SAO - A New Matrix

-IX-

Some Inn Bar, Town of the Beginnings – Present

"Blackberry juice?" Lisbeth whispered.

I led her to the nearest tavern, located just off the bustling plaza, a place known for its lively atmosphere and delectable brews in the Beta. As we walked in, her eerie silence didn't change one bit; resembling an unresponsive corpse, her gaze distant and unfocused. Once we settled at a wooden bar table, I decided to take a gamble. In an attempt to lift her spirits, I ordered the most extravagant drink on the menu, splurging an excessive 500 Col. My wallet felt significantly lighter. Goodbye to all my quests' money, I thought, but I was willing to take the risk for her.

While we waited for the beverage, I saw her concentrating on something on her user interface, her fingers moving deftly across the screen. Just as her drink arrived—an ornate tankard frothing with a dark purple color— drew her back to reality, momentarily distracted from whatever depths she was grappling with.

"Not exactly," I clarified. "But it should be equal in smell and color..."

The chocolate-haired woman comes back to the living world, flinching and locking our sights.

"N-n-neo...y-you..." She stammered with wide eyes.

"Me." I waved friendly. "Crazy times, isn't it?"

She slowly nods back.

...

"Why don't you take a sip?" I invited her. "It should calm the nerves."

Seemed like Lisbeth was operating with some delay, since there were several seconds before she decided to turn at her brew. Gradually drinking it, giving a few gulps as a result.

"It's good." She leveled her drink back on the board. "I appreciate it." A smile finally drew on her face.

"Mmh." I hummed in approbation.

This time the silence was one of comfort.

"What...happen-" The freckled girl ended the quietness. "About the game, what the dev said, do you think...that's true?"

"About SAO becoming a prison?" I lazily rested my chin on my hand over the tall bar table. "If by the next 24 hours nothing changes, then yeah...we are cooked."

"B-but!" Biting her lower lip, she turned to me. "It shouldn't stay like that forever, right? I mean, it's just one man! Our parents...the Japanese government can't ignore this! They will be involved, and everyone will be back to the real world!"

"You made a perfect and valid argument." I shot back while glancing at her from the side. "If it was applied to a normal human being."

"Eh?"

I sighed. I hope she can bear the truth. "Kayaba Akihiko it's more than just the creator of SAO and the «NerveGear». He was classified worldwide by the tech community as a super genius, one who is born every 100 years at only 28 years old. If that man really put an effort, then him holding us prisoners even against the Japanese government won't be a crazy scenario."

I wonder if the same is applied to the case of all other governments working together to get us out.

Her brows twitched, "How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. "However, I believe If we aren't out in a few hours, it's a state problem. If a few days pass, it's an international problem. If a few months pass, it means that the whole world working together has failed or refuses to provide any solution. Only time will tell us."

Time will always respond to everything...or at least it should...

"Why..." She lowered her gaze while her face contorted in a sign of anxiety. "Why a person would do something like this."

"It's not important." I confidently responded. "Any motivation is beyond human reasoning. Wherever that asshole is, can never see the sunlight again because if he does intelligence would catch him. He basically condemned himself to be a living corpse, what rational actor would do that?"

He was a millionaire and had a secured passage to become a billionaire in the future. Why throw into the garbage all your work and future to kill random citizens? That's why I didn't care about his motivations. He can shove his villainous-Disney-like speech up his a*s. Scr*w with him!

"...What should we do then?" Lisbeth murmured, her eyes drifting downwards, heavy with uncertainty.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts, straightening my posture as I prepared to lay out our options. "I think there're three paths we can take." I raised my right index finger, emphasizing my point with deliberate clarity. "First: we can simply survive."

I paused, allowing the weight of my words to settle. "You don't really have to take any specific actions because, sooner or later, something will inevitably change. Whether it's by the actions of players or the interventions from outside forces, only fate knows. If you choose to remain in this town until the endgame, you'll find safety. Surviving without food or a permanent shelter isn't a concern; you can rest wherever you want and won't worry about falling ill or dying," for now.

I intentionally omit the darker possibilities —such as the game never being clearer or with no ways to help us from the government.

"No human needs except for sleep? Is that simple?" Her brows furrowed in disbelief.

"Well...it's more a gray area to be honest with." I nodded slowly, conceding a bit of ground in my argument. "Yes, hunger pangs should gnaw at you, and the idea of sleeping in the streets strips you of any sense of privacy. Nonetheless, you will live. Miserably, in deep depression even, but it should allow you to survive."

It won't surprise me if most people choose this option...or perhaps choose to do the bare minimum to not stay as beggars.

"Second: Live comfortably." I raised my middle finger...in a no obscene meaning this time. "Explore, seek adventures but make sure to be always safe. After all, this is a game, and if we're going to be around for a prolonged time, we might as well savor every moment at our grasp." I stopped my musings for a moment. "Build relationships and engage with hobbies that ignite your zest for life; they can serve as distractions, keep us grounded amidst the madness that became this world."

I glanced over to Lisbeth, noticing her expression shifted as she absorbed my words. Her eyes are a touch brighter now, sparking with curiosity and hope at my words. "And third: Fight," I continued, raising my ring finger. "This is about rallying with players who share a common goal: beat the game, which means conquering the bosses floor by floor until we reach and defeat the 100th. A simple task, but I can't stress enough how risky it truly is."

The brown-haired girl frowns while looking at her thighs, lost in deep thought.

What says the clock-san?

18:15

I get up from my bar stool. "I am choosing the third option," I said without beating the bush. "Which means I'm off now."

"Wait!" She grabbed my left arm tight, wide eyes again. "Y-you don't need to go! I mean...I thought...that we can-" A pleading message behind.

"In an MMO, resources are limited. Once everyone gets out of the initial shock, the fields around this town will be bled dry in a wink." I explain patiently. "Which means getting strong will be much more difficult than before. Those who ride the first wave will lead the fight against the raid bosses."

Her grasp submitted little by little. "I must go," I said with conviction.

...until her hold conceded.

Lisbeth turned away trembling. "I thought we could work together..." She muttered while grief was written all over her body language.

"I'm sorry."

"...What should I do? I thought about becoming a blacksmith, but now..." The mace user began to ramble to herself.

"Wait, you said a blacksmith?" I catched an important piece of information. "You mean, you wanna grind all the skills for blacksmithing?" I take a step towards her.

"Ah? Eh...well." She looked confused by my sudden enthusiasm. "I was gonna give it a try and-"

"That's actually a good choice." I mused, right hand on my chin in a thoughtful pose. "The blacksmithing skills can give you experience, which means you won't need to go outside to grind levels. It should give plenty amounts of money, if you lower your labor costs under the NPC services at the beginning, of course. Later on, you could create powerful equipment for high prices. It should provide you safeness and self-sufficiency."

"R-really!?" Now her spirit was ignited too. Her gaze glowed with hope.

I nodded.

She sighs in relief. "Thanks to the Gods. I thought I would go nuts on a street corner or worse..."

Yeah, that sounds like a plausible future for some players.

"It's settled then."

But after the first rush of good news went off, it also came the realization that we must part ways from here onwards. Her relief was short-lived as her anxiety returned in a darting eye game between me and the floor. What should I say? I'm basically telling her 'Good luck, you are by yourself.'

What can I do?

"You know what that means?" A lady dressed in green points up towards something.

It was a wooden board with letters. "It's Latin, means: Know thyself."

Oracle...let me borrow some of your wisdom.

I decided to go for it. "Even if we can't meet too often, we still have the message feature. Also-" I put my hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "It's okay to feel in danger at first, however as soon as your stats and banking go up, you will see things in another light."

"The thing is...you don't need to believe in all the rantings of this fool." I gesture with my free hand towards me in an attempt at a self-deprecated joke. "You're in control of your own life, remember?"

I noticed that her face show significantly less inner turmoil; the lines of worry that used to etch her brow had noticeably faded. Despite this progress, a faint hint of insecurity still flickered in her eyes, as if she were holding onto a shadows of doubt. "Here-" I reached the big mug resting on the bar table, passed it back to her with a gentle nudge. "Take another sip," I encouraged, wanting to see her embrace the moment. "I promise by the time you finish this," I adopted a soft smile that reflected my genuine hope for her, "-you'll feel right as rain."

I have done my best to ease away whatever lingering fears she held. The rest is up to her.