Defense specialization and convergence five.

“Hmm, trouble has arisen.”

“Indeed. Never thought the magical array would be so vast.”

They speak, Shin and Kasumi. Kasumi had summoned Hak to enlarge her form, moving through the forest to scout for members of the Maple Tree. Anyone who saw her would recognize her immediately. Yet instead of a Maple Tree member, it was Shin who arrived.

And around the entire forest, a wind rose—wrapping it in a spiral—transporting all players within indiscriminately into the dungeon.

Both had just received notifications of medal acquisition. The cause of this sudden turn of events was not unclear to them.

“Don’t know why it activated, but at least there’s space to move Hak.”

That’s true. Still… faint cries of distress. Better keep alert.

Kasumi moves through the woods, positioning her massive frame beside Hak. The forest is dim, just as the field had been, with an unsettling stillness that makes any sudden threat seem possible. Only cries of distress break the silence. Then, a sudden tremor shakes the ground. Both brace themselves.

—! Kasumi!

Ah, here it comes! [Heart-Eye]!

Kasumi activates her skill, predicting the enemy’s attack. The world flashes red across her vision—every direction marked as a zone of damage.

Sine! This way!

O-oh!

Realizing retreat is too late, Kasumi immediately has Hak coil around them both, hardening his scales into armor.

Immediately after, a loud crack resounds as hard things collide. They look upward. Above, the massive centipede, deflected by Hak, slips smoothly past Hak’s back. Then the ground trembles again. Kasumi’s vision blurs as the zone of damage vanishes from sight. Their shoulders relax.

“Ugh… even the exoskeleton was tough. Can we really handle something like that?”

“Judging by the screams, other players are being thrown too. It’s not something one or two people could take down.”

“Yeah… this is turning into a mess.”

“But we can’t avoid it. We can’t stay here forever.”

“True. Fine. Let’s deal with the centipede. Wen! [Awaken] [Crack Sword]!”

The sword splits apart with the effect, drifting in midair. The quantity has increased further than when Kasumi saw it during the fourth event. One can tell that mastering such a volume would be formidable.

"Growing again?"

"Yeah, Wen favors numbers. Sally over there probably doesn’t suit me."

"Maybe Sally could dodge it coolly..."

"Could be. Still, I’d like to fight her someday."

"Come to the guild home. Frederica comes often."

"Could work. If Sally hits me, I’d be top-tier!—right, time to begin!"

"Yeah, let’s."

Kasumi releases Hak’s defense, summoning [Warrior’s Arm] to both sides, settling into combat stance. The vision again darkens with damage range.

"Coming straight on!"

"Okay, Wen [Wind God]!"

Shin releases the wind blade and the Crack Sword in response to Kasumi’s signal. The weapons slice through the head and torso of the charging giant centipede, yet it does not cease its advance.

“Tch, damnably hard!”

“Haku!”

Kasumi does not allow it to retreat again. She drives Haku forward from the side, then bites and tightens her grip. In that moment, Kasumi leaps onto the centipede’s moving body and swiftly raises her blade.

“Second Cut — Iron Slice!”

The blade descends in one swift motion, piercing through the centipede’s defense, cracking its shell, and deeply wounding its body. The resistance is solid. Haku tightens her hold, then rips through the head and torso in one violent motion.

“Hey now, that’s some serious power from your serpent.”

“Fufu, my pride and joy, that’s all.”

But when Kasumi stepped down from the giant centipede and began to move toward Shin, the severed body and head behind her twitched violently, broke free from Hak’s restraint, and burrowed into the ground on both sides.

"Thought I’d be dead sooner. So this is the real start?"

"Likely. The effect of 【Mind’s Eye】 has worn off. Shin, do not let your guard down."

As the two remained alert to the tremors beneath them, a new presence approached—a second giant centipede. The sensation proved accurate. Two centipedes burst forth. The only difference was their slightly smaller size. Both were fully regenerated, lunging at the pair.

"Kasumi!"

"Aa!"

Without need for further words, they each turned to face one centipede, raising their weapons.

"Can’t let it escape—Wen, 【Wind Cage】!"

"Hak, hold on tight."

The sword at Kasumi’s side swung in unison with the warrior’s arm, severing the centipede as before. Shin, too, was kept aloft by Wen’s 【Wind Cage】, sliced through repeatedly by the blade that moved at will in the air.

Endurance is weakening.

Yes. But it feels slightly faster now.

It split again. And after splitting, it’s certain to flee…

No matter the restraint of Hak, no matter Wen’s 【Wind Cage】, it escapes and returns. Repeating this, the centipede doubles, then doubles again—now sixteen in number. Even at eight, some had slipped past attacks, striking Kasumi. Facing them head-on became increasingly difficult.

Damn it. Even smaller, its power remains unchanged…

But HP is lower. From here, I can be of more use! Kasumi—finish the ones you miss!

“Ah, intercepting is left to me.”

The next assault strikes as he speaks, a swarm of centipedes descending from all directions, encircling him.

“Sixteen or so? Easy enough!”

Wind blades, conjured by Wen’s [Wind God], slice through the centipedes evenly, severing them midair. The survivors are impaled one by one by the ascending swords.

“Your luck ran out when HP dropped!”

They cannot evade Shin’s assault. Kasumi does not need to strike. Thirty-two, then sixty-four centipedes fall without effort.

“This would be hell without area attacks.”

“Next time, perhaps one hundred twenty-eight?”

“Who knows? I’ll never be outnumbered.”

As he speaks, a tremor shakes the ground—far greater than before. A centipede, larger than the first, advances, its jaws glinting sharp in the light.

While Shin reacts slowly, caught off guard by the unexpected scale of it, Kasumi draws her blade without hesitation.

"【Purple Mirage Blade】!"

With a force that repels the charging centipede, a rapid barrage of strikes lands. The warriors at her sides respond in kind, their blades whipping through the air with astonishing speed. The centipede’s carapace cracks from head to tail, splitting in sequence.

The skill ends. Dozens of blades materialize around the centipede, converging in an instant. The force that had been directed outward rebounds upon itself. The centipede dissolves into light and vanishes.

"Huh… so that’s how it works. A hundred times stronger now… and it ended there… still, it’s gotten quite small."

"Quiet. I’ll cut you if you keep staring."

Kasumi activated her strongest skill at that moment. It had a drawback—her body shrank. She avoided using it whenever possible, but there were times when restraint was not an option.

"Haiku, get on. Ugh... this is high."

"Should I help?"

"It'll return soon. What's with that look, like you're staring at a child?"

"Hahaha, no, seriously, Kasumi's guild has some interesting skills."

A notification for medal acquisition reached the two, and their bodies were enveloped in light.

"Combat participation is impossible until the body returns to normal."

"Ah, it's fine. Mii is coming too, and with that serpent around, we can handle a few monsters."

When Kasumi managed to climb onto Haiku, the two were transferred back to the original field.