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 276

Defense Specialization and the Prairie

As for Sally, she stayed for a while and enjoyed watching the monsters and just taking in the scenery.

Fish were swimming towards the bottom of the clear lake, and birds were flying in the sky. However, she saw no signs of any special events.

“Phew. I guess there’s nothing here. Maybe it’s purely a place to look for monsters? …Hey! Maple?”

She asked Maple what she was doing now. And while she got a reply, she could no longer see her.

Thinking this was strange, Sally checked her map and started to walk towards Maple.

“Ah…I see.”

Sally had arrived in a place where several fluffy balls were lined up in a row. These monsters were known as Ball Sheeps, and as the name implied, their wool made them look like balls. And in the center of the group, was Maple, who was thoroughly buried in her own wool.

“You blend in with them so well that it took me a second to notice.”

“Ehehe. Right? These guys move around occasionally. And when they do, they lift me into the air and take me with them!”

“…I think they’re just trambling over you?”

As Maple was gesturing for her to come closer, Sally carefully made her way towards Maple without scaring the Ball Sheeps. Then she entered Maple’s wool.

She was used to doing this by now.

Isn’t it great to relax like this sometimes!”

“Hehe. Isn’t this just the norm for you, Maple?”

“Huh? I don’t think that’s true.”

“Uh, it looks like it might not be so relaxing after all.”

Sally felt that the Ball Sheep were moving, and so she buried herself into Maple’s wool and fixed herself inside with webs so that she wouldn’t fall out.

“‘Dedicated Affection’! Just in case.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Just as they both finished preparing, the herd of sheep began to migrate as they rushed through the prairie.

However, Maple wasn’t actually running at all, but she was being kicked like a ball, which meant they went flying into the air while spinning rapidly.

And though they took no damage, rotating like this would inevitably cause dizziness.

“Hey… Maple! We’re spinning so much…”

“Uh… It used to be a lot slower…”

As for Sally, she would take damage if she disconnected the web too soon and ended up getting thrown out. And so they had no choice but to continue to get kicked around.

After this had continued for some time, they heard a rustling noise and felt the impact of hitting against something. And then Maple’s ball of wool stopped moving.

“I’ve never been spun around like that before…”

“That’s true. Sorry, I think I’m going to have to rest before getting out.”

“Yes, me too…”

They were so dizzy that they no longer knew which way was up and which was down. After resting for a while, they poked their heads out of the wool.

And then they saw that there was a small spring in front of them and that they were in a dense forest. The area here was thick with bushes, and so they realized that the rustling they had heard was the sound of them forcing their way through it.

Here, the Ball Sheep were drinking from the stream. Apparently, their migration had ended.

“Did we travel that far?”

“Well, we rolled for quite a while… Hmm. Yes, we’re no longer in the plains. Still, that seems like more than it should be…”

“But it was so big!? Are sheep really that fast…”

According to the map, they had gone through the great plains and come out into a distant forest.

Even if they were going in a straight line, it seemed like it should have taken longer.

“Well, since they went through the trouble of bringing us here, why don’t we take a look around?”

“Yeah, sure. We can do it while we rest.”

Sally sheered some of Maple’s wool so that it would be easier to move, and then they walked towards the stream.

“They don’t run away even when you approach them. And it looks like they’re tamable well.”

“Too bad we can’t do that anymore. They’re so cute and fluffy.”

Maple hugged one of the Ball Sheep and relished its softness. As if reacting to her, the Ball Sheep started to shake its round body.

“Huh!? Wawawawa!”

Maple bounced off of it and lost her balance. And after taking a step back, she fell loudly into the stream.

The other Ball Sheep were so surprised that they began to run away. Sally then approached the water and attached a web to Maple in order to fish her out.

“Are you alright? Maple?”

“Yes. It took me by surprise, but I’m fine.”

Maple thanked her as she was pulled back to dry land. That’s when Sally noticed something.

“Maple. Did you drop something inside of the water?”

“Huh? I have my great shield…short sword…hmm. And I have my ring!”

“See. Maple, take a look.”

She looked into the water and saw that there was something shining on the bottom.

“It’s not so deep, so I can dive down and check it out. Just wait a minute.”

Sally said as she dove into the water. Then she returned with the shiny object in her hand.

“Oomph! Phew…”

“Welcome back! Uh…is that a gem?”

Sally was holding a sphere in her hand that was made of a white ore. It was smooth and seemed to be glowing.

“Well, I guess I should check the item description.”

[White Key]

One of three keys to open a certain door.

“…I wonder where it’s used?”

“I don’t know… I guess there are probably similar ones to this. See, it says it’s just one key.”

“Huh. It’s going to be hard to find something this small.”

“We’ll have to find a hint. This one…we kind of stumbled upon it by accident…”

They thought back on how they had arrived here. It seemed like Sally had a hunch, and so she searched her memories.

“…There should be a few other types of monsters that migrate. So, maybe we should check them out while we explore?”

“I agree! And if we find another key, it will mean that your guess was right!”

“Yes, yes. It means we have a new purpose.”

And so the two of them made it their goal to find another gem. And like that, they continued to sightsee and explore.