“I see, I am jealous to death over that one point, Kirito-kun. The next time we’re in ALO, wouldn’t you introduce me to some girls? Take the Sylph Lord for example, she is just my type.” “I’ll tell you in advance, the moment you say ‘I’m actually a high ranking bureaucrat’, you’ll get decapitated.” “If it’s by her, then I wouldn’t mind being killed once. - So?” “So, about this superiority complex, it’s surprisingly hard to fulfill in the real world. It’s not something you can get unless you work really hard. You’ll have to study hard to get better grades, to get better at sports, become cooler, or more attractive... All of which require a lot of time and energy and there is no concrete guarantee of payoff, above that the requirements are near impossible to achieve anyway.” “I see. After all, I did study to death for my exams, and still did not get into Toudai.” For some reason, having seen Kikuoka smile so happily while speaking about the subject, I suppressed the desire to make a smart remark and quickly continued talking. “Then, MMORPG to the rescue. Here, time sacrificed doesn’t pass in vain like in reality and your character will become stronger as you find rare items, learn more skills, and have higher stats. Of course you’d still have to work hard, but that’s because it’s still a game. Rather than studying or training your muscles, this is a lot more fun. Equipping expensive gear to show off your high level while walking down the avenues of a main street, you will definitely attract a lot of envious attention from those weaker than you... virtually, that is. If you go to the hunting grounds, you can defeat monsters with overwhelming power, or save a party in a pinch. Be thanked, be respected -”