(Your username in the story will just be your name, it'll save a lot of confusion for me)

(Y/n) POV

"Hi there! Welcome to this weeks MMO podcast! What you just saw was a preview of today's featured game, and this is what it looked like last week, while everyone was standing in line for it!" The woman on my computer said. "Can you guess what game it is?" She asked

'No I can't, because there is totally not a sign saying what game it is..' I thought sarcastically
"SWORD ART ONLINE!" The lady says, "The first people in line were waiting for 3 days! Hey, but if you're a hardcore gamer that's what you do!" She says, as I flip through a gaming magazine, then getting a paper cut.

"Hey, I'm going off to practice now, see you later okay?" My sister says through the door.

'Alright enough of this, time to start the game.' I thought, turning off my computer, and laying on my bed, while putting my nerve gear on.

"Link, start!" I say, as the nerve gear turned on. When I come to, I look around and blink a few times. "Hello world, I'm back." I say as more people start connecting, and people start cheering.

I started running through the market, and people making parties. When I cam up to an ally, I turn into it.

"Hey, bro!" Someone yells after me, and I slow down, looking behind me. When I turn around, I see a man with red hair and a bandana. "You look like you know your way around. You were a Beta Tester, weren't you?" He asks

"Yea, so what?" I ask

"Look, in new here, so can you help me out with the lower floors?" He asks me

"I don't know..." I say

"Ah, come on please!" He says, clapping his hands together "Look, my names Klein. Good to meet you."

"Alright, I'm (Y/n)." I say

~Time Skip~

"AHH!" Klein screams, after getting hit by a boar "Right...in...the...nuts..."

"Oh come on." I say

"Kill me now" Klein complains

"You can't feel any pain." I say

"Huh? Oh yea, you're right." Klein says, as I sigh "Sorry habit."

"Remember what I said?" I ask, looking at his health bar, now yellow "The first strike is the most important."

"Yea easy for you to say." Klein says "But he won't stand still."

I bend down, and pick up a rock "If you do your initial motion right..." I say, pulling my arm back, as the rock stared glowing red" And activate your sword skill at the right time..." I say, throwing the rock at the boar, hitting it
"The system pretty much guarantees a hit." I say

"Initial...motion?" Klein says, holding his sword.

"Here's an easier way to look at it." I say, as the boar charges at me, as I dodge, and block its horns with my sword "Right after you start your move, wait for a little bit. When you feel the skill start to activate, drive it home."

"Drive it home?" Klein asks under his breath, then gets a look of realization on his face. He then holds his sword on his shoulder, as it turns yellow. When I see this, I smile, push the boar off me, and kick it his way. "AHHH!" Klein yells, striking the boar, and killing it. Then a box saying how much EXP, Col, and items he got popped up. "Heh...YEAHHHH!" Klein screms, throwing his hands up.

"Congratulations" I say, giving him a high five

"But...don't celebrate to soon, that boar is about as strong as a slime in the other games are." I say

"Holy crap! You've gotta be kidding me!" Klein yells "I thought that thing was a mid level boss!"

"As if!" I say, looking at more boars spawn in.

"Woah!" Klein says, taking out another boar.

"Addicting isn't it?" I ask

"I'll say." Klein says, striking his sword in front of him "So, these skill, there's a lot of them, like, blacksmithing and stuff?" Klein asks

"I heard the game has an unlimited amount, all except for magic." I say

"An RPG without magic, that's a bold decision." Klein says, using his sword skill on air. "OHH YEA!" Klein yells

"So, what do you think? Kinda fun to move your body while you're fighting, isn't it?" I ask

"Ah hells yea!" Klein says, as I nod my head.

"So, ready to move on?" I ask

"Yea man, let's keep going!" Klein says

~Time Skip~

"When I look around, I can't believe it. We're inside a game bro!" Klein says "Who ever made it is a genius. This is amazing, makes me glad I was born when I was, you know?" He asks

"It's not that big of a deal." I say

"Hey, cut me some slack, it's my first full dive." Klein says

"So, you've never used a nerve gear before today, huh? This is your first time ever?" I ask

"Uh-huh. As soon as I got the money together, I went out and got all the gear together. Then I stood in line for SAO for three days." He explains "Scored one of the hard copies, guess you could say I was pretty lucky. Although, you sir, were ten times more lucky, getting to beta test it."

"Huh?" I ask

"I mean come on, only one thousand people got the chance!" Klein says

"Yea, I guess I was pretty lucky." I say

"Hey, mind if I ask how far you got in the beta?" Klein asks

"Two months, and I couldn't get further then floor eight." I explain

"Hm?" Klein asks

"But now I feel like I could get there in one month." I say

"Wow, you're really into this, aren't you?" Klein asks

"Yea, you could say that." I say, pulling out my sword " During the beta, all that was on my mind was SAO, day and night. In this world a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. In this world, I feel more alive in this world then I ever have in the real one. Anyway, you wanna go do some more hunting?" I ask

"You know it!" Klein says

"Well, you sound really excited about it." I say

"But the thing is..." Klein says, as his stomach rumbles "I'm really hungry, I gotta log out and eat something."

"Too bad what you eat in here only satisfies your hunger virtually." I say

"Yea, and I ordered a pizza for 5:30." Klein says

"Wow, you're really prepared." I say

"You know it!" Klein says "Besides, the game can wait until I get my pizza on."

"I guess..." I say, sounding depressed

"Hey, I was gonna go meet up with some of my friends from other games...you know if you want, you can friend them and hang with us." Klein says happily, as I look surprised, then look away. "Nah, it's cool if you don't want to! I could always introduce you to them a different time."

"Yea, sorry..." I say "Thanks anyway."

"Nah, I'm the one who should be doing all the thanking." Klein says, walking up to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "And I promise I'll pay you back as thanks, virtually of course."

"Yea, right." I say

"Thanks for everything man, really." Klein says, putting his hand in front of him, "Guess I'll see you around then."

"Yea," I say, shaking his hand "And if there is anything you need, message me, alright?" I ask

"Ah sweet! I'll do that! Heheheh!" Klein says, turning around, and going to the log out. "Huh? Where'd the log out button go?"

"It should be there." I say

"Hmmm...nope, not there." Klein says

"It should be at the bottom of the main menu-huh?" I say, seeing no log out button.

"See, not there." Klein says

"Yea, you're right." I say

"Ah, so what, it's the games first day out of beta. Bound to be some bugs." Klein says "Bet the server people are freaking out right now!"

"You will too." I say

"Huh?" He asks

"Look, it's 5:25 right now." I say, pointing at the clock.

"Ah...OH MY GOD MY TERIYAKI MAYO PIZZA AND GINGER ALE!" Klein screams

"Calm down, why don't you contact the Game Master?" I ask

"Huh? Well yea, I already tried that, but nothings happening, he's not picking up." Klein says "Do you know if there is any other way to log out?"

"Hmm. No, whenever a player wants to log out of SAO, the only way for a player to do that is to go through the menu." I say

"That can't be right! There's got to be another way to log out! Return! Log out! Escape!" Klein yells, making weird motions with his body.

"Told you so. And there was no emergency log out in the manual." I say

"No way. You're kidding. I know, I'll just rip the nerve gear off my head." Klein says, putting his hands on his head, and pushing upwards.

"Don't bother, once you put on your nerve gear, you can't move your body in the real world anymore." I explain "The nerve gear intercepts all the commands you do in game, using an interface in the rig."

"Seriously? So now we got to wait until someone gets around to fixing the bug!?" Klein says

"That, or we have to wait until someone comes around in the real world, and take it off for you." I say

"I live alone, you?" Klein asks

"I have a mom and a sister, although I'm sure by dinner time they'll notice a-" I say, and get interrupted by Klein, putting his hands on my shoulder.

"You have a sister?! How old is she, what is she into?!" Klein asks

"She...really likes sports, and hates games, and totally wouldn't date a gamer if he was the last person on earth an-" I say, being interrupted again.

"Who cares man!" He says, then I kick him in his balls. "AHH! AGHHH! Aghh. Oh yea, you can't feel it."

"Get serious, don't you think this is a little weird?" I ask

"Yea, but it's just some bug." Klein says

"It's not just some bug. If we can't log out, it's gonna cause some serious problems with the game." I explain

"Yea, you're right." Klein says

"I wonder if the developers know what's happening, because they would just shut down the servers, and log everyone out." I say, then a bell rings in the distance, then we get teleported to the town square.

"Do you know what's going on?" I hear a random girl say.

"Uh-uh." A boy says

"Someone forced a teleport." I say, then the bell stops ringing.

"Look, up there." Someone says, as we all look up at the sky, where a red hexagon saying "warning" appeared, then the whole sky becomes red, as red goo drips out of the sky.

"Now what?" I ask, as the red goo forms a person.

"What the hell is that thing?" Klein asks

"Is that the Game Master?" Someone asks

"Why does he have no face?" Another person asks

"Is this some kind of event?" A third person questions

"What's happening? I'm scared!" The same girl from earlier says.

"Don't worry, it's just part of the opening ceremony." A boy says

"Attention players." The man in the sky says "I welcome you, to my world."

"What's he talking about?" I ask

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your menus, the log out button." Kayaba says, pulling up the menu "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 meant to be."

"He's kidding...right?" Klein asks

"You cannot log out of the game, and people in the real world cannot remove your nerve gear from your head." Kayaba explains "If they attempt to do so, a transmitter inside the nerve gear will send a microwave signal to your skull, and destroy your brain, and ending your life."

"What are you talking about?" A random person says

People try to walk out of the town, and gets hit by a invisible barrier. "Hey I can't get out!"

"Heh, are you listening to this crap? He's gotta be nuts, right" Klein asks "Right (Y/n)?"

"He's not. The transmitter in the nerve gear are like a microwave. If the safety is removed, it could fry your brain." I explain

"Can't someone cut the power?" Klein asks

"That won't work either. The nerve gears got an internal battery." I say

"This is crazy! Totally crazy!" Klein says

"Despite my warning, families and friends of players have attempted to remove the nerve gear. An unfortunate decision to say the least." Kayaba continues "The game now has 213 less players then when it started. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."

"213?" I say

"That's crazy. I can't believe it." Klein says

"As you can see," Kayaba starts, pulling up websites of news stations, showing the reports. "Social media outlets have started reporting about everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume that removal of nerve gear is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you attempt to finish the game. It's important to remember the following; there is no way to revive a player in the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted...forever. And the nerve gear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

"Huh?!" I say, having a vision of me dying by a boar, then I clench my fist.

"The only way now to leave the game, is to beat the game." Kayaba says, pulling up a blueprint of Aincrad "Right now you are gathered on floor one, if you clear the dungeon on this floor, you will advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100, and you will have successfully beaten the game."

"We can't clear all 100 floors, that's freaking impossible." Klein says "NOT EVEN THE BETA TESTERS MADE IT THAT HIGH!"

"Now, last but not least, I've placed a gift in every players item storage. Please, have a look." Kayaba says

I open up my item storage and see a mirror. "Huh? A mirror?" I ask

"Ah-AH-AHH" Klein yells

"Klein!" I yell, as everyone is outlines in blue, and their appearances change.

"You okay (Y/n)?"

"Yeah" I say, turning around "Wait a second...who are you?"

"Who am I? Who are you?" The man says, as I look in a mirror, and see my actual real world self.

"Son of a- you're a guy?!" Someone yells

"Your not 17!" Another person yells

"Wait a second...IS THAT YOU KLEIN?!" I yell simultaneously with Klein asking me if I was me.

"The scan. There is a high density signal device inside the nerve gear rig." I say "But how does it know my height and body type?"

"When you first put the nerve gear on, it did some kinda calibration thing, where it made you touch yourself all over, remember?" Klein asks

"Oh yea, you're right. That's where it got our physical data." I say

"But...what's the point? Why would anyone do this?" Klein asks

"I think he's about to tell us." I say

"Right now, you are probably wondering why, why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online, and the nerve gear, do this?" He began "Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The whole reason I made sword art online was to control a world of my own."

"Kayaba...you insane bastard! I swear I'll end this!" I say

"As you can see, I achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the beginning of Sword Art Online. I wish you all good luck." Kayaba says, disappearing.

"AHHHH!" Some random girl screams out, starting an outburst of panicking people. When I look at my hand, I see my finger bleeding from the paper cut.

'It's not a game, it's real. I always thought Akihiko Kayaba was a genius. I've been a fan of his for a long time, and I know, everything he just said...is true...if I die in the game, I'll die in real life.' I thought

"Come on Klein." I said, pulling him in an alley. "Listen, I'm heading to the next town over, and I want you to come with me."

"Huh?" Klein asks

"If what he is saying is true, and I think it is, then we have to get as strong as possible, as soon as possible." I say, pulling up a map "In an MMORPG, with items and money, there is only so much to go around. Look, the wolves around the town of beginnings are gonna be hunted clean soon. If we head to the next village now, we can get a lot of the cash and points. Don't worry, I may be a level one, but I know all the paths and tricks to get there."

"Thanks, but, you know those friends I was talking about, well we stood in line to buy this, and..." Klein starts "Well, they're at the plaza still."

'If it were just Klein, I'd be okay, but two more, or even one more...' I think

"Look, I can't ask a guy that I just met to risk his neck for people he just met. So don't worry about me, get your ass to the next village. Besides, in the last game I played, I ran a guild, so I'm more then prepared. Plus, all the stuff you taught me, I'll be fine." Klein tells me

"Fine, but if you're in a jam, message me okay?" I ask

"Sure!" Klein says

"Well I'll be seeing you Klein." I say walking away

"(Y/n)!" Klein says, as I stop in my tracks "I...uh..." As I start to walk away again Klein stops me again. "(Y/n)...you look better this way. Way cooler then your avatar."

"Yeah, and I think that scruffy face fits you a lot better too." I say, running away, then stopping and looking behind me, seeing Klein not there anymore, I start running away again. When I get in a field, a wolf appears in front of me. "AGHHHHH!" I yell 'I got this, I can do this! This world can't beat me!' I thought, killing the wolf. 'I will survive' "AGHHHHHHH!"