Defense specialization and night exploration.
Starting with this entry, I am adjusting the names based on feedback.
Maple → Maple
Sally → Sally
I am changing the names in the text accordingly.
I intend to update the name references from chapter one to the latest chapter.
The volume is too great to correct all at once.
Chapter one through ten use Maple and Sally, yet chapter eleven uses Maple and Sally.
Such inconsistencies will undoubtedly occur.
Please understand.
*【Do not worry about the posting pace—it will not slow down. It is fine.】*
Two figures emerge from the magic circle.
The [Gourmet] has vanished, yet Maple braces her large shield, prepared for ambush.
"Seems safe... perhaps?"
They check their surroundings.
Ruins stretch in every direction. Remnants of collapsed buildings remain.
Judging by the mountainous terrain, the current location appears to be directly opposite the starting point.
— At least we’ve come this far in the right direction?
— But someone else might’ve already explored this area.
— It’s only the second day… places meant to be hidden shouldn’t have been found yet. This place… probably nothing. A magic circle’s transfer point.
The operators wouldn’t place the medal’s destination right in front of it.
While searching for a safe spot, they decide to explore anyway.
— …Three players. What now?
— I’d rather not fight… no 【Bad Eater】 here… losing would be bad.
— Understood. Then let’s go this way.
They slip through the ruins and quietly enter the woods.
The monsters that appear are spiders and owls.
After the strange bird, any monster seems like a common foe.
Slow in movement. Weak attack. Low health.
— Easy. Easy.
Moving through the forest. Searching for a place safe enough to spend the night. The sun is already sinking, having spent too much time climbing.
They continue exploring the forest, slaying monsters as they go.
Muu... nothing here at all...
As Maple said, only a forest stretched out around them. Nothing remarkable—a building or cave—was in sight.
First, climb up onto a tree that is somewhat high. Better than staying on the ground, I think.
Sally chooses a tree with branches only high above and leaps upward with a bound.
"【Cowl Move】!"
Maple reaches the tree above, following behind.
Few would willingly climb where branches hang low.
They lean their backs against the trunk, drawing a breath.
The exhaustion from the battle with the strange bird surged over her all at once.
"Sally... after twelve o'clock, the [Bad Feast] will recover. What now?"
What Maple meant was whether to rest a little until twelve, then resume exploring at midnight.
Given the incident in the forest the other day, some events likely only occur at specific times.
Their goal was twenty medals.
To achieve that, they would have to try many things. They needed to explore every possible place.
And they had to do it faster than the other players.
It would not work to scramble to explore only in the final stages.
"If Maple can go..."
"Yeah, then... let's resume the exploration after twelve!"
They decided to allocate the stat points gained from leveling up.
"Hmm... AGI and STR, maybe?"
"VIT, no question!"
Maple
Lv26
HP 40/40〈＋160〉
MP 12/12 〈＋10〉
【STR 0】
【VIT 175〈＋141〉】
【AGI 0】
【DEX 0】
【INT 0】
Equipment
Head 【Empty】
Body 【Black Rose Armor】
Right Hand 【Crescent: Poison Dragon (Hydra)】
Left Hand 【Nightfall Scroll: Malevolent Feast】
Feet 【Black Rose Armor】
Boots 【Black Rose Armor】
Accessory 【Forest Queen’s Ring】
【Toughness Ring】
【Ring of Life】
Skills
【Absolute Defense】【Giant Devour (Giant Killer)】【Poison Dragon Devour (Hydra Eater)】【Bomb Devour (Bomb Eater)】【Meditation】【Provocation】【Unrepentant Cruelty】【Mastery of Large Shield IV】【Body Maneuvering】【Attack Deflection】【Shield Attack】
【HP Boost Small】【MP Boost Small】
【Cover Move I】【Cover】
【Unyielding Guardian】
Sally
Lv21
HP 32/32
MP 25/25〈＋35〉
【STR 30〈＋20〉】
【VIT 0】
【AGI 85〈＋68〉】
【DEX 25〈＋20〉】
【INT 25〈＋20〉】
Equipment
Head 【Mist Scarf: Mirage】
Body 【Ocean Coat: Great Sea】
Right Hand 【Deepsea Dagger】
Left Hand 【Seabed Dagger】
Feet 【Ocean Leggings】
Boots 【Black Boots】
Accessory 【Empty】
【Empty】
【Empty】
Skills
【Status Effect Attack III】【Slash】【Double Slash】【Gale Slash】【Strength Reinforcement Small】
【Multi-Strike Reinforcement Small】【Down Attack】【Power Attack】【Switch Attack】【Martial Arts I】
【Shortsword Proficiency II】【Skilled Poor】【Defense Break】【Hyper Acceleration】
【Fire Magic I】【Water Magic II】【Wind Magic II】
【Earth Magic I】【Dark Magic I】【Light Magic II】
【Fireball】【Waterball】
【Water Wall】
【Wind Cutter】【Wind Wall】
【Sand Cutter】
【Dark Ball】
【Refresh】【Heal】
【MP Boost Minor】【MP Cut Minor】
【MP Recovery Speed Boost Minor】【Magic Proficiency II】
【Fishing】【Swimming X】【Diving X】【Cooking I】
【Gathering Speed Boost Minor】【Stealth II】
【Stealth Detection II】【Sneak Step I】【Leap I】
【Poison Resistance Minor】
Maple’s status shows 【VIT +5】 and 【Break Growth】, adding another 【VIT +60】.
The skill 【Unyielding Guardian】 has been added.
Sally’s status shows 【AGI +5】 and 【STR +5】.
Maple takes the food handed to her by Sally and eats it.
She must rest her body in preparation for twelve o’clock.
By the time the night has grown so still that even the sound of monsters moving has faded, the two descend from the tree.
【Bad Appetite】 has also recovered. Combat readiness is complete.
As a result, Maple changes her large shield to the one named Snow White. To avoid waste.
“Forest or ruin? Which shall it be?”
—Hmm... the forest, then! The ruins were just explored by a player, so they’re likely already scouted.
—Yeah. Then the forest it is.
They move deeper into the woods.
Occasionally, an owl strikes without sound. Sally dodges with ease, her usual agility. Maple ignores it, certain it will do no harm.
After wandering the forest for an hour and a half.
—Hey, Sally? Is that... glowing over there?
Sally narrows her eyes at Maple’s direction.
A faint light appears ahead, just visible.
—Could be a player... proceed with caution.
—Understood.
They approach in silence.
Sally goes so far as to activate her 【Presence Concealment】.
—This is...
—...Bamboo?
A grove of bamboo stands there.
One of the stalks glimmers faintly.
—W-What do we do... should we break it?
Maple asks Sally.
—If someone comes out from inside, that’d be a huge problem...
A bamboo stalk glowing faintly.
Anyone would imagine Kaguya-hime. Sally seemed to think the same.
"But... it might be a medal. There are medals you can find through exploration, right?"
After a brief discussion, they decided to break it.
Sally swings her dagger.
The bamboo snaps cleanly, brightening further.
Nothing bad happens, as feared.
Inside lies a single medal, gleaming silver.
"Got it! No trouble, and we got a medal!"
"Great! Just twelve more to go!"
The two rejoice. But their relief is mistaken.
The bushes around them begin to rustle. Rabbits with long horns leap out one after another.
"Maybe moon rabbits?"
"Perhaps... those horns might pierce through armor. Be careful."
"Understood!"
They prepare for battle.
Maple had become considerably more like an ordinary player compared to how she was at the start of the game.
That said, it applied only to matters beyond stats.
The rabbits, compared to the strange birds, were almost endearing.
They began their battle against the rabbits leaping at them from ahead.
After some time, the fight ended. The bamboo grove had turned into a sea of poison. The straight bamboo stalks had been cleanly severed mid-stem, leaving a terrible scene.
Each rabbit was insignificant. But their numbers were overwhelming.
Too many...
A hundred?... Two hundred?... Tired...
Slicing through the rabbits darting through the grove like they owned it was no small task.
Perhaps rest on a tree branch somewhere...
Yes... I agree.
She had expended considerable fatigue for a single medal.
The third day of the event had just begun.