01x04 - Defense and Second Event

[bunniefuu]

This is amazing!

It's so beautiful
that I'm getting goosebumps.

I can spend time with you this whole week!

It's like going on an adventure!
I'm so excited!

That's just in the game.

In reality, it's only about two hours.

You're right.

All right, our goal is to work together
and get 20 silver medals!

Let's try our best!

It's easier said than done.

There's only grass everywhere.

Are there no hints at all?

About that...

You usually get some from treasures
in mazes, or boss monsters drop them.

What do you think?

Maple?

Hey, Sally!

Where are you? Where are you hiding?

Down here! I'm down here!

Down here?

What is this? Is it a trap?

Sally!

Hey!

Are you okay?

It seems pretty deep!

Are you hurt?

I'm completely fine!

No injuries at all!

Right, of course not.

I think this hole
connects to another place!

Connects to another place?

Wait for me.

I'll go down there right now.

Is this a hidden underground city?

Should we go look?

Of course.

There really is one!

Are you ready? I'm opening it.

There's nothing.

No, there should be something.

Cover Move!

Maple, good job!

Cover Move!

Cover Move!

Cover Move!

Cover Move!

She got knocked back?

Maple, are you okay?

A damage of zero times any number
is still zero!

I'll go too.

Super Acceleration!

Double Slash!

Wind Cutter!

Power Attack!

Double Slash!

Should you really
only be focused on chasing after me?

Hydra!

We did it!

That sure was sudden.

That's right.

By the way, what was that mysterious move
of yours just now?

You mean, Cover Move?

It's a great move, isn't it?

You'll take increased damage using it,
but at least I can keep up with you.

I think only you would use it
in place of a movement skill.

Should we open it?

Let's do it!

Awesome! They're silver medals!

And there's even two of them!

It's all thanks to you accidentally
falling into that trap.

Hey! Who notices these things?

But the way things are going,
accidents may be what we need.

That must be a teleport circle.

Let's go out first.

Then, what should we do next?

Let's just try moving forward.

I want to go to that mountain.
It can't be grassland all the way.

You're right. Let's go.

We're here.

This is odd!

It's snow,
but it doesn't feel cold at all.

This would only be possible in games.

That's...

Maple, come over...

Chrome?

Oh, it's you, Maple.

And that is Sally, right?

Yes.

We don't plan on fighting you.

Yes.

We don't want to battle you two.

I don't want to fight
with people I know either.

Since that's what Maple wants,
then never mind.

But if there's danger, I'll eliminate it.

Hey, that's scary.

But a lot of people think it's faster
to get medals by fighting.

Chrome, are you stuck?

Yes, we didn't find anything
on the first day.

We originally told ourselves
we'd try harder today,

but it seems like only one group
can go in there.

So unlucky.

I didn't expect we'd run into you guys.

Sally,

can we let Chrome and his team
have this place?

I don't mind, but are you okay with it?

Yes, we got silver medals yesterday.

Plus, Chrome helped me a lot
when I was a newbie.

All right, as long as you've decided.

Then, Chrome, you guys go in first.

Is that all right?

It's usually first come, first served.

It's okay!

Okay, thank you.

Don't hate me if I get
a pile of silver coins.

I won't.

Then we'll head in.

-Let's go!
-Yes!

You're too nice.

But it looks like
they'll have to fight a boss.

Perhaps.

What should we do?

Let's leave the mountain
and go somewhere else.

What?

It seems like we can go in...

Why?

I thought only one group
can go in at a time.

There are two possibilities.

One, they simply had to collect
equipment or medals after teleporting,

so it ended really quickly.

Or...

they got k*lled instantly
by a vicious monster.

What should we do?

Let's go.

All right.

But I don't know what we'll see...

Maple, get your Devour skill ready.

Okay.

There's no one here.

Yes...

It looks like a tough opponent, but...

I can't lose.

Cover!

Maple!

It's okay! It won't penetrate through!

But we can't waste
all of Devour's usage here.

Did it change its attack mode?

All right! I'm going to strike back!

Oh, no!

Cover Move!

Nice timing!

Super Acceleration!

Cover Move!

Hydra!

How is it?

It hasn't weakened at all?

How could that be?

Cover Move!

Devour!

How many left?

Five more uses left.

It's penetrating?

Meditation!

Heal!

Let's go!

Focus...

Slash!

Now!

Ocean!

Hydra!

Cover Move!

Cover!

I can only use Devour one more time.

Okay, I got it.

It's coming!

Cover!

No...

Maple! This way!

Cover Move!

Cover!

Maple!

I'm fine.

Hurry and attack, Sally!

I won't waste the opportunity you created.

That was my Mirage skill.

How did you like my hidden trick?

Hydra!

Thank goodness. We won!

So tiring...

That was so close at the end, wasn't it?

I thought we were going to die.

I think I got a new skill
at the last moment.

It's this one!

"Stout Guardian.

When your HP is below ten percent,
you get a shield skill to cover your ally.

You can only use it once a day.

You can endure any attack
even with one HP left."

So that's what it was.

So, if you didn't have that,
we would've died?

You only have one HP now?

I guess so.

Heal!

These are materials, aren't they?

Maple, come over here.

Okay! Cover Move!

There are five silver medals!

And eggs too?

I don't think they belong
to that bird though.

The color and shape are different.

Can we take these back?

I think so. Which one do you want?

I like green, so I'll take this one!

Okay.

Then I'll take this one.

"Monster Egg."

It hatches if we give it warmth?

There's not enough information.

Maybe we can train it
and take it around like a pet.

A pet? That's pretty good!

Hurry up and hatch!

Let's leave first.

I think we can choose
where we want to teleport.

It's better if we go to a place
where we won't need to battle for now.

I agree.

Silverwing has been k*lled!

Silverwing?

But it was made impossible to defeat.

We purposely combined deadly skills in it
as an evil joke.

Who? Who k*lled it?

Look at this.

Maple? Really?

Wait...

But it's impossible
that she k*lled Silverwing.

Her mobility shouldn't be good enough.

Impossible.

Oh. right! The eggs!

So they took the monster eggs?

What's inside?

A fox and a turtle.

Well, that's not too bad.

This is absurd.

I can't believe Maple took them!

Whoever is free needs to check the skills
one can get with the gold medals.

Check if there are any skills
with weird tricks!

-Understood!
-Understood!

There's extra work to do now.

Awesome! I got a silver medal!

Oh, right. The other method
is to battle with someone, right?

A one-on-one battle is a duel
to test the players' abilities.

It fires me up!

Are we doing this right?

It might be better
if it is in contact with skin.

How scary...

I'll go down and look. You wait here.

Okay.

"To Maple.

I'm at the bottom now.

Sorry for making you wait."

"There's danger up top.

Can you move a little farther?"

What is that?

The world is spinning...

What is that?

This is a Venom Capsule.

If you lock someone in the capsule,
they can't come out.

I thought it would be fine to try
locking myself inside.

If you don't have poison immunity,
your HP will gradually drop.

You have to be careful when you go in.

No way. I'm not going in.

Maple, isn't that...

A silver medal?

Was it hidden on the cliff?

This great! Sally, look!

Don't get close to me!

So cute!

A ring?

It's called a Bridge of Bond.

"If you have this,

you can battle
alongside certain monsters."

Then what are we waiting for?

So furry.

It tickles!

We can see their stats!

First, we have to give them names.

I'll go first! I'm calling it Syrup!

Our names combined would be "Maple Syrup."

Then, I'll call you Oboro!

How do you like it?

It's a pleasure to meet you, Oboro.

His agility is 15?

He's even faster than me.

Syrup, bite it!

Oboro, Fox Fire!

He leveled up!

He's battled so much already,
but he's still at Level Three.

He acquired a new skill!

Hibernate and Awaken?

Same with Syrup!

Hibernate allows them to recover
inside the ring,

and Awaken calls them out.

I see!

Then we can be together all the time!

I can't let Syrup be out in the desert.

Oboro would get sand all over himself too.

I think we can rest over there.

I hope it's not a mirage.

Are you the last event's
third-place winner, Maple?

Yes. And you are...

I guess you didn't pay any attention
to a mere sixth-place player.

You have a gold medal, right?

I CLIMBED UP THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN,
BUT THERE WAS NOTHING.

I WENT THERE AND GOT SEVERELY WOUNDED
BY A GIANT BIRD.

-YOU'RE CHROME, AREN'T YOU?
-IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, WHO CAN?

-SOMEONE DID.
-IT WAS MAPLE AND HER FRIEND.