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Summary

A Guild is a game engine-managed group of players in MMO games with a structure, a leader, and usually clearly set goals.

(Continued)

DDA

The most active and one of the highest-ranked Clearers in SAO. They try to catch up with KoB, wishing to seize the name of the strongest guild. They do not share the information they have, and have their own farmland. There are more than two times people in DDA than KoB.

Leader: Lind
Sub-leader (Defense Forces): Schmitt

DDA often resorted to underhanded means to get ahold of the rare loot, and even became orange to attack a Flag Mob. They were following Klein to a Christmas-exclusive rare drop from Nicholas the Renegade, the Divine Stone of Returning Soul, but WWFM stopped them. They strive to get the last attack bonus during the floor boss fights.

In August, 2024, several DDA members and other guilds' teams dealt with LC.

Fūmaningun (FMNG)

A ninja guild, known specifically during the beta test for their speed. Its members agility-focused, the common tactic was attacking at the front line, and then scattering. The monsters they attacked ended up aggroed at the nearby parties, so Kirito dislikes them.

FMNG members wear dark-grey cloth armor, pirate masks, and bandanas, as well as light chainmail. They fight with light scimitars. Their name is possibly an imitation of a real ninja clan of Fūma formerly active in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Reason for the Whiskers

Two FMNG members, Kotaru and Isuke, were chasing Argo across Floor 2 trying to extort information about a hidden Extra Skill from her by force. Kirito interfered, and then a Trembling Cow monster attacked them, forcing their retreat.

WWFM

A clearing guild started by Klein and several of his real-world friends, who had waited in line together to purchase the game copies. Klein, the current guild master, helped all of his friends to become accomplished fighters.

The guild's name likely refers to the battle creed of Sun Tzu: "Move as swift as wind, be as orderly as the forest, as fierce as the fire, as unshakeable as the mountain." The abbreviations have their own field in the guild registration data, and they filled in WWFM but it was not used by the players — possibly because the Japanese name is more wieldy to pronounce.

Klein told Kirito he used to be the leader of a guild in another MMORPG. He refused to follow Kirito and get a headstart on the loot and experience, because he could not leave his friends behind on the fateful plaza. Klein found his friends, they cleared the necessary quest on Floor 3, and formed the guild.

Red-Nosed Reindeer

Kirito stumbled upon Klein and WWFM on Floor 28 as they were training on Blood Wolf Leaders in the Wolf Plains. Later, Kirito was looking for Nicholas the Renegade to try and resurrect a friend from MBC, and WWFM followed Kirito, but they also were followed by DDA who wanted all the loot. After a short confrontation, Klein's team stalled DDA to buy Kirito time to go fight the boss.

Sometime in August, 2024 WWFM participated in a raid against LC.

In October, 2024, WWFM met Asuna and Kirito in the Labyrinth on Floor 74. They let Asuna and Kirito realize the Army squad went to fight the floor boss in an incomplete raid group, and saved most of the Army members.

Fairy Dance Arc

After SAO incident, WWFM was reformed. The guild members went to the SAO party to thank Kirito for rescuing them.

GA

A guild of six members who were determined to clear the game. Founded early on.

Leader: Griselda
Sub-leader: Grimlock

A Murder Case in the Area

Kirito and Asuna witness what seems to be a murder scene in the safe zone, and investigate it. After several plot twists, they apprehend the departed leader's husband Grimlock who was unhappy with his wife having become different in SAO, determined and outspoken. He had set her up to be killed by a hired hand from LC, a PK guild, and the ex-members Yolko and Caynz developed a seemingly impossible murder case to take the investigators closer to the truth for revenge. After Kirito and Asune solve the case (briefly meeting the LC members) and Grimlock is arrested, they see the grateful Griselda's ghost above her grave for a short while.

Continued on page 3.

References

• Guilds - Fan Wiki