Blossoming Path - Chapter 85: Beneath the Surface

5 years after the world changed, the final boss appeared.

Right after getting the first-class chef’s certificate and before that certificate had been in her hands long enough to warm up, she woke up. Not only did she age ten years, she also gained two children…

—

At this time, her new daughter, who had lost two of her front baby teeth and spoke with a lisp, pointed at the TV screen and called out, “Dad!”

On the screen, the Film Emperor Meng Yan was extremely handsome and charming. Towards the camera, his gaze was overflowing with gentle and tender feelings. He raised up the hand that was holding hands with captivatingly beautiful bride. She was wearing a diamond-beaded wedding dress. At the bottom of the TV screen, the headline news was displayed in large font – Meng Yan and the rising starlet’s wedding of the century.

T/N: The second part of the summary is misleading. This isn’t a novel where the transmigrated main character clings onto the film emperor’s thigh.

“I don't want to die anymore, so I'll aim to be the strongest――!”After being stabbed by a random attacker, he was reincarnated in Japan, a place where 'demons' like yokai and monsters exist――and moreover, he was born into a family of 'exorcists' who exorcise these monsters!Exorcism is an important job that involves killing monsters, but it is also a dangerous job where people can die.Therefore, he――Itsuki, made a decision.In order to never die again, he would become strong.He aimed to be the strongest and practiced magic tirelessly since he was a baby――until he realized.“Huh? Isn't this too much?”This is the story of an exorcist who, despite being an ordinary person, became the strongest without realizing it due to excessive effort.

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience.

But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button.

Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death-both virtual and real…