Published at 31st of December 2022 12:32 am

Chapter 411 Defense Specialization and Item Gathering

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Maple Tree had decided to split up into multiple teams and gather the materials. And the three who headed to the 9th layer were Sally, Kasumi, and Maple.

Now that Maple was not able to use Dedicated Affection, she would not be able to demonstrate the usual strength that she had when teamed up with Mai and Yui. With this considered, if she wanted a source of damage, then there was no other way but to borrow the help of Sally and Kasumi.

They were capable of fighting alone, and had powerful attacks on top of high AGI, and they could run and stay close to Maple, which made them a perfect fit. On top of that, they also had methods of transportation, so they were able to make up for several of the strengths that Maple lost.

Currently, the three were riding on Haku, who had turned into a giant snake through Super Enlarge, and making their way through the field.

“It will be fine as long as you maintain a distance, just like we planned, Maple.”

“I’ll rely on you if anything happens.”

“Yes!”

As she could not use Provoke, it would be difficult to attract an enemy’s attention. And it was not realistic for her to use her only attack method, Bizzare Eater, to hit them.

And so Maple’s role on the field this time would be to move around and shield them, like a rolling, indestructible boulder.

If the enemy were to target the two behind her, then maybe Bizarre Eater could be used effectively.

Like this, the three continued to travel for some time until they reached the cave, which was a wide opening in the mountain’s surface. It was not particularly hidden, and seemed very much like an ordinary dungeon.

“Sally. Is this the right place?”

“It is.”

“Okay, Haku.”

Kasumi let the other two down on the ground and then returned Haku to his original size. After all, he could not enter the cave if he was that size.

“Judging by the look of this place, Haku probably won't be able to fight outside of the boss room.”

Haku’s abilities revolved around Super Enlarge, and so he did not have much power when he was in the form of a small white snake. Because of this, he was not suited for fighting in narrow spaces.

“I doubt we’ll have any trouble outside of the boss battle, so if anything, there isn’t really a problem if that’s the only time he can become big.”

“Yes, that is true.”

“Will there be any unusual monsters here?”

“None that are especially rare. It’s like a nest of strengthened goblins. You do know…about goblins?”

“Yes! …Strengthened?”

“Yes. The monsters within the dungeon have attack power and speed buffs.”

“Huh. So it doesn’t matter where we are!”

“Yes. I think that because the buff is quite powerful, the number of monsters that spawn is quite limited.”

But while their attack ability was enhanced, there were no changes to their defense ability. And since goblins did not have particularly high endurance to begin with, they could predict that the battles would be short.

“It would probably be best to save Bizarre Eater for the boss. You can leave everything to us until then.”

After all, that was the reason the two were there in the first place. And so in order to save Bizarre Eater, just as Kasumi said, Maple removed her great shield and put it into her inventory, and then switched to her great white shield. this way, she wouldn’t use it by accident.

“Alright, let’s go inside then!”

“What about our formation?”

“We should have Maple in the lead, just in case. After all, the enemy will have high attack ability.”

“Leave it to me!”

Even if she couldn’t use any skills, with Maple in the lead, they could avoid a situation where they were suddenly attacked and they were put into a disadvantageous position.

Furthermore, as it was impossible for Maple to match their normal moving speed, it was best to let Maple walk, and for the two others to match her pace. Like this, the three entered the dungeon with Maple in the lead. And then, they heard a faint sound echoing from the back.

“…Is that a drum?”

“It sounds like it.”

“Apparently, it’s the music that buffs the monsters. And the effect becomes stronger the closer you are to the boss room.”

“I see. So the difficulty level will rise.”

It was made so that the strongest were in the back, at the boss room. This allowed you to get used to the enemies by order of strength, making it easy to decide when to retreat, so things would be more manageable.

“It should be a lot easier than those hidden dungeons you sometimes find. There won’t be any situations where we’re suddenly trapped in.”

“Yes, yes! It’s terrible when you suddenly don’t have a way to get back!”

Up until now, Maple had been dragged into many dungeons that didn’t allow you to turn back. Sometimes, she even jumped into them herself, and so she knew first-hand how difficult it was.

“Though, I don’t think that that is something many experience…”

They talked as they continued to go deeper, and then a clearing appeared up ahead. There were also a number of giant goblins with large swords covered in blood, as well as smaller goblins with bowguns. And behind them, there was a single goblin who wore a crown and was giving them orders.

It seemed like they were reinforcing the walls of the dungeon, as it looked like they were doing something to the wooden wall after hearing the orders.

Apparently, the passage was outside of their range, and so they did not jump out or attack. However, there was only one path that led straight out near the back of the room, and so they would have to go through if they wanted to continue.

“What do you think, Sally?”

“From what I understand about the situation, they shouldn’t have any special attacks. But the bowguns have some strange power that allows them to shoot in rapid succession without reloading, and they also come down like rain, so everyone but Maple should be careful.

As for the ones with swords, they obviously have high attack ability, and dangerous sweeping attacks. That leader gives them orders and raises their speed and attack power. Also, try to avoid going close to the walls, because spears will shoot out.”

“Ohhh!”

“I see. As long as we know that, we should be able to get through it with an advantage.”

“Well, I thought that during the event, we might have to escape into some dungeons. Besides, if Maple is with us, we can hold just about any place. And the monsters will protect us from invaders.”

“Alright, then I’ll be careful to not get close to the walls!”

“Do that. Also, it’s hard to get a sense of their speed just by what you’ve heard. So you should expect them to be faster than typical goblins.”

“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Knowing about your opponent was a great weapon. If there was nothing unexpected, then the chances of defeat were greatly reduced.

“Arm of the Warrior!”

Kasumi used the skill, and now that they were fully prepared, the three stepped into the room. And then, the goblins seemed to notice them, as they immediately went into a fighting stance.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

As if to prove that the person who makes the first move always wins, Sally rushed towards the bowgun goblins, and Kasumi rushed towards the ones with the greatswords. Upon seeing this, the enemy used its superior range to unleash a rain of bolts shot towards Sally.

As the effects burst, two bolts shot from each goblin with rapid succession and tremendous speed.

“Hyah!”

As she read their trajectory and twisted her body, her two daggers slammed the bolts out of the air.

But just as Sally continued to move forward and was about to slash one of the goblins, the leader’s voice boomed from the back, and the goblins were enveloped in a red light.

This caused the goblin to accelerate all at once, allowing it to catch up with Sally’s speed and step back and out of her range.

“Leap!”

Upon seeing this, Sally used a skill to close the gap once again, but her daggers were too short.

However, just as the blade of the swung dagger glimmered in the air, a raging damage effect burst from the goblin’s throat.

She had transformed her dagger into a longsword, which made up for the distance she lacked at the very end.

After all, there was no rule that said that you could not mix and use two of the unique series at the same time. If anything, it was normal to carry one extra dagger if you were a dual-wielder. If she used Camouflage, then she could change the appearance at will, and so no one aside from her would notice that she had chosen from two types of the unique series that she wanted. In fact, aside from the dagger that had suddenly become a longsword, everything else also had the same appearance as her usual blue equipment.

As she moved close to the goblin who, after taking damage, had been staggered and stopped moving, she returned the long sword into a dagger again, and then unleashed a chain of attacks, dealing great damage.

However, that was not enough to defeat the goblin, and just as she raised her weapons for a follow-up attack, the other goblins raised their bowguns in the air as if to stop her.

The bolts were unleashed immediately after, and after spreading out, they began to rain down over Sally’s head. As for the goblin right in front of her, it too raised its battered bowgun and unleashed a bolt as a counterattack.

As she could not use Cover or Dedicated Affection, there was nothing that Maple could do, and so the rain of bolts pierced through Sally.

“Sally!”

“I’m fine!”

After the bolts went through her, Sally dispersed as if melting into the air. And then the real Sally showed herself, right behind a goblin’s back.

Catching it by surprise, she stabbed it in the back and then moved away and towards Maple once again.

“Hmph! That skill is so shocking!”

“Haha. Sorry, sorry.”

Her head equipment really was a scarf, just as it appeared to be, and she had used Mirage to trick the monsters. At this point, it was impossible to tell if most of the things that Sally used were as real as they looked or not. So in order to not be outwitted, you had to be able read Sally.

“I had to test it. So it will work against players too.”

However, it was through making an effort towards believability, and not just using it randomly, that it really showed its power. In order to trick people, you need a certain amount of skill.

Compared to before, she had to partition more of her thought resources to things outside of dodging as she fought. Against monsters, she had to be able to do this much at least, Sally thought as she rushed forward again.

As for Kasumi, as the greatswords swung towards her, she used the giant blade from Arm of the Warrior to sweep them aside, and keep the giants away with agile movements.

While not as much as Sally, Kasumi also had high AGI, and a good deal of HP, so it was possible for her to fight with a good sense of stability. And even if she were hit by a few attacks, she was able to heal herself and recover, which set her apart from Sally in a big way.

“Blood Blade!”

The blade melted into a thick liquid before lashing out like a whip through the torsos of the greatsword wielding goblins that were within range. But they were tough, and with the help of the leader’s buffs, they continued to move forward with brute force. However, Kasumi was well versed in the art of evading.

Furthermore, Kasumi also had a powerful backup skill now.

“Mind’s Eye!”

This skill made the place where attacks would land visible in red in advance, which allowed her to dodge them at a hair’s breadth, just like Sally.

She seemed to slide past the greatsword that was swinging down, and then she attacked in turn with Arm of the Warrior, racking up damage.

“Fifth of the Blade: Houshin!”

She unleashed a skill that had a continuous stun effect, and then after pausing them for a second, she went in for a followup attack. Even if they accelerated through the leader’s support and the dungeon’s buffs, the greatsword goblins were designed mainly with attack power in mind, and they were not quick enough to catch Kasumi.

“I’ll shred you up now!”

She dodged one of the greatswords that came swinging down and slashed at the goblin before moving to face the next one. In the meantime, another greatsword swung down towards her, but she already knew about it through Mind’s Eye.

“First of the Blade: Kagerou!”

Through instant teleportation, she closed the gap between them, avoiding the greatsword by getting closer, and then slashing it.

Compared to Sally, Kasumi had a lot of skills that allowed her to cover short distances quickly or teleport. Even if it was difficult to dodge an attack with just player skills, by adjusting the distance through using dash, she was able to dodge a lot more attacks.

If she teleported just as the enemy started to attack, as long as it wasn’t an attack that would affect both points, then it would not hit her.

“Fourth of the Blades: Whirlwind!”

The attack skills were also very powerful, and she steadily and surely took down the monsters.

“Amazing! Both of you! You can do it!”

And so the two continued to destroy the goblins as their own leader cheered them on.

“That’s the last one!”

After annihilating all of the goblin followers, and then cutting down the remaining leader, Sally and Kasumi made sure that there were no reinforcements before sighing in relief.

“Yes, they really were faster than I expected.”

“That’s true. But we’re still at the point where the dungeon buffs shouldn’t be that strong yet, so we’ll have to brace ourselves.”

“Good work! Sorry that I couldn’t do anything.”

“It can’t be helped, since all of your skills are sealed.”

“Well, you can just take it easy until the boss fight. And I’ll make sure that you get there.”

As she was saving Bizzare Eater, they could try and finish the boss fight quickly. So if anything, the important part was getting there safely.

“Kasumi, are your skills alright?”

“Well, it’s my first time facing them. And I used Mind’s Eye, just in case, but I now have an idea about their movements and speed. So it shouldn’t be a problem even if I don’t have Mind’s Eye.”

While it was already confirmed that the enemy would only get even faster from here, now that she had seen what the base speed was, it would be easier to react from here on out. When it came to combat, it really was important to experience it, and not just acquire information.

“So, that’s how it will be, Maple. Now let’s hurry up and get to the boss battle.”

“Yes! Thank you! And since I can use items, I’ll use them to raise your attack ability!”

“That would be helpful. Thank you.”

She couldn’t use bombs, as it might hit the others, but there was no danger of that if she was buffing allies or debuffing enemies.

And so after finishing the first battle with ease, Maple and the others continued to make their way through the dungeon as if speeding through it.

While Maple was practically just an ornament at that point, the reason that the other two were able to obliterate the goblins by themselves was because both of them were strong players in their own right.

In Maple Tree, Maple tended to stick out due to her skills having a lot of impact, but the other members were also incredibly strong as well.

And so even with some buffs, these monsters that had simple attack patterns to begin with had no chance against them.

Ultimately, they scattered the herds of goblins head on, and even when the strength of the buffs increased, the trio were able to safely reach the boss.

The sounds of the drums had become much louder than before, and they could feel that the thing that was affecting the entire dungeon was just up ahead.

“Maple, how is Bizzare Eater?”

“Fine! I have all of them left!”

“The room will be filled with goblins as well. Should we proceed as planned?”

“Yes. Even if things go wrong, I’ll be able to manage. Well, if Kasumi doesn’t mind.”

“I don’t mind. Besides, I think that should be the easiest way to do it.”

Maple would wait without changing her shield until she could get close to the boss.

After all, if she accidentally used it on one of the goblin followers, then it would defeat the purpose of having saved it all of this time.

“Can I open it now?”

“Yes.”

“No problem.”

Now that the three were prepared, they opened the door and stormed inside. It was a large and long room, and in the far back, there was a giant boss-like figure that was hitting a drum. And as if protecting it, there were a variety of goblins, including the bowgun and greatsword wielders they had seen on the way here, as well as ones that rode lizards and wielded spears, and defense types that held shields that stood in the front. All were looking at the trio with hostile glares.

In sync with the echoing sounds of the drum, a red aura rose around the goblins. Their eyes shone sharply, and it looked like they would pounce at any moment.

The enemy had the numerical advantage, and each goblin had its own role within a perfect formation. Obviously, the strength of the buffs were now at their height.

Just how would they fight? Both sides seemed to be affected by the excitement of a coming battle, and they also started to move at the same time.

“Haku, Super Enlarge! Rigidify!”

Haku, who was at Kasumi’s feet, suddenly blew up until it was hundreds of times larger than its original size, blocking the running goblins with his hard scales. After stopping the first wave, Kasumi had the other two ride on Haku before making him extend his body as if to split the boss room in half.

Yes, they never meant to bother with fighting the goblins. They were only going to target the boss.

“I already know. The goblins will disappear after defeating you.”

Sally wasn’t kind enough to let it do what it did best. If she was sure that there was an easier way to win, then it was obvious that she would choose it.

“Maple, we’re almost there!”

“Yes!”

Kasumi announced, and so Maple took out her jet black great shield. It swallowed up everything that it touched, and was currently Maple’s only method of attack. But it could also be said to be the most vicious.

“Battlefield of Carnage!”

“Water Coat! Oboro, ‘Fire Child’!’

Kasumi and Sally also activated their skills and moved to finish the fight quickly.

Haku bit into the other side, and the path to the boss was complete. There were no goblins who could stop this quick work.

“Quintuple Slash!”

“‘First of the Blade: Kagerou,’ ‘Third of the Blade: Kogetsu,’ ‘First of the Blade: Kagerou,’ ‘Third of the Blade: Kogetsu’!”

Sally unleashed a chain of fire and water attacks, while Kasumi used Battlefield of Carnage, which greatly reduced cool down time, and even in the air, used unrelated skills to forcefully move and jump around the boss’s body, and including Arm of the Warrior, dealt great damage.

Hyah!”

And in that brief moment when the boss’s attention was directed at those two. A small figure jumped off of Haku’s head and towards the boss’s neck.

That being said, it wasn’t so much a jump, as a body slam.

With her greatshield beneath her. Maple fell as gravity dictated.

As if to cut the boss’s body in half, an absurd amount of damage effects burst in the air. First the head, chest, stomach, waist; it swallowed everything as she plummeted.

It all happened in a flash.

Before it knew what was happening, something had flown towards it, and it was cut in half.

That was all.

As the body disappeared into light, the remaining goblins started to scatter and vanish, like little spider children.

“Good work. That was quick.”

“…I suppose you could say that.”

“It went so well!”

“Yes, better than expected. But, I guess that’s what happens when you use Bizzare Eater ten times…”

Normally, it was not something to use so casually, but since they only had to clear it once this time, there was no need to be stingy.

“Oh, Maple. There, there. There’s the drum that you need.”

“Ah, that’s right!”

As it was now dropped as an item, it had shrunken down to human size. She had wanted this drum, which had complex patterns and was decorated with vines and jewels.

This drum was called ‘Madness,’ and if used like the buffs cast on the dungeon, you could raise the STR and AGI of all of your party members. However, there were some demerits now that it was an item. Instead, your VIT, INT, and DEX were lowered.

“It’s not bad though. Especially for our guild.”

“If Maple is in her best condition, then a little drop in VIT won’t be a problem. So I suppose we could use it when we really want to be aggressive.”

“Since this one is for Maple’s quest, I suppose I’ll come back some other time and pick up another one.”

As this item was something Maple needed for her quest, if it was processed in the same way as Izu’s equipment, then it would disappear.

“I’ll go with you when you do!”

“Yes. It will be finished in an instant if we do it the same way.”

“That’s true. You can call me as well if you want.”

“This strategy won’t work without you, Kasumi. So we’ll need your help.”

And like this, the three of them accomplished their goal, and left the goblin nest behind them.

As for the remaining five, they headed in the opposite direction. Chrome and the others were right below their destination, where they were searching for an item that Maple needed.

Still, the five looked up as they wondered what to do.

“…It’s so high up.”

“Is this…really the right place?”

“It is according to the reports… But we won’t know for sure until we go.”

What was in front of them was the side of a steep cliff. It was so straight that it seemed more like a pillar than a mountain. This place had many thick, pillar-like rocks scattered around, but the five only had business with the tallest one, which was so high that it pierced through the clouds.

“So there is a bird’s nest up there, and we can acquire it by gathering?”

“The Demon Crystal… Did it take it because it’s shiny?”

While they knew it could be acquired, they didn’t have any detailed information, such as the success rate when it came to gathering.

The source of the information was NPC rumors, and they weren’t even sure if other players had really acquired it either.

“In any case, I don’t think we’ll be able to do anything unless Izu goes…”

They were certain that it was a rare item, and so it would be best to take Izu, since she had a gathering bonus. However, the problem was how they were going to climb up.

“These things on the wall… Are they footholds?”

“After circling it, it didn’t look like there was any place to go inside… So it probably is?”

While the steep cliff looked like a pillar, it did not mean that the surface was smooth or polished. If anything, there were small protrusions in the rocky surface, so that you could put your feet on them.

“If we have to climb, then I won’t be able to go.”

“Me too.”

“Mai and Yui might be able to carry us and climb up, but…we’ll need something to do that.”

Around them, some eerie-looking birds were flying around and squawking annoyingly. And it was unlikely that they would ignore them as they climbed.

And if Mai and Yui fell, the rest of them would plummet to the ground with them. And the only person who might survive a fall like that was Maple.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like anyone has any good ideas…so I’ll do something.”

“You can?”

“From today, yes.”

Said Kanade, and then he looked up. And after telling everyone to come close, he activated a skill that he had recently acquired through Akashic Records.

“Flight.”

The effect of Kanade’s skill made everyone’s body float up into the air.

“Woah!”

“That’s amazing!”

“This just might…”

“Sorry to get your hopes up so high, but this only allows you to float straight up.”

“Huh!? It’s true! I can’t move!”

“The effect will wear off soon.”

“What!?”

After a short while, the effect wore off, and they felt themselves being thrown back towards the ground.

“Wood Wall! …And so I have to make a platform so we don’t fall, see?”

Kanade had instantly made a wall out of thick tree branches, which became a platform that broke their fall.

“Yo-you…that nearly gave me a heart attack…”

“I knew there would be something. But…that was still a surprise.”

“I calculated it so that there would be a proper platform to our side, so hurry up and move onto it. Next time, you really will fall.”

And so the four of them rushed to the platform that was already there, and then looked for the next one.

“Every time I can use Flight again, we’ll jump like this. While we cannot move, we can still use things like skills, so I'd like you to deal with those flying birds.”

“Leave it to me!”

“It is our role, after all!”

“Then I’ll stand closest to the edge, just in case something happens. I should be able to block anything that comes flying.”

“Alright, then let’s continue on like this!”

And so the five floated up along the side of the pillar, and slowly made their way towards the top.

“It won’t be long before they start noticing us… See, here it comes!”

The closest of the huge birds that were flying in the sky had suddenly changed its direction, and it was obvious that it was moving towards them. Chrome prepared to meet it, whether it charged or did something else, but what it ended up using was an attack where it beat its wings to unleash numerous wing blades.

“Are you serious! Multi-Cover!”

He hid behind the greatshield to block the attack, and then he waited for the wind to subside. As Chrome was blocking all of the attacks, the wind blades did not reach the other, more susceptible four.

After enduring this for some time, the wind stopped, just for a moment. For the monster, since it was in the more advantageous position, it was merely a short rest. However, immediately after, something bluish-gray pierced through its body, tearing a big hole through it.

“Oomph!”

“Oomph!”

Of course, it was Mai and Yui as they threw their iron balls. These balls, that they threw with all of their might, were just as strong as some of Kanade’s more powerful magic attacks.

And since Izu was able to craft a near unlimited amount of them, their attacks did not stop. They were not just being protected, they had been waiting for a chance as they stood behind Chrome.

The continuous attacks broke through the wings, destroyed the beak, and opened up more holes inside of the monster, until it exploded in the air.

“Woah! Nice control!”

“That was amazing. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have been able to hit it if I tried throwing them in the same way.”

“It is one of our few ranged attacks, after all!”

“Yes, we practiced a lot.”

It was an especially effective attack against large monsters. As an attack from these two would be fatal even if it was just a scratch, it didn’t really matter where they hit. And so it was easier if their target was big.

“You can go on ahead and just attack them! It will be better if you can knock them down before they can get close!”

“And if something happens, I can use my magic book to make the damage zero, so keep targeting them.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

If they took a lot of damage, then the monsters would recoil. And since both of them were throwing the iron balls, the other person could prepare while the monster recoiled, ensuring that it never had an opening to move.

“I can use my skill again, so we’re going to float up!”

And so they rose into the air, moved to a stable platform, and then destroyed any monsters that were nearby. After repeating this several times, they started to be able to move before the monsters appeared, and they were eventually able to rise above the clouds without being attacked. And just as the ground was no longer visible, the summit came into view.

“Are we finally there?”

“It seems like it.”

There were no monsters near the top, and so the five had finally reached the mountain peak.

While they had been a little skeptical, there indeed was a large bird's nest there with a single egg, just like the information had said. Judging by the size, it seemed a little too large for the bird monsters that had been flying around. However, the owner of the nest seemed to be absent.

And so while considering the possibility of a battle, they slowly approached the nest with Chrome taking the lead. But in spite of their fears, the gathering icon appeared without anything happening.

“Alright, Izu! This is your moment!”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Izu switched up her accessories so that her chances of acquiring a rare item were raised. She also took a potion and some kind of supplement-like pill, and even broke a few crystals that the other four did not recognize, so that she had an aura of various colors enveloping her.

“Woah. You don’t look like someone who is just preparing to gather…”

“Well, this is like starting a battle for me. Fay. ‘Fairy Luck.’”

Lastly, she used a skill to raise her chances of acquiring a rare item even more, and then Izu stretched out her hand towards the nest. As you were limited in how many times you could gather, if they didn’t get it this time, then they would have to come again later.

“Di-did you get it?”

“What happened, Ms. Izu?”

“This is so exciting…”

“We can only watch…”

“Hehe, don’t worry! I was confident about my gathering ability! See!”

The thing that Izu took out of her inventory and showed to them was a regular octahedron that was a glimmering black color. It was hard to tell what material it was made from, and it even seemed to be throbbing occasionally, which made it quite eerie. But as it was called a ‘Demon Crystal,’ there was no doubt that it was the item they had come here for.

“Woah! So you really did get it!”

“Now we’ll be able to tell Maple the good news.”

“That’s amazing, Ms. Izu!”

“You really did do it in one shot.”

“I might have wasted some items to do it, but I just couldn’t fail.”

“That thing you used as if it was a potion. Was it actually a really good item…?”

“Yes. It is not easy to raise your chances of acquiring a rare item…”

“I’ll help you with material gathering next time.”

“Thank you. But well, this is like an investment for me.”

“The scary thing is that we have no idea what the results will be.”

“Personally, I am quite optimistic about it.”

The harder the road was to a new skill, the better the ability. This was something that all five of them knew from experience. After every troublesome material was gathered, the sense of expectation rose.

“Well, there is no point in sticking around. Let’s go back down.”

“Yes. Let’s be safe and make our way back.”

“We could jump back down like Maple and I could make the damage zero?”

“Unfortunately, I am not brave enough to do that.”

“Yes. Even if I know that we’ll be fine.”

“That’s true.”

Kanade put away the magic book that he had taken out, and instead, he called out Sou and showed them two other magic books.

“I’ll make a slide out of water and ice. And then we can slide back down.”

“I was waiting for such a peaceful method to descend.”

“You can even do something like that!”

“It will be like Ms. Sally.”

“When it comes to the number of skills, I won’t lose to the rest of you.”

And so in order to get down, they walked over to the edge. But just as Kanade was about to prepare, a large shadow passed over the mountain peak.

It was so large that they thought it was a dragon. But before they even had time to be surprised, a deafening roar shattered the air.

“Damn it. It’s the parent bird.”

“Haha. We should hurry then. It looks angry.”

“Mr. Kanade…!”

“It’s going to come down!”

“Then let’s take our leave. I doubt it wants to talk to us.”

Before it could attack them, he froze the flowing water, and the five of them slid down the frozen spiral that went around the pillar, until it took them back to the ground.

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