I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 47

Honestly, low-level golems were too easy for a party of this caliber.

“I can’t believe we cleared the whole area in less than an hour…”

We were already in the fourth and final room of Zone 1.

I kicked a shattered piece of a golem, feeling a bit empty.

The four party members had each taken down the golems in their own way.

Zap-!

Every time Jupiter flicked her fingers, lightning melted the golems.

Thwack! Thwack!

Damian’s arrows pierced the golems’ magic cores with precision.

Slash-!

Lucas cleaved the golems in two, cutting through both their cores and bodies.

And finally, Evangeline,

Thwack!

Just smashed them.

She charged in, stabbed them with her lance, and then bashed the immobilized golems with her shield.

No golem could withstand this two-hit combo, and they all shattered into pieces.

“Yah! Hiyah!”

Evangeline hopped around, swinging her lance and shield in turns with her small frame.

It might sound a bit odd, but she looked like a flying squirrel searching for food.

Thwack!

“Urahhh-!”

After smashing the last golem into dust with her shield, Evangeline roared with a flushed face. She looked refreshed somehow.

“One more! Isn’t there one more!”

“That was the last one, junior.”

[Zone 1: Dried-Up Drainage]

–Clear Progress: Normal Room 4/4

We defeated about 20 rock golems in total across four rooms. No one even got a scratch.

‘This is way too easy.’

The difficulty is so low that it’s not even good for party play training. Everyone can just smash them with their individual skills.

Since they were low-level golems, the materials we could gather were also mediocre.

And since we had to destroy the magic cores to stop them, the cores were all shattered.

“Everyone seems warmed up, so let’s take a short break and then head straight into Zone 2.”

I said as we walked through the last corridor of the drainage.

“Zone 2 will be harder than this, so don’t let your guard down.”

Though, honestly, Zone 2 would probably be too easy for our current party level too.

I hoped the difficulty would be adjusted to be moderately challenging. It’s better to study when things are a bit tough.

We didn’t walk for long before the drainage ended, and a wide open space appeared.

[Zone 2: Hidden Back Alley]

A single flickering streetlamp scattered light in the dark back alley. It was the safe zone I had activated last time.

Beyond it, the cityscape with its skyscrapers was visible. Below, the darkness rippled like the depths of the sea.

Evangeline stared at the dark city with her mouth agape.

“W-what is this…?”

“Where we’re exploring today.”

I swallowed hard and adjusted the Lucky Strike on my hand.

The moment had finally come to explore this place, the hell beneath the lake.

‘Gotta gather a lot of magic cores.’

And the real item farming starts too!

***

We decided to take a short break before heading into Zone 2.

Even though it was relatively easy, we still fought monsters in real combat. Fatigue was bound to set in.

Besides, there were a few other things to take care of, so I declared a break. The party members sat down comfortably in the safe zone and started resting in their own ways.

Clatter. Clatter.

Evangeline and Lucas were taking out their lunch boxes from their supply bags and gobbling them down. These physical-type knights, honestly.

Lucas was always a big eater, but Evangeline was no slouch either.

She puffed up her small cheeks like a squirrel and stuffed the contents of her lunch box into her mouth.

“Thanks for the meal~”

Evangeline shook her empty lunch box after finishing it in a flash.

“Is there no more?”

“You finished it already?!”

“It didn’t even make a dent. Is this enough to fill your stomach?”

Evangeline started rummaging through her supply bag, looking for more food. She’s a growing teenager, so I guess she’s not ordinary.

“Uhhhmmm!”

Lucas also started shoving the rest of his lunch box into his mouth. Seriously, don’t compete with a kid over something like this.

“Phew~.”

Jupiter was off in the corner, smoking alone.

She had a cigar in her mouth and was puffing out smoke. She didn’t care if there were minors in the party, as expected of a veteran.

I walked past her and said,

“Quit smoking, Jupiter.”

You need to live a long life, grandma. There are still a lot of stages I need you for.

Jupiter just grinned and didn’t say anything. Well, if she were the type to listen to nagging, she would have quit drinking and smoking a long time ago and lived a virtuous life.

She might have even quit being a mercenary and be living a peaceful retirement.

I walked past Jupiter and approached Damian.

“Ah, Your Highness.”

Damian, who was sipping water from a bottle, looked at me. I nodded.

“Damian, are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It wasn’t too strenuous.”

I handed Damian the luggage I had been carrying on my back as he smiled sheepishly.

“Here, take this.”

“Yes? What is this…?”

“It’s a magic rifle.”

It was the SR-grade magic rifle, ‘Hunter’s Retribution,’ that I got from the last box opening.

When Damian unwrapped the package, a long rifle with an antique design appeared.

Violet magic surged from the magic core embedded in the center of the barrel.

“Its power is incomparably stronger than a crossbow, but the weapon itself is unstable, and the number of shots is limited.”

Damian swallowed hard and examined the rifle.

There was no need to explain how to use it. With the Thousand Eyes’ correction, Damian would figure out how to use it as soon as he held it.

“For now, just use it as a secondary weapon.”

“It’s heavy. Much heavier than the crossbow…”

“It’s quite heavy, isn’t it?”

But in the future, you’ll have to carry around five or six of these rifles. You’ll need to build up your strength.

Damian hesitated, looking at me.

“It looks very expensive, is it okay for me to use something like this?”

“Of course. I’m giving it to you, so use it comfortably. Throw it around, break it, do whatever you want with it.”

“I-I would never do that!”

Damian was horrified and quickly hugged the rifle to his chest. Then, he smiled shyly.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll use it carefully.”

What, I’m more grateful. You cheat character.

I smiled back and turned to the rest of the party.

Evangeline and Lucas were munching on biscuits they had brought as snacks (are they pigs?), and Jupiter was just putting out her cigar.

I clapped my hands.

“Everyone’s had enough rest, right? Shall we go?”

Everyone got up without complaint and prepared for battle.

After checking that everyone had their torches and lanterns ready, I nodded.

“Let’s go!”

To the second zone of this dungeon city.

The moment we stepped into the back alley of the city, walking on the neatly laid colorful tiles,

Ding!

A system window popped up. It was the dungeon zone information.

[Zone 2: Hidden Back Alley]

–Clear Progress: Normal Room 0/4 Boss Room 0/1

–Acquired Treasure Chests: 0/5

There were a whopping five treasure chests to be found in Zone 2.

‘This is the point where we can start seriously upgrading the party’s equipment!’

I nodded, counting the items we could acquire here.

I’ll devour them all!

***

On a straight path with old brick walls on either side, without any proper buildings.

Our party was cautiously moving forward.

The dark back alley had an eerie atmosphere.

Even in Korea, where streetlights are densely packed, a back alley at night is unsettling.

But here, in the back alley of the Lake Kingdom, there wasn’t even a single ray of light, let alone streetlights. It wasn’t just eerie. Every step we took, relying on the torches in our hands, made the hairs on my body stand on end.

‘It’s actually a monster den, after all.’

Not just ghosts and spirits, but all sorts of diverse and vicious monsters are teeming in this city beneath the lake.

The only saving grace is that only one type of monster appears at a time. In this exploration, it’s golems.

‘But even golems are scary if they suddenly pop out of the darkness!’

Just imagine a house-sized golem suddenly appearing from the end of the alley… It’s terrifying just thinking about it.

And then.

Crash-!

It actually popped out as soon as I thought about it!

From the right side of the alleyway where we were cautiously moving, a huge golem burst through the brick wall.

“Aaaah, shit!”

I was so startled that I jumped back and cursed without thinking.

It seems we’ve already entered the first dungeon room. It’s all dark back alleys, so how are we supposed to know!

It was a steampunk-style golem, covered in metal armor and pipes.

The golems from Zone 1 looked cute compared to this one. It looked about the size of a huge truck.

Groooan-!

The huge golem let out a fierce driving sound, spewing out white steam like a train, and stretched out its arms.

“I’ll stop it!”

Lucas shouted and ran to the right, swinging his sword.

Clang!

The golem’s arm, hit by the sword, was knocked back significantly.

Ding!

At that moment, a system window appeared in front of me.

[Hidden Back Alley – Room 1]

–Eliminate all enemies!

–Lv.15 Steam Golem: 2

Level 15. Steam Golem. Elite monster. That’s not the important part.

‘Two of them?’

I was horrified and shouted.

“There’s another one…!”

Crash-!

This time, from the left side of the alleyway.

Another golem appeared, smashing through the fence.

Groooan!

The golem, also emitting a fierce driving sound and spewing steam, charged straight towards us.

It really felt like a train was coming!

Thwack-!

Evangeline blocked the charge with her shield.

Evangeline’s thin legs were pushed back.

Her feet, almost buried in the ground, shattered the tiles and kicked up dust.

“Ugh! Is it a bull or something…!”

Evangeline groaned, gritting her teeth.

“Kuh!”

Lucas also groaned from the other side.

When I quickly looked over there, Lucas was also on the defensive.

He was barely managing to deflect the golem’s two arms, which were repeatedly slamming down, with his sword.

Thud! Crash!

Lucas rolled away to avoid the heavy metal fists, and looked at me. I immediately nodded.

The reason why I, who am not a combatant, came all the way here is one.

“I will now direct the tactics!”

To give quick and accurate orders!