I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 27

Following Nameless, we walked along the outer wall of the city for dozens of minutes.

“You shouldn’t follow a suspicious person like that! It could be a trap!”

Lucas said this to me every five minutes. Is he some kind of cuckoo clock? He chirps every five minutes like clockwork.

“It’s okay, I’m telling you it’s okay. Let’s just follow her for now.”

I tried my best to soothe him as I led the party forward.

After walking for a while, Nameless suddenly stopped. Startled, all the party members stopped and raised their weapons.

“It’s here.”

Nameless pointed towards the city wall.

Upon closer inspection, there was a drainage facility. It was completely dried up and had long lost its function.

Nameless took the lead and entered the drain.

“Going through here leads to the inside of the city. Be careful, it’s slippery.”

We bent down and walked through the narrow drain for about five minutes.

Suddenly, the space widened. I straightened up and looked around. The system window displayed the location.

[Area 1: Dried-Up Drainage]

We had finally arrived at the first area of this Lake Kingdom dungeon.

It was a place where all the drainage facilities of the city converged.

Not a single drop of water flowed, and everything was completely dried up. The winding drainpipes were intricately intertwined, stretching out like a maze.

A magic stone with permanent lighting magic was embedded in the ceiling, brightly illuminating the space.

Under the magic stone, there was a pile of stones similar to the one in my mansion’s backyard.

As I approached and raised my hand, the pile of stones spun around and rose up. Soon, a teleport gate was activated.

[The base of ‘Area 1: Dried-Up Drainage’ has been connected!]

A base.

It was a safe zone where monsters couldn’t enter, usually located at the first point of the area.

By connecting the teleport gate, we could continue exploring from here next time.

Finding bases hidden throughout the city, connecting teleport gates, and repeating exploration and return trips would become the basic routine of free exploration.

Lilly, seeing that the teleport gate was connected, became frantic and begged me.

“Can’t I go back from here?! Please?!”

“No, you can’t.”

Did you think I came all the way here with a full party and supplies just to open this path? We have to clear at least one area before we go back.

As I was trying to calm Lilly, who was begging to be sent back, Nameless said indifferently.

“My guidance ends here. From this point on, you must proceed by your own will.”

“Thank you for guiding us, Nameless.”

After hesitating for a moment, Nameless let out a long sigh.

“I will warn you. This Lake Kingdom has already been completely consumed by nightmare. The further you advance, the darker the darkness will become, and the more powerful the monsters will be.”

Unlike her usual monotonous voice, this time, I could feel genuine concern.

“If you must head into the abyss despite this, I will give you one piece of advice.”

Nameless whispered each word with emphasis.

“Never, let, the, fire, go, out.”

“……”

“I hope blessings will be with you on your path.”

With those words, Nameless slowly walked into the darkness and eventually disappeared completely from sight.

Lucas, who had been watching Nameless with wary eyes until the end, muttered.

“What was that woman? How is she living in a city under this lake?”

“I don’t know……”

At that moment, Damian, who was standing close behind me, spoke in a slightly frightened voice.

“Your Highness, the darkness here is strange. I can’t see beyond it even with my eyes. It’s like… the darkness is alive.”

“……”

“But that woman… how is she walking around in this darkness without a torch?”

I couldn’t answer.

Even I, who had cleared this game on the hardest difficulty, didn’t know the secrets that were commonplace in this dungeon.

But there was one thing that was certain.

“We’ll meet again. Let’s ask her then.”

Here, at the bottom of this lake, we would meet again.

As enemies, as allies, or in any form.

***

At the first base, we lightly prepared ourselves.

We quenched our thirst with water and ate a bite of preserved food.

“C-c-can we really go home safely…?”

Everyone seemed fine except for Lilly, who was trembling with a tearful face.

Jupiter gently reassured Lilly.

“Don’t worry, young lady. This old woman will take responsibility and keep you safe.”

“R-really? Will Sir Jupiter protect me?”

“Of course, trust me.”

I wondered why that old woman was being so warm, but then,

“But you have to pay me 1,000 Adels [currency] for protection.”

As expected, she was extorting money….

“I’ll pay! I’ll give it to you in cash right now!”

I quickly stopped Lilly, who was frantically trying to take out her wallet. Stop, stooop!

“Hey, Jupiter! What are you doing, extorting money from a kid!”

“Tch, I got caught.”

Jupiter grumbled and stepped back. This greedy old hag, really!

I sighed and comforted Lilly.

“Really, don’t worry, Lilly. We’ll all be able to go back safely.”

“R-really, Your Highness…?”

It’s the first exploration area. It’s actually quite low in difficulty. If it were really dangerous, would I have brought you, who has difficulty moving, along?

After calming Lilly, I carefully examined the system window.

[Area 1: Dried-Up Drainage]

– Clear Progress: Normal Room 0/3 Boss Room 0/1

– Acquired Treasure Chests: 0/2

Area 1, Dried-Up Drainage.

As the first exploration area, the structure is simple.

It’s a simple dungeon consisting of three normal rooms and one boss room. It’s a straight path, so there’s no need to get lost.

The player must proceed through the dungeon from the base to the boss room, which is the exit.

Normal rooms can be skipped using tricks, but the boss room must be cleared through combat.

“Alright, everyone ready?”

After the preparation time, I looked around at the party members and nodded.

“With our party’s current level, we should be able to clear it without much difficulty. Let’s go!”

We stood in a line and left the base.

Lucas was at the front, followed by me. Then came Lilly, Jupiter, and Damian.

As soon as we left the base, an immense darkness rushed in. The darkness surged like a rough wave.

All the party members reflexively raised their torches and lanterns.

The pouring darkness then flinched and retreated.

“……”

“……”

Silence fell among the party members.

I said firmly.

“Let’s move forward.”

We slowly moved forward.

It was a passage with winding drainpipes that stretched endlessly.

Even though it was completely dry, it somehow felt damp and musty.

Lucas, holding up a torch and examining the pipes on the wall, groaned.

“A corridor connected to the sewer… I wonder how far it goes?”

“It’ll end soon.”

As I said, the path soon ended, and a wide room opened up. It was the first room of this exploration area.

The dungeons in this game are basically composed of rooms and passages.

In the rooms, random events such as battles with enemies, item discoveries, or encounters with NPCs unfold.

And the event in this first room is….

Chiiik!

Kilik! Kilik!

It’s a battle.

As soon as we entered the room, about a dozen giant sewer rats crawled out from the walls, floor, and even the ceiling.

“Hiiiik?! Raaats?!”

Lilly was even more terrified. You’re surprisingly weak in many ways….

[Dried-Up Drainage – Room 1]

– Annihilate the enemies!

– Lv.3 Giant Sewer Rat: 14

They were level 3 monsters. There were many of them, so we couldn’t be careless, but they were by no means difficult enemies.

“Lucas, take the front. Don’t attack, focus on defense. Hold your position and block the ones that come close.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Damian, snipe them. Their skulls are hard, so aim for their eyes or necks.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Jupiter, Lilly, conserve your firepower. Only attack the ones that break through Lucas’s defense line.”

There was no need to waste the mages’ mana here.

I ordered Lucas and Damian to fight, while keeping Jupiter and Lilly in the back.

Lucas drew his longsword and stood in front, while Damian raised his crossbow. Jupiter and Lilly stepped back.

So what am I doing?

I’m just watching, I guess. I stood comfortably with my hands behind my back.

Chiiik!

Kiriirik!

The giant sewer rats rushed in from all directions, scattering red glares.

In response, Damian fired his crossbow.

Pshoo! Pshoo!

The arrows that smoothly tore through the air accurately pierced the rats’ eyes.

Kiek?!

Thud!

The corpse of the sewer rat, killed instantly, rolled dully on the floor.

However, as I said repeatedly, Damian’s sniping was accurate but not fast.

By the time the arrow knocked down the third sewer rat, the rest had already reached Lucas.

“Haaap!”

Lucas swung his sword horizontally.

Flash-!

With the flash of the sword, the leading sewer rat was beheaded and fell.

Lucas’s level was already 29. As an SSR-grade character [Super Super Rare, a high-ranking character], his stat growth rate was outstanding.

In terms of specs, the sewer rats were no match for him.

Flash! Flash-!

Each time the sword light cut through the darkness, a sewer rat fell, spraying blood.

The giant sewer rats couldn’t break through Lucas’s defense line, and they were steadily defeated by Lucas’s sword strikes and Damian’s snipes.

In an instant, all the last sewer rats were taken care of.

Lucas shook the blood off his sword, and Damian sighed and lowered his crossbow.

I grinned.

“Good job, everyone~ It wasn’t a big deal, right?”

“I guess so. It was easy compared to how nervous I was.”

Damian smiled with a slightly tired face.

The enemies we had faced so far were the Black Spider Legion and the Living Armor Legion.

Compared to those vicious guys, these sewer rats were almost cute.

At that moment, Lucas, who had checked the fallen sewer rat corpses, shouted to me.

“There are thirteen in total, Your Highness. Shall we collect the magic stones?”

“No. They’re low-grade, and not many will come out… Huh?”

I stopped mid-sentence. Thirteen?!

Clearly, the information window said there were fourteen….

Chiiik-!

At that moment.

A cry was heard from above.

“?!”

Startled, I looked up and met the red eyes of a sewer rat falling from the ceiling.

It was the last giant sewer rat. It had hidden in the darkness of the ceiling, approached, and then pounced on me.

It seemed I was targeted because I had the lowest level.

“Your Highness?!”

“Oh no, too la…!”

Damian and Lucas shouted in panic.

It was too late for Jupiter and Lilly to cast magic.

The distance between the sewer rat and me was too close, and if they used magic, I would be caught in it as well.

‘What should I do? What should I do-’

Then it happened. Suddenly, I thought of the glove on my hand.

The SSR-grade luck weapon, Lucky Strike.

Come to think of it, I was wearing it.

The situation was urgent, and the decision was quick.

“Oh, whatever!”

All or nothing!

No matter how much I try to eliminate variables in the game, there comes a moment when I have to leave it to the goddess of fate to flip a coin.

I thought that moment was now, and I thrust my fist forward with all my might.

My fist hit the sewer rat’s jaw, and,

Ting.

At that moment, a slot machine interface appeared in the corner of my vision. What?!?

Three panels with numbers from 0 to 7 written on them rotated rapidly vertically, then stopped in order. Ting. Ting. Ting!

And the numbers that came out were….