SAO: I replaced him?

"Wait a second!!!"

A loud, obnoxious voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a poorly timed joke at a funeral. The arena, previously buzzing with excitement, fell into stunned silence. Even Heathcliff, who had remained composed this entire time, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

And then, like a character jumping into the wrong cutscene, a figure leaped from the surrounding audience stands.

"Asuna! Stop him!" one of the Star Flame members instinctively reached out, but Asuna, catching sight of Morin's subtle hand gesture, held them back.

The figure landed with a dramatic flourish—though, given his stature, it wasn't all that impressive.

It was a short man with wild, spiked red hair—like a rejected punk rocker—and a face that looked like it had lost a battle with bad decisions. A broad one-handed longsword rested in his grip, and his narrow eyes darted around with the kind of arrogance only an idiot could muster.

A smirk curled on his lips as he puffed up his chest, addressing the crowd as if he were the main protagonist here.

"The name's Kibaou!" he announced, voice dripping with unwarranted confidence.

Silence.

Someone coughed awkwardly in the back.

Kibaou's eye twitched at the lack of reaction, so he dramatically pointed his sword at Morin and bellowed, "Before we take on the boss, we need to handle something first!"

The crowd, momentarily thrown off, exchanged puzzled glances.

"Wait... that guy's name is Kibaou?" someone muttered.

"Who's this clown?" another player whispered, voicing what everyone was thinking.

Morin, arms casually crossed, studied Kibaou with the kind of patience reserved for dealing with children throwing tantrums in grocery stores.

"And what exactly are you talking about?" Morin finally asked, his tone calm but carrying an undercurrent of boredom, like he already knew where this was going.

"Tsk! What else?!" Kibaou scoffed, waving his sword like a particularly aggressive traffic cop. "I'm talking about them! The ones who played in the closed beta!"

A murmur ran through the crowd. Ah, there it was.

"The beta testers!" Kibaou continued, clearly enjoying his moment in the spotlight. "Those guys used their exclusive knowledge to rush ahead, hoarding all the best quests and farming spots while the rest of us got left behind!" His voice grew louder, more dramatic. "They should kneel and apologize to the players who've died because of them! They should hand over their gear and col as compensation! Otherwise, I refuse to consider them teammates for the boss raid!"

And just like that, Kibaou's grand speech crashed into reality.

Silence.

Only this time, it wasn't out of confusion.

It was out of sheer disbelief.

The expressions of those present ranged from mild annoyance to outright disgust. Kirito's jaw clenched. Diavel looked like he had just swallowed something bitter. Argo, lurking at the edge of the ruins, pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering, "This idiot again…"

Did this guy seriously think being a beta tester was a crime? Did he expect them to take the blame for Kayaba Akihiko's twisted death game?

Morin, watching Kibaou grandstand like a low-tier villain, finally exhaled through his nose, shaking his head.

"So that's your big idea?" he asked, voice completely void of emotion.

Something in Morin's gaze made Kibaou shift uneasily.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kibaou scoffed, though his voice had lost some of its bravado. "Because of those guys, nearly a thousand players are dead! Many of them were top players in other games! If the beta testers hadn't hoarded information, if they had shared their items and money, we might've already cleared the first floor—maybe even the second or third!"

It was a beautiful speech. Really. It could've won an award in the Victim Blaming Hall of Fame.

But before Kibaou could keep going, Morin abruptly cut him off.

"Enough."

The word cracked through the air like a whip.

Kibaou flinched.

Morin's gaze, now filled with the same level of disdain one might reserve for a particularly stubborn stain, never wavered as he reached into his inventory and pulled out a booklet.

"Do you see this?" he asked, holding it up for everyone to see. "This is a free Beginner's Guide available in every starting town. It's been there for over ten days, constantly updated with detailed information on quest locations, monster spawn rates, and optimal farming spots."

Kibaou's scowl faltered.

"This guide was created by beta testers and experienced players. The same players you're accusing of hoarding information. If they wanted to keep everything to themselves, why would they go out of their way to share it with everyone?"

Morin let his words sink in before continuing.

"And let's be clear—beta testers are also victims of this game. They're dying too. In fact, they're more at risk than most because their prior knowledge can backfire due to unexpected changes. But sure, let's blame them for everything while we're at it. Maybe they also caused the stock market crash. Or the weather."

Laughter rippled through the crowd at the sarcasm.

Kibaou's face, previously a shade of smug arrogance, now resembled a tomato left out in the sun too long. He opened his mouth, but for the first time, words failed him.

Morin, sensing victory, didn't even give him a chance to recover.

"Listen up, everyone," Morin said, addressing the entire crowd now. "This isn't about beta testers versus new players. It's about all of us getting out of here alive. The monsters don't care if you're a beta tester. The floor bosses don't care if you started yesterday or a month ago. Our goal is the same: clearing all 100 floors and going home."

For a moment, silence reigned. Then—

"Yes! We want to go home!!!"

"That's right! We're in this together!"

Morin's words had sparked something. The tension that Kibaou had tried to build dissolved, replaced with renewed determination. Even Kirito, who usually kept to himself, found himself nodding along.

Meanwhile, Kibaou, now thoroughly ignored, stood frozen in place, his moment of self-importance completely shattered.

Morin barely spared him another glance before raising his sword.

"The boss raid begins tomorrow morning! We're taking down that first-floor boss!"

A wave of cheers erupted through the arena.

"Defeat the first-floor boss!"

"We'll clear this death game!"

"Let's go!!!"

It was an electrifying moment. For the first time in weeks, the players didn't just feel like prisoners trapped in a nightmare. They felt like warriors with a purpose.

And as for Kibaou?

Well, the only thing more bruised than his ego was his pride.

Morin smirked.

Now that was how you shut down a clown.

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