Chapter 506
Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 506
Defense Specialization and Securing HP
Together, Maple and Sally marched into the clouds, heading for the boss room, where Lily and the others had done their best to carry them.
Apparently, once they defeated it, they could just pass by. True to Lily’s words, the boss was no longer there.
“Phew, we’re finally here!”
“Yep. Since we’re expected to climb up, let’s keep going higher.”
“Agreed!”
The two went straight towards the magic circle that appeared at the back of the room. Once they stepped on it, they should be teleported into the clouds. It was the entrance to a huge dungeon where they must defeat the enemies that stood in their path and advance towards the top.
As soon as they hoped on, they were engulfed by light, and the next time they could register their surroundings, they were already inside a labyrinth made of pure white clouds.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the clouds.”
“As expected, there’s no place like this unless you go to the 5th Floor.”
Just like the 5th Floor, the ground sank in, so they walked around and checked their surroundings, being careful not to get caught.
The two of them were teleported to a vast space. There were five paths leading out from there, and it seemed like they had to take one of them.
“Which do you prefer?”
“Since we have to reach the top, I think it’s better to go uphill.”
“Indeed. Then let’s just take the path that seems to be heading upwards first.”
“Uh-huh!”
The two of them stood at the entrance of the passageway and peered inside, choosing the steepest of the five paths.
Although some of the clouds that stuck out could be used as platforms, they had to essentially scale a vertical wall. The two’s strategy was successful in that regard.
“I’m going to fly. Is the operation okay?”
“It’s fine!”
Since they came after clearing the 3rd Floor Area first, the height difference wasn’t much of an obstacle.
Passing through the available scaffolding, the two flew across the sky and advanced.
“Ah! Sally, there are some monsters!”
“I saw. Hmm… They don’t seem to be capable of any long-range attacks.”
Sally stopped in midair and gazed at the end of the passage, where multiple monsters could be seen. The monsters, which looked like soldiers walking around, were clad in pure white armor that blended into the white clouds in the background.
The monsters were equipped with spears and swords of the same color, and at first glance, there were no wizards or archers. On a closer inspection, their equipment seemed to be made of clouds, just like the floor and wall.
As they were observing the monsters they’d probably encounter in the future, they noticed that the monster seemed to sink into the clouds beneath their feet, disappear, and then reappear again, over and over.
“They’re diving to ambush us.”
“Keep your guard up, even if it may seem like nothing.”
“Should I just fly?”
“I think it’s safer than staying on the ground. I want to try a pre-emptive attack this time and see what happens.”
“Got it!”
Maple poised her weapon and with a practiced movement, fired a laser towards the ground. The laser spread out to cover the bed of clouds where the soldiers were, damaging them.
However, whether it was because of their high physical strength or defense power, they took less damage than expected, and seemed to have spotted Maple and the others from the attack. The soldiers turned towards them, brandishing their weapons.
“Well…!”
As the two watched, the soldiers created a path of clouds in the air and quickly ran through it.
Apparently, the dev also knew that some players might use flying machines, and added that feature to rule out a one-sided battle.
“I’ll intercept them. Please back me up.”
“Got it!”
Sally accelerated and advanced forward, attracting the soldiers. Maple generated more guns one after another, continuing her barrage of onslaught on them.
Sally evaded Maple’s bullets and joined the fray so as not to hinder the attack on the soldiers.
In front of them were a spear user and two sword users with long swords. The enemy didn’t move in any notable way, but even when Sally approached, she focused on evading rather than attacking.
“…!”
Taking advantage of her focus on evasion, Sally evaded the enemy’s attack. The supposedly out of range cloud swords and spear extended from a distance. Matching the force of the thrust, they passed over Maple and hit the wall behind her.
“That’s some nice weapons.”
Just when Sally thought that the weapons were now elongated, they reverted back to their original length, leaving no room for an opening.
Sally had missed the chance to land the first hit, and she still didn’t know the extent of the enemy’s attack. That fact weighed heavily on her.
Even though the range increased, the trajectory remained the same. The slightly faster, yet simple thrusts and sweeps couldn’t reach Sally, who was avoiding Maple’s barrage from behind while at it.
“It’s not very effective, but… [Water Coat]! Oboro [Fire Child]!”
Using skills, there were three types of follow-up attacks that accompanied Sally’s attacks, including [Addition Blade].
Once Sally slashed with her dagger, water and flames would scatter, dealing four times the normal attack power on the enemy.
Although Maple’s bullets were rapid and powerful, the stats didn’t increase with leveling up.
Hence why even if Maple was skilled at it, the firepower wasn’t as it used to be. 𝗳r𝐞𝐞w𝐞bn𝚘ve𝚕.co𝐦
On the other hand, Sally’s attack grew stronger based on her [STR].
Not only did she increase her [AGI], she also made sure to increase her [STR], further increasing the damage of her [Sword Dance]. Sally’s boosted successive attacks inflicted serious damage to the monsters on the 10th Floor.
She slipped past the monsters, and each time she did that, a huge damage effect was scattered.
Wherever it looked like the monsters might survive, a hail of bullets assailed them.
The firepower was becoming insufficient. Having said that, it didn’t mean that the monsters would still be okay after receiving them. It didn’t take long for the two of them to disperse the enemies who wielded clouds as their weapons.
After waiting for a while, the two confirmed that no additional monsters emerged from the bed of clouds, and then landed.
“Nice support fire.”
“Sally, too!”
“Looks like we can manage with the small fry monsters. I didn’t expect them to build a platform and have some retractable weapons.”
“Hey, if Sally had a weapon like that, won’t you put it into good use?”
“Thanks to the new unique series, I’m now able to do something similar, but I don’t think it’ll go that far. It might be a good idea to ask Iz. Apparently, there were new materials in the 3rd Floor Area as well.”
“Why don’t I also ask her next time!”
“Indeed. Maple might also have new equipment made for her. Look, we need to make sure we have the best equipment before the final battle, right?”
“Certainly…”
Maple already had multiple powerful pieces of equipment, and on top of that, due to skill slots, she basically fought with unique series. It was safe to say that they already had enough equipment. Still, it was certainly better to switch accessories and other items to suit the occasion.
“You can increase your HP, or you can add resistance to other status ailments.”
“It sounds like the Demon King is capable of doing something amazing.”
“True.”
Maple was strong against poison and paralysis, but still couldn’t resist sleep and stun effects. She could boost her resistance with some skills, but if she wanted to be totally sure, it’d be best to prepare her equipment like Sally said.
Nowadays, they don’t have to worry about gold or materials anymore. In order to come out victorious in the end, Maple reaffirmed her focus to do what she could now.
Since they came there after getting the flying machines, they could move through the clouds without having to worry about the terrain. After a while, terrain appeared in front of them, and they could no longer fly.
The ceiling was low, the floor was flat, and the end was a narrow passageway that could barely accommodate two people walking side by side. It was difficult to tell because it was all white, but there seemed to be a path branching off to the left and right.
“It looks like it’s going to be a maze.”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to look at them one by one. Oh, maybe I should just walk with my hands on the wall?”
“Enemy will probably come out, so be careful around the turns so that you don’t run straight into them. The ones that came out of the floor like before didn’t have any signs until the last minute.”
“Understood.”
They stepped into the maze of clouds with Maple holding a tower shield in front of them.
“Things would’ve been so much easier if we could fly.”
“As expected, the ceiling is blocking everywhere.”
“Right?”
“Well, there are many people who can fly without a flying machine, so this ceiling is probably to prevent that.”
At that point, they had no choice but to conquer the maze. The two walked forward, keeping an eye out for a surprise attack.
As they turned back at several dead ends and proceeded through the clouds, where they seemed to lose track of how far they had come. Maple, who was leading the way, noticed that her footing had become a little softer.
“…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“It feels like the floor has become softer… Huh!?”
“Maple—!”
The moment Maple took a step and sank into the floor, Sally stretched her thread and caught Maple.
Maple sank to her abdomen on the floor, but thanks to Sally’s thread, she was able to avoid sinking further.
“Calm down, and try to come up using the flying machine.”
“Okay… Huff, I was surprised.”
Maple was lifted up by the flying machine and slipped out of the floor, and the two looked at where Maple had been stuck.
““Wow…””
They couldn’t help but cry at the sight they saw. Beyond the hole, they could see the ground far beyond. If Maple fell, she’d go straight to the ground.
“If it were me, would I survive the fall?”
“Hmm… According to what I heard, you couldn’t reach this place by simply flying through the air. And instead of sustaining fall damage, you’ll automatically die if you fall from here.”
“I see.”
“Make sure you can stop the flying machine quickly, because there will be a reprieve.”
“Understood!”
“Now then, knowing that we can sink into the floor, I’d like to just fly away, but…”
Although the flying machine had been upgraded and enhanced, there was a limit to the amount of time they could fly continuously.
They wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario of being unable to fly when the need arose.
“Then how about riding on the shield?”
“Oh, nice! Yeah, let’s do that. It’s been a while.”
“Okay! I’ll get ready!”
Maple switched her accessories, letting the pair of floating hands hold her shield, setting it parallel to the ground.
Since Mai and Yui were swinging around the creepy hands all the time, Sally was already used to them.
“Hop on.”
“Drive well.”
“Leave it to me!”
It was one of Maple’s methods of dealing with traps on the ground. This time, riding on a floating shield, the two flew into the depths of the maze once again.
Then, as they turned a corner, the soldier with the spear from earlier appeared as if crawling out of the ground. This time, the soldier launched a preemptive attack from the other side.
The cloud spear traveled down a straight trajectory at a speed comparable to bullets, and hit Maple square in the forehead.
The spear shaved off Maple’s HP in an instant, instantly triggering [Indomitable Guardian].
While Maple was stunned from the unexpected damage, Sally pulled away from Maple to block the enemy’s pursuit.
“…!”
“Maple, retreat—! [Icicle]!”
They were lucky that it was a turning point. After cutting the line of fire with [Icicle], the two of them operated the floating shield before the enemy could launch an attack, returning to the way they had come.
“I was surprised… The enemy is really strong…”
“It was certainly very powerful, but… Hmm, okay, while we are at it…”
“…?”
“I guess Maple’s HP is no longer adequate.”
“…! I see. Nothing has changed.”
Thanks to the unique series, Maple’s defense power never ceased to increase. However, the same didn’t apply to her HP. When necessary, she’d just equip the [Archangel Tiara] on the empty headgear or use [Quick Change].
“I thought everybody was going to take advantage of Maple’s low HP, so I saved that move to outsmart them at some point, but I don’t think we’re going to fight anymore.”
“Yes, yes.”
If Maple’s HP were to increase without anyone knowing, they would be able to thwart others’ expectations. They might be able to take advantage of that in interpersonal battles, but it may or may not happen again.
Maple could just prepare her equipment and increase her HP, but how much time would it take, considering that the final battle would soon be upon them?
“Let’s have Iz make something that won’t stand out. You should increase your HP so that [Indomitable Guardian] doesn’t activate unexpectedly.”
“Then let’s head back.”
“Sure. We’ll start the operation once the [Indomitable Guardian] is back up.”
“Okay!”
During an emergency, be careful and don’t force yourself.
As expected, there were quite a few formidable monsters who could retaliate against them. At that point, they had to withdraw even though the enemy was still standing.
Once they had retreated from the strong foe, which was unusual for the two of them, they went to Iz, the dependable craftsman.
“Iz—!”
“We need your help!”
When they opened the door to the workshop, Iz, who was waiting, turned around.
“You were in the 5th Floor Area, right…? Looks like something happened.”
As soon as the two talked about the situation, Iz realized that they were looking for her.
“So, you want a HP-specific equipment? But this time it’s not for HP cost, but for everyday use.”
“That’s right.”
“Of course, I can prepare it. Unlike Unique Series and rare equipment, there are no special skills, but nothing can beat the stat growth after enhancement.”
“Can you please prepare it for me…?”
“Yes, the sooner the better, right? I’ll get started on it right away. Can you show me the remaining materials?”
Iz said that if they had good materials, she’d use them to prepare the best equipment. The two of them immediately showed her the contents of their inventory, allowing Iz to choose from the vast array of materials they’d obtained on their adventures so far.
“As expected, you’ve been adventuring all over the place and defeating formidable monsters. I think I can prepare it. Give me a few days.” [Iz]
“Really!?” [Maple]
“That helps a lot.” [Sally]
“You can rely on me as much as you want. Aside from items, there are many cases where you don’t need any equipment… My arms are tingling!”
“There are a lot of people who use the Unique Series. Even if they don’t, they usually have the highest quality product available.”
“I’m glad they are taking proper care of it, but I also want to make new equipment.”
““Thank you!””
With Iz’s willingness to take on the role, Maple’s HP problem immediately showed signs of being resolved.
However, it’d be wise to refrain from venturing to the 5th Floor Area until they had the equipment.
“It might be a good idea to spend a few days sightseeing safely. It wouldn’t be strange if there were other similar monsters out there.”
“That’s right. After all, Iz is doing her best to make it for me!”
Of course, Maple could also use [Violence] before the [Indomitable Guardian] could be activated, but there was also a chance that she might be defeated before she could use that skill.
Maple decided not to push herself too hard and quietly waited for Iz’s equipment in the town.
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