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 486

Defense Specialization and to the Tenth Floor (2)

A wide, straightforward road went on without any forks. From behind that path, another wizard appeared. To make matters worse, it was accompanied by three heavily-armored vanguards; one equipped with a tower shield, while others wielded lances.

“Maple, do it!”

“Okay, [Deploy Barrel] [Commence Attack]!”

A multitude of guns sprouted from Maple’s back like branches. The muzzles were directed forward. In the next moment, they fired a barrage of shells at the four monsters.

Had it received a direct impact, the wizard would’ve been reduced to nothing. However, in response to the attack, the three vanguards immediately intervened.

The intense clashing sound of metal echoed, and the cannonballs were blocked by impenetrable defense.

The three vanguards were visibly unscathed.

“It’s not going to be that easy, isn’t it?”

It can’t be helped. Thinking that, Sally sent a quick glance at Kasumi. As another swirling torrent threatened to swallow them whole, Haku turned into a wall to protect the eight.

Amidst the roaring waves, everyone was able to move freely. Except for Maple, who had to lean on Haku due to the constant knockback.

They planned to approach the enemy and hunt them down using Haku again. Thus, Iz used her telescope—

—At that time.

Along with the damage effect, Maple’s HP began to decrease rapidly.

“Huh!?”

““[Heal]!””

Sally and Kanade responded. Maple’s HP was restored using magic—but it soon began to drop again.

“Tsk, it’s that lance!”

“I’ll take care of her! Meanwhile, please think of something!”

“Ugh… It’s as if I’m being hit all the time…”

Iz took out a bunch of potions from her inventory to heal Maple.

[Heal], which was among the first few basic skills to be acquired, was about to become redundant. Although Kanade had other recovery magic, that wasn’t his main role. That was where Iz’ powerful items came into play.

When Iz directly recovered HP using her potion, it also created a continuous recovery area.

Maple also gave up attacking for the time being and focused on self-healing through [Meditation].

“Kasumi, keep covering the back, but open the path forward.”

“Got it.”

Kasumi smoothly moved Haku, but not without blocking the route to the back to support Maple’s recovery.

Then, the wall that separated them and the enemy vanished, and the three enemy vanguards rushed in along with the flowing stream of water, brandishing their lances.

“Mai, Yui. Focus and deal with them. Maple will protect you.”

““Understood!””

Riding Tsukimi and Yukimi, while being swept by the rushing water, the twins kept an eye for the enemy. They soon caught the sight of the three of them swaying in the torrent.

““[Flying Attack]!!”

A violent metallic sound mixed with the crashing waves. Even after being hit by the two’s sledgehammers, the three were still alive and well. Based on the twins’ track record of eradicating all sorts of monsters, it was clear that the two didn’t lack offensive power. Therefore, the two understood that as long as the enemy was protected by the shield, their damage would be rendered less effective.

“Older Sister!”

“Yeah…!”

—In that case…

The pair of sledgehammers weren’t their only weapons. They swung the rest of their sledgehammers, which were held by [Helping Hand].

The enemy only had one shield. Suffice to say, it wasn’t enough to block all the incoming sledgehammers.

““Hyaaaaa—!””

The monsters were attacked with sledgehammers from both sides.

As expected, they weren’t made to withstand the attack. Therefore, if they suffered a direct blow, that’d be the end of them. As the vanguards exploded at the corner of her eye, Sally stepped forward.

“Time to check out [Wave Ride]!”

[Wave Ride] was a new skill obtained by leveling up [Water Manipulation]. The skill, which was a combination of [Flash Flood] and [Water Path], helped Sally move by riding on the waves it generated while sweeping away anything that stood in her path.

As she emerged from the tornado-like torrent that obscured her vision, Sally spotted the wizard deep within the maelstrom.

“[Icicle]!”

She conjured a huge pillar of ice behind the wizard, before shooting her thread towards it. The moment she retracted the thread, she darted towards the enemy.

Even if she couldn’t dodge in a timely manner, there was no problem as long as she was within Maple’s defense range.

“[Quintuple Slash]!”

Before the wizard could attempt anything, Sally already closed in on it. Unable to withstand the flurry of powerful attacks, the wizard disappeared.

“Thank you, everyone!”

“No problem.”

“Thanks to Maple, I was saved.”

There was no time limit to [Loving Sacrifice]. It was one of the skills that Maple could use flawlessly because she could tank all the damage and still not fall.

Thanks to this, [Maple Tree] could adopt strategies that were unique to them alone.

“Iz and Kanade will be in charge of recovery. Chrome will take care of the attacks that Maple can’t handle. Mai and Yui will be in the front line, while Kasumi and I will be in the back line.”

“Understood. Now that we know there’ll be a piercing attack, there won’t be an easy victory. To avoid taking unnecessary risks, let’s just have Haku on standby and aim for a swift victory.”

“There might still be additional monsters. Let’s proceed without letting our guard down.”

As Kanade said, there weren’t just two types of enemies. While remaining flexible, they’d also need to utilize skills that could act as a trump card depending on the timing.

After changing their composition, Maple and the others were able to fend off the monsters that had returned with more power. They confidently proceeded further into the depths.

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