sato was speechless. Was this the legendary hardcore gamer? More like an internet-addicted youth!
But then again, being selected by this game indicated that Kirito had extraordinary talent.
Sato looked around and noticed the scenery had an otherworldly feel.
Upon learning the game's truth, his excitement had diminished.
However, if he didn't aim to conquer the game and just played casually, it might still be enjoyable. With the city's excellent design, there should be some beautiful spots in the game.
Perhaps... using this as a setting for a novel wouldn't be a bad idea.
If the background was well-crafted, there might even be epic tales to tell.
Thinking of this, Sato suddenly remembered a tavern he had seen earlier in the city. That should be where adventurers gathered, possibly a place to learn about the world's lore.
"Let's check it out."
Sato set off with interest.
Bang!
Unexpectedly, he collided head-on with someone passing by.
"Sorry!"
Sato quickly helped the person up.
"It's okay."
A girl with slightly furrowed brows stood up, dusted herself off, and spoke in a calm, emotionless voice that reached Sato's ears.
She then nodded slightly to him and turned to leave.
Huh?
Sato looked at the girl's departing figure with some confusion. This scene and voice seemed familiar...
Also, was his talent fake?
Or did the system determine that this girl posed no threat to him?
Meanwhile, the departing girl sighed softly, opened her system panel, glanced at it, and muttered in a troubled tone:
"Why is my talent this?"
[Shadow: Though you exist, you're like a shadow, barely noticed. Your low presence makes you well-suited to be an assassin.]
...
(The author notes that future chapters in the SAO world will be fewer, as they feel the story is starting to deviate.)