I hate being in pain, so I think I'll make a full defense build

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 346

Defense Specialization and the Trial

Mai and Yui returned to defeating the event monsters on the 5th layer, while also practicing swinging what were now a total of eight great hammers. In the meantime, Maple explained the matter to Sally.

“I see… Yes, I think those two should be able to handle them just fine. Though, I wonder how they will be able to answer if someone asks what it is they intend to kill…”

Due to Mai and Yui’s statuses, changing weapons for them was completely different from when Sally or Kasumi changed weapons. As they did not require delicate control over their weapons, they could ignore demerits like handling difficulty, and only feel the merits of having six extra weapons.

“I guess we won’t have to think about our party’s attack ability anymore. They have more weapons and their STR will likely jump way up…”

Up until now, Mai and Yui had made incredible contributions as the ultimate anti-boss weapons, but you could say that they had now been perfected.

“But if we’re thinking about their movement within a party, we’ll have to buff them up while considering the type of enemies they might struggle against.”

“Hehe.”

“Like enemies that are too fast or stay out of range.”

Sally brought up a few examples, but all of them were related to attacks. It was no wonder, because when it came to protecting those two, they had Maple. Mai and Yui’s low defense ability could be covered with Maple’s ‘Dedicated Affection’ and ‘Throne of the Heavenly King.’ It was so perfect already, that they could not hope for anything else.

“It’s like you three already have great chemistry, and this is all just an added layer of effect.”

If they were to split up in a future PvP event, Sally was sure that these three should be put together again.

“Do you think there should be cooperative play as well?”

“Yes. Being able to move instantly is a result of lots of practice.”

“And you can do some crazy moves, Sally.”

“I already had a lot of experience with VR. That’s why.”

Of course, there was also the difference in AGI, but there was something completely different about the smoothness of Sally’s movements, compared to the others. There was something at the core there that had nothing to do with her skills.

“Hehe. Do you want to practice cooperating with me too?”

“Sure! But I’m not sure I can keep up…”

“Don’t think about it too hard. You know, you can block the attacks that I can’t handle, and I’ll attract the attacks that you can’t take.”

“And we can attempt to get through it without taking any damage!”

“Yes, yes. You can deal powerful attacks too, Maple. We’ll change roles when necessary. Just trust that your partner will protect you.”

“Yes!”

Sally would trust Maple’s defense ability, and Maple would trust Sally’s dodging ability. And like that, they would move. This strength could make all the difference in fights that were neck and neck.

“So, with that being said. Why don’t we go to a dungeon now?”

“Right to cooperative play, eh? Okay!”

“I knew you would say that!”

And like that, the two headed towards the 7th layer, where the monsters were currently the strongest. While both had walked around quite a lot, there were still many places that they hadn’t visited yet.

As always, Sally rode on her horse, with Maple riding in the back.

“Where are we going this time?”

“There’s this place I accidentally found while you three were on the 6th layer. I explored it a little bit, but it seemed like it would be too hard for me to do alone, and so I turned back.”

Upon hearing that Sally had left due to it feeling too dangerous, Maple braced herself for what would surely be a very tough dungeon.

“Do you have any information about it?”

“From what I checked, there isn’t any information out there yet. So either no one else has discovered it, or they are keeping it a secret. People would be talking about it if they knew.”

“?”

“You’ll understand when you get there.”

They went through the forest, crossed the wastelands, climbed a mountain, and then arrived at the top of a canyon. When they looked down, they could see that there were steep rock walls on both sides. There were also holes in these walls, and some were connected with stone bridges. Furthermore, vicious-looking bird monsters were letting out terrifying screeches. It was clear that they would interfere if you tried to move down there. Maple could also see that the proper way to get through this dungeon was to move back and forth between both sides of the canyon.

“I guess we’re supposed to try and reach the very bottom?”

“Yes. And so…”

“We jump!”

“Yes, that seems like the fastest way.”

There wasn’t even any need to ride on Syrup and descend slowly. If they wanted to reach the very bottom, they just needed to jump, while Maple kept Sally within range of ‘Dedicated Affection.’ Even these monsters would not be able to catch players who were falling upside down.

“Well, I actually did test this method of going straight to the bottom.”

“I see. You could get down with webs and footholds, after all!”

Sally’s mobility while in the air was quite high. And while she couldn’t plunge down to the bottom all at once, in a place like this, where there were walls and platforms, she wouldn’t have too much trouble fighting off the monsters as she made her way down.

“So…I hope it works well… Maple, come over here.”

“Huh? What? What?”

Sally was pointing to a certain spot. There were more bird monsters there, but there were also several stone bridges you could stand on. And while there were differences in height, players who couldn’t fly would still be able to use them as a shortcut.

“Over there. If you fulfill the special requirements, a gate will open up.”

“What?!”

“If you look down from right above it, you can see that the different bridges form a circle.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Like Sally said, this inner part that looked like a ring could teleport you away, if you activated it with every type of magic.

“That’s amazing! How did you notice such a thing?”

“There are so many monsters, and since your footing is unstable, I thought it would be a good place to practice. And then I discovered the gate by accident.”

This was something that Maple would never be able to copy, and she nodded with admiration towards Sally.

“The real problem is what lies beyond it.”

“Okay!”

Maple activated ‘Dedicated Affection’ and then held onto Sally as she prepared to jump.

“Are you ready?”

“Okay!”

“Go!”

“Go!”

Both of them kicked off the dirt, launching themselves into the canyon.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Sally quickly activated every type of magic. At the same time, a white light appeared in the center of the ring. It enveloped both of them and teleported them to a different area.