"mankind finally built a full virtual environment" "Hi there!" "Time for this week's MMO Stream." "You saw promos of today's featured game.... and this is what last week's launch day looked like." "310)}End of Line" "Can you guess what everyone's waiting in line for?" "Sword Art Online!" "The ones at the front of the line waited for up to three days." "Hey... that's what you'd do." "we'll be covering..." "AKA SAO!" "none of the NerveGear software has really taken advantage of the components of the hardware." "Hey..." "I'm off to practice now." "and it's the VMMORPG that you and everyone else has been waiting for!" "The beta testers say it's incredible." "I wish I could've gotten a copy... the first testing was limited to... 000 copies." "the game sold out in seconds." "Link start!" "215)}Character Registration 600)}Use beta-test data?" "Hello World!" "I'm back!" "730)}The World of Swords" "Floor 1:" "Town of Beginnings" "So I told him so is..." "Why don't we form a party?" "I mean?" "come on!" "It'll be great!" "bro!" "Wait up!" "What's up?" "You act like you know your way around here... weren't you?" "y-yeah." "Cool." "Today's my first day." "So...could you give me some tips on the lower floors?" "U-Uh..." "I don't know what to... please." "I'm begging ya!" "my name's Klein." "Good to meet you." "I'm Kirito." " Ah!" "West Field 885)} whimpers seriously?" "You can't feel any pain." "you're right." "habit." "Remember what I said?" "The first move is the most important." "that's easy for you to say... but he won't stand still. the system pretty much guarantees you'll always hit your target." "Initial motion..." "Here's an easier way to look at it. drive it home!" "Drive it home...." "Whoo-hoo!" "Yeah!" " Congratulations." " Hmm?" "That was nice... but that boar's about as weak as slimes in other games are." "you gotta be kidding." "I thought that thing was a mid-level boss." "Yeah...as if." "isn't it?" "I'll say." "right?" "Uh-huh." "I've heard the game has an unlimited number of them." "though." "An RPG without magic?" "That's a bold decision there!" "isn't it?" "hells yeah." "You ready to move on?" "man." "Let's keep going!" "I can't believe it... bro." "Whoever made it is a genius." "This thing's amazing... you know?" "It's not that big a deal." "it's my first full dive!" "huh?" "This is your first time ever?" "I rushed out and bought all the hardware to play SAO." "000 hard copies." "Guess you could say I was pretty lucky." "were 10 times as lucky getting to beta test it." "000 people got the chance." "I guess I was lucky." "mind if I ask how far you got in the beta?" "and I couldn't get further than floor 8." "easy." "Sounds to me like you're really into this. day and night." "a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go." "I feel more alive in here than I ever did in the real world." "do you want to go do some more hunting?" "You know it!" "But the thing is..." "I'm really hungry..." "I have to log out." "Too bad the food you eat here only satisfies your hunger virtually." "for reals." "That's why I ordered a pizza for 5:30 PM." "you're so prepared." "You know it!" "the game can wait until I get my pizza on." "I guess." "so... if you want you can friend them and hang with us." "No...it's cool if you don't want to." "No pressure." "I can always introduce you to them another time or something." "sorry." "Thanks anyway." "I should be doing all the banking." "I promise I'll pay you back for all of your help." "that is." "really." "Guess I'll see you around then." "message me." "sweet!" "I'll do that." "Huh?" "Where'd the logout button go?" " It should be there." " Hmm... it's not there." "It should be at the bottom of the main menu... it's not there." "it's not." "today's what?" "The first day out of beta?" "There's bound to be some bugs." "I bet the server people are freaking out right now." " You will too." " Huh?" "it's 5:25 PM." "Oh my god!" "My teriyaki-mayo pizza and ginger ale!" "Why don't you just contact the game master?" "but nothing's happening." "He's not picking up." "Do you know if there's any other way to log out of this thing? the only way they can do it is by going through the menu." "That can't be right!" "There's gotta be some other way out." "Return!" "Log out!" "Escape!" "Told you so." "And there was no emergency logout in the manual either." "you're kidding?" "I know!" "I'll rip the NerveGear off my head..." "Don't bother." "you can't move your body in the real world anymore." "using an interface built into the rig." "Seriously?" "So now we gotta wait until someone gets around to fixing the bug?" "or until someone in the real world comes along and takes the NerveGear off us." "That's it." "But I live alone." "Do you?" "I've got a mom and sister." "And I'm pretty sure they'll notice by dinner time and... what's she like?" " Huh?" "She's into sports and hates games man." "She wouldn't date a gamer if he's som" "I want t" " Ah!" "getting kicked in the balls doesn't hurt." "Get serious." "Don't think this is weird?" "totally." "But it's just a bug." "It isn't just a bug. it's gonna cause some serious problems for the game." "I guess you're right." "'cause they can just shut down the server and log everyone out." "But why haven't they made an announcement?" "Do you know what's going on?" "Uh-uh." "Someone forced us to teleport?" "up there!" "Now what?" "What the hell is that thing?" "A game master?" "Why doesn't he have a face?" "Is this an event?" "I'm scared..." "Don't worry..." "It's just part of the opening ceremony." "players." "I welcome to my world." "What's he mean by that?" "My name is Akihiko Kayaba." "I am in control of this world." "Is that really him?" "this is a hindrance." "I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus: the logout button." "this is not a defect in the game." "I repeat... this is how Sword Art Online was designed to be." "right?" "You cannot log yourselves out of SAO." "And no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. destroying your brain and ending your life." "What are you talking about?" "C'mon!" "enough already." "Let's get out of here." "I can't get out!" "Are you listening to this crap?" "right?" "Kirito?" "He's not." "The transmitter signals in the headgear works just like microwaves." "it could fry your brain." "err... the NerveGear's got an internal battery." "But this is crazy." "It's totally crazy!" "the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear The game now has 213 less players than when it began." "They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world." "Two hundred and thirteen?" "No way..." "I don't believe it!" "international media outlets have around-the-clock including the deaths." "888)}Death Count Rises in Online-Game Incident it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best." "I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game." "It's important to remember the following..." "There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game." "your avatar will be deleted from the system." "Forever." "And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain." "There's only one way for a player to escape now:" "You must clear the game." "the lowest level of Aincrad. you may advance to the next floor." "Defeat the boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game." "Clear?" "What's he talking about?" "Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying!" "?" "I can't clear all 100 floors..." "That's freakin' impossible." "Even the beta testers never made it that high!" "but not least... have a look." "474)}Mirror" "Mirror?" "Klein?" "Kirito?" "Y-Yeah..." "Who are you?" "I'm me." "Who are you?" " Who are you?" " Why did my face change?" "Son of a" " You're a guy?" "You're not 17!" "Wait a second..." "Klein?" "But how?" "The scan..." "There's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear rig." "It can see what my face looks like... but how does it know my height and body type?" "it had to do this calibration thing... remember?" "yeah." "You're right...that's where it got our physical data..." "But... this is..." "What's the point?" "Why would anyone do this to us?" "I think he's about to tell us." "Why? do this?" "my goal is a simple one." "The reason I created Sword Art Online... was to control the fate of a world of my design." "Kayaba..." "I have achieved my goal." "This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online." "I wish you the best of luck." "it's real..." "Akihiko Kayaba created a virtual world." "He designed the NerveGear rig." "The man's a genius." "so I know..." "Everything he just said...is the truth." "I'll die in real life!" "No..." "No!" "Screw you!" "Let me out!" "Let me out of here!" "I can't stay here..." "I have to meet" "This is Crazy!" "Stop pushing!" "You have to let us go!" "Tell us you're lying!" "Someone!" "Come back!" "Klein." "listen." "I'm heading out right now for the next village." " I want you to come." " Huh?" "and I think it is... the only way we're going to survive in here is by making ourselves as strong as possible. there's only so much of that stuff to go around." "the fields around the Town of Beginnings are going to be hunted clean soon." "we'll have an easier time collecting cash and points." "I know all of the paths and places we should avoid." "I can get there easy." "but..." "You know those friends of mine I was telling you about?" "..." "We stood in line for a whole night to buy this..." "They're back at the plaza...somewhere." "I can't leave them." "If it were just Klein..." "But two more..." "Or even one more..." "Sorry." "can I?" "So don't worry about me...get your ass to the next village." "I'm more than prepared." "no sweat." "Okay." "I'll get going." "okay?" "Sure!" "take care." "Kirito!" "Hey..." "Kirito." "Uh... you're better like this." "Way cooler than your avatar." "too." "I can do this..." "I can do this..." "This world can't beat me!" "I will survive!" "80)}Mitometeta okubyou na kako 1050)}The cowardly past that I'd acknowledged" "80)}Wakaranai mama ni 80)}Kowagatteta ushiro no jibun ga Genjitsu wo ima ni utsusu scared Projecting reality onto today" "80)}Ikutsu mono sora wo egaita 1050)}I've drawn so many skies" "80)}Koko wa kitto hakanai kokoro 1050)}This must be my fleeting heart" "80)}Midashite 1050)}Out of control" "80)}Yume de takaku tonda karada wa this body soars so high" "80)}Donna fuan matotte mo furiharatteku 1050)}And it can brush away any fears that cling to me" "80)}Nemuru chiisana omoi hirogari dashite these budding feelings start to expand" "80)}Kizuku yowai watashi kimi ga ireba weak as I am..." "As long as I had you 80)}Kurai sekai tsuyoku ireta 1050)}I could stay strong in this dark world" "80)}agai yume miru kokoro wa sou eien de 1050)}My heart will dream a long dream forever" "I want to always be with you" "I'll give you everything I have... 000 died" "2022" "850)}Next Time:" "Beater"