Defense specialization and the third event.

Maple logs in and appears at the guild home.

Inside the guild home are Sally and Kanade and Izumi.

"The event has begun!"

"It's only been five hours, but it's impressive—top score is already in the five digits. Crom and Kasumi have already gone hunting."

"Ah... everyone's amazing..."

The four present have zero points. Izumi seems to intend to participate only slightly in this event.

"I don't have attack skills, but my STR value is somewhat high."

She says that striking with a blacksmith's hammer might bring down some enemies.

Her STR is naturally higher than Maple's.

"Let's go too."

"Yes."

The three prepare to leave, leaving Izumi behind, but Izumi calls them back.

Izumi hands equipment to Sally and Maple.

Equipment made from wool. The amount of wool used determines how many items drop this time.

Thanks to Maple, a considerable quantity of wool had been secured.

Kanade had already used ample wool in her gear, so she had no issue.

The gear Izumi handed to Sally was a pure white version of Sally’s current attire.

Maple’s gear resembled a sheep in appearance.

A full-body suit, entirely white, soft and fluffy like a sheep’s fleece.

It’s impossible to make armor from wool, really.

The large shield and dagger retained their usual black gear, chosen for combat effectiveness, not cuteness. But there was nothing to be done.

Izumi did not say it, but this gear had been made this way simply because Izumi wanted to see Maple in such a fluffy form.

Armor was out of the question, but regular clothing could be made.

A mere personal whim.

The three now depart the guild home, each taking a different direction.

Remaining clustered only hinders point accumulation. They considered both guild rewards and individual rewards.

Maple rides Shiroppu, glancing at the blue panel displaying required point values for various rewards.

The monster’s appearance is shown as well—a red bull.

"My movement speed doesn’t suit this event well…"

Even riding Shiroppu, she cannot keep up with Sally.

Maple sets a target point count for a desired individual reward and enjoys the event accordingly.

"I won’t get that skill unless I earn enough points."

After focusing on a certain skill, Maple closes the panel and looks down. There, a red bull appears.

【Poison Dragon (Hydra)!】

Maple releases the Poison Dragon from Shiroppu’s edge and checks the points.

The points have been added precisely.

There is no need to confirm the monster’s state directly.

Such is the power.

Yet this ability has a condition.

“Hmm… will enemies with 【Poison Immunity】 appear too…?”

If an enemy with 【Poison Immunity】 appears, Maple’s attack options are severely limited.

It would be safer to retreat.

The frequent use of poison and paralysis attacks has also made her tactics known to all players.

Many players have acquired 【Poison Resistance】 in anticipation of unpredictable player-versus-player encounters.

Countermeasures against Maple are now standard among strong players.

There are certainly players who could defeat Maple alone—if they prepared properly.

"Speaking of which... I reached level thirty, so I can add another skill to my equipment, right?"

Maple had few skills available due to her build.

Even her armor still bore no skills, despite gaining a second slot.

"Thinking about it won't help."

Maple darted across the field, occasionally coating the ground with poison.

"No cattle in sight... maybe they're gathered somewhere?"

According to the operators' information, cattle appeared everywhere except the Boss Room and underwater. Maple headed toward a location with fewer players.

Thirty minutes of travel.

Even as she moved, Maple checked the ground below, but she could not accumulate enough points.

The disadvantage of movement speed remained too great.

Still, Maple did not lose heart. She searched for cattle.

She did not lose heart, not only because she enjoyed flying through the sky with Shiroppu at a leisurely pace.

"Searching for cattle later... walking through the air with Shiroppu might be nice... haven’t relaxed like this in a while."

Maple considered it briefly, then decided to ease up on the cattle hunt and spend the day with Shiroppu in the air.

Unlike the tense, hurried pace of searching the ground, Maple moved through the sky with a calmness that surprised even her.

At that moment, the management team checked for glitches in the event, while discussing something else.

"Maple is a player who consistently does things beyond the scope of understanding—she draws attention."

"Ah, yes."

The management continued to seek ways to weaken Maple.

Whether it was her defense, her ability, or even Shiroppu—recently, they had to consider all three.

The management considered making numerous adjustments due to the imbalance. That flying ability of hers, for instance.

Of course.

Yet... perhaps it’s enough now...

Why?

Maple has become a central figure across the game, drawing attention wherever she goes.

She also contributes to sales at a considerable level.

Many players joined the game specifically because of Maple.

After Maple does something, or when opposing her, purchases of premium items rise.

Thus, the developers decided to leave Maple as she is.

The game’s visibility had grown so high that certain elements could no longer be altered without risk.

The third layer was adjusted to preserve Maple’s flying ability without disrupting the event.

So, no further interference from now on?

Yes. We’ll observe. Look... if we don’t force her to weaken, she’s just a harmless player, isn’t she?

There was no way to say it—she had simply given up.

Thus, Maple was, unknown to herself, recognized by the administration for her ability.

A small correction.

Drop rate → Drop count