Miracle Summoner

The strategy for clearing Floor Guardians in Sword Art Online (SAO) was considered one of the most crucial aspects of the game, and the same holds true in ALfheim Online (ALO).

Only by successfully clearing these bosses can players progress to higher floors, gaining better items, more money, stronger weapons, higher-grade materials, and the ever-exciting experience points.

For those who aim to rise to the top of the player rankings, reach the highest floors the fastest, and grow stronger more quickly than anyone else, this becomes an absolute priority.

This is why guilds and even the nine major races cannot ignore the significance of clearing Floor Guardians. Furthermore, defeating these bosses comes with amazing rewards, as well as fame and glory, making them the target of countless players.

However, despite this allure, one cannot ignore just how terrifyingly powerful these bosses are. Even Rozen, who achieved flawless clears time after time in SAO, can hardly accomplish such feats in the new ALO. Their strength is beyond question.

Of course, one reason for this is that Rozen has not been taking the task seriously.

The new ALO is, after all, not the death game that SAO was. Its focus is more on entertainment, and Rozen is not inclined to rack his brain for strategies to clear bosses flawlessly. With resurrection magic and revival items readily available, and since players don't face actual death, the strategies Rozen devises are naturally the most convenient and quickest for clearing. Sacrifice, in this case, becomes a valuable resource, and Rozen has no qualms about using it.

Still, as always, Rozen is an exception and cannot be compared to regular players. To achieve the same results as him is practically impossible.

At least in Rozen's view, even if the other five members of the Sleeping Knights possessed strength comparable to Yuuki's and worked together, successfully defeating a Floor Guardian would undoubtedly be an extremely difficult task.

If it were a lower floor, that might be a different story, but they were already on the 27th floor. As the floors increase, the strength of the Floor Guardians rises accordingly. Trying to defeat such a boss with so few people is not merely wishful thinking—it's almost impossible.

Take the 26th floor, for example: it took a coalition of elite members from several large guilds to finally take down that boss.

Thus, even if the were incredibly strong, relying solely on six people to defeat a Floor Guardian would be less than a 5% chance.

In fact…

"The already attempted to challenge the 25th and 26th Floor Guardians," Asuna revealed.

Rozen was taken aback.

"They're insane, aren't they?"

They challenged the 25th and 26th Floor Guardians?

Were they seeking their own demise?

Even putting aside the 26th floor, just the 25th floor alone is significantly more difficult. It's one of the milestone floors where difficulty spikes. Even Eugene, leading an elite force of Salamanders, was utterly defeated there. Rozen had to mobilize the elite members of the , deploy two full squads of healers constantly casting recovery and resurrection magic, and expend considerable effort to succeed. For Yuuki and her team of six to attempt this—it's practically suicidal.

As for the 26th floor, as previously mentioned, the outcome of their attempt is obvious.

"Since they had just transferred into the game, they didn't realize how formidable Floor Guardians could be or how challenging the 25th floor was—it's understandable," Asuna sighed.

"Even so, while the 25th floor might be excusable, they almost succeeded on the 26th floor. They were ultimately defeated only because they ran out of HP and MP recovery potions. By the time they returned, the Guardian had already been defeated by a large group."

This, at least, was commendable.

Had they succeeded then, they would have set a new record for defeating a Floor Guardian with the fewest participants.

Of course, as always, Rozen doesn't count in such comparisons.

"I have to give it to them—thinking they could accomplish this with just six people," Rozen remarked with a chuckle.

He had guessed that the aimed to clear a Floor Guardian and knew they had likely failed, but he didn't expect that they had attempted it with just six players.

Still, it's undeniable that they haven't given up.

"I heard from them that they met in some online community outside the game. They quickly became close friends and have been adventuring together for about two years now," Asuna said softly.

"In those two years, they've journeyed through many worlds and gone on numerous adventures. But unfortunately, because of real-life circumstances, their time adventuring together will end this spring. So, before their guild disbands, they decided to do something that would remain in their memories forever."

At this point, Asuna's tone turned tender.

Rozen understood.

Whether it was the two years they spent together or the shared adventures and journeys, this would resonate deeply with Asuna—or any other SAO survivor.

After experiencing two years in SAO, how could anyone, including Asuna, not feel emotional about such bonds?

"They decided to find the most joyful, beautiful, and thrilling world among countless VRMMOs and accomplish something unforgettable there. After switching through multiple games, they finally arrived here."

"In this world, whether it's the Emerald Capital, the forests, plains, or even the floating castle of Aincrad, they were utterly captivated. They flew together across beautiful streets, forests, and the World Tree. They finally decided that this was the world where they would leave their mark."

Hearing this, Asuna turned to Rozen.

"Since you've already guessed the ' goal, you know why they want to defeat the Floor Guardian, right?"

At her words, Rozen nodded and answered without hesitation.

"Because defeating the Floor Guardian allows their names to be inscribed on the in the Black Iron Palace of the starting city, right?"

Back in the SAO days, there was a massive monument called the in the Black Iron Palace.

This monument listed the names of all players in SAO. If a player died, their name would be crossed out, with their death date and cause recorded.

Now, the monument had been replaced.

The current monument bears no names unless a player successfully defeats a Floor Guardian in Aincrad. Only then will their name appear on this .

The ' goal was to have all their names engraved on this monument.

This was the shared dream they wanted to accomplish together—to leave a mark proving their adventures as a team.

Unfortunately, they had failed.

Ultimately, in order to achieve their goal, they decided to seek a powerful player to join them in defeating the Floor Guardian and fulfilling their dream.

That explained why Yuuki had been challenging players on the sightseeing island of the 24th floor using her skill.

She wanted to find someone as strong as or stronger than herself to help achieve her dream.

As for Rozen, he was simply too strong. If he fought seriously, he could single-handedly defeat a Floor Guardian, rendering the spectators in their own dream.

Yuuki didn't want their dream to feel so hollow. She wanted everyone to achieve it together with their utmost effort. Moreover, Rozen, as a Guild Leader, couldn't leave his guild to temporarily join theirs. Thus, Yuuki decisively gave up and turned to invite Asuna instead.