Defense specialization and fissures.

Maple and Sally succeeded in acquiring a new skill with seamless precision. They turned their attention to the next skill, each day racing across the water on jet skis.

The limitations on entry had vanished thanks to the reinforced diving suits. Yet this was merely the starting line. The number of locations to explore remained vast.

"Priority exists, of course. But in the end, it'll be nearly a full round-robin."

"Too many machines are sunk here."

Their next objective is to discover the use of the 'Lost Legacy.' Predicting from the item's name, they repeat their search around sunken machinery and remnants of a former civilization. No significant event or dungeon has yet been found.

"We've already been to quite a few places... It's hard to find, isn't it?"

"Hopefully today we'll find something. This place looks promising too."

Sally stopped the jet ski and told Maple to look underwater. Maple submerged her face as instructed. Below, far down, lay a vast fissure in the ground.

Through the clear water, monsters swam in the distance, visible even from afar. But the fissure’s depths were dark, a deep blue, its interior unseen.

...Pfuff. Sally! That place inside?

Yes. I wanted to go earlier, but the oxygen depletes quickly inside.

So we haven’t gone in yet.

Sally, at least, had the diving suit to extend her time underwater. Maple, however, would need enhanced gear to explore at all.

No reports have come in yet about what lies deeper. We don’t know how far the bottom extends. It’s mostly dark. Even if something were there, it would be easy to miss. And we can’t search slowly.

“Mmm, quite the challenge.”

“Hope we pull up something worthwhile.”

“Yeah!”

They donned their diving suits precisely, using Iz’s gear, then stowed the jet ski and leapt into the water.

“Entry’s swarming with monsters—Maple, you handle it?”

“Leave it to me! [Full Armament Deployment]!”

When numbers were high, Maple was more suited than Sally. As Maple deployed her weapons, she tilted downward and sank. Once the monsters entered range, she launched her attack in full.

Bullets and laser rain tore through the water, piercing monsters that had not yet targeted her. Massive damage followed. Some turned to retaliate, shifting their bodies—but Maple, already positioned above and within range, held the advantage without question.

Approaching draws the barrage tighter. To move forward is no different than leaping into death. To stand still is to become a sieve.

"Even so, they’re not worth it..."

"Nothing to worry about! We need to hurry!"

"Right. No time to waste on unnecessary delays."

Thus, the two pressed forward, defeating monsters as they went, reaching the entrance of the rift unharmed. At this pace, even ordinary field monsters would fall behind.

"Wow... deep, huh."

Unthinkable in normal waters. Below their feet, the vast fissure darkened into a hue like thick blue paint. Unlike the clear water above, nothing beyond the edge is visible. Darker than the hidden route to the underwater temple.

"Let’s go. Oxygen depletes faster than usual. Be careful."

"Got it!"

They activate their headlamps and step forward into the fissure.

The darkness swallows their feet whole. The ground vanishes beneath them. Their bodies sink into dark water.

"Whoa, it's not this dark even at night."

"It's really dark. We might not notice anything approaching if it's not where the headlamps are pointing."

In this darkness, even a moment's lapse could mean losing sight of Maple beside them.

"Then... yes, Love That Offers the Body!"

Maple activates her skill. Light spills out. White wings manifest behind her.

"This way, Sally can be protected, and it’ll serve as a marker too!"

"Wow, that’s a double benefit."

Earlier, Maple had served as a marker when she carried a bomb and launched into the sky. Compared to that, this is a far more stable sign.

The position we dive into has a wall behind us. We’ll descend along it. That way, we should be able to avoid any surprise attack from behind, no matter how it comes—light won’t reach it.

Yeah! Let’s do that!

Sally remains alert, but reducing risk is always better.

Monsters may change too. Be careful. I think they’ll use the darkness to approach and strike from unseen angles.

Got it! When they get close, we strike!

We can’t launch a ranged attack from afar like before—no visibility. But that’s not where Maple and Sally excel. They are not back-line mages. Their strength lies in close combat. And with Love That Offers the Body active, being approached is not a disadvantage.

It’s truly pitch black…

If we go through the center, there’s no wall behind us. We won’t know which way we’re facing.

Sally’s way of fighting—always moving, always active.

It is possible to maneuver in three dimensions, using the water to strike the monster from all sides. But in such darkness, without a sense of direction, one might think they are diving when in fact they are rising.

“Unless a boss—or some impossible monster—shows up, we’ll keep the fighting minimal. In return…”

“Yeah, I’ve got this!”

“Thank you. We can ignore anything we can’t handle. We’re not here for experience.”

“Got it!”

They seek oxygen, not experience. They avoid unnecessary combat and head straight for the bottom.

Still, the cracks are deep, wide in every direction. Yet along the walls, monsters are not densely placed. For a time, the two continue descending without encountering anything.

“Are we really moving forward?”

A sense of sinking, but safe… probably.

Darkness presses in. It feels as though they cannot move. Then, ahead of them, a blue light appears—different from headlights—faint and floating.

“Huh. Looks like we’re really moving after all.”

“An item? Or an event?”

“Nothing’s moving… but, Maple.”

“What is it?”

Sally speaks of something to Maple. Maple nods, understanding.

“Indeed… careful when we go to look, yes!”

“Yeah. Conditions are against us. We can’t be sure we’ll cover each other.”

Proceeding with caution, aware only to retreat if something goes wrong, the two move together toward the light.

Just as their hands nearly touch it, the darkness shivers. The headlights reveal sharp teeth, suddenly clear.

“Maple!”

“Yeah!”

The mouth snaps shut as if swallowing the spot where the two had stood just moments before.

"Still lured them in, just as expected."

"Exactly as Sally thought!"

Even though the darkness had perfectly concealed it before, the shape now clearly visible after opening its jaws. The dark remains unchanged, but the outline stands out sharply.

"Like a flashlight fish?"

"Likely the motif. Once seen, it's ours."

Sally kicks water and accelerates, swiftly closing in, circling to the side of the large body and slashing with both daggers. The slow, deliberate movements of the flashlight fish offer no match to Sally’s agility.

"【Barrel Deployment】! 【Attack Initiated】!"

There was no way to evade Maple’s barrage. Bullets struck her body in succession, piercing through without allowing any further movement, reducing her form to light and erasing her entirely.

"Nice work, Maple!"

"Nothing to worry about!"

"Keep alert if you see anything strange. It might be mimicking something, lying in wait. We won’t fall for that again."

"Got it."

"Still, some may approach normally. Stay on guard."

"Yes, ma’am!"

Thus, the two repelled the monster and descended deeper into the abyss.