Kuradeel's interruption had eaten up some time, but the trio pressed on with their plan to explore the Labyrinth Area. The middle floors were mostly cleared, so they aimed for the upper levels. With no strict quotas to meet, they took their time, meticulously mapping the area as they delved deeper—or so they thought.
"Hey, doesn't this look like a boss room?" Kirito said.
"Seems like it," Hachiman replied.
"Guess we got here somehow…" Asuna added.
Their party's combat efficiency was far above average, so they'd reached the boss room much faster than expected.
"What now? Wanna check it out?" Kirito asked.
"Let's do it, but we need roles," Hachiman said. "Asuna, stay near the entrance and keep an eye out. If the door starts closing, get out and reopen it."
"Got it," Asuna said.
"Kirito, you check the enemy's weapon type if it spawns. I'll confirm its name and HP bars."
"Roger that."
Following Hachiman's lead, the three cautiously entered. As Hachiman and Kirito reached the center of the chamber, a boss materialized at the far end.
"Name's [Gleam Eyes]. Four HP bars," Hachiman reported.
"It's wielding a massive one-handed sword! Demon-type, maybe?" Kirito said.
"No change at the entrance door," Asuna called.
Suddenly, Gleam Eyes' eyes glowed eerily, and it charged toward them at terrifying speed.
"Crap, run!" Hachiman shouted.
The trio bolted out of the boss room. With no one left inside, the boss vanished, and the heavy door began to close.
"Phew. Big guy, but way faster than it looks," Hachiman said.
"Definitely a power-type enemy," Asuna noted.
"It only had a weapon in one hand, but I bet it's got special attacks," Kirito added.
"Guess we'll need a tank-heavy party to scout it bit by bit," Hachiman concluded.
After sharing their findings, they retreated to a nearby safe zone for a break, doubling as lunch. Asuna had brought along some snacks, and as they savored her cooking, they discussed their next move. Then Hachiman noticed a group approaching. Kirito picked up on it too, and they stood, ready for anything, while Asuna pulled up her hood and stepped back.
"Kirito, looks like we don't need to be on guard," Hachiman said.
"Friends?"
"It's Klein and his crew."
"Oh, just Klein."
Soon, Klein's group spotted them. They approached cautiously at first but relaxed upon recognizing Hachiman and Kirito, waving as they closed the distance. They hadn't noticed Asuna yet.
"Hachiman! Kirito!" Klein called.
"Yo, Klein. You guys exploring too?" Kirito asked.
"Yeah, grinding some levels while we're at it."
"We just found the boss room," Hachiman said.
"No way! That was quick!" Klein exclaimed.
"Yup. We'll report it in town and plan a scouting raid," Hachiman added.
The trio exchanged info, and Kirito handed Klein their map data so far.
"You sure it's okay to give us this?" Klein asked.
"Yeah, we're not in the map-selling business," Kirito said.
"Thanks, man!"
Asuna, realizing it was Klein, started walking toward them. Klein, oblivious, grinned at Hachiman. "By the way, Hachiman, that was some show you put on!"
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Hachiman asked.
Klein's face turned serious. "Asuna's true place is right here."
Asuna, now right behind Hachiman, froze at those words. Her expression was hidden by her hood, but she seemed to be trembling again.
"You guys saw that…?" Hachiman groaned.
"Hell yeah! We were heading to the Labyrinth Area when we saw a crowd at the teleport gate. Checked it out, and there you were, dueling! We watched the whole thing—man, that was epic!"
"He was totally pissed off," Kirito chimed in.
"No way! I thought Hachiman was scary as hell, but he was that mad?" Klein said.
"Ugh… can we not talk about this?" Hachiman muttered.
"Nah, the best part was that line at the end! 'Get lost! Asuna's place is right here!' That hit hard, man!"
Klein kept gushing, clearly thrilled by the memory. Hachiman, visibly embarrassed, scratched his head and looked away. Kirito noticed Asuna approaching and tried to stop Klein, but before he could, Asuna threw off her hood and stepped forward.
"Klein-san," she said.
Klein finally noticed her, eager to share his excitement, but froze at the sight of her face—a mix of embarrassment and an ominous edge. He forced out a response.
"A-Asuna-san, uh, about what I said…"
"Yeah, I'll hear the rest after I land one hit."
Asuna drew her weapon, sending a chill through Kirito and Klein. The Fuurinkazan members called out from a distance:
"Yep, the boss is done for."
"It's just how it goes."
"We'll pick up your bones, leader!"
As Asuna moved to strike, Hachiman gently placed a hand on her head.
"Asuna, let him off this time."
"Fine… it's true, so I guess it's okay," Asuna said, sheathing her sword.
"Thanks, Hachiman! You saved me!" Klein gasped.
"Pay more attention to your surroundings," Hachiman scolded.
Everyone nodded, then burst into laughter, Asuna included.
"I'll let it slide for today," she said.
"Sorry!" Klein bowed deeply.
Kirito jumped in with a lifeline. "I get why Klein's hyped. You and Hachiman were like drama protagonists back there."
"Exactly! The town's probably buzzing with rumors by now!" Klein added.
"What…?" Asuna groaned.
"No way…" Hachiman muttered, clutching his head.
"They'll die down eventually. Just gotta ride it out," Kirito said.
"Yeah, guess we'll deal with it…" Hachiman trailed off, suddenly staring into the distance.
"Alright, enough talk. Group up and get into formation, now."
Hachiman's sharp command snapped everyone to attention. No one doubted his instincts. Moments later, they all noticed a sizable group approaching.
"Hey, isn't that the Liberation Force's uniform?" Klein said.
"Yeah, I heard rumors," Asuna added. "Some of them—probably Kibaou's faction—got fed up with being stuck on the lower floors and want to return to the frontlines."
"Kibaou, huh? No idea what he's been up to lately, but his drive for clearing the game was always real," Hachiman said. "Problem is, he gets swayed by the wrong people and causes trouble."
From Asuna's intel, it was clear this was the Liberation Force's raiding party. They weren't likely to attack outright, but the group stayed on guard, waiting as the unit approached.
"I am Colonel Corvatz of the Aincrad Liberation Force," the leader announced.
(Colonel? They've got ranks now? Ugh…) Hachiman thought, opting for a neutral response.
"We're part of the frontline raiders."
"Have you scouted this far?" Corvatz asked.
"Yeah, we just found the boss room."
"Then share your map data."
"What? Hand it over for free? Do you know how much work mapping takes?" Klein snapped.
Corvatz bristled. "We fight to liberate all players! It's your duty to assist us!"
The group was stunned into silence, but Hachiman, unfazed, handed over the map data.
The Liberation Force took it and marched deeper into the dungeon.
"Hachiman, you sure about giving it up like that?" Klein asked.
"It's fine. We were gonna share it in town anyway. They've only got twelve people—two parties. No way they're dumb enough to storm the boss room with that. And with that attitude, they'll get shut out of strategy meetings and won't accomplish much."
"Maybe, but still…" Klein muttered.
Hachiman didn't realize he'd misjudged the Liberation Force's mindset. Their high-handed attitude stemmed from desperation—fear that their guild would remain irrelevant forever. Knowing Kibaou's past, Hachiman assumed it was just their standard arrogance.
"Hey, Hachiman-kun," Asuna said, tugging at his sleeve as she often did when dealing with other guilds, her voice tinged with concern. "Didn't the Liberation Force seem… desperate?"
"You think so?" Hachiman asked.
"Yeah. I've talked to them sometimes, and I get this vibe—like they're panicking, scared of being forgotten."
"Desperate, huh… I didn't consider that. Thanks, Asuna."
Hachiman patted her head gently, grateful for her insight.
"If I'm missing something or screwing up, let me know right away, okay?"
"Of course!" Asuna beamed, thrilled to be of help.
"Change of plans, guys," Hachiman said. "Sorry, but come with me to the boss room. They might be desperate enough to rush in alone."
"Hell yeah!" everyone replied.
The group hurried to the boss room, only to find the door already open.
"Damn it, they went in!" someone cursed.
A scream echoed from within.
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