Chapter 354

Defense Specialization and Re-Exploration

Night . The time when the stars shine in the sky and the monsters start to change . Maple rode on Syrup and flew in the air .

“On the 7th layer, I always rode on Sally’s horse . So it’s been a while . ”

While the bird monsters around her would attack, she just had to ignore them and they would give up after realizing that they couldn’t do anything to Syrup, thanks to ‘Dedicated Affection . ’ And so it was a laid back journey .

“Uhh…it’s supposed to be a lake, so…”

Maple had checked in advance, and there were three places that could be called lakes that were in the area . However, there was no information that told her which of them was the place she was looking for . And so she would just have to find out herself .

Thankfully, Maple found flying on Syrup during the night to be very enjoyable . As long as she adjusted the angle so that they would reach the spot by just traveling in a straight line, she could then use ‘Psychokinesis’ to do the rest . This meant she was mostly free to lie on her back on top of the wide shell, and look up at the stars .

As the night sky had been made to be beautiful, you could see the stars more clearly than in reality . And so she did not need any tools to enjoy them .

“Alright! Let’s go to all of them!”

Maple flew through the sky and went to all three lakes . Her conclusion was this . There was nothing to be found in any of them .

The lakes were pretty, but if there was something notable in such places, then other players would have found them already .

“Hmm… I guess it wouldn’t be so easy . Then where can it be…”

If what was written in the book really did have meaning, there must be some other place that had a lake .

“…Ah!”

One possibility then occurred to Maple . And she got back on Syrup and they flew off .

The place that Maple went to, was the night sea . As it wasn’t exactly a great place to level up, there were no other players here . The only sounds were the gentle waves that echoed on the beach . Maple flew across the water on Syrup . When they reached a small island with a single palm tree, she returned Syrup to its ring .

“Now I just have to wait patiently . ”

Maple said as she took out some snacks from her inventory . Then she sat down and leaned against the palm tree and waited .

“Hehehe… Ah!”

As she relaxed and waited, a tentacle that was even darker than the night sea suddenly stretched out and grabbed Maple .

“Thanks!”

She wasn’t sure if the place that the tentacle took her would be considered an underground lake, but she had recalled that place with lots of water . As she sunk into the water with a splash, she disappeared into the black mist within the sea .

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a cramped space made of damp rock .

“Good! I was able to return!”

Maple stretched her limbs and then started to walk to the far back . As she already knew how to get through the area, she did not hesitate to get grabbed by the tentacles as she advanced .

They would sometimes hit or try to strangle her, but she didn’t mind, as she took no damage from them .

While she had gained a new skill here, you would usually not have acquired that skill in that way, which meant there usually was no reward . And since this dungeon had a very special way of getting in, Maple felt that there must be something else that was hidden .

“I wonder what it looks like . ”

She looked forward to seeing the stars as she was grabbed by another tentacle . However, there was one thing she hadn’t considered . How on earth could a place where you get grabbed by so many tentacles be considered a tourist spot?

It was just Maple who could ignore them, but most players who had normal defense abilities would find it much too dangerous .

In any case, Maple was able to reach the boss without getting a single scratch .

“…?”

Unlike the previous time, the boss room at night seemed to have more black water and mist . However, as Maple already knew how to fight it, she brought out her weapons without any fear .

“I have to get inside its stomach first!”

She knew that she could beat it if she just got into its stomach . And so she put on her snorkel in order to raise her diving ability, and then she jumped into the black water .

“Ready, go!”

As she splashed into the water, the tentacles reached out towards her as if in greeting . And then they dragged her to the depths of the pool . This was exactly what Maple had wanted .

She could not lose to a monster she had already defeated . The octopus’s body was filled with poison, monsters, bullets, and plants before it exploded . Maple detonated her weapons and flew out of the water . Then she rose into the air above the ground .

“I defeated it, but… Hmm . Nothing happened . ”

As it was a hidden place, Maple had thought that there must be something else . But killing the boss did not trigger anything .

“Maybe I should search the water more . ”

But the water was very black, and she could not even see the bottom of it . Last time, Maple had been satisfied with just taking an octopus leg and leaving, this time she turned on her headlight and dove into the water . Exploding her weapons was all she needed to reach the bottom all at once . And then she searched for anything that could point her in the right direction .

It was then that near the center of the floor, she discovered a hole that looked like it would allow her to dive deeper down .

However, Maple checked the size and realized that she wouldn’t be able use her weapons once inside, and so she returned to the surface .

“I didn’t even realize there was such a thing… It was right down there…”

She decided that she would use an explosion to go down and save as much time as possible . Then she would explore as much as her breath would allow . If that wasn’t enough, she would just give up for now .

“Sally seemed to have a really hard time leveling up ‘Swim,’ so I hope it’s not too deep!”

Maple caused another explosion and shot down through the water before plunging straight into the hole . The walls were tight around her, and it was so dark that it seemed like she was closing her eyes . However, she could feel the bubbles rising into her face .

After this continued for a while, Maples realized that the walls were gone and that she could breathe again .

The sensation of sinking through empty blackness faded . It seemed like she had reached the bottom . She looked towards the now distant surface of the water . Either the water was clearer here, or her eyes had become accustomed to it, because the water on the other side of the hole looked bright, almost like a foggy moon . However, perhaps it had only looked like that, because Maple was looking for a starry sky .

“Hmm . It’s not exactly a pretty view… Too bad . I wonder if there is anything here… Ah! That!”

She found something familiar within the darkness . It was a treasure chest that she had missed the last time she was here .

“Wow! I guess they don’t always come out so that they’re easy to find! I’ll have to search more carefully next time…”

And so Maple was very happy as she opened the box . Instead of the usual celebratory glow, something dark started to flow out . It seemed like it was what was responsible for all of the darkness . It then enveloped Mapled and eventually started to soak inside of her .

You have acquired the skill, ‘Reverse Rebirth . ’

“…? …??”

Apparently, it wasn’t something that helped Syrup evolve . The thing that she had missed her first time, was something that many of Maple’s rivals would have wished that she had never found .