Not a Game Anymore

What the hell was going on?

Suddenly, a bright light surrounded me, and when it disappeared, I was in the town square with at least the other 11,000 people that had signed onto SAO. I looked around and was separated from Klein, Satoshi, and Tamaki. But then I looked up and saw the sky turn blood red as a huge man in a red cloak appeared, you know, as in, the whole sky kinda big.

"Hello all players." A voice said. "Welcome to my world of Sword Art Online. I am Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO. I'm sure you're wondering why the logout button is missing from the menu. This is not a bug."

"No." I said as I looked up in disbelief.

"I repeat, this is not a bug. It is a new feature of Sword Art Online."

"New feature?" I muttered to myself.

"You cannot log out by yourselves and no one from the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear, otherwise," he paused. "a microwave will be transmitted through the NerveGear to your brain, and thus, ending your life."

Suddenly, Klein had come up to me. "There you are! But I have a question: what if the power went out or something?" He asked.

"The NerveGear has an infinite battery." I said bluntly.

"Unfortunately..." He continued. "...people have disregarded this warning and as of now, 213 people are gone forever, both from SAO and the real world."

Guess I was wrong... Make that 10,787 people in this circle he forced us in.

"People have reported these deaths all across the world, so I am sure you will try to clear the game in order to be released from this world. However, there is no longer a method of reviving someone. Once your HP drops to zero, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

"No... This can't be real..." I tried to force myself to believe that.

"There is only one way to get out of this world, and that...is to complete the game. All 100 floors." Kayaba showed us a diagram of the game. "You all are at level one, whether you are a beta-tester or not. Defeat the final boss on floor 100, and you will be set free."

"100 floors!?" Klein exclaimed.

Not even I got that high...

"And finally..." He continued again. "...there is a gift for you. Check your inventory."

I opened my menu and went to my items. There was something new as I checked what it was. The item said 'Mirror' as I clicked it, a mirror appearing in my hand. Suddenly, yellow lights appeared around everyone. When they cleared, everyone's true identity was revealed. They all looked so ridiculous! But then a yellow light appeared around me. When it disappeared, I held the mirror up only to gasp in shock.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

My short, dark blue hair changed to long and crimson red, my eyes going from emerald to royal blue. I looked down as my breast plate armor had changed, my breasts now visible. Dropping the mirror, it shattered as my whole body trembled. No! This can't be happening!

"You're a girl!?" I looked over to see Klein had a scruffy beard and short hair that was spiked in the front a bit. "You're the sister you were talking about?"

Shit!

I held my hand to my chest, nodding. "I am."

"But why pose as a boy?" He asked me.

"Because...I didn't want guys focusing on me being a girl and you boys always get so much more than the girls... But I guess none of that even matters now that I've been revealed as a girl... Even so, I'll still get the perks I used to despite my appearance change."

"I suppose you're wondering 'why?'' Kayaba continued as I looked up. "Why the creator, Kayaba Akihiko, would do all of this? Well my goal was to intervene in Sword Art Online. And now my goal is complete. This ends the official tutorial for the Sword Art Online launch. Good luck players." He said before disappearing in a shimmer of blood, the force field around us disappearing.

I grit my teeth and clenched my hands in fists, everyone in a fit of rage and shock, some people crying... I quickly grabbed Klein's wrist, dragging him into a dark alley.

"I'm heading into the next town." I said to him. "We should level up and get the rewards before other people do."

"Well, actually...I have friends back in the plaza, and I can't just leave 'em there..."

I smiled at him softly. "Then I'll go. I was a beta-tester, so I can survive on my own. Go. They need you."

"You sure you don't wanna come along with us?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I'll be okay. You go, lead them. They need you more than I do. I'll see you soon, okay?"

He nodded with a small smile. "And for the record, I like you a whole lot better as a girl, Kyo."

"And that scruffy face of yours isn't so bad either. See ya soon." I said before we parted ways.

Kayaba made me start from the beginning, erased everything... Sure, it was frustrating, but this gave me a chance to build myself up how I wanted to, but different. Kai has always told me I can't survive on my own, well now's my chance to prove him wrong. I'm sixteen years old dammit. I'm a beta-tester. I know my way around this world... Tamaki and Satoshi didn't have as high of stats as me, but that was because I trained harder than them. I had maxed out my attack and defense, but my speed was unreal. Who needs defense when you have speed? If you're fast enough, you can kill them in one shot, and that was my specialty. I'll show everyone here that I'm not just some girl, but I can survive on my own!

I will beat Sword Art Online!