Author Notes: The time for the second story arc for the Kirita Chronicles and the main story to begin. It is time for Kirita/Kirito to be trapped within the world of Sword Art Online along with thousands of other players. This story arc will emphasize some of the similarities and differences this story will have with the canon storyline due to Kirita's gender along with the inclusion of some new characters. You will start to see the similarities and differences starting with this chapter.

Similar to canon, Klein will be partying with Kirito/Kirita at the beginning prior to the announcement of the Death Game. However, unlike canon, you will not see too much of Klein and Kirita's interactions when she is teaching Klein how to play prior to the Kayaba Akihiko tutorial. This will be due to Kirita having the same look as Kirito had at the beginning of the series, so Kirito/Kirita and Klein's interactions would basically be the same. However, I have made a few alterations in their dialogue even before the 'hand mirror' fiasco because I would expect a female Kirito to say a few things differently from the canon male.

Throughout this chapter, you will see several brief segments of other players enjoying the game prior to finding out the unfortunate truth of their situation. Even though I will provide more scenes and tidbits involving some of the other players, you will see a few segments of Kirita and Klein's time together. Due to the gender differences, you will see some noticeable differences in their dialogue and reactions to seeing their companion's true form. The new poll I have set up will be asking which four segments in this chapter did you like the most.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter and leave some feedback. I appreciate receiving reviews and readers participating in the new poll that I have set up on my profile.

/

The Kirita Chronicles

Story Arc Two: Welcome to the Death Game – Part One

Chapter 4: Link Start

/

I came to escape

I wanted to be another

Not to be trapped

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022– Launch of Sword Art Online – Nearly 1:00 p.m.

Location: Real World – Klein's apartment

Klein, real name Tsuboi Ryoutarou, was making preparations of his own before he entered the world of Sword Art Online. He expected to be in that game for hours to get the hang of it. However, he wanted to ensure that dinner would be ready for him when he left, so he could reenter the game quickly and play with his friends to form a guild. Klein decided the best way to make sure that was the case was by ordering some pizza.

With a few minutes left before the launch of the game, Klein called his favorite pizza place and said, "Hey Speedy Delivery Pizza! It's me Tsuboi Ryoutarou! I would like to order the usual pizza to be delivered at my place a little at 5:30 p.m. sharp."

After he heard confirmation of his order, Klein graciously said, "All right thanks. I'll see you then."

When he hung up the phone, Klein was excited that it was almost time for the event he had been waiting months for. It was almost time for Sword Art Online servers to open. From the positive feedback the Beta Testers had given the game, it promised to be an experience unlike any other. Unfortunately, he would be going into the game by himself for the time being. His friends had told him that they would be joining the game a few hours later, and they designated a meeting place in Sword Art Online's 'Starting City' at around 6:00 p.m. Until then, he had plenty of time to kill.

As much as Klein was looking forward to forming a guild with his friends again, he did not feel like waiting around for his friends to arrive. Klein decided that he would head into the game himself to see if he could get a feel for the controls. He had a feeling it would probably be difficult without anyone to help him, but he decided to head into the game anyway.

Before Klein activated his Nerve Gear, he thought to himself, "My friends told me that they would be entering the game in a few hours. If that is the case, I should try gaining a little experience in learning how to use some of my abilities in the game. That way I can give them some pointers when I meet up with them, and we can get the show on the road faster."

Klein laid down on his bed and said out loud, "Link Start!" With that, Klein's mind had officially left the real world, and he entered the virtual world of Sword Art Online.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Launch of Sword Art Online – 1:15 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – Starting City

When Klein entered Sword Art Online, he could not help but marvel at how incredible the world was upon entry. This was the first game he had ever been able to play using his Nerve Gear, so he did not know exactly what he could compare this to. However, the feedback from the Beta Testers had more or less stated that no other game could compare to the sheer beauty the game had to offer. After seeing what the world looked like in person, Klein was willing to take their word for it.

Before Klein was able to enter the game, he needed to create an Avatar, which did not take him long to create. Klein gave his initial avatar in Sword Art Online the appearance of a 'noble' samurai. His avatar's appearance did not differ too greatly from his true appearance, but his avatar had a 'smoother' look. Klein's true hair color was reddish-brown, but he had his avatar's hair color be more reddish. His hair was also longer and smoother than it was in the real world, and it went past his neck. Similar to Kirito's Avatar, Klein had a forelock that went right between his eyes. Additionally, Klein wore a trademark bandana on his forehead both in the real world and in Sword Art Online.

While Klein was creating his Avatar, he made sure his Avatar was approximately the same height as himself. According to the feedback, apparently if you created an Avatar that had a height that varied too greatly from your true appearance, it would make movements in this game difficult. Even though Klein made sure he avoided that problem, he could feel it in his gut that it would take some getting used to moving around in this Avatar body and being able to fight the monsters in this game properly.

He thought to himself, "Something tells me I will probably need a little help getting used to moving around in this Avatar body. I wonder if I can ask anyone for help."

While Klein was thinking this, Klein was looking around, and he noticed one player in particular who caught his eye. Something how this player moved and carried himself in comparison to the other players who were just arriving told Klein that this was a player to keep an eye on. Klein could tell that this player seemed more familiar with the mechanics of Sword Art Online despite the game's servers opening less than twenty minutes ago. As a result, Klein deduced that this player must have been one of the Beta Testers.

After making that deduction, Klein's instincts were telling him that he should speak to this player while he still had the chance. It was a good thing that Klein was someone who did take his instincts into consideration. He decided to chase after this player to see if he could receive any assistance in his attempt to play Sword Art Online. As it would turn out, Klein listening to his instincts would prove to be beneficial for both himself and this player.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Launch of Sword Art Online – 1:15 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – Starting City

Due to being a Beta Tester, I would be entitled to one extra 'non-combat' skill as a 'pre-order bonus.' This extra skill slot would not have any effect on the maximum number of slots I could obtain. I could not help but think ahead and greedily, "If I am able to raise my level to the point of obtaining twelve skill slots, then I would have thirteen thanks to this bonus. I could have all the skills I desire." I had quite an eerily inward laugh to myself.

However, I realized that I was getting a little too ahead of myself. Since I would be starting this game at Level One again, I would start off with the regular two skill slots, and I would have this bonus to go along with it. Unfortunately, because this extra skill needed to be 'non-combat' related, the options that were available were fairly limited. This would mean I could only select abilities, such as fishing, cooking, or sewing. This extra slot didn't allow us to choose other support skills such as 'hiding' or 'searching.'

While I was a little disappointed that I couldn't use the extra slot to fill in another combat or support skill, I understood the reasoning behind it. I figured that this extra slot was Argus' way of thanking the Beta Testers for helping promote their project and ensuring that the first shipment would sell out. However, while they were grateful to us Beta Testers, they were also taking steps to prevent the Beta Testers from gaining an unfair advantage over newer players. As a result, that was probably the reason why we were only allowed to select a 'non-combatant skill' for this extra slot.

Since the 'hiding' or 'searching' skills could be counted as combat related, I could understand why we were not able to select them. Despite the disappointment, I didn't let that get me down, and I decided that of the skills that were available to me that cooking was the best fit. Without even knowing it, I made the right move with selecting cooking. Having this skill would prove to be most useful to me in the future for both myself and others.

I started to run out the Starting City, so I could start my first real adventure in Sword Art Online. However, before I could set out on my own, I was approached by another player who had the appearance of a samurai. He called out to me, "Hey you there?"

When I heard him call out to me, I was so surprised that I stopped on reflex. As soon as he caught up to me he said, "Based on how you move, you were in the Beta Test right?"

I was astonished that he somehow deduced that I was a Beta Tester, but I guess this player was observant when it came to seeing how differently players moved. I figured there was no point in denying it so I responded, "Yeah that's right."

As soon as I confirmed that, he asked me, "Today's my first day playing the game, so could you show me the basics?"

To say I found the request odd would be putting it mildly. I was somewhat reluctant to teach him, but he seemed really desperate to get the hang of using abilities in this game. He even put his hands together and said, "Please I'm begging you."

Before I had a chance to answer him, he properly introduced himself, "My name is Klein. It's nice to meet you."

I decided to respond in kind by telling him, "My name is Kirito."

Even though he was practically begging me for help, I could see that he was determined to learn what he needed to learn. Unlike Coper, I felt that this was a player that would listen to me. Ultimately, I decided that I would provide him with assistance. His enthusiastic response to my answer nearly made me laugh, and I could see that helping this player probably would be a good way to start my Sword Art Online journey. As it would turn out, deciding to help this player turned out to be a good decision for both my sake and his.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 1:35 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – Field Outside the Starting City

Before Akio entered the game, he felt like this was his lucky day. Thanks to the arrangements he made, he was able to acquire his copy of Sword Art Online without his parents' knowledge. Akio later found out that his parents were not going to be home until at least 6:00 p.m., so he would have the chance to play this game uninterrupted for a few hours straight. As soon as he saw the clock hit 1:00 p.m., Akio entered the virtual world.

When Akio arrived in Sword Art Online, he could not help but marvel at how different this game was from any other he had played using the Nerve Gear before. Most of the other games were simple puzzle or sport games, but this was taking things to another level. Everything about this game felt so real. If Akio did not know any better, he would have thought this was reality. It was too bad for him it was not because in this world he was able to create an avatar that looked like a more masculine version of himself.

As Akio explored the Starting City, he could see that the developers of this game spared no expense to pull out all the stops. For every footstep he took, he could hear the difference between how stepping on a stone road and on the grassy plains. When he touched the walls, it gave him the same sensation as when he would touch a wall in the real world. As he explored throughout the market place, he could 'smell' the different foods. Each one was given their own distinctive smell similar to the real world. Akio even decided to 'eat' some of the food that was available, and he was impressed by how realistic the food 'tasted.'

However, as much as Akio was impressed by what the town was like, he did not want to spend his entire time there when there was so much out there. Akio decided to do the first thing that was on his mind which was to see what the world was like outside the safe walls of the Starting City. As soon as he went through the gates of the Starting City, he kept running until he found his first opponent to fight, a wolf monster. Akio could see that he would need to take this wolf down if he was going to keep exploring the area, so he readied himself for combat.

When Akio was creating his avatar, he equipped himself with the skill to use rapiers. He believed that the skills he acquired from his time in his school's rapier club would come in handy, and Akio would see that he was not wrong in that assumption. When he wielded his rapier in the virtual world, he felt like there was no difference between how it felt holding the weapon in either the real world or in Sword Art Online.

Akio drew his rapier and said to it in a confident voice, "If you think you are taking me down, then you are sorely mistaken."

While Akio did not have any difficulty wielding the rapier, this was the first time he was facing a 'non-human' opponent. As a result, Akio's first battle did not go too smoothly at first. The wolf managed to get a few bites on him, but his instincts in using the rapier proved to be quite useful. Ultimately, he would prevail over the wolf by shoving the rapier right down the wolf's throat and killing it instantly.

Seeing that his health was depleted by about a third from this encounter, Akio sarcastically said to himself, "That went well."

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – 2:10 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – Forest Area

Of all the players that entered Sword Art Online, there was only one that was more excited about entering this world than Kirito. He was the most appreciative of the game's beauty and what it was capable of. It was his wish that this could truly be the real world. This player identified himself as Delano.

Because of an accident his mother caused in the real world, he was confined to a wheelchair and left incapable of doing anything he was once able to do. Due to his disability in the real world, Delano relished the chance to enter virtual reality because he was able to utilize the athletic capabilities that he once had before he lost the use of his legs. From his perspective, it felt as if the Beta Test of the game had given him not only an escape from reality, but it had given him a new lease on life.

As soon as Delano had the opportunity to pre-order the game, he took advantage of the opportunity. The weeks that followed after the close of the Beta Test were the most difficult weeks of his life since he first lost the use of his legs. He obsessed over wanting to play that game more. The other games Delano had in his possession were not enough to cut it for him. They all lacked the depth and excitement that Sword Art Online had given him. From the way he would obsess over Sword Art Online and keep checking the official site for updates and to make sure the game would not be 'delayed' you would almost think that he was a 'drug addict' and Sword Art Online was his drug.

When it was almost time for Sword Art Online to launch, he was worried that his copy of the game would not ship to him on time. To Delano's relief, the game arrived a few days before the official launch. If he could, he would have put on the Nerve Gear right then and there and entered the game. Unfortunately, the servers were not open yet, so he still needed to wait a few more days. However, as soon as the clock would read 1:00 p.m. that Sunday afternoon, Delano put on his Nerve Gear and immediately entered the game.

Delano's first thoughts upon his return to Sword Art Online were an excited, "I have finally returned! I can stand on my own two feet again!" He took a few steps and then thought, "It feels so wonderful to have this type of independence back! I never would have thought being able to walk could fill me with such happiness."

Similar to Akio, Delano did not have any desire to hang around the safety of the Starting City. He immediately ran out of the Starting City and to one of the nearby forests. Even though he was only a Level One, and it was recommended for players to be at least a Level Two or Three before entering certain areas, he did not care. He was interested in challenging and testing his capabilities like he used to before he lost mobility.

It did not take him long to find some monster to challenge him. The first monster he came across had the appearance of a bear that was somewhere between being a 'cub' and 'fully grown.' Similar to the Beta Test, Delano equipped himself with a spear. However, due to needing to start the game with basic stats and equipment, Delano's weapon was far less impressive than it was when he battled Kirito at the end of the Beta Test. Despite that, he did not need a stronger spear to kill these monsters.

Delano told the bear in a mocking voice, "If you want me, then come and get me."

The bear seemed to understand Delano's words because it came charging at him. With its claws it attempted to slash Delano's face, but Delano was able to quickly dodge it, and he stabbed the bear right in the heart. Since he had played the Beta Test, he remembered exactly where to strike and how strong his attacks needed to be. This bear was no match for him even if he was a few levels below it.

He told the bear, "Sorry pal, but I have enough scars on my face. I'd rather you not add to them." No sooner had he said that, the bear broke into a thousand fragments like the many other monsters that would follow him.

As soon as Delano managed to kill the bear monster with ease, Delano thought to himself, "It is times like these that make me sad that things can't remain like this."

Delano was quickly brought out of his thoughts when he saw several other bear creatures approaching him. Apparently, these bear creatures were coming to avenge their fallen comrades death. Despite being outnumbered four to one, Delano smirked as he asked, "Whose next?"

All the bears charged him with fire and fury in their eyes. It would be enough to scare most players, but it would not scare Delano. In fact, within a few minutes despite the bears' outnumbering him, only Delano would be left standing at the end of their confrontation.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 2:25 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – Starting City – Market Place

Unlike most players in the game, the one known as Leonardo was interested in other things rather than becoming stronger to fight in the game. In the real world, Leonardo considered himself to be an artist, and he would rather continue such a role in the virtual world as well. In addition to viewing himself as an artist, Leonardo generally thought of himself as the 'supporting type' person who would provide assistance to the players rather than be the leader or a party or guild. Leonardo never saw himself as the type to be 'in-charge' of anything because he never believed he was 'leader' material.

As a result of this way of thinking, Leonardo was interested in becoming a blacksmith rather than a player who would engage in boss fights. Leonardo was not a stranger to taking the role of the 'blacksmith' or a similar supporting role in other games. He always believed these roles would be more fitting for his personality, and they allowed him to be creative as long as he had the right materials.

When Leonardo entered the game, he checked out the various vendors to see where he could begin taking the role as a 'blacksmith.' After checking out a number of shops, he came across a NPC blacksmith. This NPC was open to 'tutorials' and 'training,' so Leonardo decided that he would use this place to try working on the first blacksmith related skill he selected.

Due to only starting off with two skill slots, Leonardo decided to have one skill slot be used for the 'one handed war hammer.' That way he would be able to fight monsters to increase his level and skill slots. After all, it would be foolish to not have some ability to fight back. Then, he used his other skill slot for 'slash weapon forging.' Besides 'slash weapon forging, there were various other blacksmith related skills that were specific about what types of weapons or equipment that Leonardo would be capable of forging. That particular skill would be useful for creating weapons, such as swords and knifes.

Leonardo was given the material by the NPC to create a long sword. However, since Leonardo was only starting out as a blacksmith, he knew that the odds of failure were relatively high. Unfortunately, for Leonardo his first attempt ended in miserable failure. When he hit his hammer against the material, it transformed into a 'piece of junk' that no one would even want to have as a 'souvenir.' However, despite Leonardo's first attempt to create a sword ending in miserable failure, he did not feel discouraged. Since he had taken on the role of the blacksmith before, he was used to these types of failures happening in the beginning, and he could expect a number of failures to happen down the line as he would work on developing his blacksmith abilities.

While Leonardo knew that the probability of failure in creating weapons would decrease significantly as time went on, he knew that these failures would not help 'raise' his skill level. He decided that he needed to create something easier before attempting to forge another sword. After some consideration, Leonardo decided that it would be easier to forge a knife. He would soon see that he was correct because he was able to complete three of them in a row without any difficulty.

As Leonardo was attempting to create his first weapons as a blacksmith, his attempts to be a blacksmith caught the attention of a certain group that was passing by. They could tell Leonardo was a player and not an NPC due to the cursor above his head. Leonardo's enthusiasm to create weapons was the characteristic that made them interested in this young man. The 'leader' of this group decided to approach Leonardo personally.

The leader asked Leonardo, "Are you attempting to become a blacksmith?"

Leonardo was surprised that he was approached by anyone. After he got over his initial surprise, he replied in a polite manner, "Yes I am. As you might have noticed, I may be off to a rough start, but I'm sure things will turn around soon enough."

The leader chuckled at Leonardo's words and replied, "That is a good attitude."

Leonardo cheerfully replied, "Thanks."

The leader decided that introductions were in order, and he told Leonardo, "My name is Zexion. May I ask what your name is?"

Leonardo complied with the request and told him, "My name is Leonardo." Then Leonardo decided to ask, "If you don't mind me asking, do you have some kind of business you would like to conduct with me? If you want me to forge you a weapon, your choices would be limited right now."

Zexion decided to get to the point and responded, "No that is not the case. I actually came to ask you if you would be interested in joining our group. We are planning on forming a guild, and we could use someone like you."

That was another thing Leonardo was not expecting. While joining a guild sounded interesting to Leonardo because he was never invited to join a guild before, he was not a hundred percent sold on the idea. He wanted to know more before he accepted or rejected the invitation.

Leonardo replied in a voice that indicated his uncertainty, "I guess, but what guild are you exactly going to form?"

Zexion enthusiastically responded, "We are going to form a blacksmith guild."

Leonardo replied in a surprised voice, "A blacksmith guild? Is that even possible? I didn't think such a guild could be made."

Zexion could understand Leonardo's uncertainty. He explained, "Any kind of guild is possible in Sword Art Online. It does not matter what kind of role the players take on. As you know, there is no 'job' system in Sword Art Online, so there technically isn't any blacksmith class. Similar to you, we are just players who enjoy taking on the blacksmith role by equipping ourselves with forging abilities."

Leonardo did not have anything else to say other than, "Is that so? What do you plan to do with this guild then?"

Zexion enthusiastically explained, "Together we are going to strive to eventually become the greatest blacksmiths of Sword Art Online. We hope to become so well known throughout the game that our services will always be in demand, and no other player would want anyone else to be their blacksmith other than us. Are you onboard?"

Leonardo did not see the harm in becoming a member of this guild. After all, he always had the option of leaving it if he ever felt like it. "Sure. Entering a guild like this should prove to be an interesting experience."

Zexion stated, "I was hoping you would say that."

The two players then sealed the deal by shaking hands. This would be one deal that would greatly affect Leonardo throughout his days in Sword Art Online. The time Leonardo would spend with these players would motivate him to try and become the greatest blacksmith in all of Sword Art Online.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 2:45 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – Starting City – Market Place

Similar to Leonardo, the player known as Agil had different interests as he explored Sword Art Online's Starting City. He was browsing through the various shops that were available for players to look through. Since this was the start of the game, the only shops that were available for players to shop in were NPC controlled stores. However, it was expected that in the subsequent months, there would probably be more player-run shops than NPC shops. There would even be a few shops that were jointly controlled in a partnership between both players and NPCs alike.

Agil knew that taking on the role of a merchant was a possibility as long as he was able to acquire the necessary skills to run the business. The skills included but were not limited to: equipment appraisal, tools appraisal, purchase negotiation, and sales negotiation. In addition to these skills, similar to the real world other necessities included but were not limited to: having enough materials to sell, acquiring the appropriate amount of capital to start the business, and being in a prime location.

Since Agil ran his own business in the real world, the Dicey Café, he was familiar with how the business world worked. In fact, Agil was quick to gather the necessities to starting a business with the sole exception of a 'prime location.' Due to never feeling that one area was the 'right' place for his business, Agil would be known to move his business around numerous times until he finally found the ideal location on the fiftieth floor in January of 2024. In fact, that area would be a place a fair number of players and businesses would settle down due to the nature of that floor, but that would be a story for another time.

Agil decided the first two skills he would equip in this game would be the 'Two-handed Battle Axe' and the 'Purchase Negotiation.' He believed with his body type that the axe would be the most befitting weapon for him to wield. In fact, that would prove to be a wise decision. Agil decided to select 'Purchase Negotiation' because it seemed like the best merchant related skill to start out with. After all, he had nothing to sell or appraise, so he might as well have the skill to make the necessary purchases in the near future.

Overall, Agil admitted that the game did a decent job capturing the idea of how difficult it could be to start a business. However, there was one thing Agil would criticize the game for how it valued its money. In the world of Sword Art Online, the value of currency in the game would consistently remain the same and so would the value of the goods. Basically, there was no such thing as inflation or deflation in Sword Art Online. While there were times when Agil would be grateful for that because it generally made running a business easier, he did think it took away from the 'realism' that the game was attempting to portray.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – West Field

After saying goodbye to his brother and sister and promising he would help them with their homework after he got back, Heihachi put on the Nerve Gear and entered the virtual world. Shortly after his arrival, he met up with his other friends, Keita, Ducker, Tetsuo, and Sasamaru in the town square. Starting from their first meeting in Sword Art Online, the computer club would remain together throughout their days in Sword Art Online. As they discussed during the days before Sword Art Online, they formed their own guild that they would call, the Black Cats.

Apparently, Keita liked the idea of calling their guild the Black Cats because his family literally owned a pair of black cats. As a result, he would always suggest that to be their team name whether it was at the computer club or any other online game where they formed a guild. Since none of the other team members had better names to pitch for their guild's name, they decided to go along with Keita's suggestion.

It was not surprising to Heihachi that Keita became the leader of their guild. He was always the responsible one that would take charge like he did in their computer club. As a result, he seemed to be the natural choice to be the leader. A part of Heihachi envied Keita for his confidence and strength, but Keita would tell Heihachi he is not nearly as strong as Heihachi believed. The meaning of Keita's words would not be known until approximately seven months later.

A few hours after they arrived and officially formed their guild, Keita signed them up for their first quest. It was a simple boar hunting quest that involved them killing twenty boars within a time frame of seven minutes. The timer would begin as soon as they attacked the first boar. There would be no penalty if they failed to complete the quest, but they would receive no experience points or money for the monsters they did kill. However, they could start it fresh from the beginning by accepting a 'retry.'

Before they began their attack, Keita told his group members in a last minute 'strategy meeting' of sorts. "All right Black Cats. This is going to be our first quest as a guild, so let's not screw it up and succeed on the first try."

Ducker replied in a relaxed fashion, "Is it really that big deal if we mess up on a quest? After all we can take it over again right?"

Tatsu was an easy going individual as well, but not as much so as Ducker. He replied, "That is true. I mean I would rather us not mess up, but there really isn't any pressure right?"

Sasamaru then stated, "Besides, this is only a game. It is not like anything we do here is really going to matter that much right?"

Heihachi could see that Keita was getting a little annoyed by his teammates easygoing responses right before they were about to take on their first quest. Keita wanted his teammates to put effort into what they were about to take part in regardless of whether it was an easy or difficult quest to fulfill. Even though this was all a game, he still wanted his guild to do well and prove their guild had what it takes.

Before anymore words were said, Heihachi stated, "It is true that we are in a game, but I think it would be more beneficial to us as a group if we give it our best."

Keita stated in a serious tone, "That is exactly what I was getting at. I want us to treat every quest we go on in this game as if it were a difficult one. That way we will always give it a hundred percent. I know from experience when you don't give it your all even for an easy assignment, the final results might not be as good as you would expect."

After hearing Keita's words, the other Black Cats decided not to be as casual about the quest. They were ready to give this quest their all. Keita was pleased to see the more serious expressions on their faces. He wanted them all to have fun of course, but he also wanted them to complete as many quests as possible too. In the past, they had utilized teamwork to complete their assignments and computer club activities before, and they intended to replicate that here.

When all the Black Cats went into action, they showed excellent teamwork. They watched out for each other's backs, and they were able to take down the boars one by one. The Black Cats did not have to worry about needing to redo their first quest because their teamwork managed to be sufficient enough to eliminate all the boars in under six minutes and forty seconds. While their teamwork would not be enough to rival the strength of some of the more powerful players, they would be strong in their own right.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 3:10 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – East Field

While the Black Cats were completing their first quest, Gorobei was teaching Kikuchiyo the basics and Kikuchiyo was having difficulty fighting. The monsters he was fighting were slightly stronger than the boars most of the other players were fighting. They were fighting wolves, and they had a real tendency to bite very hard.

Gorobei said to his friend in a playful voice, "Come on these guys are easy."

Kikuchiyo stated in a somewhat annoyed voice, "They might be easy for you. You were a Beta Tester."

Gorobei responded, "True, but since I'm here you should have an easier time killing them than I did. I'm here to provide you with the instruction you will need."

Kikuchiyo asked, "Well in that case what should be the next lesson?"

Gorobei pointed to several nearby wolf monsters, "Try fighting those monsters over there. Since there are only three of them, you probably should be able to kill one of them before they have a chance to overwhelm you."

Kikuchiyo sarcastically responded, "Well that makes me feel better. I haven't forgotten about how you told me some of these monsters ripped you to pieces in the Beta Test."

Gorobei tried to get his friend to relax by reassuring him, "You don't have to worry about suffering such a fate this time. If you have any difficulty, I will bail you out." Gorobei took out his bow and one of his arrows. He then playfully stated, "Bear in mind, the number of times I can bail you out is limited, but I have more than enough arrows for now."

Seeing Gorobei pull out his weapon made Kikuchiyo feel a little more comfortable about his upcoming fight. "Okay. I'll give it another go."

Kikuchiyo prepared his weapon and charged the three wolves. As Gorobei told him, he was able to kill the first wolf by slicing it in half before the other two could attack him. The second wolf attempted to attack him and Kikuchiyo managed to get the wolf to chew on his sword rather than his arm. He could see the third wolf was running right at him, so he used all his strength to punch the second wolf away, so he could prepare to fight the third wolf.

The third wolf was charging at him at full speed. However, Kikuchiyo was able to prepare himself in time. He managed to slice the wolf's head off before it was able to attack him. Unfortunately, even though Kikuchiyo was successful in killing two of the wolves, he almost forgot he did not kill the other wolf. The wolf that he knocked away had gotten up and attempted to attack him again, and Kikuchiyo was barely able to block the attack.

Similar to last time, Kikuchiyo managed to get the wolf to bite his sword, but the wolf's pouncing caused Kikuchiyo to be sent to the ground with the wolf on top of him. Kikuchiyo was struggling to prevent the wolf from overpowering him and biting into his neck. However, the wolf at the advantage here, and he felt it was only a matter of time before he would lose. Luckily before the wolf could do that, Kikuchiyo saw an arrow enter through the wolf's left eye and exit it through its skull. The wolf instantly died and shattered into pieces.

Gorobei offered his hand to his friend as he stated, "Well that was an improvement over your previous fight, but you still have a long way to go."

Kikuchiyo grabbed his friend's hand. As Kikchiyo was being pulled up, he asked, "Got any tips?"

Gorobei chuckled, "I have plenty after what I just saw."

Kikuchiyo decided to rephrase his question. "Could you name a few?"

Gorobei lectured, "Well you just charged in and attacked one of them without really considering how the other two would react. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you were able to kill the other one and block the third one's attack. Your recklessness really makes me wonder sometimes."

Kikuchiyo retorted, "I guess it makes me wonder too."

Gorobei provided Kikuchiyo with a few additional tips before they continued on their adventure and hunted down a few additional monsters. Kikuchiyo would show some much needed improvement relatively quickly. However, it was unlikely Kikuchiyo would ever have the same expertise that Gorobei had.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 3:35 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – West Field

Kirito and Klein's situation paralleled Gorobei and Kikuchiyo's. Kirito was doing as she promised. She was attempting to teach Klein the basics, but he was having quite a bit of difficulty. Klein managed to strike the boar he was fighting a few times, but it was not enough to kill it. The boar then countered and hit him right in the groin which sent him flying.

For a few moments, Klein laid on the ground clutching himself in pain. He was saying in a pained voice, "Damn . . . right in the groin."

Kirito said in a deadpan voice, "Come on. You don't really feel pain do you?"

Klein realized that Kirito was right. He really was not feeling any pain, but he believed he was in pain. "Oh right I don't. I guess it is just a habit."

Hearing Klein say those words out loud caused Kirito to think, "Are you telling me that you have been hit in the crotch before? Something tells me you probably pissed off quite a few women haven't you? You don't strike me as a bad guy, but you strike me as someone who probably has the habit of saying the wrong things to girls. I guess it is a good thing for both of our sakes you don't know I'm a girl."

In the Beta Test and during the current part of the game, players did not feel pain when they were injured. However, it was not too unusual for them to react as if they were in pain as a reflex. That was especially true for players, such as Delano, that practically lived within the game and enjoyed it more than reality. However, after the announcement later that day, players would begin to legitimately feel pain when their virtual bodies were injured. It would be to add additional realism to the virtual world.

As soon as Klein regained his footing Kirito reminded Klein, "Remember that your initial motion input is what will make the difference in this game."

Klein responded, "I guess I understand that, but that monster keeps moving around. Do you have an easier way of explaining it?"

After thinking about it for a few moments, Kirito explained, "If you do the initial motion input correctly and activate the sword skill, the game's system will ensure that your technique will connect."

Kirito could see that Klein still did not completely understand, so she tried explaining it like this, "I guess another way of explaining it would be to add a slight pause when you feel the skill begin to activate and then let it explode."

After hearing that Klein felt like he had a better understanding. He was able to activate a sword skill, and he was able to make mincemeat out of the boar monster. When Klein saw he was declared the winner, he could not help but feel a sense of pride. However, Kirito was about to reign over his parade.

Kirito informed Klein, "I wouldn't feel too proud of myself if I were you. That boar you just killed was as comparatively weak as the Slime monsters in the Dragon Quest franchise."

Klein was surprised to hear that. The last thing he wanted to hear was that he was having trouble defeating the weakest monster in this whole game. "Are you kidding me?"

Kirito shook her head, "Nope."

Klein softly face palmed himself before stating in a disappointing tone, "Aw man. I was hoping that was a mid-level boss monster for this Floor."

Kirito reassured her new friend, "Don't worry. You'll get to that level soon enough. Just like any other RPG, you need to get used to killing the weaker monsters first before you can move up in the ranks."

That did seem to lift Klein's spirits a little as he responded, "I guess that's true. Anyway, the way we players can utilize skills to kill monsters and do other things is pretty incredible don't you think?"

Kirito happily agreed, "It sure is."

Klein said in an interested tone, "I read on the previews that the variety of skills that players are capable of equipping is an extremely wide, such as being able to forge weapons or take on the role of merchant."

Since she was part of the Beta Test she was able to confirm those facts for herself. "I can tell you from the Beta Test they weren't lying about that. Apparently, there are a nearly unlimited number of skills players can select. However, unlike other RPGs, there are no magical abilities."

Klein smirked after hearing about the lack of magical abilities. He responded, "I have to say that the developers made a bold decision on that one. Even though I was looking forward to this game, I was still skeptical about how good it was until I read the feedback that Beta Testers like you provided."

Kirito smiled and responded, "Well I'm glad we were able to convince you that this would be well worth your money."

Klein responded in an enthusiastic tone, "I can tell it certainly would be. Anyway, you want to go take down some more of these monsters. I want to build myself up to become strong enough to handle higher level enemies as quickly as possible."

Kirito shared Klein's enthusiasm and responded, "Sounds like a good idea to me."

For the next few hours, Kirito and Klein continued to find more boars and other weak monsters to hunt down and eliminate. Klein was able to kill most of these subsequent monsters without too much difficulty, but he still had a long way to go. However, Kirito's instruction would be invaluable to him for the time to come.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 3:50 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – Starting City – Café

Throughout the numerous towns that could be found throughout the hundred floors of Sword Art Online, players would not only find shops, but they would find various restaurants and cafés. They would prove to be a popular place for players to socialize with each other to become friends, exchange information, form guilds and parties, or accept quests. Of course, some players would simply come to these restaurants and cafés to relax, and that was the case for two players in particular. The husband and wife, Grimlock and Griselda, were two players who came to this café to take a break from their initial attempts on the field.

Grimlock and Griselda had decided to try Sword Art Online together as a husband and wife activity, so they both waited on the incredibly long lines at the retailer. They believed they were rather fortunate to arrive when they did. There were only a hundred copies available in that store, and they were eighty-eighth and eighty-ninth on the line respectively. They believed that luck was on their side.

Shortly after they entered the game, the two of them had attempted to work together as a party to fight some boar monsters in the West Field. However, Grimlock had a much more difficult time getting used to the controls than his wife Griselda did. Similar to Klein, he got knocked around a few times, and he wife had to actually save him a few times from being killed before he finally managed to get the hang of it. Even then he still had difficulties killing the boar monsters.

After they fought several more monsters, Grimlock asked his wife if they could make a temporary retreat. Griselda was ready and willing to fight some more monsters, but she could see her husband needed a break since he lost more health points than her, so she decided to go back to the Starting City with him. Shortly after arriving back in the Starting City, they decided to take a break in one of the local cafés, so they could both replenish their health points.

As they were being served food, Griselda contently thought to herself, "It is nice to have someone else prepare food for me instead of having to do it myself for once."

While they were eating, Grimlock with a slight hint of envy in his voice asked his wife, "If you don't mind me asking Griselda, how come you were able to get used to moving around in this game? You almost seemed to be a natural at this."

Griselda was surprised by her husband's question and responded, "I wouldn't say I'm a natural, but I have had a little practice in the virtual world before. Sometimes I used my free time during these past few months to play some of the virtual reality games we bought for the Nerve Gear."

Grimlock seemed almost relieved to hear his wife say that. "I see. So you could say those games you played gave you some practice then?"

Griselda was not sure how to answer that question, so she responded with, "Sort of. A few of the games did allow me to get used to moving around in virtual worlds, but those games don't compare to this."

Grimlock then asked, "Is that so?"

"That's right. Not to mention, most of them didn't have multiplayer options." Her voice became happier at the idea that she would be able to play this game with her husband. "That's why I'm really glad that the two of us bought this game, and we are able to work together. I'm sure the two of us will become a great team before long."

Grimlock thought to himself, "It is unusual to see her be so confident about something." He skeptically asked, "Do you really think that?"

Griselda responded with confidence that seemed 'out of character' for her from Grimlock's perspective, "I know so. If we work together, I think the two of us could become quite a team Grimlock-sama."

Grimlock responded to his wife's comment, "Yes you're right. We just need a little more practice that's all." He then thought to himself, "There is no need to be worried about anything. A little more practice is all I need. Then everything will be just fine."

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 4:15 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – Starting City

The young girl known as Ayano Keiko entered the game under the name of Silica. Even though the age recommendation for using a Nerve Gear was at least thirteen, her parents gave her permission to use it. Unfortunately, Silica would be far from the only child under thirteen to don the Nerve Gear. There would be numerous children who would be entering the world of Sword Art Online, and it would be unknown how many of them would return.

As with any player Ayano Keiko entered the game forming her own unique name which in this case was Silica. She chose this particular name because of real name was based on silicon which is the fourteenth element of the periodic table. However, she chose to refer to herself as Silica rather than Silico because she found the former to be cuter and more befitting for her appearance. In addition to forming her own username name, she along with the other players purchased this game because there was at least one feature that appealed to her.

One of the features of Sword Art Online that appealed to Silica was that players would have the ability to control 'familiars' to either fight alongside them, act like pets, or a mixture of both. Silica decided if she could be successful in becoming a monster tamer, she would name her first monster Pina. That way she would have one pet named Pina in both realities. Silica was hoping that the Pina in this reality would be a dragon.

Eventually, Silica would be successful in having a dragon named Pina, but it would be a little while before Silica would have her first meeting with her dragon. However, when it did happen, Silica and her pet dragon, Pina, would form a strong bond. Outside of trying to learn how she could increase her abilities to communicate and control familiars, there was nothing truly notable about Silica's activities. Unlike most players, Silica did not step foot outside of the Starting City because she was not interested in fighting right away. She was more interested in seeing what the city had to offer.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 4:40 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – East Field

However, while Silica was enjoying the idea of being able to tame a monster to be her friend, there was another player who was killing monsters to rid herself of frustration for the real world. This player went by the name of Kira and her true identity was Koga Kaori. She was a disgruntled girl who had been using the virtual world as a means to vent her frustrations.

For every monster she killed, she envisioned it was a representation of the one she despised most. In this case, it was her ex-boyfriend who dumped her, so he could go right on to dating another girl after his graduation. She knew that she really could not be too angry with him since he did not cheat on her when they were together. Not to mention, he broke up with her properly before he started going out with another girl. However, she was still filled with rage at how easily she was 'replaced' by another girl.

She decapitated a wolf's head as she angrily swore to herself, "I swear. The next time someone gets in the way of my love life, I will not let them get away with it as easily as that other girl did. I will always make sure whoever gets in my way will pay one way or another."

While Kira would certainly live up to her self-made promise, she would take it too far. She would make some absolutely terrible decisions. The eventual consequences of her actions would ultimately become quite severe.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 5:00 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – Specific Location Unknown

There is a room filled with television screens on all the walls. Each screen appears to focus on an individual player or a group of players. This was the same room that monitored the Beta Testers a month and a half ago, however, there were more television screens to accommodate the greater number of players participating in the launch of Sword Art Online. Each television screen provided player information, such as their name, stability, and status. In the middle of that room stood the same little girl. She appeared to be monitoring all of the television screens at once, and she did not miss a thing.

The little girl still had the appearance of someone who was around ten years old. She had long black hair that reached her waist, and she had black eyes. If someone were to see her face, that person would describe her as being adorable. However, the look in her eyes was a firm one that revealed a strong spirit within her, and she was determined to fulfill her function. As she gazed upon all the players, the girl smiled when she saw that all the players appeared to be doing well.

She spoke out loud in a soft, innocent voice, "At least ninety-five percent of the players appear to be having fun. A majority of them are apparently enjoying themselves at optimal levels. There is currently no need for my interference. I will continue to monitor the systems to ensure there are no mental or psychological problems with the players."

However, the girl did not appear to be talking to herself. Although a voice could not be heard, she seemed to be listening to something speak to her. She responded, "I am just following the programming that I was instructed to follow. It is my duty to ensure that everything works according to design. Although, knowing that I am capable of helping the players and understand their feelings have given me a strange sense of satisfaction that did not exist during the time of my creation. Do you have an explanation for that?"

After a few moments, the girl received the answer to her question as she responded, "I see. I did not believe you would know the answer to that question either. I suppose the creator left it up to me to be able to find my own way of understanding the answer to this question."

The girl then turned to face a television screens that featured the avatars of Kirito, Gorobei, and Delano respectively. After screens displayed their information the girl smile as she stated, "I see several Beta Testers have returned. It gives me a strange warm feeling to see these players again. They appear to be enjoying their return to Sword Art Online. I hope that I will be able to see more of these players in the future of this game."

Unfortunately, the little girl would certainly have her wish answered, but it would be done in a way that she would find less than optimal. Due to her emotions, what would happen later that day would horrify her and continue to haunt the poor girl for years to come. Despite her programming and her wishes, what would happen would be something that she would never wish upon any player. There would be so many things wrong with the future situations that no one would even know where to begin.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 5:20 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – Fields

As other players continued to enjoy their experiences in Sword Art Online, Klein and Kirito were enjoying watching the 'first sunset' of the game. They could not help but marvel at the pure beauty of this game. The developers even managed to capture the essence of what a sunset would be like. If they did not know any better, they would probably believe they were looking at the real thing.

Klein was sitting on the ground looking at the sky in awe. "You know it is still hard to believe we are in a video game."

Kirito was standing up, and no matter how many times she witnessed this sight, she was always captivated by its beauty. She replied, "I know what you mean. I came to this world everyday during the Beta Test, and I still find myself amazed at how beautiful the sunset is. I look forward to being able to see many more of these sunsets in the days to come."

Klein turned to look at Kirito and asked in a curious tone, "You played the Beta Test every day?"

Kirito shook her head in confirmation and stated, "That's right. I must have played over two hundred hours during those weeks, and I don't regret a minute of it."

Klein chuckled and thought, "It's no wonder this guy is so good at this game." He then replied, "You're pretty hardcore when it comes to games aren't you?"

There was no denying that, so Kirito told him, "I suppose that was one way of putting it. However, what was there not to like about this world? Unlike the real world, you don't have to know anyone to reach the top. In Sword Art Online, you were capable of climbing to the top of the latter through your efforts of becoming stronger and developing your skills." Kirito then pulled out her sword and said, "With a sword you could become the greatest player in the entire game on your own. That's one reason why a part of me prefers this reality over the other one."

Klein was a little saddened to hear that, but there was some truth to what Kirito was stating. He slowly picked himself up and replied, "I see. That is a pretty valid point. I know for a fact how difficult it was to get your foot in the door. It was a real pain the ass."

"Yeah I'm sure it was." Kirito then thought to herself, "Not to mention, this world was such a great escape from some of the other issues in the other reality, such as my family and the fact I really don't have any friends. In here, I can actually become friends with other players if I want, and I usually feel more comfortable talking with guys like Klein since they think I'm a guy too. This reality kills two birds with one stone since I could become friends with other players because it will be 'mutually beneficial' to us, and I could hide my real gender.

Klein snapped Kirito out of her thoughts as he graciously told her, "Anyway, thank you for all the pointers you gave me today. They really came in handy. I think I am starting to really get a handle on how to use some of these sword techniques." Klein held out his sword and started swinging it. He was a little more graceful with wielding it than he was a few hours ago, but he was still far from reaching Kirito's level of grace.

Kirito cheerfully replied, "No problem. Just be sure not to forget them in the middle of a battle. I remember when certain players forgot certain moves during boss battles in the Beta Test and they were eliminated from the fight quickly."

Klein responded to what Kirito had to say filled with confidence, "Well I'll be sure not to end up like them. I wouldn't want to end up shattering to a thousand pieces like those monsters if I get killed. With the skills you have been teaching me, I'm going to make sure I become unbeatable."

While Kirito appreciated the fact that Klein seemed to take her warning seriously, she was concerned that he would become too overconfident like Coper was. She decided to sternly tell her new friend, "I'd be careful about what I say if I were you. I remember how quickly this game humbled me after playing it for less than an hour. If you really think you are going to play this game without getting killed, you are fooling yourself. The moment you think this game can't kill you, it will find a way to kill you in one way or another. In the end, we will all have to return to the 'Room of Resurrection' at one point or another."

Hearing Kirito say those words to him robbed Klein of his fun thoughts as he responded in gloomy fashion, "That's a pretty nasty way to put it."

Kirito then replied, "I know, but it's the truth. However, from my time in the Beta Test, I know that we can take steps to reduce the odds of that happening too frequently. Obviously one of those steps is to always keep your guard up whenever you aren't in a town, and that is especially true when exploring an unmapped dungeon."

Klein seemed to understand what Kirito was getting at as he responded in a less gloomy voice, "I guess you have a point there."

Kirito's changed her attitude slightly and sounded more cheerful as she stated, "Well you can always worry about those kinds of details later since we are not even close to where the first dungeon is. Even at our current levels, as long as we don't attempt to fight too many monsters at once and never show them any mercy, we should be able to raise our avatars up by a few levels without any difficulty. You want to get going to the next area?"

While Klein wanted to, he knew that he could not at that point as he apologetically told his new friend, "Actually, I can't right now. Sorry."

It did not take Kirito long to understand why Klein could not come along, but she still asked, "Do you need to get back to the real world?"

Klein responded, "For a little bit. In a few minutes, I'm going to return to the real world to eat some pizza and then I'm going to come back to play with some of my friends. They told me that they would be getting here sometime later in the afternoon, and we would meet up at the town square at around 6:00 p.m."

Kirito smiled and stated, "It's good to know you have a game plan. I hope it works out for you and your friends."

Klein then told Kirito in an eager voice, "Actually, I was wondering if perhaps you would be interested in joining us."

Kirito was surprised by the invitation. "What?"

Klein explained, "My friends and I plan on forming a guild in this game just like we formed guilds in the other games we have played together. I was hoping that maybe you would want to work alongside us."

Kirito was flattered by the invitation, but she was somewhat hesitant to accept it right away. Klein could clearly hear the uncertainty in her voice as she said, "Well . . . I . . ."

Klein then immediately stated, "You don't have to join our guild if you don't want to. However, I was hoping that maybe you could at least accompany us for a little while. You could be a 'guest' party member, so you can leave whenever you want without feeling any obligation to our group."

While Kirito was still not too keen on joining a guild right away, she was okay with the idea of becoming a 'guest' party member for a little while. She hesitantly responded, "…Okay. That sounds like a good idea."

Even though he could tell she was still hesitant on the idea, Klein was still happy to hear her acceptance of his invitation. Klein cheerfully stated, "All right. In that case, let us officially become friends."

After selecting a few commands on his menu, Kirito received a message that asked her if she wanted to become Klein's friend. She selected 'Yes' which officially made Klein and Kirito 'friends' in Sword Art Online. It would be the first friendship Kirito would form in the game, and it would prove to be an essential one for the both of them.

As soon as that business was concluded, Klein stated, "I'm going to head back home for now. I'll see in you about an hour in the town square."

Kirito nodded and said, "Okay. I'll see you then. I look forward to meeting your other friends."

Klein smiled as he stated, "I'm sure they will be looking forward to meeting you too."

Before they parted company, Kirito told Klein, "In the meantime, I'm going to hunt a few more monsters and see if I can raise my level before I head back to the Starting City to rendezvous with you and your friends."

"That sounds good. I'll see you soon." Klein activated his menu to begin the logout procedure. Kirito turned around to leave but before she walked ten feet away, she heard Klein say out loud in a surprised voice, "What's this?"

Kirito turned around and walked back to Klein and asked in a concerned voice, "What's wrong Klein? Did something happen?"

Klein told Kirito in a shocked voice, "I'm not sure if I'm looking at this right, but I seem to be having trouble finding a logout button."

Kirito asked in disbelief, "You can't find a logout button?"

Klein kept looking through his menu to make sure he was not mistaken, but he still could not find the button. "No. Can you check yours?"

"Okay." Kirito activated her own menu, and she soon discovered similar to Klein, she was lacking a 'logout' button too. She calmly responded, "My menu doesn't seem to have a logout button either."

It was Klein's turn to respond in disbelief, "You're kidding me."

"I wish I was. I have been checking every option, but I don't see anything that looks like a logout button." Kirito was doing everything she could to remain calm. She knew that it would not do her any good to lose her cool now.

Klein scratched his chin as he responded, "So this isn't just me. Could it be a glitch with the system?"

While it was a possibility, Kirito had a hard time believing that was the case. "If this is a glitch, then this is the biggest glitch of all time."

Klein then stated the obvious, "I take it that this didn't happen during the Beta Test."

Kirito stated, "Not once. I'm surprised that they would actually have a problem like this now of all times."

Klein's voice was understandably becoming more nervous as this conversation continued, "Do you think other players have noticed this too?"

Kirito's voice remained the same. While she was becoming more frightened, she was doing a better job retaining her composure than Klein, "I wouldn't doubt it. I'm also sure Argus must have noticed this issue now as well."

Klein asked his friend, "What do you think we should do?"

Kirito did not have an answer to that question, but she came up with something she hoped could work or at the very least pass the time until a solution could be found. "I'm not sure. I guess for now we should just continue playing until we receive some kind of update. I'm sure Argus will be forced to do something soon enough. Worse comes to worse, maybe someone will take off our Nerve Gears to wake us up. I remember one time I was playing this puzzle game and my mother pulled the Nerve Gear off my head to wake me up."

Klein was not too fond of that last solution. "Well let's just hope we don't have to rely on others taking off the Nerve Gear for us because that could be a problem with me."

Kirito asked, "Why is that?"

Klein's face was filled with fear as he responded, "I live alone in an apartment."

"That's not good." Kirito then decided to ask, "Does anyone else, besides your friends, know you are probably playing the game right now?"

Klein thought about it for a few moments before remembering, "I think I told a few people, like my parents, that I was playing this game."

Kirito tried to comfort her friend that his situation was not too hopeless. "Hopefully, that will solve your problem then."

"I would hope . . ." Before Klein could finish his sentence he noticed that something was happening to both his and Kirito's bodies. He then said, "What the hell?" Both Klein and Kirito's bodies disappeared from that spot. They along with many other players would be all transported to the same destination to begin their journey.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022 – Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor – Starting City – Town Square

After all of the players had been teleported to the town square, Klein and I overheard several of the players complain about the same problem with the lack of a 'logout' button. It became clear that this was no mere glitch. This was something well beyond that. At this point, nearly everyone had begun to panic. However, no sooner had the players begin demanding answers, a strange figure that had the appearance of a grim reaper revealed itself.

This grim reaper avatar claimed to be the Kayaba Akihiko the creator of Sword Art Online. As everyone was demanding an explanation for why they can't logout of this game, the avatar told us that the lack of 'logout' button was part of the system. He told us that Aincrad would be our new reality, and we would be trapped within this game until we managed to complete it.

That by itself probably would have been okay, but it was the other details he told us that were 'troubling.' Kayaba told us that if our health points reached zero that not only would we die in the game, but we would die in the real world as well. Apparently, due to the design of the Nerve Gears, they would fry the wearer's head and kill them after either they are killed in the game or someone physically removes the Nerve Gear in the real world. Unfortunately, according to Kayaba, over two hundred players had already died due to their friends and family forcibly pulling off their Nerve Gears.

The only assurance he gave us was that the hospitals and proper authorities have been informed, and they were taking action. Apparently, he would give them time to plug our real bodies to life support, so we would be able to proceed in this game without needing to worry about what happened to them. I along with the other players did not care about those details. We just wanted to be able to leave the game.

Before the avatar disappeared, he told us that he would give us a gift, so we could enjoy this new reality. All of the players including myself were given an item known as a 'Hand Mirror.' When I pulled it out of my inventory, it seemed like any hand mirror I had back in the real world. My avatar's face was clearly reflected upon. I tempted fate by thinking to myself, "There doesn't seem to be anything special about this mirror." I should have known that when it comes to games like this, you should never think like that.

I even asked out loud, "Why would he give us something like this?"

No sooner had said that, I along with all other players around us were engulfed by a white light. A few seconds later my eyes regained their focus, and the person who should have been Klein was replaced by someone I was not familiar with. While this person had the same bandanna and spiky red hair remained the same, the shape of his face had been altered. His eyes went from being sharp to having a softer and brighter appearance. The shape of his nose become 'hooked' and a slight beard appeared on his cheeks and chin. He looked more like a bandit than a samurai with that appearance.

I immediately asked the question that almost anyone would ask in this situation, "Who are you?"

After hearing my voice, I realized that the person in front of me was not the only one to change. My voice had become softer, and it was heightened by a few pitches. It was the voice I always had in the real world. This caused me to finally realize to my horror that the white light from those mirrors caused all of us to revert back to what we are in the real world.

I kept thinking to myself, "No! No! No! Please let this not be true!" Unfortunately for me it was. As I gripped the hand mirror and raised it to view my face, my heart sank as I looked upon the face that stared back to me in that reflection.

My original avatar had long neat black hair that reached the middle of my neck. My bangs also reached to about the middle of my neck parted to the right. However, now my hair smoothly flowed down from the top of my head to my waist. My bangs fell past my shoulders and reached to both sides of my chest. I also saw that my once rugged, sharp, masculine face had become smooth. My lips were crimson, and my narrow black eyes had widened with long eyelashes.

This face was no longer the one that belonged to Kirito, the avatar I had created for Sword Art Online. The face I wanted to use to escape from the real world was now nothing but a memory. Now the face I saw in that mirror was something that I had been attempting to conceal from all players in the real world. My face had changed from Kirito, the calm, proud warrior of the Sword Art Online Beta Test to the face of Kirigaya Kazuta. Afterwards, I dropped the mirror on the ground and it shattered.

Needless to say, Klein had a similar reaction when he saw my true appearance as well. He asked in a voice filled with surprise and confusion, "Who are you?" Similar to my voice, his voice had changed quite a bit as well.

I sheepishly answered his question, "It's me Kirito."

Personally, I could not stand that my voice had become so soft. I had always used the rougher more masculine voice of my avatars whenever I played these games. After using it for so long, I had become dependent on using that voice in order to interact with others.

Klein dropped mirror shouted in surprise, "You're Kirito?!" Klein was so shocked at my new appearance he practically yelled out this question. "You're a girl?!"

He must have been really shocked that at the thought a girl was the one helping him out all day. His voice was so loud that I felt like if I was right next to him, he would have killed my eardrums. I have a feeling a few too many people in this plaza heard him ask them that question as well.

I answered his question with a bit of comical shame in my voice, "Yes I am." That was a bit of information I always hoped to avoid revealing to others. In all my time of playing games like this, it was only once someone was actually able to guess right.

After I answered Klein's question, I looked at the crowd of people who surrounded us. The appearances of everyone there had changed so significantly. Most of the people there originally had the appearances of characters I would see in fantasy games or anime, but now they all had the appearance of anyone I would see in the mall, at school, or anywhere else in the real world. It was as if these people were visiting some kind of fantasy expo and were cosplaying in armor.

It was also depressing to see that there was a dreadful male to female ratio here. Similar to how I would pretend to be a male player, I guess it shouldn't be unusual to find male players pretend to be females as well. If I were to venture a guess based on what I could see, I would say that about thirty percent of players here were female. However, that was based solely on what I could see. For all I know it could be better or worse throughout that massive crowd, but I had a feeling my estimate was not too far off.

However, I was not the only female player pretending to be male. I heard one female player shriek, "You're not a boy," while another female player responded in just as much horror, "You're not seventeen."

Understandably nearly all the players in the area including Klein and myself were utterly shocked at how accurate our appearances were to our real life counterparts. While I could understand the Nerve Gear being able to replicate a certain aspects about our real bodies, namely our faces, I could not understand how it could possibly know other aspects, such as our height and in my case my breast size. It was as if the Nerve Gear had some kind of full body scanner attached to it.

Klein said in a bewildered tone, "How is this possible? My appearance is so close to what it is in the real world. How could this game pull off something like that?"

I calmly explained to him, "There are high density signal season in the Nerve Gears that are currently covering our heads back in the real world. In theory, it is possible that the Nerve Gears might be capable of not only knowing what our brains look like but our faces as well." Although, I guess this wasn't really much of a theory anymore.

Klein then said to me, "Okay I'll give you that, but how could it possibly know what the rest of our bodies look like, such as how tall we are or . . . huh other specifications." While Klein was stuttering, he was giving my whole body a gaze. I found it kind of embarrassing, but I could tell that he was still shocked that the player who had been helping him out for the past few hours was actually a teenage girl rather than a young man.

I responded in a somewhat embarrassed tone, "…I'm not really sure."

After I said that I could not help but take another good look around at the surrounding players. I could tell that the average height of the players had been greatly reduced. It was not unusual for players to increase their height by a few inches because they want to be taller than their real life counterparts. Players, such as Klein and I, kept our heights relatively the same in order to prevent it from hindering our movements. Although I would be guilty of increasing my height by a few inches in order to pass off as a guy, but I could feel that as soon as I looked in that mirror I had been returned to my original height.

Height wasn't the only thing I noticed that had changed. For a majority of the players their build and girth had increased as well. However, since I was actually a female player disguised in a male avatar, my body and girth shrunk in almost every area except for my chest. It increased substantially much to my embarrassment. Ever since I had started going through puberty, a number of girls, including my sister, had told me they were jealous of my size. It was the main reason why I was 'temporarily' popular with the guys in my school. I'm still pretty sure I inherited them from my biological mother.

On that note, I consider myself grateful that when it came to the clothing that players could wear, we did not need to worry about it being 'damaged.' During fights or anything like that, regular shirts, coats, or pants would not be damaged, and we did not need to replace them. It was definitely a good thing because with some of the battles I would be facing in the near future, I would have probably needed to find more than fifty new pairs of clothing and received quite a bit of 'exposure' if that was the case.

Unfortunately, the same thing could not be said about accessories, such as cloaks or masks. While they came in handy for me at the beginning of the game, the ones I had equipped became damaged during an important fight, and it did cause me quite a bit of trouble. This makes me wish the 'no clothing damage' rule applied to them because that would have really helped me a few times down the road.

Due to my embarrassment of my physical appearance or rather not wanting others to pay too much attention to my true appearance, I would take a 'conservative' route when it came to my wardrobe. Until I met a certain someone at around March 2023, who helped change my ideas regarding my attire, I would generally take measures to prevent others from getting a good look at my body.

For a while I even tried preventing others from knowing I was a girl after I left this area by wearing disguises. It was after I met 'her' that I decided to become a little more 'daring' in my style. Rather than trying to hide the fact I was a girl, she made me realize that I should embrace it, and doing so allowed me to overcome some of my problems. She would become someone that I would truly admire and respect, and the respect was mutual. I would greatly value her friendship. It was a shame that I had not met her at this point because I really could have used her help.

Anyway, after looking at the different players, I could not help but agree with Klein that there was no way that the Nerve Gear could possibly be capable of knowing this kind of information. That was until I thought back when I first received the Nerve Gear. There was something called the 'calibration process' that I needed to take part in before I could begin playing games with it. I began to think to myself, "Unless it happened back then."

As it turned out, Klein had the same idea as me. "Actually, I think I might know the answer to that. When I bought the Nerve Gear, there was this 'calibration' process that was part of the set up procedure."

I was quick to agree with Klein's assessment. I responded, "Yes I remember that process. During that 'calibration' process it measured how much you had to move your hand to reach your body. That must have somehow provided the Nerve Gear with the necessary information." When I was doing that before, I did not really understand why it was necessary, but not it makes sense. While I had to move my body for this 'calibration,' it must have been recording everything in order to gauge our body shapes.

Thinking about that also made me realize the horror of the situation as well. I looked up to the Kayaba Akihiko's grim reaper avatar. "If the Nerve Gears have been keeping potential players body information stored within them all this time, then that means he has been planning to trap people in this game since the beginning." Klein did not respond to my assessment. I took his silence as an agreement.

/

Shortly afterwards, Kayaba Akihiko continued to explain to us that in order to escape from this game we would need to reach the top of his castle. I knew that during the Beta Test, there was no castle on the first ten floors of this game. However, based on what he was saying, I quickly surmised it was at the final level. In other words, we would need to reach the one hundredth floor. It was always a cliché for the 'Big Bad' to tell the protagonists they would wait for them at the end of the final level.

This meant we needed to reach the hundredth floor without being killed. Needless to say, that would be easier said than done because during the Beta Test, I had died numerous times. If what he said was true, there would be no second chances. If we died in this game, the Nerve Gear would kill us in the real world by frying our brains into a bloody mess. I did not want to picture what the heads of those two hundred plus people who had already died, and I did not want to end up like them.

After Kayaba Akihiko disappeared, nearly all of the players had reacted to this development as I would have expected. Nearly all of them were panicked. However, while they panicked, I accepted this game. Did I fear what could happen in this Death Game? Of course I did, but I knew that there was nothing I could do beyond attempting to ensure my survival and our completion of this game. Although before I made my first move after this Death Game was announced, I noticed there was one player in particular who did not appear to be phased by this news at all. He stood out among us all.

This player was at least a head or two taller than me with light brown hair that went past his neck. You could tell instantly by looking at him he was a strong individual due to his muscular physique. While almost everyone else was panicking around him, he barely batted an eyelash. It was either the gravity of the situation had not caught up to him yet or he had calmly and silently accepted it. For a second, he glanced in my direction with piercing eyes as if he was looking at me directly for some reason before looking in another direction.

I would not forget the look of this player. How could anyone forget a player that was able to maintain his composure despite the announcement of this Death Game? If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed he must have been in a life threatening situations before. A part of me would have went to talk to him, but I knew there was no time for that. However, I would remember what he looked like, and it was a good thing that I did not forget his face because we would encounter each other again about three months later. It would be a rather significant moment for me to remember, and he would prove to be most helpful.

After I regained my focus, I heard the numerous voices throughout the area that were cries of agony. The cries included but they were not limited to:

"This has to be a joke right? What the hell is this?!"

"This isn't funny! Let us out of here!"

"I have a life to live in the real world! There are things I have to do!"

"Please don't do this to me! I want to go home!"

"Get back here you rotten son of a bitch!"

However, I did not say any of those things. I had accepted it. I told myself, "This is our reality now. Nothing we do or say here can change that. We need to do what we can to survive."

I grabbed Klein's arm and told him, "Klein let's talk over there." I pointed to an alleyway that led out of this area, and he followed me. On my way out, I accidently bumped into a hooded player. I apologized as I ran to get out of the crowd, "Sorry about that." However, I am not sure if he could have heard me in that commotion.

After we managed to make it out of the crowd we ran to one of the streets that was close to the Starting City's exit. When I turned around, I could tell by the look on Klein's face the fact I was a girl had not completely sunk in yet. I tried my best to sound serious when I told him, "Klein pay attention! This is important!"

Klein became more responsive to that, "I'm listening. I'm listening."

I sighed before I told him, "I'm leaving this city right now to head to the next village. It is known as the Village of Horuka. I want you to come with me."

Admittedly felt a little uncomfortable asking Klein to accompany me now that he knew I was a girl. However, I did not think that was important right now. What was important was to make sure we could survive this 'Death Game,' and I knew this was our best chance. Besides, I felt like I could trust Klein, and I was glad that he was the 'first friend' that I made in Sword Art Online. I had a feeling that I would be fine if I brought him along with me.

When I offered my invitation for him to come with me, I think he may have had the wrong idea. His eyes opened wide, and I could see a blush forming on his face. I lowered my voice to make it clear I was being serious as I explained the situation as best as I could, "Assuming what Kayaba told us was true, the only way we are going to survive is by making ourselves stronger."

Luckily, that seemed to snap Klein back to the importance of the situation. His blush quickly disappeared, and he changed the look on the face to being more focused on the situation at hand. Klein's response was, "Oh yeah! Do you have any ideas?" He was definitely having difficulty getting over the fact I was a girl.

I was hoping that I could convince him as I gave him the facts. I began explaining to him about a few things regarding these types of games. "You know that when it comes to these 'massively multiplayer online role playing games,' they are a battle of resources between players right? Players can only become stronger by acquiring money and experience, and players who have realized this situation are probably on the move right now. I'm willing to bet that those players are starting to hunt the monsters that are around Starting City as we speak. Unfortunately, after a monster is killed, it will take forever for those monsters to respawn. It would be a better idea for us head to the next village. Even though I am still at level one, I remember quite a few 'survival tips' from the Beta Test, and we can get to Horuka and start leveling up within an hour or so."

It was quite a long speech I gave him, but Klein had listened to me very patiently. I could tell that he understood and seemingly agreed with the logic, but I could tell that something was bothering him. Something was holding him back from outright agreeing to my plan and beginning our journey.

After I was done talking his face scrunched up and he told me, "I get what you're saying. It makes a lot of sense. Acting now would be the best method of ensuring our survival, but there is a problem."

I asked in an uneasy voice, "What is it?"

Klein told me that his friends that stood in line with him to purchase Sword Art Online probably logged into the game by now. He was certain that they were probably stuck within that crowd back there. Klein told me that he couldn't abandon them, and I could tell based on the look in his eyes that he wanted me to wait as well. What he was asking for was admirable. He wanted all of us to leave the Starting City together, so we could survive together. Unfortunately, waiting for him to find his friends was something that I could not promise him. Or rather something that I didn't believe I could promise him.

At that time I believed leaving in a group bigger than two would be counterproductive. Klein may have started getting the hang of using his abilities a little bit ago, but he still had difficultly defeating an easy pig monster. It was pretty hilarious seeing that pig hit him right in the crotch although I had a feeling it would be a lot less funny now given our current situation. At that time, I did not want to imagine how unskilled his friends were. I could easily protect one maybe two other people from monster attacks. However, if there were anymore, I could not guarantee their safety, and they would probably die in both worlds.

I couldn't bring myself to promise Klein anything. He may have been asking for something with good intentions in mind, but it was something that I did not think I could deliver. It was a burden that I did not want to bear. However, it was a burden I would eventually end up bearing in the near future because my foolish decisions would catch up to me one day. Unfortunately, it would be others that would have to pay the price for my decisions while I would be the one to continue living. Sometimes I wonder if having to live with the knowledge I was responsible for other people's deaths and nearly caused the deaths of others was my punishment, so I would have to forever live in regret. Although, I doubt karma's done with me yet.

Klein could see the conflicted look on my face. He gave me an understanding look and cheerfully told me, "It's okay. Never mind. I can't keep relying on you. Don't worry about me. Get going to the next village."

On reflex I asked Klein, "Are you sure?"

He confidently grinned and said, "Definitely. I was a guild master in another game I played, so it will be a cake walk. I will use the techniques you taught me, and I will go from there. Besides, there is always a chance that this could end up being a bad joke, and we'll get out of this alive in the end." I could tell that he was just trying to make me feel better at this point, but I accepted it.

Before I left, I said something that I would regret for years to come. I reluctantly said with a dry throat, "Okay. We will part company here. If anything happens, please send me a message. I hope we meet again someday Klein."

Klein optimistically responded, "I'm certain we will Kirito or rather Kirita-chan." I twitched when Klein teased me with that name change. He then said in a teasing voice, "You should probably consider changing that name if you get a chance."

I responded in a somewhat annoyed voice, "I'll think about it." I would eventually change my name, but that would happen further down the road.

When I turned around to begin walking away, Klein told me one last thing. He said, "By the way Kirita. Your real appearance is rather nice. You're quite my style."

Hearing him say that caused me to blush and smile bitterly. I shouted over my shoulder, "Your look suits you ten times better too."

After I said that to Klein, I felt as if my feet began to move on their own. Before I knew it, I was outside the Starting City and on the field running towards my next destination. It was if my feet were trying to instinctively get me as far away from Klein before I could change my mind. As I continued to run from the Starting City, I did everything in my power to ignore the feelings of guilt that were beginning to accumulate in my heart.

As I ran, I declared to myself, "I'm going to survive this world. It's not going to conquer me. I'm going to conquer it." I continued to dash down the road towards the Village of Horuka. My adventures in Sword Art Online had only begun.

/

While Kirito and Klein managed to leave on good terms, their separation from each other was witnessed by another individual. The individual wore a hood, and his style of wearing the hood would make it difficult for anyone to see his face. This was an individual that neither Kirito nor Klein would ever wish to have known. During the days of the Death Game, he would take great joy in finding alternative methods of living within the game, and finding entertainment.

He was an individual that would take great joy in watching other players struggle, and he was more than happy to add to their struggles.

When this player was transported to the town square along with everyone else, this man happened to be teleported within close vicinity to Klein and Kirito. Similar to everyone else, the man was as confused about the situation as they were. He thought the lack of 'logout' button was some kind of glitch, but he could tell that apparently everyone was experiencing the glitch too. During all the confusion, he could not help but look through the crowd of players until he happened to recognize one face in particular.

As soon as this player noticed Kirito, he seemed to forget about the current predicament and focused more on Kirito. He thought to himself in an amused and excited tone, "Ah. I was wondering if I would run into him. I am not sure what is going on, but I have to say that this must be a blessing in disguise. A golden opportunity might be presenting itself to me much earlier than I could have imagined."

His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Kayaba Akihiko's grim reaper avatar. After he received the 'hand mirror' in his inventory, his face reverted to what it appeared in reality as well. Similar to other players, the hooded player gazed upon his face, and he was both amazed and horrified by how it was an exact replica of his own. He bitterly thought to himself, "I suppose this is proof enough that this he is Kayaba is not bluffing."

His concentration was broken when he overheard a red headed samurai wannabe player shout out loud, "You're a girl?!"

The hooded player turned to see where Kirito once stood. Instead of seeing an avatar that had the appearance of a male anime protagonist, he saw an attractive young teenage girl standing in his place. He figured that was the true appearance of the Beta Tester he had met before. He smirked as he thought, "So the famous Beta Tester Kirito is actually a young teenage girl huh? Isn't that interesting?"

Shortly afterwards, when Kirito was making her escape from the crowd with Klein in tow, she accidently bumped into the hooded individual. She apologized as she continued on her way out of the crowd. He thought to himself, "It's not a problem girl. Not a problem at all. In fact, thank you for telling me that you're leaving."

He discreetly followed the two of them, and heard the gist of their conversation. Kirito was planning on heading off on her own while Klein would attempt to find his friends. After they wished each other luck on their respective journeys, they parted ways. The figure emerged from the shadows and began heading in the direction that Kirito had departed towards.

The figured had less innocent thoughts in mind regarding what he witnessed. "I suppose it wouldn't be wise to let a little girl like her to wander off on her own. Making sure she is okay should prove to be most entertaining. Not to mention, it will be most interesting to see if 'Kirito' will live up to the name she formed during the Beta Test."

He considered it fortunate that the girl was too busy looking ahead to consider that someone might be following her. She was too busy trying to fend off her guilt that she would never notice him coming. Unfortunately for her, this would be the beginning of trouble that would continue to follow her throughout the days of the Death Game known as Sword Art Online. Seeing Kirito struggle would be one of this player's greatest forms of entertainment.

/

Date: Sunday, November 6, 2022– Shortly after the Death Game's Announcement

Location: Sword Art Online – Specific Area Unknown

In the room filled with television screens, the little girl saw how nearly all of them were filled with players crying in despair and asking for help. The cries for help filled the entire room, and it was difficult for the girl to hear herself think. The little girl knew that this would be one situation that she could not sit out of and action was necessary.

She said to herself in a soft voice, "Hopelessness and despair. That is what I'm feeling from approximately eighty percent of the players at this moment. It is time for me to intervene before it is too late."

/

Omake:

(Instead of Akio being on stage, Kirita is accompanied by Kirito)

Kirita: Akio is taking off for this chapter's omake. Instead, my male counterpart, Kirito, from Fairy Dance Alternate is taking his place. It's great to have you here.

Kirito: Well it is great to be here.

Kirita: So how are things going back in Fairy Dance Alternate? From my understanding, Knowledgeseeker66 is no longer on hiatus for writing that story.

Kirito: That's true. The author is attempting to finish off my story regarding my two and a half months in Alfheim Online

Kirita: Well that sounds good.

Kirito: (Kirito begins to look pale) Speak for yourself. While I am enjoying my time in the limelight, let's just say a few things about the future chapters are not going to be pleasant for me in the least.

Kirita: What do you mean?

Kirito: I would rather not say. However, let's put it this way. You are going to have to read Knowledgeseeker66's plans to believe.

Kirita: (Kirito gives Kirita the plans and Kirita's eyes open wide from seeing them) Holy crap! Is Knowledgeseeker66 serious?

Kirito: Yes. Knowledgeseeker66 is definitely serious.

Kirita: This does not look good for you at all. I thought what Sugou did to you in Chapter Five was bad, but this takes it up to a whole new level.

Kirito: Tell me about it. I swear the author must be some kind of sadist or something for coming up with ideas like that.

Kirita: I wouldn't call the author that if I were you. If you say things like that it might end up actually becoming true.

Kirito: (He becomes fearful at the thought) I would hate to think of what else Knowledgeseeker66 might think of at this rate. It scares the living hell out of me.

Kirita: Well the author does try to invoke nightmare fuel. Although that is a little difficult to pull off in fanfiction since you only read the story and there is no visual representation.

Kirito: That is true, but I think it would be easy to agree that based on "Of Science and Magics: The Side Stories" and "Fairy Dance Alternate," the author has at least had success in making the fanfiction stories significantly darker than the canon storylines.

Kirita: I would agree with that. It kind of makes me nervous about what Knowledgeseeker66 will attempt to do to make this story darker. There have already been a few hints of that being the case in some of the narration and dialogue. Apparently, we will be getting more of a taste for the 'darker and edgier' material in the next chapter.

Kirito: I guess we will just have to wait and find out.

Kirita: We will. However, back on the topic we were talking about, Knowledgeseeker66 would probably have an easier time invoking nightmare fuel in your story if illustrations could be utilized similar to the Light Novels.

Kirito: The descriptions of what happens to me are bad enough. I do not want to think about what some of those scenes would actually look like.

Kirita: Unfortunately, I'm afraid that you can only speak for yourself. I'm sure a fair number of fans would love to see some fanart and illustrations regarding Knowledgeseeker66's fanfiction stories.

Kirito: Yeah I know. That is part of the reason why Knowledgeseeker66 sometimes asks artists if he or she is interested in producing some artwork.

Kirita: Has there been success?

Kirito: You know as well as I do there has been some. After all, every one of the Knowledgeseeker66's stories have custom made covers.

Kirita: Well I suppose that is good news then. However, I guess Knowledgeseeker66 would like some more assistance if possible for other drawings and character designs for the other two stories. We don't really need artists for this story right now since Z3phyra has already stated he will be providing more artwork for "The Kirita Chronicles."

Kirito: It's too bad we don't have the same luck here in "Fairy Dance Alternate" or for Knowledgeseeker66's other story, "Of Science and Magics: The Side Stories."

Kirita: Maybe something can be done about that.

Kirito: Like what?

Kirita: Simply asking for assistance. (Turns to the audience) If there is anyone who is interested in making light novel type drawings for Knowledgeseeker66's fanfiction stories, "Of Science and Magics: The Side Stories" or "Fairy Dance Alternate" be sure to make yourselves known. Knowledgeseeker66 will be sure to contact you if possible.

Kirito: Do you think that will work?

Kirita: It was worth a shot. Let's see if it will work out.

/

Author Notes: I hope you enjoyed the introduction to the Death Game. Not only did you get to see how Kirito and Klein's journey began, but you were able to see how some of the other characters' first few hours in the game were too. I had quite a bit of fun writing some of the new scenarios that did not involve Kirito and Klein because it was something more original. However, I did enjoy altering some of Kirito and Klein's interactions due to Kirito's gender reveal. Based on Klein's personality, I think that Klein probably would have a reaction like this if Kirito would have been a girl.

Similar to Chapter Two, I enjoyed providing tidbits for some of the other reoccurring characters in this story besides Kirito and Klein because it provided some additional insight into them. A few of the characters, such as Leonardo and Delano, were given some hints of future storylines while several of the other characters were simply enjoying the game. Since Sword Art Online was not declared a Death Game until it was announced at the end of the chapter, I would not really expect all of the players to be doing something incredibly notable similar to how I would not think all the characters would have dark and troubled pasts. You could say they were more or less happily going about their business until they learned the awful truth.

I thought it would be good to more or less state that nothing special was going on with certain characters other than the fact they were checking out the features that appealed to them about the game. That was part of the reason why I did not provide too many details for Agil and Silica's stories. Based on their characters and backgrounds, I would not imagine they were doing anything too exciting prior to the Death Game's announcement. Personally, if I was in a virtual world, I would have done one of two things. I would have either asked another player for help in working out the kinks to learn how to the play the game similar to Klein, or I would have hung around and explored the starting city for a while before venturing outside.

Anyway, you can expect plotlines for Agil and Silica to receive more development later on, and you will be seeing Agil in some future chapters because he will still be participating in the first boss fight, so you can still expect to see appearances from him in the near future. However, when it comes to providing subplots for the characters in future chapters, I have a number of rough plans for most of them, but it will take a while before they can receive any real depth. It could take a while before some of the characters you want to see receive more development, but I can assure you that it will happen at some point.

On another note, you might have noticed in this chapter that there were a few scenes that featured Kirito/Kirita, but she was not the narrator for those scenes. While most of the scenes she will appear in will feature her as the narrator, there will be times when it will have a third person narration. Similar to Fairy Dance Alternate, I plan on switching to the third person narration when Kirito/Kirita is not the focus of the scene or I want to write internal monologues for some of the other characters.

In regards to one of the third person narrations, I mentioned about players being able to feel 'pain.' When it comes to players feeling pain, I know that at first they did not feel pain, but I was under the impression that changed after the declaration of the Death Game. Based on how I saw certain characters react to receiving injuries during the anime adaptation for the Sword Art Online arc, I was under the impression they did feel some kind of 'painful sensation.' Since Kayaba Akihiko wanted the players to consider Sword Art Online to be their new reality, I think it is not completely unlikely that he also made players feel 'pain' from their injuries. Obviously it will not be to the extent that Sugou put Kirito and Asuna through, but the players will feel pain. Regardless of whether that is the case or not in canon, you can expect it to the case in this story.

Additionally, I also figured that this chapter would be the perfect opportunity to begin establishing some of the future plotlines as well, such as mentioning that Kirita/Kirito will eventually meet someone she will look up to and the fact there is someone stalking her. You will see plenty of those plotlines receive more development and expansions in future chapters. These are 'long' term plans that I have planned out well in advance that I look forward to writing more about. Most of these long 'term' plans will cause some changes throughout the storyline with a few minor and/or somewhat drastic alterations. You have probably seen a few ripples happen already, but you can expect to see even more as you go on.

I hope you enjoyed reading the beginning of the 'Death Game.' Be sure to leave a review and participate in the poll that I have set up on my profile. The poll will be about which four segments you liked the most in this chapter.

I'll see you next time for my adaptation of 'The First Day.' As with this chapter, you can expect similarities and differences between the next chapter and the canon storyline along with plenty of additions. The differences that will happen in that chapter will continue to cause alterations that will affect the later parts of the story. I hope you will bear that in mind and will look forward to what happens next.