Itai no Wa 198

Defense Specialization and a Meeting

About two hours have gone by since the fire incident.

Maple was walking in the corridor while breathing heavily.

She was completely dirty, her body covered in dust and soot.

“Uhh… I don’t want any more pitfalls!”

Maple couldn’t count how many traps she had fallen into during these two hours.

She was already getting used to being burned a few times, having fallen in some traps and being slashed with spears and guillotines by that armor.

Among them, the trap Maple hates the most is the pitfall.

She knew she should avoid those holes as much as possible. They have thorns at the bottom, which is usually not a problem for Maple. But those particularly looked like they could break her to pieces.

In order to be able to pa.s.s through the wall full of dangerous thorns, Maple had to throw herself on the floor several times before being able to stand up. But it was tremendously exhausting.

It was so overwhelmingly difficult to be on the ground for the second time, that the light in Maple’s eyes was quickly disappearing.

“If Sally was here, she could see where the traps are. But, I can’t do that.”

Maple’s loud footsteps were sinking the floor as she advanced doubtfully.

“Eek!”

Before Maple could even try to move, something came flying rapidly towards her.

“Oh, well, it was just a poisoned arrow…”

Maple murmured as she held the arrow covered in violet liquid.

It could seem strange that she was so relieved when she saw that it was a poisoned arrow. But for her, the worst threat right now is pitfalls.

“Alright… I think I’ve gotten so far inside here, but have I really?”

Not only because the walls and the corridor were distorted but also, even the ceiling had doors, Maple became worried about being captured.

“Alright, over there!”

Maple followed her instinct and entered through one of the doors.

Even though Maple lost her armor, she was able to evade the traps thanks to her body. Furthermore, she’s still able to continue evading even more than one hundred the traps if she wants to.

Despite her slow movement speed, she walked through that labyrinth at a faster pace than what would allow her to search properly.

And this went on for several minutes.

“Ah! That door…!”

Upon closer examination, Maple could notice a door in the previous corridor that wasn’t there before.

That was the door that often leads to a boss in most games.

“Alright! Let’s take my equipment back!”

Maple said that and rapidly started running through the corridor.

All of a sudden a trap was activated, spears and arrows abruptly went flying. For Maple, who was already completely used to that sort of thing, it was no surprise at all.

“This is nothing, prepare yourselves, you girls! Ha, ha… I won’t let you have it your way!”

As soon as Maple finished saying that so enthusiastically, the floor quickly crumbled under her feet.

“Eh!? Waah! …Ugh!”

At the last moment, Maple could grab the edge of the floor near the door, but both of her hands were trembling.

There’s no way she could lift herself up.

“Uhh, I’m going to fall…”

Maple took a glance at the bottom, finding it was full of a glittering green liquid.

After seeing that, Maple’s face went pale.

If it was only thorns, she could come back.

“Help! Somebody help! Aaahh!”

With her arms at their limits, she called for help as a last-ditch effort, but she still fell to the bottom of the hole.

Maple, who fell loudly on her back over the green liquid, looked at the now distant ceiling with disappointment.

“Ah… What should I do? This poison should be all right for now. But it’s so sticky… yuck!”

She got some of that liquid pooled up in her hand, which felt pleasantly cool to the touch.

The next problem to solve was how to get out of the pitfall.

“I can’t just log out, having come this far. I have to think of something.”

Maple closed her eyes and began thinking hard, searching for a solution.

After a short while of deep consideration, she suddenly opened her eyes as if she had something in mind.

“Oh, that’s it! ‘Deploy all Weapons’!”

Weapons emerged from Maple’s body and then disappear.

But Maple was actually pleased with the sight rather than disappointed.

“All right! Here, punish me! Look at this!”

Even though some time pa.s.sed after she said that, no swords or spears came flying to attack her.

“Huh? Why? If you don’t come and punish me, you’ll be sorry!”

Maple had thought about stabbing the incoming swords and spears against the walls of the hole to get herself out of the hole.

Players only need to simply enter rooms while avoiding traps in order to get close to the goal.

Still, most of the times they just rush straight ahead without thinking.

“What should I do? I can’t use ‘Throne of the Heavenly King’ too often…”

That’s when the area around the disheartened Maple began to change.

The thing that Maple thought to be just a sticky green liquid began to move, covering Maple’s body.

“Oh, a slime? You feel nice and cool. I’m a bit relieved.”

The slime wrapped around Maple in an attempt to dissolve her body.

“…! I got it! Thanks, Mr. Slime!”

The relieved Maple seemed to have been reminded of something, and after taking a deep breath, she spoke the name of a skill.

Shortly after Maple had fallen into the pitfall, the doors of the boss’ room were thrown open.

“Ah, there you are. We’ve found you!”

“Yeah. You’ve come, huh? We’ve found you!”

The twins chuckled as they floated in mid-air, distorting the s.p.a.ce around them.

“Uhh… Give me my equipment back!”

Said Maple, completely submerged in a floating green sphere.

“I can do more than just make things float around!”

Then, using ‘Psychokinesis’, Maple manipulated the slime’s shape into a huge s.h.i.+eld and a sword.