On March 24th, 2023, the players of SAO successfully cleared the 24th Floor of the floating castle Aincrad, reaching the 25th Floor, which would later be known as the "Land of Guilds."
During the 24th Floor boss raid, a previously obscure guild founded in mid-February—the Knights of the Blood (KoB)—played an unexpectedly crucial role.
The guild's leader, a tall and slender middle-aged man named Heathcliff, was praised by players as a top-tier expert on par with the likes of the "Black Swordsman" Kirito, "Water-Colored Blade" Akimi, and "Flash" Asuna.
March 26th
"Whoa—I didn't expect the main town on the 25th Floor to have this kind of modern European city style."
Akimi, just stepping out of the teleport gate, looked around at the surrounding industrial-style buildings and spoke with the air of a wide-eyed country bumpkin—because up until now, the towns on the previous 24 floors had either been built in medieval styles, made up of ancient ruins, or nestled in forests and open fields.
None of them had the atmosphere of a large metropolis.
The main town on the 25th Floor, called Grenifen, made up for the lack of a proper big city in Aincrad's overall design.
"True, the previous floors leaned more toward classic fantasy aesthetics,"
Asuna remarked as she looked over a strategy guide distributed by Argo.
Akimi leaned over to peek at the information in the guide about the first half of Floor 25 and couldn't help but marvel,
"Argo's speed is amazing. We were delayed by less than a day, and she's already almost reached the final town on the 25th Floor."
"Well, she is an informant. Timing is everything when it comes to intel,"
Asuna said calmly, gently pushing Akimi away.
"That's true."
After reading the guide for a while, they noticed that most of the quests listed offered poor rewards and weren't very cost-effective.
So, they decided to walk around the city to see if they could find some better quests.
They spent about an hour exploring Grenifen, but came up with nothing.
Just as they were about to give up and move on, Asuna casually spoke to a random NPC—only to accidentally trigger a hidden quest.
Following the quest's instructions, Akimi and Asuna were led to the city's lord and wealthiest figure, Kexo Grenifen.
Kexo's residence was a massive castle located at the very center of Grenifen.
Its presence stood out starkly amidst the city's modern, urban architecture.
"Damn, this castle interior is insanely luxurious… even more over-the-top than the estate castles my family bought in Europe."
The dazzling décor inside Grenifen Castle left Akimi shocked—the walls were covered with various famous paintings (since SAO does contain books and artwork modeled after real-world pieces), and the floor was made of polished obsidian inlaid with ornate silver carvings and multicolored gemstones.
It was the height of extravagance.
Just then, an elderly man dressed in a sharp black suit with a white tie walked over, gave a slight bow to Akimi and Asuna, and said:
"You are also adventurers who have accepted a commission, aren't you? I am Julio, the butler of Grenifen Castle. Lord Kexo is currently in the study. Allow me to guide you."
After saying that, the butler Julio headed toward the nearby staircase.
Akimi and Asuna exchanged a glance, then followed him.
Akimi, eyeing Julio's back, whispered to Asuna,
"He said 'also' just now, right? Does that mean someone's already accepted this quest? Should we still go through with it?"
"Let's wait and see what's going on first,"
Asuna replied after thinking for a moment.
Led by Julio, the two of them wound through the twisting corridors of the castle for quite a while before finally arriving at Kexo Grenifen's study.
Julio gently knocked on the study's large door.
After hearing Kexo's voice say, "Come in," he opened the door and announced,
"Lord Kexo, two more adventurers have come to accept the commission."
"Let them in."
At Kexo's word, Julio slowly turned around and said to Akimi and Asuna,
"Please, go ahead."
He then stepped aside and gestured for them to enter.
The moment they stepped into the study, Akimi and Asuna saw several towering bookshelves—each about seven or eight meters high—lined with rows of books glimmering under the crystal chandeliers.
Sitting behind a massive and luxurious desk was the study's owner, Kexo Grenifen.
Kexo was a lean middle-aged man with shoulder-length wavy reddish-brown hair and a pair of jewel-encrusted gold-rimmed glasses.
His sharp gaze gave off the air of a hawk eyeing its prey.
Standing not far in front of Kexo were three players dressed in red-and-white knight uniforms—and Akimi wasn't exactly thrilled to see them.
Because among them stood a tall man—Heathcliff.
"Hm? So it's Mr. Tomioka and Miss Asuna. You've come for the quest as well?"
Heathcliff, standing at the center of the Knights of the Blood trio, smiled warmly and spoke in a calm voice.
"By the way, have you given any more thought to the invitation I extended earlier?"
Akimi stared at Heathcliff with a serious expression and replied,
"Sorry. I still don't think I'm suited to guild life."
Heathcliff stroked his chin and nodded with a smile.
"Hmm… That's just about what I expected from you, Mr. Tomioka. And what about you, Miss Asuna?"
"Sorry, same for me."
Asuna refused without hesitation, shaking her head.
"Ah, I see. That's a shame… but if you ever change your mind, the door to the Knights of the Blood is always open to you,"
Heathcliff said casually with a wave of his hand.
Seeing that their conversation had ended, Kexo Grenifen, who had remained silent up until now, finally spoke:
"You're all here regarding my commission, correct?"
Akimi and Heathcliff both nodded in response.
"However, let me make this clear first — there's only one reward for my commission,"
Kexo Grenifen said, crossing his hands on the desk and resting his chin on top of them.
"So… whoever completes the task first gets the reward. Understood?"
"Of course." ×2
Kexo Grenifen nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
Then, he pointed to a map laid out on the desk and spoke slowly:
"Due to health reasons, I need to regularly take a certain amount of Konibia fruit each week. But the castle's supply is nearly exhausted now, so I need you to head east to the Swaying Forest and gather 50 Konibia fruits. Any questions?"
"No problem,"
said Akimi, seeing a new quest titled "The Self-Discipline of Ingredients" appear in his quest log.
"Same here,"
Heathcliff said as he cast a glance at Akimi.
As they were leaving Grenifen Castle, Heathcliff gave the two of them a friendly smile and said:
"Mr. Tomioka, how about a little wager? If I win, you and Miss Asuna join the Knights of the Blood. If you win, I'll grant you a request—anything at all. What do you say?"
"I say no deal,"
Akimi replied coldly — he had no intention of betting against someone who could cheat.
Though Akimi rejected the offer without hesitation, Heathcliff didn't seem offended.
Instead, he responded gently:
"Ah, what a shame… Well then, until next time."
And with that, he left with the two members of the Knights of the Blood.
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