Chapter 130: A Completely Different Sword Art Online
"Whether it's possible or not doesn't matter anymore. Even if he isn't dead, we've already seized quite a bit of admin authority — that alone is enough."
As they spoke, Momo let out a long sigh of relief, stretching her arms high above her head. The towel wrapped around her body loosened slightly, revealing her stunning curves. Naina shot her a fierce glare, and Franklin quickly turned his eyes away.
"We managed to take control of the admin permissions for floors 80 through 100. Once players reach the 80th floor, we'll have the authority to let them log out."
Momo's satisfied smile made Franklin feel genuinely happy for her.
"This really helped us a lot. There's one more favor I need to ask — my in-game avatar is still trapped in that special data space. I'll need you two to send me back."
Momo adjusted the interface, pulling up Franklin's first-person view from within the game. Seeing it, Franklin immediately recalled the three screens he hadn't been able to interact with before.
His real body sat cross-legged while part of his consciousness split off and returned to the game world. Standing before the three floating screens, Franklin asked,
"Momo, can you decipher what kind of operations were performed on these screens before?"
Seeing that the second window displayed only a progress bar, Momo shook her head helplessly. But when her gaze shifted to the third window, her eyes brightened.
"The third one's just a system notice. Kayaba Akihiko is dead. The administrator he appointed has already been activated. When I was competing with it for control, I managed to grab some of its data. Its name is Strea — a mental-state management support AI."
With his main consciousness back in the game, a pillar of light surrounded Franklin, and in the next instant, he was teleported to a grassy slope outside. Knowing the girls were still searching below, he stepped into the nearby cave.
Once more he reached the central hall with six tunnels branching out. After hesitating briefly, he steeled himself and entered the one he hadn't explored.
This time, the passage was bright all the way to the end — a normal boss room. The four girls were spread around, searching for him.
As Franklin stepped through the entrance, Lala and Bulma immediately spotted him.
"There's Franklin! Asuna, Mith — over here!"
Hearing Bulma's shout, the other two turned and ran over.
Lala dashed toward him, and Franklin opened his arms wide. The two embraced tightly.
"Lin! Where did you go? We checked every other passage — they were all dead ends! Did we really just miss each other completely?"
Seeing the curiosity on everyone's faces, Franklin thought for a moment before summarizing briefly:
"Kayaba Akihiko tried to mess with us outsiders. The reason the Goblin King's level kept fluctuating was because of him. I found him later, but… he had an accident. He's dead now."
His calm tone and expression didn't match the shocking news, leaving Asuna and Mith wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Kayaba Akihiko… died?!"
The two hurriedly checked their logout options, but Franklin continued,
"Even though he's dead, his administrator position has already been transferred to someone else. I'm not sure who. So logging out still requires clearing the game — but this time, we only need to reach the 80th floor instead of the 100th."
The mixed good-and-bad news made Asuna and Mith's hearts pound.
"Seriously? Can't you just say everything in one go? You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Mith pouted in frustration, but Asuna quickly came to Franklin's defense.
"Mith, Mr. Franklin's helped us so much already. You shouldn't speak to him like that."
Asuna's words stunned Mith for a moment before she grinned mischievously, grabbed Asuna's cheeks, and gave them a playful tug.
"Wow, one day and you're already siding with him over your best friend? Don't forget — he's got two gorgeous girls with him. You don't stand a chance."
"I-I'm not—! Don't talk nonsense…"
Asuna's face flushed red as she tugged Mith's cheeks in return. The two playfully scuffled until Bulma cleared her throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"Lala is Franklin's fiancée — they're officially engaged. I'm his girlfriend. It's… a bit different."
Her blunt explanation left both Asuna and Mith momentarily speechless. Bulma went on,
"Anyway, now's not the time to discuss relationships. It's getting dark — we should head back."
Neither Franklin nor Lala thought anything of her words, but Asuna and Mith fell silent, still trying to wrap their heads around the trio's complicated situation.
By the time they returned to town, night had fallen. Other beta testers had also begun arriving at the city nearest to the Starting Town. Franklin, surrounded by four beautiful girls, drew plenty of attention — several small male groups even tried to approach.
But before they could get close, one sharp glare from Franklin, accompanied by a wave of oppressive intent, left them dazed and frozen on the spot.
Back at the inn where the five of them had stayed before, Franklin spotted a very familiar figure in the lobby — Kirito, the supposed protagonist of Sword Art Online.
To Franklin's surprise, beside Kirito stood a girl he hadn't expected to see at all: his younger sister, Suguha Kirigaya. Her expression was dark and hollow, her spirit clearly shaken.
The sight of Franklin's group also caught Kirito's attention. When his eyes landed on Asuna, a faint smile curved his lips — but as soon as he saw Lala and Bulma, his pupils shrank. Meeting Franklin's piercing gaze head-on, he immediately looked away and lowered his head.
He gently tried to lead Suguha away, but she jerked free of his grasp.
"Don't touch me! I can walk on my own!"
The outburst drew everyone's attention. Concerned, Lala quickly went over, while Bulma, ever observant, noticed how unstable the girl's condition seemed and followed as well.
Asuna and Mith were about to intervene, but Franklin raised a hand, silently signaling them to wait.
Kirito forced a polite smile and stepped in front of Lala and Suguha.
"Sorry. This is my sister. The death game's just been hard on her — she's a little shaken up, that's all."
His words were completely ignored. Lala slipped past him in a blur and went straight to Suguha's side — where she could see the girl's body trembling faintly.
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