I hate being in pain, so I think I'll make a full defense build

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 498

Defense Specialization and the Third Floor Area (2)

The two finally completed their flight practice. Sally watched as Maple flew in the sky and nodded to herself. Although high-speed trajectory in-combat was still difficult for Maple, she had mastered all the basics.

“Sally! What do you think?”

“Looks good. You learn fast.”

“It’s because Sally is good at teaching!”

“No, Maple’s approach is good. No matter how difficult it may seem, if you do your best, you will be able to do it.”

“Oh… You might be right!”

Back then, in the Third Floor, Maple easily threw in the towel. This time, with Sally’s enthusiastic guidance, Maple was able to concentrate and practice in an accommodating environment. As a result, Maple vastly improved in a short period of time.

“We’ll start working on more precise movements little by little. As always, you can always watch how I do it.”

“Got it!”

“Okay. What should we do after this?”

Maple’s flight practice ended earlier than they expected, so they had plenty of time. There was no harm in continuing to explore a little more.

“Since we’re already here, let’s go to a place where we can fly.”

“Okay. Don’t get too carried away, okay?”

“I’ll do my best!”

“Well then, let’s proceed to the next quest to check the results of our special training.”

“Okay!”

Their next destination was the location indicated by the next quest. Accepting a new quest, the two activated their enhanced flying machines and soared into the sky.

“Good, you are stable. Just keep flying like that.”

“Okay!”

Maple flew a little behind Sally. Unlike before, Maple no longer struggled and could fly without assistance.

Thinking that it would be good enough for the quest, Sally continued to lead Maple.

The two of them arrived at a long rift that stretched vertically on the pier. There was almost no proper scaffolding inside, and it was also a bit too narrow to enter by riding a tamed monster. Therefore, it could be inferred that the area required flying machines.

“It’s dark.”

“It doesn’t seem as well-maintained as the previous place.”

This time, there were no lights installed on the walls inside the rift. Darkness reigned as they delved in further, making it a tricky environment to conquer.

“Maple, can you provide us with light?”

“Of course!”

Maple immediately deployed [Loving Sacrifice]. The skill didn’t only protect allies, but also emitted light that illuminated the surroundings.

Normally, the skill was disadvantageous because it alerted others of your location. However, in dark places, it could serve as a light source that could illuminate a wide area, so they didn’t need to hold a torch.

Equipped with Iz’s special headlight that allowed them to see far ahead, they were ready to explore the darkness.

“Let’s tread slowly. Be careful, a wall might suddenly appear in front of us.”

Maple nodded, and the two of them made full use of their flying machines to delve into the deepest part of the rift.

“We have to fly carefully…”

“Right… Wait, something’s coming.”

Sally listened carefully to detect signs of her enemy.

A swarm of bats emerged out of the darkness, illuminated by the headlights.

As Sally readied her weapon, a red beam flickered behind her.

“Nice.”

Sally smiled at Maple’s quick reaction.

Using her own device, Maple fired an extremely thick laser that swallowed up the bats and filled the rift with a red glow.

When the light subsided, the quiet darkness had returned, with no sounds of flapping wings or screeching to be heard. Once she was sure that nobody was following them, Sally sheathed her weapon and relaxed.

“Nice, Maple. With this, we don’t need to worry about that monster.”

“What were you planning to do?”

“I wonder? Well, it seems like we don’t have to worry about it. …I’ll leave them to you.”

“I’ll take care of it!”

They didn’t have to worry about not knowing the enemy’s attack pattern, because they’d just be reduced to nothingness right away.

The two of them proceeded deeper into the rift, using the laser to burn the bats that occasionally flew by.

“Are you getting used to exploring caves like this?”

“Hmm… I wonder? I guess we’ve conquered a lot of different caves.”

It was one of the classic locations where monsters spawned. So, looking back, Maple had many memories of advancing through the cave while defeating enemies. Even if it wasn’t a cave, walking down a dungeon with a straight path was a similar experience.

“I’m keeping an eye on the front. So far, your reaction is fast.”

“Ehehe, is that so?”

“Yeah.”

The experience that Maple had accumulated overtime had made it possible for her to predict more accurately where enemies were likely to appear from, or what kind of attack a particular enemy was likely to make.

Of course, it wasn’t flawless, and it was limited to simple situations, but Maple was starting to be able to come up with the correct answer without Sally telling her everything.

“I can feel that I’ve grown. Hehe, I still need to become stronger. The Demon King sounds pretty tough.”

“It’s the final boss! He won’t be defeated easily like the bats!”

“…That’s right. We need to grind on the 10^th Floor to prepare ourselves for the final powerful enemy.”

“Then, Sally and I need to keep practicing so we can complement each other even better!”

“—! …You’re right.”

What did ‘final strong enemy’ mean? Bosses that they’d encounter along the way, Demon King, other guilds, or…

“I have to become stronger as well.”

“Eh, I think Sally is strong enough. No, too strong.”

“I don’t want to lose after coming this far… I want to make sure that I regret nothing.”

Maple and Sally had achieved many victories as a duo. Losing just as they were about to leave the game would leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Maple interpreted Sally’s words as it was.

“Certainly, we have to absolutely win! Especially after how much everyone has helped us!”

“That’s true.”

At the same time, they shouldn’t be overly fixated on the future to the point of losing sight of the monster in front of them, because it could mean defeat. Although the two of them had outstanding strengths, they still had their respective weaknesses.

Maple and her friends once again braced themselves and went on their way to accomplish their quest.

Inside the rift, the rock surface illuminated by the headlights of [Loving Sacrifice] eventually became damp and reflective. The sound of water that echoed from time to time was probably the sound of trickling droplets.

It didn’t take too long for them to notice an obvious change in their surroundings, along with a glow that didn’t come from their headpieces.

Blue light could be seen in the darkness. It was similar to the light emitted by the ore that they obtained from the gathering quest they completed earlier.

“It’s right ahead. We can go diagonally downwards. Slowly lower your altitude.”

“Yep!”

Maple and the others adjusted the output so that they wouldn’t collide with the wall and descended towards the light.

As they avoided some of the rocks that got in the way and ventured smoothly into the back, the light became stronger, and the lake shone blue. It was an underground lake.

A huge lake that glowed blue, like an incorporeal presence swimming in the darkness.

The two landed right next to it and peered intently into the surface of the lake.

“…It’s shiny. Maybe the stone from earlier is buried at the bottom?”

“No, it looks like the water itself is glowing.”

When Sally scooped up the water, it shone mesmerizingly, just like the blue lake.

It was as if the ore from earlier had liquidated into the lake. The two were at their destination, which was the deepest part of the rift.

“According to the quest, we’ve reached our destination.”

“It seems to be the right place. Look, something is coming.”

“?”

In front of Maple and Sally, the water they scooped up started to change shape, making a clicking sound in their palms. However, that was just the aftermath.

The main body was the lake.

The sound of crashing waves. At the same time, a column of water rose towards the ceiling, defying gravity.

The pillar of water separated from the water surface, eventually forming a glowing blue sphere that floated above the lake.

“It’s coming. Brace yourself.”

“Yeah!”

A HP bar appeared above the water sphere. The journey so far went without a hitch. So when the boss appeared, the two seemed very focused.

“[Water Path]!”

As Sally conjured water in the air and began to secure her footing, the water sphere transformed into a long and lean serpent. Its maw was hanging wide open. Then, flexing its body like a whip, the boss charged at them with great force.

A mighty blow to the left. Due to its moderate speed, Sally could easily avoid it by passing through the [Water Path] she’d created.

“[Wind Cutter]!”

First, to observe the enemy.

Sally released a blade of wind that sliced through the water serpent.

“No damage… Then! Maple, aggravate!”

“[Aggravate]!”

Sally, followed by Maple, quickly devised a strategy as she swam through the [Water Path] onto the lake, passing by her enemy.

Their aim was the sphere, which gave rise to the water serpent.

“[Double Slash]!”

While Maple was drawing attention, Sally closed the distance, accelerated her flying machine, and slashed at the sphere with successive attacks.

Despite the jelly-like sensation, the dagger pierced the glowing water sphere, slightly depleting its HP.

“Is it immune to physical attack?”

Sally tried to follow up with magic as the damage was lower than expected. She fired the wind blade again, this time successfully reducing the enemy’s HP. Compared to a single blow with her weapon, it was also more effective.

Due to the lack of scaffolds, battling on the lake was less stable than on land. Although it was possible to fight using a flying machine, they still couldn’t deal damage even when they got close. If so, it made more sense to defeat them by shooting from a distance.

“It seems that it won’t let us!”

Whenever they dealt some damage, an additional torrent of water rushed from the sphere, attacking Sally.

Deciding that it wasn’t a good idea to fight there, Sally evaded the attack. The fluidness of her motion made it as if she wasn’t fighting in the air. Then, Sally returned to Maple.

“[Barrel Deployment]! Whoa!?”

Seeing Sally’s movements, Maple, who was behind her, also tried to attack the water sphere. Maple boasted stronger firepower and longer range. Thus, Maple deployed several gun barrels at once, ready to shoot. But in the next moment, a massive wave swept her, destroying all the weapons and depriving her of her sight.

[Loving Sacrifice] also didn’t apply to weapons. For Maple, protecting her weapons from enemies was far more difficult than keeping her allies safe.

Something pulled at Maple, who was unable to move as she was swallowed by the water.

“Sally!”

“Are you okay, Maple?”

“Thank you!”

Maple was rescued by the thread and was held in Sally’s arms, and the two of them concocted a plan while dodging the water.

“It might be difficult to rely on Maple to shoot at it.”

“Yes, it’ll just destroy my weapons…”

“Other than that, hmm…”

The enemy was positioned above the lake. Although Maple was good at long-range combat, but with [Machine God] rendered useless, she’d only be able to use ranged attacks that involved Sally.

“However, it’ll take a while for me to slash it to death… So, I guess I’ll just let Maple do all the hard work.”

“How?”

They had just learned that [Machine God] wouldn’t work, after all. In that case, wouldn’t Maple be unreliable?

“For example…”

After hearing Sally’s plan, Maple thought that it was a viable option and went along with it.

“Then let’s go.”

“I’m always ready!”

Sally wrapped her thread around Maple, who was clad in white. Sally grabbed Maple’s hand, putting her on a lifeline in case of an emergency.

“[Shoulder Throw]!”

“[Rebirth]!”

Maple was propelled towards the lake by sally. She had no intention of wasting time dealing against the boss. The shortest and fastest way to do it was to focus on the most dangerous enemy.

“[Quick Change] [Annihilation Area]!”

By changing the equipment, Maple’s defense power was restored to its original level, and four black wings sprouted on her back.

There was a crashing sound as she landed on the water. The falling reddish black sparks mixed with the sparkling lake surface, scattering light that hurt the eyes.

If the boss refused to move its main body, they could just throw Maple right below it. Almost the entire lake was dominated by Maple’s [Annihilation Area], whittling down the boss’ HP.

Unable to withstand it, the water sphere transformed and launched attacks into the water one after another, to no avail.

As soon as the water sphere touched the surface of the lake, it began to recover its HP.

At the end of the day, they were still fighting against a boss, after all.

Even with the presence of [Annihilation Area], the boss’ HP was gradually recovering.

Maple, who confirmed the strong recovery from underwater, thought of something good.

“…!”

The enemy was soaking in the lake to recover. In other words, it was in contact with water.

In that case…

Maple activated her skill. There was no need to aim this time around.

She was certain it’d hit the boss squarely even if she didn’t aim.

“[Toxic Meiosis] [Poison Dragon]!”

The poison that was exuded by Maple instantly eroded the blue glow, contaminating the entire body of water and invading the boss’ body.

Sally watched from the edge of the lake as the boss’ HP was whittled down by an unavoidable attack along with [Annihilation Area].

“Now, it’s just a matter of time.”

There was no need for them to do anything extra. Sally carefully held on to the thread that was connected to Maple, and watched the timer so that she wouldn’t run out of breath.

For several minutes, the boss was damaged by engulfing poison and [Annihilation Area].

As the boss’ HP dropped to zero, Sally pulled on the thread. The boss melted away, returning to the lake from which it came.

Almost immediately, Maple, who was pulled up, resurfaced again.

The duration of [Annihilation Area] ended, while the [Toxic Meiosis] also exploded in the water. Maple, who had reverted into a living being, was safely recovered.

“Thank you for your hard work. It went according to the plan.”

“Yeah! I know it’d work!”

“At the end, the frequency of attacks increased. Not only that, the fact that the boss was stationed on the water made it even more disadvantageous. The boss was probably a test to see how well the player could fight using the flying machine.”

“I see.”

In due course, all players would have the flying machines. In that case, it wouldn’t be strange if the bosses in the Third Floor Area were created with that in mind.

“This time, Maple’s output exceeded the boss, but let’s assume that in the future, it’ll be more important to be able to fight mid-air.”

“Then I need to practice more!”

“I agree. As expected, Maple won’t be able to avoid an attack like this one.”

It was still a boss in the early stages of the quest. Considering that the bosses would become more severe in the future, it seemed necessary to continue honing their skills in operating flying machines.

While pondering about the future, the two collected items to complete the quest they came here for.

A brighter, darker blue liquid was dropped by the boss they defeated earlier. That was the item they needed this time.

“Alright, I’ve collected them all!”

“You’re getting stronger again. After this, we’ll be able to fly for a longer period of time. I’m sure we can train even more.”

“Yes!”

This time, just like before, a magic circle appeared to help them return home, allowing them to get out safely on their way back.

“Maple?”

Although they could make their exit right away, when Sally turned around, Maple was standing still, overlooking the lake, which was now as clean and sparkling as ever since the poison had been cleansed.

“The first time I went with Sally, didn’t we go to an underground lake as well?”

“That’s right, albeit the lake didn’t shine like this. Wasn’t that the place where I got this equipment?”

“True.”

Although its rapidly increasing stats had become obsolete, [Mirage] had contributed to Sally’s battles with its unique performance.

It was an important piece of equipment for Sally—both sentimentally, and for combat.

“At that time, I improved my [Swimming] and [Diving] skills, though it took quite a while.”

“But you did great on the 8^th Floor!”

“Ahaha, I didn’t expect such a useful floor to come.”

Sally stared at the lake in the same way as Maple.

“Beautiful.”

“Uh-huh!”

“Maybe it’s because it’s on the 10^th Floor.”

“…?”

“You know, the same goes for the area itself. The dungeon also seems to stimulate memories from the past.”

“That may very well be their intention.”

To look back and assess their growth.

If that was what the 10^th Floor was like, then Sally’s realization may not entirely be wrong.

“Let’s reminisce a lot. We have many memories.”

“Let’s do that!”

They decided to postpone their return and spent some time relaxing by the mysteriously shining underground lake in peace.