As the group strolled through the virtual world, swapping old SAO stories and casual banter, a grand gate adorned with intricate reliefs came into view, alongside the familiar streets of a nostalgic town.
Before them sprawled Urbus, the main city of the second floor—a settlement carved from a table mountain, hollowed out to leave only its outer rim.
"Nostalgic, isn't it? Just like back then," Hachiman murmured.
"Totally!" Asuna chirped.
"Alright, Hachiman, let's activate the teleport gate first thing," Kirito urged.
"Got it," Hachiman replied.
Prompted by Kirito, Hachiman touched the gate, its mechanisms humming to life. Urbus's unique terrain caught Komachi's eye, and she turned to her brother with curiosity.
"What's with this city? It's like we're inside a crater, big bro!"
Her words echoed a remark Asuna had once made in the past. This time, it was Asuna who voiced Hachiman's old line.
"The bell's probably about to ring, right?"
Sure enough, as if celebrating the players' return, a clear, resonant ding-dong echoed across the city.
"Whoa!" Komachi gasped.
"That's some classy flair," Asuna noted.
"Sweet! First to conquer the second floor!" Kirito cheered.
Thus, the first floor of the reborn Aincrad was cleared at breakneck speed by Hachiman's party.
"Alright, let's split up and explore the city for a bit. Meet back here in an hour, then we'll head to the Monument of Life together. The goal's to offer prayers for the fallen—everyone cool with that?" Hachiman proposed.
Even those unaware of Soleil's earlier suggestion nodded in agreement, and the group dispersed for some sightseeing. The women, led by Asuna, set off to indulge in tremble shortcake. The men, perhaps in friendly rivalry, opted for hearty meat dishes. Hachiman, with his notorious sweet tooth, seemed tempted by the shortcake but hesitated—being the only guy among the women felt a bit awkward.
"Whoa, this is incredible…" Komachi marveled.
"It's a shortcake, but it's huge!" Yuiyui added.
The women were stunned by the tremble shortcake's sheer size, but being young and hungry, they dove in. Some devoured an entire cake, while others managed half. The biggest surprise was Yukino, who polished off a whole one by herself. Compared to Iroha, who ate sixty percent, and Soleil and Mebius, who managed half, Yukino's appetite stood out. She insisted her exhausted brain craved sugar, but the others just gave her warm, teasing looks.
An hour later, the group reunited and teleported to the first floor. By then, sharp-eyed players had begun trickling into the second floor, marveling at its distinct scenery while starting their own explorations.
"Alright, we're here. That's the so-called Monument of Life—wait, what?" Hachiman's voice spiked with genuine shock as he did a double-take.
Following his gaze, the others looked up at the monument. In a previously blank section in the top left, new text had appeared.
"Hold on… is that our names?" Kirito blurted.
"It wasn't there before, right?" Asuna asked.
"Yeah, when we checked earlier, it was just a blank slab," Hachiman confirmed.
"Not everyone's names… just seven?" Yuiyui noted.
"The first three are from our party, in the order we were invited. Makes sense," Hachiman mused.
Indeed, etched alongside Floor 1 were seven names: Hachiman, Asuna, Yuiyui, Leafa, Recon, Kirito, Lisbeth—seven out of their seventeen-member crew. All eyes turned to Argo.
Feeling the stares, Argo shrugged and explained, "It's called the Monument of Swordsmen now. It lists up to seven names per floor, starting with the party leader, then others in the order they were invited. Looks like you already figured that out, Haa-bo, but I'll confirm it."
"Yeah, kinda got the gist," Hachiman said, staring at the monument, lost in thought. But first, they gathered to offer prayers for the fallen at what was now the Monument of Swordsmen. Afterward, Hachiman made a proposal.
"So, that's how it works. Since we're here, how about we speedrun up to the third floor and get everyone's names on the monument? What do you all think?"
"Hell yeah!" Kirito shouted.
"If that's the plan, we're in!" Klein added.
"Just make sure Hachiman's name leads every time, so it's clear we're one team," Lisbeth insisted.
Hachiman blinked, caught off guard. "Oh, right. Otherwise, it won't show we're together. So, two floors get us thirteen names, and the third gets nineteen? That leaves two extra slots. Should we invite someone else?"
Yukino spoke up first. "Based on our past connections, Sakuya and Alicia seem the obvious choices."
"But Eugene won't take that lying down," Kirito pointed out.
"What about other players we've worked with? Sigurd? Nah, hard pass!" Lisbeth scoffed.
"So, three candidates?" Hachiman clarified.
"But if we invite Eugene, the last slot's still either Sakuya or Alicia, which could cause drama," Asuna noted.
"Maybe someone like Kagemune?" Recon suggested.
"Or we could just have them play rock-paper-scissors," Klein joked.
Hachiman listened to the chatter, then made a swift decision with a clear expression. "Alright, someone contact Sakuya and Alicia. Eugene's got enough firepower with the Salamanders to handle himself. If he complains, Kirito can shut him up with some… physical persuasion."
"Got it!" Kirito laughed.
"Deal!" Asuna agreed.
The first floor's boss falling on day one stirred some chatter among players, but the Monument of Swordsmen was barely mentioned outside SAO veterans. However, when the second floor was cleared the next day, players couldn't ignore it anymore. They began digging for info, and word of the monument spread like wildfire.
Among those drawn to the monument was Eugene. Spotting familiar names, he frantically messaged Hachiman and Kirito for answers, but no reply came. Growing impatient, he finally got a response from Kirito.
Sorry, was in a fight. The Monument of Swordsmen lists seven names from the party that beats each floor's boss.
Reading this, Eugene froze. Beside him, the monument's text shifted.
Floor 1: Hachiman, Asuna, Yuiyui, Leafa, Recon, Kirito, Lisbeth
Floor 2: Hachiman, Yukino, Komachi, Iroha, Soleil, Mebius, Yumii
A new line began forming.
"Look! New names are appearing on the Monument of Swordsmen!" a player shouted.
Eugene's eyes darted to the monument, spotting two familiar names among Hachiman's crew.
Floor 3: Hachiman, Klein, Egil, Silica, Argo, Sakuya, Alicia
"What… the hell?" Eugene muttered, stunned, grasping his situation instinctively. Then, as if struck by a realization, he sprinted to the teleport gate. The moment the fourth floor appeared on the destination list, he knew Hachiman's group would be there and teleported without hesitation.
"Alright, third floor cleared. Mission accomplished," Hachiman announced.
"But this totally outs us as SAO survivors, right, Hachiman-kun?" Asuna said.
"Well, we kept our old names, so anyone who knows us would've figured it out anyway. No life-or-death stakes here, so who cares?" Hachiman shrugged.
"Fair point," Asuna conceded.
"Yay, Sakuya-chan! Our names are up there now!" Alicia beamed.
"Indeed, an honor," Sakuya replied.
"Seriously, thanks for inviting us, everyone! Sorry, Eugene-kun, but we're super grateful!" Alicia added.
As they spoke, Sakuya and Alicia knew Eugene had been left out. Undeterred, the group moved to the fourth floor to activate its teleport gate. Hachiman and Asuna also checked on the Elf War campaign scenario, revisiting the place where they'd once met Kizmel. Hiding in wait, they confirmed—as expected—that the NPC wasn't Kizmel. For them, no campaign character could replace the Kizmel still sleeping in Hachiman's item storage. Silently, they turned and left.
"Now, let's activate the teleport gate," Asuna said.
As Hachiman triggered the gate, a presence emerged from it. Reflexively, he braced himself, but out burst a familiar figure—one they hadn't invited.
"You bastards! Why didn't you invite me?!" Eugene roared.
"Eugene, huh? Look, with the party size, we just couldn't fit you in. But you've got the Salamanders—you can take down a boss on your own, right?" Hachiman said calmly.
"Hachiman! So that's how it is?!" Eugene fumed.
"Yo, Eugene, I was in a fight, so I couldn't reply earlier. I just sent you a message, though. And yeah, sorry we couldn't invite you," Kirito added.
"Kiritoooo!" Eugene bellowed.
After Hachiman and Kirito's light apologies, Sakuya and Alicia approached Eugene with sly grins.
"Sorry, Eugene, looks like we beat you to making history," Sakuya teased.
"Yeah, feels a bit like we stole your spot, but you're just unlucky this time. You'll do great with your team, Eugene-kun!" Alicia chimed in.
"Damn it! You guys are so unfair! I wanted my name up there with Hachiman's crew!" Eugene shouted.
With Eugene's outburst, Hachiman's boss-rush spree came to a pause. Spurred by the snub, Eugene rallied his Salamander allies and, a week later, barely managed to defeat the fourth floor's boss. He secured the honor of leading the next group to clear a boss after Hachiman's, but it was a hard-fought victory.
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