Defense specialization and renewed exploration.

Night. Stars blink across the sky. The field monsters have changed. Maple rides Shiroppu through the air.

"Perhaps it's been a while since I last traveled on Sally’s horse in the Seventh Layer."

Occasional bird monsters attack from around. But those placed only to counter unusual intrusions—without such purpose—they soon give up. Unable to breach the protection of Maple’s Love That Offers the Body, they retreat. The journey is leisurely.

"Um... lake, right..."

Maple had previously researched. Three locations qualify as lakes. Which one is the target remains unknown. No clues. So she must rely on her feet to find it.

Fortunately, Maple found joy in simply floating through the night sky alongside Shiroppu. She adjusted her course to maintain a straight path, minimizing the need for mental effort. With the surplus of focus, she lay on her back atop the broad shell, watching the stars as she flew.

The sky, crafted to appear beautiful, revealed even finer stars than in reality. No tools were needed to enjoy the night sky.

"Alright, let's spin round and round!"

Maple flew through the night sky, circling the three lakes. In the end, nothing was found at any of them.

The lakes were beautiful. If anything of note had been there, it would already have been discovered by the other players.

"Mmm… it wouldn't be this easy. So where is it…?"

If the book truly held meaning, there must be a place somewhere that could be called a lake.

……ah!

Maple, recalling a single possibility, once again rode Shiroppu and flew toward the edge of the map.

Maple arrived at the night sea. No one else was there—neither for leveling nor for anything else. Only the quiet sound of waves echoed along the sand. Still riding Shiroppu, she moved across the water’s surface. When she reached a small island with a single palm tree, she returned Shiroppu to her ring.

Then it was just a matter of waiting.

Maple said this, took a snack from her inventory, leaned against the palm tree, and waited.

Fuh-fuh-fun… ah!

As she waited leisurely, a tendril of blackness deeper than the night sea extended from the water and seized her torso.

See you later!

Yes, Maple recalled the place the tentacle had brought her to—whether it was called the underground lake or not, she could not say—there had been a pool of water. She sank into the dark sea, sinking into the black mist that blended with the depths.

When Maple opened her eyes, she saw a narrow space enclosed by damp stone.

"Phew! Made it!"

Maple stretched, then moved forward toward the farthest point. She knew the path from the previous attempt, unafraid. She let herself be seized by the next tentacle and moved deeper without hesitation.

She was struck, squeezed, but paid no mind. She advanced without damage.

Skills acquired here. Normally, such acquisition would not occur this way. Thus, in most cases, it would be without reward. Given the dungeon's unusual entry method, a thought arose—something else might be concealed within.

What kind of view awaits?

Maple watches the stars, her fingers brushing against a tendril. She does not yet realize—could a place assaulted mercilessly by such limbs ever be considered a sight worth visiting?

It is only because of Maple that this place can be ignored—ordinary players’ defenses make it far too dangerous.

In any case, Maple arrived at the boss without so much as a scratch.

“……?”

The Boss Room at night feels heavier than before—more black water, thicker mist. Maple does not flinch. She knows how to fight.

“First, I must get inside!”

She fits the snorkel she prepared, boosts her diving ability, and plunges into the black water.

“Ready… go!”

Tentacles reach out to meet her, dragging her deeper. Maple welcomes it.

She has defeated this monster once before. No fear. Inside the octopus’s body: poison, monsters, bullets, plants—chaotic, broken, exploding. Maple triggers her weapon, bursts to the surface, and climbs straight onto the ground.

Felled him… but… mmm, nothing’s happening at all.

Maple had thought there might be something hidden there, a place kept secret, but nothing occurred, not even when the boss was defeated.

Search the water thoroughly, now.

The water was so black it offered no visibility, and the bottom could not be seen. Having been satisfied with the octopus-like form last time, Maple turned on her light and stepped into the water. She moved swiftly downward, driven by the explosion of the weapon, and scanned the depths for anything that might serve as a marker.

A hole appeared, as if it sank deeper into the center than any other.

Maple floats upward, confirming the difficulty of deploying the weapon after checking the size of the hole.

There was something like that… I didn’t notice. It’s directly beneath this spot…

Explosions sink it quickly—buy time. Use this to search at once. If breath runs short, call it off for now.

"Salley’s level-up in swimming looked tough from the start. Please, not too deep…"

Maple dives into the vertical shaft again, carried by another explosion. The walls close in on all sides—darkness like eyes shut tight. Only bubbles rising before her eyes remain clear.

After a moment, Maple notices the walls are gone. Air returns to her lungs.

The sensation of sinking through the pitch-black space ceases. She has reached the bottom. Maple looks upward toward the distant surface. Whether because the water here is clearer or because her eyes have adjusted, the vertical shaft beyond appears bright, blurred like a moon through mist. Yet it might only seem so because Maple seeks stars.

— Mmm. Not quite the kind of beautiful view… Shame. Is there anything else? Ah! That one!

Maple finds something familiar in the dark. A chest. She must have overlooked it last time.

— Wow. Not always just appearing plainly before you, huh? Next time, I’ll search more carefully…

Maple opens the chest in one motion, joy flickering in her eyes from the previous completion. From within, instead of the usual blessed light, something black erupts—visible even in the darkness. It wraps around her like the shadow itself, seeping into her body until it is inside.

Skill acquired: [Inversion Rebirth].

“……?……??”

It seems the evolution was not Shiroppu after all. What she had overlooked might have been something better left unseen, even by many rivals.