Today was the great day Akihiko Kayaba's dream would be realized.
It was often said that "quantum physicist" and "game producer" were two completely unrelated professions, and that gaming was merely a hobby for Akihiko Kayaba, with his main focus still on scientific research.
But in reality, whether it was quantum physics or game production, both were merely tools for Akihiko Kayaba to achieve his ideal; there was no hierarchy between them.
—"To create another world of his own."
This was the beautiful wish he had yearned for since childhood. At least twenty years of study and research in the first half of his life were all to lay the foundation for this, and today, he could finally have his wish fulfilled!
The game's release was launched with tremendous fanfare. Players focused on the next-generation game that could simulate reality, while researchers and capitalists saw the "NERvGear," a device that could transmit information directly to the human brain.
Just imagine, what kind of changes would this bring to society after its large-scale application?
Gaming was just the most superficial aspect. With such a device, humanity could escape its dependence on the five senses and the physical body, completing most social interactions, learning, and work through the network.
Even a patient paralyzed in bed could soar freely in the sea of electrons just by putting on the helmet!
Medicine, education, communication, entertainment... even the military.
Just like the internet back in its day, one could now declare that the next thirty years would belong to virtual reality!
Everyone believed that Akihiko Kayaba was destined to become a great pioneer like Turing or von Neumann, and that online games were merely his "amateur hobby." Whether it succeeded or failed, it would not affect his achievements.
—But Kayaba's own feelings were the exact opposite.
SAO was a simulation experiment, but it was also the other world he had meticulously constructed, a work into which he had truly "poured his heart and soul." Its level of completion far surpassed any RPG that had appeared before.
Even the NPCs inside possessed high-level intelligence. Based on his projections, they might even have the potential to develop self-awareness.
He could proudly announce to the world:
That he had created a nearly perfect other world in the chaotic vortex of "1s" and "0s"!
Just one step away! He was now just one step from completing it, from granting it true life—
Souls!
A true death game, betting the souls and consciousness of over ten thousand players!
Some might call him a mad scientist, and he had no objection to that.
"I must scan human brains to collect data," "structure the essence of the soul," "create artificial intelligence," "it's all for the future of humanity"—
He could come up with many similar reasons, and future generations might even use them to exonerate him.
But in the end, it was just because he was "insane." He was absolutely certain of this fact, yet he would never repent!
...Putting on the helmet, he entered the personal space belonging exclusively to him, the "Highest GM." The temple floor, as smooth as a mirror, reflected Akihiko Kayaba's virtual avatar:
A middle-aged man with white hair, clad in red robes like a priest.
"Heh..."
Sitting on the throne smelted from gold and silver and inlaid with precious gems, Akihiko Kayaba couldn't help but let out a sneer.
"That guy—Kuse Ryu is definitely going to be shocked."
When the news that the "NERvGear developer has trapped ten thousand players, starting the death game"SAO"" gets out, it will surely send massive shockwaves. And among the panicked public, the most bewildered would certainly be that young master.
The Dragon of Destruction of the Financial District, the Demonic Vulture of Kanto—Akihiko Kayaba felt nothing about these titles!
Perhaps Ryu was very rich and very outstanding in his professional field, but what did that have to do with him, Akihiko Kayaba?
To the outside world, their collaboration seemed like a meeting of minds, a perfect partnership, but Kayaba was merely using Kuse Ryu's resources to complete his own plan!
Alright, he admitted that the man did have vision and courage, and his ambition went far beyond a single game or even a VR device. The man had long since used the politicians he kept in his pocket to propose a new "Home Education Act" in the Diet.
In the future, if they could roll out the latest standard of network protocols nationwide and replace traditional teaching methods with virtual reality, what kind of benefits would the Kuse family, who held the first-mover advantage, gain?
This wasn't something that could be measured by how much money one had, but a power that could shake the nation!
How incredibly ambitious!
If I had been willing to work honestly, Kuse Ryu might have actually succeeded—hee hee!
Unfortunately, his, Akihiko Kayaba's, ambitions did not lie there. He had no interest in playing capital games with others.
Soon, he would be heading to a beautiful other world, while Ryu could only remain in a reality bound by heavy gravity, staring at the news dumbfounded, wearing a foolish, ridiculous expression.
What a shame I won't be able to witness that moment with my own eyes~
Alright!
It's about time. The summoning program should have already activated. It's time to go out and announce the start of the death game to all the players!
—Akihiko Kayaba stood up from his throne.
This was his personal space, possessing the highest authority and security measures in the entire game. The data models were all stored on a separate server to prevent them from being discovered by the government and police in the future.
And within this personal space were several operational platforms with different functions, among which was a large plaza specially designed to accommodate all players, allowing him to make a truly grand entrance... after all, as the "god" of this world, he had to have some decorum.
He couldn't wait to see the astonished and panicked expressions on those players' faces, and to enjoy the entanglements of human love and hate for the long time to come!
Bzzz!
Beneath a sky covered by a dark red dome, a gigantic, red-robed figure appeared in the sky above the plaza.
"Welcome to my world. I am God! Everyone..."
Reaching out his hands as if to embrace the world like a deity, Akihiko Kayaba's deep voice came to an abrupt halt.
"...No one?"
—The vast plaza was completely empty!
After a moment's hesitation, suspecting network lag or a bug, Kayaba opened the operational interface, and then...
"The... the internet is down?"
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Staring at the completely unresponsive world map that had become a "dark zone," and the IP list showing no one online, Akihiko Kayaba was plunged into extreme shock.
Power outage? Internet disconnection? A nationwide one?
No! Even if the power was out, the "NERvGear" had a backup power supply (used for frying the brain). And once logged into SAO, the account would be bound and unable to log out. Even a disconnected network would only mean a temporary inability to operate!
"What's going on? Could it be that in the real world..."
Kayaba took a deep breath, intending to exit the game and check what was happening in reality.
Beep!
[Warning! Unable to log out!]
"...Huh?"
Beep!
[Warning! Unable to log out!]
"..."
Beep!
[Warning! Unable to log out!]
"??????"
The self-proclaimed "god" and mad scientist wore a dumbfounded expression that belied his intelligence.
—
"Lady Rurikawa."
"Is it all taken care of?"
"Yes, as you commanded."
"Good. With this, your future is also secured."
"Thank you, Lady Rurikawa." The man, who looked like a researcher, bowed his head and said, "Is there anything else I can do for Lord Kuse?"
"Hmm?"
Ruri's gaze turned slightly cold. "Kuse? Is this matter connected to the Kuse Group in any way?"
"!"
The man instinctively straightened up and then bowed. "No! I was hired by another company!"
"My master is a great man who values loyalty. He would not abandon someone who has contributed to him... but that's another story if the person is a fool, understand?"
"Yes!"
"Go back obediently and wait for news of your promotion."
The maid took the hard drive into her hand, gave a few more instructions, then turned and left, heading to another room in the building.
"Lord Ryu?"
"Have a seat. Thank you for your hard work, Ruri."
Ryu took the silver hard drive, no bigger than a tube of lipstick, and played with it with interest. "So this is the so-called[The Seed]?"
"Yes. It contains everything from Cardinal, the intelligent game engine necessary to run a VRMMO, to the game's production tools. As long as you have 3D models and a small server, you can create a VRMMO environment."
Ruri spoke with a hint of awe. "With this, even an individual could invest funds to create a virtual game. I can't believe that while Akihiko Kayaba was cooperating with us, he was secretly creating something so dangerous... this treacherous thing.
Thankfully, we brought it under control in time. Otherwise, numerous independent games would have certainly appeared, causing huge trouble for the company."
"Control it? Who said anything about controlling it?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "This is going to be open-source."
"Eh?"
Ruri asked, puzzled, "Open-source? Didn't you order the surveillance on Akihiko Kayaba for this very reason?"
"Is that what you thought?" Ryu smiled. "Those are two different matters."
Akihiko Kayaba had been under constant surveillance, from his laboratory to his personal residence. There were even people on his research team who had defected to the Kuse Group, and he himself was completely unaware.
It couldn't be helped. He was a genius, but that didn't mean he had a talent for espionage. Given that he had little interest in others to begin with, it would be very difficult for him to discover a mole on his team.
The people Ryu hired were true professionals who implemented comprehensive surveillance on Akihiko Kayaba. One could say that his every move was under Ryu's watch; the only question was whether Ryu cared to look.
Ruri was also aware of this, but she hadn't thought there was any deeper meaning to it before. After all, Kayaba was an "important asset" of the Kuse Group, so secretly protecting, or rather, controlling him was quite normal.
...They also had to prevent the kid from acting as a turncoat and contacting other groups!
Today, Ryu had suddenly made his move. First, he shut down the SAO servers, then had the special operations team and the undercover agents act, extracting [The Seed] from SAO's source code—
Ruri had thought that Ryu knew all along that this Kayaba fellow was treacherous, which was why he had arranged all this. She was just marveling at Lord Ryu's foresight, but then she heard unexpected words from his mouth.
Open-source?
But it was precisely because Kayaba had written such a dangerous thing that they had to bring him under control!
...Or was that not the case?
"You seem to have some misunderstanding."
Ryu smiled. "I'll explain about [The Seed] later... How is Kayaba now?"
"He had a guilty conscience and fled ahead of time to hide in some property in the countryside, but our people followed him the whole time.
He has now been injected with a sedative within safe limits. As expected, he also used the prototype machine he secretly built. The trap we left in the hardware has been triggered, and his consciousness should still be trapped in the game, unable to exit."
"Even a genius like that is full of holes once someone grabs hold of his weakness."
Ryu shook his head. "Remember, tell those people to be careful. They can use drugs, but they absolutely must not damage his cranial nerves. Otherwise, they can go report to the Sanzu River!"
"Please rest assured, they are very professional."
Ruri noticed Ryu's expression and smiled slightly herself. "You seem to be in a very good mood?"
"Is it that obvious?"
Listening to the endless sound of falling coins in his ears, Ryu smiled brilliantly.
"After all, it's a beautiful day today~"
—[Destiny Coins] +52!
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