Players—I wish you luck.' This last sentence trailed off with a faint echo. The huge robe rose soundlessly, and started sinking, hood first, into the system message that covered the sky, as if melting. Its shoulders, then its chest, then its two arms and legs merged into in the red surface, and then a final red stain spread briefly. Right afterward, the system message that had covered the sky disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. The sound of the wind blowing above the plaza and the BGM that the NPC orchestra was playing came softly to our ears. The game had returned to its normal state, apart from the fact that a couple of rules had been changed. Then—at last. The crowd of ten thousand players gave a proper reaction. In other words, countless voices started to resound loudly through the plaza. "It's a joke right...? The hell is this? It's a joke right!?" "Stop kidding around! Let me out! Let me out of here!" "No! You can't! I've got to meet someone soon!" "I don't like this! I'm gonna go home! I want to go home!!!!!!" Yells. Clamors. Shouts. Curses. Begging. And screaming. The people that had changed from game players to prisoners in a