With the raid successfully concluded, the group accepted Lind's proposal to head to the third floor together, likely to foster a sense of camaraderie. Nezha, holding hands with his teammates, seemed deep in conversation with the Legends of Braves.
"Looks like the Legends of Braves are sticking together," Hachiman observed.
"Yeah, that's good to see," Asuna said, smiling.
"Not bad," Hachiman agreed.
As the trio started toward the staircase to the third floor, Kibao approached. He'd been silent until now. To Hachiman and Asuna, he gave a curt, "Thanks." But with Kirito, he hesitated, finally muttering, "I'll be working you hard next time, too," before joining his squad and ascending the stairs.
"He's saying you better show up," Hachiman teased.
"Sounds like him," Kirito replied.
"Then we've gotta step up next time, too," Asuna said, grinning.
At that moment, Nezha jogged over, bowing deeply. "This time, I'll support my team," he said with a determined smile. The trio cheered him on, and he returned to his group. As they began climbing the long staircase to the third floor, Argo appeared behind them, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Haa-bo, you wrapped that up nicely," Argo said.
"I just did what I could, efficiently," Hachiman replied.
"It would've been a mess without you," Kirito said.
"Classic Hachiman," Asuna added, chuckling.
"Your self-esteem's too low, Haa-bo," Argo teased.
"Idiots, you guys overestimate me," Hachiman shot back.
They reached the third floor, greeted by a sprawling forest stretching endlessly before them.
"Nothing but trees as far as the eye can see…" Hachiman muttered.
"And that's Zumfut, the main town," Argo pointed out, gesturing ahead.
"I just want to rest… I'm beat," Hachiman groaned.
"I'm exhausted too, now that the adrenaline's gone," Asuna admitted.
"I ran you two ragged for nearly two days straight," Argo said apologetically.
Hachiman and Asuna collapsed onto the ground, while Nezha, utterly drained, slumped as if his strings had been cut. Kirito lent him a shoulder, guiding him toward the Legends of Braves.
"Let's make one last push," Hachiman said, hauling himself up.
Lind and Kibao activated the teleport gate, and the group headed home. Kirito returned to his second-floor inn, while Hachiman and Asuna went to their usual first-floor lodging. Argo handed them a third-floor guidebook as partial payment and vanished into the crowd.
"Asuna, don't fall asleep in the bath," Hachiman warned.
"I'll try… no promises, though," she replied.
"Seriously, be careful."
After seeing Asuna to her inn, Hachiman stumbled to his own, collapsing onto the bed and passing out instantly.
Hachiman didn't stir until well past noon the next day, his body and mind equally reluctant to move. I might be burning through a lifetime's worth of work ethic in SAO… he thought.
He considered sleeping more but noticed a message from Asuna. She suggested taking the day off but proposed meeting to discuss the guidebook. Since her inn was close, he agreed, sent a reply, and dragged himself out of bed to get ready.
At Asuna's inn, she pulled out the guidebook and began talking. "I went to Zumfut with Liz to check things out."
"You're way too energetic," Hachiman said, impressed.
"I ran into Kirito and Nezha, and we chatted a bit."
"Nezha was more wiped out than me, and he's already up?" Hachiman muttered.
"They mentioned they're going for this campaign quest from the guidebook," Asuna said, pointing to a page.
Hachiman glanced at it. "Looks like good rewards, but it seems tough. Worth a shot, though."
"Yeah, I thought so too. Wanna try it tomorrow?"
"I'd like to get a feel for fighting in the forest first," Hachiman said. "How about we take Liz tomorrow to level up and get used to the enemies and terrain, then start the campaign the day after?"
"Good call. We were just running around at the end of the last floor," Asuna agreed. "I'll check with Liz."
"Cool, thanks. I'm gonna sleep more."
"I'll let you know later!"
"Appreciate it."
The next day, Hachiman, Asuna, and Lisbeth hunted while discussing forest combat strategies.
"The trees make it hard to see. Gotta be extra careful of ambushes," Hachiman noted.
"My hammer's tough to swing here," Lisbeth said.
"Turning quickly is tricky for me too," Asuna added.
"We'll need to stick to open areas like clearings," Hachiman concluded.
Satisfied with their progress, they wrapped up for the day.
"Tomorrow, we're tackling that campaign quest from the guidebook," Asuna said. "Liz, wanna join?"
"My level's nowhere near high enough, so I'll pass," Lisbeth replied.
"Got it," Asuna said.
"Be careful, you two," Lisbeth said.
"Yeah, see you," Hachiman said.
On the day of the campaign quest, Hachiman and Asuna headed to the starting point.
"The quest begins in the Forest of Wavering Mists, right?" Asuna said.
"Fog screws with your sense of direction. We'll need to stay sharp," Hachiman replied.
"Kirito said it starts with a fight between a Forest Elf and a Dark Elf. We step in, but both are super strong—way out of our league."
"Wait, so we could get wiped out?" Hachiman asked, alarmed.
"I asked about that. When either of our HP hits half, the elf we side with uses some miracle power to take out the other, then dies too."
"So both die either way, huh?"
"Yeah. Then we follow the storyline of the side we chose and deliver a dropped item to their camp."
"Wonder what changes depending on who we pick," Hachiman mused.
"Who knows?" Asuna said.
They decided to choose on the spot, and Asuna agreed that was fine. Navigating the disorienting fog, they finally reached what seemed like the destination.
"Hachiman, is that it?" Asuna pointed.
"Looks like it. Let's go."
As expected, two NPCs stood locked in combat, each marked with a [!] quest indicator. The Forest Elf was male, the Dark Elf female.
"Hachiman," Asuna said.
"You want to side with the Dark Elf, right? I'm not keen on backing a guy in this situation either," Hachiman said.
"Thanks."
They rushed in, and the NPCs' markers shifted to [?], indicating the quest was active.
"Humans in a forest like this?" the Forest Elf exclaimed.
"Who are you?" the Dark Elf demanded.
Without a word, they turned their backs to the Dark Elf and faced the Forest Elf, weapons drawn. His cursor was a near-black red—a sign of overwhelming strength. Weaker enemies had brighter cursors; this one was unbeatable under normal circumstances.
"You side with the Dark Elves? I'll make you rust on my blade!" the Forest Elf roared.
"You're the one who'll rust, you abusive jerk!" Asuna shot back.
Whoa, Asuna's fired up, Hachiman thought, wincing.
"Hey, Asuna, focus on defense, okay?" he urged.
"I know, Hachiman. Defense first, but we're taking him down."
She's dead serious. No slacking, or I'm toast later… Though from what she said, we're probably getting wiped soon anyway.
Ten minutes later, to their shock, the Forest Elf dissolved into light.
"No way… we actually beat him?" Hachiman stammered.
"You're amazing against humanoid enemies, Hachiman!" Asuna said.
"I was fighting for my life out there…" he muttered.
"My thanks for your aid," a voice said.
They turned to see the Dark Elf, her [?] marker unchanged, confirming the quest was progressing. Her cursor was now a friendly yellow.
"I am Kizmel. Thanks to you, I protected the sacred key," she said, carefully picking up a cloth bag from where the Forest Elf fell. Clutching it to her chest, she whispered, "For now, the sanctuary is safe."
Her eyes shimmered with unspoken emotions.
"I thank you again," Kizmel continued. "Our commander will reward you. Please, come to our camp."
"We'll take you up on that," Asuna said.
"Uh, Asuna, with NPCs, you need a clear 'yes' or 'no'—" Hachiman started.
"Then follow me," Kizmel said, surprising them by understanding Asuna's response perfectly.
Led by Kizmel, they headed to the Dark Elf camp. A message popped up, confirming Kizmel had joined their party. They were stunned—she seemed indistinguishable from a player.
"Hachiman, I don't know much about this, but… is she just a program?" Asuna asked.
"I'm floored too, but she's like a high-level AI. That's the only explanation," Hachiman said.
"She feels so… human," Asuna said, awed.
Kizmel navigated the fog with ease, cutting down every enemy in their path with a single stroke. In no time, they arrived at the Dark Elf camp.