Defense specialization and miniature collecting.

Maple spent the days leading up to the final raid boss, the one the administrators had placed their hopes upon, in leisure. She had often passed time in idle relaxation before, but now that she had clear goals—acquiring raid boss miniatures and collecting monster figures—the time felt both enjoyable and purposeful. At the guild home, Maple displayed the miniature monsters she had acquired.

“This is the first jellyfish I collected. This one’s an anemone and a clownfish. A manta, a shark, a crab!”

Maple placed the small creatures on the guild home’s table. Each was meticulously crafted, with moving parts, and the table soon resembled a miniature aquarium.

“Wow, you’ve gathered quite a few. You’ve got more than I do.”

Sally sets her items on the table. She is closer to Velvet in preference, and has gathered these items specifically because they are limited-time bosses, which she finds intriguing. She collects fewer than Maple, who actively seeks them out.

“This many together is impressive.”

“Yeah, players who like aquariums would probably enjoy this.”

“You could make figurines, but having them move changes everything.”

“Don’t try to forge life, please…”

“Indeed, not yet.”

“The fact that it seems possible is what’s remarkable.”

A moving mechanical figurine and a miniature living creature are not the same. Even Izu lacks the ability to produce monsters, making this collection rare.

“Still, putting all of them in the room would be too much. I’ll leave some here.”

A healing kind of feel is good. Hmm, I might look for a bit myself.

But if we place them in the shared space, it feels a little few. I’ve cleared dungeons too, but they don’t come out so freely.

I’ve heard they’re quite rare!

Some say you can get them from raid boss drops… What we have is that.

Raid bosses distribute materials and items randomly to each player who participated in clearing them. Miniature monsters sometimes appear among the drops. Mai and Yui are welcomed as ultimate weapons when heading to raid bosses, so they’ve gone to layers beyond the Seventh Layer before, and have received more drops from raid bosses than the others of the [Maple Tree]. That’s why getting them by chance happens more often.

The raid bosses are being cleared steadily, so if we get the rewards from the second half, we’ll have five medals. Maybe we can convert them into skills again at the next event?

Yeah, yeah. Then we’d better push hard and finish off the rest!

The long ninth event is nearing its final phase. Maple and the others are resolved to defeat the remaining raid bosses.

Maple, for her part, plans to venture into the field once more today and descend into the dungeon.

Where should we go this time?

Over time, she has learned that even within a single dungeon, a different special boss may appear. Yet, by her sense, some appear more often than others. Though there are many types that could be stacked, the reason the dungeons Velvet and she cleared were repeatedly jellyfish was due to this imbalance.

I’d like to collect them all, but that’s probably impossible...

Maple chooses to seek different things rather than collect multiple of the same. Today’s dungeon will be different as well. If she must reach the boss repeatedly, a dungeon of moderate difficulty will be best.

— Hmm... That’s it! There!

Maple decides on her destination and flies straight from the Town toward it, Shiroppu in tow.

She arrives at the colosseum where she repeatedly battles the stone statue. She and Sally have fought here several times before, so she knows the enemy’s strength to some degree. If the enemy is weaker than when they fought together, she believes victory is certain. The path is a single straight line. Only limited monsters appear as fodder—convenient for repeated battles.

I never thought I’d come here so many times...

Maple dismounts from Shiroppu and enters the interior.

"Love That Offers the Body, Predator!"

Predator had been acquired some time ago, but its attack power had grown stale—unchanging, never rising in level. Yet now, thanks to the effect of Peak of the Abyss, it had grown strong once more, delivering damage that felt right again.

"Keep going!"

Maple enters the first chamber with Predator at her side, facing a stone statue. The strength of this special boss remains unknown. She conserves her abilities where possible. Among Maple’s damage skills, Predator is the one she can use repeatedly without issue, and the one with the longest endurance. As long as it does not fall, it will continue fighting without fail. Combined with Love That Offers the Body and Maple’s own defense, it is performing beyond its original expectations.

Two creatures bite the stone statue from both sides, wielding clubs. The statue swings its club to strike them, but the blow is rendered无效 by Love That Offers the Body, drawing it toward Maple instead.

"Good! Now we just wait."

Having confirmed she takes no damage, Maple has Shiroppu activate Crimson Garden, increasing the damage dealt, and waits for the Predator to devour the statue.

If there is no way to break through, time gained means nothing. Eventually, the first statue is worn down while desperately trying to fend off the Predator with its club, until it shatters.

"Alright, defeated! Really strong now! Definitely different when stats go up."

Maple pats the two creatures gently, as if reassuring them, then moves without pause toward the next statue.

One statue. Two creatures. A numerical advantage. The remaining two statues are gnawed until broken, without a single flaw.

At the threshold of the boss, Maple lowers her shoulders. This time, it is a miss. No moisture on floor or wall. As expected. The special boss does not appear every time. One must try repeatedly and wait for luck.

"Alright, then. Let’s finish the boss quickly!"

Maple enters the Boss Room—the vast colosseum. She checks the statue that appears when alone. A basic statue, holding shield and longsword. She exhales. This one is manageable.

"Alright, let's do this! Shiroppu — Crimson Garden, White Garden!"

Maple generates a domain favorable to her through Shiroppu, then raises her sword to meet the boss charging forward. The massive stone longsword descends not to slice, but to crush. It strikes Maple's head precisely. The blade halts there, unable to advance further. No matter how large the weapon, its force cannot surpass her defense.

"Here — Full Armament Deployment, Attack Initiated!"

The weapons cannot withstand the descending sword. Deploying guns and cannons here, they begin firing, supporting the predator's assault.

A shield can block the gunfire, but not the predator. The predator can be stopped, but the bullets pierce through. The difference between the boss, who must be shielded, and Maple, who does not, was clear here.

Yet, given the dungeon's nature, the boss was designed for one-on-one combat. It was expected that it would adapt. Now it charged forward, shielding itself from the gunfire. Maple watched, waiting to see how the longsword would strike.

The shield thrust directly into her line of sight. “Uw—!? … Vh!”

The true threat was the shield bash. Maple took no damage, yet was struck full-force by the shield, shattered her weapon, and sent flying with powerful knockback.

“Ah!”

Knocked back out of the range of Love That Offers the Body, Maple hurried forward, calling the predator back.

The boss, meanwhile, spun with a crimson-lit longsword, aiming to cleave everything around her.

“Made it! Piercing Guard, Heavy Body!”

Maple barely managed to reposition within the range of Love That Offers the Body. She activated her instant-void and knockback-immunity skills without delay. The attack had been strong, but as long as she used her penetration-immunity skill, there was no danger.

“Good. No more mistakes. Let’s press forward!”

Maple deploys her weapon once more and releases the predator. As she had said, without slackening, Maple steadily presses the boss into retreat. The boss finds no second chance to strike back.