Itai no wa iya 235

Defense Specialization and the Tower's 7th Floor

"This place…"

"Another crazy location…"

What was waiting for them on the 7th floor was a world of white. Not only was there snow up to their knees, but there was also a snowstorm raging. Furthermore, they were currently standing on the edge of a cliff.

They both gulped. It was hard to believe that they were inside of a tower.

Parts of their equipment was starting to freeze and the ice sparkled in the light.

"What should we do, Sally? It doesn't seem like there are any monsters here right now."

"We're on top of a cliff… I guess…we should go down?"

As it was hard to see anything because of the snowstorm, they decided to explore the area around them while being careful where they put their feet. They discovered that there was a path that would lead them toward the bottom of the cliff, and all other directions led to a dead end.

"So I guess we have to go down there then. But…"

"Ughhh. The wind is so strong!"

Not only could they barely see, but their feet were buried in the snow. And with such strong wind, it would be hard to move down such a narrow path along the cliff. After all, Maple had trouble even on ordinary maps.

"That being said, we have no choice but to go down. What should we do?"

"Maybe we can get down easily if I call Syrup?"

And so Maple tried to call Syrup, but for some reason, there was no answer.

"Huh? Hmm. It doesn't work. I wonder why?"

Sally saw Maple's reaction and then checked her status.

She then saw that some of her skills and abilities had been sealed.

"'Indestructible' and the status boost is still there, but I can't use Mirage anymore. Maybe it's like that for you too, Maple?"

"Oh… Oh, no… Still, it really feels like we made it to the 7th floor now!"

"Oh, yeah. You seem really excited."

Maple no longer felt too discouraged whenever the restrictions became heavier. As long as she didn't receive any painful damage, there was no need to become pessimistic.

"So, should we just go down properly?"

But Sally seemed to have had an idea, and she looked at Maple with a smile.

"Ehehe. Don't you think there's a shortcut?"

"Hmm, right. I thought you would say that."

They stood near the edge of the cliff that led to the path that would take them down.

While they couldn't see their destination when they looked down, Maple was sure she could jump down if she wanted to.

In other words, the shortcut was a freefall that relied on Maple's defense ability.

"I can go with you as long as Dedicated Affection isn't sealed too. Besides, the proper route would be really hard for you, wouldn't it, Maple?"

"Alright, let's get ready then! Make sure you're tightly secure, okay? It will be horrible if you go flying away…"

"Okay. And I'll have some items prepared just in case."

She left one hand free for Web User and held the items in her other hand. Then she stuck her back to Maple's and tied a rope around them.

"While this is inside of a game… It's strange that we now think of throwing ourselves off of cliffs. This all your fault, you know?"

"Ahaha… Maybe we can go down normally when the weather clears up…"

"Should we then?"

"Okay! …One, two…three!"

They took in a deep breath and then waved their arms as they lept out into the air.

And so they tore through the snowstorm and fell feet first towards a floor that they couldn't see.

"Uuuhhh…the wind is so loud!"

"It…is!"

The snowstorm grew weaker the farther they dropped until they could vaguely see the ground through the powdery snow.

What soon came into full view, was something that looked like it would easily pierce through their defenses. A land packed with sharp icicles that stretched towards the sky.

"What!? No-no-no-no. Not that!"

"We jumped onto a mountain of spikes…!?"

Sally used the item in her hand as soon as she saw it. It was the item she got on the 5th floor where it rained. A large globe of water popped out below them and floated in the air.

"'Water Wall,' 'Freezing Area'!"

The large amount of water from the skill and item was then instantly frozen through Sally's skill. But its floating properties still remained. Maple and Sally crashed loudly into the block of ice and smashed it. However, they managed to slow down a little.

"We can't stop completely…"

Sally made another sphere of water and froze it. Then she attached her web to it and used it to forcefully launch themselves towards the cliff.

While there were sharp icicles near the cliff as well, it was better than the ground below them.

"Maple. Your s.h.i.+eld!"

"Uh, ah. Right!"

Maple held her s.h.i.+eld up just as they crashed. The icicles that she wasn't able to block scratched Maple, and damage effects flew.

"Ugghh…"

"'Heal.' We should rest a little on this path here."

Sally healed Maple's wound and they both sat down. Maple rubbed at the spot where the ice had scratched her. Then she looked down at the icy thorns and her face grew pale.

"I-I guess it really is bad to cheat…"

"Yeah… No more jumping down into things we can't see."

Still, they had been able to bypa.s.s most of the trip down and were now quite close to the bottom.

"Phew… My heart nearly stopped back there."

"It's a good thing that we didn't go bungee jumping without a rope…"

They talked a little until they had calmed their nerves. Then they slowly and carefully made their way down.