Defense specialization and division.

"Hey—!...Really, thanks to Izu-san, I can do so much more."

Sally throws the ball deeper into the interior. Not randomly. She calculates the boss's position from the angle of incoming poison orbs and the sound of their launch, then throws the ball to fall just behind them.

A heavy clank. The purple mist around them shivers slightly.

Sally confirms it. She extends several threads into the unseen depths. A firm, sticky pull. She feels the thread grip. Confident it has worked, she yanks the threads in a single motion.

A grating sound. Something dragging across the ground. Emerging through the mist like a blade splitting cloth are multiple large spheres. And behind them, pushed forward, the boss's poison orb—forced into view.

"Good. It worked!"

Iz's custom sphere. It expands over time. Originally meant to be launched into the air or spiked for attack, it was not intended for Sally’s use—but she adapted it well, successfully drawing out the boss.

“[Ice Pillar]!”

Ice pillars rise, sealing the boss in place before Maple, who cannot move.

Maple stands before them, her body crushed by successive poison orbs—but she takes no damage from the attacks themselves. She is unharmed.

“Just brought it along… are you sure this will work?”

“It looks soft. Should be fine!”

“You’re worried about it being poison. But it won’t reach anyway. I’ll just bury it here.”

“Okay! I’ll work hard to master the skill!”

Sally drew the boss closer, shifting it until it reached the range where she could reach it while seated. The boss, startled by how near Maple had come, lunged forward in attack.

“Breathing alright!?”

“Not in water, so it seems alright!”

“Good. Then I can fight while seated… can I eat it? Right?”

Her answer came in action. A series of small damage effects erupted from the poison mass. The HP bar dimmed slightly. She would not let it go until the body vanished.

“Take your time.”

“Faaai!”

Though fully buried within the poison mass, Sally felt reassured by the energetic reply. She remained alert, prepared for anything that might happen.

The battle against the boss. More precisely, the act of consumption by Maple. Even at the tenth layer, it would take an immeasurable time to defeat the creature through consumption alone. Yet Maple’s usual skills all culminate in a final strike that is consumption—more precisely, drain. Sally had confirmed this when she acquired her own 【Threadweaver】 ability.

“【Double Slash】!”

She reduced the boss’s health to a point where its behavior pattern would shift, but not so far as to make the process unmanageable. She kept the damage moderate, shortening the time needed.

As Maple took bite after bite, it happened.

The poison mass began to tremble. While Sally remained alert, the boss broke free from her restraint and vanished from sight in an instant.

That would have been acceptable.

Sally noticed the range of 【Love That Offers the Body】 shifting rapidly. She reacted immediately.

“【Hyper Acceleration】!”

Fortunately, the range of 【Love That Offers the Body】 was wide. If Sally ran full speed in the same direction, she could just barely stay within it. The usual flashy light effects, which would normally only draw attention, now served as aid.

"Maple, are you alright!?"

"I-I'm fine... I was startled, that's all, it jumped so suddenly"

They both exhaled in relief, unharmed. Then, strangely, the purple mist began to thin. The poison would still strike, but not enough to block their vision.

In the slightly cleared view, they saw multiple poison masses bouncing about.

"Wha—!?"

"...Splitting? If the core cannot be identified, time is wasted, and the poison inflicts agony. It's still flying at us at tremendous speed."

The ground is a slick, sucking mess—no solid footing. The attack itself, hurling the poison, should carry damage. Splitting in the midst of a swift battle was a troublesome tactic.

"Only one Maple entered. That made it easy to identify."

"Was a lucky break. Glad it worked."

"Let’s finish this quickly. Returning to the throne will be difficult."

Sally, weakened in recovery, used a potion to support Maple and waited for the completion.

"By the way, is it tasty?"

"Not really…"

It looks like grape jelly. But inside, it is deadly poison. It cannot be tasty.

"Of course. You did well."

A success experience, unclear if good or bad, had led to Maple choosing predation among her options.

"At least we’ll get a skill."

"Right!"

The HP bar dwindles steadily. The boss’s body twitches, then stills. The battle ends slowly, without urgency.

The final bite drains the last of the boss’s HP. A soft crackle. The toxic mass enveloping Maple dissolves, vanishing entirely.

"Thanks, Sally! I couldn’t have done that alone."

"True. Without a healer, it would’ve been hard. Glad I could help. Oh— the poison’s fading too."

The violet haze filling the air vanishes the moment the boss disappears. The poison clinging to Maple lifts. No more danger remains.

"Right— the skill?"

"Ah! That’s right! Um… it’s increasing! Not resistance reduction, though."

"Ah— impressive, boss. Well, no one else around. Shall we test it here?"

Let's do it! Ah... MP's low... Maybe I'll put it on the armor?

Still seems low. Can't be helped with gear, but not impossible.

Seems adjustable—100, 200, or 300 when used.

If we can change the cost, better to set it to max. Better to set it on gear.

A gear that secures 300 MP would be powerful. Since we already have a gear that can cover the deficit, better to rely on it. Natural. Smooth. Maple sets the skill into the armor's slot.

Then I'll use 300 and go full blast!

Yeah. Show me.

【Toxic Fission Body】!

A flood of purple poison pours out, wrapping around Maple, spilling directly onto the ground, spreading across the area.

From the resulting poison pool, three pillars of toxin rise, bubbling up with a gurgling sound.

It slowly reshaped itself, taking on Maple’s form, matching even the color until it was indistinguishable from Maple.

“Oh— can’t tell the difference. How far can it mimic?”

“It can’t use any skills, but its stats are identical!”

“Even if it’s not activating things like ‘Absolute Defense,’ its equipment status still applies, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah. I see.”

Though it possesses no skills at all, Maple’s unique series boasts extraordinary defense. If both equipment and base stats are reflected, ordinary attacks would not penetrate.

“It can be directed to some extent. If left idle, it will attack with poison.”

“Ah, like earlier.”

“Then it explodes on reactivation!”

“……?”

“[Toxic Fragment]!”

Maple activates the skill once more. The three replicas that resemble Maple burst apart with a sharp *bān*, spraying poison across the area.

…………

Amazing… it really exploded.

The image is undeniably shocking. Sally nods in acceptance, then recalls something and turns to Maple.

"Hey… does [Poisonous Charm] stick to it?"

"The skill says it doesn’t carry over… but…"

"It’s based on Maple’s own poison ability, so I wonder…"

"True…"

"If it works, it’d be strong. The enemy’s defense is impossibly high. We could get close and trigger an explosion. Unlike my clones, it has endurance—it could even act as a wall."

"I see. This might be a useful skill after all."

"Better to test the unknown. We can include it in our strategy."

"Yeah."

Having achieved clear results, the two completed the quest and escaped from the boss’s lair, fouled with poison.

As Maple’s group advanced, so too did other guilds, each choosing their own strategy—dividing tasks, assigning areas to favorable players—moving forward with the ten-layer dungeon.

Naturally, some guilds progressed swiftly and smoothly, and the Gathering Holy Sword was among them.

"Still, Ray’s fast. Makes sense, given he’s a rare monster."

"Don’t fall. No one’s here to save you."

"Hey, Pain, almost time."

"Yeah. Lower the altitude."

A Ray capable of Gigantification, able to carry all four without riding a dragon rented in town. His swift flight, proven countless times in player events, remained reliable across the vast ten layers.

They landed on the ground. The four stepped down from Ray.

You can't fly past here, you know.

Not all things can take flight through the sky, it seems.

There are places in the sky that cannot be passed through—strong winds, monsters too powerful to destroy. Certain quests, certain events, cannot be fulfilled if one flies through them. Thus, flight is forbidden in such places.

"Shadow could do Gigantification too, if only..."

It won’t just start working now. Gigantification is a fundamental skill from the beginning.

Traveling upon shadows would make scenes like this easier, but that ability seems unlikely to return. In battle, however, a powerful mobility skill remains available. It is a matter of using each tool where it serves best.

Ussh, let's get to the conquest right away.

Speeding up now—hmm?

Frederica’s vision was filled with the sight of a circular, glowing surface flashing past at high speed.

Looking up, she saw a dragon borrowed from the Town flying past in the sky. It slowed gradually, descending at a distance before vanishing into the forest.

“That’s… Maple?”

“Could be. The glow of Love That Offers the Body.”

“Wasn’t there something over there?”

“No. No information on that yet.”

“Let’s go check it out. Might catch some rare event.”

“Yeah. Not impossible.”

“Hmm. Then let’s go.”

“Wait, really?”

Frederica’s eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected that.

“Haha. You suggested it, Frederica. The Maple Guild’s movements need monitoring. In a place this vast, ten levels deep, it’s better to confirm the situation if we happen to meet.”

“Then let’s ride Ray! Good thing we did it before Gigantification ended.”

“Yeah. Ray!”

Pain lifted the three onto Ray, and the light resembling Maple vanished into the forest ahead.

As they drew near, Ray landed. Frederica dismounted and turned her attention to the surroundings.

“This area, perhaps…”

“……!”

“…………!”

“Someone’s here, I think…”

Though the words were indistinct, the sound of combat and a voice could be heard a short distance ahead. The dungeon had not yet been entered, it seemed. Frederica moved forward, leading the way. From beyond the thickets ahead, a voice she recognized reached her ears. She stepped out from cover with certainty.

There, three Maples stood. Each was tightly gripped by a massive bear-like monster. The bear struck them repeatedly, but they sustained no damage.

While watching, the bear that should still have full health vanished abruptly, as if erased.

……?

Frederica had thought Sally’s ability had created a duplicate, but it did not feel right.

She looked at the three Maples, wondering if it was a new skill—then the figures exploded suddenly, scattering shards across the ground.

Uwah…!

Hn? Ah, Frederica!

Ah, hey, you two!

Frederica gasped at the sudden sight. The others turned, approached.

A moment later, Pain and the three others appeared.

Frederica, I apologize. I saw you flying off and thought to speak with you, so I followed.

Ah, that’s right!

I thought we’d stumbled on a rare event. This place is beyond the usual quest routes. Just testing a new skill, then.

Shall I let Frederica use it first this time?

I’ll pass.

Heh, but once seen, one cannot be left alive.

Yet in truth, if the details of the skill are unknown, being seen is no great matter. Sally’s words are as jest.

And this skill’s difficulty remains unchanged, whether one knows it or not.

Frederica has seen it now. If the two wish, I can offer information of my own accord. What say you?

Accepting the offer of apology, the two received several pieces of information.

You’re quite skilled. The Gathering Holy Sword must be making good progress, yes?

Not bad. We have many guild members, yet still, hands are few.

Advancing quests is not so difficult. But then, too many events would be missed.

We’ll grow stronger too. Ah, let’s fight again next time.

Fine. I’ll be waiting.

There are still far more unexplored areas. We could use more hands. We’ve formed an alliance before—working together would help.

Of course!

If you need anything, call me. I’ll lend a hand if needed.

Yes!

Then let me lend you a hand too. I was planning to explore a bit anyway.

If Maple agrees. What do you say?

Yes, it’s fine! We might even be on the same quest.

True. Having the Gathering Holy Sword with us makes a difference.

Yes! Heh, now I don’t have to worry about defense.

A win-win.

Then let’s get started. If we focus purely on attack, the strategy changes.

Right. It’s not fair to delay. We’ll set out now.

Gathering Holy Sword together, they tackle the quest. Every attack launched from Maple’s absolute defense reaches the peak of power.

Ravage upon ravage. Monsters are hurled away by flying skills.

It makes no difference whether they face a boss.

No monster could withstand six fully prepared individuals, even if it were ten levels deep.

Whether this quest was completed is no longer worth mentioning.

Such was the strength of Maple’s party.

Baaan (the sound of Maple scattering)