You okay?!
Take cover in the guild!
Why are there monsters outside the labyrinths?
It's a Stampede.
A labyrinth will occasionally eject excess monsters to maintain its balance.
This was an oversight on our part.
The number of monsters being defeated in the Sleeping Marshes fell drastically,
but we waited too long to act, leading to this.
And the guards are busy as it is, so they can't get here immediately.
Suzuna, get the Salt Laying skill.
Okay.
Do you have salt?
I can get some right away.
Mr. Atobe, please protect this town.
I'll keep it safe.
THE WORLD'S STRONGEST REARGUARD
A CITY IN TURMOIL
Suzuna used Salt Laying to put up a barrier.
It's safe in here.
Please let those who can't fight use this as a shelter.
Understood.
Arihito, pull up the map on your license.
During a Stampede is the only time
when it shows the locations of monsters in the city.
There's a big group of them near the entrance to Field of Dawn.
Is that one in the center Named?
Let's head for Field of Dawn and take out any nearby monsters on the way.
Suzuna, use Salt Laying on any buildings we pass that might make good shelters
so we have more safe zones.
Right.
Misaki, you're Suzuna's backup.
Elitia and Igarashi-san are our vanguard.
Theresia, search and destroy.
Okay, let's go.
There's nothing we can do unless they attack first.
Wait...
Elitia! Can you draw the monsters to you?
Not a problem!
Igarashi-san, give Elitia a Decoy!
Right!
Brave spirit, draw the enemy's wrath!
Decoy!
FLYING DOOM ×2 TARGET CHANGED TO ELITIA
I've got one safe zone secured!
APPROACHING: FLYING DOOM ×2, DEMI-HARPY ×1
Demi-Harpy?
New enemy incoming! Be extremely careful!
CURRENT STATUS: ARIHITO HAS ACTIVATED MORALE SUPPORT 1. MORALE OF FIVE PARTY MEMBERS RAISED BY 11.
If we can get to 100 before we have to fight the Named,
we can use Morale Discharge.
Rising Bolt!
RISING BOLT
Huh? Singing?
Atobe-kun...
CURRENT STATUS: DEMI-HARPY USED "LULLABY."
ELITIA, KYOUKA, SUZUNA, AND MISAKI ARE ASLEEP.
Everyone, keep it together!
There it is!
Damn it!
CURRENT STATUS: DEMI-HARPY USED "CALL REINFORCEMENTS." SWEET BIRD ×2 SUMMONED.
CURRENT STATUS: SWEET BIRD USED "FLURRY OF WINGS."
ATTACK AND DEFENSE OF WINGED MONSTERS TEMPORARILY INCREASED.
Theresia won't get there in time!
If the alternative is Elitia dying...
Rear Stance!
REAR STANCE
Mr. Atobe! Are you all right?
Thank you! Please help my partymates!
If it uses Lullaby again, we could be wiped out!
Rear Stance!
Cion! Catch us!
Ow...
Sorry I scared you. I couldn't think of another way.
I didn't anticipate status ailments.
My unpreparedness put everyone in danger.
Falma-san!
Theresia, hold your hands out.
These will prevent sleep.
Thank you for doing all this for us.
Not at all. I'm glad I made it in time.
Cion sensed that you were fighting and took off running.
Mr. Atobe, your license, please.
TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP: OWNERSHIP OF CION IS TRANSFERRED FROM FALMA TO ARIHITO.
She hopes to be of use to you, too.
I'll take care of her.
Huh?
I heard a strange song, and suddenly I felt sleepy...
A monster did it.
I managed to defeat it with help from Cion and her mother.
That thing, huh?
We caught it, but what do we do with it?
We can't just leave it.
In that case, why not send it to the Monster Ranch?
Monster Ranch?
It's where monsters that can be trained are kept.
Once trained, they can be summoned with a summoning stone.
So you can make them fight for you?
That sounds useful.
I'll take it there later.
I appreciate it.
With these, we won't be put to sleep.
Mr. Atobe, take this, too.
It prevents confusion.
As our leader, you should equip it.
So long as you're still on your feet, we'll be fine!
Other Seekers are whittling down their numbers,
but the Named is still there. Let's go take it down.
Damn it all!
Stay away!
Arihito, stay out of its line of sight!
Ribault-san!
Scatter! Get outta here!
Cion! Block it!
Suzuna! Misaki! We're taking those two out first!
Right!
Leila-san!
I'll back you up!
Oh, no!
I'm on it!
DEATH FROM ABOVE: "BRILLIANT FLAME" ACTIVATED.
KYOUKA USED "MIRAGE STEP." "BRILLIANT FLAME" AVOIDED.
It doesn't shoot those heat rays during cooldown?
I'd say that's about fifteen seconds.
Everyone! Take cover on my signal!
Got it!
The Named is the only one left!
Incoming! Take cover!
It's not firing? Is it out of magic?
Wait, no!
DEATH FROM ABOVE: "SWALLOW WHOLE" ACTIVATED.
Rear Stance? No, I'll only be eaten along with them!
What do I do? I want to help!
I want to save him!
Ariadne!
Protect the person I'm about to give my support to!
Ribault-san! I'll support you!
ACQUIRE
"OUTSIDE ASSIST" ACTIVATED. DEFENSE SUPPORT LV. 1 ACTIVATED. TARGET: RIBAULT
Defense Support isn't enough!
Please... Please!
My name is Ariadne.
I grant my protection to my devotee and his friend.
ARIHITO: REQUESTED TEMPORARY BACKUP FROM ARIADNE. ARIADNE ACTIVATED GUARD ARM.
It's now or never! Finish it off!
Morale Discharge: Soul Mirage!
Morale Discharge: Fortune Roll!
THERESIA MORALE DISCHARGE "TRIPLE STEAL" ACTIVATED.
THE ENTIRE PARTY CAN STEAL THREE TIMES FROM THE ENEMY.
Scatter like flowers!
Blossom Blade!
DEATH FROM ABOVE ×1 DEFEATED
We did it...
When you wish to save someone, I will answer you,
unwavering Rearguard.
What do you think my name is?
Here's a hint: it starts with "Ma."
THE WORLD'S STRONGEST REARGUARD
My screen time has come and gone.
Hey, lend us a hand over here.
We'll have to send these Harpies to the Ranch, too.
We also got this.
What is it?
A magic stone the Named dropped.
I don't know what it does, though.
We should still have that Novice Appraisal Scroll from the black chest.
"Confusion stone"?
So that thing must have had an attack that would cause confusion.
Probably. If it had used that, we would've been attacking each other.
I'm glad we finished it off before it could.
Ribault-san!
You weren't hurt, then?
Nope.
But damn, you're really something!
I went from the one who saves others to the one being saved.
If you hadn't stopped that thing's heat ray,
I would've evaporated right at the start.
Anyway, thanks, man.
Arihito!
You've slain another big one, I see.
Melissa, Rikerton-san. I'm glad you're safe.
It was all we could do just to take out the monsters near our shop.
Would you allow me to dissect that Named?
Yeah, please do.
Leila-san, is there anything I can help with?
Nah, no need to worry about us.
More importantly, Arihito...
What was that skill?
You can summon?
Something like that, maybe.
Just think of it as a defensive skill.
I see. If it's a party secret, I won't dig any deeper.
I appreciate it.
Are you okay?
You don't look hurt, but still...
You're the man who bought items from me before.
I'll help you clean up.
It's okay. There's no point now.
At first, I wanted to level up and get some skills, too.
But I couldn't even get anywhere in the beginner labyrinth.
I wanted to do whatever I could,
so I started selling weapons to beginners for cheap...
But that's all over now.
I've lost everything.
If you'd like, why don't you work as our party's exclusive Merchant?
Huh?
By working in a party and helping each other,
anyone can level up, regardless of their job.
Since we have more members now,
I was hoping to find someone who could buy and appraise items for us.
B-But I'm still only level 2...
I'm still level 2, too.
Let's get stronger together.
I think you'll have a lot of fun in Arihito-san's party.
U-Um... Are you sure you want someone like me?
Yes.
I'm Arihito Atobe.
I'm Madoka Shinonogi. It's good to meet you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving District 8.
I'm glad we all made it through.
I hope all the people who were hurt recover as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your kind words.
Anyway, here's my license.
I'll look it over.
SEEKER CONTRIBUTION POINTS: 5,100 RANKED #1 IN THE HISTORY OF DISTRICT 8 DISTRICT 7 CONTRIBUTION RANK: 332
I knew it.
You knew what?
Since you contributed so much in that battle,
the guild put you in the District 7 ranking without requiring an exam.
So we basically skipped a grade?
Yes. I think it's a sensible move.
I feel kind of sad that we'll miss the exam, though.
I was hoping to take it together with a party named Polaris.
That party left to take the exam in the Shrieking Wood early this morning.
So that's why I didn't see them around.
Can the exam take multiple days to complete?
Yes. In District 7, Seekers must camp inside the labyrinths,
so it trains them for that.
Dealing with monsters that attack at night is one subject it covers.
Sounds like it must be good training.
If my partymates agree to it, can we take the exam?
If you wish to do so, I'll gladly arrange it.
I got the report from the Dissector.
Let's see...
MADOKA
Wow, this is handy.
I'm in the Merchants Guild.
I can contact all member shopkeepers in District 8 through my license.
One of the perks of being a Merchant, huh?
I can get you quotes on the processing of materials, too!
So we won't have to go to each individual shop anymore.
Elitia? Is something wrong?
Arihito... You checked our results from that battle, right?
Yeah.
And?
Since our Contribution was so high,
I was told we can move up to District 7 without taking the exam.
I'd like to take the exam anyway, though.
Part of it is training for spending nights in labyrinths.
What are you thinking?!
Why take the exam when we don't need to?!
Huh? I mean...
We should do all we can in the relative safety of District 8 before moving up, right?
I can't support that if you're going to be so carefree about it!
I'm turning in early.
I think it's a good idea to take the exam for training, though.
Eli-san must have her reasons.
We should probably talk about it again after everyone's had some rest.
You're right.
Theresia, you can go to bed now.
I'm sorry I worried you today.
We could easily have been wiped out.
I need to be a more responsible leader.
Atobe-kun.
Yes?
You're not going to sleep?
I thought I'd have some tea.
Would you two like to join me?
I'll go make some, then.
Oh, it's fine! You just sit there.
But... should we at least ask the maid, then?
No!
I'll, um... be the maid instead.
Huh?
I-I'm saying...
it's thanks to you that I survived today,
and I never apologized for putting you through so much at work, so...
I won't feel better until I've done something to apologize and thank you!
And... the answer to that is being a maid?
M-Master... I will bring tea for you.
Please wait a moment.
Theresia, why don't we check your skills?
We should get Double Throw and Sneak Attack for now.
DOUBLE THROW: THROW TWO WEAPONS AT ONCE SNEAK ATTACK: 2× DAMAGE TO UNAWARE FOES
PICKPOCKET LV. 1: STEAL SPECIFIED ITEM FROM TARGET WITHOUT BEING NOTICED
ESCAPOLOGY: CAN ESCAPE EVEN WHEN RESTRAINED
SLEIGHT OF HAND LV. 1: CAN UNDO SIMPLE LOCKS AND TRAPS
REMAINING SKILL POINTS: 7
You can use Shadow Step to distance yourself after using Sneak Attack.
Can we leave opening locks and springing traps to you?
Thanks.
Let's get Sleight of Hand 1 and 2 together.
ACQUIRED SKILLS: DEFENSE SUPPORT LV. 1, ATTACK SUPPORT LV. 1, ATTACK SUPPORT LV. 2, RECOVERY SUPPORT LV. 1,
MORALE SUPPORT LV. 1, HAWK EYES, OUTSIDE ASSIST, REAR STANCE
Well, guess I'll do mine next.
AVAILABLE SKILLS: SKILL LEVEL 2
DEFENSE SUPPORT LV. 2: CREATE BARRIER EQUAL TO USER'S DEFENSE FOR PARTY MEMBERS IN FRONT
(SKILLS OF SAME TYPE DO NOT STACK)
REARGUARD GENERAL: ABILITIES IMPROVE BASED ON NUMBER OF PARTY MEMBERS IN FRONT
AVAILABLE SKILLS: SKILL LEVEL 1
COOPERATION SUPPORT LV. 1: ACTIVATE COMBINED SKILL WITH PARTY MEMBER IN FRONT
MAGIC SUPPORT LV. 1: INCREASE MAGIC CONSUMPTION AND SPELL STRENGTH OF PARTY MEMBERS IN FRONT BY 50%
EVASION SUPPORT LV. 1: OCCASIONALLY ACTIVATE AUTO-DODGE FOR PARTY MEMBERS IN FRONT
SUMMON SUPPORT LV. 1: SUMMON NEARBY PARTY FOR REAR SUPPORT
I'm starting to see some that I've been wanting.
CHARGE ASSIST LV. 1: GIVE SOME OF USER'S MAGIC TO A PARTY MEMBER IN FRONT
REAR VIEW: SPEND 5 POINTS TO EXPAND VISION TO COVER REAR FOR A SET PERIOD OF TIME
BACKDRAFT: AUTOMATICALLY COUNTER WHEN ATTACKED FROM BEHIND
REMAINING SKILL POINTS: 5
REARGUARD GENERAL
Rearguard General, huh?
Yeah, that could cover for a lot of my weaknesses,
but I'd like to get Charge Assist first to cover all our bases.
And Cooperation Support 1 could raise our party's overall attack power.
You want me to get Rearguard General?
Okay, then. It's not exactly a Rearguard's job,
but I do want to get it eventually.
Thank you for waiting, Master.
Th-That's what you meant by doing it in the maid's place?!
I borrowed an outfit. I thought you might like it.
Bad idea?
N-No, no!
Um... I'm not sure how I should put this, but...
there's no doubt that the look suits you.
Really? I'm glad!
I never saw this coming...
Oh, right. Igarashi-san, could you turn your back toward me?
Huh? What for?
Like this?
I want to test out the skill I just got.
Charge Assist.
I think that eased my fatigue a bit.
It uses my magic to recharge a front-line party member's magic.
So if you run low on magic from using Mirage Step, I can give you some.
You put that much thought into choosing your skills?
Well... yeah, kinda.
And I still haven't apologized or thanked you enough...
He just won't let us repay our debts.
Let's do our best together!
Huh? Theresia... are you more in tune with Igarashi-san than with me?