Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 04


 * This article is about the original Progressive light novel volume. You may be looking for the manga adaptation.

Sword Art Online Progressive Volume 4 (ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 004, Sōdo Āto Onrain Puroguresshibu 004) is the fourth installment in the "Progressive" series, a reboot of the original Sword Art Online light novel series written by Kawahara Reki. This volume covers the events that took place while clearing the 5th Floor of Aincrad. It was released on December 10, 2015.

Part 1
Kirito and Asuna pondered about various recent events, including Morte's attempt at killing Kirito via a Duel on the 3rd Floor. They considered the possibility that Morte might have been the man in the black poncho, who incited the weapon upgrading scam on the 2nd Floor.

Part 2
After their conversation, both returned to the 5th Floor main city Karluin to the restaurant «Blink and Brink» and ate a buff item, allowing them to find relics and random bits of treasures more easily. Kirito stated that there had been a fair number of relic hunters during the beta period, and thus assumed that the two main guilds were most likely doing the same at the moment to bolster their war chests.

Part 3
With the support of the buff, they earned some cor and returned to the 4th Floor to receive their reward for their help in defending Yofel Castle.

Kirito decided to choose a new sword to replace his current one. His previous sword was damaged beyond repair, and the current sword, which he had snatched from a Forest Elf, was only able to receive one more upgrade and thus couldn't become strong enough anymore.

They met Agil, who explained that he was working as a merchant, and lent his boat to them, as their own gondola was moored at Yofel Castle at that time.

Part 4
Kirito and Asuna finished the quest, went back to the restaurant and started to wonder why the buff wasn't sold out, and why Argo's guide hadn't shown up yet. After they went to their rooms, Asuna spotted Kirito leaving, tailed him and tried to catch up when he entered the dungeon.

Part 5
She silently followed him down to the 2nd level, but fell down a trap door after she was being confronted by a ghost and dropped her rapier. This rapier was grabbed by a shrewman, thus Asuna hunted it to get it back. While Asuna was killing monsters in her way she found a handwritten note with coordinates to a meeting place on the floor she currently was on. Asuna discovered the meeting place where she spotted Morte and a collaborator, who discussed how to get both main guilds to fight each other, indicating one of them planned to sweep through the dungeon during the new years day party. Asuna threw a paper she found earlier, causing a noise in order to attract another monster. The plan backfired, as it was the monster with her rapier and was killed by the collaborator who properly looted the rapier. Having heard some parts of the conversation, Kirito appeared and realized that the collaborator had Asuna's sword. As Morte and his partner prepared to fight him, Asuna yelled loudly and startled Morte's partner. Asuna had noticed he had a slight hand-eye-coordination issue, and due to her yell he dropped the rapier. Another monster grabbed it, but Asuna quickly killed it and regained her rapier. Morte and his partner considered how to deal with Asuna and Kirito, but Kirito grabbed Asuna and used Hiding to avoid the monsters Asuna's yell had gathered, thus the two villains ran away as they would be outmobbed otherwise. Kirito and Asuna took a break and she explained to him what happened, to which he told her she had done well.

Part 6
Argo and Asuna relaxed in a bath in an instance village after the events in the catacombs. Asuna commented on the Dark Elves' love for their baths, and Argo replied that of the Forest Elves had the habit of bringing out tons of food during their quest-line. Asuna wondered why Argo was in front of the dungeon boss room, where she and Kirito had found her less than an hour after the event with Morte. Argo explained that she had scouted the boss at the bottom of the catacombs. When she found out that it was a giant zombie unlike in the beta, she spent the whole day to figure out a solution to the lever puzzle which would help defeating the dungeon boss. The puzzle was so difficult Argo had to resort to a trial and error approach at some point. In the end, she found the solution to the puzzle, which would open the ceiling. The dungeon boss, weakened by the sunlight shining from the ceiling, was then easily killed by some top players on the December 30, 2022.

Asuna worried about Argo's safety, but in an informal duel Argo showed off her exceptional agility and limited ability to walk on water. Argo told Asuna that she was a beta tester and thus it was her duty to support the players. Joining the frontline group might be safer, but the things she did were important to help clearing the game. Argo also told Asuna that the only reason, that Kirito didn't do similar risky things, was because of Asuna.

Part 7
Kirito reminisced about New Year's Eve with his family last year. Kirito realized that with the current pace, they would be trapped inside the game for next New Year's Eve too, and probably even for the year after as well, assuming he didn't die before. After the death game started, he had been levelling up as much as he could, afraid that other players would surpass him in levels, which would give them an advancement he could not catch up on. But after the events in the catacombs, Kirito realized he had another motive for staying alive, to watch Asuna surpassing him one day and leading a major guild.

Adaption Notes

 * The last section of the volume, starting from the New Year countdown, was not part of the web version.