Defense specialization and three-layered area three.

After some time spent recalling memories, they gaze leisurely at the subterranean lake, satisfied. Upon returning to town, they immediately begin reinforcement.

With flight speed and flight duration now enhanced, the aircraft has clearly advanced by one grade.

"Even just one level up, the flight time has increased noticeably."

"The area spans ten layers—very helpful."

Quests, free exploration. The two ponder what to do next when a message arrives.

"From Izu."

"Looks like the same message came through. They want us to come if we have time. What do you think?"

"Of course we’ll go!"

"Okay. We’ve just finished one quest anyway. Let’s head over right away."

They reply to the message and set out toward the place where Izu awaits.

Using the enhanced flight speed of their aerial machines, the two fly toward the center of the town.

They survey the largely unexplored town, anticipation rising for future sightseeing.

The sight of massive gears interlocking, elevators ascending the walls of tall towers, and the uneven terrain shaped by the presence of aerial machines—each detail promised exploration as compelling as the field itself.

Of course, the town was not the only base. Many more places remained to be experienced.

The two arrived at the guild home, where they had agreed to meet Izu, having enjoyed the view from above. They opened the door.

The first thing to meet their eyes was Izu, slumped against the backrest of the guild home’s large sofa, utterly drained.

“Izu-san! We’re here!”

"Thank you for coming... Something happened, it seems?"

"Yes, that's right."

Izu began to summarize what had occurred in the third layer during the time it took Maple and Sally to obtain the first 'Demon King's Power.'

"After we set out toward the third layer with Mai and Yui, and Kanade as well, the quest's details became somewhat clear."

"Everyone wants flying machines, after all."

The third layer offered a clear benefit—flying machines—distinct from the main quest of the tenth layer. It was inevitable that many players would gather there, more than in other areas.

"From what Mai and Yui told me, the quest's details remain incomplete."

"That's right. More precisely, it feels as though they haven't been fully clarified yet."

"……?"

Iz said that while some parts of the quest were notably difficult, players who reached the tenth layer without issue could not be defeated by them. Contrary to their expectations, many quests had already been completed once by someone.

"Amazing! Really?"

"So the unsolved part means the 'Demon Lord’s Power' wasn’t found?"

"Yes. That’s right. In the end, the 'Demon Lord’s Power' wasn’t part of the quest rewards."

"True. Then it wouldn’t be strange if some quests remained unsolved."

An enormous number of quests. All deeply tied to the third layer. The absence of the 'Demon Lord’s Power' here felt slightly unnatural.

That was why, including Iz and others, many players continued their search with careful attention, suspecting some unsolved mystery remained.

"Um, how was it?"

I was completely useless. If I could have found it, someone else surely would have already.

Iz failed to achieve the results expected from the search, yet if no one else had found a clue, that was to be expected.

Just...

"Just?"

Kanade was different, it seems.

Iz smiled and said that, and the two waited, hopeful for more.

In 【Maple Tree】, there was a member who excelled at solving mysteries. She had a memory that never forgot what she saw, the intellect to decipher the game’s invented language, and the ability to sense subtle anomalies others overlooked.

Kanade found a quest that did not appear in the usual flow. It led directly to the next, and she had cleared several already.

Yet likely the quests Kanade found lead to the Demon King’s Power. Difficulty has risen sharply. The party composition of Iz, Kanade, and Mai cannot clear the new quests.

“Ah, right—where are the three of them?”

Kanade, having resolved the mystery, relied on Mai and Yui as her main attackers. The three were not at the guild hall.

“The eighth layer—underwater exploration required. There seems to be puzzle elements there, so they went ahead.”

“That makes sense. We’d be helpless if faced with an unknown language.”

“Must remember to thank them properly.”

“Then, I’d like to ask the two of you to help clear the quests.”

“Of course!”

“Let us aim to be first to find the answer, before anyone else.”

“You’re dependable. I rely on you.”

““Yes!””

Capable across a wide range, the two are unquestionably the top two of the 【Maple Tree】 guild.

They possess the strength to follow the path carved by their guild members.

"Then let us begin, shall we?"

"Leave it to me!"

"I will carry you to the quest location. My air machine can hold multiple passengers."

"Ah, I see."

Though unpopular during the third layer—when weapon use became difficult mid-combat—it serves well enough for travel alone. Izu, who does not prioritize combat, finds the choice acceptable.

"Fufu, it's a bit different from the third layer."

"…?"

"You'll see when you look."

Though Izu's meaning remains unclear, the three proceed as planned toward the quest.

Thus, upon leaving the guild home, the two immediately spot the air machine Izu uses.

This is my air machine for this mission!

Ohh—!

Um… what is this?

Before them stands a machine that defies description. If asked what it resembles, it would be more accurate to call it Maple’s Machine God. More armor than vehicle, transformed into something akin to a fortified war carriage. Reinforced with countless attachments earned from completed quests—artillery, lasers, elemental weapons, thrusters—overloaded and modified beyond recognition.

"Being larger in frame allows for more attachments. It sacrifices maneuverability, of course…"

A benefit not found in boot-type units. With this, Izu could fight stronger than ever. The sheer presence of the monstrous, alien-looking frame alone was enough to convey that.

"Looks quite powerful… but we still won’t win with this, right?"

"That’s right. I’ll support you, of course."

I’ll do my best!

The enemy awaits. Maple and Sally climb aboard the aircraft after gathering monster information from Iz.

Inside, it resembles a carriage, but the cockpit is separate. Levers and buttons line the space, and a radar screen floats in midair, glowing with unknown symbols.

Ugh… this looks complicated…

Too many modifications were made. But once you learn it, it’s quite useful.

Iz pulls a lever and presses several buttons. The machine emits a soft hum and rises gently into the air.

It’s a fair distance, but it shouldn’t take long.

The aircraft Iz pilots streaks across the sky at a speed far beyond Maple’s.

In a matter of minutes, Iz reaches the destination. She lowers Maple and Sally to the ground, then presses several buttons and exits the aircraft herself.

The aircraft, now shrinking rapidly, hovers gently near Iz, floating just beyond her reach.

“This way, we can use it anytime we fight.”

“Shows how much you’ve upgraded it.”

“Exactly.”

“Um… what should we do here?”

Before Maple and Sally lie scattered heaps of large springs, gears, and mechanical parts. The ground stretches wide and empty. No monsters. No clear indication of what to do.

“There’s something here….”

“Can’t act if we don’t know what it is.”

Actually, we must supply the correct energy in the correct amount. Kanade discovered the precise values—and even the conditions themselves.

Iz hands out several items while giving instructions to the two.

“Isn’t that too many?”

“U-uh… can we carry all of this…?”

“Maybe we should put them in a crate. The inventory might get confusing.”

“Good idea!”

“But… if we rely on chance, we might not find them at all.”

Each item handed over is capable of attribute-based attack. The quantity implies that, if found by chance, one would have to cast spells indiscriminately. Yet here, no monsters appear. The environment is designed to make such chance encounters unlikely.

“Let’s get ready quickly. Kanade found these first, after all.”

“Yeah!”

Maple and the others hurriedly finished their preparations, then reported to Iz. They waited.

“Fei—[Stringwater]!”

Fei’s skill extended thin streams of water like springs and gears. In essence, a fuse. A preliminary setup to activate all items at once.

“Ready. Then let’s go.”

Upon stimulation, the items activated simultaneously. Lightning burst from the shattered yellow crystal at Iz’s hand, traveling along the extended strands of water and scattering effects throughout the area.

Following closely, a deep bass resonated. The moving parts briefly sparked blue before forming a single, unified magic circle of the same hue.

“Hurry— it won’t last long.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

At the precise moment, they leap onto the magic circle—crackling with violent light—and are thrust to another place, the three of them.