Defense specialization and lightning speed.

Time passed. The players had advanced through quests considerably. Yet, since the path was clearly marked, many progressed along the quest line. Exploration of areas not on the quest route remained neglected compared to previous floors.

Thus, across the entire field, many regions still lacked complete information.

For this reason, the hidden areas the Crom group sought remained undiscovered for the foreseeable future.

Amid this, Maple wandered at her own pace, exploring wherever she wished. She paused just outside the Town, opening her map to decide where to go today.

Sally focused solely on surveying the field. Crom and the others each pursued their own exploration. Today, as always, she planned a solitary journey.

Yet Maple had also been instructed by the guild to avoid solitary actions.

Where to go now?

She progressed through quests, but since arriving at the ninth layer, she had spent considerable time flying through the skies. Areas that caught her interest on the map had already been explored. Of course, she could not claim every element had been confirmed. Re-exploration remained possible. Still, she would prefer to go elsewhere.

In uncharted zones, every action would be a discovery. There would be no wasted effort.

Considering where to go among places she had not yet visited, a voice called from behind.

Maple! What are you just standing there, spacing out for?

Ah, Velvet! Hinata isn’t here today, is she?

Hinata’s out surveying the field!

That’s right. So you’re the same as Sally then. Velvet?

I’m not especially good at that sort of thing, so I’m leveling up and checking what’s missing!

Hehe, so Velvet’s just like me then!

So you were looking at the map, huh?

Yeah. I was undecided about where to go. Are you heading out to explore next?

That was the plan, but where did Maple intend to go?

Maple pointed to each possible location in turn, answering directly.

Then this place overlaps with me! Shall we go together?

Yeah! Sure! Should we ride Shiroppu?

Hehe, there’s a faster way!

Is that so? Hmm, maybe Velvet’s tame monster?

Too bad. Wrong guess!

Since the effect only works when paired, Maple joins Velvet in a party.

"Let's go! [Electric Accelerate]!"

Velvet declares. Electricity surges across their skin. The crackling sound—familiar to Maple from having seen Mii use [Flare Accelerate]—hints at the effect.

"Try running!"

"Ready?"

"Fine!"

Maple dashes forward at full speed. Though she falls short of Sally or Kasumi, her movement speed surpasses that of players like Crom or Kanade, who place little emphasis on speed.

"Amazing! So fast!"

"Anyone can move this quickly with this!"

Indeed, this would reach the destination faster than riding Shiroppu.

"Running toward it feels fresh!"

"Really unusual, isn't it?"

"Then let's head off right away!"

"Right you are! Oh, be careful—don’t forget the effect wears off. If you don’t watch it, you’ll slow down suddenly and fall."

"Got it!"

The sensation of sprinting across the field felt like Sally’s. Maple pushed forward with her faster legs, aiming for the destination. Velvet kept her speed steady, not letting Maple outpace her. The two ran side by side across the field.

"Seeing Maple run like this… it feels strange."

"Speed like this—can’t do it without 【Brutality】. Even if you detonate a weapon, you move fast, but you’re not running. Not really."

Maple rarely moves across the field on foot. She chooses between riding Shiroppu or using Sally’s prepared means of transit. Movement via 【Machine God】 and 【Brutality】 is limited to combat situations requiring speed.

Her base 【AGI】 is zero. Items and skills that scale through multiplication cannot accelerate her. 【Electric Accelerator】 functions like 【Brutality】—it increases values regardless of base 【AGI】. It is this quality that allows it to speed Maple.

Velvet not only charges forward, unleashing lightning strikes to ravage the battlefield, but also possesses support skills like 【Electric Accelerator】. While Hinata’s support and disruption are prominent, Velvet too has skills that use electricity to aid allies.

If there are other attributes that can be raised besides movement speed, she could be an unyielding presence in both one-on-one combat and large-scale battles.

"Are there other skills like that?"

Not like Sally, but Maple approaches Velvet with nothing but pure curiosity, asking without any internal calculation.

"Fufufu, that's something I can't reveal."

"Ah! Right, that makes sense."

"I'd like you to verify it during the event!"

There is a sense of something being held back in her tone and manner, but without seeing her use it firsthand, its nature remains uncertain.

"Does Maple have anything like that? We fight together sometimes... but I've never seen a new skill from her."

Maple’s powerful skill that begins with 【Bad Food】 is what they see in every battle, yet the skill she uses has remained unchanged for a long time. Partly because Maple and Sally have discussed and chosen deliberately not to use it, but also because the players she teams with are simply strong.

If she fights alongside Mii or Velvet, for example, there is no need for Maple to use 【Machine God】. Whether Maple joins the attack or not, the time and effort required to defeat enemies remain the same. As the damage dealers grow stronger, Maple ends up taking on the role of a large shield user—indirectly, by necessity.

She needs no new skill. Simply deploying 【Love That Offers the Body】 is enough.

“Secret!”

Maple answers firmly. The two run toward their destination.

“Phew… I think I’ve never run this far before!”

After running for a time, they reached a desolate stretch of land where sharp, tall rocks stood in clusters. Scorch marks dotted the rocks and ground, blackened and warped—evidence of some violent attack that had occurred here.

Maple peered into the area’s entrance. A massive orb of light plummeted from above, flooding the surroundings with blinding radiance.

“…I was startled.”

“It’s lightning! Maple, you shouldn’t… be harmed by it, should you?”

Velvet knew of Maple’s high defense. Yet even so, the strike was so intense that certainty faltered.

“Who knows? Lightning doesn’t usually feel like it penetrates defenses…”

Whether it truly did or not remained unknown until tested. With 【Unyielding Guardian】 active, an accident like that could be avoided.

Some of the jagged rocks jut upward like lightning rods. To explore, one must identify the safe zones among the many and move through them when the moment permits.

Of course, that is assuming normal circumstances.

"Love That Offers the Body!"

Maple activates the skill, shielding Velvet, then resolves herself and steps straight into the area. Moments later, the sky above flashes, and a bolt of lightning crashes down, blinding the entire field.

It lasts only an instant. When the light fades, Maple stands unharmed, as expected.

"Safe!"

"Amazing! Now we can walk through easily!"

Velvet, protected by Love That Offers the Body, suffers no harm. Unless Maple is knocked back and flung far away, the lightning poses no threat.

There was a place with lightning clouds even at the fifth layer, but this one might be stronger.

I can use lightning too, but I’m no match for this.

If Velvet continues to unleash lightning at this level, there will be nothing left to approach.

Even without that, only Sally could dodge it entirely and close in unharmed. This attack is near-perfectly accurate.

If I could fire this many times in succession, I’d be stronger.

Raise the skill level?

It doesn’t seem likely to go any higher from here...

Velvet has fought long and hard with lightning as her main weapon. If she has chosen to repeat combat willingly, reaching the maximum skill level is natural.

After walking for a while, enduring the strikes, the monster they sought appears.

It is a sphere of electricity, fifty centimeters in diameter, crackling and discharging. Setting aside its substance, the multiple shapes floating gently through the rocky terrain resemble fireflies seen from afar.

"Is that it!"

"Alright, 【Full Armament Deployment】!"

Maple swiftly deploys her weapons and opens fire on the monster in a sudden burst.

The attack, swift in velocity and long in range, allows for a one-sided preemptive strike beyond the monster’s perception.

The monster only notices the onslaught of bullets a moment too late. As expected from its slow, floating motion, it cannot evade the barrage’s range.

Maple, seeing its health bar low and appearance unimpressive, feels certain it can be defeated. Yet, immediately after the bullets strike the crackling mass, they pass through it and continue onward.

Though pierced, the creature shows no sign of damage. Maple recalls the monsters she has faced before—those that nullify attacks in the same manner.

“Uuu… no good…”

“Then it’s my turn! Not the best match, but… 【Thunder God’s Return】!”

Velvet unleashes a discharge surpassing the monster’s form. The monster does not let it pass unchallenged, firing directed, branching lightning in response. Evading it at such speed and range would be difficult, even for Maple’s barrage.

“Nothing I can’t handle!”

Maple stands still, neutralizing every lightning strike that comes. The monster’s attacks produce no damage at all.

Even the rare, high-impact lightning bolts that fall intermittently fail to affect Maple’s calm expression. The monster’s lightning cannot harm her.

“【Thunderfield of Falling Lightning】!”

Velvet activates her skill. Thunderbolts descend in greater quantity upon the area. These are Velvet’s creation. The monster cannot ignore them.

“If I can dodge, I’ll dodge!”

Though the damage is lessened—compared to its normal force—due to the monster’s own use of lightning, Velvet still chips away at its HP with relentless output.

Just as before, when paired with Mii, Maple’s role as a barrier becomes all the more powerful with a partner who wields brute force.

The density of attacks from the monster and the area never eases. Yet if they do not cause damage, they serve no purpose.

“Velvet, keep going!”

“Leave it to me!”

Damage accumulates. Without further action, victory is certain. Maple watches Velvet’s assault without intervention.

They clear the surrounding monsters by scattering lightning as they walk. Confirming they have met the quest’s requirements, they move from the area where massive lightning strikes descend.

“Even if rocks act as lightning rods, it’s still annoying.”

“True. The sound was immense…”

Occasional strikes drown out the noise monsters make during attacks. Light blinds the eyes. Normally, this would be far more dangerous.

One may remain inside only if sheltered or if Maple uses Love That Offers the Body. But with lightning falling so persistently, conversation is impossible.

They move into the adjacent rocky terrain, walking until the sound of thunder fades. They select a suitable rock and sit.

“This area seems to have few monsters.”

“The thunder has stopped. We can rest now.”

The larger rock offers a space where monsters do not appear. As long as they remain still, there will be no battle.

“Really, today was a great help! I mean, her defense is truly impressive…”

“I won’t lose to that.”

“No one can beat Maple’s defense. If someone could, they’d surely be famous by now.”

The abnormality is evident the moment they face each other. It cannot be hidden unnoticed. With Maple already widely known, any such person would be compared immediately—discussed at once.

If no such talk has arisen up to the ninth layer, then it means such a person does not exist.

"Seemed to have exceptional defense from the first event... the mystery only deepens..."

"Come to think of it... Velvet wasn't there during the first event, was she?"

"That's right! Just after it ended, really!"

"So you're about the same as Sally! Do you often play games like this?"

"More so than me. I was invited this time."

Though details are not shared, it seems Velvet and Hinata know each other in the real world.

"I was invited by Sally too! We're the same, aren't we? Though I'm not as used to it as Velvet..."

"I'm still not good at it either..."

"Really? I don't think so..."

Velvet’s movements were refined. Her combat technique, her body control—no less than Sally’s. Her positioning in battle seemed far more practiced than Maple’s.

“Hinata wanted to play with Velvet too, didn’t she?”

“But the reason I was invited this time is something else.”

“Is that so?”

“…It’s like practicing from form.”

“?”

Maple tilted her head. Velvet cleared her throat and straightened her spine.

“…How about it? Doesn’t she seem quiet? Gentle?”

She clapped her hands softly and smiled. The lively energy from moments before had vanished. She looked quiet now. Impossible to imagine her lunging in with fists and lightning strike.

“Amazing… like a different person!”

“Phew. Not being natural is tiring.”

Maple thought Velvet’s usual manner was good too.

Is that so? That’s nice! But it’s true I must wear it… I am, after all, what you’d call a lady.

Eh!? Really!?

If that’s the case, the shift in her presence felt too great to be mere performance. Even if one seemed more natural than the other, both had taken long time to form.

That’s right. So I suggested Hinata’s place as a practice ground!

Surroundings full of strangers who don’t know me, and in-game, tone and manner shift freely—no real-world consequence. Perfect for practice.

Still, the habits ingrained are hard to change. Even Maple, who has known her only a short time, could see the results of practice were not coming easily.

Velvet and Maple continue their casual conversation for a time.

"Do you play other games, Maple?"

"No, not really. This is the first time it's lasted this long."

"Still, you became Guild Master all of a sudden! Is that what they call talent?"

"Not at all. Sally plans the guild's strategies, and everyone else thinks deeply too!"

"Unity is a good thing....Hmm, then should everyone in [Maple's Tree] be on the same side?"

"Well... I've had chances to talk with Mii and Pain-san too. I'm still thinking about it."

"The side hasn't been decided yet, has it?"

"Yeah. That's true."

"I'm planning to go to the opposite side this time."

"Hmm... so we should keep it hidden until the very last moment, just in case they end up joining us..."

[Thunder Storm] is, of course, a powerful guild. Having them as allies would be best.

A fine strategy, then! Was this Sally’s idea?

Nothing specific was said, but I’ve been observing her—watching what she does.

There is no small amount of influence drawn from Sally. Movements cannot be copied, but the mindset can be approached.

Will Velvet be fighting with the guild as one?

I’m leaving that to the guild as a whole! But of course, I’ll be pairing with Hinata!

Just as Velvet wishes to fight Maple, there are players within Thunder Storm who would like to face Velvet—the strong one, the one from their own guild.

That is their choice. I have no objection.

Large guilds will inevitably have many differing thoughts.

Indeed. Of course, Maple is not entirely unaffected by this either.

That is true.

Maple also has a guild known as the [Maple Tree], though only a few members belong to it. Differences in scale aside, alignment of thought and stance during events remains necessary.

"Looking forward to the event!"

"Ah, be my ally~"

"Will be your enemy, yes."

For now, they send their intentions toward one another. The final decision lies far ahead.