I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 271

“So.”

After a brief chaotic scene.

I left Lily over there and took Verdandi and Godhand to a corner. I asked,

“What’s the relationship between you two?”

It’s been over 100 years since the Holy Grail Expedition came to this dungeon.

But elves are a representative long-lived race. It wouldn’t be surprising if they knew each other from before.

However, Verdandi and Godhand were just looking at each other, not easily answering. I frowned.

“What is it? Are you really lovers or something?”

Lily’s eyes flickered from over there, as if she heard our conversation. Godhand, startled, waved his hands frantically.

“Absolutely not! We are not like that!”

“Then what is it? Why can’t you tell me?”

“That is, actually, Lady Verdandi is from the Fairy Kingdom…”

This time, Verdandi’s eyes flickered at Godhand, who was about to say something.

Godhand, startled again, stammered and changed the subject.

“Lady Verdandi is, well… she has a high rank. I was once under her command.”

“Hmm?”

Actually, I know Verdandi’s ‘real identity.’ Of course, I know the background of an SSR-grade [Super Super Rare] named character like the back of my hand.

But if she wants to hide it, there’s no need to stir up trouble. I turned my attention to Godhand.

“So, now that you’ve met your old superior, you’ll pledge your loyalty to Verdandi instead of me?”

“No, that’s absolutely not true, Your Highness! The only master our Shadow Squad serves is you!”

Godhand, who shouted at me, almost prostrated himself on the floor. Verdandi clicked her tongue at Godhand’s behavior.

“Even so, to prostrate yourself before a human… how did you become like this while I wasn’t looking…”

“No. Lady Verdandi. That’s, well… !”

Godhand looked like he was about to cry. He’s getting hit from all sides. Is he the main character of a love triangle?

I couldn’t watch any longer and stepped in to sort things out.

“Anyway, you two are acquaintances, but you’re not in a master-servant relationship, nor are you lovers, right?”

“That’s right! You’re exactly right, Your Highness!”

“Okay. I understand. I’m convinced.”

I gestured towards Lily over there.

“But will that one forgive you?”

Goo-ooo-

A fire mage was emitting a clear red aura.

I could feel a fierce rage, as if she would turn this entire area into a sea of fire at any moment.

“Liar, liar, elves are all liars…”

“Hee, heeek.”

A pathetic groan escaped from Godhand’s mouth. You have a surprisingly diverse character…

Anyway, there’s no reason for me to watch someone else be the lead in a love (or quadrangle?) relationship. I wrapped things up.

“Godhand, take Lily over there and talk it out. Clear up any misunderstandings and share your stories.”

“N-now, with Lily-nim in that state…?”

“Then are you going to run away? You have to catch the sparks when they’re small. Don’t you know? ‘Look at the hidden embers, look again at the extinguished embers’~”

I recited a fire safety slogan I heard a long time ago, and Godhand, looking like he was about to die, trudged towards Lily.

It’s so satisfying to see those guys, who were flirting and rubbing salt in my wounds just a few minutes ago, like that. Heh heh.

“Verdandi?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Verdandi answered sharply when I called her. I smiled brightly.

“I don’t care what your past is. We’re cooperating in this dungeon. Right?”

“That’s right.”

“But. Godhand and the elves under him are my subordinates now.”

Godhand is suddenly playing a different genre by himself.

Anyway, the Shadow Squad are all loyal subordinates who would give their lives for me.

“Even if they’re your kin, it’s going to be a problem if you try to take them. I can’t stand having anything taken from me.”

They’re one of my few elite sub-parties. I won’t forgive you if you try to poach them, whether it’s through school ties, regional ties, blood ties, or contracts.

Verdandi nodded with a pale face.

“…I will keep that in mind.”

I gave her a bright smile.

“Good! Then, shall we go save your precious captured comrades?”

***

Before heading out to clear the path, I came to see Coco, the teleportation NPC, for another purpose today.

Grandma Coco was sitting in her workshop.

With Kellybay gone, she was the only NPC guarding this base camp.

The large witch was stirring a large pot with some unknown ingredients bubbling in it. She glared at me as I approached.

“What brings you here today, you young prince? Is there a door you want me to open?”

I cut to the chase and told her what I wanted.

I wanted to build a teleport gate in the location I desired. I asked if she could cooperate.

“Hmm, building a teleport gate…”

Coco looked at me with an inscrutable smile. I nodded.

“You can do it, Grandma Coco, right? You’re a master of space magic.”

“Of course, I can. After all, I was the one who built all the teleport gates in the Lake Kingdom.”

Coco reminisced about the past with distant eyes.

“After this Lake Kingdom was shrouded in darkness, I and the Nameless One spent hundreds of years building safe havens in various places.”

I didn’t really care about Coco, so I didn’t know. Come to think of it, this old woman is also hundreds of years old.

She’s definitely not an ordinary human.

Seeing her use lost space magic like it’s second nature, is she an ancient mage?

Or is she a resident of this Lake Kingdom cursed with eternal life?

“Lighting the fires, building teleport gates, putting up barriers to prevent monsters from entering… They were hard but rewarding days.”

“…”

“Whether all that hardship was worth it, I don’t know.”

Coco stared blankly at the thick darkness outside the base camp, then turned her gaze back to me.

“Alright, fine. I’ll help you. You’re worth helping.”

“Why? Do you think I can drive out the darkness of this kingdom?”

I asked jokingly, and Coco burst into a hearty laugh.

“I’ve seen countless promising young people in this darkness! And I’ve seen them all shattered, lose their light, and fade away. I’m too worn out to bet on hope.”

Then?

Why am I worth helping?

“The reason I’m helping you is because of your innate ‘talent.'”

“…Talent?”

“What, you’re not aware of it?”

Talent? What talent? Talent as a hardcore gamer? Talent as a streamer? My viewers do tease me that my clown talent is considerable.

“As a sorcerer who manipulates space, there’s only one other field of talent I recognize.”

But what Coco brought up was something completely different.

“Time.”

“…?”

I blinked blankly.

Time? Time?

I have a talent for that?

What the heck is this nonsense?

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You’ll realize it eventually.”

Coco waved her hand dismissively and smiled.

“Anyway, good. If you bring the materials, I’ll build a teleport gate in the location you want. However…”

The old witch’s eyes were filled with a mischievous glint. It was a look I knew very well.

“Those materials won’t be easy to find.”

So, it’s that look of an old-timer looking at a newbie, thinking, ‘You’re going to suffer a bit too’…

Ding!

A system window popped up in front of me. I quickly checked it.

[Item Crafting Quest]

– Obtain the materials needed to create a teleport gate.

> SR-grade [Super Rare] or higher magic core (0/1)

> Dark crystal (0/5)

> Demon’s heart (0/3)

> …

> …

The dark crystals that come from high-grade monsters in the depths of the dungeon are basic, and the demon’s heart is only dropped by the top-tier monsters, the demon legions.

There were all sorts of magical materials that could only be found in the depths.

Especially, there were many materials that came from the 7th area. I smiled bitterly.

‘Either way, I have to go into the 7th area after all.’

Still, it feels rewarding to complete quests by overlapping the routes and clearing them all at once.

‘Rescue the kidnapped NPC. And build a teleport gate.’

Let’s finish these two sub-quests at the same time!

I dusted off my hands and turned around. I could see the party members who had finished preparing to enter the dungeon. I shouted energetically.

“Alright, let’s go clear the path!”

***

I was worried that it would be quite difficult since the main party was missing.

But unexpectedly, it wasn’t at all.

Thwack! Thud! Clang!

First of all, the five members of the penal squad in beast mode were breaking through the front lines with tremendous force.

They currently have a new trait activated.

[Full Moon Wolf]

– For two weeks before and after the full moon, you transform into a werebeast. Strength and stamina gradually increase. Intelligence and magic power gradually decrease. This effect is strongest on the full moon.

– For two weeks before and after the new moon, you transform into a human. You return to your base stats.

An unremovable trait, [Full Moon Wolf].

For two weeks before and after the full moon, they transform into beasts like now and receive bonuses to strength and stamina.

But this is much stronger than I thought. Above all, Quillan is receiving the effect incredibly well.

“Hahaha! Get lost, you monster bastards!”

Quillan shouted cheerfully and thrust his fist forward. The skeletons, this season’s monsters, were smashed to pieces by his fist.

Quillan was a melee dealer with high strength and agility, but extremely low stamina.

Because of the [Glass Body] trait, no matter what he did, his stamina stat was too low, and he would fall over spitting blood after just one hit.

However, during the two weeks when [Full Moon Wolf] is activated, the [Glass Body] trait disappears.

It seems that because his body transforms into that of a beast, he can ignore the negative traits of his original body. Jackpot!

Thus, the current Quillan has become a complete martial artist with all three virtues of a front-line character—strength, agility, and stamina—maxed out!

Although it’s only for two weeks a month, he’s making such a comeback! To be honest, I thought it was a bit, no, a lot of a waste to invest in you all this time!

Besides Quillan, the penal squad are all warrior and rogue classes. They are all melee characters. They reliably form the front line.

And the rest of the members who came with them,

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Thud-thud-thud-!

The Shadow Squad, who were originally the firepower team on this monster front!

Although they lost two archers, the combination of the metal manipulator Godhand, the telekineticist Bodybag, and the explosive area-of-effect archer Burnout is still unleashing overwhelming firepower.

The skeleton horde is swept away in an instant.

And.

Finally, an unintentionally included guest member.

Whoosh-!

Lily, holding up a huge fireball, glared fiercely.

“Ultimate move…”

Lily’s hands stretched forward, and she threw the huge fireball at an incredible speed.

“Liar Killing-!”

Kuwagwagwagwang!

The fireball, emitting tremendous heat, flew and caused a magnificent explosion.

The dungeon boss at the edge of the 6th area where we were currently entering, the Giant Skeleton Conqueror, was directly hit by the fireball and disappeared, leaving only black ashes.

“…”

Is this an R-grade [Rare] mage? Is this level 32? Is this even possible?

As I watched the scene with my mouth agape, Godhand, who was standing next to me, began to tremble.

I put my hand on his shoulder and nodded silently.

“This is the in-house romance you chose… no, the in-battlefield romance. Endure it with all your might.”

“…Yes. I will.”

Godhand smiled with trembling lips.

“I’m tired of living a lie. Now, I’m going to live honestly, both to others and to myself.”

“…”

“I will clear up Lily-nim’s misunderstanding and convey my true feelings.”

Godhand, who had taken a deep breath, strode towards Lily, who was panting heavily after using [Ultimate Move Liar Killing (this skill doesn’t exist)].

Watching the romance of the two, which was not easily resolved, I secretly sent my heartfelt support to Godhand.

‘I hope you get hit by that fireball and burn black during a marital fight later.’

Sincerely, you bastard!