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 356

Defense Specialization and Reinforcements 2

At the same time, after seeing Maple and the others fall, Sally, Kasumi, Izu, and Chrome made sure that they were in range of Dedicated Affection as they prepared to descend.

“Eight hammers is crazy. Their attack power is something else.”

“They were properly enhanced, after all. The ‘STR’ enhancements that can be added to weapons exceed that of accesories, especially if you can dual-wield.”

And while it had not been easy, Izu was more than satisfied at her work when she saw how much damage they were doing now. The great hammers had incredibly high STR, as you were really only supposed to be able to wield a single one. And so having eight of them at once was bound to be insane. And in the case of those two, they had skills that doubled the damage on top of that. So this was really not a surprise.

“Still, it’s amazing. They said they would jump down first and stagger it. But I didn’t think it would actually survive their attack.”

“Yes. I’m glad I was able to witness something like this. There is actually a creature out there that can withstand their attacks.”

They muttered their reactions to the disaster below. And then they jumped down after Maple and the others in order to finish off the giant squid.

Their attack ability had been boosted to another level, and through the dispatching of Mai and Yui, who were the ultimate special anti-boss weapons, they suddenly had an advantage over the giant squid.

They fell right on top of the squid that had been slammed to the ground, and while Maple protected them, the two continued to hit it with incredibly powerful normal attacks. Even though it was able to withstand the first attack, there was nothing it could do when it wasn’t even their absolute strongest special attack, but an ordinary attack.

Furthermore, now that the high power damage unleashing water attack had stopped, the players that had survived saw this as their chance, and they all rushed forward to attack.

This was the most obvious chance, and they wanted to make the most of it. And so they all used the most powerful attacks they had. Of course, the ones that stuck out the most and caused the largest damage effects to explode over the fallen squid, were the members of Maple Tree.

“Yes. All the members of my guild are so reliable.”

And like this, the giant squid that Kanade and the two others encountered was defeated by this one-sided attack, and it burst into light.

After the battle was won, while the survivors shared their thoughts on what had happened, the members of Maple Tree rushed over to where Kanade was standing.

“Thanks. And sorry for calling you out of nowhere.”

“No, it’s fine! But I was so surprised to see something that strong!”

As Kanade and Maple talked, Lily entered the conversation.

“Speaking of surprises, they have gotten even stronger than the rumors suggested.”

She was looking at Mai and Yui. The sight of them wielding a total of eight hammers was just too strange to imagine.

“Hehe. The results of special training!”

“I see… Hmm. Yes, it must have been very special training indeed.”

“Yes. Even I thought that I must be seeing things when I first saw all eight great hammers.”

Mai and Yui had practiced swinging on the 5th layer in order to get used to the unfamiliar controls. And since most people here stayed on the newest 7th layer, it was their first time seeing the pair.

This strange sight caused mutterings and howls of surprise to erupt from all around them.

It was then that they all received a message from management, and it detailed just what this giant squid was.

“I see… So this is the reason that the event is so long. That explains it.”

“The appearance of giant bosses?”

“I guess it’s like the second part of the event? Hunting down raid bosses. There seem to be other changes as well. But this is the main one.”

Lily quickly read the contents, as did Sally. And then she explained it to Maple.

For players that had succeeded in killing a certain number of event exclusive monsters before the half-way point, they would be awarded with the goal of having to kill a giant boss monster that appeared on each layer.

And as Lily and Willbert had thought, this was not something you were supposed to defeat as a party, but you were supposed to go to certain points on the map at a fixed time, and defeat it with a large number of players. And since it would disappear after a certain amount of time had passed, it was necessary to move quickly.

“This also affects the number of medals you’ll receive after the event. Furthermore, there are unique material drops as well.”

“Ohh! Then we’ll have to do our best!”

This first one was special, just like the time that Kasumi had first reached the far back of the town on the 4th layer. As they had just reached the required number of event monster kills, the giant squid had spawned without warning. And so it was also a coincidence that Kanade and the others were there.

“It would really help if Maple Tree helps with the others. No one else has the attack power to knock something that big out of the air. We’ll need the help of those two.”

Mai and Yui looked a little embarrassed to receive such high praise, but it was completely deserved. Mai and Yui would be able to contribute the most if they wanted to finish these battles smoothly.

“Anti-monster… Besides, it should be easier to hit bodies that are that big, making them a comfortable opponent.”

Like Kanade said, its movements were not that fast, and it could not dodge their attacks.

In any case, the battle was over for now. And so they would have to wait for the next one.

“I didn’t expect to be able to see your growth. And so it’s been a productive day. Will, let’s gather the other guild members together and go home.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Uhh. I hope we meet again during the next boss fight!”

“Yes. Let’s hope so. See you again, Maple Tree.”

Lily said as she and Will left them. It was now the beginning of the second half of an event that had seemed so easy up until now. And like that, Maple and the others had a new challenge to face.