Chapter 1 – A New World
- A dim room -
"…In just 5 minutes, every gaming store in Japan will release the long-awaited M.M.O, Sword Art Online! As you viewers can see, the queue stretches as far as three whole blocks away! It is truly astounding!"
"According to our on-site reporters, most of these people have been waiting in line since dawn! There are even some hardcore gamers that have camped overnight on the street!"
"Game creator Kayaba Akihiko has surely outdone himself this time! He's perfected an entirely virtual world, where just about anything is possible!"
With a click of my mouse, I switched off the monitor. Twirling my chair around, I made sure both cables were plugged in, then proceeded to lie down on my bed. I slowly placed the NerveGear on my head, an action that I was by now familiar with. A low humming sound reverberated through my head as the NerveGear's screen slid down, signalling its boot-up sequence. The H.U.D came to life, the clock on its top-left corner reading '12:56'. I could feel my heart begin to race as the adrenaline and excitement started coursing through my veins. Forcing a deep breath to calm myself, I patiently waited as the seconds ticked by. After what seemed to be an eternity - though in reality it was just a few minutes - the clock finally read '13:00'.
Here we go. Taking a deep breath, I said "LINK START!" Instantly the ceiling of my room faded away as my vision turned white.
My name is Karin. 16 years-old, hazelnut eyes, and a head of messy black hair. An average build, standing at about 5'8". Now, I am about to enter the world I recently fell in love with. The world of Sword Art Online!
Author's Note – Ne minna! I'm a first-time writer so excuse me for any mistakes! When I finished watching , I had this idea in my head for awhile so I decided to make a fic about it. I'm not very original so this'll follow the canon for a few chapters (with a few changes here and there of course). See you in the next chapter! xD