Defense specialization and convergence IV.

……What should we do?

What can we do when you say that……we’re two people, after all……

Behind a wall of stone and ivy, Markus and Izzy huddle, sheltered.

Both players who cannot fight without time to set up or prepare. They had stumbled upon one another while fleeing in desperation.

How much longer can you hold, Markus?

…With the current setup…five minutes, maybe?

I’ll make items at full power. We’ll have to alternate defense and advance.

Izzy deploys the workshop, crafting items one after another. Exactly five minutes, as Markus said, the wall collapses. The monster horde pours through.

Is this enough?

Yet the horde of monsters is halted by the ice wall forged from the ice crystals Iz created. The two shift slightly, seeking a better position to survive.

“This time, we’ll do it from here. Make more items—”

“Yes. There’s no choice. This will cost dearly again.”

They work in turn, crafting traps and items with steady hands, mindful of their dwindling gold. Survival hangs by a thread.

“Ugh… we’re running out… Mii, hurry….”

“…There’s a cave! We could hold there!”

“But it’s far…”

“There’s a way to get there instantly!”

“Really… that’s a relief… huh?”

Iz pulls a lump of water from her inventory. It floats gently, drifting just above their feet.

“Fei! [Item Enhancement]”

“T-That’s definite! Maple always does something like that!”

Correct! Hold on tight!

W-wait, wait!

Izu presses down on the water sphere beneath her feet while gripping Markus. The enhanced sphere erupts in a violent surge of water, blasting both of them backward and sweeping them through the swarm of monsters.

They roll into the cave without incident.

Just as they prepare to defend themselves, their feet glow white. Light envelops them.

This is…

A teleportation…

Too late to stop. They vanish from the cave, flung into another place. The light fades. Their eyes open. Stone brick walls surround them. The ground is covered in fine, loose sand. Behind them, a solid wall. The monsters that once troubled them are gone. But a new problem arises.

We’ve entered the dungeon.

“F-fine… two of us? H-how should we…?”

Two support members alone—boss encounters could prove fatal.

“M-Mi can’t use [Marked Token] to teleport here… ugh, no, no, this is bad…”

“What should we do? Stay inside the dungeon? We can’t be sure no one else will come.”

“Stronger monsters appear after a certain time… I suffered badly on the first day.”

Seeing Markus’s expression—dreadful even to recall—Yui realizes it is no lie.

“Then we’re in trouble. We must find a way through.”

“Yeah. No choice. Can’t afford to hold back… Clear [Transparency].”

The chameleon on Markus’s head activates its skill. An effect envelops Markus and Yui.

If we don’t collide, they won’t be found… well, it won’t work on the boss, but it’s useless against outside monsters too. That’s a problem.

Ah. Quite a skill. Even more so for a trap-user.

“S-so, is that true?”

They were no longer visible to the common monsters and began advancing through the dungeon while observing.

Sand… like the ruins from the jungle event.

The one we’ve both conquered, that’s the one. Indeed, that’s how it feels.

As they advance, the ground shifts. A monstrous figure rises—formed of sand, wielding a great spear and clad in sand-made armor. It moves toward them, grains slipping from its form like powder.

It will be fine. If it feels like that, it should not be visible... probably.

I’ll set it aside for now.

Iz and Marx pressed flat against the wall, still as stone, waiting for the sand soldiers to pass. Clear's 【Invisibility】 held firm. Neither was seen. They exhaled, relief sharp in their breath.

"Phew. We might make it all the way to the back."

"Yeah. Can't go on like this, though."

They moved deeper into the dungeon, toward the Boss Room, step by step.

Thanks to Clear's power, they reached the door without trouble. The real challenge began here.

"W-what now? We made it this far..."

"True. But we have no choice but to go ahead."

"Yeah..."

"Come on. We must try. And here, in front of the door, we can prepare as much as we want."

"Eh? Oh, right... I guess."

They entered the dungeon with an attacker at the forefront, supported by a secondary member. Normally, they would not prepare for damage output, as such preparation consumed time with no benefit.

But now, that was not possible.

“Even if we don’t know the opponent, we must make them understand how dangerous it is to grant us preparation time.”

……Yeah. I see. I’m different from the fourth event.

They prepared items requiring time to craft, and skills requiring time to activate. Once fully ready, they opened the door and entered.

The interior was a wide space. The floor was nothing but sand, like a desert. At the far end stood a throne carved from sandstone. A figure resembling a king stood there, wielding a sand spear finer than those seen on the path, draped in a red mantle and gold armor.

The figure stood there, wielding a sand spear finer than those on the path, draped in a red mantle and gold armor. It did not flinch as the two entered, striking the ground with the spear. From the sand before it, soldiers rose in a line.

“Your soldiers? Then mine is a fortress. [Setup: One-Night Castle]!”

Markus activated his skill. A wall rose around them, forming a keep.

He activated another skill, creating barricades of ivy and stone, as he had when defending against demon monsters. Izu arranged items and turrets along the fort Markus had built.

“Normally Maple-chan’s [Mechanical God] is enough, but now—this is useful!”

“Then I’ll be soldiers too. [Remote Setup: Army of Water] [Remote Setup: Floral Cavalry]”

It is a trap, so it activates only when monsters draw near—effective for a single use, brief in duration—but by summoning sand soldiers to crush the enemy, numerical advantage can be restored.

"I’m good at defense… I’ll handle the boss."

"Understood. A gift of shells!"

Izu enhances the cannon and shells through Fay, then applies [Recycle] to the shell. The result is an unprecedented projectile capable of reaching deep into the room and detonating multiple times.

"All shells, fired!"

Shells launched from the artillery lining the fortress fly precisely toward the throne, engulfing the area in flames.

"Wha… production work isn’t a lie, is it?"

"Indeed it isn’t. I’ve just learned to fight a little too."

"A little…?"

"There’s no time for talk. Still strong, as expected."

"...Well, she’s the boss. But…"

Yes, everything is ready.

Iz pulls more trebuchets and bombs from her inventory, setting them remotely as Markus pushes back the sand soldiers. The bombs strike down the sand soldiers, push the front line forward, and expand the area where Markus’s traps are laid.

Good… then let’s close the distance like this.

Yes, it’s fine.

[Change]

A skill with a long cooldown, swapping the positions of two placed traps. The cooldown is long because this is not merely a convenient ability.

A trap placed near the king, pushing aside the sand soldiers. The trap it swaps with is predetermined.

Oh, being this close makes aiming easy, doesn’t it?

The one that swapped positions was naturally the Night Castle. From there, countless cannons aimed toward the king, and bombs rolled about, ready to be deployed upon closer approach.

Shutting out the sand soldiers summoned from behind, reinforced by an array of traps and fortifications, the inventory emptied completely as bombs were hurled at the king.

"Can at least restrain him..."

The commander-type boss was outmatched, even with the base itself reinforced and closing in. Bound by Markus's limbs, the boss still thrust forward—then vanished, swallowed by an explosion that reached the ceiling, dissolving into sand.

"Turned out better than expected, didn't it?"

"Still… the Maple Tree is strange. Oh, a medal."

"Ah, I have one too. With this, we might manage to focus on regrouping and establishing a base tomorrow."

"Oh, right. We can't regroup like this…"

And then, the two bodies are enveloped in light, returning to the original field. Returning to the original location meant being surrounded by those monsters again. The two brace themselves, alert, but the monsters are absent. Instead, there is Mii, manipulating two fireballs, Mizari focusing on healing, and Crom, who had been surrounded by monsters only moments before.

"O—really here. Iz, safe, I see."

"Marx too, safe? Good."

"Yeah... well... a lot happened, but in the end, safe? I guess."

"And, we managed to obtain the medal too, it seems...?"

"Notification reached me too. So you two did it together?"

"Things just... worked well together."

"Yeah... that's right."

A fortunate mistake. Each smiles, having gained one medal. The three wait at the point where the 【Marked Card】's response faded, awaiting Marx.

“Good to have Crom with us. Now I can go to Maple-chan’s place with peace of mind.”

Crom explains his presence to Iz. Iz nods and decides to join. More people are better.

“Just taking a ride isn’t right. I’ll give you a few potions. Mii will understand—my special blend.”

“Ah, helpful. If I find Shin, I’ll take you to Maple. That’s no trouble.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“…I’m sorry to interrupt, but… Shin’s 【Marked Card】 might have faded.”

“What? I don’t think he’d fall so easily…”

Maple’s expression shifts, thoughtful. If that is so, there is only one other case in which the reaction would vanish.

“Perhaps… he entered the dungeon?”

A possibility Markus had just recently experienced himself. And the guess proves correct.