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 364

Defense Specialization and the 8th Layer

“Everyone! Good work!”

Once the raid boss battle was over, Maple Tree returned to the guild home in order to celebrate the end of the event and the killing of the boss. As Mai and Yui had done especially well, they were the center of attention and looked embarrassed as they were praised.

“I was shocked when you two came out with eight of them…”

“Yeah, I didn’t think there would be an enemy out there that would make those hammers feel less excessive.”

“But we don’t know what will happen in the future… Still, I hope that I never meet such monsters.”

They hoped that the raid boss was the only one that could survive after being hit that many times by the pair.

“Oh, now that the event is over, it seems like the 8th layer will be opened sometime soon.”

“I see. The 8th layer! Uh, we get 5 medals from this event, right? And something on the 8th layer is going to be opened to us, right?”

“Yes. But we won’t know until we go there.”

“I wonder what it’s like?”

“I already have an idea.”

“What? Really!?”

“So do I.”

Maple asked Sally and Kanade to tell her, but they insisted that it was best if she found out for herself.

“That being said, we still have to get through the dungeon, alright?”

“That’s true. But I don’t know if that means much.”

Izu and Chrome said with a shrug of their shoulders. Then they looked at each other.

Boss. What kind of boss would there have to be if it was to survive Mai and Yui’s attacks?

Regardless, the members of Maple Tree were not really worried about the 8th layer dungeon as they waited for it to be implemented.

Time passed, and when the 8th layer was implemented, the eight of them headed straight for the dungeon. The road there was hard, but Mai and Yui were protected by ‘Dedicated Affection’ as they smashed all kinds of monsters into dust until they finally reached the boss room.

“Alright. I’m going to open it then!”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

“Yeah, I already cast what buffs that I could.”

Mai and Yui were shining with different effects as Maple opened the door. What they saw in front of them was a jelly-like creature, much like a slime. This boss was about what would be expected for the 7th layer, as it could transform into other monsters, similar to Kanade’s tamed monster.

Human, beast, or more monster-like creatures. Depending on what it became, it would be able to fly in the air or dive into the ground. Its status also changed along with its form. You needed to adjust your fighting style to match its skills, or else it would catch you off guard. You could say it was a flexible, powerful monster that could do many different things.

“Oboro, ‘High-speed Barrier’!”

“Haku, ‘Paralysis Poison’!”

“Sou, ‘Sleeping Bubble.’”

“‘Paralyze Shout’!”

“Necro, ‘Weight of Death.’”

They unleashed the status effect skills as soon as they entered the room. As the boss could change into many forms, it also had high resistance. The only thing that was effective was Necro’s slowdown effect. However, being slowed meant that it could not run away. In other words, Mai and Yui, who were the incarnation of destruction, could get close to it.

“‘Destroy Mode,’ ‘Double Strike’!”

“‘Destroy Mode,’ ‘Double Strike’!”

There was a loud popping noise as the slime’s transformation was interrupted. The jelly exploded and then vanished.

“I thought it would at least have some kind of damage reduction status…”

“It would have had to nullify it completely in order to survive.”

“Wow. You two are just as crazy as Maple now.”

“Amazing! And in one hit! …Or is it sixteen?”

“We did it!’

“Uhh…thank you for supporting us.”

“It’s nothing if you can beat bosses this smoothly. I almost feel sorry for it…”

“That being said, it would have been for nothing if they couldn’t hit it. I suppose they were too forgiving in making a boss that could be slowed down…”

“I’m sure it’ll pose a bigger challenge to other players.”

As Maple, Yui and Mai happily high-fived each other, Kasumi, Chrome and Izu’s thoughts were with the poor boss that had exploded.

“Ah! That’s right. The 8th layer! Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

The three started walking ahead, and the five others ran after them. When all eight were lined up, they stepped foot into the 8th layer.

“Wow…!”

“Is it just as you guessed, Kanade?”

“Uhh, I didn’t think it would be quite to this degree?”

“Yeah, me too. Exploration is going to be back-breaking.”

What spread out before the eight of them was a vast sea. They could see the roofs of sunken buildings, and buildings built on top of them. The process had clearly been repeated many times in this city.

“Woah… Another amazing layer. But it will be hard to swim here.”

“But it looks quite deep…? Surely there will be some kind of item to help us.”

“Hmm. I was able to make items from the materials acquired from exclusive monsters of the 8th event. Items that would aid you during underwater exploration. Maybe it was for this place?”

The members that were able to swim well or had acquired swimming skills were looking at the water with interest. But after enjoying the view for a moment, the trio in the front, Maple, Mai and Yui, looked uncertain as to what they should do.

It was no wonder, as none of them could acquire the ‘Swimming’ or ‘Diving’ skills due to their status.

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-what should we do?!”

“What do you think!?”

“Hmm…as of now…we’ll have to stay on these buildings that are sticking out of the water…”

As the three worried that they wouldn’t be able to explore the layer properly, Sally patted them on the shoulder and told them to calm down.

“Don’t worry! Don’t worry! A lot of people don’t have ‘Swimming,’ and so there’s no way that it’s required here. Of course, I’m sure it doesn’t hurt.”

She was assuming that there would be an alternative. Upon hearing this, the three calmed down and decided to try and enjoy this layer. They had only just entered it, and who knew what they might find? They could not make any judgments so quickly.

“Okay! Let’s explore every corner of this layer as welll!”

Maple said as she thrust her fist into the air. The 8th layer was a sunken city. They would soon explore these buildings poking out of the water, and the city that slept far down, in the depth of the sea.