I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

There was no menu, no lighting effects, and no familiar system notification sound.

It's like... she's never been a gamer at all.

She looked down at her hands.

Those hands were intact, without being reduced to even a single fragment of data.

But the more this happened, the deeper the fear became, spreading uncontrollably from the bottom of her heart like an icy tide.

"I...I'm really dead?"

Her voice trembled violently, a tremor she herself could hardly believe.

The man did not answer, but looked at her with a gentle gaze that was almost pitying.

This silence is more cruel than any affirmation.

"no, I can not……"

Asuna Yuuki shook her head desperately, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes like beads from a broken string.

Regret, anger, resentment... countless emotions overwhelmed her in an instant.

Why be so willful?

Why get involved in a game you know absolutely nothing about?

Her life should have been perfect!

She should have been in the best school, achieved top grades, entered the best university, and inherited the family business…

That is the glorious future that belongs to her!

Instead of dying like this, because of a foolish curiosity, in the most pathetic and ridiculous way, at the hands of a wild boar in the newbie village!

She didn't even have the courage to draw her sword!

Asuna's crying, which started as suppressed sobs, turned into a complete breakdown and a wail.

She curled up on the sofa, her body trembling from violent sobs, like a helpless leaf swaying in a storm.

Lynn watched this scene quietly.

His expression remained gentle, as if he were admiring a work of art titled "Broken".

In the [Emotion Perception] section, the orange light representing the girl's "pride" is being completely submerged by the deep blue of "regret".

"Very good," he murmured to himself.

Pride is the best catalyst, but also the most fragile glass.

Only when it is completely shattered can faith find fertile ground to grow.

He knew the time was right.

He put down the book in his hand, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in a calm tone, as if stating some natural law:

"This place is neither heaven nor hell."

You can think of it as... a transit point.

Asuna's crying gradually subsided. She raised her tear-streaked, pitiful face and looked at him blankly with her red and swollen eyes.

"The souls of all players who 'died' in Aincrad will have a brief stay here before they are completely formatted and deleted by the game's system."

Lynn explained patiently and persuasively.

“And I am the ‘guide’ of this place.”

"That is, the hidden NPCs that you players are talking about."

Formatting and deleting...

These words, like cold keys, unlocked the deepest fears in Asuna's heart about this death game.

It turns out that death is not the end.

Instead, they will be completely erased, along with their souls, by that demonic system.

Not even a trace of its existence will remain.

A despair deeper and more suffocating than death itself gripped her heart.

Her eyes completely lost their luster, becoming like a stagnant pool.

Just as Asuna was about to be completely swallowed by this ultimate nothingness, Lynn suddenly changed the subject.

"...However..."

This simple transition word, like a ray of light piercing through endless darkness, instantly drew Asuna's attention back.

She suddenly looked up, and a faint flame called "hope" ignited in her empty eyes.

"However, the 'system' is not entirely heartless."

Lynn's lips curled into a compassionate, almost divine smile.

"It provides every fallen soldier who comes here with a chance to 'look back'."

"review?"

Asuna repeated unconsciously, her voice hoarse.

"Yes."

Lynn stood up and slowly walked to her.

"In an absolutely safe simulation training ground, confront once again... the entity that killed you."

"This is the final 'trial' for you lost souls."

The final... trial?

Asuna stared at him blankly.

The person is already dead, and even their soul is about to be erased. What is the point of such a trial?

The next second, a surge of anger mixed with humiliation erupted from the depths of her broken heart, instantly overwhelming her sorrow.

what is this?

That man... Kayaba Akihiko, is this his last bit of twisted humor?

Even after a player dies, he continues to act like a supreme god, using his cold, impersonal game rules...

To stage a pointless drama to watch the last, ridiculous struggles of these losers?

too disgusting!

As if seeing through the faint yet sharp anger that had sprung from despair in her heart, a glint of all-knowing light flashed in Lynn's eyes.

"Meaning? Did you think about that when you died?"

Asuna froze abruptly.

Lynn's eyes remained completely still, as if he were reading a preordained verdict.

"It seems you've already chosen your epitaph—'Yuuki Asuna, died of cowardice.'"

These words, like a dagger, instantly pierced through all of Asuna's sorrow and despair, reaching the deepest part of her soul—her innate pride.

cowardly!

These two words, like a tempered steel needle, instantly pierced through all of Asuna's sorrow and despair, and fiercely stabbed into the deepest part of her soul, that innate pride.

She can accept death.

But she couldn't accept that she had died so pathetically, so cowardly, so... unlike herself!

In the real world, there is Yuuki Asuna who always strives to do her best in everything and never admits defeat!

How could... how could he die at the hands of a wild boar in the beginner village without ever even swinging his sword once!

A surge of scalding heat welled up from the depths of her icy heart and instantly flowed through her limbs and bones.

No! She doesn't want to! She doesn't want to disappear so pathetically!

She didn't want to exist, and in the end, all that was left was the word "cowardice"!

“I…” She raised her head, and for the first time, all fear and confusion faded from her swollen eyes, leaving only a burning, resolute flame.

With all her might, she ignited all her regret, resentment, anger, and remaining pride, transforming them into a cry from her very soul.

"I...accept the trial!"

The moment she shouted those words with all her might.

In Lynn's mind, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice quietly sounded.

[The visitor was successfully guided on the first attempt, and a perfect 'fictional worldview' was constructed.]

[The visitor "Asuna Yuuki" has fully accepted the current setting, and her mental anchor has begun to be reshaped.]

[Stage 1 task completed.]

[Reward: [Mental Barrier (Beginner)]!]

[Ability Description: Your mind will be protected by a basic barrier, effectively resisting low-intensity mental shocks, illusions, and emotional manipulation. When facing high-intensity mental attacks, the barrier can provide a brief buffer.]

Chapter 80: Honko-na, now that things have come to this, of course we should eat first.

Just as Asuna mustered her last bit of courage to prepare for the "trial," Lynn shook his head.

"The trial can begin at any time."

His voice was flat, as if he were stating a trivial matter.

"But a hungry soul cannot hold a sword."

He put down his book, stood up, and added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Let's eat first."

Have a meal?

These two words, like two inexplicable program gibberish, were forcibly implanted into the tragic program that Yuuki Asuna was already prepared to die, causing her entire thought system to crash instantly.

She stared wide-eyed at the man, her hazel eyes still glistening with tears.

She had made all the necessary mental preparations.

Prepare to face even more brutal interrogation, a more desperate truth, and even the final mockery of that devil, Kayaba Akihiko.

She burned away all her resentment, regret, and pride, transforming them into resolute courage.

As a result, this mysterious "guide"... this hidden NPC who manages the soul transfer station, tells her... it's time to eat?

This art style is off!

This script is absolutely outrageous!

It felt like a condemned prisoner about to be beheaded, who, after reciting his final prayer, was handed a restaurant discount coupon by the executioner.

Lynn ignored her dazed expression, which seemed to be utterly shocked by her worldview.

He walked straight to the open kitchen in the corner of the room and skillfully took some ingredients out of the refrigerator.

That refrigerator was so clean it looked like a work of art.

As he moved, the rhythmic "thump-thump" sound of a cleaver hitting a cutting board soon filled the kitchen.

Asuna just curled up on the sofa, staring blankly.

She saw him cut carrots and potatoes into evenly sized chunks, and saw him peel off the pungent outer skin of onions to reveal their glistening inner core.

Every movement is full of life.

A warm and mundane sense of everyday life that she had long forgotten, belonging to the real world.

Soon, a rich, warm aroma of 860, carrying the scents of milk and meat, began to fill the air.

That's not the kind of fake signal generated by the "taste simulation system" in SAO, which is all show and no substance.

It was a real, authentic aroma of food that could penetrate the nasal cavity and awaken the deepest memories.

Asuna's stomach made a soft gurgling sound at an inopportune moment.