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

Chapter 524

Bofuri 524

Defense Specialization and the Fifth Floor

Having acquired three “Demon King’s Powers,” the exploration of the tenth layer by “Maple Tree” was nearing its climax. Maple and Sally had ventured into the clouds of the Fifth Floor.

The Fifth Floor is a grand labyrinth, where progress resumes from the point that matches the slowest player in the party. If they started together, they must finish together to avoid doubling their efforts.

Within the Cloud Town, which serves as a checkpoint, Maple and Sally prepared for another dive into the maze.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes! Let’s do our best! Do you think we can finish this time?”

“Hmm, it might still take a while… it all depends on our pace and resources.”

If they proceed smoothly, it would be possible to complete the Fifth Floor in a single exploration. However, considering the past, the boss would undoubtedly be formidable. Moreover, due to the Great Maze, boss-level monsters frequently appeared on the way.

Given the limited daily resources, continuous battles with strong foes posed a risk. Winning against these foes wouldn’t be difficult if they were well-prepared. The key was to know when to retreat.

Deciding not to overexert themselves, they stepped into the cloud maze once again.

Encountering the Rain

The two were greeted by rain, or rather something that could be described as rain.

“Whoa…”

“It doesn’t look like something you’d want to be hit by.”

The rain that fell in front of them pierced the ground like spear tips and then burst, absorbed into the floor. Even Maple didn’t think it wise to try and withstand it.

However, having thoroughly explored Cloud Town, they had obtained items to counter this rain.

“Isn’t this the perfect timing to use it?”

“Yeah!”

Equipping their ‘Rain Avoidance Helmets,’ Maple, who could recover with “Stout Guardian” and “Atrocity”, stepped into the rain first.

“Here we go… hey! Oh, it works!”

True to its name, the ‘Rain Avoidance Helmet’ caused the sharp raindrops falling towards Maple to veer away, embedding themselves in the ground around her.

“Good thing we bought these. We should keep exploring towns for useful items.”

“Absolutely. There’s a big difference having these makes.”

While shields and barriers were options, the freedom offered by this item was unmatched.

“Remember, we don’t have Iz-san’s equipment now, so keep an eye on your HP.”

“Got it!”

Due to equipment constraints, Maple’s HP dropped a bit, but avoiding the rain was crucial. After confirming her safety, Sally also stepped into the rain.

“Even if it’s not a piercing attack, it’s definitely not just rain… we might face some strong bosses.”

“I’ll be careful. Your predictions are always right, Sally.”

“It’s better to be cautious.”

“Yeah!”

Using their items to their full advantage, they advanced through the spear-like rain. Then, they saw something different from the moving rain. Stopping, they squinted to get a better look.

“Uh, what’s that?”

“Probably a monster… but hard to read its moves.”

At the end of the passage, two floating water masses moved erratically, sometimes spiked like a sea urchin, other times flat like a board, bouncing off walls aimlessly.

The HP bar above indicated they weren’t just a common trap. Without clear weapons, it was hard to predict their attacks.

“They don’t seem to attack immediately. How about we secure safety and then provoke them?”

“Yeah! Let’s do it from a distance as usual!”

“Please.”

Preparing to use “Demon King’s Power”, Maple attached a drill to her body, charged energy, and released it.

“Demon King’s Power!”

The black cube transformed, emitting blue light, splitting into multiple tubes forming a circle. Blue lasers shot forward from the center.

Maple held her shield ready, Sally focused on observing the enemy. The monsters shattered instantly upon impact.

But.

“…!”

“Whoa!?”

A torrent of sharp rain spikes flew back at them, with water film-like membranes spreading around, enclosing them.

“That surprised me.”

“They act like traps. They leave nasty effects when they die…”

Exploding into spikes caused indiscriminate attacks, while the flat shape left immobilizing water membranes. Not monsters they wanted to explode.

“Should we avoid killing them?”

“They might act like time bombs. Could also forcefully self-destruct if approached.”

“That’d be a pain.”

“Let’s test it. We don’t want surprises during a boss fight.”

“Got it! I’ll prepare “Pierce Guard” too!”

“I want to see other forms too. Some looked like sticks.”

The maze was a valuable place for gathering information. Even if it turned out useless in a boss fight, reducing risks was essential.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

With time on their side, they carefully noted enemy behaviors and moved forward.

Progressing Through the Labyrinth

Understanding the enemy’s behavior, they found the journey relatively calm. The spiky forms were troublesome, causing chain explosions among water masses. But if they handled the large-scale effects carefully, they could manage.

“Large-scale summoning in a boss room would be a hassle… but there’s no point overthinking it.”

“We have to beat them to pass.”

“Exactly.”

With relatively mild enemy attacks, they had room for conversation.

“Maple, where do you want to go after the Fifth Floor?”

“Hmm, the Sixth Floor… maybe?”

“Why?”

“Because Sally isn’t good with the Sixth Floor, and I want to explore together in the end!”

On the Sixth Floor, even if they went together, Sally might be either in the mouth of “Atrocity” or blindfolded on Syrup. That wouldn’t feel like exploring together.

“And going in order will be a nice review!”

“Coincidentally, the order we got the ‘Demon King’s Powers’ was the same.”

In the free-choice ten layers, the Fifth Floor next to the Sixth Floor wasn’t intentional, but it brought back vivid memories. It was a fitting order to reminisce.

“Maple, how are you with all your new skills? Got the hang of them?”

“Not as good as you, Sally. But I’m getting better with frequently used skills.”

From “Poison Dragon” and “Devour” to “Self-Offering Love” and “Machine God”, and the recent “Demon King’s Power”, Maple was versatile. Skills like “Unbreakable Shield” and “Earth’s Cradle”, less used due to her high defense, were harder to deploy on the fly.

“You’re busier than a typical shield user with all those skills.”

It was a point she had to accept due to her versatility.

“Sally, don’t you want to use my skills?”

“Hmm? With “Reverse Rebirth”?”

“No, I mean the Demon King skills. They’re supposed to be really strong, and we know how to get them.”

“Ah, I see.”

Like helping Mai and Yui get “Helping Hand”, if Maple could acquire a skill before a crucial battle, it would be significant. Maple would master it quickly.

Still, Maple shook her head.

“Rather than gaining more skills, I think refining my current ones is better. It’s my strongest weapon.”

She smiled at Maple.

“But the real reason is just that I’m particular about it.”

Maple was right. Increasing skills generally offered more combat options, a benefit not lost on her.

“Just like you’re focused on defense, I want to challenge with my current weapon. That makes the game more fun.”

“I kind of get it?”

“Really? Seems like you understand, Maple.”

“Yeah! Then let’s keep it this way!”

“Of course. And we won’t lose. This is about using “Maple Tree”‘s full potential.”

“I trust you, Maple.”

“Leave it to me.”

How to play and who to play with. Each has their own fun. Embracing their strengths and weaknesses, they planned their strategies as they progressed through the cloud maze.