Defense specialization and additional two.

She walks toward the designated location on the fifth floor.

The goal here is to obtain the material located at the deepest part of the dungeon.

Feels like it’s been a long time since I last came here… Well then, let’s get this done quickly.

She kicks off the cloud-made ground and leaps into the target dungeon. Inside, the walls and floor are made of cloud, dazzlingly white. Tiny droplets and ice float along the corridors.

Lightning streaks through at regular intervals, crackling loudly as it travels along them.

It will take considerable damage to force a passage through.

Can’t tell the exact damage until I see it… 【Ten no Tachi: Kongou】!

Kasumi drinks the potion granted by Izu—resistance to paralysis and reduced lightning damage—and activates her skill. In exchange for lowering 【AGI】 and 【DEX】, she gains increased resistance to status effects and reduced damage.

"Good. Let’s go."

As Kasumi sprints through the passage, lightning crackles. She moves without pause. No paralysis takes hold. Damage remains within the range her potion can heal, thanks to double damage reduction.

"……!"

Midway through the passage, while drinking the potion, droplets in the air coalesce. Monsters form—some crystalline ice, others liquid droplets.

Kasumi draws her blade to strike. The monsters shriek, then merge into a solid wall of ice, blocking the path.

Using the terrain... Push through! [Warrior's Arm] [Sixth Sword: Flame]

Kasumi summons massive arms at her sides. She wraps flame around the blade in her hand, slicing through the wall of ice as if melting it.

The wall is, in essence, a transformed monster with heightened durability. It breaks when struck with force exceeding its resilience.

Wall ahead. Wall beyond. Wall after wall.

Behind her, thunder grows fiercer, pressing closer.

Yet Kasumi—strong in both attack and defense—endures the damage, and clears the passage straight ahead.

Good. Then... what is this? I am not so bad after all.

Each guild member grows with their own unique strength. To apply personal buffs and unleash high-damage attacks that suit their synergy is simply strong.

The certainty that her attack had worked properly brought Kasumi relief. She exhaled, hand resting on her chest.

Emerging from the passage crackling with lightning, she found a wide space. Two paths extended into the distance.

"That... is..."

On the ground made of cloud, a small bird slept, blending into the white mist. Wings of cloud, feathers pure white. It stirred as Kasumi approached, drifting rather than fluttering, vanishing into the deeper passage.

"Needed the parent's feather. Follow?"

Two routes. Kasumi turned toward the one the bird had taken.

"Monsters like that... might be made allies, perhaps."

She recalled the quest had originated on the fourth floor. The thought returned—she would need to check the other levels regularly. She peered ahead into the passage.

"Next is a blizzard..."

She checked the ahead, adjusted her gear and skills, then pressed forward. She repeated this several times. The color of the sky appeared in the distance.

"Has it come loose? Well, that’s satisfactory."

She climbed the slope, satisfied with having pushed through the varied terrain while defeating monsters.

From there, clouds stretched like tree branches, thin and long. At their tips, a bird’s nest, a feather made of thick cloud, and a small bird rested.

Taking one. That is all I need.

Kasumi walked upon the clouds. She took one feather. Before the parent bird returned, she slipped away.

"Then, the final one."

Only six layers remain. What Kasumi must do on the sixth layer is slay a boss-level undead monster.

Little consumption. Good. Proceed as is.

Kasumi moves toward the designated location of the sixth layer, continuing the momentum from clearing the fourth and fifth. The area is a flat plain, unobstructed save for scattered, blood-stained blades and rusted armor. Though rumors speak of something occurring here, nothing stirs.

…………

Having accepted the quest, Kasumi knows there must be something. She draws her blade, ready for combat, and walks through the plain.

…… Came.

Purple flames erupt from the ground around her—unlike her own. Mist rises, thick and cold, filling the air.

As Kasumi raises her sword, a headless knight emerges from the fog ahead, clad in bloodstained armor, wielding a straight sword identical to her own.

Easier than a boss. Let's go. —Heart's Eye —Warrior's Arm —First Cut: Mirage

Kasumi activates 【Warrior's Arm】, increasing her number of strikes. She shifts her attack with 【Heart's Eye】, then vanishes in a single slash, closing the distance instantly.

Her attack is blocked. Yet the massive blades at her flanks cleave deep into torso and shoulder, stripping away HP.

【Fourth Strike: Whirlwind】!

Still in motion, Kasumi unleashes a flurry of blows, stacking damage in rapid succession.

If the opponent must use their sword to block the flurry, Kasumi’s greater number of strikes gains the advantage.

But as the flurry ends, 【Heart's Eye】 predicts her next attack, filling her vision with the forecast.

【Leap】! 【Third Strike: Lone Moon】!

Kasumi leaps upward without hesitation, then gains propulsion once more midair through another skill.

Purple flames erupt from the ground and vanish. Kasumi barely avoids the flames and lands, but the headless knight is nowhere to be seen.

“Hah— I see it!”

She turns, raising her blade. A prediction of attack appears through 【Heart’s Eye】. From the mist, the headless knight reappears once more.

Kasumi herself possesses a skill for instantaneous movement. From that experience, she has deduced how the enemy will move to inflict damage.

“Receive— and cut!”

She changes her stance, focusing on blocking the enemy’s attacks, leaving the offense to 【Warrior’s Arm】. When the arm recoils from the blow, she strikes once, testing the opponent’s response.

Carefully. One blow at a time. Minimizing the damage she takes while delivering her own, steadily reducing the enemy’s HP to zero.

As her HP diminishes, the headless knight staggers, losing balance.

“【Crimson Mirage Blade】!”

Ten consecutive strikes, each one sending the opponent flying. The blade, forged from illusion, swings alternately from right and left hand, delivering damage with every motion, closing the distance with each blow.

No escape. No balance to recover. No chance to block. And further, the attack from 【Warrior’s Arm】 accelerates the damage.

The final strike lands. The vanished blade reappears, surrounding the headless knight, then plunges in unison.

Kasumi’s damage calculation was flawless. As the blades pierced, the headless knight collapsed—another bloodstained suit of armor tumbling to the ground.

At the same moment, the mist surrounding them dissolves. The flames subside.

Only a smaller Kasumi remains on the field.

“Haa… If not for that… it would have been the perfect technique…”

Muttering about the drawback, that she could only use it as a finisher, Kasumi walked into the forest, dragging her blade behind her, unseen. She sank down at the base of a tree.

“If I return to normal, I’ll report it. If I can take these monsters here… there’s still room to grow stronger.”

Kasumi waited, her thoughts lingering on her unseen companion, as her body returned to its former state.