MMB Chapter 2074 [Sword Art Online: Jianghu]
Chapter 2074 [Sword Art Online: Jianghu]
Chapter 2074 [Sword Art: Jianghu]
Heathcliff: "This kind of thing is completely unimportant and can be put on the back burner."
Heathcliff: "Next, please welcome my masterpiece, [Sword Art: Jianghu]!"
At that moment, Kayaba Akihiko suddenly spoke in the chat group.
The ordinary group owner: "???"
The richest man in the lighthouse: "???"
Kasumi Shiko: "???"
Kazuma the Headless Dog: "Hey, hey, don't you want to see what kind of atmosphere this is, old man!"
Kazuma and Headdog: "Everyone's concerned about the newcomer's situation and lamenting her original fate, and you suddenly pop up talking about games!"
Kazuma: "And what the heck is 'unimportant things'?"
Kazuma Sato couldn't help but complain out loud. He had just been moved to tears by the story of "AngelBeats!" and his emotions hadn't completely calmed down yet.
Then Kayaba Akihiko suddenly appeared and casually referred to Tachibana Kanade's matter as "unimportant".
Heathcliff: "What are you talking about? It's just a heart attack, does she think she'll die after joining the chat group?"
Heathcliff: "Even without the extra power from the group admin, the points earned from daily check-ins are enough to buy medicine that can cure this disease in the chat group's shop."
Heathcliff: "Ultimately, this kind of illness, which is only considered incurable when it is limited to the technological level and the worldview of 'modern daily life,' does not pose any real threat in the face of chat groups, and there is no need to invest too much unnecessary sentimentality."
Faced with Kazuma Sato's questioning, Akihiko Kayaba replied matter-of-factly.
Life and death are certainly major issues, but when an individual joins a chat group—an entity that transcends common sense—the probability of "death," especially death from illness, is reduced to "zero."
Under the premise of the "chat group", Tachibana Kanade's heart disease is just an "easily solvable ailment".
Since it can be easily solved, there's no need to bring it up again once it's solved. It's completely unnecessary to waste precious attention and discussion time on a "solved problem."
Although Tachibana Kanade's experience is touching, a girl who has been imprisoned in a hospital ward by illness since birth, her life story was sentenced to a short period of time before it could even unfold.
In her world, loneliness is the norm, pain is her companion, and the word "future" means a bleak end to her.
She didn't even have the chance to experience what most people call "regret," because her life was so barren that it almost never truly began.
In the end, clinging to the small obsession of never thanking her stranger benefactor, she sank into eternal darkness, and in that contradictory afterlife, she continued her lonely vigil in another form until her wish was fulfilled and she vanished like a bubble.
But in Kayaba Akihiko's eyes, such a "fate" might be worthy of sympathy, but is it something to lament? Or sigh about?
There's absolutely no need for that!
Take Kazuma Sato as an example.
If he hadn't been chosen by the chat group, would his so-called "life in another world" have truly been a smooth-sailing adventure comedy?
Although the copies of his memories in the chat group are not complete, only a part, even from that part, he has faced death countless times, and has died more than once.
The ways to die are bizarre and varied, including being swallowed alive by giant frogs, being blasted to smithereens by magic, or dying tragically due to extremely foolish decisions. The pain and fear involved are probably no less than the torment of being on a sickbed.
It's Aqua's ability to revive him, and her own actions, that make all of this seem so comical.
Looking at Whitebeard, didn't his life also involve betrayal, loss, and watching his "sons" die right before his eyes?
And what about Minato Namikaze, who resolutely faced death for the sake of his village and his wife, entrusting his hopes and future to them? Wasn't his sacrifice heavy enough?
In worlds where power reigns supreme, death is the norm and peace is a luxury.
Regret, pain, and loss are as common as breathing; everyone carries their own cross as they move forward.
Compared to them, the story of a young girl who died young from illness and seeks redemption in the afterlife is not worth paying much attention to.
Those who live in a peaceful world and have never experienced real hardship might shed a tear of sympathy and lament the injustice of fate, but that's about it.
But who among these people in the chat group, including Kayaba Akihiko himself, didn't struggle to escape their own fates?
Their gathering here is a miracle in itself; they are fish leaping out of their predetermined paths in the long river of their respective destinies.
The scars of the past may still remain, but what's more important is to use the possibilities offered by chat groups to change, create, and transcend predetermined tragedies.
Compared to what he created, "[Sword Art: Jianghu]", this kind of thing is not worth cherishing at all.
Ogiso Setsuna: "That's true, but..."
Ogiso Setsuna was somewhat speechless. She felt that what Kayaba-san said seemed to make sense, but emotionally she felt that something was not quite right.
For Kanade, that was a huge transformation from despair to rebirth, so how can you say it's "unimportant"?
An ordinary group admin: "Okay, there's actually nothing wrong with what you said."
An ordinary group admin: "So what is this 【Sword Art: Jianghu (刀剑神域：江湖)】? Is it a new version of SAO?"
An ordinary group admin: "But for you to share this in the chat group, there must be something special about it, right?"
Su Yunqing shrugged, offering no rebuttal to Kayaba Akihiko's words.
After all, this is indeed the truth, but empathy itself is not wrong; people should always empathize and think about themselves through the experiences of others.
However, when fate changes, it is indeed impossible to empathize for too long.
After all, for Zou now, the worst is over; regrets have been made up for, and the future is promising, which is the best outcome in itself.
However, this situation also made her curious about what Kayaba Akihiko had mentioned about 【Sword Art: Jianghu】.
Based on her understanding of Kayaba Akihiko, she would never announce it so solemnly in the chat group just to promote "SAO2.0".
After all, he developed countless virtual reality games in order to earn points.
Kasumi: "From the 'Floating City' Aincrad, I've turned to the 'Jianghu' (martial arts world). Is this Jianghu the same Jianghu I know?"
A martial arts world similar to the one in "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" where Zhang Sanfeng lived?
Even so, it doesn't seem like a very important thing, does it?
Given Kayaba Akihiko's personality, it's impossible for him to be so emotionally agitated by this.
Kayaba Akihiko seemed somewhat satisfied that the topic had finally been steered in the direction he had hoped for, and then began to elaborate on his "masterpiece".
Heathcliff: "If the core of SAO is 'strategy,' it is a closed challenge driven by a clear objective."
Heathcliff: "So, in this 'underworld,' there is no top level."
Heathcliff: "There is no final boss that must be defeated, no mandatory objective to complete the game; it is a 'world' in the truest sense."
Kayaba Akihiko's satisfaction with the game even led him to reject SAO's "strategy" mode.
Heathcliff: "It is based on a completely new full-dive architecture, with neural interaction depth and world simulation accuracy far exceeding SAO. The game background is an almost infinite fictional Eastern world based on algorithmic evolution."
Heathcliff: "It sets up artificial intelligence that far surpasses any AI on Earth."
Heathcliff: "Mountains and rivers will slowly change according to geological algorithm simulations, with the changing seasons and erosion by wind and rain; towns and villages will rise and fall according to models of economic, population and resource flows."
Heathcliff: "There are dynamic relationships of reputation, grudges, cooperation and competition among martial arts sects. They recruit disciples, develop martial arts, compete for secret manuals and territory, and may even have conflicts or wars of annihilation due to differences in ideology."
Heathcliff: "In the court, the power struggles between the emperor and his ministers, the infighting between factions, and the wars on the frontier are all driven by an inherent logic and probabilistic events."
Heathcliff: "Every NPC with a name in the 'jianghu' has a 'mindset' generated based on their own background, personality template, interpersonal relationships and current environmental variables."
Heathcliff: "They can remember, learn, and change their behavior patterns based on their interactions with players or other NPCs. They have emotions, desires, and fears, and possess almost real personalities."
He paused briefly, then continued:
Heathcliff: "And every choice and every action a player makes will serve as a key input, influencing the evolution of this world."
Heathcliff: "They can set the wheels of history in motion, or they may inadvertently kill a possibility; the 'future' of the world will be written because of their existence. There is no fixed 'main plot,' only infinite possibilities."
This is truly "infinite possibilities." Kayaba Akihiko's AI installed in this game, while not as good as Uchiha Madara's Apocalypse in terms of registration, is only one level lower.
Madara Uchiha's Apocalypse can directly manage a "space-class civilization," and his artificial intelligence, even though it is a level lower, is a game-changer for Earth's existing technology.
It was a world that was almost infinitely close to reality, where every character had their own personality and way of thinking, and would constantly change because of their own experiences.
This gives players an endless range of choices.
They can dedicate themselves to the martial arts world, temper their muscles and bones, hone their qi and blood, comprehend the true meaning of martial arts, and eventually establish their own school, passing on their martial arts philosophy and becoming a grandmaster.
They can immerse themselves in the world's hustle and bustle, accumulate capital, identify business opportunities, build their own commercial empires, and use their wealth to influence the economic lifeline of a region or even a nation.
They could participate in the imperial examinations, progressing from the lowest level (童生) to the highest (秀才), eventually entering officialdom and realizing their ambitions in the imperial court.
They can practice medicine and heal the sick, master medical and toxicological techniques, become legendary doctors or masters of poisons, save lives and relieve people in distress, and even influence the martial arts world and the imperial court with their medical skills.
They can be travelers who wander far and wide, admiring famous mountains and rivers, tasting all kinds of delicacies, making friends with extraordinary people, and recording local customs and traditions.
They could also be leisurely literati, composing poems, playing the zither, and painting, finding solace for their souls amidst mountains and rivers.
They could even attempt to revolutionize the world with their advanced knowledge or ideas; promote new agricultural techniques, improve handicrafts, and ignite the spark of the Industrial Revolution.
It's no exaggeration to say that the game has reached a point where it's no longer just a game, but a "second life simulator" where the soul can reside.
Of course, no matter which path players choose, they will be deeply bound to this dynamic world; players' choices will affect the fate of NPCs, and NPCs' choices will in turn affect players.
The rise and fall of sects, the change of dynasties, the catastrophe of the martial arts world, and technological revolutions—all of these can be triggered by the player's actions.
There are no absolutely safe zones, nor are there fixed quest lines; a player's "journey through the martial world" is paved by every choice they make.
Heathcliff: "This is Sword Art: Jianghu, a world that changes because of players and will change players in the future."
The chat group fell silent for a long time.
An ordinary group admin: "While it certainly sounds exaggerated—artificial intelligence surpassing Earth's current technology combined with your developed worldview, plus full-fledged immersive technology—this game is comparable to a real world, but..."
An ordinary group admin: "Isn't this still a game?"
An ordinary group owner said: "Although it has almost real evolutionary logic and freedom due to data and algorithm-driven development, it's still just a game, right?"
An ordinary group admin: "At least it's impossible for someone to really be dead."
Su Yunqing admitted that Sword Art Online: Jianghu was indeed wonderful, and even for players in Kayaba Akihiko's world, it was undoubtedly an epic game that could allow them to devote a lot of time to experiencing a second life.
But no matter how realistic the simulation or how amazing the degree of freedom, it still cannot change the fact that it is just a game.
Given Kayaba Akihiko's talent and vision, why would he announce the creation of a "game" with such solemnity?
Isn't this a height that he should naturally reach?
Kayaba Akihiko did not immediately reply to Su Yunqing's question.
Seemingly to draw more attention to the conversation, he deliberately waited a while before replying to Su Yunqing.
Heathcliff: "Indeed, if that's all there is to it, it really is just a game."
Heathcliff: "But if..."
A slight smile appeared on Kayaba Akihiko's lips.
Heathcliff: "What if all the martial arts, all the internal energy cultivation methods, and all the techniques and mental methods in this 'jianghu' world were not just a series of gorgeous special effects and preset attack and defense values?"
Heathcliff: "What if they are all real, and can all be 'cultivated'?"
"Real" martial arts? Can they be "cultivated"?
The impact of combining these two words far surpasses all previous descriptions of artificial intelligence and freedom in Sword Art Online: Jianghu!