Ready for the Next Defense
“Eight...
‘What do you mean the units were seconds, not days? Why the hell is this so rushed? Didn’t you say we’d have plenty of time to prepare if we came by the main road? Damn it!’
“Because you spent so much time helping the villages along the route, the time allotted to prepare for the first defense has been reduced. Three... two... one. Begin!”
[Stage 1: The Blocking Presence]
- Mission Objective: Defend the eastern district office from goblin attack.
- Victory Condition: Eliminate all enemy goblins within the time limit of one day.
- Defeat Condition: Any monster or monsters with a combined KP total of 10 or more infiltrate the district office, or Joren Tamer dies.
- Appearing Monsters: Goblins, Goblin Shield Soldiers, Goblin Archers, ???
Tip
- Every time monsters infiltrate the district office, EP and RP decrease.
- For a higher grade: the fewer troops you deploy, the fewer monsters infiltrate, and the faster you eliminate them, the higher your clear rank and the greater your rewards.
- The minimum maintenance time granted before the next stage begins upon clearing a stage is 7 days. The higher the clear rank, the longer the maintenance time.
- If you fail to clear the stage, Your Guardian’s soul will be trapped in this world and you will not be able to return to your original world.
Legend
∏ = Monster spawn location
∴ = Monster (goblin)
│ = Obstacle (troop deployment not allowed)
♥ = Defense target (district office)
∏ ∏
↓ ↓
∴∴ │ ∴∴
∴∴ │ ∴∴
∴ │ ∴
∴ │ ∴
♥
The eastern district office, the defense objective, was far off in the distance.
“The goblin vanguard has departed. Estimated time until they reach the district office: about two hours.”
Without delay, Ho-yeong moved into action.
“Mandragorani No. 8! Go scout ahead. Find out what kind of weapons those goblins have, what type they are, and roughly how many there are.”
He had considered riding out himself, but there were far too many things he needed to command here.
“All of you, listen well. A goblin force is advancing on the eastern district office right now. We cannot allow them to break through there.”
At Ho-yeong’s words, the territorial residents, or rather the citizens of former Auphocalypse, began to stir uneasily.
“Goblins all of a sudden? What, did that lightning-noble wake up and start talking nonsense about a mandragora?”
“The state left us alone for so long, and now they’ve sent some strange man here...”
“Mom... are monsters showing up again?”
“They want us to fight monsters? Or are they trying to drive us out into the wasteland?”
The territorial residents are deeply unsettled. Their edification drops significantly.
Even without looking at the numbers, the status window was telling him exactly what he could already see.
“Hmm... Lord. It’s strange that goblins are coming in a force, not just a mob. As far as I know, my lord is not a mage but a knight, so how did you know?”
, who had been the city’s chief administrator, cut in with every sign that he did not trust this at all.
“Hmm... And why would they be trying to break into the eastern district office? I simply can’t understand it. That place is a complete ruin.”
“Why would goblins go to such lengths to come somewhere with no bread and not a single scrap of meat?”
★☆
[ Stats | Grade | Base Value ~ Maximum Value ]
Strength F: 5 ~ 7 (This man’s sword is weaker than Your Guardian’s pen.)
Intelligence B: 63 ~ 68 (Excellent at administrative work.)
Mana F: 3 ~ 5
Charm D: 21 ~ 22
Command C: 40 ~ 43 (He still managed to rally the citizens, who had nearly become refugees.)
Mental Strength A: 82 ~ 87 (Quirk: obsessed with procedure.)
Edification FF: -3 ~ -1 (He regards Your Guardian as a rolling stone that suddenly came tumbling in.)
Background
A civil servant in the 14th grade, once the fiscal officer of the city of Auphocalypse.
After the mayor was killed by monsters, he served as acting mayor and has managed to keep what little land and citizens remained more or less intact.
He has no standout abilities outside administration, but he lacks any real rough edges as well. Despite his timid appearance, his mind is remarkably sturdy. Perhaps that is why he has endured so long in this hellish city.
His flaw is that every sentence begins with “hmm.”
Ho-yeong had neither the patience nor the leisure to bicker with him.
“Treasurer. You may not know this, but I have a special ability. And we don’t have time. If the goblins do not appear, I’ll step down from my post as lord on my honor as a knight.”
“Hmm... Wouldn’t that be a good thing for you, my lord?”
“If the goblins don’t show up, I’ll hand over all my assets to you. Okay? But if they do show up, you’re banned from saying ‘hmm’ from now on.”
He roughly clamped Duonoraong’s mouth shut.
“Rest easy! The citizens will not be conscripted. It is this lord and his vassals who will subjugate the goblins!”
When the complaints among the residents had died down somewhat, Lilian approached him.
“Are you certain this is wise, even after making such a promise? To give away all your assets, I mean.”
“It’s fine. I don’t have any property left anyway.”
“You say such absurd things with impressive confidence.”
Lilian looked stunned.
He had assumed that the claim he had squandered his vast fortune preparing supplies was a figure of speech. To think it was literal.
“Still, do you doubt me too? Well, I’m not a prophet. If I said I know when and where a force of monsters, specifically goblins, is going to appear, I wouldn’t believe me either.”
“You gained the ability to edify monsters after your resurrection, so I see no reason it would be strange for you to have gained the ability to foresee events as well.”
Contrary to Ho-yeong’s worry, she answered with surprising calm. After everything she had been through, she had reached a point where very little could surprise her.
“Oh? That actually makes sense. Right. This must be a side effect of the edification ability... uh, so, basically...”
He tried hard to find an excuse, but it didn’t go well.
Ugh. I know this is a game world, and I know all kinds of things because of the status window, but... these characters, no, these people don’t know that. It’s only natural they’d find it weird.
He scratched the back of his head.
“You do not need to explain yourself.”
At Lilian’s rigid tone, he flinched.
“I trust you, my lord.”
But the conviction behind those words was firm, and warm.
“Lilian...”
As the startled lord looked up at her, Lilian went on in a composed voice.
“So please give your orders.”
The information Mandragorani No. 8 brought back matched what the status window had said.
- Rani~ Raaanirani, rani! (They’re goblins! They’re coming in a swarm! About 50 of them? Their weapons looked crude, like axes or swords.)
“Good. Nice work. Did you see anything farther back?”
- Ranirani. Rani? Raanii. Ranirani. (I tried to go a little farther ahead to watch, but there was a lot of strange black mist spread out there. I couldn’t get any closer.)
“Black mist? What the hell is that now?”
He couldn’t immediately make sense of it.
- Rani... raani. (I’m sorry, master. I’m not very good at explaining it.)
Among the mandragorani, 8 was one of the smarter ones, but its explanation of the black mist was far too vague and abstract.
“No, it’s fine. Hey, status window. Is there no function for showing images like last time? If I can communicate with tamed monsters, I should be able to share what they see too.”
“Of course there is.”
When he badgered the status window, it delivered good news.
New ability unlocked! You have learned the passive skill Communion (Lv.1). By directly touching a monster and forming communion, you can read and exchange that monster’s memories, emotions, and thoughts.
“Why give me such a good skill only now?”
“Normally it would only unlock when the active skill Edification reaches level 5, but the unlock was expedited as a reward for Your Guardian’s clever play in using monsters for reconnaissance. Would you like to cancel it?”
“Please cancel my last remark. Oh, thank you.”
Ho-yeong gently ruffled Mandragorani No. 8’s head.
“Now, close your eyes and think back once more. That mist.”
Snuggling comfortably into its master’s arms, No. 8 recalled the memory.
Huh? This is that thing I saw in the game, isn’t it? Like the shadow that covered unexplored areas.
The quest maps in the game had many regions blanketed in black mist. It was a system similar to the so-called “fog of war,” where the mist in nearby areas was lifted as you cleared stages. That was why you couldn’t figure out the entire structure of the map from the start, and why you had to explore steadily by whatever route you took.
It smells foul. Just looking at it, you can tell there’s something ominous about it... Like I shouldn’t touch it. It’s like poison gas, honestly.
Because he had shared so much communion with 8, sensory details beyond images came through as well, such as smell and touch.
Is this... some kind of spawn-kill prevention?
Spawn kill meant waiting at the place where enemies were created or revived and killing them every time they appeared. Since that trivialized game difficulty, games with higher difficulty had all kinds of prevention systems. Making newly spawned enemies invincible for a short time, placing towers that attacked intruders, or erecting barriers that blocked access altogether.
And probably... clearing one stage expands the territory section too.
Ho-yeong’s guess was right. The various resources of Tamer Territory shown on the status map were spread more densely farther west, where monster appearances were more frequent.
“This game is ridiculous!”
The border count who valued the game at a trillion won.
“Fine. Then I’ll do it! We won’t lose at Stage 1. Everyone, move out at a quick march!”
Ho-yeong emptied the supply wagons and brought every empty cart into service. He loaded them with stones to the brim.
In time with the clatter of wagon wheels, the soldiers sang a marching anthem as they advanced.