On the second-to-last day of this System Card refresh cycle, Ryu sat in the car, reviewing the past month's events, his heart stirring with emotion.
So much had happened this month. Some things were part of his plan, others were unexpected. He had even walked the line between life and death and gained true 'combat' experience; it was nothing if not an eventful period.
He had certainly made gains, but the thought of facing more and more trouble from now on made his heart sink.
If this world weren't so insane, he would have preferred to just be a carefree rich kid~
'[Demon Brain], [Demon Soul], [Demon Back]... I'm definitely keeping the first two.'
[Demon Brain] had thoroughly proven its value this month. The applications Ryu had developed for it so far already made him feel like he'd struck gold.
[Demon Soul] wasn't effective under normal circumstances; after all, it wasn't every day you ran into the heroic spirit of a master swordsman. But it was still a 'metaphysical' skill, and since Ryu had few ways to deal with supernatural entities, having such an ability could be useful in an emergency.
Only [Demon Back] gave Ryu some pause:
It could enhance his physical attributes and was extremely practical, but it came from a 'realistic' fighting manga (lol), so its upper limit was also obvious.
It wasn't that it wasn't useful, but was it worth spending Destiny Coins on... Ryu decided to wait and see!
He still had one unused trip to another world (Cyberpunk) this cycle, and the time spent there didn't count toward the main world's refresh period. If Ryu didn't spend money, he could stay there for up to twenty days, during which time traits like [Demon Back] would remain active.
In other words, it was like having a limited-time twenty-day trial card!
Last time, he had enjoyed various dishes of 'science and hardcore ingredients' in Cyberpunk before returning and choosing [The Gourmet].
(As it turned out, [The Gourmet] absorbed the life force of ingredients. The food in Cyberpunk, while novel, was less effective than ordinary wild game. As for the so-called high-end cuisine, it was no different from the main world's.)
Of course, there were pros and cons. Negative traits like [The Fighter] and [The Stepping Stone] would also remain active for the twenty days...
Just as Ryu was lost in thought, the car smoothly slowed to a stop, having reached its destination.
"Lord Ryu, as per your instructions, he has been well taken care of, and no one knows he is hidden here.
I notified them a day in advance to be ready for your summons at any time today. The great scientist should be 'awake' by now."
A clear voice, as pleasant as a warbler's song, brought Ryu back to his senses. He nodded at Ruri.
"Good. Let's go see this great scientist."
Ryu had traveled light this time, bringing only Ruri and the driver, with no other subordinates. However, as soon as he stepped out of the car, he was greeted by two rows of people lined up to welcome him.
"Welcome, Lord Kuse!!!"
As if it were etched into their DNA, these men in stuffy-looking suits and sunglasses, each with a spine like a spring, executed a perfectly synchronized ninety-degree bow.
The person in charge of the facility hurried over to greet him, stating that everything was prepared and that Ryu would not witness any embarrassing scenes.
Ryu was slightly puzzled by this remark, but he understood its meaning as soon as he met Akihiko Kayaba in the flesh:
Disconnected from cyberspace, Akihiko Kayaba, despite having his body cared for during this time, inevitably showed symptoms of atrophy. Not only could he not stand and walk on his own, requiring assistance, but he couldn't even chew food properly and could only consume nutrient-rich liquids. Even his speech was slurred.
What embarrassing scene was there to avoid?
The answer was that just before this, Akihiko Kayaba had his urinary catheter removed~
It must have been an unpleasant experience. In any case, when he met Ryu, the great scientist was fidgety and looked uncomfortable no matter how he sat.
—Ryu chuckled inwardly.
This could be considered a form of 'paying his debts.' In the original story, Akihiko Kayaba would occasionally log out of the game to be intimately cared for by a girl at his side, but the ten thousand people he trapped inside didn't have that luxury.
Being in a vegetative state is incredibly devastating to the body. Cases like Ryougi Shiki and Yuuki Asuna, whose wealthy families could afford the best nursing care, allowing them to remain like sleeping beauties for two or three years, were extremely rare.
Most families could only participate in government assistance programs and receive more affordable medical care. The SAO victims would have all their vitality drained, and even if they woke up, they would face a long and painful recovery period.
A master like Shiki, after lying in bed for three years, didn't even have the strength for self-harm. For Kirigaya Kazuto to be able to walk independently right after waking up was a feat on the level of Baki the Grappler; it was a waste of his talent not to join the fighting tournaments next door!
(The human body is amazing, isn't it?)
Therefore, Ryu never felt there was anything wrong with scheming against and using Kayaba—the guy deserved it.
"Seeing you in this state, I feel quite bad about it."
Ryu's calm and concerned tone, along with his gentle and infectious voice, was genuinely moving, but to Akihiko Kayaba, it sounded strangely sarcastic.
"It was my oversight. Perhaps I should have moved you into a [Medicuboid]. Your health would be much better then."
"..."
Hearing that name, Kayaba's eyes narrowed, then dimmed again.
"I see... so you know everything."
"I told you, didn't I? I've known everything about you for a long time. How could I not pay attention to such a promising medical project?" Ryu smiled reservedly.
The [Medicuboid] was a medical device developed based on improved NERvGear technology, specifically designed for intensive care patients. Its hexahedral cabin structure had a multi-layered cushioning system that could automatically adjust the depth of the (conscious) dive based on the patient's physiological indicators.
Even if a person was in a vegetative state or completely paralyzed, as long as there was brainwave activity, they could use it to enter cyberspace and communicate freely with the outside world. Doctors could then create tailored treatment plans based on the patient's own feelings and the collected data.
Besides its direct medical effects, the device's greatest use was allowing patients to find dignity as a 'normal person' in the virtual world, fostering a positive will to live—which could often create miracles.
Akihiko Kayaba led the development of this device, but it was not a project under Rect. Instead, it was developed in collaboration with several top university hospitals and was supposed to be confidential. He rarely mentioned it to anyone.
But of course, this did not escape the eyes and ears Ryu had in place. Ryu had even obtained a list of potential patients for the medical program, one of whom, a girl named 'Konno Yuuki,' particularly caught his attention.
However, there was little he could do for her at the moment:
Konno Yuuki had contracted AIDS at birth from a blood transfusion. Since the disease was incurable, her fate could not be changed.
All Ryu could do was provide Yuuki and patients like her with the best medical conditions, striving to extend their lives until the day a medical breakthrough was achieved—
And then he would be able to obtain the Destiny Coins from the story arc of the heroine, 'Zekken Yuuki.'
If all else failed, he would have to take a risk and try Akihiko Kayaba's method, to see if consciousness could be uploaded to the virtual world.
Thinking of this, Ryu glanced at Kayaba and secretly pursed his lips.
Speaking of which, this guy also had a hidden protagonist halo. As a villain who caused so much death and tragedy, he had every reason to die, yet he managed to exist as a digital life form, closely tied to every story arc... it was as if the author was his real dad~
Unfortunately, this 'real dad's son' had no dignity before Ryu, who had him completely under his thumb.
"It's strange. You developed a device like the [Medicuboid], which clearly shows that deep down you have a soft and kind side, wanting to help those poor souls persecuted by illness.
And yet, it was also you who devised such a horrifying plan. If I hadn't stopped it, there would have been at least a thousand deaths."
"My prediction was a mortality rate of around seventy-three percent," Akihiko Kayaba suddenly interjected.
"Why?"
Ryu gave a half-smile. "I know it was for your dream, but did you really need to go that far?"
"..."
"Never mind. I won't force you to answer. Humans are not always rational creatures; I understand this point well myself."
Ryu stood up and signaled for someone to help Kayaba into the car.
"I just need to know that you are willing to pay a great price for your ideals—that's enough."
People with obsessions and desires were always easy to control. Akihiko Kayaba's mental state regarding this matter was already like that of a martyr. Dealing with such a person only required the right approach; there was no need to worry about his cooperation.
"Where are you taking me now?" Kayaba was not alarmed.
"To show you the evidence."
Ryu glanced at him. "About the future of this world."
—
"...How is this possible!"
In the long, deep corridor, specially made scented candles cast bean-sized flames, arranged densely along the rock walls on both sides. They made the air hot and dry, thick with the rich fragrance of wax, which was slightly dizzying.
Sitting in an electric wheelchair, Kayaba followed Ryu to a platform separated from the outside by knotted ropes, paper talismans, and a torii gate. It looked out onto a natural hollow cavern. A very bizarre object hung from the cave's ceiling, its true form revealed under the lights.
It looked like a heart that had been magnified countless times, its surface covered with capillaries like vines. The thick arteries connected to its core were like a ship's mooring lines, buried deep within the rock.
—Thump!
The thing was still beating!
Although it was extremely slow, beating perhaps once every two or three minutes, it was undeniably 'alive'!
Akihiko Kayaba was deeply shaken.
It wasn't just a visual shock; he felt a sense of pressure at a spiritual level, a feeling he had never experienced since birth.
"I can only bring you here once."
Ryu walked to the edge of the platform and spoke with a profound gaze. "The evil spirit has already been destroyed once. For a short time, this heart lacks the ability to break the seal and re-form the spirit, but no one can guarantee how long this safe period will last, so this passage will be sealed off."
"What on earth is this?" Kayaba's throat moved. "That projection you showed me before... was this it?"
"That's right. Strictly speaking, this is the heart portion. Above us is a shrine that is currently being rebuilt at an accelerated pace."
Ryu looked back at the tunnel. "Many years ago, when that samurai sealed the Sukuna Demon, he cut off its limbs and torso and buried them in different parts of the mountain. The tunnel we just walked through is the natural cave he found back then.
I was worried it might become a weak point in the seal, so I had someone reinforce the barrier—at least, that's what it looks like."
Ryu didn't know if those people had any real ability, but Kagetatsu said it was fine and that it would help repair the decay from over the years, so he didn't dwell on it.
"Biology is obsolete..." Kayaba muttered to himself, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"You must be excited, encountering an existence that science can't explain, right?"
Ryu said languidly, "This is just one sign of the changes to come. More and more strange things will appear in this world. Perhaps demonic gods sleeping for millennia, perhaps visitors from the sea of stars, perhaps the apocalypse from millions of years ago... The other worlds you create are not even one percent as exciting as the real world."
"..."
"Not convinced?"
Ryu smiled. "Then wait patiently and witness with me as that bizarre future unfolds step by step... I guarantee you won't be disappointed, Akihiko Kayaba."
The mad scientist remained silent for a long time, took a deep look at the slowly beating heart, and then turned to Ryu. "What do you want me to do?"
"Do what you do best—build a fantasy world, one big enough to pull in billions of people!"
Ryu offered a reason Kayaba couldn't refuse!
Even without the future changes, Kayaba would have done it anyway, and this time he had the full support of the Kuse Group.
"I will make [The Seed] public, so that anyone in the world who wants to can build their own game world with a single server. I will also provide them with technical support, using the latest AI to assist them. We'll develop a game platform, allowing them to profit by creating dreams.
This world will undergo a massive transformation because of [The Seed]!
The electronic sea will be filled with small cyber spaces, like islands in an ocean... and then, one day, all these cyber spaces, large and small, will connect!"
"That kind of thing..."
"You can't do it?"
"Of course I can!"
Hearing Ryu's challenge, Akihiko Kayaba retorted without hesitation, "I was already conducting research on artificial intelligence. I loaded an intelligent engine into SAO, the self-correcting and iterating [Cardinal].
All games using [The Seed] as a base template can gain access through this engine, with just a few modifications... But connecting a global cyber space would require an unimaginable amount of computing power."
"You will have it—nearly infinite resources."
Ryu didn't elaborate further, instead changing the subject. "In a few days, once your body can move freely, come with me to meet someone.
He should invite you to join an organization called the 'World Peace Federation Organization.' You don't need to worry about the details, just agree. I'll handle the rest."
"World peace?" Akihiko Kayaba frowned. "You... I don't understand. What are you trying to do?"
"Heh~" Ryu turned away with a seemingly arrogant air, not answering the question.
In reality, he was screaming internally:
How am I supposed to answer that?
To earn Destiny Coins? To stack tech points? To get a stake in the TPC?
Am I supposed to say—
'Oh no, the super nautilus is about to rise from the sea~
That's great, now we're all doomed!'
—Where else are you going to find a plutocrat like me who cares so much for the world!?
________________________________________
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