Defense Specialization and What They Want to Do

After returning to the surface, having completed the long dungeon crawl, Maple, Sally, and Kanade decided to call it a day. They had spent a considerable amount of time in the game, and Kanade had other plans for the rest of the day.

“So, how was it? Did you have fun?” Kanade asked.

“Yeah! It was refreshing to go through a dungeon without a boss fight for a change!” Maple responded cheerfully.

“Yeah, after all those tricky bosses, it was nice to have a bit of a breather before the Demon King battle,” Sally added.

The trio had been continuously tackling dungeons in the tenth floor, trying to make the most of their limited playtime. The recent dungeon was a perfect balance between exploration and challenge, allowing them to enjoy the process without feeling rushed.

“Next up, we’ll use the item we got today!” Maple said enthusiastically.

“That’s right. This item will help us unlock new areas. We’ll be facing more ancient ruins guardians instead of fish monsters from here on out,” Kanade explained, referring to the “Emblem of the Sunken Kingdom.” This item would allow them to explore deeper parts of the underwater ruins, where tougher enemies awaited.

“And of course, there will be more cryptic symbols to decode, so make sure to review what we’ve learned!” Kanade reminded them.

“Got it!” Maple replied, eager for the challenge.

With their next objectives in mind, the three of them set a date for their next session before Kanade logged out. Maple and Sally were left alone in the game, facing each other.

“So, Sally, are you done for the day?” Maple asked.

“Hmm, I don’t have any plans. Do you want to go somewhere?” Sally replied.

With the eighth floor being the last area they needed to conquer, and their levels already high, there wasn’t much left they had to do in terms of mandatory quests or leveling up.

“I found some places that are interesting and a bit nostalgic! I was thinking it might be fun to visit them while we have the time,” Maple suggested.

“Interesting and nostalgic, huh… Are they in the tenth floor?” Sally inquired.

“Yeah! They were only recently discovered, though,” Maple replied.

“I see. I guess now that more people have cleared the main content, they’re starting to explore the side areas more,” Sally mused.

“That must be it! Even Payne and Mii have already finished everything!” Maple added.

“Sounds fun. I’m curious, so lead the way, Maple,” Sally agreed with a smile.

“Alright! One tour participant, ready to go!” Maple said with enthusiasm.

“Thanks for the tour!” Sally replied playfully.

Taking a break from the constant grind of dungeon crawling was a nice change of pace. The guild members of “Maple Tree” had created an environment where Maple and Sally could fully enjoy the game until the very end. Exploring random and interesting places was part of that experience.

“Is the first place in the eighth floor?” Sally asked.

“Uh, no… The first few places are actually in the first to third floors, so we’ll need to teleport first!” Maple explained.

“Got it. The first few floors, huh… Those areas don’t have much going on, so it’s hard to guess what we’ll find,” Sally said, intrigued.

If Maple was excited about these places, there must be something special about them. Sally followed Maple’s lead, eager to see what awaited them.

—

They arrived at the first floor, a vast area of fantasy landscapes with sprawling meadows, towering mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and dense forests. It was an area that evoked a sense of adventure and was perfect for newcomers to the game. Sally looked around the central square of the town as they left the guild home.

“This place feels a bit nostalgic, but I doubt that’s what you meant,” Sally remarked.

“Yeah, it’s not exactly nostalgia,” Maple replied with a grin.

Having conquered the eighth floor and numerous bosses, the first floor felt like a distant memory. The area was based on the original floor they had explored long ago, and it was natural to feel a bit sentimental walking through it again. However, Maple’s destination wasn’t the first floor itself.

“First, we need to do some prep!” Maple announced.

“Prep? What kind of prep?” Sally asked, curious.

“First, we need to go to that shop over there!” Maple said, pointing to an NPC shop.

“Oh, an NPC shop. Interesting…” Sally mused, following Maple into the shop.

What awaited Sally inside was something she hadn’t expected.

“Maple, what kind of shop is this?” Sally asked, puzzled.

“It’s a bug-catching net specialty shop!” Maple declared.

“…????” Sally was left speechless, trying to process what she had just heard. The walls were lined with various types of bug-catching nets, making it clear that this was indeed a shop dedicated to them.

“Uh… Are we buying one?” Sally asked, still confused.

“Of course!” Maple responded confidently.

“You’re not suddenly getting into bug-catching, are you?” Sally joked.

“Hehe, nope! But we need this for what we’re doing next,” Maple explained.

“I see… Whoever discovered this must’ve had a sharp intuition. I guess there’s something to it,” Sally said, starting to understand the purpose behind this seemingly random shop.

“These nets come in different types. Which one are you getting?” Sally asked.

“I’m going for the best one!” Maple said, pointing to the most expensive net in the shop.

“Whoa… One million!? Well, I guess we can afford it, but that’s a lot for a net,” Sally remarked.

Having defeated countless monsters and collected vast amounts of loot, neither of them had any trouble affording the most expensive items in the game. But spending a million gold on a single net was still surprising.

“If it’s necessary, then let’s get it. This is making me more excited to see what’s next,” Sally said, agreeing to the purchase.

“All that monster hunting really paid off!” Maple said with a smile.

“Yeah, we made a fortune since entering the tenth floor,” Sally agreed.

With their pockets full from their adventures, they bought the best nets available and left the shop.

“So, is this all we need?” Sally asked.

“There’s one more thing we need… You know those small towns scattered across the field? The next stop is one of those!” Maple explained.

These small towns weren’t major hubs, but they offered supplies and support for adventurers hunting in the field. Maple and Sally hadn’t used them much since they rarely needed consumables or buffs, but they were well aware of their existence.

“This should be interesting. Where’s the next place?” Sally asked, opening her map as Maple showed her the location.

“Right here!” Maple pointed.

“Not too far. We can head straight there,” Sally said, ready to go.

“Let’s do it!” Maple said, starting up her flying machine.

The two of them flew through the skies, heading to their next destination.

—

The entrance to a vast meadow, where a few houses stood as if to suggest adventurers stock up on supplies before heading in. Maple and Sally landed and headed to one of the small houses, where they quickly purchased the necessary item and stepped back outside.

“A white ticket… This is definitely a suspicious-looking item,” Sally noted, examining the ticket they had bought.

The item was a simple white ticket, sold quietly in the back of an item shop. It looked like nothing more than a piece of glossy paper, and it would be easy to overlook if not for the item name. The fact that it had no apparent function only added to its mystery.

“Glad they had it! Sometimes they’re not in stock, or you have to find it in another town,” Maple explained.

“That makes sense. The shopkeeper didn’t seem to know what it was for, either. It feels like one of those mysterious items that just show up,” Sally said, intrigued.

“Now that we’ve got the ticket, it’s straight to the destination!” Maple said with determination.

“Alright, let’s head out,” Sally agreed.

“Don’t forget your bug net!” Maple reminded her.

“It cost a lot, so it better be worth it,” Sally said with a laugh.

With their bug nets in hand, they flew once more, this time landing in front of a lush forest, where sunlight filtered through the trees and small flowers dotted the landscape.

“This looks like a place where you’d find bugs,” Sally remarked.

“Exactly! But there are also a lot of monsters, so… “Predator”! “Poison Split Body”!” Maple activated her skills.

A monstrous creature emerged from the ground, splitting into three, each one ready to devour or dissolve anything in their path.

“Oh,” Sally muttered as the first shiny beetle that flew into view was immediately snatched up and swallowed by one of the creatures.

Before Sally could react, another bug met the same fate.

“Looks like I won’t need to do much. But, uh, are you sure they won’t eat the bugs we need to catch with the nets?” Sally asked, concerned.

“Don’t worry! The bugs we’re after aren’t monsters. They won’t come out near the entrance, so we’ll head deeper into the forest,” Maple explained.

After describing the specific bugs they were looking for, Maple led the way into the forest, both of them keeping a close eye out for their target.

—

The monsters in the forest were weak compared to those in the tenth floor, and Maple’s skills were more than enough to handle them. After some time, the two of them reached the deeper part of the forest.

“Wow…” Sally whispered.

“It’s beautiful!” Maple exclaimed.

They had arrived at a flower-filled clearing bathed in dappled sunlight, with colorful blossoms everywhere and butterflies flitting about. It was a breathtaking sight, and the peaceful atmosphere made the journey worth it, even if this wasn’t the final goal.

“I heard there are some rare blue butterflies here, and I really want to catch one,” Maple explained.

“Blue butterflies, huh? They should be easy to spot if they land on the flowers… But I don’t see any right now,” Sally said, scanning the area.

“If we wait a bit, they should show up. The butterflies here fly away after a while, but new ones come in to replace them,” Maple explained.

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye out,” Sally said, getting comfortable.

They sat down together and watched the butterflies, making sure not to miss the appearance of the rare blue ones.

“…Maple! I think that’s one!” Sally suddenly pointed.

“Really?” Maple looked where Sally was pointing and saw two blue butterflies fluttering together.

“We need to catch one each,” Sally reminded her.

“Right! No mistakes, okay?” Maple said, focused.

“Yep!” Sally agreed.

The two of them carefully approached the butterflies, nets in hand, and quickly brought them down. Each net captured a butterfly, which soon turned into an item and was stored in their inventories.

“Got it!” Maple cheered.

“Yeah! I caught mine too! I’m so glad it worked out,” Sally said, relieved.

“The butterflies came out pretty quickly,” Maple noted.

“Yeah, that was lucky,” Sally agreed.

They both checked their inventories to examine the butterflies they had caught.

“”Dream-Guiding Butterfly”… This must be the guide we need to follow next,” Sally said, reading the item description.

“Exactly! I was worried we wouldn’t find them,” Maple said with a sigh of relief.

“So, we just need to use this item?” Sally asked, ready to continue.

“Yep! Want to do it on three?” Maple suggested.

“Sure! Ready?” Sally confirmed.

“On three,” Maple said.

“One, two… three!”

Both of them activated the item at the same time. The butterflies reappeared in front of them, glowing with a soft blue light.

“We just have to follow them…” Sally realized.

“Let’s go!” Maple agreed.

“Right behind you,” Sally said, keeping her eyes on the butterflies.

As the butterflies floated ahead, the two of them followed, pushing through the underbrush and maneuvering around trees. Occasionally, a stray insect would get caught by Maple’s creatures, but they continued undeterred.

They followed the butterflies for what felt like a long time before the path led them into a natural tunnel formed by intertwined trees and vines.

“Would this have appeared if we didn’t follow the butterflies?” Sally wondered.

“Nope! You can only find this tunnel by following them,” Maple explained.

“I see. So, it’s impossible to stumble upon it by accident,” Sally noted.

Feeling grateful for the mysterious players who had first discovered this path, they continued through the dim tunnel until they emerged into a bright clearing.

“This is the place?” Sally asked.

“Yep! We made it!” Maple confirmed.

“A… store?” Sally said, taken aback by what she saw.

“That’s right!” Maple replied, smiling.

Sally had expected to find something similar to the beautiful flower field they had just left, but instead, they were greeted by a large tree with a dark brown door and several windows indicating a second floor. The door had a sign hanging on it, written in a script that resembled the cryptic symbols from the eighth floor. Fortunately, Maple and Sally could now read it, and it simply said “OPEN.”

“This isn’t a normal store, is it?” Sally said, her curiosity piqued.

“Not at all! But we can read the sign, right?” Maple pointed out.

“Yeah, good timing for that,” Sally agreed.

“Shall we go in?” Maple suggested.

“Let’s do it,” Sally agreed.

With a heavy push, Maple opened the door, and the two of them peered inside.

They were met with the sight of an old wooden counter, behind which were jars filled with coffee beans, along with various unknown substances in different colors. However, what truly caught their attention wasn’t the items on the counter but the figure standing behind it.

A tall, shadowy figure with a vest and four long arms was busying itself with something on a shelf. It was entirely black, as if it were a living shadow, with no discernible facial features. Despite its lack of ears or nose, a pair of glasses sat perched on what would have been its face.

“Whoa!” Maple gasped.

“So, this is what it was all for,” Sally said, realizing the connection.

Their white tickets floated out of their inventories on their own, hovering in the air before flying to the figure behind the counter. With the tickets in hand, they were apparently granted entry to the shop.

Another smaller shadowy figure, presumably a store attendant, appeared to guide them to a table. They were seated, and menus were placed before them.

“Looks like everything’s written in the cryptic script,” Sally noted, flipping through the menu.

“I’ll start from the bottom, and you start from the top. Let’s order something interesting!” Maple suggested.

“Sounds good,” Sally agreed.

Working together, they began deciphering the menu. It didn’t take long to realize that most of the items listed were strange and unfamiliar, with flavors they could only guess at.

“The lower part seems to be drinks… I think?” Maple said.

“The upper part might be sweets… but I’m not sure,” Sally said, still unsure.

“The ‘Lunar Eclipse Coffee’ and the ‘Meteor Core Tart’… those sound pretty interesting,” Sally noted.

“There’s also the ‘Celestial Jellyfish Jelly’ and the ‘Moon Rabbit Mochi’… They seem safe enough to try,” Maple added.

“Yeah! And here’s the ‘Sky-White Brew,’ which looks like a drink…” Sally said.

“Let’s order a couple of drinks and sweets and see what happens,” Maple suggested.

“Let’s do it!” Sally agreed.

Maple ordered the ‘Sky-White Brew’ and ‘Celestial Jellyfish Jelly,’ while Sally went for the ‘Lunar Eclipse Coffee’ and the ‘Meteor Core Tart.’ As they chatted and waited, they couldn’t help but watch the shadowy figure behind the counter work. Its four arms moved skillfully and fluidly, preparing their orders with ease.

“Mai and Yui might be like this,” Sally commented, watching the figure.

“Like their “Helping Hand” skill, right? You have that skill too, don’t you?” Maple asked.

“Yeah, but I usually just use it as a platform, not for anything complicated,” Sally replied.

“”Atrocity” also gives me multiple arms, and I think I’m getting pretty good at using them,” Maple said with a grin.

“You got the hang of it really quickly, despite the different body size,” Sally noted.

“Thanks to that, it’s been really useful,” Maple agreed.

“From fighting to carrying stuff, it’s a versatile skill,” Sally said. Then, changing the subject, she asked, “So, Maple, what made you want to come here?”

“It just seemed fun! And, you know, it’s exciting to try food that only exists in the game, right?” Maple explained.

“True. We don’t have to worry about money or calories here. It’s nice to find something unusual, even if Iz could make us something similar. Events like this are the only way to get truly strange foods,” Sally agreed.

It was clear that Maple enjoyed these kinds of unique experiences within the game. As they chatted, their orders were finally brought to the table.

With a small clink, the dishes and cups were set before them, each item as unfamiliar as the next.

“Whoa, so this is…” Maple said, eyeing the strange food.

“They look pretty normal, but the taste… we’ll have to try to find out,” Sally said.

Maple had the ‘Sky-White Brew’ and ‘Celestial Jellyfish Jelly’ in front of her, while Sally had the ‘Lunar Eclipse Coffee’ and ‘Meteor Core Tart.’ The ‘Sky-White Brew’ was a milky white liquid with shimmering particles swirling inside, while the ‘Celestial Jellyfish Jelly’ was a transparent jelly with star-shaped patterns resembling the cross-section of a jellyfish. When Maple gently shook the plate, the jelly wobbled in response.

Sally’s ‘Lunar Eclipse Coffee’ looked more like tea, with a light red hue rather than the typical dark brown of coffee. However, it wasn’t transparent like tea, making its true nature a mystery. The ‘Meteor Core Tart’ was a tart with a crater-like crust and bright yellow fruit inside, but the fruit wasn’t quite like anything Sally had seen before.

“Let’s dig in!” they both said, taking a sip of their drinks.

“…It’s sweet?” Maple noted, surprised.

“This is a light coffee… It’s not too bitter, so even you could drink it, Maple. Is yours like milk?” Sally asked.

“Yeah! It’s kind of like hot milk, I think,” Maple replied.

“A gentle sweetness, huh,” Sally mused.

“How’s the jelly?” Maple asked, eyeing Sally’s tart.

“Let’s see…” Sally replied, taking a bite of the tart.

The fruit, which resembled yellow peach, had a texture similar to an apple, and each bite revealed a different flavor, from grape to strawberry, in what seemed like a fruit salad in a single piece.

“That’s pretty amazing. It’s like a mix of different fruits… Do you want to try some?” Sally offered.

“Sure! I’ll trade you some jelly for it!” Maple said excitedly.

“Deal… Wait!” Sally gasped.

“Oh no!?” Maple exclaimed.

As they scooped out a piece of the tart, small meteors suddenly began raining down on the table, crashing and shattering into tiny fragments.

“Oh…” Maple muttered in awe.

“Smells nice!” Sally added, noting the sweet aroma filling the air as the meteors broke apart.

The meteors ceased as suddenly as they had started, leaving the two of them surrounded by a pleasant scent.

“Maybe these meteors are actually the same fruit we’re eating,” Sally theorized.

“That would make sense!” Maple agreed.

“We should check if we can take some of this stuff home with us,” Sally suggested.

“Yeah, it’d be great if we could!” Maple said.

“Maybe Iz can recreate it for us if we describe it to her,” Sally added.

“That would be awesome!” Maple agreed, her excitement growing.

Iz was skilled at creating items that others couldn’t, so there was a chance she could replicate the strange food. They decided to order more items from the menu, trying everything they could.

They sampled various unknown sweets and drinks, each one offering a different surprise. Whether it was an unexpected flavor or a magical effect, the experience was uniquely tied to the game’s world.

“That was delicious and so much fun!” Maple said, thoroughly satisfied.

“One stop on our journey completed,” Sally said, equally content.

“Did you enjoy it, Sally?” Maple asked, curious about her friend’s thoughts.

“Definitely. It was full of surprises. It’s nice to take a break from the usual dungeons and explore something different,” Sally said with a smile.

“Next time, you should show me where you want to go,” Maple suggested.

“Didn’t you say you had a few more places you wanted to visit? We could do that first…” Sally replied.

Maple thought for a moment, then fixed Sally with a steady gaze.

“But if I don’t say anything, you’ll just say that wherever I want to go is where you want to go, right? I want to visit the places you want to go, too!” Maple said earnestly.

“My places, huh…” Sally trailed off, caught off guard by Maple’s perceptiveness.

“Or even if there’s something you want to do?” Maple offered.

“…” Sally hesitated, searching for the right words.

While she wasn’t entirely sure what Maple had in mind, Sally could tell that Maple was trying to gently prod her into sharing her thoughts. Despite Maple’s usual carefree demeanor, she had a way of picking up on subtle cues, and Sally realized that her friend was genuinely concerned.

Maple’s second question, so soon after the first, confirmed Sally’s suspicions. Maple might not fully understand what was on Sally’s mind, but she was clearly aware that something was weighing on her.

“I’ll think about it. Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out and tell you when I do,” Sally finally said.

“Promise?” Maple pressed.

“Promise,” Sally assured her.

She knew that Maple was already aware of her hesitation, even if she hadn’t said it outright. The words she wanted to say continued to build up, but she couldn’t bring herself to voice them just yet.

“Alright, let’s head out,” Sally suggested, changing the subject.

“Yeah! We ended up trying everything,” Maple said with a laugh.

“Good thing it’s not the real world,” Sally joked.

“Otherwise, things would’ve gotten pretty wild!” Maple agreed.

With no calories or real money to worry about, the two of them had enjoyed a lavish meal. They might not have been able to take any of the food with them, but they were still fully satisfied as they stepped out of the shop.

As they pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped back into the forest, they were momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight filtering through the trees.

“Let’s come back here again!” Maple said as her eyes adjusted to the light.

“Definitely. I’ll keep an eye out for those entry tickets,” Sally agreed.

“Hmm… If we see one, we better buy it right away. We were lucky today,” Maple said thoughtfully.

She turned around to take one last look at the shop, but to her surprise, it was gone. All that remained was the peaceful forest.

“The whole place really was like a dream. If the shop itself disappears, I guess it makes sense we couldn’t take anything out,” Sally mused.

A dream that exists only within a dream. If not for the shared experience, they might have doubted whether the whole thing had been real. But the memory of what they ate was fresh and vivid.

“Let’s tell Iz about this place. The cafe at “Maple Tree” might get a second branch if we’re lucky,” Maple suggested.

“That would be fun,” Sally agreed.

Though they hadn’t taken any final photos of the shop, they had plenty of pictures of the unique food and drinks. With those, they could spark Iz’s imagination.

And so, the two of them left the deep forest, returning to the familiar fields of their game world.