Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Weapon forging in SAO is not a fixed recipe, but rather randomly generated. The number of times you hammer it determines the strength of the weapon, and usually around 25 hammers will ensure that the new weapon is stronger than the old one.

"Hachi, hold Asuna's left hand and I'll hold her right."

Kizmel suddenly proposed, explaining that a strong will could forge a powerful weapon, and that the three of them working together would be able to create a magical weapon.

Before Hachiman could hesitate, Asuna had already shaken both of their hands seriously.

The forging began, and the sound of hammers echoed in the silence.

10 times, 15 times, 20 times, and even after breaking through 25 times, it was still not completed.

Asuna's grip on Hachiman grew stronger, and her strength increased accordingly. As the three watched breathlessly, after forty strikes, the ingot blazed with dazzling light, and the new weapon finally took shape.

"...A fine sword, imbued with soul."

The blacksmith admired and handed over the rapier.

"Amazing......"

"Well, it's really amazing..."

"This is a rare and famous artifact. Congratulations, Asuna."

Kizmel also sighed, and Hachiman was shocked when he checked the attributes.

(What kind of data is this? Forget the fourth level, even the sixth level is more than enough. 15 times of enhancement? There's no upper limit to the enhancement at all.)

"Sibaric Rapier"

Asuna muttered the weapon's name, took a stance, and unleashed a "Linear Thrust." The flash of sword light could only be described as a flash of lightning.

"Are you satisfied, Asuna?"

"Well, thank you, Hachi. Thank you, Kizmel."

Asuna bowed deeply to the blacksmith, who only hummed this time and returned to his work.

After completing the spider subjugation report, the next mission would take some time. During this time, the two decided to collect enhancement materials. With Kizmel's precise guidance and the quest rewards, they successfully enhanced the rapier to +5.

Surprisingly, Kizmel also seems to level up – Hachiman notices that she's one level higher than when they first met.

"But this weapon is really powerful. In terms of attack power alone, it's not inferior to Kirito's, right?"

"Kirito has definitely gotten stronger, but he's probably not at that level yet."

"Speaking of which, we've been so engrossed in our mission that we haven't contacted anyone. Isn't that a bit bad?"

"Yeah, that might make people worried. Let's go back to the main city."

SAO: Chapter 23 [Taimanin]'s Stealth Suit

"This will be our last request to you."

The commander drummed his fingertips on the conference table, and Hachiman clearly saw Asuna's ahoge hair suddenly straighten into an exclamation mark - this girl always did this every time she heard an important prompt from the system.

Although the coming of the floor's end had been hinted at before, this mission began with the commander's clear words signaling its end.

It seems that this is undoubtedly the final mission of the third level of the campaign mission. Since the most special route has been chosen, this is likely to be the final battle overall, but we will not consider this possibility for the time being**.

"The identity of the person who controlled the Queen Spider last time has been found out: they are remnants of the Dark Elves who parted ways with us in ancient times and still linger on."

When the commander projected the holographic image, Hachiman swore he saw Asuna secretly move her chair five centimeters towards me.

The modeling of the remnants of the dark elves in the picture looks like it came out of some indescribable book. The armor plates on their chests are so thin that one wonders whether their defense is negative.

The final mission that begins with this sentence seems to be to defeat the "fallen elves" hidden deep in the secret maze.

"Let's go on the battle to subjugate the fallen elves!" As the mission prompt popped up, my inventory was suddenly filled with three sets of dark night stealth gear.

Wait, what the hell is this tight leather armor? Is the system sure it wasn't borrowed from the set of Taimanin next door? When Hachiman saw Asuna blushing as she lifted her knee-high socks into the absolute realm, he suddenly thought this mission wasn't so bad.

After making full preparations, the three of them set off, and three other NPC warriors also accompanied them. A total of six people broke into the hidden maze.

(Perhaps the original balance setting was one player with three NPCs)

After all, six people had enough fighting power. After handing over the battle to five people, Hachiman focused on reconnaissance and found the suspected BOSS room within a few hours.

The room is inhabited by a strange insect-type boss that combines the characteristics of a scorpion and a spider.

"Hachiman-kun, what...is that?"

"I'm not sure, but it's probably a mantis shrimp. I remember it being one of the three most bizarre insects in the world."

"You actually know this kind of knowledge."

"Every man goes through a period of yearning for 'the world's most powerful woman.'"

"I-I see..."

Although the atmosphere became a little subtle, the three of them regrouped and faced the mantis shrimp boss.

Fortunately, the boss battle was easy, and Sister Kizmel's sword skills were so gorgeous that they could be directly cut into a MAD video.

When Asuna's rapier turned into a meteor shower, Hachiman silently put the cross shield he was about to take out back into the air - damn, his MVP title was stolen again!

Continuing deeper into the maze and fighting repeatedly in the same pattern, we finally found a small hut that seemed to be the stronghold of the fallen elves. There were about five black-green skinned elf warriors inside.

The Hachiman team launched a surprise attack, eliminating two of them first, creating a two-to-one advantage. Although it took some time to adjust their formation, the battle was ultimately concluded without casualties. The team that discovered the cave behind the house continued to advance.

Finally, they encountered an elf who was suspected to be the enemy leader and his three followers, and the battle with the final BOSS "Fallen Elf Commander" officially began.

"We'll be responsible for holding back the surrounding enemies! Kizmel, you go and fight the boss!"

The three fighters cleverly lured the three followers away to create a one-on-one duel, and took advantage of this opportunity to rush forward first.

The commander was obviously stronger than the forest elf warriors they had defeated earlier, but Kizmel's level and Asuna's weapons were no longer what they used to be.

Hachiman's combat prowess is particularly pronounced against humanoid enemies. Deflecting attacks with his ironclad defense, Kizmel and Asuna unleash powerful combos the instant the enemy formation collapses.

If the opponent was a larger humanoid monster, it might suffer heavy damage, but an enemy of this size is not to be feared.

The final boss battle was a textbook example of teamwork. When Kizmel's katana and Asuna's sword drew an ∞ symbol in the air, the boss finally fell.

The three of them then supported their companions and defeated the followers one by one, completing the feat of annihilating all the enemies.

"Is this the target item?"

"It seems to be correct, the secret letter from the fallen elves."

"Here, Kizmel, this."

"Thank you both, this will reveal the entire plan of the fallen elves."

The six returned to camp after successfully completing their mission. The rewards were exceptionally generous, and they had obtained a wealth of treasures. As it was getting late, the two decided to stay overnight.

Late at night, Hachiman sensed a presence and woke up. Since it was an independent dungeon area, it couldn't be another player.

After speculating that it was Kizmel, Hachiman confirmed it.

"Kizmel?"

"Well, sorry to bother you so late at night. I have something to say."

This conversation seemed to wake Asuna up.

"Huh? Kizmel? What's wrong so late?"

After lighting the oil lamp, Kizmel, fully armed, stood in the tent.

"I'm here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Where is Kizmel going?"

"We learned from the deciphered letter that the fallen elves plan to attack the temple atop the Pillar of Heaven."

"Tower of Heaven..."

"It should be the maze area."

"That means we're heading to the fourth floor."

"I have something to give you two."

Kizmel took out two secret keys and handed them to them.

"These two keys, along with the one I hold, together can unlock the door to the temple. I will await your arrival in front of the temple."

Asuna hugged Kizmel tightly.

"Yeah! We'll definitely go! So we must meet again, Kizmel!"

Hachiman responded briefly:

"I will definitely arrive."

Kizmel stared at Hachiman for a moment, then suddenly gave him a hug.

"Just imitating Asuna. It's a human custom, right?"

Kizmel was about to leave when Hachiman, with a red face, hurriedly called out:

"Oh right, Kizmel! What should I be careful about when fighting the Floor Master guarding the Sky Pillar Tower?"

"It is said that 90% of the attacks are poisonous, and the rest are nothing special. With your strength, you will definitely win."

"...I see. Thank you, Kizmel."

"I am lucky to have met you."

After leaving these words, Kizmel disappeared into the night.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again, right?"

"Well, we will definitely meet again on the next floor."

The two swore an oath to the secret key and fell asleep with new determination.

The next day, when bidding farewell to the blacksmith, Asuna bowed solemnly:

"Thank you for forging the sword. I will cherish it."

The blacksmith sneered and added:

"Don't disgrace this weapon."

After returning to the main city and contacting Argo, I learned that the wild BOSS had been defeated yesterday.

A strategy team meeting will be held today. Hachiman asked Asuna to go back first and went to the meeting alone.

The meeting ended abruptly. The reports of the Holy Dragon Alliance and the Liberation Team finding nothing were as expected. When everyone turned their expectant eyes to Hachiman, he spoke awkwardly:

"Though I'm sorry to disappoint your expectations... We also haven't received any information about the boss."

"But..." He changed the subject, "I got some useful information from that dark elf female warrior - the boss's attacks are mainly poisonous, so it is recommended to prepare a large amount of antidote.

The others don't have any special attack patterns, so they should be able to win easily."

After hearing this, everyone reacted differently:

"That's it...?"

"Being able to prepare in advance is already important information!"

"but..."

Hachiman finished his message and left, thinking to himself: (We'll officially start conquering the labyrinth area tomorrow, but as Kizmel said, maybe it will go better than expected...)

In the end, Hachiman forms a team with Asuna, Kirito, and Bakaha to participate in the strategy.

这次攻略集结圣龙联合18人、解放队18人、艾基尔队4人及八幡队4人，共计44人。

Facing a boss that frequently poisoned, a sufficient supply of antidotes could significantly reduce its threat. Just as Hachiman had predicted, the third level strategy was successfully completed with efficiency far exceeding that of the first and second levels.

Asuna quietly tugged at the hem of Hachiman's clothes. "Next time...you must definitely get the final blow, okay?"

The setting sun dyed Asuna's profile a honey color, and Hachiman suddenly felt that this crappy game seemed to have room for another 500 levels.

SAO: Chapter 24: Miss Asuna's Home Buying Guide

After successfully defeating the boss, the group began to climb the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

"Kirito, can I ask what the next floor looks like?"