Chapter 204

Itai no Wa 204

Defense Specialization and the Tower’s First Floor
Maple and Sally go to the Magic Circle in the center of the town’s plaza.
With this Magic Circle, they can teleport to the tower’s front door.

Umm… Isn’t this going to be really hard?


Of course! I’m all fired up!


Seeing Maple in such high spirits about it makes Sally start to walk with a little more excitement.

He he… Well, here we are! Let’s clear the first floor quickly, okay?


Yeah, let’s do this!

Maple replies with enthusiasm after Sally says that with a confident expression on her face.
The two of them step on the Magic Circle leading to the most difficult tower and disappear in a flash of white light.
As the light fades, they find themselves in front of a tower so tall that it seems to pierce through the heavens.
The top part of the floor cannot be seen as it is above the clouds.

Looks like this is going to take some time.


Right. Judging by its looks, it’s about one-fourth of a usual field… maybe? But there might be transitions and stuff like that along the way.


Uh… Ah! Let’s do our best!



Yeah, but let’s not overdo it.

The two of them go straight towards the tower’s huge door, open it, and walk inside.
Inside the tower, they see four passages that could fit one person each, and each passage appears to branch off along their ways.
The ceiling is about four meters high.

Well then…


Yeah, it looks like a maze. We need to be careful not to get lost.


Umm… Okay then, ‘Dedicated Affection’!

Maple activates her ’Dedicated Affection’ so that she can protect Sally in the unlikely event that they do stray away from each other.
White wings spread out of Maple’s black armor’s back.
After they’re done with their preparations, they begin walking inside the dungeon.


By the way, Maple. Aren’t you going to equip those two shields?


Huh? I’m still practicing that. I think it’ll still take some time before I’m able to do many things at once like that. Don’t you like it like this, Sally?


Um… well, no, it’s fine… I guess?

Aside from Sally, Maple has to take care of many other things, like using ‘Poltergeist’, so she had decided not to equip those for now.
She believes that if and when she needs to change her equipment, she can change one piece at a time without a problem.
It’s not like she can’t buy some time doing things like that.

I have to get used to it too… Ah!? Hey, Maple! Look out!


Huh?

As Maple replies, she steps on a section of the ground with a slightly different color than the rest.
The spot where Maple stepped on opens with a crack, and she falls down.

Sally quickly shoots some webbing against the walls down below, preventing Maple from reaching the bottom of the hole.

Maple! Are you okay?


I’m all right! It’s just a poisonous bog down here!

Hearing Sally’s voice, Maple replies from below the dark pitfall she had fallen into.
Shortly after that, a white hand reaches out to Maple and she emerges to the surface, surrounded by two shields.

He he! If you have the right equipment, pitfalls are not scary at all!


I wish it was safer around here… Let’s be more careful when walking around here.

Sally narrows her frown and turns away from Maple.

… Oh, right! ‘Hair Growth’!

Maple turns into a hairball. Her face and angel wings stick out of her white spherical shape.


Maple?


We don’t have to worry about traps with this, and you don’t have to be afraid, Sally! It’s like killing two birds with one stone! Let’s continue our search like this.

Maple moves towards Sally, and then Sally enters the hairball.

Ready to take off?


Ah? Can we really search around the dungeon like this…?

Maple and a confused Sally softly bounce around the maze-like passages.

Oh, Maple! There’s a monster there!

A bird with red wings, about two meters tall, appears as Maple and Sally turn around a corner.

He he he… come right at me! ‘Deploy All Weapons’! ‘Commence Attack’!

Black guns and cannons of all sorts sprout from the hairball.
Maple starts to attack the bird, but even as it gets hit it, it quickly makes its way towards her. The bird changes its shape into a flame and tackles Maple at full force.

Maple!


Hey! You can’t do that!

Since the hairball is in midair, it cannot dodge the attack. The bird darts right through it, burning hair away as it goes.
Since ‘Dedicated Affection’ is still active, Sally took no damage, but she can’t go back inside the hairball anymore.

Ugh…


I’ll fight! Please protect me!


Okay! ‘Provoke’!

Maple takes up her shield and uses her skill, attracting the attention of the firebird.
Then, as she takes a blow to her body thanks to her ‘Bizarre Eater’, Sally gets a direct hit on the bird with a Water spell.
After that, the bird displays a large red damage effect, and falls to the ground.
Its fire blows away, and becomes a regular red bird once again.

I knew it! Water did the trick!

Sally then continues to attack with her daggers, further damaging the bird.

Maple!

Sally gives a signal to Maple.

Here’s payback! ‘Hydra’!

A purple stream swallows the red bird whole.
The insta-kill effect of ‘Venom Incantation’ activates, and the bird disappears without a trace.
After the battle ends…

You can stop using ‘Helping Hand’… Phew…


Okay, we did great! It might not have been quite the impressive monster, but I’m still glad it’s over.


I can’t use ‘Hair Growth’ anymore…


You can’t do that anymore? Oh well, we’re going to have to get good at seeing through traps then.


Yeah. Let’s give that a shot, shall we?

And so, Maple steps over several traps as they make their way through the inner part of the floor.