Defense specialization and disciple enhancement.
Eightieth chapter, yes.
Yui and Mai, members who returned after thoroughly defeating the poison dragon and returning to the third-floor guild home, stood the next day within a facility inside the guild home alongside Sally.
This was a room of considerable size, known as the Training Ground. A facility unlocked upon reaching the third floor, accessed via a magic array.
Here, HP does not drop to zero, and skills may be used, but new skills cannot be acquired.
Since Iz still has not created equipment to her satisfaction, the two wear makeshift gear—two great hammers, one in each hand. They stand ready.
“This Training Ground allows us to train without being seen by anyone.”
“What are we doing?”
“You wish to become somewhat proficient with these two great hammers, do you not?”
““Yes…””
The two, vastly stronger now, fought with both weapons in silence, unseen by any. Yet without raising their 【AGI】, they could not dodge well enough to fight as they wished.
They had gained the power to kill in one blow, but remained vulnerable to such strikes.
“I will teach you how to dodge. And how to wield both weapons. Guild standards would prefer you learn to avoid piercing attacks, though that is my true desire.”
If they could avoid piercing attacks, they could fight alongside Maple.
“But… we’re not as fast as Sally…”
Yui spoke truth. The gap in 【AGI】 between Sally and the two was too great.
It was natural they struggled to dodge together.
“Indeed, avoiding a strike when you cannot tell where it comes from is difficult. But… skills are just repeating set motions. Then you can avoid them down to the millimeter.”
“S-so… that’s…?”
Yui and Mai thought.
Saying it is easy. Doing it is hard.
If that were possible, everyone could dodge skills down to the millimeter.
“Still, I doubt it’s doable. But… the Piercing Attack Skill is different.”
“E-eh… how so?”
“The Piercing Attack Skill, as far as I know, has a brief moment of delay before activation—just a fraction of a second.”
Sally explained. While other skills activated immediately after their names were spoken, the Piercing Attack Skill had a noticeable lag—so slight that one might not notice it unless paying close attention.
Having finished explaining, Sally withdrew two sheets of paper from her inventory.
“These list every Piercing Attack Skill I’ve collected. Memorize them all within a month.”
“Y-yes!”
A brief moment of utility before activating a Piercing Attack Skill, and memorizing the skill names allows one to preemptively shift to evasion.
“But… even so, it’s still not enough.”
“S-so is that true?”
Mai asks, anxious, as Sally withdraws one item from among the many wooden ones arranged in her inventory.
“The spear-shaped rod Iz made. I’ll swing it—this is practical training.”
“Eh…? But Sally only uses short sword skills…”
“Right. That’s why I’ve memorized every motion, every speed. Practiced until I can replicate it.”
““Eh…?””
What Sally did was beyond human capability. A reality so unnatural it seemed like a lie.
“You said you’d do anything to help, even if it meant coming here. So… let’s try until you can evade.”
Yui and Mai’s first master was Maple. Maple had inherited the anomaly.
Sally, their second master, had tried to inherit part of its evasion ability.
At that time, Maple wandered through the guild halls.
“Kasumi! Where’s Sally?”
“Yui and Mai are at the Training Grounds. Need something?”
Kasumi answered, seated across from Crom at the table.
“Hmm… I was going to look around the third level with them… oh well.”
Maple turned and left for the town on the third level.
Watching her go, Kasumi and Crom began to speak.
“My instinct says Maple will return stronger.”
“Your instincts… are usually right?”
“Who knows… she only gets stronger when we’re not watching. Yui and Mai are the same.”
“That’s true… speaking of which… I haven’t seen Kanade around lately.”
Kasumi and Crom had noticed that Kanade had been spending less time at the guild these past few days.
Hmm? Ah, apparently she’s been spending all her time in the second-level library. Same when the base was on the second level…
Maple said she occasionally came by and read books.
The whereabouts of where our members grow stronger remains unclear to me...
Saying that, Kasumi fixed her gaze on Crom.
No—more precisely, Crom's equipment.
Crom had grown stronger in ways Kasumi did not know.
Kasumi did not speak it, but she felt a flicker of jealousy.
Perhaps you could grow stronger if you poured some intent into Maple? Quite serious about it, really.
...Consider it seriously, then.
While Crom and Kasumi spoke of such matters, Kanade turned the pages of a book in the farthest room of the library—unvisited by some players, even once.
When she finished reading the text written in an unknown script, she closed the book with a soft snap.
………So. Yes. I see.
Kanade picked up the Rubik’s cube on the desk, held it for a moment, stared at it, placed it back, and rose. A single sentence escaped her lips.
There are…… two more left.
Kanade stepped out of the library and began walking the second floor.
Next time is not Maple’s turn. It is Kanade’s turn.