The Exploiter (A Sword Art Online Fanfic)

Chapter 1:The Announcement

The sound of demonic screeching was the first thing I heard as I opened my eyes.I quickly slammed my hand on my alarm clock,and lay on my back for a few moments to find the will to get out of my bed.

I got up slowly,stretching out and stepping into the shower.I got dressed,and headed to the kitchen to brew myself a cup of coffee.

As I drank the coffee,I opened my laptop and quickly navigated to my youtube channel.The video I had put out yesterday hadn't gained much in terms of views,with only 50 or so people having watched it.

I sighed.My parents were out of town,visiting my grandparents.While they told me that they needed me to watch the house,I knew the real reason they wanted me to stay behind was so that my grandparents wouldn't see me like this-pale,weak and skinny,unable to make eye contact and unable to raise my voice.

"Please Y/N,stay here.You know your grandparents will be upset if they see you like this,"my father had said carelessly at dinner.

It was a weekday,and my parents were away.I had a lot of free time,so I could make as many videos as I wanted without them complaining about the noise.But what was the use if no one watched them?

Frustrated,I combed my hands through my H/C hair.
As I was freaking out,my eyes caught a box next to the front door.

Was it supposed to be delivered today?

I quickly moved toward the box and turned it over.Sure enough,it was what I had expected.The nerve gear.My heart started beating unexpectedly fast as I stared at the box.I remembered all the comments on my videos asking me if I was going to try and exploit this new console.

I wasted no time in tearing the box open and setting up the nerve gear.After I finished connecting all the cables,I put the helmet on my head and slowly lowered myself into my bed.

After completing the calibration sequence,I slowly choked out the words,"L-Link start!".

My vision filled up with white and streaks of colour before the text "Welcome to SAO" popped up.

I finished my character customisation as quickly as possible,only making myself taller and a little more buff.Then I jumped into the game.

A picturisque little town materialized before my eyes as my feet touched cobblestone.

They weren't lying when they said you you be transported into the game.

I tried to move my fingers,and they moved without complaint.I stared down at my hand in amazement as it moved along with me.

Test 1 is now completed.Now all that's left is to test out my physical limits.

I broke out into a small sprint,which quickly turned into a run.I bolted through the streets of the city as I throughly enjoyed the feeling of the wind on my face.If I had tried to run this much in the real world,I would have had a stroke.

However,I had forgotten that other people were in this game,and I was reminded of this fact when I bumped into someone.I quickly fell onto my ass as the other person stumbled forward.

"I-I'm sorry!I didn't mean it!I was just getting used to the game and got carried away,"I  apologised,keeping my eyes on the ground.

'It's not a problem,"the black haired teen I had bumped into replied.

The red haired man next to him offered me his hand.I gratefully took it and brushed myself off.

"So, you're a newbie right?",the red haired man inquired.I nodded.

"Great!Kirito here was just about to show me the ropes.He a beta-tester,you know.Why don't you join us?",the red haired man continued,pointing at the boy I now knew was named kirito.

Kirito looked like he wanted to say something,but then decided against it.

"What's your name,rookie?",kirito questioned.

"Its Y/N.Y/N L/N."

"And I'm klein!Nice to meet you Y/N!"

"Fine.Now that the introductions are over,let's get going.I don't have all day,"kirito waved his hand at us to follow him.

Smiling,I ran to catch up to him.
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Kirito later spent the entire morning teaching us the basics of combat in the game.

By the time we had managed to kill a wild boar,it was already afternoon.After we rested for a while on the grass,klein stood up.

"Its been fun getting to know you,boys.But I have to leave now.I've got a pizza waiting for me.See you later!"klein chimed.

He opened the menu and stared at it,before getting a confused look on his face.

"Hey kirito,Y/N,something seems to be wrong with my menu.Can you try to log out on yours?"

I quickly opened mine,and was surprised to see that the log out button was grey.

"What the hell-"I began,but before I was able to finish,my vision went blank and I found myself in the town square along with kirito and klein.

It seemed as though all of the players in the game were present,and before anyone could leave,the sky turned blood red and a red hooded figure came out of a portal in the sky.

"Greetings,players of SAO.I am the creator of SAO, Akihiko Kayaba.I have two things I wish to inform you of this afternoon."the hooded figure began.

"The first thing I wish to tell you is that I have a gift for all of you.If you look into you inventory,you will find my gift."

Confused,I opened my inventory to find a mirror in it.As soon as I touched it,my extra height and muscle melted away.

All around me,the same thing happened to every single one of the players gathered there.Girls became boys,buff men became skinny,and everyone changed back into their original appearance.

"The next thing I wish to tell you is that NO ONE can log out of this game anymore.If someone tries to remove your nerve gear in the real world,you will be killed by the high frequency radio waves the helmet is programmed to output.Oh,and one more thing.If your hp hits zero in the game,the nerve gear will kill you as well.That is all."

The dark robed figure disappeared into the sky,and the sky returned to its normal colour.

As I dropped to my knees,I would hear the screams and the wails of the people around me as they processed the unbelievable information.

What nightmare had I gotten myself into this time?