Gun Gale Online: Bounty

3: Abandon

Over the course of the next few days, XeXeed's death was all anyone could talk about in GGO.

Death Gun had apparently murdered another person before that, but I never caught their name.

I had tried to do a bit of a search for him, but every time I found a lead, I ended up at a dead end.

I get up from my chair in the den, closing my laptop. I sit back, letting out a deep sigh.

It was another day at home, both my parents out, and me just stuck with nothing to do.

I stare up at the ceiling, and space out for a few minutes. My attention is brought back when I hear my phone ding. I dig it out of my pocket, and see a message from Momiji.

M: Rei helped me get caught up with her functions, you want to go for the second part today?

I: Yeah, sure thing. Are you able to log on in about ten minutes?

M: Okay, cool. See you then.

I chuckled. Momiji acts like a completely different person than Kureha, even though they are the same.

I stand up, put my phone in my pocket and grab my laptop. I trudge upstairs, and open the door to my room. I set my laptop on my desk, opening it up to an article I was reading earlier. It was about the possibility of death with a VR headset, but everything led back to the SAO Incident a little over two years ago.

SAO. Ridiculous. Ten thousand innocent people were trapped in that nightmare, just under half of them killed, trapped by the psychopath Ahkihiko Kayaba.

I don't know much of the details, but I know there was a huge rush back at the hospitals a while ago, when everyone had woken up. It was all over the news. From what I had gathered, someone had killed the final boss of the entire thing and freed everyone trapped inside, and Kayaba himself had fried his own brain, for some purpose unknown to me. Asshole deserved to die.

I shake my head out of the clouds, not wanting to get worked up before I enter GGO.

I close the tab, and lower the screen. My laptop shuts off, and I walk over to my bed.

I sit down and grab my headgear from my nightstand. I had decided to keep it out, now that I had been logging into GGO almost every day.

I set the headset over my eyes, and enter the world of GGO once again.

When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is Kureha and Emma talking.

"So, what has he gotten himself into, Rei?"

"N-Nothing unusual so far. He can be reckless at times, but I still very much appreciate being his assistant."

"You shouldn't talk about people behind their backs." I say, not realizing my voice modulator was still on. Kureha jumps, turning to me.

"W-What the hell?!" she exclaims, stepping back.

"Kureha," Emma says, reassuring her. "there is no need to panic. Master has acquired an exosuit to better fit his combat capabilities."

"Wait, you bought this?" she asks, admiring the armor.

"Yeah," I say, clicking the button on my helmet that releases the pressure, allowing me to take it off. "found it on sale in a shop a while ago."

I decided not to tell her about my encounter with the Bazalt Joe guy.

"Emma, what's the verdict?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Of course, Master. I have acquired the banking expansion, but there are more parts scattered around. But I have no idea where it may be."

"Looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way, and start searching." Kureha says, raising her finger to her lips.