Defense Specialization and the Eighth Floor Part 2

With the puzzle-solving already completed and Kanade at their side, ready to provide hints or answers if needed, the task of unlocking the mechanics was straightforward for the three. Even though the boss was powerful, the group, consisting of Maple, Sally, and Kanade, wasn’t the type to struggle against minor enemies.

“Like this!”

“Correct, correct. Good job! And if my memory serves me right…”

“So that means it’s guaranteed.”

“Next up is the boss.”

“Oh!”

Maple pushed a section of the wall, causing it to split down the middle and slowly slide open, revealing the familiar door that led to the boss room.

“I’ll cast the necessary buffs. Don’t worry, even though the boss is strong, it doesn’t have buff removal abilities.”

While the final bosses of certain areas might have such abilities, this was just a regular boss. Though strong, it had its limits. Kanade cast his buffs, then positioned himself in the backline, with Maple and Sally taking the lead.

“Maple Tree” typically had players suited for frontline combat, leaving the support roles to Iz and Kanade.

With Kanade’s diverse skill set, they had multiple options, making the battle more manageable. A boss that Kanade found difficult to face alone could be more easily managed when there were players to draw aggro and tank hits.

Supporting each other and capitalizing on their strengths, the trio opened the boss room door and swam inside.

“It’s a crab!”

“Yeah, definitely a crab.”

“A red one, even though it’s not cooked.”

At the deepest part of the room, amid collapsed rubble and natural rock formations, stood a massive, bright red crab with large pincers. Though there was some distance between them, the crab noticed the intruders and lifted its pincers in a threatening display.

“Maple, let’s take the initiative!”

“Got it! “Barrel Deployment”, “Commence Attack”!”

“”Tornado”!”

Maple transformed her arm into a cannon and fired, while Kanade unleashed a wind spell for a long-range preemptive strike. The giant crab didn’t attempt to dodge; instead, it hardened its body, using its crystal-like, ice-glimmering shell to absorb most of the damage. Despite landing a direct hit, the damage was minimal, and defeating the boss was still a long way off.

As the crab slowly advanced, it began its counterattack once they were within its range.

“Whoa! It’s actually doing it!”

“It’s coming right at us!”

With a loud thud, the crab’s massive pincers shot forward. The crab’s pincers, powered by boosters like rocket punches, sped toward them, repeatedly snapping in a preparatory motion to crush anything in their path.

Maple had obtained the “Demon King’s Power” in an underwater ruin, and this crab seemed to share similar traits.

“Maple, eat it!”

“”Invitation to the Ocean Floor”!”

If the crab was the enemy, then Maple would counter it with an octopus-like attack. She transformed one of her arms into a tentacle, opening it wide to intercept the oncoming pincers.

Before the pincers could clamp down, the tentacle stretched out, enveloped the pincers, and swallowed them whole, rendering them useless.

“Another one is coming!”

“Leave it to me!”

“Kanade, I’m moving forward.”

“Okay, I’ll support you.”

Maple repeated the process, using “Devour” to eliminate the second pincer as well. Now, the crab had lost its primary weapons.

Kanade had mentioned that the boss was strong. When he had previously scouted the area alone, the crab’s pincers had sliced him in half. But now, with the pincers effectively neutralized, Maple was free to support Sally with her skills.

Seeing that the crab was now pincers-less, Sally decided it was time to go on the offensive and darted forward.

“”Super Speed”!”

Swimming as swiftly as a fish, Sally quickly closed the distance to the crab. Despite losing its pincers, the crab wasn’t defenseless. It opened its shell, revealing a row of torpedoes inside.

“Oh… it’s more mechanical than biological.”

The torpedoes surged toward Sally, but she deftly dodged them with even greater speed, closing in on the crab. Since the crab had opened its shell to launch the torpedoes, its damage-reducing shimmering exoskeleton had disappeared.

“”Kasumi”, “Quintuple Slash”!”

With the crab no longer in its defensive stance, Sally’s attack deeply slashed through its body, scattering damage effects.

Though Sally and her team had gained an early advantage, the boss still had a significant amount of HP left. Sally adjusted her strategy to hit and retreat as the crab retaliated, releasing large bubbles that rushed toward the group.

“Maple, Kanade, prepare to heal!”

“Okay.”

“”Self-Offering Love”, “Afterglow of Salvation”!”

Assuming the bubbles were harmful, Sally had Maple deploy a protective field while Kanade prepared to heal.

If they navigated through the bubbles carefully, they could avoid them. However, knowing what the bubbles were could be crucial for their safety.

“Maple, try taking a hit.”

“Don’t worry, I can heal you.”

“Got it!”

Maple allowed the first large bubble to hit her directly. The group watched, ready to react with healing spells or potions, but instead of causing damage, the bubble simply enveloped Maple. Inside, Maple found herself in an air pocket, causing her to stumble as the water around her disappeared.

The bubble didn’t burst; instead, it slowly floated around, drifting according to the force of Maple’s impact.

“”Slash”!”

Determining that the bubble was a restraint-type attack, Sally attempted to break it from the outside but couldn’t.

“”Wind Cutter”… Magic doesn’t work either.”

“It’s fine! Just stick close to me!”

With “Self-Offering Love” active, Sally and Kanade could still protect themselves. The important thing was to stay near the bubble containing Maple.

As Maple encouraged them, the three approached the crab. Without its pincers, the crab could only use its bubbles to restrict their movement and launch torpedoes from its exposed abdomen.

The torpedoes hit Maple directly, causing a massive explosion, but neither Maple nor the bubble sustained any damage.

“I’m okay! It doesn’t hurt at all!”

“In that case…”

“Yeah, let’s crush it.”

Before the crab could attempt anything else, they decided to press their advantage and finish it off quickly.

“Maple, lend me your weapon.”

“I’ll borrow it too.”

“”Demon King’s Power”, “Barrel Deployment”!”

Maple unleashed her arsenal, launching an attack that bounced off the bubble and reflected within, hitting Maple herself. But since Maple was immune to her own attacks, no harm was done. Instead, the bubble glowed brightly with red and blue light, creating a dazzling display.

This allowed Sally to use Maple’s weapons as well.

“”Sou, Awakening”. Let’s do this.”

“”Reverse Rebirth”, “Demon King’s Power”!”

“”Sou, Ancient Weapon”, “Barrel Deployment”, “Commence Attack”!”

Sally and Kanade copied Maple’s weapons using their skills, launching a full-scale assault. Although the crab’s HP was slowly being chipped away, its shimmering exoskeleton was mitigating much of the damage.

“It’s back to defending again.”

“Yeah, but it’s just delaying the inevitable.”

Kanade kept Sou mimicking Maple and continued to cast various elemental spells from his magic book. Unlike Sally, who only dabbled in magic, Kanade was a pure mage, capable of casting high-level spells with significant damage.

Even though the crab’s defense reduced the impact, the sustained barrage would eventually break through.

The crab, having lost its pincers, was in no position to defend and attack simultaneously like Maple. It was only a matter of time.

“Kanade, let’s finish it off when its defense drops.”

“Okay, I’ll ramp up the output. It’s better to avoid giving it a chance to defend again. Plus, we need to keep an eye on our oxygen.”

“Thanks. Alright, let’s do this!”

“Yeah!”

As Sally moved in for the final strike, the crab launched another barrage of torpedoes. Although their number had increased due to the crab’s dwindling HP, there was no need to dodge. The glowing bubble above them absorbed every attack.

“”Quintuple Slash”! “Pinpoint Attack”!”

“”Hydro Laser”, “Lightning Bolt”!”

Their combined attacks shattered the crab’s softened exoskeleton, and the massive creature slowly crumbled.

“Oh! I’m out!”

As the crab died, the bubble trapping Maple burst, and the two-colored lights inside scattered through the water, like a shower of victory confetti celebrating their success.

—

After defeating the giant crab, the three quickly gathered the dropped materials and returned to the surface via the magic circle.

Once back on land, Maple removed her diving suit and plopped down on the ground.

“Phew, underwater battles are still tough!”

“If we hadn’t solved the puzzle beforehand, we wouldn’t have been able to stay so calm during the boss fight.”

Thanks to having plenty of oxygen, they could handle the boss’s endurance tactics without panicking. The Eighth Floor being underwater meant that oxygen was a limited resource, so all explorations had to be done quickly, keeping that in mind.

“So, what do you want to do? Solve the puzzles first again? Or do you want to try solving them under pressure, knowing there’s a time limit? It’s more thrilling.”

“Maybe… after we get more used to it?”

“We’re still not very confident in reading the scripts.”

“Got it. With enough oxygen, I don’t think there’s any enemy you two can’t defeat… I couldn’t break through those pincers alone, but with you two, it didn’t even seem that strong.”

“How far have you cleared the Eighth Floor, Kanade?”

“About halfway, I’d say? I’ve solved almost all the puzzles, but a lot of fights are still left. There are a couple of simpler cipher-based dungeons left, so how about clearing those before tackling the harder ones?”

“How difficult are we talking?”

“Well, you’ll need to understand the text, and then there’s a bit of lateral thinking involved. For example… something like ‘The path appears on the night sea,’ and then you have to figure out what the ‘night sea’ means.”

“Oh… Sally, do you get it?”

“If you take it literally, it means to come at night, but… that doesn’t seem right.”

“Exactly, you need to think a bit more.”

“Then, how about using “Dark Magic”?”

“Bingo. As expected, Sally, you’re quick at solving things. That’s one of the puzzles I cleared in another dungeon.”

“Wow, Sally! That’s impressive, quick thinking!”

“I figured they’d use something more common rather than something time-specific. But now I see, skills and items come into play too…”

“Yes, but don’t worry—really rare skills like “Atrocity” or “Self-Offering Love” aren’t required for most dungeons. Even in hidden dungeons, you’re unlikely to find one that demands them.”

Kanade, having already deciphered the mechanics, spoke with confidence.

“Let’s ask Kanade for the next puzzle. We’ll solve it without the time pressure first!”

“I agree!”

“Alright, then let’s tackle this next one.”

Kanade then handed the next puzzle over to the two, ready to guide them through their next challenge.