Defense specialization and snow mountain two.

After a while, the ice-locked cavern glowed so intensely bright with blue ice reflecting light that Maple instinctively shut her eyes.

“Ei!”

“【Flame Bullet】!”

The green garment beneath Maple’s coat is her current attire. She wears it for one reason: to wield laser beams, as they are, like a blade, through the power of 【Poltergeist】.

Swinging the massive beam wildly up and down, left and right in the narrow passage, she occasionally burns monsters that emerge suddenly. Once struck, all that remains is for Sally to fire a flame projectile at the creature attempting to regenerate.

“Ei-yaa!”

“Hmm, seeing this again after so long… still a mess.”

Sally recalls fighting the false Maple before. Even the false Maple had not manipulated the [Poison Dragon] with such ease—now it controls not only the [Poison Dragon] but other constructs as well, adjusting trajectories with precision. The boss is formless.

“Yo—wait.?”

She cuts through bears, ice blocks, ice spirits emerging mid-combat, snowmen, clearing a path. The beam, now frozen and mirror-like, finally strikes a door she recognizes.

Maple sets aside the weapon and reconfigures her gear.

“Boss?”

“Yeah. Thanks to [Poltergeist], it’s been easier than expected. That’s our goal—defeat it and reach the summit. If there’s nothing… I’m sorry?”

“Then I’ll take the boss’s remains as a souvenir.”

“Hmm. Let’s do that.”

Maple and Sally push the door open together and step into the room. The floor and walls, thicker than before, are encased in ice. At the far end stands a woman with skin as clear as crystal, draped in blue robes. Her face bears no expression. The atmosphere is the same as that of the ice statues seen along the path.

A moment after the two enter, a cold wind sweeps across the ground. Dozens of ice fragments erupt into the air at once.

"We'll win."

"Right."

Thus begins the battle between the two and the entity that might be called the Ice Queen.

【Provocation】!

As the fight begins, Maple activates 【Provocation】, drawing the summoned ice fragments toward her while advancing with Sally.

【Flicker — Fire Passage】!

The flame spreads through every dense cluster of ice, triggered by Hinata’s skill. A uniform blue light begins to leak from each fragment.

【Pierce Guard】!

No matter how powerful the explosion, if 【Pierce Guard】 allows multiple hits on Sally and Hinata, eliminating even penetration resistance renders it meaningless.

Amidst the scattered ice, Sally closes the distance instantly, shielded from the blast by Maple.

While 【Pierce Guard】 is active, only an attack that exceeds Maple’s defense can wound either of them. They do not miss this perfect opening.

【Quintapulse Slash】!

【Cover Move】! 【Predator】!

Seeing no chance to breach 【Love That Offers the Body】, they surge forward without delay. In a boss battle, there is no need to consider later outcomes—only force must be applied.

Every strike from Sally scatters flames, burning through the ice-like body. Maple, closing in via teleportation, slams her great shield and follows with a summoned beast to press the attack.

The boss’s body turns translucent blue ice, shattering with a sharp crack and falling to the ground.

“Huh?”

“No… this feeling…”

Sally feels the wind from behind and turns. Amidst the swirling blizzard, she sees the boss reforming once more. The storm shifts direction, carrying shards of ice toward them both.

“Cover!”

Maple steps in front of Sally without raising her shield, conserving her strength. If she can manage with Cover alone, even if using Love That Offers the Body, it is better than facing the worst. Standing in front ensures the piercing attacks cannot strike Sally and Hinata repeatedly.

“Phew. Just a blizzard, it seems.”

“Still freezing.”

Maple’s body is partly frozen, encased in blue ice.

“…Seems fine, actually?”

“Status down?”

“Ah, Sally, correct!”

"Too much overlap might be dangerous. If it looks bad, raise your shield!"

Sally steps forward again. The earlier combo had shifted mid-execution into mere ice, so it wasn't fatal—but still dealt significant damage.

The boss presses a hand to the ground and releases a burst of glowing cold from beneath.

"【Ice Spike】!"

Sally conjures an ice pillar and extends a thread to ascend into the air.

"Hinata’s far more troublesome... 【Flame Bullet】【Fireball】!"

The attack lacks high power, but it precisely chips away at the boss’s HP from a safe distance, targeting weak points. The boss summons monsters seen along the way, but all are drawn to Maple through 【Provocation】. Normally, too many would overwhelm, but Maple need not deal with them at worst—this changes everything.

“Sally, leave this to me!”

“Saved!”

Maple dismantles the group’s strength, while Sally brings the fight to her favored one-on-one terrain.

“Oboro—【Restraint Barrier】!”

Multiple patterns. She tests them in order of preference.

When Oboro’s restraint succeeds, Sally moves forward smoothly, like water.

“【Torrent】!”

A surge of water propels Sally forward, accelerating her. She maintains a position where evading attacks is easy, then shifts decisively into offense at the right moment.

"Blurry Flame! Cannonwater! Triple Slash!"

As soon as the effect of the Restraining Barrier ends, Sally launches the Boss into the air with Cannonwater, preventing any movement. This strength, she knows well.

"Back off... Fireball."

She strikes the airborne Boss with a burst of flame, then retreats briefly to look toward Maple. Maple remains still, allowing ice constructs and snow constructs to act as she wills, not interfering directly. The Boss's HP remains unchanged—this is acceptable.

"Maple."

"Ah, yes! Cover Move!"

Maple vanishes in an instant, teleporting directly to Sally's side. Now both stand at the center of the Boss Room, the Boss and a swarm of minor monsters flanking them on either side.

They watch the boss first. Behind them, the sound of cracking ice echoes. A glance reveals the summoned monsters collapsing. At the same moment, the blizzard surrounding the boss intensifies.

It comes.

Yes. Piercing Guard!

Maple activates her penetration-proof skill for precaution. A crisp cracking sound follows, as ice spreads across the floor. A wave of white cold sweeps through the room.

As it clears, Sally notices the light beneath her feet has vanished. She looks to Maple. The item Love That Offers the Body has deactivated. The aura of Sword Dance around Sally herself has faded.

Sally prepares to activate her skill, worst-case scenario in mind. Before she speaks, ice surges from the ground, threading through their feet and sewing them together.

The boss, its remaining HP low, shifts its tactics. It charges forward, wielding an ice blade, wrapped in sleet-laden snowstorm.

“How many seconds… until it’s undone…?”

Sally calculates rapidly, weighing which skill to use and in what order to survive. Then, suddenly, sensation vanishes from beneath her feet. The world goes black.

…Dead?

Sally considers the possibility. This is a feeling she has never known since beginning the game. Yet, from beside her, a voice she recognizes speaks. She understands it is not death.

“Ah, you’re still here, Sally! Good—”

“Maple!? Erm… where are we…?”

“Huh? Underground.”

“…Huh?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I learned a new skill. Called ‘Cradle of the Earth.’ Just sink a little into the ground, then come out.”

“S-so… that’s it? Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.”

“Fufufu… watch this.”

“…?”

Before Sally, who looked bewildered, Maple hurriedly prepared something.

On the surface where the two had vanished, the boss stood above, waiting for them to emerge. Then, as if the duration of Maple’s skill had ended, the ground trembled.

At the same moment, Maple and Sally rose from the earth, pushed upward from below. Yes, accompanied by a large quantity of附属 items.

Maple, seated upon a throne of pitch-black obsidian, returned, scattering flowers of the garden, creatures of the grotesque, mud-choked earth, and the sleeping bloom—her domain reclaimed.

The area-effect skill, activated underground, could not remain embedded when returning to the surface; it was forced upward, expelled.

Like a predator waiting motionless for prey, the boss began the encounter abruptly thrust into a newly formed, deadly zone.

“[Invitation to the Abyss]”

From the throne, where the reversal of nature and the sealing of evil attributes had ceased, five tentacles extended toward the boss whose lower half had sunk into the ground. The remaining [Evil Feast] consumed the HP that Sally had chipped away.

After the battle, Maple retracted the tentacles, the garden, and the throne. She exhaled, relief in her breath.

“Never invited another player before… I felt safer with Sally here.”

“Me too. Good skill you got. And it still has room to grow.”

“Leveling up’s a bit tough. Takes time to recharge, and this is the only one I can use.”

“Then you’ll have to burrow into the ground each time it’s ready. Still, doing it anywhere might surprise onlookers. Anyway, the boss is defeated.”

“Waited for this! Where? Where should I go?”

"Follow me. There should be a passage leading to the summit, deeper inside."

After thoroughly searching the Boss Room, as Sally had said, a gap appeared in the wall. Through it, they could ascend. They squeezed through the icy fissure, changing their posture carefully, and emerged onto the summit.

"This side is calm."

"Ooh!"

Above the storm. A sea of clouds, much like the view from the floating castle. The sky stretched endlessly upward, bright blue in the daylight. This was the highest point of the Seventh Layer.

From the narrow summit, barely enough room for both, they looked out over the distance.

"Hmm... maybe it would have been better to come at night. I did visit the floating castle... I should reflect on that."

"But it's still beautiful!"

"Heh. See, Maple? I told you it's the same, day or night."

"...? Yeah, you did."

"Sorry if I was wrong. I won't let you fall."

Sally then lifted Maple into her arms.

"Wha—? What?!"

"Let's go! [Leap]!"

Sally kicked off the unstable platform and launched into the air, creating footholds mid-flight and leaping higher with each step.

"Wha—? Really... came here."

"W-what... huh?"

At the point where Sally had leapt across multiple platforms, their bodies floated weightlessly, as if freed from gravity. Above them, sharply outlined in the blue sky, hung a deep indigo magic circle.

"Haha, I'd like to see someone try this without proof."

"Wah—!"

"Transferring now."

With that final word, both figures vanished. Moments later, the indigo magic circle dissolved into the sky.

Maple slowly opened her eyes. Her body still felt buoyant, but the surroundings were now clearly visible. The view was unlike anything she had seen before—when she had looked through the underground passage with Sally, it had felt as though they were floating in a night sky.

This time it was different. Maple floated in the night sky, exactly as she was now. The real sky did not look like this, but that mattered little. The lights passing before her eyes were like fragments of the starry sky seen from the ground—so close she felt as though she had plunged into them.

In the sensation of weightlessness, she came face to face with Sally, who had traveled with her.

“Really here… I’m a little shocked.”

“Jumping straight into the sky like that. You wouldn’t notice something like that by chance.”

“Who knows. If it were Maple, maybe she’d have blown herself up with a weapon and jumped in.”

“Hahaha…”

“You’re not denying it…”

Sally glanced over her shoulder. She plucked a passing light and gently tossed it.

“Fufu, I can make a shooting star.”

“I can catch it too!”

Maple mimicked Sally, grasping a light and tossing it back.

It feels like we're inside a shrinking universe.

That’s easy to understand, I think.

Maple and Sally toss glowing particles between them, drifting gently. They sit side by side on a moon sculpted large and clear, gazing at the stars.

Oh, right—Isu made food too.

Really?

Yeah, I’ll get it out now. Well...

Sally pulls a basket from her inventory. It floats, wobbling, as if about to drift away. She steadies it just as Maple lunges to catch it and nearly floats off too. With effort, they manage to pull out drinks and food.

Cheers!

Yeah, cheers.

Mmm, delicious... I keep thinking of the beginning, like when we first started.

The mountain enemy, eating under the night sky, my skill, maybe?

Sally says this. Maple’s eyes widen.

“Hehe, you felt that too, Sally?”

“Yeah… it’s nostalgic, looking back.”

“But Iz’s cooking’s still tastier, you know.”

“That’s true.”

Sally held her glass with one hand, catching a passing light that drifted before her, then fiddled with it idly in her free hand.

“Ah, this time I’ll find the view—this one’s the best! The event’s starting, so I might be late again.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah! I’m counting on you!”

Sally gazed at the stars, then tossed the light she’d been playing with into the air, finishing her drink.

“I could stay like this forever.”

“Yeah, yeah! It’s beautiful, right?”

“Huh… yeah.”

Still, staying here forever wasn’t possible. Emptying the basket they’d brought, the two kept their promise and returned to the guild, each bearing gifts for the others.

“These are the souvenirs from here.”

Sally gathered several stars into her hands. They shifted, transforming into an item, then settled into a bottle.

"Starlight, gathered in handfuls."

"We'll bring back one for each guild member... won't they run out?"

"Probably safe."

Thus, the two secured souvenirs for the other guild members, closing their final sightseeing before the event.

Time passed after their last tour. The event details were revealed.

No special field this time, but temporary monsters were added per layer. Their total number of kills would unlock certain elements in the eighth layer early, and medals would be distributed to all participants.

At 【Maple Tree】, they reviewed the details. For now, it seemed no particular tension was needed. One breath of relief followed.

No ranking per guild seems to be set. It's purely about how many we can defeat together, all players as one.

I'm curious about the materials from these added monsters. This event seems closely tied to the Eighth Layer. Perhaps they'll yield something useful.

It's convenient to hunt them while leveling up. And since every player receives a medal, motivation should remain high overall.

Recently, high-difficulty events have been constant. It's helpful to have something light and manageable. I can also gather more spellbooks.

Let's do our best, sister!

Y-yes! I want to defeat as many as possible. I've learned a new skill, after all...

We can probably delay preparations for other guilds until the next event... phew, that's a relief.

To be honest, even if told to enter PVP right now, Sally would find it difficult. She had just realized anew how many ways there were to collapse a fully prepared opponent in an instant, even in the mountain snow. She would need to find a skill capable of countering such a threat.

"If it's the Eighth Layer, then that might work... what do you think?"

"It's been a long time since we've had to defeat so many enemies at once. But now we have [Ruthlessness] too!"

Maple's movements while using [Ruthlessness] had become a familiar sight to players in the Seventh Layer. There was no need to hide it now. The skill was just right for compensating for lack of mobility when sprinting across the field to eliminate designated monsters.

"Then we'll all do our best during the event!"

Cooperation among all players remains necessary, yet moving in groups as a party reduces efficiency. The optimal approach is for each to eliminate monsters as they spawn. The members of 【Maple Tree】 appear to agree, stating no objection to this method.

"Besides, each area is its own entity. It may be better to seek out less populated layers or zones. As Iz said, the main focus could be on gathering materials."

Each layer features different level thresholds for additional monsters. The best course is to choose a location suited to one's own strength.

"Still, the duration is somewhat concerning. Perhaps they are allowing us extra time..."

Kasumi stops speaking, as fretting serves no purpose.

A longer duration brings to mind one thing. The time of the cattle hunt event, and how Maple had behaved.

Mai and Yui, unaware of Maple herself or what occurred at that time, kept their composure as they watched the five whispering among themselves, their focus on raising morale for the event.

"Let's do our best, both of us!"

"Yes!"

"We'll get medals again, too..."

Maple, feeling both joy and unease, drifted into thoughts of the event period ahead—when 【Maple Tree】 would make its final level-up.