Defense specialization, eastward.

Four moved eastward: Dread, Markus, Mai, and Yui.

Riding atop Tsukimi and Yukimi, they surged forward across the field.

"Hmm, quite fast this way."

"Yeah, if we meet a monster, we might just outrun it..."

As they spoke, a one-eyed, quadrupedal monster appeared ahead—same one that had attacked the base. It advanced toward the four, unyielding even to Markus’s Clear ability.

"【Power Share】【Bright Star】!"

Tsukimi and Yukimi shared their strength with their masters, boosting attack power. They emitted beams of light, spherical in shape, delivering damage.

The monster, closing in from the front, staggered as it absorbed the attack from both directions simultaneously.

She staggered, and from either side, Tsukimi and Yukimi darted past. As they passed, the two swung their great hammers in unison—each blow struck the monster squarely, then vanished into light.

"Damn, that's a fierce ambush."

"Seeing it up close again, the power is incredible..."

The core strategy of the four remained the same: guide Mai and Yui into direct engagement with the monster, then destroy it completely. With Tsukimi and Yukimi present, speed was maintained at a sufficient level. Combined with Markus’s traps, their ability to disengage posed no issue.

They studied the map Sally had drawn, estimating the location of the mark based on the position of the maple grove.

"The terrain hasn’t changed. According to Sally, it should be around here... Wait, is that—"

Night so deep no star pierces the dark spreads before them. The lake ahead holds the moon’s reflection. Looking up, the moon is nowhere to be found. The sight is unmistakably unnatural.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes. Staying here will only bring monsters. Besides, Crom said it’s easier inside the dungeon.”

“Yeah. Here, the Clear ability won’t help much…”

“Then let’s move. We don’t even know for sure if it’s a dungeon.”

“Understood. Tsukimi!”

Mai and Yui urge Tsukimi and Yukimi forward. They reach the lake’s edge without pause.

“For now, we’ll go to the center.”

“Boat… launch it?”

Tsukimi and Yukimi extend their feet toward the water’s surface, needing no aid to swim. Yet, strangely, their feet halt precisely at the surface, neither sinking nor rising. They walk forward without issue, treading the water as if it were solid ground.

This feels… like a hit.

When the four proceed straight to the center of the lake, where the moon is reflected, their bodies are enveloped in light.

"Found it already? Well, don't die, then."

Yes

"Yes!"

With resolve shared among them, the four bodies were entirely enveloped in light and slipped into the dungeon without a sound.

The destination was a place where the ground was soaked through, the walls damp and clinging, thick with humidity. The four stood within a circular space—its nature as the starting point became clear immediately.

Only one corridor extended from this chamber. There was no choice but to proceed along it.

Then, shall we begin?

"Yeah, then clear... [Translucence]"

"Did that make us vanish?"

"Yeah. But monsters that ignore it will still come. Be careful."

"Even knowing it's PVP, I don't know if we can handle it."

"...Maybe not."

The four advance with caution down the corridor. A meter-long eel emerges from the far end, gliding through the air, trailing water. After passing, a path of water remains, crackling with pale blue light.

They raise their weapons swiftly. The eel does not notice them. It continues forward, straight ahead.

"Sister!"

"Yeah!"

The two step forward. Each grips a massive mallet, swings them high, and brings them down with full force.

The eel, drifting lazily, is struck from above. It crashes into the ground with a sharp *pang*, crackling with electricity, then dissolves into light.

A bold assassination, indeed...

"Transparency has merit, I suppose."

Using it when entering the dungeon with Iz and Dan was unavoidable—there was no other way to remain hidden. But with Mai and Yui, the effect was entirely different. To the monster, it was as if an invisible, instant-kill strike came from empty space. A single blow, and the monster would fall—unseen, undetected.

That is not a way of fighting our guild would undertake.

A skill meant purely for surprise attacks...

"Ah, I can see it again now. Could you hang it back up, please?"

Perhaps it’ll show up in the boss fight. If so, a new-looking one shall be dealt with.

Whether Mai and Yui’s single strike could deliver a killing blow was a key factor in strategy. Thus, the four’s advance proceeded with smooth momentum.

Markus cast 【Transparency】 upon the two again. He then applied a variation of the trap skill to Mai and Yui—granting them the ability to manifest defensive barriers in response to incoming attacks.

"Electricity was discharged… you can't see them, so be careful of indiscriminate strikes."

"Was it Maple’s 【Love That Offers the Body】? Even I can't match that kind of defense. You'll have to predict and dodge accordingly."

Markus’s defensive barrier was the last line of defense should that fail. Mai and Yui had always intended to land their attacks precisely when paired with anyone other than Maple. This was, therefore, a timely opportunity for skill advancement.

"Let’s proceed straight to the innermost chamber!"

"Be careful as we advance, Yui."

Advancing with resolve, they moved forward. Among the electric eels, a variety of fish swam through the air. After a short distance, a large chamber appeared before them. The space teemed with fish leaping through the air, their bodies crackling with electric discharge.

Any careless touch or attack would surely draw all monsters toward them, turning in unison to strike.

“W-what should we do… We can’t take them all on at once.”

“We want to slip through, but it might be difficult.”

“Shall we, Shadow… Awakening.”

At Dread’s command, a black-furred wolf emerged.

“Only Markus had a combat-avoidance ability, huh?”

Dread issued the command and immediately directed the others straight toward the opposite corridor.

Hearing this, Mai and Yui mounted Tsukimi and Yukimi, and signaled to Dread that they were ready.

"Let's go—Shadow Realm."

In response to Dread's voice, the ground beneath the four turned black. They sank without resistance, their entire forms vanishing into the earth. The three paused, stunned for a moment, then recalled Dread's presence and surged forward without hesitation. Above, the scenery they had seen moments before now stretched through the ground, visible through the surface. As they ran, a pressure from below pushed them upward, closer to the surface.

The four managed to sprint past the opposite corridor without alerting the monsters.

"Haha, if we can slip through traps like this… wouldn’t that be harder to handle?"

"...Not sure about that."

Markus, who appeared to have glimpsed a fragment of the Gathering Holy Sword members’ strength, was met with nothing but astonishment from Mai and Yui regarding the peculiar skill they had just witnessed.

“Amazing! Such a versatile ability!”

“Saved us. Thank you.”

“It’s fine. We need firepower from the boss side too. Still…”

Dread rubbed his temple, struck by the sheer, unfiltered reactions of Mai and Yui—so unlike any usual strategy.

“Like the Maple Tree, perhaps…”

“Ah… I think I understand what you’re thinking.”

With eyes alight, he led the two forward, toward the Boss Room.

With Clear and Shadow’s evasion, and Mai and Yui’s power to slay monsters in one strike when needed, the journey posed no real hardship. The four reached the door of the Boss Room.

"Markus, is the preparation complete?"

Yes, I’m fine.

"We are all right as well!"

Good then, shall we open it?

Dread leads, stepping inside. A ten-meter-long giant catfish floats at the far end of the room, wrapped in a mass of water. From its thick, long whiskers, electricity crackles with a sound.

A health bar appears above the catfish’s head. It shudders violently, flinging water from around its body toward the four. The droplets float in midair. Then, as the catfish’s whiskers pulse with stronger electricity, the water begins to hum with it as well.

[Remote Installation: Earth Wall]

Markus felt a dread. He raised a wall of earth, placing it between himself and the floating water orbs. Moments later, a thick strand of lightning stretched across the space between the orbs, as if connecting them. It lingered for a breath, then vanished.

Don’t worry. I’ll create an opening. You’re coordinating with Sally, right?

““Yes, we’re fine!””

Dread, same speed type and weapon as Sally, makes it easier for Mai and Yui to synchronize. They’ve spent long hours training together.

Finding similarities in movement should be possible.

Shadow, [Shadow Pack]!

As Dread dashes forward, he summons multiple wolves from the shadows, sending them ahead to charge the catfish floating slightly above the ground. The wolves collide with the water surrounding the catfish and vanish instantly, crackling with electricity.

Troublesome… I’ll have to use magic.

Getting close means taking the shock myself. He has a skill to survive with one HP, so he could test it. But the risk doesn’t match the reward.

While using magic to draw attention, making attacks from Mai and Yui more difficult, she considered how to proceed. She circled to the side of the catfish, turning its back toward Mai and Yui, and directed its head toward herself. A massive impact struck the catfish’s belly, thunderous enough to withstand even lightning.

When the catfish staggered backward, something struck the ground with a heavy thud, sinking deep into the earth. Dread looked toward the direction the object had flown from. There, like a toss-batting motion, Mai hurled something, and Yui met it with a great mallet. Though unseen, Markus was pulled by the force of their combined power nearby.

Something flew in with a thunderous roar once more. Precisely, the second impact struck the face of the catfish just as it attempted to counter, the newly completed, ultra-hard game-material alloy mystery sphere forged by Mai and Yui during the first night—unyielding to their combined blows—piercing deep. The catfish, damaged, lost its control over water and fell to the ground, downed.

“Dread-sama! Now!”

“Please…!”

“What brute force… [Septapulus Slash]! Shadow [Shadow Swarm]!”

Dread, testing the waters, struck the catfish’s whiskers without electricity. The number of attacks, as if by sheer strength, the wolf pack’s swarm and rapid strikes delivered clear damage. A deep gash split the whiskers mid-attack. The body remained upright, but Dread anticipated a drop in the electric assault’s effectiveness. The catfish’s body began to crackle with electricity. Dread stepped back, creating distance.

Those two… won’t make it even if they ride a bear.

The down was not long enough, and the next battering stance was already forming. There was no way to make it.

“Mai, Yui! Can you do it again!”

““Yes!””

Dread positioned himself between the catfish and the electric assault, avoiding impact with every fiber of his being. He could take damage, but not death—unlike Sally. He exploited the wall maintained by Markus and the damage-cutting effect, buying time until the next down.

“This side… probably dangerous. Shadow Wall!”

Anticipating the next attack, he minimized damage. When a colossal surge of electricity came too large to dodge, he deflected it with Shadow’s skill.

Combining skill and technique, he bought time. The catfish was struck again, slammed back into the ground.

"« This time, we can do it! »"

The two, determined to close the distance quickly, leapt onto Tsukimi and Yukimi and surged forward in a single motion.

"« 【Double Strike】!! »"

The attack they launched while jumping from Tsukimi and Yukimi was not a clumsy collision, nor one that failed to land damage due to their coordination. It struck with the precise, clean force of a true skill attack.

The destructive power, gained at the cost of all else, was no less than that of Pain or Mii.

Even a commercially available attack skill, accessible to any, could deliver instant death.

Yet the catfish survived, its health reduced to just a sliver, and began emitting electric surges far stronger than before. From the unnatural resilience, Dread recognized the danger immediately and stepped back.

"« It endured!? »"

"Back off! Probably a trap!"

Maple and Sally remounted their steeds and fell back toward Markus, keeping pace with Dread.

A glance over their shoulders revealed the giant catfish’s discharge reaching its peak—luminous pillars, like lightning strikes, surged upward toward the ceiling, tearing through the ground as they advanced.

“[Remote Placement: Earth Wall][Remote Placement: Barrier][Remote Placement: Fortress Wall]!”

Markus erected walls behind the fleeing trio, delaying the lightning’s reach. Just as they reached him, Markus summoned the fortress he had used before, when fighting Izu.

“[Placement: Night Fortress]! This still won’t be enough…!”

“How long can it hold!?”

“At this rate… thirty seconds!”

Outside the fortress, only the blinding white light of the lightning remained visible. What lay beyond was unknown. Yet they could not be defeated here.

Shānee, just one more strike. If we’re gonna burn here anyway, might as well try. Trouble, but what can you do.

Dread steps out from the fortress, no other choice, and dives straight into the colossal lightning.

[Overdrive][Top Speed][Divine Speed] Shadow [Shadow Dive]!

Dread accelerates instantly, then vanishes into shadow through the Shadow skill. A fraction of a second passes. The speed granted by the skill allows Dread to slip through the massive lightning strike.

Beyond lies the giant catfish, struck by torrents of electricity. But there is no need to run through that. Dread conjures stone bullets with earth magic.

Hā, glad it wasn’t thicker.

The stone projectile strikes the catfish between the eyes, pierces through, and finally reduces its HP to zero.

Hā… made it.

Dread-san, are you alright?!

“Hn, ah, don’t worry about it. No problem.”

The battle ends. Each person receives a single medal. Dread watches Mai and Yui, who seem pleased. A next dungeon, he thinks, should be an opponent easier to defeat.