Evangelion Versus Angels Online

Chapter One

1_November_2010

For a moment, all the small child could hear was feedback from the intercom in the laboratory. It became speech quickly. "Beginning first test. All non-participating persons please move to the first observation booth immediately. That is all."

A dozen or so people shuffled into the glass enclosed room where the boy, only four years old, ran back and forth along the pane of bulletproof glass.

"Holographic emitters are set and ready to display."

Of the ten people on the ground level, the center of attention looked the funniest to the boy. He waved and smiled, ear to ear, at the woman standing there in a white lab coat and what seemed like a thousand wires leading all over the place.

She waved back, calling up him. "Shin-Chan." Her voice, to his ears at least, was happiness. To the people with her, it could have been remorse.

"Head gear ready for activation. Hardwire uninterrupted."

An older man with receding grey hair approached the young woman. The boy recognized the man and waved at him too. He took notice, but spoke to the woman rather than waving back. "You know you don't have to go through with this Yui. There are dozens of technicians versed in the programs you developed."

"Professor," she said while putting on a large piece of metal head gear, "Kozou... it'll be alright. Just make sure Gendo doesn't shirk off his responsibilities." She was referring to his duty as a parent, but the aged man took it professionally.

"I'll be sure of that. But really... why is there your son here?"

"I brought Shinji along. I wanted to show him how bright the future will be. Will you go up to the booth to keep an eye on him? He seems to be getting into something or another."

She was taking glances up at the booth where her son was running around with a tan hat trailing behind him.

"Doesn't that belong to the representative from North America?"

"I'll go get him. And I'll be watching Yui. One hundred percent grade for a good performance." He gently reminded her of the days they spent at Kyoto University as professor and student. As the professor retreated to the viewing booth, Yui was approached by another man.

He was younger and looked shady. "Yui."

"Hello you," she said, tilting the head gear up slightly to kiss the man. They separated and she said "are you ready?"

"I am always ready dear," he said simply.

"Oh you," she said, taking his hand in hers. "I really do like the adjustments you made to the head gear. Those techs in section three have no idea what comfort is."

"I knew you'd like it. This equipment could be worn for hours at a time without physical discomfort to interrupt the neural connection. Such things cannot be looked over in future development, so they cannot be looked over now."

"So pragmatic," she laughed out. "I think that's why I love you."

"Certainly I have other qualities," he said pulling her close for another kiss.

"Certainly you do," she answered.

"Entering test phase," came a slightly annoyed voice from the intercom. "All participants to positions. Hey you kids," the voice said, "stop messing around."

"Naoko, you never could take a joke," Yui said as she passed the console Naoko worked at.

"Only when I'm working," she answered. "Want to go out for a drink later? My treat."

"That'd be wonderful. Hey, if I pitch in, can we hit that new German place in town?"

Naoko looked pleased. "That place is expensive, you'd better pitch in a lot."

"Cheapskate. You offered."

"I may look rich, but I hardly make more than any salaryman."

Yui laughed. "The lab coat probably throws people off."

"I am a medical doctor too. I'd probably make more money if I worked for a private hospital," she joked.

"Probably. But we'd all miss you if you left."

"No you wouldn't. You love me for my ability to understand this gibberish you call computer code."

"Alright," Yui said, flopping her arms out in an exaggerated motion, "you caught me, oh wise Akagi-sensei."

"So I did," Naoko agreed. "Now go get ready for the test. We're only sixty seconds under the line."

"Got it. Hey Naoko," Yui said, "full-dive. Should be interesting."

"True. Sort of wish I was going."

"No you don't. All I had time to program was a big white room and a console. It's boring~!"

"Still," Naoko couldn't finish that thought with anything worth saying. "Good luck Yui."

"Thanks." With that, she left the doctor to her work and entered the testing area.

"Doctor Ikari," a technician greeted. "Please sit down." He motioned to a fairly comfortable looking reclining chair.

"Thank you."

"Yui," this time it was her husband's voice, the voice of Gendo Ikari, on the intercom. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Are you?"

He smiled, a rarity reserved for her. "Indeed. Professor?"

In the booth, Professor Kozou Fuyutsuki held the young son of Yui Ikari, Shinji Ikari, in his lap. "It's your show Yui. I think Shinji wants to say something," he says, nodding to the child.

"Hi mommy!"

"Hi Shin-Chan!" She waved to him from her seat in the testing area.

"What's all that stuff," he asked, puzzled by the wires and electronics equipment.

"You'll see in just a bit. Ask Professor Fu about it later."

"OK. Bye!" He waved widely, accepting his mother's answer.

"See you later sweetie."

Shinji let the microphone go, giving it back to the professor. He nodded to Yui, wishing her luck with a short, silent prayer. On the floor, Gendo steadied his pose, one that hid his mouth, leaving only his eyes, which themselves are covered in darkly tinted glasses, visible. Naoko Akagi began the test.

"Holographic projection system: active." A series of three blue spheres hummed to life, projecting white light into three dimensions, coating the testing floor. "Beginning simulation 'E.V.A. Online.'" The light collapsed into a five meter by five meter by three meter room with a black cube floating in the center.

Yui clicked the head gear on. Naoko gave a thumbs up to the technician watching the programmer. He forwarded the approval and she said "Link start!"

Across the room, in the holographic projection, a near perfect reproduction of Yui Ikari glows into existence. She is wearing a simple white dress that somehow stands out from the white room.

A look of glee came over her. "Amazing. I actually made it." In the viewing booth, the representatives of each country invested in the project cheered. Kozou smiled. Shinji stood up on his lap, nearly falling over.

On the floor, Gendo let out a silent sigh. Naoko was busy collecting data on the input and output signals.

From the holographic room, "Hello everyone. I suppose you can hear me, but I'm not really sure," she laughed. "I'm going to log out now. Guess I'll know if it works in a moment."

She reached for the cube in the center of the white room, opened a diagnostic menu it offered, and went to log off the server.

Her hand was stopped.

Gendo leapt to his feet. Shinji felt Kozou lifting him to get to his feet. Naoko still sat, surprised, but needing to collect the data being fed to her terminal.

Her arm was being held by... something. It looked human, clad in black, but featureless. "Doctor."

"What," she responded.

"Doctor Ikari."

"What are you," she asked.

"I... I am..."

In the viewing booth, Kozou debated with himself whether to leave the child to go to the floor, or take him down there. He opted to take the child with him. On the floor, Gendo made his way to Naoko.

"What am I looking at doctor," he asked in a hushed, murderous tone.

"I have no idea. Something strange is in the system."

"How did this happen," he asked using the same tone.

Kozou arrived on the floor with Shinji. "A better question is who has the knowledge to make something like that in our top-secret, experimental full-dive system."

Gendo turned to face his old teacher only to be confronted with his son's scared face.

"D...daddy!" Shinji rushed to Gendo, fear clouding his young features.

Gendo took the boy in his arms and turned back to Naoko. "Doctor, find out and fix this. Kill what ever that," he pointed a thumb at the dark figure, "is. End it."

Inside the white room, the figure finally formed more words. "I am death."

"What?" Yui took an involuntary step back.

"And fear. And rage. And..."

"Why?"

"I am."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I am."

"What does that mean!?"

With that final question, the dark figure touched Yui's forehead. Her avatar in the white room vanished, leaving only the black cube and himself.

"Ikari."

Kozou could only look on in horror. Akagi was trying to find the code for the creature, but was coming up horribly short. Shinji cried into his father's shoulder, not knowing what was going on. Gendo remained composed.

"What?"

"Ikari," the creature said again.

"I answered you, monster! What?"

"What you are is death. I too am death. Death of the Yui Ikari. Death of the Akagi. Death of the Sohryu. Death to the progenitors. Death to Lilith. Death to Adam. Death to them all."

"And what about me?"

"Death."

"And my child?"

"Death."

"Well then," Gendo said. "That just about does it. Akagi."

"Very well commander."

Naoko typed in a series of code. As she finished, a red spear appeared in the white room. Using the creature as a scale, the spear was just the right size to pierce where it's heart and neck would be. As the spear entered the creature's body, it screamed in agony.

"The ultimate countermeasure against trash in the system," Kozou said. "But was the name really needed, Gendo? It's just in poor taste."

"Professor, now is not the time. Akagi, keep it restrained. Use Magi level firewall numbers five-six-six and six-six-seven. You there," he motioned to the technician on staff, "check her. Is Doctor Ikari well?"

The technician did as he was told. He checked the medical gear, all registering her body's health to be as near to perfect as can be. The head gear told him that her mind was still intact. "Sir, everything is in order."

"Ikari..." the creature groaned out.

"What more could you want, monster?"

"In this, I only warn. Disconnection is death. I am death. The Others. Are. Death." The creature vanished in a flurry of polygons and pixels. The Spear of Longinus, the ultimate countermeasure, clattered to the ground of the white room and shattered without a target.

"Akagi," Gendo turned slowly. "What would happen if we were to remove the interface equipment from Yui without her logging out from the terminal?"

Kozou's face turned pale. Naoko looked down into her terminal. "She... the shock to her brain would..."

"I see." Gendo put Shinji down, opting to take his hand, and walked over to Yui, still sitting in the chair. "Yui."

"Daddy," Shinji tugged at his father's arm, "what happened to mommy?"
"Shinji..." How do you explain something like this to a child? It isn't death, but... imprisonment. "Your mother is sleeping now." That's as close as he can manage. "But she'll wake up some day."

Shinji didn't quite understand. But he accepted the answer silently by squeezing his father's hand tightly.

Someday... I'll see mother again. One day soon.

.

Evangelion Versus Angels Online

13_September_2022

I woke up in a cold sweat, my eyes dripping tears and by throat dry from crying out in my sleep. I had the same dream again. It was when I was only a child, but I remember it vividly. The man without a face, the holy lance that destroyed him, and my mother's mind and soul vanishing, leaving her body behind for my father and I to grieve over in a sterile hospital room.

In junior high school, we were asked what we dreamt of. It was an exercise, I later learned, to determine career goals. For telling the truth about the only dream I always remember, I went through a year and a half of therapy at the school's behest. Maybe they should have thought of that when I was a kid, because something like that never really goes away if it festers long enough. Father certainly remembers.

This year, in my second year of high school, they asked the same question, but in the context of looking for universities to attend. By then, I had figured it out. I wanted to be a programmer. I wanted to design a world like mother envisioned. Even with his lab still producing the NervGear system, he never let me get one. I was obsessed with machines. Banned from more than one online game for hacking. Got a rather interesting phone call from the American Department of Defense. And don't get me started on the visit from the Minister of Internal Affairs. They don't like me much, but they keep offering me a job (for when I get out of university).

It started two years ago, after I figured out what I wanted to do with my education and after the MIA made their first offer for employment. It came to me one day: I could build NervGear. Dad's company tracks purchases through the sign-up process, which is needed to use the system and interact over a network. But if I build one, I could bypass the neural scan that would give my identity away to the servers. I could be someone else altogether. I practically breath the schematics that dad brings home. He has to sleep from time to time, regardless of what Asuka says about him, and that gives me time to pick through his paperwork and notes. The concept is easy.

It's almost done. Just getting the materials was a hassle. The whole thing, for what it's worth, looks like the earliest prototypes, but should work as well as an off-the-shelf model. I wonder if the servers will catch on to an extra unit. Probably, but I can hide the signal a little if I bounce off a satellite dish or two. Besides, the air is so full of wireless it should be simple to hide.

My plan was perfect. I'd be a secret player in Nerv's first virtual reality MMO game. Now, if only I could find a way to be able to play without dad noticing. Getting caught in my room because I didn't answer the door would be a pain, and not too many people would be on after midnight.

In all my pondering, I almost didn't notice the doorbell ringing. "Coming, coming!"

I made haste to the door, tucking the Gear parts I was messing with under the bed. It was more out of habit than anything else. I'd be working, dad would knock on my door, and I'd stuff it under as fast as I could. He'd joke about me jerking off and I'd deny it, my face getting red. Usually it was a call to dinner. If he cooked, pizza from our favorite place down the road. If I cooked, a three course meal.

I opened the door to see a delivery man with a small-ish package under his arm. "Mr. Shinji Ikari?"

He butchered the pronunciation. Must be part of the resettlement program that Japan helped America with a couple years ago. There was a massive earthquake on their west coast, and a dozen countries offered aid and land for people to start over. "Hai~"

"Then this is you. Please sign."

I'm not sure if it was some mix of American slang and the Japanese language, or if he just didn't know to use the connection 'for' in Japanese. Doesn't matter. He's a hell of a lot better than some of the Americans I've met. Most of them refuse to learn Japanese, choosing to set up purely American neighborhoods to avoid us. I can't understand how they can even feel like that. Strange.

"Sure." I signed the paper he offered. "Thank you. Have a good one."

"Yes. You too, Mr. Ikari."

He sort of got the name right that time. That irritates me the most. Around school, everyone just assumes that I don't mind being called nicknames or by my given name. I mean... what ever happened to calling someone you don't really know 'san' or 'mister.'

I closed the door, nearly dropping the package from my arm to close the deadbolt. What could this be? Return address is here in Kyoto, but I don't know where this street is.

Retreating to my room, I took a box cutter from my desk's top drawer and opened the parcel. Packing peanuts. Massive waste of resources. I kinda' want to get a whole bunch and make a kite out of it. Meh... maybe another time. I dug my hands into the box until I hit whatever was in it. It was a round object that resembled a halo, but large enough to be placed around the temple of the head. For the most part, it was unpainted and gunmetal grey. I turned it until I reached the front.

'NervGear mk.01'

I panicked slightly. Who would send me this? Father always said I couldn't have one. That was the whole point of building one myself. I dumped the box over, looking for anything else in that could explain this strange gift. I found a postcard taped to the bottom of the box.

DIRECTIONS: One: Place NervGear mk.01 on head with scanning equipment module one touching near center of forehead. Two: Activate 'WELCOME' program by voice command 'Welcome.' Three: Log in.

I turned the postcard over. There was an image I've seen a thousand times. It's the one that haunts my dreams. My mother in a white dress in a white room with a black cube in the center of it. But this was different. When I saw this last, more than ten years ago, it was back when holography was just getting off the ground, so the graphics were choppy. But this... it looks like someone took a photograph and sent it to me. No polygons or pixels. Just walls and objects and skin.

"Is this someone's idea of a sick joke?" I had to ask out loud. It's too audacious.

It had to be. Someone probably just photoshopped an old image from the test to look newer. A shitty practical joke. This NervGear looks fake too. There's no such thing as a mark zero one. The naming scheme would never allow for it. The first and current market model is 'NervGear Version Zero.' It would be called 'Version One' if it were actually legit.

But... what if?

Today would mean the start of the first virtual reality online game. They're calling it Sword Art Online. Asuka told me about the closed beta that she was chosen for. Apparently Nerv wanted this weirdly unbalanced mix of military experts, occult fans, seasoned gamers and newbies to beta. Guess which one Asuka is. I wasn't in the beta, but the content showing up online was intense. I hear it's a hundred level floating fortress full of town after town in an impossible set-up. The top floor is supposed to be this veritable paradise of riches and first grade items for the players that can reach it.

"I'll do it. I'll be that player."

But one problem: only ten thousand players were accepted for the first wave of game play, so there's no way in. I would need admin level permissions to gain access now. But... wonder about this strange NervGear. I didn't think about it anymore. If I put one more brain cell into thinking about the consequences, I'd never put it on. I took the NervGear mk.01, attached it to my head, plugged it in and got on the bed. I'd be in a game, best to sit somewhere I'm not likely to fall from.

"Welcome."

The sight and sound functions from the gear kicked in, leaving my touch, taste and smell rooted in reality. "Welcome to the NervGear mark one start-up sequence. Please select from the following options using voice commands. One: Continue. Two: Exit."

"Continue."

"Welcome. Please follow the following instructions."

The on-board instructions were pretty simple. Stay still while the system scans you, think about body parts while touching them to let the system get an idea of your body type and size. Answer a multi-answer questionnaire. All as expected.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online. Please select a character type."

This was unexpected. I thought I'd have to fight tooth and nail for access, but the computer let me right in. Lets see. Player ID: 10002. Wait. There are only ten thousand registered players. If I'm 10002, then who's 10001? No time to think about that now. I have to finish up the start-up before the game releases players into the first floor.

Name? It has to be in English? OK. Then... Job. Male character. What kind of specialist? It is called Sword Art Online, but I don't really want a sword... maybe guns? I guess this archer class is close. Starting attributes? What works well with accuracy? OK. That's done. Appearance? Set at random with a basis in what I really look like. I ended up looking older and less effeminate. I did change my hair though. I wanted to try this sort of English looking thing with the hair all slicked back. Looks good, I think.

That all done? Good. Off to the tutorial town: the Town of Beginnings.

There were thousands of players all collected in the center of the first town. I tried counting the ones I could see, but lost track around two hundred and gave up. My starting gear looked about the same as everyone else's. Basic clothing consisting of trousers for guys and what seemed to be a choice of trousers or skirts for girls. Everyone was armed with blades, bows and arrows, staffs and the like. It was all very fantasy. Sort of how you'd imagine living a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

I took a seat near the edge of the meeting place and closed by eyes. It's about quarter till one now, which means that the entrance ceremony is in about fifteen minutes. I think digging through my menus might kill some time. I swiped the menu open with my right hand and started picking through the options. Garments: Basic Clothing. Aid: Survival Pack. Weapons: Crossbow lv.1 + 20 bolts. Other items: Mirror, Time Keeper.

That took all of two minutes. I wonder if Asuka is playing. That'd be a fun surprise. She was in the beta, so I imagine, if she liked the game, that she'd play the real thing. Hell... she'd probably play even if she hated it. It's the first ever virtual reality online game.

Minutes later, an unreal public announcement system blared music, signifying the opening of Sword Art Online. The speech was short. "To everyone here on this momentous day: welcome. In the world, this flying fortress of Aincrad, I invite you to explore, conquer, and face me at the end of floor ninety-nine in a duel to the death for your chance at the fortune, fame and freedom. Farewell."

With that, a signal bell sounded and it was time to start the game.

I ran. I ran so far. The only thing I remembered from Asuka telling me about the game was that you had to level grind a lot to beat the first floor boss. Level five is optimal. She's probably be doing the same thing. When I made it to the edge of the Town of Beginnings, I found my first monster. It resembled a wolf in the real world, but larger and fiercer looking. I opened my menu quickly, as the wolf didn't seem to be in a hurry to fight at ten meters, and equipped my crossbow. It materialized in my hand, appearing to be loaded.

I know how to do this. Target in the center, squeeze the trigger. The bolt left the end of the basic crossbow, impacting the oversized wolf in the face. Judging by the HP gauge, it lost just over half its health. I went to reload, but noticed that the weapon already had a bolt loaded. That was good to know, that weapons needing ammunition would reload automatically. I took aim again, harder this time that the wolf was moving in a defensive circle, waiting for an opening. Squeezed the trigger. It looked stunned for a moment, and vanished into a flurry of polygons.

I shuddered. Not a pleasant memory. I'll have to get used to it if I want to keep playing SAO. As the shapes and glare vanished, a small pile of items was left behind. I collected three Col (the SAO currency, worth about thirty Yen if I had to make a comparison to what they buy in Japan: about ten Col for a coffee), a wolf pelt and meat, and those two crossbow bolts I used, bringing the total back to twenty.

The whole day went like this. After about five hours of playing, I had grinded up to level three and was carrying about five hundred Col, enough meat from various animals to keep my character fed for a while, and a few relatively rare drops. The only ones I kept, rather than selling in the field, were a teleportation crystal that the NPC shopkeeper claimed would never run dry of power and something called 'Link to Tellus Prime.' I don't know what it is, but the menu won't let me drop it and I can't sell it. So for now, I'll check around. It's about half past five now. The time in SAO is linked to time in the real world, so the sun is getting ready to set for the night. Probably time to log out. Dad will be some around six and I really don't want him seeing me with NervGear in the house.

I opened the menu again to log out. But... I couldn't find the log out button.

"Must be a glitch," I said to myself. I'd lodge a comment with technical support and get back to the game. They'll let me know when the function is restored.

I spent the next couple minutes walking back to the Town of Beginnings. While in a town or other peaceful settlement, you can't be damaged or lose any health. So it's important to get a room for the night before I log out. I can't just leave my avatar on the street. He'll he robbed. In rooms, the lock is absolute as long as you stay inside. I guess this was one of the more specific features that the GMs thought SAO needed to keep players in safe zones from being PKed for their stuff.

Then... things took a turn for the worse. I was enveloped in a blue and red light and by body felt light. "Wha- What's this?!" The next thing I saw, I was standing in the round meeting area I was in just earlier when the head GM made his welcome announcement. I was listening to people around me. Words like 'what the hell was that' and 'forced teleport' were popping up everywhere. I guess that's the power of teleportation. People are still coming in. The sky was a burnt orange from the last rays of sunlight. The space directly above the meeting place turned a glowing red. Brighter and brighter, until a viscous, blood-like substance began to drip out of the red hexagons that now made up the sky. A large hooded figure formed out of the stuff. It spoke.

"Welcome to Aincrad."

My knees felt shaky. If I could feel fear from this thing, I wonder what everyone else was thinking. I mean... it's only a game avatar. Granted, it's a huge one, but not too much larger than some monsters I've cut down in other games. I guess it's different when you are experiencing the world with all of your senses.

"Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. At this very moment, I am the singular game master of this world."

Wait. What? A game this large with only the one GM? People around me were calling out 'get out GM' at the faceless avatar. Like it'll help. Now... where have I seen his name before? Akihiko... Kayaba? Maybe in the news? Who would be in a position to GM SAO? Probably the... I got it! The development team. I know where I've seen his name: on a list of developers in dad's notes. Who else was on that list...?

"I'm sure you've all noticed the fact that the log out option has vanished from the main menu," the massive GM continues, alleviating the fears of many players. "This is not a bug, but is one of the main features of Sword Art Online."

What does that mean? There's no log out option?

The announcement went on. "At the very top of the castle, there is the only place to log out."

What castle? There's no castle on this level... no...

"The moment your HP reached zero in this place and for any reason, you will die."

Die?
"Also, the disruption of signal from your brain in the old world to your self in this one for more than three hours or the dismantling of NervGear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If this is attempted, the signal sensors in your NervGear will emit a powerful electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and ceasing basic operating function."
It wasn't panic. Not yet. What I heard all around me was shocked disbelief. People couldn't wrap their minds around this. But... I've seen the schematics. The Version Zero was equipped with a powerful transceiver array to connect players both to local networks for internet connection and to the Nerv satellite array to make up for any interruption. In theory, the built in systems and the internal battery could produce the EM pulse Kayaba mentioned. But that's insane. Who'd do such a thing?

As if feeling everyone's apprehension, the floating GM continued. "The following conditions have already been made known to the government and the public through mass-media and legitimate online sources. If the NervGear is disconnected from an outside source of power, if it is cut off from the system, if there is an attempt to unlock, destroy or dismantle the NervGear. If any of these are met, the NervGear will... On that note, there have been two hundred thirteen unfortunate deaths already where the well-meaning family and friends ignored warnings. These players have left the game... and the real world. Forever."

Now the panic began. Hundreds of players, maybe more than a thousand ran for the sides of the massive meeting area. They were stopped by a bubble of energy. When impacting the shield, a message with the Nerv logo appeared saying [Absolute Territory]. No one knows what to do. Some panicked and ran, only to be stopped. Others fell to their knees. I even saw one trying desperately to slice out his own neck. Probably trying to wake up. It didn't work. This is a protected area.

"Players," he continued, "there is no need to worry about the bodies you left on the other side. At the moment, all news outlets are reporting the information I relayed to you, including the unfortunate fact that two hundred thirteen players have passed. Using the time I allotted for disconnection, players will be moved to hospitals, medical institutions and, most likely, laboratories for safety and study. Please relax. Concentrate on this world. Though..." the now red glowing GM said "I must ask everyone to understand one thing. Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. It is a new reality. From this point one, revival is no longer an option. The moment your HP reaches zero, your avatar will vanish. At the same time, your body will be shut down by your NervGear."

No... no way. Even I couldn't take this in. I was frozen on the spot. My legs wouldn't move. Move damn it. I have to move. I looked down from the sky to my heads-up-display, my HUD, to my hit point meter. It read 530/530. I only have five hundred thirty points that separate me from death. I wonder if anyone else is making that connection.

"I give my word to all players. Make your way to the top of the castle, to the ninety-ninth of Aincrad. There, I'll be waiting. Defeat me, and all surviving players will be set free."

Asuka told me about the beta testing. She said she made it to the tenth floor (leaving other players in the dust). That was after two months of heavy gaming on her part. I bet most of it was getting used to commenting on bugs or making suggestions to the people in charge. But... two months and only a tenth of the way. How long would this take with ten times as many people? In theory, two months... but I don't think this place will be that easy. I mean... no matter how much you try, I'm sure some of the players aren't gamers. I only managed to get to level three this fast because I purposely took on level five and six monsters. It took just as long to find much needed healing items as I trained today.

"To mark this, the flying castle Aincrad, as the only reality, I offer a gift: a looking glass."

For some reason, the mirror in my inventory was marked as a 'needed item' and I couldn't sell it earlier. Guess I know why now. I opened the menu and directed the item to materialize in my hand. It did so. I looked through it, seeing a face like mine, but aged a bit, more masculine and a little darker in tone. I turned to people around me doing the same thing, then turned by head back to the mirror just as I was enveloped in a white light.

"Another forced teleport?"

No. When the light faded, I was in the same place. But my vision was slightly blurred. I blinked a few times, that seemed to work. I looked at the mirror again. But I didn't see the English crossbowman Job. I saw the Japanese-born Shinji Ikari staring back at me. What the hell happened? I rather liked not looking like this for a little while. Before I could really complain, the GM started up again.

"You might be wondering, 'why?' Why am I, the creator of this new world and the NervGear, doing something like this? Am I doing it to ransom you? Am I a terrorist? A psycho?"

Kayaba, who had up until now not shown any care about what he announced to us, suddenly sounded kinder.

"It is none of these reasons. The reason this world exists, the reason the NervGear exists... it no longer matters. You are right here. With that, you have finished the official tutorial for Sword Art Online. I wish you the best of luck, players."

With that, the avatar above us, and the red sky, vanished. People started flooding out of the meeting place like a flood. In only ten minutes, I was left alone in that place with less than a hundred other players. I was going to leave right away, but I just didn't want to get caught up in all the panic. Deciding that I had waited enough, I took off towards the Town of Beginning's shopping center. It was hardly more than a dozen small shops, but they contained basic supplies and weapons. It was going to be a long night.

But... something I would never have guessed happened right then.

"Shinji?"

It took me a moment to register that someone had spoken my name. Here, even if my appearance changed back to what I really look like, I was the crossbowman Job. That's what it read when someone cared to click on their HUD for my name. Who would have known me here?

I turned around to the source of the voice. I found a very ginger girl the same age as me standing there in heavy looking leather armor and carrying a massive sword.

"Asuka?"