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

335 Part 1

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 335

Defense Specialization and ‘Rapid Fire’ 2.

There was a great tree on the outskirts of the field. And as monsters were not able to come near to it, they would be able to talk very leisurely.

“We’ve only ever seen you in action during events. But I always wanted to talk to you in person. I’ll have to thank Velvet for this later.”

That being said, Maple and Sally had only come here because Velvet had told them there would be an interesting player. They hadn’t expected to sit down and really talk like this. And so they hadn’t prepared any questions.

“Hmm. Well, then perhaps I can ask you a question first.”

“Sure!”

“Will you two tell me what your trump card skills are?”

This was such a straightforward question that both Maple and Sally felt their eyes widen. Upon seeing their expressions, Lily chuckled with amusement and then corrected herself.

“I was mostly joking. You’d have no reason at all to tell me. But how about this. Why don’t you accompany us to a dungeon, just like you did with Velvet?”

Now that was something that could be advantageous to Maple and Sally. They thought back on how strong Velvet and Hinata had been. Congregation of Holy Swords and Kingdom of the Flame Emperor were not the only guilds they had to be wary of.

Up until now, the strongest guilds were guilds that had been the quickest in acquiring the unique series, or powerful skills. The number of such guilds increased as time passed, and those two became known as the two strongest large guilds.

“I’m sure that you two are curious as well. And we want to see how you change.”

Sally was able to read Lily’s intention by looking at her face. In other words, they wanted to know if the top two of Maple Tree were worth being cautious of, or if they had fallen.

Sally was sure that Lily would be able to read their movements more accurately than Velvet, and she would uncover their hidden skills. Any clumsy attempt to conceal them would have no effect.

“What should we do, Sally?”

“I don’t see why not? Besides, I think seeing Willbert use his bow will be very helpful for us in the future.”

Sally was fully aware of how Maple’s skills worked, as well as her own. And she felt that it wouldn’t matter much, as long as they only used skills that Lily was likely to already know about. Obviously, fighting right in front of them meant they might learn about their habits, but it would be to their advantage as long as they concealed their trump cards.

Aside from that, it was just like Lily said. It wouldn’t matter if they showed skills that they were confident in. Skills that could not be dealt with even if you showed them in advance.

“Well, I think it will be fine if you fight like you always do, Maple.”

“Okay! I’ll do my best then!”

The important skills that supported Maple in combat had stayed mostly the same since the fourth event.

And while she could do more, thanks to the new skills she acquired, her fighting style generally involved protecting with ‘Dedicated Affection,’ and using summoning skills and long range attack skills.

Maple had already attracted a lot of attention during the fourth event. And so if she fought in the same way, she would just be showing the same skills again.

“So, where should we go? The closest place to us would be…”

“Let’s go there, Will. There are a lot of monsters. While it’s harder than the arena that Velvet took you, it is quite similar. Now, let’s see you in action.”

Lily suggested it as the perfect place. And Maple and Sally had no reason to refuse. And so the four of them headed to the nearby dungeon.

They had no trouble on the way there, and they safely reached the magic circle that would teleport them to the dungeon. And while they were in the center of a green forest, this place was especially green. Vines covered the trees surrounding the magic circle. It was as if they were sucking in the energy.

As the four had formed a party, they just needed to step on the circle and they would all be taken to the dungeon.

“While it looks dangerous, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just step on.”

“Yes, let’s go, Sally!”

“Yes, yes.”

When Maple stepped onto it, all four of them were enveloped in light. When they arrived in the dungeon, they saw that it was a place where all the walls and floors were made of trees.

“The monsters here are weak to fire. However, using fire triggers a special debuff within the dungeon.”

These included status drops, reduced damage output, lowered defense etcetera all at once. Thankfully, Maple and Sally did not have to rely on fire when fighting, and so they weren’t really hindered in this dungeon.

“I think it’s just Oboro’s skill. You should be fine too, Maple.”

“Yeah. I don’t use fire all that much!”

“That’s good to know. In any case, I’d like to see what you can do.”

“Leave it to me!”

And so, after coming out into what felt like a new part of the area, it was decided that Maple and Sally would be the first to fight. Lily and Will were now protected by Dedicated Affection, and so they could observe them while remaining safe.