บท 1712: -1693- The rapid progress
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
When The Seed was officially released online and downloaded by major corporations worldwide, sparking a wave of excitement for the new VR world, the ongoing criticisms and debates surrounding the full-dive technology quickly faded into the background, replaced by discussions about The Seed.
Once it was known that this program allowed any corporation to easily create its own imagined world and develop new games, and that the government itself had launched it, guaranteeing that it was harmless with no future repercussions, people were gradually steered toward adopting it.
Had this program been uploaded by anyone else claiming it was harmless, people would certainly have been skeptical. After the SAO and ALO incidents, people had a deep mistrust of full-dive technology and would not easily believe such claims.
But when the government itself took the lead, making such a declaration, there were still many who were willing to believe.
Especially major corporations, who already understood that full-dive technology could not be entirely banned and that many were planning to profit from it. With the government's backing, these companies rushed to seize the opportunity and carve out a significant share in the burgeoning market.
As a result, major corporations not only expressed their trust in the government but, upon learning that the licensing fees were low, immediately purchased the rights to use The Seed. They even agreed to pay 50% of the profits from using The Seed to the government.
Well, refusing was not an option.
In the future, full-dive technology would undoubtedly become mainstream in all industries, and the government had already made it clear that they wanted to promote its development, not hinder it. If companies didn't keep up with the trend, they would eventually be eliminated from the market.
Furthermore, even with only 50% of the profits, the future of full-dive technology would bring incredible returns for these companies.
Thus, the major corporations knew what was at stake and, one after another, eagerly adopted The Seed.
Of course, there were still some voices saying that it wasn't necessary to use The Seed. They believed that by developing a better program or system, they could achieve both fame and fortune.
Unfortunately, as Rozen had pointed out, except for Kayaba Akihiko, no one— not even the government—could create a better program or system than The Seed. If anyone could, Kayaba wouldn't be known as a genius, and he certainly wouldn't have made such a name for himself.
Given this, those companies had little chance of success. Unless they quickly turned back, they would inevitably fall behind in the coming market.
While major corporations were using The Seed to create new VR games, those VR games that had previously announced shutdowns were all quickly revived.
For example, the reborn ALO was one such case.
Not only did it allow old ALO players to retain their previous character data, but even players from the former SAO could transfer their original character profiles into the new imagined world to continue their adventures. Even Aincrad would be included, with elements from both SAO and ALO being integrated into a brand-new fantasy world. This announcement sent waves across the community.
Although many players had been lost after the SAO and ALO incidents, there were still many who chose to return.
At least in Agil's bar, under Rozen's influence, numerous people decided to enter the new ALO and resume their adventures.
As a result, the combined number of players from both games exceeded the peak player count of either SAO or ALO, with the ratio being around 4:6, with 40% being former SAO players. This clearly showed how many players had decided to return.
So, when the new ALO re-launched that night, the number of players who logged in reportedly set a new record, one that had never been reached during the old ALO's run.
Players quickly adapted to the new system changes.
Former SAO players had to adjust to flying systems, race traits, and magic settings, while former ALO players needed to adjust to the sword skill system and guild system.
Once adjusted, the players formed elite groups and flew en masse towards the new world of ALO.
Why? Because there, a floating city had descended.
Aincrad—the very city that had once imprisoned 10,000 players and caused the deaths of thousands—had now become the centerpiece of the new ALO, drawing countless challengers.
Players needed to start from the first town of the first floor and proceed step by step, just like the original SAO players, battling their way through dungeon areas and defeating the floor boss to proceed to the second floor. They would continue to climb, floor by floor.
Of course, Aincrad was still Aincrad. However, considering the strength of today's players, the difficulty had been adjusted.
If the first-floor boss were as powerful as it had been in SAO, any single player could easily defeat it.
So, Aincrad in the new ALO became known as an extremely difficult map, where even the first-floor monsters were far stronger than they had been in SAO. Soloing was nearly impossible, and players needed to form teams to tackle the challenge.
However, without the threat of death, players no longer had the urge to form large, reckless groups. Instead, players formed teams based on guilds or races, resulting in a variety of strategies and approaches.
Yet, within a few days, the first-floor boss was defeated.
It was the former SAO clearing group, led by Rozen, who took the glory.
Rozen proudly declared:
"No matter what, we were the ones who conquered this place before. It's only right for us to take the first victory."
Upon hearing this, many players cheered, including ALO players who now respected Rozen.
From then on, Aincrad became the site of countless challenges as players eagerly moved towards the higher floors.
And just like that, it had been a full year since SAO's completion, and the victims of the death game had returned. In the past year, full-dive technology had progressed rapidly, with all kinds of new VR games emerging.
The voices calling for the prohibition of full-dive technology had long since disappeared.
However, new problems were beginning to emerge.
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