Defense specialization and the grasslands.

Sally observed the monsters lingering here as she was, enjoying the view.

Fish swam beneath the clear stream. Birds flew across the sky. Nothing notable occurred.

"Phew... nothing at all. Just a place to search for monsters, then?... Hey! Maple?"

Maple responded when asked what she was doing, but her form remained unseen.

Sally puzzled over it, checked the map, and walked toward Maple.

"Ah... I see."

Before Sally stood a row of soft, rounded spheres. These creatures, known as Woolballs, were shaped like balls, made entirely of wool. Among the flock, Maple, her fleece growing luxuriously, was nestled deep within—entirely blended in.

"Completely merged in. I didn’t notice at first."

"Hehe, see? These little ones move sometimes—when they do, they bounce up and carry us along!"

"...Is that really not just being run over?"

Sally slipped into Maple’s wool, careful not to disturb the woolly ball, as Maple beckoned with a hand.

This process was familiar now.

"Sometimes it’s nice to relax, isn’t it?"

"Ha, that’s just like Maple, isn’t it?"

"Whaa? I don’t think that’s true."

"Ah—can’t even relax right now."

Sally felt the woolly ball stir and sank deeper into Maple’s fleece, securing herself with thread to keep from slipping out entirely.

"Love That Offers the Body! Just to be safe."

"Mm, thanks."

Almost as soon as they finished preparing, the flock began its great movement, racing across the plain.

In sync, Maple’s tuft, not moving on its own, was kicked forward like a ball, spinning wildly.

No damage taken, but the spinning was enough to make her dizzy.

“H-hold on… Maple! You’re spinning too much…!”

“Eeek, it was slower just a moment ago…!”

Sally, too, would take damage if she released the thread at this inopportune moment, so she could do nothing but roll on.

After a while, a scraping sound came, then a jolt—something had been hit—and Maple’s tuft stopped spinning.

“Never spun this much… maybe for the first time…”

“Yeah… sorry. I’ll rest a bit before going again.”

“Mm, me too…”

The two, rolled so thoroughly they could no longer tell up from down, emerged from the tangle of fur with a sudden pop.

Before her, a small spring lay within a forest thick with trees. The surrounding area was shrouded in dense undergrowth. The rustling sound Maple and the others had heard was clearly the result of something forcefully pushing aside the thick foliage.

The sheep drank from the spring's water. The great migration had ended.

Seems they’ve moved quite a bit.

She had thought it had progressed quite far, spinning as it was... hmm, it has already exited the plain. Still, it feels slightly excessive in its movement...

So wide, yet… sheep move faster than I thought.

The map indicates they are deep within a forest, beyond an expansive plain.

Going straight would take a little longer, it seems.

Since you’ve brought it this far, aren’t you going to look around here too?

Yes, alright. Just taking a moment to rest, that’s all.

Sally trimmed Maple’s wool to make movement easier, then the two walked toward the spring.

It doesn’t flee when approached. Could even be brought into the group, if needed.

Can’t take it back with us anymore. So soft, so sweet.

Maple pressed against the jade sheep, savoring the soft wool against her hands, when the sheep shivered in response, its round body trembling.

W-what!? W-w-wait!

Maple was thrown back, lost her balance, and fell into the spring with a splash.

The jade sheep startled, fleeing at once. Sally stepped swiftly to the spring’s edge and pulled Maple up with a thread.

Are you alright now, Maple?

Yes, I was startled, but I’m fine.

Sally noticed something as she pulled Maple up to the ground.

"Maple, did you drop something in the water?"

"Uh? I have the great shield... and the short dagger... yes, the ring too!"

"Look, Maple, look here."

Peering into the spring as Sally urged, something glittered at the bottom.

"I can dive down and check. Just wait."

Sally leapt into the spring and returned with the glowing object in hand.

"Here we go! Phew..."

"Welcome back! Um... a gem?"

In Sally's hand lay a sphere of white ore. It was smooth, faintly luminous.

"Let's check the item description first."

[White Key]

One of three keys required to open a certain door.

"…Where will this be used?"

"I don't know... but probably there are others like this. It says one of the keys, after all."

"Ugh, searching for something this small sounds exhausting."

"We need to find a clue. This time... we ended up here without really understanding why..."

Recalling how they came here, Sally pauses, her thoughts turning inward.

"…There must be other moving monsters. So, while we're exploring, why not check how many other types there are?"

"Agreed! Then, if we find another one, it means our guess was right!"

"That's right. Now we have one more goal."

The two continue their expedition—what they call sightseeing—with a new objective: finding another gem.

The dungeon crawler app has been updated. You can now hear a short voice clip from Maple and Sally on the official site!

Do take a listen if you'd like!