I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 24

The stage reward boxes were piled up in front of me.

Two R-grade boxes and three N-grade boxes.

‘The last EX-grade box only gave me a weird necklace.’

I touched my neck. The necklace from back then was still there.

What was it again? They said I could use it when the story progressed.

‘I don’t know what kind of amazing function is hidden in it, but…’

Anyway, I want something that will help me right now. I hope I get something that I can use in the next stage.

I put the three N-grade boxes on the bed first.

Stage reward boxes mainly contain consumable items and material items, and rarely, complete equipment.

Even if complete equipment appears, it is usually low-grade. In the case of N-grade boxes, 99 percent of the time, N-grade equipment comes out.

‘But the probability isn’t zero, right?’

Who knows? Maybe a crazy SSR-grade equipment will drop out?

I quickly opened the three N-grade boxes.

“Did a complete item drop?”

Brilliant light poured out of the opened boxes. Just by looking at the light, you can roughly tell the item’s grade. What color is it!

Gray!

Gray.

It’s gray……

All three are gray. All three are N-grade items.

“Tch……”

Well, of course. What was I expecting from N-grade boxes?

I grumbled and checked the contents. Let’s see.

[Rewards]

– Superior Health Potion

– Superior Health Potion

– Frost Enchant Scroll

Somehow, all three are consumables. If I had gotten materials, I could have used them to make something.

‘Still, they’re decent enough.’

Superior potions have a much better recovery effect than regular potions. If I save them for emergencies, they will be very effective.

Enchant scrolls are also quite useful items. Once used, they add an attribute to the weapon for the duration of the stage.

If I apply it to Damian’s crossbow… it would be incredibly effective.

‘I’ll keep these.’

I turned my attention to the next two R-grade boxes. Should I open these one by one?

I opened the first box.

“Did a complete item drop?”

Flash!

Blue light poured out of the opened box.

Oh, it’s an R-grade item!

[Standard High-Grade Magic Core (R)]

“It’s a material item……”

I grumbled, feeling deflated, but still, magic cores are the rarest of the material items.

Magic cores are the core material for high-grade equipment, usually used to make high-grade weapons or artifacts.

‘I’ve already collected three magic cores.’

I checked my inventory.

One ‘Black Spider Queen Magic Core (SSR)’ obtained from the tutorial stage.

One ‘Wraith Knight Magic Core (SR)’ obtained from today’s Stage 1.

And this ‘Standard High-Grade Magic Core (R)’.

‘They’ll be useful when I start making things in earnest…’

I put it away and picked up the last R-grade box. I opened the box without much expectation.

Click!

Immediately, brilliant golden light poured out of the opened box.

“Huh?”

My eyes widened.

Golden color here? Did an SSR-grade item drop?! Am I hallucinating from being drunk?!

Bba-bam-!

Following a loud fanfare, a glove emerged from the box, radiating dazzling golden light. It was a black leather glove with metal studs.

“Oh my god, it’s an SSR!”

I was so surprised that I jumped up from the bed.

An SSR-grade, and a complete equipment at that?!

I was shocked and quickly held the glove with both hands to check its name and options. What is it?!

[Lucky Strike (SSR) Lv.7]

– Category: Fighting Glove

– Attack Power: 0~777

– Durability: 7/7

– Adds a 1 percent bonus to all probability checks.

《”Today is my lucky day.” – A Gambler》

“No, you son of a-!”

I threw the glove on the floor.

Of all the SSR-grade unique weapons, why this one?!

“It’s the entertainment item, Lucky Strike!”

This flashy glove has a simple effect that matches its stats.

That’s right. If you’re lucky, the damage will hit the jackpot and one-shot the boss, but if you’re unlucky, it will be 0.

The fighter class already has skills that jump around randomly, and if you equip this weapon, it becomes a living, breathing roulette machine.

It might be fun for viewers when I’m streaming, but the character wearing it would die in battle nine times out of ten.

No matter the probability bonus, it was common to get single-digit damage and explode.

“What am I supposed to do with this piece of crap!”

I swallowed my tears.

I don’t even have a fighter hero, and this weapon is for entertainment purposes anyway. It has no practical use!

But I can’t throw it away. I can’t give it to anyone either…

After hesitating, I put the glove on my hand.

After all, the black one I was wearing was just for decoration. This would be better than that, I thought.

Clank!

I raised my gloved hands and examined them. It feels very comfortable. Is it because it’s an SSR-grade item? This part is good.

“Sigh… well, it’s something, I guess…”

Anyway, I don’t have to wield a weapon on the front lines. I don’t have any combat aptitude either.

I can pray for a jackpot in case of an emergency. Let’s think positively.

“…Damn it.”

How can I be positive! Ugh! I grabbed my head.

If I was going to get an SSR equipment, there are so many good ones. There’s ‘Tears of the Archangel’, ‘Life Eater’, and ‘Heaven’s Sign’.

There are so many overpowered items that make the game easier if you get them.

Why! Why! Lucky Strike!

So, I got a golden item, but I was still upset and groaned until I finally fell asleep at dawn.

***

The next day.

“Ugh, my head hurts…”

I woke up with a hangover, and it was already noon.

I staggered out of my room, and all the servants working in the mansion looked pale under their eyes. They all seem to be suffering from hangovers.

“Your Highness, have you risen?”

Lucas, who was standing in front of my door, greeted me with a pale face.

He must have drunk a lot too. His usually neat blonde hair was noticeably disheveled.

“Are you okay? You should have rested until the afternoon.”

“As a knight in charge of Your Highness’s protection, how could I do that?”

Immediately, Lucas made a ‘Ugh-‘ sound and covered his mouth.

“But… it’s a bit tough…”

“If you’re saying that, it must be really tough…”

I was wondering if there was anything to help with the hangover.

“Good morning to you both!”

Aider appeared in the hallway. Why is this guy always so energetic?

On the tray in Aider’s hand were two cups of steaming liquid.

“Here, here, it’s warm honey water. Drink it all up!”

Aider handed us each a cup. This is helpful.

As I swallowed the warm honey water, I felt a little better. Ugh, I feel like I’m alive.

Lucas and I emptied our cups and returned them to Aider. Aider smiled brightly as he received the cups.

“You must be tired from the battle and have a hangover. I think it would be okay to rest for today~?”

“How can we do that? We have to prepare for the next stage right away.”

I slapped my still-sleepy face with my hands. I’m a little more awake now.

“Aider, what about the magic stones we acquired yesterday? Can we convert them to cash?”

“The preparations for sale are complete. But it won’t be as much as the black spider magic stones we sold last time.”

The quality of the magic stones is different, and the demand from merchants must have decreased since we released a large amount of magic stones last time. It can’t be helped.

“Leave the sales to me. Get a good price.”

“Leave it to me!”

“Okay. That’s settled for the magic stones… Lucas, Aider. Come with me. Let’s go take care of some business.”

I left the mansion with Lucas and Aider. The first place we headed to was the village’s blacksmith.

When we arrived at the blacksmith, we saw blacksmiths hammering metal and working the bellows.

A blurry system window appeared at the entrance.

[Facility – Blacksmith Lv.3]

The level of city facilities can be increased from 1 to 10. There are various benefits as the level increases.

The blacksmith needs to be at a high level to increase the types of equipment that can be produced and the probability of producing high-grade equipment.

Level 3 is enough to have all the basic functions.

‘I need to invest some money here too…’

I’m spending money like crazy because I made some money in the tutorial, but there are endless places to spend it. I need to make a systematic financial management plan.

“Welcome, Your Highness!”

The head of the blacksmith’s guild came out. I cut to the chase and told him what I needed.

“I would like to commission the production of equipment.”

There are tons of things to make, but I decided to order what I needed most urgently first.

“We have only been involved in repairing the walls and siege weapons, I thought you might have forgotten our true abilities.”

The guild leader’s eyes changed when I mentioned equipment production.

“We will do our best. What kind of equipment do you want?”

“Armor.”

I held out the ‘Wraith Knight Magic Core’ I had obtained from the last stage.

“Use this as the core of the equipment, and use the highest quality materials we have.”

Needless to say, this armor is for Lucas.

Lucas will have to be on the front lines as an SSR-grade knight in the future.

I need to equip him with the sturdiest armor possible so I can send him out with peace of mind.

The Wraith Knight is the commander of the Living Armor Legion, and equipment made with its magic core will naturally have durability and health bonuses. It will be a good base.

“This is… a precious material.”

The blacksmith who received the magic core swallowed hard.

“This is the first equipment order I’m placing with you. I have high expectations.”

“We will not disappoint you.”

“Good, Lucas? Go get your measurements taken.”

In the game, you could make equipment and anyone could wear it, but this is reality.

It has to be made to fit Lucas’s body.

Lucas, who went inside the blacksmith and quickly had his body measurements taken, was smiling brightly.

“What are you so happy about?”

“I’m happy. It means Your Highness is giving me armor as a gift.”

“I’m giving it to you so I can send you to more dangerous places in the future, you know?”

“You will trust me more and give me more missions in the future.”

Has this guy always been so smooth-tongued?

I shook my head and left the blacksmith.

“Next, let’s go see the walls.”

We headed to the south wall together.

“Whoa.”

As soon as I arrived at the wall, I couldn’t help but make that sound.

The Wraith Knight’s huge sword was still stuck in the wall.

The wall around where the sword was stuck was completely destroyed. The steel plates were split, and the bricks were melted or turned to dust.

“At this rate, we won’t be able to stop monsters, let alone wild animals… How long will it take to repair it?”

I asked the head of the stonemason’s guild, who was assessing the repair costs on the wall. The guild leader shook his head.

“The damage is too severe. It will take more than two weeks to completely repair it.”

“Two weeks?”

“That’s just for the repairs. Removing that sword is a big job in itself…”

The stonemason’s guild leader trailed off.

“Oh, dear.”

I clicked my tongue briefly.

In short, it’s going to take a few days to remove the sword, and then it will take two weeks just to repair it after that.

I sighed and opened the stage information window. The start time for the next stage was already displayed.

[STAGE 2]

– Starts in: 9 days 20 hours

It’s not enough.

There’s not nearly enough time.

I was so frustrated that I slapped my forehead with my hand.

What am I going to do?