I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 17

The preparations proceeded steadily.

I moved busily around the site, issuing instructions.

Reinforcing the defenses, installing artifacts on the walls, adjusting the soldiers’ formations, and diligently setting up the wooden barricade walls.

‘It’s manageable.’

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

‘No need to be intimidated!’

Living Armor is definitely one of the worst early-game monster types.

But this is Stage 1. The very beginning of the early game. The average level of the monsters is only 5.

Even if they are a difficult opponent due to their nature, their stats aren’t high.

‘This is actually good! Getting rid of Living Armor early will make things easier later!’

A group you’ve faced once won’t reappear for a while.

It’s better to get the worst enemy out of the way first, so you can relax later.

‘And thanks to clearing Stage 0, the situation is very favorable.’

Whether it’s on Earth or here, the principle of the world is money.

By splurging the money earned in Stage 0 on defensive facilities, I was able to make preparations that were unbelievably solid for an early stage.

‘I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!’

I muttered to myself like a mantra, pushing forward with the defense preparations for three days.

Time flew by in an instant…

***

Three days later.

On the southern wall of Crossroads.

“…”

I glanced at the stage information window.

[STAGE 1]

– Time until start: 30 minutes

30 minutes left.

The start of the stage means the moment the vanguard of the monster wave launches its first attack.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Before that, it means the monsters will be visible to the naked eye.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A faint metallic sound vibrated through the earth.

The specters of moving armor appeared from beyond the horizon, stomping their feet in unison.

“They’re here!”

A scout shouted at the top of his lungs.

“They’re coming!”

Thump! Thump! Thump…!

The Living Armor legion.

Even from a distance, the appearance of 1,000 massive armored monsters made the area vibrate faintly.

Glp. Glp.

The soldiers waiting on the wall swallowed hard in unison.

For the past dozen years, monsters had not reached Crossroads.

The smaller ones were all defeated at the forward base set up in front of the lake.

But the forward base had fallen, and after a dozen years, they had reached this place.

It was only natural for the soldiers to be nervous.

“Don’t be afraid!”

I shouted with vigor.

“Those monsters are just a bunch of weaklings with numbers!”

No, they are the Living Armor legion, the worst monsters in the early game.

“On the other hand, we are the strongest army in the southern part of the Empire!”

No, we’re just a ragtag group of retired old men and inexperienced rookies, a gathering of mercenaries.

“Our defense preparations are perfect! And our equipment is in top condition!”

No, no matter how much money I poured in, there wasn’t enough time. The preparations are inadequate.

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

But I shouted that with plenty of bravado.

I’m the only one who needs to be anxious here. All of their anxiety and fear can be mine.

“Just fight as I tell you.”

I looked over the lined-up soldiers and grinned.

“Then we can have a victory celebration tonight.”

The veterans, who knew the terror of the Living Armor, looked dumbfounded at my words.

The new recruits, who knew nothing, were still standing stiffly.

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

‘Do well, Jupiter!’

I swallowed hard, watching the approaching enemy with binoculars.

‘Half of the success of this stage depends on you! Do your best!’

And,

Rumble, rururumble……

A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

I curled up the corners of my mouth into a smirk.

The sound of thunder means lightning is about to strike.

The expensive lightning mage I hired had begun to move.

***

Jupiter and her party were stationed outside the fortress from the beginning.

Their mission was to launch a surprise attack on the Living Armor legion advancing along the southern plains.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Like machines, the 1,000 armored monsters advanced in perfect formation.

From the southern plains to the southern wall of Crossroads. In a straight line.

Watching their path through the binoculars, I muttered to myself.

‘Just a little closer… just a little closer…’

Monsters share a common principle of action.

– Kill humans.

The basic principle is to move to kill humans in the shortest distance.

If there are no particular obstacles, it’s natural for them to come straight to the city along the road, which means.

Click.

Because it’s obvious where they’ll come from, the trap will work very well.

Thud!

The ground where the leading Living Armors stepped suddenly caved in.

The Living Armors staggered and fell to the ground in unison.

Clatter! Thump!

A very obvious pit trap.

The pit was shallow because there wasn’t enough time to dig it deep. Just enough to make the Living Armors in the front lose their balance.

But that was enough. The heavy armored monsters rolled clumsily on the ground.

As the vanguard fell, the rear ranks tripped or stopped.

A bottleneck occurred in an instant, and their advance halted.

And that short time was enough. I shouted.

“Now!”

Thududududu!

As if they had heard my command, Jupiter’s party of five, mounted on warhorses, charged out.

They had been lying in ambush in the bushes next to the trap, waiting for the right moment to attack.

At the head of them, dazzling currents of electricity crackled in Jupiter’s hands.

“Now then…”

Jupiter, her white hair flying, gathered her magic power and unleashed a rain of lightning in all directions.

“Let’s see if you’re worth the money!”

Flash-!

Kugwagwagwagwang!

Dozens of bright yellow lightning bolts fell on the Living Armor legion.

Jupiter’s 1st skill, [Bleaching Zone].

This old woman’s active skill has the word ‘bleaching’ in it, which means to burn them white with lightning.

‘But they turn black.’

I broke out in a cold sweat, looking at the Living Armors that had been charred black by the lightning.

Where is the bleaching in that? It’s blackening.

Kwagwang! Kwagwagwagwang!

A continuous rain of lightning poured down.

Each time they were grazed by the lightning, the Living Armors fell like wet straw.

Since they were wearing metal armor, which conducts electricity well, and ghost monsters receive additional damage from magic attacks.

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

Watching, I clenched my fist. Excellent, Jupiter!

Ggrrr……

Ggrrr!

The eyes of the Living Armors that survived the lightning, and those in the rear that weren’t swept away, turned sharply towards the attackers.

It was a terrifying sight to see 1,000 monsters staring at one point.

Even I, watching from afar, felt a chill, so how must Jupiter and her party feel, receiving that gaze up close?

“Why are you staring, you monsters who don’t respect the elderly!”

They were fine.

Jupiter was a veteran, and all of Jupiter’s party members were hero characters. They weren’t fazed by this level of pressure.

Jupiter, lighting a cigarette with the lightning, laughed heartily and waved her hand again.

“Tonight’s dinner is armor fritters! Chew them well, kids!”

This time, blue lightning fell from the sky.

Flash-!

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

The 1st skill leaves a mark on the hit enemy, and the 2nd skill deals an additional hit to the marked enemy.

The blue lightning struck the heads of the Living Armors that had survived the first attack, and the Living Armors that were hit directly literally turned to dust and disappeared.

The armor of the other Living Armors next to them melted and they fell. It was an incredible power.

Kugugugung…!

The flames and roar shook the area.

Uwaaaaaa-!

The soldiers watching from the wall cheered in unison.

It was only natural for them to be happy, as the monstrous-looking armored monsters were falling like frost melting in spring.

But as the smoke and flames cleared, the soldiers’ cheers gradually subsided.

Ggrrr……

Ggrraaaaaa!

The Living Armor legion was still intact, and their numbers were still terrifyingly large.

Although they had burned and killed about 50 monsters in an instant, the monster force originally numbered 1,000.

The attack just now was no more than a small scratch.

The Living Armors, with their eerie glinting eyes, began to reorganize their broken ranks. I roared.

“Retreat, Jupiter!”

Immediately, Jupiter turned her horse around.

“Let’s get out of here!”

Jupiter’s party of five turned around in unison, turned their backs on the armored monsters, and began to ride towards the fortress.

Ggrraaa!

Ggrraaaaaa-!

The Living Armors followed behind, letting out eerie roars.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A wave of metal armor surged forward.

The 1,000 armored monsters ran at full speed to tear the living to shreds.

Although slower than warhorses, the sight itself was a spine-chilling spectacle.

“Run, run, you rookies! Don’t look back, just run!”

Jupiter shouted, leading the party at the front.

The faces of the soldiers on the wall turned pale. The wave of armor rushing behind the fleeing humans was terrifying.

“It’s all according to plan! There’s nothing to worry about!”

I shouted loudly.

“Just move as instructed! Everyone, stand by!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers headed to their respective positions. The cannons installed on the wall were all ready to fire.

Thududududu!

The Living Armors, who were closely chasing the fleeing humans, soon noticed something strange.

Ggrraaa……

Ggrraaa?

It was a wooden wall.

A long wooden fence wall, slightly taller than a person, was erected on the retreat path of Jupiter’s party.

It was the thing that our carpenters had worked hard to build during the past three days of all-night work.

Thududududu!

Jupiter’s party members passed through the narrow gate in the middle of the wall in a single file.

The pursuing Living Armors paused for a moment.

There were three options for the monsters.

– Destroy the fence.

– Go around the fence and take a long detour.

– Or, follow the humans and pass through the narrow gate between the fences.

Ggrraaaaa-!

The monsters chose one option.

Kill the humans in front of them.

They didn’t even consider options like destroying the fence or detouring, and came straight ahead.

“That’s it, you stupid monsters!”

I cheered and stretched my arm out to the side.

“All troops, prepare to fire!”

The Living Armors had no choice but to narrow the width of their formation to pass through the narrow gate.

Their speed slowed, and they passed through the narrow gate, packed together, creating a bottleneck.

What awaited them as they passed through the gate at that slowed speed and entered the open space was,

“You’ve waited long enough, soldiers.”

A crossfire that the humans had carefully prepared.

I finally gave a loud command to the soldiers standing next to the cannons, waiting for my firing order.

“Don’t hold back, fire everything!”

As I forcefully stretched my arm forward,

“Fire!”

“Fire!”

The soldiers repeated my command in unison and lit the cannons.

Bang! Pububung-!

The cannons on the wall fired in unison.

Sweeaeaeek-

The dozens of cannonballs that were fired fell on the heads of the monsters that had just passed through the gate,

Kwagwagwagwagwang!

Creating a spectacular explosion, turning the armored monsters into ashes.