I set the Nervegear on my head and laid on my bed. "Link Start."
"State Language." The computerized male voice had no feeling to it. It was extremely fake with no emotion.
"English."
"Use existing account?"
"Yes."
"Would you like to reset account?"
"Take me back to floor one. Hide stats. Keep name."
"Okay. Ready?"
"Link start!"
The system brought up the visable image of a field. I, now a boy with the name Dragon Boy, had been imported into the virtual visable reality of Sword Art Online. In the field stood two other people, a male and a female, with the usernames Ultimate Dragon Slayer and Username1.
I ran up to the two. "Drako! Amy! You guys just get here?"
"Dragon Boy?" Amy asked, "Do we know you?"
"It's me, Lillyin... Get down!" I grabbed my friends' shoulders and pushed them down to the ground behind me as a boar spawned behind them. I drew my sword and charged at the large bull-like beast that had appeared behind my friends. I knew that this being a level one monster it wouldnct have the leval to deplete my friends' HP but if you lose too much before level two it could be devastating and you would be unable to get past level two. With one blow from my double bladed sword the monster was destroyed and I gained three EXP. "I need a more versatile weapon," I whispered to myself.
"Wow!" Username1 stood up. "It really is Lillyin! She uses the same style, only less extravagant and deadly, in her martial arts class. You do need something for your hand to hand though."
"You're right... But how do you know that. Our martial arts class is an all-girls class," Ultimate Dragon Slayer pointed out.
Username1 turned the deepest red. "My sister is in the class and family is welcome to come watch."
"You don't have a sister and families are not welcome!" I yelled."You're the asshole who has been watching us from behind the fucking bleachers!"
Username1 appeared to get even redder. In an embarrass voice he said, "Yes I am."
"We had to train before school because coach thought there was a competition spy!" I took a deep breath. "Never mind that now. We need to get to the Town of Beginnings. Towns are safe zones."
"How the hell do you know that?" asked Ultimate Dragon Slayer.
Thinking fast I said, "I read the guide that beta testers handed out. What do you think I did in that fucking extra math class?"
"I don't know maybe... MATH!"
"Funny, Amy."
Ultimate Dragon Slayer led the way into town.
The town square of Village Square was full of confused people some trying to exit the game others buying things in the multiple different shops selling everything from swords to pancakes and coffee. All of a sudden the sky was filled with a holographic projection of the games master but it didn't show his face. Just a blurry spot.
The man spoke. "Attention, players. I welcome you to my world."
"What the hell does he mean by that?" asked Username1.
The man continued. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus, the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be.
"He's shitting us, right?" Ultimate Dragon Slayer looked at me but I continued staring at the games master.
Kayaba spoke. "You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Username1 was becoming frantic and moved closer to me.
Some guy in the crowd yelled, "Oh, come on! That's such bull shit! This game sucks ass!" He turned to his friends. "Let's get out of here." He opened his menu only to find no log out. "Hey, I can't get out!"
Username1 frantically whispered beside my ear, "He's got to be nuts, right? Right, Lillyin?"
"I'm afraid he's not. The transmitter's signals in the headgear work just like microwaves." I knew this wouldn't help my friends' nerves. "If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain."
Ultimate Dragon Slayer asked nervously, "Couldn't someone cut the power or...?"
"That won't work. The damb NerveGear's got an internal battery." I put my arms protectively around my friends and drew them in close.
Kayaba said, "Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."
"Two hundred thirteen?" echoed a boy's voice from somewhere in the crowd.
Kayaba showed a clip from the seven o' clock news in the corner of the hologram. "As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape now -- you must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."
A guy in crowd shouted, "Why should we believe any of the shit you're saying?"
"We can't clear all 100 floors..." Username1 sat down on the ground, put his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around himself. "That's fucking impossible... even the beta testers never made it that fucking high!"
Kayaba spoke again. "Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look."
Username1, Ultimate Dragon Slayer, and I opened their storage simultaneously. Username1 got there first with his nimble fingers. "A mirror?"
A little ways away two men stood side by side. The younger one was wearing a skirt. The man in pants yelled, "Son of a bitch! You're a guy?!"
The guy in a skirt used to be a girl with the username Janet yelled at the grown man, "You're not seventeen?"
Some had gotten taller, others fatter, some even switching genders as they pulled out the mirror. Everyone had changed. I now had four foot long unbraided hair and the size 38C breast I had become a guy to get rid of. Is this really what I look like?
"But, how?" asked Amy in her Ultimate Dragon Slayer uniform which was now two sizes too big in every part causing her to have to hold up the dress.
Lillyin thought for a second. "The scan. There's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear rig. It can see what our faces looks like, but how's it know our heights and body types?"
Drako responded, "When you first put the NerveGear on, it had to do this calibration thing. It asked you to touch your body all over, remember?"
Amy in a scared voice said, "Oh, yeah, you're right. That's where it got our physical data! But, this is... What's the point?! Why would anyone do this to us?"
Kayaba spoke once more. "Right now, you are probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." The hologram disappeared.
I looked at my frantic friends. "If what he said is true the only way we're going to survive in here is by making ourselves as strong as possible. In an MMORPG, the EXP you and money you can earn... there's only so much... You're both pretty new..." I took a deep breath. "Look, the fields around the Town of Beginnings are going to be hunted clean soon. If we head to the next village, or even the one after that, now then we will have an easier time collecting cash and points. Don't worry, I know all the paths and places we should avoid. Even at level one we can get there easy." I looked at my friends' clothes. "But let's get some properly fitting clothes first."
We walked into a clothing shop. Apparently many didn't know it was here since it was almost empty. Two people a girl and a boy, clearly MPC's stood behind the counter. "What can I get you?" asked the girl with properly fitting clothes unlike most of the others.
I spoke first. "We need our clothing resized and I need a bra."
Drako's face turned beet red.
"Alright-y then. Girls come with me. Username1 you go with Jonny to the back room and we'll get all of your clothes fixed."