I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game-Chapter 15: [Side Story] At the Black Lake

Lucas began to speak with caution.

"I..."

I was on pins and needles. Multiple contingency plans sprouted in my mind, considering how to justify my actions to Lucas in a manner that would ensure his continued loyalty.

However.

"I simply follow your orders. I harbor no doubts."

Those were Lucas's words.

"I am your sword and your shield. I merely strike and protect as per your directives."

"..."

I was at a loss for words.

He undoubtedly had his reservations. Yet, he trusted me more than he was skeptical, Lucas had made that abundantly clear.

I was somewhat moved. Damn, Lucas, you loyal fool. I'll make sure you get a handsome bonus later.

"Good on you, Lucas!"

I pointed towards the entrance of the gate and hollered spiritedly.

"Are you prepared to step into the jaws of hell then?"

Lucas solemnly nodded with a stern expression.

"If it is by your side, I would gladly journey to the very depths of hell."

You might not be aware of this, but we've already weathered hell together, Lucas.

And we're poised to do it once more.

I didn't voice these thoughts aloud, instead, I patted Lucas's shoulder gently. Lucas responded with a faint smile.

A moment later, we were more or less geared up. Originally, we were simply going to perform a light reconnaissance, hence the minimal preparation.

I stood before the gate. Subsequently, a system window materialized before me.

[Teleport Gate]

- Please select a destination.

> Lakeside Pier

> (Unopened area)

> (Unopened area)

> ...

Presently, the gate could only transport us to one location - the 'Lakeside Pier'.

As we traverse and clear the dungeon, the number of accessible locations will progressively increase. I selected Lakeside Pier and activated the gate.

As the magical portal began its rotation, Lucas positioned himself at the entrance of the gate first.

"I will go ahead, your highness. Should there be any adversaries, I will handle them."

"There's no need to worry, the gate is safe."

"Even so, 'what if' scenarios exist. Thus, I shall be the first to step in."

With those words, he leaped into the gate. Such an exemplary model of dedication.

"Hoo."

I drew in a deep breath, and then hurled myself into the gate following his lead.

Woong-!

My field of vision swirled, and I was enshrouded by the sensation of levitating in the air.

Shortly thereafter, the world plunged into pitch darkness.

***

[Now Loading...]

[Tip - Heroes can bolster their strength by equipping gear. Equipment can be procured in the dungeon or crafted at the blacksmith's.] (TL Note: Lol)

For goodness sake, quit shoving these tips at me out of the blue! Stop attempting to pass off as a user-friendly game now!

***

-Flash!

With a blinding burst of light, the gate traversal was concluded.

As I emerged from the gate, a lake with a sapphire surface glistening in the sunlight sprawled before me.

"We've arrived."

I felt a tad nauseous, but I had made it in one piece.

I composed myself and scanned the surroundings. We were next to a decrepit pier at the lakeside. The gently undulating lake stretched out right before my eyes.

This black lake was the birthplace of monsters, a hellish source of nightmares.

It was the dungeon that barred the southern edge of the world.

"..."

Lake Sacaman stirred lazily, radiating an ominous air like a yawning abyss.

Almost hypnotically drawn in, I found myself gazing intently into the lake.

"Your Majesty!"

The urgency in Lucas's voice snapped me out of my trance.

Startled, I turned towards him. At the end of the pier, I saw Lucas's back.

"What is it, what's happening?"

"Over there, look over there...!"

With a face white as a sheet from terror, Lucas pointed out towards the lake. I followed his gaze.

And my eyes grew wide with shock.

-Sshhhhhhhhh...!

The tranquil surface of Lake Sacaman roiled and churned,

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

Monstrous forms began to burst forth from the frothing lake, stomping their feet on the pier.

-Squeak! Clang!

They were decrepit, hollow suits of armor.

Armed with rusted weapons of a reddish-brown hue, these armor-clad beasts crawled out of the lake, emitting an unsettling metallic noise.

A spectral glow flickered from within their vacant helmets.

A legion of spectral figures sheathed in armor.

I clenched my jaw and hissed,

"The Living Armor legion...!"

Why did it have to be these cretins!

The stage design of "Protect the Empire" incorporates an element of randomness.

The adversaries in the preliminary stages are selected randomly from a pool of low-level monster legions.

However, they always fall within the low-level range. Meaning, there isn't an absurd difficulty spike akin to a tutorial stage.

...Except for one instance, that is.

'Damn it, why did it have to be...!'

I gnashed my teeth.

'Why did it have to be the Living Armor!'

Goblins would have been manageable, mermaids too, hell, I would have even settled for wyverns.

Of all the possible low-level adversaries, we had to cross paths with the Living Armor.

Forcefully calming myself, I pulled up the stage information window. Thanks to our encounter with the enemy, their details were displayed accurately.

[Enemy Info - STAGE 1]

- Lv.? ??? : 1

- Lv.5 Living Armor Assault Trooper : 1052

The '???' mentioned at the top must be the boss monster.

The remaining Living Armors amounted to a staggering number of over a thousand. The silver lining was their relatively low levels.

-Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sight of thousands of armored monsters emerging from the waters was both repugnant and chilling.

The monsters amassing on the northern shore wasted no time and began their march northward, towards the crossroads.

"These creatures... are the monsters we're tasked with stopping this time."

"..."

"Your Majesty?"

Lucas turned towards me with a look of concern upon noticing my frozen state.

"Are you okay? You look ashen. Are you feeling unwell or..."

"...Lucas."

This conversation... It felt eerily familiar from the tutorial.

I was left with no other option. There was nothing else to say.

I locked eyes with Lucas, my words laden with seriousness and grim acceptance.

"Shit, we're screwed again."

***

While immersing myself in <Protect the Empire>, I had reset the game as many as 741 times.

If victory seemed unattainable, I had no option but to start afresh.

The reasons for each reset varied. Sometimes it was in-game incidents like Lucas's demise, or the obliteration of my first-tier party.

Other times it was management issues like mishandling city finances, losing facilities I had invested all my resources in, or failing to secure high-grade heroes due to sheer bad luck.

Nevertheless, in most scenarios, I made it a point to persist till the bitter end.

Defeat also carried valuable lessons to be employed in the next game.

But, there was one exception. In this case, I instantly hit the reset button without a second thought.

It was when the Stage 1 monsters turned out to be the Living Armor Legion.

In such a situation, regardless of my attempts, I'd either face a game over, or even if I did manage to clear it, the damage inflicted would be so catastrophic that an eventual reset was inevitable.

After ten futile attempts at overcoming this obstacle, I simply opted to reset the game as soon as I laid eyes on the Living Armors.

'In Stage 1, the most exasperating monsters to deal with are these armored fiends.'

I massaged my temples with my fingertips, trying to alleviate the headache.

Living Armors are creatures made entirely of armor. The true entity within is a specter.

In other words, they have an exceptionally high resistance to physical attacks.

Most of the soldiers defending the fortress are mere mortals.

They don't possess abilities like Lucas, who can rip out the cores of monsters, or Lilly and Jupiter, who can wield magic. Their arsenal is restricted to simple swords and spears.

Now, imagine a thousand specters, clad in solid armor, launching an attack?

Unlike other monsters who can be felled by a cannon shot or a spear thrust, these are different.

Their armor is not only robust, but their spectral forms also don't succumb to damage easily.

In a head-on collision, our side is destined to suffer immense losses.

The tides turn midway through the game, when our characters and parties grow stronger and acquire various defensive equipment, making it easier to combat them.

But right now, at Stage 1, all odds are stacked against us.

'Damn it, any monster but the Living Armors would've been bearable!'

At this juncture, it almost seemed as if some malevolent force was intentionally meddling with the game...

-Flash!

Once the reconnaissance was over, Lucas and I made an immediate return to Crossroads via the gate. I pulled up the stage information again.

[STAGE 1]

- Time until start: 2 days 23 hours

We had a window of three days until the stage kicked off.

In three days, those monstrosities would overrun this place. The clock was ticking, but we still had some time to gear up.

The only option was to exhaust every possible measure.

"Aider!"

As I stormed into the mansion and hollered, Aider scurried over, adjusting his glasses.

"You summoned, Lord?"

"How's the city's military faring?"

"The current total personnel available for front-line service in Crossroads is approximately five hundred and twenty-six, m'lord!"

Over the past few years, as monster invasions had become less frequent, the fortress's standing army had been whittled down to about three thousand.

The bulk of this number was lost in the tutorial stage.

Although they had managed to bolster the ranks with about a hundred mercenaries, their military strength remained woefully inadequate.

"Damn it, Ash, you stupid idiot!"

I cursed yet again at the reckless prince who had lent me his body. Dammit!

Had it been any other monster legion, our current forces would have been enough to scoff at the danger, but against the Living Armor Legion, we were severely underprepared.

"What's the possibility for further troop reinforcements?"

"All the mercenaries who came to the city have already been employed. We'll hire more as they arrive, but..."

"So, you're saying there's nowhere else to recruit more?"

"Within this city, yes."

"Then send messengers to nearby cities to request for troops! Tell them I'll pay double the usual weekly wage!"

Certainly, Crossroad was a solitary fortress stationed at the world's southernmost tip.

Traveling to a nearby city would take days, but it was better to attempt than not.

"Also, dispatch a messenger to the Imperial Palace. Inform them that the monsters have started to mobilize and request the maximum possible reinforcements."

Aider, who had been diligently noting down my instructions, paused and gave me a faint smile.

"Are you certain about this, my lord?"

Requesting support from the empire's headquarters was a precursor for a crucial 'event' in the mid-game.

That's why I had been resisting the urge to seek help. But what could I do? Survival was paramount!

"Go ahead, it's fine!"

"Understood!"

"And gather all the carpenters, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and alchemists in the city. No, don't just gather, draft them."

Crossroad was the world's largest magic stone mining area.

There were numerous artisans working on processing these magic stones. I planned to utilize them as well.

"But if we do so, the magic stone processing line will halt..."

"We're on the brink of disaster, and you're worried about magic stone processing? Stop it all and bring everyone here!"

"Understood. I'll draft them immediately."

After issuing several minor orders, I gave my final instruction.

"And, summon all party members."

"We have a total of 9 heroes who can form parties. How would you like to arrange them?"

"..."

I opened the system window.

I grouped the newly recruited heroes, including Jupiter, into one party.

The remaining - Lucas, Damien, Lilly, and I - were assigned to the main party.

"The parties will be arranged like this. Inform them as you summon."

"Lilly is in a somewhat difficult condition for movement."

"This is not the time to consider that."

I felt a pang of regret for Lilly, who was wheelchair-bound and nearing retirement. But we couldn't afford to have an R-class wizard sidelined at this critical juncture.

"There's no time. Carry out the orders now!"

"Understood~!"

Aider scurried out of the mansion.

After instructing Lucas to prepare the party members for battle as they arrived, I retreated to my room in the mansion.

Perched on the edge of the bed, I brought up the system window in the air before me.

I had spent a fair amount of time waffling and mulling over it, but... it seemed the luxury of time was no longer on my side.

'Job selection.'

From the list of potential jobs, my finger hovered over the last option.

'Commander.'

The difficulty level of this game was anything but ordinary.

From the Queen Spider in the tutorial to the prematurely appearing Living Armor Legion, arguably the most fearsome monster type in the early stages of the game.

The tougher the game, the more crucial it was to introduce variables.

So, I made the decision to roll the dice. I intended to introduce variables using a lesser-known hidden job.

['Novice Commander' will be your job selection. Are you sure?]

- Yes/No

Yes, damn you.

My hands trembled as I gingerly selected 'Yes.'

[Ash (EX) has changed jobs to 'Novice Commander'!]

The jingle that signified my job change chimed in.

And then...

"What, what's going on?!"

My eyes bulged at the following system message.

What on earth was this?!

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