Defense specialization and explosion.

“Fuu… what should I do… I promised everyone we’d all rank high, but…”

Iz considers. She can deal damage with powerful bombs, but such preparations require time—enough to make clearing monsters for top placement a laborious task.

“First, preparation. Yes, this area will do. I’ll send a message to everyone… and…”

Iz chooses to hunt monsters deeper in the jungle, beyond even the forest. Many monsters and players who hunt them reside here. Iz begins her attack preparations, careful not to be seen. She has already informed her guild members to stay away from the jungle—she can act boldly without consequence.

Iz summons Fey, then draws a bomb from her inventory. Fey hovers lightly above the forest floor, her leaf-like wings rustling like green breath.

"Fey, [Forest's Wrath], [Item Augmentation], [Spirit's Jest], [Recycle]!"

As Iz gives the command, Fey drifts toward the bomb, wrapping it in a shimmering green aura. The light fades into the device. The bomb shifts, reshapes. Iz watches, satisfied. The explosive now pulses with greater force, its power amplified. Thanks to [Spirit's Jest], the bomb becomes visible only to its installer and party members. It waits.

"Such a thorned thing… place it, then."

She places the spiky bomb deep within a thicket. Slips it into a hollow in the trunk. Moves quietly, carefully. Prepares in silence.

"Next, this."

Iz takes a blue crystal from her pouch and shatters it. Water spills forth. Fay’s form dissolves into droplets.

"Good. Now, set more. Fay—Threadwater!"

Fay darts through the jungle, weaving thin threads of water invisible to careless eyes. Slowly, subtly, the jungle fills with Iz’s skill and tools.

Each time Iz breaks a crystal, Fay shifts form, infusing items with new effects.

Ice. Thunder. Earth. Fire. All transparent. The jungle’s appearance remains unchanged.

"Phew… That’ll do. Well done, Fay."

Iz climbs to the canopy using a rope. She secures her body to the tree with the rope, then checks the water thread Fay has extended beside her.

Good—confirmed no one else is near... here we go...! Fay! [Fairy's Ward]!

Fay's skill drastically reduces damage from items. To be certain, Izu's body is enveloped by the skill's effect, then a yellow crystal is shattered just beside the water thread.

A lightning surge travels along the water thread, racing through the jungle in an instant.

Immediately after Izu closes her eyes and covers her ears, a flash of light and burst of flame streak across the entire jungle.

...!

The bombs, triggered by the lightning traveling the water thread, explode in a cascade of ice blades, poison, fire, lightning, wind, and light—each effect bestowed by Fay—scattering status abnormalities and explosive damage in chaos.

And Izu's bombs do not stop after one blast. Thanks to [Recycle], each item has a fifty-percent chance of reverting to unused after use.

The ground, empty moments before, erupted without warning. No place remained to flee into the jungle. After the explosions ceased entirely, Izu looked down. The earth was covered in substances representing various attributes—unrecognizable as the jungle it had once been.

……Did I go too far? But we’re all aiming for the top, after all!

Izu ran toward the next designated blast zone, time still plentiful.

Huh?… Seriously? That’s… insane.

Crom stared, frozen, toward the distant jungle. He knew the cause of the sudden detonations.

Faye’s ability, or something like it… Ugh.

He thought of the countless monsters and players who must have perished. Another message arrived from Izu.

Next explosion warning. Better keep away… It detonated multiple times. Step in by mistake, and you’d be dead for certain.

Crom always wears the armor-type Tamemonster Necro. The strength of Necro lies in its status partially reflecting onto Crom when worn.

He cannot perform flashy actions, but his survivability has increased further.

Crom has fought numerous times against players and monsters. Breaking Crom's recovery ability in one-on-one combat is an almost impossible feat. He advances steadily, winning each battle.

Before Crom appears a tree-like monster, a treant. Unlike the many others he has slain, this one is massive.

"Ah! A large one. That one grants a buff that reveals monster positions, I believe."

Knowing the location of monsters is vital for Crom, whose movement speed has not significantly increased through the Tamemonster.

"Right, let's go, Necro! [Phantom Armor: Fortified]!"

In response to Crom’s voice, Necro reshapes his form. The armor grows heavier, more solid. The great shield strengthens, enlarges further.

Movement speed and attack power decrease, but defense becomes far more formidable.

Necro’s trait was the ability to shift forms, unlocking different skills and altering his capabilities accordingly.

“Until you show a gap… I’ll take my time.”

Crom blocks the attack with the great shield, counters with a slash. The treant’s assault is straightforward, unable to breach Crom’s reinforced defense.

“Necro! [Shock Reflection]!”

Necro activates the skill. The great shield now inflicts damage on the attacker when blocking. The treant grows increasingly at a disadvantage with each strike.

“[Shield Attack]—good! Necro, [Phantom Armor: Offense]!”

Seeing the treant’s posture falter, Necro commands a form change.

The axe in Crom’s grip lengthens to the size of a longsword. Blue flame erupts from the armor.

“Necro—[Life Drain]!”

Crom’s recovery skill increases by one. With the dagger, attacks now grant double recovery when under this form.

Attack without fear. Health will not diminish quickly.

“Good. Final blow.”

Crom swings the longsword, cleaving the treant deeply. He confirms the acquisition of a buff marking the monster’s exact position. He opens the map.

“Good. Now the map shows the monster. Wait… Maple’s still doing something. She’s still at that spot. She must have a plan… What is she doing, though…?”

Crom does not know what has happened to Maple. Only that there are things in the world one does not need to know.

"Alright, Necro’s time to shine. I need you—can’t do it alone, damage’s not enough. [Taunt]!"

The monster responds to Crom’s skill. A dozen of them surge forward. Smaller treants extend branches. The butterfly monster scatters scales that inflict status ailments. Goblin swarms leap from the underbrush to attack in ambush.

"Necro! [Ghost Charge]!"

As Crom commands, blue flame begins to leak slowly from the longsword. Crom watches the flame grow. He holds his great shield steady, parrying attacks without pause.

After enduring for a time, a sudden surge of flame erupts from the longsword.

"Necro! [Burst Flame]!"

The delayed charge amplifies the attack’s force. Blue-white flames burn forward, inflicting heavy damage on the monster. Additional burning damage persists from the [Burning] status, shifting the odds decisively in their favor. Now only one target at a time remains—each must be worn down until defeated.

“Phew. Feels good. Being surrounded used to be hell, but now it’s manageable.”

He felt the shift since Necro joined. Solo progress had become smoother. Even when borrowing Shiroppu, he’d thought the same—having a tamed monster made all the difference.

“Gotta push harder to reach the upper ranks. That one’s looking strong. Can’t let myself fall behind.”

Like Maple and the others, Crom tapped his armor twice in approval. Then he moved swiftly toward the monster marked on the map.