I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 125

Inn. First floor dining hall.

Jupiter and Junior sat facing each other, and I sat between them… eating my meal.

“……”

“……”

I was sweating nervously between the awkward two.

‘What on earth is going on?’

I just wanted to hand over the equipment and laugh together.

I never imagined I’d be stuck in the middle of a family conflict, chewing food that wouldn’t go down!

“Here, have another serving! It’s on the house, service!”

Just then, the innkeeper came confidently smiling, serving a table full of dishes. Hey, stop bringing more! I want this to end quickly!

“Is the meal to your liking, Lord?”

“Uh-huh… It’s incredibly delicious…”

“That’s a relief! Haha!”

The innkeeper still seemed eager to impress me because of the national hotel project, but that’s not the problem right now. I can’t even swallow the food. I can’t taste anything.

As I was uncomfortably forcing down the food, not even knowing what I was eating.

“Do you want to work as a mage so badly that you’d go this far?”

Jupiter suddenly asked.

“Do you have to be a mage, even if it means spitting blood every day and dying day by day?”

‘A sudden attack?! I haven’t even finished my meal!’

I was shocked inside, but Junior calmly cut a piece of goose meat sauté and brought it to her mouth, answering nonchalantly.

“Living as a mage is my dream. Oh, this is good. Grandma, try this.”

‘She didn’t even flinch!’

I was amazed by the rapid exchange and subtly moved my body back. I guess I should switch to spectator mode.

“This isn’t ‘living’ as a mage, Junior. You’re dying every day.”

Jupiter growled lowly.

Junior didn’t make eye contact and continued to chew her food.

“Then, if I quit being a mage and stay quietly at home, will I live longer?”

“You’d live longer than rushing towards death like you are now.”

“Everyone dies eventually, Grandma. Mine is just a shorter period.”

Clang, clang, clang-! It sounded like the clashing of metal.

The two, who had exchanged blows with words like swords, fell silent for a moment.

It was Jupiter who spoke again.

“Are you planning to die before me?”

Then, Junior smiled faintly and looked at her grandmother.

“That wouldn’t be so bad either.”

“……”

Jupiter closed her one eye tightly, then pushed her chair back with a scraping sound.

“I apologize, Your Highness. I’ll take back what I said.”

“Huh, uh? What, what?”

“I’ll use all the equipment you gave me. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to give it to a child who’s going to die before me.”

“Uh-huh……”

“I’ll be going now. Then.”

Jupiter bowed her head to me, grabbed the equipment she had brought, and walked out of the dining hall.

Watching Jupiter’s empty seat, I muttered awkwardly.

“Are you okay, Junior? With your grandmother like that……”

“No, I’m not.”

“Huh?”

“She’s not my grandmother, I’m telling you.”

Junior stabbed the sauté on her plate with her fork, muttering emotionlessly.

“I’ve never once thought of that person as my grandmother.”

“……”

I had heard about their past once, so I couldn’t interfere.

But.

“Still, Junior. Jupiter is somewhat right. If your body gets this bad every time you use magic, you should refrain a little bit……”

“Your Highness.”

Junior spoke softly.

“The opponent in this defense is a vampire lord. And without me, this defense itself wouldn’t be possible. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

She was absolutely right, so I shut my mouth.

That’s right. This isn’t the time to hold back. It’s a situation where we have to push Junior to her limits, no matter how much blood she spits.

“Everyone on this front is fighting with their lives on the line.”

Junior was calm.

“The strategic value may be different, but a mage’s life isn’t heavier than anyone else’s. I’m just fighting with my life on the line, too.”

“……”

“The meal was delicious.”

Junior got up and gave me a fox-like smile.

“You’re paying, right?”

Would I really take money from someone who might die any day now?

Junior said she was going to rest and went up the stairs to her room, and I sighed in front of the untouched, perfectly good food.

‘Everyone’s having a hard time with family issues.’

Come to think of it, that Kim Ash guy also seems to have a lot of family troubles. I don’t know who to get the story from.

After worrying about problems that had no answers, I jumped up from my seat with a ‘Tch!’

What could I do? I could only hope that the two of them would resolve it themselves.

“Innkeeper! Please pack this up. I’ll take it home.”

I’ll take it and give it to the knight duo. They’ll gobble it up happily.

***

A week later.

Lake Kingdom Dungeon Base Camp. Kellybay’s smithy.

“It’s finished.”

At Kellybay’s words, I swallowed hard. Lucas, Evangeline, and Damian, who had followed me, also gulped.

Kellybay chuckled and pointed to the weapons on the table.

“You better be careful. These weapons are made of otherworldly silver, so they’re unstable by themselves. And I even alchemized them with demon mistletoe powder.”

On the table were a longsword in a leather scabbard, a spearhead part for a large cavalry lance, and arrows divided into three quivers.

“They may look white and beautiful like holy swords, but their true nature is no different from demon swords. Be especially careful when using them.”

I ignored his warning and carefully stood in front of the table. I wanted to check the equipment’s stats.

I placed my hand on the longsword at the front. Let’s see.

[Mortal’s Sacred Longsword (SSR) Lv.40]

– Category: Longsword

– Attack Power: 40-50

– Durability: 10/10

– Deals 100 percent additional damage against all unholy enemies.

– Ignores the enemy’s defense when facing all unholy enemies.

– Applies a 75 percent healing reduction effect upon hit.

The prefix ‘Mortal’ was attached. It meant it was a weapon with the highest grade healing reduction effect.

‘Double damage boost, true damage ignoring defense, and even a healing reduction effect.’

It was clearly made to be a Vampire Slayer.

It was just an ordinary longsword when facing non-bloodline enemies. But against bloodlines, it was the strongest weapon.

I nodded in satisfaction and turned around.

“Lucas.”

“Yes.”

Lucas took the sword and drew it with a smooth motion.

Swish-!

The pure white blade revealed itself to the world, making a sleek sound.

It was a sword as white as freshly fallen snow, without a single blemish.

It had a faint red aura, probably because it was alchemized with [Demon Mistletoe].

Whoosh! Swish!

As Lucas lightly swung the sword in the air, the sound of the wind splitting against the blade rang out sharply.

“……Excellent.”

After swinging it a few more times, Lucas slid the sword back into its scabbard. With a click! the sword was sucked into the scabbard.

“It’s the best sword I’ve ever held in my life.”

“Puhahaha! Of course! It’s the first time you’ve held my weapon, so it’s naturally the best you’ve ever held!”

Kellybay burst into laughter.

Even though he said it was obvious, his shoulders kept twitching. This old man is really weak to praise.

“Next is the lance knight lady, give me the lance.”

“Ah! Yes!”

Evangeline scurried over and placed her cavalry lance on the table.

Kellybay grumbled as he picked up the cavalry lance.

“Anyway, you’re making a complicated request. It would be better to just make a new one.”

The cavalry lance among the family weapons was made by adding a blade to Evangeline’s [Cros Family Cavalry Lance].

It was a trick I used because it was reality, not a game.

So that she could receive both the exclusive equipment effect and the family weapon effect.

Fortunately, it worked.

Clink, clank!

The white blade attached to Evangeline’s black cavalry lance as if they were combining.

Since the dimensions were measured in advance and it was precisely made, the blade was attached as if it had been one from the beginning.

“Whoa! It’s awesome!”

Evangeline was shocked and swung the cavalry lance around.

The stats were almost the same as Lucas’s longsword. If the feel was good, there wouldn’t be any problems.

“Is there anything else to adjust?”

“No, no! It’s a bit heavier, but our family’s lance was a bit light anyway! This much weight is just my style!”

Evangeline laughed and swung the cavalry lance like a windmill.

I don’t know where that little arm gets such strength.

“……That cavalry lance. Bring it to me separately later.”

Kellybay whispered to me quietly.

“It’s an equipment with tremendous power. It’s difficult now, but when the materials are gathered later, you’ll be able to unlock its true power.”

As expected of Kellybay. He can recognize the exclusive equipment of an SSR-grade character.

Well, the old man will have to do the proper upgrade later anyway.

And finally, the family arrows.

“……”

Damian narrowed his eyes and examined each arrow one by one.

For some reason, Kellybay looked nervous, as if he was being judged by an examiner.

“That friend… has very good eyes……”

“Can you tell that too?”

“Of course, you punk. His gaze ‘piercing’ the weapons is different.”

Umm. I don’t know what’s different at all. Damian has [Clairvoyance], so I guess I should just accept it.

“With these arrows……”

Damian muttered quietly, then put all three quivers into his bag and shouldered them.

“Thank you, craftsman.”

“Yes, yes. I think you’ll be able to handle those arrows well.”

Kellybay, who was smiling contentedly and stroking his beard, suddenly remembered something and took out something else from behind.

“I almost forgot. Here, this is a service.”

It was a crossbow with a red aura flowing through it. Kellybay shrugged as he handed the crossbow to Damian.

“I had some leftover branches of ‘demon mistletoe’, so I made it.”

“Whoa, thank you……”

Damian received the crossbow with both hands, not knowing what to do. I looked at the stats from the side. Let’s see.

[Open Pain (SR) Lv.35]

– Category: Crossbow

– Attack Power: 35-45

– Durability: 15/15

– Applies a 15 percent healing reduction effect upon hit. If the arrow has the same effect, the effects are combined.

– Applies a curse with a 30 percent chance upon hit. The curse is applied randomly.

I looked to see what kind of curse it would apply, and all sorts of status ailments popped up, from blindness to bleeding, confusion, and fear. It seemed like all the status ailments that existed in this game were there. One of these at random, huh? That’s good.

“It seems like too much for a service?”

“It’s made from leftover branches anyway. It’s better for someone to use it than to throw it away, right?”

Still, to give such good equipment out of the blue.

I was about to offer some kind of compensation because I felt bad about receiving it for free, but Kellybay waved his hand vigorously.

“No, don’t try to pay! There’s a separate price to pay for making this weapon!”

“Ah, right. That’s right.”

Selendion’s neck.

I had promised to give all the materials that came out after defeating the vampire king to Kellybay.

Well, if I paid the price before that, the later meaning would be diminished.

“I won’t say it again, so go now. Fight well on your own.”

Kellybay said coolly and went inside the smithy.

“I’ll be waiting for the victory report. You punks.”

Lucas, Evangeline, Damian, and I all bowed our heads towards Kellybay. Thank you!

‘With this, the weapons are ready.’

I nodded as I looked at my party members who had finished their arming.

Now, all that’s left is the tactics.

“Okay, let’s stop by the smithy there as soon as we get back to Crossroads.”

I winked at Evangeline as I stood in front of the teleport gate.

“Evangeline, to get your armor.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a front-line tank. You need some decent armor. I ordered one a while ago.”

Evangeline’s green eyes widened.

And she suddenly asked.

“Is that armor pretty?!”

No, ask about the performance first. The performance!