Money Can Buy Everything

026: Does anyone recognize me?

"Now I believe that you were prepared for everything."

Reimu's lips twitched with a trace of dissatisfaction, but she had to acknowledge the reality.

"The skills [Confidentiality] and [Trust] were tailor-made for this operation, right? With the [Trust] skill, your words can be verified as true or false by the trading authority. If it's the truth, the trading partner will trust you unconditionally. They won't doubt whether the trade will happen and will take it for granted without any suspicion."

"As for [Confidentiality] with this skill, you can act openly and freely, otherwise, you would have been hunted down by the whole world."

"And finally, '[Learning] and [Teaching].' With this skill, it's impossible for you not to become an exceptionally skilled swordsman in Sword Art Online. I have a feeling that in the later stages, you'll create a character with maxed-out skills and proficiencies, a real powerhouse."

Momo looked at Kirito and Klein walking towards him, and he sheathed his sword, saying, "Well, I won't deny that '[Learning] and [Teaching]' was specifically chosen for Sword Art Online. As for the first two skills, they are the foundation of all transactions."

"No trust, no trade; no secrecy, no security."

"Hmph, so you dare say that this isn't a blessing from a god to you?"

"I've said it before, it's not. Different skills just lead me to act differently, and perhaps I'll need to employ more cunning and tricks. However, the methods I use won't change the ultimate outcome. What the gods seek is just a result."

Momo absolutely wouldn't admit to being favored by gods; otherwise, it would taint his image of being clever, intelligent, handsome, and invincible. What if later, Reimu looked down on him because of this? How would he live then?

"Hmph, well, say whatever you want."

Reimu also felt the same way as Momo. She would never admit that Momo's actions and achievements stimulated her, and for the first time in her life, she admired an ordinary human being.

"Momo, can you check your menu? Is there a login button at the lower right corner?"

After finding out they couldn't log out, Kirito and Klein wore anxious expressions, with a vague sense of foreboding. Naturally, Momo wouldn't refuse and followed their instructions.

"Oh, there's really no login button, what's going on?"

"Momo, as a celebrity, haven't you received any notifications? This should be a major event, right?"

Klein seemed to assume that Momo had an extraordinary identity and asked somewhat hesitantly. Momo shook his head helplessly and comforted the two with a smile, "Well, there shouldn't be any problem. Can this game really keep us trapped inside until we die? Since we can't leave, I might as well level up. This game is indeed interesting!"

"Haha, Momo, you're joking. But what you said is true. Right now, what we should be most concerned about is not ourselves but the game's operator. If this game really has a serious problem, countless people will suffer."

Klein rubbed his head, assuming that Momo was just making jokes, and said, "Momo, how much loot did you get? The drop rate in this game is really low!"

"Is it? I think it's not bad!"

Momo opened his inventory and used the display function to show his gains to the two. He said, "I really want to level up to level 2 soon. This wild boar leather armor set is a white-grade equipment, but it still requires level 2."

"Ah..."

"Uh..."

"Clatter" x2.

"Thump" x2.

Kirito and Klein both dropped their swords and fell to their knees.

"Master Kirito, how do you explain this phenomenon? Is our luck just terrible, or is Momo's luck just too good?"

"It's inexplicable. With my years of gaming experience, I can only conclude that we've encountered the legendary person blessed by the heavens. In any case, we should pay our respects."

Both of them were joking, but they were truly surprised and envious of Momo's extraordinary luck. After playing around for a while, they forced Momo to promise to prepare two sets of equipment for them before they resumed leveling.

However, unlike the original story, with Momo, who could control the atmosphere subtly, the three of them continued to hunt monsters and level up, putting the inability to log out to the back of their minds. Since there would be someone handling it, they just needed to wait for news.

At this moment, from the center of the Starting City, Tolbana, in the distance, a melodious bell rang, resounding throughout the first floor. The three of them couldn't help but look in the direction, all having the same thought.

Has the issue finally been resolved?

...

A pure white light shimmered, and each person's "Mirror of Truth" also displayed their true appearance. Everyone looked at each other, and their fear of the death game was temporarily suppressed as they were startled by the real appearances of their companions.

The handsome ones turned into ordinary people, the strong young men turned into old uncles, and the most absurd was the soft young girl, who turned into a 7-foot tall, 300-pound muscle-bound man.

"Hey, are you guys alright? Kirito, Momo... Ah, who are you!"

After reverting to his real appearance, Klein, who now looked like a desolate youth, yelled while pointing at the baby-faced Kirito, then turned to look at Momo and said, "Momo, you still look the same."

"I... I am Kirito, then... you're Klein!"

Both of them quickly figured out the truth; it wasn't something difficult to understand. They had just returned to their original appearances. The two simultaneously looked at Momo, his slightly feminine and handsome face causing their mouths to twitch.

This Momo guy really hadn't changed his appearance, and he was still this handsome!

His luck was so good; it defied the natural order!

After a brief commotion, everyone's attention returned to the floating figure of Kayaba. The sight of the enormous Death God avatar only increased their anxiety.

"In your hearts, you must be wondering why Kayaba, the developer of SAO, would do such a thing. My purpose has already been achieved. I created this world of SAO to observe him, to observe all of you and the development of this world."

"Now, all of my objectives have been achieved. That concludes the official launch announcement of SAO. Enjoy your game, players."

As soon as his words fell, Kayaba's body turned into a crimson mist and disappeared, merging into the blood-red characters at the top. The blood-red barrier also vanished, and Tolbana returned to its scene under the evening sun.

Kayaba had vanished, and the square remained in complete silence. Everyone's mouths hung open, shocked and amazed to the point of mental paralysis.

At this moment, they finally realized that Kayaba wasn't joking, and this wasn't a bold marketing stunt by the gaming company. Everything was real. This was a death game. This was... reality!

"No... No... I don't want to be here!"

"Don't joke around, let us out, release us from here!"

"I want to get out! I have a date outside! GM, let me out!"

"He wants to kill us, he really wants to kill us! What should we do?"

"I don't believe this! He must be lying to us. I want to get out of this game!"

One player couldn't handle the pressure any longer and rushed out of the square, running to the edge of Aincrad, the floating castle. They climbed onto the railing, facing the endless clouds, and yelled before jumping out.

This action once again plunged everyone into silence. Countless hearts raced as they waited for the result.

Two minutes later, the result appeared. The name of that player appeared on the Iron Memorial Stone, with a line drawn across it, indicating their death. The cause of death was a fall from a great height.

The fear of death truly gripped everyone's hearts. This world was not a joke!

"Momo, Klein, come with me. I have something to tell you."

Kirito clenched his fists, being the first one to believe that Kayaba was speaking the truth. In order to survive, to become stronger in this game, and to clear it and return to the real world, they must act now.

Klein hesitated for a moment but instinctively followed Kirito. However, Kirito didn't pull Momo along.

"Momo?"

"I'm sorry, Kirito-kun, just wait a moment."

Saying that, Momo raised his hand and began clapping loudly, walking towards the Iron Memorial Stone. This action immediately attracted everyone's attention. Coupled with Momo's outstanding appearance, many people looked at him silently.

A glimmer of hope arose in their hearts. What was this man going to say or do? Did he know some inside information? Would he have a way to let everyone log out of the game?

"Everyone, please quiet down. I have something important to say!"

Momo's expression turned serious, causing all players to startle. Even Kirito and Klein, who wanted to pull Momo back, were stunned. It was the first time they had seen Momo so serious.

Could it be that Momo really had a way to save everyone?

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you going to reveal the truth of the game to everyone?"

"Of course not. I won't disclose the truth to anyone. It's a long-term condition. Until the truth of the game is unveiled, I can't do that."

"Then what are you going to do? Everyone is getting agitated, and if you provoke their anger, your situation won't be good, right?"

"I have no choice. I'm just anxious right now."

In the blink of an eye, Momo completed a telepathic conversation with Reimu, without affecting his ability to address the crowd. He opened his mouth, but he spoke lines that no one expected.

"Everyone, do any of you know me?"

Huh?

Know you?

What is going on!

"In fact, I really hope that no one knows me, so none of my acquaintances would be trapped in this game. I'm just here to ask, sorry for the disturbance. The more chaotic the situation, the more we should remain calm, shouldn't we?"

"Hey, Momo, have you gone crazy?"

Klein quickly rushed over to pull Momo back, fearing that Momo would provoke the wrath of the crowd.

"Sorry, sorry, he's just a little excited. I'll take him away now, please don't be angry!"