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

Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 487

Defense Specialization and to the Tenth Floor (3)

Whenever Maple was thrown off by the knockback, Haku’d gently catch her, before resuming the battle.

Against an enemy who built their battles around the unilateral destruction of formations at the hands of the wizard’s waves, it could be said that Maple’s ability to tank all damage and maintain her teammates’ positions was an effective counter.

Maple and the others had figured out the best composition to win the battle, and were advancing through the dungeon with plenty of time to spare.

“…? The water is getting shallower, huh?”

“It seems so.”

“Phew. Finally, we’re going to have an easier time moving around.”

The dungeon seemed like a waterway at first, but as they progressed further, the water level began to drop. Eventually, the water receded completely, revealing a dry floor.

“It feels a bit cramped… Haku will have to transform back.”

Although [Super Enlarge] was useful, it couldn’t be used everywhere due to limited space. It went without saying that it couldn’t be used indoors.

“Well, as long as there’s no knockback, it should be fine. In case of an attack, we can just support you.”

“I sure hope there won’t be any attack…”

Up until that point, Maple was either rendered immobile and had to lean on Haku, or navigate between battles.

Nevertheless, she was still of help, and could more or less counter the enemy.

“Thank you for your defense, Maple. We still have a long way to go, though.”

“I know! I’ll do my best!”

“The terrain has changed…”

“Will the monsters change too?”

“Possibly. If they are the same, there won’t be a need to change the terrain.”

After a while, they could no longer see the water behind them. Ahead, they could see a faint light at the end of the dimly-lit passage. Maple and the others braced for enemy attack. However, the light didn’t move from its spot—

—Eventually, its true identity was revealed.

“Wow… Amazing…”

In front of Maple was a hole that led deep to the bottom, with a row of stone pillars as scaffoldings.

The bottom of the hole was glowing red with magma, making a popping sound. If Maple were to fall into it, she’d surely suffer from some injury.

There was a certain distance between each stone pillar. Although it wasn’t so wide that they couldn’t jump, the foothold itself seemed quite unstable.

“Continuous damage… But at the very least, we won’t die instantly, right?”

“Want to test it out? I’ll give you a safety rope.”

“No thanks.”

“Even if you did it as a joke, it seems very costly. How are you going to make it back if you fall in there?”

“It seems that we can jump… But I’m afraid of failing, so I’ll create a foothold for us.”

Sally used [Water Path] to connect the scaffolds with water.

“[Freezing Area].”

A high-pitched sound resounded, and the water froze. A wide ice bridge connected the scaffoldings. The eight of them proceeded, being careful not to slip into the magma.

“With this, we’re safe!”

“Yeah… Not really.”

Seeing Sally brandishing her weapon, Maple also looked up to look forward.

Of course, the magma below wasn’t the only enemy.

Ahead of them, two wyverns emerged, crackling with electricity. On top of the precarious foothold, an inevitable battle was about to brew.

“Kasumi, Maple!”

The two who were called by Sally guessed her intentions and stepped forward. The enemy had an advantage over them, which was their ability to fly. To gain the upper hand, even if slightly, they launched an attack before the enemy could unleash an onslaught.

Kasumi and Sally, who could fight in the air, leaped out, followed by Maple, who could cover them with [Dedicated Affection].

“[Flash Flood]!”

Since the effect of [Freezing Area] was still active, the generated water would continue to freeze. Kasumi ran across the pillar of ice and jumped.

The monsters responded to that. The wyvern quickly spewed out flames; the electricity surrounding its body crackled violently, scattering balls of sparks.

Kasumi didn’t dodge the attack, and approached the enemy as she fell.

“I’m okay!”

Maple’s voice could be heard from behind. If she survived the attack, there was nothing to worry about.

“[Arms of the Warrior] [Blood Sword]!”

As the two armored arms attacked the wyvern in front of her, Kasumi’s liquid sword unleashed an attack on all monsters.

“Necro [Weight of Death]!”

Chrome reduced movement speed to support Kasumi’s attacks.

“[First of the Swords: Heat Haze]!”

When Kasumi started to fall, she rose again with skill. Moreover, this skill came with the bonus of being able to dash directly in front of the enemy.

The ability to move in the air, which was based on skills, was something that she’d gotten quite accustomed to. Kasumi also used [Third of the Swords: Lonely Moon] and flew around in the sky multiple times; first to destroy the scattered sparks of electricity, before landing on the back of the remaining wyvern.

“[Fourth of the Swords: Whirlwind]!”

The rapid slashes delivered with the [Arms of the Warrior] found its target, and the wyvern tumbled down. Before it disappeared, Kasumi used its body as a foothold and jumped back, landing on one of the stone pillars.

“Phew. Seriously, in this kind of place?”

“Nice. That was pretty easy.”

“It’d be bad if we accidentally fell down. Let’s be careful.”

“I agree.”

Maple and the others joined the two who were in front. The biggest threat here was the terrain itself. As long as they fought calmly and checked their footing, the monsters were manageable.

“Tread carefully!”

While looking at the stone pillars that continued in front of them, Maple reminded everyone and crossed the ice bridge.

After that, following Sally, Iz also built a bridge using the boards she’d taken out. Thus, the stability of the scaffolding improved. Thanks to this, Mai and Yui were able to focus on attacking, and passed that area.

A large gilded door finally appeared in front of the eight who’d been proceeding with care.

That was the sign of a boss room. The final boss that stood in the way of reaching the 10^th Floor.

“Should we apply some buffs first?”

“Let’s do that. Although, if they get dispelled, it can’t be helped.”

““Please give us some buffs!””

After all, items could be replenished again. If their goal was to win, they should prepare themselves.

Maple kept deploying [Dedicated Affection] along the way, and applied buffs to Mai and Yui. One of the proven strategies of [Maple Tree] was a one-hit kill.

Maple and the others finished their preparations and went inside to slay the boss.