The Exploiter (A Sword Art Online Fanfic)

Chapter 7:Criminal

I looked at kirito and asuna sitting before me with curious expressions,and decided to start to try and explain everything that had happened to me.I clapped my hands together and sat down before starting.

"So,I met akihiko kayaba,and apparently he hates me for trying to beat the game without trying."

Asuna was the first to break.She jumped up from the bed and almost grabbed me by the collar.

"What did you say?!"Asuna half shouted.Kirito grabbed her hand and pushed her back into her seat.

"Let him finish."Kirito didn't even look surprised.

Kirito pointed to me,and I continued to tell them all of the things that had happened to me.About the training room,about how kayaba had tried to kill me,and about how I had escaped.

Kirito seemed to take a minute to process the things I had just said,and pointed at me."That doesn't explain why your hair is white,and why there is a orange pointer above your head."

I scrached my head."Well,I might have been attacked by the clearers."

Asuna,who looked dazed after my explaination suddenly perked up."But the clearers are the ones who saved you,right?"

I looked down,overcome with guilt."They...yeah,they saved me.But when I woke up,I thought kayaba had put me in another trap,and I acted in self defense.I was scared and panicking.While I didn't kill anyone,I'm sure I've scarred most of them for life."

Kirito took my hand."It was an accident."

Asuna looked conflicted.I tried to smile,and defuse the tension in the air."But its not all bad.I maxed out most of my weapon skills in the training room."

Both of them looked at me in complete disbelief.I opened my status window,and both of them crowded in front of me,pushing each other to see the window.

"Kirito,he isn't lying."Asuna stammered.Kirito gulped and looked at me.

"I don't think even I can kill you now.But how did this happen?You've been missing for a week,and that not enough time to do all of...all of this!"he gestured wildly.

I chuckled."Well,do you know about time dilation?"

"It was an experimental feature in the beta,but kayaba removed it because he felt it was like cheating,putting in less effort for more gain."

I laughed."Well,the room I was stuck in,according to my calcualtions has a time dilation feature.Every day you spend in that room is like a month."

Kirito looked even more shocked after what I had said."So the game thinks you've been working on your weapon skills for 7 months?!Why did kayaba put you in that room if that was the case!"

"The reason time dilation was removed was not because it was like cheating,but because it probably made people go insane,kirito.Our brains see time as a continous line.When you speed it up at a rate your brain can't keep up with,you start to have...moments where time seems broken,even when you've left the time dilation.That's why my hair is grey.The game's emotional regulation system probably noticed my high stress and turned my hair grey to reflect that."

I sharply breathed in."That part of the reason the I attacked the clearers.Even though I left the room,time still felt sped up.So I though kayaba was trying to trick me into thinking that I had left the room.I think that was kayaba's backup plan.He wanted to turn me into a criminal by tricking me into killing those players,and then the guild would kill me for him."

Asuna looked guilty,but then stood up."Whatever the case,you still attacked those players,and even if you were tricked,you still almost killed them.In other words,you are a criminal."

"The reason of this visit is to inform you that your trial will be held at the meeting to decide the strategy against the floor 56 boss,the geocrawler.See you there."

Kirito looked at asuna,then pulled me towards him again."I'll support you during the trial,and so will she.I'll convince her,but I need you to convince yourself first.You are not a criminal.Stay strong.I'll see you soon."

Kirito smiled at me,a fake smile that hid his worry.That was the last thing I saw as the guards closed the gate,leaving me alone with my thoughts once again.