Because the version he'd purchased wasn't the initial release, the NPC intelligence had already reached a level indistinguishable from real people — even tricking him during quests.
For example, refusing to give rewards, or giving rewards that didn't match what was promised.
What surprised him most was the game's control over body strength scaling.
Even in his world, where virtual games had been developed for a long time and countless classics existed, only a handful of virtual games could do this.
As players leveled up, their body's attributes would improve.
Simple in concept. But the difficulty was harder than creating a virtual game from scratch — and the hardest part was getting the degree right.
Floating, unstable strength and thoroughly tempered strength were completely different things.
Kayaba Akihiko's SAO handled it well. At the very least, Flying Squirrel couldn't find fault with it.
Heathcliff: Apologies. I was being slightly irrational just now.
Heathcliff: That's a difference in the worlds — not the games.
Kayaba had just been venting. How could he not know that none of this was the game's fault? The root cause was the difference between worlds.
His world had no isekai incidents.
Richest Man: Is the gap really that huge?
Richest Man: Isn't SAO the first virtual game made in your world?
Richest Man: And you're already吐槽ing YGGDRASIL.
Richest Man: I don't even know what to say.
One was the first virtual game ever. The other was a long-developed classic online game. The former was actually superior to the latter — who would believe that?
Generally shouldn't the latter be better than the former?! The kicker was that even Flying Squirrel had admitted it.
Ordinary Group Leader: Well, the creation goals were different.
Ordinary Group Leader: One was made to earn money. The other was to build a real fantasy world.
Ordinary Group Leader: Naturally, it would strive to make every part of the game more realistic.
Ordinary Group Leader: If I hadn't just bought YGGDRASIL recently, I'd want to buy a copy of SAO and try it.
Su Yunqing said with a hint of regret.
Virtual online games required a fair number of points. As an anime enthusiast, she definitely couldn't miss an anime-licensed game — but YGGDRASIL was only level twenty-something, and who knew how long until max level?
Now asking her to play a new game on top of that — she didn't have the energy.
After all, her real world was more exciting than any game world.
Fallen Angel: So fun!
Fallen Angel: This SAO is really so fun!
Fallen Angel: SO fun!
Fallen Angel: Strongly recommend you all try it!
Fallen Angel: gnash teeth.jpg
At this moment, Gabriel also started recommending it in the chat group.
White Rabbit: This tone... Did something happen to you in the game?
White Rabbit: Why does it sound like when I play a depressing game, get depressed, and then recommend it to others saying it's healing?
As a fellow game enthusiast, Umaru spotted Gabriel's oddity immediately!
Flying Squirrel: Probably because this game doesn't have a gacha function?
Flying Squirrel couldn't think of anything else in SAO that could make Gabriel this furious.
To be fair, when he'd watched Gabriel's memory copy and seen how extravagantly she spent after her fall, he couldn't help but marvel.
Even at his most whale-spending phase, he probably didn't match Gabriel's gacha spending.
Fallen Angel: Gacha?
Fallen Angel: No no no — while that's annoying, it's not the main issue!
Gabriel shook her head at Flying Squirrel's message.
Sure, not being able to gacha for powerful items directly was a bit不爽 — but in a way, that also demonstrated SAO's excellence.
The in-game currency had to be earned through quests and monster hunting.
A real world naturally wouldn't allow exchanging another world's currency for its own.
Gabriel could accept that fully.
What really, truly, absolutely infuriated her — the NPCs!
Fallen Angel: @Heathcliff — why the hell do these NPCs LIE?!!!
Fallen Angel: A quest-giver NPC promised to reward me for clearing out the boar pack, and when I finished the task they claimed they didn't even know me?!
Fallen Angel: And I can't even kill them! Kill the NPC and the village blacklists me, and the patrol forces hunt me down?!
Fallen Angel: The thing is — because of the level gap, I can't even beat them. I can only run!
Fallen Angel: Aaaaah!!!!!!
From Gabriel's tone alone, you could feel her rage boiling over.
First time experiencing a virtual game.
First time doing a quest in a virtual game.
First time hunting monsters in a game.
It should've been so delightful. And then that NPC had to lie!
How was Gabriel supposed to accept that?!
Never once in any game she'd played before had this ever happened!
Heathcliff: .
Heathcliff: Well — the SAO in the chat group mall is the post-open-beta version, the one Kirito and his party cleared. So those NPCs' personalities grew closer to real humans over time.
Heathcliff: Among humans, scoundrels are hardly rare.
Heathcliff: So...
Fallen Angel: So I just happened to run into a scoundrel and got tricked — is that it?!
Fallen Angel: Aaaaah!!!
Fallen Angel: Trash game!
Fallen Angel: Hmph!
Heathcliff: .
Kayaba had no counter. Though his carefully crafted game was being cursed, he couldn't argue back.
When he'd designed this aspect, he'd also looked into how players would react upon discovering they'd been tricked by NPCs.
He just never expected to witness a player's reaction — instead, he witnessed a fallen angel's.
...A fallen angel still counted as an angel, right?
White Rabbit: hahahahaha
White Rabbit: Good thing I bought YGGDRASIL first.
White Rabbit: Sure, the NPCs aren't that smart — but games don't have to be that much like reality.
White Rabbit: Super fun.jpg
To Umaru, a game's realism didn't have to come from the NPCs. Good graphics and high immersion were enough.
Reality and games should be kept separate.
Fallen Angel: Sigh — would've been better to buy YGGDRASIL back then. depressed.jpg
Gabriel looked at Umaru's message and said,郁闷.
What to do now?
Buy YGGDRrasil and properly enjoy a real virtual game again — or keep playing SAO?
The NPCs were too smart for their own good, but the skill mechanics and combat freedom were second to none.
Gabriel hesitated.
(End of Chapter)
———
Please give me Power Stones!
Support me on Patreon @ patreon(dot)com/SorenEclipse
Read 15 Chapters Ahead on Patreon!