I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 217

“Hello, I’m Fox…”

“I’m Rabbit…”

Two mages from the support unit bowed and greeted me.

Both were wearing the black Imperial Army uniform, with the white robes of the magic corps, hoods pulled up.

Due to the sudden party reorganization, we ended up working together to destroy the nerve center at Jormungandr’s tail.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve properly introduced myself to these guys.’

We’ve been keeping a bit of a distance, so this is the first time I’m hearing their names.

“Fox? Rabbit? Those aren’t your real names, are they?”

“No. Well, when our magic corps was transferred to the Imperial Central Army… the regular soldiers were given new code names for each operation.”

Code names, huh? Sounds like some kind of black ops stuff.

“Under Commander Reina, the four of us were given the code names Fox, Rabbit, Kitty, and Piggy.”

“So, the ones who fell off must be Kitty and Piggy.”

I clicked my tongue, watching the scenery whizzing by under the snake’s body.

“I wonder if they’ll be okay.”

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about those two.”

“They’re the type who’d come back alive even if you dropped them in hell…”

I was worried, but Fox and Rabbit, their comrades, waved their hands and laughed.

“We may look like this, but we’re the direct unit under the Magic Corps Commander.”

“We can take care of ourselves. We’ve been through worse.”

“You’ve been through worse…?”

“Well, isn’t that how it always is with government jobs?”

“Low pay, hard work, and all that’s left is patriotism…”

The two grumbling civil servants flinched and glanced at me. They must have felt awkward saying that in front of a prince.

“Everblack, loyalty, loyalty!” [Everblack is a reference to the Empire’s color]

“Long live the great Emperor! Glory to the Empire!”

They suddenly raised both hands and shouted cheers.

Okay, okay, I get it… I’m feeling uncomfortable…

“Let’s hurry and destroy the nerve center; we don’t have much time.”

“Yes!”

Fox and Rabbit could each use ‘Lightweight’ and ‘Quick’ buffs.

As the two mages buffed Evangeline, she started pounding the nerve center at a terrifying speed, shouting something like, ‘My body is so light!’ I think she’s going to pass out soon.

“Hmmmm.”

Next to her, Kellybay was examining the nerve center with a serious look. I gave the dwarven blacksmith a jab.

“Master Craftsman, you’ve just been staring at it; what are you doing?”

“Just wait a minute… now that I think about it, do we really need to dig at it with a pickaxe?”

Kellybay looked at the winding mechanism of the grappling hook launcher on his arm.

“If we can make a crushing device that works with magic power…”

“Oh. I didn’t think of that.”

I approached Kellybay, who was deep in thought. Kellybay had already pulled out paper and was sketching a blueprint.

“Then, how about this kind of shape?”

I explained about the drills from Earth, hoping it might help.

I have plenty of magic cores that can act as a power source, so if we make a spiral-shaped drill bit out of metal and assemble it well, we might be able to destroy the nerve center more easily than with a pickaxe.

As soon as Kellybay heard my explanation, he took out metal pieces and Jormungandr scales from his bag and started processing them.

When I inserted the magic core I gave him,

Whirrrrr!

A plausible drilling machine was born!

Kellybay looked at me with an admiring face.

“Hey, kid. Does this device have a name?”

“Ah… it’s called a ‘drill’.”

In our world, it’s a tool used to make holes.

“Whoa! That’s amazing, a drill! With this, we can make holes in anything!”

After exchanging dialogue like something out of a third-rate isekai story [Isekai is a Japanese genre where the protagonist is transported to another world], Kellybay took the drill and put it directly on the nerve center.

Whirrrrr!

The device activated, and as the tip of the metal blade touched the nerve center,

Crack-crack-crack-!

Sparks flew everywhere as the drill began to quickly gnaw away at the nerve center.

“Hmm…”

Somehow, the scene looked like a dentist’s office finishing off a cavity, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. It also felt like my molars were starting to ache.

The drill didn’t work well from the start.

The drill bit would bend and break, or the magic core would overheat and stop working. It happened repeatedly.

Kellybay adjusted the rotation speed, reinforced the drill structure, and added additional processes such as connecting the magic furnace to allow the user’s magic to be applied to the metal blade.

“The equipment looks a bit heavy, so I’ll cast a lightweight magic on it. It’ll last for a day.”

“Then, I’ll cast a quick magic on this metal blade to increase the rotation speed…”

Fox and Rabbit, the two mages, also helped.

By the time Kellybay had completed a usable drill, half a day had passed.

Kellybay gave each of us a completed drill.

Crack-crack-crack!

The scene of four drill tips simultaneously sticking to the nerve center and shooting sparks in all directions was spectacular.

“It’s much easier than using a pickaxe?!”

“Be careful handling it. Drills are dangerous equipment.”

But maybe because they were all heroes who had stepped into the realm of superhuman, they easily controlled the large drills.

In an instant, the percentage of the destroyed area of this nerve center increased.

I let out a sigh of relief. With this, we can proceed smoothly.

“I’m going to go mine some more Jormungandr scales! And if I see anything more valuable, I’ll mine that too!”

Kellybay slung his pickaxe over his shoulder and ran off before I could say anything. He looked cheerful, with a big smile on his face.

It seems like he thinks this place is a mine rather than a monster’s back. But it’s helpful, so I’ll leave him be.

“This is really convenient; shouldn’t we send one over there too?”

Evangeline, wiping the sweat from her forehead, asked.

She had been endlessly repeating pickaxe swings until just now, but now that she had switched to a drill, she looked relieved.

“Let’s completely finish destroying this area first, then climb up the snake’s body and help with the central-head area destruction.”

The distance from here to the next destruction area is quite far.

Instead of wasting energy going back and forth, it would be better to finish up here quickly and merge the parties as we go up.

Thinking that, I suddenly looked west.

The red sunset was setting beyond the rapidly flowing land.

Before I knew it, the day was ending.

***

Night had fallen.

A strong wind was constantly blowing over Jormungandr’s body, but fortunately, it was summer. There was no risk of losing body heat to the wind.

No, it was actually hot.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jormungandr. Near the center.

Kuilun and Lucas had set up large torches around the nerve center and were swinging their pickaxes without rest.

“…”

“…”

The other four members of the penal unit were resting, looking up at them with a dumbfounded gaze.

At first, they were exchanging silly jokes, and everyone was working with a smile.

But now, only a heavy silence had settled over the site, and only the sound of pickaxes hitting the nerve center echoed. Clang- Clang- Clang-

The incident started an hour ago.

As the sun set, Lucas, who had stopped pickaxing first, suggested to everyone.

‘Let’s take a break. We have to fight a long battle for three days.’

Then, Kuilun grinned and jokingly replied.

‘What, are you tired, Sir Knight? I’m still going strong?’

Then, a vein popped out on Lucas’s temple.

‘Tired…? Are you challenging me in terms of stamina right now?’

‘No, it’s not a challenge… I’m just saying I’m not tired yet. I’m just stating a fact.’

‘Alright. Let’s see who collapses first.’

‘Hahaha! Fine, let’s do it!’

Thus, a war broke out.

While the others were drinking water and chewing on preserved food, Lucas and Kuilun were glaring at each other and swinging their pickaxes without rest.

The four members of the penal unit, comfortably lying down and watching the two of them alternately, thought to themselves.

‘They both look tired…’

Lucas was injured. He recovered with a potion, but there were definitely aftereffects.

Kuilun was naturally fragile. Despite his size, his stamina was weak.

Both of them were clearly overdoing it. But.

Even if it was the most useless thing in the world, it was also something that men could not back down from: a battle of pride.

There was no compromise. The two men endured with sheer grit.

Kuilun, panting roughly and wiping the sweat from his chin, gestured with his chin.

“You look very, huff! tired, huff! How about giving up and going to rest?”

Lucas, with trembling hands, swept his sweat-soaked blond hair back and grinned.

“You’re the one, ha, whose balloon muscles are trembling, ha, how about you surrender?”

Kuilun’s eyes were bloodshot.

“What, what did you say? Balloon muscles?”

“It’s the truth, weakling. You’re just big for nothing with that glass-cannon durability. Aren’t they just balloon muscles that have been inflated in size?”

“Take that back right now! How dare you insult my proud, battle-hardened muscles!”

“I’ll take it back if you win this contest.”

“Hehehe, fine, let’s go all the way to the end…!”

The two men continued to swing their pickaxes with their arms shaking from exhaustion.

Now, as they prepared to sleep with blankets and comforters, the four members of the penal unit thought to themselves.

‘I wonder if it’ll end when one of them passes out…’

Jormungandr was passing through a plain.

Even though it was on top of a monster’s body, the sleeping arrangements were surprisingly peaceful.

Clang- Clang- Clang-

The four members of the penal unit fell into a deep sleep, using the sound of pickaxes as a lullaby.

Only Lucas and Kuilun were glaring at each other with bloodshot eyes, continuing to swing their pickaxes.

***

Dawn.

Jormungandr. Near the head.

A halo like an angel’s ring rose above the nerve center and shone white, and a bright light shone down on the area.

Even though it was still before dawn, the surroundings became reddishly bright.

Crack-!

The next moment, a crack appeared in the air as if a mirror had been broken, and then shattered into pieces.

[Elemental Disassembly].

It was Junior’s ultimate magic.

The magic defense of the nerve center began to plummet.

Reina, who had been waiting, slashed at the nerve center with her wind magic.

Whoosh!

Reina’s wind magic bombardment continued until the duration of [Elemental Disassembly] ended.

Junior, staring at the nerve center that was still holding up despite being battered by countless wind blades, let out a sigh.

“How high is its magic defense?”

Even after being hit by Junior’s [Elemental Disassembly], Jormungandr’s nerve center’s magic defense did not drop into the negatives.

Even though it was not the main body but a terminal, its magic power was at an absurd level.

‘A creature from the mythical era…’

“But we were able to inflict quite effective damage.”

Reina, who had stopped her wind magic, smiled.

“It’s thanks to you, Junior. That magic is really amazing. You should definitely present it to the Magic Society.”

“Haha…”

Junior smiled awkwardly.

Junior and Reina had just performed the magic combo twice today.

They had used their ultimate skills twice in one day, and their bodies were still in good condition.

It was thanks to Reina’s ‘treatment’. Junior could feel that his body had clearly improved.

“Huh?”

Of course, he wasn’t completely healed.

Blood trickled down Junior’s philtrum. He could also taste a faint taste of blood in his mouth. It seemed like two consecutive times was too much.

“Let’s rest now. It’s already this time.”

Reina, muttering nonchalantly, took out a blanket from her bag and headed towards the back of Jormungandr’s head.

There was a shallow mound behind the giant snake’s head. The wind was relatively less strong behind it.

As Reina spread out the blanket and squatted down, the wind that had been swirling around them began to flow around them.

The small space suddenly became cozy.

“Let’s get some sleep.”

Reina wrapped herself in the blanket and lay down first.

The space was small, so Junior, who had covered himself with his own blanket, hesitated and snuggled close to Reina.

Reina, yawning sleepily, closed her eyes and muttered.

“Oh, right. I noticed something after seeing your magic today. There are two parts in the spell that are wasteful.”

“Yes?”

“Well, in the first casting part…”

Even in her sleepy voice, Reina explained the parts of Junior’s [Elemental Disassembly] that needed improvement.

Junior, who was wide awake, memorized everything Reina said.

“…That’s about it. Try to improve it later. Haaahm.”

Reina, having finished her lecture, pulled the blanket over her head.

“Then, see you tomorrow… Ah, I’m telling you in advance, I have bad sleeping habits…”

Soon, the sound of snoring could be heard. Reina had fallen asleep right away.

“…”

Junior had never had a proper teacher. He had learned everything by himself.

So, Reina’s guidance was unfamiliar, and at the same time… honestly, he was happy.

He had never known that the teachings of someone ahead of him could be so sweet.

‘If I had a magic teacher…’

Junior gazed at the sleeping non-mage’s profile.

‘…Would it have felt like this?’

Soon, Junior closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

He felt like he could sleep well today.

***

No matter what the tiny humans were doing on his body.

Without paying attention, the giant snake Jormungandr was steadily moving forward.

North. North. Just due north.

Whoosh-

The sun rose. The fierce sunlight dyed the wide plain that Jormungandr was crossing white.

At the end of the peaceful plain, a river with fierce rapids began to appear.

Beyond that river was a dense forest, and beyond that forest-

Finally, the walls built by humans would appear.

Whoosh-

The snake just kept moving its body.

Following the mission and instinct given to it, from one end of the world to the other.

***

[STAGE 9]

[Jormungandr – Area Destruction Progress]

– First Center: 41%

– Second Center: 18%

– Third Center: 29%

– Time until reaching Crossroads: 2 days remaining