My slow journey to infinity

"It's not an interesting story. The three of them, Endo, only found out in the class contact book that I lived alone, so they approached me specially. They were very friendly at first and showed that they were very envious of me living alone, and then they came to me often. room party.”

Wang Shui listened carefully, this was something he didn't know.

"Because this place is very close to the school and there is a shopping street nearby. They often go to my room to change into casual clothes and then go out to play. After that, they have more and more casual clothes, shoes, bags and other things. Later, they often even drink until they are drunk. Get drunk and sleep at my house.”

With Shino's personality and habits, it is indeed difficult to play with them.

"They have a great influence on my life. They prevent me from studying seriously. If I complain directly to them, I will only receive a reply like "We are friends." Until one day, when I went home, I heard many... voices in the room. "

Wang Shui was also a little surprised, "Do they have your key?"

"Yes, it's stupid, right? Last year, I only thought it was the price of making friends. Until they brought... other people over, I was scared, very scared, and then I called the police."

Naturally, we no longer have to be friends.

"Endo and the others were very careful in their revenge. They quickly found out what happened three years ago. Due to pressure from the teacher, they did not spread the matter, but they started... to blackmail me, just because I was very scared..."

"gun."

Wang Shui's sudden answer made Shino's whole body tremble.

"Yes, a gun is the key to unlocking stress symptoms. When I see the corresponding shape or model, I will feel nauseated and vomited, or even go into shock, and fall down in the vomit in a panic. This is how they have been blackmailing me, although they have not succeeded. A few times.”

Sinon's voice slowly changed from nervous and rapid to calmer. She was not calming down. This was a normal reaction when revealing secrets to release stress.

"Perhaps, one day when Endo and the others become angry, the entire school and even the entire society will know about this."

Then Shino is too dangerous.

The whole society is like a beast in the dark. It doesn't know when it will rush out and bite her until it completely chews her up and devours her.

"Don't be nervous, Sato-kun. I'm still receiving psychological treatment and medication adjustments. Psychiatrists often give encouraging words."

"If these were useful, there wouldn't be so many Deng Kingdom soldiers addicted to addictive drugs." Wang Shui's tone was a little heavy.

"That's just escaping from reality. It's no different from dying." Shino smiled.

With such an awareness, your character, thinking and knowledge are quite mature, little Shino.

"I'm very sorry. After understanding it in detail, I feel that with my ability, I can't help you much." Wang Shui said sincerely.

"It's already great. I feel a lot more relaxed after saying it. I believe Sato-san won't threaten me in return, right?"

"Of course, I swear by the lamp."

"Ha, what kind of oath is that? As long as it is like this, my own problems can only be solved by myself. As long as I become stronger, there will always be a time to defeat fear."

If it develops naturally, this time will not be short. If you are not careful, psychological problems will last a lifetime.

"What, you don't believe me? I can read some firearms magazines now."

The dark brown eyes behind plain glasses gleam with confidence.

The strong mental power shattered Wang Shui's sense of superiority in predicting the plot. This persistence is so cute.

"What a rare charm of a character." Wang Shui sighed with emotion.

"What, you're talking about me?"

Yes, I'm talking about you. It's not like a supporting role in a literary work that has been analyzed in detail.

The living Sinon has a clear body and appearance, micro-expressions and movements, and a slightly hoarse and cold voice. Being close to such a charming and resolute person will indeed feel healing.

Wang Shui, who was a bit depressed when the plot started to go astray, now feels much more relaxed.

"Thank you so much for today, Shino."

As Wang Shui spoke, he got up and went to the balcony kitchen, opened a plastic box, piled some ice cubes inside, and turned it into a simple refrigerator.

The classic Black Forest mousse has a more delicate taste after being slightly chilled.

The closer the cake is to oral temperature, the more likely it is that it will tasteless when you eat it in one bite, as if you were chewing it with your mouth empty.

"Why are you thanking me instead? You obviously contributed more." Shino smiled and tapped the plastic plate with the toothed spoon in her hand.

"I don't have such a long story. I'm just depressed recently. I was just illuminated by Shino-sama's confidence. Now I'm much better."

"You guy, have you started calling my name without hesitation? I didn't agree!"

The conversation gradually became familiar. Wang Shui has this kind of power and social ability. No matter what kind of person he is communicating with, he can keep the conversation going.

They talked about psychology, food, study, relationships with classmates, firearms, and what it takes to become a strong person.

"So, what is this "short story" that makes guys like you stand outside? relationship issue? "

Finally the topic returned.

"Well, is it your turn to explain to me? I don't know if I should talk about this kind of thing. Let me organize the logic... If it is said that in order to become stronger, is it worth taking a certain risk?"

"Powerful? Risky? To what extent?"

"Strong enough to survive, the risk is death...that kind of thing."

"So extreme? Seriously?"

"Of course... no, isn't this statement a bit misleading? To be more specific, there is a certain probability in my current life that I will be in trouble in my future life, and the means of struggle I can think of will also have a certain probability of leading to the same result. , but if you choose to struggle, maybe it will get better.”

"Well, it's a bit complicated. Are you torn between waiting silently for things to get worse, or taking the initiative to change it? And taking the initiative may have other gains, right?"

"Taking the initiative may directly lead to something worse." Wang Shui leaned on the bed feebly. This question was beyond what his gambler mentality could handle.

With Wang Shui's character, he is more inclined to escape.

"Take the initiative!" Shino clenched her right fist and said forcefully.

"What?"

"I say take the initiative! Just like a ship sailing in a storm, the steering wheel cannot be handed over to others! People should not slowly rot in comfortable self-deception, but should have the dignity of intelligent creatures! We can move, So we have to act, we can think, so we have to find ways to solve problems!”

To be honest, Wang Shui was inspired by the determined little girl in front of him.

"What a gorgeous sentence structure, but it's a bit inconsistent." This was his first emotion.

"I just saw it online yesterday, but I didn't expect it to come in handy today."

"Thank you... I've been encouraged. Well, just this time, I'll take the initiative." Wang Shui touched his face and made up his mind.

"Your determination sounds so weak~"

"Wow, don't hit me right away."

The subsequent conversation gradually became lively and divergent, and the boys and girls chatted until midnight.

"There's a sense of companionship that we've just met too late." Shino stood up and was the first to make a conclusion.

"I have heard many similar comments. Maybe this is my talent." Wang Shui walked Shino to the door and said goodbye,

"See you tomorrow, Shino."

"Well, see you tomorrow."

After the clingy kitten left, Shui Wang did not rest. Instead, he opened the e-commerce platform and ordered some materials that could be delivered quickly.

Indeed, instead of staying in reality and waiting anxiously for Mr. Tong to become famous, it would be better to enter SAO directly - and then watch Mr. Tong kill everyone.

The unexpected exchange with Shino made Wang Shui, who was wavering, decide to go inside SAO and have a look, so that he would know everything even if he died.

But before entering the game, preparations must be completed, no, excessive preparations must be made!

With the confirmation of the order, Wang Shui's deposits have basically bottomed out.

…

The next few days were a very ordinary and comfortable campus routine.

However, Wang Shui was not in the mood to go to class. He began to intensively search for combat tutorials and videos on the Internet, especially those from his hometown. Whether they were traditional or modern, if there was text, he would copy it all, and if there was no text, he would summarize it himself.

It’s too late to learn, so memorize it first and then talk.

November 5th, the day before the SAO server was launched, was an ordinary Saturday.

Wang Shui, who went to school with Shino for three days and worked as a flower protector for three days, received an invitation from Shino on Saturday.

It doesn't feel like a date, more like good buddies hanging out together in the shopping street next to the apartment.

A few hours of leisure time passed quickly. After having dinner together, we went back to our respective homes. And Wang Shui also finally completed the adjustment of NERvGear on the last night.

In view of the "brain-burning" configuration of the original game running platform NERvGear, Wang Shui added a new protection module between NERvGear's hidden battery and the physical connection of the microwave sensor to monitor the battery output power within a safe range. Actively adjust the voltage and current, so that even if you die in the game, your brain will not be burned out.

It sounds simple, but it actually takes a lot of time because the parameters marked on the NERvGear motherboard are not complete.

Then, for the entire night tonight, Aoi wasn't going to sleep. He wanted to go over all the information he found at high speed.

The learning ability brought by his talent has enhanced his memory, but it still does not achieve the effect of photographic memory.

So tonight Wang Shui seems to have returned to the day before the final exam in college.

November 6th, Sunday, one o'clock in the afternoon.

I had already put on the Aqua Regia of NERvGear, and at the moment when the countdown ended, I shouted:

"Link Start!" (Shame)

The game screen starts loading.

Wang Shui quickly skips various options that only require confirmation, and uses the preset real information when creating the character, with the default face model and hairstyle.

Soon, the colorful light that entered the game lit up, and Wang Shui, who was lying flat on the bed, felt a change in the center of gravity of his body, and he "stood" up.

The solid ground felt under my feet, and the surrounding colors blurred out like water mist. Almost instantly, an extremely clear and real picture rushed into my eyes.

"Good guy, with this technical ability, can we have such a powerful graphics calculator in 22 years?"

Wang Shui muttered, but his feet were already moving. He ran towards the street on the west side of the initial square, rushed into the weapon store - the grocery store next to it, and then used all the koels (currency) on his body to buy black and One pen each for red, and all the remaining money bought the cheapest paper.

It would be troublesome to be teleported to the square afterwards, so Wang Shui simply didn't leave.

He ran to the entrance of a small cafe-like shop on the edge of the square, took a seat at the outdoor tables and chairs, and immediately started writing furiously.

The dictation test has begun.

The knowledge he had recited over the past few days in his memory was sorted by Wang Shui in the order of the first letter of the title, which made it easier to remember. The next step was to restore them to paper.

The pen tip slid at high speed on the rough paper, making a pleasant rustling sound.

During this time, blue-white light and shadow continued to appear on the side square, and a large number of players came online one after another, and then all of them marveled at this exquisite world.

Most players started walking around the city, some rushed out of the city to find battles, and veterans who had made some preparations started looking for mission NPCs in the guide.

Some people also noticed Wang Shui writing furiously and thought he was a special NPC who came up to talk to him, and then received a vicious look.

Time passed little by little, the sky gradually became darker, and Wang Shui's body began to feel heavy.

The muscles in the back, neck, arms and even fingers are calling the police, and the soreness and tingling sensation are extremely real.

But he could still endure it. The speed of the pen tip dancing on the paper did not slow down at all, but the dimming of the surrounding light began to affect Wang Shui's sight.

Wang Shui took some time out of his busy schedule, put the index and middle fingers of his right hand together, and slid downward slightly in the air, and the system panel was called out.

He moved the position of the panel upward a little so that it would not affect the viewing angle when he lowered his head, and then continued writing with the help of the light from the white panel.

Until a certain point in time, the square gradually became noisy, a large number of blue light pillars flashed, and then more and more people were teleported back to the square.

"What's going on?" "Can I quit now?" "I want to report this game."

Such words jumped out from the noise. Wang Shui paid close attention, but the writing on his hand did not stop.

Then the sky darkened, and then a red light shot down.

So, is the real drama about to begin?

————

"Dear players, welcome to my world."

————

Under the sky covered with bright red checkerboard patterns, a crimson cloaked giant nearly twenty meters tall was opening his ethereal arms to address the future residents of [Aincrad].

The players in the square opened their mouths wide but were silent.

[My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and I am the only person who can control this world now. 】

[I think all players should have noticed that the exit button has disappeared from the main menu screen, but this is not a problem with the game. I repeat, this is not a problem with the game, because the original version of "Sword Art Online" is like this. 】

[From now on, you will not be able to exit this game by yourself until you reach the top of this castle. 】

[In addition, there is no way for outsiders to stop or deactivate the operation of NERvGear. If someone tries to do so, the microwaves emitted by the signal element of NERvGear will damage your brain and stop your life activities. 】

As this sentence fell, there was a brief silence followed by a small commotion, as if they still didn't understand what it meant.

Wang Shui, who had been mentally and physically prepared for a long time, also felt a heavy sense of oppression inexplicably.

Of course, the pen in his hand still did not stop.

[More specifically, the external power supply is cut off for more than ten minutes, the network is disconnected for more than two hours, an attempt is made to destroy the NERvGear body or the fixed lock is released - only under the above conditions will the brain destruction program be executed. These conditions have been announced to the outside world through our company and the media. 】

[By the way, at this point in time, many family members and friends of players have ignored my warning and tried to forcefully cancel NERvGear, and the result is...]

[——Unfortunately, there are currently 573 players who have permanently retired from the real world and "Aincrad". 】

The square was noisy again, this time much louder and denser, with many cries mixed in.

Many people began to yell and curse at the giant in the sky, as if this would dispel their fear.

[There is no need to worry about your body in the real world. Nowadays, all TV, radio, and online media have repeatedly reported on this situation and warned of the occurrence of many victims. Therefore, the risk of the NERvGear on your heads being forcibly removed can be said to have been reduced to a very low level. . 】

Sacrifice, in addition to dying for faith, also has the ancient meaning of being a sacrifice.

[From now on, your body in the real world should be transported to a hospital or other facility during the two-hour disconnection buffer time while wearing NERvGear, and then carefully cared for. 】

[I hope you can feel at ease...just focus on conquering the game. 】

This sentence once again aroused a wave of warm greetings, and some familiar special words began to burst out rhythmically, which was more interesting than pure noise.

[However, I hope everyone will pay special attention to the fact that for everyone, SAO is no longer just a game, but another real world. From now on... all resurrection functions will be canceled in the game, so the moment HP reaches zero, your character will disappear forever, and at the same time... your brain will be destroyed by NERvGear. 】

Okay, it's much quieter now.

The fear of death shrouded like a bright red barrier in the sky, and the densely packed players in the square exuded a substantial negative aura.

Death in the game means death in reality.

These words cut off the courage of most players to enter the dangerous area.

[There is only one condition that can liberate you from this game, which is what I just mentioned, reaching the highest level of "Aincrad", which is the 100th floor, and then defeating the final creature waiting there. Demon King. I guarantee that at that moment, all surviving players can safely exit the game. 】

Wang Shui had long forgotten Kayaba Akihiko's death game declaration. He had only seen this beginning once in an anime more than ten years ago. After that, even if he occasionally reviewed the plot, he would skip this section directly.

I have to admit that the atmosphere has been created very successfully, and all the players below feel like they have lost their souls.

Wang Shui continued to control the speeding pen very calmly, writing hurried but steady words.

【in addition……】

[Among you, among the 224,506 players who have logged in today and are still online, there is a smart guy who seems to have discovered the hidden dangers of NERvGear. He used physical means to , installed a power limiter for the hidden rechargeable battery. 】

Boom!

His heart seemed to be clenched instantly, and the pen in Wang Shui's hand drew a deep ink mark on the rough paper.

[A very thoughtful guy who has indeed effectively ensured the safety of NERvGear. So, with your body in place, I would update the control system in your NERvGear and enable the hidden jumpers under the board's reserve capacitor bank, then reconnect the battery - as a reward to the wise, in the system Before the update, you were the only player allowed to be resurrected, so enjoy the game. 】

At this point, the repressed aura of fear in the square finally covered Shui Wang.

[Finally, let me show you the evidence that this world is the only reality for you. There are gifts I prepared in your inventory, please take a look. 】

The wicked face-restoring small mirror allows all players to play with their real faces. Is this the basis for reality?

Wang Shui did not reach for the hand-held mirror in the props bar. The tiny shimmer of light still shone on his face. It seemed that he had been forced to restore his own appearance.

[You must be thinking why now. Why——Kayaba Akihiko, the developer of SAO and NERvGear, did this? Is this a large-scale terrorist act? Or a kidnapping for ransom? 】

[These are not my goals. It can even be said that I have no purpose or reason now. If you want to say why...it's because for me, this situation is the ultimate goal. To create this world and watch it, it was for this purpose that I invented NERvGear and created SAO. And now, all my goals have been achieved. 】

[…That’s it for the game description of the official operation of “Sword Art Online”. Dear players - I wish you good luck. 】

In the aftermath of the last sentence, the cloaked giant floated up and dissolved into the sky, and the bright red checkerboard-style blockade gradually disappeared.

The initial town returned to its original color, and then the entire square shook due to the noise.