Horunka

Horunka (ホルンカ) is a settlement of the 1st Floor of Aincrad.

Description
Horunka is located to the northwest of Starting City. There is an inn, weapon shop, and tool shop, so it can serve as a hunting base. In its surrounding forest, there are no monsters that spawn around Horunka that cause paralysis or equipment destruction. There are seven private NPC houses, one of which is a two-story building that offers the «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest.

Notable Locations

 * «Secret Medicine of the Forest» NPC house

Aincrad Arc
Kirito first mentions the village to Klein after the end of Kayaba Akihiko's tutorial. Kirito arrives to be the first in Horunka and buys a «Leather Coat» before heading to the «Secret Medicine of the Forest» NPC house. After starting the quest, he sets off into the forest to the west in search for a «Little Nepent’s Ovule».

After fifteen minutes of hunting, Kirito levels up. He then meets Coper, whom is revealed to be a Beta Tester himself. Coper tells Kirito that he is after the same item and requests a team-up to kill the Nepents faster. Kirito reluctantly agrees.

After an hour after Coper’s appearance, the Nepent with a flower finally spawns, but a Nepent with a seed had spawned with it. Coper tells Kirito that he will deal with the Seed Nepent while Kirito goes to obtain the ovule. When Kirito does get the ovule, Coper betrays Kirito by voluntarily slashing the seed and attracting Nepents into the area, and «hides». However, Coper’s plan is foiled by forgetting that «Hiding» only works against monsters with visual tracking, and gets killed by the attracted Nepents. Kirito fights his way out, and leaves another salvaged Nepent’s Ovule among Coper’s fallen inventory.

Kirito returns to the NPC’s house to complete the quest, where he is rewarded the «Anneal Blade». However, he doesn’t feel the mood to swing the sword at the Nepents enemies, and instead follows the NPC upstairs. He witnesses the revival of «Agatha», the NPC quest-giver’s daughter, and is later assaulted by a memory of the real world. Kirito breaks down on Agatha’s bed, whom comforts Kirito by stroking his hair until he eventually stops crying.