Defense specialization and the final day.

When Maple and the others return to base, twelve others are already there. All safe, it seems. Maple sees them and waves her hands excitedly, bouncing forward on her feet.

"Everyone, you're back! It went well, right?"

"Ah, Maple and the others did well too. We... had a troublesome dungeon, but managed somehow."

"Our side was easier—Pain’s enhancement strategy worked well."

"“We succeeded because everyone was strong!”"

"Great! Oh, thank you for exploring with us! Thanks to you, medals are piling up!"

Maple thanks The Gathering Holy Sword and The Flame Emperor’s Country with a cheerful expression. In return, Pain and Mii are the ones who bow in gratitude.

Originally, we were satisfied with just securing one medal between us. Thank you, truly.

Indeed, fighting together proved unexpectedly worthwhile.

Seeing the two smile, Maple’s expression softened into a pleased grin.

Let’s do our best on the third day!

Of course.

Yes, we’ll do our utmost to survive until the end.

Though rivals, Pain and Mii were friends to Maple. Supporting them was natural.

I’ll take watch at night. Consider it my due as a base resident and medal bearer.

I’ll do the same. I’ll earn my keep while staying here.

Hehe, thank you!

Leaving that said, Maple dashed toward the shared space.

Taking shifts on watch, all rested slowly. Their conditions remained sound as morning of the third day arrived.

Maple rose from the bed and stretched sharply, then moved toward Sally’s room next door.

At the doorway, she met Sally just stepping out, the two colliding face to face.

“Good morning. Today’s the third day.”

“Yeah. The medals are gathered enough. We’ll focus on survival now.”

“Ah, right! The map and message—”

“The message function remains disabled. But the map has changed slightly. You’ll see when you look.”

Maple opened the map. Countless blue dots appeared. A few red dots, too.

“What’s this? Ah—there’s text. Um, blue dots are players, red dots are special monsters?”

Yes. Either join with someone and survive, or the special monsters? They’re shown on the map, so probably boss-level strength. Either way, avoid them. If you’ve survived this long, you should be able to handle regular monsters.

Hmm, I see.

Maple and the others won’t go out today unless something urgent arises. The dots on the map represent players. With no way to pinpoint guild members’ locations, neither Gathering Holy Sword nor the Flame Emperor’s Nation has reason to leave.

So, simply stick to Maple’s preferred strategy—prepare thoroughly and meet the threat head-on with full force.

The third day is shorter than the first two, that’s true. But it doesn’t feel like the time to simply survive has been shortened.

It’ll be fine, Sally. If we fight together, we’ll win for sure.

...fufu, that’s true. Overthinking won’t change anything.

Flexibility in responding to immediate events is necessary. After a while, they rise from their rooms and begin preparations, ready for battle at any moment.

Maple and Sally go to check the screen where Markus has set up the view.

Yesterday night, since they had gone out, they had placed several more units beyond the base, expanding the range of visibility.

This is convenient... I should look for a skill like this.

Sally would know how to use it. Ah, a monster appeared.

It’s not entering... is it different somehow?

Even on the third day, the outside remains dim, and demon-type monsters wander aimlessly. After watching the feed together in the shared space for a while, something interesting appears.

Ah, Sally! Wait—!

“Hmm? That’s from yesterday…”

One of the video feeds showing the outside world suddenly flickers with a purple haze. After a moment, a familiar purple light appears—like a gate.

Sally and Maple watch without looking away. From the light, a swarm of fake Maples, identical to those that appeared two days prior, emerges and begins to move forward, shuffling.

“Moved over here, then?”

“Possibly… or maybe they’ve multiplied?”

Whether the area beyond is connected to the dungeon remains unclear. To Sally, it seemed less like migration and more like an increase in numbers. When raising difficulty, the clearest methods are increasing HP or boosting enemy count.

“If they’re multiplying elsewhere too… that might be a problem. There’s a limit to how many we can handle, after all.”

Maple and the others require skill or magic to face multiple monsters. Not just any kind—only those of sufficient quality can finish them in a single strike. Otherwise, it becomes a matter of repeated effort, second and third attempts.

They cannot unleash their ultimate techniques—such as [Holy Dragon’s Light Sword] or [Slaughter’s Great Flame]—repeatedly.

“Depending on the situation, we may need to go outside. Look, if the cave fills completely with monsters, we’ll be overwhelmed. But outside, we could retreat if needed.”

“True…”

Sally explained, taking an apple from her inventory. “Still, we won’t know until it happens. We’ll have to adapt as it comes.”

“Anyway, keep things flexible. Oh, Maple, want one?”

“Yeah, I’ll take it! Did you pick it somewhere?”

“No, you’re always the one bringing these. I thought I’d offer something back once in a while.”

—Nnffu, then I’ll return the favor too…

They pass the morning in quiet ease. The other members find peace while no monsters attack, each spending time as they choose.

Yet this is the middle of an event where survival is the goal. The monsters are not kind enough to let them linger idly.

The attack draws near—moment by moment.