Defense-oriented, fire, and poison.

They descended near a vast lake. Surrounded by forest, yet visible from above as a single, unmissable mark.

Around the lake, trees lay fallen, their trunks bent and broken by force. Even a colossal Ignis could land here directly.

"Thank you, Ignis."

"Here it is."

"Not the best match, but since Maple is here, I might as well do it now. And while I still remember how to fight."

Shortly after, a monster appeared—just as Mii had described. The surface of the lake surged violently. Massive, gravity-defying masses of water extended from the lake like pillars, connected by countless paths.

Among them, fish about fifty centimeters long darted through at high speed.

The monster had been encountered more than enough times in the previous event and at the eighth layer.

By the time the speed and tactics of these foes had become ingrained in the body, the quest would be cleared.

“Love That Offers the Body!”

“Raging Flame!”

Maple fortified her defense, and from the safe zone, Mii unleashed a fierce flame. It pierced through the pillars of water and burned fiercely, dealing massive damage to the fish within.

“Ooh—!”

“If they move fast, just hit them all at once with wide-ranging attacks. Though, damage is reduced underwater…”

The fish, though struck by a blow too heavy to withstand, still held their health—just barely. They countered in unison, summoning a powerful swirling vortex of water.

“Heavy Body!”

The force of it, immense enough to hurl her back, Maple instinctively disables knockback and braces against the great vortex.

The attack appears fierce, yet lacks penetration. It does not wound her.

She has grown accustomed to summoning skills on instinct in such moments. She is becoming more familiar with the game.

"Still, not having to dodge makes things easier... [Azure Flame]!"

Mii counters the torrent of water, fired as a high-damage stationary cannon, with flame. As she does, Maple realizes this battle differs from usual.

Sally would have charged in to deal damage. In this situation, even skills usually forbidden could be used without consequence.

"Alright, [Poison Dragon]!"

Maple declares it aloud. The poison surge rushes toward the lake. It stains the pillars of water and the paths of liquid purple. The fish within take damage. There is no need to preserve the waters clean for swimming.

“Uwah…”

The result of what is happening. The goal—defeating the monster—remains the same for Mii. Yet the visual horror increases sharply when poison is the method.

As Mii’s health dwindles, her attacks, previously barely sufficient, now strike down the fish in a single blow.

Once poured into the water, it matters not how fast the fish swim. With no ability to act beyond the water, there is no escape.

From the sight alone, it appears a fierce clash of flame, poison, and water. In truth, it is a one-sided slaughter.

The pillar of water extending from the lake vanished simultaneously with the quest’s completion. The lake returned to its former stillness.

“Phew, thanks, Maple. I could just attack and it was so much easier.”

“I’d have had to wait ages if it were just me!”

If only Maple had been alone, she would have had to wait for the poison to take effect, one by one.

Mii, too, no longer needed to calculate evasions amid the unstable wreckage. She reached the end with ease.

“Being in a party with Mii feels different, somehow.”

“Is that so? Hmm… Kanade uses magic, but it feels off somehow. Sally isn’t even the main user… maybe you’re right.”

With only eight members, certain roles naturally did not exist. There was no proper high-damage spellcaster in the 【Maple Tree】.

Kanade does not seek offensive points through special magical attacks. With Mai and Yui present, her offensive capability is sufficient.

Of course, Maple’s presence amplifies this. No need to rush a decisive battle. Maple takes every attack, leaving no need to focus on raw power. Priority of offensive ability naturally falls lower than in typical guilds.

"Ended sooner than expected."

"Has Mii had enough quests?"

"All the ones that appeared at first. After this, another will come. Progress will become harder. The pace will slow."

The quests currently available are the easiest among the nine layers. Even at this stage, monsters possess powerful attacks that restrict our movements, and some, like the dragon that attacked from above earlier, launch assaults from advantageous positions. The base strength of the monsters has clearly increased. If difficulty rises further, the enemies we face will grow correspondingly stronger.

"Has Maple not finished all of them yet?"

"Not yet. But we’re dividing up the work among the guild members to check what quests remain."

"I see. As a member of the [Maple Tree] guild, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that’s too difficult for you to handle alone, unless the match is particularly poor."

"We’re gathering information so we don’t fall behind even the large guilds, like [Imperial Flame]."

"I understand. Information gathering is important, and Mark is especially skilled at it…"

"Definitely good at it!"

This kind of event with a fixed base sees her shine. She seems unsure of herself, but the results speak for her.

The outcomes of past events have confirmed her abilities. That is why Mii trusts her.

Especially Mizari, Markus, and Shin—she often joins parties with them. I think we’ll likely enter the event as a four-person group. If we end up on the same side, feel free to rely on her fully.

Yeah! We will!

Though battles and conflicts aren’t frequent, Maple knows well the strength of Mii and her allies. If they’ve grown sharper, that only makes them more dependable.

It’s been a long time, but this is the final preparation phase. Maple, you’ve got a hidden card… you’re definitely holding something back, aren’t you?

Uh, I shouldn’t say anything about that, right?

Fufu, correct. Fearful, but... I’ll prepare my strategy with anticipation.

I’ll prepare diligently too!

Maple, who had never before played such a game, now shared with Sally a relationship of rival and friend. One who, unfamiliar with rivalry, mimicked Sally’s expression with a faint, self-assured smile.