Scene 58

It... It can't be... All of them?

I...was hoping it might not be true...

My party members are gone, too... I didn't even realize.

But Saayu was right about one thing—we don't know if people who die in the game are actually dead in real life.

Maybe they were able to log out normally. We have no way of knowing what really happened.

Either way, our friends won't be coming back to this world... That amounts to the same thing, when you think about it.

Heh, as if 100 floors wasn't dangerous enough, now we have this Swordsman of Salvation quest to do... And if it's for real...we're all dead, that's for sure.

I don't want to die...

I'll do it.

Do what?

The quest—the one which punishes failure with annihilation.

Not sure what one high schooler can do to stop the apocalypse, but I'm not about to sit around and do nothing.

Hm...

What about you, {HeroName}?

Well alright, let's do this!

I really don't see any other option. Come on, let's do this.

Even if I don't have the brooch or the quest...

I can't abandon you guys. I'm just a university student. But you're younger than me and still going for it, so I've got no excuse.

Thank you.

There's really no need to thank me. I'm gonna die too if this quest isn't completed...

Right...

But, uh, taking on a quest that could be crazy difficult is a pretty bold idea for a party of three ...

...Wait, of course! Cal!

Let's message him! He'd be a real asset to the team.

Wait, who's Cal?

A super-skilled beta tester.

Ah, he replied! Let's see...

Damn, no dice. Looks like he's busy—says he'll let us know when things have calmed down.

What about that one guy from the raid? The Beater.

Kirito?

Yeah, him! He knew tons of info, right? He might have heard of the brooch and the quest!

True...

He probably went on up to the 2nd Floor. Let's follow his trail.