Defense specialization and trial two.

Acceleration from the fall vanished instantly upon arrival. The two stood unharmed on the ground at their destination.

They had appeared in the center of a circular chamber. Along the walls, passages leading forward opened at even intervals. As Maple surveyed her surroundings, the light that had remained beneath her feet since arrival began to glide slowly across the floor, pointing at one of the passages.

"Does that mean that's the correct path?"

"No. It means there's an escape spell array there."

"Wait—can we leave already?"

"Yes. That's the purpose. So we can exit at any time. … Coming!"

As Sally spoke, a variety of monsters began emerging from the passages not indicated by the light. Some familiar, some unknown. Event-exclusive monsters too. No pattern governed their variety.

"Let's just keep fighting them!"

"Understood!"

Sally knows no more. The terrain and the swarm of monsters are unfavorable to her, weak against multiple foes. She decides to retreat at once. To conquer this place, she would need Maple’s aid—her suitable partner.

"Prioritize piercing attacks!"

"Got it! —【Full Armament Deployment】!"

There is one passage where no monsters emerge. They position themselves with its back, securing safety as much as possible, then begin firing forward. Sally cuts down monsters advancing despite taking Maple’s attacks, selecting those she deems most dangerous first.

"Blurred —【Fire Child】【Crossing Flame】!【Water Wrap】!【Double Slash】!"

Sally wraps herself in flame through Orō’s skill, granting each attack additional fire damage to monsters. Through the skill acquired via 【Water Wrap】, she also applies an automatic water-based counterattack. Every strike from Sally triggers three additional damage instances, including 【Follow Blade】.

Even small individually, the rapid barrage from two daggers proves overwhelming. Though 【Double Slash】 is inherently a simple two-hit technique, wielding dual blades allows it to strike sixteen times. At this level, the damage output far exceeds the skill’s original value.

“Keep them down! 【Predator】【Toxic Dragon】【Seeping Chaos】!”

Sally struck each monster down in turn. Maple avoided Sally’s combat zone and unleashed long-range damage skills, reducing the monsters to ruin. The player, normally cornered with no escape, was now attacked from all sides by the beasts. To reach Maple, one must endure a storm of bullets, withstand damage skills, and break through Sally and two of the creatures.

To defeat Maple, one must first overcome Sally and deliver a heavy blow. Yet to clear a path through Sally, one must first defeat Maple.

This was an impossible demand for mere numbers and raw strength.

The wave of common monsters—slimes, oaks, goblins—gradually lost momentum. The final head bounced from Sally’s blade. The great hall finally regained its stillness.

"An impressive amount, wasn't it."

"Event monsters mixed in too. We should gather the materials properly."

When the two had collected all the materials in the room, the ground trembled. They halted their advance into the corridor and stepped back. Even if the passage was meant to progress, the continuous emergence of monsters made it too dangerous. Soon after, a fresh wave of monsters poured from the corridor.

"Again! Alright, same as before..."

"Yeah. Let's take down a few more and see what happens."

No matter how many times they appeared, the two cut through the newly spawned monsters without pause. Their momentum held steady. The numbers fell steadily. Sally, now relaxed, considered whether the monsters had any distinguishing traits. The types differed slightly from the first wave, but still, they were no different than any common creatures found anywhere.

The swarm of common monsters failed to reach Maple. Penetrating attacks were worthless unless within striking range.

Exactly like the first wave, the monsters were all blown away. The larger goblin that lagged behind at the end did not even manage to raise its sword, caught off guard by Sally’s waiting assault.

“Phew… Second wave’s over, I think.”

“Still got plenty left!”

“Yeah, dependable. Without the steady reduction from Love That Offers the Body and the barrage, it wouldn’t hold steady.”

Sally could only land a killing blow within the reach of her dagger. She had retreated once because the front line, forged by overwhelming numbers, was too difficult to break through alone—especially against foes who attacked from deep within with magic.

Only when the situation allowed would Sally’s evasion and Maple’s defense prove effective.

“If this keeps up, it’d be ideal for clearing event monsters.”

“They’re mixed in, though.”

“If it stayed this way, we’d need to advance while felling monsters.”

“Understood. I’ll guard you carefully then.”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you.”

After a brief pause, the ground trembles. The change they awaited arrives. The monster that emerges now is distinctly different from the previous two. More mechanical constructs and golems appear—clearly a shift. Sally speaks quickly, forming a hypothesis.

“Matching the layers…?”

“Ah! That might be it!”

She speaks as if reluctant to be correct. First and second layers had their respective monsters. Third layer brings third-layer foes. Indeed, this layer is filled with such beings. Some are familiar. The field and monsters have changed significantly from first to second layer. The pattern is easier to predict.

Yet if that holds, the next layer would be sixth.

“Let’s take this one down now! They’ll be firing back!”

Hmm. Let’s hope the prediction doesn’t hold…

With a slight shift in calculation, the two face the monster again. Mechanical soldiers and golems, likely from the third layer, emerge from the corridor in a steady stream, advancing slowly toward them.

【Attack Initiated】!

Maple fires a round. The metal golem steps between the mechanical soldier and the bullet, blocking it. Worse still, the golem shows no sign of damage—Maple’s shots have no effect. Her HP bar does not drop.

Ugh. Golems are still a pain.

Nothing working on my end either. Take them down one by one?

The mechanical soldiers fire their weapons at Maple and her companions, but just as the golem deflects Maple’s bullets, her party too is untouched by the mechanical soldiers’ fire. The golems and mechanical soldiers survive, but the ordinary monsters mixed in, and the flying machines that lack protection, fall one by one to stray shots.

"Then I’ll handle the tough ones—Defense Break!"

Maple still lacks a defense-piercing skill. At this moment, the attacker she paired with must compensate. In a way, this is how a defender and attacker should be.

"Besides... how about this?"

Sally slips through the monster’s gaps and attacks the mechanized soldier directly. If the golem comes to stop her, she will be pierced by Maple’s barrage. But left unchecked, she will be cut to pieces.

No matter how the golem tries, as long as Sally remains within the range of Love That Offers the Body, there is no way to stop her.

Even among defenders, Maple and the golem are of different orders.

“[Raging Current]!”

At the instant the skill is used, a torrential force of water erupts from Sally, surging between the monsters. The water itself inflicts no damage, but it pushes back the monsters in sequence, shattering their formation. The mechanized soldier forced from behind the golem’s shadow is exposed to Maple’s barrage and vanishes one after another, dissolving into light.

“[Defense Break]! [Triple Slash]!”

Maple and Sally, now certain they could handle this, obliterate their third opponent, outnumbered as they were.

The ground trembles sharply as they high-five after defeating the last monster.

“Is… is that it already?”

“Faster than before.”

Before them, at the end of the corridor, appears a figure Maple recognizes.

“Ah! Um… Machine God!”

“Huh!? So… that’s true?”

The coloring differs. The nature of the boss suggests this one was crafted to resemble the original. It is the first time, however, a boss-like entity has manifested here.

Weapons resembling the lasers Maple fired earlier are mounted along the other passages, aimed directly at the two.

“So this is how it is—now we face bosses as freely as we do the weak ones.”

Sally feels they have plunged into a dungeon far harder than expected, yet she smiles—because she faces strong enemies with Maple, the two of them together.

"Good. Let's see this through to the end."

"This is where we show our teamwork."

They tighten their resolve before an opponent unlike any common monster, adjusting their grips on their weapons once more.