Chapter Summaries

Mu Yu and Kirito wrote a guide for players arriving in Ankuba Town, hoping to prevent deaths caused by inexperience and dangerous Labyrinth Areas. After posting copies and urging others to share them, they left for the next town, while the guide later inspired other players.

• After another player arrived in Ankuba Town, Mu Yu proposed leaving a guide for those who came after them.
• Mu Yu wrote down advice and warnings about fighting monsters, Labyrinth Areas, traps, and the differences between the beta test and the official game.
• Kirito helped write the guide, and Mu Yu reassured him that wanting to survive did not make him selfish.
• Mu Yu and Kirito each contributed twenty Col, printed over a hundred copies, and put up a stone tablet directing players to them.
• Mu Yu and Kirito urged readers to share or copy the guide, then left Ankuba Town for the next town.
• Players who arrived later were moved by the guide, and many began following their example.

Mu Yu and Kirito faced changed game mechanics while clearing early-floor quests, grew stronger, and reached the fourth town. There, they learned that thousands of players had already died despite the guides they had left behind.

• Mu Yu and Kirito struggled against the kobolds when the mine’s candles strengthened them, then extinguished the candles and cleared the dungeon for valuable rewards.
• Mu Yu spent his Kobold Gold on better food, and he and Kirito took on the cow quest after reaching the fourth town.
• Mu Yu and Kirito solo-cleared the bosses of the fifth and sixth towns, reached Level 10, and gained new sword skills.
• After discovering their leveling had stalled at the First Floor’s cap, Mu Yu and Kirito returned to the fourth town to fight cows for cream bread.
• Mu Yu and Kirito encountered other players and learned that thousands had died despite their strategy guides.

Mu Yu and Kirito witnessed the despair and grief consuming Torubana’s players, then encountered Diabel recruiting people to challenge the First Floor Boss. Kirito decided to attend the strategy meeting and fight the boss, while Mu Yu declared he would claim the kill.

• Mu Yu and Kirito walked through Torubana and saw players sinking into despair and indulgence as deaths and the lack of rescue weighed on them.
• At a tavern, a boy mourned his dead guildmates, and other players shared painful stories of friends and family they had lost or left behind.
• The tavern’s grief turned into complaints against Sword Art Online, Kayaba, Beta Testers, and even Mu Yu and Kirito for their Game Guide.
• After leaving the tavern, Mu Yu and Kirito encountered Diabel handing out flyers calling players to form a party and challenge the Floor Boss.
• Kirito resolved to attend the Floor Boss Strategy Meeting and defeat the boss, while Mu Yu said he would claim the boss kill.

Mu Yu enhanced Frostfall to +8 before joining Kirito at Diabel’s Floor Boss Strategy Meeting in Torubana. The meeting drew fewer than fifty players, and Mu Yu’s attention settled on a mysterious cloaked attendee as Diabel began explaining the boss intel.

• Mu Yu reviewed his equipment, then spent his enhancement materials raising Frostfall’s attack power to +8.
• Mu Yu and Kirito met the next day, both equipped and prepared to fight the Floor Boss.
• Mu Yu and Kirito heard that fear of battle had kept most players in Torubana from joining the raid.
• Mu Yu and Kirito arrived at Diabel’s strategy meeting and found fewer than fifty players in attendance, including Klein, Agil, and Kibaou.
• Diabel began explaining the Floor Boss intel, and Mu Yu watched a mysterious player wearing a thick cloak.

At Diabel’s Strategy Meeting, Mu Yu tried to win over the floor’s strongest players while Kibaou demanded that Beta Testers apologize and surrender their resources. Mu Yu confronted Kibaou, revealed that he had helped create the widely shared Game Guide, and left the meeting with the crowd’s respect and Kirito’s gratitude.

• Diabel explained the Kobold Lord Irfan’s location and attacks, urged the players to clear the floor, and had them form six-person parties.
• Mu Yu and Kirito joined Asuna’s party after she reluctantly agreed to team up with Kirito.
• Kibaou demanded that Beta Testers apologize for the deaths of thousands and hand over their money and items.
• Mu Yu drew Frostfall against Kibaou, challenged his accusations, and revealed that he had helped write and distribute the Game Guide.
• Mu Yu urged the players to treat Sword Art Online as reality and stop blaming Beta Testers, winning the crowd’s support and leaving Kibaou silent.
• Asuna laughed at Mu Yu’s remarks, while Kirito believed Mu Yu had defended him and felt grateful.

Mu Yu’s antics eased the players’ nerves before the first-floor Boss raid, while his defense of Beta Testers continued to draw attention. The party entered the Boss room and began fighting Kobold Lord Ilfang and his guards.

• Mu Yu’s takedown of Kibaou earned him admiration and helped rally some Beta Testers, while the Strategy Group agreed to a loot distribution plan proposed by Diabel.
• On December 3, 2022, the players gathered for the raid, and Mu Yu’s relaxed snacking eased the tension as Asuna grew curious about him.
• Diabel urged everyone to win as the party opened the Boss room and faced Kobold Lord Ilfang and three Kobold Guards.
• The players recognized that the Boss and guards matched the reported intelligence, and Diabel ordered the attack to begin.

The raid force steadily weakened Kobold Lord Irfan until Diabel tried to claim the final blow, only to be caught by an unexpected attack pattern. Mu Yu rescued him and fought Irfan with astonishing speed, leaving the raid stunned as the boss battle continued.

• Diabel coordinated the raid teams as they rotated attacks on Irfan while Mu Yu, Kirito, and Asuna held back the Ruin Kobold Guards.
• After the guards fell and Irfan entered his final phase, Diabel charged in alone to claim the last hit and the spoils.
• Irfan revealed a different weapon and attack pattern than the beta test, severely wounding Diabel and preparing to finish him with [Floating Boat].
• Mu Yu interrupted Irfan's attack and drew the boss's aggro, then dodged [Crimson Fan] by sliding beneath it.
• Mu Yu chained sword skills and basic attacks at remarkable speed, dealing heavy damage before the other players joined the assault.

The raid party rallied against Ilfang, and Mu Yu delivered the finishing blow after Asuna and Kirito joined the charge. The Floor Boss’s defeat left the players celebrating, while Mu Yu claimed the last attack and received the Midnight Coat drop.

• The players resumed attacking Ilfang together, and Asuna was moved by their fighting spirit enough to join the battle without holding back.
• Asuna and Kirito fought in seamless coordination, inspiring the recovering players to cheer them on.
• Diabel warned the party that Ilfang was using [Whirlwind], and Mu Yu deflected the boss’s nodachi before launching a spinning sword skill.
• Mu Yu’s attack wiped out Ilfang’s remaining HP, and the Floor Boss shattered as the system announced the victory.
• The players celebrated defeating the Floor Boss, while Mu Yu received the last attack and the Midnight Coat drop item.

After Mu Yu helped defeat the First Floor Boss, players celebrated and news of his swordsmanship spread throughout Aincrad, giving them hope. As Silica, Yuna, and Liz considered their futures, Akihiko Kayaba watched Mu Yu with interest and wondered whether he would become his eventual opponent.

• Asuna, Agil, and the other players praised Mu Yu’s swordsmanship after the Boss raid, while Kibaou resented losing the spotlight and Diabel worried that Mu Yu and Kirito had seen through his attempt to claim the Boss drops.
• The players went to a tavern in Torubana to celebrate, and news of Kobold Lord Irfan’s defeat spread across the First Floor.
• Rat and other information brokers circulated accounts of the raid, and players began calling Mu Yu “SAO’s Number One Swordsman” as his actions improved Beta Testers’ reputation and inspired others to leave Starting Town.
• Silica tried to leave Starting Town, Yuna hoped to survive and share her songs, and Liz considered how she could help players without fighting.
• Akihiko Kayaba, also known as Heathcliff, watched the raid and wondered whether Mu Yu would survive to face him at the end of the game.

Mu Yu confronted Diabel about hiding his Beta Tester identity and urged him to confess and explain himself. Diabel agreed, but misunderstood Mu Yu’s proposal and pledged to support him as president of a new guild.

• At the banquet, Diabel left early under the scrutiny of players who suspected he was a Beta Tester, and Mu Yu followed him outside.
• Mu Yu asked Diabel how he planned to explain hiding his identity, while Diabel feared that exposure would destroy his reputation.
• Mu Yu suggested Diabel admit his mistake, explain the pressure Beta Testers faced, and show his commitment to clearing Sword Art Online.
• Mu Yu proposed forming a guild with the raid players as its core, and Diabel mistook the suggestion as a request to make Mu Yu its president.
• Diabel pledged to support Mu Yu as president, leaving Mu Yu surprised by the misunderstanding.

After Diabel apologized for hiding that he was a Beta Tester, Mu Yu helped the raid survivors reconcile and became leader of their newly proposed guild, the Knights of the Blood. The group activated the Second Floor Transfer Gate, and Mu Yu left with Kirito while Asuna departed after hinting that she knew about his conversation with Diabel.

• Diabel apologized for concealing his Beta Tester identity, and Mu Yu, Kirito, and Asuna helped the other players accept his apology.
• Diabel proposed a guild, and the players chose Mu Yu as leader, though Kibaou and Asuna declined to join.
• Mu Yu named the guild the Knights of the Blood and drew its emblem, impressing the players and raising his prestige.
• The raid survivors activated the Transfer Gate connecting the First and Second Floors, then set out to explore the Second Floor and practice Mu Yu's combat technique.
• Mu Yu continued teaching sword skills, and he chose to travel with Kirito while Asuna left on her own.
• Asuna told Mu Yu that she had overheard his conversation with Diabel and would keep their secret, leaving Mu Yu confused about what she meant.

Three months after the First Floor Boss raid, Mu Yu and the Knights of the Blood had helped the Strategy Group advance to Floor 24, where dangerous monsters on Floor 25 stalled their progress. As Mu Yu sought intelligence for the next clear, Kirito and Diabel urged him to take a vacation, leaving him to consider their request.

• Over three months, Mu Yu and the Knights of the Blood became Sword Art Online's strongest guild, helping the Strategy Group advance from Floor 1 to Floor 24 with no losses through Floor 12.
• Mu Yu, Diabel, and Kirito each contributed to the guild's progress, with Diabel organizing and commanding raids while Mu Yu and Kirito provided crucial support.
• On Floor 24, Mu Yu asked Kirito and Diabel about gathering intelligence for Floor 25, whose powerful monsters had caused heavy casualties among other guilds.
• Kirito and Diabel closed their maps and told Mu Yu that everyone was tired and needed a vacation.
• Mu Yu reflected that even Kirito could no longer keep grinding and realized that taking a break might be unavoidable.

After being forced to take a vacation, Mu Yu traveled through Aincrad, read Argo’s sensational newspaper about Knights of the Blood, and reflected on how the setback had shaken ordinary players’ confidence. As he reached a mine outside Taffto, he heard a girl scream and rushed toward the sound.

• Mu Yu visited Floors 23 and 22 before teleporting to Taffto on Floor 11.
• Mu Yu bought Argo’s Weekly Argo and read its report that Knights of the Blood had retreated from Floor 25.
• Mu Yu discovered the newspaper also carried floor information, gossip, and a serialized story apparently modeled on him.
• Mu Yu heard players discuss the Floor 25 setback and realized that ordinary players were more vulnerable to setbacks than the Strategy Group.
• Mu Yu walked out of Taffto toward a mine and rushed inside after hearing a young girl scream.

Mu Yu rescued the novice blacksmith Lisbeth from Cave Spiders on Floor 11, where she recognized him as a celebrated leader and symbol of hope. Her account of the isolation and despair among lower-floor players left Mu Yu reflecting on their needs and considering whether he should act.

• Mu Yu found Lisbeth terrified of Cave Spiders and killed the monsters while she swung her hammer with her eyes shut.
• Lisbeth introduced herself as a blacksmith, and Mu Yu gave his name and described himself as a swordsman.
• Lisbeth recognized Mu Yu and explained how widely admired he was among players trapped on the middle and lower floors.
• Lisbeth told Mu Yu that loneliness, fear, crime, and the grinding routine of survival had driven many players toward despair.
• Mu Yu considered the suffering of ordinary players and wondered whether he should do something to help them.

Mu Yu accompanied Lisbeth as she gathered materials and passed her blacksmith assessment, then realized that breaking Sword Art Online’s system might depend on finding an Intent Skill through the heart. Lisbeth celebrated her success while Mu Yu remained unsure what could give him the resolve to awaken one.

• Lisbeth told Mu Yu that she had come to the mine to collect materials for a blacksmith class assessment, and he helped her gather them quickly.
• Mu Yu accompanied Lisbeth to her mentor’s blacksmith shop, where she forged the materials into Triune Fine Gold and passed the assessment.
• Watching Lisbeth forge made Mu Yu recall how Kirito and Asuna had surpassed the system’s restrictions, leading him to suspect that an Intent Skill was essential to clearing the game.
• Mu Yu wondered what he could care about enough to sacrifice everything for, but found no answer and considered whether he would have to involve Kirito again.
• Lisbeth celebrated her successful assessment as Mu Yu watched and continued thinking about how to awaken an Intent Skill.

Lisbeth forged her first sword, the Sword of Victory, and gave it to Mu Yu as a heartfelt gift. After Mu Yu left, she regretted forgetting to add him as a friend but resolved to improve her blacksmithing and hoped they would meet again.

• Lisbeth persuaded the dwarf blacksmiths to let her use their equipment and forged the Sword of Victory from Triune Fine Gold.
• Mu Yu examined the sword's impressive stats and a special note describing Lisbeth's gratitude, blessings, and hopes for clearing the game.
• Lisbeth gave the sword to Mu Yu, who accepted it and celebrated her achievement with a meal and rare forging materials.
• Mu Yu said farewell and left, and Lisbeth realized she had forgotten to add him as a friend.
• Lisbeth felt wistful about their meeting, then cheered herself by resolving to improve her craft and perhaps meet Mu Yu again.

Mu Yu reflected on the Sword of Victory and began practicing swordsmanship without relying on Sword Art Online’s system restrictions. As he traveled back toward Floor 24, he experienced Aincrad’s landscapes as a traveler rather than as an examinee, but he still had not found a way to break through the system.

• Mu Yu studied the Sword of Victory and concluded that Lisbeth’s devoted state of mind had helped make her first sword a remarkable weapon.
• Mu Yu traveled between floors on foot and practiced swordsmanship freely, but found that the Breathing Technique gave him no boost and he could not use Fudo Myoo.
• Mu Yu climbed the Great Snow Mountain on Floor 12 and felt newly immersed in its cold, snowy landscape.
• Mu Yu crossed the Misty Swamp and other floors, appreciating Aincrad as a carefully created world rather than a series of exam questions.
• Mu Yu returned to Floor 20 and continued practicing swordsmanship, including its most fundamental Sword Skills.

Mu Yu rescued Yuna and Hozawa Reiji from Evil Treants in Sunny Forest and learned that Reiji’s full-dive connection could lag unpredictably. After Yuna described the desperation that had awakened her mysterious power, Mu Yu wondered whether Intent Skills came from confronting and surpassing oneself.

• Mu Yu followed Yuna’s singing into Sunny Forest and found her and Hozawa Reiji trapped by Evil Treants.
• Yuna’s song protected Reiji, and a brief white light freed them before Reiji and Mu Yu defeated the Treants and their leaders.
• Mu Yu received a lute as a Treant Leader’s drop and gave it to Yuna, who accepted it after he insisted.
• At a meal in La Bell Kirk, Reiji explained that FNC caused his movements and senses to lag during full dive.
• Yuna told Mu Yu that fear of losing Reiji had driven her to save him even if it meant dying, prompting Mu Yu to consider how Intent Skills worked.

Mu Yu watched Yuna’s impromptu concert lift the spirits of the players and, as the Song of Destiny played within him, gained a new understanding of Intent Skills. He awakened Thought Interference with Reality and secretly damaged an allegedly indestructible floor, while Yuna’s concert continued to a joyful close.

• Mu Yu recognized that he needed to overcome his own limits, and Yuna began singing for Rui Er and the others at the tavern.
• Players gathered to cheer for Yuna and used their rare crystals to record her concert.
• As the Song of Destiny played in Mu Yu’s soul, he saw the world as data and concluded that resolve, not pain alone, fueled an Intent Skill.
• Mu Yu reaffirmed his swordsman’s heart, awakened Thought Interference with Reality, and damaged the supposedly indestructible floor without anyone noticing.
• Yuna ended her concert tired but happy, and the audience warmly thanked her while Rui Er and Mu Yu watched.

Mu Yu persuaded Yuna and Rui Er to join a Knights of the Blood-backed idol group, presenting concerts as a way to ease players’ despair in Sword Art Online. As preparations spread and Yuna practiced music supplied by Mu Yu, the project won growing attention from players, Asuna, and Heathcliff.

• Mu Yu explained to Yuna and Rui Er that concerts could relieve the pressure of trapped players and help prevent criminal guilds from emerging.
• Mu Yu promised Knights of the Blood’s protection, and Yuna agreed to join an idol group with Rui Er; Rui Er also agreed to train the Battle Heal Skill.
• Mu Yu introduced Yuna to Silica and Sachi, then recruited Knights of the Blood members to help organize the concert tour.
• Mu Yu gave Yuna sheet music for songs including “luminous sword,” “Swordland,” and “Guren no Yumiya,” which she eagerly began practicing.
• Recordings of Yuna’s singing spread among players, the idol group gained popularity, and Mu Yu’s reputation rose.
• Heathcliff reviewed Asuna’s report on Mu Yu’s plans with delight, while Asuna looked forward to the coming concert.