Defense specialization and proposal.

Meanwhile, Maple continued the quest with Mii alone.

Mii’s schedule happened to be free as well. Accepting the suggestion to assist and swiftly complete the task, Maple moved through the battlefield with overwhelming firepower and overwhelming defense, reducing monsters to ash.

Iggnis’s excellent mobility, combined with Maple’s attack power—something she could not achieve alone—made the remaining quests easily manageable.

Having completed all quests, the two returned to Town to report their success.

“Easy to come back!”

“Compared to Shiroppu. Maybe a bit faster than 【Brutality】?”

“Faster, I think!”

Even though Brutality had become faster than Maple’s usual pace, the status boost from that outer layer did not improve further. As a bird, Ignis had always possessed a high AGI, and that gap widened steadily.

Mii set Ignis down before the entrance, returned him to his ring, and the two entered Town.

“Have you seen most of Town already?”

“Not even close. It’s large. And there are two of them.”

“On top of the wall encircling Town, there are cannons and such. There are places too where soldiers work, other than the royal palace.”

“Do they use cannons?”

“An event, right? Who knows. There were cannonballs. If we brought the cannon along, we might have been able to fire it.”

If anyone can use anti-air equipment, then flying through the sky is no longer safe. The more one considers that among flying tame monsters, some possess greater maneuverability, or require prior experience riding them to fly at all.

"Maple seems to keep an eye on the Town. I’ll ask her later."

"Good idea. And we’ll go see the places that caught our interest."

"Yep! We’ll do that!"

They walked while speaking, arriving at the reporting site. Having completed the current mission, a new request of higher difficulty appeared. The monsters expected to appear are likely to be stronger. The quest destinations, once mostly forests and open plains, have shifted to terrain where fighting is not freely possible—mountains, valleys, deep within caves.

"Seems harder now."

"Yeah. That’s true."

“Ah, right. Um, what about you, Mii? What’s next?”

Around them, players had increased. Returning to Mii’s previous state, Maple asked again about her plans for the remainder of the day.

“Apologies. I can’t continue with you today. I look forward to fighting alongside you again.”

“Yeah! Me too!”

Mii smiled back at Maple’s smile. Today ended here. Though they had formed a party on impulse, both had roughly assessed each other’s abilities by now, and the quest’s progress remained strong.

Mii accepted a new quest for future reference, then parted from Maple to attend her next appointment, exiting the building.

“What should I do now…?”

She could advance the new quest. Or, as just discussed, she could explore the Town. Neither option was poor.

Maple pondered what to do. The quest here had reached a natural conclusion. She decided to shift her focus entirely.

“Yeah, I want to do both!

This time, she would not only explore the Town briefly, but begin a proper expedition into the Land of Fire and Wasteland.

【Maple Tree】was still devoting most of its time to exploring the Land of Water and Nature. If she began the quest there now, Maple would be the first to claim it.

“Let’s play a little more today!”

And so, Maple chose not to accept the quest here. She turned again toward departure.

Exiting the Town, Maple mounted Shiroppu. The sky journey continued at a leisurely pace. The flatlands beyond the Town held no flying monsters. The path was smooth. Comfortable.

“Seeing it from the sky again… the view is clear.”

The view is clear, not only because they see it from above, but because the land stretches flat without obstruction.

The open plain that continues beyond the Town is difficult to defend or attack. Tactics that rely on surprise or ambush—like those used in the fourth event—cannot succeed here, where the ground offers no concealment.

A confrontation straight ahead will be a clash of equal numbers. Maple turns her gaze to either side.

Away from the front, varied terrain unfolds. There are places like the frozen forest Maple once cleared, and areas Sally investigated—places where even a single step applies a debuff. Each has its own challenge.

“Sally’s strategy… would she go toward that side instead of the open plain?”

Maple considers how she might attack, based on past events. Only Maple can move freely through the sky within the 【Maple Tree】. There must be parts invisible to others, visible only to her.

"Over there, monsters in the air—can't fly. But over there, it looks easier to soar!"

She recalls previous flights, thinking what else to watch for when airborne.

"...That's right—wind!"

Maple remembers the pain of being forcibly blown from Shiroppu by a lateral gust during the third layer.

Threats are not only what one sees. Strong winds are among the clearest examples.

"Mmm... can't tell just by looking. Right!"

From now on, she decides to move actively using Shiroppu, flying all the way to the Town. As for the sky, Maple intends to investigate it while assisting Sally.

Even in exploring unknown places, if the remnants of the Unyielding Guardian and Tyranny remain, they will not fall unless something truly severe occurs.

Though her own mobility is low, her other abilities significantly reduce risks during surveys, making her well-suited for first-time challenges.

Adding aerial exploration to her future plans, Maple flies toward the Town on Shiroppu.

Upon entering the Town, Maple stops mid-step, about to head straight to the quest board.

"Are there cannons here too, like the ones Mii mentioned?"

It seemed unlikely there would be any difference in that regard, yet she had just decided to verify it with her own eyes. Maple began walking along the wall surrounding the Town.

If Mii’s words were true, there should be a staircase somewhere along the wall’s edge leading upward.

“Hot… or not, perhaps?”

After walking for a while, observing the lava flowing through the Town’s interior, she spotted a staircase jutting from the wall’s side.

“There it is!”

Maple climbed the long staircase and emerged onto the wall’s surface. A passageway ran along the top, with low gaps between railings reaching up to about chest height. There, lined up as Mii had described, were large cannons.

“A hole is drilled… so one fires only the tip from here?”

Both nations face open plains without cover before their towns. The strength of the cannons' power is unknown, but the fact that they occupy this position is formidable. Long-range attacks are held by each player. By using the height difference between the passage and walls, all can attack with magic or bows. No half-hearted method will suffice— one would be shattered before reaching the Town.

Maple could continue to unleash weapons and poisons from here, including the instant-death effect of her 【Cult Poison Spell】, inflicting massive damage.

Above all, Maple is exceptionally strong against those who advance.

“Ah! There are cannonballs too... can I use them?”

Maple reaches the cannonballs and realizes she can collect them. What she can obtain is, of course, cannonballs. It seems she can carry up to three.

She cannot fire continuously like pouring potions into inventory. But if several take turns, firing in rotation, sustained attack remains possible.

"Let's try one shot!"

Maple stands before the cannon. She loads a cannonball. The mechanism engages automatically. A deep boom. The projectile launches toward the field.

"Ooh... but will it hit...?"

In player-versus-player combat, the target is a player. Compared to the precision of the machinery she normally uses, aiming feels crude. Maple doubts her skill can land a hit.

"Remember this—Sally or Izu might manage it."

The cannons are many, but none differ significantly in power or effect. If fired together, they may become a threat. But that must be tested in actual combat.

Maple had just decided to return the way she came when she collided with a player ascending the stairs.

“Ah! Frederica!”

“Hm? Oh—hey, Maple. Alone today?”

“Everyone’s probably somewhere in the field… but I’m exploring solo!”

“Is that so. It’s rare to meet you like this. You’re always so noticeable with your gear and skills… where’ve you been exploring lately?”

“Um… just walking around the field, like everyone else?”

“Normal people from the Maple Grove don’t really inspire trust.”

“Eh! That’s not true at all!”

“Fufu… well, who knows.”

The thought of the peculiar skills held by the Maple Grove made doubt inevitable.

“Did you come here too, Frederica?”

“Mm-hm. I’m in charge of reconnaissance and rear support.”

Frederica said this, then checked the view from atop the wall.

“Buff—about that far, I’d say. We’ve got numbers, but crowding too much risks area attacks…”

When facing raid bosses, Frederica’s endless MP and wide-area buffs had proven powerful weapons.

Yet she lacked the endurance of players who armored themselves heavily in front lines. She preferred supporting from safe positions like this wall.

Still, range mattered. Positioning affected formation. The trade-offs of each spot required careful thought. Unlike Maple, who might survive being tossed into the battlefield’s heart without issue.

“You’re in this country, Frederica?”

“Hmm? Well, for now. Haven’t decided what to do yet. You all here, Maple?”

“Just me, I think? Everyone else is splitting up to explore.”

"Fewer people in the Maple Tree, aren’t there?"

In the Gathering Holy Sword, where players number far greater, even if exploring at the same pace, they would undeniably possess far more information.

Even Sally, skilled at gathering data, could not collect tenfold the information in the same time. The difference in numbers could not be bridged so easily.

"Still unsure what we’ll do in the end. Pain seems to want the entire guild to side together."

"Is that so."

"Wouldn’t that make victory easier? Well, I’ll follow the guild master’s stance."

Frederica seemed indifferent to which nation she belonged to. If so, aligning with Pain, Drag, and Dread would be simpler.

"Better to ride the winning horse."

"The Gathering Holy Sword is strong…"

“That’s… well, even if the numbers are small, they’re elite. I’m talking to the guildmaster of the 【Maplewood】—the one who’s active even in events…”

“W-what suddenly?”

“Hey, how about we talk over something at my guild’s home?”

“Huh?”

Maple looked puzzled at the unexpected invitation. She had no particular reason to refuse. She followed Frederica’s suggestion without protest.