AN: 43 views on Day One! Might not seem impressive, but it started stronger than my other one. I noticed that someone put the story in the alert list. Thanks!

I do not own Sword Art Online.

If any of you don't know some RPG terms, I might've included a definition of them in my profile.

This is actually a little longer than normal. You're welcome.

Update: April 2, 2015

-Added Extra Content

Chapter Three: Guild, at March 28, PST.

Chapter Two: Advance

Kirito examined the Anneal Blade, he had worked so hard for the past month. The quest required a rare drop from a monster, needing excessive grinding. Then he passed it to Dynamm.

"Here,"

"Holy crap, look at the damage rating!"

"You're welcome." Dynamm immediately reddened because of his brashness.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, glad we're powered up," Klein announced. All the members had a weapon found in a chest, or earned in quests. "But there's a meeting for frontline players in two hours."

"You guys should gather resources, I'm going to the dungeon." Kirito said, leaving the group. Klein ran up to him.

"Why?"

"There's this girl who took five rapiers and stayed there grinding, until the last one was in half durability. She probably has map info."

"Alright," Klein shrugged. "Be careful,"

Kirito walked around the Labyrinth. The name suited the place well; it was filled with twists and turns, and dead ends. Kirito came around the corner. And there she was. A red-hooded figure battled a Ruin Kobold Sentinel, thrusting at it, even if it was clear it was going to die.

"Wait! Don't overkill it. You'll get exhausted!"

"Why do you care? I might die here anyway…" She looked at Kirito, and fainted.

"Oh, geez!" Kirito ran and picked her up, straight out of the Labyrinth. Kirito shuffled forward, carrying her arm around his neck.

The girl woke up. The sun rose to the center of the sky. She looked at Kirito.

"Did you bring me here?"

"Yeah, you fainted." She was actually a little touched. But she hardened.

"How long?"

"An hour."

"Why?"

"Your map data." Kirito said bluntly.

"Oh, right." A prompt appeared in front of Kirito, notifying him of the map data given.

"Thanks. There's a meeting for high level players in an hour. You should come." She nodded.

"Oh, and soloing's hard. You should join a group you trust."

"Hello! Welcome to the meeting, I'm Diavel." A blue haired, heavily armoured man spoke to the group at the seats of the town centre of Tolbana.

"Now, we found the Floor One boss room." Kirito gasped a little, but, truth be told, he was a little excited. First Floor boss leads to the second. All the way to the top. To freedom.

"All of you, form into groups." Obviously, Klein's friends were accounted for. He and Klein are partnered up together. Klein chuckled, then asked him.

"Maybe we should have more?" Kirito nodded in agreement.

He looked right.

Then left.

A lone girl, in a dark red hooded cloak, that he met in the dungeons . Kirito scooted over.

"Do you want to party up?" She looked up, and turned her head slightly to her right. A man in a red headband is sitting next to him, looking at Kirito expectantly.

"Don't you already have one?"

"Oh him?" Kirito said bluntly. Klein felt a little insulted, but quickly shrugged it off.

"Yeah, we're partnered up, but we don't want to leave anyone behind." Klein jumped in. The girl considered it for a moment, looking at their party invite.

"Alright." Kirito and Klein looked at the party members health.

Asuna.

"Hey!" A spiky haired man with light orange brownish hair started to run down the steps, encountering Diavel.

"In the past month, one-fifth of the players died, because of beta-testers hoarding their knowledge!" "

"What do you mean?" Diavel questioned. He ignored him.

"I say that they should give us their equipment for compensation!" A large, dark-tanned man started to walk towards him, a large war hammer on his back.

"That's not true." He started to take out a brown book.

"This is knowledge on Floor One, and can be acquired free on any market. It's written by beta testers." People started taking out the manual. Kirito nodded along. He gave the group copies.

"Everyone, quiet down." Diavel started to take charge.

"The book says that the boss is called Illfang the Kobold Lord, and he spawns Ruin Kobold Sentinels. On the last bar of HP, he switches fighting styles and uses a Talwar." Klein asked Kirito.

"What's a 'Talwar'?"

"Anyway, we meet at the dungeon at noon."

"Hey, guys! I found a spot!" Dynamm shouted. One half sat at a bench, while the other sat on the concrete.

"Kirito! The cream!" He quickly materialized it, and passed it around. Dinner began. Klein started the dinner chat.

"Guys, what's a talwar?" Asuna looked at them once, and decided to go somewhere else. The jar passed to Kirito. He looked at Asuna. He quickly joined her, bringing the jar.

"Kunimittz, aren't you at college?" Klein inquired. Kunimittz looked at him blandly.

"Yes, but I'm not studying for a Master's degree in trivia." Klein looked saddened.

"A talwar is…" The group burst into laughter. Kirito sat right next to her. She scooted two feet away from him.

"You know, you should try this." Kirito gave her the jar.

"It's a single edged, curved bladed sword."

"Like a Katana?" Klein asked.

"No, not like a Katana. It's more curved near the tip."

Asuna tasted the cream. Admittedly, it was delicious.

"You know, I can teach you how to get it." Kirito offered. Asuna shook her head.

"I didn't come here to eat good food. I came here to be myself, and not sit and wait on the first town. If I get killed, it would be by trying to escape."

"You won't die. Don't die tomorrow." He looked back to the group. Somehow, the conversation turned from talwars to bananas.

Klein looked at the doors to the boss room, heart beating in a fast rate.

"You nervous?" Kirito looked at him.

"Ready as I'll ever be." A thought popped up in his mind.

"Kirito, how did the beta testers perform against Illfang?"

"You don't want to know."

Kirito's a beta tester? Asuna thought.

"You know, I can't believe we're fighting something that lords over things named Kobolds." Kunimittz said dryly. Harry Two nodded.

"You guys, the doors opening!" Issin, appointed leader of Group F, due to being the smartest, warned them.

Then, there it was. A brightly coloured room, with a dark enemy in it.

Illfang the Kobold Lord. A incredibly tall, muscular monster, with a helmet, and red glowing eyes. It wielded a gigantic ace and shield, and three of it's sentinels, on the defence.

"Group A and B, lead!" Diavel called out. The groups were among the first to clash with the menace. Kirito, Asuna, and Klein were on Group E's heels, taking care of the boss's minions.

One was heading towards Kirito. Kirito prepared to slash, until Asuna thrust at it, knocking it a few feet away. Kirito, prepared to switch and attack, slashing it, giving it no chance to retaliate. They continued the pattern, with Klein acting as an in-between, attacking in between Asuna and Kirito. Soon, the boss is in the final bar of HP. All sentinels decimated. A moment of triumph.

"Everyone get back!" Diavel called, and slowly advanced on the boss, shield ready to block a talwar.

Except…

It wasn't a talwar. It was a nodachi, a weapon much longer than a talwar. Illfang grasped the nodachi, and leapt on the pillars, killing Diavel almost instantly. He was knocked aside. Kirito, Asuna, and Klein ran towards him. Oh Crap.

"Here!" Kirito took out a ruby tipped vial.

"No."

"Why won't you?!" Klein exclaimed.

"I was greedy." He said simply.

"You wanted the last attack bonus. Getting a rare drop. You're-"

"A beta tester." Diavel finished for him.

"Kirito, I know you are one too. Defeat the boss." Diavel evaporated into green polygons.

"Asuna!" Kirito ran, with Asuna behind, using the same strategy to defeat the Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

"Switch!" Asuna ran forward, and deftly dodged a blow, ripping her cloak in the process.

"Switch!" Kirito dashed, and hacked away. Unfortunately, he got counterattacked, slamming into Asuna.

Klein ran towards the stunned group, and shook Agil.

"Come on! Let's finish this!" Klein screamed. Agil ran forward, blocking Illfang's blow, aimed at them both.

"Get back! We'll hold them off!" Kirito and Asuna did exactly that.

Klein ran past him, his Silver-Etched Wakizashi glowing yellow, and he jumped up, and dashed through Illfang's head. They both looked at the ongoing battle in front of them.

Asuna broke off a health crystal, and fully regenerated her health.

But those were incredibly expensive, Kirito thought. Asuna ran forward and reentered the battle. Kirito quickly drank another potion, and caught up with Asuna. The boss's health bar went into the red. All the groups converge, and Kirito stuns the enemy. The groups slashed away on Illfang. The bar had only a sliver of health left.

Kirito ran forward, advancing on the predator-turned-prey, and activated a Sword Skill. He leaped a dozen feet up, and cut the monster across, killing it.

The monster let out one final roar, before disintegrating. The fight was over.

Absolute silence.

Congratulations! Last Attack Bonus, Receive 'Coat of Midnight'? Kirito promptly accepted. Everyone erupted to rousing cheers.

The first floor is cleared!

"Wait a minute! Diavel died! I bet he held back info! He knew that the boss had different weapons!" The crowd turned against him in a instant.

Kirito froze. The spiky haired man started to enrage the crowd, turning their cheers into insults.

His group sprang into action. Klein punched him into the ground.

"You shut up! He defeated the boss! Diavel was stupid to approach the boss alone in the first place!" Klein picked him up by the rim of his clothes.

"Stop blaming beta testers; they're not around to spoon feed you through this game." Klein pushed him back several feet, his arms glowing yellow.

Kirito stared at Klein, his behavior completely changed. Klein walked up to him, and grinned.

"So, what did you earn?" The crowd was silent, confused at which side to pick. Then, one group decide to walk towards Floor Two's entrance, intent on exploring the land. Some congratulated Kirito personally, others just remain neutral.

"Kirito? What did you earn?" Klein asked more intensely.

"Oh, uh, 'Coat of Midnight'." Kirito donned it. The black jacket materialized on him.

"Nice! That should last some levels!"

The group, again, advanced forward with high self esteem, entering Floor Two. Kirito followed them.

"Kirito, wait." Asuna called out. Kirito turned around. Asuna seemed a little nervous, for some reason.

"You said, back at the labyrinth, that I should join a group I trust,"

"So?" He was unsure of where this was leading.

"So, can I join yours?"