Then the group split up in four directions:
Kirito went to find Nezha, Asuna went to find Agil's team, Akimi went to talk to Shivata and Liten, and Argo was in charge of gathering consumables like potions.
Fortunately, all of them successfully persuaded their targets.
Thirteen people gathered on an open field just outside Mananarena.
Kirito walked over to Akimi, threw an arm around his neck, and whispered,
"Not bad. I didn't think you'd actually convince Shivata and Liten to bring people over."
"Honestly, I didn't think it would work either," Akimi replied with a laugh.
"And Shivata didn't even tell Lind about this."
"Hmm… probably because he knew that if Lind found out, the event he and Liten worked so hard to prepare would be ruined..."
Just as the two were whispering to each other, a pair of hands suddenly landed on their shoulders with a loud "smack!"
The hands belonged to Hafner, the two-handed sword user from DKB, and also the guild's vice president.
He stood half a head taller than the 1.72-meter-tall Akimi, exuding an intense, intimidating presence.
"Hey, hey—dark boy and young master..." he growled.
"If this whole thing turns out to be fake, I'm going to beat you both into the ground!"
Kirito and Akimi both nodded stiffly—Hafner gave off serious yakuza vibes.
Shivata walked over and, with a wry smile, pulled Hafner away.
Patting him on the shoulder, he said:
"Alright, Hafner, there's no reason for them to lie. Making up something like a 'Guild Flag' would serve them no benefit."
Only then did Hafner finally release the crushing grip he had on their shoulders.
After Agil's group, along with Asuna, Argo, and Nezha, made their way over, the two members from ALS also slowly approached.
On the left was Liten, and on the right was a bearded middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man shook hands with both Akimi and Kirito, then introduced himself:
"We've met a few times during previous boss fights. I'm Okotan, captain of ALS's recruitment squad."
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Kirito cleared his throat and said:
"Let me say this first—the Guild Flag can't be given to any guild. The potential risks of that item are just too great."
Hafner pursed his lips and looked at Kirito.
After a long silence, he finally spoke:
"I understand. If we want to clear SAO, both ALS and DKB are essential. This may be considered betrayal of our guild master and our guild, but it's loyalty to the thousands of people on the lower floors still waiting to be saved."
"Exactly," Okotan added.
"This whole ALS operation was stirred up by the hardliners. The entire guild basically lost control. A lot of us knew that even if ALS got the flag, it would just cause the already fragile relationship between the two major guilds to completely collapse."
"Alright, then let's distribute the potions and prepare for the raid."
After distributing the potions and checking their gear, the time was 3 PM—three hours earlier than ALS's planned departure.
The raid team's roster was now as follows:
Kirito – Level 18, one-handed sword, leather armor
Akimi – Level 18, one-handed sword, leather armor
Asuna – Level 17, rapier, light metal armor
Agil – Level 16, two-handed axe, light metal armor
Hafner – Level 16, two-handed sword, heavy metal armor
Shivata – Level 15, one-handed sword + shield, heavy metal armor
Okotan – Level 15, two-handed halberd, light metal armor
Agil's team – Two level 15s, one level 14, all using short two-handed weapons with mixed armor types
Liten – Level 13, spear-hammer + shield, heavy metal armor
Nezha – Level 12, flying rings, light metal armor
Argo – Level unknown, claw weapons, leather armor
"This... Kirito, we've got too many DDs in the party. Only Shivata, Liten, Okotan, and Nezha can be considered CCs. Well… maybe Argo too, if we stretch the definition."
In gaming terms:
DD refers to "Damage Dealer", the attackers responsible for dealing damage to enemies.
CC refers to "Crowd Controller", support players responsible for controlling or hindering enemy movement—usually players who use polearms or wear heavy armor in SAO.
"Can't be helped… there's only 13 of us in two squads."
"Party division's gonna be a pain…"
Both of them sighed.
The labyrinth tower on the fifth floor was located in the northeast of the level, surrounded by a semicircular dungeon with a 500-meter radius.
It had two entrances, and the interior was a maze of twists and turns.
If you tried to raid it without any preparation, starting from scratch would be a massive time sink.
And unfortunately, that's exactly the position Akimi and the others were in.
But their reliable informant Argo said:
"Dungeon map? Of course I have it, and it's marked very clearly, too."
Seeing the relieved faces of Akimi and Kirito, Argo gave a mischievous smile and added:
"Fresh intel—worth 5,000 Col, y'know."
Kirito's face twitched as he stiffly replied:
"W-Wait… it's not free?"
"Haha," Argo laughed as she looked at Kirito's expression, like he was suffering from constipation.
"Just kidding. We don't need any dungeon maps."
Then, under Argo's lead, the group arrived at the edge of the labyrinth—right along the outer wall of the floor—by a certain section of stone wall.
Argo searched the wall for something for a while, and then took out a key from her inventory—a hefty one, about 15 centimeters long.
She inserted the key into a narrow crevice and turned it.
The stone wall rumbled with a "grrrrrnnnkkk" sound, then a section of the wall sank inward by about a meter.
A passage opened up—just tall enough for a person to walk into—and then all motion stopped.
With high expectations, everyone stared wide-eyed at the stone wall for a while.
After confirming that it had indeed completely stopped moving, they all wore the same "That's it?" kind of expression.
Seeing the group's clearly disappointed faces, Argo rolled her eyes and said:
"Be grateful there's even a shortcut. What more do you want, a bike?"
After stepping into the recess in the wall, they found a stone staircase inside, made of crisscrossed stone bricks, leading all the way up to the top of the wall.
"A-Argo… Don't tell me we have to climb all the way up this thing," Agil said, his voice trembling a little.
"Hmm? So even one of the rare tough guys in the raid team is afraid of heights?"
Agil rubbed his bald head and tried to keep a straight face.
"O-Of course not… It's just… If we slip while climbing, it could be really dangerous…"
And indeed, the most terrifying kind of damage in SAO was fall damage.
At their current levels, a fall from just over 10 meters—especially if they landed on a vital area—would mean an instant trip out of this beautiful world.
"Hmm, that's true."
Argo nodded, then pulled several soft, cushiony objects out of her inventory—extra-large floor cushions, like the kind sold in furniture stores.
She stacked the cushions at the base of the stone stairs, one on top of another.
After patting her hands clean, she said:
"That should do it. Alright, Kirito and Akimi, you two go first. I'll bring up the rear. Sound good?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
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