Pani

Pani (パニ) is the closest settlement to the 56th Floor's Labyrinth.

Description
Pani is a village located in a mountainous region and is surrounded by an invincible wall of wooden stakes. Toward the west, where the Labyrinth is located, lies an unbreakable wooden gate. Behind this gate was the lair of the Geocrawler field boss.

Notable Locations

 * Divine Dragon Alliance guild headquarters

The Progressors
For a week, the clearers were stuck in the town of Pani due to the inability to confront the Geocrawler field boss that guarded the entrance to the dungeon. Kirito and Klein are shown running away from the Geocrawler after the «Grand Meaty Meat Plan» was a failure, resulting in the loss of Klein's A-Class food ingredient.

The two return to the building where the 56th Floor's Field Boss Monster Strategy Meeting takes place. The two are scolded by Asuna before being told of her newly proposed plan. Kirito objects this plan, and Klein further enrages Asuna into dueling Kirito after subtlely revealing Kirito's level (which was one more level greater than Asuna's). Asuna is ultimately defeated due to Kirito using a feint.

She is later seen sulking outside, and she is approached by Ruru, an NPC who usually stays by the gates. It reveals that staying outside of a town building late at night by oneself results in this conversation pattern. Ruru continues on to sing «Ruru's Lullaby» to Asuna, which was the key to defeating the Geocrawler. With this song, the field boss was swiftly defeated.

Trivia

 * The anime setting differs greatly from the manga; the former is shown as a village made of carved out rocks without a boundary to block off the Geocrawler. Likewise, the meeting place is shown to be in one of these rock houses, rather than in a wooden building.

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