Defense specialization and the final event.
The day of the event. Maple waits at the designated time, having decided her participation category. When the hour arrives, she is automatically transported to the PVP event field, and the event begins.
Sally stands beside her. Though close, the destination of the transfer is random. She only wishes to speak before the start.
This is their final conversation before the start.
"Alright, let's do our best—uh, I'm getting nervous..."
"You're stronger than anyone else I know. Just calm down, breathe deeply."
"Shhh, haa, shhh, haa..."
"Are you calmer now?"
"Yes! Even though it's PVP, this time it's just one person. I have to watch out for sudden attacks..."
"PVP does happen, but large-scale battles usually involve more than one. Still, if you feel uneasy, just call me."
"Call you?"
“No, things like aberrations... or toxic fission forms...”
“Ah! Right! If it gets dangerous, just call everyone!”
“Messages don’t seem to reach, so that’s impractical. But you can call me anytime. Oh, my skills reset their cooldown after each battle ends, so calling me every time is more efficient.”
“Being able to use Rebirth of Shadow, Tyranny, and Gluttony every single time—amazing!”
“Ugh, that’s too much. Hearing it again, it’s insane.”
As they spoke, the event countdown began. Light enveloped the two of them.
“Then do your best, Maple.”
“Yeah! You do your best too, Sally!”
Maple met Sally’s outstretched fist with her own, and both vanished into the event field.
Maple materialized in a rocky terrain. Towering boulders, taller than a person, stood in uneven rows. The landscape offered many blind spots, ideal for ambush.
She had traversed similar terrain before. Unlike her first event, certain dangers now registered clearly in her mind. She knew where to watch, what to expect, and how to respond.
A faint smile touched her lips, unbidden, at the feeling of steady growth.
Then, a voice rang out.
“Battle Royale Area activated. Boundary confirmed. Deploying barriers.”
As the announcement echoed, red light surged from distant peaks, rising like a dome into the sky. It wrapped around the entire area where Maple stood, sealing it completely.
"Uh, the battle royale area is... here! Survive until only one pair remains. Hmm, yes."
Maple checks the rules in the event details, then closes the window.
No players are visible nearby, but the rules are clear: battle royale.
A significant number of players must be within this area, sealed off by the red light.
This event allows party formation for up to two. That is what "last pair" means.
"Should I go look for them? I could wait... right! "
Maple had chosen to wait during the first event. This time, she decides to take a different path. She sets out to search for other players.
"Fu-fu-fu, time to push forward!"
Maple steps forward with determination. She does not notice the two players watching her from behind a rock.
…………
…………
Maple vanishes beyond the great stone. The two players exhale, hands resting on their chests.
““It’s over!””
They clasp their heads at once, the moment the words leave their lips.
“First move that!?! First move that, huh…!”
“Shall we? D-does anyone know what to do?”
“Calm down, calm down. Losing won’t cost us anything. If we somehow win, a major guild might take notice.”
The opponent is, frankly, a monster. A monster even among monsters.
Both have seen violence, ravaging, slaughter, and terrifying destruction—born from the events. Yet precisely because of that. To defeat her would bring renown.
“Fortunate she’s not skilled at tracking. We’ll wait for the right moment to follow.”
"Okay. I thought it was just a festival event, but now I’m suddenly tense..."
"I get it. Then let’s do this!"
Other players will pause to observe Maple upon sighting her. There might even be temporary alliances. No matter how many join, defeating her would bring the highest honor.
Maple’s position was, quite literally, that of the 【Demon King】.
"Fhun fhuun... huh?"
Despite being a battle royale, Maple walks idly forward without encountering another player—past large rocks, into an area where low-growing shrubs appear.
Then she stops abruptly, hearing a rustle behind.
No monsters inhabit this area.
Yet the sound came from behind—where Maple herself had just come from. Someone had slipped in behind her without notice.
Maple’s mind seized on the possibility. She shifted into combat stance. No allies in this area. If she had allies, they would have spoken already.
If you cannot show yourself, die where you are. If not, come forth.
Maple herself had no intention of this. But what of the skill she had activated? Was it pressure enough to hold still the one she had sensed?
“Shiroppu! Great Nature! Predator! Demon King! Rebirth of Darkness! Ancient Sea!”
From behind Maple, a colossal, monstrous form emerged, embracing her as though born from her shadow. On the vines created by Great Nature, avoiding the devouring grip of Rebirth of Darkness, stood her longtime companion, Predator. The darkness spreading beneath her feet consumed the fish of Ancient Sea, expelling the monstrosity in return.
Sudden full throttle.
The hellish realm unfolding before her eyes.
Maple’s sudden change, the altered state of affairs.
The aberration born of 【Rebirth of Darkness】 moves toward the place where something might have been, one after another, cries rise, players seen retreating, regrouping.
“Eh!? Didn’t notice at all… everyone’s good at hiding.”
“Can’t help it! Can’t help it! We were going to fight anyway!”
“Ah! I’ll knock them all down!”
Ten or so players stand there. Twenty might not be far off, if those still concealed are counted.
They unite, preparing to fight. Maple recalls the first event, raises her weapon—different from then.
“Hehe, alright! I’ll take them all down!”
A childlike smile forms. The phenomenon that follows bears no relation to it.
“H-here we go!”
“O… ohh!”
Magic does not affect Maple. If she cannot restrain or suppress from a distance, she must throw herself into that deathtrap to move things forward.
The aberrations spill out, scattering, yet cannot be encircled—only each picked off in turn.
The absurdity of even ten or more gathered still being at a numerical disadvantage to Maple alone.
Only novices now remain unaware of Maple’s abilities. The familiar, towering aberration wielding dual blades, its faceless visage turned toward them from behind Maple—ignored. The players charge the aberrations of the [Rebirth of Darkness].
“[Paralyze Shout]! [Poison Dragon]!”
Paralysis and poison fall like rain. Yet the countermeasures are already in place. So long as Maple is present, paralysis and poison endure. This is the iron rule of all guilds who play in PVP—paralysis no longer breaks them.
“[Massive Magic Barrier]!”
The barrier shudders, cracked by [Poison Dragon], but damage is barely contained. The poison itself does not take hold, but [Poison Dragon] inflicts heavy damage on every hit.
“[Great Severance]!”
While blocking [Rebirth of Darkness], they dispatch [Poison Dragon]. One aberration falls, all together. A calm voice speaks from deep within.
Only one?
They come like common fodder, one after another?
“Hey—don’t just stand there, idiot!”
“Ah.”
The aberration behind Maple. It stretches its form, swallows a man whole, and closes its mouth wide.
A body splitting with a sharp snap—its lower half dissolving into light, fading away.
It revealed, in precise detail, how utterly unnatural the creature before them truly was.
“H-ha…!?!”
“T-this is bad…”
“Don’t panic! You knew this would happen!”
“Shiroppu—[Petal of Slumber]!”
A soft, pink petal floated down. Several players fell into [Sleep] status, frozen in place. The [Demon King]’s twin blades cut through them. The aberration of [Rebirth’s Darkness] swarmed, devouring them.
Paralysis. Poison. And though no image formed, Maple held sleep among her cards. Unlike the two well-known types, [Sleep Resistance] was not flawless.
The scene before them did not wait for calculations of HP. It shattered the players’ resolve first—then decided the outcome.
“Ah… not much different from the Demon King.”
“Maybe.”
“[Ancient Weapon]!”
A blue laser, as if urging them onward, seared another player. The figure staggered, then was overwhelmed by the aberrations, screaming until they vanished.
“T-the next one, I’ll start with a proper ambush!”
“Right! This event allows for as many deaths as needed!”
“I’ll give it my full strength too!”
Indeed, at least Maple had not held back. She had given everything. The full force of top-tier players in this game had collided head-on. The distance between them was palpable. To feel it so clearly, one could begin to consider what would be needed to fill it.
She was battered. The golden star they had sought remained far away. Yet there was gain.
The number of players dwindled. The fragile balance, barely maintained, collapsed. The aberrations descended.
What they chose at the brink of death—merely the slight comfort of not witnessing the traumatic image of their eyes closed while monsters devoured their bodies—was inevitable.
Maple, having utterly destroyed her opponents with relentless force and effortlessly dominated the one-versus-many, continued moving through the field with full, unhidden power. From afar, every player who saw her thought, 'Ugh, there she is,' and maintained a precise distance, moving onward.
Yet this was a battle royale.
An area that forced confrontation. As time passed, the combat zone contracted. Players outside the zone were transferred inward.
The mechanic took effect. Combat intensified. Roars, incantations, explosions—somewhere, a scream rose, as if something dreadful had struck.
I’m used to being cut by swords, but this—this isn’t something you just brush off!
Even monsters are usually cuter than this!
[Full Equip Deployment][Attack Initiated]! [Call from the Depths]!
Gah! [Multi Heal]!
Ah!
Hey! Damn it! Those tentacles—too dangerous!
A mechanical limb extends, one arm transformed into a tendril that lashes out while firing bullets from its body. The moment it touches the ally beside her, the point of contact explodes. The body disintegrates, sucked into the tendril like smoke.
I’ve heard the rumors—players speaking in hushed tones, saying it’s terrifying. I’ve watched from a distance during large-scale PvP battles. But nothing compares to seeing it up close, face to face.
There is no story that matches firsthand experience.
Maple, when she confronts it directly, realizes it is beyond anything she imagined—a monster.
Ah!
As Maple gripped the last enemy with a tendril arm and converted its essence into magic, all skills she had activated dissolved, and cooldowns reset.
The red light seen in the distant sky faded and vanished. The battle royale arena collapsed, returning to the free area where PvP was unrestricted.
"Victory goes to Maple. Victory goes to Maple."
"Yay! Heh, I've gotten pretty strong, haven't I?"
Maple bounced in place, joy sharp and sudden, as the announcement repeated.
No longer the Maple of the first event—once limited to poison and paralysis—she had grown.
Even in this single battle, the path traveled, the days spent adventuring together, were palpable.
"Alright! Let's keep going like this!"
Maple walked on, not actively seeking opponents, yet moving forward with a light step, her pace buoyant with the intent to enjoy this event.