Itai no wa Iya nanode Bōgyo-Ryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu 490
Defense Specialization and the Start of Exploration
Once the important talk was over, they cast aside the sentimental atmosphere and started exploring.
“I’ll head for the 6<sup>th</sup> Floor Town. Maple and others have problems with that floor, right?”
“Hehe, rather than <em>Maple and others, </em>it’s just Sally?”
“That helps a lot…”
“As for me, I’ll go to the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor Town. Personally, I’m interested in that floor, so it’s perfect.”
“What about us?”
“What if we stumble into a battle along the way…”
“Do you want to ride Tsukimi and Yukimi?”
“We also need someone to provide cover.”
“Then, let’s do that. I guess I’ll head for the 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor Town for the time being, since it’s nearby. If there’s something like a flying machine, it’ll be easier to move around.”
Chrome would go to the 6<sup>th</sup> Floor Town, Kasumi the 4<sup>th</sup> Floor Town, while Kanade and the others would go to the nearby 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor Town. They were going to split up.
“Please call me if you need anything! I’ll fly to you!”
“Of course. Okay, I’ll call you if I get in trouble. In fact, I’m somewhatcking in attack power.”
Maple and Sally sent them off, praying that the search would go smoothly.
“I’m a bit nervous knowing that they’ll be supporting us with all their might.”
“Just rx. Like Maple said, it’s actually not that different from usual.”
“Uh-huh!”
“Then where do we go first?”
“I don’t think it matters where we start, we’ll get lost either way.”
“Ahaha, the map is so huge.”
The first thing they did was to run out onto the field. There were other options, but after thinking about it, they decided to head to the town first.
“I think we should start looking for a quest!”
“Good idea. That sounds more productive than wandering aimlessly on the field…”
Maple and Sally left the guild home and started walking around town.
“The townscape feels straight out of a fantasy world. Let’s see, the buildings that stand out…”
“Hey, what about that thing in the back?”
Maple pointed to a two-story building located at the very end of the main street, with two NPCs equipped with armor and spears standing on either side of the gate. From therge chimney, smoke was billowing into the sky. In that town of houses that could be considered private, that building seemed to have some other function.
“Shall we go?”
“Yep!”
When the two got to the front of the building, they nced at the NPC who looked like the gatekeeper. Upon seeing that the NPC made no attempt to stop them, they went inside.
Several NPCs were walking around inside the building, holding stacks of paper with some kind of small letters and maps written on them. They seemed to be having a discussion at arge table in the back.
As the two approached, the man who was at the center of the conversation turned towards them in response.
His chainmail made him look sturdier than the soldiers stationed outside. A tower shield and sword were also propped up in the back, seemingly equally powerful. Apparently, the NPCs had also geared up for the 10<sup>th</sup> Floor.
“Oh, sorry. I was just discussing the invasion of the Demon King’s minions. The monsters have been getting more activetely. Do you need something?”
After saying that, a quest mark appeared above the man’s head.
“Maple, it looks like we can ept the quest.”
“It’s true!”
“That’s nice. We found it right away.”
“Let’s see, the quest is about…”
Apparently, there wasn’t just one quest. Some were avable, some weren’t. Prerequisites for unlocking those that weren’t were listed.
“I see, I see… I guess it won’t work unless you clear the quests in other towns.”
“However, it seems that you can proceed from anywhere. If you proceed to another town, you might be able to skip the earlier quest here.”
“I see.”
For the time being, the two had no ns to go to another town yet, so they decided to undertake what was avable right now.
“Then… Hmm, I guess I’ll go with this one.”
“Okay, then let’s ept that.”
After the two epted the quest, the man spoke once again.
“—So, you’ll lend me your strength? Thanks, you’re a great help. We don’t have enough manpower. That said, they’re powerful. I want you to show us your abilities.”
Based on their experience, more difficult quests seemed to await them after clearing this one.
“I’ll do my best!”
“I won’t be surprised if the <em>easy </em>quest proves to be harder than the 9<sup>th</sup> Floor, so let’s be careful.”
“You have a point. All right, let’s clear it properly!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
After receiving the quest, the two confirmed their destination and left the building.
650 Name: Anonymous Wizard
<em>The 10<sup>th</sup> Floor is too huge…</em>
651 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>Too wide~</em>
652 Name: Anonymous Archer
<em>There’s a lot to do</em>
653 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>Are there any towns you’d rmend as a first destination?</em>
654 Name: Anonymous Wizard
<em>I’m not too sure, but it’s definitely not the one that resembles 8<sup>th</sup> Floor</em>
655 Name: Anonymous Archer
<em>It’s a hassle to dive every time you explore.</em>
<em>Well, not like I have checked, so maybe it’s different</em>
656 Name: Anonymous Great Sword-Wielder
<em>The enemy is strong. Are you leveling up properly?</em>
657 Name: Anonymous Tower Shield-User
<em>I guess it’s a turning point</em>
658 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>However, it’s helpful to have various means of transportation everywhere. Some of the tamed monsters aren’t suitable for everyone, though.</em>
659 Name: Anonymous Mage
<em>This time you can ride not only horses but also dragons. Borrowing them is expensive, though.</em>
660 Name: Anonymous Archer
<em>It’s great that anyone can fly. It’s fast</em>
661 Name: Anonymous Great Sword-Wielder
<em>Despite that, it feels like there’s no end to the exploration. Plenty of quests. Plenty of events. Plenty of hidden areas.</em>
662 Name: Anonymous Mage
<em>They did say that they increased it. So it’s true?</em>
663 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>It’s not like the hidden areas are impossible to find. Currently, my NWO doesn’t have any hidden areas.</em>
664 Name: Anonymous Archer
<em>Since the map is expanding, the probability of encountering a rare event may not actually be that high.</em>
665 Name: Anonymous Great Sword-Wielder
<em>But when you hear that it has increased, don’t you feel excited!? I wish I could find something…</em>
666 Name: Anonymous Tower Shield-User
<em>It all depends on luck and good intuition. There are quests that are fairly difficult and require amazing skills…</em>
667 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>Because the characteristics of previous floors are mixed together in some ces, it feels like the hidden areas are everywhere, which overwhelms me.</em>
668 Name: Anonymous Mage
<em>I need to get stronger before the event</em>
669 Name: Anonymous Great Sword-Wielder
<em>I just have to believe in my luck and move wherever it takes me</em>
670 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>Also, everyone who relies on basic crafting jobs for items should also take a look at the shop. Some items look powerful.</em>
671 Name: Anonymous Archer
<em>Oh, sure</em>
672 Name: Anonymous Mage
<em>It’s useless to just explore. Since there are a lot of towns, there are also a lot of shops.</em>
673 Name: Anonymous Tower Shield-User
<em>Speaking of which, there are Traveling Merchant NPCs who’d move around in the field carrying items.</em>
674 Name: Anonymous Mage
<em>There are many exploration elements!</em>
675 Name: Anonymous Spear-Wielder
<em>It wouldn’t be strange if one of them is connected to the rare event.</em>
676 Name: Anonymous Mage
<em>There are so many~! But it’s fun!</em>
677 Name: Anonymous Great Sword-Wielder
<em>I know, right~</em>
These seemed like happy feedback. No doubt, it’d be a long time before the yers ran out of ce to explore.