CHAPTER 32 – DEFENSE SPECIALIZED AND DOWNSTREAM EXPLORATION
In the end, they spent the third day with hatching the egg and playing with the two animals.
The time is 10 pm. It is the time that is troublesome to go explore once again.
「Ah〜… what should we do〜…… you want to go exploring?」
「I think it’s enough for today……」
「I also feel like that……」
The two pats their own partners and decides the plan for tomorrow.
「Tomorrow, let’s go explore downstream, and climb up on the opposite side we went down」
「Okay……n? Climb up?!」
「Just like when we went down……ah!」
Maple was completely not thinking of what would happen next.
That’s right, Maple doesn’t have a way to escape this valley.
「W-W-W-W-What should we do?!」
「…………what should we?」
Maple asked Sally for an answer, but Sally also didn’t have a solution.
「Well then, let’s go downstream tomorrow while finding ways to go back. I think that there’s a way at least」
They only planned on exploring downstream, but because of the problem that they didn’t anticipate, they would take longer time exploring than expected.
It couldn’t be helped that if they didn’t find a way to go up, they would’ve wasted their time.
「Then, we should leave early huh」
「We want to go up on the fourth day after all」
They decided the time they would leave would be four in the morning, and the two started to sleep alternately.
「Good morning」
「Good morning」
The two exchanged greetings and went to explore.
It is already the fourth day of the event, the second half of the fight.
The players who have obtained medals also have increased.
Fight for stealing and getting robbed are happening here and there.
And that is not something unrelated from the two.
They have to be prepared that there would be a battle anytime.
「Did something happen?」
「No, nothing, at least for now」
Even though they observed the surroundings very carefully, there wasn’t any dungeon or magic circles.
And just like that, two and a half hours of going downstream.
They had a few battles along the way, and Syrup and Oboro’s level raised by 1 and learned a very interesting skill.
The skill names are【Dormancy】and【Awakening】
【Dormancy】is the skill that makes them sleep inside the ring and safely recover their strength with the two’s command.
【Awakening】is the skill that makes them come out with the two’s command.
Right now, the two animals are sleeping inside the ring.
It is because the fog is getting deeper and they almost lost sight of them.
And just like that, thirty minutes of walking.
The two finally reached the end of the river.
The two had felt it even before they reached this place, but that changed to conviction when they came here.
「This is the source of the fog huh」
「Un, there’s no mistaking it」
The dense fog became thicker, and Maple already had a hard time seeing Sally who was beside her.
The two approached the river.
And then.
*Bufu*, the fog was blown away by the wind, and the scene in front of them was exposed.
There was a spring there just like in the upper streams, and a pot in the center.
White fog comes out from the pot without rest. It looks like the pot absorbs water from the spring and creates fog.
「That pot… you want to check it?」
「………that’s the only way huh」
The instant the two entered the spring.
The wind stopped as if it was aiming for it, and the dense fog instantly covered the surroundings.
「Sally! Are you there?!」
There was not one reply from that voice of Maple.
Maple increased her cautiousness.
「Uwa?! Ku!! Ahh!!」
Sally’s voice could be heard.
*Gakin*, *Gakin*, the sound of metal hitting each other could be heard. Sally’s voice seemed to be flustered and increases Maple’s worry.
In front of Maple who was going towards the direction appears a black hole.
She couldn’t see anything even if she took a peek.
However, she was sure that she could hear Sally’s voice from inside that.
「Yosh! Let’s go!」
Strongly closing her eyes, Maple jumped inside the hole.
When she opened her eyes, there was Sally who was scattering red effects from her body.
And.
A knight wearing a platinum full armor holding a shining white sword.
「Sally!」
Maple couldn’t help herself shouting to the surprise.
She couldn’t be blamed. It was the first time Maple saw Sally receiving damage.
It looks like Sally also noticed Maple and went towards her in a hurry.
「A-Are you okay?!」
「Un, somehow…」
Sally’s body was enveloped by the【Heal】’s light.
The painful red effects also disappeared.
「Stay behind me! I’ll stop it whatever happens!」
After Maple strongly said, she drew Shingetsu.
A purple magic circle appeared from its blade.
The knight casually held its sword.
「【Hydra】!!」
The three-headed poison dragon closes in to the knight.
The knight swung its sword downwards.
That sunk into the poison dragon, and cuts it into halves.
However, it was only one that it cut off.
The remaining two directly hit the knight.
The knight groans, and fell to its knees.
Even so, it tries to stand up with the support of its sword.
However, that did not happen.
From its tattered armor, a white light started to overflow.
It looks like the knight gave up on standing up, it let go of its sword.
And with that, it became a flow of light that doesn’t lose out with the platinum armor and raised up.
「Super weak compared to the monster bird!」
In fact, its ability to cut off the poison dragon was very strong, but it didn’t have the HP and defense following that.
On that point, it can be said that the monster bird was abnormal.
「We defeated it!」
「Fufufu〜! I’ll take a look if there’s any medal okay?」
Just as usual, the place where it was defeated was sunk in a sea of poison.
Maple could only go.
「There’s one at the least right?」
Maple walked towards the place it was defeated.
「【Defense Break】」
A voice was heard suddenly.
Pain suddenly runs from her back.
The thing Maple saw when she looked back was a deep blue dagger that cuts her endlessly.
「Eh? Eh?」
「Aha! Ahaha, ahahahahahahah!!」
It was Sally who was laughing like crazy.
「W-Why?!」
Maple noticed her own HP that was being grinded.
If this continues it would be dangerous for herself.
「【Paralyze Shout】!」
A strong paralyze status ailment.
Maple noticed.
What was in front of her was something in the shape of Sally.
That was, definitely not Sally.
It was because damage couldn’t be dealt directly towards party members.
「Aha! Ahahaha」
「It doesn’t have an effect?!」
Very strong resistance to paralysation.
She was now sure that it was not Sally.
However, its speed was the same as Sally, no, it was much faster.
「It’s being strengthened?!」
With a crazy laughter, its appearance disappeared and red effects comes out from Maple’s body.
「Kuu!… I can’t catch her!」
Even her proud poison dragon, even her large shield, there’s no meaning if it doesn’t hit.
Fortunately, its attack power wasn’t that high.
Whether health would completely drop first or thought of something.
Maple was fighting against a fake.
And, that is the same with Sally.
「Ku!… it also has abnormal defense just like Maple!」
Sally passes her by the side and cuts through its body, but its HP bar wouldn’t go down even a millimeter.
The despairing defense power was despising.
「It’s the number one that I don’t want to fight against you know…」
「Ahahahaha!!【Hydra】!」
From that thing that has Maple’s shape, poison dragon was shot out. Sally dodged that.
It was very easy dodging the poison dragon that wasn’t especially fast.
However, it wouldn’t be easy to defeat that.
「This is……so tiring〜」
Maple against Sally, Sally against Maple. They trust each other’s traits quite well.
And that is very troublesome changing into an enemy.
The fight against the knight was only the opening.
The fight against something with the same appearance and abilities with the partner they trust starts now.