I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 100

When I returned to the mansion, Evangeline and the Dion Mercenary Company, who had finished their autonomous exploration, were waiting.

“Ah, it’s the senior!”

“You’re back, Your Highness!”

“You’re back!”

They were all gathered in the drawing-room, taking a rest. To hear their report, I sat on the sofa at the head of the room.

“You guys are back safe, too? So, how was it?”

“Oh, don’t even ask. It was the first time I’ve ever been to a place like that, with no light at all.”

“It was dark all around, without a single light!”

“And then, monsters kept popping out of the darkness!”

“I thought I was going to die of fright!”

The Dion mercenaries all started chattering about their impressions.

These newbie mercenaries. I should change their name to the Chick Mercenary Company. They’re chirping so much.

“We were all huddled together, trembling, but Miss Evangeline didn’t even flinch!”

“She just held her spear forward and said, ‘Follow me!’ and charged forward!”

“I’ve never seen such a cool knight in my life!”

I frowned at the Dion Mercenary Company’s praise and looked at Evangeline.

Evangeline was squirming and scratching the back of her head.

“Oh, don’t exaggerate. It was just because the situation was urgent.”

“Miss, you’re really amazing! You saved us so many times!”

“If it weren’t for Miss, we would have been wiped out long ago!”

“Miss Evangeline is our savior!”

“Evangeline! The Guardian Lancer!”

“Evangeline! Evangeline! Evangeline!”

Now they’re even chanting her name. It’s a mess.

“Hehe, oh come on, I told you to stop~”

Evangeline kept squirming with a flushed face, then,

“Ah, stop it! I can’t take it anymore! Stop!”

She couldn’t stand the continued praise and yelled at the Dion Mercenary Company. Her true colors are showing.

The Dion Mercenary Company instantly deflated and bowed their heads in unison. Are they really chicks?

“Anyway, let’s hear the report. How was the dungeon?”

“Hehe, don’t be surprised when you hear this!”

Evangeline crossed her arms and snorted, then stood up.

Look at her, so smug after getting a little praise.

“The dungeon itself was the same as last time. The terrain was the same, too. The darkness was the same. But the types of monsters had changed.”

Yeah, that’s all common knowledge.

I swallowed hard.

Really, the type of enemy that Evangeline and the Dion Mercenary Company encountered was…

“The monsters that appeared this time, oh my! It was the first time I’ve ever seen them in real life! It was a horde of ghouls!”

…if it was related to the Blood Clan.

My teeth clenched. Ghouls, huh?

‘Those are the lower-level monsters that the Blood Clan controls…’

It was the moment when the enemy forces of Stage 5 were confirmed to be the Blood Clan.

I rubbed my aching forehead. Lukas, who was standing behind my sofa, asked in surprise.

“Ghouls? If it’s ghouls, then that?”

“Yes. Those… like living corpses. They came swarming out of the dark, and honestly, I was really scared.”

Then Dion, who was listening from behind, jumped out.

“You weren’t scared at all! You stood in front of us, who were trembling, and fought like a legendary hero!”

“No, well. I did do that! But still, I told you to stop! Haha, really.”

Evangeline shrugged, rubbing her finger under her nose.

“Well, I just dealt with them as I learned in the academy. Since you can get infected if you get bitten or scratched, I kept my distance as much as possible and speared them one by one.”

“You gave us those tactics too!”

“If you hadn’t, we would all be infected and groaning now! No, gurgling!”

“Evangeline! Evangeline! Evangeline!”

“Oh, come on! I told you to stop!”

“……”

Normally, I would have laughed and joined in the banter, but I didn’t feel like it. I muttered heavily.

“…So, the Blood Clan has really appeared.”

Evangeline’s eyes widened at my words.

“The Blood Clan? Are you talking about those vampires from old fairy tales?”

“Yeah. Those vampire bastards.”

Among the countless monsters in this game, they are especially rare, unique, and terrible bastards.

“I learned that ghouls are monsters derived from the Blood Clan, but…”

Evangeline, who was muttering hesitantly, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“Wait a minute, then does that mean the ones attacking this time are?”

“Yes. It’s them.”

I clasped my hands together and said it again clearly.

“The next defense battle will be against the Blood Clan army. Vampires and their forces.”

Silence fell.

Lukas and Evangeline, who had been trained as knights and had learned how to deal with vampires, were bewildered by the vampire story, which was like a legend.

And the Dion Mercenary Company, who seemed to be hearing the story for the first time, looked around, gauging our reactions.

Regardless, I continued to speak.

“And with a high probability, the highest-ranking individual among the Blood Clan… a ‘Lord’ will appear in person.”

As I continued to make pessimistic predictions, Lukas cautiously opened his mouth.

“But Your Highness, in the defense battles so far, there have been many times when high-ranking individuals of the monster army did not appear, right? Besides, the last recorded appearance of a vampire was hundreds of years ago.”

“……”

“Although ghouls were discovered this time, they may just be fragments of the Blood Clan. There’s no need to assume that a high-ranking vampire will appear, is there?”

Lukas’s words were partly correct.

Often, the boss is a high-ranking individual of the monster army, but sometimes elite monsters appear instead.

In fact, elite monsters appeared as bosses in Stages 2 and 3.

But this time, it’s Stage 5.

It’s a multiple of 5 stage, a boss stage where the difficulty breaks through the limit.

There is a very high probability that a named monster of the corresponding army will appear as the boss.

‘Besides, there’s a crazy malice running wild, trying to increase the difficulty somehow.’

A super named individual will definitely appear.

It wasn’t just a hunch. It was already a certainty.

I thought of the named vampires belonging to the Blood Clan in my head. When I played the game, I had faced them all.

Each one was a grueling and blood-curdling raid.

‘Among them, the worst case is…’

The lord of the Blood Clan.

If the No Life King, Selendion, appears in person.

I doubt that the king of the Blood Clan would appear in person at Stage 5, which is an early stage, but the difficulty of this game is already going crazy. It’s better to assume the worst.

‘Selendion raid at Stage 5…’

It was so absurd that I laughed.

Is it possible?

‘No, I’ve been thinking about this countless times.’

I turned my head and glared.

It’s not about whether it’s possible.

I’ll make it possible.

That’s why I’m here.

‘There’s still time. In the meantime, I’ll squeeze and scrape together as much as I can.’

As I was lost in thought for a while, Evangeline tilted her head and asked.

“But, senior?”

“Yeah?”

“Who is the person next to you? It’s the first time I’ve seen them.”

Ah, I haven’t introduced her yet.

I gestured to Jupiter Junior, who was standing demurely next to me.

“Introduce yourself. She’s a new mage… Jupiter’s granddaughter, Jupiter Junior. She’ll be joining the main party as a magic attacker.”

Then Junior smiled brightly, as if she had been waiting, and waved her hand.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Jupiter Junior. You can call me Juju. Or just Junior is fine too!”

Evangeline’s eyes sparkled.

“Can I call you Juju unnie [older sister in Korean]?!”

“Of course, Miss Evangeline.”

“Oh, how do you know my name?”

“Hehe. Those people were singing it just a moment ago.”

Junior pointed to the Dion Mercenary Company. Dion and the N-rank mercenaries smiled awkwardly.

“Anyway, you all worked hard exploring the dungeon.”

I clapped my hands to settle the atmosphere.

The vampires are coming, but I can’t keep these guys standing here forever.

“Evangeline. And the Dion Mercenary Company. Everyone, get some rest. I’ll summon you later and give you your next mission.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you-!”

The Dion Mercenary Company bowed to me in unison and left the drawing-room.

Evangeline, who bowed to me next, waved her hand at Junior.

“Let’s talk later, Juju unnie!”

“Okay, Miss Evangeline. Get some rest.”

Evangeline, who gave Lukas a nod, ran out of the room.

From outside the drawing-room, I could hear sounds like, ‘Let’s have a party, let’s have a party!’ ‘Oh, me too?’ ‘Of course, you have to come with us, Miss!’

She was grumbling at first, but she got close to them quickly. I should be glad.

“There are many cute people here. I’ve only heard that the monster front is a brutal place, but it’s a little different from what I expected.”

Junior said with a bright smile. I pressed my throbbing forehead with my fingertips.

“Even if the war with the monsters is like hell, it’s better to live brightly in normal times.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“Why? Do you prefer a more desolate place?”

“No, not at all.”

Junior tapped the large brim of her hat with her fingertip, slightly lowering it. The upper part of her face was no longer visible.

“It’s just that I’ve seen it a lot. The sight of those young and cute people gradually losing their smiles and expressions.”

“……”

“War takes away property and lives, but it also takes away the joys and sorrows of the survivors. It’s so sad.”

For a moment, I imagined it in my head.

As the stages progress, everyone gets tired of the continuous monster invasions.

The sight of all the people on this front, who are now laughing and chatting, turning into exhausted and apathetic faces.

“…Jupiter Junior.”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked straight at Junior.

“You need to explain your abilities.”

Jupiter Junior is a character that didn’t appear in the game.

I had a rough idea of her abilities through the stat window, but it would be more accurate if she explained it herself.

“I’d be happy to, Your Highness.”

Junior bowed to me slowly and placed her hand on her chest.

“I am an elementalist. I can handle most elemental attributes, but among them, there are three attributes that I can use proficiently.”

At Junior’s fingertips, blue, green, and yellow mana swirled.

“Water. Wind. And lightning.”

Lightning.

She’s similar to Jupiter in this aspect. I nodded.

“I’m ashamed to say that my achievements are still low, and the only thing I’ve learned about using elements is simply shooting them out.”

She must be talking about the 1st skill [Elemental Blast]. It means that it’s just a simple elemental attack.

“But if I train a little more, I think I can figure out the next way to use them.”

“I see.”

“That’s about it. It’s just a humble skill, so I’m ashamed to show it to Your Highness.”

“Humble? It’s very good.”

An elementalist with 3 attributes. I want to bow down and thank her.

“Then, shall we negotiate how much your weekly wage will be?”

When I said that, Junior smiled brightly.

“I heard that you paid my grandmother a year’s salary at once. Can’t you do that for me too?”

“I’m sorry, but our financial situation isn’t that good these days.”

I shrugged.

“Above all. You haven’t shown all your cards yet, so I can’t pay you a price so rashly, can I?”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

“I know you have hidden abilities, Junior.”

Junior’s face hardened. I chuckled.

One of the traits that Junior possesses, Foxhole.

[Foxhole]

– Always digs an escape route. Hides one’s abilities from the opponent to prepare a trump card.

She lowers and hides her stats.

Characters with this trait can use deception tactics against enemies, but it was also a headache for players because they couldn’t know the exact stats.

“Show me all the hidden abilities you have, Junior.”

So, I decided to go straight for the kill.

“Then you’ll get a better seat at the negotiation table.”

“……”

Junior’s face, which was always relaxed, turned pale.