Defense specialization and area.

While Sally searched for new vantage points, Crom and Kasumi explored in the opposite direction.

Crom blocked the attack. Kasumi cut down the foe.

Crom took damage occasionally, but his innate regenerative ability restored him quickly.

After completing yet another battle without injury, Crom sheathed his weapon and murmured.

“Strange. Calm, somehow.”

“Hm? Ah…”

This pair’s combat was the quietest within the 【Maple Tree】.

With Izu, the battlefield would erupt in continuous thunder.

With Kanade, flashes of magic and thunderous booms would follow one another.

The other four could not remain composed under such conditions.

Peace resided here, now.

“Still, we’re unlikely to defeat the dungeon boss alone. Perhaps we should only verify the interior’s condition?”

That’s true. If they’re strong, we can always call on one of us another time.

Even excluding Iz, the rest would be formidable no matter who was summoned.

"Sally’s supposed to be exploring around this time. Maybe we’ll get fresh information from the other side?"

"Whatever. We’ll manage."

As the two spoke, the sound of thunder began to rise. The sky ahead darkened beneath thick clouds.

They drew their weapons, alert, and advanced slowly, scanning their surroundings.

As they drew nearer, the details of the area became unmistakable.

The blue sky was obscured by heavy clouds. Pale electric currents flickered intermittently between ground and sky.

Lightning struck at random points across the field.

Whether there was a pattern to the strikes, or how dangerous they truly were—neither knew.

"Hmm… This is Maple’s doing."

Crom drew the conclusion quietly.

"Shall we go on? There's nothing more to be done here."

He turned sharply. The two left the area where lightning rained down, literally.

Avoiding the storm zone, they climbed and descended the slopes of clouds, crossing several rises and dips. Ahead, they saw a stretch of cloud—paler than the earlier thunderheads.

Clouds hung low, nearly within reach. The terrain's undulations made visibility poor.

Water droplets, about the size of softballs, fell slowly from the clouds.

They floated downward, weightless, yet surely. When they struck the ground, they split evenly into eight droplets, scattering gently. Then, after a brief journey, they vanished into the earth.

"Better to avoid it?"

"Likely."

It was not unavoidable, but the volume of falling droplets was considerable, so the disadvantage of being struck was confirmed.

"I'll go. If it's damage-based, I have a higher chance of surviving."

Crom stepped into the area where rain fell slowly, shielding himself with his shield, and accepted a single droplet.

At that instant. Behind Crom, a water cannon began assembling with a gurgling sound.

"Crom, behind you!"

"Huh? Can't... move...?"

Crom's body moved, but slowly, like the falling droplets.

The cannon assembled slowly, too—just barely in time.

One of the eight droplets bouncing off the nearby ground struck Crom's foot.

At the same moment, another cannon began assembling with a sound from behind and to the side.

Crom, struggling to turn, might have pressed a hand to his forehead and looked upward if he had been free to move.

"Wait... seriously?"

A gush of water erupted from the cannon, striking Crom’s shoulder. The cannon collapsed and vanished.

Its force was barely more than half that of a standard monster in this layer. The damage was negligible.

"Hey? I can move again!"

Aware that his body was regaining motion, Crom twisted and rolled, barely escaping the rain zone.

With Crom free of the area, the second cannon, already assembling, dissolved with a splashing sound.

"So if you hit that shell, you return to full speed. And each time you hit a droplet, a cannon forms."

"Can't move much, huh?"

"Yeah. That's impossible. Can't force it. It'll hit again right away."

For now, hold off on this area. Let’s return to the Town? There might be something to break the deadlock—whether it’s the lightning or this rain.

Crom agreed with Kasumi’s suggestion. The two paused their exploration and turned back toward the path home.

They advanced steadily, dispatching monsters as they went. Then, abruptly, a shadow fell over them, the light dimming. They stopped and looked up at the sky.

"Not just clouds..."

"I think so too."

The clouds covering the sky passed through the field, moving onward.

From that moment, the atmosphere matched the two locations they had discovered earlier.

A distinctive cloud formation.

The two realized it served as a landmark of some kind in this layer.

"How do we reach it?"

"What about Shiroppu?"

"Likely guarded. That route is a back way, after all."

For now, there was no conclusion to be reached. The two ceased their thoughts and resumed walking toward the town.