I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 26

Flash!

As I passed through the gate with a flash of light, I found myself at an old pier by a lake. Right in front of me, I could see the dark blue surface of the lake rippling.

This was the source of the monsters. The hell that spewed out demons.

The black lake that blocked the south of the world.

Flash! Flash!

The party members who arrived after me looked around at the scenery, marveling.

“This place is… truly that ‘lake’.”

Jupiter muttered in a trembling voice, looking down at the vast surface of the lake. I glanced at Jupiter.

“Have you been here before, Jupiter?”

“Twenty years ago. It was back when the Imperial Army was still stationed in Crossroads. There was an operation to fill the lake with soil.”

They tried to fill such a large lake with soil? There must have been some stupid commanders even 20 years ago.

“The magic corps was mobilized, and they tried to fill the lake by moving soil with magic….”

“What happened?”

“It didn’t fill. No matter how much soil and rocks they poured in, the lake just kept sucking it all in.”

Jupiter’s face was clouded with a faint fear as he recalled the past.

“There were rumors among the Imperial Army at the time that it was truly connected to hell.”

“……”

“On the seventh day of the operation, a large number of monsters began to emerge, and eventually, the entire army retreated. The operation failed.”

Jupiter put out his cigarette and looked around the lake.

“This is the first time I’ve been this close since then.”

“You’d better be on your guard.”

I turned to look at my party members.

“We’re going to go deeper.”

The ominousness emanating from the lake was terrifying, but honestly, the surrounding scenery was beautiful.

But we weren’t here for sightseeing, so that’s enough looking around.

“Let’s go.”

I took the lead. The party members stuck close behind me.

There was a pier by the lake next to the gate. But there were no boats. I calmly walked to the end of the pier and stood there, when suddenly,

[Do you want to enter the ‘Lake Kingdom’?]

> Yes

> No

A system message popped up out of nowhere.

Of course, it’s a Yes.

[※Warning – You cannot return until the next ‘base’ is opened. Do you really want to enter?]

> Yes

> No

It even gives a warning and asks again.

I didn’t care and selected ‘Yes’ again. Do they think I’m new to this game?

Krrrrrr…!

The water of the lake split in a circle, revealing a pitch-black maw inside.

If the gate we passed through earlier was just a path to the lake, this place was the real entrance to the dungeon.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Without any further explanation, I jumped into the lake first.

The horrified party members followed me into the lake one after another.

Splash!

I was sucked into the pitch-black lake, where not a single ray of light penetrated.

***

[Now Loading… Entering the dungeon.]

[Tip – The number one cause of game over is ‘carelessness.’ Never let your guard down in any situation!]

***

It’s dark.

That was my first impression. It’s dark.

Literally, I couldn’t see an inch in front of me. A three-dimensional darkness that felt like it could be touched filled the surroundings.

Rustle. Rustle.

There was a sound in the darkness.

The sound of insects gnawing on something.

Rustle, rustle….

The sound grew louder. It felt like the darkness was getting closer.

It was probably my imagination, but it felt like someone was breathing on the back of my neck.

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

“Your Highness?!”

It was then. I heard Lucas’s panicked voice from far behind.

No, was it behind? Or beside? I couldn’t tell the direction. My senses were floating.

“Your Highness? Where are you, Your Highness!”

“I’m here. Don’t worry.”

I raised my voice, calming the flustered Lucas.

“Everyone, stay calm and light the torches.”

After a moment, lights began to appear one by one.

Flicker, flicker.

Everyone lit the torches they had and held them up.

Lily was so flustered that she used her fire magic to create a flame on her fingertip to illuminate the darkness. She must have been very scared.

Rustle, rustle….

As the light appeared, the darkness receded.

Making the sound of insects gnawing.

I also took out a light from my backpack.

Mine was a storm lantern, a lantern. It looked sturdy, so it seemed Aider had put some thought into it.

Flicker-

As I lit the lantern and held it up, I could finally see a little of my surroundings.

“This is…?!”

“Oh my god, what is this?”

Listening to the surprised voices of my party members, I swallowed hard at the sight before me.

A huge stone city, so old and weathered that it looked like it could collapse at any moment.

This gloomy city was submerged at the bottom of the dark lake, and we were standing in front of its north gate.

The steel gate, rusted red, was firmly closed.

Rustle, rustle….

An ominous atmosphere emanated from the entire city. Lucas, who had swallowed hard, turned to me with a tense face.

“Your Highness, what is this place….”

“This is the stranded Lake Kingdom. A dungeon beneath the surface of the water.”

I grinned, staring at the firmly closed gate of the city.

“It’s the monsters’ lair that we have to clear step by step.”

Even though I was smiling, cold sweat was running down my back.

When I saw it in the game, it was just a bit eerie, but coming here in person, the atmosphere was quite scary.

It felt like an evil energy was flowing out of the city itself.

Ancient magic surrounded the city like a dome, so the environment was the same as on the surface. We could breathe, and there were no restrictions on our movements.

But this was definitely under the lake. The surface of the water shimmered far above our vision.

It was pitch black, with only faint rays of light barely passing through.

The flustered Lily stammered.

“How can there be such a large city under the lake? And how can we move around so normally….”

“Shh!”

At that moment, Lucas urgently stopped Lily from speaking.

“Someone’s coming.”

Everyone looked in that direction.

Thud. Thud.

Someone was approaching from the darkness in the distance. Making feather-light footsteps.

Lucas drew his sword, and Damian took out his crossbow and aimed it. Jupiter also gathered electricity in his gauntlets.

“Heeeee!”

Only Lily was terrified, trembling and trying to run away with her wheelchair.

Hey, where are you going here? I grabbed the handle of Lily’s wheelchair and held her back.

“Everyone, don’t be too nervous. It’s probably not an enemy.”

Thud. Thud.

As I said, the person who approached was a human, not a monster.

It was a woman wearing an old cloak and a hood. The woman, who had come right in front of us, slowly looked us over.

“Are you grave robbers who have come to this Lake Kingdom in search of treasure?”

A clear, refreshing voice flowed from the woman’s mouth. It was unexpectedly a very young voice.

“There is nothing you want here. Return to the surface while you still have your lives.”

To meet a person out of the blue after entering the bottom of hell.

The party members were frozen in surprise. But I was calm.

Because this was a kind of tutorial event to help players not get lost when they first entered a dungeon.

‘When you enter the first dungeon, an NPC will guide you.’

NPC [Non-Player Character].

Even in this dungeon under the lake that had become hell, there were those who lived without losing their ego.

They sometimes help with dungeon exploration, and sometimes they hinder it.

They temporarily become allies, or they are recruited as hero characters, or they become hostile NPCs.

There are about a hundred NPCs living in this dungeon, and one of them randomly guides the player party to the first base.

‘But, I’ve never seen her before?’

She was an NPC I had never encountered in my 742 playthroughs of the game.

‘Was there such an NPC in this game?’

I looked at her closely, puzzled.

She was a strange woman.

Her cloak was not just ragged, it was more like a tattered rag. She was completely wrapped in it.

The tattered hood on her cloak was pulled down low, covering her face, and her white hair was curled and stretched out, dragging on the floor.

Her feet were bare, covered in dirt and soot, making them look black. She certainly didn’t look hygienic, to say the least.

And on her back was an old, worn-out longsword.

It was a longsword of a length that made me doubt if she could even wield it with her frail body, and it was a filthy, worn-out thing.

I had played through the game 742 times.

Of course, I had met almost all of the NPCs that could be encountered while exploring the dungeon.

But this woman was a first.

Suppressing the rising sense of unease, I stepped forward and spoke to the woman.

“We came from the surface. To destroy the source of the monsters that are pouring out.”

“……”

The woman stared at me intently. Even though I couldn’t see her eyes because of her robe and hair, I could feel her clear gaze.

“The surface is suffering because of the invasion of the monsters that have poured out from here. We have come to end this situation.”

“……The nightmare of the Lake Kingdom never ends. No one can wake the nightmare. Forever.”

The woman slowly shook her head.

“Great warriors and countless heroes have challenged to break the curse of this place, but they have all failed. You will be no different.”

“…….”

“Do not set foot in the darkness of this place. Return to the surface before it is too late. Before you are swallowed by the abyss, before you go mad with regret….”

If I was going to turn back just because she said that, I would have quit the game and returned to Earth a long time ago.

I didn’t back down and took another step closer to the woman.

“I am the lord of Crossroads, a fortress city that defends against monsters. I have a duty to protect the city, no, humanity, from the monsters.”

“…….”

“I am not afraid of the darkness. We must go inside this city and destroy the source of the monsters.”

I pointed to the firmly locked gate of the city.

“That’s why we came all the way here, but we can’t even enter the city because the gate is locked.”

“…….”

“If there is another way, would you guide us?”

The woman, who had been silently observing me, finally nodded slowly.

“Well, why not. It’s worth watching whether your words are courage from the heart, or just the recklessness of a commoner.”

The woman turned and took the lead.

“Follow me. The way into the city is this way.”

I shouted to the woman, who was walking fearlessly into the darkness.

“What should I call you? What’s your name?”

I asked because I thought I could deduce her identity by comparing it with the information I knew if I found out her name.

But the woman’s answer was unexpected.

“I have forgotten my name.”

In a slightly sad voice, the woman added.

“If you must call me something… call me Nameless.”