I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 295

A few days ago.

‘Hey, young prince, do you know how teleportation magic works?’

That’s what Grandma Coco of the Cleave asked me when I was ordering the second and third teleport gates. I replied casually.

‘I don’t really know much about magic. Isn’t it just, like, whoosh and then whoosh, you’re there?’

Teleportation is teleportation, what else is there? While flying, the director guy pops up some weird tips. Isn’t that it?

‘To put it simply, teleportation is a magic that cuts space, puts the target into another dimension, and then ‘pulls it out’ at the destination.’

Unlike my casual attitude, Grandma Coco explained seriously.

‘In other words, while inside the teleport gate… while inside the magic door, you’re briefly stepping into ‘another world.”

‘Oh, I see.’

I mostly ignored it. Anyway, as someone whose everyday life is an isekai [a Japanese term for a genre where a person is transported to another world] life, even if I go somewhere else for a bit, it’s not surprising.

‘Entering another world itself isn’t difficult. The problem is returning to reality.’

But Grandma Coco, as if telling me to listen seriously, thrust her fiercely glaring eyes in front of me.

‘You must have a firm light of the ‘self’ as a lighthouse, to be able to resurface back to this reality.’

‘Um… I see?’

I just agreed, not knowing what she was talking about. Coco narrowed her eyes, looking suspicious.

‘So, sometimes those who aren’t sure who they are, often go missing during teleportation magic. They lose the light of their lighthouse and drift away.’

I swallowed hard.

She’s not saying this with some intention, right? She’s just reading the user manual, right?

‘Perhaps for this reason, beings born from nightmares cannot use teleportation magic. If they enter a teleport gate, they’ll all be swept away to the other side.’

‘So, the monsters can’t use the gates? That’s a relief.’

‘But they can destroy the teleport gates themselves.’

Coco tapped the pile of stones that made up the teleport gate, making it clear that it was a destructible object.

‘The reason the gates inside the dungeon are safe is because Muyeong lit them with the ‘light’ he took from his soul, preventing monsters from approaching. And I added a barrier on top of that.’

I blinked. So that’s how safe zones are made.

‘I don’t know where you’ll install these gates outside, but remember. The gates can be destroyed, and they are not safe.’

Grandma Coco spoke slowly, each word heavy, unlike before.

‘Those who have lost their own light can get lost inside them.’

The witch’s tone was kind, but somehow eerie. I swallowed hard.

No, no matter how much you try to scare me, I’m still going to install them!

***

Present.

Using the teleport gates installed between Crossroads and the Black Lake, we moved as a small guerrilla unit.

We ambushed the northward-bound monster legion. We poured firepower and retreated repeatedly.

The skeleton legion was not a fast-moving monster, so a safe hit-and-run was possible.

With Junior’s magic and Damian’s sniping, we bombarded them, and before the heavily hit monsters got angry and chased us, we quickly escaped through the teleport gate.

‘But, Your Highness. Can’t the monsters use these gates?’

Damian tilted his head as we used a teleport gate hidden in a secluded forest path.

When I briefly summarized what I had heard from Grandma Coco a few days ago, Damian nodded in understanding.

‘So, the monsters can’t use these teleport gates, but they can destroy them?’

‘That’s right. But we don’t have the magic to create safe zones… so it’s best to hide these gates as well as possible.’

‘What if they get discovered?’

Damian asked a painful question with an innocent voice, and I answered with a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘Well, then they’ll get destroyed…’

Even though the cost of building a teleport gate is expensive, it’s worth it if we can effectively damage the monsters. Even if it’s used once and destroyed.

‘The important thing is to create an environment where our heroes and soldiers can fight safely without getting killed or injured.’

That’s the most important thing.

Junior, who was listening to my conversation with Damian, smiled brightly.

‘Your Highness, you really care about your subordinates.’

‘……’

I was dumbfounded.

Is that so?

Do I really care about my subordinates?

Actually, isn’t it just that I can’t stand the guilt of being tormented when I lose my subordinates?

‘Whatever Your Highness’s motivation is, you are taking action. You value human lives above all else.’

Junior smiled as he stepped into the teleport gate first.

‘Isn’t that enough?’

Then, with a flash of light, he disappeared into the magic door first.

‘……’

Damian stepped into the gate in front of me, who was keeping my mouth shut.

‘We’ve almost taken down all the monsters! Let’s go finish them off, Your Highness!’

‘……Okay.’

Damian also disappeared into the flash of light in front of me, who was forcing a smile.

Whew, after catching my breath, I also pushed myself into the gate last.

‘Let’s go!’

This stage is almost over!

***

And so.

With the interception at the forward base and two more guerrilla attacks. Over three days, we were able to effectively reduce the number of the skeleton legion.

On the day of the defense battle – the monsters that reached the walls of Crossroads.

Clatter, clatter……

They were a pathetic skeleton group, reduced to 1/10th the size of their first appearance at the lake.

Not only in size, but the monsters, who had been thoroughly beaten by our guerrillas, were in terrible shape.

They were tattered from Junior’s magic and Damian’s sniping.

I, who was glaring at such monsters from the top of the wall, slowly raised my hand.

‘Aim!’

Clack! Clack!

The waiting soldiers moved in unison.

The well-trained soldiers precisely aimed the cannons that had already been aligned. The cannons lined up on the steel wall were all lit at once.

The skeleton group entered the correct distance. I quickly stretched my hand forward.

‘Fire-!’

Bang! Thud-thud-thud-!

At the same time as I waved my hand, dozens of cannonballs fell directly into the monster’s formation.

Boom! Boom!

A fierce explosion swept through the area where the skeleton group was.

Following that, ballistae and various projectile artifacts poured down without stopping. Our crossfire shredded the skeletons to pieces.

After one round of concentrated fire, I clenched my fist in the air. The soldiers immediately stopped moving, and the firing ceased.

When the thick smoke cleared, there were no moving monsters.

They were all just lying there, burned black……

I opened the enemy information window to check if there were any living monsters. Of course, there weren’t.

‘No casualties. No injuries.’

Lukas, who came next to me, smiled brightly.

‘It’s a complete victory, my lord.’

‘……’

I turned around, looked at my heroes and soldiers, and then smiled broadly.

‘You weakling monsters! Now you know how scary we are, you can’t even come near the walls! Isn’t that right!’

At my shout, the heroes and soldiers cheered in unison.

After waiting for the cheers and applause to subside, I nodded.

‘Everyone! You’ve worked hard! Let’s keep doing this in the future!’

‘Yes-!’

‘Okay, let’s go eat and rest!’

The soldiers smiled brightly and began to organize their equipment on the wall. The joy of victory and the relief of survival were overflowing on their faces.

‘……Hoo.’

I turned my tired eyes to look at the corpses of monsters scattered across the field.

There were no casualties, but my physical fatigue was greater than in the previous battles.

From the battle at the forward base to the guerrilla operations, and now the defense battle. I had been involved in the operation for more than three full days.

‘Did I push myself a bit too hard?’

Since it was the first time I was carrying out an operation like this, I personally supervised every battle.

I had to check if the operation was going as I had planned, and if an emergency occurred, I had to step in and take care of it.

So, while the other heroes were deployed in shifts, I stayed up for three days, surviving on naps and rest. Perhaps because of that, I was a little tired.

But if I can prevent potential damage by working a little harder, I should gladly do so.

‘I need to move more… I need to find new methods and stockpile trump cards. To win completely…’

Thinking that, I rubbed my tired eyes and turned back around.

My main party members were already standing behind me, waiting for me.

Evangeline smiled brightly in front of me, who was surprised and widened my eyes.

‘Let’s go, senior! You’ve been pushing yourself too hard these past few days! At least let’s rest comfortably after a victory!’

As soon as she finished speaking, Damian and Junior grabbed me from the left and right and led me inside the wall.

Evangeline led the way, and Lukas followed slowly from behind.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the four of them surrounding me and walking as if they were escorting me.

‘Okay, you guys. I’m not going to run away, so let go. I’ll walk!’

Damian and Junior laughed and let me down. Geez, these kids.

As my party members let go of me, and the moment my two feet touched the wall floor.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, my vision went dizzy.

The world seemed to sway and shake, and my body became unbearably cold.

I felt nauseous and my nose burned.

‘Cough, cough, cough!’

I bent over and coughed dryly, then wiped the wet area under my nose.

It was red.

‘……A nosebleed?’

I mumbled stupidly.

At the same time, I lost sensation in my toes. All the strength drained from my body, and I collapsed to the floor as if falling down.

The pale faces of my surprised party members spun at the edge of my vision. The shrill voices of my party members echoed in my ears.

My lord, senior, Your Highness, Your Majesty…!

Amidst the hands that desperately grabbed me and the scattered familiar voices.

I helplessly lost consciousness and sank into the pitch-black unconsciousness.

***

[STAGE 11 – CLEAR!]

[STAGE MVP – Evangeline(SSR)]

[Level Up Characters]

>Main Party

– Ash(EX) Lv.49 (↑1)

– Lukas(SSR) Lv.52 (↑1)

– Evangeline(SSR) Lv.52 (↑1)

– Damian(EX) Lv.52 (↑1)

>Sub Party 1

– Quillan(SR) Lv.51 (↑1)

– Tuesday(R) Lv.44 (↑1)

– Wednesday(R) Lv.44 (↑1)

– Becky(R) Lv.44 (↑1)

– Ontherock(R) Lv.42 (↑1)

>Sub Party 2

– Godhand(SR) Lv.46 (↑1)

– Bodybag(R) Lv.41 (↑1)

– Burnout(SR) Lv.40 (↑1)

[Dead and Injured Characters]

– None

[Acquired Items]

– Skeleton Legion Magic Stone: 189

– Skeleton Mage Magic Core(R): 3

– Skeleton Marshal Magic Core(SR): 2

[Stage clear rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory.]

– R-Grade Reward Box: 3

– SR-Grade Reward Box: 1

>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE

>> [STAGE 12 : Winter is Coming]