Chapter 18 I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game novel

chapter 19 I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game novel

 

[STAGE 1] The monsters are coming.

Preparations proceeded steadily.

I was busy going to and from the site, giving orders.

We reinforced the defense equipment, installed artifacts on top of the castle walls, refined the organization of the soldiers, and worked hard to install the wooden fence walls.

‘Doable.’

The more I prepared, the more confident I became for this stage.

‘No need to be scared!’

Clearly, Living Armors are the worst type of monsters to encounter at the beginning of the game.

However, I was still in Stage 1. It is the very beginning of the beginning. The average level of the monsters is not higher than 5.

No matter how bad the matchup is, the monsters’ stats themselves aren’t high.

‘It’s an opportunity! If I get rid of the Living Armors from the start, then it will be easier for me later!’

Once the Legion is faced, it will not reappear for a while.

‘And thanks to clearing Stage 0, things are looking very good.’

Whether it be on Earth or here, in the end, the principle of how the world works is money.

When I put the money I earned from clearing Stage 0 into the defense equipment, I was able to prepare so well that it became hard to believe that this was an early game stage.

‘I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!’

I muttered as if chanting a spell on myself. And after three days of investing in the defense.

The time passed instantly.

* * *

Three days later.

On top of the southern wall of Crossroad.

“……”

I glanced at the stage information window.

[STAGE 1]

– Until the start: 30 minutes

30 minutes left.

The start of the stage is when the head of the monster wave makes the first attack.

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

It also means that I’ll be able to see the monsters with my eyes.

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

A faint sound of iron echoed through the earth.

The phantoms of the living armors appeared from beyond the horizon, stomping their feet in unison.

“They are in sight!”

The skirmisher screamed like he was going to break his vocal cords.

“They’re coming!”

Thud! Thud! Thud…! 

The Living Armor Legion.

Although only a silhouette was visible from the distance, the whole area vibrated vaguely at the appearance of 1000 heavy armored monsters.

Gulp. Gulp. 

The soldiers waiting on the wall all took a dry gulp down their throats at once.

For the past decade, monsters have not been able to reach Crossroad.

The monsters who had shrunk in amount were all exterminated by the forward operating base built in front of the lake.

However, the forward operating base had been taken over, and they reached this place for the first time in a decade.

It was only natural for the soldiers to get nervous.

“There’s nothing to be scared of!”

I shouted out loud.

“Those monsters are just rabble with a lot of numbers!”

That wasn’t true. They were the worst monsters to encounter at the beginning, the Living Armor Legion.

“In contrast, we are the strongest army in the southern part of the Empire!”

That wasn’t true. We were simply a group of wandering mercenaries consisting of only retired old people and inexperienced youngsters.

“The preparation for the defense battle is perfect! And the state of our equipment is the best!”

That wasn’t true. No matter how much money I put in, there was not enough time. Preparation was insufficient.

“We can stop them! There’s nothing to worry about!”

I shouted a bunch of bluffs.

The only person that should be worried here is me, and that’s enough. All of the worries and fears of the soldiers should be my burden.

“Just follow my command.”

As I looked around the lined-up soldiers, I smiled.

“Then we will be able to have the toast of victory tonight.”

After hearing my words, the veterans who knew the scariness of the Living Armors put on a look of absurdity.

The new recruits, who knew nothing, still stood stiffly.

And whether the humans trembled or not, the monsters were steadily advancing.

‘Good luck, Jupiter.’

I took a dry gulp as I watched the group of approaching enemies with my telescope.

‘It’s up to your half whether or not we will clear the stage! Do a good job!”

And—

Rumble, Rumble… 

Thunder rang out in the distance.

I rolled up my lips.

The sound of thunder meant that lightning was about to strike.

The expensively hired electro mage began to move.

* * * 

[Translator: Dawn ]

[Proofreader: Alissa ]

Join our discord for release updates!

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* * * 

Jupiter and her party had been placed outside the fortress from the beginning.

It was to give a surprise blow to the Living Armor Legion advancing along the southern plains.

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

Like machines, the army of 1000 armored monsters marched forward in an orderly fashion in line.

From the southern plains to the southern walls of Crossroad in a straight line.

I muttered to myself as I watched their path through the telescope.

‘Come a little closer… A little more…”

Monsters only have one principle of action.

– Kill humans.

It is fundamental for them to move to kill humans through the shortest route.

If there are no obstacles, it is natural for them to come to the city in a straight line along the road. Which means…

Rattle. 

That traps work very well against them because you know where they’ll be coming from.

Whoosh! 

The ground where the leading Living Armors stepped suddenly collapsed.

The Living Armors staggered and fell to the ground all at once.

Crash! Bam! 

It was such an obvious pit trap.

The pit was shallow because there was no time to dig deeper in the first place. However, it was deep enough to make the Living Armors in the lead lose balance.

And that was good enough. The heavily armored monsters tumbled to the floor.

As the lead tumbled down, the back row also tripped over or stopped.

A bottleneck happened in an instant, and their advances stopped.

And that little time was good enough for me. I shouted.

“Now!”

Trot- Trot- Trot- 

As if they heard my command, Jupiter’s party of five on a horse ran out.

They were hiding in the bushes next to the trap, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

A dazzling electric current was bouncing in Jupiter’s hands, who was at the forefront.

“Alright, then…”

Jupiter fluttered her gray hair, gathering her mana, and then rained thunderbolts all over them.

“Time to do what I was paid for-!”

Flash-! 

Thunder!
Dozens of bright yellow lightning bolts fell on the Living Armors’ heads.

That was Jupiter’s 1st skill, [Bleaching zone].

The skill of this old lady had the word, ‘bleaching’. And that’s because the lightning that she calls forth burns anything white.

‘And turns it black.’

I shed a cold sweat as I watched the Living Armors charred by lightning.

How do you call that bleaching? It’s more like blacking.

Rumble! Crash! 

Thunderbolts continued to pour down.

The Living Armors fell like straw bales, every time the lightning brushed against them.

Because their armors were made of metal, they conduct electricity very well, and ghost monsters take additional damage from magic attacks.

In an instant, dozens of Living Armors were charred and collapsed.

Watching, I clenched my fists. Very well done, Jupiter!

Guhh… 

Guhhh! 

The eyes of the Living Armors who survived the lightning, and the Living Armors who were not swept away in the back row, turned to the assailant at once.

It was a terrifying sight to see a thousand monsters looking at one certain point.

Even watching from afar, I could feel the chills going down my spine. I wonder if it is okay for Jupiter and her party who are the ones directly getting the monsters’ attention?

“what the .... you lookin’ at? Have some respect for the elderly, you disrespectful monster pieces of shit!”

It was fine.

Jupiter is a veteran, and all of Jupiter’s party members are heroes. The pressure meant nothing to them.

Jupiter, who lit a cigar with a lightning bolt, swung her hand again, laughing out loud.

“We’re having fried armor for tonight! Make sure you chew them up, kids!”

This time, a blue lightning bolt fell from the sky.

Flash-! 

It was Jupiter’s 2nd skill, [Bleaching Again]!

Her first skill leaves a mark on the enemy hit, and the second skill strikes the marked enemy an additional time.

A blue lightning bolt hit the heads of the Living Armors that survived the first attack, and the Living Armors that were hit directly disappeared and literally turned into ashes.

Even the Living Armors standing next to them collapsed as their armor melted. It was truly an unstoppable power.

Booom…! 

Fires and roars swept the area.

Yeaaah-! 

The soldiers who were watching from the top of the fortress shouted in unison.

It was natural to rejoice as the scary armor monsters were falling apart like frost on a spring day.

However, as the smoke and flames cleared away, the cheers of the soldiers gradually subsided.

Guuuh… 

Gwaaah! 

The Living Armor Legion was still alive and well, and their numbers were incredibly large.

We burned and killed as many as 50 monsters in an instant, but there were 1000 monsters to begin with.

The damage we inflicted was nothing more than a small scratch.

With the eerie glow in their eyes, the Living Armors began to mend the broken line. I screamed out loud.

“Jupiter, retreat!”

Jupiter immediately turned the head of the horse.

“Scram!”

Jupiter’s party all turned around and ran the horses toward the fortress.

Gaaah! 

Gaaaah-! 

The Living Armors chased after them with eerie shouts.

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

A wave of metal armor crashed in.

Thousands of armored monsters rushed forward with all their might to tear the living apart.

They were slower than a war horse, but the sight itself was enough to send chills down my spine.

“Run, run, kids! Don’t even look back and keep runnin’!”

Leading the party at the forefront, Jupiter shouted.

The faces of the soldiers standing on the wall turned pale. The waves of armors rushing behind the fleeing humans were terrifying.

“It’s going according to plan! There’s nothing to worry about!”
I shouted out loud.

“Just move as I ordered you to! Everyone, wait!”

“Y-yes, Your Highness!”

The soldiers went to their pre-informed positions. All the cannons installed on the wall were ready to fire.

Trot- Trot- Trot- 

The Living Armors, who were closely following the fleeing humans, eventually discovered something strange.

Guuh… 

Guuuh? 

It was a wall made of wood.

A long wooden fence, a little taller than a human, was built in the Jupiter Party’s escape route.

It was the item our carpenters worked hard for the past three days and put up.

Trot- Trot- Trot- 

Jupiter and her party members passed in a row through a narrow door in the middle of the fence.

The Living Armors chasing them stopped for a little bit.

There are three options for the monsters to choose between.

– Destroy the fence.

– Go around the fence.

– Or, follow the humans and try to pass through the narrow door.

Gwaaah-! 

The monsters had only one choice.

Kill the humans in front of them.

They didn’t even consider the other options and went straight in.

“That’s right, you stupid monsters!”

I shouted in delight and stretched my arms to the side.

“Soldiers! Ready fire!”

The Living Armors had to narrow the width of their advancing units in order to pass through the narrow gate.

They slowed down, and trying to go through the narrow gate caused a bottleneck.

And the things waiting for them behind the gate were—

“You’ve waited long enough, soldiers.”

The crossfire that the humans prepared with sincerity.

To the soldiers that were standing next to the cannon, awaiting my order to fire, I finally gave the command out loud.

“Don’t spare anything, Fire-!”
As I stretched my arms forward vigorously,

“Fire!”

“Fire-!”

The soldiers recited my command in unison and set fire to the cannons.

Boom- Ka-boom! 

The cannons on the wall fired all at once.

Whoosh- 

Dozens of cannonballs were fired and fell on the heads of the monsters that had just passed through the door.

Boom! Boom! 

It caused wonderful explosions, turning armor monsters to ashes.

Chapter 19: [STAGE 1] The Kill Zone

<Empire Defense> is fundamentally a defense game.

What is the main principle of defense games?

It is that the monsters have a clear pattern of behavior. Identify the patterns so that players can plan their defenses.

Most of the monsters in <Empire Defense> have one objective.

‘Kill humans.’

In the shortest route, kill the closest human.

This clear pattern of behavior allows multiple strategies to be utilized.

The easiest operation is to lure. You can send a small unit to attract the attention of the monsters and guide them to the desired point.

And next, the strategy I use the most is ‘path forcing’.

Blocking the road with wooden fences, walls, barricades, etc, causes a change in their movement route.

If the path is completely blocked, the monsters will break through the obstacles and move forward.

But if you make even a small path, and lure them into it with a small group of units, the monsters will be guided that way.

And then I place a crossfire at the end of the path.

By driving the monsters into a narrow space, concentrating the firepower, and sweeping them out all at once.

This is one of the basic defense game strategies.

“‘Kill Zone’!”

I clenched my fists and shouted.

Boom! Ka-boom! 

The monsters slowly poured in through the entrance between the outer walls of the fence.

The cannons on the wall blew fire one after another at those monsters.

Bang! Boom! 

With the dizzying explosions, the Living Armors that had passed through the door melted.

“Keep firing-!”

I waved my arms one after another and shouted as loud as I could.

“Fire! Fire! Don’t even wait between the fires! Fire until the barrel of the cannon melts down-!”

Lucas repeated my order and delivered it to the soldiers.

“Fire, reload, and fire again! Don’t give them any time to rest at all!”

The soldiers adhering to each cannon were sweating profusely while repeatedly reloading and firing the cannonballs.

Distant gunshots resounded one after another and constantly exploded at the point of impact. The Living Armors were shattered helplessly.

But this isn’t the end of it yet.

“Lily!”

I quickly turned to look at my side.

“How’s the Gravitational field Artifact?”

“Preparation is finished!”

Lily, who happened to become the Artifact Director, responded quickly. I nodded.

“Activate it!”

“Yes, Your Highness! Gravitational field artifact, activate!”

The alchemists who were waiting shouted all at once and activated the gray-brown magic apparatus.

“Activating the artifact!”

Voooom- 

With the strange activating noise, the Gravitational field artifact unfolded.

This was one of the few R-rank artifacts that were repaired.

The effect is extremely simple. Strengthens gravity in a certain area, slowing the opponent’s movement.

However, it is powerful because of its simplicity.

As the gravitational field covered the kill zone, the Living Armors, which were also wrapped in heavy armor, began to struggle.

And naturally, the accuracy of the cannon shots also increased.

“…All we need to do now is keep firing and it’ll be over, right?”

Demian, who was watching the inferno with me, asked in a disinclined manner.

“Those monsters aren’t able to pass through that point.”

“……”

I kept my mouth shut and watched the Living Armors being ripped apart by the crossfire.

If it had been possible to easily block them with such a simple operation, I would not have defined the Living Armors as the worst enemy.

And just as expected.

Clunk, clunk…! 

The monsters escaped the Kill Zone one by one through the thick smoke of the explosion.

All Living Armors hold shields.

They held up their shields without any gaps in front of them, reduced the power of the cannons, and endured the explosions.

In the first place, they are monsters made of strong armor.

Even if the bombardment was concentrated to inflict as much damage as possible, it was impossible to kill every single of them cleanly.

“Ballista unit!”

That’s why I prepared for a clean-up team.

“Start shooting at those that escape from the crossfire!”

Lucas immediately repeated my orders.

“Ballista, fire!”

“Yes, sir! Fire-!”

The soldiers, who were waiting with their ballistae loaded, started firing all at once.

Twang! Twang! 

With the blunt springing noises, large arrows were fired from the ballistae.

The arrows that were shot flew toward the Living Armors who had their shields up and came out of the Kill Zone.

Crush! 

The horrible sound of the shields being crushed resounded through the field.

The Living Armors who were previously severely damaged from the bombardment couldn’t withstand the shots from the ballistae and fell to the ground one by one.

Gaaah…! 

Thud, thud! 

As I looked down at the Living Armors who fell like scarecrows, I turned on the enemy information window.

[Enemy Information – STAGE 1]

– Lv.? ??? : 1

– Lv.5 Living Armor Assaulters: 810 (Kill Count: 242)

The kill count was rising at a really fast rate.

‘Alright, just as planned.’

Form a ‘Kill Zone’ in order to tie the enemies down for as long as possible, and wipe them out all at once.

That was the basic and standard strategy of <Empire Defense>. It was only the first stage, and yet everyone was doing quite well.

If we can maintain the battlefield like this, then…

“Your Highness!”

However…

* * * 

[Translator: Dawn ]

[Proofreader: Alissa ]

Join our discord for release updates!

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* * * 

“Monsters are going around the wall!”

“……!”

This isn’t that easy of a game.

I quickly turned to the direction Lucas was pointing at and looked in with my telescope.

A portion of the Living Armors was going around the fence from both left and right.

If I completely blocked the place, they’d simply destroy the wall, so I left a little space in the middle and each end of the wall.

When the middle road was blocked, the Living Armors in the back row started to detour left and right.

Not many of them were taking different routes. However, they had to be stopped.

“Jupiter!”
I immediately called for Jupiter. Jupiter and her party were standing by the castle after the first retreat.

“I leave you with the Living Armor units coming to the right of the fence! Stop them with the hit-and-run tactic!”
“As you wish.”

Jupiter nodded at me and lightly kicked the horse’s stomach.

“Let’s get to work, giddy up!”

Jupiter’s party of five ran out.

Jupiter, who rushed to the detouring Living Armors, swung her hands.

“Take this!”

Flash-!
Thunder! 

Lightning struck, and the Living Armors were fried in the lightning.

‘Good. Jupiter’s doing well on blocking that side.’

All that’s left are those on the left.

I turned to the side. When our eyes met, Demian took a dry gulp.

“Demian.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness!”

“It’s your turn.”

I gestured toward the Living Armors approaching from afar.

“Snipe those monsters coming from the left.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Demian clenched the crossbow in his hand, approached the wall, and stood up.

He mounted his crossbow on the wall, and after aiming at the Living Armor that was running in the front…

“Fuu…”

He closed both his eyes, took a deep breath, then—

He pulled the trigger.

Twant! 

Woosh-! 

An arrow was fired from the crossbow, ripping through the air.

The fired arrow flew far beyond the range of a typical crossbow.

Clunk! 

The leading Living Armor targeted by the sniper raised his shield, but…

Whoosh-!
The arrow bent its body like a snake, drew a vicious orbit in the air, and pierced around the shield.

Thwack!
It penetrated the gap between the Living Armor’s helmet and chest plate.

The will-o’-the-wisp waving blue inside the armor started scattering out.

Clunk, thud!
The movement of the armored monster stopped in an instant as if it had been pierced in the heart. Then, empty armor fell to the floor.

The mouths of the soldiers who were watching this side opened all at once. I smiled happily.

This is the [Thousand-Miles Eyes].

It finds the enemy’s weak point and shoots at it accurately.

‘Even so, I didn’t think it would pierce through the phantom’s soul core with a normal arrow…”

Just how broken is this overpowered trait?!

Twang! Twang! Twang! 

Demian didn’t even take a breath and continued to shoot the arrows.

Guh… 

Gaagh! 

And all those arrows pierced through every single Living Armor that was targeted.

One shot, one kill.

It was truly a supreme-rulerly skill. The soldiers around us opened their mouths and stared at Demian as he continued shooting.

Demian continued to load and shoot arrows without paying any attention to those around him.

The middle road was covered with the Kill Zone, right with Jupiter, and left with Demian.

The defensive battle proceeded extremely smoothly,

[Enemy Information – STAGE 1]

– Lv.? ??? : 1

– Lv.5 Living Armor Assaulters: 560 (Kill Count: 492)

And we were about to hit 500 kills!
I nodded, examining the stabilized front line.

‘At this rate, it will be smooth until the appearance of the boss monster!”

It was at that moment.

Hazy mists appeared out from the armor of the monsters that had collapsed all over the battlefield.

“……?”

I blinked in astonishment.

what the .... is that now?

I don’t recall seeing that in the game.

The mists gathered slowly in the air, clumping together and merging.

What was whitish became more and more vivid. The more monsters die, the more vivid it became…

And the moment when the kill count reached exactly 500,

Ring! 

A change happened in the enemy information window.

[Enemy Information – STAGE 1]

– Lv.25 Specter Knight: 1

– Lv.5 Living Armor Assaulters: 552 (Kill Count: 500)

The name of the hidden boss monster was revealed.

The boss monster of the Living Armor Legion, ‘Specter Knight’.

I was already aware of the information revealed so far.

But at the same time as the name was revealed,

Shaaa-! 

A cloud of mist gathered in the air and began to take shape.

Pale limbs that were bent bizarrely, and wearing tattered clothes… A giant ghost, should I say?

‘That’s the boss monster of the Living Armor Legion, Specter Knight!’

This monster only appeared after the defeat of every single normal monster of the Living Armor Legion and was formed from all the phantoms combined.

This is what gives strength to the Living Armor Legion.

The legion itself was strong, but after all of them were defeated, the boss monster would appear, much like a Phase 2.

‘But we haven’t even defeated all of the Living Armors yet?”

Why did it show itself already?

The Specter Knight that appeared did not take any action. It did not apply an AoE debuff, nor did it launch a powerful attack skill.

It just floated in the air, doing nothing.

“U-uwaah…?!” 

“Wh-wh-what the .... is that?!”

However, this wasn’t just a game. It was a reality.

Just by the sudden appearance of a huge monster in the sky, the soldiers all fell into a panic.

‘shit!’

I clenched my teeth.

This is the difference between a war between humans and a war between humans and monsters.

The primal fear given by the existence of the uncanny deformity.

The appearance of the boss monster scares the soldiers, dropping the efficiency of the front line to the ground.

And, it’s not just humans who get terrified.

Neigh-!
The horses could not overcome the fear and began to struggle. They couldn’t stand the eeriness emitted by the boss-level monster.

The war horses in Jupiter’s party, which were conducting guerrilla operations outside the city walls, were no exception.

The horses started going wild, and Jupiter, who was preparing for the next lightning spell, lost her balance and fell off the saddle.

“what the ....…?!”
Thud! 

Jupiter fell to the ground.

“Argh?!” 

“Ugh!”
And so did the rest of Jupiter’s party members. Everyone groaned as they fell from the frantic horse.

“Urgh… ugh?” 

Jupiter seemed to be out of her mind since she hit head first when she fell off of the horse.

She struggled to get back on her feet and lost consciousness in the end.

Gaaaah!
Meanwhile, the Living Armors, who had escaped the loosened Kill Zone, started to rush like crazy.

In order to kill the living humans in front of them.