Quests

After successfully reaching Horunka, the party accepts the quest Secret Medicine of the Forest; this will allow them to obtain the powerful early game weapon Annealed Blade. They head to West Forest in search of the quest objective: a rare item known as Little Nepenthes Ovule.

Wyzeman, moved by Diavel's words, encourages the party to make for Tolbana in the far north. However, the journey will require stronger weapons. Hoping to collect upgrade materials for this very purpose, they first head to the place Iori and the protagonist once visited with Cal—Teardrop Cave.

In Teardrop Cave, a place Iori and the protagonist previously explored alongside Cal during the beta test, the party hopes to find materials to level up the Annealed Blade. They decide to venture deeper inside the cave.

The party, having successfully leveled up the Annealed Blade, finally head for Tolbana—the town mentioned by Diavel during his rousing speech.

Diavel's secret plan was to conduct a raid—a concerted effort to try and complete the 1st Floor. However, a party of four is required to take part. Thus, Zash, a player at the strategy meeting, joins the party, and they all head to Labyrinth to take on the 1st Floor boss.

The party rushes back to the Town of Beginnings after receiving a sudden message from Saayu. Soon enough they are back on their way to the Labyrinth—albeit a touch late.

A brooch materializes unbidden on both Iori and the protagonist, and they obtain a mysterious quest called "The Swordsman of Salvation." A message is then received from Saayu containing shocking news—Clark has apparently died. The party heads for the northeastern hills in search of Saayu, who has since disappeared.

Choosing to keep moving forward despite the tragedies that befell their companions, the protagonist decides to proceed with the quest alongside Iori and Zash. They need to catch up to Kirito, another beta tester, on the 2nd Floor as he may be able to shed some light on the Swordsman of Salvation.

After arriving safely on the 2nd Floor, the three adventurers enter the region's main town, Urbus.

The protagonist is suddenly engulfed in darkness. They have to escape—somehow.

The party is reunited with Asuna in Urbus, and they ask her where they can find Kirito. Upon hearing that he went hunting for Trampling Ox, the party heads to the eastern badlands.

While the party manages to find the Trampling Ox, Kirito is nowhere to be found. On the advice of a player named Agil, they head to the wilderness in their continued search for Kirito.

Unable to gain any useful information from Kirito, the party meets a woman named Stina. She claims to be a beta tester and wears a brooch identical to theirs. They all band together to advance the Swordsman of Salvation quest, and start looking for the High Elven Ruins in earnest.

Stina is proven correct—they find a dungeon that resembles a High Elven Ruin. The party heads inside.

The second Sanctuary's location is revealed, giving the party a new objective. They also meet a girl named Lisbeth, who guides them to Marome, a town near the Sanctuary.

Upon arrival in Marome, the party is challenged to a duel by a suspicious older player named Musoh. After the duel, he invites himself into the party and joins them in their hunt for the next Sanctuary.

The Legendary Weapon did not lead the party astray—the location holds another Sanctuary. The party resolves to clear it.

The Legendary Weapon reveals the location of the next Sanctuary. With all misunderstandings cleared up, Musoh officially joins the party and suggests that they head to Taran, a town situated close to the third Sanctuary.

After arriving safely in Taran, the party runs into Argo. She states that Lara, a famous idol active in SAO, has gone missing. The party accepts Argo's request and goes in search of Lara.

Iori and the protagonist find the cave where Lara is supposedly hidden. The party heads inside in search of the wayward idol.

Lara describes meeting a player who might have been Cal. The party, in need of Cal's help, follows directions given by a young girl named Silica to some ruins where the purple-clad player was supposedly headed.

The ruins where Cal, or his lookalike, were headed turn out to be a Sanctuary; the party prepares to clear it.