Defense specialization, southward.

Four traveled south: Drag, Shin, Crom, and Kasumi. Naturally, this group included Kasumi, the player who could move them all at once. Kasumi had used Hak to [Super Enlarge], advancing toward the desert where Maple’s tree had shifted on the first day. The four had followed Sally’s map, circling suspicious points, but had found nothing but empty swings. The southern route was clearly marked, easy to explore, yet Sally’s map bore few suspicious locations.

Having circled the places of highest priority, they had found no object Sally had targeted. Still, considering the possibility that the object might lie in a hard-to-find place, they had come to the vast desert.

“Pain’s dragon, I thought—mounts that carry you during travel would’ve been useful.”

“Mii says she’d appreciate being able to move, too.”

Machinery's mobility affects progress speed... something suitable...

Nothing to be found. The group that went another way seems to be making steady progress...

Four of them perched atop Hak’s head, observing the surroundings. Far off, magic effects burst as worms and demons clashed with players.

There are players near the edge of the map, it seems.

Thinking the same thing, eh. Well, given how vast this desert is, it's only natural to expect something’s here.

They advanced for a time. The sky darkened suddenly. A violent sandstorm erupted. They remained alert. Despite being near the map's edge, demonic monsters—plentiful here—did not approach. Crom, as shieldbearer, was more vigilant than any other. Yet there was no sign of monsters drawing near.

There’s something odd about this… Kasumi! Should we get down for now?

“Ah, let’s do that.”

The four, sensing something, first restored Hak to his original size, then began exploring on foot.

“Really, this sandstorm’s something. Can’t see past just a little ahead.”

“Should we scatter the Crack Sword around? That way we’ll know if anything approaches.”

Shin activated the Crack Sword, dividing it into larger segments that rotated in a wide circle around the group. This allowed them to detect any large monster approaching from any direction—front, back, left, or right—reducing the chance of surprise.

After walking for a while, the Crack Sword reacted.

“Hey, something just touched it… Not a monster, though.”

“Then let’s go. Something’s there.”

As they approached, they found a rocky terrain mixed with sand, concealed within the sandstorm. Gaps between the rocks led downward into the earth.

"Shall we go? Feels like we're finally on the right track."

"Right. We'll have to do it. With this narrow space, Hak can't grow large, but there's nothing we can do about that."

Descending through the gaps between the rocks, they entered a subterranean space where the sound of sand trickling down echoed. The ground appeared sandy, yet their feet did not sink, though walking was slightly difficult.

"Hey, this feels serious. Pretty good, huh?"

"Let me go first, then."

"Then I'll leave Crom to you."

"Let's see what comes out..."

As Crom stepped forward, a large scorpion shot up from the sand beneath his feet. It struck him once and vanished before any of them could react.

At the same moment, an effect flared from Crom. A notification confirmed the activation of an item he had received from Iz, which had previously served as a substitute for a fatal attack.

“N-no way! That scorpion has instant-death effect!”

“Yeah, we gotta retreat first!”

“Then ride this. Keep distance from the ground.”

Shin places the blades of the floating Crack Sword before each person, forming a platform. They step onto it, temporarily stabilizing their position. The strategy meeting begins.

“Shin, you can do this with that skill?”

Kasumi points at the Crack Sword beneath her feet, surprised.

“Got the idea from Maple. There are other ways to use flying swords.”

“But what now? We have the instant-death resistance item from Iz… but we can’t just use it on every weak enemy.”

“Not a problem. Leave it to me. I just need to know where the scorpions are buried in the sand.”

Drag speaks, and calls forth Earth. Earth, being a golem with extensive skills in terrain manipulation, has a countermeasure ready.

“Earth—Quake!”

Earth shakes the ground. A damage effect erupts from the sand. It signals something lies beneath.

“Syin, now! That blade can safely pass through.”

“Got it!”

Syin thrusts his sword into the sand where the damage effect flares, then pulls it up.

Black scorpions, skewered through, lie there. They writhe, then vanish with a soft *plink*.

“Low HP’s a blessing. Before walking on sand, we’d have to do this methodically.”

“Can’t be helped. Still, that boss gives me a bad feeling.”

Considering the common enemies along the path are scorpions with instant-kill attacks, the boss must be something particularly twisted.

—There’s a way to handle it, so that’s something. And it helped that it was Crom who got stung.

Some would fall without understanding why. They remembered the risk of entering the dungeon again. Still, the four pressed forward.

After a while, Earth and Drag leapt and thrust, felling scorpions that affected the entire ground. The three cleared a safe zone and advanced. At last, they reached a place where the floor was no longer covered in sand.

—Hah… Good. Here, I can settle a little.

—No, those scorpions were a real nuisance. I don’t want to go back into sandy ground…

—Crack Sword. Really helped. Feels like half my strength’s back.

—Considering we’re on solid rock now, this is probably a proper pause.

The pace of the four increased markedly once they could relax their vigilance at their feet. Crom leading, they advanced. A new monster emerged.

“Wait—this is a serpent. It’s coming from a rock crevice.”

“Poison or instant death, no doubt. Let’s finish it quickly.”

The serpent had low HP. The four understood the dungeon’s design—ambushes aimed at instant kills.

“Feels like nerves are fraying…”

“Would rather reach the boss soon—but what’s this?”

Crom, leading the way, notices flowers blooming from the rock wall as he rounds the corner. To the four, every object feels like a trap meant for instant death. They pass silently, avoiding touch. Yet the wall does not allow such ease. A snake slips out from the cave, brushing against the flowers with its body.

A sound like bells rings—unlike any noise from contact with the blooms. The snake emerges from the hole in the wall.

“Ah—damn it! I was careful not to touch them!”

“Wen! [Wind God]!”

To clear the approaching snakes, Shin has no choice but to release a blade of wind. Naturally, it stirs the other flowers as well. But first, they must survive the swarm.

Shin spins the Crack Sword, severing the approaching serpents one after another.

"Attack the ones trying to get inside! You can't handle precise control yet, so don't worry about it!"

"Leave the ones here to me! Earth Wave!"

"Necro, Death Flame!"

"Bloody Blade!"

They counter the pressing swarm with skills that strike multiple targets, overcoming the disadvantage of numbers. Staying to fight, rather than fleeing, proves correct—each serpent falls.

The battle ends, unlike their usual one where a single hit is fatal. The four exhale in relief.

"Let's move to the boss quickly. This part tires me more than the actual fight."

"I agree..."

Before the flowers can regain their effect, the four hasten from the scene and press onward.

Whether their wish reached its mark or not, the path to the Boss Room was not long. After tending to the serpents for a while, they arrived at the familiar door they often passed.

"Then, I’ll open it. Ready?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Good. I’m ready too!"

"I’m prepared as well."

With all their confirmations secured, Crom led the way into the Boss Room. The ceiling dripped fine sand, forming small dunes in several places, and the floor was entirely covered in sand.

The four stood still, watching. Nothing emerged. They exchanged glances.

"No one’s here...?"

"No. Something’s buried in the sand at the back. Definitely suspicious."

Shin moved without hesitation, slashing the sand with his sword to dig out whatever lay beneath. Kasumi watched, then activated her skill to identify it.

“[Far Sight]… human bone? No. Something’s inside. A crystal serpent and… a scorpion?”

A glint flashed within the skull. The moment the serpent and scorpion became visible—entirely crystalline—the two slithered out and vanished into the dune.

At once, several other serpents and scorpions emerged from the dunes. Familiar shapes.

““““Again?!””””

Predictable. Unwanted. The four shouted in unison. The boss was undoubtedly that crystal serpent and scorpion. But before they could defeat it, they had to eliminate this swarm of low-level monsters, each with instant death effects.

The things they did not wish to see emerge from the Boss Room had all appeared. The four stood firm, weapons raised.

"Scorpions—definitely dangerous! Me and Shin will handle those. Kasumi and Crom, the serpent is yours!"

"Ah!"

"Earth Wave! Earthquake!"

"Wind God! Crack Sword!"

Drag shook the ground, dealing instant damage across the wide spread of scorpions, knocking them back and dragging them from the sand.

Shin split his sword into the maximum number of segments possible, then swept them low across the ground in a single motion, clearing the swarm at once.

"Death Flame!"

"Warrior's Arm! Blood Knife!"

Crom and Kasumi draw the enemy forward by stepping slightly ahead, then sweep flames from their mouths in a single motion, incinerating the swarm at once. The remaining serpents are severed by the liquid blade swung horizontally, just as Shin does.

Yet from the sand, scorpions and serpents rise endlessly. No end to them.

"This side's using skills to keep up! If we don't finish this soon, we won't clear them before cooldown!"

"There must be those two somewhere! The boss is that crystal creature—no choice but to search!"

Crom and Kasumi cannot maintain continuous area attacks. Shin barely manages to split and wield his sword, but even one mistake could break the rhythm.

—No choice left. Earth [Wrath of the Land]!

Drag commands Earth. The ground glows red across most of the room. Sharp rocks erupt from it. They pierce snakes and scorpions without hesitation, pulling them from the sand.

"There! That one!"

"Got it! Leave it to me!"

Kasumi scans the area, locating the boss. She spots the snake and scorpion quickly. Shin's sword slices them both in one motion.

"How's that!?"

"No, not finished yet."

After taking damage, the two slip away and vanish into the sand. The four brace themselves, ready for more snakes and scorpions to rise from the sand. Nothing comes.

The four stare, puzzled. Then they notice the sand mound in the far corner shifting. They turn toward it.

As if ready to spill forth at any moment, the two sand mounds remain fixed, solidifying into shapes—eventually forming a serpent and a scorpion larger than the four made of sand. A small crystal glimmers at the forehead. As the forms complete, the serpent and scorpion dissolve into nothing.

Shape change. Normally, this would tighten the breath. Instead, the four stand ready, weapons raised with clear delight.

“This means we can strike head-on.”

“I’ll draw it in. You three strike when the opening comes.”

“Let’s take the scorpion first. It’ll be hard to hit otherwise.”

“Yeah. This way, my 【Warrior’s Arm】 will land clean.”

Watching the two now clearly boss-like, the remaining HP not high, yet the air thick with the weight of the boss battle, the four surge forward.

【Taunt】! Necro 【Shock Reflection】!

【Split Earth】!

Crom draws the sand scorpion’s attention while approaching. The scorpion attacks with pincers and tail, as expected. It also thrusts sharp spikes of sand upward from the ground, like Drag earlier. But Crom blocks each strike while enduring damage. Even direct hits fail to exceed his recovery rate.

Drag splits the ground beside the serpent while Crom distracts the scorpion. The motion hinders its movement.

In that moment, Kasumi and Shin dash past Crom’s sides. Their target: the exposed body, clearly vulnerable.

Shin concentrates all blades into a single point, then hurls them at speed. Kasumi, combining her warrior’s arm, launches three blades in a crescent arc.

A sharp crack echoes. All blades pierce the crystal body. The newly formed sand construct crumbles into dust.

“Huh. Surprisingly simple.”

"Then next."

"Wait—don't we not need to target this one?"

Three more join the assault, attacking from behind Drag, who leads the charge.

The outcome is identical to that of the scorpion.