The Tyrant King's Slumber

Surprisingly, the sleepy Count conscripted the city's residents without much complaint. Of course, with a population of nearly ten thousand, there were elderly people and children, so not everyone could participate in the labor. But as thousands of people gathered resources, the legion grew rapidly.

The Royal Knights were waiting nearby. The main mission of the 4th floor was to hold out until the Royal Knights arrived. However, the reinforcements wouldn't just show up if we did nothing and sat still.

A messenger had to reach the Royal Knights' temporary headquarters to inform them that the enemy had invaded. And of course, the Count had prepared that messenger, but...

If I just send him out normally, he'll get brutally slaughtered.

It might be different on Easy or Normal. From Hard difficulty onward, enemies existed specifically to block the messenger's path.

Of course, on other difficulties, it was just a matter of delay—they would eventually reach the Royal Knights' headquarters. But this was Impossible difficulty. Without proper protection, the messenger was guaranteed to die.

Fortunately, the path connecting the city and the Royal Knights' headquarters was not blocked by the white barrier. I planned to put the messenger on Poppy's back to deliver him to the headquarters as quickly as possible.

Actually, I originally planned to run away through there.

Before becoming the master of the legion on the 1st floor, my original plan was to climb Impossible difficulty while only taking the basic rewards. Up to the 30th floor, most mission objectives were survival-based.

If I gave up on the sub-objectives, it was easy to survive using stealth skills. And the escape route for the 4th floor was right there. If I fled along that path, I could survive whether the city fell or not.

But now, my goals had changed.

I was sick of running and hiding. I turned my gaze toward the coast where the monsters would swarm. That was where I would march now.

In the distance, Void Flowers emerging from the Void Pool lined up and headed toward the city gates. Entering the city, the Void Flowers climbed the walls of buildings and positioned themselves in suitable spots.

Darkness fell over the city as the sun set. The people, who had worked all day under the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lord's orders, returned home to sleep. The spawned Void Grubs still bustled between the forest and the Void Pool, gathering resources.

The Void Pool, which had started at the entrance of the forest, had expanded deep into the woods thanks to the citizens' diligent digging. It was now so massive that calling it a lake rather than a pool wouldn't be an exaggeration.

In the distance, the city gates opened, and the Count approached after finishing his supervision of the citizens. Dragging his old body, he had spent the entire day alongside his people. Beside him was the half-knight, Sebastian, riding on Poppy's back.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll be care—Aaaagh!!!"

Poppy lightly shook his body, tossing Sebastian off, and then scraped Sebastian's chest with his claws. Sebastian screamed as if he were about to be eaten alive, but...

"Poppy, stop playing around and get some rest."

"Woof!"

Poppy was merely playing with a toy that squeaked when pressed. In truth, if Poppy had actually meant it, Sebastian would have long since become "the late Sebastian." As soon as the raid began tomorrow morning, Sebastian had to ride Poppy to request reinforcements from the Royal Knights.

"Tsk, if my son were only a bit more reliable, reinforcements would have arrived long ago..."

The Royal Knights, waiting twenty kilometers away, had received intelligence that the enemy would land somewhere on the southern coast. However, they didn't know exactly where the enemy would appear. Until a direct invasion began, we couldn't expect any support from the knights.

Of course, since I knew exactly when the enemy would attack, one option was to lie and say the attack had already started before the raid actually began to call for backup, but...

"Lord Poppy! I'm sorryyyy, aaagh!!!"

I didn't think that dimwitted Sebastian could pull off deceiving the Royal Knights.

"Can't you just go yourself, Count?"

"How can a lord abandon his city and go elsewhere? Though he gave up halfway, that boy was once a squire of the Royal Knights. He's got a knack for getting along with people, so persuading them won't be too difficult for him."

Honestly, if the old Count went and ended up dying to the waiting enemies, it would only be my loss. Poppy was strong, but protecting someone was a different story. It made more sense for Sebastian, who possessed at least a baseline of health and defense, to go. Besides, the Lord's leadership today had been impressive.

Although a lord in his own territory is like a king in a feudal society, the city's residents had been quite cooperative in helping the legion despite the sudden conscription of labor. Even with monsters roaming before their eyes and new beasts emerging from the purple lake, the citizens joined the labor, trusting the lord who stood with them.

Of course, many probably worked out of sheer terror... but regardless, it seemed best for the Lord to command the soldiers during the siege.

"It's late. You should get some sleep."

"Old folks don't sleep much, kid."

"Isn't that just waking up early?"

Though he didn't say it, the Lord's insides must be burning with anxiety over tomorrow's monster invasion. Suddenly, I recalled what the Transcendents had told me before.

Which meant the upcoming invasion was something that had actually occurred in the past. How did the original lord overcome this situation? Or was he simply trampled by the swarming enemies, meeting a miserable end?

"I'll head in first."

"Make sure you eat a proper dinner before you sleep. And are you truly satisfied with just that reward?"

The Count's gaze drifted toward the sword I had taken from Sebastian. Earlier, the Count had offered various treasures as a reward for saving his life, but none of them were system items, and flashy treasures couldn't be taken out of the Tower ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway. Anything else would just be a nuisance to carry.

In truth, the Count had already fulfilled his role by allowing me to fatten up my legion using his subjects. I enjoyed a proper meal for the first time in a while and quickly fell asleep. Even as I slept, the legion continued to devour the forest, churning out new children.

Atop the castle wall overlooking the coast, the Count, Sebastian on Poppy, and I quietly stared at the water's surface. All preparations were complete. The legion and I had done our best to swell our numbers, and all able-bodied citizens had taken up arms under the Count's command.

Barricades were erected throughout the maze-like city, with conscripts holding spears forming ranks behind them. And right below the wall, on the shore, the Void Dog legion stood ready as a mobile strike force, awaiting my command.

"Damn it, are they really coming?" Sebastian uttered foolishly.

"Still spouting such nonsense? To think that thing is my son... tsk."

"Father!"

Seeing him doubt even as the raid loomed right before his eyes, I was glad I hadn't made him do any unnecessary acting.

"There they are."

"Gasp!"

I pointed to the dark shadows visible beneath the water. Massive dark shapes filled the depths. Having reached the shore, the monsters began to poke their heads out of the water.

Unlike the 2nd and 3rd floors, the enemy count had jumped significantly. That made sense, as the 4th floor was a large-scale stage designed for up to fifty players to challenge together.

On top of that, there were over ten thousand allied NPCs, and it was a stalling mission where one simply had to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Even on other difficulties, the 4th floor was notorious for its massive enemy numbers. In fact, considering I was on Impossible difficulty, that number actually felt a bit low.

I turned my gaze to Sebastian, who was trembling beside me. By now, even a fool like him must have realized the enemy had arrived.

"Poppy, move out."

"Roar!"

"Huh? Aaagh!!!"

Carrying Sebastian on his back, Poppy dashed toward the plains where the Royal Knights were stationed. The area between the city and the Royal Knights' camp was a wide-open grassland, perfect for Poppy to run.

"Count, you should retreat now."

"Indeed. An old man shouldn't get in the way."

"I will escort you, my Lord."

The inner castle guard captain, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward to escort the Count. After confirming the Count was safely sheltered among his soldiers, I leaped down from the wall.

Crunch. Landing lightly on the sandy beach, I looked at the Void Dogs waiting for me. I had already produced over forty thousand Void Dogs, but the beach was far too narrow for all of them to fight at once. Many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the children were hidden in nearby houses and alleys, waiting to rotate in.

Forty thousand Void Dogs, twenty thousand Void Flowers, and about ten thousand Void Grubs...

Considering the enemy numbered under twenty thousand, this power disparity pointed to an easy victory, but...

I didn't know how many waves we would have to block before the Royal Knights arrived. In an endless wave scenario, it was obvious that the more enemies piled up, the harder it would get. I had to wipe out nearly twenty thousand enemies within ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thirty minutes to prepare for the next onslaught.

The only saving grace was Poppy's incredible speed. Even carrying a passenger, covering twenty kilometers would take him less than thirty minutes. This estimate even factored in potential monster blockades along the way. If all went well, reinforcements might arrive after we held out for just two or three waves.

Before long, the Abyss Army crossed the beach and entered the city entrance lined with palm trees.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Void Flowers hidden atop the palm trees snatched up the marine monsters.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The headless corpses of the monsters instantly crashed to the ground.

"W-We must pluck those flowers!"

"Kieek!"

Winged fish flew toward the Void Flowers. Sharp, piranha-like teeth gnawed at the stems of the Void Flowers, but...

"Skreeeech!!!"

The rock-hard stems didn't yield easily. Instead, the Void Flowers, having already digested their previous prey's heads, swallowed the winged fish whole.

When the winged fish's attack failed, the marine monsters began stacking their bodies to form a tower, climbing toward the Void Flowers.

"Let's go."

"Woof woof woof!!!"

With the enemy's attention focused entirely on the Void Flowers, I led the Void Dogs and charged.

"The enemy is coming!"

"Form ranks!"

I had about three thousand Void Dogs with me. Compared to the enemy's numbers, it was a charge no different from a suicide squad, but...

"The enemy is fleeing!"

"Block them!"

We didn't commit to a fight to the death; instead, we circled around, drawing their aggro. The monsters' gazes, previously fixed on the Void Flowers, shifted to us.

"Got one!"

Occasionally, some Void Dogs broke formation or died. But each time, a Void Dog waiting in the city immediately rushed out to fill the gap.

While the enemy's attention was locked on us, the Void Flowers that finished digestion continued to devour the marine monsters. As the battle raged for nearly ten minutes, the enemy's numbers dwindled rapidly.

"Damn it! Retreat! Fall back!" A priest, certain of their defeat, ordered a retreat.

The marine monsters ignored the priest's words, but the human-looking Abyss Cultists fled toward the sea in accordance with his command.

"That's cheating."

The enemy forces had clearly thinned out. I summoned the army hidden inside the city.

"Woof!"

"Where did these monsters come from..."

Any enemies that escaped now would be added to the upcoming second wave. The legion swarmed in, cutting off the enemy's escape routes. While cleaning up the remaining foes, a message I had anticipated popped up.

I had instructed Poppy to use Gigantification without hesitation if a dangerous situation arose. Although its cooldown was a whopping three hours, the messenger dying before summoning reinforcements was the absolute worst-case scenario.

"I can trust Poppy."

"Woof!"

Although Poppy's pride had taken a scratch when he was blocked by the Mini Kraken on the 3rd floor, that was largely due to a bad matchup. The Kraken was an enemy with slow movement speed but a massive build.

With his large size, Poppy couldn't dodge the Kraken's countless tentacles to reach its main body, forcing a head-on clash that inevitably dragged out the fight. This time, he only needed to avoid the enemies rather than kill them, so he would likely reach the Royal Knights without much trouble.

Poppy, you okay?

Woof!

Just in case, I sent a telepathic message, and a confident reply came back. Meanwhile, the enemies cornered on the beach were completely wiped out.

Nearly four thousand legion units had died in the recent battle, but new ones had been spawned from the Void Pool. The net loss to the legion was only about three thousand.

Considering the enemy numbered nearly twenty thousand, it was an overwhelmingly favorable trade ratio. The Void Flowers had played a massive role, but the lack of commander-class monsters among the enemy was also a major factor.

"This is easier than I thought... Wait."

In my experience, whenever things went this smoothly, something always went wrong.

"What kind of bullshit system-rigging is it this time? Will the enemy numbers skyrocket in the second wave? Or is there a flanking route where they'll circle around behind us?"

Driven by anxiety, I ordered the Void Dogs to thoroughly search the city, but no particular anomalies were found.

The enemy count had increased slightly, but it was a negligible difference. I checked underwater just in case, but no commander-class enemies were in sight.

"Strange. Is there really no catch..."

"Ha! Are you kidding me?"

The army can't move because the king is asleep? What kind of ridiculous joke is this? Logically, if an enemy invades while the king is asleep, they should either wake him up or a subordinate should take responsibility and march out.

But complaining to the Tower's system wouldn't change a thing.

"Poppy, return."

"Woof!"

I hadn't expected an easy path anyway. Watching the monsters rise to the water's surface, I drew the sword I had "received" from Sebastian. No matter how many swarmed us, the legion would not fall.